Zoe Duff – Independent Publisher
What do you do when you’re writing in multiple genres and don’t quite fit into contemporary classifications? If you’re Zoe Duff, you start up an independent publishing house and learn the process of printing and […]
Publishing Primer
Contrary to what they tell you when you take “Author 101” in college, writing a book isn’t necessarily the most difficult part of producing a book. Publishing is a creative industry. What does that mean? […]
What Science Fiction Lacks
Good criticism and brave critics. That’s what the science fiction field lacks. For decades now, most book reviews with in the field rarely give honest assessments of a given works strengths and weaknesses. Read any […]
Pulling Back the Publishing Veil: Editors and Their Roles
One of the big advantages of signing with a traditional publisher, is access to industry leading editors. If you’re new to publishing, you may have no idea about the various types of editors and what each one […]
Burn Your Books
Welcome internet traveler. I will be stockpiling neatly organized bits into a collective known as a blog along this portion of your journey. Do not fear for your personal safety, as I will take great […]
Just Write
The key to self publishing is to write. Often, this can be a difficult feat, much harder than it first sounds. For instance, I have four children. Fitting any writing in around them can be […]
Rejection Slip Scrapbook
We all deal with rejection in our own way. To some, anything that feels like the slap on the hand they got from touching something forbidden as a child can discourage them from trying again, […]
Pulling Back the Publishing Veil: Return Reserves, Buy-in, and Sell-through
One of my plans for my posts here at Amazing Stories is to focus on some of the aspects about publishing that a new author may not be aware of. I hope to have a […]
A Way To End Ebook Piracy?
I recently had my most-recent non-fiction book pop up on an illegal file sharing site. Within a week, it had gotten 500 downloads. Needless to say, I was p*ssed off. The site (which I won’t […]
Playing the Short Game: How to Sell Your Short Fiction (Part 6)
But How Do I Know It’s Ready?: Dealing with submission fear and arrogance Welcome back. This is the sixth in my weekly series of posts on how to market and sell short fiction. You can […]
Why Self Publish?
Why am I self-published? Well, firstly, because I’m spoiled. I was just talking to my significant other, who happens to live a half a continent away from me. I had sent him a piece to […]
To Query or Not to Query
There are two words in the English language that never fail to give me a painful case of writers block: Query Letter. Just the thought of it has me wiping sweaty palms on my jeans. […]
In the Hall of the Mountain King
I was asked by Sol Cohen in April 1968 to succeed Harry Harrison as Editor of Amazing Stories. One hundred dollars a month, a limitless supply of letterhead stationary and full reimbursement of postage. “We’ll […]
Don’t Quit Your Day Job – Traditional Publishing by the Numbers
If you’ve ever considered becoming a writer, surely you’ve heard the old expression, “Don’t quit your day job.” But what can you really expect as far as income is concerned? Let’s first explore traditional publishing. […]
Playing the Short Game: How to Sell Your Short Fiction (Part 5)
Why You Never “Sell” a Story: Understanding rights and licensing (conclusion) Welcome back. This is the fifth in my weekly series of posts on how to market and sell short fiction. You can check out […]
Am I A Science Fiction Writer?
Now that’s an interesting question. We’ve just launched my first novel, Shh! It’s a Secret: a novel about Aliens, Hollywood, and the Bartender’s Guide, at Arisia. It got written up in both Publisher’s Weekly and the […]
Publishing Options – Many Choices Now Viable
Many fans of fantasy & science fiction have dreams of joining the ranks among their favorite authors someday. But as little as five years ago the publishing landscape was much different than it is today. […]
Playing the Short Game: How to Sell Your Short Fiction (Part 4)
Why You Never “Sell” a Story: Understanding rights and licensing Welcome back. This is the fourth in my weekly series of posts on how to market and sell short fiction. You can check out my […]
Epic Fantasy Analysis Jan 24, 2013
My intention is to do these analysis every 15 days or so. This is the second in the series and is from data as of 1/24/2013. To review previous data (01/03/2013 you can click here). […]
Nothing New Under the Sun
How does an editor manage to still be moved by a story when she has to sift through ever-growing stacks of unsolicited manuscripts, looking for a nugget of something new? I mean, how many ways […]
Playing the Short Game: How to Sell Your Short Fiction (Part 3)
Why Short Fiction?: The benefits of the short game to a writing career Welcome back. This is the third in my weekly series of posts on how to market and sell short fiction. This week, […]
Digital Only Publishing – Think Twice Before You Sign
Not long ago, my publisher (Orbit) released a new work by Lilith Saintcrow, The Hedgewitch Queen and they released it ONLY in ebook format priced at $2.99. This was the first time I had seen […]
Five Signs You Should Self Publish
With all the changes going on in publishing these days, new writers are often left wondering if they should just publish their work themselves. While there is no one-size-fits-all answer, the following five situations will help […]
What I Mean When I Say…
Over the last year or so, I’ve noticed something when I’ve conversed with people (in person or through email), posted things on my blog, or left comments on someone else’s blog. We may be using […]
The Dangers of Ignoring the Ebook Revolution
On January 8th, the long awaited final edition in the Wheel of Times series was released in hardcover. The ebook, however, was no where to be found, and won’t be available until April 9th. Hardcover […]
Playing the Short Game: How to Sell Your Short Fiction (Part 2)
Why Are You Writing?: Deciding on the writing career that you want Welcome back. This is the second in my weekly series of posts on how to market and sell short fiction. In my initial […]
Attention Grabber
The single most important step for a reader is the initial act of choosing what to read. After that, everything else is just a formality of literary cultivation. You read, you absorb and you grow. But it’s that first step that determines who you are as a reader. So, what books grab “your” attention?
Opening Salvo
Hi. I’m glad you’re here. Come in, make yourself comfortable, and let me introduce myself. My name is Keith West. I’ve been reading science fiction and fantasy for about 35 years, coming to the genre […]
What Was I Thinking?
I’ve never written a blog. I’ve never had the urge to write a blog. So imagine my surprise when I bumped into a fantastic opportunity that I couldn’t resist: writing a weekly blog for Amazing […]
Epic Fantasy Analysis Jan 3, 2013
November 2010 was a watershed moment with regards to the ebook revolution. That was the month I saw my sales go from a modest 1,000 per month (across 4 titles) to 10,000+ a month (across […]
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