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Year of the Cat and Workshops
First Year of the Cat Book Out! Kickstarter supporters of the campaign who got all twelve books should have gotten it by now in electronic format. Paper will lag a few weeks, like normal. The first book is called “A Cat of a Different Color” and is also now out for sale and I have put a link for anyone in the Year of the Cat Study Class to get a free copy. In the class I will start talking about the stories in July from this first volume and then go from there every month for an entire year. That’s right, as an editor, I will talk about 100…
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Shopping and Other Fun
Headed Out Shopping Today... The one big trip out of the week. Walmart for things we need for the new office, then got gas, then on to the grocery store. You know, standard stuff. I had a pull-0ver mask (regular ones don’t seem to want to stay on my ears) and gloves. Yes, I know I really don’t need gloves, but I have them soaked in anti-bacterial spray before I leave the car each time. And besides, gloves keep me from touching my face and constantly adjusting my face mask. Masks were the normal now in both stores. Very few without them. Social distancing was also well done. Had zero…
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Hoping To Finish Book
Starting on Wednesday… I will be doing two, maybe three more days of reporting on the Card Sharp Silver novel because I am going to focus all my attention on Wednesday and Thursday on writing and finishing it. I have three short story assignments due next week, so figured I had better get the novel done and off to WMG Publishing so those in the Shared World Class can get it in the middle of the month or so. That way next week I do the short story assignments and get started on another project. Speaking of classes, the Year of the Cat Course will be firing up next week…
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Killing Critical Voice Workshop
Now Available!!! After that incredible response yesterday, and a ton of letters from people, all 100% wanting the new Killing Critical Voice workshop, Kris and I spent some time on it and it is now available. Thank you all for the feedback!! Like Writing with Depth workshop, and the Publishing 101 workshop, Killing Critical Voice workshop will be available every month. First one starts on June 3rd, next week. As we got this together, I was very surprised we hadn’t offered this one before. Sort of a well-duh kind of thing. And I warned in the introduction video, this might hurt a little for some people as I hit at…
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A Possible New Workshop Idea
Saturday Night Brainstorming… I figured I would run this out here, see if any response. Thinking about a full workshop on killing critical voice. So one of the things that would be in the workshop is this one method… ——– When writers are having issues with critical voice, stopping them, I sort of off-hand tell them to stop caring. Critical voice feeds on caring. But then in the same breath, I tell the writer to do the best they can. So one person today asked me how you do the best you can without caring? I realized I needed to do a lot more explanation. First off, what is the…
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A Busy Friday
Nothing on the Surface to Show For It. Didn’t even get caught up on regular email. I will Saturday, so no worries if I have not responded yet on something. Kris and I spent some time in a furniture store today. Masks in place, and they were enforcing social distancing. So very safe. We were there because of the standard Memorial Day Furniture sales here in the States. We shopped, found some things we wanted, then went to get take-out for lunch and called Allyson to confirm everything, then I went back to buy what we had found. We ended up with a fantastic table and chairs for the new…
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Things Are Moving Here…
Nevada Has Done Well… So far on this virus. But now they are talking about opening and you can feel the activity in the air. In fact, in downtown Vegas, the city has closed off a couple blocks of roads, one in the art district and one down near Fremont Street and set it up with tables under umbrellas for diners to eat outside from restaurants close by. The city did this. Cool idea. More cities should do such a thing. Kris and I have gotten take-out the last three nights from our favorite restaurants to help them. It’s going to be a struggle for all restaurants, that’s for sure.…
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A General Update… Short
Got To Be Short Tonight… Got to rest my eye from too much screen time. Pushing the edge right now. I did a bunch of work on Kickstarter and have that Best Practices updated, but no new videos there. I wrote the introduction and author introductions to the second cat anthology and got that turned in today. A few days ago I also put together a new Poker Boy collection and did an introduction and got that turned in as well to WMG. Two books in two days. I am working on Pulphouse #10 (I think #9 will ship shortly as we get back on track) and I also did…
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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…