Blair MacGregor's Blog, page 14

Sword and Chant — Now Is the Time…

If you haven’t yet checked out Sword and Chant, now you can read it for free!

For a limited time, Sword and Chant is available exclusively through Kindle Unlimited at Amazon. If you’re already a Kindle Unlimited subscriber, you can read the novel for free. If you’re not a Kindle Unlimited subscriber, you can sign up for a 30-day free trial membership, and then read Sword and Chant (along with other cool novels) for free!

“Vivid, evocative prose, strong characters, definitely not for the faint o...

A Window To Kindle Scout Perspectives

I really didn’t want to blog about Amazon’s Kindle Scout—I’m not interested in the good/bad debate—but I do think the conversation about the program is highlighting perfectly the business divide between self-publishers and (most) hybrids, and those who are focused solely (or overwhelmingly) on landing or keepinga contract with a “traditional” publishing contract.

In short, as Jim Hines says, Kindle Scout crowdsources the slush pile. Writers submit their work and are encouraged to publicize the...

Throwing Off the Wet Blanket

It happens to a bunch of writers—particularly those writers who are enthusiastic storytellers and seeking better ways to write those stories. (Perhaps writers like those who have attended, and are currently attending Viable Paradise. Just maybe.)

You spend years writing stories as quickly as your fingers can fly across the keyboard, thrilled with the ideas, the characters, the dialogue, the action, EVEYTHING. Every stolen moment is spent adding to the word count, and those stolen moments are a...

Independent Bookstores = Happier Writers

I was in my late twenties when knowledgeable folks explained to me why the business of writing sucked.

There was the consolidation of book distributors, the consolidation of publishers, and the consolidation of retail outlets. There was the decline in readership, the decline of the midlist, and the decline of time new writers were given to build an audience.

Editors no longer discovered new writers. They instead sorted through a curated selection provided by agents they knew. Bookstores no long...

New Sand of Bone Review

Really, you can’t be much more satisfied than when a reviewer recommends your dark fantasy novel to fans of KJ Parker.

To my great happiness, reviewer Marissa Lingen chose to give a full review to Sand of Bone, just as she did for Sword and Chant.

I love that she speaks about the themes of loyalty and personal motivations.

In SFF fiction in general, and epic fantasy in particular, the writerly temptation to attach broad and noble motivations to our characters is massive. We want to believe our o...

Writing Away While Away

I remembered to bring every writerly thing I might conceivably desire to use on my weekend retreat. Alas, I forgot most of my food. Clearly my priorities were in order!

I took myself and one dog camping this last weekend, and chose a site right on the lakefront. This meant I was a tent amongst small RVs, but the sites were large enough I didn’t feel as if they were right on top of me. Aside from the repeated, “You’re out here by yourself?” disbelief, my camping neighbors were nice, and practic...

Just Sayin’

I’m not going to say much about the newest Authors United letter. Google it if you wish, and you’ll find plenty of commentary.

But I will point out that, when claiming status as highly successful writers who should be heeded when dispensing business advice, at least one of the thousand in the group should be on the lookout for typos in PR materials.

(Why, yes, I am concerned I’ll find a typo of my own the moment I hit the publish button!)

An Article Damned Well Worth Reading

There is an article by Clay Shirky you must read. You must read. I’ll admit I nearly skipped it after the first paragraph (which contains the most weary of tired accusations). I’m glad I didn’t.

Here are a few excerpts:

The traditional industry belief—if you don’t live in a big city and have a lot of money, you deserve second-class access to books—is being challenged by a company trying to say “If you have ten bucks, there’s not a book in the world you can’t read.” If the current industry can’t...

I Want You To Love It

I want you to love Sand of Bone.

Yes, of course I want folks to buy the book, but I want you to love it even more.

If you love it, you’ll stay up later than you should to read just one more chapter. You’ll suck in a breath when the unexpected happens. You’ll smile when one Blade tries, awkwardly, to flirt for the first time. Your muscles will tense and your pulse will quickenwhen the fight begins. You’ll letout a long breath of relief when someone at last understands.You’ll feel joy and betray...

Worthy Regardless

Back in June, Anne Johnson hosted my guest blog post on writing gender equality in epic adventure fantasy. Just a couple days ago, this 2011 story got a bump when it was featured on Tor.com.

And it got me thinking…

Let me say from the start that it’s fabulous to see archeologists pay better attention to little details like the sex of the folks they’re researching, particularly when they’re defining the culture based upon that research. It’s awesome to see the combat-based contributions of women...