I took a break for the month of December. Then worked harder than ever to put together my interview series. It has been so successful, it will be staying on as a regular part of The Novel Road on top of links, original posts, Short Story Saturday, and an occational Flash Fiction Sunday.
It's my hope that everyone has enjoyed the interviews as much as I have putting them together. I've met some truly amazing authors, agents and editors and publisher so far. Have a question you think should be asked? Send on to me . Have an author you'd like to hear more from? Let me know and I'll try to track them down.
All the Best!
Doug
Friday, December 17, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
STANFORD Magazine: The Future of Publishing
STANFORD Magazine: The Future of Publishing Great observations on the battles being fought on our behalf by publishers. Can they win? It's time for every author to chime in, or lose the right to have a say in Literature's future. What we do or don't do, will affect the world for centuries to come...
Thursday, November 18, 2010
The Novel Road Interview: David Brown Excerpt
An excerpt from the interview with David Brown the Deputy Director of Publicity for Atria Books, a division of Simon and Schuster-
Me: Talk about some of the craziest campaigns you have worked on.
David: We currently have Olympic hero Apolo Ohno on a multi-city bus tour for his book Zero Regrets. When it is all said and done, he will have visited over 50 cities and met over 20,000 people in the span of just 2 weeks! I've also worked on book written by a dog and a book written by a pimp.
Me: Talk about some of the craziest campaigns you have worked on.
David: We currently have Olympic hero Apolo Ohno on a multi-city bus tour for his book Zero Regrets. When it is all said and done, he will have visited over 50 cities and met over 20,000 people in the span of just 2 weeks! I've also worked on book written by a dog and a book written by a pimp.
Excuse My Being Sidetracked
Please pardon my lack of original posts. I'm up to my neck in... I mean I am busy formating with care and expertise, the MANY great interviews coming your way in December. I believe you will find this series of interviews enlightening, as well as humorous. Stay tuned... can you even say stay tuned any more? Think about it. I remember when...OUCH!
Pardon me for fading into post mode. Luckily my trusty sidekick... Stop hitting me! Ok, my assistant reminded me that we have a few details to iron out (It's all her fault) and we'll see you soon... Well not exactly see...
Pardon me for fading into post mode. Luckily my trusty sidekick... Stop hitting me! Ok, my assistant reminded me that we have a few details to iron out (It's all her fault) and we'll see you soon... Well not exactly see...
The Quintessentially Questionable Query Experiment: The Most Sympathetic Villain Ever
The Most Sympathetic Villain Ever Give me your picks for a villian that deserves a hug. I've seen villians over the years wrestling with their path of evil. Fighting the urge to give in to the darker aspects of their character, only to change at the last second. Redemption?
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
The Novel Road: Bryan Russell- Perfect 2 Sentence Pitch
Me: In two sentences, describe your book or work in progress.
Bryan: After killing his father in an argument, Japheth Tagori is sentenced to a life of service as a soldier in the Legion – yet he cannot escape his past, as the brigands who worked with his father (a smuggler) want Japheth dead because of something he’s forgotten he knows – the destination of a cartload of gold set to fuel a rebellion. The rebellion, though, is merely a diversion, as a war between empires looms on the horizon and Japheth finds himself a pawn in a dangerous game, manipulated by the mysterious Ghost King even as his enemies seek his head – and as Japheth seeks to understand his own identity as a soldier.
Bryan: After killing his father in an argument, Japheth Tagori is sentenced to a life of service as a soldier in the Legion – yet he cannot escape his past, as the brigands who worked with his father (a smuggler) want Japheth dead because of something he’s forgotten he knows – the destination of a cartload of gold set to fuel a rebellion. The rebellion, though, is merely a diversion, as a war between empires looms on the horizon and Japheth finds himself a pawn in a dangerous game, manipulated by the mysterious Ghost King even as his enemies seek his head – and as Japheth seeks to understand his own identity as a soldier.
What Motivates You?
Motivation has root causes. Different in each of us, money, power, pleasure... hell, even pain can motivate. Each day we get out of bed, there is a reason. It may be that bowl of Cheerios in the last seconds of a dream or something that makes you grumble, like the thoughts of rush hour traffic ahead. Whatever it is, something does drive us to do the things we do.
I can't talk to the sciences of the mind. What the chemical or primordial triggers are to motivation is really not here nor there for me. I just know that things occur to me that cause a need to do - something.
There are passions that inspire. Physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual inspirations which can drive us to the patent extremes of love and hate. We can become so driven by what motivates, that we begin to wrestle within ourselves to find right and wrong. The erudite will not be motivated below a line. The simple dreamer looks up, no line in sight.
Motivation is the essence of free will.
What about ulterior motives? Motivation to act based on compensation to another mean or end. Is acting upon a thought without regard to gain counter to the define motive?
This can be an endless thought or one that causes internal doubt. Anarchy is motivation ill defined. Conservatism owns few changes in either dawn or sunset.
I began thinking about this last night, when a knowledgeable friend's email asked me what I hoped to gain by posting interviews next month. Gain? Don't get me wrong, it was a fair enough question. I was asking for help getting the word out about my December format, and he has a huge audience to tap. It just never occurred to me that I would have to set a value to my interviews. In other words, what would I gain?
Audience? If I'm honest with myself, the answer is yes. My guest list is enough for a few thousand more visits to my blog each day.
Money? The answer is no. I don't think it right to earn money from the generosity of my guests. Even the book links are pulled from their sites, intact. So hits by anyone clicking them goes to my guests site.
Ego? Like a friend told me not long ago, "Ah, there's the rub". Will I be absolutely jacked up happy if I get good responses from the interviews? YES. If I find that my efforts have helped authors sell more books, I will be flat out over the moon.
The best thing about motivation is that it's innately personal. What drives me to write, blog or mow the lawn is purely mine. The things that inspire you are all yours, so keep what motivates you unique. Do what must be done according to heart and mind, just let your dreams into the decision making paradigm. After all, motivations that lighten the day, that add a smile, are the endless fuel you are blessed with to live each day as new.
I can't talk to the sciences of the mind. What the chemical or primordial triggers are to motivation is really not here nor there for me. I just know that things occur to me that cause a need to do - something.
There are passions that inspire. Physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual inspirations which can drive us to the patent extremes of love and hate. We can become so driven by what motivates, that we begin to wrestle within ourselves to find right and wrong. The erudite will not be motivated below a line. The simple dreamer looks up, no line in sight.
Motivation is the essence of free will.
What about ulterior motives? Motivation to act based on compensation to another mean or end. Is acting upon a thought without regard to gain counter to the define motive?
This can be an endless thought or one that causes internal doubt. Anarchy is motivation ill defined. Conservatism owns few changes in either dawn or sunset.
I began thinking about this last night, when a knowledgeable friend's email asked me what I hoped to gain by posting interviews next month. Gain? Don't get me wrong, it was a fair enough question. I was asking for help getting the word out about my December format, and he has a huge audience to tap. It just never occurred to me that I would have to set a value to my interviews. In other words, what would I gain?
Audience? If I'm honest with myself, the answer is yes. My guest list is enough for a few thousand more visits to my blog each day.
Money? The answer is no. I don't think it right to earn money from the generosity of my guests. Even the book links are pulled from their sites, intact. So hits by anyone clicking them goes to my guests site.
Ego? Like a friend told me not long ago, "Ah, there's the rub". Will I be absolutely jacked up happy if I get good responses from the interviews? YES. If I find that my efforts have helped authors sell more books, I will be flat out over the moon.
The best thing about motivation is that it's innately personal. What drives me to write, blog or mow the lawn is purely mine. The things that inspire you are all yours, so keep what motivates you unique. Do what must be done according to heart and mind, just let your dreams into the decision making paradigm. After all, motivations that lighten the day, that add a smile, are the endless fuel you are blessed with to live each day as new.
Shareholders approve Barnes & Noble 'poison pill' - Yahoo! News
Shareholders approve Barnes & Noble 'poison pill' . The drama continues for the huge book retailer
Don't pet me, I'm writing: Three tips for bouncing between books
Tawna Fenske should be on your morning blog read. Why? Well, if you're the type of person who likes starting their day off with a smile, this is the place to be.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Dale Brown Interview - Excerpt - 12/7/10
Join me for an interview with Dale Brown, Techno-Thriller author whose sold over 15 million books!
Me: You're co-writing novels with Jim DeFelice. It is becoming more and more common among established authors to co-write. Why?
Dale: Established authors do other series to keep their names on the bookshelves. But I do not subscribe to the concept of "ghost writer." Jim DeFelice is not my ghost-writer: he is an established and well-known author that writes outstanding stories that I am fortunate enough to collaborate on with him.
Me: You're co-writing novels with Jim DeFelice. It is becoming more and more common among established authors to co-write. Why?
Dale: Established authors do other series to keep their names on the bookshelves. But I do not subscribe to the concept of "ghost writer." Jim DeFelice is not my ghost-writer: he is an established and well-known author that writes outstanding stories that I am fortunate enough to collaborate on with him.