For awhile, now, I’ve chatted with the guys in my writing group about releasing some things for the Kindle and other devices. I’ve messed with the .epub format here and here, but I’ve never tried publishing anything for the Kindle and Kindle apps. (I use the Kindle iPhone app for most of my e-book reading.) […]
E-Book Pricing
Recently, on a friend’s Facebook page, the subject of e-book pricing came up. Right now, it seems many people think e-books are priced too high. When people hear about publishers going from the $9.99 Amazon standard for an e-book up to $14.95, they say, “That’s ridiculous!” One can definitely make that argument; after all, the […]
Can Technology Save Storytelling?
I have a very busy friend — he’s the Assistant Vice President of Application Architecture for a large company. Almost every morning, he’s up early for a run in his neighborhood or on his stationary bike. He has two young daughters who keep him very busy. He’s not the kind of father who puts work […]
Do You Have What It Takes To Make It Writing?
Are you a productive writer, or somebody who just dabbles? Do you want to supplement your income with writing or make writing your career, but find it hard to make time to write? Do you have what it takes to make it writing? The hardest thing is realizing that you don’t, but there’s no shame […]
Will Write for Food
In the comments of a recent post, a member of the writing group I’m in said this about e-books becoming more common: “I suspect it will be easier to get an audience via the e-book revolution, and harder to make a career” – Mark Felps I’ve seen things get harder when the self publishing boom […]
What’s Worse than Piracy?
“Obscurity is a far greater threat to authors and creative artists than piracy.” – Tim O’Reilly Tim O’Reilly’s quote (often attributed to Cory Doctorow), has always rung true with me. Not that I like the thought of people taking and trading an artist’s work for free, but if people are sharing your work illegally, it’s […]
The Problem with E-books (Pt. 1: Because I Know There Will Be More)
While I’ve spent some time touting e-books, I am not one of those people shouting, “Death to print! E-books now!” E-books have some serious drawbacks, and the biggie to me as a writer and a reader: an inability to share. Oh, sure–the Barnes and Noble Nook allows limited sharing with other Nook owners. And if […]
The Platform of Silence
J.D. Salinger is dead. I’m not going to talk about what an influence he was on my writing because it was just last year that I finally got off my lazy goddamn ass and read that stinking book he wrote–you know, that one everybody talks about and stuff; the really famous one with the rambling […]
A Delicate, Floating State
Things change. I grew up with three major networks on television and PBS. UHF channels were like cable…that is, until cable came around. I grew up reading books — I love books! Lately, though, most fiction and non-fiction I’ve purchased has been electronic, read on my iPhone with the Kindle app and Stanza. Later today, […]
Queries that Worked: The Novel Pitch
Each day this week, I’m sharing a query letter that resulted in a request for more material, or a sale. In some cases — like today — I’ll share multiple queries. Today’s queries are for my first novel, Hell Comes with Wood Paneled Doors (HCWWPD). While HCWWPD didn’t sell, the queries I’m sharing did work, […]
Crowded
The first thing I ever wrote for submission was a comic book story for an anthology. (It was also the first thing I wrote that was accepted.) I met my wife in 1992 when we were both working for the same independent comic book company. Most of the people I hung out with at the […]
Ebooks vs. Books
In August, 3 million people read ebooks on their iPhones. A school library in Massachusetts went digital. Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Sony, and other companies are investing more in ebook readers. It looks like ebooks are finally becoming accepted. I’ve been buying more ebooks than regular books, lately. At first, it was non-fiction. I vowed […]
Social Networking and the Power of Free
Earlier this week, Jason Pinter announced that he was giving his book, THE MARK, away for free as an e-book. I’ve been reading more books on my iTouch, using the Kindle app. I’d planned to read THE MARK, so I downloaded the e-book and have it for when I’m ready to read it. I stumbled […]