When A Wet Fish Slaps You Even as self-publishing authors may weary of hearing about the problems of much independently produced content — typos and other editorial woes — a new showcase means yet another reason to shoot for precision and excellence to meet the marketplace’s standards. Bill Clinton used to talk about being able… Read More
Goodreads Choice Awards: Women Authors Win Two-To-One
When 3.3 Million People Vote On Their Faves Aside from reading — we have to hope — nothing seems to entertain Goodreads more than surveying its vast self, and this is good news for the rest of us because we get some interesting insight into reading habits. The newest round of “Goodreads Choice Awards” —… Read More
Music For Writers: Seeing Through Philip Glass
‘The Trouble With My Career’ Once when I interviewed Philip Glass, he told me: The trouble with my career is I’m finally doing what I want to do. And the reason it’s a problem is that I’m doing it all day long and don’t have time to do anything else. And maybe the most remarkable thing… Read More
Goodreads Reviews ‘Sex And Reading’ On The Big Platform
It’s Not About Who’s Reading More We already have an understanding — sad to say — that in general, men are not reading as much as women. Today at The FutureBook, in fact, the author Simon Scarrow talks about his new Cato and Macro mobile game-app for iOS and Android that’s intended to help draw… Read More
Of Talent And Turkeys
If Anybody Mentions ‘Talent,’ Just Gobble Louder At the heart of mystique is talent. Which is the ultimate mystery. Why do some people have it while others do not? Shelley Souza That’s the writer Shelley Souza in one of several fine, thoughtful comments from Writer Unboxed late last week. In the lead essay there, I… Read More
Wait! Not Another Selfie! Instead, Take A Shelfie!
Is A Picture Worth A Thousand eBooks? So there I was the other day, putting together a story for The Bookseller’s The FutureBook about Vancouver’s BitLit. That’s the young start-up company that wants you to have ebook editions (free or at a discount) of books you’v’e already bought in print. A lot like when you buy… Read More
New And Serious Talk For Authors
Quiet Qualms, Important Inquiries Most major ebook retailers have suffered anemic or declining sales over the last 12-18 months. The gravy train of exponential sales growth is over. Indies have hit a brick wall and are scrambling to make sense of it. Mark Coker In a way, Mark Coker of Smashwords may be saying what we… Read More
Writerly Mystique Vs. Self-Exposure: Mind The Gap
‘About My Generation’ When the teacher comes around asking, “How did you spend your weekend?” my answer will be…responding to comments at Writer Unboxed. As a regular contributor to that large, avidly commented-upon authors’ site, I provide columns under the branding “Provocations in Publishing.” The idea of that phrase is to help the unprepared reader of… Read More
On The Ethical Author Code And Amateurism
The Ethical Author Code The Ethical Author Code is being promoted by the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) based in the UK. There’s more about its launch at The FutureBook conference in London here. While no one at ALLi is pointing fingers in this effort, many observers feel that it’s a pivotal one in terms of… Read More
Writers in Conference: The Micro-Tension Of A Pause
Autumn And Authors Holding Their Breaths The townspeople of Salem, Massachusetts, are busy this week pointing out to visitors their brilliant fall leaves. “They should be on the ground by now,” one longtime resident says, shaking his head. “Should have hit the grass a long time ago.” And like the eerie pause in the pace… Read More