When I started writing my fantasy trilogy, one of the first issues I had to wrangle with was what to title my books. I’ll admit I fretted about it for a while, because to me, the title is a big deal. The title is arguably one of the most critical pieces of book metadata. When […]
Experiments in E-book Design
August 7, 2013 by
My wife received a Kindle 2 as a gift a couple of years ago. She gave it a try for a while, but eventually went back to reading print books. When she let me borrow the device, I was instantly hooked on the experience. I still read print books occasionally, but e-books have become my […]
Has the Digital Slush Pile Changed the Way We Buy Books?
March 9, 2013 by
Tracy Falbe, one of my writer friends at the Magic Appreciation Tour, wrote an interesting article on the Digital Book Today blog. The post is titled “Are We Enjoying a Golden Age of Reader Rewards?” Her post and some of the comments that followed got me thinking about how my own buying habits have changed […]
Book Character Trading Cards
October 13, 2012 by
First, I’d like to say congratulations to the two winners of my first Goodreads giveaway for Vaetra Unveiled! The books have been shipped and are on their way as I type this. Now, on to my title subject… I recently joined an online conversation about book character trading cards. Yep, it’s just what it sounds […]
Defending the Integrity of the Book Review System
September 11, 2012 by
My little corner of the Internet has been awash lately with news and opinions related to a few famous authors who have been “busted” for using reviews questionably. The commentary has ranged in tone from outraged to unconcerned. What happened is that a few authors have admitted to, or were proven to be, engaging in […]
Stop Book Censorship by Financial Institutions
March 3, 2012 by
I normally try to avoid getting involved in political or religious discussions, but over the past two weeks, an issue that hits a little too close to home arose in the publishing world: book censorship. It started when PayPal demanded that Smashwords stop selling erotica that features incest, bestiality, or rape. If Smashwords failed to […]
Vaetra Unveiled is Live on Kindle!
January 24, 2012 by
I’m very excited to report that the Kindle edition of my first book, Vaetra Unveiled is now available on Amazon.com! Vaetra Unveiled is book one of The Vaetra Chronicles, a magical fantasy adventure trilogy. Although the book is part of a series, it stands well on its own (no cliff-hanger ending.) I’m offering the book […]
Releasing a Fiction Book in Print: Is It Worth Doing?
December 12, 2011 by
As my first book goes into final editing, I’ve turned my attention to the production aspects of getting it out into the world. Last week I posted about the cover design, which is still undergoing modifications. This week, I’ve been mulling over the issues related to what formats should be brought to market and how […]
Genre Confusion
June 11, 2011 by
An interesting side-effect of self publishing is that authors are free to step out of the traditional genre boundaries. More to the point, you see more genre blending going on. When an author is asked what kind of book she’s writing, she might say its a cross between YA, Urban Fantasy, and Romance. While I […]
