Everyone asks, how can I become a better writer? The answers are usually something like: read more books in the genre you're writing, write as much as you can, get feedback from other writers and readers. Yes, you should do all those things, and they will make you a...
It is now 8am in Vancouver, and I think I've rewritten chunks of this post at least three times. Who's been keeping up with the shenanigans going on in the Hugos? The five second summary is as follows: a couple of straight white dudes took umbrage at the fact that,...
You may have noticed that I finally got my act together and cleaned up the website. My friend Fay was nice enough to lend me one of her themes! I did some edits on it, and I think it came out okay. Being a web designer, my site is always a work in progress. Anyway -...
UPDATE: Added a follow-up here. For reference, for every author who is considering buying advertising on Facebook - please watch this video first. Long story short, it's a complete waste of your money. If you're considering Facebook advertising as part of your...
The Passive Voice brought this story to my attention today - HarperCollins UK boss tells publishers: take storytelling back from digital rivals. There are some choice quotes from this particular article that I simply must post here... Publishers have allowed...
So, I'd like to follow up my post on WP Themes for authors with something on the best free WordPress plugins. So let's take a look, shall we? Unfortunately, these are limited to self-hosted WordPress installs. Sorry, free blog people! Don't worry though, your...
Look, you've got to have a blog. That much goes without saying at least. But it also has to look cool, because the author is the brand and you have to get used to selling yourself. WordPress is as good a place to start as any, if you want to get going with social...
Okay, we all know about this. Piracy, the great and terrifying force that's destroying authors' means to make a living on one hand, and getting their work in front of thousands of new readers on the other. There's plenty of conflicting information out there. Let's get...
First, a little explanation. When I say a book is spiked, I mean the public perception of it has been damaged to the point where very few people will want to buy it. It's possible to spike your book in a few different ways. The Cover A bad cover is one of the worst...
In mainstream publishing, there is a definite worry that piracy is looming problem that must be guarded against and ultimately defeated. They fear the so-called 'Napster-ization' of their industry, similar to what happened to the music industry and the movie industry...