Today is your lucky day! I don't do this often, but given the plethora of good books published in the last three months, I felt it was worthwhile. I love excerpts even though they undoubtedly are nothing but a tease. They get you all excited and then--WHAM! Some lame statement about purchasing the book the summer of God only knows what year. And sure, I could not read them...but what's the fun in that? Life is all about highs and lows, not playing it safe. I'll enjoy my ten minutes of bliss if it means I have to ponder what that first scene meant for another six months. I'm okay with that and I am hoping that you are too! Because this post is all about the free stuff.
1. Charlaine Harris: Dead and Gone
This is the first chapter from the next book in the Southern Vampires series. If you've read any of my other posts, you will know I am a huge fan of Charlaine in general as well as the TV adaptation True Blood. One is incredibly funny and sexy at the same time, the other, still sexy, but a little edgier. I am super psyched that she is going to be at DragonCon this year. I plan on attending and hope to catch at least one glimpse of her, maybe a photo or two!
Dead and Gone Excerpt
Book Release: May 5th
True Blood Season 1 DVD Release: May 19th
True Blood Season 2 on HBO: June 14th
2. Rachel Vincent: My Soul to Take
We all know Rachel does a sexy awesome werecat series, but did you know she's about to release her first novel in a YA series under a new Harlequin Teen imprint? According to the Harlequin press release, "The story features a courageous and determined teen banshee heroine who must stop her classmates from dying before their time." Sounds fun to me. Check out the excerpt and the flashy reader that comes along with it.
My Soul To Take Excerpt:
3. P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast: Hunted
Yes, I know. This book is already out. But you do realize that their are avid urban fantasy and paranormal romance readers who have a full blown fear of stalking over to the YA section and scrounging around for a good read? I actually really like this series and recommend it as a fun and fast read (think lazy days in the sunshine with not a care in the world!) Hunted is the fifth book in the series, and I'm hoping this excerpt will convince some of you to venture into the world of YA! As long as you look like you know what you're doing creepy salespeople won't stare.
Hunted Excerpt
Okay Folks, that's all for now. I'm working on getting you more sneak peeks and other goodies. Stay posted.
So you tell me, what book are you dying to get your hands on? Share with is in the comments below!
New Blog Design!!!
Yep. It was time to upgrade the blog. I have been delaying the inevitable for years. I refused to convert to the new templates for fear of losing my customization. Though I still put a good five or six hours in the relaunch, I am loving the new design and I hope it will be more functional for readers.
But you tell me? You like? You want me to include a specific type of content or a useful widget? Post me a comment and tell me what you think.
But you tell me? You like? You want me to include a specific type of content or a useful widget? Post me a comment and tell me what you think.
The Business of Writing
It's like the dirty little secret that no one talks about. The big elephant we pretend we don't see. But let's face it. We all want the scoop. In fact, we need the scoop, in order to make educated decisions about our writing careers. So today's post is dedicated to all those brave writers who have taken a stand and attempted to fill us newbies (and sometimes veterans) in on the finances of publishing, and ultimately how YOU get paid.
Money: I've always been fascinated by the topic, and not because it seems to be taboo in the writing community. Too often creative types get caught up in this psycho babel b.s., believing that their work has to be about the art, not the money. Don't get me wrong. I'm not advocating selling out. But the whole starving artist bit is a little cliche. This is the 21st century, and those cool little gadgets that make life so fabulous (i.e. iPhones, DVRs, Plasma TVs, not to mention the modern conveniences of things like electricity and running water), they all require cold hard cash.
When I tell someone I want to be a full-time published author they say, "Oh you want to write a novel? I want to write a book before I die." After hearing this, I calmly take a deep breath before shaking the crap out of them. HELLO!!! If someone said, "I want to be a surgeon" would your response be, "I've always wanted to cut someone open?" For my sanity's sake, lets hope the answer is no.
But I digress. My point is this. There is a difference between having a "Bucket List" aspiration of publishing a novel before you die and making a career and supporting your family off of your writing. How can writers possibly be expected to manage our writing career without accurate information (or hell, any information) on the business of writing?
So today we've got a couple blog posts that go into detail on things like the average genre writer's advance, the print run size of a NY Times best-selling author, and that oh so important question, "what will my royalty check look like?". I should also note, that my intention is not to fill you head with fantasies about how wealthy you'll be when you finally hit it big, rather I want to give you some context, a point of reference so that you can compare your own situation to someone in a relatively similar position.
First up, an oldie but goody: Tobias Buckell's Author Advance Survey 2.0
Toby took advantage of his vast networking skills to create an anonymous survey that science fiction and fantasy authors complete and provide information about their advances. Though it isn't the most scientific study (and really what salary survey is?), it does provide some interesting data. This information can be used to help folks determine if they want to try and sell a book on their own or hold out for an agent (notice the difference in earnings).
Second, the Goods from a NY Times Bestseller: Lynn Viehl's Royalty Earnings
Can you say eye-opening. The dollars alone are interesting, I mean who hasn't wondered what kind of cash you are pulling in when on the bestseller list? But Lynn actually goes beyond the data to provide us with some context around the numbers. For example, it is very important to consider the size of your print run when trying to predict your chances of being on the coveted list. Some runs are just too small to be in the running. Also, if you check this out, be sure to read over the comments too. Some other authors have chimed in, adding their two cents and I found it just as insightful.
Last, the basics on Royalty Calculation: Joe Wikert's 2020 Publishing Blog
I included this post because many folks new to the writing business don't understand the basics on how royalties work. I always hear a lot of questions about advances against future royalties--and more recently debates about which is better a higher or lower advances (though I can discuss that in another post). This is just to get you caught up on the basics. Joe has a couple other interesting posts on money aspects of writing, so be sure to take a look around his site.
I should add that it is important to consider your source and take everything with a grain of salt. There are no absolutes in publishing. When folks talk about earnings, there are a multitude of factors that contribute to the final dollar figure on that freshly cut check. For example, advances often differ from genre to genre. I personally have seen lower advances in SciFi and Fantasy than in mainstream fiction. Some publishing houses may be willing to do larger print runs than others and it may have nothing to do with you or your book. Just keep this info in the back of your head, because you never know when it will come in handy.
Money: I've always been fascinated by the topic, and not because it seems to be taboo in the writing community. Too often creative types get caught up in this psycho babel b.s., believing that their work has to be about the art, not the money. Don't get me wrong. I'm not advocating selling out. But the whole starving artist bit is a little cliche. This is the 21st century, and those cool little gadgets that make life so fabulous (i.e. iPhones, DVRs, Plasma TVs, not to mention the modern conveniences of things like electricity and running water), they all require cold hard cash.
When I tell someone I want to be a full-time published author they say, "Oh you want to write a novel? I want to write a book before I die." After hearing this, I calmly take a deep breath before shaking the crap out of them. HELLO!!! If someone said, "I want to be a surgeon" would your response be, "I've always wanted to cut someone open?" For my sanity's sake, lets hope the answer is no.
But I digress. My point is this. There is a difference between having a "Bucket List" aspiration of publishing a novel before you die and making a career and supporting your family off of your writing. How can writers possibly be expected to manage our writing career without accurate information (or hell, any information) on the business of writing?
So today we've got a couple blog posts that go into detail on things like the average genre writer's advance, the print run size of a NY Times best-selling author, and that oh so important question, "what will my royalty check look like?". I should also note, that my intention is not to fill you head with fantasies about how wealthy you'll be when you finally hit it big, rather I want to give you some context, a point of reference so that you can compare your own situation to someone in a relatively similar position.
First up, an oldie but goody: Tobias Buckell's Author Advance Survey 2.0
Toby took advantage of his vast networking skills to create an anonymous survey that science fiction and fantasy authors complete and provide information about their advances. Though it isn't the most scientific study (and really what salary survey is?), it does provide some interesting data. This information can be used to help folks determine if they want to try and sell a book on their own or hold out for an agent (notice the difference in earnings).
Second, the Goods from a NY Times Bestseller: Lynn Viehl's Royalty Earnings
Can you say eye-opening. The dollars alone are interesting, I mean who hasn't wondered what kind of cash you are pulling in when on the bestseller list? But Lynn actually goes beyond the data to provide us with some context around the numbers. For example, it is very important to consider the size of your print run when trying to predict your chances of being on the coveted list. Some runs are just too small to be in the running. Also, if you check this out, be sure to read over the comments too. Some other authors have chimed in, adding their two cents and I found it just as insightful.
Last, the basics on Royalty Calculation: Joe Wikert's 2020 Publishing Blog
I included this post because many folks new to the writing business don't understand the basics on how royalties work. I always hear a lot of questions about advances against future royalties--and more recently debates about which is better a higher or lower advances (though I can discuss that in another post). This is just to get you caught up on the basics. Joe has a couple other interesting posts on money aspects of writing, so be sure to take a look around his site.
I should add that it is important to consider your source and take everything with a grain of salt. There are no absolutes in publishing. When folks talk about earnings, there are a multitude of factors that contribute to the final dollar figure on that freshly cut check. For example, advances often differ from genre to genre. I personally have seen lower advances in SciFi and Fantasy than in mainstream fiction. Some publishing houses may be willing to do larger print runs than others and it may have nothing to do with you or your book. Just keep this info in the back of your head, because you never know when it will come in handy.
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