Alexander M. Zoltai's Blog, page 156
February 12, 2014
Making A Living As A Writer . . .
Let me be clear at the start, I live on a small pension and would be happy if my books make a small splash after I die.
Image courtesy of Svilen Milev ~ http://efffective.com
But I blog about Reading, Writing, and Publishing so I feel a need to “cover” what I consider “important” trends.
My coverage is shaped by my beliefs about writing; and, what I consider important is often very different from what’s being screamed about on the ‘Net…
Personally, I feel genre-writing is the only hope for writer...
February 11, 2014
A College Degree in Self-Publishing !?
Image courtesy of Kati Garner ~ http://www.sxc.hu/profile/fluffbreat
With so much information about self-publishing on the ‘Net one can wonder about the possible benefits of spending money to obtain a college degree in the subject…
Of course, much of the information on the ‘Net is suspect…
I reveal some of that suspicion in the 104 posts about self-publishing I’ve written, along with what I consider to be valuable information for those pursuing the Indie Path.
Yet,The Guardian has an article abou...
February 10, 2014
How Do Readers Discover Books?
#Discoverability is a trending term in the BookWorld.
Image courtesy of wynand van niekerk ~ http://fgx.co.za/
Self-publishing has transformed the traditional way readers find their books.
Even those who prefer buying from a bookstore will check online to build a list.
Same thing for devoted library patrons.
Yet, even buying online presents a challenge of discoverability.
Let me quoteDavid Gaughran, Irish writer blogging at Let’s Get Visible, from a Google Plus chat we had:
“Amazon’s recommendation...
February 7, 2014
Friday Fantasy ~~~ Number Ten
~Copyright, 2014, Alexander M Zoltai~
~ Read More Friday Fantasy ~
Minotaur of The Shadows
~It was the same old story—Good against Evil…
Image courtesy of valium88 at sxc.hu
The mountain was a majestic upthrust seeming to touch the highest clouds.
They said Titan worshiped the sun, living at the peak of the mountain.
They said Minotaur lived in the shadows, inside the mountain, surrounded by a maze of tunnels leading out.
The people in the ring of villages surrounding the mountain’s base were ordinary,...
February 6, 2014
Revisiting The #SocialEra
Doing Social Media or being present on a Social Network can be part of the #SocialEra.
Image from SX.Schedule ~ http://schedule.sxsw.com/2012/events/event_OE01495
Or, not…
#SocialEra is the digital way to refer to some core ideas from Nilofer Merchant—”the Jane Bond of Innovation”.
I first wrote about Nilofer in my post,#SocialEra ~ The New Model for Book Promotion.
Two other posts about her ideas are:
The #SocialEra Is Much More Than Just “Social Media” . . .
How Do Writers Find Their “Voice”?
And,...
February 5, 2014
Just A Bit of Sane Writing Advice . . .
Some folks have absolutely no problem writing down their thoughts and feelings.
Image courtesy of weliton slima
Some never struggle to organize their writing into flowing prose.
Most people, though, need a strong-minded Muse to unlock their creativity and encourage them as they perfect their expressiveness.
This post is the 42nd I’ve written about Writing Advice.
And, the post,The Very Best Way To Learn To Be A Writer?, helps you tap into all the writing advice on this blog.
Many of my posts have c...
February 4, 2014
Writing Challenge ~~~ 6-Word Stories :-)
Image courtesy of Armin Hanisch
Writing challenges have been around since ancient hunting parties sat around the home fires trading verbal tales of their latest overland pursuit.
I recently gave myself a personal writing challenge to keep my pen sharp and my mind flowing.
Back in 2011, I had a challenge to use the 1200 most common words in a story.
That particular post still gets more traffic than any of my other 800+ posts…
Today I’m starting a writing challenge sparked by three posts on the site...
February 3, 2014
Self-Publishing for Everybody ~ 8 Possibilities . . .
Image courtesy of Tracy Olson
You don’t have to be a “writer” to self-publish.
Really, all you have to be is someone who wants to share…
Recipes, Dating Tips, Fixing Your Car, Cheap but Good Restaurants, Dog Grooming, Whatever :-)
And, even writers who self-publish could find these recommendations helpful in their promotion efforts.
I’ll share four ways to create mobile-friendly magazines, e-books, and newsletters; three ways to creatively blog; and, one way to publish books.
For you writers out th...
January 31, 2014
Friday Fantasy ~~~ Number Nine
~Copyright, 2014, Alexander M Zoltai~
~ Read More Friday Fantasy ~
The Minotaur’s Maze
~People called me a Minotaur, but that is only because I had the head and tail of a bull…
I was really nothing like the Myth—well, not really…
I will share what Lie Swallower has written of it…
~~~~~~~~~
There was a family in the Gagieo Valley with many children—twenty at last count.
Most folk called the family Kin.
Then, there was Kith—all of Kin’s so-called acquaintances and friends.
Kith became jealous of Kin—jealou...
January 30, 2014
Literacy Crisis Looming?
My parents didn’t encourage me to read.
Image courtesy of http://www.HortonGroup.com
They only read to get along in life.
I encouraged myself and became an eager reader.
I was infected by the literacy bug—not sure where I caught it…
Yet, looking beyond my own horizon, I see that, even though self-publishing is flooding the world with books and e-readers are breaking sales records, there are issues brewing about children’s literacy.
I have a number of posts on this blog about literacy—mostly concern...
