Storytellersunplugged

--by Bev Vincent Whenever the subject of writer’s block comes up, I usually say that I don’t believe there’s any such thing. The answer to writer’s block is, quite simply, to write. Write something. Book reviews, essays, blog entries, anything. However, I do believe there is such a thing as Writer’s Doldrums. The original Doldrums are regions in the oceans near the equator where the prevailing winds are calm. Sailors who ended up in the Doldrums could find themselves becalmed for days or weeks. ... Read More

As part of my continuing quest to encourage fellow horror writers to think out of the horror box (meaning cross-genre, especially in terms of promotion), today I am posting my wrap-up of Bouchercon, the World Mystery Convention. - Bouchercon is certainly the biggest gathering of mystery authors, reviewers, publishers and fans that takes place all year.   I think there were over 2000 attendees in Baltimore this month (Bouchercon takes place in a different city every year).   And it's easy to figure out ... Read More

A few weekends ago I attended a genre conference and was tagged to sit in on multiple writing panels. The range of topics was vast, everything from how-to, to what-now. Usually when sitting on these panels, I enjoy the various points of view from the different participating authors. The operative word here is u-s-u-a-l-l-y. Protocol most often calls for a moderator on these panels, and that moderator’s job is to make sure the conversation flows smoothly by asking questions, prompting different sub-topics ... Read More

As I said earlier, the most basic purpose of book promotion is to let people know that your book exists, why they might want to pick up a copy, and where they can get it. Some authors aren't keen on promotion. They might make a brief announcement on their blog, webpage, or mailing list, then put their noses back to grindstone, focusing on The Work. They rely mostly on the kindness of strangers, friends, and their publishers to get the word ... Read More

I'm just back from Worldcon in Denver.  The weekdays before that I was back in Jersey, visiting the family; the two weeks before that, I was prepping for Worldcon and putting a slew of rare books up for auction on ebay. Simply put: I've been busy.  This is not any great concern, because I'd had the topic of this essay picked out some time ago: the con.  Worldcon, after all, is a different beast from other conventions, partly due to size and partly ... Read More

by Alexandra Sokoloff I have to warn you, this month’s post is going to seem a bit radical to some of you. You may even feel, well, horror, at what I’m about to tell you. I’m going to talk about my secret favorite convention. And no, it’s not WHC, or WFC, or World Con or Horrorfind or DragonCon or any of those. It’s the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention. (I’ll wait for the gasps to subside…) But I think it’s important for people in the ... Read More

Being a cross-genre kind of girl myself, I seem always to be preaching to other authors to think more broadly about other genres their books might fit into, and about how to promote themselves in other genres. This kind of thinking and marketing is particularly important for authors in the horror genre because, let’s face it, horror is not exactly a popular book genre these days. In fact, I’m not sure it could be any LESS popular. ... Read More

By Richard Steinberg “It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself,” Ralph Waldo Emerson Our Bear In Mind is deep within the world right now, creating light and words.  And as the world is deeply in need of both light and words, it’s a pleasure to fill in for her today.  I’ll see you again on the 22nd. Abraham Pascal was a writer. True, he was never published.  He lived his ... Read More

--Bev VincentAs writers, besides income tax and agent commissions, attending conventions is our biggest annual expense. Everything else pales by comparison—memberships dues in professional organizations, postage, ink cartridges, paper—and with a growing trend toward electronic submissions, some of these are decreasing. Even so, the necessity of paying for the tangible tools of our trade is self-evident.Soon I’ll be flying halfway across the continent to NECON. Other than mosquito bites, hangovers, more calories than I normally consume during any given week, and sacrificing ... Read More