Indie Top Ten List

‘Top Ten’ of the things an Indie writer needs to be doing today

So, you wrote a book. Now what?

1. Target Market. Really, know who your target reader is. **Hint** it is not “Everyone”.
2. Website. You must have one. If you do not, stop and get one now. It is that important. Everything below, points back to it!
3. Blog. Was that an eye roll? Will you get thousands of book sales by building up the most successful blog ever? No. Not the goal, either. If you don’t blog, how will I know if I like your writing?
4. Tweet. Another eye roll? If you haven’t tried it, stop judging. If you have, and think “it isn’t working” – I ask, are you blasting out links to your book every five minutes? Yes? Absolutely wrong.
5. Guest blog. Reach new people – share the love in the blog-o-sphere. IF they are in your target market.
6. Facebook. Your goal is simple, get on there, and talk to people. Friends, family, fans (you DO have an author page, don’t you?)
7. Pin. On Pinterest yet? Fastest growing social media out there. Back to #1, what do your readers care about?
8. Post Comments. Write a relevant comment, people will read it. Note that word “relevant”. Do not spam.
9. Don’t Advertise. How often do you click on an ad? Save your hard earned cash for something that will impact sales, like hiring an awesome cover designer.
10. Stop Marketing. Do not think of any of this as “MARKETING”. Networking, research, conversation, connecting. If you think of it as marketing, it will come across. People have an inherent distrust of being “marketed to”.

REPEAT!

 

 

Twitter: @ksearsbooks

Katherine Sears is the Chief Marketing Officer and co-founder of Booktrope Publishing. Prior to Booktrope, her background was primarily in technology and online marketing in both Seattle and California, working at companies such as NetApp, ADIC and Siemens. Her life-long love of books, and a desire to bring a new type of focus to marketing them, had her join forces with some other bookish folks to create Booktrope. She is the co-author of How to Market a Book and has served on the University of Washington’s Digital Publishing Certificate Program advisory board. She has also worked as an actress, and a corporate trainer. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in theater from the University of Southern California. Katherine currently lives in Fall City, WA with her canine and human family members.

The Traveling Writer

I believe I’m living, breathing proof that writing doesn’t have to be done at a desk. Or in a den. Or even in an enclosed room at all. I’m fortunate in that my job allows me to travel.

Actually my job requires me to travel. Okay, okay…my job IS travel. And while the jet-setting lifestyle, the white sand beaches, the crystal clear pools, the gourmet food, and the cold drinks are nice, they sometimes get in the way of my real love, writing. 

 

Wait. Strike that. Those things ROCK. 
 

Truth be told, anything that gets in the way of writing is just an excuse. Writing can be done anywhere, anytime, any way a writer can. And in today’s 21st century, tech-filled world, that’s never been more true.
 

I’ve written some of my best work on an iPhone in a hotel lobby, and some of my worst work on my laptop in a dead-silent dining room. I’ve written some of my best work in Evernote on an iPad, and some of my worst in Scrivener on a Mac. The place and tools don’t matter. But I admit, the location does tend to stir my creative juices a bit.
 

A few weeks ago, I was on a cruise ship sailing out of the port of Taormina, Sicily, headed for Greece, and while my wife was getting ready for dinner, I sat on the upper deck with a bottle of Peroni, my laptop, and sunglasses. Three hours later, after Sicily had faded into the background and the open Med stared back at me, I had two complete chapters written. 
 

Yeah, maybe I won’t quit the day job anytime soon…it’s actually helping my writing endeavors…

 

Steve Umstead has been the owner of a Caribbean & Mexico travel company for the past ten years, but never forgot his lifelong dream of becoming an author. After a successful stab at National Novel Writing Month, he decided to pursue his dream more vigorously…but hasn’t given up the traveling.

Steve lives in scenic (tongue-in-cheek) New Jersey with his wife, two kids, and several bookshelves full of other authors’ science fiction novels. More information is at SteveUmstead.com, and you can always find him on Twitter (@SteveUmstead).

Hello internet. It’s me!

“Hello internet.  It’s me!”

Now imagine me shouting that in Grand Central Station at rush hour one week before Christmas. Now imagine that every other person around me is also shouting hello. Some of them have bullhorns, some have flashing lights, many of them have their friends pointing to them and drawing attention to them.

That’s what social media feels like to me, a shouting cacophony.

I was one of those kids who liked to be the big fish in a little pond, purposefully never straying out of my comfort zone and keeping to things I was really good at, like writing, art and music. Then the internet exploded and I found out that the little pond was in fact an ocean the size of a planet and there are not only bigger fish. There are sharks.

It’s a little daunting, and it’s impossible to even attempt a website or a blog or a social media engine without a bit of ego on your side. After all, I wouldn’t be doing it, unless some part of me said, “Out of the millions of websites on the internet, you should look at mine. I’m worth reading.”

And this goes against everything about humility and fair play that I was ever taught as a kid. That little kid, who preferred to have everyone tell her. “Oooh! You’re so clever! I could never do that!”

It’s time to grow up, little kid and brace yourself. There’s a lot of sharks out there… sharks with megaphones.

Did I ever mention that metaphors aren’t my strong point?

 

 

Monica Marier is a caffeinated writer, artist, mother and eccentric. On weekdays, she’s busy working on her books, recording audio files, and composing short stories for her blog. On weekends she’s a co-founder of Tangent Artists.

Links:

Comics: www.tangentartists.com

Follow her on Twitter! @lil_monmon

Books: Available through Hunt Press http://www.huntpress.com/

Our World out of Context

It’s a commonality to assume that fantasy and science fiction writers write in the genre they do because they wish to escape the current state of the world. As an avid fantasy and science fiction reader, I can attest to that notion. They are genres that take readers to far places to explore odd creatures, new cultures, and fresh ideas. Yet, because I am also a fantasy writer, I realize that many of the themes in fantasy and science fiction have a hidden context to the real world, be it religion, politics, historical commonalities, etc. This happens in my novels whether I intend it or not. Of course, the worlds I create must have some coherence to the real world in order to maintain their believability to readers, but looking back on my past novels, I also see that burried within my worlds is a reflection of current events and personal questions.

The truth of the matter is, although I write to escape into a different land with different people, I can’t help but address the here and now. Writing and reading is an outlet for me (as I’m sure for many others) to process events and reflect on personal issues and questions in a safe and somewhat removed way. Oftentimes, these musings are not evident to me while I’m writing—the realization comes later.

Essentially what I find many fantasy and science fiction writers doing is not pulling readers into newly formed and unfamiliar places, but showing readers our own world (or aspects of our own world), taken out of context. Current events, social and historical contexts, politics, and religion are inescapable. The beauty of fantasy and science fiction is their ability as genres to show us our current world through a skewed perspective. And what better way to reflect on our own reality than to take it out of context?

 

 

 

Nicole Persun is a 17 year old student who signed her first book contract at 16. Her novel, A Kingdom’s Possession, was recently named a finalist for the ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Award at the American Library Association conference. In addition to writing, she loves to garden, cook, listen to music on high volume, practice photography, and spend time with her horse Goldie. Read more at NicoleJPersun.com and http://amzn.to/LSlF7s.

Finding Time to Write

Writing Today

Today’s world demands a writer not only write, but also market their work on websites, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, interviews, book signings and other marketing opportunities…and also meet the responsibilities of life. One can lose sight of the key to success as a writer, which is to…write! A successful writer simply must write every day. There is no alternative to this rule. You can’t let the lack of time, rejections, harsh criticism and the evil writer’s block deter you from writing.

Writing is a job. Schedule your writing time and let those who love you know what that time is. Be firm on your schedule and don’t let it be altered unless absolutely necessary. This is sometimes hard to do, but essential.

Rejection and criticism are a part of being a writer. Not everyone is going to like your work. Instead of getting angry or emotionally upset about criticism, learn from it. If you see a common thread in the rejections or criticism, you have a problem and you need to fix it.

There is a way around writer’s block. Instead of giving up and walking away from the computer, start working on another story. We all have other stories milling around in our demented minds. While you’re working on the other story, your subconscious mind will be sorting out the writer’s block. This is a scientific fact.

When I believe the whole world is conspiring to prevent me from writing, I look in the mirror. The culprit is usually there.

 

 

 

Mike McNeff is a cop who writes about cops. During his 40 years in law enforcement Mike has worked patrol, criminal intelligence, narcotics, and he has been a SWAT team leader and commander as well as a hostage negotiator. He is also an experienced trial attorney in both criminal and civil cases. Writing is Mike’s third career and GOTU – A Robin Marlette Novel is his first published book. Find Mike’s writing here: http://amzn.to/IJT9yI // GOTUSeries.com , Twitter: @Mike_Mcneff, and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MikeMcNeff.Site.

I am a Writer!

I am a writer!

This might seem self-evident to anyone who’s read my bio, but I make this point for a reason – when do you start calling yourself “a writer”, as opposed to someone who dabbles in words around a day job?

I took the plunge when my first book was published in October 2011 – it seemed silly to call myself a dabbler in words when I was a published author. It still makes me smile every time I say it.

The main response I get? You must be rolling in it!” or “How big are your royalty cheques?”

I don’t imagine many nurses or teachers getting asked those questions. There seems to be something about authors that people think we’re as financially secure as Stephen King or Neil Gaiman.

I wish.

When I explain that, even now, I hold down another job in addition to the writing, as my first love doesn’t pay enough to live on. Having had the good fortune to make friends with a number of indie authors from across the globe, I know this is a common trait – but non-writers I tell this to look at me askance, as if I had grown a second head.

I can understand that that kind of attitude can put people off saying those magic words, but it shouldn’t – be proud of the fact that you are creative enough to put pen to paper, or finger to laptop.

Come on, now, say it with me; “I am a writer!”

 

Matthew Munson is an Englishman; born in a small seaside town, he finally moved away when he was 24 … to another seaside town, four miles away, and is still there now.

He wrote his first book at the age of 9, about a space-cowboy who was fleeing from the dinosaurs, and often worried if he had peaked too soon – until his first book was published in 2011.

Fall From Grace is his debut novel, published by a British publishing company called Inspired Quill, and he’s currently working on a sequel – albeit interspersed with the odd short story, column and blog.

Matthew is a proponent of autism studies and Deaf Awareness, which he writes about over at his blog (http://vikingbay.blogspot.co.uk/) and occasionally, if he is feeling particularly daring, makes the odd vlog here and there. He finds writing a solitary exercise sometimes, so go and say hi at his Facebook page – www.facebook.com/matthewmunsonauthor

Writing in the 21st Century

There are volumes to be written on the difference between reading ebooks and paperbacks. Fortunately, the eventual form the book will take doesn’t yet affect the actual writing of it but it no doubt soon will. The writing is still that magical process of getting sucked into your imaginings and spending time outside the everyday world. But once you release the finished article, other processes take over – often as incomprehensible as the creative phase.

For instance, the whole world of selling and publishing baffles me. A book of mine won an award and you can buy it for $10.99 on Amazon USA. Surprisingly, you can also buy 12 new copies of the same book for from $9.15 to $39.17 on the same site. I’ve no idea what ‘added value’ (to use that grotesque marketing-speak term), you get for the extra money, but it must be significant.

Even more so for another of my books which will set you back £8.88 for a new copy on Amazon UK but £39.92 for a used copy. And, best of all, there’s another award winner of mine (forgive the immodesty) whose present cover price for a new paperback is $12.99 but, again on the same site, used copies are available at prices ranging from $98.53 (yes, almost the magic $100) to (and I swear this is true because I checked it again and again) $250.80.

The world of books is absurd and obviously far too complicated to be understood by mere writers.

 

 

Before taking early retirement to become a full-time writer, Bill Kirton was a lecturer in French at the University of Aberdeen. He’s written stage and radio plays, short stories, novels, skits and songs for revues, and five non-fiction books aimed at helping students with their writing and study skills. His five modern crime novels, Material Evidence, Rough Justice, The Darkness, Shadow Selves and Unsafe Acts are set in north east Scotland and his historical crime/romance novel, The Figurehead, is set in Aberdeen in 1840. The Darkness won the silver award in the mystery category of the 2011 Forward National Literature Awards and his spoof mystery, The Sparrow Conundrum, was the winner in the humor category.

He’s had radio plays broadcast by the BBC and the Australian BC. His short stories have appeared in many anthologies, including three of the CWA’s annual collections, and one was chosen by Maxim Jakubowski for his 2010 anthology of Best British Crime Stories.

Writing as Jack Rosse, he’s published a novel for children called The Loch Ewe Mystery and, with another Jack alias, Jack Lefebre, he’s written a satire based on experiences in Second Life™ called Alternative Dimension.

He’s been a Royal Literary Fund Writing Fellow at universities in Aberdeen, Dundee and St Andrews.

The Casual Writer

I am a casual writer. …Meaning, writing is not how I make my living and I do not follow any schedule for writing and publishing. I do not have a goal of one published work per month and NaNoWriMo may as well take place on another planet for me. I admire people who tackle it, but I would never get into it myself. I publish about one original short story every two-three months, and I think it’s been over a year since I did a full-size book.

The only thing I write on a regular basis is a food page for a friend’s monthly web-zine. …Just a little something with recipes, step-by-step instructions and photos for people who are reticent about cooking.

I hold a full-time job with a large corporation (yes, one of the evil ones that everyone knows about). I work from home, but my work week still amounts to 60 hours. The nature of my job is such that I have to utilize my brain non-stop – that’s analytics for you.

I am a rampant multi-tasker, but original writing is an exception. I usually don’t have anything else going on when I write. Fortunately, once I get an idea for a story, the rest of it forms in my head and I can carry it around until I have time to write it down. I am verbose, in the best tradition of my Russian ancestors, so one story usually equals one Saturday’s or Sunday’s worth of writing time.

In addition to my own casual writing, I also translate books. Casually. I specialize in less-known works of Russian literature. Somehow, having to think in two languages at the same time does not preclude me from facilitating a conference call or pulling together a forecast report. Perhaps, it is because I am not making anything up – I am just interpreting what someone else has already made up.

The same goes for graphic design. I do all of my own book covers as well as design them for other writers. I can have code running on one computer, while I am selecting images for a cover on the other one, or I can be on a call using speaker phone, with my hands free to crop, resize, recolor, overlay, and export.

Somehow somewhere all that casual writing, translation and cover design spilled into illustration work – both for my own books and translations, and for those by other authors. It is not uncommon for me to pop in a movie – something I like but have watched many times and don’t have to follow – and sketch at the coffee table in my living room while having dinner. … Glass of wine in one hand, pencil in the other, and off we go into the drawing land. One two-hour movie usually yields an illustration and a half.

Interestingly, even casual writing requires full-time levels of promotion. Hootsuite is my best friend and I use it to plug relentlessly to three Facebook pages, twitter and LinkedIn. I keep a spreadsheet with a pivot table that summarizes, what I promote, when, and through which channel. I spend 2-3 hours every week scheduling Hootsuite posts, sneaking them in between loads of laundry, walking the dogs, conference calls, making dinners and vacuuming. I do my best to vary the tag lines, promo frequency and grouping to make sure that people don’t get bored or just plain annoyed. Very surreptitiously (and casually, of course), I post on average 120 – 150 promo links a month, not counting specials (like freebies, discounts and new publications).

To keep my support base strong, I don’t just promote my own work, but also that of other writers I collaborate with. Let’s face it, an indie writer’s closest pal is still another indie writer. I tweet a review of someone’s book, followed by a link to one of my own – they tweet out both to their followers. Everyone is happy. I do a book review combined with the author’s interview on my blog – they return the favor by doing the same for me. And then we can both use these blog posts later by posting them during subsequent months as part of our own promotion.

There are little things, of course, like tagging, liking, rating and reviewing books on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. In addition to written reviews, I also do an occasional video review and post it on YouTube. People like those – they lend a bit more of a personal air to the review process. Of course, I don’t just record and post the videos. Each one gets edited and supplemented with cover images and a soundtrack. A five-minute video review takes up to two-three hours of work before it looks good enough to share with the world.

All writing needs editing – be it my own stuff or the translated stuff. Editing is hard work. I value it highly and, whenever possible, compensate people who edit my work in some shape or form. English being my second language, I outsource my editing to the native speakers. Most of my short stories are edited by my husband, which is fair, considering I help him run his business and do all the promotion work for another business that he and I run together. I also review his books and articles, when he needs a sanity check. For my longer works, I work with my fellow writers. We either settle on a price with a reasonable payment plan, or we barter. For example, a friend of mine currently has one of my translations in for editing, and I have volunteered to help her out with beta reading.

At the end of the day, even with infrequent and irregular publications of my own, there is always something going on that is a) related to writing and publishing, and b) requires time and effort. Perhaps casual writing is not all that casual after all.

 

 

Maria K. is the pen name of Maria Igorevna Kuroshchepova – a writer, translator, and blogger of Russian-Ukrainian decent. Maria came to the United States in 1994 as an impressionable 19-year old exchange student. She received her Bachelors and Masters degrees in engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology (Rochester, NY).

Maria covers a wide range of topics from travel and fashion to politics and social issues. Her science fiction and fantasy works include Limited Time for Tomato Soup, The SHIELD, The Elemental Tales and others.

A non-fiction and science fiction writer in her own right, Maria is also a prolific translator of less-known works of Russian and Soviet literature into English. Her most prominent translations include her grandfather Vasily Kuznetsov’s Siege of Leningrad journals titled The Ring of Nine, and Thais of Athens – a historic novel by Ivan Yefremov. Both works quickly made their way into the top 100 Kindle publications in their respective categories and continue attracting consistent interest and acclaim from readers.

 

Write a Better Book

I read an interview recently where a writer mentioned how much emphasis is placed on marketing these days, as though marketing will sell your books. She went on to say that better writing was more important. There are a lot of people who are linking and tweeting and tagging their brains out, but haven’t written anything worth publishing. That doesn’t mean they’re not published, of course. It just means that what is published is unreadable, even if you know very little about writing.

Here’s the insane part: most people don’t know anything about writing well. They just know whether or not they liked the story. Maybe that’s all it’s about. Maybe writing isn’t about art, it isn’t about writing well. It’s about getting the blood pumping inside a teenaged girl’s heart, or teenaged boy’s adrenaline flowing, or some old pervert’s sex drive humming along.

I hear so many people (and read them online) complaining about writing versus marketing, vampire stories versus literary stories, Kindle versus print, large press versus small press. I want to scream, “Who the fuck cares?” I know we all want to make a living. I know we all think our shit (or writing) doesn’t stink. We think we have the next Twilight or Harry Potter or that we’re the next King, or Grisham, or that somehow God is shining His flashlight on us and that we should be next, next!

Well, get in line. Here’s the truth: marketing helps, but if you’ve written a book that no one wants to read, it isn’t going to sell. In case you haven’t been paying attention, anything goes…or doesn’t go, all dependent upon the moon’s phases, the stars lining up, your marketing genius, the number of hours you spend on twitter tweeting your fucking brains out, etc. I’m just saying, if you want readers to spread the word about your book, then you might want to consider writing a better book.

 

Terry Persun writes in many genres, including historical fiction, mainstream, literary, and science fiction/fantasy. His latest novel, Cathedral of Dreams is a ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year finalist in the Science Fiction category. His novel Sweet Song just won a Silver IPPY Award, too. Terry’s website is: www.TerryPersun.com or you can find him on Amazon at: http://amzn.to/gpWf3L

Return of the Blog Hop

Well, ReaderCON 23 is over and it’s back to normalcy.

(Check out my notes from the con HERE but start at the bottom of the post and read up.)

That means it’s time to get back to this years blog hop “From the Front Lines: Writers of the 21^st Century”

Tomorrow we’ll be getting back into the groove with a post from Heikki Hietala entitled “Short Story is the New Black.”

In the mean time, you can catch up on the posts so far and, of course, the full schedule is posted off to the left.

PAST POSTS

AUTHOR                                 LINK

Diane Nelson                         Writing THE END is only the Beginning

D. Savannah George              …Who started writing in the 20th

Mercedes Yardley                 Writing with Ferocity

Monica Marier                       Thunderbolts and Laser Pens

Tim Queeney                         Author Website Strategy

Eden Baylee                           What You Know

Heikki Hietala                         Short Story is the New Black

ReaderCON 23

 

5:30 PM

 

WRAP UP and Final thoughts – As I write this, Leah Petersen’s plane has just taken off, and she should be back in the arms of her loving family in a few hours (Leah, BTW: If you do NOT text me when you get home tonight, consider this a reminder that you’re supposed to let Tina and I know you got home safe).

Where was I?

After the “Sonic Screw Driver” Panel, Leah and I said a few more quite goodbyes to remaining friends and I dropped her off at the airport for her flight. ReaderCON 23 was done. I’m deep in the throws of the “Post ReaderCON blues,” of course, but this year was a particularly good one. Potentially inking a deal that I’ll let you-all in on at a later date, made new friends, got a few more listeners for The Word Count podcast, sold nearly a score of my book The Prodigal’s Foole and above all, have acquired a new set of lifetime memories and friends.

Although “the day job” comes back full-force tomorrow, I can’t help, but to smile. My Blog hop continues (SEE The schedule off to the LEFT) this week and only one more year until ReaderCON 24.

 

 

2:00 PM

 

When All You Have Is a Hammer, Get a Sonic Screwdriver. Debra Doyle, Lila Garrott, Glenn Grant, Graham Sleight (leader), Jo Walton. In an SF Signal podcast episode discussing Readercon 22, Jeff Patterson suggested that our traditional critical vocabulary may be ill-suited or inadequate for discussing space opera or hard SF. Is this true of hard SF in specific, or is there a broader problem of adapting mainstream critical vocabulary, largely evolved to discuss realistic fiction, to the particular problems of SF or fantasy? What are the specific aspects of the fantastic that seem to require special critical tools? Are certain critical terms borrowed from the fan or writer’s workshop communities, like “worldbuilding,” useful ways of extending our critical vocabularies?

 

A very interesting discussion of vocabulary and word, or new word, utilization in the Science Fiction and Fantasy genres.

 

 

1:00 PM

 

Back in the pub for lunch

 

 

 

 

 

12:30 PM

 

 

Reading. Allen Steele. Allen Steele reads from Apollo’s Outcasts, an upcoming YA novel.

This was a last minute decision, as I ran into Allen in the bookshop. I met him at my first ReaderCON and we spent a few minutes catching up. He invited me to his reading for his ne YA novel. Intrigued, I went.

Allen had a photo of the cover for the upcoming Apollo’s Outcast and read the first chapter. I enjoyed the bit he read immensely (or as I said to him later “Hooked, damnit. Hooked!”). He had a bit of a surprise for the listeners. On the cover, there is a patch on the uniform of the young astronaut. He had a few dozen of the patches made up and handed them out to the appreciative crowd.

 

 

 

 

12:00 PM

Reading. James Morrow. James Morrow reads from Galapagos Regained

This is a piece Jim has been working on for years…and I’ve heard a few scenes at this point. Really marvelous stuff, and as always his writing is sharp, his wit spot-on and the story is engaging. If there was only someway I could get him to finish this one!

 

 

 

11:00 AM

 

Marvelous brunch, said our goodbyes to Marty (travel well friend!), Peter Dubé, Yves Meynard, Gregory Wilson, Glenn Skinner and many others. Trying to ignore “The PostReaderCON blues” that threatens to spoil the last few hours, we pop off to a few more panels and readings. And a “must attend,” the Shirley Jackson awards.

The Shirley Jackson Awards Ceremony – Nathan Ballingrud, Matthew Cheney, Michael Cisco, F. Brett Cox, Ellen Datlow, Sarah Hyman DeWitt, Elizabeth Hand, Jack Haringa, Caitlín R. Kiernan (leader), John Langan, Sarah Langan, Kelly Link, Kit Reed, Peter Straub (moderator), Paul Tremblay, Genevieve Valentine, Jeff VanderMeer, Gary K. Wolfe. In recognition of the legacy of Shirley Jackson’s writing, and with permission of the author’s estate, the Shirley Jackson Awards have been established for outstanding achievement in the literature of psychological suspense, horror, and the dark fantastic. Jackson (1916–1965) wrote classic novels such as The Haunting of Hill House and We Have Always Lived in the Castle, as well as one of the most famous short stories in the English language, “The Lottery.” Her work continues to be a major influence on writers of every kind of fiction, from the most traditional genre offerings to the most innovative literary work. The awards given in her name have been voted upon by a jury of professional writers, editors, critics, and academics, with input from a Board of Advisors, for the best work published in the calendar year of 2011 in the following categories: Novel, Novella, Novelette, Short Story, Single-Author Collection, and Edited Anthology.

 

The winners have been announced so I have no issues letting you in on the celebration!

 

NOVEL WINNER:

Witches on the Road Tonight, Sheri Holman (Grove Press)

 

NOVELLA WINNER:

“Near Zennor,” Elizabeth Hand (A Book of Horrors, Jo Fletcher Books)

 

NOVELETTE WINNER:

“The Summer People,” Kelly Link (Tin House 49/Steampunk! An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories, Candlewick Press)

 

SHORT FICTION WINNER:

“The Corpse Painter’s Masterpiece,” M. Rickert (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Sept/Oct, 2011)

SINGLE-AUTHOR COLLECTION WINNER:

After the Apocalypse: Stories, Maureen F. McHugh (Small Beer Press)

 

EDITED ANTHOLOGY WINNER:

Ghosts by Gaslight, edited by Jack Dann and Nick Gevers (Harper Voyager)

8:40 AM

 

Everyone is up and about. Leah and I are departing shortly for our brunch with Marty Halpern.

 

 

5:20 AM Sunday, 15 July

Damn cats wanted to be fed…I’m up!

Leah and the wife are sleeping; I’m contemplating the last day of ReaderCON…

 

 

END DAY TWO

11:15 PM

 

The 26th Kirk Poland Memorial Bad Prose Competition.

      

By far, the funniest, most outlandish portion of ReaderCON is the annual Kirk Poland Memorial Bad Prose Competition run by those “Waskily wabbits” Eric M. Van and Craig Shaw Gardner. Allow me to set the stage:

 “Twenty two million miles east of the planet,” our intrepid contestants of Yves “Nostradamus predicted his downfall” Meynard, Mike “Kickstarter Campaign for Clockwork Phoenix 4: An Original Anthology” Allen and Rose “I won’t spoil the fact that Rose Wins this Year” Fox joined the audience in a five round bad writing guessing game where by multiple PUBLISHED entries are finished by our ‘Martian warriors in heels.” We in the audience then try to guess which passage read by the panelists is the ‘real’ conclusion.

Last year, for the first time the audience won, and Leah was the random audience member to collect that magnificent classic “Gay, Bejeweled, Nazi Bikers of Gor” on out behalf. No, I’m not kidding. Here’s a picture to prove it:

 

This year we returned to “Suckage Status.”

But, as I didn’t spoil above, the winner this year was Rose Fox, who also was the programming chair of ReaderCON. Republican Presidential Candidate, Mitt Romney was possibly quoted as saying “Obviously an over-achieving women who highlights the problems we’ve experienced since we allowed women to vote.”

Congrats Rose!

 

Scott Edelman just stood there.  It was his best defense.

4:00 PM

 

A spot of food with Marty Halpern and my guest and dearest friend Leah Petersen. We’ve decided to take a break and prep for my favorite event of the entire con:

The 26th Kirk Poland Memorial Bad Prose Competition. More later!

 

3:00 PM

 

On the hunt for autographs and some photos, I spent the 3:00 hour with the stunning Caitlín R. Kiernan (autograph line and I asked her partner Kathryn, a talented photographer in her own right, to snap a shot of the two of us. 

A pic with Caitlín, taken by her partner Kathryn A. Pollnac. I’m sorry, but I win ReaderCON this year…:-)

Another photo and autograph with Peter Dubé, and the hour was complete.

 

 

2:00 PM

 

The City and the Strange. Leah Bobet, Amanda Downum, Lila Garrott (leader), Stacy Hill, Ellen Kushner, Howard Waldrop. In The Death and Life of Great American Cities, Jane Jacobs writes, “By its nature, the metropolis provides what otherwise could be given only by traveling; namely, the strange.” N.K. Jemisin’s Inheritance trilogy demonstrates that epic-feeling fantasy can still take place entirely within the confines of a single city. Fictional metropolises such as Jeff VanderMeer’s Ambergris, China Miéville’s New Crobuzon, and Catherynne M. Valente’s Palimpsest are entire worlds in themselves, and the fantasy cities of Lankmar and Ankh-Morkpork shine as centers of intrigue and adventure. In what other works, and other ways, can cities be stand-ins for the lengthy traveling quest of Tolkienesque fantasy?

 

Having met Leah Bobet yesterday, I was looking forward to this panel (there’s a ‘city panel’ every year at ReaderCON). I met up with Peter Dubé and we ended up chatting and missing the first couple of minutes. The room was packed and, while quite informative, this seemed to become more of a ‘book listing’ of city-stand in examples. Leah Bobet came through for me with some exciting insights into her home city of Toronto and uttering another CON-worthy quote:

 

“Toronto has a population of 300. The rest are non-player characters…”

 

1:00 PM

 

The Autopsy, Postmortem Changes, and Decomposition: A Primer for Writers. Laura Knight. What happens after we die? Despite the incredible surge in popularity of forensic science in popular media, many myths and misunderstandings continue to surround the autopsy, and postmortem changes like rigor mortis and subsequent decomposition are often misrepresented. Further, medical examiners and coroners have often been depicted as insensitive and crude, eating a sandwich in one hand while wielding a bloody scalpel in the other. Dr. Laura Knight, a forensic pathologist and medical examiner, will present actual autopsy photographs, along with a non-sensational narrative description of the autopsy process and a detailed explanation of the changes to the body after death.

I will make no excuses for this panel…as I am a CSI and ID TV addict. Critical to some upcoming points a two of my books, the fascinating Dr. Knight gave one of the most informative panel to date. Took LOADS of notes, and now I can stop trying to get that interview with the Boston M. E. office….

 

 

 

12:00 PM

 

The Works of Caitlín R. Kiernan. Elizabeth Bear (leader), Gemma Files, John Langan, Sonya Taaffe. Since blazing onto the speculative fiction scene with the story “Persephone” in 1995 and the novel Silk in 1998, Caitlín R. Kiernan has consistently pushed the boundaries of the fantastic, often refusing to be classified and always delighting in transgression. Her work encompasses elements of science fiction, fantasy, horror, mystery, and erotica, to name just a few; she writes short and long fiction, comics and graphic novels, poetry, and song lyrics with equal facility. This panel will attempt an overview of her spectacularly diverse career.

Caitlín was in the audience for this ‘best of show’ panel. The wit and insight of ALL the panelists truly made this a delight, with the most brilliant Elizabeth Bear uttering a “coffee through the nose (for me)” quote:

“The necrophilia seems dirtier than it is.” 

 

11:00 AM

 

Pointed Experiments in Indeterminacy. Michael Cisco (leader), Peter Dubé, Caitlín R. Kiernan, Peter Straub, Sonya Taaffe. “Pointed experiments in the manipulation of point of view” is how Gary Wolfe and Amelia Beamer have described several works by Peter Straub; they are “metatextual and metafictional” experiments that lead to the conclusion that “the indeterminate nature of reality is a central inquiry in these books.” We can’t help but notice that this also closely describes several of Caitlín R. Kiernan’s works, notably her novels The Red Tree and The Drowning Girl: A Memoir, and her short story “Tidal Forces.” Our panelists discuss the ways writers use point of view to interrogate the nature of reality, and their reasons for doing so.

 

This panel was the indicator, quite frankly, of how good the late night “meet the Pros(e) shindig went. There were a few hangovers, and the panel started slow. But The “Two Peters” (Straub and Dubé) pulled it out nicely. Great conversation surrounding both Straub’s stories and especially Kiernan’s The Red Tree.

 

 

 

10:00 AM

 

Book Learning. Gregory Feeley, Kathleen Ann Goonan, Katherine MacLean, Kathryn Morrow (leader), Ann Tonsor Zeddies. In an article for The Guardian in 2008, James Wood wrote that “novels tend to fail not when the characters are not vivid or ‘deep’ enough, but when the novel in question has failed to teach us how to adapt to its conventions, has failed to manage a specific hunger for its own characters, its own reality level.” Not mentioned is the question of what readers bring to this educational experience. Some readers see plenty of character depth in the works of Asimov, Card, Herbert, or Heinlein, but others disagree; are the readers who find those characters too cardboard actually stubbornly refusing to be taught how to like them? When and why do readers choose books that require education in character appreciation, and when we encounter them by accident, what makes us decide to stick with them? And interesting discussion of education and the “intelligent reader.”

 

 

9:57 AM

 

Made it. 🙂

 

 

9:30 AM

 

After making my beautiful partner and the fabulous Ms. Petersen a hot breakfast, we climb into the hybrid realizing we are running a bit late. Can we make the 10 AM Start?

6:20 AM Saturday, 14 July

 

A long first full day lead to a great night sleep. Coffee is on, Leah and my wife are still asleep so a bit of writing this morning and an update to the ReaderCON blog

 

END DAY ONE

9:25 PM Friday, 13 July

 

What a long, wonderful day! Tired, but happy—Leah and I head back to the house for a rest as we know Saturday will be even longer.

7:00 PM

 

Spent the next couple of hours with editor Marty Halpern, a dear friend who I met at my first ever ReaderCON. He signed my copy of the anthology he edited (Is Anybody Out There?) and we discussed my Arcana Chronicles series in depth. I’d sent him a copy of The Prodigal’s Foole some months back and he’d sent me a lovely note just before the con. He loved the story and the concept, but had a few mechanical notes for me. We are going to work together in the future and I’m excited to say he has agreed to take me on as a client!

 

6:00 PM

 

Podcasting for the Speculative Fiction Author; Or, Will the Revolution Be Recorded? Mike Allen, C.S.E. Cooney, Jim Freund, Alexander Jablokov, Alison Sinclair, Gregory Wilson (leader). Building on last year’s talk at Readercon about promotion for the speculative fiction author and drawing from an upcoming SFWA Bulletin article, Gregory A. Wilson and discussants will focus on the pros and pitfalls of podcasting for fantasy and science fiction authors, looking at some examples of successful podcasts in the field, different types for different purposes, and the basics of getting started with podcasting.

Spent time speaking with both Greg and Mike afterwards. We spoke about the concept of The Word Count and with a promise to give my show a listen, I turned to run into none other than the guest of honor herself, Caitlín R. Kiernan. We chatted for a few moments—she was all smiles and grace but said she was exhausted. You couldn’t tell by looking, of course, but she is one of my favorites, and she promised to sign Silk for me tomorrow.

 

 

5:00 PM

 

A break and a pint or two…

 

 

4:00 PM

A panel I was looking very much forward to: Sherlock Holmes, Now and Forever. Ellen Asher, Michael Dirda (leader), Victoria Janssen, Fred Lerner, Veronica Schanoes. Sherlock Holmes is everywhere right now: in TV series like House, BBC’s Sherlock, and the upcoming Elementary; in the Robert Downey Jr. movies; and in books and stories being written about Holmes and his creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. What accounts for the endless appeal of this character? Are we ever going to get tired of brilliant and slightly mad detectives? Or is it all really about Watson, as suggested by our collective urge to keep telling and retelling Holmes’s stories?

From the original novels, through the multiple interpretations of the Homes and Watson characters (Inclusive of the wonderful BBC series Sherlock and the upcoming US show Elementary), a discussion of how Watson has transformed over the years, while the Holmes character remains very recognizable. Brilliant stuff, and as Michel is a member of the Baker Street Irregulars, the panel was filled with many different ways of looking at the Conan Doyle stories of intencse friendship between two iconic charaters.

 

 

3:00 PM

 

Saying a quick goodbye to Peter and Leah, I sprinted upstairs to the concierge level to attend my now traditional Kaffeeklatsch with old friend and mentor Jim Morrow. Along with Jim, I met the delightful Toronto writer Leah Bobet. The hour flew by as those in the lounge herd about Jim and Leah’s latest, and had a roundtable discussion about politics, urban gardening and the Penn State scandle (Jim lives in State College, PA and teaches at the University).

 

2:00 PM

Leah and I decided to grab some lunch in the local pub and were delighted to be joined by Peter Halasz, the gentleman who organized the Ad Astra con (where Leah’s book, Fighting Gravity, was released and who is organizing this years World Fantasy Con in Toronto this November. Charming to the last bite, we enjoyed stories from both Ad Astra and the trials of the upcoming WFC.

 

1:00 PM

 

Had to attend the marvelously titled Om Nom Nom de Plume. This panel included Daniel Abraham (leader), Francesca Forrest, Ty Franck, David G. Hartwell, and Shawna McCarthy. The reasons a writer might take a pen name are well known. Less examined are how the use of a pseudonym affects what they write and how they write it, and how readers read it. Our panelists discuss both readerly and writerly approaches to pseudonymous work when the name behind the ‘nym is public (as with Seanan McGuire/Mira Grant, or Daniel Abraham/M.L.N. Hanover/half of James S. A. Corey) or when an author is publicly pseudonymous but no one knows who’s behind the curtain (as with K.J. Parker). This panel was rather depressing as the kick-off discussion was around the tragedy of author James Tiptree (real name Alice Sheldon) who, once the nom de plume was discovered, began to writer darker and darker material until she eventually killed her husband and herself. Speculation is that the discovery of her “James Triptee” pen name lead to the spiral culmination in her and her husbands deaths in 1987.

 

 

 

12:00 PM

 

Sneaking out for a quick smoke, I run into author Damien W. Grintalis where we posed for a quick picture before heading into the next panel.

Writing for Electronic Devices. Michael J. DeLuca, James Patrick Kelly, Barbara Krasnoff (leader), David G. Shaw. How does the experience of reading speculative fiction on the Kindle, the iPad, and other e-readers differ from reading a codex? What changes in the literature itself might we see as authors write stories and novels intended to be read on electronic devices? Will the ability to link across pages and chapters (as first seen in Geoff Ryman’s pioneering 253) change how plots are developed, or will they act more as memory aids? Our panelists speculate about this unevenly distributed but inevitable future. A little annoyed that I never got to ask my question about the potential return of the “nickel serials” as I call them – I’ve been thinking of releasing my upcoming SciFi book a chapter at a time and I really wanted to get a little feedback on the concept of doing it as a serialization/subscription publication.

 

 

 

 

 

11:00 AM

Subversion Through Friendliness. Glenn Grant, Victoria Janssen (leader), Toni L.P. Kelner, Alison Sinclair, Ruth Sternglantz. In a 2011 review of Vonda N. McIntyre’s classic Dreamsnake, Ursula K. Le Guin quotes Moe Bowstern’s slogan “Subversion Through Friendliness” and adds, “Subversion through terror, shock, pain is easy—instant gratification, as it were. Subversion through friendliness is paradoxical, slow-acting, and durable. And sneaky.” – And honest discussion about some of the more subtle ways to subvert an idea or a movement (for example) and what happens when the subversion is done by the protagonist.

 

9:55 AM

Leah and I arrive at the Burlington Marriot for the first full day of the con. We register, run into the wonderful Glenn Skinner and Peter Dubé (who confides in us that he’s sneaking out for a few hours to visit Salem, MA) and wander the floor for a bit. I am disappointed to find out that Scott Edelman will be missing his first ReaderCON ever. In my first con, I famously asked him to take a photo of myself and author Allen Steele (not realizing until later that it was, in fact, Edelman). We had a laugh about that. But my disappointment turned to laughter when I watched an effigy of Scott placed in the lobby.

 

 

“Where’s Scott?  Oh…he’s right there…

05:30 AM Friday, 13 July

I just realized it’s “Friday the Thirteenth.” What better place for riding out a superstitious day then at a SciFi/Fantasy Convention?

Last evening, ReaderCON kicked of with the traditional “Open Programming” evening. A few hours of panels and readings open to the public, no registration required.

For the last few years I’ve had to work and wasn’t able to attend the “pre-game” evening. This year I definitely wanted to make an exception because two writers I respect and whose company I have enjoyed for the last two ‘cons were doing readings.

I picked up author Leah Petersen from Logan airport earlier in the day, and after a lunch of gyros and a pint or two, we braved Boston rush hour traffic and made our way to the Burlington Marriott, the traditional locale for ReaderCON.

After a dinner filled with conversations about our WIPs, other cons and life in general, we made our way to the first reading of the evening. On the way, we chatted with Glenn Skinner (Fellow Booktroupian), Yves Meynard,
Eric Van, and a few other familiar faces. After an entertaining visit by the fire department, we ran into Peter Dubé – The host of the author reading we would be attending first.

 

 

8:00 PM Thursday, 12 July

 

Peter Dubé read from the novel The City’s Gates.– Peter is a dynamic reader who drew us into his latest novel about a mystery surrounding strange events happening in the city of Montreal prior to a major economic summit. Told from the point of view of one of the investigators via a series of diary entries and official reports. Brilliant stuff and I must remember to pick up a copy when the bookshop opens on Friday.

 

 

 

 

8:30 PM

 

 

Yves Meynard read from his new fantasy novel, Chrysanthe. – Yves was soft spoken, yet as passionate as Peter had been. He chose a scene from the beginning of his latest, Chysanthe, that showcased his fantastical writing style. Might pick this one up too.

 

 

 

 

 

9:00 PM

How Fantastic Is Fantasy? – A panel with Erik Amundsen, Ron Drummond, Andy Duncan, Katherine MacLean (leader), Faye Ringel. Leah and I entered the packed panel. Obviously this one was going to be popular and anticipation was high. Here is the description from the ReaderCON guide:

Audience members discuss events of supernatural import that we ordinarily keep locked in the closet: luck, coincidences, things that go bump in the night, telepathy and precognition, visions and dreams. Many people have had Experiences, but no one wants to look like a nut. In this discussion, we’ll let loose and explore our personal experiences of the places where reality gets weird.

 

I have to be honest; this panel wasn’t what I was expecting. I thought it would be more of a relating of paranormal experience to fantasy writing. In reality (ironic use of the word here), it was an audience participation sharing of strange experiences with the panel – and let me tell you some of the stories related were ‘out there.’ From a tale of seeing a large spider crawling up a young woman’s body three months before the actual incident, to UFOs and a dream that ending in a participant saying “I turned into something with blue talons and fought off some sort of demon,” this panel was…interesting. Well, I got some writing material anyway.

“Would you use your blue talons to save me?”

“No.”