Nathan Pettigrew, one of the two minds behind the lit site Solarcide, asked me for an interview a few days ago. This guy knows how to ask questions, ones that not only evoke my own passion for the subject matter but also make it easy for me to answer in a way that is hopefully entertaining for readers. Head over to Solarcide now. Read the interview. Learn of my greatness. Here's a taste of Nathan's humbling intro: He’s one of literature’s most lethal rising stars and highly prolific with not one, but four new releases in 2011. His debut novel from earlier this year, Stranger Will (Otherworld Publications), established Caleb J. Ross as a true talent to be reckoned with. His writing can be described as stylistically beautiful while depicting some of the darkest and most disturbing worlds that fiction has to offer. Picking up on concurrent themes throughout his work pertaining…
Category Archives Study (the world/the craft)
I’m a data nerd. I’m a spreadsheet and chart nerd. Therefore, I could have made this lede a bit shorter and simply said “I’m a nerd.” Recently, I conducted a very unscientific poll on Twitter and Facebook, asking a general group of readers how they decide what to read when choosing a book. While this is an admittedly small poll with a slight slant toward people I know, even if tangentially (they are connected to me via Facebook and Twitter in some way), I feel the findings are still valid, at least as part of a possible larger survey. If anyone has the resources to conduct a larger poll, contact me. I’d love to see the data. Here are the results: Observations: It has long been said that word of mouth is the best advertising for books, so it is slightly surprising to see “Recommendations” appear 3rd on the list.…
Today marks a special stop on my blog tour. Richard Thomas and I have it out a new installment of his dueling columns series which essentially pits two writers against one another to voice their individuals takes on a hot-button issue of the day. Our issue: to MFA or not to MFA. I've posted both of our write-ups below, which can also be seen at Richard Thomas' site. Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff. FOR MFA PROGRAMS – Richard As Caleb mentioned in his column, if you want to teach at the university level, then you must get an MFA. And at many fine universities, you may need a PhD these days as well. In addition to that, most schools want you to have at least one published novel or short story collection (the bigger and better the press,…
A question many writers get is “where do you get your ideas?” This question often originates from one of two sources: 1) a desire for a new writer to find that secret arterial idea spring, or 2) a reassurance that the author isn’t insane (I assure you that the idea to embed fingernails into The Bible was not based on an actual event in my life). The truth is they come from everywhere. A mis-heard conversation, a sudden obsession with a particular song or painting, a dare; these things and more have been sources of my own stories for years. One of the recent areas where I’ve been seeing a lot of potential is infographics. For those not aware, infographics are basically graphical ways to show data. Data can be boring. Colors and drawings are fun. Therefore, the infographic. Below (way below, at the bottom of this post) I’ve included one such infographic that I think has some potential. I’ve isolated three of the data points following, and included a few initial thoughts on the possibilities each hold.
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That’s incredible. Imagine a what the science of such projection would look like in the hands of a madman. Or, imagine a climatic (though probably funny) scene in which a man stabs a guy and gets hit in the eye with blood. |
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So, The Matrix was full of shit, then? Still, knowing how little amount of power the brain actually takes to function could make for some interesting machine/man hybrid stories. |
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Stomach acid harvested for use in either torture or construction. What about when someone is murdered by way of a knife to the stomach? Has acid ever leaked out, leaving a permanent scare on the hand of the killer? Perhaps in your story it has. |
With the news of sudden-star Amanda Hocking circumnavigating - and established-star Barry Eisler eschewing - traditional publishing in favor of self publishing, I thought it important to collect my thoughts on the topic from the perspective of aspiring authors. Getting a book published is easy. Anyone with $5 and a Lulu account can do it (or for a bit more can go through Createspace, direct to Lightning Source, or any other PoD route). So the discussion for authors must change from how to be published to how best to be published. Think about it this way, if you are offered a 20% royalty on books sold (which is actually high for most publishers), that means you are giving up on 80% of your potential profit. The truth is when signing a publishing contract you are paying the publisher to sell your book. Much of the information out there about self-publishing…
Between February 2nd and 5th I will be attending the AWP (Association of Writers and Writing Programs) Conference in Washington DC. During this time I'll be temporarily relocated. Check often at the following places, where I (and a team of writers) will be reporting on the happenings at the conference all week. Be sure to subscribe to the blog, YouTube channel, and Podcast feed, and follow the Twitter stream. My AWP Blog (www.calebjross.com/awpblog) Expect summaries of panels and daily roundups of general goings-on AWPtweets (http://twitter.com/awptweets) As the majesty of Twitter has allowed and encouraged, expect disposable minutia here AWP Channel (www.youtube.com/awpchannel) While I would love to upload videos of every reading and panel discussion I attend, I assume AWP would have some copyright issues with that. So, expect instead videos of selected readings and perhaps a few quick interviews from the book fair floor. We'll see. The Velvet Podcast (www.thevelvetpodcast.com)…
Honestly, when in the company of commercial press authors, defending my place as independent press author can be difficult. To those who have “made it” into the commercial presses, I would assume my defense comes across not nearly as articulately and convincingly as I would hope. Afterall, the examples of small press authors immigrating into the world of commercial presses far outweighs the number of commercial authors willing to emigrate to the small press world. The commercial press gatekeeper is much more discriminating than the indies; I understanding the disbelief. I too would go commercial if given the right opportunity.
But things are getting easier. Not only are small press books showing face on historically commercial press-dominated shortlists (the recently announced 2010 National Book Critics Circle award finalists includes quite a few small press titles), but with the help of Jane Friedman the various publishing paths have been defined, and by extension, validated.
In the summary of her Writers Digest Conference 2011 talk on publishing options Friedman very clearly explains what she sees as the basic three options for publishing:
- Tradition
- Independent or niche presses
- Self-publishing/DIY publisher
Pros, Cons, and Requirements: Traditional publishing:Hell, just read the original post.Small/independent press:
- It’s a commercially-driven business
- Competitive – many people are trying to break in
- National distribution – your work needs to merit that
- Slower to market (usually)
- Not the time to experiment
- Persistence & patience
- For non-fiction: you need a platform
DIY:
- Weaker distribution, smaller print run
- More personal attention, dedication
- Usually less money
- Niche marketing – smaller, specialized market; they’re experts in the field
- More accepting of “art” (could be nonprofit), more service-minded
ALL of the options actually require energy to market and promote. It all boils down to you – your strengths, your work, your readers – to determine what’s best.
- Entrepreneurial spirit
- Direct connections with readership (for sales)
- Must be comfortable with technology
- Must enjoy connecting with people (online and off)
- Requires energy to market and promote