RIASS stuff:
Avoiding shiny things: Scott Bartlett on writing full-time'Ah, what to do with all of those unscheduled hours?
Culling my book collection: a Sisyphean task'Have you ever tried paring back your book collection? Do stop by to share your tips and stories!
Giveaway: House at the End of the Street by Lily Blake'(Aus only)
Other bookish stuff:
Tis the season for the childrens ebook, according to Forbes'Apparently 40% of parents who have children who read in e-format are planning on buying their kids an e-reader device.
An interview with author Tanita S Davies'I try to write inclusively, and yet, you cant stuff the U.N. into every scene and have it be good writing. I dont want to condescend'''Here, we can add your little group in there, too!'''yet I want to acknowledge that we are privileged to be given this blank slate, as writers, and we can people our worlds with anyone.
The difference between published and unpublished (or unpublishable) manuscripts'These included differences in the quality of characterisation, the length of dialogue sections, the focus on description, the amount of backstory included, and how much happens in a novel.
Is Amazon killing independent publishers?'Now Amazons got a new marketing tool. Not just the number of books that they have in their store; the number of'exclusive'books that they have; and the number of free books (thank you indies, all), now theyve got the latest bestseller, the minute its released, for far less than anyone else. Its a massive coup. Which are they gonna push? Whats the Christmas advert -'Buy a Kindle, were the biggest independent author platform in the world, or'Buy a Kindle, get the latest James Patterson and JK Rowling and'[whoever]'the minute its released, for less than $10. Its a no-brainer.'So if and its a big if Amazon are weighting books in favour of the big publishers; or they decide to do so in the future, its not a conspiracy, its good business sense.
An old-fashioned writing desk blueprint:
writing desk blueprint
Why you should never make an author mad'Imagine having a character based on you. A character who reveals all your secrets'or makes them up. A character who is murdered in the most grisly way. Or a character who survives, but gets exactly what he or she deserves?'Yeah. In our worlds, baby, were the gods. And we will talk about you in our godly land of godliness.'You dont want that,'do you?
The women who dominated publishing in 2012
Against type: writers with other careers (ie, most of them)'TS Eliot worked in a bank. Wallace Stevens spent his life with an insurance company. Simon Armitage wrote many of his early poems while working for the social services. The great Victorians were masters of double lives: Lewis Carroll at Oxford; Trollope in the post office; Disraeli in politics; Dickens in virtually any journalistic activity you care to mention.
A very mysterious mystery section in a bookshop.
The lure of the other work in progress'Chasing after the shiny new idea, while blaming the old WIP for your tendency to stray, can leave you with a string of half-finished projects.'Sometimes its best to remember you and the WIP are in it for better or for worse. It can keep you going during the tough writing and revising times, and it allows you to celebrate when you finally make it together to The End.
I love this concept: graffiti reviews. Basically, its similar to Operation Beautiful, where you leave anonymous notes about the place telling people that theyre beautiful. For this project, just leave a sticky note saying something lovely about a book instead.
How should creative people respond to criticism?'Beware of who you take your criticism from.'If their feedback causes you to'lose confidence'in yourself and your work, they may have done more harm than good. If, on the other hand, you come away feeling slightly embarrassed about the mistakes you've made, but'enthusiastic'about fixing them, you may just have found yourself a very precious supporter.
Publishers brace for authors to reclaim rights in 2013'The book publishing industry, already facing disruption from Amazon and 'e-books, will confront a new form of turbulence in 2013. Starting in January, publishers face the loss of their back lists as authors begin using the Copyright Act to reclaim works they assigned years ago. The Termination Rights, which allow authors to break their contracts after 35 years, were put in place to prevent young authors from signing away their rights for a pittance.
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