Welcome to Blog Treasures! Here you’ll find the best of the blogsphere from the past week. So, grab your coffee, sit back and above all – enjoy *smile*
Featured
Mhairi Simpson is one of those people that never ceases to amaze me – she is simply brilliant, especially when ranting. This week Mhairi posted: Self-publishing is NOT the easy way. There is NO easy way that is a must read for the depth of information shared in the post. AND – the Comments section reads like a who’s who: Barry Eisler, Bob Mayer, Jen Talty, Kristen Lamb, Mike Shatzkin – and more, showed up to share their views. Be sure to read this one all the way through.
Extract: Self-publishing. Diamond of an idea. Almost exactly like a diamond, in fact, because it takes a whole lot of work to cut and polish a diamond. And then you have to find the right market for it and sell it to…
Self-Publishing is NOT the easy way. There is NO easy way.
On the Publishing Industry
An Open Letter to the DOJ from someone that actually Cares about Writers (And Readers) by David Gaughran. Must read, fantastic post!
The Business Rusch: The “Brutal” 2000 word Day by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
An Inside Peek at Audio Book Sales and Royalties by D. D. Scott.
Everyone in Hollywood needs an E-book Strategy by Mike Shatzkin.
On Aspects of Publishing
The Best E-Publishing Resources by Jane Friedman – this is one power-packed post!
Also from Jane Friedman: When Self-Publishing is More Useful as a Marketing Tool AND 4 Ways to Immediately Improve Your Book Marketing Efforts.
Early Results from Creating an E-book Omnibus – Good choice or not? by Lindsay Buroker.
7 Ways to Mine Blog Posts into Publishable Material by Nina Amir guest posting on Joel Friedlander’s site.
Understanding Amazon’s New Algorithms is as Easy as ABC by David Gaughran.
SOP for Authors using Audible ACX by Bob Mayer.
What Are You Looking For in an Agent? by Jami Gold.
On Social Media
Follow at Your Own Risk – Why My Social Media Shouldn’t Have to be G-Rated by Roni Loren. Excellent. Thoughtful. Provocative post.
7 Tips for Controlling Our Social Media Time by Elizabeth S. Craig – a writer, master of time management and social media powerhouse.
The Benefits of Building a Writing Platform by Jeff Goins.
5 Reasons I *Heart* Twitter (And You Should Too) by Laura Drake.
The Death of SEO. Can We Forget About the Search Engines? by Robert Lee Brewer.
On Writing Craft
From Janice Hardy: Fixing A Stalled Scene – Making the Most of Editing “What Not to Use” Lists – When Characters Say Dumb Things.
The Importance of Editing by Elizabeth S. Craig.
Why You Should Do A Treatment Before Anything Else by James Killick.
Mapping Out Your Story by Gabriela Pereira. By the way, this is part of a week long series with a ton of great tips and ideas on handling story mapping that work for both plotters and pantsers (and all of us in between). Click “Home” on the banner to find the others.
How to Use Taste to Make your Readers Hungry for More by Marcy Kennedy.
Tips to make Great Writing like Great Sex by Marcia A. Richards. Catchy title *grins*
Lessons I’ve Learned About Memoir Writing by Jenny Hansen.
Humor Hits Hook Readers by Margie Lawson guest posting on Jenny Hansen’s More Cowbell.
Larry Brooks (Story Engineering) is doing an excellent deconstruction of Hunger Games over on his site. Here is one to get you started: A Slippery First Plot Point. There are five posts currently and the second one contains a FULL Beat Sheet of the entire book that you might find useful.
On the Writer’s Life
Do We Need A Little More Old-Fashioned? A Lesson from The Avengers by Marcy Kennedy.
Why First Impressions Aren’t Nearly As Important As We Think by Jeff Goins.
Do You Read Your Old Writing? by Ava Jae. You should, it’s a treasure trove – sometimes.
Ways to be a More Productive Writer by Janice Hardy.
What’s Your Greatest Challenge as a Writer Online? by Carrie Mumford.
Are You Trying to Create the “Impossible” Book? by Joel Friedlander.
25 Ways to Earn Your Audience by Chuck Wendig.
Movie’s
Gloria Oliver reviews The Avengers, Dark Shadows and Battleship. Jillian Dodd reviews Dark Shadows. Tiffany A. White reviews Dark Shadows. Catie Rhodes reviews Footloose.
Designing from Bones ~ Stories Hewn from Rock: Tombs and Temples. Raw rock is to sculptors what a blank page is to writers – art awaiting the life-giving touch of creative thought. Today we take a look at two extraordinary examples of what can be done with the nameless hills and stark cliff sides of your world…
Peaceful Journeys!
Gene Lempp ~ Writer 
I can’t believe how many I missed this week! I think I’ve only read about 4 in your list. On my way out of town for a graduation party but, I had to stop in to see what you have…it’s sort of like going to an Italian bakery…everything in the case makes me smack my lips but, I can’t have it all at once…I’ll be reading these on the ride home tonight…wouldn’t be able to wait til tomorrow. Thank you, my friend, for including my post in this delicious line up! Have a fantastic weekend!
WOW, Gene – Thanks for the double mention!
AND, thanks for the great reading in between sessions at DFW Con. 🙂 I can’t wait to dig in.
My take-away this week was the Story Mapping, Gene. Amazing! I’m going now to try to apply it. Thank YOU!
I loved this mash-up, Gene. Thanks to you, I don’t have to scan the self-publishing blogs myself. You really know how to deliver value to your readers. *bows*
GREAT mashup, Gene!!
I think I’ve clicked through about 75% of it. Bravo! Found you via @Wayneborean’s row80 paper.
Once again I missed many of these this week. I guess tomorrow morning I’ll be sitting down with a huge cup of tea and digging in. Thanks for trolling the web to find these gems for us, Gene!
Fantastic mashup, Gene! Thanks a ton!
Thanks for including me, Gene!! As always, fantastic mashup!
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