Columns

Ask The Lit Coach: The Difference Between Brand and Platform and Why Every Author Needs Both

June 11th, 2012

PLATFORM: All the ways in which you are visible to and communicate with your target audience.  AUTHOR BRAND: An author's perceived image and identity.   Rather than the typical Q&A we normally do on 'Ask the Lit Coach,' we're going to focus on THE two things, aside from actual talent, that will make you, the author, appealing to agents, editors, publishers, and most importantly, your readers - Platform and Brand.

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10 Lessons Even You Can Learn From Fifty Shades Of Grey

June 8th, 2012

By now you have definitely heard of, formed an opinion about, and possibly even read Fifty Shades Of Grey, the kinked-out Twilight fan-fic BDSM trilogy that has Christian panties in a twist and schoolmarms giggling behind their Kindles. It is also a a bestseller that has managed to move over ten million units. Ten. Million. Who cares, you ask?

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Ray Bradbury, Mr. Electrico, and Me

June 8th, 2012

There are people who you may never meet, but still have a profound effect on you. There are people who can reach through time and space to touch you, and change you forever, sometimes only with words. Sometimes especially with words. Ray Bradbury was one of those people for me, and probably for a lot of people. Many people publicly expressed their feelings about Bradbury after his death on June 6, including President Barrack Obama who said this:

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The Top 10 Worst Romance Covers

June 8th, 2012

Romance novels have notoriously terrible covers. Is it intentional? It must be, right? For that, I sort of love them. They're eye-catching and their genres are easily defined. That's the pinnacle of advertising success! If you're looking for a romance novel, you don't have to read the spine or the summary to know you've found one. Just grab the most hideously covered books at the store and you're set. So yeah, they're all bad - but these are the worst.

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Library Love: Don’t Leave It All Behind: Track Information That Matters

June 7th, 2012

The information age comes with a lot of baggage! I am constantly amazed by how many emails, sound files, photos, videos, articles, and websites flow through my day. I always say that working in a research library is like standing in the middle of a raging river – it’s bigger than me, I can’t control it, and there’s no way I can be aware of everything happening around me. The Internet is the same. Every time you turn on your computer or unlock your phone, you are wading into the middle of that river. Accept this fact; it will make your life easier.

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Guess The Plot, Episode III: Jacked And Pumped

June 7th, 2012

It's time for another installment of the Internet's favorite speculative, vintage book cover-based game: Guess The Plot! Over the past two months, LiReactor has come through with some of the most creative and hilarious theories on where, exactly, these crazy books' narratives might go. They are so good, in fact, that I thought it might be fun to begin highlighting one of the most memorable comments from the previous installment.

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It's More Than Just Meth Labs and Single Wides: A Rural Noir Primer

June 6th, 2012

I think what catches most people off guard about these rural areas is the viciousness of the poverty and how it’s staring right at you…I think for a lot of readers that seems a little exotic. --Daniel Woodrell With most Americans, rural life has become exactly how Woodrell describes it: Exotic.

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Storyville: Writing Horror Stories

June 6th, 2012

In my opinion, two of the hardest genres to write are horror and comedy. Why? Because both are so subjective. What might make one person laugh will leave another unaffected, and what will scare the hell out of one person will leave another bored. So know that you are taking on a difficult task when writing horror. But as there are millions of books sold every year by the masters of the genre, there is obviously an audience for dark fiction.

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A Slap on the Wrist: Excusing the Bad Behavior of Authors

June 5th, 2012

A few weeks ago, I wrote a news post that I would hardly call news. I considered it more of an update on what had been public knowledge for some time: that Orson Scott Card, brilliant science fiction author and rampant homophobe, was at it again. Card wrote a rather inflammatory column for his hometown newspaper that can be viewed in its entirety HERE. The comments on my article were a mixed bag.

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Summer Reads: Why Cthulhu Is Not The Best Travel Companion

June 5th, 2012

I am crap at a lot of things. Figure skating, remembering birthdays, anything to do with machinery, reading maps, and failing to make eye contact with drunks are just a few items on the long list of activities at which I spectacularly fail. But if I had to single out one thing at which I am especially crap, it would be choosing which book to take on holiday.

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