Search found 35 matches

by Rik
October 7th, 2010, 4:32 pm
Forum: Procrastination
Topic: We're not just writers, share your artistic talents!
Replies: 62
Views: 26139

Re: We're not just writers, share your artistic talents!

I might have mentioned my obsession with drawing maps before ... http://www.rikweb.co.uk/kalieda/lands/images/elimnarhe.png - http://www.rikweb.co.uk/kalieda/lands/images/aarhdeline.png Most people don't consider inventing languages is art (though I'd strongly disagree). But there's no arguing that ...
by Rik
October 2nd, 2010, 11:17 pm
Forum: Self-Publishing
Topic: JA Konrath
Replies: 32
Views: 11201

Re: JA Konrath

Yeah, except for all the people that didn't have platform, followed Joe's lead, and are outselling him on a per-title basis. They crop up a fair bit on his blog. These are people with no previous publications, no well-followed blog. ... Sure, this won't work for everyone. Yeah, the writing has to b...
by Rik
October 2nd, 2010, 6:36 am
Forum: Self-Publishing
Topic: JA Konrath
Replies: 32
Views: 11201

Re: JA Konrath

He started out with the traditional publishing houses and had several books on the shelves. Now he's writing books specifically for release online and is making more money than he did with a traditional publisher. It was traditional publishing, however, that launched him and helped him build the au...
by Rik
September 9th, 2010, 5:28 pm
Forum: Procrastination
Topic: Show Us Your Tabs
Replies: 15
Views: 6780

Re: Show Us Your Tabs

None - I've learned by harsh experience that if I want to do some writing, then the only way I can get the writing done is to work on a laptop that has no internet connection. Which doesn't stop me sneaking down to my PC every hour or so to have peeks at my favourite websites, but then that's not pr...
by Rik
August 30th, 2010, 5:19 pm
Forum: Nominate Your Query or First Page for a Critique on the Blog
Topic: Nominate Your First Page for a Critique on the Blog
Replies: 720
Views: 451458

Re: Nominate Your First Page for a Critique on the Blog

Title: SpinTrap Genre: Science Fiction / Fantasy Tonight I'm alone, or as alone as anyone can be in the Lonely City. That's my name for this place – the Lonely City. Others call it London, or Londres, or Londra. For a while it was named Londinium, before the legions were called back to their fat lan...
by Rik
August 21st, 2010, 8:30 am
Forum: Finding An Agent
Topic: Do any of you other unpublished authors have websites?
Replies: 75
Views: 37678

Re: Do any of you other unpublished authors have websites?

My website (under various domain names) is coming up to its tenth anniversary in September - you can see the current version at: http://www.rikweb.co.uk - all of it hand-coded. I tend to see my website as the primary place for my writing output, with hardcopy books taking a back seat - particularly ...
by Rik
May 22nd, 2010, 6:26 am
Forum: Self-Publishing
Topic: Mad Ideas for promoting your novel
Replies: 12
Views: 7737

Mad Ideas for promoting your novel

I'm sure everyone realises here that if you want your book to sell, you need to go out and sell it. Blagging some reviews, offering interviews, author tours, blog tours, advertising eg video trailers, etc, etc. But what about madder ideas? What mad stuff have you done to promote your book. What mad ...
by Rik
May 16th, 2010, 6:34 pm
Forum: Writing
Topic: What's the Message?
Replies: 19
Views: 7413

Re: What's the Message?

I'd suggest the key message in my first book is "Together, we thrive; alone, we die" . The current work-in-progress doesn't yet have a message: I'm still writing it, with no plans or plot outlines, clueless as to what's going to happen next. Once the first draft is complete I'll be able to...
by Rik
May 3rd, 2010, 12:33 pm
Forum: Writing
Topic: Time to Fess Up - How Long Is It Taking You?
Replies: 48
Views: 21830

Re: Time to Fess Up - How Long Is It Taking You?

Four years.
by Rik
April 28th, 2010, 6:23 am
Forum: Procrastination
Topic: What do you "do"?
Replies: 41
Views: 13910

Re: What do you "do"?

I was a Civil Servant for 18 years. Now I'm redundant, and studying - but not for much longer: the redundancy money is running out fast! I did a lot of writing-related work in the CS - speech writing, briefing, policy papers; for a while I was in charge of the housing publications budget. My favouri...
by Rik
April 24th, 2010, 8:40 am
Forum: Social Media and Book Promotion
Topic: Do you have a new blog post?
Replies: 2655
Views: 817056

Re: Do you have a new blog post?

My latest blog posts are about my quest to develop a Facebook app - a sort of fun horoscope thingy that will (hopefully) encourage people to buy my book.

Who knew promotional work could be such fun!?!
by Rik
April 24th, 2010, 8:34 am
Forum: Books
Topic: What are you reading now?
Replies: 528
Views: 307842

Re: What are you reading now?

I just re-finished GUNS, GERMS & STEEL by Jared Diamond (non fiction). Fascinating. I remember having serious arguments with that book when I read it. The science doesn't stack up. Anyways, at the moment I'm ploughing my way through Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness' - a story I've been meaning to re...
by Rik
April 10th, 2010, 5:09 am
Forum: Books
Topic: Start with THE HOBBIT or FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING?
Replies: 85
Views: 37287

Re: Start with THE HOBBIT or FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING?

"The Silmarillion warnings make me laugh. Not that they're wrong. Quite the opposite, really. The Silmarillion comes as a surprise, I think, to most readers, because it's not what they expect: a novel. It's not even a collection of stories. Heck, it's not even modern narrative. It's an invente...
by Rik
April 9th, 2010, 3:47 pm
Forum: Books
Topic: Start with THE HOBBIT or FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING?
Replies: 85
Views: 37287

Re: Start with THE HOBBIT or FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING?

Start with the Hobbit. You could always read it out loud to some children, in case someone decides to question your reading choices.

Whatever you do, do not - DO NOT - start with the Silmarillion.
by Rik
April 8th, 2010, 6:24 am
Forum: Self-Publishing
Topic: eBook price point survey
Replies: 0
Views: 1525

eBook price point survey

A quick question, if folks (and Nathan) don't mind. How much would you be willing to pay for the following sorts of eBook: a. a new eBook by an author you know and love? b. an eBook by an unknown author, if recommended by friends/reviewers? c. an eBook by an unknown author, if you come across a samp...