Publishing — All things Digital

The Fussy Librarian

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There’s a new “discovery” website called The Fussy Librarian launching this week. It’s a place where readers sign up, indicate what kinds of books, ebooks, or audios they prefer (genre, degree of violence, sex, etc) and get customized emails either daily or weekly with recommendations. You don’t buy anything on the site, you simply take a look, … Read more

Booklist Reviews Havana Lost

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Booklist has reviewed HAVANA LOST, and it’s a great review! (Be still my heart). Thank you, thank you… The Cuban Revolution is the rich backdrop for this riveting historical thriller. In the days just prior to the revolution, life in Cuba is difficult. Spies are everywhere. Poverty and hunger are rampant. But for American Francesca … Read more

Thumbs Up On Gatekeepers, But Who… And How?

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Happy Fourth of July, America…. Hope it’s a good one. Now… on to business. Some say the lunatics have taken over the asylum. Until recently, agents and traditional publishers were publishing’s gatekeepers, deciding whose work was printed and whose was rejected. The growth of self-publishing has turned everything upside down now that anyone, anywhere, can … Read more

Five Reasons to Publish a Print Version of your Ebook

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  Those of us who have published our own ebooks over the past few years know it can be an exciting and profitable venture. And the ebook market is still growing, though not at the same pace as it was—but we knew that was bound to happen as the digital industry begins to mature. A … Read more

Six Steps of Self-Publishing (Mostly for Traditional Authors)

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I was at Printers Row this past weekend, the annual Book Festival sponsored by the Chicago Tribune, and I was struck by how many people wanted me to tell them about self-publishing. They were mostly traditionally published authors, some of whom have large followings, but they’re dissatisfied with either the pace of traditional publishing, dislike … Read more

Traditional vs Self-publishing – Part 3

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Traditional vs Self Publishing

Traditional vs Self PublishingHi again, everyone. I thought I was going to finish my update about traditional vs. self-publishing with a candid look at the Pros and Cons of self-publishing. But there’s so much to cover and so much has changed. Again, it’s going to take me more than one post… so get comfortable.

In parts 1 and 2 I talked about how traditional publishing no longer has the benefits it once did, and  we ended up with a chart that looked like this:

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Writing Lite #5 — Character Backstories

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Writing Lite Video Series

I’m baaack.. with another Writing Lite segment. This time I’m starting a series on character development and how to do it. Today I talk about my favorite technique — writing character backstories. They only have to be a couple of single spaced pages, but they accomplish so much. What do you think?

Traditional vs Self-Publishing: An Update (Part Two)

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  COMPARISON OF TRADITIONAL VS SELF PUBLISHING TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING Pros Cons Support Distribution Editing Bookstores Awards Reviews Agents Ebook Rights and RoyaltiesReporting and payments Smaller advance/print runs Limited time/shelf space Hinky contracts Possible Bankrupty Accounting irregularities Agents   Hi, again. In part one we tackled the supposed “pros” of support and distribution that I thought … Read more

Which Cover?

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Here are two cover versions for my upcoming thriller HAVANA LOST. On has pure white type; the other has blood on the word “Lost”… Which do you like better? I’ll raffle off a PDF to everyone who weighs in… And thanks. Oh… here’s the jacket copy, if it helps: On the eve of the Cuban … Read more