MacMillan (including Farrar, Straus, & Giroux, St. Martin’s Press, and Henry Holt) is going head-to-head with Amazon over pricing, with the result that Apple’s sudden appearance with a more flexible price structure has tipped the scale. Although the “news” is that Amazon has pulled MacMillan books from its store, I’m… Read more“Making an omelet out of the news”
Tag: Fiction Writing Advice
Making fun of Apple marketing
Oh, look! Something shiny! That’s my first reaction to the official Apple description of the iPad. My sys admin sent me links to about six in-depth computer industry articles on the much-touted Apple e-reader yesterday, which—since I am just a tiny bit OCD—I read all of. By the time I… Read more“Making fun of Apple marketing”
The passing of Buddy Glass
J.D. Salinger has died at the age of 91. I’ve always admired Salinger for his unshakable dedication to craft rather than publication. I love the line quoted in this article: “There’s. . .peace in not publishing.” Read that full quote. Read it and understand it. Read it and apply it… Read more“The passing of Buddy Glass”
More surfing on the e-book wave
Well, the New York Times has an opinion on the Apple announcement of its e-reader, as well as a lament for the good, old-fashioned book in the Opinionator (you read mine here first!). He makes lots of good points and even singles out two of the indie bookstores we’ve been… Read more“More surfing on the e-book wave”
Surfing the e-book wave
So today Apple announced its new e-reader that it’s been priming the press on. I love that they think it’s news they’re opening a new e-book store to go along with it. “Really? And can I get fries with that?” But my favorite part of Steve Jobs’ talk is him… Read more“Surfing the e-book wave”
Gobsmacked! the Carolyn Cassady interview, Part 2
In July of 2009, I posted Part 1 of my interview with writer and literary figure, Carolyn Cassady. I’m very pleased now to be posting Gobsmacked! Part 2. Carolyn, according to popular legend Jack Kerouac taped a bunch of sheets of paper together (in some versions it’s a roll of… Read more“Gobsmacked! the Carolyn Cassady interview, Part 2”
Sketching in story
“Show, don’t tell.” If the world of fiction has a motto, that’s it. But of course you already know you can’t show everything. Remember Ramona the Pest? Beverly Cleary’s masterpiece? As it happens, we used to have a couple of neighbor kids who were just like Ramona and Beezus, right… Read more“Sketching in story”
Examining the assumptions behind the push to self-market your fiction
Let’s talk a little about the self-marketing tsunami. Because it is huge. It is compelling. And it is omnipresent. Can you turn your novel into a career, if you’re just willing to do the necessary legwork? Well, first I’d suggest you look deep in your heart and ask yourself whether… Read more“Examining the assumptions behind the push to self-market your fiction”
The Art & Craft of Fiction: Defining a story
I’ve been watching a conversation this past week over on the Literary Lab about stories. As in: what’s the definition? I happened to be working on the section of my book on writing that deals with that very subject at the time. There are a couple of well-known angles on… Read more“<em>The Art & Craft of Fiction:</em> Defining a story”
Blogging to promote your book
So, my sys admin just got back from Community Leadership Summit West, a conference for online community managers. That’s what he does. He manages an online community. That’s actually what I do, too, except he gets paid. This is important to writers because of the way the publishing industry is… Read more“Blogging to promote your book”