A little bit of culture for your Friday viewing. Introducing ballet master Rudolph Nureyev and Swine Lake via “The Muppet Show.”
Three minutes of parody and hilarity!
Fun Fridays – Feb. 8, 2013
News You Can Use – Feb.5, 2013
Shocking Copyright Grab by School System - Anything a student writes as part of a class is owned, forever, by the school? So if a kid invents the idea of a better FedEx as part of a school project the school owns the idea. Or if he writes the first pages of what becomes later, the next "Harry Potter," the school owns the idea. (?!) Unbelievable.
Christian Writers Guild Adds Publishing Division …
Fun Friday’s – February 1, 2013
A delightful Disney animated short film (8.5 minutes long) that has been nominated for an Oscar.
Note that not a single word is spoken and yet volumes are being said.
Enjoy!
News You Can Use – Jan. 29, 2013
Barnes & Noble to Shut Down 200 Stores in Next Ten Years - This article will take you to the Wall Street Journal article (may need registration to view) where the CEO of Barnes & Noble's retail group Mitchell Klipper declared their intent to downsize. I heard the screams of the faithful. I heard the cackle of glee from the doomsayers. But then read behind the numbers. No CEO can truly …
Fun Fridays – Jan 25, 2013
The music...the audience...the joy of the performers....
Hope you have a big smile on your face.
News You Can Use – Jan. 22, 2013
Why Online Book Discovery is Broken (and how to fix it) – Fascinating article by Laura Hazard Owen. This is the first time I’ve heard someone describe it as “broken.” Instead we keep hearing that “discoverability” is the main feature of the online book selling process.
Create a QR Code Campaign to Market Your Book – I have to admit, the picture leading this post got my attention. Brilliant. …
Fun Fridays – Jan. 18, 2013
Please watch this wonderful and inspirational video. While it isn't "funny" it made me smile.
Below is a trailer for "Landfill Harmonic" an upcoming feature-length documentary about a remarkable orchestra from a remote village in Paraguay, where its young musicians play with instruments made from trash.
Landfill Harmonic movie teaser from Landfill Harmonic on Vimeo.
Unrelated to the …
News You Can Use – Jan. 15, 2013
Successful Query Letters for Agents – A fascinating collection of 23 links to actual query letters that sold a book….organized by genre!
Goodreads vs Facebook Ads – an Experiment – A fascinating article by Angela Quarles on two marketing outlets available to every author.
Of Books and Bedbugs – This story is full of the “ick” factor. The article is called “It was a Dark and Itchy Night.” …
News You Can Use – Jan. 8, 2013
Innaccurate BookScan Numbers and the Plight of the Author – Colleen Doran digs into the sales numbers listed in Amazon’s Author Central. These are based on the National BookScan service used as a bible by major publishers to determine the success of failure of your backlist titles if done by another publisher. We have LONG argued that the Nielson BookScan service does not reflect the majority of …
The Writing Book for Your Year
by Steve Laube
Note the title of this post did not say “of the year” but “for your year.” It is rare for me to recommend books on writing because there are so many good ones out there, but this one is an exception.
The spiritual foundation of the writer is critical to surviving and even thriving in the call as an artist. Acceptable Words: Prayers for the Writer (published by Eerdmans) …