Barbara G. Tarn's Blog, page 150

Random Friday

…and since I haven’t received anything from Amazon yet (DVDs ordered at the beginning of the month, proof of POD last week, still waiting…), I’ll do an art Friday and some more Bollywood rambles – tell me to stop if you have enough!

After watching Cristina work (the painting I pointed you in the previous post to is ink on white paper, so she did that background with digital painting – and it’s a WiP, it evolved after she left my apartment), I decided to try digital painting myself, but failed miserably. My attempt at drawing the Desi Vampire (based on guess who, although the Desi vampires community is growing daily, whenever I get to write that story I’ll have plenty, LOL) was awful. I’m not sure if it’s my inability of handling brushes, handling Photoshop levels or what. Anyway, I’m not posting it anywhere, and that’s for sure.

So, in the past two weeks I relaxed with pencil drawings as usual (since that’s a technique that I handle much better), and you can check my DeviantART gallery – not that I scanned them all, since I only put the best ones there. So maybe I should take down Arjun Rampal looking as John Abraham, haha! Anyway, please notice new model Shahid Kapoor, latest Bollywood flavor of the month also because it seems he’s really big in Italy at the moment or something, hehe! I prepared this drawing before discovering RAI 1 is doing a series of Bollywood movies on Sundays again (used to be Saturday nights, now it’s Sunday lunchtime) and for 3 weeks in a row they showed Shahid’s movies (wait, or is it 2 weeks in a row but I found a list of titles and found a third there? Hm. Can’t remember).

I found out on the 10th, so I missed the first of the series (my hairdresser fell in love with Saif Ali Khan in Race and was very disappointed that the next 2 were with Shahid Kapoor instead). I missed the 16th because I was busy – and they showed Vivah. Then last Sunday it was Vaah! Life Ho Toh Aisi! (I shall spare you the silly Italian titles, not much better than Hollywood’s Italian titles, trust me) and I thought I’d give it a try, even if I’m wary of dubbed movies.

Now, I have a TV, but I never watch the channels and use it only to watch DVDs. Since we switched (as a country) from analog to digital, I haven’t really kept track of anything even if I keep paying the TV tax, so I lost 15 minutes to try to figure out where on earth the channels were. Turned out I was on the analog channels (all gone) and when I pushed the DTV button they all appeared as if by magic. Then I had to scroll 100 channels to the “test” (still in test mode? How long have we been on digital-only?!) RAI 1 digital channel and the movie was already started – not that I missed much, I’m afraid.

So there’s this mix of Heaven can wait, Ghost, Bill&Ted Bogus Journey and slapstick comedy with silly special effects, but I love Sanjay Dutt as the oh-so-sensitive God of Death who can’t hold alcohol! Since I’m not used to Shahid’s real voice yet, the dubbing wasn’t too bad to hear and since it’s such a silly comedy, I don’t think I’ll buy the original unless I find it at a DVD sale.

Anyhow, while fumbling with the TV,  I even discovered that my VCR is not broken after all (although since it’s tuned to analog TV, it doesn’t see the digital channels – but it still plays the many VHS I still own), so I used some nights to rewatch some Italian movies (mostly from the 90s) that never came out on DVD. Since I don’t have anything new yet, I guess I’ll keep re-watching those until I get my Amazon parcel – I missed them!

I wonder why Italian distributors let those movies vanish (okay, maybe they’re B or Z-movies, but the comedies are fun, sniff!) when you can find them on Amazon.com as instant videos (except I don’t have a Kindle Fire and my TV is flat but not smart and I hate watching movies on Laptop). Mysteries of movie distribution.

Anyway, that’s all for today! Have a great weekend!

Writer Wednesday

I think I’m going to start with the writerly links today – or you can skip to the end for the writerly updates. It won’t be a very long read anyway – unless you click on all the links. In no particular order:

What successful self-publishers do well. Most important point being 1) – finish your damn story! Lost count of writer friends lost in rewriting hell for months or years. Get to the end and ship it (trad publishing) or publish it!

The one rule for writing fiction – hint: there is no rule. But you need to know the rules to break them.

An article on plagiarism – a sad reality. I can’t even write fan fiction, but well. The world is big and wide and full of very different people. Much better mining your own gold (and getting paid in the process).

On giving and taking advice. Not everyone is good at giving or taking advice – including yours truly. Make sure that you know what you want from your readers when you ask for a critique.

On traditional publishing – how it destroyed writers’ careers and how it’s best to stay away from Harper Collins.

And finally, how not to be a speshul snowflake in public (thanks, Michelle, for the link).

The writing week is dedicated to finishing Amazon Sisters and revise Choices. Next week being July, I really need to get back to the Star Minds Snippets. All this hoping the summer depression doesn’t hit. This week seems cooler, but I still hate the summer and wish I could hibernate until it’s less hot outside again.

After two weeks home alone (except for the company of my cover artist – see her WiP she did at my place – and a visit to another friend), I now have two weeks office alone, since I’m substituting a colleague at a detached window with one employee (me). They’re getting paid this week, so I might have one day (probably Friday) a little busier, but otherwise it’s me talking to myself for 4 hours and a half, then brave the heat to the central branch and maybe find a colleague to have lunch with (not happened yet).

So in the morning I’m typing Amazon Sisters,  in the afternoon I continue draft zero (handwritten) and in the middle I surf the net or do more “subtitles” for Happiness is – although Apple rejected it because it’s non-reflowable text (well, the subtitles are not reflowable, since it’s all JPGs, so i-Pad owners can get their e-pubs elsewhere – that is, if you want the French and Italian subtitles for your own entertainment, of course. Otherwise, just keep tuning back here every Monday! ).

On a totally non-writerly topic, if you happen to be able (warning, the next link sends to a Facebook chat, and when I tried it, I wasn’t able to come back to this post, so finish reading before clicking…) to go online tomorrow at 3pm India time, please spoiler me blind, since I’m going to buy the DVD when it comes out regardeless of what you’re going to tell me. Same goes if you happen to see the movie in theaters – even if you tell me the whole movie from beginning to end, I’ll still buy the DVD when it comes out. Just let me know your thoughts!

Unfortunately it’s morning in Italy, and I’m back to work (yes, as the lone employee, and Facebook access is not blocked, but still… I’d rather not have anyone coming in and asking what am I doing! ). You’re one week late, Hrithik! Ah, well, maybe there will be some kind of YouTube recording and I’ll turn it into MP3 and listen to it like I’m doing with the episodes of Koffee with Karan! (or watch it later, since I’ve seen there are a few live chat recordings under the link – okay, I’m introduced to a brand new world here, so I have no idea of what to expect)

Sorry for the non writerly tangent! Have a wonderful week!

Happiness is…

okay, this year it hasn’t started yet, LOL!

Sunday Surprise

June is almost over, so I thought I’d end with some writers’ wisdom. Maybe I’ll find a guest for next Sunday. Maybe I’ll just ramble in vain. I thought another post on my weeks off was useless, so let’s move on, shall we? Again, if you’d like to be featured on this blog, drop me a line. Enjoy these wise words of writers on writing and have a wonderful Sunday!

Because I have never planned to be a writer, never even considered what it would be like, I have also never suffered from writers’ block. If I have nothing to say. If nothing is hammering its way out of me onto the page . . . I just go and do something else. I’m not blocked, I just get to play a game, read a book, or sleep seven hours instead of five.

I don’t try to write X words a day (okay, I lied about the algebra). I don’t try to write any words a day. You will become a better writer if you write more . . . but I’m not trying to become a better writer. I just write because I enjoy it and when I stop enjoying it, I stop writing.

- Mark Lawrence

 

If you’re lucky enough to be read, you will attract detractors and sycophants. You will be ridiculed, celebrated, roasted, venerated, criticized, analyzed, and talked about.

You have no control over what people say about you.

You have full control over how you react to what people say about you.

Not caring doesn’t come naturally. In order to truly not care, you need to be confident, self-aware, and mentally healthy. You need to be deliberate. You need to understand your effect on others. You need to understand your needs, and how they’re met.

The world is filled with a wide variety of people. But only a few of them should really matter to you. The rest are just white noise. They can amuse. But don’t give them more power than that.

One of the greatest journeys in life is overcoming insecurity and learning to truly not give a shit.

But don’t take my word for it. My opinion shouldn’t matter to you at all.

- Joe Konrath

 

I appreciate that the writers of those reference books are trying to do. They’re trying to help aspiring writers to be better, but when some of those books say “you have to make sure it’s this way or your book will fail.” (okay, I may be paraphrasing just a bit there..), I tend to not finish that book. Let me write my book my way and I’ll get it published. You just wait.

So if you become discouraged by something you read in one of those books, well, don’t. You should write your book how you want to. It’s your story, not theirs. Be strong enough to be different. Don’t write a story to sound like another just because that one became popular. Take what you learn from those books and make it to better your writing and not change it completely.

Yes, one of my biggest pet peeves is someone telling me how my writing should sound. I know what my writer’s voice sounds like and I prefer to keep it that way.

- Melissa Wright on writer’s reference books

 

Last time I checked, there was no RIGHT way to write for every single author. There is only a right way to write for you. And to figure out that right way means you need to do a lot of writing. A lot of revising. A lot of reading. I get a lot of people asking me what my advice is to new writers. Well, that’s my advice, right there. Stop fighting your instincts. Instead, let them flourish. Stop comparing yourself to others. Stop trying to follow rules that feel completely wrong for your style.

- Michelle Davidson Argyle

 

Many would-be writers are daunted by the actual task of WRITING.

Some of the e-mails that I receive mention how DIFFICULT it is to actually get that book written. Many of these e-mails also convey the impression that the writer has, in fact, very little writing experience. To these writers or would-be writers, I would add one final bit of advice or, perhaps, comfort: You’re right. Writing IS difficult. It’s not just you. It’s not just your inexperience. Writing a book is a long, difficult, frustrating, difficult, long, tough, difficult (did I mention difficult?) process. Rarely will you encounter a writer who says otherwise, even if that writer has years of experience and dozens of books under his or her belt.

- Moira Allen

Random Friday

For Viv, who is worried for Lua (and so I  am) – let’s not forget she’s Turkish! I hope she’s fine with everything going on in her country. If you want to help (especially if you’re American), please check this blog posted on Facebook by another Turkish friend of mine.

And thanks Rory for the reflection on why animals get it better than us. Like Agent Smith said “Human beings are a disease”. Let’s hope we stop doing what we’re doing – mostly hating each other and ourselves for what? Money? Religion? True we often hurt our own selves, for some unknown reason. Well, it’s peer pressure, mostly. So here’s to a future without pain and hatred, filled with love an happiness.

My two weeks off are almost over. Didn’t travel (didn’t feel like), stayed mostly at home since the dreaded heat is here (and no, thank you, no seaside for me). I’ve completed the lettering of Fleur de Lys 2 and the first part of Amazon Sisters on Tuesday, so I took a break drawing Da Muse since he’s in both (as Dominique in the comic book and as Selene’s last man in Amazon Sisters). Take a look at my favorite deviation!

WordPress has changed the dashboard slightly, but it’s still pretty easy. All those changes in those 3 years (going on 4)… sigh! It’s still good at catching spam – unlike Gmail who let through an email from IQelite. An invitation from an unknown person (initials only, so it qualifies as spam to me) to join this social network for high IQs… well, first of all, I don’t think my IQ is that good, and second I’M NOT LOOKING FOR A HUSBAND/BOYFRIEND/LIFE PARTNER WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT, OKAY? I’m single and I love it, so stop bothering! I’ve had enough of those dating sites some ten years ago!

Sorry, I doubt screaming it would help, but then, we’re talking about that human thing again. What’s good for you is not necessarily good for me. I’m not a family person anymore. I’m vehement about voluntary human extinction. I’m a hermit, I enjoy staying at home on my own. People tire me. What do I care of finding “someone”? I stopped believing in Prince Charming a long time ago. And since I’m a fantasy writer  (mostly), I’d rather believe in love at first sight – which most certainly will never happen online where you can’t see or feel each other…

So, no thanks. I might have a family in the common sense of the term in my next life. In this life, I’m content with Mr Writing and my babies. And again, after many years, I love that John Keats poem and fear it might come true – the first two verses struck me in my teens, and that’s the only poem I remember from high school (along with a couple of sonnets).

John Keats. 1795–1821





635. When I have Fears that I may cease to be









WHEN I have fears that I may cease to be



Before my pen has glean’d my teeming brain,



Before high pil`d books, in charact’ry,



Hold like rich garners the full-ripen’d grain;



When I behold, upon the night’s starr’d face,
         5


Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance,



And feel that I may never live to trace



Their shadows, with the magic hand of chance;



And when I feel, fair creature of an hour!



That I shall never look upon thee more,
  10


Never have relish in the faery power



Of unreflecting love;—then on the shore



  Of the wide world I stand alone, and think,



  Till Love and Fame to nothingness do sink.

C.S.Splitter is gone. He was even a guest here, and I wasn’t aware he was sick. So, since I’ll never know when my time will come, I better live my life how I want. Two weeks following my biorhythms – getting up, going for a walk while it’s still fresh, and then working all day, alternating writing, reading and drawing. Heaven on earth for me, total boredom for you? Sorry, I’m not saying this is the recipe for a happy life, it’s only what works for me!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Writer Wednesday

As promised a CreateSpace update. First let me tell you, if you’re coming from Goodreads, that I just switched to CreateSpace after 3 years with Lulu. Last week I tried both for my upcoming Star Minds Omnibus and here are the results:

So, for Lulu I used the digest template I’ve used until last year. For CreateSpace I took the “most popular” and since I’m bad at turning inches into centimeters, I thought it was also a Digest size – turned out it’s bigger. The cover looks better on CS, but it took some tweaking and as you can see in the last pic, the spine wasn’t perfect, because I couldn’t find a “spine calculator” (included in the Lulu cover wizard) on CS. Both covers were saved as RGB and not CMYK as suggested by CS, so that’s probably why when I uploaded to CS it said that it was less than 300dpi – my friend Cristina, the half-wizard of Photoshop, said that might have been the reason.

Then Saturday I spent 2 hours on CreateSpace to redo the cover and the whole book in Digest format (might be a few cents more expensive, but the other format is too big, at least for the 2 people I asked for feedback). This time I did find a template with spine size and everything, but whenever I uploaded the image to CS it was either too low-res or didn’t fit in the frame (again I forgot to save as CMYK, so we’ll see what comes out! ). So it took more tweaking and trying. I like this version more, since I can put the little “stamp” (the cover art without writing) on the spine, which isn’t possible with Lulu, but at the same time… man, it’s complicated! I guess I only need to get used to it!

Anyway, I’ve now ordered another proof copy (after I spent all Saturday reading one of my proofs and then correcting typos and adjusting the formatting for a final manuscript version), and I even have a .doc ready to upload on KDP (and then Smashwords, Kobo, D2D and DriveThru, hehe). I took CreateSpace’s free ISBN that should let me into the libraries system and will buy the expanded distribution when I make the title go live. I guess I only need to get used to the new interface or figure out how to work with those cover templates, and then I’ll probably stop using Lulu (although I’ll leave what’s already there out – will have to do a CreateSpace edition with ISBN!) since DriveThru uses Lightning Source and whenever I manage to finish SKYBAND, I’ll do the final printed volume with them.

Now, if you’re new to this blog and have landed here from GR, you might want to check those posts about Lulu and Author’s Solutions or Dean Wesley Smith on this brand new world of publishing. I relented and tried it, because I know that if I want to do another workshop with him (I did a publishers’ workshop back in October 2011) he won’t let me in the class if I tell him I still print with Lulu, haha! If you’re American, you can even send your books to bookstores with CreateSpace, following Dean’s advice. From Italy… it’s complicated! Anyway, it’s also cheaper than Lulu (the “digest” costed a few cents more than the 6×9, but still less than the Lulu version, and it had more pages (470 vs. 450), since I ordered it after I ordered Lulu’s copy, so I adjusted chapters better in the CS version…)!

And while I’m at it, I’ll keep sharing writers’ links, in no particular order. Why you should stop submitting manuscripts to traditional publishers – something I stopped considering in 2011 when I went indie, but now scares me even more. I’m even a foreigner, they can screw me with their law-babble even more than any of you! So unless a traditional publisher comes to me, I won’t submit anything, not even send them a printed version of my books, since the mailing expenses would kill me. And I’m already in the red paying editors and sometimes cover artists, and nowhere near to quit DayJob that pays all those writing bills. But I’m investing on myself, and I know that sooner or later, I’ll be able to quit and live off writing!

I’m not sure I see myself in any of the stages of an indie writer, but then, I’m not American, so I face different challenges from whoever is lucky enough to live in the same country as Dean and Kris! I have slowed down production, since I’m also working on new titles besides translating my unpublished backlist, but I am still experimenting with everything, that’s why I haven’t written my non-fiction guide for foreign indie authors yet. I can tell you that I know of an Italian writer who thinks Amazon is the biggest market when Amazon opened in Italy precisely because otherwise Kobo and Apple would have stolen that share of the market. Even if I manage to convince him Amazon is not the only game in town, especially not in Italian, he’s probably going to be one of those KDP Select authors.

As long as he doesn’t undersell himself. See how you can write an eloquent F* Off to an indecent offer (again, like Dean says, no begging). We shouldn’t work for free, or give away our novels for free. A short story, yes. A novella, why not. But a whole novel? Maybe if it’s the start of a series, but in my case, Technological Angel is also longer that its sequels, so I’d rather give away a Snippet or a longer prequel instead. And you’ll get one in the Smashwords Anthology, so stay tuned. Maybe another I’ll put it on this blog – if I get enough requests, that is. I still don’t know who’s reading or why, so I’m going to improvise. Schedule, but improvise, LOL!

Last but not least, if you’d like to be a guest on Joe Konrath’s blog, you need to donate at least 100$ to this cause. Since I don’t really want to do that, if you’re a writer, we can split like he suggests, and interview each other. Let me know with a comment or an e-mail (I’m taking advantage of the new “add contact form” by WordPress so you won’t have to scramble all over), and we’ll do it! Have a great week! [contact-form]

Happiness is…

Sunday Surprise

… and it’s another guest! I guess I’m a bit late with this, since the book came out one year ago, but better late than never… Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome J.C. Martin!

Where do you live and write from?

London, UK

When did you start writing?

I can’t honestly remember. Writing and reading have always been in my life. I wrote my first novel at 14. The first thing I remember writing is a comic series (which I also illustrated) about our family dogs.

What genre(s) do you write?

Mainly crime thrillers, but I also enjoy writing short stories, particularly in the horror genre.

Where do you find your inspiration? Do you put yourself in your stories?

I get ideas from everything around me, from topical news issues, atmospheric locations, myths and legends … even something someone says could spawn a scene, if not an entire story!

Do you have a specific writing routine?

I used to, but since Baby Martin came along I just try to squeeze writing in between feeds, nappy changes, bottle washing, and sleepless nights. I know I’m supposed to enjoy watching him grow, but I can’t wait for the day I can just dump him in a playpen beside me, and he can entertain himself while I get some writing done!

Outliner or improviser? Fast or slow writer?

Outliner. The entire novel is plotted out, chapter by chapter, before I begin writing, but I’m not afraid to go off-piste and improvise if a brilliant idea hits me. And I… am … a … verrry … sl-ooo-ow… writer…

Tell us about your latest book

Oracle is a crime thriller about a serial killer counting down to the London Olympics by committing bizarre murders, with a grand finale planned on the largest stage of all – the Opening Ceremony of the Games.

Where to find it: Amazon, B&N, Book Depository

Indie publishing or traditional publishing – and why?

Both have their advantages and are equally viable routes to publication. Oracle is traditionally published, albeit by a small press, and I enjoy the editing and marketing support I get from my publisher. Nevertheless, I’m planning on self-publishing my horror story collection. Apart from the fact that the short story format is less attractive to publishers anyway, I like the idea that I maintain full creative control, and get to keep a large chunk of royalties.

Any other projects in the pipeline?

I’m writing a sequel to Oracle which will be book 2 of my Detective Lancer series. Tentatively titled Labyrinth, it will be set amid the twisting tunnels of the London Underground network.

I’m also working on a collection of horror stories (as yet untitled). The common theme of these stories is the potential for horror in the everyday.

What is your goal as a writer and what are you doing to achieve it?

To be able to pay the bills doing what I love. The only way to do this is to keep churning out those stories, and hope for the best!

CONTACT : Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter

Random Friday

Okay, now I know where Duggu comes from – it’s right at the beginning, the first question Karan asks. Did I mention

By the way, I still have to finish listening to it – turned it into MP3, since YouTube keeps getting stuck for me. So I will comment on this some other time – if I deem it necessary. Which might be never, LOL!

And it’s random ART Friday. And it’s related to the previous, since next in line of my pencil drawings was Duggu himself. I promised on DA to show the WiP of this drawing, so here you have it:

If you’d like to have a better look at the final drawing, please go to DeviantART (and check the cute emoticons, LOL).

Now, the interruptions in the second part came mostly because UPS rang my bell when I put down the camera after taking the first pic, bringing not one but two packages with the proofs for Star Minds both from Lulu (for which I had a tracking number) and CreateSpace (for which I didn’t have any)! Always the same guy, I was very happy to see him! But I’ll tell you more about them next Wednesday, since it’s writerly stuff and today I might be working exactly on that. So stay tuned!

I’m currently reading my proof copy of Star Minds Omnibus while I’m at it, and have already found a couple of typos. And I seem to be overusing “as”, even when “while” or “since” would be better. Sigh. I guess the print version and omnibus will be able to win the golden rodent, and the single e-books might earn only the silver rodent. Those darn typos just show up months later and you wonder how they got there! Anyway, back to reading… That’s all for today! Have a great weekend!

Writer Wednesday

Spam comments on writing:

Re: comment 1 – yeah, you can become a millionaire also if you buy lots of lottery tickets. Eventually, you’ll win. Same there: lots of books on Kindle, eventually you can become a millionaire! In case you forgot, even Amanda Hocking had 6 or 7 books on Kindle and had to wait one year before she joined the Kindle Millionaires Club… So it’s really not instant riches – or you better be off buying that lottery ticket!

Re: comment 2 – I already mentioned I can’t teach you how I write. I have many male protagonists in my stories, I don’t really care the sex of my characters, I assume I have enough imagination to write credible people. That’s why I prefer fantasy anyway, and when I tackle reality, I ask beta-readers of the opposite sex to make sure I portrayed men in a realistic way. But don’t bother to criticize my Silvery Earth men or even the Star Minds – I made them up, and I made them like I wish they were! I guess they all have something of myself anyway, no matter the external genitalia or appearance I bestow on them (I have virtual casts anyway), and I need to try very hard when I portray people who are very different from me!

I also think we’re all unique, so what might sound “crazy” or “surreal” to you might be exactly how I feel. I’ve noticed that I got a low star rating on a book – on the part that was precisely me, I was writing what I knew (that’s another BS myth, “Write what you know” – especially for genre writers), and the reader couldn’t understand what I was saying or how I was feeling. So, see, for someone you can be “weird” even if you’re just being yourself. Never mind, you can’t please everyone!

If you don’t want to order the print version, Happiness is… is now in e-book format, trilingual, so if you want a taste of Italian and French with the English, go get it on Amazon or B&N, and soon Kobo and Apple, or you can get an e-pub from XinXii or DriveThruComics. I will do more of these later on, maybe divided into “writer’s happiness” and more general happinesses.

Now, let me tell you why you don’t want Dreamspinner to be your publisher. Even if you write the genre they seek, you’re better off on your own. Why? They can’t even bother to find you a personalized cover!

I’ve noticed on World of Diversity Fiction – 3 reviews of 3 books from this publisher, all with the same cover picture! Do you really think this will make you stand out in a crowd? I’ve heard of other small publishers who don’t bother hiring an editor and a book cover designer – with these kind of companies, you’re better off on your own. They won’t do anything for you that you can’t do yourself.

So yeah, it’s not easy to find the proper stock photo (that’s something that happens a lot with romance books – they seem to use always the same stock photos…) or shoot it yourself or find a cover artist or what not, but this is really worse than a cover drawn by your 8-year-old offspring, really! Have the exact same cover as someone else – how’s that for branding?! If you really don’t know where to start from, I can do your cover for 50 bucks – at least it will be original!

By the way, I’ve added some book trailers on some DriveThru titles – the Star Minds series, SKYBAND omnibus, and Happiness is… we’ll see if they really draw in sales (they didn’t on Smashwords when I uploaded the BoI book trailers, but I’ve put on the Star Minds trailer there as well, just in case…)!

Writing World’s newsletter gave a link to funny Pitch Generators – I like this one very much, and might play with it before my next upload! And in case you missed it (I sure did), Moira Allen wrote an excellent article on What is a writer? – so what’s your idea? Did you look in the mirror and ask “so… what is it going to be? Indie or Trad? And why?”? Do you want to write a lot? For fun? Again, if you hope to live off your Kindle sales, you might as well buy a lottery ticket. See also how Ruth Ann Nordin destroys some myths – done? Good, now get back to writing!

And if you really feel you need pampering and representation, or simply help, think twice – or better, research who you hire. You don’t want to end up with Idiot Lawyer, do you? If you’re one of those Shattered Authors that got their heart broken by traditional publishing, please step up. We’re here, we’re ready to help. We’ll stand behind you and will help you to resurrect your writing career. Don’t put away your dream – it’s a scary brand new world of publishing and you can conquer it and live happily ever after! We can teach you to do it yourself, even if you don’t have a natural business sense (I sure don’t) or you can find a little help from places like Lucky Bat Books or “indie advice” on Self-published Authors.

And beware of the long tentacles of Author Solutions – David Gaughran summarizes it well in his latest post. Yes, I still use Lulu for POD, but only the free services, not the other awful “deals”. They still have the A5 format (preferred for me), which I haven’t seen on CreateSpace yet (although my first attempt was for a prose book, so the “digest” template was just fine – and identical, even if CS said the PDF wasn’t the expected size).

Anyway, I’ve spent Monday afternoon on CreateSpace – same but different from Lulu. At least 3 hours and a half of attempts to create the perfect cover and interior – the templates aren’t as good as Lulu’s, or maybe I only need to get used to a new dashboard/interface. Sigh. Anyway, I’ve ordered proof copies of Star Minds on both PODs, then I’ll decide which I like best (or maybe I’ll keep both, who knows! ). And since they have slightly different interiors, I’ll ask you guys which looks better to you, so be ready to vote.

I know lots of readers still read only on paper, but I doubt I can send my printed books to American bookstores from Italy, and not sure about how it could work with Italian bookstores, so it will probably just be an internet store for now. I can add the print link on most online retailers anyway… CS seems cheaper, but the mailing expenses (for expedited service) are higher. I’ll decide when I have both books in my hands and can compare paper and printing and all that stuff.

Yesterday I wrote the Amazons story, finished this post, redid the cover for CS and beta-read. Today I have the offline writers group, so I’m getting the Star Minds Snippets from Dear Beta (see Sunday’s post) and then I’ll probably ask one editor to go through the two stories I plan on submitting to the Smashwords Authors Anthology on Goodreads, to proofread and get rid of those grammar mistakes. Tomorrow more writing and reading – and then the first week off will be over…

Have a great week!