Closure... & nostalgia.

I was looking for that cartoon that Pat Rothfuss did earlier this year... and here's a link to other authors discussing that same issue.

Pretty sure I have another slant on this somewhere, might add that in here next. Or maybe not.

William talks about one pronoun's overuse. It's a bit funny in that I've noticed myself querying "it" and suggesting "that" lately. :>

Moonrat explains about sell-through and second printings.

Note that EV is temporarily closed to subs until May 2010. We really are full up until 2011.

And I've likely said it already, but I'm thinking about going back to MI for a visit next month, to Confusion, to visit, etc.

Lately I've been thinking a lot about 20 years ago, the days of BBSes and 300-baud modems. Before the Web. Mere years before I got on the 'Net, which was something used by college students, sf authors, and the military...

-- and now it's almost the year 2010! Yes: Brave new world indeed, O Miranda, that has such people in't.

My unexpected sf roundup.

Another link I read lately, when discussing a favorite author -- Patricia McKillip: Vengeance in McKillip.


Let's add some more in: Graham's Locus roundtable. Check out Scalzi reaming Black Matrix -- who, I might add, is about par with Hugo Gernsback, who was infamous for not paying authors. When I say "not paying" I mean he wouldn't ante up the $5.00 owed, and got sued. Read The Futurians for more details.

His pay rates were still Not Good. Scalzi does some more notes here.

Ann Leckie does a summation as to why this matters to you, the writer. Note that this links to Patrick's comment, and he mentions John Klima -- who runs EV, where I work -- and Kelly and Gavin, who run Small Beer Press, which publishes Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet.


Andrew Wheeler on e-books -- or, how much do these REALLY cost to make?

Patrick wishes us all a happy 80th: yes, fandom's been around that long. omg.

Will Shetterly is pulling a Cory Doctorow with his latest book. Here's why. :/ I want this book as a book... am adding it to my to-get list.

In case you're wondering, yes, I do indeed chase down fandom history. I like it. [Same for SCA history.] I have Pohl's The Way The Future Was in my reading queue now.

And Merry Christmas Eve!

End of year news & a debate.

Shimmer and EV both got stories into Rich Horton's 2010 Year's Best. Beth just alerted me. :D

William talks about Harlequin... and why the various writers associations are upset. This brings up the difference between publishing and pay-for-print companies.

Note that using POD does not make some company a vanity press, and that print-on-demand is a technology, not publishing. Lulu.com uses POD. More small presses are also using POD rather than filling their warehouses with books, aka the way the larger publishers can.

Very well done, and an explanation that I highly recommend to you. Especially since the hook -- how do you request a book of which you've never heard? -- is rather important! I wouldn't have thought to explain it that way; I'm so glad that William did.

Book: January 2010.

Wednesday evening I got yet another book job. :D

Just the thing for the holidays!

(May borrow the phrase 'YAVN' from Da Boss! but change the V to something else, hmmm... or perhaps just use YAN?)

This is all sorts of excellent. Also, I'm pondering a short visit back up to MI next month, probably around Stilyagi's Fusion, which is late January. Still planning that out. It'd be about a week, likely less.

What I did this past spring...

Earlier this year I was asked to write an essay about being bipolar.

I did, and it was published in LaChance Publishing's Voices of Bipolar Disorder.


The publisher sent out complimentary copies recently, and will send mine to my new address here in Ohio.

I became bipolar in 1991, was diagnosed in 1992, and kept taking my [sole] med with great success. There are horror stories about meds, and miracle stories. Mine is the latter [or, sometimes Milekey transitions DO happen in reality]. This is probably the only soapbox-cum-cause that I've wanted to talk about that's extremely personal.

It's still a little scary to get up in public, even about what you care about. Be warned that mine is not a pretty story.

Many thanks to the dear ones who held my hands, not only during the rough times when I became manic, but also those who told me I could write this essay -- who encouraged me, listened, prayed, and above all, critiqued!

"The book is scheduled for release on January 1, 2010 and will be available in all bookstores, at all online booksellers, in most libraries and at www.lachancepublishing.com."

(And yes, this means I'm a nonfiction writer, but I'm still an editor first and foremost.)

New book in...

Rush job. New publisher also. This will keep me busy once I deliver NYRSF tonight.

Santa must love me to send me so much pre-Christmas! ;>

Author, editor, agent.

Roundup through Moonie.

TPA: Dream author.
What to expect with your editor.
Expectations on agents. I'll have to check back later and see what the agents said in reply. :>


And today I discovered how exciting it can be to move around the keyboard that lacks a working letter-in-particular. Especially when it starts my login-ID!

Sure does make me think about alternate words right quick, though...

Wheatland Press in need!

Polyphony is an anthology done by a small press, which perhaps you've heard of. Perhaps not, also.

The Clock Ticks on Polyphony 7.

We lost several anthology series this year. :<

Such as The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror... although Horror was resurrected as the Best Horror of the Year by another publisher, Night Shade Books. Just when it looked like we readers were going to have so many lovely choices and always be happy... the crunch everywhere is, of course, affecting anthologies [and collections]. Remember, if you don't buy books, authors don't eat. It's that simple.

The same applies to editors, agents, and publishers, particularly small presses. Printing paper books is not cheap.

Please pass the word along. Thanks!

(Cross-posted, with some added bits.)