It’s been a long run, since September 2006. Group author blogs were hot, springing up like mushrooms, but as far as I know, no group of black authors had managed to sustain one. Dakota Knight, a new urban fantasy author with Kensington Publishing, had a vision of a black [...]
THE RACIAL BERLIN WALL IN THE UNITED STATES by Timothy Aldred
To have peace on earth, we must tear down the Berlin Walls of the world. Of course, the United States prides itself on being one nation under a God of love and justice; as being a super power—the greatest nation on earth. So what’s with the difficulty in tearing down the [...]
ON SPOTLIGHT:WHAT MOTHER NEVER TOLD ME by Donna Hill
From Booklist on RHYTHMS…
This gripping family saga about three generations of women begins with Cora, the protected and pampered daughter of the town’s Baptist preacher, dreaming of life away from the small rural town. She heads to Chicago to pursue her desire for a singing career. That dream is thwarted, and she returns home to [...]
I ran across a blog entry the other day which seemed to take issue with my series The Knights of Breton Court. First off, here’s the book description (from the Angry Robot website): On the streets of Indianapolis, the ancient Arthurian cycle is replaying in the lives of rival street gangs. Told through [...]
For those authors learning to write a specific genre, or how the publishing world works, there are many conferences online if you know how to look. Many of them are free; many aren’t. Most require registration.
This month I’ll be “appearing” (the digital me, anyway) at Coyote Con. http://coyotecon.com/
Drollerie Press http://drolleriepress.com/ is organizing the conference. It’s [...]
The 4-1-1 on Self-Publishing Part 4: The Check List
Last month, we talked about marketing, but today, we will concentrate on the overall business for your company. There are so many aspects to self-publishing that you want to make sure that you’re organized. Until you get your own system in place, I’ve created a check list that will help keep you on track as [...]
When a Good Book is NOT a Good Book
Have you ever received outstanding marks on your book before it was actually released? Did the reviews just knock people off of their feet? I bet your friends and peers made you feel that it was the best thing since sliced bread. During the creation of this project, you felt strongly that your writing skills [...]
A Beginning, A Middle and An End
Recently we were at a signing event– it had been a long week, a long day and as usual, we had been asked, and answered tons of questions. Many of them the familiar, tried and true “How do you write a book together?” “Do you ever disagree?” “How did you get [...]
5 Tips For Being On A Panel At A Conference
SHOW UP – You’d be surprised how many people don’t show up for their panels. It really makes it hard on the other panel members to take up your slack. So show up, on time.
Not showing up for your panel without a legit excuse is very unprofessional. It shows to the planning committee that you [...]
It’s difficult enough to explain to our spouses how going to conventions, drinking, talking, and hanging out with friends counts as work. Or how playing Scrabble on Facebook counts as networking (“honey, I swear, I’m playing with my publisher and my agent.”) Now I’m trying to justify how laying in bed staring at [...]
Talking about and then planning for your writing business can be exciting and possibly frightening at the same time. Most nights you fall asleep and awaken with the same question, “How am I going to be able to balance all of this?”
