The bookstore that makes no money!
I want one in my neighborhood…
What’s on Your Shelf?
A series of interview questions that dig into my reading life. What’s on your nightstand right now? I am an extremely eclectic reader and have dozens of books waiting for attention. In fiction I’m currently reading Run Program by Scott Meyer a science-fiction story of a newly developed artificial intelligence program that “gets out” of the lab and is now running loose on the Internet – with all …
Fun Fridays – February 9, 2018
Did you know we lost 10 letters from the English alphabet? Amaze your friends with today’s video. Better yet, write an entire sentence using these old letters and feel medieval and scholastic at the same time. Here is my attempt: In þe morniŋ ƿas þe æther around uƒ. Enjoy.
Once in a Blue Moon Publishing
Someone called the other day and asked, “If I’ve self-published my book and want you to consider it for representation, should I even bother sending it? Or am I toast?” I answered, “It depends.” [For you regular readers, do you think that should become the motto of the Agency?] The question suggests it is an either/or proposition…determined by a set of rules that cannot be broken. The reality is …
Fun Fridays – February 2, 2018
This video is too funny! Wouldn’t it be hilarious if you could program your “Digital Assistant” like this? Oh wait…I think that day might be closer than we can imagine. Meanwhile enjoy this creative satire!
Three Significant Announcements Regarding E-books and Audiobooks
Last week there were three significant announcements from Apple, Google, and Walmart of interest to all authors. First the three bits of news and then a few observations. Apple Apple announced that their iBooks app is being renamed to simply Books. Accompanying it will be a complete redesign of the reading app, their store, and the addition of an audiobook tab to make it easier for users to access …
Fun Fridays – January 26, 2018
Doing what you love for 70 years? Priceless. May this inspire you today.
How Do You Count Lifetime Book Sales?
A key element in a book proposal is your sales history. Of course, you can ignore this if you’ve never published a book before. But if you have published, either with a traditional publisher or independently, your sales history must be included in your next book proposal. Here is an example: Sales History: The Bestest Book Ever (XYZ Publishers, 1996) – 12,449 sold The Other Bestest Book I Wrote …
Fun Fridays – January 19, 2018
Could you make a paper airplane out of a manila folder? Maybe. But doubtful it would look like this. I found this story to be a metaphor for those who write. Those who choose each word carefully with the precision of an x-acto knife. Painstakingly crafting their art over years. And being unafraid to delete what doesn’t work.
Morality and the Book Contract
Seven years ago I wrote a post about the morality clause in book contracts. It was met with a collective yawn. Today the landscape is a little different and I hope you will take the time to read this carefully. From Hollywood suddenly trying to find a moral compass to corporations trying to define bad behavior, the issue has become the latest buzzing conversation. The issue is not one to be …