tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81985815140561723492024-03-05T08:48:14.698-05:00Wicked WritersUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger349125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8198581514056172349.post-43161364046492919372011-11-20T15:35:00.000-05:002011-11-20T15:35:38.186-05:00Making Time for Yourself in This Time of the Year<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">Well, here we are again. The holidays. Oh, I know we’ve had holidays before -- MLK’s birthday, Easter, Independence Day, Labor Day.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">But, those were just holidays. Each one meant something different, of course. Celebrating the life of Martin Luther King or the resurrection of Christ or our nation’s birthday or the common working man and woman.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">And, yes, these next three holidays -- Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day -- each have a specific subject of honor.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We know different, though. Those three events are the megalopolis of holidays. All across this great nation, families are making important travel plans for Thanksgiving. I, myself, will be on the road as well. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I don’t make such grandiose schemes for any other holiday. I don’t have to go to anyone’s barbecue for Memorial Day or Labor Day. The most important thing on Easter is my church.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">But, woe to the person who has nowhere to go for Thanksgiving.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">After Thanksgiving comes Black Friday (or Black Thursday night if you’re Wal-Mart or Target), kicking off the official Christmas shopping season. So, now, you’re in the Christmas mood (and, no, Hallmark Channel’s 200 days of Christmas movies doesn’t put anyone in the mood).</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Should you and your wallet survive the yuletide, you come to one of the most important choices. As Al & Vicky once intoned: “What are you doing New Year’s Eve?”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The point I’m trying to make here is that from this point on, until Jan. 2, we are one a different plane of reality. Family, friends, food, travel, shopping, gifts, celebrations will be on our minds for the next 40 or so days. Some of us may even find time for some good will on Earth, peace towards men.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">What we may not have is time for ourselves. And I don’t just mean not hearing screaming kids or chatty in-laws or the belching airline passenger behind you. I mean actual free time for yourself.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">If you’re reading this blog, you know I’m talking about writing. Isn’t it ironic that November is NaNoWriMo? The true test of writing a novel in a month is November when you’re bound to be heavily distracted just when you need the most concentration.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Still, you must continue your craft. You must get in that minimum one hour of scribbling per day.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Trust me. After all the hoopla of the holiday season, you’ll welcome an hour of silence in which to write.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The question is: Will you give yourself that hour?</div>Gregory Marshall Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01046473659340557062noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8198581514056172349.post-76412206465615334082011-11-01T03:00:00.000-04:002011-10-31T23:44:24.397-04:00A New Appreciation for Editing<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">I’ve been doing movies off and on for the last 20 years. From being asked to fill in at the last minute for movies in </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Hong Kong</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Australia</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> and </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Japan</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> to being a vicious killer in a low-budget Japanese trilogy to being a mystery man in several episodes of <i style="color: blue;">Homeland</i> with Claire Danes, there was always one part of the experience I never considered.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><b>Editing</b>.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Yeah, yeah, I know I’m a journalist and I’ve been doing it for 30 years. Editing is the most important part of the news writing process. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">I’ve also published numerous short stories, novellas and, now, novels. The editing portion of those works still gives me headaches.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">No, what I’m talking about is the editing associated with radio.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">A different monster than movie editing. Robert Zemeckis is primarily concerned with Denzel Washington looking good in <i style="color: blue;">Flight</i>, not with the fact that the same black guy in a tan jacket keeping driving by Denzel in a Toyota Prius. I just did what was asked, so I wasn’t bothered. Jennifer Aniston wearing pasties instead of really being topless in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue;">Wanderlust</span> </i>bothered me, but the Zemeckis thing didn’t.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Anyway, this past Friday, I got hit with a whole new level of editing when I hosted my new Internet radio show called <a href="http://youtu.be/s5u8AXHnA5k"><i style="color: red;">What's Out There</i></a>. Thank God I wasn’t on a time limit. I needed three hours to do 60 minutes of interviews. I also learned that I can’t say the word “okay” on the air (George Carlin failed to mention that one). I also found out my voice has modulations I didn’t know existed.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">I got to the studio early, got a quick lesson on the layout, including testing the microphone to find out how close I needed to be to it. The special guests arrived and my producer Rob got soul jazz artist Cheri Maree and her manager set up as well. In case you’re wondering, I was so nervous during the interview that I said “soul jazz artist” at least half a dozen times.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Rob had to stop me about 25 times during the interview to correct my mistakes or modulate my, uh, modulations. I still have no idea what he meant.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">We did the real interviews in 10-minute segments and needed 45 minutes to answer 10 questions. At least, Cheri Maree and her manager were great and talkative guests. I really only had my sense of humor. (I would like to take this time to apologize to Ms. Maree for pretending to be back on the air that one time she was in the facilities).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0DUg5b0lbcblR31amw_noD8f4xW83Rfy8fl_-tsozf-py1lkmzNQ03GS3ze-EveqsFoOlFUz1eU48Ur9UkiEote9A_UpHtrYQxddnDWoZzOS_qms0Wxl0-E2zK_o_4aWi7elmxEQLbC1P/s1600/Gregory+Smith+radio+show+10-28-2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0DUg5b0lbcblR31amw_noD8f4xW83Rfy8fl_-tsozf-py1lkmzNQ03GS3ze-EveqsFoOlFUz1eU48Ur9UkiEote9A_UpHtrYQxddnDWoZzOS_qms0Wxl0-E2zK_o_4aWi7elmxEQLbC1P/s1600/Gregory+Smith+radio+show+10-28-2011.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia;">All through this time, Rob is monitoring things or attempting to blind me with a laser pointer when the clock was about to hit “0” for a break. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">At last, I got to the finish. Then, we had a second interview to do by phone. That was a whole other kettle of fish. Laptop computer. Skype. Headsets. 3-M (the headset volume control got stuck).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">The interview went well. Yet, I still felt weird talking into the headset microphone and the radio microphone at the same time.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Now, it’s all done, save for the...get ready for it...editing. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">I’m depending on Rob to make me sound like a genius, which is no easy task. I have tried to imagine what he’ll have to do to cut out all the “</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">okays</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">” and keep the flow of the interview going. Most of all, I need a good editing process to make me look good. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Zemeckis, Soderbergh and company are concerned with the real actors, not the extras. Newspapers and publishers have the writers make the changes. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">However, this Internet radio editing process is completely in the hands of someone else and it’s the most important editing of all.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Wish me luck.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Update:</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> The show was just posted on <a href="http://youtu.be/s5u8AXHnA5k">Youtube</a> and I sound okay. There’s room for improvement (a lot of room), but the editing obviously went well and kept Rob up all weekend.</span></div>Gregory Marshall Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01046473659340557062noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8198581514056172349.post-49786524718173629832011-10-19T01:00:00.000-04:002011-10-19T01:00:00.942-04:00Plotter or Pantster? Okay, What the Hell Is a Pantster?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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</style> <![endif]--> <div class="MsoNormal">During my recently-finished ebook tour with Roxanne Rhoad’s <a href="http://bewitchingbooktours.blogspot.com/">Bewitching Book Tours</a>, I got an interview question about a word I’d never come across before.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The question asked if I was a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">plotter</b> or a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">pantster</b>.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Honestly, I thought this was a variance of the “boxers or briefs” question every politician seems to get (it’s boxer briefs, by the way).</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Turns out, after a Google search, I was being asked if I plotted or planned my books ahead of time or just winged it, on the fly.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Of course, I’m a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">pantster</b>. I rarely make up plots ahead of time. I try, don’t get me wrong. But, I usually run out of steam. I get so anxious to get my thoughts down on paper or to a Word file, that I stop plotting and type as I make it up in my head. Typing 70 words a minute helps but I still can’t keep up with my thoughts.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Do I recommend being a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">pantster</b>? Not really.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It’s not for everybody. In fact, I’d say it’s not for most people. It’s for me because I’ve honed the skill working as a journalist for three decades. Especially as a sports writer, I often have to type quickly to meet tight deadlines. That means I’m creating the article in my mind as I type.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The habit carries over to my fiction. Unfortunately, I think it’s also why tend to edit my work 20 or 30 times. Because, somewhere under a bus are a slew of plot points I missed or left in the dust. That can create plot holes big enough to qualify for one of those awful Canadian-made Lifetime movies.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">If you want my advice, stick to plotting. It gives you a chance to fully develop your characters before hand. It also lets you create the time and place and be accurate with your geography. If there’s one thing I wish I could change about my writing, it’s having to stop in the middle of a scene to research something to make sure I get it right. That’s like stopping in the middle of sex to read the directions for putting on a condom correctly. Yes, it’s very important and must be done the right way, but good luck getting back to the good place you were at before you stopped.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">But, this is a free country. So, it’s your choice.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Plotter </b>or<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> pantster</b>? Which one are you?</div>Gregory Marshall Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01046473659340557062noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8198581514056172349.post-88763217129332302842011-10-17T09:53:00.000-04:002011-10-17T11:24:25.295-04:00Plan Your Work, Work Your PlanSounds like solid advice, doesn't it? It's certainly the advice I follow when we're doing a construction project. But we haven't done a big job in a while so perhaps I've gotten a bit lazy with the concept.<br />
<br />
What else could my excuse be?<br />
<br />
<b>Writer's Block? </b>I'm not so sure I believe in writer's block. I believe more in a writer's lack of confidence and inability to focus more than an actual block. Sure, I've been stumbling with my word production lately, but is it a true block? *shurgs* Dunno.<br />
<br />
<b>Lack of ideas?</b> My notebook and scribbled sheets of paper strewn about the house with one-liners and story concepts says different. Clearly, I could keep writing for a decade and still have ideas that are worthy to explore.<br />
<br />
<b>No direction? </b>The book is almost completely plotted out, so I know <i>where</i> I'm going. And I physically know <i>how</i> to write…. although, I do admit the scenery is not as "clear" in my mind for book three. In compensation, I spent an hour this morning researching the Falkland Islands so I could get a good grasp on what my unchartered island off the coast of Argentina is supposed to look like.<br />
<br />
<b>Poor discipline?</b> Ahh… I think we may have the winner for me. My writer friends are always so sweet telling me how much they admire all I get done, my tenacity, my work ethic…. and yet… they don't see the hours I spend <i>not</i> actually writing. Which, as it turns out, is most of my day.<br />
<br />
Sure, marketing is important. Anyone who writes and expects to make a living off of it can tell you that. Social networking is a key component in reaching readers, and doing it properly takes a huge amount of time.<br />
<br />
When do you take a step back and reevaluate your marketing efforts? When is enough enough? Is it when you reach 3k followers or 5k? Is it after you've done a month long virtual book tour and can't think of one more witty thing to write? Is it when the self-imposed looming deadline over your head makes you lose sleep?<br />
<br />
I can't tell you how many times I've read the same piece of advice over and over, just said in slightly different ways. It goes something like this: You want to be successful as a writer, then you must first and foremost WRITE.<br />
<br />
We all know that's how you get better. We all know it's how you build a following -- after all, the reader needs more than just one or two books to become a lifelong fan. And yet, a lot of us, including me, flounder at times and feel lost in our work.<br />
<br />
When you don't write do you examine why? Do you turn that keen eye of observation inward and try to analyze why you aren't writing? Could there be something to this whole fear of success and self-sabotage I've read about?<br />
<br />
I'm not consciously afraid of success, that's for damn sure. I'd say more accurately I'm acutely aware of failure. You see, for all the successes I've achieved a part of me still thinks I haven't quite "made it" yet.<br />
<br />
My goal is to earn a steady <b><i>reliable</i></b> income, and until I get more titles out I don't think that will become a reality. I'm aware of what it takes to reach the success I dream of, so what pray tell, is holding me back?<br />
<br />
How long can I blame my health and the daily care it requires? In all fairness, there are a lot of folks way worse off than me who handle far more, so I never feel right bitching about it. As my buddy Tre tells me time and time again, "be grateful you can afford the care and have access to it", and she is correct.<br />
<br />
This past spring I visited my first writing partner, whom I dearly miss working with. She was very proud and excited about all I had achieved and our meeting was months before <i>The Hunt</i> was released. It was nice to hear her praise, and yet I didn't agree with her sentiment. She asked me flat out what would I agree was "success" and I equated it to earnings.<br />
<br />
Our conversation ended with her journalism background coming to the forefront and she fired a question at me like a challenge. "What will you have to earn to make this all worth while and where do you think you'll be in a year?"<br />
<br />
I told her by May 2012 I'd be earning 40k a year on my writing or it was time to make another career choice. She advised me against setting a goal like that because I was clearly building a readership, and reminded me a lot of authors don't make diddly even on a second book (at the time I was earning about a thousand a month). When you weigh the forty to sixty hour work weeks I put in, I think my goal was pretty conservative. Shockingly, here I am five months later and on track to earning that by May.<br />
<br />
I have reached the dream of writing full time and earning a respectable income so that no one will treat me like this is a damn hobby anymore. I've surprised my doctors and my fellow patients with embarking on a new career when I became sick and not shriveling up and 'waiting' to get better before I work again.<br />
<br />
And now, I need to do what all the successful writers are doing: I need to set my ass down and write. No excuses. This is a job, don't ever forget it. And if you don't treat it like an actual job with hours you invest, no Internet surfing during work hours, and no social networking when no one is looking, then you're on the track to failing.<br />
<br />
I don't expect comments on this blog, you should be writing. But if you read it and want to share your goals with me, I'd love to hear them. And yes, if you write your plan out in a comment I will expect you to work it.<br />
<br />
Be accountable to yourself and get past what is holding you back -- YOU.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8198581514056172349.post-27007884307958552632011-10-05T01:33:00.000-04:002011-10-05T01:33:00.246-04:00Why Andy Rooney’s Departure Matters<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDYAXZDyh_KON9iDL2hAceaerKWHnv_mr4MQpq8G21qYOmBUb1iiEKlzBBZquspQM_-snQj_KfVGB-UTts8xspbxzBHBAZ-3Yn75vjaDheR2ZLSHJMJdyvE1DB8rXWdPGle4mSwbTpGhcZ/s1600/thumbnail.aspx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDYAXZDyh_KON9iDL2hAceaerKWHnv_mr4MQpq8G21qYOmBUb1iiEKlzBBZquspQM_-snQj_KfVGB-UTts8xspbxzBHBAZ-3Yn75vjaDheR2ZLSHJMJdyvE1DB8rXWdPGle4mSwbTpGhcZ/s200/thumbnail.aspx.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">This past Sunday was a very notable one. That curmudgeon of the art of telling people about trivial things in his life -- one Andrew Aitken “Andy” Rooney -- bid farewell to viewers of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">60 Minutes</i> as he did his last segment of “A Few Minutes With Andy Rooney” after 33 years.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">That probably means nothing to most of the readers of blogs today. Rooney is 92 and one of the final cogs of the old <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">60 </i>Minutes regime (Morley Safer being the other) to bow out. After all, Rooney began his segments in 1978, before many Internet followers were born. If you said Rooney used to write for Arthur Godfrey, the return looks would almost be comical.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Yet, Rooney is part of a quickly dying breed -- the old-fashioned news gatherer and deliverer, that trusted face that generations of Americans came to trust night after night or week after week. A glance at the hosts and correspondents on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">60 Minutes</i> reads like a Who’s Who of American journalism: Morley Safer, Mike Wallace, Ed Bradley, Diane Sawyer, Harry Reasoner, Eric Sevareid, Dan Rather, Bob Schieffer, Morton Dean, Charles Osgood, Charlie Rose, Lesley Stahl, Meredith Vieira and Christiane Amanpour.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">With all the cable news channels, it’s hard to find such a cadre of news reporters today. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">And that’s the point I make with Rooney’s departure. It’s a signal that what once was so great about the world of news and of writing continues to erode, without any replacement. I doubt we’ll be as sad when Anderson Cooper or Bill Maher or Rush Limbaugh leave the air. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">It’s the same with the world of fiction. It does us no good to lose an Arthur C. Clarke without a Stephen Baxter to take up for him. The same can be said of Ian Fleming, whose mantle was taken over by John Gardner or Marion Zimmer Bradley whose literacy legacy passed on to Diana L. Paxson. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Readers may hate me for saying this, but, even with the explosion of online publishers and blogs, I don’t believe enough writers are really stepping up to the plate to take the place of writers who are leaving us or may soon be. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">For example, if you mention horror, it’s hard not to think of Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Charlaine Harris and Clive Barker. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoW9Xj2IZ8nu3PM7VY1yN1Yg52-9wPfoTzUzXF8SmXNusQQlLT9XmtA7qHvmwYqdYoVomUM8Z65LUakiXbQOuL9AXQqJRTveJED5TCOHRFVlEgxn_C-xANYRXJZux2zIkHViy8x3GtlZQt/s1600/maxbrooks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoW9Xj2IZ8nu3PM7VY1yN1Yg52-9wPfoTzUzXF8SmXNusQQlLT9XmtA7qHvmwYqdYoVomUM8Z65LUakiXbQOuL9AXQqJRTveJED5TCOHRFVlEgxn_C-xANYRXJZux2zIkHViy8x3GtlZQt/s200/maxbrooks.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Max Brooks</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Ask about the next generation and, well, it gets fuzzy. Max Brooks wrote <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">World War Z </i>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Zombie Survival </i>Guide, but those are just two books. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">The tragic death of Leslie Banks (aka L.A. Banks) on August 2 from adrenal cancer left a hole that still has not been filled.</span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwiYxBkZfpxS0IpSvznn0emkUheFJUKGBfS1NCPDkPJXrB8kZ1Ap_arO6cosrJQA3nSy-ntBPgCWipQRANvOBPJ4Krrzbz-4U-kT_O3iVbVr1DpinCiwW4tzySc5LUvihj7HFr0RCf99Bu/s1600/lesliebanks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwiYxBkZfpxS0IpSvznn0emkUheFJUKGBfS1NCPDkPJXrB8kZ1Ap_arO6cosrJQA3nSy-ntBPgCWipQRANvOBPJ4Krrzbz-4U-kT_O3iVbVr1DpinCiwW4tzySc5LUvihj7HFr0RCf99Bu/s1600/lesliebanks.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">L.A. Banks (1959-2011)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Not to despair, as there are some names out there. Tananarive Due, for example, and L.J. Smith, author of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Vampire Diaries</i>. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Of course, the irony of Ms. Due is that she is black. She writes primarily horror but has dabbled in science fiction, the genre of her husband, Steven Barnes. In the horror genre, she can at least count on the likes of Maurice Broaddus, Brandon Massey, Evie Rhodes, Chesya Burke, Sheree R. Thomas, Zane, Robert Fleming and Terence Taylor.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">For science fiction, it must be said that no African-Americans, save maybe Steven Barnes, have stepped up to follow Samuel R. Delany (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Babel-17, Dahlgren, Triton</i>). The closest contemporary was the late Octavia Butler. Delany is 69 and still waiting.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">What must we do to rectify these aforementioned situations?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">We must write and write well. No more incorrectly using “lead” instead of “led.” No more silly arguments about whether or not to get rid of adverbs.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Just because it seems a brand new online publisher pops up every day, it doesn’t mean you give a half-vast effort. The biggest problem with the online world has been this belief that since it isn’t necessary to meet the stringent standards of the traditional book publishers like Penguin and HarperCollins; that writers don’t need to put forth as much effort.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Yes, we do. We need to put out the best product we can. We need to write the novel of the year every time. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Why?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Because, instead of being one manuscript among a few hundred at the big publishers, we are now one story among tens of thousands. We have to rise above the throngs and make our work stand out.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Then, one day, we, too, can take our hard-earned places where once the admired giants of our profession once stood, becoming beacons of hope and inspiration for those coming behind us.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Enjoy your new life, Mr. Rooney. And may you live long enough to actually be replaced.</span></div>Gregory Marshall Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01046473659340557062noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8198581514056172349.post-39404961639905207132011-10-03T09:24:00.001-04:002011-10-03T11:50:03.683-04:00Domestic Abuse Awareness MonthThere are so many causes designated for different days, weeks, and months, that most of us will easily miss the next one and not know about it. Should we feel guilty? No. Life is too short to hold onto such a useless emotion.<br />
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We do wheat we can and we move on. But some causes hit closer to home for certain people. Like Breast Cancer, Autism, Diabetes… I could go on and on. While a lot of the conditions honored and spotlighted for public awareness can be inherited or your lifestyle can bring them on, many can be brought on by your environment (think nature versus nurture).<br />
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Like Lyme disease, asbestos exposure, Gulf War Syndrom… you get the gist. Knowledge is the key to overcoming or avoiding the issues thrust upon us in our daily lives that we don't genetically have a disposition to. Being aware of these dangers can often educate you enough to save another person as well.<br />
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I did not know there was a whole month dedicated to domestic abuse. Fellow Indie author, Darcia Helle, of <a href="http://www.quietfurybooks.com/">Quiet Fury Books</a>, did a shout out on Facebook last month for writers who either wrote a domestic abuse aspect into their story or suffered some form of domestic abuse to come forward and share their stories to honor the cause this month.<br />
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I felt such admiration for her effort I reached out to her. Interestingly enough, even though I did not know about the awareness month, I have suffered domestic abuse in my past. For people who know me well it seems rather shocking. I'm strong, outspoken, and know--without a doubt--my place in the world.<br />
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I spent four days crafting a piece worthy of inclusion on <b><a href="http://www.quietfurybooks.com/blog">Darcia's blog.</a></b> Her 1500 word limit was my biggest challenge. Hell, I write novels. Trying to pair it down to something cohesive, not overly depressing, meaningful, and yet ending on a good note was a huge task.<br />
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Darcia posts an excellent introduction in her <a href="http://quietfurybooks.com/blog/2011/10/domestic-abuse-awareness-month/">Oct 1st post </a>and I'm honored that she liked my piece enough to have it lead her kick off for the month of guest posts planned. She's gathered some great statistics in her post and I recommend checking it out.<br />
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I'm nervous on how it will be received. The personal experiences I wrote about happened twenty years ago and putting it all on paper brought a lot of the horror back. Things I pushed deep down and pleasantly forgot about. I know I'm not alone in this type of behavior. It's how we cope. You deal with it, you face the demons, you make choices, you move on.<br />
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Many, many women and families have suffered far worse than I have, and many more still do. Take a gander as I bare my soul and reveal things better left to the past:<br />
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<a href="http://quietfurybooks.com/blog/2011/10/c-j-ellisson/">http://quietfurybooks.com/blog/2011/10/c-j-ellisson/</a><br />
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And please, if you've suffered abuse yourself you can leave an anonymous comment on her blog or pass the link on to others. Survivors need to stick together. Hold your head up proud you got out of a bad situation and let go of the hidden shame that you were in one to begin with.<br />
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We all make mistakes and bad choices in life, it's how we deal with the consequences that defines us.<br />
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C.J. Ellisson ~~<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;">Guest Speaker at <span style="color: maroon;"><a href="http://vampsatsea.com/"><span style="color: maroon;">Vamps at Sea</span></a></span>
– A vampire themed cruise to Alaska 6.23.2012</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/C.J.EllissonFanPage"><b><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Georgia; text-decoration: none;">Facebook</span></b></a><b><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Georgia;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Georgia;">* </span></b><a href="http://www.cjellisson.com/"><b><span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia; text-decoration: none;">Website</span></b></a><b><span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Georgia;">* </span></b><a href="http://everythingerotic.blogspot.com/"><b><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Georgia; text-decoration: none;">Everything Erotic</span></b></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">* </span></b><a href="http://thedigitaldigest.blogspot.com/"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #404040; font-family: Georgia; text-decoration: none;">Digital Digest</span></b></a><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8198581514056172349.post-4046319951295666062011-09-23T00:06:00.000-04:002011-09-23T00:06:38.341-04:00In Awe of Multi-Taskers<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><img src="http://img2.blogblog.com/img/video_object.png" style="background-color: #b2b2b2; " class="BLOGGER-object-element tr_noresize tr_placeholder" id="ieooui" data-original-id="ieooui" /> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">This week is an open topic, so I thought I’d offer a few thoughts from my book tour to promote the release of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hunters.</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Probably the one thing that stands out is the blogging. Many of the tour stops have been guests blogs, such as <a href="http://www.madmoosemama.blogspot.com/">Mad Moose Mama</a>, <a href="http://lissetteemanning.wordpress.com/">Lissette Manning.</a> I’ll be the first to admit that, even though I’ve been writing for more than three decades, these blogs are kicking my ass.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">This is why I’m in awe of bloggers who multi-task by writing more than one blog. I wonder how they keep their subjects and topic straight. More importantly, I wonder how they avoid bleeding, by which I mean having one blog topic spill over into another so it looks like one of those chain letters you get at election time.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">I’m serious. During football season, I cover multiple college games and write separate articles about each game, usually doing write-ups of 5-6 games. Each one has to be tailored to a specific game.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">This experience has nothing on blogging.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">With the sports, I know specifically what to look for. For example, I can look at tonight’s game between </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Hampton</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> and Bethune-Cookman and see how fumbles, interceptions and penalties decided the game. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Not so with blogging. I find myself scouring my brain for a topic for the blog. Since there’s typically nothing substantive in my head, this is a harder process than it seems. Thank goodness <a href="http://www.bewitchingbooktours.blogspot.com/">Roxanne Rhoads</a>, the coordinator for this tour, has given me some topics. Other times, however, I go to the blogs themselves, see what kind of articles are being done and try to tailor my guest blog to that format. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">I certainly thank these blog sites for giving me the time to hawk my wares and speak to their subscribers and fans. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">And I certainly thank them for giving me the (badly needed) experience of writing for multiple blogs.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">So, how about you, the reader? Do you write for multiple blogs? If so, how do keep everything straight?</span></div>Gregory Marshall Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01046473659340557062noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8198581514056172349.post-74234397340920632922011-09-19T09:05:00.000-04:002011-09-19T19:44:26.463-04:00Chatting About YOUR BookThis week we were given a choice on topics because some of us already posted about the <a href="http://thewickedwriters.blogspot.com/2010/01/send-as-attachment_24.html">query letter process</a> and didn't want to do it again, I even went so far last spring as to post my very <a href="http://thewickedwriters.blogspot.com/2011/05/womance-witing.html">first rejection letter.</a><br />
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Instead, I plan to talk about selling yourself and your novel in basic converstaion. I'm not talking about an elevator pitch to an agent, I'm talking about to a<b> potential reader</b>, which in my mind is <i>much</i> more important.<br />
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First and foremost, we are all readers -- get that important fact through your head. Some of us may be more well-versed about speaking on the concepts of the craft (the writerly folks) and others only have time to read emails, but we all are essentially readers at one base level. If someone isn't reading a book right now it could be for many reasons: their work or home schedule, health issues, or sheer lack of interest in reading (the latter being much harder to overcome).<br />
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I had the pleasure of <a href="http://everythingerotic.wordpress.com/2010/11/26/something-tasty-this-way-comes-jimmy-thomas-interview/">reading an interview</a> from a former co-blogger of mine, Sharon Hamilton, where she interviewed the succulent eye-candy man himself, Jimmy Thomas. When he revealed he doesn't read anything but his emails I lost a lot of respect for him. I admire his work ethic, his attitude, his martial arts skills (a love since my first Tae Kwon Do class when I was five)… but to tout over and over about being on so many book covers and you don't even like to read books? Even if it was another genre… something!!<br />
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That's like being the cover model for the number one selling clothing line in the world and you refuse to wear it.<br />
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Okay, I digress, back to the topic… how do you discuss your books? First off, develop a rapport with the person. It's also called "make casual conversation". Could be about the weather, about the game last night -- whatever. The first thing you need to do is get someone talking.<br />
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I do this everywhere I go, with every person I'm standing next to for more than five seconds. Much to my husband's amusement (he no longer is shocked), I'll even talk to the people at the table next to us at a restaurant. Sometimes, it's just a pleasant passing comment in an elevator, other times it is an actual back and forth exchange. If you are unpracticed in this art form, you will need to read cues from the other person. Do they refuse eye contact? Do they nod and not verbally answer? Is their tone clipped and they seem distracted?<br />
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You never know what someone is going through in their lives at any given moment, so be respectful. If they send out the signs they don't want to chat, leave them be. Read body language. We all have the innate ability to do this, it's just that most of us have become so damn lazy with acknowledging our fellow human we need to brush up our skills and remember our manners.<br />
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Before you attempt to start talking to strangers in the grocery store check out line or the waiting room at your doctor's office, you must know one very important thing: your target audience for your book. I'm not saying you don't chat up the bulky delivery guy with the clip board because you write a romance, but I am saying analyze the person and accept that they might not be your target, but I bet they have a family member who is.<br />
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Understanding if they are your target audience or not will make the difference in how you approach them on the topic of your book. If you did your research, you know you market well and you know the people who watched ____ movie, live in ____, or like ____ sport or activity will also like your book.<br />
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Granted, this concept of talking to people will not always garner an opening where you can steer the conversation around to your book, but even if it doesn't, by speaking to lots of people you get past your introverted shell and start to feel more comfortable talking to others in a public place.<br />
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I honed this skill for years in sales. This is not an ability you will pick up over night. Be patient and swallow your fear. Do you want me to tell you how I know these things? I was almost abducted when I was seven. I ran when the man tried to pull me into the car. It gave me a unique perspective at a very young age about the wisdom in not traveling alone and to make connections with your fellow human being for safety.<br />
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I started talking to people around me simply because there is safety in numbers. If you said hello to the large solitary gentleman in the overcoat, or the tired mother of three, they may be more likely to step in if you were harassed in the hallway by a group of hoods. We're stronger when we stand together.<br />
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It's human nature. You can't easily avert an eye to someone's situation after you have made a personal connection. I honed this Chatty-Cathy side of myself in an effort to be safe, and it worked. Of course, I learned the hard way in a pre-Giuliani NYC that making eye contact and meeting the world head on was a no-no, but hey, we all have to learn life's hard lessons ;-)<br />
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Now, let's move on to the point where you've practiced your small talk and you no longer seize in panic when you have to speak to a stranger. Notice them, see if they carry a newspaper, a magazine, a book, or an ereader. No visible clue they might be a reader? Ask if they saw something on TV "did you catch that local story on….?"<br />
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What I've found works best is if you talk about something obvious about them -- "Those are great shoes, where did you get them?"; simply "that's a nice coat"; "That color looks great on you" (okay, that last one works best if it's between two women, but you get the idea).<br />
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Use your observation skills to keep the conversation going. Learn to steer a conversation graciously. Don't just bumble out with "What do you like to read?" unless you have the spectacular opening of seeing them with an actual book, newspaper, or magazine.<br />
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Good God, now that I really sit down and write this post, I see I would do better teaching a damn class on it -- which is essentially what I did when I used to teach sales to a bunch of corporate types. Essentially, it's all about making a connection. How about I list some bullet point ideas and you try your best.<br />
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<ul>
<li>Make an observation to start a conversation (game, weather, clothing, book they are holding)</li>
<li>Ask questions to get them engaged and answering you</li>
<li>Pay attention to body language and responses, shut up if they are not open to talking and leave them be</li>
<li>Share an anecdotal story that is short and will help you relate to them (example: if they are a mom with a crying kid, talk about your own issues with the rugged nap-time/refusing to nap)</li>
<li>Carry a Kindle, have one in your hand or purse -- if it draws their eye they will ask. If not you can ask "have you tried one of these yet?" then formulate responses based on how the conversation is going "Oh, your cousin has one? What do they say about it?"</li>
<li>Within a few exchanges about reading you can mention your book</li>
</ul>
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Is it really that simple? Yes, it is. Carry lots of business cards and have the book's description printed on the back. Don't be shy in saying "Here, can I give you this for your cousin?" be self depreciating and honest "The publishing industry is changing so much right now, the best way to spread the word and reach readers is to shamelessly hand out my card." And smile when you say it, be genuine. I know I sure as hell am. </div>
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That fact that a total stranger took the time to talk to me about anything for two minutes makes me feel like a winner. After all, who the hell am I? Just some damn pushy redhead.</div>
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When talking about yourself or your work be sure to remember -- make a connection first. Stop if they seem uninterested. Hold your head up proudly, there is no reason you need to feel awkward about what you have done in creating a book. Sure, if it has explicit sex in it like mine do there is that weird moment that may clutch your heart when you have to admit what you write, but hey -- if I survived it, then so can you.</div>
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Wishing you all the best and may you go forth and converse!</div>
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Have any funny stories you'd like to share about <i>trying</i> to talk about your book? Please share! I always enjoy knowing I'm not the only one who has crashed and burned so spectacularly.</div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia;">~~
C.J. Ellisson ~~<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;">Guest Speaker at </span></b><a href="http://vampsatsea.com/"><b><span style="color: maroon; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none;">Vamps at Sea</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;"> – a Vampire Themed Cruise to Alaska<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;">6.23.2012</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8198581514056172349.post-10890313402309322882011-09-15T00:33:00.008-04:002011-09-26T15:33:54.314-04:00Coming AttractionsSo, I made a decision earlier this summer to embark on the epublishing / self publishing path. I hold open the option to publish my novels the traditional way, but for the next twelve months, I'm going to concentrate on getting my work out there for public consumption.<br />
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This is something I've been thinking about for at least six months, and many factors went into this decision. First and foremost, I can't build an audience unless I give an audience something to read. Second, science fiction is a very small piece of the book/fiction market. Third, cyberspace is well-suited and better suited, for target marketing and genre fiction. Fourth, no matter the path we choose, marketing and building brand is still pushing a boulder uphill.<br />
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My first releases were at the end of June 2011, my free reads: <span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Plantgirl, Translations</b></i></span> and <span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Small Graces</b></i></span>. I did OK for not marketing them much besides some tweets here and there, my blog and my website. Most of the response was very positive and I made a few fans, more than I had before. Links for download can be found on my website: <a href="http://www.mpaxauthor.com/">www.mpaxauthor.com</a>, or on my blog: <a href="http://mpaxauthor.blogspot.com/">http://mpaxauthor.blogspot.com</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKVOVVjkVEEA_47-gYbvfmXX_qbkbF7RgekTacrCJMQXNsg0XlcMzxj2WG2dxnI6_ksXXrYKgmuQu3OK0wdC526JFpXdXLEMaBzWMIpuHKFcgEXUrFeiPBYFs0869otmljJWea945WqU4/s1600/covers2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKVOVVjkVEEA_47-gYbvfmXX_qbkbF7RgekTacrCJMQXNsg0XlcMzxj2WG2dxnI6_ksXXrYKgmuQu3OK0wdC526JFpXdXLEMaBzWMIpuHKFcgEXUrFeiPBYFs0869otmljJWea945WqU4/s400/covers2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
So, I decided my next release would be <span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Semper Audacia</b></i></span>. As an ebook, I was no longer constrained by word count and blossomed this space opera story into a novelette. It'll be my first release on Amazon, and will also be released on Smashwords and B&N, same as the free reads. Semper just came back from the editor. Yea! I have very little to do to it, but I have to get the first three chapters of Stopover polished and get Semper formatted. I'm now setting a release date ... <span style="font-size: large;"><b>October 4th</b></span>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFpjxdunSP6fn-0yT4LZ-_GBrk4Ez2ejPTS5J8KhSO0fE4Zagf2H-j1bWymANQYFrQcHPp27zVONk-IeBFDk2VBvosCcMMw6x9YpJLVCnW6VkRd8lpn20WkF_cdT5-YHDIHABZJ_2rnXg/s1600/Semper77o2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFpjxdunSP6fn-0yT4LZ-_GBrk4Ez2ejPTS5J8KhSO0fE4Zagf2H-j1bWymANQYFrQcHPp27zVONk-IeBFDk2VBvosCcMMw6x9YpJLVCnW6VkRd8lpn20WkF_cdT5-YHDIHABZJ_2rnXg/s320/Semper77o2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
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<i>Alone. Leda is the last living member of the brigade, the sole defender of her world. War took everyone she knew, leaving her in the company of memories and ghosts. Or is it madness?</i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">The siren blares. The enemy is coming. Or is it? The approaching vessel isn't a friendly design, but it answers with the correct code. Leda must figure out whether the arrival is reinforcements or the final assault. In an aging flyer, she ventures out to meet her world's fate, the last stand.</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">The release after <span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Semper Audacia</b></i></span> will be the first in a series of space opera novellas, <span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Stopover at the Backworlds' Edge</b></i></span>. I've completed the first draft and am polishing the first three chapters to add to the end of <span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Semper Audacia</b></i></span>. I also started on the first draft of the second novella in this series. I anticipate releasing Stopover by the end of this year. Yea!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK9ibcSc0gSk6Xm2utaICPq8ENRApjPd3VIvAx0mH3epSGrgcGJx9h4a5CKD90mXduF9G-k_xbBNVcyiMkCQ6tx52OZRH36KYRRapGxLeEeRTcPxZaNbAf3qCZ2BqpjrU6h-zOiX7-FkE/s1600/craze08b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK9ibcSc0gSk6Xm2utaICPq8ENRApjPd3VIvAx0mH3epSGrgcGJx9h4a5CKD90mXduF9G-k_xbBNVcyiMkCQ6tx52OZRH36KYRRapGxLeEeRTcPxZaNbAf3qCZ2BqpjrU6h-zOiX7-FkE/s320/craze08b.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><i>Humanity, bioengineered humanity created to deal with different environments, has spread out to other stars and planets in the galaxy, called the Backworlds. In the far future Craze's Tavern sits on a backworld's backworld at the fringes of expansion. Last stop for one hundred fifteen light years, Pardeep Station is a heap of dust and little more.</i><br />
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<i> </i><i>The lepper opens, bringing in a ship that should no longer exist. Stamped with the Foreworlds' mark as if spoiling for battle yet the war ended two generations ago. The vessel drops off a Water-breather, a type of backworlder thought to be extinct. She brings rumors and subterfuge, danger and troubles. Craze knows he has stepped into her trap the moment she walks into his bar. His only hope is that it isn't too late to find a way out.</i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">Still tweaking the blurb copy for Stopover and will be redoing the story trailer. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">My most popular download has been <span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Plantgirl</b></i></span>. It won me my first fan when I read it at the library over a year ago. So based on that story, I'm creating a second series of novellas and am about halfway through the first draft of the first story. As of yet, it's untitled.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">My goal is to get out two to three novellas in each series in the next twelve months. For special deals, sneak peeks and more, you can sign up for my newsletter.</span><br />
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<script src="http://signup.ymlp.com/signup.js?id=gmhbeqjgmgj" type="text/javascript">
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If you'd like to help me promote my release, leave me a comment. :D<br />
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What about you? What career plans have you made?<br />
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<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">~<b style="color: #0c343d;">M. Pax</b></div><div style="color: #76a5af; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><i>The stars are the beginning ...</i></b></div><b style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://www.mpaxauthor.com/">website</a> / <a href="http://mpaxauthor.blogspot.com/">blog</a></b>M Paxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14096697282530998519noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8198581514056172349.post-60904509845575448942011-09-12T00:00:00.000-04:002011-09-12T00:00:08.207-04:00Writing and Pulling TeethIt's personal topic week at the Wicked Writer's blog and it couldn't have come at a better time for me. Boy. Yeah. Okay. So I somehow convinced myself that Book 2 would be easier to write than Book 1. You know, I'm wiser now. Book 1 was hard because I was new to writing novels. I was still learning. But I know exactly what I'm doing now.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Qgo1vBmaSIu5lTLt7sgz2a7LECO-ALqhdIF4e45HxjAOcERkOzlqxay15VvngdO4SvNLJ2CbaLbwmssJcONITJd5cTGLw_jwUzO6FenhFJVM9EIgh2iB0E6s2d7okstasx8b4Drd1F__/s1600/pulling+teeth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Qgo1vBmaSIu5lTLt7sgz2a7LECO-ALqhdIF4e45HxjAOcERkOzlqxay15VvngdO4SvNLJ2CbaLbwmssJcONITJd5cTGLw_jwUzO6FenhFJVM9EIgh2iB0E6s2d7okstasx8b4Drd1F__/s200/pulling+teeth.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>So why does writing the dang sequel feel like pulling teeth? And why am I still using cliches like "pulling teeth"?!?!<br />
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*Facepalm followed by headdesk*<br />
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When you're a writer looking up at all the published authors sitting on their pedestals, all shiny and important, you might think "man, life must be so easy for them, with their fancy royalty checks." Truth is, we're all just writers. We all make peanuts for a living. And when all is said and done, each new manuscript still begins with two words: Chapter One.<br />
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....Followed by a good ripping of the hair, lots of caffeine, and a hefty dose of insanity....<br />
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What's a writer to do?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWS2YlzhToSFeR8i527aTT2FBl-DudAGFPJuuWnEEiBa9MsaTB-NkPZaKFG0cX-mzxsNsSsziiDKkvWYT5B0Ny6J05sqgycjeDyE6Xba0UHyuIngvGDd_G1_OXJ3X6Wfj1sEmWE6pKjBxy/s1600/happy-kid-star-sunglasses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWS2YlzhToSFeR8i527aTT2FBl-DudAGFPJuuWnEEiBa9MsaTB-NkPZaKFG0cX-mzxsNsSsziiDKkvWYT5B0Ny6J05sqgycjeDyE6Xba0UHyuIngvGDd_G1_OXJ3X6Wfj1sEmWE6pKjBxy/s200/happy-kid-star-sunglasses.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>Remember the reasons why you started writing the first place. Yeah, remember those? The good ol' days when it was fun and magical and every word felt like a roller-coaster ride on a gold-tinted rainbow? When you were an <i>artist</i> and every scene came from the heart. You didn't care about grammar or point-of-view or if all your characters' names started with the same letter because to you it was perfect. Every flaw was somehow <i>right</i>. You did that, you made that, and it was awesome.<br />
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Remember that feeling. Hold it close. Bathe in it. Eat it for breakfast. Sit down at your computer and say to yourself "Today I am writing for <i>me</i>, and I don't care if no one likes what I write because I <i>love</i> it and that is all that matters!".<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #674ea7;"><span style="font-size: large;">J.D. Brown</span></b><br />
<a href="http://authorjdbrown.com/">Website</a> ~ <a href="http://authorjdbrown.blogspot.com/">Blog</a> ~ <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-JD-Brown/100734053354525">Facebook</a> ~ <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/AuthorJDBrown">Twitter</a></div>J. D. Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09779798394874091463noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8198581514056172349.post-39320654792770366622011-09-10T14:12:00.000-04:002011-09-10T14:12:20.786-04:00Is Print Dead? Part 2Just in time to back up my blog this past week comes this article from the <i>Atlantic Wire</i>. It deals with the booming ebook industry.<br />
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You can link to the <a href="http://www.theatlanticwire.com/technology/2011/09/unintended-economics-consequences-e-books/42286/">article here</a>.Gregory Marshall Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01046473659340557062noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8198581514056172349.post-91471445866851601332011-09-06T03:00:00.000-04:002011-09-06T03:00:08.828-04:00Is Print Dead? I'm Afraid to Look Anymore<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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</style> <![endif]--> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">I’m scared.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">I’m not afraid to admit it. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Why am I scared?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Because of the coming <a href="http://youtu.be/D3v_ogRaTf4">death of my industry</a>, namely print publishing. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">You all know me as a science fiction and horror writer, with a dose of fantasy and western thrown in. But, before I became known for fiction, I was first a print journalist. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">I’ve seen a lot of things in the industry in my 30 years covering the news, including the looming death knell of newspapers. They've only begun to listen but it seems like it's too late for them to catch up with the 21st century. Too bad for so many of my former colleagues who stayed the course, while those who jumped ship and changed professions now look like Mensa whizzes.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">The owners -- namely the big publishers and the syndicates like L.A. Times, Knight-Ridder, Tribune, McClatchey -- all felt that the Internet was a passing fad and they failed to embrace it. Sort of like when IBM dismissed the personal computer as a fad and then struggled (and failed) to play catch up when the PC took over the typewriter/processor industry.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">When I was with the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fort Worth Star-Telegram</i>, we belatedly took a flyer with the Internet, in the form of me posting high school football scores online, while the newsroom posted a few top stories online. Of course, those were only meant to tease readers into buying a newspaper. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">In the past decade, newspapers have been bleeding red ink. Periodicals that were founded more than a century ago have faded away like the Clipper ship and Pan-Am. Others, like the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Boston Globe </i>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Philadelphia Enquirer</i>, struggle to hang on. Most newspapers have drastically cut staff much like my old employer, the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Star-Telegram</i>, did back in 2008.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Cut to the present. The publishing industry is treading the same pathway that newspapers did, right toward the same cliff.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">The North American Big Six -- Hachette, McMillan, Penguin, Random House, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster -- still cling to an old business model, missing the obvious signs. One big sign is that three of those Big Six aren’t really North American, though they used to be. Hachette is French, HarperCollins is under News Corp’s umbrella and German conglomerate Bertelsmann bought Random House in 1998.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">You see, it’s common among big business to cling tighter to models that proved successful in the past, but are not quite so successful in the present. This leaves the companies open to takeovers. However, international ownership hasn’t made much improvement.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Despite all the ebooks being sold on Kindle and Nook, the Big Six seem to shun online publishing. If they sign an author, they go for ebook rights as well. Then, they’ll undercut the ebook price or shelve the ebook edition. Many times, they won't even consider signing an author whose work has mainly been online. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">You can’t blame them too much, though. They are profit-driven corporations and a 35 percent cut from each sale of a $20-25 book is more appealing than a similar percentage from a $2.99 ebook like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hunters.</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">It’s a shame because we know both mediums can co-exist. There will always be people who want to have a paperback in their hands at the beach or on the plane. There will be people who have libraries in their homes that need books to fill the shelves. But, there will also be many more, especially in the up-and-coming generations, who will fully embrace the online world (they're the ones who go straight to the computers in the library while we older adults browse the aisles). </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">You would think that profit-driven companies (and their stockholders) would see the money to be made. Sometimes, though, it’s hard to change. Admittedly, I didn’t get into Internet journalism seriously until October 2009. Even my fiction didn’t make it to the digital world until 2007 when I signed up for Writing.com. Hell, my PC is from 2005 and my cell phone begins with the letters T-R-A-C. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">But, even I have long recognized the future. So have others. Until then, though, the little guys will scarf up all the profits and get first dibs on the hottest new writers.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">I don’t know if the Big Six will ever change. As C.J. mentioned yesterday, Simon & Schuster signed that print-only deal with John Locke, so maybe someone finally installed a skylight in that thick glass ceiling. On the other hand, big corporations keep forward thinkers on notoriously short leashes, waiting for them to fail so they can say "I told you so." </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Will they finally see the future and embrace like Amazon and Barnes & Noble or will they ignore it like Hollywood Video and Blockbuster did with NetFlix and Redbox?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">I’m tired of being scared about my industry, so I’ll hope for the best and hope they don't continue to fail me.</span></div>Gregory Marshall Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01046473659340557062noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8198581514056172349.post-47190107391651689082011-09-05T12:19:00.000-04:002011-09-05T12:19:21.971-04:00Times Change - The Big Six Do, Too!This week here on Wicked, we're talking about changes in the publishing industry. The biggest story I've heard in the last few days has been <a href="http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/simon-schuster-to-handle-sales-distribution-for-john-locke-print-books_b36824">John Locke's print only deal with Simon & Schuster</a>.<br />
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He got to keep his ebook rights and can price them however he sees fit. Good for him!!<br />
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Why is this such a big deal? Well, it proves the big six is finally willing to think outside the box. Previously, they have always grabbed all the rights they can on a book. It's lead to them pricing ebooks out of the market and even occasionally having their print books listed at under the price of the ebooks -- just a few short months after the titles release.<br />
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The old model of "three months to sell" and then your title is rotated by bookstores off of shelf space, still exists. But for small authors with a strong Internet presence, a low price on an ebook, and the dogged determination to sell their little hearts out, it has been proven they can reach more readers over the long term than the big guys can short term.<br />
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Take my own <a href="http://thewickedwriters.blogspot.com/2011/08/soooooo-what-are-you-selling.html">July sales figures</a> posted a few weeks back as an example. Sales slowed down quite a bit in August, but they by no means suck. If I had been signed by a big name I'd have more book store presence, sure (compared to right now, which is nil). When considering the Industry's unwillingness to pour money into an untried author, I'd still be doing what I'm doing. My agent informed me I'd be selling just as hard with the big six as I have been without them.<br />
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No book tours for the little guy means we need to sell from our computer terminal. We blog, we tweet, we post on FB, some even do book trailers on youtube and live readings in podcasts -- the numerous ways to reach readers is more diverse now than it was just five years ago.<br />
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Would I accept a large print deal that allowed me to keep my ebook rights? You betcha. I'd sign that puppy in a heart beat. I don't think the publishing giants will ever fall, like so many others have predicted. Their reach in print distribution far outweighs the number of people who own ereaders -- especially in foreign markets.<br />
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Print won't ever die, but I do think the coming years will weed out the small and large publishers who don't think outside the box, like Simon and Schuster has. If I bust my hump building my readership and hand selling almost every ecopy of my book, why should I give that hard work up?<br />
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I may not be anywhere near selling what Mr. Locke is. But give me a few more titles under my belt and then we'll talk ;-)<br />
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<!--EndFragment-->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8198581514056172349.post-33418030097647439232011-09-01T11:18:00.000-04:002011-09-01T11:18:28.898-04:00Valor is My ChoiceGenre: Science Fiction / Subgenre: Space Opera <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizWBMG7NrlJo5mt2WGBE_66uiMJenKwA_MznQ52OwL7KtWiu8EWxhXNiSOY51yqqyvz_FqzasiPwvcDvnSXb7sNPsu9b2r-vsf6okAd0Cz8DTVW86XTQ_p8M1DFvS9ORAc_z8v5BhdpvQ/s1600/n253000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizWBMG7NrlJo5mt2WGBE_66uiMJenKwA_MznQ52OwL7KtWiu8EWxhXNiSOY51yqqyvz_FqzasiPwvcDvnSXb7sNPsu9b2r-vsf6okAd0Cz8DTVW86XTQ_p8M1DFvS9ORAc_z8v5BhdpvQ/s320/n253000.jpg" width="205" /></a></div>My favorite space opera series features Staff Sergeant Torin Kerr. Her goal is to keep both her superior officers and her troops alive as they face deadly missions throughout the galaxy. She more than proves her mettle when a diplomatic assignment and a scientific expedition both turn dangerous.<br />
<br />
The Confederation Series is penned by Tanya Huff, better known for her Blood Books, featuring detective Victoria Nelson.<br />
<br />
What I loved about the Confederation books is Torin Kerr is an unsung hero in some respects. She's put into these horrible situations and has to figure out how to get her troops and herself out of them. The plots are creative, original and kept me on my toes. I could not stop reading these books. It's the first series that pops into my mind whenever anyone asks about my favorite. Torin Kerr is a great, strong character and the action is fabulous.<br />
<br />
My favorite stories are those where the main character overcomes terrible odds. They're the kind of stories I enjoy reading and writing most.<br />
<br />
So check these out:<br />
<br />
Valor's Choice<br />
The Better Part of Valor<br />
The Heart of Valor<br />
Valor's Trial<br />
<br />
There's a compendium of the first four novels in one book. And, I see there's a new one out, Truth of Valor. I'm off to get it.<br />
<br />
What's your favorite series in your genre? What makes you love it?M Paxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14096697282530998519noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8198581514056172349.post-82563837229732361362011-08-29T00:00:00.002-04:002011-08-29T00:00:00.929-04:00Study Your Peers - The Southern Vampire MysteriesToday I'm taking a critical look into the Southern Vampire Mystery series by Charlaine Harris, aka The Sookie Stackhouse novels, aka the books that started HBO's TV series, True Blood.<br />
<br />
Why am I attempting to analysis the work of a highly successful vampire author who's craft is one-hundred times better than my own? Well... that IS why. She writes vampire urban fantasy... I write vampire urban fantasy... She's famous... I'm just getting started. I'm trying to learn something here by studying one of the masters.<br />
<br />
What? Surprised I didn't chose The Vampire Lestat for this post? There is no argument from me that Anne Rice is certainly a vampire master, but the industry has come a long way since the days of Interview with a Vampire and Harris' books are bit more current. Plus I am currently obsessed with True Blood, so of course I jumped to talk about it. *wink*<br />
<br />
So here we go:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDpGPWDrVoiReXnfkxF8JqGAtHeAD4UQhPRW3MGQIUUKOGOCNDhZWrFZ548tN5pjX3WY7JR3FAeUSMv3E5zuPG9LlYr3uuNLsymw5hkedDprlqy520-VV0am6Ay10YWKVtJJTrZIzhHiI4/s1600/dead-until-dark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDpGPWDrVoiReXnfkxF8JqGAtHeAD4UQhPRW3MGQIUUKOGOCNDhZWrFZ548tN5pjX3WY7JR3FAeUSMv3E5zuPG9LlYr3uuNLsymw5hkedDprlqy520-VV0am6Ay10YWKVtJJTrZIzhHiI4/s200/dead-until-dark.jpg" width="123" /></a></div><b>Blurb for DEAD UNTIL DARK - Book 1<br />
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Sookie Stackhouse is a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. She's quiet, keeps to herself, and doesn't get out much. Not because she's not pretty. She is. It's just that, well, Sookie has this sort of "disability". She can read minds. And that doesn't make her too dateable. And then along comes Bill. He's tall, dark, handsome - and Sookie can't hear a word he's thinking. He's exactly the type of guy she's been waiting for all her life....<br />
<br />
But Bill has a disability of his own: He's a vampire with a bad reputation. He hangs with a seriously creepy crowd, all suspected of - big surprise - murder. And when one of Sookie's coworkers is killed, she fears she's next.</b><br />
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<br />
<u>What I love most about this series:</u> Right off the bat in chapter one, Harris makes it known that humans are well aware of the existence of vampires. But they didn't always know. The vampires had recently "come out of the coffin" before book one starts. Unlike hundreds of other vampire books, the focus is <i>not </i>to keep the vampire lover a secret. Instead of focusing on the secret world of vampires, Harris plays on what would happen if we found out vampires were real? How would politics handle it? Would they have the same civil rights as us? Should human-vampire marriages be legalized? How would the church react to this? Do vampires have souls? Etc. Even though this is all going on in the back ground, Harris does such an excellent job of making it real - as real as the battle for gay rights, for example.<br />
<br />
<u>Why it works</u>: Plan and simple - it's different. I can't think of anyone else who's taken this approach before. In fact, it's so different that no one cares about the fact that she uses the stereotypical type of vampires (the exploding in the sun, needing permission to enter your house type).<br />
<br />
<u>The Characters:</u> The characters are always the reason why I love or hate any book. So of course that means I love Harris' characters - vampire <i>and</i> human. She does an excellent job of making each character 100 percent unique and quirky. My favorite character is - without a doubt - Eric Northman, the viking vampire and true alpha male and hero of the series. <i>*Spoiler Alert!*</i> I have to admit I was disappointed when Bill and Sookie broke up. I kept waiting for them to get back together - the flirting with Alcide was okay, but I really didn't care for that bald tiger guy. But <i>Eric</i> and Sookie, on the other hand, Oh - My - God! It's not even the fact that Sookie and Eric are together, it's the way Harris put them together!!! She was extra sneaky about it and it worked.<br />
<br />
However, there were a few things that didn't work for me. Harris has a ton of secondary characters that just didn't seem necessary at all. Have you seen the show? Only about a third of the secondary characters from the book made it into the show. I'm glad the books are written in first person without any head-hopping (with the exception of Sookie's mind reading ability) or it would have been worse.<br />
<br />
Also, a lot of her characters have some funky names and/or names that are spelled weird. I'm not sure if that's because her characters are from Louisiana or what, but I had a hard time trying to guess the proper pronunciation. This always annoys me to no end. If I can't pronounce a character's name, I'm not going to use it and not going to remember it either.<br />
<br />
<u>The Setting</u>: I've only been to New Orleans once when I was a kid, but you can tell Harris is from the area. I have to assume that's the major reason why she used Louisiana. She writes it well and she writes about Southern values and traditions from Sookie's point of view like she's been doing it herself her whole life - which she has. I always think using a setting you know well gives the author a huge advantage. It's easy to make it real because you've been there. Plus the twist - southern vampire racism - is oh so fun in this story. Does 'till death do you part have any power with a vampire lover?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA9-owg3wYZqi7-lYsYy2s3liR5LMCqL20ovEevOxVUYaYCPPW3SbNbZCMmkd-DbkAGeV5zED1-NiQHtUJoRnB7mQIjilpm0EWtgBcdmKi75tCxJlMpHgKR_yfGQkZSD-7zJ5NbPuvSiXy/s1600/EricNorthmanLicensePlate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA9-owg3wYZqi7-lYsYy2s3liR5LMCqL20ovEevOxVUYaYCPPW3SbNbZCMmkd-DbkAGeV5zED1-NiQHtUJoRnB7mQIjilpm0EWtgBcdmKi75tCxJlMpHgKR_yfGQkZSD-7zJ5NbPuvSiXy/s320/EricNorthmanLicensePlate.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><u>The Writing:</u> Ah, here is we run into some issues. Before we all start to judge, I'm just going to say my own personal opinions here. You are all free to disagree. Ever since I became a writer, reading for pleasure as oppose to critiquing has gotten difficult. I have to tell my inner editor to shut up and just enjoy the story - no matter what I'm reading - so it's really nothing personal to the author.<br />
<br />
However, I had a hard time with the flow of this series. The beginning of each book is always long and drawn out with little to no action. There are a ton of little passive scenes about Sookie doing her grocery shopping or some other errand that has absolutely nothing to do with the plot. It's slow and boring and I sometimes skip over a lot of it. The only slight advantage I can see to this is that there is NO question as to what kind of person Sookie Stackhouse is because we're forced to follower her everywhere. It's a good thing Sookie is the type of heroine I like; strong, stubborn, and witty.<br />
<br />
The middle is usually where we get the conflict - and the hot lovin' which is pretty much all I care about. LOL. Now as a new author who had the "rules" drilled into my head time and time again, presenting the conflict in the middle of the story is a huge no-no. It should be in the beginning! Harris likes to break this rule, especially in the later books.<br />
<br />
It does lead to a fast and intense conclusion, though. And Harris likes to do the cliff-hanger ending which I both love and loath. Love because I just HAVE to get the next book! Loath because have to WAIT for the next book! :-(<br />
<br />
<u>Overall:</u> Guys, I really have no idea why The Southern Vampire Mysteries are a hit or why HBO decided to make it into a TV series. IMHO, the plot is week. The show is better - plot wise at least. But what it does have going for it is 1) The characters are awesome and dynamic. 2) Sookie is a strong leading lady that doesn't take vampire crap. 3) It's different. There is no other vampire book like it that I know of. And I think that's the most important element. And 4) Eric Northman would eat the Cullens for breakfast and make it look hot.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-size: large;">~ J.D. Brown ~</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">author of the Dark Heirloom series * March 2011</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://authorjdbrown.com/">Website</a> ~ <a href="http://authorjdbrown.blogspot.com/">Blog</a> ~ <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-JD-Brown/100734053354525">Facebook</a> ~ <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/AuthorJDBrown">Twitter</a></span></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As C.J. mentioned Monday, this week we are talking about how we create the fictional worlds of our books and short stories.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Most of us are, no doubt, jaded by the fantastic world we see in the movie versions of books like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia </i>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Harry Potter.</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">One must also remember that the creation of the worlds in those classics took years. In some cases, authors like J.R.R. Tolkien died while still fleshing out their new worlds.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">My worlds are not quite that extensive. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why? Because they don’t need to be. There was only one J.R.R. Tolkien, only one C.S. Lewis. I’m not going to reinvent the wheel.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Fortunately, I don’t have to and neither do you.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I form my fictional lands from what I have or see around me. A childhood visit to Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket can be the inspiration for an island of a fantasy age for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Damsels of Distress.</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">For <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Land of the Blind</i>, the lead character, Devereaux Marshall Fox, operates in a futuristic world, but one not more than a century or two beyond this current age. Therefore, I need only to bone up with an issue or two of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Popular Science</i> to get the juices flowing and come up with potential new technology for the future.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">And I also use what I view. I see Tom Cruise uses special gloves to physically move items around a three-dimensional computer screen. Then, I see a prototype of that computer where users use interactive technology to move things around a flat screen. The computer can be displayed on any surface with a holographic fully functioning keyboard beamed onto any hard surface. Amazing stuff that I need only advance a few years for my world – say, in the form of a cell phone that can do all that.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I see a spy magazine advertising glasses with miniature cameras attached so the wearer can have both hands free. With a little imagination, those glasses can become view screens for computer information like map directions.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">And why stay on Earth. Pay attention to the news. They found ancient waterways on Mars. So, imagine what Mars might have looked like with canals and oceans. Transfer those thoughts to a completely new world.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We all took science in school. We all know or have heard about novas, supernovas, black holes, quasars, red giants, pulsars. We might not have paid attention but we heard of them. Use that stuff. Make that journey through space much more realistic, so that when you do introduce something totally made up, it will seem natural.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Think of the Wormhole from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Star Trek</i>. That theory is so out there, it literally only exists in the minds of sc ience fiction writers. Scientists can barely get past the theory of dark energy and cold fusion. But, by using the foundations of basic science, writers can create wormholes to travel across entire galaxies in mere hours instead of years and, voila, readers and viewers think wormholes really do exist.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">And, most importantly, remember the two most important aspects of your fictional world.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">One, it must be survivable.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Create something so inhospitable that your characters have no chance of survival and watch the readers chuck the book or erase it from the Kindle. Your characters must be able to adapt and survive</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTR0NHlfxxvdUTj751xS0ReuXqbtuSsa9JAeCyb89VD0zbvcmUbSMMYWSQs3JQVr8GMC7RhYGywxrIGh4HfNhuJHQiNTALb7JhgfBDD6ronecGDs0giR1vmJT-xETZnqLBhUmKMaXvAs_4/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTR0NHlfxxvdUTj751xS0ReuXqbtuSsa9JAeCyb89VD0zbvcmUbSMMYWSQs3JQVr8GMC7RhYGywxrIGh4HfNhuJHQiNTALb7JhgfBDD6ronecGDs0giR1vmJT-xETZnqLBhUmKMaXvAs_4/s200/images.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">And two – the most important feature –<i>YOU</i> have to like it. Seems like a no-brainer, but if you create a world that repulses you, you’re not going to revisit it to create your stories. It will be like one of those houses you see on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hoarders</i>. After one visit, the likelihood of you stepping across the threshold again is somewhere between slim and none.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">But, if you create it and feel comfortable with it, you’ll visit it again and again.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And, so will your readers.</span></div>Gregory Marshall Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01046473659340557062noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8198581514056172349.post-3028212418180871992011-08-22T06:00:00.003-04:002011-08-22T06:00:09.435-04:00C.J. LandThis week's topic is how do you put together the world your characters live in? I laughed when I read it. Why? Well, my whole life I've often questioned why things are the way they are in our world -- usually after hearing about recent government corruption or some grave injustice done to the little guy.<br />
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I'd often start off by saying "In C.J. Land…" or "If I ran the world…." much to my family's amusement.<br />
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Yes, yes, I'm admitting it here and now. I may not be the person to judge someone's worthiness to ascend heaven, but I have a very clear moral and ethical compass and most things are either "black or white" for me. Split second decisions, I go on gut and instinct. Doesn't mean I'm always right, but eh, I live with the fallout.<br />
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Drives my husband crazy, who is very much a "shades of gray" type of person. Which could very well be why we're such a good match. Never a dull moment as we debate the rights and wrongs of an important situation.<br />
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<blockquote>"That eight year old child spoke rudely to his neighbor, with arrogance and disdain dripping from his tone. His parents should be smacked for not raising him right."</blockquote><br />
Yes, that is the kind of pig-headed stubbornness you'll hear from me. And if I were to expound more on what is wrong with today's youth I'd probably get locked up, or you'd look at me like I was some angry ninety-year-old man yelling from his front porch. So, let me climb off my crazy soapbox and get back to the topic -- which is world-building.<br />
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For me, world-building is not hard. I throughly enjoy playing out scenes in my head where I'd walk up to the mother (whom I probably know) and politely lay out why her child is a raging brat or has the table manners of a three year old. But, since it wouldn't gain me any friends, I wisely keep my mouth shut. And trust me, some days that's very, very hard (especially since my house has been over run with kids this summer who have crappy table manners).<br />
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I grew up reading high fantasy novels. After reading <i>The Hobbit</i> in seventh or eighth grade, I was hooked. I especially enjoyed the glossaries found in most fantasy books. It would often help me understand all the aspects of the author's complex world. And if the <i>Lord of the Rings</i> was written today, I'd bet you a thousand bucks the publisher never would have let the names Sauron and Saruman both be used. We're watching the movies with the kids right now and the closeness of the two names drives me crazy.<br />
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For me, building my own world is the same thing -- creating a mental glossary of terms and characters. It may be in my head for most of the writing of the first book, but now, with book three being written, the terms are clearly laid out in the earlier books for easy reference for me as well as the reader.<br />
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Want to create a contradiction in your world? Easy-peasy. You're the creator. If a rule doesn't match what you've previously set up, think of an exception to the rule and how it might work. Sometimes, details are implied in your finished product, other times you may have to flat out explain it within the text through teaching or an interview scene between two characters.<br />
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How do you keep it all straight? Keep notes or start your glossary early. You may not use the long version in your published book, but it will ensure you make no glaring mistakes along the way.<br />
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What are some techniques you use in world-building? Please share, I'd love to hear!<br />
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia;">~~ C.J. Ellisson ~~</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B0044PMIJI"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; text-decoration: none;">Amazon</span></b></a><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span><b><span style="font-family: Georgia;">* </span></b><a href="http://www.facebook.com/C.J.EllissonFanPage"><b><span style="color: #c45300; font-family: Georgia; text-decoration: none;">Facebook</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> * </span></b><a href="http://www.cjellisson.com/"><b><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia; text-decoration: none;">Website</span></b></a><b><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Georgia;">* </span></b><a href="http://cjellissondailygrind.blogspot.com/"><b><span style="color: #c45300; font-family: Georgia; text-decoration: none;">Blog</span></b></a><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8198581514056172349.post-48056722870240047572011-08-18T00:56:00.012-04:002011-09-11T13:09:36.513-04:00Get Visible Off the InternetThe internet is a fantastic and powerful tool for promoting our work and books, but it's not the only tool available. Get out there and get involved in the real world. Join the local writers group, organize a critique group, go to local book signings and author events. Get out and be seen.<br />
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I joined my local writers group and got involved, becoming their blog director. Being new to this community, it was a great way to meet people and let them get to know me. They root for me because they know me. People can't root for you or support you if they don't know you exist.<br />
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Another thing I do is attend monthly gatherings at my local library to hear a featured writer / poet read their work. Afterward, there's an open mic. I often get up and read something I wrote. One, it's good practice, to get up in front of an audience and read my work. Two, it's gotten me notice. Three, it led to publishing some of those stories as free reads on the internet because of the great response I received for them. Fourth, applause now and again is a nice change of pace. I got my very first fan (not related to me or a friend, but just liked my work that much) this way.<br />
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I'll be reading later this month at an event sponsored by my local writers guild to promote my free reads. I used to dread reading in public, but practice has made me much more comfortable with it and much better at it. <br />
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I also volunteer. Every summer (I'm in the middle of my 4th summer), I docent at Pine Mountain Observatory as a star guide. I had a set of business cards printed with my website address, blog address and email, and I hand them out. Not to everyone, but to people I get into conversations with who then get curious about me and what I do.<br />
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So, yes, definitely leave the computer once in awhile and get out there and let people around you get to know you. It can be another very powerful tool in your arsenal.<br />
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<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">~<b style="color: #0c343d;">M. Pax</b></div><div style="color: #76a5af; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><i>The stars are the beginning ...</i></b></div><b style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://www.mpaxauthor.com/">website</a> / <a href="http://mpaxauthor.blogspot.com/">blog</a></b>M Paxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14096697282530998519noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8198581514056172349.post-47474719563610925092011-08-15T00:01:00.001-04:002011-08-15T00:01:04.081-04:00Promotion: Laying the Foundation<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwbJ0FgbNRAXglWACHHA4MWA98_dLSk5afpkeZFRTZ14OY0HcwKBgMtmaAGWXMH9FV_FmVGz0tIDuJnEG-8CToiZqpRCzK1M5cmuMoFuiDd84w62tgxC8YH2RgfUUy6TUAWM9yaaEQmFJl/s1600/Building-blocks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwbJ0FgbNRAXglWACHHA4MWA98_dLSk5afpkeZFRTZ14OY0HcwKBgMtmaAGWXMH9FV_FmVGz0tIDuJnEG-8CToiZqpRCzK1M5cmuMoFuiDd84w62tgxC8YH2RgfUUy6TUAWM9yaaEQmFJl/s200/Building-blocks.jpg" width="200" /><br />
</a></div><div class="MsoNormal">This week, the Wicked Writers are blogging about self-promotion!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">….ugh…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I mean… yay… </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Well, I can’t tell you what works to sell books because my debut releases on the 19<sup>th</sup> of this month. So, until then, I don’t have any numbers or sales success – or sales failures – to share with you.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">But, I do have a pretty good web presence. Google my pen name, <a href="http://ravencraftromance.com/">Danielle Ravencraft.</a> You’ll see. I’m on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-JD-Brown/100734053354525">Facebook</a>… <a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001945110340">I’m ALL OVER Facebook</a>… even my blog has a <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ravencrafts-Romance-Realm/217947398235022">Facebook page</a>…<br />
<br />
Which brings us to blogging. I blog. A lot. I used to belong to about four group blogs, a blog hop group, and had two personal blogs. I was able to do it only because I had nothing published and, thus, nothing else to promote at the time. A few of those blogs went under and I converted one of my personal blogs into a group blog. So now I blog for two groups and <a href="http://authorjdbrown.blogspot.com/">my personal blog</a>, plus I manage a website that promotes <a href="http://haurbanstars.com/">urban fantasy authors.</a> That one is new. And not doing so well because I haven’t had time to promote it as vigorously as the others.<br />
<br />
I also have a <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/AuthorJDBrown">Twitter</a> account. I love Twitter because it’s simple. Enough said. I’m also a member of BookBlogs.com, Linked In, Writing.com, SavvyAuthors.com, Slefari.com, Good Reads, my publisher’s reading group and author loops, my publisher’s blog… eventually I’ll have an Amazon author page…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Point is my name is out there. People know who I am or have at least heard of me. I have a pretty solid group of author friends from all different genres and levels of writing. I’m slowly – and I mean SLOWLY – building a readership of non-writing people, lovingly called “pen muggles”.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So, when my book releases, I won’t be starting from scratch. I have a solid foundation and that’s the first step. I have ways to go, though. Tons more to do. I think it helps to have a plan or rough outline of how you will market each book. For “Dark Heirloom”, for example, I have a list of eight review sites – all urban fantasy or vampire themed – that I want to submit ARC’s too. I plan to have a virtual book tour for it in April or May, just like <a href="http://ravencraftromance.com/events/">theone I’m doing at the end of the month for “A Trace of Love”.</a> Then there are bookmarks, business cards, giveaways, etc.<br />
<br />
And of course, there are C.J.’s proven tactics which she has generously shared with me and which you can read <a href="http://thewickedwriters.blogspot.com/2011/08/soooooo-what-are-you-selling.html">HERE.</a> She has also recommended a book to me, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sold-Million-eBooks-Months-ebook/dp/B0056BMK6K/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1313256144&sr=1-1">“HowI Sold 1 Million eBooks In 5 Months” by John Locke</a>, which I now own and have read. I plan to mimic what both C.J. and John have taught me as best I can with my publisher’s permission.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Well, this has been a ramble post. I apologize. In a few months, I’ll have a book or two out and then I’ll have actual figures to share with all of you. Before I go, I want to mention it’s a good idea to keep a record of how much promotion you do each month, what kind, where, and when, and compare it to your monthly sales. Unless you have a PR team, you can’t be everywhere all the time. You have to make your efforts count in the places that pay off the most. So it’s important to keep a record.<br />
<br />
That’s all I have for now. I’ll politely bow out, but please come back tomorrow and see what S.M. Blooding has to add. <br />
<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">J.D. Brown</span></b><br />
<a href="http://authorjdbrown.com/">website</a> ~ <a href="http://authorjdbrown.blogspot.com/">blog</a> ~ <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-JD-Brown/100734053354525">facebook</a> ~ <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/AuthorJDBrown">twitter</a><br />
<i>Ema Marx wasn't bitten and she's not undead, so how did she become a vampire?</i> </div><div style="text-align: center;">-"Dark Heirloom" look for it March 2012 from <a href="http://museituppublishing.com/">Muse It Up Publishing Inc.</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div>J. D. Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09779798394874091463noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8198581514056172349.post-33598621230315177632011-08-11T04:30:00.000-04:002011-08-11T04:30:02.010-04:00An Ideal World Or My One Big, Fat Wish<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iVzCNy2YnLc/TkKR2bp5pLI/AAAAAAAAA_A/03yDK92DBI8/s1600/glenda+good+w.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" naa="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iVzCNy2YnLc/TkKR2bp5pLI/AAAAAAAAA_A/03yDK92DBI8/s200/glenda+good+w.bmp" width="185" /></a></div>Okay, say my fairy godmother offered me a wish--anything I wanted, what would I say? <br />
<br />
Well, I’d motion her closer and say I wanted the world to be different. Everything: no illness, no wars, no hatred, no bigotry of any kind. <br />
<br />
And while I'm at it, fairy godmother, I’d also like to see the world of writing and publishing different too, and not just for me but for every hard working writer hammering away at a keyboard.<br />
<br />
See I'm talking about a chance--a chance to be up there with the Gods of writing, with the bestselling authors. Those iconic authors whose work we savour. I read them, you read them, we all read their works, but hey Mister, give me a chance too, huh? <br />
<div></div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;"><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/4w5y8TLDXMA" width="425"></iframe></div><br />
Remember that scene in <em>Funny Girl</em> when Barbra Streisand playing Fanny Brice wants to audition for a show and she sings the song about being the greatest star ‘only no one knows it?’<br />
<br />
Well that's what this blog post is about. There are so many of us wanting to be noticed, wanting our writing seen by all.<br />
<br />
I feel I have something to say, something new and different. I'm another voice crying in bookdom's wilderness, I'm building a fan base but I also want to sing: MR. KEANEY, HERE I AM (<em>Funny Girl</em> again).<br />
<br />
I studied acting many years ago and auditioned for a couple of off Broadway shows, it was fun and terrifying at the same time. It's a tough business show business, but you can audition for big shows for big producers too sometimes. I don't think writing is like that. That's what I'd like to see different. <br />
<br />
Showing up for an open audition is straight forward. The producers, stage managers are either there or they're not. They're going to give you a shot or not. You'll know it or you won't, no guessing.<br />
<br />
We had a free blog post topic this week, where we could discuss what we liked. I did this; I did it because it's something I feel strongly about. <br />
<br />
Having said that, I don't want you to think I focus on this all the time because I don't. I'm too much of a realist and a pragmatist. I work hard and will continue to do so. <br />
<br />
I am writing the sequel to my novel now and am enjoying every minute of it even though it's tough. Nothing comes easy in this life and that's a good thing because it keeps us on our toes and focused. <br />
<br />
So if everything remains the same and I have to continue to promote myself and my writing I'll do it because there's no way I would stop, not now, not ever, after all the show must go on!<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">~*~Carole Gill~*~</div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="http://carolegillofficialauthor.blogspot.com/">Website </a> * <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_125137780873164&id=179696468750628#!/pages/Carole-Gill-Author/120405794703293">Facebook</a> * <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/carolelynngill">Twitter</a> * <a href="http://bloodygoodvampires.blogspot.com/">Personal Blog </a></div><br />
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</div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8198581514056172349.post-39689089962387476842011-08-10T02:20:00.004-04:002011-08-10T11:34:48.344-04:00The First 30 Years Was the Easy Part<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">I came to a particularly disturbing conclusion last Friday. It turns out that all the writing I’ve done professionally and recreationally for the past 33-plus years was a piece of cake<i>. </i>White chocolate raspberry truffle cheesecake, to be exact.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">It seems that, somehow, I escaped the hard part – a.k.a Auntie Em's wonderful Christmas fruitcake -- until now.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">That hard part is getting published. And, by that, I mean the technical stuff to actually get it into the hands or Nooks or Kindles of readers.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">And how do I know it’s the hard part?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Because the process shoved itself into my face. Well, okay, maybe “shove” is too harsh a word. It introduced me to the ugliest blind date in history and, while I was gagging, sneaked out the back door and drove off.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">No longer would I be able to just write the story and palm it off on the editors who would handle the actual printing aspects like I did at the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fort Worth Star-Telegram</i> or JDTV, Inc., my old magazine publisher.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">No longer would I upload my stuff to Lulu and Smashwords, wishing on big sales while the actual sales figures could best be described by the phrase “pennies on the dollar.” I was content to say that I was a published author. Not a <i>writer</i>, but an honest-to-goodness published <i>author</i>. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Oh, no. This time around I was going to have to do some real work. Disconcertingly, I have learned that dealing with coaches, athletes and parents for quotes, trying to meet a crushing deadline and reworking the same piece of fiction umpteen times was, in fact, the easy part. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">For example, last Friday, C.J. Ellisson (online publishing tour de force) told me I needed to bookmark and hyperlink my table of contents, chapter headings and glossary for <i>Hunters</i>. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Bookmark? Hyperlink?</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">WTF?</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">I've always been a quick learner (except for Calculus III and Differential Equations and Advanced Chemistry). So, I went online to look up those terms. I knew them already but had never actually bookmarked an item within a story. Slowly and painfully, I went back through my novel <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hunters </i>to make the changes necessary for publication.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">I looked to C.J. for advice. Up front, she was real supportive and patient</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">. In reality, I was worried she might have hurt herself from either laughing her ass off or finally experiencing what a migraine felt like as she dealt with my shenanigans. At the very least, I’m pretty certain she can see up into her brain from rolling her eyes so much. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Anyway, just when I had gotten this bookmark & link thing down, next I had to offer up half of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hunters</i> onto my novellas <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dark Tidings Volumes I & II </i>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">They Call the Wind Muryah</i>. It was a business move to attract readers to my novel, so I did it.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Keep in mind, my mood during all this wasn't that great. It came after I did up one of my patented honest book reviews for a fellow writer. It seems the review had a lot of punch as I was promptly knocked into next week. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">This marks my tenth trip into the future, if anyone’s curious (and it doesn't even count all the problems I caused with my editorial skills in high school and college). I might have to be less honest in the future.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">As I was saying before I became nostalgic, my mood wasn't the greatest. But, I've persevered for three decades, so I could handle it or so I thought. C.J., the head of Red Hot Publishing (I'm not being paid for this free advertising) told me to insert the title page with table of contents (check), glossary (uncheck) and chapter headings replete with bookmarks and links (check). </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">She provided an example from her own high-selling novel <i>The Hunt</i>. It all looked good until I got down to the ISBN.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil0z-RqlsQIv-31vWlB1aQEkPQCaa_hYekfwyLh-eeNqRqASq-bOtGOwOuWMgwvL18-858EnoYvOwRB8BtFnx6en52mnDSH9bD9-RSF4cXZDfQi_hsYeCXW_8Hu_TPzXR5jgmdHtaYQ_UC/s1600/300px-EAN-13-ISBN-13.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil0z-RqlsQIv-31vWlB1aQEkPQCaa_hYekfwyLh-eeNqRqASq-bOtGOwOuWMgwvL18-858EnoYvOwRB8BtFnx6en52mnDSH9bD9-RSF4cXZDfQi_hsYeCXW_8Hu_TPzXR5jgmdHtaYQ_UC/s200/300px-EAN-13-ISBN-13.svg.png" width="200" /></a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">For the uninitiated, ISBNs are not those new North Korean ballistic missiles. They’re International Standard Book Numbers, thirteen-digit numeric codes. They make it real helpful in getting books into libraries, bookstores and other places that generally weed out 99 percent of aspiring writers who have no clue what they’re doing. But, occasionally, they let their guard down and guys like me slip through.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Getting an ISBN is not as difficult as you might think, especially if you have someone on the inside, which I do. This someone is pretty smart and has a high level of tolerance to put up with my crap and still be talking to me. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Part of getting an ISBN is to figure out the length of the work. To do that, I had to do up a glossary, a necessary item if you have a lot of characters and/or technical terms in the piece. Even worse, I had to do my own acknowledgements. You know, where you thanks people who have helped you. That was very hard. Aside from the usual people (family, publisher, etc.), you never want to leave out people who might have helped you out in indirect ways, like maybe inspiring you to keep going when you were ready to chuck it all. They may say it's okay if you leave them out, but I know it must hurt nonetheless.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">But, I got everything done, putting one novella, one anthology and one full-length novel through the technical stuff. They've all gotten ISBNs and have been sent off to Red Hot Publishing.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Remember I had to add half of <i>Hunters</i> to the anthology and novella, so that took a bit of time to figure out the number of pages.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Then, C.J. says "Oh, you could have just taken the word count and divided by 250 to get the page count."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><i>WTF?!</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Before I could handle that shot to the gut, though, I get an e-mail mentioning setting up a book blogging tour. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">I can’t even set up a date without making a G20 Summit out of it.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">No fear, though. With Red Hot Publishing’s help, I put my bid package in. The woman handling the tour comes with excellent references, so I'm not worried. Not too much anyway. There's a slight trepidation because she normally deals with paranormal and supernatural romance. Yeah, the teen girl angst-driven <i>Twilight</i> kind of prose. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">As most of you know, I write old-school horror and Golden Age science fiction. There's no making out with vampires and demons and monsters. This is a "how do you like your stake?" kind of horror or giant monster ripping a path of destruction through anything connected to the New York Yankees kind of science fiction. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">As I said, though, I am in very capable hands. After all, I am the novice idiot here and C.J. and the others have fought these "wars" before. They're making money.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">And you know what the most ironic part of all this is?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Despite the steep learning curve, I think it's all worth it. The thrill of being published, I think, will make all of this both memorable and completely worthwhile. Soon, I'll be able to mention certain people's names without doubling over in excruciating pain.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Okay, they know I'm just joking.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Hold on a second. Got another e-mail from C.J. Let's see: </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Have I fixed the numbers thing yet? Do I have another book in the series ready to go so I can tease to it at the end of <i>Hunters</i>?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The hard part continues...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br />
</span></div>Gregory Marshall Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01046473659340557062noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8198581514056172349.post-65963985374828763732011-08-08T06:00:00.093-04:002011-08-08T12:43:20.039-04:00SoOoOoo What Are YOU Selling?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizoctYrQ0QU3I1RJl7Yp6ENHKxw3c3lHaf4yr-tFINEI7ZwCGsFWf2Pehyjqq_XiMhg0fO13A9iUL-xk2spaTqWBJy5VZqVvO0W-FMAmlPWft1svmV4Vzr_2aWf2lw4twujIfD-ne5GhY/s1600/kindle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizoctYrQ0QU3I1RJl7Yp6ENHKxw3c3lHaf4yr-tFINEI7ZwCGsFWf2Pehyjqq_XiMhg0fO13A9iUL-xk2spaTqWBJy5VZqVvO0W-FMAmlPWft1svmV4Vzr_2aWf2lw4twujIfD-ne5GhY/s200/kindle.jpg" width="176" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:DocumentProperties> <o:Template>Normal.dotm</o:Template> <o:Revision>0</o:Revision> <o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:Pages>1</o:Pages> <o:Words>163</o:Words> <o:Characters>753</o:Characters> <o:Company>Red Hot Publishing</o:Company> <o:Lines>13</o:Lines> <o:Paragraphs>4</o:Paragraphs> <o:CharactersWithSpaces>1145</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:Version>12.0</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">I read some interesting posts and opinions when I went searching on the Internet to find out exactly what those Amazon sales rankings equate to in actual sales. If you come from a sales background, like I do, you quickly realize talking numbers is just that, talking numbers.</span><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">Sales people do it to judge their own career and to see how well others in the same industry are doing. For them, it's like talking about the weather. A sales person who calculates their paycheck on a basis point percentage can do math in their head quick and know what people are earning.</span><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">What? Talk about income? Isn't that taboo? Didn't our folks say we should never ask someone what they are making?</span><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">How are you supposed to know if your boss is paying you well? How else would you learn the man in the next cube gets paid 20% more for the same job just because he has a weenie and you don't?</span><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">What's a body to do? Quit? Get mad? Complain?</span></b><b><span style="color: black;"> </span></b><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">Sure, 'cause that always works, right?</span><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></div><!--EndFragment--></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgExBLaNarw13lFsGZ9A8dkWK23EeXQsvg4qV8-PfAFP1uLQ8WJMHhRuuK2cx5SRCXAfatpf3IydVKbqlBpMlleBmJfVWUD_PY-3jEZAWECBMv2OtqDiFHjkrBf1bXiOPvg1Zvs4JuQjks/s1600/salesman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgExBLaNarw13lFsGZ9A8dkWK23EeXQsvg4qV8-PfAFP1uLQ8WJMHhRuuK2cx5SRCXAfatpf3IydVKbqlBpMlleBmJfVWUD_PY-3jEZAWECBMv2OtqDiFHjkrBf1bXiOPvg1Zvs4JuQjks/s320/salesman.jpg" width="263" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:DocumentProperties> <o:Template>Normal.dotm</o:Template> <o:Revision>0</o:Revision> <o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:Pages>1</o:Pages> <o:Words>276</o:Words> <o:Characters>1270</o:Characters> <o:Company>Red Hot Publishing</o:Company> <o:Lines>23</o:Lines> <o:Paragraphs>8</o:Paragraphs> <o:CharactersWithSpaces>1932</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:Version>12.0</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">Get a sales position! It's a great equalizer in gender comparison for income earnings across almost any field. You're paid solely on what you produce and not based on what</span><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"> </span><i><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">equipment</span></i><i><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"> </span></i><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">you have (or don't have *snort*). I've heard the discrepancies between earnings for gender is much less than when I entered the work force twenty-five years ago, but I have no modern comparison. I saw the writing on the wall back then and quickly got into sales.</span><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">Now, decades later, here I am – a writer who still focuses on sales. No matter how we may like to kid ourselves, money is a big motivator for any job.</span><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">How does one measure success? Is it by the happy, warm glow you get from helping others? <b><i>Umm… since when does that "warm glow" pay the bills? </i></b></span><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">Is it the satisfaction of delivering a well-told story and reaching readers…. <b><i>Yes, as long as you don't like to eat and have someone else who can support your creative ass</i></b>.</span><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">I have medical bills that get paid because my husband works. I'm incredibly grateful he's supporting me through my illnesses</span><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"> </span><b><i><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">and</span></i></b><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"> </span><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">the new career I've tackled while sick:</span><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"> </span><b><i><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">writing</span></i></b><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">. The medical bills have far exceeded what I've earned for the past two years, mainly because my insurance company refuses to pay for most of the "radical" treatment and would prefer to pay for a wheelchair or an institution, neither of which I'll succumb to at the age of forty.</span><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">Last month was a turning point for me. </span></b><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">Not because I've miraculously gotten better and no longer require $1500-$2000 a month in</span><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"> </span><i><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">additional</span></i><i><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"> </span></i><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">medical care, but because my earnings from writing, for the first time ever, have</span><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"> </span><i><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">exceeded</span></i><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"> </span><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">my medical care.</span><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><!--EndFragment--></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuM0XtjyNgb_F-N6oPFEvqR95SnUNffdTORDD7md30du7P-4QlaFk8VOKzk5Orm3_7Iic_h3Fv2BBu-z4XrsLcBKEcE_WFyothQg68mDEnFe216_K9nUHBtSwysFn9i_1UzHxU4IXtfMU/s1600/woman-writer-with-typewriter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuM0XtjyNgb_F-N6oPFEvqR95SnUNffdTORDD7md30du7P-4QlaFk8VOKzk5Orm3_7Iic_h3Fv2BBu-z4XrsLcBKEcE_WFyothQg68mDEnFe216_K9nUHBtSwysFn9i_1UzHxU4IXtfMU/s320/woman-writer-with-typewriter.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:DocumentProperties> <o:Template>Normal.dotm</o:Template> <o:Revision>0</o:Revision> <o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:Pages>1</o:Pages> <o:Words>102</o:Words> <o:Characters>473</o:Characters> <o:Company>Red Hot Publishing</o:Company> <o:Lines>8</o:Lines> <o:Paragraphs>3</o:Paragraphs> <o:CharactersWithSpaces>719</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:Version>12.0</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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<div style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">Whoot! I feel like a<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>real<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i>writer now. I've recently completed a bunch of interviews lined up to air in September, where people asked<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>when</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>I felt like a "real writer". A part of me felt it was when I landed an agent. In a moment of complete honesty, I can more accurately say it's when I started to earn money. What I consider "real" money, and not a few hundred a month.</span><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 150%;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">Will it last? I have no idea. I plan on writing my little heart out over the next few months to help keep the proverbial ball rolling.</span><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 150%;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">Here's what you all came here to see; a break down of my titles and what they've sold by month:</span><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><!--EndFragment--></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></div><table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-table-layout-alt: fixed;"><tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Gross Units<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Revenue<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Another Sip</i></b> (free read - half of book two in my fantasy series)<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Released 7/16/11</b><o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 3;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Jul-11<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">8,848<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">0.00<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 4;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 5;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Total AS:</b><o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>8,848</b><o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">0.00<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 6;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 7;"> <td colspan="2" style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 311.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="311"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Johnny Living Dangerously</i></b> (erotica novella)<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 8;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Release date 2/4/11</b><o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 9;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Feb-11<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">396<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">$220.73<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 10;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Mar-11<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: yellow;">*</span><o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">587<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">$593.26<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 11;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Apr-11<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">87<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">$151.30<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 12;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">May-11<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">119<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">$166.79<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 13;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Jun-11<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">348<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">est. 135.00<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 14;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Jul-11<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">340<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">est. 120.00<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 15;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 16;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Total JLD:</b><o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>1,877</b><o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 17;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 18;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 19;"> <td colspan="2" style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 311.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="311"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Just One Taste</i></b> (short story w/half of book one)<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 20;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Release date 2/20/11</b><o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 21;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Feb-11<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">6<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">$2.15<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 22;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Mar-11<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">28<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">$9.85<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 23;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Apr-11<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: yellow;">**</span><o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">0<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">$0.00<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 24;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">May-11<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">7,427<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">$7.35<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 25;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Jun-11<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">8,387<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">est 0.00<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 26;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Jul-11<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">5,844<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">est. 0.00<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 27;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 28;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Total JOT:</b><o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>21,692</b><o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 29;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 30;"> <td colspan="2" style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 311.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="311"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>More Than Tolerable</i></b> (erotica novella)<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 31;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Release date 2/24/11</b><o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 32;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Feb-11<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">34<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">$11.40<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 33;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Mar-11<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">290<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">$132.43<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 34;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Apr-11<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">149<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">$86.16<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 35;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">May-11<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">185<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">$90.75<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 36;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Jun-11<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">397<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">est. 150.00<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 37;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Jul-11<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">470<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">est. 160.00<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 38;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 39;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Total MTT:</b><o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>1,525</b><o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 40;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 41;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Vampire Vacation </i></b>(fantasy series, book one)<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 42;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Release date 9/24/11</b><o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 43;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Sep-10<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">28<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">$29.56<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 44;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Oct-10<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">163<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">$195.35<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 45;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Nov-10<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">58<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">$132.44<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 46;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Dec-10<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">69<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">$186.04<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 47;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Jan-11<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">103<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">$239.35<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 48;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Feb-11<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">148<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">$199.57<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 49;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Mar-11<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">95<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">$271.22<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 50;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Apr-11<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: yellow;">***</span><o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">118<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">$377.78<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 51;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">May-11<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1,452<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">$683.03<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 52;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Jun-11<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">2,843<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">est 1,080.00<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 53;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Jul-11<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">3,202<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">est 1,280.00<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 54;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 55;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Total V V:</b><o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>8,279</b><o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 56;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 57;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>The Hunt</i></b> (fantasy series, book two)<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 58;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Release date 6/28/11</b><o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 59;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Jun-11<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">215<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">est 75.00<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 60;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Jul-11<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: yellow;">****</span><o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">2,463<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">est 3,100.00<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 61;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 88.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="88"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 62; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;"> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 179.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="179"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Total TH:</b><o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">2,678<o:p></o:p></span></b></div></td> <td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 118.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="118"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div></td> </tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Total all ebooks, paid and free: 45,042 (est.)</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Total paid ebooks: 14,359 (est.)</b></span></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: yellow;">*</span>Side note-- what made the sales in March drop for JLD? Changing the teaser price from 99 cents to 2.99 </span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: yellow;">**</span>This is where I took JOT off sale at Amazon for six weeks because I was trying to get them to acknowledge the listing was up for free at Smashwords (so I did "sell" some during that time but SW reports the free reads as one big number, no monthly breakdown). Turns out Amazon didn't care when it was free at SW, but they did when it was free at B&N. So when it went free in May at B&N I put it back up for sale at Amazon and then they "found" the lower price eventually. </span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: yellow;">*** </span>V V was priced normally between 3.99 and 4.99. Previously, I had experimented with lowering it to 99 cents. Sales spiked for a few days and then went back to where they were. March is when I changed the cover and raised the price. I saw a 700% increase in sales at Apple with the new cover and about 30-40% at Amazon and B&N. But when May rolled around with the free read, I decided to follow what other hit authors were doing and priced the first book in the series at 99 cents. </span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: yellow;">****</span> This book was priced at a friendship rate of 99 cents for the first two weeks. Sales did drop a little when it went to its normal price of 2.99, but they didn't tank. So far so good. Not sure how long sales will last.</span></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
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<div style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">Let me explain a few things. First, I don't have my print sales listed up there, those are only ebook sales. Print sales of<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Vampire Vacation</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>have been limited to under 200 copies. The ebook & monetary figures for June and July are estimates, our bookkeeper has not tallied all the numbers yet. Calculating profits can be tricky (not something that should be estimated like I did above). Revenue varies from 35% to 70% depending on a few things (like selling at Apple or selling at a $2.99 price tag or above).</span><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 150%;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">Also, most of the sales numbers up there are from Amazon. A few months ago, B&N gave them a run for their money with more sales each month earned for the company (not just my sales). Then, in April, they started listing<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>free</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>reads on the same bestselling lists as<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>paid</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>reads and our numbers as a whole tanked.</span><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 150%;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Dumb move, B&N! Smarten up. If<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>we</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>don't sell books<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>you</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>don't make money, so move the freebies to another list and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b>all<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></b>your sales figures will bounce back. Of course I've written to them, but who the hell am I and why should they care to listen? Idiots. They'll be the next to crumble if they don't wise up.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 150%;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">I'm moving forward with all the company's new releases to only be distributed through Lightning Source (wholesale pricing model versus the agency pricing most retailers offer to direct uploads). These individual retailer accounts with Apple, B&N, Amazon, AllRomanceeBooks, Smashwords, and now Kobo are killing me with uploads. </span><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 150%;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">You only see six titles up there, by our small company has thirty and when you multiply that by all the various requirements across multiple retailers you can see how managing our small catalogue of titles quickly becomes a daunting task. You make<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>one<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i>correction and you have hours of work on your hands to re-upload everywhere.</span><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 150%;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out once my free reads went up at Amazon the sales really started happening. I've known other writers doing the same thing and it works, but the buy rate is different for each of us. I'm thrilled mine sits at currently 35% for the first book (meaning 21,692 free reads downloaded on V V and sales in that time frame were 7,497; indicative of 35% of the readers have opted to purchase the rest of the book). On the second book, the buy rate is currently 30% from the free read.</span><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 150%;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: #660000; line-height: 150%;">**Note to anyone reading this who is unaware of my sales strategy. I gave away a very short story titled<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Just One Taste<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i>(2500 words), and tacked on half of<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Vampire Vacation<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i>(book one in my fantasy series) for free. Since it worked so well, I did the same thing with<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Another Sip</i>, but didn't have time to write a short story. I simply labeled it as "Part One" of<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>The Hunt<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i>(book two), and gave away half for free. My logic is simple: if the reader likes it they will buy the rest of the book. If they don't then at least they gave it a shot.</span></b><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 150%;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">Before I end this post, I'd like to thank the very important people who have helped me make it as a full time writer –<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b>the readers</b>. Without you taking a chance on an unknown and trying my work, I'd still be dreaming, and wondering if this pipe dream could really happen. Thank you! I cherish every note, email, comment, and status update.</span><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 150%;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;">So, now that I've bared my soul with sales figures for all the world to see, care to share? What are<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>you</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>selling? And more importantly, <i>what has worked for you?</i></span><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 150%;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 150%;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: #0000fe; line-height: 150%;">CONTEST TIME! </span></b><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div align="center" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: #0000fe; line-height: 150%;">Wicked Writers is running a summer long contest to win a free Kindle!! All you have to do is comment with your email on any post from now until Labor Day weekend. </span></b><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div align="center" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: #0000fe; line-height: 150%;">We'll be keeping a tally of commenters who include their emails and then the names will be randomly picked - more comments per person means more entries! Ping backs to Twitter, Facebook, and links to other sites including a mention with a link to us will also count.</span></b><span style="color: black; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><br />
</div><!--EndFragment--></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8198581514056172349.post-34834413824384337722011-08-04T00:29:00.022-04:002011-08-04T14:19:25.393-04:00Self-Publishing as an Audience Building ToolThis week's topic is supposed to be about agents shuffling authors through the self-publishing process, but honestly I don't see any reason why a writer would need an agent to self-publish and I've heard nothing about this being a trend. The whole reason to go e and self is to get around the barricades imposed by agents and traditional publishing. <br />
<br />
A writer gets higher royalties when delving into epublication alone, sans agent, which is part of its beauty. An agent would cut into that and for doing what? Until you're going after movie rights, gaming or some other right outside of publishing, I don't see them as having a role, at least not one that would be worth a cut of the revenue.<br />
<br />
The author is shelling out all the expense to epublish -- editing, layout, book cover, promotion and marketing. The agent can't get us a better deal. Everyone gets the same royalty deal in the eworld. So, I don't see why a writer would want to pay this other person in this endeavor.<br />
<br />
I once held a stigma against epublishing myself, but now I see it as a vital marketing tool. Blogs and social networking are all well and good, but we're not reaching our audience or potential readers, only other writers. Magazines and publications don't have the reach they used to, floundering. So why not go about it ourselves? Releasing stories, novelettes and novellas in the epublishing world can get us to our potential readers and build us an audience unlike anything else.<br />
<br />
It takes time to build an audience, just like it takes time to grow a blog. I've found it very rewarding so far, reaching people who don't know me and who have enjoyed my stories. It's exhilarating and another step down the road. Maybe when I release my novelette for sale in the near future, I can earn enough cash to finance the next project, maybe actually build myself more than an audience and grow my career and a business. I see others doing it, watched some writers go from the starting line with chirping crickets to now considering quitting their day job as they're earning enough in sales. Nice. I want that. So, I'm going after it.<br />
<br />
Before delving into the eworld and audience-building, do your homework. Be certain you're writing at a professional level, have a marketing plan, hire a profession editor [read other ebooks and if you really like one, contact the writer about which editor they used -- many now credit editors and it will become a stamp of quality like a publishing house is now], produce a professional ebook cover, and don't give up because you're not a landslide success with the first release. All things take time. Very few people are overnight successes, but if you have a good product and keep at it, you will see your career and business grow.<br />
<br />
What thoughts have you about need of an agent or no? If you see some use for them in self-publishing, please share. Have any audience growing tips to share? Thoughts on epublishing?<br />
<br />
Will note as per Angelina's comment, to be clear -- I'm talking about self-publishing in the eworld. As Angelina said, not all epublishing is self-publishing. Should also say not all self-publishing is epublishing.M Paxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14096697282530998519noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8198581514056172349.post-6579325697141362582011-07-28T03:08:00.000-04:002011-07-28T03:08:01.388-04:00Miss Literary and I Discuss Genre!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dKRItegcGMw/Ti5-6dECFKI/AAAAAAAAA9k/t0DwZG0vOPk/s1600/snobby.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="284" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dKRItegcGMw/Ti5-6dECFKI/AAAAAAAAA9k/t0DwZG0vOPk/s320/snobby.bmp" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><br />
GENRE IS NOT THE POOR RELATION OF LITERARY fiction despite what Miss Literary thinks!<br />
<br />
HERE'S SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT:<br />
Horror can be literary! My publisher says my novel, <em>The House on Blackstone Moor</em> is LITERARY horror/paranormal romance!<br />
<br />
OMG! Miss Literary just fainted. Let me see if she's alright!<br />
<br />
ME: Are you alright Miss Literary?<br />
<br />
MISS LITERARY: May I please have some water?<br />
<br />
ME: Sure! Here you go!<br />
<br />
MISS LITERARY: Thank you. Oh it's <em>you, </em>that literary horror person!<br />
<br />
ME: No, just plain horror will do. I'm proud to write horror.<br />
<br />
MISS LITERARY: My word! You mean you actually write <em>genre</em> horror?<br />
<br />
ME: Of course! And I'm widely published too. Just sold a couple of extreme zombie stories!<br />
<br />
MISS LITERARY: I think I'm going to be sick!<br />
<br />
ME: Look Miss L, there's nothing wrong with writing within a certain genre or reading within one. A well-written novel is a well-written novel. A strong plot with engaging characters is nothing to be sneezed at.<br />
<br />
MISS LITERARY: That was a cliche!<br />
<br />
ME: Okay, sorry. But come on! Get real. Don't be such a snob. Don't narrow the field! That's silly. By the way if you want something really classy to read, something very selective and posh, I'll get you a copy of <em>Burke's Peerage</em>, which is the definitive guide to the genealogical history of the royal families of Europe, the aristocratic and historical families of the British Isles, and the presidential families of the United States!<br />
<br />
MISS LITERARY: Oh jolly good! But tell me, if I get bored might I read some zombie stories or something?<br />
<br />
ME: Of course, anything you like! Just loosen up Miss L and remember: A GOOD BOOK IS A GOOD BOOK, WHATEVER IT'S GENRE! <br />
<br />
<em><strong>One more thing: Never judge a book by it's cover or whether or not it falls into a particular GENRE!</strong></em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8198581514056172349.post-22556199433082210652011-07-26T03:00:00.003-04:002011-07-26T03:00:01.584-04:00The Blackness (or "Lackness") of Space<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Many people have questioned why I, a black man, picked science fiction as a genre to ply my writing talents. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">After all, in the long history of science fiction from Jules Verne and H.G. Wells up to the likes of David Weber, you can count the major black science fiction writers on one hand.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">In fact, let’s try it:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">1)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Schuyler"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">GeorgeSchuyler </span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">2)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1009412819"> </a></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_R._Delany">Samuel R.Delany</a> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">3)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octavia_E._Butler">Octavia Butler</a> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">4)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Barnes">Steven Barnes</a> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">5)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_M._Faucette">John Faucette</a> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivEETNGnpTvnwUSKTAVIsOMLwyLfL_dtY_5yuSzGdVOwegJiIkC9wLsGKLzt4iPJ1w5Tkb8klIzZmSOZImY0N9XWGP0ZNPllbKk9cmtP2_SmYYzV5ongQV6U4VaQ6uISyiJ9GL4ubiKLx8/s1600/thumbnail.aspx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivEETNGnpTvnwUSKTAVIsOMLwyLfL_dtY_5yuSzGdVOwegJiIkC9wLsGKLzt4iPJ1w5Tkb8klIzZmSOZImY0N9XWGP0ZNPllbKk9cmtP2_SmYYzV5ongQV6U4VaQ6uISyiJ9GL4ubiKLx8/s200/thumbnail.aspx.jpg" width="148" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><i>Note: Nos. 1, 3 and 5 are dead.</i> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">You can throw in a few more names that have dabbled in science fiction once or twice or are trying to get into the game such as Tananarive Due (Barnes’ wife); Walter Mosley, who took time off from Easy Rawlins to pen <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Futureland</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Wave</i>; comic book writer Kevin Grevioux; Nnedi Okorafor; Billy Dee Williams, and, of course, yours truly. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">When you see such a short list, it makes you wonder why any self-respecting African-American would take up anything in this genre. Maybe because being tossed a bone called Lando Calrissian wasn’t enough. Or maybe because I’m still pissed that all the black guys who survived <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucifer%27s_Hammer"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lucifer’s Hammer</i></a> became marauding cannibals (except the one token black guy among the heroic white people). Ironically, Barnes got his start by co-writing with that novel’s authors.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Anyway, I write in the genre because I like it. Yeah, it’s racist at times and sometimes just plain vanilla (like NASA until Guion Bluford came along). But, it has its merits and appeal.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">That was all that was needed for an eager 10-year old kid who took to writing because of the schlock movies on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Creature Double Feature. </i>Writing turned out to be tougher than I thought, as evidenced by this exciting dialogue: “Left right rudder! Left right rudder, aye, sir!” (that might have been the day I mixed Pop Rocks and pixie sticks with Coca-Cola and Tang).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Thank goodness for the grand masters of the Golden Age of Science Fiction. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">When I first went to the </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">West Medford</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> (</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Mass.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">) Public Library in my elementary school years, I started reading hot rod books and mysteries. You see, we had yearly fundraisers to battle <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/MS-READaTHON-DYa-Remember/134441113267754">muscular dystrophy by getting people to sponsor us for each book we read. I usually averaged 30-35 books during the read-a-thon</a>. (By the way, every kid participated and their parents helped out).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx9yvd8YhxoKP_RSM1Pn62BpjIyw6x6pCBx3dhqSObqnyyK9oK2c8n8F5E_pdE_YcewACGq3wWKPRqNyDMzwWJvUEc0zAbZR5zb3Z-xdtkQMStQsnLCy-truZ-ECNkIRGucUkVI0Sqb5hz/s1600/Have_Space_suit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx9yvd8YhxoKP_RSM1Pn62BpjIyw6x6pCBx3dhqSObqnyyK9oK2c8n8F5E_pdE_YcewACGq3wWKPRqNyDMzwWJvUEc0zAbZR5zb3Z-xdtkQMStQsnLCy-truZ-ECNkIRGucUkVI0Sqb5hz/s200/Have_Space_suit.jpg" width="138" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">After tiring of the juvenile delinquent hot rod books, I wanted something new and Robert Heinlein’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Have Space Suit, Will Travel</i> fit the bill. The cover art caught my eye (future writers, please pay attention to your cover art).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Once I read the book, it blew me away. I had to get more and, when </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">West Medford</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> public library couldn’t help me, I hoofed it five miles to the main </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Medford</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> public library. I got what I needed -- Isaac Asimov, L. Ron Hubbard, Lester Del Rey, Philip K. Dick, Ray Bradbury, A.E. Van Vogt, Theodore Sturgeon, Richard Matheson.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Science fiction stimulates my creative nature. I’ve got all these fantastic ideas in my head. Some of them are probably crazy but it’s my job as a science fiction writer to put these ideas out to the public. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Many of society’s most useful inventions came from the minds of science fiction writers. Here’s a brief list of inventions from science fiction stories that became reality: Water beds, mobile phones, iPads/tablets, teleconferencing, genetic engineering, artificial intelligence, robots, TV newscasts, satellites, automatic doors, escalators, lasers, tasers, voicemail, the Internet, radar, and nuclear weapons.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvVfMY39IpLnkRCf8DMtvJAOurAs-W4KjD2bOWsH2gVUsNqe0daCwq1D6QiBdbFnlVIIUb9JXpWebtM1HEajIFu-a_zf7MaQID1EjdIilfPk4AVs6kRyq_vj_Ot-7Vvsubf0QYvnAF05xm/s1600/user2367_pic24018_1237606288.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvVfMY39IpLnkRCf8DMtvJAOurAs-W4KjD2bOWsH2gVUsNqe0daCwq1D6QiBdbFnlVIIUb9JXpWebtM1HEajIFu-a_zf7MaQID1EjdIilfPk4AVs6kRyq_vj_Ot-7Vvsubf0QYvnAF05xm/s200/user2367_pic24018_1237606288.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A flying pinto? Really?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-lEzG3hV9ip23bREzA_5xAqDR9KJnzkf22h-9-Cosa1gYdTK5cqoL-8jNpLBUxyy9DqQpd6Jio10cRZJ5o2NXmakMc2YntYUb5NjUwBfy6Oq1GsmJ6gzVnfloaFwkWBuqjiv9tzeSQqpI/s1600/index.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-lEzG3hV9ip23bREzA_5xAqDR9KJnzkf22h-9-Cosa1gYdTK5cqoL-8jNpLBUxyy9DqQpd6Jio10cRZJ5o2NXmakMc2YntYUb5NjUwBfy6Oq1GsmJ6gzVnfloaFwkWBuqjiv9tzeSQqpI/s200/index.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Much better. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Heck, we even have flying cars now. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">And science fiction has been a great predictor of the future. George Orwell might have been off by about two decades but is there anyone who doesn’t think we’ve entered the age of Big Brother, with the Patriot Act, legal invasions of privacy, hacking, wiretaps and security cameras everywhere?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Considering the hate dominating the comments section of Yahoo! news, someone has to predict a brighter future.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">I’d like to contribute to this illustrious list of inventions and predictions. And someone needs to remind readers that black people do exist in the science fiction world. We have made a significant contribution to American society. Without us, there might be no traffic lights, gas masks, plasma, subways or farm equipment. I have no doubt that African-Americans can contribute to the future as well.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">That means someone has to insert that voice into the future.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">God willing and the river don’t rise (any higher), I’ll do just that.</span></div>Gregory Marshall Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01046473659340557062noreply@blogger.com2