I have had many conversations with people attempting to inform the public about the vast changes that have happened (and continue to happen) in the writing and publishing world. I know the average Joe isn’t going to tolerate too much info or too specific news, but the field is just not what most people think…
Yes, this is still the Starving Artist. And yes, Devon is still behind the wheel. Today, however, the Starving Artist is going to let someone else take the blog for a test drive. And believe me, you’re in great hands. Catherine Ryan Howard is the author of Self-Printed. In my opinion, Self-Printed is the book on…
It’s funny how many times in the past week I’ve had this conversation: Me: I’m doing a Kickstarter campaign. Them: [blank look] Me: You know what Kickstarter is? Them: No. [apologetic look] Me: [deep breath, settle in for slightly boring explanation] Do you know what crowdfunding is? Them: Oh yeah! Kickstarter. I know it. Somehow,…
Well, I’m at it again. A couple of years ago, I was convinced that a Kickstarter bid for crowd-funding was exactly what I needed to finish my first novel (or, in this case, trilogy) and start getting it to agents. Just those couple of years later, everything has changed. I’m a die-hard self-publisher now, with…
Inevitably, when someone asks me a writer- or reader-question in real life, it is going to end up on the blog. This used to happen with my food blog. The thing is, if someone has taken the time and effort to ask a serious question, there are probably other people wondering the same thing. Plus,…
What is Wattpad? In theory, many of you don’t need to be told, because, after all, it has 25,000,ooo users. In reality, however, I have found not a single person who knew what I was talking about at the word “Wattpad.” I had read a blurb about Wattpad in some sort of What’s New? section…
I want you guys to take a look at something. It’s an online preview of a novel written by a friend/fellow writer, Matthew Talamini. I can’t show it to you here, which you’ll understand as soon as you see it. So follow this link and then come back. Whuddya’ think? Yeah, it is really cool.…
Sure, it sounds like a garage band, but it is really something that every indie author needs at the ready. It’s your platform toolbox, and it better be stocked. The deal is, no author can breathe a sigh of relief on their publication day, anymore. Even if you have solidified a nice publishing deal with…
A few days ago, my nine year old daughter received a letter in the mail. It was from her last year’s teacher. Now, my children are in a smallish Montessori school, which means that they switch teachers and classrooms only every three years, and each of these transitions is somewhat of a big deal. Both…
I know that many of the people who follow my blog are not writers or publishers. I also know that, as a writer, I often get in a discussion (about being a writer) with people who have a very hard time understanding what I am talking about. This is because of the revolution you didn’t…
Secrets of Ebook Publishing Success and Smashwords Book Marketing Guide, by Mark Coker. Both of these are free ebooks. Mark Coker is the founder and current head guy at Smashwords. He started Smashwords when he and his wife had written the book Boob Tube, but–despite obvious promise–could not get an editor interested enough to publish…
This is number two of the four-part American Culture Series, in which I point out something in American culture that mystifies me, then apply it to my life (and yours) as a writer/publisher. For the first thread in the series, see What’s So Bad About Generalizations. I had already planned to write this particular blog…
Let’s call this the American Culture Series. It will be four parts, posed in the title as questions, and each one will address something that as a philosopher I find strange about American culture. Then I will explore it from the perspective of my job (and obsession) as a writer and publisher. And now we’ll…
Sometimes I wander Facebook and click on a share and wham! I am treated to something really cool. Other times, the ending is far less exciting, and I raise my eyebrows at a virtual wonder that has gone viral, but is total poo. A week ago, I stumbled upon something that was really neither, just…
One of things about this brave new world of modern publishing is that we are always learning: learning from each other; learning from our mistakes; learning from the things we have done right. I accidentally did something right in the social media/publicity department the other day. Now you can learn one little thing from me.…
April, as you probably already know, marks the first Camp NaNoWriMo for the 2014 calendar year. Camp will repeat in July (no word yet as to whether or not I will be joining in) and the classic NaNoWriMo will take place, as always-always, in November. I write this March recap from one week into April,…
Well, we have another battle of the covers. I was updating the cover of Benevolent because I wanted to add a couple badges and update the copy on the back (with a review and some fresh perspective). With Amazon, this means that the book will be unavailable while it updates the file. So, since that…
Owning a teeny-tiny publishing company, I have to wear many hats. One of my most favorite hats of all is design. Now, many indie-published authors should consider hiring someone to design the cover (and possibly publicity material), just like they should hire an editor. Lucky for me, I not only have a professional editor in…
Let’s get this settled once and for all. Where is the line between YA (young adult) and MG (middle grades) literature? What ages are we talking here, let alone themes and appropriateness? (Please note that this debate has been worn out just about everywhere else on the internet, but I have not settled it for…
The Night of One Hundred Thieves first draft? Check! Determine if it is a novella or a novel? Plllt. First things first. What the heck is a novella? Is it Italian? Does it have a moral or a “satirical bent?” Is it produced in parts? The answer to all of these internet jabs at the…
the starving artist 