Columns

Self-Indie Publishing: Self-Publishing Without the Stigma

September 30th, 2020

Are you stuck in a submitting rut? Just sending shit out over and over without a bite? Are you thinking about just saying to hell with it and going the self-publishing route? There’s another way. If you give me a few minutes of your time, I’ll present another option that will allow you to publish while also saving you the stigma of self-publishing. Welcome to the new world of Self-Indie Publishing

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The Joys and Sorrows of Loving Obscure Books

September 28th, 2020

I’m not the king of obscure books or anything. But I like to dabble. You’ve got 728 pages of skateboard “journalism” from the 90’s? I’m in. Books with words in the title that book banners would prefer didn’t exist INSIDE the books, let alone in a raised font on the cover? I’m your man.

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Support Independent Bookstores: The Bulwarks of Book Communities

September 25th, 2020

Header image via Kew and Willow Books, Queens Indie Bookstore Day took place virtually on Aug. 29th this year, a day to celebrate all the good that independents do for their communities and the larger state of publishing — and a day for readers to give back to these small businesses.

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Storyville: Writing in a Time of Chaos

September 24th, 2020

Look around you—the world is going to hell in a bucket. But at least we can enjoy the ride, right? LOL. How do we write when we are worried about racism, a pandemic, our health, our families—in other words, the general state of the world? It’s not easy, but here are some tips and tricks to help get you writing.

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Ten Editing Tricks that Will Make Your Writing Better

September 23rd, 2020

Original photo by N. Ivanov Editing is a crucial part of writing. I know a lot of people hate it, but editing is a chance (or, in most case, a few chances) to make your work better. Working with a great editor can be as invaluable as working with the right agent, but before you get that manuscript into someone else’s hands, you should do everything in your power to make it as good as possible.

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8 Women Business Owners in Horror

September 22nd, 2020

On September 22nd, American Business Women's Day honors the accomplishments of the businesswomen across the nation. Take a moment to reflect on the contributions and achievements of the millions of women in the workforce. Also, consider the impact of millions of women business owners in the U.S. —National Day Calendar

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Twitter Bots for Writers

September 21st, 2020

Twitter is a shithole.  Okay, that’s not fair. Twitter is a hole. And unfortunately, it only takes one person shitting in a hole for any hole to become a shithole. So, by that common standard, Twitter is definitely a shithole. But I don’t want to put that on anyone in particular. Instead, I want to tell you about a way we might be able to shovel some of the shit out. And I'm here to hand you a shovel. 

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Halloween 2020 Reading List

September 18th, 2020

October is just around the corner. If you're a Horror Fiction Hound like me, you need plenty of time to prepare the perfect selection of books for your Halloween Reading List. Some of these books need to be pre-ordered. I have made sure to note which books are already available and the release date of books that aren't. In this list you will find full-size novels, novellas, anthologies and short story collections. I'm putting a special emphasis on more recent titles and 2020 released books, but here are some classic books I like to sprinkle in for atmosphere:

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Struggling to Journal, but Learning to Forgive Myself

September 17th, 2020

Original images by V. Sadasivuni & J. Chan Toward the beginning of the coronavirus lockdown, I found myself back at my parents’ house in South Carolina, due to worsening mental health and the overwhelming need to be somewhere I didn’t feel in danger of hurting myself.

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Evaluating The Wit and Wisdom of H.L. Mencken

September 15th, 2020

Author image via Wikipedia The eminent journalist H.L. Mencken was born 140 years ago this month, which makes it a good time to take a look back at his work. The fact that it is a presidential election year makes it all the better, since Mencken’s acerbic humor was so often directed at politics and presidents, and much of it shows that the complaints we have about our contemporary politicians aren’t anything new.

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