With all the millions of books out there, and more coming out each year, is it getting harder for authors to market their books? Since anyone can publish a book now, is all that noise drowning out new voices? It’s tempting to think that way, especially when you’re just starting out as an indie author.… Continue reading N is for Noise
Category: Uncategorized
J is for the Joys of Self-Publishing
Brandon Sanderson teaches an English class at Brigham Young University, and I was one of his students back in 2008 and 2009. At LTUE this year, he asked me to come in and speak to his class about what it’s like to be an indie writer, so I prepared a short ten minute presentation on… Continue reading J is for the Joys of Self-Publishing
I is for Indie
I first started self-publishing in 2011, when “self-published” was still a dirty word. Back then, we called ourselves indies in order to escape the stigma–or mitigate it, at least. And that led to a war between us and the publishing establishment over the meaning of the term “indie.” If it sounds dumb, that’s because it… Continue reading I is for Indie
H is for Hybrid Author
Is it worth seeking traditional publication if you’re an indie writer? Are there advantages to going with a legacy publisher after you’ve published yourself? A lot of writer throw around the word “hybrid” as if that’s their ultimate goal–the thing that’s going to make their career. A hybrid author is an author with their feet… Continue reading H is for Hybrid Author
E is for Editing
Does every book need to be professionally edited? Will it be the end of the world if you publish something without running it past an editor? Short answer: Yes. Long answer: Yes, but there are different kinds of edits, and different ways to do each one. You don’t have to pay through the nose to… Continue reading E is for Editing
A is for Advice
For this year’s Blogging from A to Z Challenge, I’m going to write about self-publishing. I’m not a huge bestseller, but I have been a self-published indie author for the past three years, and I’m more or less making a living at it now (it’s still touch and go from month to month, but writing… Continue reading A is for Advice
Odds and ends
A couple of quick things I neglected to mention in my last post: First, I ran a promo for Star Wanderers: Outworlder (Part I) on The Fussy Librarian over the weekend. If you’re looking for a daily newsletter with good book recommendations, you should definitely check them out. The team behind the site puts a… Continue reading Odds and ends
Further thoughts on the drama in the SF&F community and a rescinding of some previous thoughts
About a year ago, there was a big discussion in the science fiction & fantasy community about sexual harassment and sci-fi conventions. As a result of that discussion, allegations were thrown out about a certain senior editor at Tor, rumors began to fly, and through what some might characterize as popular justice and others might… Continue reading Further thoughts on the drama in the SF&F community and a rescinding of some previous thoughts
Idea for a new blog series
So a little background information: about a month ago, I tripped over my brand new laptop’s power cord and broke the DC port, making it impossible to recharge my battery. After sending it in to a local shop to get it worked on, I discovered that the motherboard itself was broken and that the computer… Continue reading Idea for a new blog series
Stray by Andrea K. Höst
So I picked up this book on the Kindle Store shortly before boarding the California Zephyr for a cross-country train trip. For those of you not familiar with Amtrak, the California Zephyr runs from Emeryville to Chicago and is one of the most picturesque train routes in the United States, with some of the best… Continue reading Stray by Andrea K. Höst