Not surprising: Alison Kent snags a Quill Awards nom.
PBW says: Ha! Way better than a RITA.
Finally, it can be reposted: Our pal Tamara Siler Jones is back home from Balticon, where she kicked major rookie behinds to "officially" win the Compton Crook award.
PBW says: Scroll down to see one of Tam's extremely cool giveaway quilts for the Threads of Malice tour.
In the snail mail: Pretty silver foil package with beautiful lady on the cover, which reads "Congratulations! You qualify for an instantly slimming, beautifully shaping, supremely comfortable FREE SAMPLE pantyhose."
PBW mutters: Oh, bite me.
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
On a Lighter Note
Apparently I've been LiveJournaled.
I had no idea; spotted the link when I was over snitching another link from riemannia.
Whoever set it up, thanks.
I had no idea; spotted the link when I was over snitching another link from riemannia.
Whoever set it up, thanks.
Out of Business
Someone whose short-time presence on the internet has rocked a few writers' worlds (mine included) is about to retire their blog. No, I can't say who, but you'll figure it out soon enough. I know what a time sink weblogs are, (believe me, I know) and I respect that everyone has to do their thing. It's still painful to watch a potential powerhouse of ideas and information for writers close up shop.
There are plenty of non-writer publishing blogs out there, but few that are useful. Too many toss around claims to "like" and "love" various aspects of writerdom and publishing, but serve up nothing but hate and envy disguised as wit. Not even decent wit, most of the time; high school, snickering in the bathroom quality wit. While everyone is entitled to their fun, and I'm all for a good, cheap laugh now and then, if that's all you plop in front of me, it gets old fast.
There are writers who need help with handling the non-writing end of this gig, and I'm not ashamed to say I'm one of them. I was just over at Monica's brooding with her over to-market-or-not-to-market. Publishers have an entire building of smart people dedicated to selling the book. Who do we writers have? Ourselves, maybe a couple of pro friends, writing organizations and entities that are primarily interested in making money off us, what time and wisdom our editors can spare us, and the internet.
It's not enough.
And yeah, for months I've been telling you it's not enough, but you don't have to listen to me. Go read M.J.'s latest post and then come back and tell me what we have is enough to deal with this.
I don't have answers. If I did, I'd post them. I have some ideas, but they're not enough. So if you're reading this, my personal World Rocker, I hope you'll reconsider. We need you out here, not out of business.
There are plenty of non-writer publishing blogs out there, but few that are useful. Too many toss around claims to "like" and "love" various aspects of writerdom and publishing, but serve up nothing but hate and envy disguised as wit. Not even decent wit, most of the time; high school, snickering in the bathroom quality wit. While everyone is entitled to their fun, and I'm all for a good, cheap laugh now and then, if that's all you plop in front of me, it gets old fast.
There are writers who need help with handling the non-writing end of this gig, and I'm not ashamed to say I'm one of them. I was just over at Monica's brooding with her over to-market-or-not-to-market. Publishers have an entire building of smart people dedicated to selling the book. Who do we writers have? Ourselves, maybe a couple of pro friends, writing organizations and entities that are primarily interested in making money off us, what time and wisdom our editors can spare us, and the internet.
It's not enough.
And yeah, for months I've been telling you it's not enough, but you don't have to listen to me. Go read M.J.'s latest post and then come back and tell me what we have is enough to deal with this.
I don't have answers. If I did, I'd post them. I have some ideas, but they're not enough. So if you're reading this, my personal World Rocker, I hope you'll reconsider. We need you out here, not out of business.
Summer Job
The kids and I wanted to do something more meaningful than laze around by the pool all summer, so we volunteered to work two days a week at the local no-kill cat shelter. There are over 500 cats presently in residence, and it's kitten season, so they need all the help they can get.
Volunteering at an animal shelter, btw, is not playing with the kitties for hours. It's scrubbing out the floor-to-ceiling cages where the cats live, and cleaning their litter pans, food dishes, sleeping shelves and stands, etc. In heavy plastic gloves, working with bleach and hot water and plenty of soap. If you've ever cared for one cat, multiply that and the inevitable odor by 500.
My very first job at the shelter was to clean out the isolation cage for the cats with diarrhea. If that wasn't an initiation, I don't know what is.
If we're not too tired after we put in our work hours, then I take the kids out to the big outdoor playhouse that serves as a meet-and-greet area for visitors. About 100 of the healthiest, most promising adult cats are kept there.
You walk in, secure two doors (cats are great escape artists), sit on the floor or one of the chairs, and you instantly have six or seven cats all over you, purring and nudging for attention. Another twenty or more will circle around you, waiting their turn. The rest are lounging, snoozing or sitting aloof, unwilling to compete, but if you walk over to them, most will lift their heads and beg for a scratch around the ears.
There are only four or five volunteers who work at the shelter each day. They don't have time to pet 5 cats, much less 500. So while the cats are clean, well-fed and cared for, they are all starved for attention.
That's the hardest part for me. I can scrub up cat shit for four hours, no problem, but a scrawny, scraggly-furred calico with half an ear and one blue-blind eye climbs on my lap and looks up at me, and I'm destroyed.
I already know some of the more permanent residents by name. Valentino, a light orange marmalade cat who talks to me as I mop his cage. Shena, a mostly-black domestic short hair, likes to jump from the upper sitting shelves onto my shoulders (an acrobat-cat, she never sinks her claws in.) Mama, a silver tabby who watches me as closely as she does her six nursing kittens, and will bite if my glove strays too close.
There are so many kittens. Because people will not have their pets properly spayed or neutered, too many. The Humane Society sent over sixteen little ones this week, which the shelter accepted to save them from being euthanized. They're so tiny, and lovely, and the most likely to be adopted. Some won't be, and then it's almost a given that they will stay at the shelter. About 70% of the cats have lived there for more than nine years now, I'm told, and most of them will never leave.
It's understandable. People want to adopt cute kittens. They don't want to take home a full grown, half-eared, one-eyed stray with chewed-up-looking fur.
The kids were pretty quiet after our first day at work, but this is a lot different than the work we did down south, rescuing strays now and then. Here it's continuous smelly, nasty, sweaty physical effort. It is a big emotional thing for them to absorb, too, because you just can't see that many homeless animals and not have your heart broken. Still, they insist on going back with me every time (and worried mom here has tried to talk them out of it.)
There is nothing so humbling as when you realize how much love and courage your kids have, and how willing they are to act upon it.
Cat shelters of the kill and no-kill variety exist in almost every town in this country. They are almost always in desperate need of volunteers, but they are happy to accept donations of food, litter, supplies, and cash. If you have a spare afternoon this summer, visit yours and see what you can do to help out.
Volunteering at an animal shelter, btw, is not playing with the kitties for hours. It's scrubbing out the floor-to-ceiling cages where the cats live, and cleaning their litter pans, food dishes, sleeping shelves and stands, etc. In heavy plastic gloves, working with bleach and hot water and plenty of soap. If you've ever cared for one cat, multiply that and the inevitable odor by 500.
My very first job at the shelter was to clean out the isolation cage for the cats with diarrhea. If that wasn't an initiation, I don't know what is.
If we're not too tired after we put in our work hours, then I take the kids out to the big outdoor playhouse that serves as a meet-and-greet area for visitors. About 100 of the healthiest, most promising adult cats are kept there.
You walk in, secure two doors (cats are great escape artists), sit on the floor or one of the chairs, and you instantly have six or seven cats all over you, purring and nudging for attention. Another twenty or more will circle around you, waiting their turn. The rest are lounging, snoozing or sitting aloof, unwilling to compete, but if you walk over to them, most will lift their heads and beg for a scratch around the ears.
There are only four or five volunteers who work at the shelter each day. They don't have time to pet 5 cats, much less 500. So while the cats are clean, well-fed and cared for, they are all starved for attention.
That's the hardest part for me. I can scrub up cat shit for four hours, no problem, but a scrawny, scraggly-furred calico with half an ear and one blue-blind eye climbs on my lap and looks up at me, and I'm destroyed.
I already know some of the more permanent residents by name. Valentino, a light orange marmalade cat who talks to me as I mop his cage. Shena, a mostly-black domestic short hair, likes to jump from the upper sitting shelves onto my shoulders (an acrobat-cat, she never sinks her claws in.) Mama, a silver tabby who watches me as closely as she does her six nursing kittens, and will bite if my glove strays too close.
There are so many kittens. Because people will not have their pets properly spayed or neutered, too many. The Humane Society sent over sixteen little ones this week, which the shelter accepted to save them from being euthanized. They're so tiny, and lovely, and the most likely to be adopted. Some won't be, and then it's almost a given that they will stay at the shelter. About 70% of the cats have lived there for more than nine years now, I'm told, and most of them will never leave.
It's understandable. People want to adopt cute kittens. They don't want to take home a full grown, half-eared, one-eyed stray with chewed-up-looking fur.
The kids were pretty quiet after our first day at work, but this is a lot different than the work we did down south, rescuing strays now and then. Here it's continuous smelly, nasty, sweaty physical effort. It is a big emotional thing for them to absorb, too, because you just can't see that many homeless animals and not have your heart broken. Still, they insist on going back with me every time (and worried mom here has tried to talk them out of it.)
There is nothing so humbling as when you realize how much love and courage your kids have, and how willing they are to act upon it.
Cat shelters of the kill and no-kill variety exist in almost every town in this country. They are almost always in desperate need of volunteers, but they are happy to accept donations of food, litter, supplies, and cash. If you have a spare afternoon this summer, visit yours and see what you can do to help out.
Monday, May 30, 2005
Relief Ten
Ten Things for the Bored
1. The Hero Machine -- create your very own superhero.
2. Hirshhorn's Art Interactive offer an online Create a Sculpture -- good for people who should not be trusted with sharp objects.
3. Philip Lenssen's The Blog-O-Matic -- when you can't think of what the heck to post.
4. Celeste Lim, Laura Tan, and Nicole Wee's Proppian Fairytale Generator -- your tuition dollars, hard at work.
5. Dave Mullen's Proverb Generator -- there's a message in this.
6. Ruder Finn Interactive's Mr. Picassohead -- you too can be Pablo. Kind of.
7. Scott Pakin's Automatic Complaint-Letter Generator -- length adjustable
8. Michael Smith's Cosmic Truth Generator -- if it's true, it's cosmic.
9. Also by Michael Smith, the Automatic Prose Generator -- when you can't face that blank screen another sec.
10. Lore Sjoberg's The Apathetic Online Journal Entry Generator -- express your boredom without ruining your ennui.
1. The Hero Machine -- create your very own superhero.
2. Hirshhorn's Art Interactive offer an online Create a Sculpture -- good for people who should not be trusted with sharp objects.
3. Philip Lenssen's The Blog-O-Matic -- when you can't think of what the heck to post.
4. Celeste Lim, Laura Tan, and Nicole Wee's Proppian Fairytale Generator -- your tuition dollars, hard at work.
5. Dave Mullen's Proverb Generator -- there's a message in this.
6. Ruder Finn Interactive's Mr. Picassohead -- you too can be Pablo. Kind of.
7. Scott Pakin's Automatic Complaint-Letter Generator -- length adjustable
8. Michael Smith's Cosmic Truth Generator -- if it's true, it's cosmic.
9. Also by Michael Smith, the Automatic Prose Generator -- when you can't face that blank screen another sec.
10. Lore Sjoberg's The Apathetic Online Journal Entry Generator -- express your boredom without ruining your ennui.
Sunday, May 29, 2005
Dances
Hostility is so much easier to deal with than friendliness, for some reason. Me and non-familial hostility are old pals, dating back to the first time a drill instructor got close enough to kiss me and instead questioned my mother's past morality at the top of his lungs (it wasn't the shouting I minded as much as the bits of spit I couldn't wipe off my face. See the end of the courthouse scene in Blade Dancer for more emotional details.)
Hostility is always a stand-up guy, though. Pure, honest, right there whenever you need a kick in the pants. He makes you feel like a little girl in a stupid dress and too-tight white Mary Janes, made to dance the polka at a family wedding. Hostility is the older, flatulent boy cousin who hates you more than dog puke and will give you at least one Indian burn and a wedgie before the accordion player takes a break.
It's a dance you endure, because you know where to find dead bugs in the wedding hall, and at some point during the evening, Hostility will leave his soda and food unattended.
Friendliness is also at the wedding, but he's not a family member, or flatulent, or scowling at anything young and female. Someone you know makes vague introductions, and he smiles at you. You don't smile back because he might assume something horrible, such as you like boys.
You watch Friendliness, and note that he has good manners, doesn't fart recreationally and is polite to the grownups. He dances with girls, but none of them leave the floor rubbing their arms or pulling at the back of their dresses. You might think he's a suck-up until you see him quietly stop Hostility from pinching your little sister until she cries.
You realize that Friendliness does not know where the dead bugs are, or maybe he does and doesn't care. This causes you to admire Friendliness from a safe distance, and part of you wishes you could be like that -- if that's what he's really like. You don't know. Not like Friendliness is easy to read. Friendliness is too much like grownups, and you're still a little kid.
Then Friendliness does the Worst Thing Possible: he comes over and asks you to dance. Politely, without your mother or your older sister asking him to. He smiles again. He's got a nice smile. Why is he wasting it on you? Doesn't he see your stupid dress? Your too-tight shoes? Not like you can dance anyway.
Do you take a turn on the floor with Friendliness? Your answer depends on how many times you've been forced to dance with Hostility, and whether or not you made use of those dead bugs.
Hostility is always a stand-up guy, though. Pure, honest, right there whenever you need a kick in the pants. He makes you feel like a little girl in a stupid dress and too-tight white Mary Janes, made to dance the polka at a family wedding. Hostility is the older, flatulent boy cousin who hates you more than dog puke and will give you at least one Indian burn and a wedgie before the accordion player takes a break.
It's a dance you endure, because you know where to find dead bugs in the wedding hall, and at some point during the evening, Hostility will leave his soda and food unattended.
Friendliness is also at the wedding, but he's not a family member, or flatulent, or scowling at anything young and female. Someone you know makes vague introductions, and he smiles at you. You don't smile back because he might assume something horrible, such as you like boys.
You watch Friendliness, and note that he has good manners, doesn't fart recreationally and is polite to the grownups. He dances with girls, but none of them leave the floor rubbing their arms or pulling at the back of their dresses. You might think he's a suck-up until you see him quietly stop Hostility from pinching your little sister until she cries.
You realize that Friendliness does not know where the dead bugs are, or maybe he does and doesn't care. This causes you to admire Friendliness from a safe distance, and part of you wishes you could be like that -- if that's what he's really like. You don't know. Not like Friendliness is easy to read. Friendliness is too much like grownups, and you're still a little kid.
Then Friendliness does the Worst Thing Possible: he comes over and asks you to dance. Politely, without your mother or your older sister asking him to. He smiles again. He's got a nice smile. Why is he wasting it on you? Doesn't he see your stupid dress? Your too-tight shoes? Not like you can dance anyway.
Do you take a turn on the floor with Friendliness? Your answer depends on how many times you've been forced to dance with Hostility, and whether or not you made use of those dead bugs.
Saturday, May 28, 2005
My Numbers
So no one thinks I'm exempting myself from this project, here's one of my statements that came in today (warning, potentially offensive real financial disclosure follows):
Blade Dancer
Author Name/Publisher: S.L. Viehl, Roc
Mass Market Paperback, U.S., $6.99 cover price
Distribution: National
Publication Date: 07/01/04
Advance: $0 (this is a reprint from the hardcover; I get no up-front money for it)
Royalties: 6%
Current Released to date: 32,048
Reserved against returns: 3,000
Current returns: 6,221
Sell-through: 82.5%
Author earnings: $4,386.99
This is a five-month statement; the figures reflect sales from 7/01/04 through 12/31/04. SF has a much longer shelf life than most genres, so I've probably got another six months to a year to collect more sales.
Why has this book done well for me? I have some theories: it was my first not-StarDoc SF novel, and my first SF hardcover. A lot of my readers liked the novel and recommended it to friends. SFBC featured it as an alternative selection. The mass market edition hit the SF bestseller list. Timing was excellent, too; July has always been a good month for me.
Could it have done better? If I'd done some sort of promotion for it, probably. The personal timing unfortunately sucked; BD came out in the middle of a very bad career year. I had lost two editors and was so frustrated with the industry that I nearly quit writing. It took me another year to find my balance. By the time I came back out of the lair to see what was going on, the reprint had already hit the shelves.
Blade Dancer
Author Name/Publisher: S.L. Viehl, Roc
Mass Market Paperback, U.S., $6.99 cover price
Distribution: National
Publication Date: 07/01/04
Advance: $0 (this is a reprint from the hardcover; I get no up-front money for it)
Royalties: 6%
Current Released to date: 32,048
Reserved against returns: 3,000
Current returns: 6,221
Sell-through: 82.5%
Author earnings: $4,386.99
This is a five-month statement; the figures reflect sales from 7/01/04 through 12/31/04. SF has a much longer shelf life than most genres, so I've probably got another six months to a year to collect more sales.
Why has this book done well for me? I have some theories: it was my first not-StarDoc SF novel, and my first SF hardcover. A lot of my readers liked the novel and recommended it to friends. SFBC featured it as an alternative selection. The mass market edition hit the SF bestseller list. Timing was excellent, too; July has always been a good month for me.
Could it have done better? If I'd done some sort of promotion for it, probably. The personal timing unfortunately sucked; BD came out in the middle of a very bad career year. I had lost two editors and was so frustrated with the industry that I nearly quit writing. It took me another year to find my balance. By the time I came back out of the lair to see what was going on, the reprint had already hit the shelves.
Friday, May 27, 2005
Reconstruct
Before anyone e-mails or comments:
Yes, I am revamping the sidebar weblog links list.
No, there's no agenda.
Yes, I'm doing it for my own amusement.
No, it's not done yet.
Yes, there are new folks all over it. Check them out.
No, you don't get to pick your song header.
Especially if your name is James or Stuart.
Yes, I should have done this a long time ago.
No, it's not a big deal.
See? Practically painless.
Yes, I am revamping the sidebar weblog links list.
No, there's no agenda.
Yes, I'm doing it for my own amusement.
No, it's not done yet.
Yes, there are new folks all over it. Check them out.
No, you don't get to pick your song header.
Especially if your name is James or Stuart.
Yes, I should have done this a long time ago.
No, it's not a big deal.
See? Practically painless.
Wattage
A couple of people have e-mailed to ask how to crank up the power in a proposal. I always try to hit a couple of things in mine (spoilers for If Angels Burn follow):
1. Offer a strong premise, one that can be easily described in ten words or less.
Plastic surgeon abducted by disfigured vampire.
2. Present a big idea.
The vampires aren't the monsters, the humans hunting them are.
3. Use conflict that is strong, has staying power, and isn't simple to resolve.
The compassionate surgeon despises the vampire for infecting and nearly killing her, and destroying her medical career. The billionaire immortal vampire who needs no one now needs the surgeon to treat other, tortured vampires. P.S., they're also falling in love with each other.
4. Throw secondary character gasoline into the story fire.
The surgeon's brother is recruited by the guys hunting the vampires. The vampire's king wants to use the surgeon's blood to create an army of new vampires.
5. Twist it, twist it, twist it. I usually have two minor and one major big twist in a novel. Too many will make it cluttered. Too few or too simple a twist leaves the story feeling flat.
The surgeon's brother thinks an ordeal he goes through is part of an initiation into the order of the humans hunting the vampires. In reality, they're torturing him to make him into their puppet to get at his sister and her vampire lover. The vampire lover is the one who tells the brother the truth.
Things that slog a proposal:
1. Too much backstory. We don't need that much life history, and we don't want to relive it through a thousand flash backs when you've run out of things for the character to do.
2. Too many pointless characters. This is a book, not a mall food court. If a character doesn't serve the story, kill them.
3. Romance-specific: heroes who are brainless beefcakes and heroines who couldn't think their way out of a paper bag. Stop living in the eighties, ladies. They're over.
4. Conflict that a five-year-old could resolve while watching cartoons and playing GameBoy.
5. Not enough passion for the story. Don't write anything just to write it. Write it because you love it. Because you can't stop thinking about it. Because you get a thrill every single time you open the .doc file. Because if you talk about it at the dinner table one more time, your family is going to stab you in the heart with their forks. That kind of passion.
1. Offer a strong premise, one that can be easily described in ten words or less.
Plastic surgeon abducted by disfigured vampire.
2. Present a big idea.
The vampires aren't the monsters, the humans hunting them are.
3. Use conflict that is strong, has staying power, and isn't simple to resolve.
The compassionate surgeon despises the vampire for infecting and nearly killing her, and destroying her medical career. The billionaire immortal vampire who needs no one now needs the surgeon to treat other, tortured vampires. P.S., they're also falling in love with each other.
4. Throw secondary character gasoline into the story fire.
The surgeon's brother is recruited by the guys hunting the vampires. The vampire's king wants to use the surgeon's blood to create an army of new vampires.
5. Twist it, twist it, twist it. I usually have two minor and one major big twist in a novel. Too many will make it cluttered. Too few or too simple a twist leaves the story feeling flat.
The surgeon's brother thinks an ordeal he goes through is part of an initiation into the order of the humans hunting the vampires. In reality, they're torturing him to make him into their puppet to get at his sister and her vampire lover. The vampire lover is the one who tells the brother the truth.
Things that slog a proposal:
1. Too much backstory. We don't need that much life history, and we don't want to relive it through a thousand flash backs when you've run out of things for the character to do.
2. Too many pointless characters. This is a book, not a mall food court. If a character doesn't serve the story, kill them.
3. Romance-specific: heroes who are brainless beefcakes and heroines who couldn't think their way out of a paper bag. Stop living in the eighties, ladies. They're over.
4. Conflict that a five-year-old could resolve while watching cartoons and playing GameBoy.
5. Not enough passion for the story. Don't write anything just to write it. Write it because you love it. Because you can't stop thinking about it. Because you get a thrill every single time you open the .doc file. Because if you talk about it at the dinner table one more time, your family is going to stab you in the heart with their forks. That kind of passion.
Proof
**** THE PROOF THAT Paperback Writer IS EVIL ****
P A P E R B A C K W R I T E R
16 1 16 5 18 2 1 3 11 23 18 9 20 5 18
7 1 7 5 9 2 1 3 2 5 9 9 2 5 9
6 7 6 5 7
Thus, "Paperback Writer" is 67657.
Subtract 1970, the year IBM announced S/370. The result will be 65687.
Add 1977, the year Elvis left the planet - the result is 67664.
Add 661 to it - this is the year Roman Empire was devastated by a plague, written backwards - you will get 68325.
Turn the number backwards, and add 1865 - the year Lincoln was shot. The number is now 54251.
Turn the number backwards, subtract 38 - the symbol of slavery. The number is now 15207.
Write 1976 backwards. Translate it to octal - this will give you 15207. Thus, 15207 stands for 1976, the year George Harrison performed the lumberjack song with Monty Python - if you have seen it, you should understand.
You get the picture. QED.
(Want to know if you're evil, too? Check out Michal Zalewski's Evil Finder.)
P A P E R B A C K W R I T E R
16 1 16 5 18 2 1 3 11 23 18 9 20 5 18
7 1 7 5 9 2 1 3 2 5 9 9 2 5 9
6 7 6 5 7
Thus, "Paperback Writer" is 67657.
Subtract 1970, the year IBM announced S/370. The result will be 65687.
Add 1977, the year Elvis left the planet - the result is 67664.
Add 661 to it - this is the year Roman Empire was devastated by a plague, written backwards - you will get 68325.
Turn the number backwards, and add 1865 - the year Lincoln was shot. The number is now 54251.
Turn the number backwards, subtract 38 - the symbol of slavery. The number is now 15207.
Write 1976 backwards. Translate it to octal - this will give you 15207. Thus, 15207 stands for 1976, the year George Harrison performed the lumberjack song with Monty Python - if you have seen it, you should understand.
You get the picture. QED.
(Want to know if you're evil, too? Check out Michal Zalewski's Evil Finder.)
Thursday, May 26, 2005
Served
Remember when I was talking about trends and vampire paranormals, and I told you all the market is demanding better, stronger books to compete with what's already out there?
I rarely preview novels before they hit the market, but there's a vampire paranormal book coming out in a few months that is so strong and so beautifully competitive that it knocked me on my butt. Got a sizzling quote out of me, too (and you know PBW is no quote slut.)
I love this kind of book, because it keeps established writers from getting lazy and complacent, and raises the bar for all of us. Some advice to those of you who are thinking of pitching: crank up the power in those submissions.
I'll check with the editor to see if I can post the details, but dark fantasy lovers? You're about to get served.
I rarely preview novels before they hit the market, but there's a vampire paranormal book coming out in a few months that is so strong and so beautifully competitive that it knocked me on my butt. Got a sizzling quote out of me, too (and you know PBW is no quote slut.)
I love this kind of book, because it keeps established writers from getting lazy and complacent, and raises the bar for all of us. Some advice to those of you who are thinking of pitching: crank up the power in those submissions.
I'll check with the editor to see if I can post the details, but dark fantasy lovers? You're about to get served.
ABB2
First repeater entry for the Authors Behaving Badly file: Orson Scott Card, who's evidently miffed at George Lucas for being . . . more successful than he is? That's all I got out of it that made any sense. I especially like the hot pink ad in the middle of the first page: You could win a year's worth of Christian books for your book club, click here to enter. Yep, that's subtle.
I suppose as a SF writer I should say something about Star Wars. Okay, here goes: George Lucas, you've brought happiness to billions with your movies. They're inventive and fun, and I hope you make a thousand more. Thank you. P.S. My son loves Natalie Portman and you, in that order.
Orson first made the file when he made himself the Support Gay Bashing poster child.
I suppose as a SF writer I should say something about Star Wars. Okay, here goes: George Lucas, you've brought happiness to billions with your movies. They're inventive and fun, and I hope you make a thousand more. Thank you. P.S. My son loves Natalie Portman and you, in that order.
Orson first made the file when he made himself the Support Gay Bashing poster child.
Worth It
There is so much free writing software available out there in internet land that I rarely recommend anything writers have to buy. When you're trying to live on the average writing income, you're basically starving, so I'd rather endorse free stuff. Also, I don't want to get into that whole "Buy this because I'm a published author getting a nice kickback" thing.*
The other problem is that most of these writing software programs you have to buy seem to be designed by non-writers, because they tend to be very complicated. They've got fancy functions may look fabulous, to be sure, but using them means either memorizing the 4.9MB hey.stupid file or hiring an IT tech to come in and run them for you.
Once in a great while, however, someone comes up with something fabulous that actually works. Like JT Enterprises's WriteWay.
I bought WriteWay when it first hit the market because a) I was already looking for something easy and user-friendly; b) it was designed by romance author Tina St. John's** husband, John Haack and c) I had some writing students who were in desperate need of software to help get them organized and motivated.
I downloaded the free 30-day demo version and gave it a test drive. I had half a novel plotted out before I realized just how simple it was to use; even a technosloth like me could have fun with it. Also, it was writer-logical; everything I needed to use for working on the book in one place. I then bought the program, used it to finish plotting the novel, and began recommending it to my students and writer friends. They liked it as much as I did, which clinched it for me.
Right now you can get 20% off the $39.00 standard edition and the $79.00 pro edition of WriteWay, but you can go over any time and download the free demo and check it out before you buy. Go for it.
*PBW does not do kickbacks. PBW did cheesecake, but no one sent me that, and now I'm on a diet.
**The same Tina St. John who leaves comments here. I already gushed all over her via e-mail about WriteWay when I realized it was her.
The other problem is that most of these writing software programs you have to buy seem to be designed by non-writers, because they tend to be very complicated. They've got fancy functions may look fabulous, to be sure, but using them means either memorizing the 4.9MB hey.stupid file or hiring an IT tech to come in and run them for you.
Once in a great while, however, someone comes up with something fabulous that actually works. Like JT Enterprises's WriteWay.
I bought WriteWay when it first hit the market because a) I was already looking for something easy and user-friendly; b) it was designed by romance author Tina St. John's** husband, John Haack and c) I had some writing students who were in desperate need of software to help get them organized and motivated.
I downloaded the free 30-day demo version and gave it a test drive. I had half a novel plotted out before I realized just how simple it was to use; even a technosloth like me could have fun with it. Also, it was writer-logical; everything I needed to use for working on the book in one place. I then bought the program, used it to finish plotting the novel, and began recommending it to my students and writer friends. They liked it as much as I did, which clinched it for me.
Right now you can get 20% off the $39.00 standard edition and the $79.00 pro edition of WriteWay, but you can go over any time and download the free demo and check it out before you buy. Go for it.
*PBW does not do kickbacks. PBW did cheesecake, but no one sent me that, and now I'm on a diet.
**The same Tina St. John who leaves comments here. I already gushed all over her via e-mail about WriteWay when I realized it was her.
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Art Ten
Ten Things for the Art Lovers
1. The Art of Alan Pollack*
2. Ashes and Snow
3. Donato Arts*
4. Etch-a-sketch
5. Fractalism
6. Frank Frazetta
7. Gabrielle Swain
8. Hollis Chatelain
9. Nancy Crow
10. Vanderstelt Studio*
*Shameless plugs for three artists who have painted six of my covers. I own the two Pollacks. Jerry Vanderstelt created the art for Rebel Ice.
1. The Art of Alan Pollack*
2. Ashes and Snow
3. Donato Arts*
4. Etch-a-sketch
5. Fractalism
6. Frank Frazetta
7. Gabrielle Swain
8. Hollis Chatelain
9. Nancy Crow
10. Vanderstelt Studio*
*Shameless plugs for three artists who have painted six of my covers. I own the two Pollacks. Jerry Vanderstelt created the art for Rebel Ice.
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Renaissance Minds
Writers are Renaissance people, in the sense that most have at least one creative talent in addition to writing to keep us out of trouble. Moonlighting as something other than a writer recharges the batteries, and can translate back into writing.
I like being spontaneous. Tonight, for example, I went down to the lake to photograph what promised to be an amazing sunset. Now, I am not a terrific photographer, but that isn't the point. The point was getting away from the keyboard and communing with Nature. I had fun picking my shots, creeping up on exotic birds (blue herons are so twitchy) and hoping I wouldn't run out of film before the last turquoise and pink faded away.
How does being a lousy photographer translate back into writing? Charged batteries have more output than drained cells. Example #2: Last year I took a photo of a double rainbow that appeared over our home just after Hurricane Charley. The photograph was grainy and fuzzy, but it later prompted me to write a short devotional about that moment, and those rainbows. I sold the devotional, so in this case, that one picture = 240 words = $200.00 and publication.
This afternoon, a writer friend and I were talking about unconventional marketing methods, and how a few authors like Douglas Clegg are using their other-than-writing talents to draw attention to their novels. If we're already using our other creative talents to recharge our writing batteries, then why not divert a little of that power toward marketing the output?
Think about the range of individual talents. No danger of being lost in the herd when you're drawing on something that is unique to you. You can experiment with different ideas and see what attracts the most attention. The best part of using your creative talent in a marketing effort is that it will recharge your writer batteries versus draining them, because you'll be doing something you enjoy versus something you dread.
I like being spontaneous. Tonight, for example, I went down to the lake to photograph what promised to be an amazing sunset. Now, I am not a terrific photographer, but that isn't the point. The point was getting away from the keyboard and communing with Nature. I had fun picking my shots, creeping up on exotic birds (blue herons are so twitchy) and hoping I wouldn't run out of film before the last turquoise and pink faded away.
How does being a lousy photographer translate back into writing? Charged batteries have more output than drained cells. Example #2: Last year I took a photo of a double rainbow that appeared over our home just after Hurricane Charley. The photograph was grainy and fuzzy, but it later prompted me to write a short devotional about that moment, and those rainbows. I sold the devotional, so in this case, that one picture = 240 words = $200.00 and publication.
This afternoon, a writer friend and I were talking about unconventional marketing methods, and how a few authors like Douglas Clegg are using their other-than-writing talents to draw attention to their novels. If we're already using our other creative talents to recharge our writing batteries, then why not divert a little of that power toward marketing the output?
Think about the range of individual talents. No danger of being lost in the herd when you're drawing on something that is unique to you. You can experiment with different ideas and see what attracts the most attention. The best part of using your creative talent in a marketing effort is that it will recharge your writer batteries versus draining them, because you'll be doing something you enjoy versus something you dread.
Monday, May 23, 2005
Numbers
Fantasy Novel
Author Name/Publisher: Withheld by Request
Mass Market Paperback, U.S., $6.99 cover price
Distribution: National
Publication Year: 2004
Advance: $5,000.00
Royalties: 5-8%
First Print Run: 14,575
Current Released to date (marked as sold): 9,898*
Current Reserved against returns: 4,677*
Current returns: 363
Sell-through: 97.5%
Figures are actual, taken from royalty statement.
*Corrected by me -- I was working from a scan of the statement,and at 5:30 am, it's pretty easy to screw up and invert numbers. My error, sorry folks.
Author Name/Publisher: Withheld by Request
Mass Market Paperback, U.S., $6.99 cover price
Distribution: National
Publication Year: 2004
Advance: $5,000.00
Royalties: 5-8%
First Print Run: 14,575
Current Released to date (marked as sold): 9,898*
Current Reserved against returns: 4,677*
Current returns: 363
Sell-through: 97.5%
Figures are actual, taken from royalty statement.
*Corrected by me -- I was working from a scan of the statement,and at 5:30 am, it's pretty easy to screw up and invert numbers. My error, sorry folks.
Fic-Ten
Ten Things for the Fiction Blog Lovers
1. A Messy Affair at the Mara
2. Dracula Blogged
3. It is about the Bike (Tour de France diary, written by Lance Armstrong's bike)
4. My Blog (Postcards from Buster)
5. Pesky the Rat
6. The Day the Sun Rose Twice
7. The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci -- (not fiction, but a cool idea)
8. The Vampire's Daughter
9. Ravenstone Castle
10. Transplanted Life
(80% of these links brought to you by Fictionblogs)
1. A Messy Affair at the Mara
2. Dracula Blogged
3. It is about the Bike (Tour de France diary, written by Lance Armstrong's bike)
4. My Blog (Postcards from Buster)
5. Pesky the Rat
6. The Day the Sun Rose Twice
7. The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci -- (not fiction, but a cool idea)
8. The Vampire's Daughter
9. Ravenstone Castle
10. Transplanted Life
(80% of these links brought to you by Fictionblogs)
Sunday, May 22, 2005
Quote Them
I can't find a couple of writer quotations that I want, and it's driving me nuts.
I always try to write on the principle of the iceberg. There is seven-eighths of it underwater for every part that shows. — Ernest Hemingway
This is pretty close to one I was hunting down; one that had a huge impact on me as a writer. The original went something like "The writer should always know a hell of a lot more about the character than the reader ever will."
Nobody wants to see the village of the happy people. — Lew Hunter
Except my mom. She wants me to move there. You can immediately imagine a screaming mob brandishing torches and pitchforks and rushing up the driveway to my happy cottage, right?
Character gives us qualities, but it is in actions — what we do — that we are happy or the reverse. ... All human happiness and misery take the form of action. — Aristotle
The guy's been dead 2,327 years, but his words still grab you by the throat and shake you until your teeth chatter.
Characters must not brood too long. They must not waste time running up and down ladders in their own insides. — E.M. Forster
How many writers do you want to send this one to?
Look if you like, but you will have to leap. — W.H. Auden
P.S., there's no net. I'm beginning to believe there will never be a net.
What's your favorite writer/about writers quotation?
I always try to write on the principle of the iceberg. There is seven-eighths of it underwater for every part that shows. — Ernest Hemingway
This is pretty close to one I was hunting down; one that had a huge impact on me as a writer. The original went something like "The writer should always know a hell of a lot more about the character than the reader ever will."
Nobody wants to see the village of the happy people. — Lew Hunter
Except my mom. She wants me to move there. You can immediately imagine a screaming mob brandishing torches and pitchforks and rushing up the driveway to my happy cottage, right?
Character gives us qualities, but it is in actions — what we do — that we are happy or the reverse. ... All human happiness and misery take the form of action. — Aristotle
The guy's been dead 2,327 years, but his words still grab you by the throat and shake you until your teeth chatter.
Characters must not brood too long. They must not waste time running up and down ladders in their own insides. — E.M. Forster
How many writers do you want to send this one to?
Look if you like, but you will have to leap. — W.H. Auden
P.S., there's no net. I'm beginning to believe there will never be a net.
What's your favorite writer/about writers quotation?
Saturday, May 21, 2005
Alison Made Me
Total Number of Books I Own: This week, 6,093. They're catalogued by title and author and cross-referenced by subject and genre, too.
Go ahead, hate me.
Last Books I Bought:
Non-fiction:
In Search of Mary, The Woman and the Symbol by Sally Cuneen
Civil War Curiosities by Webb Garrison
The Sheep Book, A Handbook for the Modern Shepherd by Ron Parker
Fiction:
Le Sang du temps by Maxime Chattam
The Abandoned by Douglas Clegg
Last Girl Dancing by Holly Lisle (on order)
Last Books I Read:
Non-fiction:
The History of Warfare by John Keegan
How We Die : Reflections on Life's Final Chapter by Sherwin B. Nuland
Lecture Notes on Radiology by P.R. Patel
Fiction:
Loving Mercy by Teresa Bodwell
Threads of Malice by Tamara Siler Jones
5 Books That Mean A Lot To Me:
The Bible
It's always been in my life, one way or another.
Diplomacy of Wolves and Talyn by Holly Lisle
Both are brilliant, beautiful, and haunt me.
An Unbreakable Bond by Robyn Donald
The most intense, heart-breaking romance I've ever read.
The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder
The first book that inspired me positively.
I am tagging everyone who reads this post and hasn't been tagged. How's that for lazy?
Go ahead, hate me.
Last Books I Bought:
Non-fiction:
In Search of Mary, The Woman and the Symbol by Sally Cuneen
Civil War Curiosities by Webb Garrison
The Sheep Book, A Handbook for the Modern Shepherd by Ron Parker
Fiction:
Le Sang du temps by Maxime Chattam
The Abandoned by Douglas Clegg
Last Girl Dancing by Holly Lisle (on order)
Last Books I Read:
Non-fiction:
The History of Warfare by John Keegan
How We Die : Reflections on Life's Final Chapter by Sherwin B. Nuland
Lecture Notes on Radiology by P.R. Patel
Fiction:
Loving Mercy by Teresa Bodwell
Threads of Malice by Tamara Siler Jones
5 Books That Mean A Lot To Me:
The Bible
It's always been in my life, one way or another.
Diplomacy of Wolves and Talyn by Holly Lisle
Both are brilliant, beautiful, and haunt me.
An Unbreakable Bond by Robyn Donald
The most intense, heart-breaking romance I've ever read.
The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder
The first book that inspired me positively.
I am tagging everyone who reads this post and hasn't been tagged. How's that for lazy?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
