A Few Final Words Before the Holidays

To those of you who are still reading this blog, I'd like to thank you!

This blog will be shutting down. I plan to post information and resources for writers on my new website, which is in the process of being designed right now.

I hope it will be helpful in guiding business decisions. Writing is, after all is said and done, a business.

Yes, it is a craft, but so is woodwork or art or leather goods or anything else that's sold for money.

Always remember ... a book is your product, not your child. It may feel like your child, but don't let the critics hurt you. Those are just words. Don't let the haters bait you, either. Fuck 'em!

Pin that! :)

My final links here:

The book as we know it is dead.

Is your business ready for Tumbler?

The wisdom of Ray Bradbury.



How they adapted the unadaptable.

Free sites to promote your ebook. (Blogger's note: Keep building your platform. These aren't a substitute for a strong platform, created through blogging and effective use of social media.)

Did anyone really win? :)

Oh, wait. I forgot.

Everything's fine ... with me!

Well, this is cute, but ... ahem ...!

Touchdown!

PS: You could say my decision to stop blogging here was a matter of life or death ...

Quotation for the Week of December 16

“Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it.”
-- Andre Gide

Quotation for the Week of December 9

"If the writing is honest it cannot be separated from the man who wrote it." 
-- Tennessee Williams



 

Be So Good They Can't Ignore You

Do you like that? It's something I've pinned on Pinterest. Feel free to follow me there! :)

Now, since it's become obvious that having five blogs is just plain dumb, there will be changes coming at some point. But for now, here are the some links of possible interest.

Entrepreneur of the month: Seth Goldman

I quote from the article:

There’s a Chinese Proverb painted across the entry wall of Seth Goldman’s Bethesda, MD-based company, Honest Tea: “Those who say it cannot be done should not interrupt the people doing it.”

Indeed, that belief has been part of the mission of the beverage firm that Goldman started in his house in 1998, with his grad school professor, Barry Nalebuff of the Yale School of Management. It was slowgoing at first, but Honest Tea has thrived for the last decade, with a 66 percent annual compound growth rate—a statistic Goldman attributes to the fact that consumers increasingly prefer healthier food and drink options.

That fact helped Honest Tea land a cash infusion from The Coca-Cola Company in 2008. It owned a 40 percent interest in the company until March 2011, when it acquired the boutique brand for an undisclosed price, a month after its option to buy came due.

Remember, your content is your product. And, as a writer, you are your brand, to an extent. Or your characters are, if you write fiction. Think of it that way.

Now, here's a really interesting part:

“This is a recognition that, especially with early-stage brands, the entrepreneurs continue to be relevant and important,” Goldman told The Washington Post. “We have an amazing opportunity to take our mission to a much broader level.”

I suggest you read the interview about keeping your image and business honest and sustainable, because I need to incorporate my blogs to create a more effective platform.


Let's end with this awesome quote:

“We don’t see the people who are doing real things getting enough props. We often see politicians who are everywhere but nowhere at the same goddamn time. You know the kind of person: You see them everywhere on television but nowhere in front of your face.”

Chuck D, born 1st August 1960

Damn straight!



PS: Thank you, Paul, for everything! :)

Quotation for the Week of December 2

"Life does not cease to be funny when people die any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh."
-- George Bernard Shaw




 





 

More Links and Food for Thought (Updated -- Twice))

I'm heading out of town tomorrow. Not quite that far. :) But you can read about it here.

As you may guess if you click there and read the post, changes are afoot. I'm not sure exactly when, where, how or other details yet, but you'll know. Eventually, we'll all know. :)

Meanwhile, we all need to work on building our platforms now.

So here are more links, which I hope will be helpful.

10 great ways to get noticed as a blogger. Via Bucket List Publications.

What's the difference between Wordpress posts and pages? Via Silicon Beach Training.

Tips for working with a content strategist. Via Wood Street Inc.

Why smart authors are cutting Amazon out. Keep in mind, Penelope Trunk has a HUGE platform, but she's worked hard for it. That's what indie authors should do. I'd read her advice, if I were you.

How to win in Amazon's KDP Select program, if you're idea of winning is working your fingers to the bone writing constantly, cranking out books, only to split your earnings with this man ...

Everything's fine ... with me.

... so he can throw a little money to his A-list authors for their advances.

Touchdown!

To be or not to be: a Kickstarter project. :)

Random House imprints taking direct submissions! Well, well, well ...

When social media goes bad.


PS: Rare photo of the iceburg that sank the Titanic to be auctioned.

PPS: Getting ready for the New Year (or the Apocalypse, whatever comes first). Via ThisTrailerSucks.com.



UPDATE: Simon & Schuster joins forces with the horrible Author Solutions to rip writers off. What a horrible surprise. Not! :)

Quotation for the Week of November 25