I'm getting spoiled by self-published authors and the services that cater to them. Big publishers are increasingly disappointing in comparison. One of the most baffling aspects of big publishing is that publishers generally don't know who their readers are. Other than people … [Read more...] about How publishers could get more of my money (and make me happy to give it)
Publishing
“Lady Author”
It's very telling that you'll get people saying, again, "author and lady author are just true facts," but then getting angry when you say that fine, if they want divisions, it needs to be "male and female author." No! Male is the default the norm the baseline of human experience! … [Read more...] about “Lady Author”
The SFWA Bulletin
Those of you who follow me on Twitter probably noticed some shenanigans happening last week with the SFWA Bulletin. If you missed what was going on, Ad Week has a nice summary of the situation. As Daniel Abraham points out, the very fact that Ad Week picked up on the story … [Read more...] about The SFWA Bulletin
Amazon and fan fiction
The internet is buzzing this morning about Amazon's attempt to monetize fan fiction with their new Kindle Worlds venture. Malinda Lo has read the terms, and because she is smart, she has figured out that "fan fiction" does not mean what Amazon thinks it means. She … [Read more...] about Amazon and fan fiction
Publicity: one of the many ways the publishing industry is disastrously antiquated
Cory Doctorow has written a smart piece for Locus on improving PR in the publishing industry. Most contemporary sales, marketing, and PR organizations outside of publishing use some kind of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software to coordinate their activities. … [Read more...] about Publicity: one of the many ways the publishing industry is disastrously antiquated
The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, Shadow Unit, and Thoughts on Transmedia Storytelling
Those of you who follow me on Twitter might recall that I had a ten-day encounter with the flu a few weeks ago. Usually when I have the flu, I take the opportunity to huddle under a blanket on the couch and binge on a TV series I haven't seen yet. This time, I watched all of The … [Read more...] about The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, Shadow Unit, and Thoughts on Transmedia Storytelling
What sexism does best
The lack of respectful coverage, the slut-shaming and name-calling, all the girly book covers and not-my-titles despite high literary aspirations, has worn me down, made me question everything: my abilities, my future, my life. This is what sexism does best: it makes you feel … [Read more...] about What sexism does best
The Story Length Taxonomy, a proof of concept for online fiction publications
As the Hugo nomination deadline was closing in, Tempest and I were chatting on Twitter, as we do, and agreed that it's silly that it's so difficult for readers to know which of the finicky short fiction categories a work falls into. Unless we happen to follow the authors and … [Read more...] about The Story Length Taxonomy, a proof of concept for online fiction publications
Speaking at BEA Bloggers Conference, May 29
I'm delighted to be going to New York City in May to speak at the BookExpo America Bloggers Conference. I'll be on the Blogging Platforms panel, talking about how book bloggers can make the most of WordPress. Plus I'll be, you know, wandering around BEA for three days! I'm so … [Read more...] about Speaking at BEA Bloggers Conference, May 29
Blackwashing
Sometimes I forget to discuss things here after I've mentioned them on Twitter. Sorry about that. Here's a good one: you might want to check out Ben Aaronovitch's books, Midnight Riot (or Rivers of London if you're in the UK) and Moon Over Soho. They're excellent. The premise is … [Read more...] about Blackwashing
