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Writing for Profit or Pleasure: Where (and how) to Publish

06 Jan

 

Writing for Profit or Pleasure: Where to Sell Your Work - book imageWhy publish?

You have a desire to write; to make your thoughts and inspirations known to others. Perhaps you are knowledgeable and wish to share your expertise with others, passing what you know to another generation.  Maybe you are creative and enjoy entertaining others with stories of fiction.  Or perhaps you are insightful and like telling factual tales about places, people and events; helping others to understand.

Whatever your particular bend is, to share your work with others means acquiring a means of publication.  These days, publication comes in many forms, but some forms are better suited to different tastes, depending on your expectations.  Particularly the expectation of payment for your efforts. Read the rest of this entry »

 
 

The Firefly Connection

16 May

Today, Dear Reader, I have the extreme pleasure of playing host to one of my most favorite Indie Sci-Fi authors: Mary Pax.  Her short stories, which include Plant Girl, Translations, and Small Graces hooked me with her dynamic writing style.  When she came out with the novella Semper Audacia my infatuation with her work only deepened.  And now that she’s launching her first full length novel, which will be the first novel of a series I’m practically salivating with anticipation.  Especially since I learned that her inspiration for The Backworlds was the TV series FireflyFirefly was and still is my most favorite TV series; I have the series and it’s spin-off movie Serenity on DVD and re-watch them frequently.  In today’s guest post, Mary explains how Firefly influenced and inspired her new book, The Backworlds.

One of the biggest influences on my creation of The Backworlds was Firefly and the fact I still mourn its demise. Read the rest of this entry »

 

The Backworlds

07 May

Today is the big day!  One of my favorite writers, Mary Pax, is launching her new novel The BackWorlds.

The Backworlds

After the war with Earth, bioengineered humans scatter across the Backworlds. Competition is fierce and pickings are scant. Scant enough that Craze’s father decides to hoard his fortune by destroying his son. Cut off from family and friends, with little money, and even less knowledge of the worlds beyond his own, Craze heads into an uncertain future. Boarding the transport to Elstwhere, he vows to make his father regret this day.

In an effort to to help her announce The Backworlds to this planet some of us have banded together to help her get the word out.  I’ll be hosting a guest post from Mary on May 16th, but all of the articles will be worthy of reading.   Here’s a list of topics and posting schedule: Read the rest of this entry »

 
 

Review Building an Author Platform that can Launch Anything: a Social Media Minibook.

19 Apr

author, platform, marketing, promotion, sales, networkingBuilding an Author Platform that can Launch Anything: a Social Media Minibook, by Toby Neal, is a concise yet information packed mini-book that gives straight-forward advice for authors on how to build an author platform (writer-speak for a system of marketing and promotional tools) that will build readership and excitement for both the author and their book.  The end result: sales!

Book Description:

Effective steps to building an author platform that can take advantage of free programs and launch any book into visibility and better sales.

Self published or not, today’s authors have to develop their own “platform” for reaching book buyers. This power-packed booklet contains tips based on author Toby Neal’s sales and psychology background and experience with her bestselling crime novel, Blood Orchids. These secrets maximize social media to build an author platform that can bring fast, wide-ranging visibility and increased sales to any book.   Read the rest of this entry »

 
 

Paraprosdokian Phrases

16 Apr

A paraprosdokian is a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected in a way that causes the reader or listener to reframe or reinterpret the first part. It is frequently used for humorous or dramatic effect, sometimes producing an anticlimax.

Paraprosdokian Phrases

Ø   Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.

Ø   The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But it’s still on the list. Read the rest of this entry »

 
 

The Best Writing Apps of 2012

12 Apr

 Whether you are an active, write-on-the-go-journalist type or you need a way to keep track of those great ideas you have without fumbling for a note pad and pen while away from your desk, today’s guest has some great advice on writing apps for you.  Please welcome Jane Johnson from GoingCellular, she’s going to share some insider insights on apps for writing on the go.

apps for smart phones, notes, writing, Your smartphone or tablet might not seem well-suited for writing—and by itself, it isn’t—but the right app can make all the difference. These tools can make your device a 24-hour secretary to keep you organized and record your ideas as they come. Read the rest of this entry »

 
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Wander, Putter, and Create!

05 Apr

Today I am delighted to have as my guest, best-selling novelist Toby Neal.  In this guest-post she shares some thoughts and insights on the creative process and we introduce her latest book.  Please make her welcome…

clouds, dreaming, createWhat is the creative process?

Different for everyone, sure. For me, it’s connected to daydreaming, and then making and doing stuff.

Yeah, real scientific.

Mulling, wandering, chewing a bit of grass as I kick a pebble on my walk with my (small/fuzzy/ridiculous) dogs, I think of a new scene.

Tilting my head to spot a flamenco dancer in the shape of a cloud. I take an Istagram pic of it (find me at tobyneal0)!

Chasing the aforementioned dogs away from a mysterious dirt patch in the middle of the ball field just the size of a body, I see a future crime scene for my novel. Read the rest of this entry »

 

Book Review: Sullivan’s War, All Good Men Serve the Devil

02 Apr

Sullivan’s War 1: The Story

book review, Sullivans War, Michael K Rose

Cover art,

Rick Sullivan is an idealist, bent on ending a corrupt government’s strangle hold on his home planet of Edaline.  Sullivan is the bad-guy and not above killing people to accomplish his goal.

Frank Allen is an investigator in the equivalent of a galaxy-spanning FBI.  Someone killed a planetary assemblyman, Frank is part of the team sent to investigate.  This quickly pits him against Sullivan in a planet hopping game of hide and seek that comes to involve an assembly of colorful and often loathsome characters.  There is little regard for The Law among the fringe planets and Allen and his team meet with opposition even from among their own side. Read the rest of this entry »

 

Be Nice To Nerds Who Don’t Fear Failure

31 Mar

What would you attempt to do if you were guaranteed that you would not fail?

The biggest reason most of do not attempt to do amazing things is that we fear failure.

Regina Dugan, former director of DARPA, now with Google, gave this TEDTalk on failure. Her observations about fear of failure and scientific advancement are inspiring, but she also shows new video of some of DARPA’s most ambitious projects and that alone makes it worth watching.  She also reminds us that nearly all major scientific advances are created by nerds.  So, you should be nice to nerds.

What would you attempt to create if you could refuse to fear failure?


(If this does not play for you: View it on YouTube)

As a fan (and hopeful author) of speculative fiction, it is encouraging to me to know that humankind has not stopped testing the limits of possibility.  Although, perhaps “encouraging” is not the best word, as some of what we’re looking at is worrisome, as the interview at the end of the video suggests.  Still, when we open our minds and envision new and wondrous places, machines and societies, we are not engaging in mere fancy, we are pioneering the future.

 

Sci-Fi Robot Trivia Fun

29 Mar

Here’s a little Sci-Fi trivia fun for you.  Click the picture below to get the full size version, then see if you can find Wall-E.  Once you’ve located him, go again and see how many of these robots you recognize.  Do you remember what show or movie they came from?  Some of these are pretty obscure!

robots, sci-fi, trivia

From ToplessRobot.com

Read the rest of this entry »

 

This Business of Writing: Direct Expenses

26 Mar

Today, Dear Reader, we conclude the series on the business of writing and welcome back Brigitte A. Thompson as she shares her professional advice as an accountant and author.

business, bookkeeping, accounting, legal forms, writer, author

All rights reserved by iStockphoto

Bookkeeping is an essential part of the business of writing. Determining what you can claim as a business expense and how to substantiate those deductions require an understanding of the Federal tax code.

Some common direct expenses for writers are listed below along with tips on how to make them deductible. Read the rest of this entry »

 
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