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 find that reader…. Or hopefully, a lot of readers.
The Official Alphabetical List of Author Success
I pulled this up for the above post, then wound up not having a logical place to insert it. I’m somewhere between I and J, but I don’t look at my sales daily unless I’m running a promotion. I just don’t have that kind of time.
I List – Doggone It People Like Me =$$$$$
- Authors with the first glimmers of real professional success.
- Authors who begin contemplating how they’re going to tell their boss to shove it.
- Authors who only check their book’s Amazon rank once a day.
- Authors who pay their mortgage payments from their royalties.
J List – What the Fuck? I’m a Real Writer? =$$$$
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Authors who are still getting used to the idea people want to read their crap.
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Authors who have sold a respectable number of books.
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Authors who check their book’s Amazon rank every hour
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Authors who start to pay most of their bills with their royalties.
Lost Libraries
In the end, the books fade away. The libraries fall into ruin. But for my purposes as I start research for an upcoming book, the story of Chinguetti is perfect. Ancient libraries hold forgotten books…
New Book
Books come and go, and this one I’ve been waiting for. The First Reader and I both enjoyed the first book, so I snapped this one up as soon as I saw the link this morning. Facebook does work to let your fans know when the new one is out. I’d quibble at the cover, but I think I can trust the story inside to be eminently readable.
Russian Fairy Tale Photographs
My First Reader, knowing my penchant for Russian Fairy Tales, sent me a pair of links, one to the surreal photography work of Uldus Bahktiozina.
The other was the work of an illustrator who re-imagined the characters from the tales as superheroes and made them trading cards. A beautiful display of skill, I really liked this collection.
Comments
3 responses to “Put it on my Tab”
Liked the MGC column today (read it after Kristine’s). Between the two of you, I am reassured. Basically, what I boil it down to is “Write what you write best, which includes enjoying what you are writing. Don’t worry about the market – but know who they are so you can market to them.” If that makes sense this late at night…
I am fascinated by the “cover” piece for today’s post, though. That is one of those that I just feel has to have been cropped, but I could be wrong. Is it? Is there more to this watercolor?
Sounds like you have a handle on the writing 🙂
The watercolor is something I was playing with a year or two ago, I wasn’t happy with the wings. I’ve not been painting recently, it’s a lot of set up/clean-up I haven’t time for. The ink or pen I can do on the fly. But I really want to paint. Here’s a link to the whole thing: http://cedarlili.deviantart.com/art/Fairy-Incomplete-452636986
The wings don’t look quite right – and yet they are. (OK, take that as you will.)
Know what you mean about the painting. My daughters want to do more also; but ink, pen, charcoal, etc. are what they can fit into everything else they have to do.