Monthly Archives: August 2013

Pimping it Forward

Posted on by

So, if you’ve looked around, you may have noticed my link to John Scalzi’s blog, The Whatever. Now, agree with him politically or no, you have to give him credit for his accomplishments as a SF author and pro-blogger.  I enjoy it, and I urge you to enjoy it daily as well (right after visiting The Improbable Author, of course).

One of my favorite features of his is The Big Idea guest posts, in which he invites authors to come down and plug The Big Idea behind their latest book.  A great feature and one that has led me to discover a bunch of new authors (some I loved, some I was more “meh” over).

I’m gonna steal the hell outta that feature.  (Strictly as an homage of course, attorneys for the Scalzi estate.)

Now, where John Scalzi invites primarily traditionally published authors to blog about their baby, since I’m about to enter the micro-indie / self-publishing market myself, I thought I would focus upon that side of things.  Do I have the readership to justify plugging other indie’s books?  Not yet, but it’s growing and free press never hurts.  Don’t some other sites already do this?  I’m sure they do, but I’m Tom Mays and I’m awesome and therefore automatically better (as well as very, very humble don-cha-know).  Do I have some mercenary ulterior motive in this?  Abso-freakin’-lutely.  I hope to garner relationships and readerships with this feature that can only help spread the word about A Sword Into Darkness when it launches here in October from Stealth Books (assuming it is not delayed for a bigger deal from Baen Books).

Therefore, if you are a micro-indie / self-pubbed SF / Fantasy / Military / Adventure author, drop me a contact request in the comments below or e-mail me at amaysingstories@gmail.com.  I’ll be looking for about 5-10 paragraphs about you, your book, how you came up with your idea, and your journey to publication.  Posting schedule depends on inputs, but I’ll probably favor works coming out soon or released recently vice stuff that’s been out there for a year or more.  And I’ll hope for a quid pro quo amongst your own readerships and contacts for ASID once it’s released (I think there’s enough room in the marketplace for all of us, and — as a Naval type — believe a rising tide lifts all boats).

So, who’s up for a little pimpin’?

Hello, World

Posted on by

Wordpress World 29Aug2013

For you WordPress bloggers out there, this pic will look somewhat familiar. Yours may have more colors in more countries, but this is mine so far, and I’m justifiably proud and excited about it.

For those not in the knowage, this is the visual representation of your blog’s readership around the globe.  As a American blogger, you can see I hit the USA well, followed closely by our nicer-in-numerous-ways neighbor Canada.  I also get a little love across the pond from my nation’s progenitor, Jolly Old England/Great Britain/The United Kingdom (honestly, you guys have the most diverse sense of boundaries on what you include in your polity — as a former grand empire, your borders are downright confusing — check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNu8XDBSn10&list=TL9SPp7grZ2vgA39EfcFKcotivcdIFuwXe for an in-depth explanation). Then there’s the others.

I can get the EU countries.  I’ve been to Europe a few times (LOOOOVE IT!).  You guys speak and read English much better than I speak and read your various languages and dialects, so WELCOME TO THE IMPROBABLE AUTHOR (ugly Americanism requires me to speak loudly to dang furiners in order to brute force the language barrier).  I cast my appreciation and respect to Ireland, Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Romania.  My goal is to physically get to those of you I haven’t stepped foot in yet (Belgium, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Italy), so keep the visits coming.  New contest:  whichever country visits the most gets my sweet American tourism dollars and my wide-eyed, bubbly wonder next!

The site visits that surprise my provincial expectations (pleasantly, mind you) are the outliers that I wouldn’t have expected: India, Macao, Israel, Argentina, Antigua and Barbuda.  I’m not sure if I’m only speaking to spambots that pepper my comment queue, but I’m hoping y’all are genuine fans.  That would be awesomely amazing.  I would love it if my blog posts and my stories (and hopefully my upcoming novel) would reach a wider audience.  Not the countries I would have expected a visitation from, but all are welcome here.

Now, how do I get some love from you other regions?  Australia and New Zealand?  Where are y’all at?  I’ve been to your countries, so why come you ain’t done visited my site yet?  Russia, I know y’all love some SF and American materialism.  This site is right up your alley.  Japan? China? Indonesia and Micronesia? I’ve been all through your regions, so how do I get some hits from you folks?  Africa?  I’m missing a whole continent, a continent I have indeed touched.  Where’s my African American-SciFi fans?  Greenland?  You’re so huge and pristine up there.  I must have you!

I love the colors on my map thus far, BUT I NEED MORE COLORS.  That’s all I’m sayin’.  🙂

Let’s All Do The Limbo!

Posted on by

How loooow can you goooo? Or, in this case, how long can you go?

So, I heard back from the Baen Books Slushmaster. He’s finishing up a very good manuscript (not mine) and he’s farmed out the other three manuscripts ahead of mine, so mine is the next in the hopper after he returns from DragonCon in Atlanta next Tuesday. Then he’ll reread ASID and get back with either a final rejection or a push to the bosses upstairs. As he is a copious note-taker, he expects it’ll take him a few weeks to finish the book.

So, as I figure it, I’m looking at either good news about a traditional publisher in late September / early October, or I’m looking at an Octoberish launch of ASID under the Stealth Books imprint with my buddy Jeff. Either way, I consider thus to be all-around good news.

Just gotta stay in limbo a bit longer.

Stranger than Fiction

Posted on by

If you haven’t read my story, “Dreams For Sale — Two Bits!”, the following link may make even less sense than it already does.  So go check it out on the pages to the right.  I’ll wait.

No, please, I’ll be right here . . . .

All done?  Good!  Now check out this next link in a new tab:

http://www.quantumjumping.com/lp/subconscious?sr=1&cid=New-Age-US-3-Content&aid=shamanic&placement=mail.google.com&otag=[QJ-New]&gclid=CJ2eyLaqmbkCFU1k7AodPzYAQQ#sthash.rZL85Prg.dpbs

Thank you Google Ad-Pairing Engine!  That’s basically a less-techy, New Age version of my unscrupulous protagonist’s flim-flam device.  I wonder if that’s why Google threw that up on my Gmail page.  And what’s even funnier is that my new YA urban fantasy novel Echomancer uses a plot device even closer to our friend’s Quantum Jumping technique.

Now, I’m not one to be the final arbiter of what is reality or is not reality in a metaphysical sense, but it doesn’t bode well for your existential philosophy if a second-tier sci-fi writer is using it for his playground (and I’m not exactly the first to do so).  I mean, just look at all the respect Scientology receives world-wide.

I think I’ll stick to believing in 2000-year-old, all-powerful, resurrecting carpenters who make bread and wine anti-vegan.

But that’s just me.

The Question Has Been Put

Posted on by

So, stupid man that I am, I’ve sent a query to Baen Books regarding the current status of my on-hold manuscript for A Sword Into Darkness.  In the last two years (first submitted it in August 2011) it has gone from submitted to the Baen Slushpile, pulled out of the Baen Slush into a group of 40 books requiring further consideration, then to a group of 15 books, then 9 books, and now who knows.  Baen has a lot of stuff on their plate and I have nothing but respect for them and the situation they are in, working through whether or not to take a gamble on an unknown author or not.

But on a personal level, it’s maddening.  The manuscript is not accepted or rejected — just in Limbo — and like the souls stuck in Limbo, it’s not Heaven nor Hell, it’s just . . . blah.  Kinda there, not sucking, but not great either.  Indeterminate.  Frustrating.  Lame.

The work over the last couple of weeks on the self-publishing / Stealth Books imprint route has been exciting and productive, however.  I’ve got a proof-ready copy of the physical novel ready to ship, with a kick-ass cover and a professionally formatted interior (all thanks to the guidance and ministrations of Jeff Edwards).  It’s been awesome working on it with Jeff, but he fully knows and understands that I would throw a 100% of it aside if Baen or another traditional house only would say “yes.”

I should have an answer or more questions soon.  I’m quite nervous right now.

ASID Full Cover 2 Desktop

The Horror . . . The Funny, Funny Horror . . . .

Posted on by

As I finalize my “A Sword Into Darkness” cover design, back-cover copy, and polish off my mad Photoshop skillzzz, I was keen to look around for advice on how to do it right, and — more importantly — how to do it wrong.  Thus, I discovered the following hilarious and frightening treasure trove:

http://lousybookcovers.com/

You’ll lose at least a day browsing.  Now, I’m off to completely re-design EVERYTHING!

 

Cover Contest!!!!!

Posted on by

Happy Friday and hoping you’re all going in to a wonderful weekend.

That being said, you’ve got some work to do first, so no shirking your responsibilities, Mister/Miss!  I’m proceeding on the depressed assumption that my standing queries with Baen and Ace are not going anywhere fast, so it behooves me to move forward with the Stealth Books e-publishing option.  This is much more of a do-it-yourself affair, so I have done the cover myself, but I can’t decide on exactly which one to choose.  This is where y’all come in!

Please peruse the following covers and pick which one you like best (i.e. which one is most enticing/professional and would instantly make you WANT this book).  I eagerly await the judgement of the internets.

Cover 1, centered title.  This one is standard, but the title might be more difficult to read in a thumbnail on Amazon.

ASID Ebook Cover 1 Desktop

Cover 2, the “Z” layout.  This one makes more effective use of open space and pushes the Sword of Liberty further back.  Oh, and if you noted it’s not as bright as the other pic, that’s easily fixable.  Specifically, which layout is best?

Aegis Ebook Cover 2

Cover 3, the “S” layout.  This one uses the pic from the first post, but maximizes title size for thumbnails.

Aegis Ebook Cover 3

And that’s it.  If none of these appeal, or one appeals particularly, or you think a particular tweak is needed, please leave a comment below.  Otherwise, absolutely please vote in the following poll.  Multiple visits and votes are allowed.  May the best cover win!

That First Step Into the Abyss Is a Doozy

Posted on by

Hmmm.  I don’t know whether to be proud of myself or angry.

I’ve stuck to my “traditional publishing first” guns since day one, despite the advice of MANY.  Now, with the opportunities to achieve that waning, I . . . wavered.

I just spent the free time of the day reformatting the manuscript for ASID in order to conform to the Nook Press requirements.  Then I tweaked it, wrote a book description, filled in my metadata and publishing info, uploaded a cover, and voila!  A whole damn book, ready to publish.  And it was so EASY!  I wonder if Kindle Direct is just as smooth?  How does the trade paperback on demand thing work?

I can’t hit that Publish button yet though.  I still haven’t heard from Ace yet, and I do still have the ever-dwindling number of books ahead of mine in Baen’s let’s-give-it-a-deeper-look pile.

So how long should I wait?  How long would YOU wait?

 

A “Pyr”less Effort

Posted on by

Well, the bad news just keeps on rolling.

Got a rejection e-mail, this time from publisher Pyr.  I’m only waiting on a pass from Ace to officially declare I’m batting .000.

Yes, I’m still on hold from Baen, and no, I have not yet submitted to any small indie markets yet, but once this final, delayed rejection comes in, it puts a cork in my fantasy of being pro-published the traditional way right out the gate.  As for the agent hunt, I’ve submitted to 6 major agencies, targeting their newly listed agents who are actively searching for clients.  So far, I’m 0 for 6.

I’m still engaged in writing, working on Echomancer, “Bumped”, and “ILYAMY” intermittently, but I really had high hopes for A Sword Into Darkness.  I even re-read it this last week and sent it off to another reader who had expressed a fascination with the book.  I think it’s good.  What could be the factor turning editors off about it?  What could I tweak or re-write to make it past those initial gate-keepers?

Ah, well.  I’ve pulled down “Bumped” this week and I’m finishing off a re-write now.  It’ll go off into the aether this weekend, along with “ILYAMY”. Maybe I can put my count of pro-published shorts to 3 or 4.

Any advice from the internets?