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I Shrug At Audio Books
But I Am A Business Person… I know, I know, all authors get all excited about audio books, and can quote the statistics about how it is the largest and fastest growing segment in the publishing world. And they would be right about the statistics. But as anyone who has ever taken a statistics class, those numbers can be used in all sorts of ways. So let me give you some numbers, even real numbers in publishing seem elusive and difficult to get. Many reasons for this, not the least of which is that Amazon, the largest bookseller on the planet, does not release numbers. And traditional publishing often counts…
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Course Curriculum
Updated Because of the Sale… You can find this workshop curriculum at any point on the front page of my web site on the right under the Curriculum tag. There are a bunch of workshops, pop-ups, lectures, and other classes that I tried to put in some sort of order. If I missed something or didn’t add it in for some reason, just write me with questions. Remember, until the 8th, everything is half price on Teachable. Everything, including classes, lifetime subscriptions, everything. Full instructions and reasons for the sale are in the previous blog, but all you have to do is hit purchase and then put in the code:…
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New Workshop Coming…
And Other Stuff… Last day of August. Been a long summer, that’s for sure. Actually, a long time since March/April and the start of all this. I went for months this summer (except for the scary trip going up North for moving) with my big adventure each week going grocery shopping. Or maybe running for some take-out pizza. I know for a fact I am not alone in that. Being safe and sane through all this is crazy. I sure thought last May we would be through this by now. Nope. Now I am at least getting out of the building each day for exercise. Who knew by now I…
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Fun Interview
Robert Jeschonek Interviewed Me… A fun and short discussion with Robert about different things science fiction and 1970s, because he’s doing that SPACE: 1975 Kickstarter Campaign. When we recorded it, it was about 60% funded, but now the campaign has made the funding and first stretch goal and is doing great. I am excited because I get to write a story for it. The interview happened when I was in the worst of the allergies from the smoke and I wore big headphones, so I looked a little more beat-up than normal. (grin) But it was fun. And since I sold my first couple of short stories in 1974, I…
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Two Cool Things!
Really Worth Checking Out… The first is a brand new series of blogs/articles from professional writer Chris York, who writes mystery and science fiction, but these days mostly really amazing cozy mystery novels under a couple of names. Chris is married to writer J. Steven York and they have been our closest writer friends for more decades than any of us care to think about. Anyone who has come to a major workshop for WMG, either on the coast or here in Vegas, knows Chris. Anyhow, since the beginning of this year, Chris retired from her long-time day job as an accountant for a major hotel and condominium complex and…
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Working on the Survey…
For The Return of Boss Kickstarter… It ended tonight and thanks, everyone, for the great support. Really fun. But now I am working on the survey that will get sent out in a week or so. Basically I am rebuilding the entire campaign… twice. Not kidding. And adding some extra stuff people can grab if they want, or if they missed it in the campaign. At some point, Loren and I will do some videos in the Kickstarter Best Practices about surveys and the many ways they can be handled after you run a successful kickstarter. Kickstarter itself gives you a decent tool to use. And using that is pretty…
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The Return of Boss Kickstarter…
Is Down to Counting Hours… As I write this, 65 hours left. Only that much time left to sign up for the new special workshop, or get the two new Diving novels early. Or a bunch of other great stuff. We have made it through five stretch goals, which means there are some great extra books and for writers three Pop-Ups that everyone will get automatically. And there is still time to hit that last stretch goal and add in even more. So help us pass the word. Or if you haven’t looked at it yet, click over to The Return of Boss Kickstarter campaign and look at all the…
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What Is The Point?
My Blog Tonight… No Point… I was going to write a blog tonight about something beginning writers do that I got three different notes about just in the last two days. One from a new professional writer who knows better, one from a full professional sending me a link that was funny, another was from a beginner asking me what I actually thought and how to do it. The subject: Tracking Rejection Times. So what do I actually think about doing that? I think it is just about the stupidest thing a writer can do. And then it dawned on me (while I was writing back to one of the…
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September Workshops Are Up
They Start Very Early This September… On the 1st and 2nd. So they are now all available, including the new workshop COVERS 101. And yes, lifetime subscribers, September Covers 101 is in your subscription and you can take it the first time through or wait until later in the fall or winter. Your choice. (Boy, lifetime workshop subscriptions are an amazing deal.) Here are the workshops in September. Notice Kickstarter Basics Workshop is going to run every other month, so its next time up is in October. I will have the October workshops live in the next day or so as well. Getting ahead and caught up at the same…
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Short Story and Fun Project
Writing a Lot of Short Stories Lately… Tonight I just finished a new Poker Boy story for a project, got another cat story to write for the cat books, and have another story assignment. But one story assignment I hope you will all help me get comes through this really nifty Kickstarter campaign going on from the amazing Robert T. Jeschonek. Many of you know Robert from his fantastic stories in both Fiction River and Pulphouse Magazine, but he also writes amazing novels and sells his short fiction to just about every major market. And now he is editing this wild and fun idea and wants me to write a…