AMAZON TO BUY OUT BARNES AND NOBLE???

What’s going on?
If this is true, is it good news for ebooks or for print? Or for both?

Check out the article:
WILL KINDLE KILL THE BOOK?http://www.aolnews.com/opinion/article/opinion-will-kindle-kill-the-book/19593146

Interesting piece with lots of fodder to consider.
Fodder or manure?
You be the judge and weigh in with your comments.

EVIDENCE IS MOUNTING--GOOOAAAALLLLLL!

Well, folks, the evidence is mounting. I read on Daily Finance today that B&N reported a 'heavier quarterly loss than investors were expecting'.

What does this mean?

Well, duh, they didn’t make enough $$$$$$$$$$ to please their investors.
So the question that remains is why?

Hook your seatbelt, because times, they are a changin’!!!!!

E-books were a pipe dream a couple years ago. Few people believed they would amount to anything, let alone the mammoth sales they are now posting.
And let’s face it, anyone who expects to be pubbed at a huge house who doesn’t see a prior big sales following is simply holding out for a fantasy contract. The net might as well offer fantasy publishing right along with fantasy football. The chances are slim to none you’re going to kick the winning goal first time out.

Goooaaaaallllll!

With sales in a funk, we have to look at new venues to get our names out there. And if smaller houses take chances on us and we do well with them, why would we want to change to someone who didn’t want to give us a break in the first place? Just saying…

As writers are we willing to be realists as well?
Let’s think about working our way up just like folks do every day in every career. Get your foot in the proverbial door and push it open, one book at a time. Before you know it, you might be the one helping B&N get their tootsies back on solid ground.

Like I said before, one alone can’t change anything, but when we start being the agents for change throughout the industry, who knows where our writing might take us?

E-PUB AND POD

BFF LOL BTW LTHTT JMO

ER OB-GYN OOPS, WRONG POST

The world is changing people! Are you open to the changes taking place?

At a recent conference, there was a lot of discussion about ebooks. I’ve noticed that people I never dreamed would have Kindles are reading like crazy since they can now take their books wherever they go, with hundreds of choices at their disposal.

What do all of you think?

Would you be willing to publish ebooks? How about ebook/print combos? For years there was a stigma attached to ebooks, but then again, there weren’t many being sold. Have you seen the number of choices now available? The sales numbers? There are authors who are now breaking in enough to make a living at writing. (Gasp)

I recently heard that White Rose Publishing is now expanding their line to include, not only romance, but their sister company, Harbourlights will publish women’s fiction, westerns, suspense/mystery and the list goes on.

When I talk to someone in my age group, you know, the we’re-a-little –older-than-God bunch, they are mostly immoveable. “We want the book in hand. We want our books in print. We want (the world to stop changing so doggone fast).”

But that’s not the reality of pubbing today.

Younger adults, on the other hand, LOVE the whole Kindle thing. And they are now reading books again. A connection?

Would you, as an author, be more inclined to go with a publisher who offered ebooks and print?

Just curious how everyone out there feels. My thought (even though I’m in the oldie group) is that ebooks are ground floor/cutting edge and will be catching up quickly with print. There will be more opportunities for more writers. There will still be a few Grishams and Evanovich’s, but there will also be so many additional choices for the reader.

Lemme know whatcha think. You’ll be my new BFF(s) and I’ll LYA for responding.

Good grief, I feel like such an ID10T!

A TIMEX OR A PADDED CELL?

WHAT MAKES YOUR CHARACTER TICK?

Wonderful characters don’t happen by chance. They are created. Just as if they were mixed together in a test tube with all the right (or wrong) chromosomes. What does the test tube, or better yet, natural origins, say about your character?

Did he have such a horrible childhood that he’s now a sniper on top of a tower (every mom’s nightmare the first time her son behaves in a bizarre manner).
Or is she so narcissistic that she’s grows up to become a sociopath?

I’d like to include a progression for developing a character. Hope you enjoy.

A male character says, “She was beautiful.”
This means something different to each person. What does it mean from your character?

Go deeper.

Hair flew around her shoulders until, like threads of spun gold, it brought out the shine in her eyes. Her lips, plump and sweet, smiled at him.

Is this enough? Do we know who she is yet? Still deeper. Add a layer. Tell us even more about her than she was merely beautiful.

Her eyes covered him in pleasure, like liquid silk. Soft hands, those of an angel, like when he was sick, brushed his cheek. Her lips, warm and inviting caused his heart to thicken in his chest. He had to move, had to look away, even pluck his eye out if he had to.
“Mother! Leave me alone!”

We managed to create an Oedipus all from she was beautiful.

Don’t be afraid to dig deep to bring out the best (or the worst) in your characters.

Develop your characters as if your life depended on it.
In suspense, it truly does.

AMAZING CONFERENCE!!!

For anyone who missed the Faithwriters conference last weekend in Livonia, Michigan---shame on you. You missed a conference of a lifetime. Tim Boyle and David Ian with their wonderful humor (after all, they are A-C-T-O-R-S!) and performances had more tears flowing than a funeral.

Wonderful topics were covered and the intimate group of people allowed everyone to get to know each other.

And I haven’t even mentioned the fudge yet. Whew!

If you haven’t joined Faithwriters.com, don’t waste another minute. Jump on the net and sign up. You won’t be sorry. This is a truly amazing bunch of people with hearts after the Lord. It was a writers’ conference that just happened to be filled with all Christians--go figure. Attitudes of acceptance and caring with plenty of good information and loads of humor.

Thanks Scott
and Deb (all the way from Australia with Steve)
for making it such a success!

Yeah, Faithwriters! Great job!

BREAKING NEWS IN PUBLISHING!

Hot off the press!

Ever heard that before?

Did you believe it?

Well, believe this . . .

Here it is. Check out the link below. Yesterday, Aug. 9th, Dorchester Publishing announced a plan to stop its production of mass-market books and will be going to trade market and e-book solely. What do all of you think? Is this the cutting edge of a complete change for books or will the printed book "in hand" always be there?

http://www.examiner.com/x-10951-Birmingham-Speculative-Fiction-Examiner~y2010m8d9-Dorchester-Publishing-dropping-mass-market-paperbacks

Anybody with thoughts about how this is going to affect the publishing industry or is it merely another indy press changing direction?

Let's get into a meaningful discussion for a few days on where and why we see the industry heading. I'll do another post to open this discussion if anyone's interested.

CREATING AN EVIL CHARACTER

WHAT CREATES A MALICIOUS CHARACTER?
What do you draw on (assuming you aren’t a serial killer) to create evil characters? Hopefully, none of you are truly in tune with your wicked sides. So, how do you create a character that is so opposite from what you know? Do you watch a lot of scary movies? Read true crime? Have a bizarre imagination? Just what do you do to put the evil, nasty, dark side of life onto your pages?
And how do you balance that dark side with light?

SUSPENSE WRITERS

There must be a reason why you choose to write evil.

How about sharing?