Well, except for the part about paying advanced royalties being "unsound" and mostly being driven by publishers who produced "ephemeral literature". The author suggests that the serious author should stay away from such publishers.
Well, except for the part about paying advanced royalties being "unsound" and mostly being driven by publishers who produced "ephemeral literature". The author suggests that the serious author should stay away from such publishers.
For all those who want to avoid using amazon, try this new site:
www.kennys.ie
They offer FREE DELIVERY worldwide
www.bookdepository.co.uk
Do the same thing, but I think Kennys have a better selection of (and more) books
www.kennys.ie
They offer FREE DELIVERY worldwide
www.bookdepository.co.uk
Do the same thing, but I think Kennys have a better selection of (and more) books
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Well, except for the part about paying advanced royalties being "unsound" and mostly being driven by publishers who produced "ephemeral literature". The author suggests that the serious author should stay away from such publishers.
And perhaps serious authors still should.
He's worried that the publishers will bankrupt themselves by making a series of bad bets, and then (as now) having your publisher go bankrupt is bad for your career. Myself, as a proud producer of ephemeral literature, I'm all for advances.
I note that Herman Melville accepted an advance for Moby-Dick. Of course, his publishers expected another blood-and-thunder nautical adventure, full of cannibals and bare-breasted native beauties (such as had already made Melville a best-seller), not ... Moby-Dick.
Sometimes, when what you want is ephemeral literature, what you get is a classic.
Maybe?
Does running the three sentences in French advance the plot, reveal character, and support the theme? If so, do it.
If not, ask yourself why you're doing it.
If they don't specify, don't include the headers. Do make sure your name and contact information is the very first thing in the file.
They'll be reformatting the text for whatever kind of reader they use.
The reason for using RTF is because it's most easily transferable to the greatest number of word-processing programs and text-reading devices.
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Remember the mantra: Never Confuse the Reader. It goes hand in hand with Never Bore the Reader.
If you can follow those two guidelines, a future in commercial fiction can be yours.
If you can follow those two guidelines, a future in commercial fiction can be yours.
This is off subject but has anyone here done Nano and how did it work for them? I'm thinking of trying it.
It's great fun and a fine way to bang out a first draft really fast. This thread in the NaNo forum should give you an idea of what people have gotten out of it.
Thanks, scribhneoir. I think I will try it. I need to get back into actually writing and not just thinking about it. This gives me an actual deadline to get something accomplished.
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Ah, found this. I wasn't too far off, and gee a historical writer might have a half advantage if they are also inclined to think like a science fiction writer.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steampunk
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steampunk
I think a historical writer could have an enormous advantage, especially if their knowledge centers on some aspect that isn't widely covered. I've never seen anything set in a steampunk Australia or Pacific Islands, you know, and that could be fascinating.
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That's funny you should say that. My oldest son (designs costumes for local theater) brought my attention to it about a year ago, he figured I'd like it. I got in a conversation with my other son (teenager) this past summer when he had me sit down and watch Warehouse 13 with him. I told him I bet this is the up and coming thing in books.
I love the early 1900s, it's my favorite part of history to research and write about (history quarterly through county historian's office where I work.) I have a YA laid out I'm thinking about for the up coming NaNo.
There has been quite a bit of steampunk on TV and the movies lately (Time Machine, City of Ember, etc). A lot of it is a nod towards the H.G. Wells stuff (Warehouse 13 even has a H.G. Wells character). It was even on the TV show Castle last night: there was a club in NY that catered to Steampunk fans where they went to investigate a murder.
I do think that Uncle Jim was being a bit tongue-in-cheek though because steampunk has been around for quite a while. Maybe awareness of it is on the rise though? And it's generally difficult to chase after the "next big thing". You're usually behind the power curve doing that. It's best to chase after your big thing, the thing you love to write, IMHO.
I do think that Uncle Jim was being a bit tongue-in-cheek though because steampunk has been around for quite a while. Maybe awareness of it is on the rise though? And it's generally difficult to chase after the "next big thing". You're usually behind the power curve doing that. It's best to chase after your big thing, the thing you love to write, IMHO.
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Maybe it's a sign of how long it's been since I've managed to visit a bookstore, but I thought steampunk was dead. As in, it had been a passing fad some years before, and now that golden-geared time was gone forever. Even though I don't write it, I'm glad to see it's still kicking (pistoning? I'd never manage to write that genre, I can't even come up with relevant puns!). Would I be wrong in attributing this resurrection to
Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan?
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Well vampire stories have been around for decades and had a renewed interest, so has just about everything. The ebb and flow of interest I imagine. Not that I meant to say someone should chase the next big thing, I've thought about it for a while, and brought it up on a different thread a few months ago. I find the subject interesting is all. My interest in the industrial age being part of that of course.
Even reading agent tweets, a few have said they'd like to see some steampunk.
So Uncle Jim, tongue-in-cheek, or no? I think its spot on.
I think steampunk- whike the 'next big thing' will peak and die relatively quickly.
And yes, it's been around forever. In college (I was a equential art major) we had to come up with a kid appropriate comic book for scripting class and I came up with a steampunk plot and this was back in 1997 or so.
But once something like steampunk hits market saturation it will be over and no one will want it.
And yes, it's been around forever. In college (I was a equential art major) we had to come up with a kid appropriate comic book for scripting class and I came up with a steampunk plot and this was back in 1997 or so.
But once something like steampunk hits market saturation it will be over and no one will want it.
The movies Mad Max and Waterworld -- are they steampunk?
How about the YA book(s) Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve?
How about the YA book(s) Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve?
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BONESHAKER has been on the Locus Bestseller list for 8 straight months. Westerfeld's book is only going to increase the genre's visibility.
I don't think steampunk is going anywhere soon.
I don't think steampunk is going anywhere soon.
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I now feel the urge to write a story about a punk-rocker who gets electrocuted on stage while steam comes out of his ears.
Just like vampires!
Exactly! It's never worth jumping on a bandwagon after the books have hit the shelves!
Like closing the barn door after the horses have eaten your children.