Ryan Field's Blog, page 546

Watch Those Publishing Advice Blogs!!

This is a short post.

It was conceived after I just read some of the worst advice I've ever read on a publishing blog.

I try not to ever give out advice about queries or anything that's considered "subjective." It's impossible to give out advice on subjective matters unless you're mind reader.

But there's this one blogger dude who runs this weird kind of author/publishing blog who is always handing out advice and people seem to be taking it. Oh, he's the cool guy. The one with all the answers. And yet if you ask anyone in publishing (real publishing) who he is, no one's ever heard of him. But he mixes the Kool Aide and they stand in line to drink it.

Please, please beware of these blogs, folks. They are designed to promote the blogger and gain an audience for him. They aren't designed to help authors and people don't realize this right away.

Take whatever you read on the Internet with a grain of salt, including this blog. I don't know it all, and neither does anyone else.

FIELD OF DREAMS...Release Day

Here's a link to ravenousromance.com, where my new short story collection has just been released. You can also find it on other web sites where e-books are sold. I'll post more later this week.

Filled with short, sweet, sizzling stories of love and lust, Field of Dreams is just the anthology you've been looking for, all from best-selling author Ryan Field.

In Rudy's New Kazoo, a handsome, gentle young man recently graduated from college takes on a job as a ranch hand, with a strong, alpha cowboy who is used to having things his own way. In Back in the Day, Paul and Blair celebrate their love-filled, twenty-year relationship by revisiting the old stomping grounds where they first met and fell in love. Milo, in His First Kiss, discovers the romantic thrill of kissing a man for the first time in his life, and Joe, in Dirty Little Boxer Boy, learns the true meaning of customer service when a handsome young doctor walks into the tanning salon where he works.

You can find these shorts, along with many others, including a closer look at the relationship between Cory and Jasper of the Virgin Billionaire series, in Field of Dreams!

All Male Romance...

I love these guys over at All Male Romance. Not just because I'm in their author spotlight of the week and because they posted a huge image of HOT ITALIAN LOVER, but because I've watched them work tirelessly to get this web site as good as they can get it. They do it for love, not for money. And there's never a hidden agenda...other than talking about all male romance.

I wrote about quality last week, well, this web site is what I'd consider top quality information about, literally, All Male Romance.

It's a great place for readers who love all male romance to check out authors and books. And it's a great place for authors to display books. I firmly believe that if you're writing for the digital market and the people who read digital books, you can go to book signings in physical bookstores, you can do author events like readings, and hit every conference in the world...but there's nothing as effective as online presence from places like all male romance.

Here's the link to check them out.

And I'd like to send them a huge thanks for giving me the author spotlight. It was a nice, unexpected surprise.

Hot Italian Lover Model...

I can honestly say that I've never hated a book cover I've had...even when it comes to anthology covers where I'm part of a group of authors. I like them all, and I'm usually never one to make more than a few comments about them. For me, even as a reader, it's usually more about the content of the book than the cover.

This is mainly because I'm not a cover artist and I'm thankful to those who have the talents to produce great covers. I love Paul Richmond covers...and author G.A. Hauser has it nailed with great covers and cover models. And I like most other covers I see, too.

But this is the first time I've ever really gaped (drooled) at one of my own book covers. And it's all because of the model in the photo above. I was curious to see how he'd look alone, so I cropped the photo. I wish I'd been able to crop out my name, too, but I'm not a great "cropper." Don't get me wrong...the other model is great...I like the entire cover. But damn, there's just something about this guy that makes you want to smile right back at him!!

Big, Bad, and on Top...Book of the Day at Ravenous

Here's the link, and below the cover copy. I haven't sent this book out for review anywhere, but I will eventually. When it was released I was in the middle of three different projects and I got sidetracked.

Duke's driven by his ambition to be the best fighter pilot in the Navy, not the fact that he's a closeted gay man. But he's garnered a reputation for being overly aggressive and far too impulsive. He likes to think the chances he takes are heroic and wise, but there are many in the Navy who think he's reckless and irresponsible.

And when the Navy sends Duke to the most rigorous flight class in the world, he becomes even more aggressive in order to be the big, bad "top gun" everyone expects him to be. But while he's working hard to be number one, he meets an attractive young civilian flight instructor named Jaime who turns his entire life upside down. Though it starts out as a harmless flirtation, their connection becomes so intense Duke begins to wonder whether or not he can continue to abide by the rules of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

After a serious accident that leaves Duke so devastated he can barely fly a plane, Duke begins to question his goals, his ferocious need to be number one, and his unyielding devotion to a military that refuses to treat him with dignity and equality. He realizes the only good thing that has ever happened to him was falling in love with Jaime, and he discovers he has two choices. Both have the potential to change his and Jaime's lives forever, and both come with serious consequences. But he can only choose one. And even while Duke is wrestling with the biggest decision of his life, his passion for Jaime burns hotter than eve

Fourth of July Music Video - Elvis Sings America

Probably one of my favorite renditions. And the video has a great shot of the twin towers. I still have trouble believing they're gone.

Happy 4th!!

How Hard Do Authors Work On Quality?

I can only speak from my own experiences, both as an author and a reader. I've been reading a few things on the web about the quality of books (or, as some claim, the lack of quality) and I'm finding myself back in WTF mode once again. I'm starting to think my literary agent friend is right. I'm reading too many blogs, especially romance blogs where there always seems to be an agenda.

I read a lot of digital books these days and I don't find anything lacking in quality. I will admit that sometimes I read a self-published book and I see a few more mistakes than I'd normally see in a book released by a publisher. But these aren't mistakes I find offensive and they have nothing to do with the quality of the story, and I don't think it affects the quality of the book either. If anything, I appreciate the fact that someone took the time and effort to self-publish. And knowing how hard it is with a publisher I don't judge these attempts. Besides, I'm not pompous enough to believe my word is the beginning and end of all that evolves around publishing like some folks out there in romance webland.

So I honestly don't get this constant harping about the quality of books these days. Partly because I know how hard all authors are working to get the quality right, and partly because I know how all publishers are working to get it right. Frankly, I find it insulting, especially when a handful of authors lead readers to believe "they" are the only ones working on quality. And, if I were to guess, I'd go as far as saying I think it's a contrived ploy to promote by certain authors, claiming they have a somehow higher quality of book than other authors. (And there is no solid information to back this up whatsoever.) As if they are the only authors striving toward quality, when all they are really striving for are sales. And it seems to be working, too. There's an old saying about bologna: package it right; market it well; it sells.

I don't have a problem with the quality of any of my books. Some of the early books from RR have a few digital errors, but they were all technical problems, not editorial problems. And when I see them, I post about them. I'd stand behind the quality of any of the books I've been in for the past twenty years from Cleis Press and Alyson Books. So from now on I may start posting quality control reports when I have a new release...or when I post about a book. I may even start posting small, standard quality control segments at the bottom of each post; just for fun, and, I promise, only once in a while. And if there are any other authors out there who truly believe the quality of their books is the best they can get, I hope they follow me in this little quest.

Will You Find Any Tea in a Gay Tea Room?

After my post about bathhouses, I had so many people e-mail me about not knowing they existed I decided to write a short post about Tea Rooms. The photo has nothing to do with Tea Rooms either. I just like it.

Now we're not talking about high tea here, with finger sandwiches and good old Earl Grey. We're talking about an expression that refers to classic cruising spots where some gay men used to congregate often (and some still do). One web site said this, "Tea house" may also be used synonymously (or confused) with "tea room", a gay slang term referring to a venue where public sex occurs. ... But as far as I know it doesn't always mean public sex. This is an ambiguous definition at best..leave it to the Internet to exaggerate.

You can google the term and come up with many web sites and many definitions, but you have to know about it first. In the past, before the Internet and gay pride, Tea Rooms were also places where gay men could meet each other...and though sex played a huge role, it wasn't always about sex. I know an older couple who met at a tea room on Long Island, and they were not cruising for sex. They were trying to meet other people in a time when you didn't do that openly. And they wound up getting to know each other, falling in love, and spending the rest of their lives together.

I snagged this from a comment thread: The phrase "tea room" was coined to describe public meeting places, usually restrooms, that homosexual men could meet and have sex as strangers-no strings attached.It is said that the phenomenon grew greatly during the Industrial Revolution as more and more married,"straight" men, needed it as physical release from everyday stress. Seemingly inane markings on walls, etc. would help those looking for such encounters in their quest for anonymous sex. I think whoever wrote this (it was anonymous) nailed it. These so-called straight guys, including the married guys, have been notorious since the beginning of time. I've never once been to a wedding where some woman's husband didn't hit on me. Never once.

I've also never written about tea rooms in any of my books. I think the term is passe for the most part and most of my books are set in the present with younger guys who aren't in the closet and don't have to hide out in the dark. But I'm sure the tea room reference is still being used in certain places. I have a friend who says, "Wherever there's a state park and a dark rest room, there are going to be gay men lurking." I don't know how true that is. I've never been to a Tea Room, or cruised a state park for that matter. I've always lived within the New York/Philadelphia area and there were plenty of places to meet other gay men by the time I was ready to start dating. But a lot of my friends are older, especially the couples, and I've learned a lot by listening to them about what it was like to be gay before l980.

Now, don't get Tea Room confused with T-dance. T-dance and Tea Rooms are two totally different things. Wiki says this: The term, sometimes spelled T-dance or T dance, is also used within gay culture to designate similar dances: particularly those held on weekends (especially Sunday evenings) in night clubs, or at the end of the day at gay resorts. And I've been to more than my fair share of T-dances through the years and never saw any public or private sex going on.

Within gay culture (and I'm talking about gay men here, not the LBT part of LGBT), slang has always played a huge role. Let's face it, when there were no places for gay men to meet in the open and the only places were dark rest rooms, Tea Room sounds a lot nicer than public sex dive. But it is a part of gay history, and I hate to see these things go unnoticed. A lot of people would like to cover them up and pretend they never existed. But I prefer to face the facts and understand the reasons why they existed in the first place.

Are Literary Agents Going Country?

I've been reading a lot about literary agents "thinking" about changing things around. Some are posting on blogs they are coming up with new ideas with regard to self-publishing, and it's all top secret and no one's making any announcements until they are sure about what they are doing. I'd add links, but I've always thought that posting nothing but links is just a lazy way of blogging that takes little creative effort.

I don't have an opinion one way or the other about what these agents are doing. I think it's wonderful that all these changes are taking place in publishing and I applaud anyone who is willing to move forward. Change is a good thing.

But I also can't help smiling (just a little) when I read these agent blog posts. In some, I've read that even though they are "making" changes and "thinking" about helping self-published authors, they will still be gatekeepers to a certain degree. In other words, the hint of polite arrogance is still there. The same hint of arrogance, I might add, that laughed at self-publishing and e-publishing a few years ago. Or it could be they've been the gatekeepers for so long they aren't ready to relinquish the control. And, they very well may keep the control and remain the gatekeepers. It's still too soon to tell.

Either way, I do applaud anyone who decides to change and move forward. But I can't help thinking about the Alan Jackson country song whenever I hear about a literary agent embracing self-publishing and offering services to "help" authors self-publish e-books.

She's been playin' in a room on the Strip
For ten years in Vegas
Every night she looks in the mirror
And she only ages
She's been readin' about Nashville and all
The records that everybody's buyin'
Says 'I'm a simple girl myself
Grew up on Long Island'
So she packs her bags to try to her hand
Says this might be my last chance

She's gone country, look at them boots
She's gone country, back to her roots
She's gone country, a new kind of suit
She's gone country, here she comes

Well the folk scene is dead
But he's holdin' out in the village
He's been writin' songs speakin' out
Against wealth and privilege
He says 'I dont believe in money
But a man could make him a killin'
'Cause some of that stuff don't sound
Much different than Dylan
I hear down there it's changed you see
They're not as backward as they used to be

He's gone country, look at them boots
He's gone country, back to his roots
He's gone country, a new kind of suit
He's gone country, here he comes

Well, he commutes to LA
But he's got a house in the valley
But the bills are pilin' up
And the pop scene just ain't on the rally
And he says 'Honey I'm a serious composer
Schooled in voice and composition
But with the crime and the smog these days
This ain't no place for children
Lord it sounds so easy it shouldn't take long
Be back in the money in no time at all'

He's gone country, look at them boots
He's gone country, backt to his roots
He's gone country, a new kind of suit
He's gone country, here he comes
Yeah he's gone country, a new kind of walk
He's gone country, a new kind of talk
He's gone country, look at them boots
He's gone country, oh back to his roots

He's gone country
He's gone country
Everybody's gone country
Yeah we've gone country
The whole world's gone country

Why Would Anyone Pirate an E-book That's Already Free?

I guess this post falls under my WTF category. I honestly don't get why anyone would pirate an e-book that's already free as much as I don't get DNF reviews or buying used books on Ebay for twice the cost of used books on amazon.

The other day I was in an author's group that was discussing pirating and how much it's hurting them. And one of the author's mentioned she has a free e-book out right now that's also being pirated. I did some checking around, and then found out from three other authors they've also had free e-books pirated.

Someone please tell me how this makes sense. Whenever I'm confronted by a book pirate they sound like relatively intelligent people. Morally and ethically flawed; no respect for the law; extremely crafty and shifty; but certainly not stupid. In some cases, they may even be smarter because they've figured out a way to rise above the law an not pay the penalties other people who break the law pay.

So what's the gain by pirating an e-book that's already out there for freaking free? Is it the thrill? Does it create that much of a high? You certainly can't use the excuse that those mean old publishers are pricing the book too high, and you can't blame it on authors who write bad books that disappoint you. You're already getting it for free...not tax or shipping...FREAKING FREE. Though I doubt anyone will respond, I'd love to hear something from an anonymous pirate, because this one has me stumped.