Thursday, November 26, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Harlequin angers the esteemed RWA
I say this with tongue planted firmly in cheek because I think RWA is wrong. To sum up - Harlequin has teamed up with Author Solutions [who now owns many self-publishing companies like iUniverse] and they are offering a self-publishing service to authors who do not meet the criteria to be published by Harlequin but still want that imprint. Yes, it might be a tad misleading but at least they are recognizing that there might be some merit out there to many more authors than those few they are willing to offer contracts to.
Well, RWA, who has long refused to acknowledge self-published authors at all, has now rescinded Harlequin's admission into their esteemed fold. MWA and SFWA have also joined in.
In response, Harlequin has decided to remove the name Harlequin from this new company. It is not apparent yet if this will appease RWA. So far, it seems not, from what I have read.
Yes, there is some junk out there in the self-pubbed world. But there is also a lot of good. I'm sure the general public is not aware but many now well-known authors started out as self-published. If these books had not started out that way, we would have been deprived of some wonderful reading.
I wish Harlequin had not caved in like that. RWA needs to get over itself.
Well, RWA, who has long refused to acknowledge self-published authors at all, has now rescinded Harlequin's admission into their esteemed fold. MWA and SFWA have also joined in.
In response, Harlequin has decided to remove the name Harlequin from this new company. It is not apparent yet if this will appease RWA. So far, it seems not, from what I have read.
Yes, there is some junk out there in the self-pubbed world. But there is also a lot of good. I'm sure the general public is not aware but many now well-known authors started out as self-published. If these books had not started out that way, we would have been deprived of some wonderful reading.
I wish Harlequin had not caved in like that. RWA needs to get over itself.
Friday, November 20, 2009
The play's the thing
Last night hubby and I went to see The Phantom of the Opera. We had seen it years ago on Broadway and now the touring company brought it to AZ. I have never been fond of this play in terms of characters or storyline but I love the music.
And I was not disappointed. The female lead's voice was beyond magnificent. Can't say as much for her character's mentality or that of most of the characters in the play but the house was packed as I'm sure it was every night.
So, then, this begs the question if the story line is silly [a deranged malformed man influences an impressionable young girl and throws an opera house into turmoil] what drives the audience to flock to it day after day, year after year?
Pathos, pageantry, beautiful, angelic voices singing haunting melodies.
Can anything be derived from this and applied to modern fiction?
I think so. Make your characters memorable, be they good or bad, smart or vapid. Make them real, make your audience have a gut reaction to them and them hive the audience something else besides.
And I was not disappointed. The female lead's voice was beyond magnificent. Can't say as much for her character's mentality or that of most of the characters in the play but the house was packed as I'm sure it was every night.
So, then, this begs the question if the story line is silly [a deranged malformed man influences an impressionable young girl and throws an opera house into turmoil] what drives the audience to flock to it day after day, year after year?
Pathos, pageantry, beautiful, angelic voices singing haunting melodies.
Can anything be derived from this and applied to modern fiction?
I think so. Make your characters memorable, be they good or bad, smart or vapid. Make them real, make your audience have a gut reaction to them and them hive the audience something else besides.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Writing a book
I have been hearing more and more in the last week about a certain someone and her soon to be released book. She has a well known name. She got a huge advance. She had a ghost writer. She has a built-in following. Her book, while not for sale yet, is already a best seller.
This may sound like sour grapes but this really upsets me. Someone writing and selling a book in this manner makes it harder for the real writers of the world. You know, the ones who write their own books. The ones who don't have a sensationalistic platform and don't command the huge advances. The ones who get ignored by the traditional houses because the money is being spent on people like this author.
It's frustrating but we can work around this. We just have to work harder. If you can't attract the attention of a large house, court one of the many small independent presses that are out there. Of course, make sure your book is the best it can be. This goes without saying. And then market the heck out of that book.
Tell everyone you know. Speak. Send it away for reviews. It can be done.
The flash in the pans will always be there and the large houses will always go for the big names because they are driven by their bottom line but it doesn't mean your book won't see the light of day. You will just have to be more creative.
This may sound like sour grapes but this really upsets me. Someone writing and selling a book in this manner makes it harder for the real writers of the world. You know, the ones who write their own books. The ones who don't have a sensationalistic platform and don't command the huge advances. The ones who get ignored by the traditional houses because the money is being spent on people like this author.
It's frustrating but we can work around this. We just have to work harder. If you can't attract the attention of a large house, court one of the many small independent presses that are out there. Of course, make sure your book is the best it can be. This goes without saying. And then market the heck out of that book.
Tell everyone you know. Speak. Send it away for reviews. It can be done.
The flash in the pans will always be there and the large houses will always go for the big names because they are driven by their bottom line but it doesn't mean your book won't see the light of day. You will just have to be more creative.
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Smashwords
Smashwords is a great new site where you can publish e-versions of your books. If you haven't checked it out yet, I highly recommend it. Ebooks are the wave of the future. It's important to be able to offer your readers this great option. This site makes it easy to publish in all the possible formats.
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