My blog has been sadly neglected lately. I’ve been writing more guest posts than posts here, and I’m also in the middle of several projects which seem to be taking a lot of my time.
I wanted to blog about Conflux 9, Australia’s 52nd National Science Fiction Convention, but got all enthusiastic with another project and never got around to it. Catch-up time.
In short, Conflux was fantastic. I caught up with a lot of people from out of town (as well as plenty of locals I don’t see enough of), made new friends, rubbed shoulders with publishers and editors, convened a couple of panels, and even gave a workshop.
I purchased far more books than I probably should have too, but hey, if you can’t splurge at a con, when can you? Hopefully I’ll get the time to read them soon.
I’ve also managed to produce several printed copies of my manuscript through CreateSpace. I’ve sent three out to proof-readers, and hopefully I’ll get their feedback soon. The plan is that if I don’t get any joy from the agent and publisher I’ve sent the manuscript to, I’ll publish the book myself.
That decision has freed me up to write the sequels – something I’d avoided previously as being a waste of time. The reason was that if the first book never sold, spending time on the sequels was pointless because they’d never sell until the first one did.
That’s changed with the option of self-publishing.
I’ve also gained some insight into another story I’ve been wanting to tell, but couldn’t find a satisfying way into it. I think I’ve found that now. The entire story arc is beginning to fall into place. I needed to slow the pace a little – show the entire story, not just the end-game.
That’s it for now. Here’s a guest post I wrote for JW Alden’s blog on the dream of publishing books in hardcopy.
Why?
Don’t turn up in your best Princess Leia slave outfit (I’ve heard of it happening – people trying to be memorable, which they were, but for all the wrong reasons). Go with neat and tidy instead. You want them to remember your story, not your outfit.