No Future for Oldpub

Pulp Speed exemplar Dean Wesley Smith isn't exactly bullish on oldpub's long-term prospects. Most writers who break into traditional publishing are done in two books. Maybe three if they are lucky. And when I say most, I would give a conservative guess of 95%, more than likely closer to 99%.…
July 7, 20209 Comments
The River Plot

The River Plot

Best selling author Jonathan Moeller offers his expert advice on how to write a long-running fantasy series without falling into any of the genre's common pitfalls. First, I figure out the overall arc for the entire series. What is the central conflict and the main antagonist? Then I decided on…
June 16, 202018 Comments
How Amazon Cut Your Royalties Under Your Nose

How Amazon Cut Your Royalties Under Your Nose

Since the dawn of KDP, indie authors have been questing for the newpub holy grail: that magic formula for earning a living on Amazon. If we rendered KDP in visual terms, it would look like the Valley of the Kings or the Dakota Badlands, with hopeful authors digging away like…
May 14, 202010 Comments
One Foot in the Grave

One Foot in the Grave

... and the other on a banana peel is an accurate description of the current state of oldpub. Author Kristine Kathryn Rusch plumbs the exact depth of the hole. There’s a shortage of paper, because it comes from China. The two largest printers of magazines and books in the U.S.,…
April 24, 202019 Comments
PublishingInTrouble.jpg

It’s a Great Time to Be in Publishing

... If you're actually in publishing and not lumber distribution. Hat tip to author Rawle Nyanzi for documenting this frank admission from Tor Books editor Beth Meacham: For years, I've called out legacy New York publishers for being in the lumber business instead of the story business. A book isn't…
April 6, 202021 Comments
Big Publisher 4 Sale

Big Publisher 4 Sale

Oldpub shouldn't get too cocky about newpub authors' recent sales dip, especially since the Big Five New York publishers are about to become the Big Four. ViacomCBS is preparing to sell its venerable publishing unit, Simon & Schuster, as the company re-evaluates all its assets in a fast-changing business landscape.…
March 4, 20203 Comments
Books Are Not Head Movies

Books Are Not Head Movies

A number of readers have asked me to explain my frequent editing advice against writing by playing a movie in your head and transcribing what you see. To complement the inherent advantages the novel has over film as a storytelling form, here are a few proscriptive reasons to avoid approaching novel…
November 27, 201920 Comments
Mecha, Character and Mecha Characters

Mecha, Character and Mecha Characters

One of the unique challenges of writing a mech series is figuring out how to balance your mechs and your human characters. I don't mean that in a pen and paper role-playing game way. I'm talking about balancing reader expectations and the needs of the story. When you're writing a…
September 9, 201910 Comments
B&N: Rising from the Ashes?

B&N: Rising from the Ashes?

In a surprise twist I certainly didn't see coming, Barnes and Noble's new owners may have taken the only action that might just save the teetering brick and mortar bookseller chain from oblivion. In 2018, it seemed like the days of the United States’ last major bookstore chain were numbered.…
September 6, 201919 Comments
Hecklers vs Critics

Hecklers vs Critics

I've been getting a lot of requests for writing advice lately. Knowing how to recognize and take constructive criticism is among the most important skills a writer can master, so I've dug this post out of the vaults. Writers tend to be introverts. Most of us also crave external validation.…
July 11, 20192 Comments