Our goal as writers is to craft a story so interesting that strangers will pay money to hear it. Gordon Gekko, you are no doubt too young to remember, was a movie villain who stood in front of a crowd of stockholders to announce, “Greed is good.” He then made a fairly rational case for […]
Ebooks Outpace Hardcover Sales
According to the Association of American Publishers (AAP), which should add the disclaimer “20th Century” or “Old School” to their name, announced that Q1-2012 ebook revenue increased 28% to $282 Million while hardcover dropped a couple notches to $229 Million. Paperbacks dropped big time (big duh) to $98 Million. We knew the day would arrive. […]
Whither the Big 6?
Fifteen years ago, the steps to becoming a published fiction author were clear: publish short stories, write a novel, brag about the shorts to an agent, the agent acts as an editor getting your manuscript publisher-ready. Then you let the agent drag the novel to all the major publishing houses in NYC. If a publisher […]
On Writing 3: Appreciating the Craft
Our goal as writers is to craft a story so interesting that strangers will pay money to hear it. Do you appreciate the craft of writing? Like professional footballers, writing celebrities make it look easy. James Patterson is one of the most deceptive writers of our era. You can read his books but you cannot […]
On Writing 2: Foundations
Our goal as writers is to craft a story so interesting that strangers will pay money to hear it. This post is about determining our writing foundation. What are our gifts and how can we abuse them for fun and profit? Capabilities. 16-August, 2009, I watched Usain Bolt run the 100 meter sprint faster than any […]