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Nifty Resource for Covers
14 Tools for Making Book Covers… Nate at the Digital Reader just did a post on 14 sites for helping with making covers. Some of them make the 3d covers. I know some of you here are still paying far too much to have covers made. Time to dig in to a learning curve and start doing your own. In case anyone is interested, I do covers in InDesign with some help from Photoshop. If you go to Lynda.com you can get tutorials on how to learn either of those programs. But the article has some easier methods than what we use here. Worth a look, especially if you want…
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The Voice Started Tonight
Here we go again… One of the best learning experiences for writers is starting up again. Over the coming weeks I’ll talk about things the coaches say about the art and craft. It all applies to writing in so many ways and on so many levels. But one thing that started to shine through tonight is the work ethic of those trying to get on the show. I only got to watch the first half of the first night. But already great stuff. Also, how the artists have to put themselves into the work. In an hour that was said over and over. Free learning about art and craft and…
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Fantastic New Bundle… Escapist
We All Need to Escape… Especially in these times and in this bundle is some fantastic escape fiction. Not only does it have a Fiction River anthology in it with a bunch of stories (including one from me) but it also has my origin Poker Boy novel called The Slots of Saturn. And it has an amazing collection of Kris’s stories, plus novels and stories by some amazing writers. This bundle really, really will help you escape, I promise you. Just Poker Boy and Front Desk Girl fighting Ghost Slots will do that, I promise. (grin) The full official write-up and all information is below. Get it for a limited time at…
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Nifty Bundle from BundleRabbit
The Haunted Bundle… In case you folks are not familiar with Bundlerabbit, you should be. They are doing some really interesting new things. Get on their mailing list for some amazing deals from top writers. I am part of a bundle there called the Haunted Bundle. You can buy the bundle not only through Bundlerabbit, but through Kobo, Amazon, and other places. Nifty, huh? Twenty stories. Kris has a story in the bundle as well. (The story I have in the bundle is a “Ghost of a Chance” story that originally appeared in Stories from July.) One nifty feature of the site is go to the location of the bundle…
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A FUN CHRISTMAS PRESENT
A GUEST ESSAY…SOME FUN FOR EVERYONE… Those of you following this blog know I never do anything with guests and don’t ask me to because I will always say no. Always. But in this case, I read Judge Bubba’s most recent Christmastime Essay/Letter and got such a kick out of it, as I have with all his letters, that I asked Judge Bubba if I could do this and he graciously said, “Sure, why not?” Some background. When I am in Boise visiting friends, I tend to hang around with lawyers and judges. I am not sure why they let me tag along at times. I only have three years…
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Some History About a Thriller
Some History! The Pulse Pounder Thriller bundle only has two days left before it vanishes. The book I have in the thriller bundle is called An Easy Shot: A Golf Thriller. Yes, it is possible to write a golf thriller. This book has an interesting history. This book, as many of my books do, started suddenly when I got a call from an editor who needed a book quickly to help start a new line of books. He had the first twelve books purchased, but the company sales force seemed to be having issues selling the idea of the line, so he needed a first book to help them. He needed…
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Massive Numbers of Writing Things To Do
Way Too Much To Do An amazing thing has happened to writers in this new world of publishing. We are all busy. Extremely busy, with to-do lists that stretch beyond any reality at times. I love this new aspect of writing and publishing. Completely love it. Why? Because it means I am in control. I have the control over all aspects of my writing and publishing. And I have accepted that control. (Amazing how many writers don’t accept the control.) Have you ever noticed in the real world that the person in control of something is usually the busiest person? I personally would rather be the person in control of…
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Joanna Penn Blog
Joanna Penn Blog About the Master Business Class Joanna Penn was here at the coast last week along with forty or so other professional writers. It was wonderful meeting her for the first time. So if you want to know a few things Joanna took away from the Master Business Class last week (and see a picture of her and Kris and me), she did a great blog about a few of the things. Worth the read for writing thinking. http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2016/10/28/coast-masterclass-2016/ ——– You can support this ongoing blog at Patreon on a monthly basis. Not per post. Just click on the Patreon image. Thanks for your support.
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Topic of the Night: A Fun Offer
Free book! One-day-only BOGO deal! TODAY ONLY–9 a.m. to 5 p.m.PST! Thursday. If you purchase the Women in Fantasy Storybundle at the unlock rate ($15 or more), you will get a copy of Fiction River: Fantastic Detectives, FREE! Just send your proof of purchase to subscriptions at wmgpublishingmail dot com. Go ahead: Tell your friends. Ten books in the bundle, an extra book for free from WMG Publishing. Folks, this is some great reading if you love fantasy. And in case you are wondering why I am pushing this besides being a series editor on Fiction River, I also have a Poker Boy story in each Fiction River volume. In fact, in Fiction River: Fantastic…
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Money Always Flows to the Writer
On John Scalzi’s blog there was a great discussion on Yog’s Law (coined by Jim McDonald a very long time ago), which is basically “Money Always Flows to the Writer.” And how indie publishing has not changed that law. Writers still have a writing business. (Here I am always trying to get writers to think like a business person.) When deciding to indie publish, writers set up a publisher, which is a second business. That publisher must spend money, but the money still flows to the writer. As Scalzi said, in indie publishing, the control of the money remains with the writer. The moment you give away the control of…