Hugh Howey, Bestselling Author Of Wool, On The Key To Writing Success

Hugh Howey, the bestselling author of Wool, writes this reply to Sue Graften's allegation that self-publishers are "too lazy to do the hard work". I'm not going to put in a link to Graften's article, Hugh Howey did, so you can get to her article through his if you really want to read it.

Hugh writes:

There is no better way to break into traditional publishing than self publishing. Period. End of story. Hell, write fan fiction. Another piece of Twilight fan-fic just got a seven-figure advance on the heels of the success of 50 Shades of Grey. Does this mean it’s the new norm? No. But it does mean that publishers no longer care how you sell books. They don’t care if you self-publish. They don’t even care if you write porn based on YA vampire novels. They just want to give readers whatever the hell they want! And readers don’t want query letters. They don’t want books in slush piles. They want good stories, decently edited, available right now, and as cheap as you please.

Read the rest of Hugh Howey's article here: My Favorite Four Sue Grafton Novels.

And he would know. His runaway bestseller, Wool, has been picked up by Random House in the UK and Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator) will be directing an upcoming blockbuster movie made by 20th Century Fox. You can read all about it here: Hugh Howey Writes About The Phenomenal Success Of Wool.

Thanks to The Passive Voice Blog for the link to Hugh Howey's article, provocatively titled Sue Grafton Thinks I'm Lazy.

Other articles you might like:
- Rasana Atreya's Self-Publishing Journey
- Contracts: Deadly Agent Clauses
- The Bourne Legacy: The Story Is Fiction, The Rest Is Real

StarShipSofa: A Great Way To Promote Your Novel

StarShipSofa.com

You've written your novel and now face the daunting task of letting the world know about it. Where to start? While everyone knows about Smashwords and Amazon Select (and if you don't, there are articles about that here and here) I'd bet that not a lot of writers have heard of StarShipSofa.com.

StarShipSofa will play an audio recording of your first chapter, free of charge, all you have to do is send it to them. Here are the specs:

If you have a science fiction or fantasy or horror novel out or due out very soon –  if you can send me ten mins of narrated audio or the first chapter (whichever comes first) – we’ll play it on StarShipSofa! Similar to Scalzi’s Big Idea but in audio format.

It’s my intention to add one of these to each and every StarShipSofa show, which I’m calling First Chapters. The Sofa is released each and every week. It’s your chance for a little exposure.
So… here’s what I’m after. It can be any kind of science fiction or fantasy. It has to be an mp3, mono, 128kbps and 10mins long. I also need attached to the beginning of the narration, a couple of mins of you plugging your book – informing the Sofa listeners what will happen in the book, when the book is out, how much it is and where to buy it.

A word of warning about audio quality! Make it the best recording you can. A clean audio file is what we are after. If your mp3 file has excessive amounts of hiss or word stumbles, explosives (words beginning with P or B) paper rustling – it won’t get played.
Send all audio files to Tony C. Smith starshipsofa@gmail dot com. (StarShipSofa: First Chapters Wanted!)

Ghost Hand by Ripley Patton

Thanks go out to Ripley Patton for bringing StarShipSofa to my attention. You'll recall her guest post, The Self-Validated Writer that she made here just a few days ago. I'm excited to say she has fully funded her Kickstarter project; a big thank you to any and all who contributed to that effort.

I just finished listening to Ripley narrate the first chapter of Ghost Hand (is that a cool cover or what!) on StarShipSofa and I have no hesitation in saying, if the rest of her book is anything like that, it is a must-read. Here's a direct link to the broadcast, Ripley's narration begins around 01:10:00: StarShipSofa No 251 Gene Wolfe.

For more information on Ghost Hand and when it will be released, go here: Ghost Hand Is Funded!

Other articles you might enjoy:
- Self Publishing: 3 Steps To Success
- Marketing Strategies For Writers
- Jen Talty: Amazon's CreateSpace Vs LIghtning Source

Seth Godin on Creativity, Childhood and Heroes

Seth Godin

I know I just posted an article on Seth Godin and I don't usually do two articles in a row on someone, but his interview over at The Great Discontent was just too good not to mention! Here's a sampling of what Seth had to say:

On Seth's journey to becoming an entrepreneur:

In the years that followed [getting married, moving to New York and starting a company], I just failed and failed and failed and failed. I got 900 rejection letters in the mail from book publishers. I would go window shopping at restaurants and go home and eat macaroni and cheese. It was a very long slog, right on the edge of bankruptcy for almost eight years. I did a whole bunch of books as a book packager; I did almanacs; I did books on personal finance; I did the Professor Barndt’s On-the-Spot Spot and Stain Removal Guide; I did a book which I’m embarrassed about called Email Addresses of the Rich and Famous (laughing).

Creativity and childhood:

I think “creativity” is better described as failing repeatedly until you get something right.
.  .  .  .
In terms of creativity, the really formative thing that happened to me is that I started teaching style canoeing in Canada at a very old co-ed summer camp in a national park , which I still do every year—I’ve been doing it for 42 years. What I discovered is that if you’re in a situation where people don’t have to engage with you—because at this camp they could do anything they wanted—you have to figure out a way to attract them. The number one way I found to attract people was to help them connect with their dreams. And so, when I was 17, I started a cycle of creative ways to put on enough of a show in front of people that they would choose to engage in that to achieve their dreams. I’ve basically been doing the same thing ever since, except that there are no canoes in New York City. 

Heros vs. mentors

I think that heroes are more important than mentors. A hero is somebody who you can emulate; somebody who raises the bar for you. Heroism scales, so one person can be a hero for a lot of people. Mentoring is over-rated in that there’s this myth that they will pick you, cover for you when you make mistakes, encourage you, and be at your side until you become your true, best self. There are very few of those relationships in the world. 

On taking big risks:

When I finally had my book packaging company working after seven or eight years of struggling, I had ten employees and we were finally making a profit. Two-thirds of our revenue came from one company and they were jerks. They were making our lives miserable and what we were becoming was the kind of company that was good at working with difficult clients. I didn’t want to become that kind of company, so I fired our biggest client—the one who accounted for more than half our revenue. I said, “Here. Here’s the project we spent four years building. You can have it. Keep it.” It could have wiped us out, but instead, the group was so energized that they made up all the revenue in the next six months. 

On social responsibility:

I have all the toys and stuff and detritus that I need. Getting more stuff is not what I’m trying to do. I wonder, “Who can I impact today and how can I do it in a way that in four years from now, they’ll be glad I did?”

Seth's one piece of advice: pick yourself

There’s a picture that I just saw online two days ago. Monday I have this seminar I’m running for free for college students and I’m going to show them this picture before we start. It’s a picture of someone graduating from college. You can’t tell, but you can guess that they’re probably $150,000 in debt. Written on the top of their mortarboard with masking tape it says, “Hire me.” The thing about the picture that’s pathetic, beyond the notion that you need to spam the audience at graduation with a note saying you’re looking for a job, is that you went $150,000 in debt and spent four years of your life so someone else could pick you. That’s ridiculous. It really makes me sad to see that. The opportunity of a lifetime is to pick yourself. Quit waiting to get picked; quit waiting for someone to give you permission; quit waiting for someone to say you are officially qualified and pick yourself. It doesn’t mean you have to be an entrepreneur or a freelancer, but it does mean you stand up and say, “I have something to say. I know how to do something. I’m doing it. If you want me to do it with you, raise your hand.”

Seth's typical day:

Ha! There isn’t one. That’s on purpose. If you have a typical day, I think that that’s something you should work on. 

Books:

You know, I don’t know how to pick one book. I tend to read mostly non-fiction leavened with trashy fiction and science fiction. Back when Neil Stephenson was good, Snow Crash and The Diamond Age were two of the best books ever. I probably read four or five nonfiction books a week—everything from The Peter Principle, which I started reading 35 years ago when I was just a kid, to books that have shown up lately that make me sit up straight. Kevin Kelly is three for three; his new book, What Technology Wants, is an absolute must-read and will change the way you see the world. 

On the kind of legacy he hopes to leave:

I think the goal I have in my work is not to be remembered, but for the people who use the work I did to be remembered instead.

These are just excerpts, I'd encourage everyone to read Seth Godin's entire interview: Seth Godin. Thanks to SwissMiss.com for passing on the link.

Other articles you might enjoy:
- Amanda Hocking's Unusual Writing Schedule
- Indie Writers: 10 Things Not To Do
- 10 Tips For Decluttering Your Life and Increasing Creativity

Seth Godin: When To Go With A Traditional Publisher

Seth Godin

I love Seth Godin's ideas so I was thrilled to come across this video over at the Smithsonian! Seth's video came up on the heels of one about independent publishing, so the videos displayed on that page probably change, but from what I've seen they're all great (which is pretty much what I'd expect from the Smithsonian!).

You may also like:
- Seth Godin: The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread
- Seth Godin: Resist Greed, Do Not Pander

Photo credit: Unknown

Nook Readers And Tablets: Barnes & Noble Lowers Prices

Barnes & Noble has lowered the price of their eReaders and tablets.

7-inch Nook Color: $150 -- 20 dollars lower
7-inch Nook Tablet: (8gb) $180 -- 20 dollars lower
7-inch Nook Tablet: (16gb) $200 -- 50 dollars lower

To see Barnes & Noble's selection of eReaders and tablets, click here: Nook

To read more about the price cuts and what they might mean, click here: (PCWorld) Barnes & Noble Cuts Nook Prices.

Before jumping at the chance to buy an eReader it's worth looking at the new tablets that are out, and are soon to come out.

Google’s new tablet is in the same class as Barnes & Noble’s Nook Tablet and the Kindle Fire. The difference for the Nexus 7 is that it’s a full-featured tablet and not just a low-priced reader designed primarily for content consumption. The Fire and Nook, on the other hand, are all about consuming content since they come up short on standard tablet specs such as cameras, Bluetooth, and GPS. The Nexus 7 is also missing a few features such as a rear-facing camera and a wireless broadband option. Nevertheless, spec-for-spec Google’s 7-inch tablet blows away the Fire and Nook Tablet.

Not only does the Nexus 7 offer better specs, but at launch Google’s tablet was priced the same as the Nook Tablet: $199 for the 8GB version and $259 for the 16GB model. Also, around the time of the Nexus 7 release, debut of a Kindle Fire 2 is expected -- so it’s no surprise that Barnes & Noble decided to cut its tablet prices.

Good reading!

Other articles you might like:
- Amanda Hocking's Unusual Writing Schedule
- What To Write About: Fiction That Sells

Photo credit: Unknown

Forbes: The World's Highest Paid Authors

From The Guardian:

The world's highest-paid authors, according to Forbes:

1. James Patterson: $94 million
2. Stephen King: $39 million
3. Janet Evanovich: $33 million
4. John Grisham: $26 million
5. Jeff Kinney, $25 million
6. Bill O'Reilly: $24 million
7. Nora Roberts: $23 million
8. Danielle Steel: $23 million
9. Suzanne Collins: $20 million
10. Dean Koontz: $19 million
11. JK Rowling: $17 million
12. George RR Martin: $15 million
13. Stephenie Meyer: $14 million
14. Ken Follett: $14 million
15. Rick Riordan: $13 million

I could live with being number 16! :p

Read more here: Forbes richest authors list 2012: James Patterson takes the crown.

You might also like:
- 8 Ways To Become A Better Writer
- Indie Authors: Bad Sales? Redo Your Cover!

Photo credit: James Patterson

Amanda Hocking's Unusual Writing Schedule

Amanda Hocking took the self-publishing world by storm in 2011. She "sold over a million copies of her nine books and earned two million dollars from sales, previously unheard of for self-published authors. In early 2011, Hocking averaged 9,000 book sales each day" (Wikipedia, Amanda Hocking).

In 2011 Amanada was in her mid-twenties and had already written 17 novels! Here's how she does it:

"I get up around 7:00 in the evening," she explained. "I eat something and then I'm on the computer answering emails and doing business for a while. I start writing later in the evening and write between six and twelve hours." (Amanda Hocking in town for LeakyCon)

Perhaps I should try being nocturnal. In the summer it would probably be much less distracting!

Further reading:
- The Secret of Amanda Hocking's Success
- 5 Points To Ponder Before You Self Publish

Photo credit: Unknown

Save Sci-Fi! The Campaign To Convert Rare Novels To Ebooks

Yale University's Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library

From The Guardian:

A specialist New York bookshop [Singularity & Co] is aiming to rescue out-of-print books and provide them for free online.

.  .  .  .

The Save the Sci-Fi campaign aims to bring back in to print one cult SF novel each month and provide it online for free. And if anyone needed proof this is a popular idea, over $52,000 raised through crowdfunding goes some way to providing it.

Save the Sci-Fi isn't the only project attempting to preserve the heritage of science fiction. The excellent SF Gateway, founded by Gollancz books, Britain's oldest and most influential publisher of SF, brings some of the genre's classic texts back in to circulation as ebooks – the covers of which will be familiar to thousands of readers who remember the original Gollancz yellow-jackets.

Read the rest here: Save the Sci-Fi campaign bids to convert rare novels to ebooks.

Other articles you might like:
- The Harlequin Class Action Lawsuit Explained
- Indie Authors: Bad Sales? Redo Your Cover!

Photo credit: Lauren Manning

The Twilight Zone's Rod Serling On Ideas And Where They Come From

Rod Serling

When I was a kid I loved Twilight Zone reruns. There was something about Rod Serling's introduction that sent thrills and chills through me. And that voice!

Brain Pickings has discovered a clip of Searling talking about ideas, what they are and where they come from. It's only a minute long and well worth watching, if only to hear that voice again.

Here's the link: Twilight Zone Creator Rod Serling on Where Good Ideas Come From.

You might also like:
- 8 Ways To Become A Better Writer
- Writers: In Order To Win We Must Embrace Failure

Photo credit: People Quiz

Rasana Atreya's Self-Publishing Journey

Rasana writes:

Early this year the unpublished manuscript of my novel, Tell a Thousand Lies, was shortlisted for the 2012 Tibor Jones South Asia prize. I was ecstatic when I was offered a publishing contract soon after, by one of India’s largest publishing houses. Yet, I declined the offer.

Let me explain.

I would have been happy enough to have my paperback published. What I wanted were the rights to my ebook (the electronically downloadable form of a book). I’d been following the career paths of Amanda Hocking and Joe Konrath, the two authors leading the self-publishing charge, and I wanted a chance to apply their marketing methods to my ebooks. The publisher wasn’t agreeable though, so we parted ways, no hard feelings.

Rasana enrolled her book in Amazon's KDP Select program and, while it was free, 17,000 people downloaded it in one weekend! Since then Amazon has changed its ranking algorithm and she has decided to try out Barnes & Noble as well as Smashwords.com. She writes:

If you decide to self-publish, investigate your options carefully. It is easy to get scammed on the Internet. To confuse the issue, a lot of companies are calling themselves self-publishers. Self-publishing is when you upload the book, you set the price, you track the sales, you run the promotions. When someone else does it for you, they are the publisher of record. Horror stories abound about these so-called self-publishers; from manuscripts being stolen, to sales data being fudged, I’ve heard them all. 

If this seems too intimidating, reputable sites like bookbaby.com can help for a one-time fee. If someone is charging you fees upfront and keeping a cut of your royalties, beware. Reputable publishers will never charge you for publication, which is why they take a cut in your royalties. A quick and dirty way to check if the publisher is legitimate is to look at their website. The focus of a legitimate publisher will be the reader. Their website will be in the business of selling books. A subsidy or vanity publisher’s focus will be you — the gullible writer — and how many unneeded services they can sell to you.

I used CreateSpace to publish the paperback in the US (LighteningSource and Lulu are the other options). I’m pleased to report my novel has started to catch the attention of book buyers for public libraries there. My novel shows up on flipkart.com etc. because I had it listed on Ingram’s catalogue, but the international edition is too expensive for India. The time is ripe in India for someone to replicate CreateSpace’s business model, offering printed copies of books for sale, perhaps even distribution to physical and online bookstores. 

Does this mean I would rule out traditional publishers for my next book? Not at all. I am always open to new experiences. 

Read the rest here: My self-publishing journey.

Further reading:
- Helping Writers De-Stress: Meditation Apps
- Writers: In Order To Win We Must Embrace Failure
- How To Sell 100 Books Per Day: 6 Things You Need To Do