Tag: Books

So, what *is* a successful author, anyway?

It’s a really interesting question; and, as you might imagine, one that’s of some interest to me. Depending on who you ask, so far FROZEN DREAMS has either broken through the average number of sales for a new book, or is rapidly approaching it, or the entire conversation is ridiculous because the Kickstarter skewed everything. The number ‘250’ gets bandied about a lot, you see; only I’ve seen people confidently say that should be e-book sales, and others say that only print copies count, and still more say that the true number for print copies should be about 100, and then people start suggesting it should be about how much money you’re making per year.

Continue reading So, what *is* a successful author, anyway?

I’m not getting any work done this weekend, am I?

…It took me a couple of hours to add this line; so, clearly, I will not. Sorry, it’s just – there are ISBN numbers involved, OK? It’s starting to feel real. And the independent writer life apparently ain’t exactly for the timid. And, like virtually everybody else in the planet, I don’t like the idea of not being successful.

All of this means it’s really easy for me to slip into sloth, honestly. I’m not saying this for sympathy, just to blow off some steam. I’m sure I’ll be fine. Just as soon as Monday rolls around…

Oh, hey, got a nibble today.

Not a sale, but the story made it past the first round. Which is encouraging! Lord knows you can feel stalled in this business, sometimes.  Or more than sometimes… still, mustn’t grumble.  I’ll know more at a later time – and, again, this isn’t a sale, just me making advancing along in the process.

Thanks, by the way, for all the encouragement that I’ve gotten in the past and will get in the future. It really does help.  Anybody who does art will tell you that, too.

There is apparently RAMPANT skulduggery going on with All Romance eBooks.

It’s the kind of skulduggery that, a hundred and fifty years ago, would have ended with somebody getting stabbed during a dinner party.  I’m not entirely joking.  Writers can get really intense over getting screwed over their publication rights:

On Wednesday, December 28, All Romance eBooks–a romance-specific ebook distributor and publisher that also distributes general fiction and nonfiction through its OmniLit imprint–dropped a bombshell. In mass emails to customers and authors, ARe’s owner, Lori James, revealed that her company was closing, and that in lieu of full payment, authors and publishers would be offered a fraction of what they were owed.

Continue reading There is apparently RAMPANT skulduggery going on with All Romance eBooks.

So, which books on this list have *I* read?

Let’s see how I do on this list of Top Twenty Books People Lie About Having Read.

  1. Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland – Lewis Carroll. Yes, I’ve read it. Read the sequel, too, which is much more accessible to geeks.
  2. 1984 – George Orwell. Yes, I’ve read it. I work in politics, and the Left loves to quote this book without understanding a damned thing about it.
  3. The Lord Of The Rings trilogy – JRR Tolkien. …Don’t vex me. Also, it’s not a trilogy.
  4. War And Peace – Leo Tolstoy. Nope!
  5. Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy. Nope!  Got warned off on Russian novelists by Bob Heinlein.
  6. The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes – Arthur Conan Doyle. Yes, I have read it. Good God, these were popular fiction pieces for the mass market! What is the excuse to not read them?
  7. To Kill A Mockingbird – Harper Lee. Let me put it this way: WHOEVER AUTHORIZED THAT SO-CALLED ‘SEQUEL’ MAY VERY WELL END UP BURNING IN HELL FOR THEIR SIN.
  8. David Copperfield – Charles Dickens. I think I started it, but never finished it.
  9. Crime And Punishment – Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Nope! See $5.
  10. Pride And Prejudice – Jane Austen. “…And Zombies.” But I read the original.
  11. Bleak House – Charles Dickens. Nope!
  12. Harry Potter (series) – JK Rowling. Started the series, got to about Goblet of Fire(?), never finished it.
  13. Great Expectations – Charles Dickens. Nope!
  14. The Diary Of Anne Frank – Anne Frank. Yes, I’ve read it. Both the version that they let kids read, and the longer, even more depressing version.
  15. Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens.  Nope! …I have read some Dickens, you know.
  16. Fifty Shades trilogy – EL James.  Oh HELL no.
  17. And Then There Were None – Agatha Christie. I have read it. It’s not her best. It, in fact, relies too much on authorial fiat to make the climax work.
  18. The Great Gatsby – F Scott Fitzgerald. Nope!
  19. Catch 22 – Joseph Heller. I have read it, although damned if I can remember why. I dimly remember that… there were sex scenes that appealed to my teen-aged self? Or something like that.
  20. The Catcher In The Rye – JD Salinger. I didn’t get assigned it in school, so Nope!

Eh. Nine out of twenty, with two partials. Not a great score. But note that I’m not lying about it. Do people really and truly care about that? I mean, if you didn’t read a book, you didn’t read a book…

Via Instapundit.