Showing posts with label Jane Friedman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jane Friedman. Show all posts

Thursday, March 7, 2024

Avoiding the Sharks on Your Journey



 

In Publishing News this week,

 

There is a new scam going around and it is targeting authors and is particularly nasty. Anne R Allen has the details and even though it reads like a crime novel plot it is particularly horrible for people caught up in it. Before you think 'that would never happen to me', I invite you to think how you would react if you were confronted by law enforcement officers about all your identification being used to commit crimes. The horrible part is where the scammers are getting their information about you from. 

 

Back in the heady publishing days of the 1980’s when Harlequin was on the prowl buying up little publishing companies- Romance editors could see which way the wind was going and quickly set up publishing companies promising their innocent authors loads of goodies to come with them to the new digs- while they waited for Harlequin to buy them for big bucks. Authors got burned left, right, and center in all the wheeling and dealing of Romance imprints and publishing companies. I’m not saying that this new publishing house is anything like the bad old days but it triggered memories as I was looking at the news story from Publishers Weekly.

 

Ru Paul has a book club. Ru Paul has a bookstore. A big one. Taking a leaf out of the Amazon playbook Ru is catering to a specific audience and promising extra gravy to the authors and readers who sign up to be members.


Publishing Perspectives reports that the Access Copyright, a management site for Canadian Authors have been slapped with a huge court fine for demanding copyright fees on authors behalf. The court ruling seems to indicate that it is ok to copy anything you like from a Canadian author- which can’t be right or am I reading it wrong?

 

Mark Williams of The New Publishing Standard keeps an eye on what is happening outside our Western centric publishing view. He reports that the Oman Book Fair was well attended and the new trend on the rise is children’s books. With Big Bad Wolf selling remaindered English language books hand over fist in these markets, are publishers missing the sales boat on this?

 

Writer Michael Lucas comments on the Findaway saga using his knowledge of the tech world to explain how developers use Terms Of Service. While authors think that Findaway have walked back their horrible terms this might not be the case…think Bait and Switch.


Dave Chesson has been doing a deep dive into the data from a survey of authors on Direct Selling. Who is making money? Which store is popular? How many books you need? When should you jump into it? All these questions are answered with charts.


If you are trying to keep up with moves in AI and publishing here is a new way of combining the two into something that may be profitable (they have a lot of investment dollars) for someone. Tech Crunch reports on a new company that promises a bright new world- I’m not sure for whom.

 

Katie Weiland has a fantastic post on how to write deeply emotional fiction. If you have been struggling with nailing a scene or trying to convey tone or subtext read this great post. One to print out and stick on the wall. 

Tricia Jenn Loehr has a guest post on Jane Friedmans blog about emotional intimacy and how it’s not restricted to the characters in a romance novel. A great read and food for thought.

 

Gabriela Pereira from DIYMFA has a great post on writing prompts and how they build up the stamina and practice of writing. She offers some great insights here. 

 

In The Craft Section,

7 tips for compelling character motivation- C S Lakin- Bookmark


7 signs you have hidden self doubt- Colleen Story


The hierarchy of exposition- Donald Maass- Bookmark


Crafting an irresistible inciting incident- Polly Watt- Bookmark


Increasing the emotional impact of your story- Angela Ackerman- Bookmark

 

In The Marketing Section,

8 things needed on a homepage- Corina Amos


Back cover copy formula- Sue Coletta- Bookmark


How to use crowdfunding for book publishing- Sandra Beckwith


How to promote to the right audience- Penny Sansevieri- Bookmark


20 bookmarketing ideas that take 10 minutes or less- Jenn Hansen-dePaula- Bookmark

 

To Finish

As you wend your way through this blog post looking at links and trying to figure out what is most worth your time to read (all of it but I’m biased) you finally get down to the bottom and hopefully get a last gem. I have been following Suzanne Lakin for years and she always has a deeply insightful way of looking at the craft. This week she looked at how writers become proficient and the 10,000 hours mantra that Malcolm Gladwell made famous. It’s about the journey not the destination.

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

I’m late with my monthly newsletter (life got in the way) but it is coming I promise. If you want the best of my bookmarked links and other assorted stuff you can subscribe here to join our happy band.

If you want the weekly blog in your inbox subscribe to the Substack version.

If you like the blog and want to buy me a coffee, I appreciate the virtual coffee love. It feeds my caffeine addiction. Thanks.

 

Pic Photo by Jared Rice on Unsplash

Thursday, February 15, 2024

Living Your Unique Public Life

 


 

This week in Publishing News,


I thought this was very last century but here it is again… Let’s put clothes on any illustration for children that might even hint that they are naked, including fantasy creatures. Yes, there are teams out there drawing clothes in books. Because In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak is worse than gun violence in American schools.

 

While we shake our heads at the above story – The Arts Council of England is laying down the law. No political statements. But isn’t it an artistic right to speak truth to power? And what kind of political statements do you mean? The Guardian has the artists reaction.

 

Publishing Perspectives reports on the dates for the Shanghai Children’s Book Fair. They are working with Bologna Children's Book Fair and their creative team so it will be interesting to see how this develops. 

 

Publisher’s Weekly reports that the Lawsuits authors have brought against Open AI for using their work have hit a snag with the judge.

 

Mark Williams of The New Publishing Standard looks at the news the Spotify is paying out millions to authors. I haven’t heard of anybody getting a payment yet, but Spotify say they are paying rights holders… so you might want to check with your publisher and see if they are passing on this money.

 

Joel Pitney writes about publishing red flags on Jane Friedmans blog. He goes into the type of language used and how to spot the bad actors. This should be shared around your writing groups. There are publishers out there who are out to fleece your wallets while feeding on your dreams.

 

Writer Unboxed has their monthly Book PR blog slot and what you should focus on this year. Being authentic without being sleezy.

 

Orna Ross of The Alliance of Independent Authors talks to Joe Solari about the Author Nation conference- which replaces the 20booksto50k conference. Joe talks about what is changing and what is still going to be the same for the biggest writer conference in the world. 

 

Katie Weiland has a great post on how to rediscover the joy of writing if you are suffering from Writer Business Burnout.

 

Quill Magazine for journalists has an interesting article on Ghost Writing.

 

Book Riot shares the latest romance writing trends and Sarah McIntyre has a great article on Curtis Brown's website about what it takes to be a Picture Book Illustrator.

 

In The Craft Section,

How to develop your unique writing style- C S Lakin


Four must haves in your first two paragraphs- Suzy Vadori- Bookmark


Dumb little writing tricks that work- Scott Meyers


Crafting the sidekick character- Victoria Grossack- Bookmark


Deepening our story theme- Jami Gold- Bookmark

 

In The Marketing Section,

Stop quoting yourself in social media – Sandra Beckwith


Your unique writing proposition- James Scott Bell – Bookmark


Have you found your best book marketing niche- Colleen Story


How to create tag lines and slogans - Judith Briles.- Bookmark


8 tips to entice readers- Penny Sansevieri- Bookmark


 

To Finish,

 

Have you got a brand? How big is your newsletter? Do you have loads of Social Media followers – Do Publishers really care about these questions?

If you are feeling tired and annoyed reading these questions- there is a small rainbow. Jane Friedman has a great post addressing the fact that author platform is not a requirement to sell your novel or children’s book. That said, an understanding of how to present yourself  and your book in public is a good thing. Don’t be like the author who recently asked Social Media influencers (mostly Young Women) to feature his book in nude photos. (See Writer Unboxed link.)


Instant Career Burn.


Maureen

@craicer

 

Do you want the best of my bookmarked links in a handy monthly newsletter? You can subscribe here to join our happy band.

If you want the weekly blog in your inbox subscribe to the Substack version.

If you like the blog and want to shout me a coffee, I appreciate the virtual coffee love. Thanks.

 

 

Pic Photo by Redd F on Unsplash

Thursday, February 1, 2024

Are We Really Scoring?

 


In Publishing News this week...


The fall out from the Hugo Award controversy has continued (see last week) and now members of the committee have been pushed out the airlock. Locus Magazine has the news release on who and why the award committee members have got the chop.

 

Gobbling up smaller publishers is still a menu item. Publishers Weekly reports Greenleaf partnering with Wonderwell. Partnering implies equal status … No. If you read between the lines they’ve dumped everyone, kept the name and boss to ‘run’ the imprint and terminated the authors. 

 

Goodereader has an interesting article on Spotify paying tens of millions to audiobook publishers. Everybody is waiting for someone to announce they got paid from Spotify streaming their audiobooks. Any numbers? Is it worth it? Mark Williams has his usual acerbic take on whether Spotify is good for publishing- If it takes chunks out of Audible he is all for it. Meanwhile, Audible and Storytel are tightening belts.

 

Lithub comes out on the side of Lana Bastašić who had a blistering response to a German Literary Festival dropping her letting over comments about the war in Gaza. They reprint the letters in full. Ouch!

 

Simon and Schuster are celebrating 100 years in the business. In 1924 they started with a crossword puzzle book to take advantage of the puzzle craze sweeping the world. They are profiling the most influential books they have published in 100 years. (Their founder, Richard Simon also gave the world Carly Simon - So they can be vain this once.)

 

Debbie Burke reminds us there is always more to learn about publishing, right when you think you know it all. Elizabeth Craig has a great article on Keeping up with Writing and Business. You can’t have one without the other so figure out how to use your time. She has great tips.

Sue Coletta has a great article on Mindset- writing is like turning an elephant… 

 

Ruth Harris has an interesting article on Sex. When should it be used? Is it overused?  Should you just leave the door closed? 

 

In The Craft Section,

How to write Fantasy Characters- Krystal Craiker- Bookmark


Picture Book Critique questions- Mindy Weiss


Characterize with clothing choices- Becca Puglisi


How to generate powerful story conflict- Angel Ackerman- Bookmark


How to show emotion in characters who hide their feelings- Eldred Bird- Bookmark

 

In The Marketing Section,

Improve your book rank by updating book descriptions- Penny Sansevieri- Bookmark


5 key areas to check to boost sales- Top Author


7 simple steps to start building your brand- Chase Neely


Book marketing overwhelm- Sandra Beckwith- Bookmark


Back cover copy formula – Sue Coletta - Bookmark

 

To Finish,

Recently Draft2Digital hosted a heavy hitters podcast looking at the publishing world of 2023 and forward into 2024. Mark Coker, Orna Ross, Jane Friedman, Joanna Penn and Dale Roberts all shared their thoughts about the big things to think about in publishing and the changes occurring. Joanna termed 2024 as Year Zero. It’s a great podcast to get you thinking about your writing and publishing career going forward.

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

Do you want the best of my bookmarked links in a handy monthly newsletter? You can subscribe here to join our happy band.

If you want the weekly blog in your inbox subscribe to the Substack version.

If you like the blog and want to shout me a coffee, I appreciate the virtual coffee love. Thanks.

 

Pic Photo by Joppe Spaa on Unsplash

Thursday, December 14, 2023

Christmas Shopping



In Publishing News this week,


It’s that time of the year when everyone is shopping for presents. Penguin Random House has been shopping and they’ve just bought Hay House. But are they going to keep it the same?

 

This week KKR, the hedge fund that bought Simon and Schuster, announced who is on the new board of Simon and Schuster. There is a lot of interest in this news as moves like this can signal where the focus of the publishing house will be in the future. Mark Williams has a run down on where S&S might be heading.

 

With a more multi- media focus on IP filtering through publishing houses, the programming of the Publishing senior level conference in New York in January looks on the money. Publishing Perspectives checks in with Mary Pender, who will be a speaker at the conference in January. Mary is an agent specializing in book to screen deals.

 

Mills and Boon are launching a new imprint – Afterglow. This is to take advantage of all those romance TikTok influencers out there and their young and hungry market. Always check in with what the romance community is doing they are usually way ahead of everyone on trends.

 

The NY Times has an opinion piece on whether Spotify will kill audiobooks the way they have strangled the music industry. You may need an eggnog or two after you read it.

 

Why does a publishing house close an imprint? Jane Friedman interviews three industry commentators on why imprints come and go.

 

Kelley Way has an interesting post on what happens to royalties after I die- This is where your literary executor comes in handy.

 

Mark Williams has a guest post over on Anne R Allen’s blog about the hard job that agents do. He was a fly on the wall for a week. Eye-opening.

 

Rachel Thompson has a great post on 10 proven strategies for writers to boost focus and enhance creativity for next year. Get your planning in early.

 

Writer Unboxed has their final marketing segment for the year with words of encouragement from writers in the business. Over at the Alliance of Independent Authors Orna Ross is talking with Anna Featherstone about baking the marketing into the book as you write it. (podcast transcript)

 

Jami Gold has another brilliant post on how to portray strong friendships. She has been studying the Loki mini series for tips on Bromance style friendships and how to write them well. 

 

In The Craft Section,

5 signs you are ignoring your antagonist- Colleen Story- Bookmark


8 keys to becoming a successful author- C S Lakin- Bookmark


Writing a sympathetic antagonist- Kristin South


Your book means something- James Scott Bell- Bookmark


Write your way whole- Kathleen McCleary

 

In The Marketing Section,

How to market a book- K M Weiland - Bookmark


2 great posts from Penny Sansevieri - 11 clever promo ideas - and Customise a book marketing plan - Bookmark


Author websites and book marketing – PublishDrive


2024 Literary Calendar- Sandra Beckwith - Bookmark

 

To Finish,

'Tis the season to be jolly…. 

The last quarter of the year is often the time that writers push through against fatigue and Christmas overwhelm and try to get their 2023 projects squared away. This can make you even more anxious as you run up against the December calendar. You might like to check out gifts you can give yourself or pass on to family to get for you. Don’t forget to check out Angela and Beccas free writing gifts. 

For creativity you can put your feet up and try some fun writing prompts with a Christmas theme. Put your own Genre spin on it. A Dinosaur Christmas Romance with Sparkles and Zombies …

 

Next week is the last blog post for the year and the bumper Christmas newsletter will be out. If you haven’t checked out my books sales go over to my books website and grab some bargains.

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

Do you want the best of my bookmarked links in a handy monthly newsletter? You can subscribe here to join our happy band.


If you want the weekly blog in your inbox subscribe to the Substack version.


If you like the blog and want to shout me a coffee, I appreciate the virtual coffee love. Thanks.

 

Pic Photo by freestocks on Unsplash

Thursday, December 7, 2023

Little Gifts of Change.

 


In Publishing News this week,

 

Richard Charkin, commentator on the publishing industry, is walking the talk by having his press go to Print on Demand with Ingram Spark. With calls over the last three years or so for publishing companies to be more sustainable this is a move that will hopefully herald a lot of other publishing companies following suit. Along with POD, Richard is using the new kid on the block Shimmr to handle the book promotion. Shimmr uses AI to scan the book pull out the tropes and selling points and then crafts media ads to target ideal readers. Changes might be happening. 

 

Publishing Perspectives reports that Germany has taken the falling stats in reading skills among German youth to heart and they are going to embark on new strategies to help keep young people reading.

 

It’s time to wheel out the big lawyers. In litigation news, Democrat members of Congress (US) introduced a bill to stop the surge of book banning in schools. Their bill is for federal funding to fight the book bans.

 

Dan Holloway has an interesting news roundup for the Alliance of Independent Authors. This week he looks at all the news surrounding the various court cases being brought by authors against AI. There seems to be one law firm spearing the charge. Dan has some interesting things to say about whether these court cases are useful or not. 

 

Meanwhile, the Association of American Publishers (AAP) is sending strongly worded statements to the copyright office about the Tech companies use and abuse of Fair Use which is what the Tech companies are pinning their defense on. 

 

Jane Friedman has a very telling post on how publishing professionals can sometimes screw up a writer’s career. She has an interesting case study, that a lot of writers can probably empathise with. I have heard variations on this problem for years. Sometimes you just have to trust your gut.

 

Anne R Allen has a great post on query letters. If your manuscript hasn’t had any bites, it could be that you are screwing up your query letter. She has a run down on best practice.

 

Katie Weiland has compiled a lovely list of writer gifts that you can share around to your loved ones if you want something particular and they need ideas.

 

December is commonly referred to as NaNoEdMo or the time when writers who managed to write a novel in November take a step back and look at the editing of that novel. Michel Leah has a great article on what to do now. 

 

In The Craft Section,

Story Tropes to avoid or not to avoid- Jami Gold


The 10 most common editing mistakes- Natalie Hanemann- Bookmark


Brainstorming words of wisdom -Dale Ivan Smith- Bookmark


Why the protagonist must be a problem solver- September Fawkes- Bookmark


FBOBA The fragile beauty of being alive- Donald Maass- Bookmark

 

In The Marketing Section,

Marketing Outside The Box- Terry Odell- Bookmark


20 ways to promote during holiday season- Thomas Umstattd- Bookmark


Publish as an audiobook with Scott Sigler- Thomas Umstattd-Bookmark


Parts of a book- Reedsy- Useful Info


It’s not about You- Kathy Steinemann- Bookmark


How to find time for book promo- Sandra Beckwith

 

To Finish,

As we head into December, many writers start thinking about their goals for the year. Have they been achieved? Are you thinking about next year? Are you setting goals?

Kay DiBianca has a great post on acknowledging your accomplishments and planning for the next year.

 

In personal news – I have ebooks on sale all over the place. If you are looking for kids books You can check out my maureencrispbooks website or hit this link for a group sale promo. 

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

Do you want the best of my bookmarked links in a handy monthly newsletter? You can subscribe here to join our happy band.


If you want the weekly blog in your inbox subscribe to the Substack version.


If you like the blog and want to shout me a coffee, I appreciate the virtual coffee love. Thanks.

 

Pic: Photo by Mark König on Unsplash

Thursday, August 17, 2023

Standing Up For Your Rights

 


In Publishing News This Week

 

The Judge handed down a ruling on the Internet Archive Library copyright case which has annoyed the plaintiffs, (AKA some of the biggest publishers.) The judge is trying to steer a middle course by allowing the Internet Archive to stick with making eBooks of print books that don’t already have an eBook format. This stops the publishers or the authors who have reclaimed their rights doing their own eBook version. Publishing eBooks for in-print books is not fair use. Appeals to the ready. 

 

With the ever louder clamour to ban books… various library organisations have banded together to promote the banned books. Penguin Random House has joined the party by making a whole lot of resources and books available to kids. Let Kids Read. I was nonplussed to read the opening remark in this news article. How can teachers think AI would tell them what books to ban?

 

Last week I reported on Jane Friedman’s woes with AI scraped books that had her name, and by extension reputation, plastered all over them. The story went viral and was reported on many international news sites, including our national radio programme. Jane has published an article on what to do if you are in a similar situation. Based on many writers testimony all over the internet- this is going to become more likely. One pundit stated that keeping a strict eye on your Amazon Author page where these books are likely to show up is essential. Amazon won’t do anything until you tell them to.

 

Wired has a story on the Prosecraft AI backlash- Why the great AI backlash came for a tiny startup you’ve probably never heard of. Are they just the convenient low hanging victim for scared people or is there some deeper motive in the AI backlash against them.

 

Writers in Kindle Unlimited were dismayed when the latest pages reads compensation got down to .0004 cents a page. Many writers publicly stated this was the end for them being in the KU program. Craig Martell of 20 Books fame devoted a 5 minute focus chat on this topic. If you are wondering what you should do check out the wise words of the 20 books captain. 

 

Joanna Penn has an interesting interview with Steph Pajonas on using AI tools to help writers with disabilities. Some of the tools can be very useful.

 

Literary Agent Janet Reid explains why selling YA is so hard now. This is a good exploration of why some books can be the next hot thing until they aren’t.

 

Are you being eco friendly in your publishing? The Alliance of Independent Authors has an interesting article about how you can up your sustainability practice.

 

Chuck Wendig has an interesting post on why he is focussing on standalone books instead of series. It all has to do with rights. There are potentially more exploitable rights in standalones. An interesting perspective when everyone in the Indie world is paddling the other way.

 

Roz Morris has a great article on story telling details she now does on auto pilot. It all goes back to great editing teaching her a few tricks.

 

In The Craft Section,

What are pinch points and where do they go- Sue Coletta


How to determine the age of your target reader- C S Lakin- Bookmark


How to find the narrators voice- Michelle Barker- Bookmark


What are plot devices and why you should be cautious- K M Weiland- Bookmark


The basic formula of fiction- James Scott Bell- Bookmark

 

In The Marketing Section,

How to write a newsletter people will actually share- Lisa Norman- Bookmark


Best practices for selling books- Elizabeth Craig


Crafting an irresistible book pitch- Penny Sansevieri- Bookmark


The business of writing- Angela Ackerman


Author websites- Goodstory Company- Bookmark

 

To Finish,

How many times have you come up against the myth of the solitary writer? It has a certain romance to it. Left alone the writer will be most productive and their genius will flower naturally in a series of stunning books. 

Yeah about that. The reality is a lot different. Writers need a community says Elizabeth Craig.

A few decades back there were writers who couldn’t deal with the world so needed the dutiful wife to do everything. This article looks at the wives who put up with a lot from their tortured genius writer spouses. 

I would be reaching for the frying pan and not in a good way if I was shackled to these writers. 

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

Do you want the best of my bookmarked links in a handy monthly newsletter? You can subscribe here to join our happy band.

 

If you want this blog in your inbox subscribe to the Substack version.

 

If you like the blog and want to shout me a coffee, hit the coffee button up top or here. I appreciate the virtual coffee love. Thanks.

 

Pic Getty Image from Latest WGA strike news


Thursday, August 10, 2023

When Whack-A-Mole Feels Like The Only Game In Town


 

 

In Publishing News this week…


The news that Simon and Shuster has been sold echoed around the publishing blogosphere like a thunderclap. The buyer KKR is an investment fund. The news has split the publishing world into two camps, This is a good thing for publishing and The sky is about to fall in.

Which camp you are in seems to be whether you are a student of financial history or whether you think that publishing needs to change the way it does business.

Mark Williams looks at it as a beacon of hope, an interesting take on how he sees the future playing out.

Cory Doctorow sees the sale as another nail in the coffin. Cory has been writing excellent articles recently about tech business issues and this sale fits right into some of his core concerns.

KKR have got a great deal- cheaper than PRH was offering. Simon and Schuster are an IP prize and their sales have been very good lately although they do have a Trump court case looming. (The winners will always be the lawyers.) 

 

In other court case news, Amazon and the FTC. The case of breaking up Amazon got a little closer recently. Will there be a future without Amazon? Don’t count on it coming soon. This case is going slowly. Meanwhile, although the judge threw out the colluding eBook prices with the big 5 publishers court case she did find that Amazon needs to front up over its monopolistic practices.

 

Jane Friedman is spitting mad and no one can blame her. If you are a popular and trusted name in the publishing world and some unscrupulous person decides to capitalise on your name recognition by publishing AI scraped books with your name on it, you would be too. However, when the websites hosting these bogus books then turn around and say so what, you haven’t trademarked your name, you reach Defcon 1 in mad. The post went viral and some backtracking was soon evident. But will this happen to others? Constant Vigilance.

 

Meanwhile, in other AI scraping news, The website Prosecraft which was set up to help authors refine their writing was closed by its owner when news broke that to make the site work they had been scraping popular authors work without permission. When you unleash the AI, letting it roam through 24,000 authors books isn’t a good idea.

 

Kathleen Schmidt a publishing industry blogger looks at the latest problems besetting the publishing industry and asks if publishing is now broken. 

 

Even though Jane Friedman is wrestling with AI trolls she still finds the time to have brilliant guest posters on her popular site. This week Matt Holmes has a very interesting study on Facebook ads and how he is using the FB algorithms to do something completely different which is also making him money.

 

Tonight I had the privilege of being at The New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. It was great to see many friends in the industry and to celebrate the finalists and the winners. I have judged the awards and it is always a nerve wracking time for everybody. You feel the weight of your choices and wish that you could give everyone a prize for just getting to the finals because of the tremendous amount of work, sweat, tears, and years of the author and illustrators lives wrapped up in the pages. 

 

If you are wondering about this writing gig and feeling down about your work… read this great article by Kathleen McCleary on Writer Unboxed on Forward Motion.

 

 

In The Craft Section,

The secret to writing your first book faster- Suzy Vadori


Vulnerability -the key to compelling relationships- Angela Ackerman


Do you have too much dialogue- Janice Hardy- Bookmark


Two tricks to build suspense- K M Weiland- Bookmark


Multiple points of view – Anne R Allen- Bookmark


How to write middle grade fiction- Stephanie Willing

 

In The Marketing Section,

Book Marketing Buzzwords- A good index from Sandra Beckwith


Why writers shouldn’t care about the numbers of Social Media followers- Colleen Story- Bookmark


70 tips to sell books – Kindlepreneur


The Marketing Mind Shift- Joanna Penn with Ricci Wolman of Written Word Media podcast/transcript- 

Bookmark 


How to make the new Author pages on Amazon work for you- Penny Sansevieri- Bookmark

 

To Finish,

It’s been a while since I linked to a post from Chuck Wendig. He is still around, still doing his wild crazy thing but this week’s post Forgive The Writers Because We Are So Tired resonated with me as I was researching the blog. Publishing, and Discoverability problems, and Book Banning, and AI scraping, and Scammers and… and…. 

It often feels like we are playing whack-a-mole with the problems of being a writer in this current age. Everything around you conspires to take away your joy in the process, and the imagination, and the dream. But there is joy in the well-crafted story and that somewhere in the midst of the doom and gloom there is a new reader just waiting to escape into your imagination. 

It is a bonus if your peers think that your work stands up and adds to the taonga/treasure of your country. The sweat and tears are worth it.

 

Maureen

@craicer

 

It’s nearly time for the monthly newsletter. You can subscribe to get the best of my bookmarked links in a each month. Join our happy band.


If you want the weekly blog in your inbox check out the Substack version and subscribe there.


If you like the blog and want to shout me a coffee, hit the coffee button up top or here. I appreciate virtual coffee love, it keeps me going. Thanks.

 

Pic Photo by Tingey Injury Law Firm on Unsplash

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