Daniel Hope's Blog, page 2
August 8, 2013
First Reviews of The Inevitable
My novel has been out for a little over a month now, and the first reviews are marching in right on time. No one believes my mom when she says my book is great, so it helps that people I’ve never met are corroborating her story.
If you don’t believe me, read their reviews:
Elisa Nuckle gave The Inevitable 4 out of 5 stars.
Brittany Mac gave it 7 out of 10 lightsabers. (Easily the coolest unit of review measurement.)
SpaceGypsies gave it 5 out of 5 wagons.
Jason Norton gave it 5 out of 5 stars.
Ther...
August 7, 2013
A Consistency of Sharks
That headline may sound like the title of my new Jane Austen-meets-James Bond novel, but it’s not. It refers, instead, to the recent outcry over a Discovery Channel “documentary,” which can teach us something about the author’s obligation to the reader.
That screeching you just heard is the sound of a thousand authors indignantly launching back in their chairs with a shrill cry of horror. “The author has absolutely no obligation to the reader,” they scream in disgust. Let me explain.
There is a...
July 30, 2013
Dead Trees in Meatspace
At this point, The Inevitable has been available for nearly a month, but I’m pretty happy to announce that it’s also available as a paperback. It’s real!
It was already pretty satisfying to see my novel as an e-book, but there’s still something so intoxicating about holding the physical manifestation of your work in your hands.
If you don’t like e-books, or you just want a physical copy, you can order The Inevitable in paperback from CreateSpace. It should also be available through the regular...
July 23, 2013
Go Categorize Yourself: The Frustration of Describing Your Book
You’ve started up a conversation with a [friend/acquaintance/stranger/parole officer], and the [conversation/ice breaking/flirting/shouting] naturally develops to the point where you can mention you [wrote/published/dreamed/stole] a manuscript without sounding like a self-absorbed doof. Naturally, you spring at the opportunity, letting the title of your book roll off your tongue with just the right degree of nonchalance. It’s exhilarating.
And then the trouble starts.
“Oh,” this person says, “t...
July 15, 2013
The Middleman Is Always There: The Economics of Self-Publishing
Today we have a lesson in economics, which is perhaps not what you expected when you arrived here. It could be worse, though. I could have written about the market pressures on ferret farmers as a result of tulip shortages in Denmark. Actually, no I couldn’t. But wouldn’t that have been surprising? Fear not, this is still about writing. In fact, it pertains specifically to all those who have self-published or are thinking about it.
Let’s begin with a recent article from the Guardian. The news...
July 10, 2013
The Books that Never Were, but Should Have Been
Normally a Tumblr page is just a quick way for you to overdose on a particular fandom, butoccasionallyyou stumble across something truly genius. For instance, this particular Tumblr displays (nearly) 100 book covers that don’t exist. They belong to books that haven’t been written and probably never will be.
And it’s tragic.
Well, for the most part, anyway. There are a few books in here that I can live without. For instance, this Charles Dickens cover isn’t for a book that wasn’t written so much...
July 6, 2013
Because I Make Things
Well, it’s done. I’ve published a book. It has been a whirlwind sprint (an officially recognized sport in the Tornado Alley Olympics) to get the book up and out the door this week, but now I have a chance to sit back and bask in the warm amber glow of a dream accomplished. Then why, you may ask, am I sitting in the dark, terrified?
It’s because I make things.
It’s a funny feeling to make something and send it out there for the world to scrutinize, possibly to praise and possibly to belittle. Pr...
