I’ve broken out the wool socks this morning. Fall in Texas… it’s going to be in the 50s today. I got a frost warning on my phone notifications, and had a moment before I remembered that those were set up in Ohio… Need to change my location with that app! I’ll take 50s and sunshine… Read More Meet me at 6
My thoughts on marketing were kicked off this week not by the social media data engineering post I shared yesterday, but Dave Freer’s thoughts on the publishing industry and the impact the pandemic is having on it. Once upon a time there were no book chains, and publishers had to sell to directly to… Read More Paradigm Marketing Shift: Make a Connection
This post started for me, as these things sometimes do, by something that was wrong on the internet jarring it loose in my brain. I saw the post below, and protested it. It’s wrong. It’s wrong on several levels. And it is also right on a couple of points, but the worst lies are… Read More Paradigm Marketing Shift: Rule 1
Author Earnings is back! I’ve been spending a few moments this morning trying to geek out over the new and improved dataset – it’s the bomb, it really is! – while helping kids get ready for school. I’m seriously excited over this report, which has been nine months in the making. If you’re an author,… Read More Indie Authors are Alive and Thriving
I was contemplating serializing a novellette on the website – basically publishing it in 1500 word segments, then when it was complete, taking all those posts down and publishing it. This would, in theory, have given my readers here a freebie. But there wasn’t much interest, and after chatting with a friend and fellow reader,… Read More Morning, But No Serial
A blast from the past… three years ago I wrote this, but it is still pertinent today. I’m reposting as it’s in a several month period of blog posts which got lost when I moved hosts a couple of years ago, and I need to dig through those and republish the good stuff, while I’m… Read More Writers Have Vanity Issues [Repost]
I’m making Twisted Mindflow, a collection of 17 short stories, flash, and oddballs, available for free download. Whether you’re a fan and interested in the evolution of my writing mind, or you’re new to my work and want to get a sense of just how odd my stories are, this is my gift to you.… Read More Free Ebook!
I had a neat experience yesterday. I’d gotten an email from my school inviting students and staff to come see one of the instructors of English talk about writing and publishing. I was immediately curious, but wary. I did a little bit of research, which rocked me back on my heels and made me wonder.… Read More An Author’s Trial by Fire
This isn’t another blog about food, even if it looks it at first glance. Rather, it’s a blog about my love-hate relationship with bookstores these days. Also, my love-hate relationship with money. I love having money to spend on things I want, I hate not having enough to spend it without thinking first. No big… Read More Sticker Shock
For this blog series I have done lasagna, Alfredo sauce (twice) but not, previously, spaghetti. Today is that day. Kal Spriggs writes fun space opera, I reviewed his first one here, and recently has begun to produce epic fantasy as well. I was delighted to meet him in person this last LibertyCon, even if it… Read More Eat This While You Read That: Kal Spriggs
Open Tabs on my Browser: Writer, Market, Reader I’m up at Mad Genius Club today, talking about what makes a real writer (versus what, a fake writer?) and exploring new markets. There’s a fine balance between writing what you want to write, and writing what a reader will want to read. Then, you have to… Read More Put it on my Tab
I was privileged to read Dan’s debut novel, Ninth Euclid’s Prince, in the beta stage, and it’s a fun romp into Space Opera – almost literally, with a setting that is as dramatic as any Italian stage. One of the things you will find in the book (along with Byzantine intrigue, high fashion, and a… Read More Eat This While You Read That: Dan Hoyt