#1 New York Times Bestselling Author & TV Producer
Author Tess Gerritsen has a terrific post on her blog about aspiring writers who want her to read their manuscripts… and get pissed off when she doesn’t. If I were to say yes to every unpublished author’s request, I wouldn’t have time to write my own books. And truly, I’m astounded that people whom I … Read more
I got this email today. I have deleted the name of the book and the author: I read something you wrote about AuthorHouse and its too-good-to-be-true (because it is) package and stuff, ending with “whoever signs up for this ‘publishing package’ is a dimwit who deserves to be taken for every last cent he has”. … Read more
I got this email while I was away. The subject heading was "What to do after you’ve exhausted every resource in writing?" Greetings. First off, I am a potential author. I say potential cause I’ve yet to get anything published. Have about four finished manuscripts under my belt and I’ve exhausted agents, publishers, some even … Read more
I have a confession to make. I’m a moron. I worked so hard to become a professional writer — spending years slogging away as a journalist, freelance magazine writer, non-fiction author, freelance TV writer, novelist, and writer-producer — when all I really had to do was join FanStory.com. Now, thanks to those helpful folks at … Read more
Don’t think of this as a blog. Think of this as a virtual booksigning, the hot new thing in publishing, at least according to the Wall Street Journal : Hundreds of readers watched recently as historian Doris Kearns Goodwin signed copies of her new book at a Chicago stop on her book tour. Many of … Read more
Showtime is staging an unusual promotional event, inviting fans of THE L WORD to help a writer on the show pen a spec script for an episode. The press release calls it "the first network-sanctioned collaborative fan event." During the sponsored, multi-week event, the show’s millions of fans will be invited to collaborate on an … Read more
I got this email the other day: Hi. I’ve been enjoying your blog. Can you give me an opinion here? I’ve written a book for a local businessman here in XYZ. He wants to get 500-1000 copies published to give to customers, relatives, etc. I notice you say NEVER to pay anyone to publish your … Read more
I have been hammering Writers Digest and editor Kristin Godsey pretty hard here lately. So it should be noted that the latest "tips and updates" email from WD includes a link to a very interesting article Godsey wrote about whether the POD industry should establish a code of professional conduct. While many such companies are … Read more
There was a time when Writer’s Digest offered useful tips on breaking into writing and sustaining a career in the biz… but over the years they have become a worthless shill for the vanity press industry. I’ve been getting countless emails from Writer’s Digest, hyping one vanity press or another as a way to break … Read more
There’s been a lot of talk lately about mid-list writers adopting other names to get their books sold and keep their careers going. Author Tim Cockey has enjoyed some success with his HEARSE series of light-hearted mysteries — now he’s launching a new series under the name "Richard Hawke." He recently sent Bill Peschel an … Read more