Category: Uncategorized

Every industry has its own language, and publishing is no exception. One such term that gets slung around, especially in sales and marketing meetings, is “the long tail.” The basic concept of the long tail is a book that sells steadily, if slowly, over a longer period of time. The…

If you missed the last contest that Jason Evans held at his blog, then don’t skip over this one. Aside from his constant posting of beautiful photographs, poetry and short fiction, Evans has these contests based on pictures he takes. It’s everyone else’s job to take that picture and write…

Instead of doing a novel this month, as I’m in the process of revising my latest manuscript, I am instead signed up to blog every day of this month. I realize that isn’t too out of the ordinary for me in my blogging record so far, but at least having…

We love it when bad things happen (to other people). We are entertained by nasty, awful, horrible fates that often involve lots of screaming and or mental breakdowns (again, so long as it’s happening to someone else). That is…we enjoy reading about them, Or watching movies about such evil events,…

During revision mode, I find it helps me keep focused on weeding out the bad elements of my writing if I review various articles or notes I’ve taken on how to revise and improve the prose. This way, the thoughts are current, and I’m more likely to spot when I’ve…

First lesson on turning a non-purse-dog into a purse dog: Find something they fit inside, and make sure it has shoulder straps. (For those who don’t know, dogs aren’t allowed on NYC subways unless they’re in some sort of kennel, purse, or other tote. Obviously, a 40-lb Shar Pei/Lab mix…

Okay, maybe it’s me, but this last year seems to have hit a lot of well-known writers in the health department, if not ending their illustrious careers outright, such as with Robert Jordan. Now Terry Pratchett, one of my top favorite authors of all time (yes, of all time. If…

It’s a bird…it’s a plane…nope. It’s a mechanical bug that’s spying on you. Dragonfly or Insect Spy? They claim working models of dragonfly robot fliers aren’t fully developed yet, as the various technical challenges haven’t been overcome in design and functionality. But then again, if you give into your paranoid…

Not that I have a car at the moment, nor do I take good care of them when I do need one, but this was a fun-looking, semi-science fiction article that highlights potential car models and makes that might become a reality in the future. http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/autos/0710/gallery.la_auto_show_robotic_cars/index.html Being in NYC at…

One of my favorite days of the year, for many reasons. Costumes. Candy. Ghosts. What’s not to like? Whatever your take on and participation in this holiday, I hope everyone has a fun and safe day. I thought to celebrate it we could do something a little different. A while…