Seth

That's right: now is the time to sign up for the Fourth Round of the Author Boot Camp Class taught by myself and Scott Sigler. We're happy to be hosted yet again by Stanford University.

This Spring's class will be on two Saturdays, April 24th and May 1st. 10AM - 4PM in Palo Alto

Register here to get into this class before it fills up.

In today’s publishing world, debut authors have to write well, but they also have to help sell their own work. Many agents and editors are looking for writers who bring an existing audience to the table. In this workshop, students will learn practical tools and techniques to build large networks of followers, fans, and eager readers. The methods discussed will include social networking, new media, and serializing novels as free audiobooks. The instructors will outline the process they used to make cheap, highly effective advertising that landed book contracts with major publishing houses. Why let a small number of insiders — agents, editors, and publicists — decide the success of an author, when the tools for building an audience are readily available?

Can't wait to see you there!

So I'm now into DAY 2 of this ALWFD Kindle rush. Here's what I'm observing:

1) the Kindle bestseller charts seem to be VERY long lag, meaning that I think they're heavily weighted to sales over a large number of hours--you can't sell 100 books in an hour and climb to the top. Seems like past days' sales are even taken into account.

Therefore, my number is STILL on the rise! I'm currently sitting at No. 255 overall in books, almost 30 hours after I started the rush. This is the highest I've gotten yet and (despite the sleeping hours) I've been climbing steadily the whole way. So make of that what you will.

2) There are a ton of public domain classics on the tops of the list that are free. These will always be hard to displace. Some new releases are free too.

3) The big point that's still worth mentioning is that people DON'T need a Kindle to buy the collection (that and the fact that it's only 99 cents!). People can download software for their PC here http://bit.ly/3bIDY1 or iPhone/iPod Touch here http://bit.ly/5B8aCt to read Kindle books. From there it's a snap to buy the collection here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002ZVPSOU

Thizz is it, folks. We bring Publishing Experiment No. 1 to LIFE right now. Buy A Long Way from Disney now on your Kindle or with your Kindle reader account. Follow this link:

Buy ALWFD on Kindle now!

Complete audio and Merriest of Holiday Wishes!

More info on the release is here!

Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Super Kwanza, and let's have a dynamite New Year's Eve! In the process can right now is a Kindle experiment with A Long Way from Disney. Here's what it is:

Publishing Experiment 1: If we know anything for sure about publishing right now, it’s that it is changing. Authors, I believe, must become the scientists running experiments with new technology, new publicity strategies, marketing, you name it. There’s just too much money involved for the big (and some small) presses to carry out the kind of testing and idea-trying that needs to be done. That leaves us independent authors to try things out on our own.

Sunday Dec. 27 is Disney Kindle Commando Sunday! You with me? Yes. We rock this. More info.

It is with great pleasure I bring forth and introduce you to The Gift of Lit, a collective effort by many of the fine authors from Podiobooks. Together, we would like to share with you our diverse works and invite you to take a look at the nice selection of books we have spent hours, days, months, or years writing.

The Gift of Lit: Holiday 2009 is now here. If you are looking for a great gift this holiday season, whether it be for a family member, friend…or for yourself, take a look at the list below and give one, some, or all of these books your consideration. There are books to suit your needs this holiday season. Here, you will find fantasy, sci-fi, crime, speculative fiction, techno thrillers, and much more. Help support these authors and spread the joys of literature. Give spark to imagination.

Below, take a look at all of the different titles offered and follow the links to purchase your own copy for yourself or to give that special someone this holiday. The Gift of Lit will be sure to please all readers.   Click Here to Read More...

The DIY Author Returneth (Again)

Pat Holt, who is now my favorite reviewer, bar none, has just written up the third post in her series about DIY authorship and my own road in particular. This post also includes mentions of JA Konrath, JC Hutchins and newbie Erin O'Briant.

Pat's main point here is that things are changing, but she also talks about how it still comes back to the writing, its quality. That's where this piece gets special for me. Here's what Pat has to say about JACK WAKES UP:

“Jack Wakes Up,” which begins a series of books (Seth’s already written three), is both a refreshing crime novel and a witty look at 21st century existential angst through its title character, a charming wiseacre/former actor/reluctant sleuth named Jack Palms.

True, everything about this original paperback looks like a flashy postmodern Chandler spinoff that fans of paperback detective fiction might pick up for a good airplane read, something fun and quick.

But that’s just the page-turner part.     (READ MORE...)

I used to have this Bukowksi poem up on the wall by my desk. Lately I've been thinking about it as I push myself back into the JP2 revisions. I'm not sure how I feel about the poem anymore, but it's always stuck with me. Either because it's bullshit bravado or because I believe in it. What do you think?

air and light and time and space
 
"–you know, I’ve either had a family, a job,
something has always been in the
way
but now
I’ve sold my house, I’ve found this
place, a large studio, you should see the space and
the light.
for the first time in my life I’m going to have
a place and the time to
create."
 
no baby, if you’re going to create
you’re going to create whether you work
16 hours a day in a coal mine
or
you’re going to create in a small room with 3 children
while you’re on
welfare,
you’re going to create with part of your mind and your body blown
away,
you’re going to create blind
crippled
demented,
you’re going to create with a cat crawling up your
back while
the whole city trembles in earthquake, bombardment,
flood and fire.
 
baby, air and light and time and space
have nothing to do with it
and don’t create anything
except maybe a longer life to find
new excuses
for.
 
© Charles Bukowski, Black Sparrow Press
 

Hey, don't forget our deal with Netflix as a sponsor here of the blog and podcasts--to sign up you visit Netflix.com/harwood and try it out FREE!

I also want to up you on a whole big list of free movies that you can watch online without any sign-ups, memberships, nothing! Thanks to our friends at OpenCulture.com, I'm happy to present this list of 

FREE MOVIES ONLINE: Classics, Indies, Film Noir and More! Have a look, check it out, don't forget to tell them who sent ya!

Awww... love this pic I just got! Show's Joelle and I at a signing last spring in San Francisco.