How I first got published, part 5 – Revising and rewriting

How I first got published, part 5 – Revising and rewriting

Posted inWriting
The following is an encore from 2009, presented here in the hopes that the info will be helpful for aspiring authors. I've authored or coauthored five books since, and self-published another four, and most of this still applies. So enjoy. Hope it helps! (If you're joining me in progress, this is the 5th part in a series devoted to outlining how my co-author and I managed to get our book, A Year of Hitchcock, published.) So here's the part where the joy of getting a contract is smothered in the giant pile of WORK no one tells you about when…
How I first got published, part 4 – The Waiting Game

How I first got published, part 4 – The Waiting Game

Posted inWriting
The following is an encore from 2009, presented here in the hopes that the info will be helpful for aspiring authors. I've authored or coauthored five books since, and self-published another four, and most of this still applies. So enjoy. Hope it helps! Welcome to part 4 of a series detailing from start to finish how A Year of Hitchcock went from a neat idea to a published book (Scarecrow Press, 2009). Every step of the way, from writing to pitching to all the work we had to do after it was sold. If you're an aspiring writer, hopefully this will help…
How I first got published, part 3 – The Query

How I first got published, part 3 – The Query

Posted inWriting
The following is an encore from 2009, presented here in the hopes that the info will be helpful for aspiring authors. I've authored or coauthored five books since, and self-published another four, and most of this still applies. So enjoy. Hope it helps! Yesterday I talked about the process by which Jim and I began writing A Year of Hitchcock: 52 Weeks with the Master of Suspense. Week in and week out we were either in front of the TV watching Hitchcock's work or, more often than not, in front of our keyboards writing, revising, and writing some more. It was midway…
I need good business cards, cheap, and without murder

I need good business cards, cheap, and without murder

Posted inUncategorized
Business cards are still a thing for some damn reason. I've had them over the years in my capacity as an editor, journalist, social media dude & advertising agency guy, and so on, but I do not have them as a freelancer. Just never really needed them, since most of my business comes by referral. I feel like I've got to remedy that, though, and they've got to look professional. And design, maybe. I probably need a good, basic, but attractive design. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cISYzA36-ZY So your recommendations are not only welcome, I'm asking for them! There are a million and a…
Dirt on Your Hands aka something important I forgot about life

Dirt on Your Hands aka something important I forgot about life

Posted inGardening, Random Musings
Somewhere along the line, we changed our minds about getting dirt on our hands. When you're a kid, dirt is just something that happens on your way to dinner. It gets on your hands the way aches get in your bones as an adult. You don't plan for it or think about it. It doesn't stop your day unless fate is working against you, like your mom telling you to wash up or your back flaring up so bad you can't get the recycling bin all the way down the driveway. Dirt happened. Your knees would get covered, too, jeans…