B.E. Sanderson's Blog, page 78
May 4, 2015
A Sale, A Little News, and A Series Review
First things first... Dying Embers is on sale for 99 cents right now. Spread the word. Snag a copy for yourself. Gift a copy. Anything you can do will be greatly appreciated.
Secondly, my maiden newsletter went out on Friday. Did you get yours? It has fun stuff in it and a giveaway and news.
Next, I'll be letting the world know about the cover and the blurb for Accidental Death on Friday - when it goes live on Omnimystery News. If you don't subscribe to them, though, don't worry. I'll post it here, too.
Finally, I know you're probably fans of suspense and junk, since you're here, but I'm a cross-genre reader. To that end, I'd like to point you toward a SF series I've been enjoying. I haven't read them all, and I'm way behind, but still I do love every installment I've been able to get my hot little hands on.
Mike Shepherd's Kris Longknife series.
Kris is the daughter of the Prime Minister, she's the heir to a family fortune, and the grand-daughter of a war hero and a corporate hero. But rather than be a princess, she wants to fly. So she's in the Navy - piloting ships through the galaxy.
In Mike's own words: "The Kris Longknife saga is the story of a young woman coming of age during a time when things are falling apart and discovering that maybe humanity still does need heroes."
Damn straight!
Kris Longknife kicks ass, takes names, and still manages to be snarky. I love her.
I've read the first four and just snagged the fifth this weekend. Squee! Now if I just had time to read.
Secondly, my maiden newsletter went out on Friday. Did you get yours? It has fun stuff in it and a giveaway and news.
Next, I'll be letting the world know about the cover and the blurb for Accidental Death on Friday - when it goes live on Omnimystery News. If you don't subscribe to them, though, don't worry. I'll post it here, too.
Finally, I know you're probably fans of suspense and junk, since you're here, but I'm a cross-genre reader. To that end, I'd like to point you toward a SF series I've been enjoying. I haven't read them all, and I'm way behind, but still I do love every installment I've been able to get my hot little hands on.
Mike Shepherd's Kris Longknife series.
Kris is the daughter of the Prime Minister, she's the heir to a family fortune, and the grand-daughter of a war hero and a corporate hero. But rather than be a princess, she wants to fly. So she's in the Navy - piloting ships through the galaxy.
In Mike's own words: "The Kris Longknife saga is the story of a young woman coming of age during a time when things are falling apart and discovering that maybe humanity still does need heroes."
Damn straight!
Kris Longknife kicks ass, takes names, and still manages to be snarky. I love her.
I've read the first four and just snagged the fifth this weekend. Squee! Now if I just had time to read.
April 28, 2015
Changes
Hey Everybody!
You may have noticed the blog has a new name and a new header. I wanted a more professional look and a more professional introduction for new visitors. (You guys already know how professional I am. Quit laughing. I'm serious. Okay, well, maybe not entirely serious, but I am trying to find some modicum of professionalism here.)
So, Outside the Box. I came up with the name and did the header, then I showed Hubs who promptly said he follows a firm who's newsletter is called 'Outside the Box'. :shrug: Since they aren't novelists, I'm cool with that.
If you've been following along, you already heard the story of the rat in the rice paper maze. If not, it goes something like this. Once there was a lab rat who ran the same maze every day to get to his food. But the maze was made of rice paper and if the rat had only realized how flimsy his maze was, he could've ripped through the walls and reached his goal so much quicker. I did debate on naming the blog "Breaking through the Maze", but then I'd have to explain the story over and over again. Instead, I took a more known form of the basic moral to the story. The box holds us back, so I broke down the cardboard. I'm living live outside the box now.
Basically, I've gone rogue. I'm done with traditional publishing and, as hard as it may be, I'm doing all this myself. Yay! Go me!
And they can take that box and shove it. Yeah, yeah, someday someone from traditional publishing may hunt me down and make me an offer. I'll deal with that if it ever happens. (I'm not holding my breath because blue isn't a good look for facial color.)
Anyway, here I am. Out of the box and happy. At last.
I have some other things coming up. Not so much changes, but additional steps in the direction I've been trying to take all these years. Book 2 is well on its way to a release date. (Official announcement in my newsletter on May 1st, so if you want to know ahead of everyone else, sign up.) I'll be paying the new cover artist for my third book today - and his work is freakin' amazing. (Also being announced in the newsletter.)
Accidental Death will be be on Omnimystery News with a cover release on May 8th and a book excerpt on May 15th - so if you aren't following their blog, you should think about that.
I can't think of anything else right now, but if anything else comes up, I'll let you know.
As always, thanks for stopping by. Bring a friend next time. We'll party. (And by party, I mean non-alcoholic drinks and ultra-fattening desserts.)
:hugs:
-B.E.
You may have noticed the blog has a new name and a new header. I wanted a more professional look and a more professional introduction for new visitors. (You guys already know how professional I am. Quit laughing. I'm serious. Okay, well, maybe not entirely serious, but I am trying to find some modicum of professionalism here.)
So, Outside the Box. I came up with the name and did the header, then I showed Hubs who promptly said he follows a firm who's newsletter is called 'Outside the Box'. :shrug: Since they aren't novelists, I'm cool with that.
If you've been following along, you already heard the story of the rat in the rice paper maze. If not, it goes something like this. Once there was a lab rat who ran the same maze every day to get to his food. But the maze was made of rice paper and if the rat had only realized how flimsy his maze was, he could've ripped through the walls and reached his goal so much quicker. I did debate on naming the blog "Breaking through the Maze", but then I'd have to explain the story over and over again. Instead, I took a more known form of the basic moral to the story. The box holds us back, so I broke down the cardboard. I'm living live outside the box now.
Basically, I've gone rogue. I'm done with traditional publishing and, as hard as it may be, I'm doing all this myself. Yay! Go me!
And they can take that box and shove it. Yeah, yeah, someday someone from traditional publishing may hunt me down and make me an offer. I'll deal with that if it ever happens. (I'm not holding my breath because blue isn't a good look for facial color.)
Anyway, here I am. Out of the box and happy. At last.
I have some other things coming up. Not so much changes, but additional steps in the direction I've been trying to take all these years. Book 2 is well on its way to a release date. (Official announcement in my newsletter on May 1st, so if you want to know ahead of everyone else, sign up.) I'll be paying the new cover artist for my third book today - and his work is freakin' amazing. (Also being announced in the newsletter.)
Accidental Death will be be on Omnimystery News with a cover release on May 8th and a book excerpt on May 15th - so if you aren't following their blog, you should think about that.
I can't think of anything else right now, but if anything else comes up, I'll let you know.
As always, thanks for stopping by. Bring a friend next time. We'll party. (And by party, I mean non-alcoholic drinks and ultra-fattening desserts.)
:hugs:
-B.E.
April 26, 2015
Self-Publishing Data - Part Two
It occurred to me sometime late Friday afternoon that there was something I wanted to put into the post that I had forgotten. Numbers.
First off, let me remind you that I am a total tightwad. Also, if I didn't have Hubs behind me assuring me that the budget is there, I would be tighter with my publishing budget.
Also, since I don't like talking about money publicly, the numbers I'll be giving here are percentages of the total amount Hubs has budgeted for each book, and percentages of total money spent.
Dying Embers:
Total Spent to Date percentage of total budget - 79%
Of the amount spent:
Editing - 27%
Cover Art -53%
Marketing - 20%
With Accidental Death, I went a little different - just to see what would happen.
The early numbers for Accidental Death break down like this:
Total Spent to Date percentage of total budget - 21%
Total of projected expenditures vs Total Budget - 50%
Of the amount projected:
Editing - 44%
Cover Art - 6%
Marketing - 50%
Lastly, I have totally projected book numbers because I haven't spent a dime on Djinnocide yet.
I expect to spend 100% of the per-book budget on this.
Editing - 25%
Cover Art - 37.5%
Marketing - 37.5%
Obviously, those numbers are flexible. I'm still not done spending on Dying Embers, for instance. I'll do some more marketing for that when Accidental Death is closer to coming out. And I'm not sure if I'll end up spending 50% of the remaining budget money on marketing for Accidental Death (especially since I'm only projecting to spend half of the total budget getting that book to market anyway).
This first year of self-punishing... I mean, self-publishing... is all about seeing what works and how it works and then adjusting accordingly. Accidental Death is coming in lower because I did the cover myself, but then again, the subject matter lent itself more easily to a self-done cover. The cover art for Djinnocide will be going up again because graphic design with Photoshop won't create the cover I want and, while I can draw, I don't have the skill to create what I want.
It's all a learning curve.
I hope that helps provide some more insight for those of you out there interested in self-publishing - whether for yourself, a loved one, or for curiosity sake.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I'll answer what I can.
First off, let me remind you that I am a total tightwad. Also, if I didn't have Hubs behind me assuring me that the budget is there, I would be tighter with my publishing budget.
Also, since I don't like talking about money publicly, the numbers I'll be giving here are percentages of the total amount Hubs has budgeted for each book, and percentages of total money spent.
Dying Embers:
Total Spent to Date percentage of total budget - 79%
Of the amount spent:
Editing - 27%
Cover Art -53%
Marketing - 20%
With Accidental Death, I went a little different - just to see what would happen.
The early numbers for Accidental Death break down like this:
Total Spent to Date percentage of total budget - 21%
Total of projected expenditures vs Total Budget - 50%
Of the amount projected:
Editing - 44%
Cover Art - 6%
Marketing - 50%
Lastly, I have totally projected book numbers because I haven't spent a dime on Djinnocide yet.
I expect to spend 100% of the per-book budget on this.
Editing - 25%
Cover Art - 37.5%
Marketing - 37.5%
Obviously, those numbers are flexible. I'm still not done spending on Dying Embers, for instance. I'll do some more marketing for that when Accidental Death is closer to coming out. And I'm not sure if I'll end up spending 50% of the remaining budget money on marketing for Accidental Death (especially since I'm only projecting to spend half of the total budget getting that book to market anyway).
This first year of self-punishing... I mean, self-publishing... is all about seeing what works and how it works and then adjusting accordingly. Accidental Death is coming in lower because I did the cover myself, but then again, the subject matter lent itself more easily to a self-done cover. The cover art for Djinnocide will be going up again because graphic design with Photoshop won't create the cover I want and, while I can draw, I don't have the skill to create what I want.
It's all a learning curve.
I hope that helps provide some more insight for those of you out there interested in self-publishing - whether for yourself, a loved one, or for curiosity sake.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I'll answer what I can.
April 24, 2015
Self-Publishing Data
Yeah, yeah, it's like totally verboten to talk about the hard facts of self-publishing, but you'd be surprised how many people want to know. And it's not like the gatekeepers of traditional publishing can do a damn thing to stop me. so here they are - the facts as they pertain to me.
Fact 1: I can put out a quality, edited, professional looking book in about three months. Lucky for me, I have books already in the hopper, so I can still be pretty lazy and still make my timeline. If I had to write a brand-new book and get it published, I could still do it in 3 months, but I'd have to bust my ass. I'm not entirely fond of busting my ass, but I'd do it if I had to. Lucky for me, I don't have to yet.
Fact 2: It is a shitload of work self-publishing. Beyond the writing all of us writer do, there's marketing and sales and cover art and bookkeeping and... Well, you get the drift. Most of that work would be shouldered by the publisher if I went traditional. Then again, they'd get most of the money.
Fact 3: The money. With Amazon, I get 70% royalties. It's no secret. In fact, if you go over to the KDP information page, you can see the facts there. (I know because I read all that stuff before I signed up with KDP.) Plus, I'm not saying anything you can't read in David Gaughran's book Let's Get Digital.
Fact 4: I have sold 60 books since February 13th. That's ebooks, 'borrows', and paperbacks. I'm hoping when the funds hit my account, I have enough to buy Scrivener, so I can use it to format my books across platforms, which will make it easier to make them available at other vendors - like B&N, etc.
Fact 5: For a strictly indie, debut novelist, sixty books out of the gate is GOOD. Sure, it's sad when I go to my sales data and the graph is a straight line for the past however many days, but I have to remind myself this is how it is for a first book. If I'm still flatlining at the end of the year, you may find me weeping, but for now, I'm hanging in there.
Fact 6: Having a good support crew is priceless. The other day Hubs asked how sales were going, and I had to tell him they weren't. He didn't bat an eye. Then I told him I didn't want to disappoint him. He gave me a hug and told me I wasn't disappointing him. I'd be totally crushed if he wasn't so supportive. Plus, I have all my friends and my fans. You guys are awesome.
I hope that shed some light on the self-publishing world. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I'll answer here, or in email, or tell you outright if it's too personal to answer. =o)
Fact 1: I can put out a quality, edited, professional looking book in about three months. Lucky for me, I have books already in the hopper, so I can still be pretty lazy and still make my timeline. If I had to write a brand-new book and get it published, I could still do it in 3 months, but I'd have to bust my ass. I'm not entirely fond of busting my ass, but I'd do it if I had to. Lucky for me, I don't have to yet.
Fact 2: It is a shitload of work self-publishing. Beyond the writing all of us writer do, there's marketing and sales and cover art and bookkeeping and... Well, you get the drift. Most of that work would be shouldered by the publisher if I went traditional. Then again, they'd get most of the money.
Fact 3: The money. With Amazon, I get 70% royalties. It's no secret. In fact, if you go over to the KDP information page, you can see the facts there. (I know because I read all that stuff before I signed up with KDP.) Plus, I'm not saying anything you can't read in David Gaughran's book Let's Get Digital.
Fact 4: I have sold 60 books since February 13th. That's ebooks, 'borrows', and paperbacks. I'm hoping when the funds hit my account, I have enough to buy Scrivener, so I can use it to format my books across platforms, which will make it easier to make them available at other vendors - like B&N, etc.
Fact 5: For a strictly indie, debut novelist, sixty books out of the gate is GOOD. Sure, it's sad when I go to my sales data and the graph is a straight line for the past however many days, but I have to remind myself this is how it is for a first book. If I'm still flatlining at the end of the year, you may find me weeping, but for now, I'm hanging in there.
Fact 6: Having a good support crew is priceless. The other day Hubs asked how sales were going, and I had to tell him they weren't. He didn't bat an eye. Then I told him I didn't want to disappoint him. He gave me a hug and told me I wasn't disappointing him. I'd be totally crushed if he wasn't so supportive. Plus, I have all my friends and my fans. You guys are awesome.
I hope that shed some light on the self-publishing world. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I'll answer here, or in email, or tell you outright if it's too personal to answer. =o)
April 22, 2015
Newsletter News
The maiden voyage of my newsletter is set for May 1st. I'm calling it my May Day! campaign. I'm not sinking, the title just amuses me.
Anyway I have some plans for the newsletter and it's really coming together. I was working on it last night, trying to make it fun and interesting and pertinent. And there'll be a contest and... just because it's Wednesday and I'm feeling wicked...
Newsletter recipients will be the first people (other than Hubs) to see Accidental Death's new and improved e-cover, and they'll be able to read the back cover copy before anyone else. So if you want to be one of the in-crowd, go sign up for the newsletter. Ah, peer pressure. ;o)
Thank you to everyone who's already signed up. And special thanks to a couple people who had trouble signing up and then had to go through the process again. Whatever little bobble happened, it appears to be fixed now. I wish I could make it easier, but the spammers of the world have seen to it that we now have to have a double confirmation system to ensure everyone actually wants the newsletters. :shrug:
They're the wicked ones - now that I think about it. Maybe I'll address that next Wicked Wednesday - spammers, scammers, and hucksters.
So, yeah, the newsletter... It'll be a lot like the blog. I'll chat at you a bit, give you news and updates, show you some stuff, and maybe have a contest. I'm planning to put one out on the first of each month I'll be publishing in. This means - if I keep with my publication schedule - four times a year. (Maybe 5, if I'm really diligent.)
Thanks again for being here and being a friend or a fan or both. I really appreciate it. :hugs:
Anyway I have some plans for the newsletter and it's really coming together. I was working on it last night, trying to make it fun and interesting and pertinent. And there'll be a contest and... just because it's Wednesday and I'm feeling wicked...
Newsletter recipients will be the first people (other than Hubs) to see Accidental Death's new and improved e-cover, and they'll be able to read the back cover copy before anyone else. So if you want to be one of the in-crowd, go sign up for the newsletter. Ah, peer pressure. ;o)
Thank you to everyone who's already signed up. And special thanks to a couple people who had trouble signing up and then had to go through the process again. Whatever little bobble happened, it appears to be fixed now. I wish I could make it easier, but the spammers of the world have seen to it that we now have to have a double confirmation system to ensure everyone actually wants the newsletters. :shrug:
They're the wicked ones - now that I think about it. Maybe I'll address that next Wicked Wednesday - spammers, scammers, and hucksters.
So, yeah, the newsletter... It'll be a lot like the blog. I'll chat at you a bit, give you news and updates, show you some stuff, and maybe have a contest. I'm planning to put one out on the first of each month I'll be publishing in. This means - if I keep with my publication schedule - four times a year. (Maybe 5, if I'm really diligent.)
Thanks again for being here and being a friend or a fan or both. I really appreciate it. :hugs:
April 19, 2015
Monday Stuff and a Series Recommendation - Part 2
Hey all.
Yesterday I finished the round of edits so I could ship Accidental Death off to my editor for proofreading and junk. Then I went to the convenience store and bought a half-gallon of overpriced ice cream, two bags of chocolate covered stuff (raisins and peanuts) and two Choco-Tacos. That's how I roll, baby.
Now I have a boatload of other stuff to concentrate on - cover stuff, marketing stuff, newsletter stuff, etc. But I'm cool with it. Life as a self-published author and all that. It means you have to do all the things a publisher would normally do without the hassle of them telling you how you should do it. ;o)
It can be a hassle, but it's still more freeing than drudgery, so I'm cool with it.
If you want any more information about the upcoming release of Accidental Death, please sign up for my newsletter. I expect a maiden voyage on that thing May 1st.
Now, for the series recommendation thing. As you have all probably guessed, I love Silver James like a sister. And not just because she writes awesome novels - which she totally does. Today, I'd like to recommend to you all her Moonstruck series.
It's sexy supernatural romantic suspense action adventure political intrigue. Yeah, that's a lot of genres there, but Silver rocks them all. You see, there are these werewolves who work for the government in a secret military group - well, until the government screws them over and then a clandestine agency is tracking them, and another super-sekrit company tries using them for experiments. It's wild. And in each individual book, one of the Wolves finds his mate for life. So, the intrigue and the action and explosions are woven tightly with a romance plotline. (Yes, there are explosions. Woohoo!)
Silver manages to wrap each book up by the end and provide us with a happily-ever-after for the main characters of the book, but still leaves a thread so the books all tie together into one cohesive storyline. There's fun stuff and happy stuff and shocking stuff and heart-rending bits. Silver hits her readers with the full gambit of emotions, but she doesn't let them down.
And... What? You thought it couldn't get any better? ... Well, she's getting ready to release a new series about Wolves - with cameos from the Moonstruck characters. This time, they're biker Wolves. And they kick ass. They're the Nightriders MC. I've seen the cover for her first installment - Night Shift - and it totally rocks So keep an eye on her page for updates as to when that will be out. Sometime this month, but not sure of exactly when.
Yesterday I finished the round of edits so I could ship Accidental Death off to my editor for proofreading and junk. Then I went to the convenience store and bought a half-gallon of overpriced ice cream, two bags of chocolate covered stuff (raisins and peanuts) and two Choco-Tacos. That's how I roll, baby.
Now I have a boatload of other stuff to concentrate on - cover stuff, marketing stuff, newsletter stuff, etc. But I'm cool with it. Life as a self-published author and all that. It means you have to do all the things a publisher would normally do without the hassle of them telling you how you should do it. ;o)
It can be a hassle, but it's still more freeing than drudgery, so I'm cool with it.
If you want any more information about the upcoming release of Accidental Death, please sign up for my newsletter. I expect a maiden voyage on that thing May 1st.
Now, for the series recommendation thing. As you have all probably guessed, I love Silver James like a sister. And not just because she writes awesome novels - which she totally does. Today, I'd like to recommend to you all her Moonstruck series.
It's sexy supernatural romantic suspense action adventure political intrigue. Yeah, that's a lot of genres there, but Silver rocks them all. You see, there are these werewolves who work for the government in a secret military group - well, until the government screws them over and then a clandestine agency is tracking them, and another super-sekrit company tries using them for experiments. It's wild. And in each individual book, one of the Wolves finds his mate for life. So, the intrigue and the action and explosions are woven tightly with a romance plotline. (Yes, there are explosions. Woohoo!)
Silver manages to wrap each book up by the end and provide us with a happily-ever-after for the main characters of the book, but still leaves a thread so the books all tie together into one cohesive storyline. There's fun stuff and happy stuff and shocking stuff and heart-rending bits. Silver hits her readers with the full gambit of emotions, but she doesn't let them down.
And... What? You thought it couldn't get any better? ... Well, she's getting ready to release a new series about Wolves - with cameos from the Moonstruck characters. This time, they're biker Wolves. And they kick ass. They're the Nightriders MC. I've seen the cover for her first installment - Night Shift - and it totally rocks So keep an eye on her page for updates as to when that will be out. Sometime this month, but not sure of exactly when.
April 16, 2015
Wicked Wednesday - Internet Outage
The most wicked thing about yesterday was that I had no internet until late afternoon, and since I hadn't already scheduled a post for here, you all were left without. For my part in that, I apologize. For the other entity's part, all I can do is shrug. It was inconvenient all the way around.
Hubs woke up at 5am with the express idea he could get some work done. (He has his own pursuits.) He made coffee, turned on the computers, and then noticed the red light on the modem. He didn't wake me - I'm tech support around here usually - but he did turn the computers off and reset the modem. Still redlight. I woke up at 5:30 to the siren song of the coffee maker sputtering its last drops of ambrosia into the carafe.
When I walked into the office to the sight of two darkened monitors, I knew it would not be my morning. Luckily, I have an awesome Hubs who had already poured me a mug of java by the time I finished my morning rituals. I sat here with my silent computer, enjoyed my first cigarette and some life-affirming brew. Then I called our ISP.
Our ISP has gone to all automated phone tech support. After sitting on the line through the Spanish admonition to press 'primo nueve', and pressing one for 'internet issues', the computer ran a check on my line and informed me that 'due to a network upgrade' I might be unable to access the internet. Well, duh. Technicians were working on it. No more information. The computer then asked if I'd like to be called when they got the problem resolved. Well, hell, yes, I would.
No call all day.
I called them back that evening. Went through the whole phone tree again only to be told there might be some issues in our area affecting our ability to access the internet. Really? :eyeroll: And they were hoping to have the issues resolved by 8pm on the 15th.
Well, fudge.
Throughout the day yesterday, I restarted the modem hoping the light would turn green. Nope. Finally, late afternoon, Hubs grabbed the phone like he was going to call them. I handily relieved him of that burden. After all, I am tech support here, and I'm freakin' used to it. This time, I got the message that there was nothing wrong with our internet. "Seriously? My light is still glowing red at me, dude."
This time I asked the phone tree to find me an actual human being to talk to. When I finally got one, he walked me through the process of letting my modem know that everything was okay now and it was okay to access the internet again. Took like 10 minutes - and that was including the time it took my computer to boot. I could've kissed that dude.
Afterwards, as we were basking in the glow of being online, we wondered just how long the internet had been back, because obviously them telling me they'd call me when the issues were resolved was a big fat lie. (I never did get a call.) The idea that we went all day without being able to do the things we needed to do because an automated asshole didn't do his job kind of ticked us both off. I should've called when I woke up, but I trusted that I would be notified. And they let me down. That's kinda wicked of them. Not serial killer wicked, but still...
On the other hand, my desk is the cleanest its been in years. Hubs went through ten years worth of digital photos on his computer and sorted them into files. I took the time to sweep. That pile of old, printed chapters is now shredded. I finished a book, worked on edits, groomed Max. We took a drive over to the lake and scouted boat ramps for our maiden voyage. It's amazing what can get done if the internet is out. Still, I'm glad it's back. We were both getting the DTs.
Hubs woke up at 5am with the express idea he could get some work done. (He has his own pursuits.) He made coffee, turned on the computers, and then noticed the red light on the modem. He didn't wake me - I'm tech support around here usually - but he did turn the computers off and reset the modem. Still redlight. I woke up at 5:30 to the siren song of the coffee maker sputtering its last drops of ambrosia into the carafe.
When I walked into the office to the sight of two darkened monitors, I knew it would not be my morning. Luckily, I have an awesome Hubs who had already poured me a mug of java by the time I finished my morning rituals. I sat here with my silent computer, enjoyed my first cigarette and some life-affirming brew. Then I called our ISP.
Our ISP has gone to all automated phone tech support. After sitting on the line through the Spanish admonition to press 'primo nueve', and pressing one for 'internet issues', the computer ran a check on my line and informed me that 'due to a network upgrade' I might be unable to access the internet. Well, duh. Technicians were working on it. No more information. The computer then asked if I'd like to be called when they got the problem resolved. Well, hell, yes, I would.
No call all day.
I called them back that evening. Went through the whole phone tree again only to be told there might be some issues in our area affecting our ability to access the internet. Really? :eyeroll: And they were hoping to have the issues resolved by 8pm on the 15th.
Well, fudge.
Throughout the day yesterday, I restarted the modem hoping the light would turn green. Nope. Finally, late afternoon, Hubs grabbed the phone like he was going to call them. I handily relieved him of that burden. After all, I am tech support here, and I'm freakin' used to it. This time, I got the message that there was nothing wrong with our internet. "Seriously? My light is still glowing red at me, dude."
This time I asked the phone tree to find me an actual human being to talk to. When I finally got one, he walked me through the process of letting my modem know that everything was okay now and it was okay to access the internet again. Took like 10 minutes - and that was including the time it took my computer to boot. I could've kissed that dude.
Afterwards, as we were basking in the glow of being online, we wondered just how long the internet had been back, because obviously them telling me they'd call me when the issues were resolved was a big fat lie. (I never did get a call.) The idea that we went all day without being able to do the things we needed to do because an automated asshole didn't do his job kind of ticked us both off. I should've called when I woke up, but I trusted that I would be notified. And they let me down. That's kinda wicked of them. Not serial killer wicked, but still...
On the other hand, my desk is the cleanest its been in years. Hubs went through ten years worth of digital photos on his computer and sorted them into files. I took the time to sweep. That pile of old, printed chapters is now shredded. I finished a book, worked on edits, groomed Max. We took a drive over to the lake and scouted boat ramps for our maiden voyage. It's amazing what can get done if the internet is out. Still, I'm glad it's back. We were both getting the DTs.
April 13, 2015
Quantity vs Quality: The False Debate
Since I began researching self-publishing late last year, I've noticed a lot of people saying that in order to be successful at this, you have to increase your output. Having a healthy backlist means readers can find all the things they want to read of what you've written. And putting another book out not too long after the last gives them a more immediate gratification. All sound thinking, in my opinion.
But invariably, any conversation about increasing the quantity of your work leads someone to bring up damage to the quality of your work. They assert that there is no way anyone could possibly write well when writing fast. They assume anything put out quickly is crap.
Well, I guess that depends on your definition of quickly and your definition of crap.
Agatha Christie wrote about 3 books every two years. Not exactly speedy, but she was working on a typewriter and she wasn't exactly a spring chicken.
Of course, some people think mystery is crap, so they would discount her writing.
Barbara Cartland wrote 722 books and holds the Guinness Book of World Records for most novels written in one year - which was a whopping 23, btw. Nora Roberts has written over 200 books since she started and she's still going strong.
Then again, some people detest romance, so their writing would also be discounted.
Isaac Asimov put out 506 books between 1920 and 1992. Seven books a year. Not too shabby. Especially on a typewriter. Some would say he doesn't count because he wrote SF, but they'd have to shut their mouths because the man wrote across a broad spectrum of genres. Still, he wrote a lot of shorter stuff, and even if he didn't the naysayers would find a way to ignore his vast body of work because it doesn't fit in with their supposition of 'quantity kills quality'.
Now, I'm not saying all fast work is good work. Obviously, it's not. There are writers out there doing shoddy work - and the market pretty much fixes their little red wagons. (Except when it goes gaga over the work... but that's the way the market bounces sometimes.) On the other hand, there are people who are putting out one book every five years and they're writing crap, too.
My point is this: High quantity does not guarantee low quality anymore than low quantity guarantees high quality.
Well, unless you're kind of pretentious.
Anyway, there are plenty of quality writers out there. Okay, maybe not The Great American Novel writers, but good, enjoyable work that doesn't make you want to rip you eyes out because - to paraphrase E.B. White - they've dragged you through "...a series of hazardous or grotesque syntactical situations."
So, like I said up there in the post title, the whole quantity versus quality thing is a false debate in my opinion. The real thing we all should be thinking of is whether we're pleasing our readers. They're the reason we write, after all. And if the readers are happy, then writers should be happy, too. Right?
But invariably, any conversation about increasing the quantity of your work leads someone to bring up damage to the quality of your work. They assert that there is no way anyone could possibly write well when writing fast. They assume anything put out quickly is crap.
Well, I guess that depends on your definition of quickly and your definition of crap.
Agatha Christie wrote about 3 books every two years. Not exactly speedy, but she was working on a typewriter and she wasn't exactly a spring chicken.
Of course, some people think mystery is crap, so they would discount her writing.
Barbara Cartland wrote 722 books and holds the Guinness Book of World Records for most novels written in one year - which was a whopping 23, btw. Nora Roberts has written over 200 books since she started and she's still going strong.
Then again, some people detest romance, so their writing would also be discounted.
Isaac Asimov put out 506 books between 1920 and 1992. Seven books a year. Not too shabby. Especially on a typewriter. Some would say he doesn't count because he wrote SF, but they'd have to shut their mouths because the man wrote across a broad spectrum of genres. Still, he wrote a lot of shorter stuff, and even if he didn't the naysayers would find a way to ignore his vast body of work because it doesn't fit in with their supposition of 'quantity kills quality'.
Now, I'm not saying all fast work is good work. Obviously, it's not. There are writers out there doing shoddy work - and the market pretty much fixes their little red wagons. (Except when it goes gaga over the work... but that's the way the market bounces sometimes.) On the other hand, there are people who are putting out one book every five years and they're writing crap, too.
My point is this: High quantity does not guarantee low quality anymore than low quantity guarantees high quality.
Well, unless you're kind of pretentious.
Anyway, there are plenty of quality writers out there. Okay, maybe not The Great American Novel writers, but good, enjoyable work that doesn't make you want to rip you eyes out because - to paraphrase E.B. White - they've dragged you through "...a series of hazardous or grotesque syntactical situations."
So, like I said up there in the post title, the whole quantity versus quality thing is a false debate in my opinion. The real thing we all should be thinking of is whether we're pleasing our readers. They're the reason we write, after all. And if the readers are happy, then writers should be happy, too. Right?
April 10, 2015
Crime Fighter Friday - Kelly Siegler
A while back I talked about the show Cold Justice and one of the two awesome women who hunt for the truth and try to find justice - Yolanda McClary. I didn't forget the other half of that amazing duo. I was just saving her for today - when the season resumes on TNT.
So, let's give it up for Kelly Siegler!
Like I said in my previous post about Yolanda, Kelly is the prosecutorial side of the duo. She's been practicing law since 1987 - kicking ass and taking names ever since.
On the show, she's the one most likely to hug and the one who more often sheds a few tears during the course of the investigation. Don't be fooled, though. This lady is tough and gritty. Of the twenty death-penalty cases she tried as a prosecutor, she won 19. She's the one I'd want going after the bad guys, taking them on in a courtroom, and making them pay.
And the show restarts tonight, which is all SQUEE for me.
So, let's give it up for Kelly Siegler!
Like I said in my previous post about Yolanda, Kelly is the prosecutorial side of the duo. She's been practicing law since 1987 - kicking ass and taking names ever since.
On the show, she's the one most likely to hug and the one who more often sheds a few tears during the course of the investigation. Don't be fooled, though. This lady is tough and gritty. Of the twenty death-penalty cases she tried as a prosecutor, she won 19. She's the one I'd want going after the bad guys, taking them on in a courtroom, and making them pay.
And the show restarts tonight, which is all SQUEE for me.
April 8, 2015
Wicked Wednesday - Too Much Wicked
Right now, I don't have a specific case to offer you all. Look at the news and there's plenty to choose from, though. Wicked cases all throughout history - wicked cases all over the news now. So much to choose from it makes me sick.
Recently in a little town not far from here a man was lit on fire. In another little town in the other direction, a man murdered his own children because of a custody battle. Let's not even get into what's going on in the St. Louis area. (And why I'm glad we picked the opposite end of the state from that rat's nest of crime.)
Not that Springfield is any better. I think they're in a race with Flint, MI to see who can have a higher murder rate for 2015. Just watching the local news can give me more fodder for my writing than I really need.
I'd stop watching the news altogether, but I do like to stay informed. Forewarned is forearmed and all that. Of course, they say ignorance is bliss, but then again, getting blindsided because you weren't paying attention sucks hard.
Is it me or does the nation seem to have a particularly squishy, crime-filled center lately?
How's the crime where you're at?
Recently in a little town not far from here a man was lit on fire. In another little town in the other direction, a man murdered his own children because of a custody battle. Let's not even get into what's going on in the St. Louis area. (And why I'm glad we picked the opposite end of the state from that rat's nest of crime.)
Not that Springfield is any better. I think they're in a race with Flint, MI to see who can have a higher murder rate for 2015. Just watching the local news can give me more fodder for my writing than I really need.
I'd stop watching the news altogether, but I do like to stay informed. Forewarned is forearmed and all that. Of course, they say ignorance is bliss, but then again, getting blindsided because you weren't paying attention sucks hard.
Is it me or does the nation seem to have a particularly squishy, crime-filled center lately?
How's the crime where you're at?
