This week people in
the publishing blogosphere have been taking a stand.
Ann Patchett took a
stand in her opinion piece for the Bookseller.
Ann wanted authors to look
after publishers and independent booksellers. ( she is one of those.) In her
words... Authors have been protected for a long time, we are very
well cared for, but we need to think about our other partners, from bookshops
to publishing and self-publishing.” Unfortunately her tone, in
the words of one twitter commenter, was that of a favoured child who has no
idea of the resentment felt by neglected siblings...
Futurebook writer Suw
Charman-Anderson discussed where Ann went wrong and what she could have warned publishers about...it is all about communication... both ways.
Over in Amazon land
the drums are beating. A new publishing venture Kindle Worlds was launched
today. This new publishing imprint is specifically for...fan fiction. And yes
fan ficcers you can make money off it.
As authors collective
screens were wiped free of coffee and the screams of what the....faded into the
distance this morning wise heads in the industry shouted hold up, this surely can’t be right and investigated.
John Scalzi (Pres
SSFWA) gives his very considered opinion...BEWARE copyright terms are for the
life of copyright...uh...that’s 70 years in US.
This week the erudite
Kameron Hurley wrote a stunning piece on how many writers rely on cliché characters. She then blows accepted history apart when she talks about
how women were warriors in different cultures right to this present day...and
how they disappear in narrative to become victims...or passive tropes to move
the story along. Chuck Wendig is so taken with her exhortation for writers to
become better that he adds his own rant backing her up and urging writers to write for the underserved readers out there. Read both pieces. (usual warnings on Chucks
writing apply...)
Susan Kaye Quin always
an interesting commentator on things indie...has written a great article on TheAge Of The Empowered Writer...that’s now.
Jane Friedman has an
infographic on whether you should self publish...
Passive Guy has
discovered that Chic Lit is dead...but Farm Fic is the next biggest thing.
This week Huffington
Post had a great article about Amanda Palmer appearing at The Grub St writer’s
convention and giving one of the most talked about keynotes of a writing conference this year. They have a link to the video of it...and it is stunning!
Take some time out to listen to this speech and reconnect with why you write.
Here in New Zealand we
were treated to a rare interview with John Green...YA wunderkind and half of
the Vlog brothers. Here is the link to the podcast if you missed it on
Wednesday.
In Craft,
Bookshelfmuse on 7 Deadly Sins of Novel Writing
Jami Gold on The Thin Line Between Character Strengths and Flaws
K M Weiland On 5 Reasons You Should Stop Writing...(not what you think)
In Marketing,
Karen Woodward on How To Get Honest Book Reviews
Heidi Cohen On 25 Tactics to Promote Your Blog
A must read post from
ChocolateandVodka about Front Matter and End Matter and what readers want...you
will be surprised!
To Finish,
Have you ever wondered
whether your book will last for the length of a long haul flight? Wonder no
longer...Qantas has taken a stand on behalf of the neglected long haul
passenger who has run out of reading material half way across the Pacific...