tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13622790Sun, 15 Jun 2008 18:27:36 +0000http://thebackroomat.dehanna.com/index.htmnoreply@blogger.com (dehanna)Blogger117125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13622790.post-6449450524356335503Sun, 15 Jun 2008 18:24:00 +00002008-06-15T14:27:36.528-04:00patrick garryreview"There was a story to this trial... Not the one about someone's death or someone else's guilt, but one about uncertainty: about not knowing what little steps would later have such monumental consequences." In anticipation of the verdict, Luke Sellmer sits alone listening to the sounds filtering through the closed door and waits. And while he waits, the events leading up to this very moment come http://thebackroomat.dehanna.com/2008/06/review-suicidal-tendencies-patrick-m.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (dehanna)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13622790.post-4231318402327565462Sun, 25 May 2008 16:37:00 +00002008-05-25T12:48:18.552-04:00traditionqueryexperiencePOD publishingAs many regular visitors know, I've spent this past year or so querying and trying to improve my query/synopsis/marketing plan writing talents all while dipping my toes into the "traditional publication arena" just to see what would happen. I guess you can call this whole experience as my "taking a bit of my own advice" for most know I recommend everyone who has written a book, regardless of thehttp://thebackroomat.dehanna.com/2008/05/year-of-traditional-gameplaying.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (dehanna)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13622790.post-2800947846719715210Tue, 13 May 2008 22:08:00 +00002008-05-13T18:12:17.796-04:00authorreleaseballouhistoricalLinda Ballou, well known for her adventurous travel articles and breathtaking photography, will soon release her first novel--an event which marks the beginning of her career as an author of books (as she currently has another in progress). Through the eyes of "High Chiefess, Wai-nani," the reader will experience the Hawai'ian society as it existed when Captain Cook arrived at Kealakekua Bayin http://thebackroomat.dehanna.com/2008/05/new-release-wai-nani-high-chiefess-of.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (dehanna)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13622790.post-8718602343559383925Sun, 27 Apr 2008 21:53:00 +00002008-04-27T17:56:44.116-04:00I was in an online discussion recently and one of the members there posted this little bit of valuable wisdom -- the moment I read it, I just knew I had to pass it along: "Make sure your goals truly are your own, and not a shadowy inheritance from someone else's expectations..." Nina M. Osier is the author of 23 books, including 2005 EPPIE science ficton award winner REGS and the http://thebackroomat.dehanna.com/2008/04/quotable-wisdom.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (dehanna)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13622790.post-5942977889430473959Sun, 27 Apr 2008 21:37:00 +00002008-04-27T17:52:02.632-04:00contestebookwinnerwritingTRI Studio LLC in cooperation with the Authors’ Coalition announce the winners of The 2008 Out of the Box Promotion Contest for Writers. The top winners include promotional experts Janet Elaine Smith, Allyn Evans, Phil Harris and Billie Williams. Honorable Mention awardees include authors Mindy P. Lawrence, Dorothea Buckingham, Nikki Leigh, Margot Finke, Karina Fabian and Jessica Kennedy. Ideashttp://thebackroomat.dehanna.com/2008/04/winners-announced-for-2008-out-of-box.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (dehanna)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13622790.post-6629015630119741090Mon, 31 Mar 2008 23:20:00 +00002008-03-31T19:25:59.641-04:00It's verified. Amazon will be requiring POD authors and publishers to print through their services. For all the info, here's the links: Writer's Weekly Amazon Media Roomhttp://thebackroomat.dehanna.com/2008/03/amazon-seizes-reins.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (dehanna)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13622790.post-5951320823967535059Sun, 30 Mar 2008 22:06:00 +00002008-03-30T18:13:35.183-04:00CreateSpacecostsAmazonPOD publishingAs I'm checking the options to see what would have to be done to keep a title for sale on Amazon should the "Buy Buttons" disappear, I've started "running the numbers" and thought I'd pass along what I've learned so far: First, let it be said that for (most) traditional self-publishers and small presses, there is a strong possibility that Amazon/BookSurge may not want to work directly with them http://thebackroomat.dehanna.com/2008/03/createspace-pro-running-some-numbers.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (dehanna)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13622790.post-7398824681676945991Fri, 28 Mar 2008 23:42:00 +00002008-03-28T19:47:56.507-04:00authorpublishingPOD publishingIf you're a "POD author," or anyone whose books are produced On-Demand, unless you've been hiding under a rock, by now, you've probably heard the buzz going around of how Amazon may possibly remove the "Buy" buttons on printed works produced on-demand (by Lightning Source specifically) in order to shift more POD printing business to their affiliate Booksurge. Now as to whether this has happened http://thebackroomat.dehanna.com/2008/03/bye-bye-buy-buttons-for-pod-authors.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (dehanna)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13622790.post-5278275249245649037Sun, 24 Feb 2008 19:16:00 +00002008-02-24T14:19:21.021-05:00databaseupdatesPOD publishingJust a quick note, the POD Database was updated recently but due to the considerable amount of print-on-demand publishing information it now holds, I've found it has grown too big to be posted as an HTML page anymore so the format has been changed to a PDF download (only). Hopefully, this change will not only help me to be able to keep it up but make it more useable for those who need the http://thebackroomat.dehanna.com/2008/02/too-much-pod-info-site-updates.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (dehanna)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13622790.post-2551369231329799867Wed, 30 Jan 2008 22:51:00 +00002008-01-30T17:58:25.239-05:00No, I didn't get one this year. In truth, I didn't even enter. But it wasn't that I forgot. On the contrary, I usually try to at least get the POD Database listed under the 'Writer's Resources' part, if anything. No, I missed it for I've been a bit under the weather as of late and doing a lot of offline work so time kinda slipped by before I realized it. Anyway, thought I'd just let everyone http://thebackroomat.dehanna.com/2008/01/p-award-query-tips.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (dehanna)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13622790.post-8429269191952868454Wed, 02 Jan 2008 15:59:00 +00002008-01-02T11:03:13.307-05:00Columnist and Author Takes on the Nobel Prize Committee Praised or maligned, the Nobel Prize for Literature is always news. It selects the best from the world and therefore misses much of value. Carolyn Howard-Johnson, “Back to Literature” columnist for MyShelf.com, closes the gap (only slightly) with her an annual “Noble (Not Nobel!) Prize for Literature.” Over the last years the Nobel http://thebackroomat.dehanna.com/2008/01/columnist-awards-noble-not-nobel-prize.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (dehanna)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13622790.post-8070299431739974090Mon, 05 Nov 2007 23:13:00 +00002007-11-07T11:50:44.568-05:00awardcontestreleasepoetryThe Best of the Best Poetry Competition sponsored by TRIPLOPIA ezine announces its 2007 recipient: Christina Lovin for “Coal Country.” Lovin’s poem is an expertly crafted sonnet crown eulogizing a played-out Midwestern coal town. Previously the poem has been recognized by the 2005 Betty Gabehart Prize for Imaginative Writing from Women Writers of Kentucky, the 2006 PASSAGER Poet of the Year http://thebackroomat.dehanna.com/2007/11/best-of-best-poetry-competition-winner.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (dehanna)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13622790.post-8631915518427533731Tue, 02 Oct 2007 21:50:00 +00002007-10-02T17:54:16.937-04:00writerssampleswantedreleaseDynamic dialogue, fresh body language, description that doesn't stop the action, intriguing hooks that keep going... These are four of the 24 fiction-writing techniques for which positive examples are being sought for the next edition of this year's winner of the Agatha Award for Best Nonfiction Book. If you or the writers you know would like an excerpt from your published or unpublished novel, http://thebackroomat.dehanna.com/2007/10/author-seeks-writing-samples.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (dehanna)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13622790.post-4180010137861850362Sat, 29 Sep 2007 23:32:00 +00002007-09-29T19:34:39.273-04:00Just a quick bit of good and bad news regarding one of the works I'm currently shopping around: This past month I was offered a traditional publishing contract for my contemporary paranormal novella from a long established, highly recommended and very reputable e-publishing house but after much thought and deliberation, I sadly decided not to accept the offer. Maybe next time!http://thebackroomat.dehanna.com/2007/09/published-well-almost.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (dehanna)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13622790.post-7524143741197565008Sat, 22 Sep 2007 22:36:00 +00002007-09-22T18:45:15.915-04:00youngwriterscontestEPICwritingThe viewpoint is rapidly changing regarding e-publishing, in both the publishing industry and our school systems. EPIC's New Voices Writing Competition Contest is the perfect opportunity to educate young writers on the variety and versatility of e-books, as well as the e-publishing world. EPIC established this annual competition in 2005 to encourage writing among Middle School and High http://thebackroomat.dehanna.com/2007/09/epic-and-new-voices-are-searching-for.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (dehanna)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13622790.post-5225845062052269931Sun, 16 Sep 2007 17:02:00 +00002007-09-22T18:44:33.189-04:00MangaBlood Sucker 2ShimizuTokyoPopreview"I was reborn..." Previously: After a battle between the vampires and police ends bloodily, the vampire Kazuma has his eye not only on Hikage's sister, Hiiragi, but the Lady Kikuri as well. Officer Yaegashi can take a beating and does so willingly with the intention of keeping his cover as he has infiltrated the Church of the Magoraka to learn more about what's going on. However there's not http://thebackroomat.dehanna.com/2007/09/review-blood-sucker-2-legend-of-zipangu.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (dehanna)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13622790.post-2352385166912864318Sat, 18 Aug 2007 22:58:00 +00002007-08-18T19:01:23.329-04:00"I'll call him Hugo..." Based on a fantasy video game series, Suikoden III: The Successor of Fate Volume 1 takes place eighteen years after Suikoden I and opens with the birth of Hugo, the son of the Chief of the Karaya. Moving quickly into his childhood, while out hunting with a Karaya warrior, Hugo comes across a fallen gryphon shot down while leading it's chick away from danger. Hugo finds http://thebackroomat.dehanna.com/2007/08/review-suikoden-iii-successor-of-fate.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (dehanna)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13622790.post-9086415118707246037Tue, 01 May 2007 23:09:00 +00002007-05-01T19:16:07.776-04:00self-publishingprint-on-demandmoneyPOD publishingWhile in the process of doing my most recent update to the POD Database, I discovered I now have ninety Fee-Based Print-on-Demand (POD) Publishing Services listed. Ninety. Wow. (Just a few more to the triple digits-whoo-hoo lol). But more than the number of companies, I suppose what got me thinking was when I did a few offhand guesstimations with the reasoning that if each company had at one http://thebackroomat.dehanna.com/2007/05/fill-ins-financials-failings.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (dehanna)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13622790.post-4892580488611314438Fri, 30 Mar 2007 23:14:00 +00002007-03-30T19:18:23.920-04:00mysterycontesteditingroerdenall-genrewritingWriters are invited to share examples from their work to be showcased in a new, all-genre sequel to Don't Murder Your Mystery, the Agatha Award Finalist for Best Nonfiction Book of 2006 by Chris Roerden, an editor for 43 years. The best 140 examples that demonstrate the effective use of specific fiction-writing techniques will be showcased, with full credit to its author, in the sequel to this http://thebackroomat.dehanna.com/2007/03/editor-invites-writers-to-show-off.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (dehanna)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13622790.post-5489525568259922561Sat, 03 Mar 2007 17:45:00 +00002007-03-03T12:49:53.628-05:00publisherself-publishingresearchhow-topublishingQ. "What can I do to find out more about a publishing company, service, or agent?" I get asked this question quite often and usually by those authors who are fairly new to this whole "publishing thing" so to save a bit of time, I thought I would post these handy tips: 1. First, visit their website and print out any detail pages, sample contracts, or FAQs sections and read them offline--you'll http://thebackroomat.dehanna.com/2007/03/q-how-to-research-publisher.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (dehanna)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13622790.post-116940392724152365Sun, 21 Jan 2007 18:22:00 +00002007-03-03T12:51:14.631-05:00maberryghost road bluesreviewThirty years after a serial killer wreaked havoc through the small peaceful town of Pine Deep, long past the time when a thin black man and a lone German fought by the light of the moon, the truth of what really happened still lay hidden deep within a forsaken swamp, waiting ... waiting for the chance to once again come forth ... stronger. With a solid cast of characters, Maberry draws readers http://thebackroomat.dehanna.com/2007/01/review-ghost-road-blues-by-jonathan.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (dehanna)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13622790.post-116881917854198259Sun, 14 Jan 2007 23:57:00 +00002007-01-14T18:59:38.553-05:00Books about self-publishing that include web links; market strategies; lists for printers, designers, and other services; popular resources and more often find within only a few months, some of the leads have changed location, contact information, or even worse, closed completely--and it's exactly this kind of circumstance that calls for a resource such as Dan and Danny's new "Living Book." By http://thebackroomat.dehanna.com/2007/01/review-u-publish-40-living-book-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (dehanna)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13622790.post-116510072127995814Sat, 02 Dec 2006 22:56:00 +00002006-12-02T18:05:21.280-05:00As some know from my previous post, I've been exploring this whole 'traditional publication' thing and as I am, I'm finding some fascinating things about the 'other side' of publishing--namely that traditional publication via e-pubs is about as hard (and sometimes as troublesome) as just going it alone (self-pubbing electronically), depending on who picks up the work. Yes, I do agree that there http://thebackroomat.dehanna.com/2006/12/e-pubbing-education.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (dehanna)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13622790.post-116510014912823791Sat, 02 Dec 2006 22:54:00 +00002006-12-02T17:55:49.130-05:00TRI Studio LLC announces the release of another story by Kathe Gogolewski from Amazon Shorts. The latest, Pony Palace for children aged 8 to 13, is the third release from Amazon for the author. The other stories, The Gold Coin and Weighing In, are both for adults. Gogolewski, a retired elementary teacher, says she wrote Pony Palace to “inspire children to work toward something they want, insteadhttp://thebackroomat.dehanna.com/2006/12/amazon-shorts-releases-third-story-by.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (dehanna)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13622790.post-116510002451115959Sat, 02 Dec 2006 22:50:00 +00002006-12-02T17:54:12.430-05:00Award winning poets Carolyn Howard-Johnson and Magdalena Ball have teamed up to produce a book of love poetry which is anything but syrupy. The poems explore love from a variety of angles, and offers mature, deep, reflective sentiment for those who want to say something a little richer, a little deeper than simply "I love you." According to Joyce Mishaan, Associated Content Producer, "It's a http://thebackroomat.dehanna.com/2006/12/poets-take-swipe-at-hallmark.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (dehanna)