Alexander M. Zoltai's Blog, page 161

Want To Be A Bestselling Author? ~ Don’t Read This Blog . . .

In fact, if you want to be a bestselling author, don’t read any blogs, don’t listen to any of the self-professed experts, don’t use social media, and don’t self-publish—just make a deal with the devil… There is no “path to success” as a writer. There is no sure-fire way to sell lots of books. Let […]

Self-Publishing from A Drug Store?

Readers not from the U. S. A. might misunderstand the title of this post—a “drug store” is a place with books, food, magazines, personal hygiene items, makeup, greeting cards, school supplies, electronics, a photo shop, and, way in the back, a counter to get prescription drugs. Regular readers of this blog know I’ve covered Self-Publishing […]

10 Trends That Might Show The Future of Book Publishing

Come New Years day, I’ll have been writing this blog for three years. So far, I’ve published 96 posts tagged “self-publishing”. This post will make 97 and, if you take that last link, you’ll see it there (just scroll down to see the others; and, use the small link on the lower left, at the […]

Can Creative Writing Survive Our Digital Obsessions?

I use a Kindle. I also still read physical books. Sometimes they feel like different activities but, usually, as I fall into the words and sentences, I forget to notice whether I’m holding a book or a digital device. Yet, there are folks who absolutely love one way of reading and heartily damn the other… […]

Loving What Seems Strange to You . . .

Imagine doing something like this: “I cut a worn blanket into squares and shaped felt into letters to create a banner reading, ‘It’s All Holy’. The blanket was once my mother’s. The project not only re-purposed a ripped blanket but also satisfied my restlessness, as the day I spent creating the banner was the first […]

A Free Personal Librarian?

As most of you have realized, free things all have some cost… My short novel, Notes from An Alien, is free (along with print and e-book paid editions) but it costs some concentration to read it and the theme’s not something that’s easy to accept… Free offers are attached to sites on the Internet that […]

Just Bleed On The Page . . .

That title up there is a very writerly way to describe how to write. Variations on it have been attributed to assorted writers and you can track its citations Here… So, what does it mean, non-literally, to bleed on the page? Pour out your heart? Give your earnest best? Write gruesome crime novels…? In the […]

The Daughter of My Co-Author Has Her Say . . .

This is the last of the series of posts called Behind The Scenes of Notes from An Alien. My next task is crafting these 38 posts into a Companion Volume, then publishing a revised version of Notes from An Alien combined with these Stories from Angi—what you might call an Omnibus Edition. Once published for […]

A Mild “Rant” About An Extremely Serious Situation

I’ve learned that standing up and screaming about a perceived wrong is, in itself, wrong. Being mild in speech and patient in attitude can seem less effective but are better all round. So, I’ll practice what I’ve learned… Most of you know that the digital revolution and its child, self-publishing, are causing all kinds of […]

The Ever-Present Typo . . .

Imagine this: A public speaker known for their eloquence of utterance is well into their talk and says: “We must remember, stalling is good for our health.” Considering they were talking about exercise, what do the folks listening think? Some will recognize the verbal “typo” and correct it to strolling, never losing a beat. Some […]