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What Would I Do…
If I Started A Bookstore Today? I got asked that question today and honestly I know exactly how to make a used bookstore very profitable in today’s world. I would not start a new store. Too expensive, too small of profit margins, too much risk, and honestly no real need with online bookstores working the way they are working for more and more people. But I know how to start a very profitable used bookstore. And keep in mind, I have owned and run two used bookstores in my lifetime, but I would NEVER start a new used bookstore the way I did the two I used to own. It…
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A Scary Topic
A Realization Tonight… Bookstores might not survive this virus in any form I know. Online bookstores will, sure, but physical bookstores, not so much. Here is what made me jump to that idea. First, some history and a lesson on how major publishing used to work and works now. Back 15 years ago… Traditional publishing was in total control of the industry and had been for forty years. A book would go into one of the offices through an agent, get bought, get rewritten for cash flow reasons, then copyedited and sales meetings and so on and be ready to go in one slot or another in the monthly imprint…
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Mt. Saint Helens
Forty Years Ago Today… I’m going to repost a blog here that I did one year ago about my time going through the ash of the Mt. Saint Helens’ explosion. Interesting that 40 years later, without all the ash clogging everything, I am going through another “Stay In” order because you might die if you don’t. But unlike 40 years ago when it was just some millions of people downwind that were hit, this one has the entire world locked down. And most people understand this is very real, and a few idiots do not. What was fun about the idiots back in the ash fall of 1980, they got…
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Card Sharp Silver… Day 20
Normally Would Be Finished in Twenty Days… But nope. Just sort of puttering along, no fault of the book, just too many distractions and work outside of the book and writing time. I bet most of you know this feeling exactly. I am not worried or bothered or anything by the slowness of this. Just noting it, and that every book is different from every other book in the creation process. So today I made it here around 10:30 am, early for me because I needed to go out into the wilds. So a little after eleven I headed out, masked, gloves and excessive hand sanitizer. I was way, way…
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Card Sharp Silver… Day 19
No Day Is The Same… It would certainly help if I could settle into some sort of routine, where I knew I could get a set amount of exercise and a set amount of writing done. Oh, that would be heaven. And I am working toward that. But at the moment, still a lot happening, so no routine just yet. Soon. So here is how the day went. Managed to get to this computer to do some email around noon, then a little before one I left to go meet a leasing agent and get the keys to WMG Publishing’s new Vegas office. Inspections and other stuff took some time,…
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Card Sharp Silver… Day 18
One Month Since Day Seventeen… Wow, just as all of us had a crazy last month, mine was no different. Some people have been working harder than ever with this virus, others are laid off and killing time or trying to focus. I have been in the bunch working harder than I can remember. But now, thankfully, returning to my normal level of freelance work, so I started a new short story series in the last few days and today got back to writing on the Cave Creek novel. So as I did for the first seventeen days on this, I will detail out the general nature of my day…
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Kris’s Birthday Party Reminder
You Are All Invited… And how to attend? Send Kris a birthday card. That way in this crazy time of isolation, Kris can feel that you are all there at this wonderful party. I will supply the cake, more than enough (last year Kris and I ate on the cake for a week.) So her birthday is June 4th, exactly three weeks from today. No gifts, nothing else but a signed birthday card. Or some way to know who is attending on the card. Trust me, photos and recordings will happen, because, after all, that is this new world. So send a card to join the party. Full information two…
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Some Misc. Stuff
A Few Questions I Got Today… What made me think of a lot of people sending Kris birthday cards? Actually, it was thinking about how bummed I was about Kris not being able to have a lot of her friends around her on her 60th birthday. That’s a special day. But nothing at all I could do to change that fact this year. Then it struck me that if friends sent cards, I could stand the cards up on the table, and even though the friends were not there, they would be represented at the party. And that would be fun. And Kris was touched by the idea and likes…
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Kris’s Birthday Party
On June 4th Kris Turns 60… And wow were we going to have a party for her. But, as you may have guessed, past tense on that party. We will do it next year now, as many of you are doing as well for birthdays. But I had an idea. You see, Kris loves cards. Not those electronic type, but real paper birthday cards. So with her permission (since she had decided she didn’t want to do anything instead… but I promise you, that is not happening on a 60th birthday), I figured it would be really, really cool to have a party anyway, a sort of virtual party, not…
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Summer Learning Sale Extended to Sunday
By Request of a Number of Writers… We have extended the Summer Learning Half Price Sale. Every WMG Publishing Workshop, Lecture, Pop-Up, Class, or Subscription on Teachable is HALF PRICE! That’s right, on anything available on Teachable right now, (hit all courses to see everything) just use the code below and get it half price. Yes, that includes the new workshop PUBLISHING 101 and the new Pop-Up #20 How to Work from Home. So, stock up on workshops and lectures to get you through the summer. Or even grab one of the Lifetime Workshop Subscriptions for half price. The code to get anything on WMG’s Teachable at half price until…