Where Personal and Professional Life Collide...

State of the Meerkat, Saturday pre-BEA edition

: suricattus; May 25th, 7:54

Originally posted at Writer. Editor. Tired Person.

It rains. And is chilly. I am not feeling the urge to haul down to the farmer's market this morning. In fact, my only urge is to sit on the sofa, nom toast-and-coffee, and work on the Hard-Deadline Client Project. I suppose that's not a bad goal, actually.

Meanwhile, I have this odd feeling that I'm actually ready for BEA next week. This is, of course, utter self-delusion. And yet... Jaym has the SFWA signing schedule worked out. We have the SFWA booth coverage schedule worked out (more or less) to avoid the unfortunate Incident last year when two of us basically rode herd on it the entire time, and wasn't THAT fun (no, not really). All of my meetings are set (sort of) and there's a growing pile of Stuff in the BEA-prep area of my apartment. I've even gotten the water and extra power cords wrassled already.

Which means of course that whatever nails us will come out of the blue, and if you can't predict it, why worry about it, right? We Have a Corporate Card, We Can Fix It.

(some of you may remember the Great Load-In Disaster of last year. Throwing money at a problem sometimes really is the only solution, especially when dealing with the electricians' union.)

I am tempted oh so tempted to set up a video camera and record each day at the booth, the good the bad and the ridiculous. If only because by the time BEA winds down, Jaym and I usually can't remember what the fuck just happened, much less what happened three days before....

If you're going to be there, stop by! The SFWA table will have various authors signing books and giving away Stuff! (the actual schedule will go live on the SFWA website on Monday, I'm told). And if you're around Thursday at 4pm, and happen to be wearing a blogger or librarian badge, I might have Stuff especially for you...

Tags: appearances & signings, bea, sfwa, the state of the meerkat

Leave a comment

TRICKS OF THE TRADE ebook now available in the UK!

: suricattus; May 23rd, 17:41

http://www.lauraannegilman.net/tricks-of-the-trade-ebook-now-available-in-the-uk/

After a delay that was making me twitch (and no, I don't know why there was a delay), TRICKS OF THE TRADE (Paranormal Scene Investigations #3) is available digitally in the UK!

Book 4, DRAGON JUSTICE, will be available 1 June.

*throws confetti*

(and while you're there, check out the short fiction of DON'T READ THIS BOOK and DRAGON VIRUS!)

Thanks to reader Catherine Sharp for the news!

Tags: cosa nostradamus, cosanostradamus, e-books, foreign editions

Leave a comment

a small but heartfelt rant

: suricattus; May 23rd, 9:25

An old friend of mine, who happens to be a minister, posted the following link to her facebook page:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/22/pope-francis-good-atheists_n_3320757.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009

"Pope Francis Says Atheists Who Do Good Are Redeemed, Not Just Catholics"

Pope Francis rocked some religious and atheist minds today when he declared that everyone was redeemed through Jesus, including atheists.

My friend, who is a genuinely good person, was pleased by this, as though it was a good thing. And yeah, compared to "all who are not devout Catholic are going to hell" I guess it is. Anything that cuts down on the justifications for abuse is a good thing. Far better behavior than his unlamented-by-many predecessor.

However...

Like the Mormons posthumously "baptizing" Jews and claiming them for their heaven, this strikes me as vaguely offensive chutzpah. He's saying "it doesn't matter what YOU believe, we're going to co-opt you anyway through OUR belief." And I'm not sure how that's supposed to make us feel better about our relations with the Church.

Dude. Try asking. If we want to convert, we will. if we don't, we've got our exit plan worked out already, thanks.

Tags: religion

this I feel therefore this I know

: suricattus; May 23rd, 7:52

Woke up this morning with the faint trickle of cool, damp air streaming in though the open window, touching my skin. Suddenly I was many places at once - Cape Cod, Vermont, New Jersey most strongly - but all the same time, that early summer morning before the sun takes effect, when mist rises from the still surface of lakes and the hush of the air is broken only by the occasional bird or the crunch of someone walking outside, and the taste of a protein bar and coffee waiting before the day begins....

Never underestimate texture. It's far more powerful than sight.

Tags: craft from another perspective, personal

and oh, hey, here's another financial post...

: suricattus; May 22nd, 11:26

Because all the writer-kids are doing it.

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=176060&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1823219&highlight=

Amazon Publishing Introduces “Kindle Worlds,” a New Publishing Model for Authors Inspired to Write Fan Fiction—Launching with an Initial License of Popular Titles from Warner Bros. Television Group’s Alloy Entertainment

Like Kindle Singles and Kindle Serials, Kindle Worlds Adds a New Approach to Digital Publishing

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May. 22, 2013-- (NASDAQ:AMZN)—Today, Amazon Publishing announces Kindle Worlds, the first commercial publishing platform that will enable any writer to create fan fiction based on a range of original stories and characters and earn royalties for doing so. Amazon Publishing has secured licenses from Warner Bros. Television Group’s Alloy Entertainment division for its New York Times best-selling book series Gossip Girl, by Cecily von Ziegesar; Pretty Little Liars, by Sara Shepard; and Vampire Diaries, by L.J. Smith; and plans to announce more licenses soon. Through these licenses, Kindle Worlds will allow any writer to publish authorized stories inspired by these popular Worlds and make them available for readers to purchase in the Kindle Store.

Amazon Publishing will pay royalties to both the rights holders of the Worlds and the author. The standard author’s royalty rate (for works of at least 10,000 words) will be 35% of net revenue. As with all titles from Amazon Publishing, Kindle Worlds will base net revenue off of sales price—rather than the lower, industry standard of wholesale price—and royalties will be paid monthly.

--------------------------------

This is all I know about the project, which is just now hitting the Internet-waves. But the following is my initial reaction

1. This is not going to be some free-for-all of fanfic. It's carefully curated properties, which means probably most writers don't have to worry about it, one way or the other (alas or yay, depending on your take)

2. If Amazon is licensing these properties, and paying everyone involved, it's legal and even morally fair (for payment levels of fair).

3. Amazon is reportedly prohibiting crossovers and explicit sex. 80% of fanfic's not welcome. :-)

4. I suspect most readers will be "why should we pay for fic we used to get for free? Especially if there's no assurance of quality?"
(welcome to the return of the Why Gatekeepers are Good argument. But I digress)

5. Nobody's property gets put into play without their licensing those right (see #1), so it's opt-in, just like any other subrights deal.

6. This will hopefully finally teach people to HOLD ONTO THE DERIVATIVE RIGHTS ON EVERYTHING THEY SELL, FOREVER AND EVER AMEN.

7. Fanfic writers too will learn that there are wolves in the world... and that they are bunnies. Tasty, tasty bunnies. You sign Amazon's contract, make sure you understand what you're agreeing to....

and yeah, 8. Amazon still isn't in this for anything other than their own profit, up to and including squeezing all competition out of the field in any way possible.

Short version: I'm not thrilled with the idea, but I'm not flipping like a mammal just yet. Engaging wait and see mode.

EtA: and Matt Forbeck has blogged about what it means to pro tie-in writers... http://www.forbeck.com/2013/05/22/kindle-worlds-worlds-burning/

Tags: business, fanfic, publishing, the writing life

Boosting the signal, and commentary: C.E. Murphy's "a momentary reality check"

: suricattus; May 22nd, 8:52

Preface: I am normally of the "it's none of your business how much I earn, any more than how much you earn is any of my business" mindset. But... maybe this will help people understand. Or not. I don't know.
------------------------

mizkit posted about writerly income at a momentary reality check and I'm reposting here because, well, WHAT SHE'S SAYING. Never mind Rowling, King, Brown, etc. Ain't nobody 'cept those very few getting rich at this job. Damned few of us are earning above the poverty line (Federal standards: $12-15k per household of 1, $23-25k for a family of 3).

Catie and I are on a similar track (well, substitute two needy felines for a kid, and remove the spouse), and we are among the fortunate ones, at this point in time, in that we can say that we make an actual living out of this gig.

Averaging the past five years, I'm making around $45k/year, after my agency's 15% commission but before taxes. After-taxes would make you cry, no lie. Freelancer taxes are hell. I write more slowly than Catie does, which means I have fewer opportunities to sell, but I have my editorial sideline (5-10k of that pre-tax 45) which is why I can (almost) afford to live in NYC.*

(EtA: I also have multiple streams of writing income, between NYC, BookViewCafe, and direct-to-market)

As a point of comparison, the median family income in 2011 (most recent official numbers) was $61,455. There are benefits to this gig, but a fat paycheck is rarely one of them.

Keep in mind that writers (all freelancers) are not eligible for unemployment insurance if we lose our job, and every year that's a very real risk. So every year you're also (hopefully, ideally) squirreling away for the inevitable Really Bad Year(s). As they say in the financials, past performance is no guarantee of future results.

(everything that follows beneath the cut is Catie's original post. or you can go read it here directly.)

*and before anyone says "oh but why do you live in NYC if it's so expensive?"... because this is my home, and where my family lives.
----------------

Tags: business, money, the freelance life, the writing life, writers not me

Looking on, from too far away

: suricattus; May 21st, 9:25

Like most of the US, I’ve been watching the news coming from Oklahoma over the past 24, and wondering what the hell the rest of the storm season is going to be like, between tornados and hurricanes and…

Based on the increasing severity of storms (thank you climate change) and the idiotic cutbacks in aid (thank you, governors who say “no money for FEMA”…until it’s their state that gets hit, as though disasters respect human-made borders), we’re going to see a lot more calls for help.

I went through superstorm Sandy. I saw my home states devastated. And I saw how people came forward to help, after. Even the smallest amount, the most basic gesture, means more than you can imagine.

If you want to help in Oklahoma (or any disaster scene), start with groups already in-place, with an established reputation. That way, your donations can be put to use immediately. And check to see what they need, before you donate.

We all know about the Red Cross (text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a donation), and Doctors without Borders, etc. And if you don’t know about Red Rover Animal Rescue, you should check them out (as well as Animal Resource Center). But one of my favorites is Loads of Hope. It’s backed by Tide (yes Tide the detergent), and they bring massive washing machines to scenes without water or electricity, to make sure that people have clean clothing to wear.

Trust me, if you’ve ever been displaced or suddenly made homeless, something as simple as a clean pair of socks and underwear can make the difference between hopeless and hopeful.

Can’t give money? Give blood. http://www.redcrossblood.org/donating-blood

(And yep, just made an appointment to donate blood myself. O-type & good veins… phlebotomist’s delight. 0.0 )

Tags: upright apes doing good, weather

On tragedy, and the marketing urge

: suricattus; May 20th, 19:43

Discussion on Twitter (again) about the ..appropriateness? morality? of doing promotional tweets/posts during a time of immediate crisis.

(apologies for the US-centric nature of this discussion, but those are the three recent datapoints we have were within the US).

During the Boston bombing, and the Newton shooting, people had strong, negative reactions to promotional blitzes, especially ones that clearly seemed preprogrammed/scheduled, with an inappropriately cheerful tone.

Today, as we're watching news come in from the terrible tornado activity in Oklahoma, there didn't seem to be that same backlash against promotion, or if it was it was considerably muted.

So the question rises... when is it offensive? When is it all right? So far, the dividing elements seem to be man-made vs Nature, preventable versus inevitable-if-terrible.

What do y'all think? Is there a time when marketing/promotion is out of place in the social media? Where do you draw the line, and why?

[I remember after 9/11 pretty much every publishing PR bit was yanked, to the understandable dismay of the authors that month. But that was before much of the current marketing 'net network.... I -think- it was the same during Katrina?]

Tags: ask a question enough times, publishing

Follow-up on exercise...

: suricattus; May 20th, 19:34

Knee passed 1st post-injury stress test, this morning showing only normal levels of ache. The urge to ramp up exercise routine tempered by thought of re-injuring myself.

Damn those endorphins!

And, to follow-up on the earlier poll, I've learned a few interesting things. One, a lot of you (34% at the moment) are lazy lumps! And two, that only about 10% of us get so invigorated by exercise that our bodies demand more.

Huh.

I probably should have asked the question of "runner's high" and related experiences....

Tags: ask a question enough times

Trek: Some Spoilers

: suricattus; May 19th, 22:15

Well, that was nearly 2/3 of a good Trek movie....

I wanted to love it. I really did. But... no. Even by Trek science-out-the-window and understanding-of-bureaucratic-logistics standards, the plot fell apart if you looked twice, there was overuse of fanservice in the wrong places (IMO), and oh god the logic-fails a decent copyeditor would have flagged in a heartbeat.

I would have loved to have seen it set a few years later, when we had a reason to believe in the bonds between the crew, getting rid of the entire opening set-up which had Logic Fail all over the place and open with the actual story, and maybe please possibly some acknowledgement that one person can't run that much of a conspiracy all by themselves, especially in a peacetime bureaucracy.... I know. I ask too much.

The cast gave it their best shot, tho. They were all solidly believable in their roles, and hey, I was there to see My Man Bones, anyway.

(and Cumberbatch utterly steals every scene he strides into. If nothing else I have renewed respect for Martin Freeman and Rupert Graves, who don't let him do that on a regular basis in Sherlock.)

Tags: movies

Fair warning to all my friends and co-workers:

: suricattus; May 19th, 8:37

Fair warning to all my friends and co-workers: I will be useless Tuesday nights/Wednesday mornings next fall...

(8pm: S.H.I.E.L.D. 9pm: Supernatural. 10pm: Person of Interest. 11pm: weeping and drinking and interneting.)

Tuesday2

I haven't been this traumatized by a weeknight lineup since the late 1970's.

Tags: fandom, tv

(no subject)

: suricattus; May 18th, 18:20

Because I've noted an interesting consistency in reactions, this is just for my own curiosity. You will not be graded (or judged) so please answer honestly...

(any deviations should be listed in comments)

Poll #1914202 Exercise
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 78

After I exercise I want to....

View Answers

collapse in a sweaty heap with a cold beer
16 (20.5%)
eat All The Things
19 (24.4%)
sleep for a year
10 (12.8%)
work out again a few hours later/keep going
7 (9.0%)
... I do not understand that word, exercise.
26 (33.3%)

Tags: ask a question enough times

a classic NYC-tude billboard...

: suricattus; May 18th, 12:55

(as seen from the High Line, Meatpacking District, Manhattan)

Tags: dispatches from nyc

State of the Meerkat, Saturday Edition

: suricattus; May 18th, 8:04

The contract for Gin & Tonic #3-#4 arrived in my inbox, and has been gone over. I will say that reading the marked-up pdf on my iPad mini was more enjoyable than trying to wrangle the legal-size paper Simon & Schuster still uses. Anyway, it reminded me that #3 is due in SEPTEMBER, not October as I had in my mind, so the pace on that's been picked up a bit.

I'm still knee-deep in reading submissions for Entangled, trying to get back into the editorial mindset of "scan-for-brilliance." I know the skill set's intact, it's just taking a while to reclaim. Two projects that were almost-but-not-quite, and one that's probably-not-sorry. This is the brutal part of the editorial job, and the one that many people sneer at, but my job here is to find the best stories I think will sell the best, not to make allowances or be gentle. :-(

Meanwhile, I'm working on the on-spec manuscript, and juggling my two long-term freelance clients, and going through the final stages of production for PROMISES TO KEEP for the kickstarter release.

So yeah... if I've been quiet lately, all that would be why.

I still haven't seen either Iron Man #3 or the new Trek, mainly because I'm a social movie-going creature and nobody's schedule seems to be syncing up with mine. *sighs* But soon.

Coming up: BEA and the related chaos thereof, and then a brief pause before I'm into the whirlwind of HEART OF BRIAR's release, and the related book-pimping. The sightings-and-signings page has been updated, and will continue to be updated on a probably-weekly basis... (so if you have a bookstore or book festival you think I should swing by, let me know!)

Originally published at Writer. Editor. Tired Person. You may comment here or there.

Tags: dispatches from nyc, g&t, the editorial life, the freelance life, the state of the meerkat, the writing life

My Other Office(s)

: suricattus; May 17th, 7:41

New Post up on Writer. Editor. Tired Person

Tags: dispatches from nyc

Leave a comment

suricattus

Where Personal and Professional Life Collide...

My life in 8 words: Organized chaos, by preference. Exhausting, but never boring