A Giveaway: On the Forge of War & The First Technomancer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/103412

Promotional price: $0.00
Coupon Code: JG88H
Expires: June 10, 2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/156938

Promotional price: $0.00
Coupon Code: XB34Z
Expires: June 10, 2012

 

The contest didn’t go smashingly well… no one played, and here I thought I came up with some challenging questions.  I figure a straight giveaway might go better. So with these coupon codes, you can pick up your free copies of On the Forge of War, and The First Technomancer over at Smashwords.

 

 

 

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And You’re No Amanda Hocking…

Amazon Kindle (Photo credit: agirregabiria)

You know, I don’t want to sound like a curmudgeon, and contrarian… but I really hope to never read that phrase ever again.  Usually it’s offered up by other writers trying to give well-meaning (but not always, and I think often with ulterior motives) advice on self-publishing/indie authorship. They do so regarding matters of editing, and proof reading, as if they hold the keys to the kingdom and what they’re telling writers is some sort of big secret, when, well it’s not at all, but regurgitated truisms. And I also notice, those who are very quick to nod their head and tell other authors how to go about their work, aren’t so much invested in the indie author community so much as using it to gain a leg up in Big 6 publishing.

Can we get this straight? Amanda Hocking didn’t sell a bunch of books because she was a great grammarian, or editor. She herself says as much. However she did make a point to say, when she suddenly found herself in a whirlwind of fame that she targeted a specific niche, and wrote what she thought would appeal to that market.  That I think is her actual secret to success, nothing more, nothing less. It was not about dotting ‘I’s, or the placement of question marks.

You know what? I do not want to be the next Amanda Hocking. I want to be me, with my own style, and writing quirks. Firstly, I enjoy the freedom of being an indie author. Part of that freedom is an editorial one. I would lose that were I to sign up with a big publisher. Somehow I am doubtful Miss Hocking still gets a final say on her work.  Other writers, unless I invite them in, do not, and should not have a say in my writing, or publishing process. To presume to lecture, is to presume to tell a painter what brushstrokes they are allowed to make.

To me writing is an art, not a science. Don’t grind it down, and turn it into a lifeless, bland paste.

What set this post off? Well I stumbled on a blog post, which presumes to give just such advice. It might be well-meaning, it might have other purposes. The trigger however was, when in the comments, I see someone remark that ‘self-publishing seems like a nightmare’.  Wait, what? That has not been my experience, overall I’ve enjoyed Amazon Kindle, and Smashwords. I take umbrage that this blogger, who does not seem invested in the indie author community, but as a means to get a big contract, which is fine if that’s what you think your brass ring is. Me, I think its overrated — is presenting a misrepresentation of indie authorship. The behemoths which are the Big 6 publishers, are imploding as an industry, vast sinking ships, not knowing how to deal with a sudden lack of gatekeepers. Why would anyone want to jump on that ship? Why would a writer volunteer to act as gatekeeper for a broken system. I can only assume it’s not about artistic integrity.

Ironically, were such rigorous views in place before hand, there never would have been an Amanda Hocking to begin with.

Related, I highly recommend  Lin Robinson’s Rules, over at Indies Unlimited. He often says, the only rules one needs worry about satisfying are the body of published work which are filled with all the things you’re not  allowed to do as a writer. They’re not nearly as stringent as one might think.

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Writers vs “writers”…

Yes, I know when I began this blog I said I hate the politics of writing, but there are a few subjects which get my ire up.

There’s an article making the rounds asking if writers “deserve to be paid”.  As I’ve often said, I am always more than willing to give a book to a person, for absolutely nothing, if they ASK ME. For that matter, I’m totally cool with you sharing, you know like how in the old days one used to pass on a good read to our friends. Overcoming that hurdle is one more step in making ebooks the norm.  No one thinks twice about letting a friend read one of their paperbacks.  It’s almost verboten to put that into words…

Now onto what raises my ire. The WRITER (re: real author) vs.“writer” mentality, where some authors presume to judge fellow writers on their commitment to their art. I often stumble upon this sort of thinking in comment sections of blog posts and it makes it clear to me, there are two different writing and publishing cultures at work. One side embraces the lumbering behemoth that are the Big 6, while the other has embraced technology and moved on, happy to be rid of gatekeepers of all sorts. You know the golden oldie “they have not taken their lumps” mindset? Those who think like this tend to be the types who are stuck in the old system, who seem to get a masochistic kick out of rejection letters and make excuses for the publishing industry like abused spouses. This profession in hard enough, but having fellow authors undermine bringing power and control back to authors hands does little to make it any easier.

Painters/graphic artists, filmmakers, and musicians do not look upon their fellows with the same disdain that some writers view other  authors. Indie filmmakers are actually celebrated. And no one gainsays an artist posting their work to DeviantART and charging for a print.

 

Addendum: Part of the problem is, I think there are still some “would be authors”  not in the loop where it concerns this whole Indie Authorship deal. Hard to imagine, but I guess it can happen. I’m just going to place a link for J.A. Konrath‘s link for A Newbie’s Guide to Publishing, right here.

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For Readers… NOT Writers…

A note from me. One of my motivations for returning to WordPress and mothballing my Blogspot blog is that I had in mind to expand my audience base, WordPress has that reach. The primary purpose of The Raptor’s Claw is to grow that base and be found by more readers.

I don’t envision this blog as a place to deconstruct my writing method, or debate the merits of  self-publishing vs. mainstream, a debate which I see as mainly academic at this point in time. J.A. Konrath has pretty much handled the issue in-depth. More WRITERS need to listen to him.  Ebooks, and digital publishing is not going away anytime soon as much as the Big Six would like for them to. This is the wave of the future!

The politics of writing… just does not interest me at all. For that reason I largely avoid Facebook writing/author groups even though I am a member of many. I lurk. I’m interested in story, and words strung together in evocative prose, pictures being painted in my mind’s eye. Not the morality of self-publishing.

All of the above is why I have posted many writing examples from both my future and current books and attempted to make it very easy for anyone who cares, to find my books at their various outlets in whatever format fits their needs best. It’s also why I’ve elected for a more streamlined blog, ease on the eyes, and easy to find the content you might want.

Rodney C. Johnson

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