Articles and posts about the business of publishing and how it affects SF, fantasy and horror.
Not long ago, my publisher (Orbit) released a new work by Lilith Saintcrow, The Hedgewitch Queen and they released it ONLY in ebook format priced at $2.99. This was the first time I had seen a major publishing house do a digital-only release, but predicted there would be a lot more in the future. And […]
With all the changes going on in publishing these days, new writers are often left wondering if they should just publish their work themselves. While there is no one-size-fits-all answer, the following five situations will help you know whether or not you should self publish. When you have the rights to your backlist. Ironically, probably the […]
Over the last year or so, I’ve noticed something when I’ve conversed with people (in person or through email), posted things on my blog, or left comments on someone else’s blog. We may be using the same words, but what we mean by those words isn’t always the same. This is especially true when discussing […]
On January 8th, the long awaited final edition in the Wheel of Times series was released in hardcover. The ebook, however, was no where to be found, and won’t be available until April 9th. Hardcover only releases have existed for years, but where people were once willing to wait six-months or a year for the […]
Why Are You Writing?: Deciding on the writing career that you want Welcome back. This is the second in my weekly series of posts on how to market and sell short fiction. In my initial post, I explained who I’m aiming this series at, why I think I can help you sell your short fiction, […]
The single most important step for a reader is the initial act of choosing what to read. After that, everything else is just a formality of literary cultivation. You read, you absorb and you grow. But it’s that first step that determines who you are as a reader. So, what books grab “your” attention?
Hi. I’m glad you’re here. Come in, make yourself comfortable, and let me introduce myself. My name is Keith West. I’ve been reading science fiction and fantasy for about 35 years, coming to the genre through comics, Star Trek, and Star Wars. You’re probably wondering what I’m going to blog about. After all, there are […]
I’ve never written a blog. I’ve never had the urge to write a blog. So imagine my surprise when I bumped into a fantastic opportunity that I couldn’t resist: writing a weekly blog for Amazing Stories Magazine. I could barely contain a fangirl squee! So. Much. Fun. The timing was a little awkward since I […]
ebooks have enabled new opportunities for both traditional and self-published authors. Barriers to entry have been lowered, gatekeepers have expanded and both readers and writers are benefiting from this brave new world.
November 2010 was a watershed moment with regards to the ebook revolution. That was the month I saw my sales go from a modest 1,000 per month (across 4 titles) to 10,000+ a month (across 5 titles). What was even more amazing is I wasn’t the only self-published author seeing this kind of spike, and […]
