A two-part post today, because I'm covering a couple weeks' worth of links.
From BookEnds, LLC, Jessica gives us three short glimpses into her world: Don't say, "My book still needs editing," don't send a rude reply to a rejection, and find out Jessica's "red flags" that can turn a "yes" into a "no."
Getting worried that your novel has taken a while to sell? Nathan Bransford has reposted an older blog on why you shouldn't worry if you haven't heard back within four months of getting an agent. Selling books takes time - frequently, a lot of time. If you don't want to wait, then self-publish.
If you haven't heard that Borders is closing, you've been on vacation without computers, phones, or television. Hope you have a nice tan to show for it.
Eric Blank's Pimp My Novel gives an opinion on what this will do the writing market.
USA Today suggests who benefits from the loss of Borders (Obviously, Barnes and Nobles!), why Borders closed, and what that means for the market. (and I personally find the quote "I'm not going to buy another paperback in my life" to be horrifying on a fundamental level.)
On QueryTracker's Publishing Pulse, links to several major blogs worth checking out - including some on Google+. The rest of the links are pulled from that page, so if you're planning to read everything, just skip to QueryTracker and read their list.
Marian Perera offers the pros and cons of blogging.
Getting onto Google+? Here's some tips for using the site, courtesy of Robert Brewer.
A list of which literary folks happen to be on Google+, compiled by Debbi Ohi.
Mary Robinette offers advice on having a Writers' Hangout on Google+.
What do you think about the plight of Borders? Is a death sentence for the physical book market? Or is it the start of a new era? How will it affect (or not) your choice of traditional vs. self-publishing?
From BookEnds, LLC, Jessica gives us three short glimpses into her world: Don't say, "My book still needs editing," don't send a rude reply to a rejection, and find out Jessica's "red flags" that can turn a "yes" into a "no."
Getting worried that your novel has taken a while to sell? Nathan Bransford has reposted an older blog on why you shouldn't worry if you haven't heard back within four months of getting an agent. Selling books takes time - frequently, a lot of time. If you don't want to wait, then self-publish.
If you haven't heard that Borders is closing, you've been on vacation without computers, phones, or television. Hope you have a nice tan to show for it.
Eric Blank's Pimp My Novel gives an opinion on what this will do the writing market.
USA Today suggests who benefits from the loss of Borders (Obviously, Barnes and Nobles!), why Borders closed, and what that means for the market. (and I personally find the quote "I'm not going to buy another paperback in my life" to be horrifying on a fundamental level.)
On QueryTracker's Publishing Pulse, links to several major blogs worth checking out - including some on Google+. The rest of the links are pulled from that page, so if you're planning to read everything, just skip to QueryTracker and read their list.
Marian Perera offers the pros and cons of blogging.
Getting onto Google+? Here's some tips for using the site, courtesy of Robert Brewer.
A list of which literary folks happen to be on Google+, compiled by Debbi Ohi.
Mary Robinette offers advice on having a Writers' Hangout on Google+.
What do you think about the plight of Borders? Is a death sentence for the physical book market? Or is it the start of a new era? How will it affect (or not) your choice of traditional vs. self-publishing?
I personally find the quote "I'm not going to buy another paperback in my life" to be horrifying on a fundamental level.
ReplyDeleteWhy??
I absolutely LOVE my Kindle. I mean LOVE it. I never would have thought I would, but I do. It's revolutionary to reading. :) I will probably never buy another paperback ... that's very very true. :) And now I buy MORE because it's faster and often cheaper on Kindle (I will admit though I RARELY buy a $.99 book ... I buy more traditional published and very highly recommended self-published or Indie-published stories. :)
If enough people decide they no longer need paperback books, then the only ones available will be hardcover... and perhaps not even those. What does that mean? Publishers would no longer print paperbacks, or they'd be printed only on demand (by dinosaurs like me ;) Either way, the cost would at least double, making paperback books harder to obtain. Not a problem if you have an e-reader and prefer it to the physical version, but it IS a problem if you don't have an e-reader yet.
ReplyDeleteYes, I've got Kindle envy... But the gradual disappearance of paperback books means the disappearance of the perks of paperback books.
What about that new book smell? No book=no new book smell. And there's something just viscerally pleasurable about curling up in bed with a book. Highest on the list, though - just how durable ARE e-readers? Would you take one in the tub with you? To the beach? Shove it in your purse? Cram it under your pillow at night? Can you take it with you on a week-long vacation touring Europe, for reading on the trains and relaxation before bed, without being afraid of losing it or having nowhere to recharge it?
I know a lot people love their e-readers, and I'd love to have one myself, but I will certainly be buying more paperback books in the future even when I do get one. Because there are some things a paperback can do, which a Kindle can't - you know, things like surviving being dropped on a concrete floor. But if the cost of paperbacks makes it prohibitive to purchase them, I might have to budget them out. And ~that's~ what horrifies me.
I spend enough time staring at a screen for my career. I'd like to look at something that isn't made of pixels some of the time. Plus, I find information to be much easier to concentrate on and retain when it's not on a screen. I'll probably buy an e-reader at some point- for the sole purpose of decreasing the number of scientific papers I have to cart around with me when I'm visiting museums.
ReplyDeleteI hope paperbacks don't go bust. :( I can't afford to stock up on hardbacks. Plus they take up more space on the shelf).