Monthly Archives: December 2014

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Book Pirates! Yarrg!

December 31, 2014 10:18 pm , superdullboy

Yaaarg!

So, here I am, cruising around teh interwebz and I find this lovely site called “booksweeks“, which has apparently made The Changed available for download or online review to it’s subscribers. Obviously, this is some shady business because the only place legally authorized to sell the digital version of that book is Amazon. I’ve given Amazon exclusivity so that my book can be shared by readers with the Kindle lending program. Since Amazon has the market cornered as far as eReaders go, it seemed like the best deal for people who wanted to read the story.

Needless to say, the guys running this site are assholes. I didn’t bother trying to create an account to see if one really can get the book or if it’s just phishing, and I really don’t recommend you try, either. A friend asked me if I was mad that people are getting the book for free. Funny thing is, I’m not. Not at all.

The way I look at it, if you bought a hard copy of the book and then handed it off to a friend after you were done, that’s basically the same thing as you making a digital copy and giving it to a friend. Sure, there might be a legal grey area there, but as far as I’m concerned it means that you liked the book and you want your friend to read it. To me, that’s actually a huge compliment.

I swear by my pretty floral bonnet…

What puts a bee in my bonnet is that these mugs are taking what isn’t theirs to begin with and then attempting to make money off of it. That’s just straight up theft. It’s no longer giving a book to a friend. That’s stealing a book from a stranger, making photocopies, and hawking them on a street corner.

Trust me, I have no illusions that this practice will discontinue anytime soon. And the money? I’m not losing sleep over the few dollars in royalties I’m getting cheated out of. I’ve just always viewed books and reading culture as a sort of sacred experience. Predatory people like those who run this site are taking advantage of both readers and writers, which is kind of like smearing a big turd on something I hold dear.

TL;DR If you’re an author, your work might be somewhere on that site, too. If you’re a reader, please, for the love of all that you consider holy, don’t give these guys a shred of your personal information.

Posted in: Life in General, Publishing Industry

First Post in Forever!

December 11, 2014 9:28 pm , superdullboy

Yes, I know… I’ve been a bad, bad writer. I’ve written exactly zero-point-zero posts in over a hundred days. But let’s be real here, I don’t think there have been any hurt feelings over it. I’m sure that the readers I do have are okay with a little quiet from me and I don’t need to pretend otherwise. Despite what I’m constantly being told by other writers, and social media “experts.”

See, there’s a sentiment in the author community – specifically in the indie circles – that you have to “fake it ’til you make it.” Meaning that even though you’re new and unknown as an author, you should act that part of a best-selling writer so that readers will take you seriously. Kind of like how some salespeople will wear expensive watches or drive cars they can’t really afford. It’s all done in an effort to convince people that they are successful in their profession and therefore should be trusted.

“You see this watch?”

I get it. But I don’t like it and I’m not going to do it.

For me to pretend that I have a larger reach than I do, or that there are throngs of salivating readers trying to get a piece of my time seems to insult the intelligence of my actual readers; people who have been good to me. That’s not what I’m about. It’s more than enough to know that there are people who have read my stories and enjoyed them. Getting a message or a review from a reader who liked the novel I wrote is all I could ask for. Pretending that I’m the next Stephen King or J to the K. R. feels to me like I’m diminishing those folks. It’s like saying, “Hey, having you as a reader is cool and everything… But, I’m destined for much greater things, kid.”

Tacking “Kid” at the end of the sentence makes it so much more condescending.

To be fair, I can understand the intense drive to sell books and make money if writing is the heart and soul of your financial planning. Many moons ago I accepted that writing will probably never pay my bills, and that’s not a bad thing. I have a career that I’ve worked hard for and love. That’s what pays my bills. So, when I write I get to create the stories that I want to tell without worrying about publishing potential at a big six house, which makes the content in my stories and communication with readers much more honest.

Anyway, I’m working hard on my next novel, the sequel to The Changed, which I have, like, six working titles for right now. Production went a little behind schedule on this one. Life was a bit nuts these past few months, and while I’m not a big fan of excuses I did want to let those who are interested know that the novel is definitely still happening, it’s just a bit delayed. Let’s go ahead and blame life, work, and DAI. As of now it’s looking like it’ll be spring before the novel is publishable. I’m really excited to get out to you all though. The story is much larger than what happened in Center City and I can’t wait for readers to see the bigger picture unfold.