Writing can be a nebulous, uncertain venture. Many writers work at the craft and drop off despite progress that can be difficult to see. Along these lines, I’ve brainstormed a number of milestones that writers hit and should celebrate. I’ve tried to organize these in increasing difficulty, it’s more likely to accomplish the earlier items […]
Author Websites
After you’ve been a member of writing communities for a while, you see the same questions coming up repeatedly. Common questions from people getting into writing are “Do I need my own website?”, “What should I put on my author website?”, and “How should I set up my own website?” Do I need my own […]
My Experiences With Email Book Promotion Sites
There are a range of sites that all follow the same model for selling book promotions to authors. The core of the business is that they get an email list of readers who are interested in free or discounted books. These readers specify the genres they’re interested in. Each of these sites sells spots in […]
Wacky Writing Idea #17: Blue Collar Monster Hunters
For this, and any other Wacky Writing Ideas, I happily release them into the wild for anyone to use. If you like the idea and want to write it up, do so with my blessing! If you want to change it or use it for something else, have at it! If you really want to do […]
The Windmill Method Released
I’ve been working on a real estate investing book called “The Windmill Method” and it’s now been released. It’s an approach for finding a good deal in most markets by putting in aggressively low offers on multiple properties. I’ve written previous posts that discussed ideas that this book expands on. The biggest issue with this […]
Writers’ Lifts Are A Waste Of Everyone’s Time
Goodhart’s law is stated as “When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure”. It was originally articulated in the context of British monetary policy but has become universal. For faculty at universities, metrics that measure the impact of research, then used for hiring and promotion decisions, are quickly gamed and […]
Historical Changes In Paid Fiction Writing
I’m a bit of an anomaly as someone who has written extensively about personal finance (as Mr. Cheap) and currently is focused on writing books, many of which are fiction. Many writers are self-confessed math-phobic, while others are clearly uncomfortable with business and money based decisions. I’m comfortable with all of this and am often […]
What Does It Mean To Be A ‘Published’ Author?
I’m often fascinated by the wide range of what a particular word means to different people, while amazed at the expectation people have that they all share the exact same understanding of that word. ‘Feminism’, ‘capitalism’, and ‘retirement’ have vastly different meanings to just about everyone, but somehow we all think there’s a standard, absolute […]
Amazing Blog Post Series On Modern Challenges Facing New Writers
I just finished reading an incredible series of blog posts by Dean Wesley Smith. I didn’t know his name, but he’s been a working fiction writer for decades and has some incredible insights into the tradeoffs between traditional and indie publishing and the transition that’s currently happening in the writing industry. These could be bundled […]
Endless Seas: The Assassination of Joseph Baxtor
First Story Second Captain’s report: While delivering medicine in Oritish, a Gegmun assassin snuck aboard and stabbed Captain Joseph Baxtor through the chest while he was sleeping in his quarters. Although it’s through his heart and he seems to be in great discomfort, he’s still alive, although unconscious. The assassin has been thrown in the […]