The Blue Night Blog

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I’m linking to this post over on Tor.com, because Jacqueline Carey’s first fantasy series (from 15 years ago, now!) still stands as one of the most breathtaking and interesting fantasy arcs I’ve read. Some very literate and lucid writers are doing a critical re-read, and it’s worth following along. Especially for erotic romance writers who have…

Read More Kushiel’s Dart re-read on Tor.com
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I was going to write a haiku love letter about thrift stores, but I don’t have to. This person already has a comprehensive guide to the wonder and madness that is thrifting.

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Here’s one detail that seems to divide professional genre publishers and many self-pub authors/inexperienced small presses/vanity publishers: Cover font. Specifically, a hard-to-read script font. Font matters as much as imagery and composition. For e-books, the cover may be one of the most important investments an author or publisher will make. The ‘thumbnail’ sized or small-format cover…

Read More The script test
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…and why not competition costumes? (First, this is a costumer and convention Thing. Wander off, if this bores you. Costume geeks won’t mind.) My work quality is good enough to at least enter SFF convention costume contests. I’ve entered, and won or at least placed in mainstream fiber arts competitions. But I dislike the structure,…

Read More Why Hall Costumes?
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Hi, everyone. Blue Night is back online after 1) a bit of scheduled maintenance Saturday night led to 2) a Jet-Pack update that went horribly awry. Oops. Since Sunday morning, I have learned the following: John Stewart is breaking my heart, Brian Williams is breaking my heart, the 24-hour news cycle needs to take a…

Read More We’re baaaack!
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Go here and laugh: https://twitter.com/levostregc

Also, weep, smile foolishly, and hold your heads up high, all you students of the humanities. We may be out of fashion, but we’re not extinct yet.

(Go here, even only to see the glory of a Rickroll or American Pie rendered in 13th C English. Things of beauty.)

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For authors unfamiliar with show business, few words will evoke the sheer magic of ‘They’ve optioned my book!’ That means someone has paid an author a certain amount of money to allow least the possibility (the ‘option’) of making that story into a movie, television drama, series, webcast, etc. Hold on there, pilgrim. You’re not…

Read More Option daydreams and nightmares
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I’m an unrepentant chocoholic. When everything goes downhill and we’re living in a post-apocalyptic, climate-ravaged wasteland, I might actually miss chocolate more than hot water. Just sayin’. So I’m very disappointed in the Hershey Company, for deciding to use legal threats to keep the British version of Cadbury’s chocolate out of the US. They cite…

Read More Boo Hiss, Hershey
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Blurb: Five thousand years ago, the Atreianii transcended humankind, reducing men and women to slaves and pets. These post-human demigods reigned for centuries across their world and throughout the solar system, and for a time they created their paradise. Yet it could not last; they warred amongst themselves, reduced the globe to dust and ash,…

Read More A Requiem Dawn, by J.L Forrest
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I am thrilled to see that the moderators of Marketing For Romance Writers (MFRW), one of the biggest genre marketing support groups online, have made the following announcement: “Calls for submission may be submitted only by publishers who DO NOT charge fees for services such as editing, cover art, printing, and etc. A publisher must…

Read More Responsibility in marketing
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Writers: treat writing contests the same way you’d treat new agents, publishers, or marketing/publicity firms. With caution. C’mon, you know the drill: trust, but verify. Often, verify before you even trust.

Some writing contests are reputable, honest, and offer great prizes and viable publicity for winners and finalists. Even entry-fee contests for various writing genres can be worthwhile, if they offer an industry-respected status, and the entry fees are reasonable and used toward covering the administration of the contest.

Some ‘contests’ are merely fishing expeditions set up by uninformed or possibly predatory publishers, to build a source of fast capital from entry fees and/or get the names of authors who might become clients.

It’s up to you to research your venues *before* you apply to them. Publishing is a party, and you don’t have to dance with everyone who asks! Ditch the beer goggles and the ‘They like me!’ squee, and focus on who’s asking, and what they can offer.

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A very long time ago when I was in the Society for Creative Anachronism, I knew embroiderers who were so skilled the backs of their pieces were as flawless as the fronts. Same with the work from the masters of the Royal School of Needlework, to which I could never aspire to at my best.…

Read More Accidental art
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The Snarkology’s own Melissa Snark talks candidly about her decision to finance her self-published audiobook A Cat’s Tale, once she had the rights back from the previous e-publisher. Audiobooks are a fast-growing but still far less saturated market for romance subgenres…worth any author’s serious consideration. Melissa paid upfront for some serious narrative and sound-editing talent,…

Read More Paths to Publishing – Melissa Snark