Writer’s Digest isn’t for Writers Anymore

I’ve written here before about the unethically close relationship between Writer’s Digest and it’s vanity press advertisers. Now whatever blurry line there might have been between the magazine and the vanity press industry has been completely erased.  The transformation of WD into a shill for the vanity press industry is complete. I got this email … Read more

The Personal Touch

I got this "personal" email today from Matt Burke at Vendorpro: I’ve been to your Lee Goldberg website and I think your books are perfect for our stores. I especially like "Diagnosis Murder Series". We work hand in hand with the largest stores in the country, plus thousands of small to medium sized specialty businesses … Read more

Not Interested

I got this email the other day. Here it is, in its entirety: For anyone interested. http://sandstormauthor.blogspot.com/2006/05/sand-storm-prologue-chapters-1-2.html#links Real grabber, isn’t it? Who could resist clicking the link after a pitch like that? The link takes you to a blog, where Steve Clackson has posted the first few chapters of SAND STORM, his novel-in-progress, for which … Read more

Can I Send a Publisher My Script?

I got this email the other day: I recently wrote a heady sci-fi thriller that has gotten good response from people, but my manager calls "unmarketable". You see, apparently, if Hollywood wants a Phillip K. Dick type of story, they go buy a real Phillip K. Dick story. But, unless the budget is under 10mil, … Read more

IAMTW Announces The Scribe Awards

The International Association of Media Tie-In Writers (IAMTW) is dedicated to enhancing the professional and public image of tie-in writers…to working with the media to review tie-in novels and publicize their authors…and to providing a forum for tie-in writers to share information, support one another, and discuss issues relating to our field (via a monthly … Read more

How to Blow a Book Contract

Author John Barlow writes for Slate about the agony of writing a book for 17th Street Productions, the book packager behind Kaavya Viswanathan’s controversial novel and a number of other hit teen novels. However, having never lived in the United States, I had no idea about what was permissible in terms of cussing, especially in … Read more

Temptation

This is a long post… so feel free to scroll past if you don’t have time to kill.  This week, I ran smack into an ethical dilemma and it was all thanks to this short email from a complete stranger: Charles Willeford’s GRIMHAVEN. Looks like you expressed interest in it in a blog  a couple … Read more

Tie Me Up

I got this email today from my brother Tod about my buddy James Kosub, worldwide President of the Lee Goldberg Fan Club: You’ll be happy to know that the man who once lambasted you for writing tie-ins, is now trying to get a job…writing tie-ins. I fucking love that guy! I had to check this … Read more