Today’s post suffered a minor “delay of game” due to travel (and my brother’s birthday) but I’m finally in front of the computer and ready to debunk some popular release day myths. Myth #1: By the end of release day, I will be a NYT-Bestsellling author. The reality: Not most of us. Many, if not most, debut authors approach release day with the anticipation that accompanies overinflated expectations. Expectations, and dreams, aren’t bad, and it’s perfectly fine to dream of hitting the New York Times Bestseller list (or any other dream you can imagine). However, it’s also important to keep your expectations
Read moreMonth: February 2014
Week 4: Ebook Creation: Learn How, or Find an Expert
A guest post by author and editor Tammy Salyer: Treat your writing like a passion, but treat your novel like a business. Learn how to create an ebook or hire someone to do it (including pros and cons of each option). For someone unfamiliar with HTML or CSS, creating an ebook may seem like black magic. But that doesn’t have to stop you from making ebooks your main self-published medium. Hundreds and hundreds of ebook creators have their shingle up, and a quick web search will find them for you. Better yet, if you’re part of a group of
Read moreLessons Learned from a Facehugger
My little reef is home to a pair of porcelain crabs, a large female named Ripley and a much smaller male who goes by the name of Facehugger. We brought Facehugger home first, and it’s probably obvious how he acquired his name. When I saw the big female at the fish store, I knew I needed to bring her home, and her name seemed pretty obvious. Unfortunately, she’s taken it to heart. Ripley doesn’t like Facehugger much. They don’t exactly fight, but she’s quick to assert her dominance over him every time they meet. In a recent confrontation, Ripley tore
Read moreDown the Publishing Rabbit Hole – to Catch a Charlatan
Last week, I had to tell two different authors to walk away from publishing contracts. To walk away from a dream. In both cases, the decision wasn’t based on terms that “weren’t good enough,” or on traditional publishing’s refusal to meet the author’s reasonable needs. For these authors, the rabbit hole–and the problems–went much deeper. This is the place to get off this post if you don’t want to hear an unpleasant truth about modern publishing. To quote Morpheus from The Matrix: “You take the blue pill – the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever
Read moreJuggling Contracts? Look for the Language!
I’m guest blogging at the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ blog today, on the topic of juggling multiple contracts for a creative work. Authors often license one set of rights to one publisher (for example, ebooks and print rights) and another set of rights to a different publisher (sometimes in another country, or for audio formats, etc). My current guest series at RMFW addresses the things authors need to know to make those contracts happen with maximum efficiency (and minimum mistakes). Click through and join me at RMFW!
Read moreKnow Your Business: Publishing and Distribution
A guest post by Speculative Fiction author and editor Tammy Salyer: Treat your writing like a passion, but treat your novel like a business. Research the distribution sites, their requirements, and how long they take to set up and use. There are two kinds of people in the world (outside of those who write and those who don’t), and they are those who obsess about the details and those who think of details as esoteric thought experiments that have little bearing on the obviously more important process of writing the next novel. But here’s the thing, and it bears repeating
Read moreRelease Day Buzz … and Release-Day Fear
Today’s publishing law and business installment looks at both sides of the release-day coin: the instant high and the valley that sometimes follows. On release day, your book goes “into the wild” and onto bookstore shelves (virtual ones, for ebooks, and physical ones for printed tomes). Most authors approach release day with a strange combination of excitement and terror. (Enhanced for debut authors, but seasoned authors feel it too.) When release day comes, an author often feels as if Christmas, a thousand birthdays and the apocalypse have all arrived at once. This is normal. Expect to freak out before release–everyone does,
Read moreWe Interrupt This Tuesday For Turkey Turf Wars
Yesterday morning, I woke up and headed to the office to write (holiday Mondays are writing days around here, in case you wondered). I said hi to the cat, started the coffee, and walked into the office … to see a three-foot turkey staring in at me through the window. NOT your usual Monday at the office. I ran for my camera. By the time I returned he had left the window and headed into the (neglected through the winter, and in desperate need of pruning) rose bed. But there wasn’t just one turkey among the roses. There were seven. My friend Tom the Giant
Read moreThe Nazi Chocolate Caper (by K.B. Owen)
Please Welcome mystery author K.B. Owen, who’s taking the reins today…and be sure to read all the way to the bottom (and leave a comment) for a chance to win a great prize package! photo by John Loo (creative commons) The Nazi Chocolate Caper By K.B. Owen This being the day before Valentine’s Day, I thought it would be fun to talk about a chocolate-related case of intrigue. The year was 1943, and those crafty Nazis had come up with yet another plan to assassinate Winston Churchill. They decided to prey upon the Prime Minister’s fondness for expensive chocolate, and
Read moreCreating Your Business Plan and Publishing Calendar
A guest post by Speculative Fiction author and editor Tammy Salyer: Treat your writing like a passion, but treat your novel like a business. Being an independently published author is extremely time intensive. Knowing that going in is the first consideration you need to include when evaluating your trajectory and goals. Much as you may outline your novel—with plot arcs, story goals, and finale outcomes—think of your business plan as the outline to your writing career. The following are the three universal steps (as I see them) to accomplish this. 1. Set realistic goals. The fact is, brand new unknown
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