Friday, July 31, 2009

Newsy Bits

Crystal Healer, StarDoc book nine As of last weekend, my ninth StarDoc novel, Crystal Healer, is out on the shelves at all of the chain booksellers. Readers have also confirmed that it's been shipped from B&N.com, so if you were waiting until the official August release date there's really no need to anymore.

I wasn't expecting a two-week jump on the laydown date; I thought I had another week to put something together for release day. Thus I'm woefully unprepared (as I whined about this week over at the group blog.) Bad PBW. No cookie for me.

I would give away some copies today, but I never received any ARCs for this one, and (ironically) they haven't sent me my author copies yet. Hopefully they will soon before I have to go buy copies of my own book to keep my friends and mother from strangling me.

Anyway, um . . . happy premature release day to me.

Twilight Fall, Darkyn book six The folks at Berkley/NAL/Perigee Publicity for Penguin Group (USA) as well as my editor told me to put an announcement on my web site about a new e-book version of Twilight Fall that is being sold over in the UK by Waterstone; the sales page for it is here.

Alas, I don't have a web site, but I hope you all won't mind me mentioning it here so I can make the people in NY happy.

Looks like you can download it from Waterstone in Adobe Digital Edition; I'm not seeing any other format for sale (but I might be looking at the wrong button or something.)

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Phalluses and Fallacies

Someone (you know who you are) took exception to an offhand comment I made during LB&LI about SF being riddled with phallic symbols, so I thought I'd get that out of the way.

I'm sure that I was wrong to suggest that SF was or is in any way related to the male sex organ. Of course we all know the SF focuses on the scientific advances man will make in the future, and the amazing technology that will improve and enlighten our society. As a genre it is noble and intelligent, and has never had anything to do with catering to the sexual fantasies of the male gender.



I don't know where I got the twisted notion that SF had anything to do with some dude's Johnson, actually. Maybe it was some book I snitched from my brother's collection when I was a kid and simply interpreted incorrectly.



In any case, I do apologize for my wholly inaccurate and highly inappropriate remark.

LB&LI E-Book Posted

Sorry I've been away longer than I anticipated, but while I've been gone I did go back to finish up the last bunch of comments I missed during LB&LI, which are now posted. I also put together an e-book version of all the workshops, which is now available free to download, print, and share in non-profitable ways on Scribd.com:*Note 9/3/10: Since Scribd.com instituted an access fee scam to charge people for downloading e-books, including those I have provided for free for the last ten years, I have removed this document from their site and transferred it to Google Docs, and no longer use or recommend using their service. See my post about this scam here.



Click on the image and it'll take you to the Google Docs page where you can read it online or download it for free.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Off To Write/Recover



I need to unplug for a bit to take a break and get some work stuff knocked out. See you in a couple of days.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

That's a Wrap & Winners

This post wraps up my 2009 Left Behind & Loving It virtual workshops. I had a terrific time this year, and I appreciate everyone for taking the time to stop by and join in. I'd also like to send out my thanks to all of the writers who held workshops on their sites and blogs, as you helped make this a wonderful experience for everyone.

I have a bunch of giveaways to wrap up as well, so let me go right to that.

The winners of the VW#7 giveaways are:

Signed set of Darkyn novels: Allison (whose comment began with Thanks for this real life look at agents. I was dreading the step where I have to obtain an agent in-between actually getting published, but this makes it sound a little closer to reality.)

Goodie Bag: SueLoree

The winners of the VW#8 giveaways are:

The Mystery Art Prize: madkestrel

Goodie Bag: Margay

and last but not least, the winner of the LB&L& Grand Prize (winner's choice of either a ASUS Eee PC 1005HA-P 10.1" Seashell Netbook or a Sony PRS-700BC Digital Reader) is:

David Bridger

Winners, when you have a chance, please send your full name and ship-to address to LynnViehl@aol.com, and I'll get your prizes out to you.

I'll be checking all the workshop comments to catch up on any questions I missed, and then I'll put together an e-book version of everything and post that on Scribd* as I have in years past. I should have it all done by the end of the week.

My heartfelt thanks to everyone who joined in and made this such a fun week.

* Note 9/3/10: Since Scribd.com instituted an access fee scam to charge people for downloading e-books, including those I have provided for free for the last ten years, I have removed this document, and no longer use or recommend using their service. You can read online or download a copy of this e-book from Google Docs here. See my post about this scam here.

Monday, July 20, 2009

VW #8 -- Ask PBW Anything

Just a note to explain my lag on posting and answering comments -- we've had some storms here with lots of lightning, and I've had to keep the computer shut down and unplugged most of the day. It may sound over-cautious, but we've already been hit twice in the last couple of years and once it fried two of my computers. I will catch up today and tomorrow.

The winners of the VW#6 giveaways are:

MusicWish: Aimee K. Maher

Goodie Bag: mmarques

Winners, when you have a chance, please send your full name and ship-to address to LynnViehl@aol.com, and I'll get your prizes out to you. Thanks to everyone for joining in.



This is the last workshop of Left Behind & Loving It 2009, and as I did last year we'll make this one an open Q&A for leftover questions about the other workshops or any writing- or publishing-related topic. If you have any questions, please post them in comments.

While you're thinking about that, I also have a couple of things to talk about. All of the writers who were involved in LB&LI this year and every year do so strictly on a voluntary basis. They donate their time and effort to make this week informative and fun for all the attendees. If you've learned something new, had a good time or for whatever reason would like to show your support and say thank you, I recommend buying one of the writer's books or (if they're not yet published) visiting their blogs again.

I also know my editors will throttle me if I don't mention one time that I have two upcoming releases, Crystal Healer (StarDoc book nine) in August and Shadowlight (Kyndred book one) in October; pre-ordering one of them or asking for them at your local library would be more than enough thanks for me.

It's amazing how much my little summer project grown over the years, and how generous the writing community has been with getting involved and doing their part. I'm grateful to all the writers who are joining in for the 2009 event and who have in years past. As for me, I've always regarded LB&LI as my own summer writing vacation, the one time each year where I can hang with my people, talk shop and explore what it means to be a writer.

That said, I need to let you all know that this is going to be my last year as host/coordinator of LB&LI. There are a number of reasons for this, but mainly it's a time and effort issue. It gets a little harder for me every year to handle the work involved. I've also never been crazy about being broadcast by various RWA entities as providing an online alternative to RWA's National Conference for their membership. I have never done this for RWA. I did this for my friends.

LB&LI was intended to be an open and totally accessible group event, but as with any endeavor of this size, it does need someone to oversee the coordination and decision-making involved in making it happen. I'd like to see whoever takes up the torch have fun with it and make it what you want it to be (it doesn't even have to be called LB&LI anymore, you can rename it whatever you like.) These past two years there were a couple of sites that held their own versions of it -- which, btw, I always thought was pretty wonderful.

I'm hopeful the annual virtual workshops will continue on without me running things, but as with passing the torch I need to let go and leave that up to you guys. I will say that the need for free, globally accessible writing workshops is growing, especially now when most writers can't afford the cost or the time away involved in attending conferences and workshops in real life. It's a terrific opportunity to network and share ideas and possibilities.

I also believe events like LB&LI embody the spirit of the internet, and the concept of free online exchange of information, which is really the best part of being a member of NetPubLand. As a writing community we can always learn from each other, and by doing so become better at our craft and enjoy more of our writing life.

So there you have it. While I know this is going to disappoint some folks, I think after four years I've earned my retirement. I am grateful for all that you've shared with me and taught me about the writing life by hanging with me and everyone involved in LB&LI. Thanks for a terrific experience.

Today's LB&LI giveaways are:

1) A Mystery Art prize which may be a painting, quilt, or other artistic creation made by Yours Truly. No, I'm not going to tell you, that would ruin the surprise.

2) a goodie bag which will include unsigned new copies of:

The Treasure by Iris Johansen (hardcover)

Writing the Life Poetic by Sage Cohen (trade pb)
The Pajama Girls of Lambert Square by Rosina Lippi (trade pb)
Bullies, Bastards and Bitches ~ How to Write the Bad Guys of Fiction by Jessica Page Morrell (trade pb)
Animal Attraction by Charlene Teglia (trade pb)

Amazon Ink by Lori Devoti
Round the Clock by Dara Girard
Temptation and Lies by Donna Hill
The Iron Hunt and Darkness Calls by Marjorie M. Liu (paperbacks)
Hawkspar by Holly Lisle (paperback)
A Writer's Space by Dr. Eric Maisel (paperback)

plus signed paperback copies of my novels StarDoc and Evermore, as well as some other surprises.

If you'd like to win one of these two giveaways, ask a question or toss your name in the hat before midnight EST on Monday, July 20, 2009 (this means by midnight tonight, so keep in mind the short deadline if you want to enter.) I will draw two names from everyone who participates and send one winner the mystery art prize and the other the goodie bag.

Everyone who participates in the giveaways this week will also be automatically entered in my grand prize drawing on July 21st, 2009 for the winner's choice of either a ASUS Eee PC 1005HA-P 10.1" Seashell Netbook or a Sony PRS-700BC Digital Reader.

As always, all LB&LI giveaways are open to anyone on the planet, even if you've won something here at PBW in the past.

Other LB&LI Workshop Links -- new links are being added every day, so keep checking the list for new workshops (due to different time zones, some of these will go live later in the day):

E-publishing: From Query to Final Edits and Beyond -- Authors Madison Blake, Paris Brandon, Cerise Deland, Fran Lee, Afton Locke and Nina Pierce provide helpful insights and tips on e-publishing.

Writing Transformative Sex - Part Two by Joely Sue Burkhart -- So you know you want to avoid Plot Interrupted and Tab A/Slot B mechanics, but how do you get “down and dirty” into the emotions of a really deep sex scene?

Bird Migration by Suelder -- third in a series of workshops on birds that will focus on the science as well as how to adapt this information to writing.

Why You're Not Writing by JM Fiction Scribe -- Examining the reasons behind your writing block - because the identifying the 'why' of the problem is the best way of getting past it.

How-To Books that Saved My Life by Alison Kent -- a look at the three how-to books the author can't write without, and why.

Break through your fears and write! by Tamlyn Leigh -- One of the biggest obstacles on a writer's path is their fear. It can be for anything: fear people won't like their stories, fear they aren't good enough. In my workshop I want to offer tools to break through that fear, and get everyone writing!

Writing Prompt Series by Rosina Lippi -- Ask Me Anything related to writing or the biz.

Have No Fear by Marjorie M. Liu -- third in a series of workshops about different aspects of writing and publishing.

From Pantser To Plotter: How I Joined The Dark Side by Kait Nolan -- five workshops on the transformation of a pantser to a plotter.

Writing Sex Scenes That Matter by Jenna Reynolds -- Readers sometimes say they skip over the sex scenes in a book. And usually it's not because they have a problem with the sex. It could, however, be because, other than the sex, nothing else is going on. This workshop provides some suggestions on how to write sex scenes that matter and that readers won't skip over.

Writing Lab – Write or Die by Midnight Spencer –– Something fun to add at the end of this workshop. Something to help you get the writing you want done, a little push in the finishing touch.

Left Behind in Interesting Times by Charlene Teglia -- e-publishing in interesting times.

Epubs-wondering where to start? by Shiloh Walker -- Info for those curious about epubs and where to start.

Killer Campaigns: Volunteerism by Maria Zannini -- Passive promotion at its best

Graphic credit: © Yellowj | Dreamstime.com

Sunday, July 19, 2009

VW #7 -- Agents and Writers

The winners of the VW#5 giveaways are:

ArtWish: Jennifer McKenzie

Goodie Bag: Cora (whose comment began with Love the analogy. My fairy godmothers don't have names, but I definitely have both of them.)

Winners, when you have a chance, please send your full name and ship-to address to LynnViehl@aol.com, and I'll get your prizes out to you. Thanks to everyone for joining in.



I. In the Biz

Imagine for a moment that you work in the Publishing industry. In this job, your livelihood depends on a couple of things: decent contracts, a healthy advance, fair percentage of sales for royalties, timely payments and building and maintaining a friendly relationship with editors and publishers.

There are also books to be written -- hopefully lots of books. You work hard to sell them, but as far as marketing and publisher support and what is done for any of your books after they're finished, you're completely dependent on the whim of the publisher. You know when you've got great work and, if your luck holds, even a potential bestseller that will generate wonderful sales.

You also have all the worry and stress and hassles involved with delivering a completed manuscript to the editor, seeing it through revisions and doing whatever you have time for to see that it launches successfully. During release week, you hold your breath, cross your fingers and watch for the first lists to see if your book made it to the top of the ranks. If it did, you feel it's all been worthwhile. If it didn't, you feel like a failure, as if you didn't do your job right.

The thing is, in this job, you're not a writer. You're a literary agent, representing dozens of writers, and that book is only one of dozens you'll handle this year.

II. The Marriage of Agent and Writer

When I was putting together this post I had kind of a rough time organizing it. I guess when I'm dealing with writing topics and exercises and stuff I can make that fit into a logical structure. When you're talking about people, however, it's hard to reduce them to numbered paragraphs and bulleted points. So I hope you all will bear with me as I go through my thoughts and overlook the times when I ramble.

I've always thought agents are a lot like spouses. When things are going well, writers routinely brag about how great their agent is, how happy they are with them, and how lucky they are to have them (and very often they'll speak of their agent the same way even if the agent hasn't done a stellar job for them, because who wants to be seen as having lousy representation?) But when things go seriously wrong, writers blame their agent and bitch endlessly about them, what a huge mistake it was to sign with them, and how much better off they'd be with another one.

A writer who comes to an unhappy split with their agent generally doesn't talk about it publicly, but in private will say plenty to their friends, along the lines of: "I finally got rid of his ass. Yeah, I can't believe I was stupid enough to stay with him all these years, the bastard. Good riddance." We rarely if ever hear how agents talk about writers after they split, but one agent friend of mine assures me that feelings on their side can be just as bitter (they're simply more discreet.)

The effort it takes to acquire a decent agent is often much like looking for a spouse. Once we've signed with our first agent, our expectations are roughly equal to how it will go with our first marriage (minus the sex, of course.) We're thrilled, nervous, terrified and paranoid. We have a lot of unrealistic expectations. We want everything to go perfectly -- and, of course, it generally doesn't.

With any agent, you can do all the checking and rechecking and verifying and obtaining of references and whatnot, but as with marriage you really don't know how the relationship will work until you've had some time together. The thing to remember is that agents gamble on us as much as we do on them, so the stress isn't all on our side. For everything you've ever said or asked or worried about an agent, they've done the same about writers.

III. Dealing with an Agent

I don't hold the world's record for sticking with a marriage -- in my youth I collected ex-husbands like other women do Beanie Babies -- but I'm definitely a veteran of the single, monogamous agent-writer relationship. It's a funny relationship, but like most it has its good and bad points, the inevitable highs and lows. Naturally not all agent-writer relationships run the same way, and I will say upfront that everything I state is based on my personal experiences and what I've learned from working with the same agent for the entire length of my professional career, and from friendships with a couple of other agents in the biz.

My agent and I have been working together for almost eleven years now. Sometimes when things are going especially well for me, I think I should celebrate by sending her a gift on the day I signed with her (the traditional gift for this year's anniversary, appropriately enough, is steel.) I don't actually do that, but at regular intervals (usually during the holidays) I try to remind my agent that I do appreciate the work she does on my behalf.

We've also have our problems, and they've also had a long-term effect on our relationship. There have only been three times in the last eleven years that I've considered ending my relationship with my agent. Without getting into the gory details or naming names, after I cooled off, calmed down and looked at the situation objectively I always found a reason to stick with her and weather the storm (not as easy as it sounds; once that took the better part of a year.) Interestingly enough, all three times I nearly split with my agent were over problems instigated by someone outside our relationship, and twice it was the same person.

Anyway, those are the two extremes of the agent-writer relationship, and if you stay with an agent long enough, you'll probably experience both. I can't speak for my agent, but knowing how stubborn, opinionated and control-freakish I am as a client, I can almost guarantee you that she's felt the same way about me. Yet somehow each time these and other, more minor crises come up, we've muddled through them -- not always to my liking or hers, but to a point where we could compromise, get on with it, and continue to work together.

I've been courted by plenty of other agents -- one just tried to romance me last week -- but there is a promise I made to myself and my agent a couple of years ago, during what was probably the worst time in my relationship with my agent. I told her that if for whatever reason she stops being my agent, I would not sign with anyone else; I'd just do it myself. Honestly, I wouldn't want to go through this again with anyone. So I have twice as much reason to make my agent-writer relationship work, because if she goes, I'm flying solo from then on.

IV. Establishing Boundaries

I think in general writers regularly expect too much out of their agents, and I'm not sure why this happens. It might be a kind of weird transference that happens when a writer turns pro. You can see this in action whenever many writers get mad at their publisher or something their publisher does. The angry/upset writer hardly ever blames the publisher for the problem. Instead they blame their agent. If agents ran publishing, I'd agree with this, but they don't. They are as much at the mercy of the publisher as we are. We have to maintain a working relationship with our publisher for the sake of our careers. Multiply that by twenty or thirty clients, and you'll understand what the agent also has at stake.

I also think agents regularly expect too much out of their writers as well, chiefly in the crap we're expected to take from publishers and likewise the phony gratitude and ass-kissing department. I know agents overestimate our capacity to stoically withstand and forgive things like an abusive editor, a broken verbal agreement, a botched production and other such "shut up and take it" situations. Expecting us to keep quiet about it is one thing; expecting us to be cheerful and friendly to and only speak well of the people who do this to us year after year is another. For agents it's a business deal, and all they really have at stake is income. For us it's our dream, and when that's shattered, it's very hard to pick up the pieces and behave as if nothing happened.

I don't know how to solve the problems on either side, but I do think from the beginning writers and agents need to establish boundaries in their relationship to keep it workable. Maybe if boundaries were the first thing that agents and writers discussed they might stay together longer.

I've never depended on my agent for emotional support; I like her well enough but I don't consider her a personal friend. I don't consider it necessary to attend any events that she does or be friendly with her friends in the business. I don't ask for her opinion very often, but when I do it's strictly related to contract offers or submissions. I don't invite her to my home or involve her in my family activities. When I'm in New York I don't go to her office or call her (this is mainly so I don't get sucked into going to meet my editors, which for the most part I have successfully avoided for eleven years.)

I do try to stay out of my agent's hair. I don't harass her assistant, or leave nuisance messages, or otherwise waste her or her peoples' time. I don't call her at the office at all unless it's absolutely necessary that we talk (generally about something I don't want to put in writing.) She's given me her mobile number a couple dozen times, but I've never called it unless she's given me specific instructions to do so. We communicate chiefly through e-mail, and while it sounds cold and distant, I think it's a nice buffer for both sides and gives us time to think about things before we respond, which frankly sometimes we both need.

The clear boundaries are really important, I think, because we know where they are and how we can operate inside them. It's not the agent-writer relationship I envisioned as a rookie, but it's the relationship we've worked out over the years. For me it's this or nothing, and that does tend to put things in perspective very fast.

V. The Ying and Yang of the Agent-Writer Relationship

Here is the basic definition of the agent-writer relationship: your agent is your literary representative in the business side of Publishing, and negotiates any business with publishers on your behalf according to your wishes. In return for that representation, you pay your agent a guaranteed percentage of whatever they sell for you for as long as it sells.

The details of what is involved in this relationship vary according to writer and agent, but here are my thoughts on how both should handle certain common areas:

Sales: Your agent should always strive to get you the best possible deal with any publisher and steer you away from bad deals. You should communicate clearly to your agent in advance of any negotiations what you would like to get out of the deal as well as specific points on which you're willing or not willing to compromise on.

Contracts: Your agent should read your contract thoroughly and point out any undesirable terms. You should read every word of your contract to recheck it for any undesirable terms. Your agent should never pressure you into signing a contract that doesn't suit you. You should never sign a contract that doesn't suit you unless you are 100% willing to accept the terms and take full responsibility for agreeing to them.

Goals: Your agent needs to know what you want to do with your career, and should communicate that clearly to your publisher. You need to make those decisions and communicate them clearly to your agent regularly, especially when your goals change.

Personal Life: Ideally your agent should not involve you in their personal life. Likewise, you should not involve them in yours. If you do develop a friendship with your agent, it needs to be one you have outside the agent-writer relationship, and neither of you should bring it into play when having business discussions or making career decisions.

Finances: Your agent must be financial responsible to you and act as your representative when dealing with publishers who owe you money, and if they are paid first they need to send you your portion in a timely manner. You are not your agent's ATM card. You need to keep track of payments you're owed, communicate any delay in payments to your agent, and keep your books up to date. You should also keep your finances in order and not depend on your agent to constantly advance you money they haven't received or otherwise bail you out. Your agent is also not your ATM card.

Contacts: Your agent should never try to pressure you into promoting, blurbing or otherwise assisting another client of theirs. You should never try to use your agent to obtain promotion, blurbs or other assistance from another client of theirs.

Honesty: You and your agent should never lie to one another. If you catch your agent in a lie, or for some reason they confess that they've lied to you, you can no longer trust them with sensitive information. The same goes for you if you lie to them.

Problems: Agents should tell you when for whatever reason they have a serious problem with you. Likewise you should confront them about any serious problems you have with them. It's best if both sides wait to do this when they don't feel like shouting, writing impolitic e-mails, or leaving nasty messages on voice mail. However, if either side expresses anger inappropriately, it's best to confront that and the problem as soon as possible.

VI. Final Thoughts.

Your expectations about your agent are your own business, but the more realistic you are, the better equipped you'll be to have a successful relationship. I think one of the most important things to remember is that it is impossible for an agent to rep only one writer (imagine trying to live off 15% of what you currently earn -- that's what one writer represents in income for their agent), so to expect them to focus on you and your books and your career 24/7 is not only ridiculous, it's unfair.

There are some hard facts about agents that you have to accept. An agent's relationship with any publisher, for example, takes priority over their relationship with you. If the agent is forced to choose between you, chances are they are going to side with the publisher (unless you're Stephenie Meyer, in which case Little,Brown is going down.)

Agents learn early on how to talk to writers and say the things we want to hear in order to motivate us. They are by nature salespeople and sell to us as much as to the publishers. It doesn't mean they're insincere -- I believe most agents are basically honest and do care about their clients -- but after you've been with an agent for a time you'll start recognizing their pitches and pep talks. They only have so many of them that they use, and most they recycle, so be nice and don't say anything snide.

You have to be worth an agent's time, which means you have to bring enough to the table to warrant their attention and/or earn enough to make that agent worry about losing you. The most attention you'll get from an agent is at two crucial stages of the game: in the beginning of your career, when as a writer you are most vulnerable professionally, and when any offer comes in (because until you accept the offer, the agent doesn't make any money, and that portion of their income is dependent on your decision.)

An agent is happiest with a writer when you accept a lucrative deal. If you want to change something in your relationship, this is the time to strike, when they're feeling very good about you.

Agents will by necessity not tell you everything. If your editor says anything nasty about you, an agent usually won't repeat it. But that works both ways; when you rant about what a stupid bitch your editor is, your agent won't repeat that. An agent who does repeat unsavory things to you is probably doing the same to your editor.

Agents come to know our enemies and the people we dislike, and will pass along little unsavory but essentially harmless anecdotes about them or agree with us when we talk trash so that we think they're on our side. In reality an agent is on no one's side but their own, and if your worst enemy came to them with a decent deal, they'd treat them as nicely as they do you.

There's one more point I'd like to touch on, and it's the frequent accusations writers make of agents as the root of all their career woes. It usually goes something like this: "My agent isn't selling me to the right publishers" or "My agent doesn't care if I'm successful" or even "I'd be a big name now if my agent hadn't sat on books and did nothing for them."

Agents are people, and granted, people make mistakes. Sometimes they make bad decisions, or offer advice that doesn't work. I'm sure some agents out there are lazy, overloaded or don't have the right contacts. At times some agents can be manipulated by editors into working against their writer's best interests. But to hold the agent solely responsible for your career woes is completely passing the buck. No one held a gun to your head and made you sign a contract with the wrong publisher. Your agent is not the chief navigator of your success in the biz; you're supposed to be in charge of that. And most of all, I can tell you with almost 100% certainty that your agent is not conspiring with anyone else to ruin your career or your life.

The best relationship between a writer and agent is a symbiotic one -- both sides working toward obtaining mutual benefits. If you don't sell, the agent doesn't collect a commission, so their primary concern is your income. And since you pay them to help you obtain the best deal you can get, that's exactly as it should be.

VII. Related Links:

My agent is Ms. Robin Rue of Writers House in New York. If you'd like to submit to her or any of the other literary agents at Writers House, their submissions guidelines page is here.

Hopefully she never runs away and joins the circus: 20 Questions Answered by Literary Agent Janet Reid.

If you're shopping for an agent, make sure the ones you are considering belong to AAR ~ The Association of Authors' Representatives, Inc. which requires their members to adhere to a canon of ethics.

Author Charlotte Dillon has a bunch of great links about agents on her Publishers & Agents page.

If you don't have an agent, get some tips on landing one with KC Morgan's article Find a Literary Agent and Get Published ~ Tips and Advice for Getting Your Book Noticed.

Jim Munroe flies solo in his article How to Get a Book Deal Without an Agent

Jennifer Reed explores the why of agents in her article How To Decide If You Need a Literary Agent ~ And How to Find a Literary Agent

Today's LB&LI giveaways are:

1) A signed set of all seven of my Darkyn novels, including an author-printed copy of my December novella e-book, Master of Shadows and an ARC of my first Kyndred novel, Shadowlight, which will not be released until October '09.

2) a goodie bag which will include unsigned new copies of:

Deadlock by Iris Johansen (hardcover)

Strange Brew edited by P.N. Elrod (trade pb)
Author 101 ~ Bestselling Secrets from Top Agents ~ The Insider's Guide to What Agents and Publishers Really Want by Rick Frishman and Robyn Freedman Spizman (trade pb)
The Pajama Girls of Lambert Square by Rosina Lippi (trade pb)
Bullies, Bastards & Bitches ~ How to Write the Bad Guys of Fiction by Jessica Page Morrell (trade pb)
Animal Attraction by Charlene Teglia (trade pb)
Primal Male by Sasha White (trade pb)

Taken by Sin by Jaci Burton (paperback)
Temptation and Lies by Donna Hill (paperback)
Hawkspar by Holly Lisle (paperback)
The Iron Hunt and Darkness Calls by Marjorie M. Liu (paperbacks)
Kitty and the Midnight Hour, Kitty Goes to Washington, Kitty Takes a Holiday, Kitty and the Silver Bullet, and Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand by Carrie Vaughn (paperbacks)

plus signed paperback copies of my novels StarDoc and Evermore, as well as some other surprises.

If you'd like to win one of these two giveaways, name a genre you'd like to write in, or comment on this workshop before midnight EST on Monday, July 20, 2009. I will draw two names from everyone who participates and send one winner the signed set of Darkyn novels and the other the goodie bag.

Everyone who participates in the giveaways this week will also be automatically entered in my grand prize drawing on July 21st, 2009 for the winner's choice of either a ASUS Eee PC 1005HA-P 10.1" Seashell Netbook or a Sony PRS-700BC Digital Reader.

As always, all LB&LI giveaways are open to anyone on the planet, even if you've won something here at PBW in the past.

Other LB&LI Workshop Links -- new links are being added every day, so keep checking the list for new workshops (due to different time zones, some of these will go live later in the day):

E-publishing: From Query to Final Edits and Beyond -- Authors Madison Blake, Paris Brandon, Cerise Deland, Fran Lee, Afton Locke and Nina Pierce provide helpful insights and tips on e-publishing. Today's author: Fran Lee

Writing Transformative Sex - Part Two by Joely Sue Burkhart -- So you know you want to avoid Plot Interrupted and Tab A/Slot B mechanics, but how do you get “down and dirty” into the emotions of a really deep sex scene?

Bird Migration by Suelder -- third in a series of workshops on birds that will focus on the science as well as how to adapt this information to writing.

Why You're Not Writing by JM Fiction Scribe -- Examining the reasons behind your writing block - because the identifying the 'why' of the problem is the best way of getting past it.

How-To Books that Saved My Life by Alison Kent -- a look at the three how-to books the author can't write without, and why.

Break through your fears and write! by Tamlyn Leigh -- One of the biggest obstacles on a writer's path is their fear. It can be for anything: fear people won't like their stories, fear they aren't good enough. In my workshop I want to offer tools to break through that fear, and get everyone writing!

Writing Prompt Series by Rosina Lippi -- catch up day.

Writing in the Labyrinth by Marjorie M. Liu -- first in a series of workshops about different aspects of writing and publishing.

From Pantser To Plotter: How I Joined The Dark Side by Kait Nolan -- five workshops on the transformation of a pantser to a plotter.

Writing Sex Scenes That Matter by Jenna Reynolds -- Readers sometimes say they skip over the sex scenes in a book. And usually it's not because they have a problem with the sex. It could, however, be because, other than the sex, nothing else is going on. This workshop provides some suggestions on how to write sex scenes that matter and that readers won't skip over.

Defining the Basics by Midnight Spencer –– Query, Cover letter, Blurb, Synopsis, ms or mss, SASE, SAE, Copyright, Electronic Rights, Electronic Submissions, Erotica (some people do not know that romance and erotica are two different types of writing), Genre, Hook, Pen Name, Proof Reading, Fair Use, Joint Contract,

Left Behind in Interesting Times by Charlene Teglia -- e-publishing in interesting times.

Epubs-wondering where to start? by Shiloh Walker -- Info for those curious about epubs and where to start.

Killer Campaigns: Volunteerism by Maria Zannini -- Passive promotion at its best

Saturday, July 18, 2009

VW #6 -- Diversify and Survive

The winners of the VW#4 giveaways are:

StarDoc Novels: Amelie Markik

Goodie Bag: sandy l

Winners, when you have a chance, please send your full name and ship-to address to LynnViehl@aol.com, and I'll get your prizes out to you. Thanks to everyone for joining in.



I. Crunching the Numbers

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2008 there were 44,170 writers and authors surveyed who earned hourly wages* ranging from $13.47 to $51.26**. The industries with the highest employment and wages for our occupation were Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (employing 8,790 writers); Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (7,260); Radio and Television Broadcasting (3,100); Motion Picture and Video Industries (2,340) and Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (2,140).***

Of these surveyed writers, the highest-paid were the 2,140 Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers, who earned an hourly mean wage of $48.37, or an annual mean income of $100,600. Sounds lovely, doesn't it? What a great job!

Well, maybe we should first consider in addition to those nicely employed writers how many other writers are actually employed or seeking employment (because they didn't survey all of us.) How many of us are there out here?

Many writers are members of writer organizations who are always happy to count heads. Let's assume everyone who belongs to Romance Writers of America, for example, is actually serious about pursuing a professional writing career. The membership currently stands at about 10,000. Then you can add in all the writers who belong to the other writing organizations: AG (8,000+) SFWA (about 1,500), ASJA (1,100) HWA (400+), NINC (300+), and of course we shouldn't forget the screenwriters, as they're always picking up media tie-in novel work, so add in the members of WGA (12,000) and the DGA (6,000).

That's roughly about 40,000 writers. If I'm looking at the math right, then according to the wage survey we should all have nice writing jobs making at least thirteen bucks and change per hour, with some left over. Okay, workshop over, everyone go home and collect your checks and have a nice writing life.

I'm kidding. The numbers sound wonderful, but they don't really add up if you go by other figures. According to statistics offered in an interesting look at the future of publishing by author Steven Mather (you can get a .pdf version of it here), publishers each receive on average 2,100 manuscripts submissions per year, for an industry-wide total of 132 million submissions. Sounds a bit much, until you consider that there are over 75,000 publishers in the U.S. (that's how many report statistics to Bowker, anyway) and that 2,100 per year breaks down to 40 submissions per week per publisher, which sounds a bit excessive to me, but for the sake of argument we'll run with that.

So every year the forty thousand of us serious writers have been sending . . . 3300 submissions each? Holy Toledo. I better hurry up and get the other 3299 of mine typed and in the mail.

II. Help, Three Thousand People Want My Job!

The problem with statistics and random numbers is that they are the products of surveys, and surveys are limited in their accuracy to the number of people surveyed and what portion of the industry they represent. Whether or not there are 75,000 publishers in the U.S., I can safely say most of them would not consider publishing anything I'd write as Lynn Viehl. With the type of writing I do in that genre -- dark fantasy/paranormal romance -- I'd say my prospects are limited to about 100 publishers. Of those 100, about 75 aren't my top choices and likely wouldn't make it onto my submission list.

This is why I don't have to be concerned with the 132 million writers and their submissions; with the 25 publishers I am interested in I have to compete against about 52,500 other writers. About fifty thousand of them are probably not published, and less than one percent of them will make it to the show, so let's drop the fifty thousand who for whatever reason aren't going to make it into print. That leaves 2,500 other published writers competing for the same sale. We'll add back in the one percent of the writers who have never been published but who will be eventually, and kick that total up to 3,000. Yep, that sounds about right.

So every time I submit a novel, in theory I have to beat out three thousand other writers for that sale. That's how dazzling I have to be -- as good or better than three thousand other dedicated, serious, talented writers who are actively going after the same job. I think it's safe to assume that many of them are younger, prettier, better writers, more willing to do things I won't do, or have other advantages over me that could allow them to sell more books and make more money for that publisher.

My Lynn Viehl books could also fall from popularity at the same time something else one of those 3000 writers submits becomes very hot. It's the way this gig works, and those 3000 writers will continue to compete against me for my job every day of every week of every year without fail. They'll get younger every year while I just get older. Publishing isn't concerned with my job security at all. They want to sign someone who will make money for them. So it's not a question of if one of those 3000 writers will take my job from me, it's a matter of when.

Frankly I'd be worried if all I had to depend on were my Lynn Viehl books. Fortunately that's not all I write.

III. Learning Lessons from Nature

"At some point, humans are going to have to realize that our production-line mentality, which seems so efficient to us, is not really the best way to do things. We like farming just one species in neat rows because it’s easier for us to comprehend. But easier to comprehend is not the same as more effective.." -- Tom Konrad, Diversification: Nature Knows Best

Nature is a master of diversification. Since the beginning of life on this planet, she has survived and flourished through evolutionary diversification. It's the reason why there are twenty-five thousand species of flat worms, one hundred and twelve thousand species of mollusks, and maybe as many as eight million species of arthropods. Nature insures the longevity of her creations by having them adapt to the climate and environment by specialized evolution, which results in all the different species. That adaptive diversification minimizes Nature's risk and maximizes her growth potential by spreading out the total number of her creations in a variety of different forms custom-designed to survive by their genetic evolution, which responds to their specific environment.

We know from the demise of countless species that anything that can't or won't adapt and evolve is doomed to extinction. Earth doesn't have a one-size-fits-all environment, which is why we have 25,000 different species of flatworms -- there were 25,000 different reasons that triggered each species' particular adaptation. And here the numbers do make sense: what has a better chance of surviving, 25,000 species of flat worm, or one? Or, if one species of flatworm were to become extinct, which is better: having 24,999 other types of flat worms left, or none?

Despite opinions to the contrary, a writer is slightly more sophisticated and evolved than a flat worm, and while we all belong to the same species, we each have the potential to make our own adaptations to the changes in Publishing's climate and environment. If we remain the same species of writer, and only adapt to one situation, then we run a greater risk of career extinction. But if we do dump the assembly-line mentality and instead adapt to multiple Publishing climates and environments by career diversification, I think we do stand a better chance of survival.

IV. Your Writing Diversification Plan

Yes, I'm going to make you think about planning again. You should know by now that I delight in torturing you this way. Before anyone whines about how tiresome it is or the reasons why they can't make a plan, let me assure you that you can have a Publishing career without a plan. Lots of writers are happier taking the Trust in Dumb Luck approach, and some of them even manage to stay in the business for a few years. And hey, anything's possible; you might become the first John Grisham of the Clueless.

For those of you who would rather not trust your future on how well the planets align on any given day, you need to think about how you might evolve as a writer. I advocate diversification because it's helped me to survive a lot of changes and tough times. If you're interested in doing the same, follow these steps:

1. Inventory and list what you currently write by market category and type of writing, i.e. romance novels, nonfiction how-to articles, SF short stories, etc. If you only write one thing, that's fine, you'll have a very short list.

2. Make a second list, also by category and type, of types of writing you have done in the past and/or haven't yet done but are interested in. For example, my list would be have on it greeting card poems (I used to sell those), sermons (ditto), mystery short stories (wrote one), contemporary horror and Christian YA fiction (am interested in these.) Also, take some time to look around at the market ops for these projects, too -- you don't want to spend valuable writing time working on a project you can't sell.

3. You should already have a work and submission plan for list #1, but if you don't, write up a general plan for what you'd like to write and submit this year. Put together a rough estimate of how much writing time you need to devote to your current projects.

4. Now take list #2, and pick at least one item from it that you can comfortably fit in with your current writing schedule, and that has the best chance to sell (this will be based on the number of market ops out there.) Also create a rough estimate of the writing time involved in this project.

5. Using both lists, create a master work plan that allows you to a) complete everything on your current projects list and b) gives you some time to work on your interests list project.

For those of you who have never tried to diversify before now, I suggest first starting with a small project from your interests list. It can be anything from a how-to writing article you submit to some trade magazines to a short story to pitch for an open submissions anthology.

Working up a diversification plan is going to be easier for as-yet-unpublished writers, or newly-published authors. The more category-established an author you are, the more difficult it will be to sell to another/new market under that name. However, you one-category old-timers can always try to pitch a new market under a new pseudonym, or work around your category in related projects (for example, an established author with a long backlist of only science fiction novels would still be an attractive prospect for science nonfiction magazines, how-to publishers, and web sites that cater to the SF writing community.)

Contests of all types also provide opportunities for writer in all career stages to try out new interest projects, because usually you don't have to be established in that category to enter them, and what you've already published won't matter.

V. Other Reasons to Evolve as a Writer

Avoiding Labeling: A couple of years ago when we were discussing multi-genre writing and selling, someone mentioned an agent in the industry who recommended writing and publishing three books in one genre to establish yourself before you try publishing in another. With all due respect to the agent, I don't agree with this. By the time you've established yourself with three books, you're labeled with that one genre as a writer, and judged by your publisher according to your sales performance in that one genre. This narrows your chances of publishing in another area, as publishers prefer to stick with proven sellers versus taken on new risks.

Writer Self-Discovery: you think what you're writing right now is the best choice for your career, and chances are you're probably right. But what if you're not? What if you were meant to do something else you haven't tried yet? I can think of one writer who had a nice career writing cozy mysteries, and yet for some reason one day she decided to write a vampire novel. The new project was black-humored and really nothing like her other work. From what I understand she encountered a lot of resistance to it and had a tough time selling it. But she stuck with it, and it paid off handsomely. Last time I checked the Times List, three of those vampire novels were in the top twenty. HBO has just started running the second season of their television series based on those novels. So if Charlaine Harris had played it safe and stuck to writing cozies, there's be no Sookie Stackhouse novels or True Blood.

Stretching Your Writing Range: It's easy to become complacent and satisfied with one type of writing (or so I'm told), and there are some arguments that say the only way you can rise to the top of your category is to stick with it. Certainly it's the safest way to do this job, and there are enough successful cookie-cutter novelists out there to support the theory. But as a writer I'm restless. I'm also always looking for ways I can increase and improve my understanding of the craft and grow as an artist. If I did the same thing over and over, not only would I be bored out of my skull, I think I'd stagnate. For me the well would run dry. Diversification allows for writer self-improvement by forcing us to reach for more than what we already know and can do, and in the process learn new things and become better writers.

Writers aren't flat worms, but just the same our survival depends on how well we adapt. There are a ton of factors we can't control: luck, timing, buzzworthiness, etc. What we can control is what we do with the work. We can try one thing, over and over, and hope for the best, or we can diversify and try many things, and learn to adapt to the changes in the industry. However you decide you want to evolve, just be sure not to write yourself into extinction.

V. Related Links

Craigslist New York is a good resource to check if you're looking for freelance writing, editing or copy-editing/writing jobs. Just be sure to check out any listing and employer thoroughly and understand the terms of employment before you commit to work or sign a contract with anyone.

Duotrope's Digest has an online fiction and poetry market search engine; input your word length, genre and other details and it will give you a list of potential sub ops.

During a hunt for freeware back in June, I found this freeware toolbar for writers looking for jobs. I haven't tried it myself but I thought it looked neat.

Look for all manner of writing jobs at FreelanceWriting.com

Gary McLaren's article How To Find Foreign Writing Markets has some good advice for those of you who want to sell to other countries.

I regularly hit the many market listings over at Ralan's Webstravaganza for SF/Fanasty/Horror/Weird/Strange/Whatever sub ops to list here at PBW.

My ten things list on additional places to find writing jobs.

Some ideas on how to beat the recession: Diversify to Keep Freelance Dollars Coming In ~ Economy-Proof Tips for Writers by Mary Yerkes

Photo credit: David Hughes

*"Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data."

**All wage amounts shown are in U.S. dollars

***"Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers."

Today's LB&LI giveaways are:

1) A MusicWish (any CD of the winner's choice which is available to order online, up to a max cost of $30.00 U.S.; I'll throw in the shipping)


2) a goodie bag which will include unsigned new copies of:

Burn by Linda Howard (hardcover)

Way of the Cheetah by Lynn Viehl (author-printed, signed and bound in a three-ring binder)

Halo ~ The Cole Protocol by Tobias Buckell (trade pb)
88 Money-Making Writing Jobs by Robert Bly (trade pb)
The Pajama Girls of Lambert Square by Rosina Lippi (trade pb)
Between the Lines ~ the Subtle Elements of Fiction Writing by Jessica Page Morrell (trade pb)
Animal Attraction by Charlene Teglia (trade pb)

Taken by Sin by Jaci Burton (paperback)
Touch of Darkness, Scent of Darkness and Into the Shadow by Christina Dodd (paperbacks)
Round the Clock by Dara Girard (paperback)
Amazon Ink by Lori Devoti (paperback)
Hawkspar by Holly Lisle (paperbacks)
The Iron Hunt and Darkness Calls by Marjorie M. Liu (paperbacks)

plus signed paperback copies of my novels StarDoc and Evermore, as well as some other surprises.

If you'd like to win one of these two giveaways, name a genre you'd like to write in, or comment on this workshop before midnight EST on Sunday, July 19, 2009. I will draw two names from everyone who participates and send one winner the goodie bag and grant the other a MusicWish.

Everyone who participates in the giveaways this week will also be automatically entered in my grand prize drawing on July 21st, 2009 for the winner's choice of either a ASUS Eee PC 1005HA-P 10.1" Seashell Netbook or a Sony PRS-700BC Digital Reader.

As always, all LB&LI giveaways are open to anyone on the planet, even if you've won something here at PBW in the past.

Other LB&LI Workshop Links -- new links are being added every day, so keep checking the list for new workshops (due to different time zones, some of these will go live later in the day):

E-publishing: From Query to Final Edits and Beyond -- Authors Madison Blake, Paris Brandon, Cerise Deland, Fran Lee, Afton Locke and Nina Pierce provide helpful insights and tips on e-publishing. Today's author: Fran Lee

Writing Transformative Sex - Part Two by Joely Sue Burkhart -- So you know you want to avoid Plot Interrupted and Tab A/Slot B mechanics, but how do you get “down and dirty” into the emotions of a really deep sex scene?

Bird Migration by Suelder -- third in a series of workshops on birds that will focus on the science as well as how to adapt this information to writing.

Why You're Not Writing by JM Fiction Scribe -- Examining the reasons behind your writing block - because the identifying the 'why' of the problem is the best way of getting past it.

How-To Books that Saved My Life by Alison Kent -- a look at the three how-to books the author can't write without, and why.

Break through your fears and write! by Tamlyn Leigh -- One of the biggest obstacles on a writer's path is their fear. It can be for anything: fear people won't like their stories, fear they aren't good enough. In my workshop I want to offer tools to break through that fear, and get everyone writing!

Writing Prompt Series by Rosina Lippi -- catch up day.

Have No Fear by Marjorie M. Liu -- third in a series of workshops about different aspects of writing and publishing.

From Pantser To Plotter: How I Joined The Dark Side by Kait Nolan -- five workshops on the transformation of a pantser to a plotter.

Writing Sex Scenes That Matter by Jenna Reynolds -- Readers sometimes say they skip over the sex scenes in a book. And usually it's not because they have a problem with the sex. It could, however, be because, other than the sex, nothing else is going on. This workshop provides some suggestions on how to write sex scenes that matter and that readers won't skip over.

Defining the Basics by Midnight Spencer –– Query, Cover letter, Blurb, Synopsis, ms or mss, SASE, SAE, Copyright, Electronic Rights, Electronic Submissions, Erotica (some people do not know that romance and erotica are two different types of writing), Genre, Hook, Pen Name, Proof Reading, Fair Use, Joint Contract,

Left Behind in Interesting Times by Charlene Teglia -- e-publishing in interesting times.

Epubs-wondering where to start? by Shiloh Walker -- Info for those curious about epubs and where to start.

Killer Campaigns: Volunteerism by Maria Zannini -- Passive promotion at its best

Friday, July 17, 2009

VW #5 -- Art vs. Life

The winners of the VW#3 giveaways are:

eBookWish: Natalie Hatch

Goodie Bag: Chris

Winners, when you have a chance, please send your full name and ship-to address to LynnViehl@aol.com, and I'll get your prizes out to you. Thanks to everyone for joining in.



I. Two Godmothers

The Publishing Fairy doesn't know this, but there are two other godmothers in my life. One is a beautiful, ethereal creature named Bliss who floats around me in a state of perpetual joy. She dresses in anything that sparkles and has four feet of pure white hair cascading around her pretty face. Everything enchants her: roses, clouds, puppies, fruit salad, sunsets, Clannad, crystal, violet silk, and the list goes on forever so just add on whatever sensory-rich object or experience you like. I will say that while she's a bit of a dingbat, and has no concept of time, she's pretty cool to hang out with, even if she can never coordinate her colors or find two shoes that match.

And then there's my other godmother, Olivia (she prefers Liv.) If I were to cast her in a movie, I'd get someone like Dame Judith Dench to play her, or that drill sergeant I had in the military. She dresses in permanent press, carries a day planner and wears three watches; two around each wrist and one cinched around her purse strap in case the other two stop. She keeps her iron-gray hair trimmed and pulled back in a neat ponytail. She has absolutely no time for roses or sunsets or puppies, thank you very much. They are not on the schedule. Her shoes always match.

Bliss and Liv don't like each other. At. All. Bliss thinks Liv needs to relax and unwind and take time to smell the roses. Liv thinks Bliss should keep her flowers and sparkles to herself and get a damn job. They can't agree on anything and if it were up to them, I'd kick the other fairy godmother out of the house. Bliss sobs in my right ear that Liv is going to kill my soul. Liv hisses in my left ear that Bliss is going to turn my brain into Jell-O.

I love them both, and I have tons of respect for both, but frankly? Trying to divide up my day so I can work with and please both of these women is an ongoing, gigantic pain in my ass. The only good thing is that I know I'm not alone in that. Every other writer I know struggles with their own variations of Bliss and Liv. It's the price we pay for being blessed with the fairy godmothers of Art and Life.

II. The Flower and The Flame

Liv, my fairy godmother of Life, has been with me since I was eight years old. My mother introduced me to her right before she started working a second job. Mom taught me how to clean, cook, iron and take care of the house and my younger brother and sister. Liv showed up while Mom was at work to make sure I did it. I used to think she was a creature of my conscience, as she always popped in whenever I was thinking about slacking off or playing, but now I'm pretty sure I timeshare her with my mom. She even sounds like my mother whenever she gives me a talking-to: "The laundry pile is starting to attract mountain-climbers. Don't throw away that old towel, you can tear it up into dusting rags. That chicken isn't going to walk out of the freezer and defrost itself, you know."

Liv and I have never really bonded emotionally in a big way -- she doesn't encourage that sort of touchy-feely nonsense -- but I respect her. The woman knows how to get stuff done.

I'm not sure when Bliss showed up; probably a little later than Liv. I was reading a story in a school about Dick and Jane at the toy store, and Dick picked out a (sail)boat while Jane went for the blue ball. I thought that was stupid; the (sail)boat was way cooler than that dumb ball. Boys always have the coolest toys. Then Bliss shimmered into being in a soft, sparkly cloud of flower petals on top of my desk and handed me my pencil and some paper. "Here," she whispered. "Write a story where Jane picks the (sail)boat, and takes it down to the canal behind your house, where a magical catfish turns it into a yacht and she sails it down to Miami."

I didn't write more than a few lines; the teacher caught me and scolded me for not being on task (maybe Liv ratted me out, not sure.) Bliss did stick around comforting me until it was time to go home, and then chased Liv out of the house so I could finish writing the story. Liv popped back in right before my mom got home, punched out Bliss (who exploded into a thousand sparkles) and then lit a fire under my butt. Liv nagged me the whole time while I raced to take down the laundry from the clothesline, get supper started and do the rest of my forgotten chores. She didn't leave until late that night, and even then she gave me another lecture. "You'll never get anything done if you listen to that stupid flower fairy," she told me. "Now be a good girl, close your eyes and go to sleep. You have to make breakfast for the little ones in the morning."

As soon as she was gone, Bliss popped into my bedroom and handed me a picture book and the flashlight she'd swiped from the garage. "Here, sweetie," she said, giggling. "The heck with that flame fairy. Hide under the quilt and read this while I keep an eye out for your mom."

And that's how it's been ever since, for the last forty years. Liv tries to run my life, while Bliss tries to make me forget about it. For a long time they hated each and bickered and whined and fought over who would have control of me. It was almost always a stalemate, although when I became a teenager Bliss and I started spending some serious time together writing and painting. Those were wonderful years. Then I went into the military, and Liv helped me cope while my instructors whipped my ass into shape. Those were great years, too.

I never picked sides, but I was often lost in the middle between Bliss and Liv. I've loved them both, and I've resented the hell out of them both, but after a while I realized (much to their disappointment) that I was never getting rid of either of them. It wasn't until I sat down with both of my godmothers in 1989 that things changed. That was the day I decided to quit bouncing between the two of them and instead make them work together.

III. Facing Your Godmothers

I think most creative people do have a variation of Bliss and Liv in their lives. They may also have other mystical creatures -- the sports gremlin, the fashion fury, the car or motorcycle demon. All of these imaginary beings live through us, and bring us a lot of happiness and satisfaction, but they're always wrestling for control. When they show up we can become so involved in whatever they want to do that we forget that we're in charge. Instead, we let them run the show. It results in a lot of great things, but it can also create chaos, mess with our relationships and wreck our homes, checkbooks, jobs, hopes and dreams.

Whatever godmothers you've been blessed or cursed with, the first step in gaining and maintaining control of them is to acknowledge their importance to you. I love Bliss; she's a lot of fun and we always have a good time together. She's also inefficient, messy and can't be trusted in the kitchen. Bliss has encouraged me and inspired me, but she's also made me misplace things, wreck my office, forget doctor's appointments and burn dinner. Likewise Liv has been my biggest ally in keeping my home and work space tidy, and doing whatever I must to care for the ones I love. She appeals to my sense of order and cleanliness, but she's never satisfied. She works me hard, often makes me resent all the time I give her and when that's not good enough to suit her standards, drives me crazy.

Once I knew I was stuck with my godmothers, and that I needed to somehow integrate them to work together as a team to help me get everything I wanted and needed to do done, I then had to work out a treaty between them and myself. I acknowledged that both of my godmothers had equal importance in my life (something Liv never really believed, considering how much of it I had wasted while hanging out with Bliss) and that to be a productive, happy person I needed both of them (something that made Bliss laugh, as her nickname for Liv is the Grim Sweeper.)

They really didn't like the idea of working together, either. Liv thought Bliss would make a mess of everything, and Bliss thought Liv would have me creating in a straitjacket. They only quit bickering when I told them that if they didn't make peace and start cooperating that I was going to kick them both out, run away from home and devote the rest of my life to living with the Tibetan Caveman.

(Liv is now reminding me that I've let Bliss help me write all of the above, and it's now her turn to have a crack at you.)

IV. Charting Your Time

Here's an exercise from Liv that you can use to figure out how much time you're spending on art and life:

1. Take a notebook or writing pad and use it to create a time log of everything you do in one day. You don't have to write down details, just put together an outline of your activities and the time you spend doing them.

2. At the end of the day, go through your list and mark each entry by the godmother who was with you (or the type of task it was): Art or Life (if you have other godmothers that don't fit under those two categories, create other categories for them.)

3. Add up and write down the total number of hours you spent doing things in each category.

4. Repeat steps 1-3 for a full week.

Using Excel or an online chart making generator, create a chart for each of the category totals from your week, like this one (click on image to see larger version:



(Liv loves graphs. If I let her, she'd pie chart my entire life.)

Now look at the results on your graph. Obviously art and life can't have equal time; it's just not practical for anyone to forgo the tasks and responsibilities of life to create 24/7. But neither should life take up all the space on your graph; there should be some time each day for art or life becomes dreary for creative people.

In the example from my time chart, I had to give up a lot of art time on Wednesday, when I spent more than fourteen hours taking care of some medical appts. for both me and my daughter, cleaning the house for a friend who is coming to stay with us, and taking the dog for his semi-annual checkup. That day Bliss and I hardly saw each other. But on the next day and on Sunday I devoted a little extra time to art to get things back in balance.

Your turn: go back to your notebook, and look at the details of what you did on each day when art or life got the least amount of your time. Was there a valid reason for chasing off the corresponding godmother that day? (i.e., working overtime at your day job or attending an all-day writing seminar.) Did you devote a little more time the next day to the neglected godmother? If so, your art and life are probably in good balance.

If your chart is severely out of whack, and there is no valid reason for the imbalance or you didn't make up the time, it's probably a good idea to start planning out your days a little more to set aside an appropriate amount of time for each of your godmothers.

V. The Godmother Cooperative

Getting your godmothers to timeshare you is more important than you think. Without Liv around to motivate me to get things done, my life would be in a shambles, and I'd be miserable. Liv and I are a lot alike in the sense that we both have a great need for order. I understand Liv, too; she cares for me and my family, has kept me employed, makes my work and living space enjoyable and has helped me through some of the worst times in my life simply by keeping me busy.

I don't always understand Bliss, who can be as mysterious as she is spontaneous, but I know that she's brought a lot of joy and beauty to my life. She's made me see the world differently and has gotten me to do some amazing things. Sometimes she scares me because I have no idea why I got stuck with her, but I basically trust her with everything. Except dinner.

I also believe that Bliss and Liv have to work together for us all to be happy. While we've been through some rough spots, my godmothers of art and life have also learned from each other (they'll never admit this, of course.) Bliss knows that if I'm going to write a book with her that Liv is going to be involved in scheduling my time and making my wordcounts and meeting my deadlines. Liv understands that basic tasks like vacuuming the living room or doing the dishes don't require that I listen to a CD that Bliss likes while I do them, but that I'm happier when I do, and the work seems to go more quickly.

(Liv thinks Bliss is hogging the workshop again, but Bliss is reminding her that everything cannot be numbered or charted.)

We often think of the creative existence as being caught in a perpetual battle between art and life, but the different godmothers in your life really shouldn't be at war with each other. The ones that should be a part of your life do want what's best for you, so it's good to look for opportunities to get them all involved in your daily life. You'll find that your version of Liv is a lot happier if you set an alarm clock when you sit down to write to remind you when you need to stop and start dinner. Likewise your version of Bliss will be more content if you carry a notebook to jot down some ideas for your current WIP while you're waiting in line to pick up the kids at school.

The creative life isn't easy, and sometimes it takes years to work a livable arrangement with your respective godmothers. They're selfish and demanding by nature, and they will always try to run your life for you. The most important thing to remember is that the life is yours, not theirs. The one who should be in charge is you.

VI. Related Links

EBSQ's post Finding Balance Between Art and Life has some insight how to handle the creative balancing act.

Bliss didn't like Carlin Flora's Psychology Today article Muse or Ruse?, but Liv thought it had some valid points.

Sharon Good earns her surname in advice with When People Don't Get You.

One of my favorite how-to authors, Dr. Eric Maisel, has some excellent suggestions in his article, Living the Creative Life.

For those who are juggling art and the day job, check out Pamela Mooman's article Writing and Working Full-Time ~ Striking a Balance Between Art and Necessity.

Today's LB&LI giveaways are:

1) An ArtWish (a $50.00 U.S. gift certificate from Art.com)

2) a goodie bag which will include unsigned new copies of:

The Pajama Girls of Lambert Square by Rosina Lippi (hardcover)

Way of the Cheetah by Lynn Viehl (author-printed, signed and bound in a three-ring binder)

Letters to a Young Sister by Hill Harper (trade pb)
The Write-Brain Workbook by Bonnie Neubauer (trade pb)
Wild Wild West by Charlene Teglia (trade pb)
Sexy Devil by Sasha White (trade pb)

Amazon Ink by Lori Devoti (paperback)
Temptation and Lies by Donna Hill (paperback)
In Danger by Alison Kent (paperback)
Talyn and Hawkspar by Holly Lisle (paperbacks)
The Iron Hunt and Darkness Calls by Marjorie M. Liu (paperbacks)
A complete set of all eight Dirk & Steele novels (Tiger Eye, Shadow Touch, Dark Dreamers [with Christine Feehan], The Last Twilight, The Red Heart of Jade, The Eye of Heaven, Soul Song and The Wild Road) by Marjorie M. Liu (paperbacks)
Kissing Midnight and Breaking Midnight by Emma Holly (paperbacks)

plus signed paperback copies of my novels StarDoc and Evermore, as well as some other surprises.

If you'd like to win one of these two giveaways, name one of your godmothers, or comment on this workshop before midnight EST on Saturday, July 18, 2009. I will draw two names from everyone who participates and send one winner the goodie bag and grant the other an ArtWish.

Everyone who participates in the giveaways this week will also be automatically entered in my grand prize drawing on July 21st, 2009 for the winner's choice of either a ASUS Eee PC 1005HA-P 10.1" Seashell Netbook or a Sony PRS-700BC Digital Reader.

As always, all LB&LI giveaways are open to anyone on the planet, even if you've won something here at PBW in the past.

Other LB&LI Workshop Links -- new links are being added every day, so keep checking the list for new workshops (due to different time zones, some of these will go live later in the day):

E-publishing: From Query to Final Edits and Beyond -- Authors Madison Blake, Paris Brandon, Cerise Deland, Fran Lee, Afton Locke and Nina Pierce provide helpful insights and tips on e-publishing. Today's author: Madison Blake

Writing Transformative Sex - Part Two by Joely Sue Burkhart -- So you know you want to avoid Plot Interrupted and Tab A/Slot B mechanics, but how do you get “down and dirty” into the emotions of a really deep sex scene?

Birds and Language by Suelder -- second in a series of workshops on birds that will focus on the science as well as how to adapt this information to writing.

Why You're Not Writing by JM Fiction Scribe -- Examining the reasons behind your writing block - because the identifying the 'why' of the problem is the best way of getting past it.

How-To Books that Saved My Life by Alison Kent -- a look at the three how-to books the author can't write without, and why.

Break through your fears and write! by Tamlyn Leigh -- One of the biggest obstacles on a writer's path is their fear. It can be for anything: fear people won't like their stories, fear they aren't good enough. In my workshop I want to offer tools to break through that fear, and get everyone writing!

Writing Prompt Series - When? by Rosina Lippi -- Pick one of the time periods offered, and rewrite What? again to accomodate.

Writing in the Labyrinth by Marjorie M. Liu -- first in a series of workshops about different aspects of writing and publishing.

From Pantser To Plotter: How I Joined The Dark Side by Kait Nolan -- Friday's topic: Why Plot?

Writing Sex Scenes That Matter by Jenna Reynolds -- Readers sometimes say they skip over the sex scenes in a book. And usually it's not because they have a problem with the sex. It could, however, be because, other than the sex, nothing else is going on. This workshop provides some suggestions on how to write sex scenes that matter and that readers won't skip over.

What eBook publishers look for: Ellora’s Cave by Midnight Spencer –– Submission Guidelines, How To Submit, Ellora’s Caveman Anthologies, Ellora’s Cave Theme Series, Ellora’s Cave EXOTIKA, Re-Issues, and FAQ.

Left Behind and Managing Crazy by Charlene Teglia -- Sanity in a crazy business.

Epubs-wondering where to start? by Shiloh Walker -- Info for those curious about epubs and where to start.

Killer Campaigns: Volunteerism by Maria Zannini -- Passive promotion at its best

Thursday, July 16, 2009

VW #4 -- E-Future Part II

The winners of the VW#2 giveaways are:

BookWish: Big T, whose comment began with Thank you, Lynn. I try to use the train of thought, "Enjoy the journey, not just the destination" but faith is hard to keep.

Goodie Bag: Tamlyn Leigh

Winners, when you have a chance, please send your full name and ship-to address to LynnViehl@aol.com, and I'll get your prizes out to you. Thanks to everyone for joining in.



I. Writers of the E-Future

I often complain here about how tough it is for me to keep up with the current technology. I don't like having to get used to a new operating system every time I blow up a computer (every other year), and I am officially sick to death of having to teach myself Word all over again to cope with the latest version Bill Gates decides to dump in my lap (and hey, Bill, version 2007? It sucks.) Don't even talk to me about the slang for all this stuff; I'm still trying to figure out what the hell RSS is and why someone always wants me to feed it to them.

I'm not apologizing for this, either. I am cranky and I am maxed out on how much technobabble I can absorb at the speed of light. Enough already! Stop changing stuff before I can finish learning how to do the old version.

My frustration is really more with myself than the latest tools of our trade, however. I am an older person, and I didn't grow up immersed in technology. When I was a kid, our video games were pinball machines; if we wanted to see a movie we didn't rent or download it or buy it on DVD, we went to the theater. We didn't do math on calculators, we did it in our brains. Computers were enormous things that took up entire rooms, and belonged to fun people like the CIA and NASA and the IRS. You know what was the big technological breakthrough of my childhood? 8-track tapes (and I promise, I will smack the first one of you who asks what the heck that is.)

The bottom line is I was not born to the computer age -- I didn't actually see a personal computer until I was 26 -- and I don't think I'll ever catch up with those of you who were. That = frustration.

Despite my inadequacies as a technojunkie, I am in awe of this era -- I love living in it and seeing it unfold. I am enchanted with all the amazing things computers can do, and the way the internet has opened up the world and brought it together and interconnected us. Thirty years ago I could never have done what I'm doing right now, talking shop to people all over the world. Just think about it for a second. How many countries are represented here today? How many languages do we speak among us? Without the technology of this era, most of us would probably never have connected in any way -- even those of us who live here in the U.S.

When I was a kid, writers couldn't meet unless they did it in real life, or corresponded by letter. Whatever books I read were those I found at the library, or at the book store. There was no global community of writers. Most of us lived and worked and dreamed apart from each other, sometimes getting together with a few others in the immediate area but otherwise never crossing each others' path.

Right here, at this blog, gathered together at this post, we are the writers of the present. If you think of what the internet has done for our industry and for us just over the last ten years -- e-mail, web sites, blogs, list-servs, forums, communities, workshops, Jesus, even Twitter -- it makes your head spin. We are the first generation of the electronic age writers. Where is that going to take us, and what is it going to demand of us? How are we going to have to change to keep up? How can we play a part in shaping and influencing the E-Future?

I can tell you how we're not going to be a part of it -- by clinging to the past. If we are going to make a place for ourselves in the industry as it evolves, we have to start thinking ahead.

II. The E-book as Income Generator

I think the first instance I remember of the e-book being used as an income generator was when author Stephen King decided to play with the e-book in serial form back in 2000 by releasing The Plant exclusively online. While it didn't quite go the way he wanted it to (I think putting it on the honor system of payment might have been the problem there) it was an interesting experiment.

Today there is a growing trend of writers -- many of them pros -- who are now self-publishing their works in e-book form. In fact, self-publication has never been easier. Kindle's Digital Text Platform allows writers to self-publish for profit, as does Scribd.com with their new online store* and a growing number of other entities involved in acting as distributors for self-published e-books. Unlike King's experiment, there are also fixed price tags attached. * Note 9/3/10: Since Scribd.com instituted an access fee scam to charge people for downloading e-books, including those I have provided for free for the last ten years, I have removed this document, and no longer use or recommend using their service. See my post about this scam here.

Whether it's self-published or published by an e-publisher, the e-book usually does generate a modest but steady income for many new and established writers. The traveling booksigner/Kindle self-pubber J.A. Konrath, has reported on what he's earned, as have e- and print-published authors like Sasha White. While it can't compete with my print sales, my one and only e-book for sale, a joint venture I did last year with my print publisher, also did nicely in the first quarter.

There are plenty of online readers and readers with electronic devices out there, and they're looking for content. Self-published e-books usually have a very reasonable price tag on them, and unlike print books they're readily available and instantly accessible. As more readers come into the E-Future with their gadgets and gizmos, reading preferences are going to change accordingly. Popular authors can use the self-pub e-book platforms to bypass the snail-pace of traditional publishing to round out their income, and new names can build their reps without ever having to endure the industry's laborious and often harrowing submission and acceptance process. What's not to like about the e-book as an income generator?

At the moment I'm sort of on the fence about selling e-books myself. Although the economy has taken its toll, I still make a decent living selling print novels, so right now I don't have the financial pressure to find additional income. E-books are more valuable to me as experimental playgrounds, where I can try out new ideas and see what the readers think, and marketing devices with which I can promote my work in print while not yelling Buy My Freaking Book in everyone's face. I don't see anything wrong with writing and self-publishing e-books for profit, as long as the writer produces a quality product and doesn't set their expectations too high. This new market is exciting, but it's still in its infancy.

III. The E-book as Marketing

After more than ten years of watching the industry, the internet and the development of e-book technology, market share, etc., I still see the e-book as the ultimate in cost-effective marketing. It has several big advantages over every other type of advertising and promotion out there, primarily in that e-books cost little to nothing to produce, and cost absolutely nothing to distribute globally. The e-book also provides the one thing readers always like: free content.

As the number of books people read seems to decrease every year, competition for book sales increases. Publishers throughout the industry are transferring more and more of the marketing responsibility for books squarely onto the authors' shoulders. So anything that can help us promote effectively while not emptying the checking account can be a huge benefit and an enormous relief. It can also give us a competitive edge over writers who are mired in the past and refuse to acknowledge that the E-Future has arrived.

Anyone who looks back over my career can see that a good chunk of my readership discovered me through the e-books I've distributed for free online. I'm not an overnight success, or a fortnight success, or even thousand and one nights success. I'm like every writer who ever got the business and didn't explode with the first novel, or the tenth, or the twentieth (which is pretty much every career writer.) To date, my first and only novel to rank in the coveted top twenty on the NY Times paperback bestseller list happened to be my 40th published novel.

I knew early on that I needed to build a readership, but I soon discovered that I had no talent or tolerance for the traditional ways of doing that. I'm not a pretty person or a gifted speaker. I'm not comfortable talking about my books. I have a terrible voice for reading out loud -- nails-across-a-chalkboard terrible. I did the con circuit for three years and utterly flopped; I never learned how to swim with the sharks or hang with the girlfriends or depend on the kindness of strangers.

What I can do -- maybe the only thing in life that I will ever do well -- is write. I write fast, and I write a lot. I write in a bunch of different genres, and I love doing it. Granted, it's not as cool as being a former beauty pageant contestant, or a 5'10 blond with great legs, or a scholar with a bunch of letters after my name, but readers seem to like it just fine. After failing so miserably at all things self-promo, it was the only thing left that I really wanted to do. I think when it comes to marketing, you should do only those things you feel comfortable doing. For me, writing was never a problem.

Several authors have tried the dandelion fluff approach of simultaneously releasing a free e-book version of their print novels, but while it's daring, I don't see that ever gaining widespread support among publishers (which will be explained two paragraphs down.) Also, it may work very well for an author who already has the most popular web site in the world (and likely makes a very nice living solely from the advertising dollars that weblog earns) but the average writer doesn't have that financial advantage -- they need the income from their work in print.

Offering free teasers and excerpts isn't enough; readers want more than a couple of chapters. What most readers tell me is that they really want something totally for free, and they don't want to jump through hoops to get it. A complete freebie minus the strings: no newsletter to sign up for, no embedded advertising, no limited-time access, no geographical restrictions. They want to be able to read it, back it up, print it out, and pass it around to their friends -- and they don't want to pay for it.

Publishers can't do this, or rather, they won't. The minute you say, "I want to give away this book for free to everyone on the planet with no strings attached" they shut you down or tune you out. I know, I've had that conversation. As it was explained to me by the head of one marketing division, if you want a publisher involved in distributing something to readers, they have to make money on it -- especially if it's available outside the U.S. I've argued until I'm blue in the face, but I've been stonewalled and ignored and told (repeatedly) that it's just the way it is with publishers.

That puts it back on us, the writers. It's not really fair when you compare what a single writer can do on their own to what can be done with the millions major publishing houses spend on marketing (but when was this gig ever fair?) I know how long it takes to write a story, or a novella, or a novel. When you give away your work, you are kissing goodbye the income you might have earned by selling it instead. The first thing we're told as professional writers is that we're paid to write. And that is correct, in the short-term scheme of things -- but not in the long-term.

IV. How the Free E-book Works as Marketing

Every time I post a free story or novella or book for anyone to have, I market directly to those readers with the absolute best advertising for my work that I've got: my work. No, I don't make any money on it. Where I make my money is from the readers who liked that freebie so much that they start purchasing the other stories that I'm not giving away for free. That's where I make my money and build my readership. And since I can't or won't do any of the other types of marketing available for authors, it's really the only place where I do spend money, not by spending it but by trading it for potential sales. I'm investing in myself when I give away original stories; I'm saying that I think my work is that good, that it will generate sales for me.

Look at it another way: how much would you pay to take out a five, ten or even twenty-page ad that shows your work at its best in a popular industry magazine read by many devoted fans of your genre? It's a ridiculous question, I know; no one but the biggest Name authors could afford something like that. Let's try another angle: how much would you pay to advertise directly to seven thousand readers who were interested in your work or your genre (this is assuming you could get their names and valid e-mail addresses for them)? How about mailing a free book to over two thousand of them, assuming again you could get their names and home addresses? I did both and it cost me a dollar.

How: to date, my free 102 page e-book novella Incarnatio has been viewed 7,615 times and downloaded 2,142 times. I wrote it, uploaded it to Scribd*, which hosts it for free, put up a link on my weblog, and that was it. The e-book sits there and attracts readers all on its own. What was the $1 for? I bought a royalty-free photo from Dreasmtime and photoshopped it to make the cover art. For one dollar. * Note 9/3/10: Since Scribd.com instituted an access fee scam to charge people for downloading e-books, including those I have provided for free for the last ten years, I have removed this document, and no longer use or recommend using their service. Incarnatio may be read online or downloaded for free from Google Docs here. See my post about this scam here.

Now show me a traditional form of self-promotion that reaches as many readers without SPAMming them for the same cost, and gives them as much content. I'll save you the trouble: you can't.

It is a risk to use free e-books as marketing tools, and I don't think it will work for everyone. It takes away from the time you could use to write stories to sell, and for writers who need more time to produce quality work, that's a big minus. You can forget about getting any significant support from your publisher; there is no money in it for them. And you can't just throw anything out there. It has to be the real deal; the best you've got to offer the reader. If you're not writing at a professional level, it can even work against you.

My advice is to start with something simple. Write a short story; the best damn story you can produce. Add your backlist, your web site URL and a little bio to the back of it. Post it on your blog, or on your web site, or at a free hosting site like Scribd. Invite readers to send you feedback. See how many hits you get on it, and what the general reaction is. You'll never know how it will work for you until you give it a try.

V. On the Electronic Horizon

Sometimes, especially during snitfests like the most recent e-publishing smackdown, I get depressed. I'm no psychic, but there are times when I can catch glimpses of the future of Publishing in what the next generation of writers are doing. I don't see it as Bradbury did in Fahrenheit 451, a future where books are burned, or Phillip K. Dick did in The Minority Report, where everyone is digitized and retina-scanned. I see storytellers working their craft in innumerable formats: print, electronic, graphic, audio, and even some formats we haven't thought of yet. I see the signs, and dream about the E-Future.

The only time I feel blue is when I watch my colleagues working so desperately to hold it off or discredit any advances toward it. Why does the industry always have to be either/or? Why can't we embrace the future while bringing into it the best of the past? I don't want to give up my print books. Like many of you, for me nothing replaces a book I can hold in my hands. Does that mean there should be no other kind of book, ever? Not at all. Everyone is not me.

Why does such an old-fashioned writer and book collector like me feels so strongly about technology, advancements in Publishing and doing what we can now to help usher in the E-Future? As if in a hundred years, any of this matter. I won't be around to know what will matter, but maybe someone who reads the electronic book version of this post in 2109 will be kind enough to answer that question (alas, the print version will no longer exist.)

I feel that a universe of wonderful things are just around the corner for writers and books. Imagine going shopping and stopping by vending machine where you can select the novel of your choice to be printed and bound, and that book pops out in a few minutes (the machine already exists.) Or turning on a video panel that plays a novel in images and sound, creating virtual, customizable characters from the story's datastream to act out all the parts (maybe the folks who designed The Sims could get in on that.) We might have books someday that we can read in our minds via a neuroprosthesis while we sleep or bathe or fold laundry (my money is on the Australians and their development of the bionic eye for the blind.) Having one book made of real paper that we can program to show us any story we want to read (LiveScribe can download whatever we write on their smart paper into a computer, so why not the reverse?)

In the future, anything is possible. Writers who want to be part of that future can't cling to what Publishing was. We can bring our traditions with us, but we also should be open to making new ones.

Maybe, if we all work together and do it right, in a hundred years someone will still be reading something we wrote today.

VI. Related Links:

For those considering self-publishing, check out Henry Baum's article Why Do People Hate Self-Publishing So Much? and Slushpile.net's post Why People Hate Self-Published Authors.

Two DIYers tell you how to get it done for free: How To Create Your Own E-book For Free by Colin Galbraith and Create Your Own E-Book for Free by Nicholos Gene Poma.

Everyone's dream e-book: Oprah's free download of Suze Orman's Women and Money goes instantly e-platinum.

If you're interested in reader views on book promotions, check out Barbara Vey's advice in her article Author . . . Promote Thyself as well as some of the interesting comments.

Publishers Weekly cites some interesting stats in a report here on the number of on-demand and short run titles published in 2008.

Today's LB&LI giveaways are:

1) A signed set of all eight of my StarDoc novels published to date, plus the ninth, Crystal Healer, my August '09 release.

2) a goodie bag which will include unsigned new copies of:

Just After Sunset by Stephen King (hardcover)

Master of Shadows by Lynn Viehl (author-printed, signed and bound in a three-ring binder)

Halo ~ The Cole Protocol by Tobias S. Buckell (trade pb)
Wicked Ways by Donna Hill (trade pb)
The Pajama Girls of Lambert Square by Rosina Lippi (trade pb)
Wicked Hot by Charlene Teglia (trade pb)
The Missing by Shiloh Walker (trade pb)
My Prerogative by Sasha White (trade pb)

Taken by Sin by Jaci Burton
Amazon Ink by Lori Devoti
Hawkspar by Holly Lisle (paperback)
The Iron Hunt and Darkness Calls by Marjorie M. Liu
Nightlife, Moonshine, Madhouse and Deathwish by Rob Thurman

plus signed paperback copies of my novels Evermore and Twilight Fall, as well as some other surprises.

If you'd like to win one of these two giveaways, name something that you think will happen in the future of Publishing, or comment on this workshop before midnight EST on Friday, July 17, 2009. I will draw two names from everyone who participates and send one winner the set of signed StarDoc novels and the other the goodie bag.

Everyone who participates in the giveaways this week will also be automatically entered in my grand prize drawing on July 21st, 2009 for the winner's choice of either a ASUS Eee PC 1005HA-P 10.1" Seashell Netbook or a Sony PRS-700BC Digital Reader.

As always, all LB&LI giveaways are open to anyone on the planet, even if you've won something here at PBW in the past (and if anyone wants a peek at this year's LB&LI goodie room at Casa PBW, and see what's going in those goodie bags, stop by the photoblog today.)

Other LB&LI Workshop Links -- new links are being added every day, so keep checking the list for new workshops (due to different time zones, some of these will go live later in the day):

E-publishing: From Query to Final Edits and Beyond -- Authors Madison Blake, Paris Brandon, Cerise Deland, Fran Lee, Afton Locke and Nina Pierce provide helpful insights and tips on e-publishing. Today's author: Afton Locke

Writing Transformative Sex - Part One by Joely Sue Burkhart -- Any writer who has studied much of the craft at all knows that if a scene doesn’t move the story forward, it should be cut. But have you really thought about what that means for a sex scene?

Birds and Language by Suelder -- second in a series of workshops on birds that will focus on the science as well as how to adapt this information to writing.

Why You're Not Writing by JM Fiction Scribe -- Examining the reasons behind your writing block - because the identifying the 'why' of the problem is the best way of getting past it.

How-To Books that Saved My Life by Alison Kent -- a look at the three how-to books the author can't write without, and why.

Break through your fears and write! by Tamlyn Leigh -- One of the biggest obstacles on a writer's path is their fear. It can be for anything: fear people won't like their stories, fear they aren't good enough. In my workshop I want to offer tools to break through that fear, and get everyone writing!

Writing Prompt Series - Where? by Rosina Lippi -- Pick from the images supplied by Rosina and give your characters a context. You might have to rewrite What? to make it work.

Writing in the Labyrinth by Marjorie M. Liu -- Characters are people, too. And people are the story (second in a series of workshops about different aspects of writing and publishing.)

From Pantser To Plotter: How I Joined The Dark Side by Kait Nolan -- Thursday's topic: What I've Used In My Conversion (Part B)

Writing Sex Scenes That Matter by Jenna Reynolds -- Readers sometimes say they skip over the sex scenes in a book. And usually it's not because they have a problem with the sex. It could, however, be because, other than the sex, nothing else is going on. This workshop provides some suggestions on how to write sex scenes that matter and that readers won't skip over.

What eBook publishers look for: Loose Id by Midnight Spencer –- About Books, Accepted Genre’s, Sending a Proposal, Formatting your Submission, FAQ, and Contract Terms.

Left Behind and Managing Crazy by Charlene Teglia -- Sanity in a crazy business.

Epubs-wondering where to start? by Shiloh Walker -- Info for those curious about epubs and where to start.

Killer Campaigns: Podcasts by Maria Zannini -- Podcast an interview