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Human vs Technology: A Look at Digital-Era Dystopia
June 23rd, 2014
Right now, I'm sitting in a small cottage in the rural expanse north of Stockholm, Sweden, and I can't think of a better place to write about our massive cultural fear of technology.
Read Column →Good Sex, Great Prayers: A Journey in Publication (Part 7: Release Party, Reviews, and a Fond Farewell)
June 23rd, 2014
One time I asked Barnes & Noble if I could do a live reading at one of their locations. They told me no. They told me that they don’t host events for self-published authors and that I should try someplace else. This was back in 2009, before the J.A. Konraths and Amanda Hockings of the world proved that there was money to be made in self-publishing and shattered the stigma. It was before my first book got picked up by a “real” publisher and I was still figuring things out.
Read Column →Quick, Easy Ways to Promote Your Book in Your Underwear (And no, I’m not talking selfies) Part 1
June 20th, 2014
Could you imagine JD Salinger with a Facebook Page? Harper Lee tweeting like a mockingbird? And speaking of all things avian, how about Emily Dickinson hosting her own blog: ‘Hope is a thing with feathers.’ #quoteoftheday!!! PS, check out this great video of my cat on a skateboard! Your soul just threw up in its mouth a little, didn’t it?
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Path to Publication 2.4: Going From A Two Book Deal To A Zero Book Deal
June 20th, 2014
This is the last installment of Path to Publication. I just got the news that my publisher, Exhibit A Books, is shutting down. So my two book deal has just been downgraded to a zero book deal. Just like that. This was my debut novel, scheduled to be released a short six months from now. Collecting rejections is one thing—signing your contract and getting this close to the thing you've been working your entire life toward, only to get it snatched away from you, is quite another.
Read Column →Book vs Film: 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?' vs 'Blade Runner'
June 19th, 2014
Are you a fan of the film Blade Runner?
Read Column →The Book Binders: Rescuing Books One Spine at a Time
June 19th, 2014
Images via Charleston Library Society Deep in the bowels of one of the South's oldest libraries sit Brien and James, two noveau-craftsman who are trying to save the world, one book at a time.
Read Column →Edit My Paragraph! Episode Two
June 18th, 2014
Welcome to another exciting edition of Edit My Paragraph! First this month we have Ethan Yarbrough with the following paragraph:
Read Column →Nation of Villains: Why We Like the Unlikeable
June 18th, 2014
A while back, for this very site, I authored an interview and review of Chuck Klosterman's I Wear The Black Hat: Grappling With Villains (Real and Imagined). It's a terrific read and deals with the concept of villainy and evil in several very enjoyable and thought-provoking essays, through the lens of fiction, pop culture, and history.
Read Column →Finding Success When Your Back is Against The Wall
June 17th, 2014
Photo Credit: Alasdair Allen The struggle with traditional publishing You've probably never heard of Scottish author John A. A. Logan. It’s hardly a surprise in this age of new writers appearing every millisecond. Like a lot of people, Logan tried the usual routes to get published and had limited success. What was worse, was the old “I like it, but I don’t think I can sell it” response he got from people in the industry.
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