Yesterday, I spent the bulk of my time traveling from one part of the world (which is very, very far away from the United States) to another part of the world (which is also very, very far away from the United States.) I did it on a four-engined turboprop airplane design, dating from the Korean... Continue Reading →
The Art of Design
I took a design course over the winter term, and there were some points we covered which I knew would be useful to the readers here. Design is not just for Graphic Designers, artists, and engineers. Indie authors can use the knowledge of what works (and what doesn't) to better plan and approve ideas for... Continue Reading →
Hugo History – A Guest Post by Ben Yalow
I’m going to write for a bit about the history of the Hugo rules in the WSFS Constitution, and what I think they mean. But I should make it clear that these are not official rulings of any sort, which only get made by the Business Meeting presiding officer, and the Hugo Administrator. And the... Continue Reading →
Hugo Category Highlights – Best Dramatic Presentation (Long and Short Form)
Hugo nominations are open! This means we're into the countdown. If you weren't a member of Sasquan, you have 4 days to get your membership for MidAmeriCon so you can nominate. Don't be left out. So for today we've got another two-fer: the two Dramatic Presentation categories. Best Dramatic Presentation (Long Form): This Award... Continue Reading →
Mysteriously
Sorry I'm so late, I was on a baen podcast early morning, and couldn't sit down and write before it was done, and I'm still pushing coffee. So, it's time to talk of sealing wax and ships and... nah. I fooled you. It's time to talk about the mystery structure for novels. (It's completely different... Continue Reading →
Publishers, you need to hear this
It continues to amaze me that now, years after e-books became a viable alternative to printed books, we are still having discussions about e-book pricing. When you look at what the Big 5 are saying about e-book sales vs what you see in the Author Earnings reports, you have to ask if they are operating... Continue Reading →
The Bold, New and Unique (just like everyone else)
I wonder what you all make of this – Method writing. Personally – and speaking as one of the guys who actually write quite a lot from experience -- it’s largely a load of fetid dingoes kidneys. It’s the experience of your reader that you have to relate to, not your ability to get inside... Continue Reading →
The Importance of Being Backlist
First, the links, in case you want to go read the source yourself. http://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/even-adele-cant-stop-old-album-sales-overtaking-new-artists/ https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/67270545/2016%20TWIM/2015_YearEND_MusicReport_FINAL.pdf The music industry is not the publishing industry, but both are going through digital disruption and one can offer insight into the other. In this, we see that current (published within the last 18 months) album sales have gone from... Continue Reading →
Guest Post: A Pro At A Show: Into Conness
Please welcome back James Young to share some of his experiences as an author at a con. He's been here before imparting solid knowledge, and you can find that post here. If you're wondering about getting a booth, merchandising, or just plain curious about cons, this is the man to talk to. If you're curious... Continue Reading →
“Real” books, contracts and “evil” Amazon – a blast from the past
(Kilted Dave is hip deep in life between a toddler, a baby due any time and more. So, to give him a chance to get his head above water, I'll drop this blast from the past here. It was first posted Oct. 21, 2014. It's funny, and not necessarily in a ha-ha way, how much... Continue Reading →