Month: July 2014

This originally posted July 4, 2013. I’ve made some minor edits, but the message is the same: Happy Independence Day. July 4 has always had special significance for me. First, it’s close enough to my birthday that Independence Day fireworks can double as birthday fun (and, really, who doesn’t like a pyrotechnic birthday?). More importantly, I value the freedoms my country offers. I have the right to speak my mind, to believe what I choose to believe, and to pursue the dreams of my heart. Not all people have these rights, and I am grateful for them (and for the

Please help me welcome novelist Lori Rader-Day, whose debut mystery, THE BLACK HOUR (Seventh Street Books), releases on July 8. THE BLACK HOUR is the story of the aftermath of a campus shooting. Chicago sociology professor Amelia Emmet studies violence, until she’s the victim of an attack by a student she’s never met. The student kills himself, but Amelia survives—only to find that the court of public opinion has rendered her guilty of something. With the help of an overly earnest graduate student, Nathaniel, who may have an agenda of his own, Amelia seeks an answer to the question she can’t

Short answer: Yes. And also, Absolutely Not. The honest answer is: it depends. For those who might not follow: “working for exposure” means writing for free, and allowing your work to be published in one or more places without pay. There are good reasons to write for exposure–and also very bad ones. Ultimately, writing “for free” is a business decision authors must evaluate on a case-by-case basis. Let’s look at some factors authors should consider when evaluating an opportunity to write “for exposure” (without pay): 1. Always keep your copyrights, and the right to re-publish and re-use the work. This is a deal