Sunday, April 24, 2011

Internet Radio

I think this is very cool. Listen to the beginning of this ...

http://www.euradionantes.eu/index.php?page=podcast&id_programme=115 (New perspectives du Jeudi 30 Mars)

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

What NOT to write

Lately, there have been quite a few queries for young adult novels. My friend Jen Garsee writes YA, and I love her books. However, she writes for a huge publisher who specializes in YA.

While I can't possibly list all the genre that Cactus Rain isn't interested in, YA is certainly not a market we can romance.

What we are interested in is mainstream fiction that appeals to a wide general audience. I tend to like good solid stories that are well written. Books with staying power, timeless, fit our business model.

While I fully understand the crazy drive to write a specific story - we are nearly possessed at times - writers also have to understand the industry and the buying habits of readers.

Think about the last 10 books you bought full price. I have several friends who haven't bought a book in years. They borrow them from a circle of friends who trade among themselves.

There are no royalties to authors on books loaned, borrowed, bought at garage sales, or used book stores. Books bought from discount retailers don't bring full royalties either.

At some point in a writer's transition from crazed hobbiest to professional, thinking changes and an understanding emerges regarding the mind set of the reading public. That is how publishers think.


http://ereads.com/2011/04/read-this-then-jump-out-the-window.html

Friday, April 8, 2011

Have you seen this?

View this in full screen and turn up the volume. http://www.youtube.com/user/NadineLaman#p/a/u/0/RsPHmAxRYJA
http://realbusiness.co.uk/news/how-i-got-a-blank-book-to-the-top-of-the-amazon-charts

Posts

Every day this week, I've written a post. No matter what I try, it comes out in one huge paragraph. I don't have time to figure out the problem until this weekend, just wanted you to know that it isn't for lack of trying that I haven't posted. Read this for now. Maybe we can discuss it in the comments??? http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2011/apr/07/amazon-profits-small-publisher-losses

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to those in the UK - and elsewhere - who celebrated it this past weekend.