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Want Someone to Do It For Me…
I’ve Run Into This Lately A Few Times… Some writers are dead set on going to traditional publishing because they want someone to do the work for them. They believe their job starts and stops with writing. And back in 1990, that was the case. You wrote and the publisher published. Writers had no control at all and honestly in 1990 should not have asked for it or tried to get it. But that was thirty years ago. Writers now control everything, but beginning writers still come into writing wanting someone to do all the work for them. I’ve been trying to figure out why, since indie publishing is so…
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Get Good Cheer Holiday Bundle…
Really Excited About This Bundle of Books from Storybundle.com… I think this is an amazingly special bundle of holiday stories of all kinds and types. Perfect reading for this holiday season in so many ways. And one of the coolest things in this bundle is a book that explains the importances and contains all of The Santa Claus Stories by L. Frank Baum. Yes, the Wizard of OZ L. Frank Baum. With all his Santa Claus stories, he helped cement the images and traits we take for granted now for Santa Claus. And now, for the first time ever, they are gathered together and reprinted in one book, WITH ALL…
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December Workshops Have Started
Almost Forgot… Things have been so crazy this month (for everyone I bet), I almost forgot to post here that all the December regular workshops have started. Yes, it is December!!! I am moving the Licensing 101 to Classic in the next month or two, but past that, nothing new yet. (The new workshop is the special workshop that you had to sign up for through the last Kickstarter.) List of December workshops below. However, I am in the process of posting the January workshops and then will update all the schedules in the next few days into March. Got some slots for some new workshops that will be announced…
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Finding Stories
Not to Write… But Already Written… When you are as prolific as I am, and combine that with just enjoying the writing, not caring about the publishing that much, you end up with strange things happening. I know that those writers who think everything they write is golden have trouble understanding this concept, but I flat lose stories. Smith’s Monthly Magazine, when I started it, was supposed to be a place where I could slowly, over years, gather all my stories together, one novel and four or five short stories per issue. And I did that for 44 issues just fine until life roles stopped the process. Now I am…
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I Have Books In Three Bundles…
At The Same Time… This Never Happens… I am usually happy to be in a bundle every three months or so. So folks, if you want to get some amazing reading by other authors, and get four of my books, (And four of Kris’s books) now is the time to grab all three bundles. A couple of them are vanishing fairly soon, so don’t miss them. Here are descriptions and pictures and links of all three bundles. In the www.StoryBundle.com/Crime I have a Cold Poker Gang novel BAD BEAT, and I have a collection of best crime stories from Pulphouse Magazine that I edited called Twist of a Knife. Plus…
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GOOD CHEER HOLIDAY BUNDLE…
This Just Went Live!!! That’s right, just tonight, and I think this is an amazingly special bundle of holiday stories of all kinds and types. Perfect reading for this holiday season in so many ways. And one of the coolest things in this bundle is a book that explains the importances and contains all of The Santa Claus Stories by L. Frank Baum. Yes, the Wizard of OZ L. Frank Baum. With all his Santa Claus stories, he helped cement the images and traits we take for granted now for Santa Claus. And now, for the first time ever, they are gathered together and reprinted in one book, WITH ALL…
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The True End of Trade Publishing…
At Least As Anyone Knows It… Trade publishing is what I call traditional publishing. The reason for the word “trade,” very, very, VERY simply put, is that the publishers don’t sell directly to readers, they sell into the trades. The trades in publishing are a distribution system that is an old-fashioned channel to get books from an old-fashioned printing presses to warehouses to distributors to bookstores and then into the hands of readers. (By the way, three of the major trade printers have filed for bankruptcy or shut down. That is another really bad sign that causes books to be extremely delayed.) Trade publishers do not care about readers and…
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Two New Classes… Two New Storybundles
All Kinds of Fun Stuff… I have three books in nifty StoryBundles right now. The first one is the Space Opera Storybundle and my collection, A Billion Earths is exclusive to the bundle, so you can get it along with some other really nifty books by great writers. The second book is an anthology I edited called A Twist of a Knife (best mysteries from Pulphouse Magazine.) It is in the Twist of a Knife Storybundle along with some other wonderful mystery books. I also curated this bundle and I also have my Cold Poker Gang novel Bad Beat in there. Three books in two Storybundles. How much fun is…
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A Problem I Am Just Starting to See…
Submissions to Major Magazines… I flat believe that everyone writing short stories and who wants a writing career long term should get into the habit of sending short stories to major magazine markets. I have gone over the reasons may times. All upside when your stories start to hit. And I have just assumed it was some fear thing that stopped writers from submissions of stories to major magazines. Fear caused by baseless critical voice issues that I just assume that if a writer can’t get past the fears, they will never be a long-term writer. And I think all of the above is true still. No opinion change on…
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A Challenge For Everyone for 2021…
My Challenge of 70 While I Am 70 Pushes Me… So I got a comment about structuring a short story publishing challenge for 2021 for others, especially writers just starting out. And I think it’s a great idea for a bunch of reasons for most writers. So I thought I would go into the reasons and the idea here. Challenge: Publish 52 Short Stories Stand Alone In 2021 Note, I did not say write, I said PUBLISH. Stories would have to be stand-alone, most selling for $2.99 electronic and $4.99 paper. (Under 3,000 words sell it for $1.99… never 99 cents.) A lot of writers I know have collections published…