Alexander M. Zoltai's Blog, page 128
June 27, 2015
Why Print Books?
With e-books holding their own in the marketplace, you might wonder if publishing print books is becoming a thing of the past…
I truly doubt it…
So, here’s a post about print from one of my favorite publishers…
Originally posted on FastPencil.com Self-Publishing Blog:
The human brain is wired for print. In many studies, people understand and remember what they read on paper better than what they read on screens. Researchers think the physicality of paper e...
June 26, 2015
Why Trying to Write a Bestseller Is Bad for Your Mental Hygiene
If you persistently scan the writing blogs and the publishing news, you’ll find an overabundance of articles telling you how to write and market a book so it will become a bestseller.
Image Courtesy of Michael & Christa Richert ~ http://www.freeimages.com/profile/ayla87
Nearly all those articles are bunk…
They’re either written by deluded folk or by people trying to scam you for your money.
I hear a few readers saying, “Alex, how in the world can you write such generalizations?”.
Well, partly...
June 25, 2015
Are Amazon *Really* Paying Authors Per Page Read? No. No, They’re Not. [Pause] Well…
I knew about this move by Amazon but didn’t want to think hard enough about it to write something…
Luckily, Catherine has done a superlative job of it :-)
Originally posted on CATHERINE RYAN HOWARD:
I understand how the internet works. I know what click bait is. If I click on a headline likeShe Used a Pen To Open an Envelope. You Won’t Believe What Happened Next…or His Dog Pooped In His Shoe and the Shoe’s Reaction was PERFECT,I agree that I’ve no one to blame but myself. B...
June 24, 2015
Are Physical Bookstores Really A Thing of The Past?
What a wonderful feeling—snuggling up to books before you buy them.
Image courtesy of wynand van niekerk ~ http://fgx.co.za/
It’s nothing like the remote-touching of the digital bookstore…
Of course, in a physical store, you certainly don’t have tens or hundreds of reviews of the book.
But then, there’s no immediate interaction with a knowledgable human in the digital shop…
As the e-book explosion reached a peak, many saw local outlets of chains close down.
Yet, it appears there are a growing...
June 23, 2015
Crowdfunding Supports your Writing Habit
Thought I’d share some good news from one of my all-time favorite publishers :-)
Originally posted on FastPencil.com Self-Publishing Blog:
https://fastpencil.pubslush.com
We already help to support your writing habit with FastPencil’s easy to use writing platform. Right? From one workspace, you can write, edit, publish and sell your printed book and e-book. Now, FastPencil has partnered with Pubslush to expand our community and complement our Marketing Services.Join the Pu...
June 22, 2015
Freelance Writing Challenges
Are you a writer who needs more money?
Image courtesy of Caltiva Creatividad ~ http://www.freeimages.com/profile/caltiva
My experience shows that most writers need more.
I wonder how many feel they’re capable of doing some freelancing…
Here are a few past posts I’ve written.
Are Fiction Writers Capable ofFreelancing?
Scratch, Scratch, Who’s Got TheMoney?
But, to get more specific about how to prepare for freelance writing, I’ll reference an article from Living Well, Spendi...
June 21, 2015
Land Echoes – Writing Fiction Based on Actual History
Here’s a Special Father’s Day re-blog—Grandfathers are fathers, too, ya know :-)
Originally posted on Tribalmystic:
Here is a story about a storyteller and how he told his grandfather’s story.
This is an interview I found on Malum Nalu blog about a friend and a Papua New Guinea writer and scholar, Steven Winduo. I wanted to feature Steven on my blog because some of the things and the way he wrote his novel is interesting and we can learn from themas writers. Inhis own words...
A Professional Association for Authors Who Self-Publish
In the re-blogged post yesterday, the young lady explained the Traditional publishing model…
Since I tend to prefer Self-Publishing, I thought I’d re-blog this post about an Association that could help writers avoid some of the pitfalls of the Traditional route…
Originally posted on Notes from An Alien:
Self-publishing is not necessarily one writer who does everything themselves; though, there are such amazing people.
Image from the ALLI Site
A self-published author proba...
June 20, 2015
Writing 101 ~ Don’t Let Yourself Feel Old
Since there are over 1,100 posts on this blog; and, since I’m only committing to new posts on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I thought I’d start Re-Blogging some of the older posts you may have missed…
This one is for any aspiring (or, seasoned) writers; but, most especially, those who are either older or just feel old :-)
Originally posted on Notes from An Alien:
My body is officially “old”—my mind is “middle-aged”—my heart is very young—my spirit, ageless…
When I write...
June 19, 2015
Why I Read
Very much worth reading…
Originally posted on M.C. Tuggle, Writer:
“Bret Lassiter,” by Marge Simon
I think writers are as necessary as doctors. Like a doctor, the writer performs the vital functions of diagnosing patients, advising them, and healing them.
Diagnosing: Through the generations, writers, likedoctors, pretty much say the same things over and over, but in fresh, personal language. That’s because the human condition does not change. We must be told we are mortal,...
