Steven M. Moore's Blog, page 129
May 20, 2016
Crossing the line…
[Last Friday in my newsletter, I strongly advised authors to avoid the Indie Authors Coop. Here’s why.]
OK, I’m not talking about Mr. Trump here, but there is a wall involved: I’ve been banned from Indie Authors Coop! That’s an e-wall designed to keep me out. Warning: it’s an exclusive club; no struggling authors wanted! The line I crossed was saying that having a successful book is like winning the lottery—that there’s luck involved (I said it again in my last post). Apparently, the narcissi...
May 19, 2016
PR or charity?
Zuckerberg’s $100 million to Newark schools, David Geffen’s $100 million to change Avery Fisher Hall’s name to his own, the Carnegie Foundation’s backing of PBS, Bill Gates’s attack on tropical diseases, and so forth all bother me because these “charitable works” are either blatant PR or trips to the public confessional to repent for sins committed. This isn’t an “exclusive or” either, because a public mea culpa is both good for PR and repentance.
Most billionaires have left a lot of bodies i...
May 18, 2016
Indie v. midlist?
First, let’s clear away some misconceptions. Traditional publishing means the old publishing business model of finding an agent, hoping that agent finds you a publisher/editor, said publisher/editor hands you off to the staff (other editors and cover artists), and maybe sets up a book signing or two when your book is finally out (it can take a year or more). You could even enjoy seeing your book in a Barnes & Noble book barn for a few months after it’s published and get your local bookstores...
May 17, 2016
A wrinkle on a campaign issue…
That income gap between one-percenters and the rest of us is a major problem we shouldn’t lose sight of in the 2016 campaign. Mr. Trump dismisses it—he thinks American workers make enough already—so he has no real solution to offer. Mrs. Clinton pretty much dismisses it too—maybe she thinks everyone should start giving speeches to Goldman-Sachs if they need more money? Mr. Sanders is vociferous about it, proposes solutions, but are they feasible? What I say: solutions have to be found or all...
May 16, 2016
Monday words of wisdom…
Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 p.m. Please use the back door. (Seen in a church bulletin.)
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Rogue Planet is now available for all reviewers on Net Galley.
The Golden Years of Virginia Morgan. This novel, which is a bridge between the “Detectives Chen and Castilblanco Series” and the “Clones and Mutants Trilogy,” considers the following question: how will the U.S. government in the future handle all those old people with classified secrets in their head? This is just...
May 13, 2016
News and Notices from the Writing Trenches #121…
May this Friday the 13th bring you good luck! (Sorry, PowerBall already has a winner.)
Goodreads polls. They can be a lot of fun. But I often start a discussion thread there that could be reduced to a simple poll because because I prefer to know the hows and whys from readers, not just a simple vote. I’ll be reading or writing and certain questions will start haunting me that only readers can answer. (Yeah, I know, I’m a reader, and I don’t have the answers, so maybe this isn’t too logical.)...
May 12, 2016
Similarities and differences…
This election year is certainly unusual, ironical, surprising—the adjective list is rich. One great irony is that there are two populist candidates, one in each party. Sanders and Trump have put their finger on many of the same problems, ones that the U.S. must solve to ensure its existence: A do-nothing government controlled by the one-percent via its lackey lobbyists; a corrupt and undemocratic primary system that favors establishment candidates who will take money from the one-percenters w...
May 11, 2016
Thinking like ETs…
As more and more planets are discovered, some in their star’s E-zone (Earth-like conditions stretched a little, but always with liquid water), it becomes almost a certainty that life exists “out there.” Earth isn’t the center of the Universe, it might not be all that special, and human beings better start giving any gods they’ve created a little more credit, or create new ones with a more universal outlook. That said, what about intelligent life?
Fermi’s paradox, summarized succinctly by “Whe...
May 10, 2016
Irish Stew #54…
International
Applaud those Kurds! They have become an effective fighting force against ISIS. They’re knocking on the door of Mosul. OK, ISIS leaked through their forward lines, a Navy SEAL consultant died, but that’s no cause for hand wringing. They’re showing Sunni and Shi’ite Iraqis what it means to soldier on. Joe Biden’s solution—divide it into three states, Kurdish, Shi’ite, and Sunni—is still the best one for Iraq, and the Kurds deserve to be rewarded well. To hell with Turkey and thei...
May 9, 2016
Monday words of wisdom…
Slow down and save your breath. Don’t be a clown and race with Death.
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The Golden Years of Virginia Morgan. This novel, which is a bridge between the “Detectives Chen and Castilblanco Series” and the “Clones and Mutants Trilogy,” considers the following question: how will the U.S. government in the future handle all those old people with classified secrets in their head? This is just a Smashwords sale. The book will be priced at $0.99 until June 1, reduced from $2.99. The coupon code is MP...
