Ksenia Anske's Blog, page 39
July 30, 2015
My review of 1984. Because you asked.
All of us have our personal horrors. Without having read any history on why George Orwell wrote 1984, and because you asked aboutmy opinion, I give it to you here before it becomes tainted by what the outside world thinks. And the outside world, that is, the world outside myhead, must think a lot since 1984 is considered a masterpiece.
It sounded to me very much like a materialization of George's deep seated fear (stirred up by Stalin and his comrades, and Hitler perhaps too),this idea that a...
July 28, 2015
Let's continue our conversation about book pricing
Illustration by Geoff McFetridge
I have written quite a few posts recently on pricing your indie books, all of which are stepping stones on the path of me learning itwhile watching the turbulent changes inthe publishing industry and going through bankruptcy and running out of my ghostwriting money and being a novice to indie publishing. The only experience I can rely on is running my startup for 5 years, and the basics that I learned from reading books and articles on how to stay profitabl...
July 23, 2015
Making time for writing: keep the gates to your mind closed
The last few days I keep stumbling on the same issue that either some of you are expressing to me, or I see others struggling with, which is easy to summarize in the following statement:
"Oh, I want to write a book, but I have no time. There's ... (insert a valid-sounding reason like "millions of dollars to chase formy American dream" or "twenty elderly aunts to take care of" or "scores of TV shows to catchup on" or "hungry triplets to feed from three bottles at o...
July 20, 2015
TUBE excerpt. Draft 2. Chapter 1. Red Shoes
I have completely forgotten about my tradition to post the first chapter of a new draft here. It tells you how much this book has pulled me away from reality. This, and the fact that I haven't blogged in a week. That's unheard of.
Like I mentioned already, something new is happening. My process is changing. Also, my daily routine is changing. Now in the mornings, before I start writing, I go over the list of new words that have accumulated from yesterday's reading, an...
July 13, 2015
My writing process is changing
Yesterday I have embarked on my usual task of reading the first draft of TUBEfrom start to finish in as short a time as possiblebefore starting the next draft,and in thesetwo days I have witnessed a huge change in my process. It came out of nowhere, on its own, unbidden. I had but to oblige and let it take over. It startled me. I wonder if this is some kind of a milestone or something, but I'll write it out here so it will make more sense tome, and maybe shed some light for you on your own w...
July 9, 2015
I really need to drop prices on my paperbacks
Kill me, but I don't remember why I have priced my paperbacks a particular way a while ago. I think I thought of offering paperbacks like an expensive souvenir since I give ebooks away for free, following Seth Godin's idea and the blue ocean strategy. Or maybeI read some article somewhere at some point, or copied the prices of other books. I can't remember exactly. I even wrote this post about pricing books recently, but today something shifted in my brain. Not sure why.
I'm sitting here read...
My 4th story is born! THE BADLINGS is published.
This was quite a journey. What was born out of an innocent wish to revisit the books of my childhood grew into its own book. Grew fast. And went through all kinds of adventuresjustlike Bells and her friends in The Badlings did.I wrote the first draft in 2 weeks. "Woot!" I thought. "New frontier conquered!" Yeah, right. It was too fast. And it featuredtoo many books, over 30. And then I lost Colleen, my editor. And then I found Sarah, my new editor. And then Sarah said, "What about copyright?...
July 8, 2015
Write for yourself: you're the only audience you need
"I love reading your tweets and blog posts, they aid my indie publishing journey! I want to write a compelling, hip sci-fi thriller in a futuristic European Union, which I know very well (I'm from Germany), but I don't know if Americans, my main target audience, would even read about that 'exotic' place, since most English works play in the US. Old gossip says Americans generally don't read about stories in other places than their home. I'm curious, since you're originally from...
July 5, 2015
10 things you need to know about beta readers
"Hi Ksenia. I need your advice on finding BETA readers: 1) How/where did you find reliable ones? 2) Which draft do they get to read?"
Awesome question, Zandile. I wrote a couple posts about beta readers, one about adapting your novel to beta readers' feedbackand another about luring them with cookies, but it'stime I write a new oneas I've learned a bunch of new things since then. So if you havedecided to start looking for beta readers, here is what I suggest you...
July 3, 2015
Happy Birthday, sis! And...should I offer editing services?
Happy Birthday, Nastenka, my little sis! С Днем Рождения, моя дорогая сестричка!
I was so happy to hear your voice yesterday. Sorry I woke you up. I called mom right after you. I remember the day she came home with you from the hospital. You were all wrapped up in a blanket. Everyone went to eat in the kitchen, and I stood over you lying on the table, marveling at your little toes. They were so small! I couldn't conceive how they could possibly be that tiny. And they wiggled so much. Wish I c...
