March 2012

When "raising the stakes" is a waste of time: http://t.co/qZ1To3Qg # Copyediting checklist, part one: the technical stuff. http://t.co/SC5s75qI # The stuff that nobody wants to read but everyone needs. Siiiiiiigh. # Think you have problems coming up with book titles? Try naming a TV show… http://t.co/YxoBfSc5 # Will Google will ever get that a […]

Ms. Marshmallow of This little author should be writing books, not blogging linked to my blog on handling critiques and commented, The final item on the list covers a lot of ground, including that modern dilemna of the “strong female protagonist.”  People really have a lot of ideas about how women and girls should act. 

I am so wiped out this week, and still trying to understand the effects of all my messing around wtih Alien Blue over the last few weeks, so I’ll sit on the updates for that for a bit.  Also, I’m going to be tied up next week, so posts here may be, um, a bit scanty until

I am so wiped out this week, and still trying to understand the effects of all my messing around wtih Alien Blue over the last few weeks, so I’ll sit on the updates for that for a bit.  Also, I’m going to be tied up next week, so posts here may be, um, a bit

After finding out a few days ago that some independent bookstores were using QR codes and Google Books to sell ebooks, Google Books has been on my radar. I have one ebook up for sale through Google Books, because it was such a pain in the butt to get it up there that I stopped there.

Try naming a TV show. “I put Everybody Loves Raymond on the original script. What I loved about it was that it was like I Love Lucy, and I was trying to do an old-fashioned show — a traditional sitcom to break out from everything hip and edgy at the time. Plus, it had that specificity: Once

The indie editing series continues (starts here but the collective posts are here). — It’s helpful to literally print out a copyediting checklist and check off boxes as you complete steps, but it’s not necessary.  Personally, I recommend going through everything in this blog post first, using a checklist, then going back and doing next week’s checklist

Richard Lee Byers writes in Astrojive: In the “Conan” movie, the Cimmerian is out to avenge the murder of his father and the slaughter of his clan. In the “John Carter” film, the hero is a Confederate veteran who lost his wife and child in the war (right, just like the dude in Hell on

Some people suffer pain. Other people mock it. What’s the secret to never getting a bad review? This is a question authors get asked a lot. Hell, I’ve asked other authors the same question. “I don’t know. I don’t read reviews,” some say with a benevolent smile. Others shrug their shoulders and say, “There is

I went to a bookstore opening for Back to the Books on Saturday and talked to author Bill Hubiak, who was there signing.  We brushed on the subject of ebooks: he’s selling some, and had color business cards giving the web addresses of place where people can buy the book.  I asked him whether he