Good Stuff for Writers

Hey Folks,

I almost forgot to post something for today. This probably will be brief.

First, my apologies for allowing two short stories to post yesterday. On the home page of my website at HarveyStanbrough.com you can scroll down to see both of them below this post. Or you can click the Free Short Story tab and see both of them there.

I’m finally on the verge of writing again after a very long (for me) layoff of two weeks. I’ll try to pay attention to this blog. I enjoy sharing with you guys what knowledge I’ve been able to glean.

But my main effort with writing will be in fiction and in posting to my Daily Journal over at HEStanbrough.com. I often post writing tidbits over there, and almost every day I post links to other pointed sources of information. Come join me at HEStanbrough.com. The next post will go out at about 6 p.m. tonight.

Here are a couple of items of interest you’ll find over there in today’s post:

BookExpo America (BEA) Embraces Self-Publishing

Blaming the Reader (for no sales)—This includes a list of reasons your books don’t sell even a few copies. It was so good I copied/pasted it into a Word document, mostly so I could share it with others in the future.

Of course, not everyone will be interested. (You can read about those folks in the “Blaming the Reader” piece above.)

Recently I received an adamant note from a woman who said she would “never” publish her work as ebooks because she “hates” ebooks.

When I finished laughing, I told her maybe she was confusing her desires as a reader for her business practices as a writer. (Yes, I own this flooring store, but I HATE laminate so I’ll never make it available to others.)

I’ve also had people tell me (again, adamantly—why are they always so angry?) that they will “never” attempt to follow Heinlein’s Rules because they don’t write science fiction.

Sigh. Really? Anyone who reads them can tell they aren’t only about SF. They’re simply a set of business habits for people who want to be successful professional writers.

But sure. Crossing your arms and steadfastly refusing to read anything at all that might help improve your craft is a good tactic too. I guess.

Of course, despite the fact they’re simple, Heinlein’s Rules are also extremely difficult to follow. In fact, I have failed on Rules 1 and 2 for the past two weeks, as I alluded to earlier. And I pride myself on being a Heinlein’s Rules adherent.

So I’m gonna start adhering again now. Oh, and here’s an annotated copy of Heinlein’s Rules. You know, just in case you think learning from someone like Robert A. Heinlein might actually be wise.

‘Til next time, happy writing.

Harvey

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