Ryan Field's Blog, page 572
February 14, 2011
Borders Reportedly to Declare Bankruptcy This Week
Blow is a link to an interesting piece about Borders. I just hope they continue selling digital books online, because I've fallen in love with my Kobo e-reader his year.
I'm actually posting about this because I find some of the statements in the post both encouraging and somewhat disconcerting. Seth Godin seemed to nail it this time with his comment about people discussing books and learning about new books through friends and in conversation, while literary agent Larry Kirshbaum still doesn't seem to get the fact that more and more people are reading digital books now than ever before, and physical distribution of print books is going to become as obsolete as video stores. The smaller titles will start to thrive as long as the online distribution is effective, and newer authors will be able to promote in ways they couldn't have imagined ten years ago.
Regardless of what I think, it's an interesting post that everyone should read.
Borders Reportedly to Declare Bankruptcy This Week
I'm actually posting about this because I find some of the statements in the post both encouraging and somewhat disconcerting. Seth Godin seemed to nail it this time with his comment about people discussing books and learning about new books through friends and in conversation, while literary agent Larry Kirshbaum still doesn't seem to get the fact that more and more people are reading digital books now than ever before, and physical distribution of print books is going to become as obsolete as video stores. The smaller titles will start to thrive as long as the online distribution is effective, and newer authors will be able to promote in ways they couldn't have imagined ten years ago.
Regardless of what I think, it's an interesting post that everyone should read.
Borders Reportedly to Declare Bankruptcy This Week
Happy Valentine's Day and Hunter Parrish
Happy Valentine's Day. I ran across this Valentine image and loved the saying. And, I'm posting a photo of my favorite actor, Hunter Parrish, because it's Valentine's Day and there should be at least one photo of a talented, good-looking, smart, tasteful, guy on this blog for Valentine's Day. And even though Hunter is straight, it's all about the dream (smile).
February 13, 2011
About Author S.L. Danielson...
I've recently had the chance to read a few works by m/m romance author, S. L. Danielson. Here's a link to one of her books on amazon, where you can check out her work for yourselves, and below is a blurb I wrote for her about a recent book, THE REFUGEES.
Whenever I come across a new author who inspires me with positive (and yet natural) ways of looking at lgbt life, without any of the old stereo-types or any pretense, I'm hooked. And that's how it's been with S. L. Danielson. And, her work is tight and well-structured, with few of the writing mistakes I often see in m/m romances that are sometimes bestsellers.
I've come to enjoy certain aspects of S.L Danielson's work, which includes the way she treats family situations in her fiction, the way she freely refers to long term gay relationships as marriages, and the way she makes gay life look so effortless and yet complicated at certain times. It's the kind of positive, well written escapism I love when I'm reading a romance. And The Refugees didn't disappoint me. It's is a structured inter-mingling of gay men and their relationships, with details about their careers, their lives, and their inner-most thoughts. It's life. And I think it's the kind of lgbt fiction that not only offers positive role models without working too hard to get the point across, but is also making it's mark as an overall social statement in an ever-changing world. I read The Refugees in one sitting but I have a feeling the characters, especially David, are going to remain with me for a very long time.
Whenever I come across a new author who inspires me with positive (and yet natural) ways of looking at lgbt life, without any of the old stereo-types or any pretense, I'm hooked. And that's how it's been with S. L. Danielson. And, her work is tight and well-structured, with few of the writing mistakes I often see in m/m romances that are sometimes bestsellers.
I've come to enjoy certain aspects of S.L Danielson's work, which includes the way she treats family situations in her fiction, the way she freely refers to long term gay relationships as marriages, and the way she makes gay life look so effortless and yet complicated at certain times. It's the kind of positive, well written escapism I love when I'm reading a romance. And The Refugees didn't disappoint me. It's is a structured inter-mingling of gay men and their relationships, with details about their careers, their lives, and their inner-most thoughts. It's life. And I think it's the kind of lgbt fiction that not only offers positive role models without working too hard to get the point across, but is also making it's mark as an overall social statement in an ever-changing world. I read The Refugees in one sitting but I have a feeling the characters, especially David, are going to remain with me for a very long time.
February 12, 2011
A Comment About Astatalk and Other File Sharing Sites
Evidently, there's been quite an uproar over what Astatalk did last week regarding fiction. I've read about it in a few places and a good friend who is a literary agent sent me an e-mail about it last Thursday.
Over the past year or so, I've taken a step back with regard to all things related to book pirates, file sharing, and even Astatalk. I've even written updates to previous posts, stating that I'm more interested now in learning why people pirate books (or anything), and that I'd like to continue to learn by encouraging their anonymous comments and protecting their privacy. There's been an interesting, ongoing discussion on this particular post I wrote a while ago.
And just so everyone knows this for certain, don't blame me if Astatalk won't let you download fiction anymore. I haven't filed an abuse form, made a single complaint, or written a negative post about book pirating or Astatalk in well over a year. I decided, after reading many of the comments to my pirate posts, to remain objective about the entire topic, making only one claim, which is that I personally do not, and never will, pirate books or anything else myself. Whatever decision Astatalk made, or whatever prompted them to make this decision, had nothing to do with me. I'm just one small writer in a large sea of many, and I don't have that kind of power.
Over the past year or so, I've taken a step back with regard to all things related to book pirates, file sharing, and even Astatalk. I've even written updates to previous posts, stating that I'm more interested now in learning why people pirate books (or anything), and that I'd like to continue to learn by encouraging their anonymous comments and protecting their privacy. There's been an interesting, ongoing discussion on this particular post I wrote a while ago.
And just so everyone knows this for certain, don't blame me if Astatalk won't let you download fiction anymore. I haven't filed an abuse form, made a single complaint, or written a negative post about book pirating or Astatalk in well over a year. I decided, after reading many of the comments to my pirate posts, to remain objective about the entire topic, making only one claim, which is that I personally do not, and never will, pirate books or anything else myself. Whatever decision Astatalk made, or whatever prompted them to make this decision, had nothing to do with me. I'm just one small writer in a large sea of many, and I don't have that kind of power.
February 11, 2011
Quora...How Does Goodreads Make Money...Otis Chandler, Founder of Goodreads.com
I've already posted about Quora once this week, so I'll keep this one short. In case you haven't heard, Quora is a new question and answer information/social network, and I'm really enjoying it. Very simple to join and easy to navigate. You can add questions of your own or answer previously posted questions by others. You can also interact by leaving comments to answers.
You never know what you're going to find. Like this morning I found out how goodreads.com makes money. It's actually something I've always been curious about. And, you get to see what Otis Chandler, founder of goodreads.com, looks like...the photo above is what was posted at the comment on Quora, so if it isn't really Otis (you never know), not my fault.
How does Goodreads make money?
Otis Chandler, Founder of Goodreads
Founder of Goodreads Goodreads
6 votes by Joseph Quattrocchi, Spencer Thompson, Patrick Brown, (more)Joseph Quattrocchi, Spencer Thompson, Patrick Brown, Kevin Smokler, David Creechan and Colette Dill Lerner
We are a media business, and make money primarily on advertising and affiliate revenue (a cut of book sales from major booksellers such as Amazon). We work with all major book publishers and many mid-majors to help them launch their books to our audience of book readers. We are really focused on the problem of helping authors http://www.goodreads.com/author/... connect to readers - which is super important, especially as self-publishing and the internet are stripping away tradition book filters and ways people find books.
February 10, 2011
The Thing About Rejection...
We all go through it at one point or another. Getting rejected is part of the publishing experience and there's no way around it. Even when you're published, you're still going to get rejected.
But the funny thing about rejection is this: it's never permanent. A new writer whom I love recently e-mailed me and told me two publishers had rejected her manuscript. I've read her work and I personally think it's excellent. The characters are likable, the writing is tight, and I can't find any viable flaws. And yet there could be a myriad of reasons why her book was rejected, all of which have nothing to do with the writer or the work on a personal level.
So I consoled her and told her to just keep trying. Change the book around a little. If possible, put it aside for a few weeks and then go back and do a few revises. Rejection isn't forever and eventually, if you keep trying, someone will fall in love with what you're writing and you'll get it published.
It's happened to me more times than I can count. It's happened to other authors I know more times than I can count.
The secret is to just keep trying, and to remember that rejection isn't anything personal, it's not something that's going to last forever, and eventually you will get published. And, nowadays, with all the new digital technology, there's always digital self-publishing. I've read more than a few great books that have been self-pubbed in the past two or three years. And although I never would have recommended this route ten years ago, I think it's perfectly fine now to take advantage of all the opportunities out there.
But the funny thing about rejection is this: it's never permanent. A new writer whom I love recently e-mailed me and told me two publishers had rejected her manuscript. I've read her work and I personally think it's excellent. The characters are likable, the writing is tight, and I can't find any viable flaws. And yet there could be a myriad of reasons why her book was rejected, all of which have nothing to do with the writer or the work on a personal level.
So I consoled her and told her to just keep trying. Change the book around a little. If possible, put it aside for a few weeks and then go back and do a few revises. Rejection isn't forever and eventually, if you keep trying, someone will fall in love with what you're writing and you'll get it published.
It's happened to me more times than I can count. It's happened to other authors I know more times than I can count.
The secret is to just keep trying, and to remember that rejection isn't anything personal, it's not something that's going to last forever, and eventually you will get published. And, nowadays, with all the new digital technology, there's always digital self-publishing. I've read more than a few great books that have been self-pubbed in the past two or three years. And although I never would have recommended this route ten years ago, I think it's perfectly fine now to take advantage of all the opportunities out there.
February 9, 2011
More About Astatalk: Posting Fiction Is Forbidden
I've written a few posts about book pirating and the file sharing site, Astatalk. I've tried hard to be objective and not add my opinion to the topic. I've learned a lot about why people share files and I hope to continue to learn.
This morning someone left an anonymous comment with this information:
This is posted on the Astatalk home page:*Dear Astatalkers,posting of Fiction related releases (downloads) is strictly forbiddenbecause in most cases it turns to the problems for copyright owners.Everyone who creates fiction related release/request will be banned.Thank you for understanding*
I just checked out the link to the astatalk announcement above and read it for myself. Looks valid to me. I heard a certain organization applied enormous pressure to have this done. But I can't divulge the details on that because I'm not certain what happened.
This morning someone left an anonymous comment with this information:
This is posted on the Astatalk home page:*Dear Astatalkers,posting of Fiction related releases (downloads) is strictly forbiddenbecause in most cases it turns to the problems for copyright owners.Everyone who creates fiction related release/request will be banned.Thank you for understanding*
I just checked out the link to the astatalk announcement above and read it for myself. Looks valid to me. I heard a certain organization applied enormous pressure to have this done. But I can't divulge the details on that because I'm not certain what happened.
February 8, 2011
Artist Paul Richmond Has an Online Store!!
I'm a huge fan of Paul Richmond's art, from his book covers to everything else he does.
And I owned and operated my own high end art gallery in New Hope, PA, for over ten years, representing over 200 artists, so I think I have a pretty good eye when it comes to good art.
It's lgbt oriented. But not exclusive. Check it out here and see for yourself....
One Reason Why I Love Facebook...
Me posting an update on facebook: "Big fun tomorrow: updating the will."
Someone commenting on the update: "It could be worse - someone else could be reading it! ;)"
Someone commenting on the update: "It could be worse - someone else could be reading it! ;)"
Authors Keeping the Blogs Real...And Those Nasty Said Bookisms Again...
Here's a slight rant tonight. I've been good lately, only posting about things I'm interested in. But I couldn't let this one go, so indulge me. It's my own private kind of therapy, and no one gets insulted.
One of my main goals with this blog is to keep it real, which is also why it's often boring. And, sometimes why there's mispelled word or two (I type too fast). But at least, I hope, readers know I'm not talking out of my asterisk. I'm posting what I think are valid posts about writing, life, and the lgbt community.
And sometimes I come across a blog post written my another author and I'm willing to bet the blog post is absolute fiction. Only the author tries to pull it off as being real. And, the only reason I'm guessing this particular post is fiction is because I've quietly caught this author in other lies in the past. Therefore, even if this blog post happens to be real, it gets cancelled out because I've read other posts by this same author and I know for a fact they weren't real.
There are authors out there who are so desperate to get attention and to get people to read their books they will do anything. They will create fake facebook posts and fictional blog posts. Thankfully, there are only a few. Most of the authors I know agree with me and they keep it real, too. Some keep it so painfully real we know too much about them. But, frankly, I'd rather have it that way than to be insulted with a phony blog post by a desperate author who is faking it all the way.
But the one thing that bothers me most about the kind of author who will write a phony blog post is they always seem so transparent when it comes to the craft of writing fiction. I saw this in the blog post I'm talking about above. There are telltale signs another author can spot immediately. One of which is using said bookisms and bad adverbs with regard to dialogue. I've written about said bookisms before. But here's a good example below:
said bookism... "Where are you going?" Joe barked hurriedly.
good dialogue tag... "Where are you going?" Joe asked. He spoke fast, with a hint of panic.
I'm not saying there isn't a time or place to use said bookisms or adverbs. (And I'm not even going to get into how the awkward word "hurriedly" crawls under my skin and tortures me.) Sometimes, within the right context, they work well. But when you read a section of dialogue and all the dialogue tags are laced with said bookisms and bad adverbs, nine times out of ten the author is a fake. And so are the author's blog posts.
One of my main goals with this blog is to keep it real, which is also why it's often boring. And, sometimes why there's mispelled word or two (I type too fast). But at least, I hope, readers know I'm not talking out of my asterisk. I'm posting what I think are valid posts about writing, life, and the lgbt community.
And sometimes I come across a blog post written my another author and I'm willing to bet the blog post is absolute fiction. Only the author tries to pull it off as being real. And, the only reason I'm guessing this particular post is fiction is because I've quietly caught this author in other lies in the past. Therefore, even if this blog post happens to be real, it gets cancelled out because I've read other posts by this same author and I know for a fact they weren't real.
There are authors out there who are so desperate to get attention and to get people to read their books they will do anything. They will create fake facebook posts and fictional blog posts. Thankfully, there are only a few. Most of the authors I know agree with me and they keep it real, too. Some keep it so painfully real we know too much about them. But, frankly, I'd rather have it that way than to be insulted with a phony blog post by a desperate author who is faking it all the way.
But the one thing that bothers me most about the kind of author who will write a phony blog post is they always seem so transparent when it comes to the craft of writing fiction. I saw this in the blog post I'm talking about above. There are telltale signs another author can spot immediately. One of which is using said bookisms and bad adverbs with regard to dialogue. I've written about said bookisms before. But here's a good example below:
said bookism... "Where are you going?" Joe barked hurriedly.
good dialogue tag... "Where are you going?" Joe asked. He spoke fast, with a hint of panic.
I'm not saying there isn't a time or place to use said bookisms or adverbs. (And I'm not even going to get into how the awkward word "hurriedly" crawls under my skin and tortures me.) Sometimes, within the right context, they work well. But when you read a section of dialogue and all the dialogue tags are laced with said bookisms and bad adverbs, nine times out of ten the author is a fake. And so are the author's blog posts.
