Adam Ingle's Blog, page 4
July 29, 2014
The Next Best Book Blog allowed me to read a excerpt from the first chapter of my book to their...
The Next Best Book Blog allowed me to read a excerpt from the first chapter of my book to their readers. If you’ve ever wanted to hear me stumble through my own book, here’s your chance.
July 23, 2014
A big thank you to Writocracy for writing such a kind review of my book. Check out the review here....
A big thank you to Writocracy for writing such a kind review of my book. Check out the review here. I managed to insult the reviewer and still came away with “…if you read one Indie book this year, read this one.” I must be doing something right.
July 4, 2014
Just a heads up that I’m running a giveaway on Goodreads. I’m giving away 10 autographed...
Just a heads up that I’m running a giveaway on June 30, 2014
First Review
An acquaintance of mine surprised me with a pretty nice review of my book. He did help me find some…short comings in my print edition that I’ve updated. It’s a bit embarrassing, but if it leads to a better product it’ll be worth the hurt pride. You can read the full review here.
I’m quite proud of his summary - “…it reminded me a little bit of how American Gods would have been if Quentin Tarantino had directed a movie version of it.”
That’s something I can definitely live with.
June 24, 2014
Both the paperback and Kindle version of my book are now live on Amazon. You can also find various...
Both the paperback and Kindle version of my book are now live on Amazon. You can also find various other versions below.
And of course directly from the stores on your Kindle, Nook, or iOS device. Google Play is…finicky…and forthcoming. As is Kobo. If you have any favorite services you can’t find the book on (try searching first as Smashwords distributes to many other services) drop me a line and let me know.
June 18, 2014
Self Publishing
So I’ve been quiet over the last year, but I haven’t been idle. Not necessarily successful, but not idle. On the other hand I finally decided to forgo the traditional publishing route and self publish my novel. I’ve gotten over the initial feeling that having to go that route is a failure and have gotten pretty excited about it.
A few months ago I hired an editor to go through my book and clean it up. The editor also helped streamline everything and trim the fat. A couple weeks ago I hired an artist to create the artwork for my cover. The last few days I’ve been converting to e-formats (which is a little more involved than I thought), and hope to have the book on the major sites in the next few days. I’m also testing out Amazon’s CreateSpace for a physical book option.
It’s nice to feel excited about my book again, but it’s also nice to think that I will finally be putting it to bed and can get to work in earnest on the sequel and any other projects I get the urge to. Keep an eye here for any news regarding the book.
August 27, 2012
The Dead Regime
I’ve been pretty bummed out by the lack of progress in trying to get an agent for my novel. I’ve lost a lost of steam and have seriously slowed down on sending out the query letters. That said, I haven’t been totally unproductive in the creative realm. While the novel languishes in limbo, I have been working rather hard on a new, multi-media project I call The Dead Regime. It’s a mixture of assemblage sculptures and short stories both set in a fictional universe in which a scientific mishap has opened a rift between dimensions and things start bleeding through. Each sculpture is to be accompanied by a short story telling the history or tale of that particular piece. The first piece is entitled The Shepherd. The sculpture and short story can be seen over on The Dead Regime website I have dedicated to the project.
April 24, 2012
Thoughts on Rejection
Rejection is part of the process. I know this, and I try not to take any of them personally. Each one does make me a little sad, but on the other hand it is far better than not knowing at all. The “no response means no” tactic that many agents take is understandable given the volume they receive, but infuriating being on the other end. I would honestly rather get an email saying “Fuck off” than months of empty silence before I write that query off as a “no.”
Occasionally there are the odd success stories in various online communities where after 100+ queries and various forms of rejection, a determined writer makes that pivotal step towards their dreams and snags an agent. There are also the little bits here and there where a fact about a famous author being repeatedly rejected, like Stephen King’s dozens of rejections for “Carrie.” These are the things that help make it easier to keep trudging on. They help take the sting out of it, because the means I’m one rejection closer to “yes.”
Writing is something I already do for free, regardless of whether anyone ever reads it. I have several finished books that I have no intention of ever publishing. I have dozens of ideas for things to write, and several different works-in-progress. That being said, being a professional author is my dream. If that dream takes several years and a few hundred rejections, then so be it. Until then, I’ll just have to keep spreading the word.
February 11, 2012
Writer Resources
I can’t honestly claim to be any sort of expert on writing, getting an agent, or getting published. I write because I enjoy it, and my mommy told me I was good. Well…other people have too, but you get the point. I’m personally still trying to snag my own agent so I can’t tell anyone what works. And obviously I’ve yet to be published so that’s just a pipe dream at the moment. I have, however, found some really nifty resources that I’d like to share.
Writing With Uncle Jim - This is an enormous forum thread started by author Jim MacDonald. It’s full of basics, insider info, and as it progresses it starts to pick up some other authors who provide additional information and occasionally argue with Jim.
Writer Beware@SFWA - Although the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) site and forums are chock full of great info in general, the Writer Beware section is especially useful for keeping up to date on the seedy side of the publishing industry.
Preditors & Editors - A comprehensive, though maddening to navigate, site with additional warnings as well as a list of legit resources.
Query Shark - This blog by agent Janet Reid allows people, free of charge, to submit their agent queries to be critiqued. Although she doesn’t provide feedback on everything submitted, going through the backlog is almost as enlightening.
Miss Snark - A now defunct, but archived, blog that is rumored to have been run by Janet Reid under the pseudonym Miss Snark. It doesn’t deal specifically with queries as her current one does, but instead covers the breadth and width of what an agent’s point of view of the industry is and what they expect from authors.
QueryTracker - Once you’ve finished your project, read up on who to query, and polished that query letter until it’s a blinding gleam of awesome it’s time to actually start sending out those queries. QueryTracker is a pretty comprehensive list of agents and has a tracking system that lets you keep tabs on who and when you’ve queried, who you’ve sent samples and manuscripts to, and who’s rejected you (it’s gonna happen…a lot). It also has integrated links to an agent’s Publishers Marketplace and the Association of Authors’ Representatives (AAR) page.
Publishers Marketplace - Since I mentioned it, I should explain. This site is another listing of agents, only most of the agent pages are maintained by the agents or agency themselves. They usually include what they’re looking for, some of their recent sales, and other useful info.
AAR - The Association of Authors’ Representatives is the governing body for agents. Quite simply, if they’re an AAR member then they are bona fide agents. However, there are some agents, especially new agents, that aren’t AAR members, or at least aren’t yet vetted by the association. It’s still a good resource.
While this is nowhere near comprehensive, as a quick search for any aspect of writing will show, these are tools that I have used and learned by. None of them are the end-all catch to getting published, but I think I’m a far more informed author because of them.
