A Simple List

A Simple List

Author JD Cowan provides a simple list of steps that movie, television, comic book, and novel writers can take to avoid ticking him--and other civilized men--off. These four points are literally (in the actual sense of the word) all you need to do to get me to nod along and consume…
December 22, 201712 Comments
Movin’ on Up

Movin’ on Up

Previously, a perceptive reader alerted us to the troubling phenomenon of Amazon ghettos. With the recent launch of The Ophian Rising, I tried to employ the strategy defined by Galaxy's Edge authors Nick Cole and Jason Anspach in an attempt to avoid falling into the ghetto and perhaps to get my…
December 21, 20177 Comments
The Ophian Rising Is Here!

The Ophian Rising Is Here!

The cycle is complete. What an astonishing journey we've taken together: from the launch of my first novel to the Hugos, from Larry Correia's BOOK BOMB! to the Dragon Awards, it's been an honor to ride this out-of-control rocket car with you! The genesis of the Soul Cycle goes back…
December 20, 20178 Comments
Neither Holy, Roman, nor an Empire

Neither Holy, Roman, nor an Empire

Appendix N guru Jeffro Johnson responds to charges from the Big Men with Screwdrivers crowd that Star Wars is not, and never has been, science fiction. Bruce Bethke weighs in yet again on a very old argument: this nutso idea that Star Wars isn’t science fiction: “Sure, it looks like science…
December 19, 201715 Comments

Geek Gab Reviews The Last Jedi

The fine fellows of Geek Gab pronounce their final verdict on Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi. The reality is even worse than the memes suggest. Remember: You were warned.
December 18, 201714 Comments
The Last Jedi Is a Con

The Last Jedi Is a Con

Film critic Steven Greydanus reviews The Last Jedi for The National Catholic Register. Before we dig in, a reminder: You were warned. Greydanus begins conventionally enough with the sorts of bland compliments you'd expect from any film reviewer who wants to keep his job under the ever-expanding Mouse Monopoly. In the…
December 15, 201742 Comments
Galaxy Rangers

Galaxy Rangers

Recently while messing around on YouTube I stumbled across an old animated series I hadn't seen since childhood. Chances are you don't remember The Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers, and that's a shame, because the show was truly groundbreaking for its time. Galaxy Rangers premiered in a long-forgotten fall TV season…
December 14, 201718 Comments
Amazon Ghettos

Amazon Ghettos

Following my recent posts about how the fundamental realities of publishing have changed in the new Amazon/indie-dominated landscape, a reader passed along a number of eye-opening revelations about how authors and publishers are unintentionally consigning their books to "Amazon Ghettos". The Amazon sleuth explains: Amazon’s algorithm is set up to…
December 13, 201714 Comments
Sanderson’s Law

Sanderson’s Law

Authors are just as prone to cognitive dissonance when received wisdom about the publishing industry is challenged, as this series of tweets demonstrates. That tweet is not a statement of personal preference or opinion. It is based on objective market data. As of this writing, the top three books in…
December 12, 201719 Comments
The Perfect Publisher

The Perfect Publisher

Ebooks are here to stay. Amazon enjoys overwhelming dominance among book retailers. Indie has matured into the preferred publishing model for authors. These developments, among many that have turned the book industry upside down in recent years, are widely known. Yet publishers, and even most indie authors, continue to employ…
December 11, 201720 Comments