A year ago author Kristine Rusch wrote about discrepancies in royalty statements. I’d link to that initial post, though her website has been hacked (presumably as retribution for what she has to say). She’s now posted a follow up, which has some great advice about potential minefields to avoid. Click here to read.
After reading that, no doubt you’re angry and disheartened. So I leave you this to brighten your spirits:
Not only is this Saturday Cinco de Mayo, it’s also Free Comic Book Day. There are a couple of local retailers, Colossal Comics and Yancy St. Comics, that you should drop by and support. Oh, and feel free to dress like a Wookie. Y’know, if that’s your thing.
I’ll also direct your attention to a great interview from Wired Magazine with Avengers director Joss Whedon. Any time Joss opens his mouth, it’s entertaining. He talks writing, filmmaking and fandom.
Gilbert Cruz at Vulture released his ranking of Stephen King’s entire oeuvre. I spent my junior high years devouring most of King’s backlist; while I haven’t read all his books, I have read the majority of them. My personal top ten novels (in order):
10) Duma Key
9) Pet Sematary
8) Lisey’s Story
7) The Talisman (with Peter Straub)
6) The Green Mile
5) Salem’s Lot
4) The Stand
3) Needful Things
2) The Shining
1) IT
As for his short story collections, I think Nightmares & Dreamscapes is his best, followed closely by Skeleton Crew. “The Reach” may be his most anthologized story, though my personal favorite is “The Man in the Black Suit.”
I’m putting the finishing touches on Blackstone, for the manuscript goes off to my proofreader later this week. The book will be on sale next month, and the cover art is being drawn as we speak. It’s all coming together, and right on schedule. I created a timeline for myself back in September that I’ve stuck with ever since.
In local news, a zombie walk will be held this weekend in my town. I may or may not be able to make it, depending on my schedule. If you live in the tri-county area and love zombies, Zombiefest is for you. Be made up to look like the undead, then shamble your way to Cinema 6 theater for a zombie movie marathon.
Complex recently released its list of the top twenty-five horror novels published in the 21st century. Matt Barone put together a pretty solid collection of books. I’ve read a majority (but not all) of them, and I don’t agree with a few of the selections. That’s to be expected, though.
Plus The Guardian’s Damien Walter asks, Should science fiction and fantasy do more than entertain? I think speculative fiction should first and foremost entertain; anything beyond that is extra, and it’s largely dependent on reader tastes.
It’s Friday the 13th again, and to celebrate you’ll notice all my novels in The Shop are on sale. Prices have been sliced and diced worse than horny teens at Camp Crystal Lake. One day only, forty percent off. Pick up a fifteen dollar trade paperback for only nine bucks. Oh, and you don’t need to be a Paypal member to use the checkout cart. There were some questions about that last time.
In other news, make sure to tune in to Chiller tonight at 9PM for the world premiere of Brian Keene’s Ghoul. I liked the book quite a bit, so I’m looking forward to see how well it was adapted for the screen. And follow #GhoulonChiller during the movie to tweet with fellow fans.
Tonight also marks the opening weekend of Joss Whedon’s new movie, Cabin in the Woods. I’ve only heard great things about this mind-bender of a film. I don’t know why the studio didn’t release this until after The Avengers came out, as then they’d be able to cash in on the Whedon feeding frenzy that will soon ensue. After holding it back three years, the studio couldn’t wait another month? Anyway, go see this one too.
Important as it is that your final product is professional, it’s equally vital to make certain your work is also affordable. I’ve touched on this topic before, the fact I believe an e-book should be priced no higher than five dollars. Unless it’s heavy with graphics — comics or textbooks, for instance — there’s no reason to charge as much as a mass-market paperback. The average novel should be from three to five bucks (which, not coincidentally, is what I sell mine for).
Neither should writers sell themselves short, by giving away their book for free or nearly so. This strategy makes sense in some rare cases, I understand. If you’re selling a series of connected novels, it’s smart to price the first book more cheaply to hook readers. I can even see putting one of your novels on sale (or free) if you have a healthy backlist. Too many new writers give away their one and only book, expecting readers to check back months from now when their next one goes on sale. Sorry, that ain’t gonna happen. However, if you have several other titles available now, readers are more inclined to make that additional purchase.
Never gouge the consumer, but also make sure you don’t undervalue your hard work. You spent months of time and effort to write a book, so you owe it to yourself to see a return on investment. The only way to justify writing is to make money at it, and that’s impossible when you don’t charge a living wage.
Ads will subsidize digital prices in the future. It’s inevitable. At the moment neither Amazon nor Barnes & Noble allows e-books to include advertisements. At some point that will probably change, and that doesn’t bother me so long as the ads are tasteful and non-obtrusive. WOWIO is a perfect example. By allowing sponsorship ads at the beginning and end of an e-book, readers are able to download some titles for free. The publisher makes money; the reader pays nothing: everybody wins. Small-press outfits like Apex and ChiZine have already joined, and I expect more to follow suit in the near future.
Personally, I’m not tied to a specific price range so much as the notion that an e-book should be more affordable than print, ideally half the price of its next cheapest version. Currently that role is filled by mass-market paperbacks, which go for about eight dollars. As MMPBs are phased out in favor of trade paperbacks, I see e-book prices rising to match that void. When the TPB sells for fourteen to sixteen dollars, I don’t see why the e-book couldn’t be sold for seven or eight.
As long as MMPBs are still on sale, the fairest price is three to five dollars for both reader and writer. In part three I’ll discuss the final component that’s key to succeed in the new publishing model.
There was some discussion a few weeks back after Brian Keene released a list of his top twenty-five authors. It got me thinking about who’d be on my list, so I went hunting through my bookshelves and came up with a couple dozen favorites. Some are represented because of their novels (N), while others I prefer their short stories (SS). In no particular order:
1. Robert Bloch (SS)
2. Richard Matheson (SS)
3. Ray Bradbury (SS)
4. Charles Beaumont (SS)
5. Harlan Ellison (SS)
6. Roald Dahl (SS)
7. Shirley Jackson (SS)
8. Algernon Blackwood (SS)
9. Gary Braunbeck (N)
10. Simon Clark (N)
11. Joe Lansdale (SS)
12. Joss Whedon (Scripts)
13. Rod Serling (Scripts)
14. Robert McCammon (N)
15. Stephen King (N)
16. Jack Ketchum (N)
17. Tim Lebbon (N)
18. M.R. James (SS)
19. Graham Masterton (N)
20. Charles L. Grant (N)
21. Dan Simmons (N)
22. Neil Gaiman (N)
23. Ambrose Bierce (SS)
24. Norman Partridge (SS)
25. Jack Cady (SS)
Now there are a few pecularities that jumped out at me when I tallied this list. The first is that only one woman is on it, and no ethnic or racial minorities. I like plenty of female and minority writers — Owl Goingback, Elizabeth Massie and Douglas Clegg jump to mind — but apparently not enough to crack the top twenty-five. If the list were extended to my top fifty, it would be far less homogenous.
Half of the list is primarily comprised of short story writers, because the short form is the backbone of the horror genre. There’s also a distinct split between “classical” and pulp writers versus more modern authors (from 1970-today). Sixty percent of the writers are still alive, and one-fourth are British writers. Even two screenwriters made the cut. And the vast majority would be considered “quiet” horror writers, rather than overtly gory ones.
So who would make your list?
WELCOME TO BLACKSTONE
Designed by a madman, built with inmate labor and home to the nation’s worst criminals, Blackstone Penitentiary was considered the Alcatraz of the Midwest. But across a one-hundred-year history it amassed a far more odious distinction: the most haunted location in America.
PAROLE WILL BE GRANTED
No longer in operation and left abandoned, it awaits renovation for inclusion to the National Register of Historic Places. Spearheading the ambitious restoration project is Anthony Creighton, a caretaker seeking to unlock the reformatory’s long-buried secrets. He enlists four strangers to help in that mission, individuals who possess extraordinary psychic abilities. Along with a skeptical scientist, the group embarks on the first full-scale paranormal investigation of the notorious prison. Their goal, to confirm the existence of life after death.
TO ANYONE WHO SURVIVES THE NIGHT
Six guests. Ten thousand ghosts. And all of them fighting to escape.
Last night the Bram Stoker Awards were handed out for outstanding achievement in several writing categories. The winners are below. Congrats to them, as well as the nominees. In addition to Joe R. Lansdale and Rick Hautala being honored with the lifetime achievement award, Richard Matheson’s classic novel I Am Legend rightfully won as Best Vampire Novel of the Century.
Superior Achievement in a Novel
Flesh Eaters by Joe McKinney
Superior Achievement in a First Novel
Isis Unbound by Allyson Bird
Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel (TIE)
The Screaming Season by Nancy Holder
Dust and Decay by Jonathan Maberry
Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel
Neonomicon by Alan Moore
Superior Achievement in Long Fiction
The Ballad of Ballard and Sandrine by Peter Straub
Superior Achievement in Short Fiction
“Herman Wouk Is Still Alive” by Stephen King
Superior Achievement in a Screenplay
“American Horror Story” — 01×12: “Afterbirth” by Jessica Sharzer
Superior Achievement in a Fiction Collection
The Corn Maiden and Other Nightmares by Joyce Carol Oates
Superior Achievement in an Anthology
Demons, edited by John Skipp
Superior Achievement in Non-Fiction
Stephen King: A Literary Companion by Rocky Wood
Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection
How to Recognize a Demon Has Become Your Friend by Linda Addison
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