Open Tabs on my Browser:
Writer, Market, Reader
I'm up at Mad Genius Club today, talking about what makes a real writer (versus what, a fake writer?) and exploring new markets. There's a fine balance between writing what you want to write, and writing what a reader will want to read. Then, you have to find that reader.... Or hopefully, a lot of readers.
The Official Alphabetical List of Author Success
I pulled this up for the above post, then wound up not having a logical place to insert it. I'm somewhere between I and J, but I don't look at my sales daily unless I'm running a promotion. I just don't have that kind of time.
I List – Doggone It People Like Me =$$$$$
Authors with the first glimmers of real professional success.
Authors who begin contemplating how they’re going to tell their boss to shove it.
Authors who only check their book’s Amazon rank once a day.
Authors who pay their mortgage payments from their royalties.
J List – What the Fuck? I’m a Real Writer? =$$$$
Authors who are still getting used to the idea people want to read their crap.
Authors who have sold a respectable number of books.
Authors who check their book’s Amazon rank every hour
Authors who start to pay most of their bills with their royalties.
Lost Libraries
In the end, the books fade away. The libraries fall into ruin. But for my purposes as I start research for an upcoming book, the story of Chinguetti is perfect. Ancient libraries hold forgotten books...
New Book
Books come and go, and this one I've been waiting for. The First Reader and I both enjoyed the first book, so I snapped this one up as soon as I saw the link this morning. Facebook does work to let your fans know when the new one is out. I'd quibble at the cover, but I think I can trust the story inside to be eminently readable.
Russian Fairy Tale Photographs
My First Reader, knowing my penchant for Russian Fairy Tales, sent me a pair of links, one to the surreal photography work of Uldus Bahktiozina.
The Frog Princess: one of my favorites.
The other was the work of an illustrator who re-imagined the characters from the tales as superheroes and made them trading cards. A beautiful display of skill, I really liked this collection.
Vasilisa the Beautiful