Profit, Amazon, and publishing

Education. This is your business, if you're a writer -- or you aspire to be paid as a writer.

Sorry to sound pompous (I expect that I do!) but still.

So you should educate yourself. Find reputable people who talk about the business and listen to them. Check facts. Don't assume that everything that's on the 'Net is True. C'mon, you know better.

Cat Valente explains why publishing is important -- and if you ever thought that you could do everything single-handedly in some business, then her words will open your eyes.

"Because there's more to writing a book than typing."

After you read it, you'll understand why I want to keep repeating the bit about the cheese. Brilliant. Cat, you are a goddess.

I dipped into her comments too, and as a copy editor, I am not a gatekeeper. My job is to help the manuscript become book and get to the reader.

You don't know how happy I am that we have slush readers and acquisition editors in the world... because I sure don't want to be wading through every scrap of deathless prose hunting for good stories. I wouldn't make a good slush reader.


Thanks to Tobias Buckell; somehow I missed Cat's link last year. Toby also explains Amazon's subsidizing bestsellers on the Kindle.

And because I got this from thinking about the 2010 Amazon Fail ep, here's the highlights from Making Light. Especially as Scalzi, bless his heart, made me laugh again over the Zoloft. :D