August Wainwright's Blog, page 92

I’m a Cover Band Author; A Note to Beginner Writers

A young boy with an awful bowl-shaped haircut is hanging out with his older brother – or maybe it’s his delinquent cousin or the cool uncle that is always saying, “Just don’t tell your mom I let you do that…” – it doesn’t matter, any one of them will do for this story.

He’s with one of the seedier characters in his juvenile life when they put on a record. And the boy hears something he’s never heard before, a sound that leaps into his ears and destroys everything he knows. It could be Jimi Hen...

Publication Day! A Study in Sin

My 1st book, A Study in Sin, has just gone live over at Amazon. So far, the feedback from readers of the hundred or so ARC copies that went out has been overwhelmingly positive. I’ve loved talking with everyone who sent emails about what they liked and what they thought of the book.

The experience to this point has been amazing and I look forward to hearing more from readers and getting those first few reviews.

For those who don’t know about ‘A Study in Sin’ or the lead character, Remy Moreau,...

The Possible Resurgence of Barnes & Noble

With continuous rumors circulating that it’s only a matter of time before Barnes & Noble is sold off to Microsoft (one day the sale is imminent, the next it’s purely speculation) AND the possible sale of the B&N website, as well as stores, to founder and current Chairman Leonard Riggio AND news of physical stores closing all across the county AND NOOK shares (as well as stock prices) trending down, it seems an appropriate time to take a moment and ask the question:

What the hell is wrong with...

How to Write Better Prose According to Ernest Hemingway

Today we have six tips on how to write better fiction from Ernest Hemingway. Learn how to write a more true book from one of the greatest American writers of all time.

Write short sentences

Hemingway is famous for his short, straightforward sentences that get rid of unnecessary descriptive words for a more concise, minimalistic style of writing.

There are two famous examples of Hemingway’s feelings towards short, minimalistic writing:

The first is the “For sale: baby shoes, never worn” incident....

James Patterson Wants Bailout Money. Wait, What?

I don’t know James Patterson personally. I have no doubt he’s a kind and thoughtful man; I have absolutely no reason to believe otherwise.

But his recent ad (shown below) that ran in the New York Times Book Review and in Publishers Weekly (along with the follow-up article in Salon) proposing a government bailout for failing bookstores and publishers is one of the most atrociously ludicrous ideas I’ve ever heard.

(And that’s saying a lot when you’ve got guys like Scott Turow who keep opening the...

5 Things You Didn’t Know About ‘A Study In Sin’

And, how to get a free copy before it’s released next month.

1. ‘A Study In Sin’ is a modern update of a classic Sherlock Holmes tale.

When I first set out to write this series, it was mostly an exercise in dialogue. I have been working on a still untitled book for over a year now, and I continually found that my dialogue scenes just weren’t conveying the message I wanted. They lacked punch. And in that book, there is very little dialogue, so it needs to be strong when it comes up.

So I decided...

Anti-Competitive Companies, Amazon, & Authors

Quite a bit has been said about Amazon and their “monopolistic” practices lately. Let me start this post by putting my thoughts right out in the open: This entire discussion is bullshit.

Many authors have weighed in publicly with their opinions on the evil overlord known as Amazon. It’s common to hear about used ebooks, the ridiculous idea that could destroy the publishing industry, as if it’s a complete inevitability looming around the corner. Or about how it’s only a matter of time until B&N...

The Reasons Behind the Writing – Why Do You Do It?

Writing is a profession. Being an author in today’s environment of publishing means being an entrepreneur. I get it; and anybody who wants to succeed should embrace that idea too.

I’m as guilty as everyone else when it comes to obsessing over the numbers. It is an absolute must that at least three articles per week will be consumed that discuss the business of selling books on Amazon; the more specifics on numbers sold and dollars brought in, the better. Give me screenshots and graphs and, whi...

The Best Mystery Character of All-Time

After two and a half weeks and over 900 total votes, Sherlock Holmes has taken down Harry Bosch as the greatest literary Mystery Character of All-Time.

Thank you so much for everyone who participated. I’ve already received lots of ideas on how to make next year’s March Madness Tournament even better.

Thanks again and I look forward to next year!

Mystery March Madness – Championship

After taking the Sunday off from the tournament, we’re down to the last two of the 2013 Mystery March Madness Bracket. We started with 16 and it all comes down to two:

Sherlock Holmes vs. Harry Bosch

Here are the results from the Final Four match-ups from the weekend.:

#1 Sherlock Holmes 62% vs #5 Jack Reacher 38%

#2 Lisbeth Salander 7% vs #11 Harry Bosch 93%

Two things should be noted about the totals from the semi-finals:

1. Harry Bosch probably shouldn’t have been ranked all the way down at #11

2...