91
Author Craft / Re: NaNoWriMo 2013
« on: November 10, 2013, 09:24:19 PM »
Had an upset stomach over this weekend, but I'm still pushing -- 20,489 words and five chapters down! 
Craig
Craig
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92
Author Craft / Re: NaNoWriMo 2013
« on: November 07, 2013, 02:12:27 AM »
Six days in, and I'm at 13,126 words, and damn well detirmined to finish this one! 
Craig
Craig
93
Author Craft / Re: The I'm Writing Thread.... Celebrate your pages written etc Part II.
« on: October 31, 2013, 12:12:05 AM »Hit 95,000 on the Big Sequel last night, and then dumped 1000 that no longer worked.
Anyone doing NaNoWriMo this year?
I am - just finishing my plotting/scene breakdown document!
Craig
94
Author Craft / Re: Published Author On Board
« on: October 24, 2013, 03:34:14 PM »
Add my congrats to the list. Well done!!
Craig
Craig
95
Author Craft / Re: Writing Gigs, part two.
« on: October 23, 2013, 02:50:50 PM »
Stumbked aross this one: http://www.apocalypse-ink.com/page/Submission-Guidelines.aspx
Craig
Quote
Dark Speculative Fiction Linked Novella Trilogies
Apocalypse Ink Productions is looking for 3 linked dark spec-fic novellas of 20-25K words each.
What we want: Horror or dark urban fantasy preferred. No zombies. No far future. Think of stories set between 1950 and 2020. Must have a supernatural element.
QUERY Reading Period: Jan 1, 2014-31 Mar 2014. (Do NOT send your query before this time.)
Send a 1 page query in the body of the email. Include the synopsis of each novella, your writing history, and anything you think is relevant to the query. If your query is selected, the first novella manuscript will be requested for consideration in April 2014.
Craig
96
Author Craft / Re: The I'm Writing Thread.... Celebrate your pages written etc Part II.
« on: October 10, 2013, 05:35:36 PM »
Plotting Chapter 26 of what looks to be a 32 chapter novel....Just a matter of arranging the pieces I have left....
Craig
Craig
97
Author Craft / Re: The I'm Writing Thread.... Celebrate your pages written etc Part II.
« on: October 07, 2013, 04:26:28 PM »
Craig
98
Author Craft / Re: The I'm Writing Thread.... Celebrate your pages written etc Part II.
« on: September 24, 2013, 04:37:51 PM »
Close to finishing up Chapter 20 of my novel's outline.
The way I'm doing it is making the story more structured, as I can go back and forth in the outline when an idea comes to me. I am for the most part, "sit and write until it's done" sort of writer. Okay for short stories, but not so good for novels. I've been writing the novel for years, but I tend to think, "Hey, this is great, let's throw it in!" The result is a bloated story, with plot lines running every which way.
But outlining and summerizing the story, chapter by chapter, I can keep track of the plotlines (One main and four "subplots") I can make notes and questions I need to know for each chapter (Things I need to research, such as words in German, or what the state's laws are on a subject.) If I think of a character, or a plot point, I can look at the outline and think, "Where do I place this point/character/clue?"
For example, I realized I needed a new character about chapter 13, so I went back, added him to a couple of earlier chapter in the outline, estabishing his presnece and added him to the story. Now he's part of the story and doesn't feel tacked on at the last minute.
And to give you an idea how complex this outline has become, it's over 40 pages right now, with several more chapters outlined. It'll be a monster, but I think it'll be easier to write once I have the outline done.
Oh, and I've sent three revised stories to the BattleCorps editor, and I'm awaiting my first lead author product for the Battletech line. Hopefully, they'll be out before the end of the year.
Craig
The way I'm doing it is making the story more structured, as I can go back and forth in the outline when an idea comes to me. I am for the most part, "sit and write until it's done" sort of writer. Okay for short stories, but not so good for novels. I've been writing the novel for years, but I tend to think, "Hey, this is great, let's throw it in!" The result is a bloated story, with plot lines running every which way.
But outlining and summerizing the story, chapter by chapter, I can keep track of the plotlines (One main and four "subplots") I can make notes and questions I need to know for each chapter (Things I need to research, such as words in German, or what the state's laws are on a subject.) If I think of a character, or a plot point, I can look at the outline and think, "Where do I place this point/character/clue?"
For example, I realized I needed a new character about chapter 13, so I went back, added him to a couple of earlier chapter in the outline, estabishing his presnece and added him to the story. Now he's part of the story and doesn't feel tacked on at the last minute.
And to give you an idea how complex this outline has become, it's over 40 pages right now, with several more chapters outlined. It'll be a monster, but I think it'll be easier to write once I have the outline done.
Oh, and I've sent three revised stories to the BattleCorps editor, and I'm awaiting my first lead author product for the Battletech line. Hopefully, they'll be out before the end of the year.
Craig
99
Author Craft / Re: Kindle E-Publising. Show us the ropes?
« on: September 14, 2013, 06:20:36 PM »
Whithout getting into much detail, what sort of income are you seeing from your novels?
Craig
Craig
100
Author Craft / BattleTech: Onslaught - Tales from the Clan Invasion!
« on: September 12, 2013, 08:48:10 PM »
If anyone wonders what stories I write, you can now find out!
BattleTech: Onslaught - Tales from the Clan Invasion!
From the Amazon page:
My story in the collection is "My Father's Sword" a story bout family and duty. Hope you take a look!
Craig
BattleTech: Onslaught - Tales from the Clan Invasion!
From the Amazon page:
Quote
In 1990 Michael A. Stackpole's novel Lethal Heritage introduced readers to the Clans, genetically enhanced MechWarriors from beyond the Periphery who returned to the Inner Sphere to conquer the Successor States. With advanced BattleMechs and unstoppable skills, they crushed all who stood in their way — changing the BattleTech universe forever.
Now, in Onslaught: Tales of the Clan Invasion!, seven stories have been gathered from the BattleCorps fiction website to showcase this universe-altering event. Seven stories of incredible attacks from beyond known space. Seven stories of unremitting heroism in the face of defeat.
Seven stories of the onslaught of the Clans.
My story in the collection is "My Father's Sword" a story bout family and duty. Hope you take a look!
Craig
101
Author Craft / Re: The I'm Writing Thread.... Celebrate your pages written etc Part II.
« on: September 08, 2013, 09:04:30 PM »
Haven't been around much lately.....
Got three Battlecorps stories into the Fact-checkers to look at -- got the notes back for one and still await on two. Startted writing a four part novella for BattleCorps that still needs a lot of work, and have a few other Battelcorps stories in the fire....
As for my original stuff, free writing wasn't cutting it -- My stories tend to wander. SO I've sat down and gone into detailed plotting of my first original work. While I have most of the book written, I needed to sit down and streamline the plot and keep it focused. It's the start of a series, so a lot of groundwork needs to be laid down first. I have the first thirteen chapters plotted and started working on Chapter fourteen. I've already changed the plot a bit, and once I finish the story, I'll go back and make sure the plot holds together, making sure the storylines have some resolution, and the like. Not easy, but my urge to actually write is sated at this time by by BattleCorps writing. Besides, this plotting feels better and I think will make a stronger story....
That's it for now....
Craig
Got three Battlecorps stories into the Fact-checkers to look at -- got the notes back for one and still await on two. Startted writing a four part novella for BattleCorps that still needs a lot of work, and have a few other Battelcorps stories in the fire....
As for my original stuff, free writing wasn't cutting it -- My stories tend to wander. SO I've sat down and gone into detailed plotting of my first original work. While I have most of the book written, I needed to sit down and streamline the plot and keep it focused. It's the start of a series, so a lot of groundwork needs to be laid down first. I have the first thirteen chapters plotted and started working on Chapter fourteen. I've already changed the plot a bit, and once I finish the story, I'll go back and make sure the plot holds together, making sure the storylines have some resolution, and the like. Not easy, but my urge to actually write is sated at this time by by BattleCorps writing. Besides, this plotting feels better and I think will make a stronger story....
That's it for now....
Craig
102
Author Craft / Re: Self-Publishers, I need your help....
« on: July 05, 2013, 07:36:58 PM »I have no experience with that high a charge rate. I don't see any indie authors charging that much. So if you're charging 8.99 you'd need to have an established label or universe. Like dragon lance, forgotten realm, etc.
I put up book 3 of my Spineward sectors series april 23rd and at this point I have around 2500 sales, I put up book 4 on june 1st and I have about 1700. If you're books did as well as mine did then you'd be at the top end of what I could expect to earn before we're just looking at residual sales. At my 2.99 @ 70% with a top amazon rank of just under #1000 so what you're looking at probably out of my price range if I was looking at viability. That said other guys, indie authors, both singles like the guy who wrote poor man's fight or the guy who wrote terms of enlistment got well bellow amazon ranking 600 (200-600) which means they doubled or even better the number of sales I had, they were at 2.99. Guys like chris nuttal routinely charge 3.99 and get to 600, so again probably double the sales, of course those guys have a back list to help get more views. I've never done any advertsing so maybe that's part of it.
If you've got a brand and a label, you could probably get away with charging what you are talking about.
Sorry I can't help more.
The Deposed king
Two of the brands are established -- One has nearly a hundred novels in DTF, the other forty novels. Both like have been around for 20+ years.
Craig
103
Author Craft / Re: Self-Publishers, I need your help....
« on: July 04, 2013, 06:15:27 PM »
I guess one of the things I'm asking is how quickly could the company in question see a return? Something like this would have a larger budget right off the bat, because I think the work would be a "Work for Hire," as the universes are not the author's own.
Assuming an 80,000 word novel, this is a cost of between $2,800 to $4,000 before editing, formatting, getting a cover, buying an ISBN, and the like. That's a steep hill to climb, as that makes the budget $5,000 - $7,500 per novel. That means it would take sales of between 800 and 1,200 Ebooks at $8.99 (At Amazon's 70% royalty rate) to break even. That doesn't include the POD, because I'm not sure of the royalty rate for something like that.
Am I missing something?
Craig
Assuming an 80,000 word novel, this is a cost of between $2,800 to $4,000 before editing, formatting, getting a cover, buying an ISBN, and the like. That's a steep hill to climb, as that makes the budget $5,000 - $7,500 per novel. That means it would take sales of between 800 and 1,200 Ebooks at $8.99 (At Amazon's 70% royalty rate) to break even. That doesn't include the POD, because I'm not sure of the royalty rate for something like that.
Am I missing something?
Craig
104
Author Craft / Self-Publishers, I need your help....
« on: July 03, 2013, 05:47:24 PM »
To make this short: I need to convice a company I do work for that they can self-publish novels for several gaming lines through E-Publishing and POD without losing their shirt in the process.
What I need from the Self-publishing authors on this board is a general idea of the expense to create an Ebook and a POD-ready book, and any problems the company might run into with both Ebooks and POD services.
Basicly, I want to show the company they can put of Ebooks at a reasonable price and not have to sink a lot of cash into the project.
Any help will be welcomed,
Craig
What I need from the Self-publishing authors on this board is a general idea of the expense to create an Ebook and a POD-ready book, and any problems the company might run into with both Ebooks and POD services.
Basicly, I want to show the company they can put of Ebooks at a reasonable price and not have to sink a lot of cash into the project.
Any help will be welcomed,
Craig
105
Author Craft / Re: The I'm Writing Thread.... Celebrate your pages written etc Part II.
« on: June 23, 2013, 06:03:01 PM »
Well, I got the word back on the four stories I submitted to Battlecorps in the last month....
One's been accepted, one rejected 
, and two are still up in the air 
. I had to write an Email on one, explaining what was different about this story from one I'd submitted several years ago that was rejected. (I salvaged some of the pieces from the rejected story and wrote another story around them). As for the second one...it's gone to the fact-checkers *Shudders*
Posted about it on my Battletech State blog, (http://thebattletechstate.blogspot.com/) and my reaction to it. Back to work....
Craig
One's been accepted
, one rejected , and two are still up in the air . I had to write an Email on one, explaining what was different about this story from one I'd submitted several years ago that was rejected. (I salvaged some of the pieces from the rejected story and wrote another story around them). As for the second one...it's gone to the fact-checkers *Shudders*Posted about it on my Battletech State blog, (http://thebattletechstate.blogspot.com/) and my reaction to it. Back to work....
Craig