Just kidding Acadia. Technology sucks all around. I think we should shuck it all and go Amish!

Just don’t forget that no story can ever be perfect!
David Sobkowiak recently posted..My Birthday Gift, roll call

I expect to be forgiven for my “Skip week” a few weeks back.

On the show.

Effusively.
Nobilis Reed recently posted..Episode 233 – Merys at the Font

As for the book cover, I have to say, it’s a shame you couldn’t continue on with the original cover – it’s actually what made me stop, look, and buy the first time around. I think this cover, while lovely, reminds me too much of a children’s book, (for very young children) and I only say that because I recently had a request to do a children’s book review with a very similar looking cover. So, please, don’t take that comment to heart! It’s just a familiarity thing.

The cover for Jack in the Green is really cool though! I’m loving that one! I’m look forward to reading the new edition of The Goblin Market and I will let you know when I get a review done.

Just keep trying, stay the best you you can in the face of whatever adversity is yours at the moment and things will settle out and you’ll beat it.

I second David, smart man:
Whoever comes are the right people
Whatever happens is the only thing that could have
Whenever it starts is the right time
When it’s over, it’s over.

But add: that you do control the choices you make and how true you stay. Which is plenty if done right.

Whoever comes are the right people
Whatever happens is the only thing that could have
Whenever it starts is the right time
When it’s over, it’s over.

That’s pasted over my desk at work. I try to keep it in mind to maintain my perspective. YMMV
David Sobkowiak recently posted..It goes something like this…

It is sandwiched between 3 layers of cardboard and it’s in the mail!

Off to listen now.
Nicole recently posted..A Guest Blog Post From J Gunnar Grey- Author of Deal with the Devil

2: I don’t understand the whole thing with the Klingons.
Acadia recently posted..Wordless Wednesday

*hides*
Acadia recently posted..Wordless Wednesday

*takes picture of self eating it*

*sends to dummy beans*

*throws rest of cake away*
Acadia recently posted..Unnatural Love

Sounds like you had a busy year, but in the end things worked out. I’m glad to have met you. You’re an inspiration.

What I do mind is when I help others and they don’t care and aren’t willing to help me back. Unfortunately, over the past few weeks I’ve met some authors that love when people help them but aren’t willing to do the same. It kind of leaves a bad taste in my mouth and makes me reluctant, at times, to help others because I feel like I’m being used. I hate that feeling. I’ve let people walk on me for too long, so now I’m stuck in a place where I have to draw a line. When does helping become using? When do you stop supporting a person because they aren’t willing to do the same for you.
Nicole recently posted..A Second Chance- One Month Later

Happiest of Birthdays to you!!! I hope the past year’s excitement and success is only the tip of the iceberg for you!

David
David Sobkowiak recently posted..By jove…

As for advice and pointers, keep writing and keep looking for ways to get your work out there!

Your post sounds very interesting. I’m wondering if you have any advice or pointers for others?

I have started a new site on myspace, would like to have you for a friend on there also.

Katydidcares@myspace.com http://www.myspace.com/Katydidcares
I have a couple of Children’s stories posted on there.

Katie Daniels Roth

I can’t wait to right my birthday post in a couple of months. It hasn’t been nearly as productive as yours, but it’s still been good in spite of all the crap.
Nicole recently posted..A Second Chance- One Month Later

What about distractions? Talking near a busy place? Birds outside?

I think a little bit of these sorts of things make an info dump more tolerable to the reader.

Fantastic, thank you very, very much
Arigato,
Nick Davis

Getting to talk to people like you is my favorite part of doing Get Published.

Good luck with “The Goblin Market” and all your future projects.

-Mike

You’ll love the next one!
JR Tomlin recently posted..Review – Dark Quarry by David H Fears

And as weird as some people find it, I love helping others. It truly makes me happy. I’m glad I get to support you in your journey.
Nicole recently posted..The Soundtrack for A Second Chance

The best way you can continue to serve this community is to keep being yourself. Your true, personal best shows through and everyone one is the better for it.

Thank YOU for all of the support you’ve shown me and others! it’s a wonderful gift you give!

David
David Sobkowiak recently posted..By jove…

Mark

I miss watching her record. She has mad talent.
Nicole recently posted..A Review of Meets Girl by Will Entrekin

Sure there’s book promotion and social networking to be done, but, if you spend too much of your time on writing/publishing message boards, obsessing over reviews, and plotting new marketing schemes, you start to lose perspective over what is and isn’t important in the world.

It’s easier to be laid back and get along when we realize it’s not really that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things. Even if you get to the point where writing can be your full-time job, it’s not as if that’s all you are.

Just my two cents.

Thanks for the post!
Lindsay recently posted..Why E-publish 5 Reasons to Ebook It up!

I’m just so very proud of you. I know how hard you’ve worked for many years now to make this dream of yours come true. I couldn’t be more happy that things are going so well for you.

I don’t even see the box – my ad blocker must be preventing it from loading.

I actually meant there’s no link at the bottom of the post, where it says “Available on Amazon and Amazon UK for $3.15.” “Amazon UK” is linked to the UK store, but “Amazon” isn’t linked to the US store.

If anybody has any questions about the book, about my writing, or just life in general, I’ll stick around

And I saw the Amazon US link wasn’t working, so here’s the real link:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004VGVVDY/

Price has been decreased to $2.99 as well!

Maybe a fan will do it for me. In the meanwhile, it’s unfortunate that we even look at reviews as authors. I have my trusted beta readers; that’s all the feedback I need. I’m aware of my other deficiencies as a writer and mostly aware of the limitations of individual books I’ve written, so it doesn’t help to read the reviews.

My first chick lit and it blew me away.

Well done, Sibel.
Mel Comley recently posted..Another great review for Final Justice

I think when it comes to those 1-star reviews that are just spiteful and vindictive, other readers see that and it has less effect than we’d like to think on our readership. If you have a full host of great, honest reviews and one nasty, vindictive 1-star readers will see the difference. Then again, maybe I’m just being optimistic on that front.

I read one of those recently on the UK page of an extremely successful US author; I looked up the reviewer’s only other review, and it was another “rubbish” comment. In these cases, I think it’s not about the author, and not about the book either; it’s about the reviewer’s sour and vindictive attitude to the world.

I do agree with the above comments about all writing being subjective. You will never please all of the people all of the time.

Great blog post.
Mel Comley recently posted..Another great review for Final Justice

How is that possible? Different strokes for different folks. How many five star ratings does James Patterson get? And how many people say they think he sucks? Both those numbers are high. The same is true of most authors at a much lower scale.

Plus think of this for your own books – don’t reviewers sometimes praise something you hadn’t thought of as a strength? That alone should tell you how much subjectivity there is in all this.

Meh. A bad review might keep someone else from buying a book that wouldn’t be happy with it. It might let someone who buys it know what to expect so they aren’t unhappy with it when they get to the end and I didn’t say what a certain character thought about it. I couldn’t for what I considered solid story arc reasons but I could understand why maybe a reader thought I should have.

If nothing else, a bad review says to other readers that people ARE reading it and franky, I think when it comes to indies this IS an issue.

So as far as I’m concerned there really isn’t a bad review. Yeah, I got a one-star review once and it made me wince, then I just went on with life.

Sorry to be long winded.
JR Tomlin recently posted..SampleSunday – Agathons Daughter by Suzanne Tyrpak

Also, I love the promophobic comment. I could never bring myself to promote my work in unrelated threads. To me, it just seems too intrusive.
Nikki recently posted..What’s Next

Really, we should interact as readers, as if we never wrote a book at all.
David H. Burton recently posted..Interview With Author – Jason Anderson

Biggest reason: The person knows/knows of the author and respects their work.

Second biggest reason: A trusted friend recommends it.

When these things happen, other people will mention the author’s work on the threads and the author won’t have to piss people off by doing it himself. I always comment on great books I’ve read and that’s what readers want to read.
Jenny HIlborne recently posted..MADNESS AND MURDER

Me? I find these two rules work universally well.

1. Not here.
2. Not now.

You’ll never step on anybody’s toes that way.

Kris Rusch recently put up the stats on what influences a person to buy a book.

Biggest reason: The person knows/knows of the author and respects their work.

Second biggest reason: A trusted friend recommends it.

Note where an author’s promotion falls in there.

Only 14% are influence by advertising (promotion).

The old days of “content is king” have gone away. You still need content or you have nothing to talk about, but the new deal is “Relationships are the key.”

I think we violate that rule at our peril.
Nathan Lowell recently posted..Three Million

And I, too, am a fan of historical fiction. I still have all of my Little House on the Prairie books that I just recently gave to my daughter in hopes she’d love them as much as me.
Nikki recently posted..What’s Next

Great post Barry, and I look forward to being able to read your work sometime. Hate to admit it but have been stuck in a project so long I have not taken the time to read anything from anyone in far too long.

When I read the comments posted by Ms. Howett, I cringed. And honestly, I actually felt a little bad for her. I kept saying to myself, “Doesn’t she have a writer friend to tell her to stop? Stop now! Before you…” Oh, too late.

As a reviewer for Mail Order Zombie, I take my job very seriously. As you said, it’s never my job to trash a creator – rather, it’s my job to review the PRODUCT. If the product is lacking, I’ll let people know, but I do my blasted best to try to find something in the work worthy of mention. But I would NEVER intentionally attack the CREATOR like that particular book club did.

Live and learn, right?
Derek M. Koch recently posted..Mail Order Zombie- Episode 1595 – HorrorHound Weekend Indy 2010

And thank you for sharing your thoughts on reviews. I love how you mentioned “Those who can write, write….and those who cannot write, review”. BRAVO!
Nicole recently posted..What’s Next

That was of course after they tracked me down on twitter and attacked me there, repeatedly, for months.

Long story short, don’t do it no matter how badly you want to drive cross country and burn their homes down.

It’s just not worth it.
Tony Faville recently posted..Guest Blog Post at JennyBeansnet

Positive reviews are great! Negative reviews can hurt. But less than glowing reviews are not personal attacks on the author. If someone pays for a book, they have the right to state their opinion. And some constructive criticism can help an author improve their craft.

In some instances, such as those Steve mentioned, a response from the author can help prospective readers decide if they want to try the book. But apart from that – not a good idea.
Linda Welch recently posted..Contest! Help me celebrate the release of Dead Demon Walking

Similarly, it doesn’t matter if the reviewer was biased, or if they misunderstood the thematic blah blah blahs. Print a copy of the review out, stick it on your wall, and yell at it if you need to, but arguing with a reviewer in public will only succeed in making you look like an asshole.
Ryan Underhill recently posted..Friday Flash – April 1- 2011

I can see a few cases where responding to a review makes sense, such as a direct question from the reviewer, or if they complained about typos and you put up a new revision to address them. There are probably more special cases, but as a general rule, authors should stay out of it.

Unless it’s something informal like Goodreads and you say “Thanks for checking out my book,” I don’t think there’s anything to be gained from responding to a review.

It’s one of the best series I’ve ever read. A warning about: A Feast for Crows (Book 4). It threatened to get too large for a single books, so Martin split the plot in half (the other half becoming Book 5). The problem is that it focused on the less interesting characters. Bran, Jon, and Tyrion are all missing. It’s annoying. Still good, but annoying.
Steve recently posted..Reviewing Other Indies- Solved

I found SoIaF fairly early on which has meant years of suffering because SOMEONE writes damnably slow. I can’t wait, I seriously can NOT wait to get my hands on ADWD.
JR Tomlin recently posted..Rule 3 of Writing Historical Novels – DO Sweat the Small Stuff

I have fallen in love with the characters, I have fallen out of love with some. And a few, I run back and forth between love and loathe. I stayed up far too late, many a night because I could not leave the book after the chapter I just finished. I just couldn’t. Many mornings, I woke to find my Kindle next to me in bed, not knowing I had fallen asleep while still reading. I can’t wait to read your reactions to the next three books.

Try reading “The Name of the Wind” by Patrick Rothfuss (the sequel came out a few months ago) this book is by far my favorite fantasy novel i’ve ever read, and haven’t felt this submerged into a fantasy world since the first time i read LotR series ten years ago.

Thank you for your insightful criticism.

Best,
Jenny

My only humble request is for some extra attention
given to editing and spell-check. The burden of
being self-published is a little larger because if
formatting, grammar, and spelling are bad then it
casts a shadow over not only you, but the whole
market of other self-published Authors.

I know it’s a Pain in the butt, however it would
really polish up your book as “professional” and
I think show off your great talent as a storyteller
better.

Seriously, though, I’m very proud of you. You’ve done amazing things over the past couple of months. I can’t wait to see where you go from here.
Nicole recently posted..Writing Update – March 14

Michelle Muto
The Book of Lost Souls
Michelle Muto recently posted..Quick Update

It sounds like you’re saying that people who try and emulate Twilight for example would fail because it’s bad fiction, not because they wouldn’t be writing a YA novel. Setting aside my personal opinion on Twilight’s quality, it doesn’t strike me as a YA novel except at a skin deep level since the protagonist and most of the characters didn’t strike me as realistic portrayals of teens.

I suppose my point was, if most YA fiction dealt with solid issues and were filled with good writing then they would be appealing beyond their supposed targeted age ranges. Like any good fiction they would break out of their genre constraints. Since that sort of fiction is rare across genres and perhaps especially in the YA market (and the Christian fiction market too) I think that publishers are using it as a marketing term for fiction that maybe couldn’t make it in the “adult” market.

In fact, now that I think about it, Christian and YA fiction share a couple of touch points. Both have more to do with qualities of the protagonist than the plot per se. Both are broken out into existing genres under their own umbrellas (thus you wind up with YA/Christian Paranormal romance, YA/Christian horror). Both, in the best cases, deal with struggles perceived as common to their protagonists.

I’m not saying YA is always a “gimmick”. I do think that it’s almost always a marketing term used by publishers to get to a certain demographic and isn’t descriptive of the content itself. It’s very possible that I’m wrong. So I’ll ask again, what makes it a genre?
Scott Roche recently posted..Living Together

I’m sure there are a FEW, just a FEW who want to write the next twilight because it made a crapload of money, but those types are quickly weeded out, because either the story isn’t as compelling, or it’s a rip off or it’s just poorly written.

There are some great YA book bloggers out there who you should talk to who can give you faith that YA isn’t a gimmick. They are even more passionate than I am.
Kate C. recently posted..Five AM and Deep Thoughts

Also, YA implies that the story is told entirely from a young adult’s perspective. I couldn’t have an adult tell part of it. Example – King’s Fire Starter couldn’t be a YA even if she were a bit older at the start of the book because some of it is told from the adult perspective.

I think the title is necessary. When a reader picks up a YA, they expect certain genre guidelines.

Michelle Muto
The Book of Lost Souls

I think as a writer it’s possible to target a wide age range and develop material they’ll find interesting. Will a 10 year old be interested in my book? I suppose that kind of depends on the 10 year old. My daughter is one of my beta readers and she’d “get” this (she’s a pretty advanced reader though) and adults have told me they enjoy it. I haven’t had a teenager read it to see what their reaction would be. The protagonist is in her late teens. So I guess time will tell.

I do know that there are book that specifically target middle grades readers. Mike Plested has written one recently and it will come out in May. It will likely fall in that category. Nothing at all wrong with that. That’s not what I’ve written though.
Scott Roche recently posted..Living Together

The age bracket you’re talking about is called “Middle Grade” and it’s supposed to cover pre-teens; that is, 8-12.

http://www.write4kids.com/feature6.html

Having raised two kids through those years, I believe that a book written to be relevant and understandable to a ten year old probably won’t be relevant and understandable to most sixteen-year-olds. They are remarkably… hm, how to put it… focused on their own experience? They have trouble empathizing with “little kids” only a few years younger, and often aren’t looking forward to their own full maturity.

Now that’s not to say that your middle grade novel can’t be widely popular. “The Dark is Rising” series was brilliant, and popular with many adults as well as children. My kids, though? Totally turned them off as soon as they found out that the protagonists were only twelve.

All the advice I have seen says not to try to write for both age groups. They have different requirements.

Yeah I’m not sure that my SF novel doesn’t just boil down to “I have a YA protagonist”. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course. And as a one man show I’m not sure how to “pigeonhole” my work or even if that’s a good thing.

In general though as a reader I try to ignore what section the book is in and just look to see if it’s a good book on its own.
Scott Roche recently posted..Living Together

But you’re right that the classification has evolved into something close to “I have a YA protagonist.” Which as you noted, really isn’t a valid reason in and of itself to pigeonhole a book.

I know, I’m naughty. I haven’t had the chance to order your book yet, but I promise it will be soon. Money sure isn’t easy these days I tell you. And I have been eager to get my hands on Guardian.

It’s been a while since I’ve read a non paranormal book, but I have always loved fantasy novels. Especially Elves. There’s always something intriguing about them. Good luck with the novel and can’t wait for the release date of Guardian.

Looking forward to the trailer for Guardian

Nicole, I totally know how you feel. I’m prepping the sequel to Anathema and I wonder if I’ll go through it all over again….

Christin, Thank you so much!!! I love daydreaming still…there’s always more dreams to reach for!

I know all about the constant stat checking…I did that in the first week after I started my blog. I was consumed. I am happy that has stopped.

I wish you continued success and high sales figures!
Christin Mowery recently posted..The Ubiquitous Me

Also, thanks Nicole! You’re awesome.
Jim Ryan recently posted..It’s Coming!

This has already proved to me that it will be a must read. Thank you for sharing this with us as we’ve waiting silently for the next act to this play!
David Sobkowiak recently posted..The White Whale

And thank you for having me on your blog, Jenny! It’s been fun.
Michelle Muto recently posted..The Draw of Young Adult Fiction

My list of things to read is growing each day.
Nicole recently posted..Writing Update – March 14

(Gratuitous self plug: Find my book on my blog)
E. S. DeAngelo recently posted..New Professional-looking book cover

sigh.

Not awake.

"I study nuclear science,
I love my classes…"
Nathan Lowell recently posted..While You’re Waiting…

I think a lot of the hype has to do with the competitive perspective. I see it occasionally in the podosphere until people actually realize that there’s no way one person can satisfy a demanding audience.

When “succeeding” as a writer meant winning one of the rare slots in an agency or in a publisher’s production queue, competition became a way of life.

Now, with the new modes of production, the available shelf space is unlimited but the competitive aspects of the field get maintained–it’s just that now we compete for attention.

In truth, as you point out, a reader doesn’t buy a book, read it, and quit. If they like it, they keep reading until they can’t find anything else they like. And most of them? They can read a book faster than we can produce it which means we need to know other writers who write the same kind of stuff we do so we can share those authors with our audience. It helps keep us all in the pool and finding new and exciting things to read.

And – as you point out – there’s no need to jump up and down and dance with the lampshade on our heads to get attention. Hanging out and having fun will work just as well.

Ole to you, Jenny.

Cue Huey Lewis …
Nathan Lowell recently posted..While You’re Waiting…

And if I “make it big” (whatever that means) I hope to remember from whence I came and continue to point people to some up and comers.
Scott Roche recently posted..Searching For Bill Hatcher

It’s a virtual open-air market place. We had these in Buffalo when i was growing up (real, not virtual). it was called the Broadway Market (they still have it, but it’s got a snazzy indoor location now) and everything from homemade kielbasa and horseradish to local produce was sold there.

There’s room for everyone at the table. I’ll skooch over for the next guy and buy the next round. It’s more fun when there are more of us to share the experience!
David Sobkowiak recently posted..The waiting game

Hey, if you don’t mind my asking, where did you get those cool word counters?
Kate C. recently posted..Fantasy Snobs

Now that is an outlook I like! I’ll put my shades on and join you!

Keep it up, Kody!
Nicole recently posted..Part 2 of the Two-Part Interview with Destination Truth Fan Ambassador Amanda

Thanks for having me as a guest. It’s always nice to come visit.

Second, that cover was done by JT Lindroos and I must say, I love it! I think he did a great job.

J. R.
JR Tomlin recently posted..My Amazon Hates Me Giveaway

Say what?

Almost a week and several emails to Customer Service later, nothing. Nada. Soooo…

I am having an “Amazon Hates Me” Giveaway for ONE WEEK over on Smashwords where it IS available. Just use Coupon # JN34T at checkout! It goes back to $2.99 next week but for now I just hope people will enjoy it!

Happy reading!
J. R.
JR Tomlin recently posted..My Amazon Hates Me Giveaway

1. That it made sense.
2. That it would be helpful to others just starting off on this crazy process.

Thanks again!
David Sobkowiak recently posted..Why

And thank goodness Acadia behaved himself. It’s not often he does that. The threat of those steel-toed boots must have really scared him.
Nicole recently posted..Part 2 of the Two-Part Interview with Destination Truth Fan Ambassador Amanda

Podcasting a finished novel is certainly something I’d love to do. And it’s great to know that there are people out there willing to help a newbie. I’m still a long ways off in terms of a completed full-length novel. That’s not to say I don’t have any done, but none that are near good enough for publication or podcasting, for that matter.

The only thing that I have that I could possibly record at this time is the novella I’m working on. Obviously, it’s a lot shorter, so I’m not sure how lucrative of an idea it is, but I’d love to hear everyone’s two cents on it. I saw what James did with Hull’s Landing and loved it. It definitely inspired me in many ways.

I can say that I played with my webcam yesterday to see what it was like. I know I’ve got to get over my jitters, and I’ve had many conversations with Jenny about it. And surprisingly enough, it wasn’t as bad as I expected. So maybe that’s a start. To me, it would be harder to watch myself than just hear myself.

Anyway, thanks again and I’ll be in touch.
Nicole recently posted..Part 2 of the Two-Part Interview with Destination Truth Fan Ambassador Amanda

AND… as Scott Roche mentioned there are people out there who love to not just help, but to do that actual recording. You might even be able to find someone to record for you.

Nathan, Great blog. Thank you again for your words of encouragement.

Yes as an author and mother it is tiring being pulled in hundreds of directions. I still wouldn’t have it any other way. I love being a writer. I love being a mother. I love being a wife. Etc… I hope I can continue down this path for many years to come.

Jenny, thanks for allowing Katie to stop by. It was nice to read this.
Nicole recently posted..Part 2 of the Two-Part Interview with Destination Truth Fan Ambassador Amanda

Patience is your best asset
Nathan Lowell recently posted..While You’re Waiting…

Your review captures the essence of The Tree of Life, accentuating all that is special and wonderful about the story. You cover the themes and conflicts as well as offering a succinct overview. I am going to use this review as an example for when I write my own.

Your writing style is clear, concise and descriptive and makes me curious to read The Goblin Market. All this to say that a well-written review can be a good business card for the reviewer as well.

Keep on writing,

Rosemary

I’m still missing something here.
JR Tomlin recently posted..An Epigram and The Corries

Why did I assume that was just for comments?
JR Tomlin recently posted..An Epigram and The Corries

I actually mentioned your site on mine again today. I told those that visit me that if they’re looking for a lot of great information on self-publishing to come here.
Nicole recently posted..Look- a Writing Update

You rock and The Goblin Market is FANTASTIC!

Probably I do need more confidence. I think I’m getting better, but it still feels like I have a long way to go.

Sorry your pricing is banjaxed (grrr) but I agree that the public shouldn’t assume 99 cents is a sign of lower quality writing. It’s Economics 101 in a very tough economy.

The price wars are dizzying, and dropping my book to 99 cents was tough, but if it translates into many more readers accessing my work, I’m thrilled with that.

Sláinte!
Mary Pat Hyland recently posted..A Twitter newspaper

Now, I love that I’m able to price my books at 99 cents and still make a profit from each sale. That’s amazing, isn’t it? I don’t have to pay for printing, storage, distribution, anything, and I still get 35 cents every time some wonderful person decides to try my books. I love the world we’re living in

With the trads lowering price, it does seem like a little bit of anxiety is setting in. I hope now.

Anyway, best to you. And I hope you (and I) sell a million copies, just like Amanda.

Best!

A book is not a car. There aren’t more expensive, powerful parts inside a $10 ebook than a $1 ebook. It’s all about what readers think.

And aside from people who have a dog in this fight, I’m really not seeing a ton of readers complaining that low prices make them think your book sucks. That’s insider talk, and irrelevant as far as I’m concerned.

Write a good book and try to get people to buy it. Whatever tactics you use to achieve that is your own business. Sure, it’s nice to share ideas, but I hate to see authors getting pressured into raising their prices because they’re “devaluing” everyone’s work.

True, she would have gotten an advance, but her share of each copy sold would only work out to 30 cents per book under the Harlequin scenario as opposed to the 35 cents per book she’s making now.

And because of the very low price she’s charging reader,s she has the potential to make a lot more in the long run.

Is the value a novel the TOTAL of what you get for it over the YEARS it will be on sale?

The price on a novel has nothing to do with the work’s is valued. If I go down and pay 99 cents for a used copy of Lord of the Rings, what does that say?

It says I got a good buy. And that is ALL that it says.

I hope readers realize that. Personally, I think they do.
JR Tomlin recently posted..What Makes A Good Ebook Cover

My own title went out at .99– although it is not a novel, but a loner short. Honestly? It was because I thought the price was FAIR.

A lot of authors start low, go higher, or even change prices. Why anyone would have an issue with it– or think it reflects negatively on the work??– is beyond me, really. So many of us have participated in FREE READS to get work out or show good will toward readers. It’s not about a price tag.

With Agency pricing and the recent phenomenon of authors and publishers changing prices up and down, Smashwords’ delays are going to hurt them. Even when they start approving premium catalog changes within a day or so, it could take weeks for the price changes to propagate. I am a huge Smashwords fan, but this will definitely hurt them. My approach would probably be to leave the Smashwords price at the higher price at all times, and just make price changes on kindle and Nook. That means Sony and IBooks will not be as responsive as you like, but that’s probably the best balance you can find.

Oh yeah, I’m still planning on adding an ad for it on my site. Where do you want it to link to? If you send me the code of the one you have on your page, I can use that. And since it’s a deal, it qualifies as a frugal read, which means I can actually put it on both. Maybe it’ll help.
Nicole recently posted..A Review of The Promises She Keeps by Erin Healy

Thanks for bringing this to light.
jack recently posted..Jennifer Rainey- First attempt at writing

YA romance isn’t really my thing, but I hope your “indie” success continues!

I will definitely post future updates! Good luck with your release!!

As someone who is considering making their first ebook venture a short story collection, it was really informative. The information that I have found so far, seems to indicate that it is really hard to find an audience for short stories. For insight was very helpful.

Paul.

And have faith, you’ll get to 1,000 copies a month at some point. I truly believe that.
Nicole recently posted..A Review of The Promises She Keeps by Erin Healy

I’m so happy that your first month’s numbers surpassed your expectations. It’s a long haul process, and you’re off to a great start!
David Sobkowiak recently posted..Why

I do believe in staying the course, braving the waters, and what I am doing right now is so worth it.

The internet was (IS) the biggest innovation since the printing press. But, now, with this wave of creators looking to publish themselves? Well, I know that there is a ton of crap out there. But there’s ALWAYS been a ton of crap out there and, now, the chances that consumers will find a rare new gem just went exponential.

Observe: I follow your hubby (congrats, BTW) on Twitter and I don’t even remember where or when I started following him. But I saw his tweet about 100 e-books and surfed on over to his site, clicked through to Amazon, and ZAP! downloaded a book to my Kindle. Plugged in your name, and just as easily downloaded Goblin Market. The ability to lay my hands on content not available at the corner Borders is very cool The ability to do so within moments of seeing a tweet, and not even having to leave my seat is awesome.
(And holds such promise for creators, it makes me giggle.)

Can’t wait to read your book. I’ll be sure and let you know how much I like it.

I’ve never really sat down and tried to explain it before.
JR Tomlin recently posted..Guest Post by Jennifer Hudock

Hmm, creating pleasure in other people, perhaps I should have sought a position in the adult entertainment industry instead. . .

Seriously, well said, Jenny, and Nathan. And social networking is but one of many tools. One can’t force success, one can only take actions they hope will achieve a desired outcome.

I’m not much for carpentry and I used have things to say about the hammer that wouldn’t pound or the saw that wouldn’t cut straight. He’d laugh at me and show me the right way to do it. I never was able to master it because, really? I didn’t actually practice it.

He had forty years experience on me and his hand knew where to move and how to hold and when to grip, when to let go. It’s not surprising I never was able to match what he could do with a plane or chisel, or even a hammer for that matter.

He had a saying he often told me when I was tired, frustrated, and just generally ready to give it all up as a bad job.

“It’s a poor workman who blames his tools.”

When he first told me that I thought he was telling me I wasn’t very good. Of course, he was but his criteria was not that I didn’t cut straight, not that I wasn’t pounding the nail. It was because I was blaming the tools.

No carpenter produces the straight cut, the perfect nail, or a smooth plank the first time. It comes with practice. It’s a function of coming to understand your tools over time, from working with them and sometimes succeeding and sometimes failing. Often failing, if truth were told, because we learn most from our failures.

It’s the poor workman who lays that to be the fault of the tool and fails to accept the the flaw is in the user because that workman will never improve. So long as it’s the tool that’s the problem, there’s no reason to find a better teacher, spend more time in practice, or own our own mistakes so that we can learn from them.

That was a good lesson, one I’ve never forgotten.
Nathan Lowell recently posted..Creative Genius

I honestly try not to consider it a “scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours” kind of thing. I suppose I think of it more as “cast thy bread upon the water” kind of thing. Very often when we help someone we don’t receive some kind of quid pro quo. If we expect or demand it, we’re likely to be seriously disappointed and we aren’t treating people as friends.

I do try hard to treat the people I meet online as exactly that–as friends. Sometimes they repay me richly with buying a book but more often simply by being a friend.

And in this business, we need all the friends we can get because it is tough. It’s tough on our ego, our endurance, our patience. I appreciate every friend I have out there whether they ever “scratch my back” or not.
JR Tomlin recently posted..To Pseudonym or Not to Pseudonym

I think a lot of people go into this thinking if I publish my book and tweeted it, FB it, etc., it’ll sell. But if you’re not interacting with your potential readers and not helping out fellow writers, you’re not going to see the same amount of success as others. It’s a “if you scratch my back, I’ll scratch your’s” kind of thing.
Nicole recently posted..True Blood Post up at Superficial Gallery

I have had an agent since day one and he encouraged me to go independent after three publisher interviews and his comprehension of the industry from the vantage point of 40 years experience.

For those hours devoted to my new career as an author, I write half the time and promote half the time and I have never enjoyed anything I have ever done more.

Carpe diem
G. Hugh Bodell

I do agree with a couple other comments that there’s not necessarily a correlation between speed and quality. I’m not someone who can vomit out a lot of words in a short time period (I usually shoot for 1,000 a day or so when I’m working on a first draft), but I don’t usually need a lot of editing passes so that makes me speedier than some in actually getting a novel together.

I have no idea whether I’d pass your test of quality or not though.
Lindsay recently posted..Simon Royle–Indie Author Selling Well with Debut Ebook Interview

One year I attended a writers’ conference, and I pitched a book set in Egypt–I was told Egypt was out. The next year I attended the same conference, pitched my Roman story (to some of the same people) and they asked me about the Egyptian story!
Suzanne Tyrpak recently posted..Tonight on Stacey Cochrans internet radio show- Book Chatter

Good luck with your books, Suzanne. I’m off to seek them out.

I tried to read Charlain Harris but her work is dreadful. I’ve come to the conclusion that there are very successful writers (in terms of sales) who are the literary equivalent of McNuggets — cheap, easy to access, but complete junk. BUT, just like there are people who would rather eat junk food, so there are readers who would rather read junk books.

We live in the era of instant gratification often at the expense of quality. There is nothing we can do about that. But kudos to those who seek out quality — in books, in dining, and in life.
Kathleen Valentine recently posted..For-From Indie Authors- Suzanne Tyrpak

Now perhaps I am being naive, but I firmly believe that if you work hard enough you will receive credit for your hard work, in this case writing. But I have seen things in the writing world that make me scratch my head and go WT!?! And I have seen hard working authors definitely not get the credit they deserve. (No names or anything)

But I am still the optimist that if you create your works well enough you well get fans and sell copies. No matter if it takes you a long time or a short time in between works. (See how I roped it back to the topic at hand )

I know they say you have to keep yourself fresh in the market, but if that is true then why do the ‘Classics’ keep selling so many copies decades after they were written? I think that if you keep creating at your own pace, no matter what that pace is. Then you will gather your followers and achieve your goals.

But I may just be lying to myself…

That said, I think Jeff is dead-on that there is no fixed relationship between writing speed and quality. And he’s also right that rewriting is far less effective at honing your skills than writing something new.

I say this not as all as any kind of criticism, just as food for thought – last year I wrote a blog post called “Don’t let yourself off the hook” The idea was that it is very easy to get stuck on our limitations, even ones that are very real. Not letting yourself off the hook doesn’t mean you force yourself to do something you can’t, it’s that you constantly question things. In my case, the biggest limitation is that I have four or five things that are equal to or higher priority than writing. I have sat down and written out each one and what is necessary to do each one justice (including writing). And it is clear that I can’t. However, I am not willing to give any of them up, which means I need to constantly be reevaluating what I can and can’t do. And that’s the idea behind not letting yourself off the hook.

So in your case, it is undoubtedly true that you have to write more slowly to get good quality. It is also true (I’m assuming this) that you want to sell enough books to make ends meet. You have correctly identified that there may be some conflict between these two goals. What do you do? You figure out a way to either write faster or sell enough of your 1 book every year or two (plus short stories, etc) to accomplish what you want. Since neither of these seem immediately possible, you have to keep working at it, keep questioning what you can do. And over time, you may arrive at something closer to an answer.

OK, I’ll stop pontificating now

I can only hope this isn’t really the case because I personally don’t like the style of first-person narrative Charlaine Harris and many of her fast-writing peers have adopted and will search instead for work with a bit more substance – surely I’m not the only one?

Great blog by the way

Speed in writing is something that many people aspire for while others aspire just to write well. There are a few that can achieve both.

I have been able to write an entire 60,000 word book in a week. I know it’s possible. That was while working 8 hours days as well. Inspiration struck and I ran with it. I’ve not been able to duplicate that effort, but I know that I can write three books in a year once I set my mind to it.

I write YA. Those books tend to be shorter, but by no means easier. I like to do some light plotting before hand, have my scenes laid out, and do as much research as I think I’ll need for my novel. I don’t like anything to slow me down once the words start to flow.

If you’re looking for tips to write faster, look to the master. Stephen King. He writes. He writes fast. How? He writes the story first and when he gets to a spot where he isn’t sure of the action, or needs to look something up ***come back here later*** and he tackles those in the re-write or editing phase.

Need more tips, well, that’d be an entire blog post in itself. I do intend to start blogging (soon) and perhaps this’ll give me something to blog about.

Your writing is good. Confidence is something that can slow down a writer. Don’t let question of your work slow you down. Get the words down first. It’s easier to edit a written page than it is to edit a blank page
JRMurdock recently posted..Billy Barbarian- Episode 16

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I am gonna go write some more.

Let’s say you happened to suddenly find yourself in a perfect storm of creativity and time, and actually DID write three novels in a year… and they were FANTASTIC. Would you still be ashamed of yourself? I can understand why time taken could be an INDICATOR of poor writing, but the two don’t necessarily go hand in hand.

I also think that you HAVE to push yourself to write, and write often, and produce. Those that don’t, or argue against it, tend to be the “perpetual writer”, working (or not as the case may be) on their great American novel, becoming more of a actor playing the part of a writer than an actual one. You’re not a writer unless you WRITE. You can’t talk about it, or think about it, or plan on it, you have to DO it, and if you happen to do a LOT of it, it doesn’t make it paradoxically LESS meaningful. Lousy writing is lousy no matter how long it takes, and the same for good.

Now go write something!

Orson Scott Card wrote ENDER’S GAME in five weeks.

Harlen Ellison wrote both “Repent, Harlequin” and “I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream” in a day.

Ernest Hemingway wrote “The Killers” one morning.

Ray Bradbury wrote “The Lake” one afternoon.

That’s my first point.

Second, just how long should it take to write a book. Let’s say you’re slow and write a page every 30 minutes. So just spending 30 minutes a day on your book, at the end of the year, you’ll have a 360-page book — about 90,000 words.

Let’s say you got really serious and wrote an hour a day. That’s two pages a day. That’s two books a year.

Add an extra half-hour of writing to your schedule, and you have three books a year.

You see, it’s not about how fast your write, it’s how much time you spend writing.

At least, that’s how I think about it.

But what about outlining? What about rewriting?

Yeah, I do those things too. But I schedule them around my writing.

This year I have 400,000-word goal. That’s only 1,100 words a day. But I know I can’t write every day. Besides outlining and rewriting, I’m gonna get sick, so are my kids, and there are family days, and travel days, and all sorts of things. What do to?

Well, my goal is 6 to 8 pages a day, which gives me between a three and four-month buffer. That’s three to four months of non-writing time.

Thus, this week I’m not writing, but outlining a novel. It’s all planned, and I won’t miss my 400,000 word goal.

Third and last point.

My basic philosophy is that one gets better by writing by writing something new, not by rewriting. I learned the hard way that rewriting — for me — makes me so sick I’d rather not write. When I finish a story, I fix those things that I know don’t work, I edit and proofread, and I’m done and off to the next project.

Sorry to ramble. And I’m just trying to explain my experience and views, not trying to tell you what to do.
Jeff Ambrose recently posted..Coming Soon- Shattered Wonders- Five Science Fiction Stories- and other thoughts

(Jason: Use the preview feature.)

Excited to read your book.

So living wage for me means just that enough to live comfortably on–but I’ll take the paycheck and the yacht if they come along

As for how I plan to position ebooks and podcasts and eventually print of some kind to get me there… Well that’s another post. The short answer is a combo of freemium and free alternate formats -and possibly advertising revenue- applied through experimentation to a hopefully ever-increasing backlist of content.

A faerie name

I came up with it right now; you inspired me!

Thanks!

PS. I look forward to reading it.

My entry is a Goblin name: Coll KooHan

And where I got is from is easy…

Stay Alive
N
Neil recently posted..InfoCast Jan 30th 2011

Thank you for telling us to “jump in”. I’ve jumped right in and am splashing around. It’s scary ’cause I can’t touch bottom. But it sure is fun. Sure, there’s still awhile yet before I’ll publish my first eBook, but I see it on the horizon. Right now, I’m swimming towards it.
Nicole recently posted..Giveaway News- Goblin Market PRINT EDITION

http://www.facebook.com/games#!/profile.php?id=1534230218
JRMurdock recently posted..Billy Barbarian- Episode 16

I can’t answer for John, but for me, giving The Goblin Market away as a free podcast before publishing it as an eBook on Amazon and Smashwords helped expose the novel itself to thousands of listeners. Many of them asked me while I was podcasting if I would consider offering free PDFs because they wanted to read the story, as well as listen. Offering your work for free is like offering people a sample of what you have to offer, so you build a platform of listeners and potential readers. It helped a great deal the first weekend Goblin Market was available as an eBook.

On the other hand, there are people who won’t pay for something if they can get it for free, but in the long run, it’s all about building an audience and showing people what you have to offer.

-Best,
Jenny

Thank you for stopping by Jenny’s blog.
Nicole recently posted..Giveaway News- Goblin Market PRINT EDITION

Everything you have mentioned here is part of the writing process as I understand it. You write, you read and rewrite. You edit along the way where it is necessary and then you review the document for spelling, punctuation, grammar, etc.

I love the idea you recommend that writers should get involved with a critique group. They are a brilliant way to get feedback on your works in progress, and to see what others are working on as well. It’s a community. It’s as you say, symbiotic.

Getting an editor to review your work is a BIG step in the process of writing anything from a short story to a novel. How many of us had their parents/friends read over something they wrote in school? Term Papers? Research Papers? Short Stories? If you didn’t, you missed out a little bit on the development of humility and toughening up your skin to criticism. That friend who looked at you like you had three heads after they read your short story. If you had to explain the entire thing to them so they understood it, you likely had some revisions to make. The same holds true now.

Thanks for giving us the scoop on what to do before we go out and spend our money for someone else to read our work. Sometimes we need to be reminded that what we think sounds good, doesn’t. Reading the work aloud will often times help with this as well. I’ve learned that from writing audio drama scripts. It’s amazing what you hear in your head, and the difference it makes when you speak the words aloud.

Thanks as always Jenny!
David Sobkowiak recently posted..The Birth of the Dread Remora – A Review

BTW, do you consider Dexter to be a villain?
Lindsay recently posted..To be or not to be…

I’m fond of The Juniper Tree. It’s one of the first tales I recall telling how the evil and unjust always get theirs in the end.

I like Hansel and Gretel. What a dark story, right? Getting tossed out by your folks, nearly eaten by a cannibal, and forced to kill a woman. And they got to go back home. I mean, how could you ever trust your parents again? Not much fair to that fairy tale.
A. N. Smith recently posted..FIVE DAYS LEFT- A FISTFUL OF CHOKE AT 99

I’m so happy you finally let this story out there.

Seriously. though. I’m so proud of you! Like, REALLY proud of you. Really REALLY proud of you.

Did I mention I was proud of you…?

James Melzer recently posted..Podcaturday- Don’t Eat the Fruit!

Atmosphere is HUGE, it’s awesome you decided to take the bull by the horns and do something about your inability to write where you sleep. You’re awesome!
Kristyn recently posted..Love’s Daughter

And now I have two books to nag you about, which is even better. Mu and also ha ha ha ha.

That’s amazing! It’s a unique solution to a problem many writers might find themselves struggling with. That your solution has cemented itself so fully from the start for you is great and I’m really looking forward to both of their stories and their eventual meeting.

It’s all fair enough slugging away at the novel when it’s sitting still- it’s hard work and everything, but you know if you keep going you’ll get there. It’s when they get all wriggly and awkward that the whole thing becomes agonizing.

I’m writing a novella at the moment that I could merrily kick into next week- I hope Jack in the Green starts behaving itself for you again soon.
Jennifer Williams recently posted..Vote to Help Name my Sword!

I have faith that you’ll get back the place you were at, as will I. It just takes time and some finagling.

How many of us are writing now? Like working on a novel, novella or short story? Maybe those of us having issues finding time need to have a weekly or bi-weekly meeting to discuss our stories, the problems we’re dealing with, etc. It’ll also be a way for us to force ourselves to find time to write, that way we have something to talk about. It’ll hold us accountable.
Nicole recently posted..eBook Update 1

Bottom line is you have the right idea. You absolutely, positively, no fucking around will not be able to let this go until it’s done. So you HAVE to write it. If you don’t, who knows what could happen. It might be like the scene in Ghostbusters where the ghosts all come to New York at once (“dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria”)

I dealt with this exact situation last year and it took a hell of a lot longer than I originally planned, but every day it was saying to me “Are you kidding? You only have 10,000 words left to go.” Eventually I listened to it and finished.

One of the sad realities of publishing, however, is that you can complete your novel/novella with the perfect name for your character and find that your publisher requires you to change it. Depending on your genre, some publishers have banned name lists because the names have become cliches or because they just don’t like them. I know an author of a series who has been told she can never write novels featuring two of her characters (they are currently secondary character whose stories she planned on writing in their time) because they are on the banned list. One publisher bans characters that have her first name. So if you want to publish with “Jane’s” company, you can’t have a character named “Jane”.

I do absolutely like to come up with the name right away, it feels totally wrong to be writing and have to refer to “unnamed detective” or something like that.

But… aren’t outlines themselves seat-of-your-pants writing? That’s how I think of them, anyways. You are just making stuff up, and not worrying about prose or grammar. To me making the outline is the most liberating, free activity in the entire process of my writing.

Imagine saying: “I hate editing and rewriting, it’s so restricting.” Well, yes, it’s just another step past outlining when you think about it.

Alternatively – in the same spirit as the way I use outlines – you could do things like character sketches, a list of motivators/tensions, a list of twists, etc. Basically you’re writing down ideas. Usually I begin writing sessions by taking five minutes to glance at my outlines or other written ideas. It helps get things rolling for me.

Hard to say if any of this will help you because as I say, I am much more of a methodical and technical writer than an inspired one. But who knows?

You can throw it away and write a new one every time something invalidates it. If you’re writing as fast and loose as you like, and you find that you’ve strayed from the outline, take a look at it and decide which one needs fixing. Is the story straying from the theme? Or is the outline not as good as the “pants” version? As long as you allow yourself to edit either one at any time, you can use the outline like scaffolding, rather than like jail cell walls.

The problem of keeping yourself going at the magic mark of 30K-40K words is not one I’ve encountered. By the time I get that far, I know enough about what’s going to happen that I can push through. I almost always have a very rough outline at that point, even if I don’t know the exact ending. So I can’t help you much there except to suggest what I do if I ever get stuck at any point – write something that makes no sense on the surface. If you don’t know what your character will do next, just have him/her do anything. Start taking night classes towards a degree in hotel management, become a pro-wrestler, whatever (this can be especially funny with fantasy). It’s a pattern break and at some point, you’ll find the thread you lost of the “real” story. Part of the reason that this works for me is that humor is the path of least resistance when my writing is gelling, so doing things that are just stupid fits right in. But I think the pattern break concept works for almost anyone.

Merry New Year, Jenny!

I will steal the Rosetta stone thing for Squeen.
Acadia recently posted..Friday Nineties – Bob Rivers – Walkin’ ‘Round in Women’s Underwear

I mean I admit to regretting taking on French in High School/College, but I live considerably further south than you do and so Spanish would have been more useful. I don’t regret it in the sense that it is a beautiful language and there’s a lot of great culture/food associated with it.

In regards to your neighbors to the north, it’s fascinated me to hear that the French they speak there has a lot of subtle and not so subtle differences in the language related to the time period around when the colonists came over here. Sort of like the differences between British and American English or European and Central American Spanish.
Scott Roche recently posted..Lilith – A Review

I’m reading Fated now and loving it. Scott’s keeping me up past my bedtime!
Melanie Hooyenga recently posted..Unplugging

xxxM

I would have to say that my electronic sales have tended to be 70% of my total sales and have remained fairly strong until just recently when all sales have dropped off way more than I would like.

With that being said, the biggest challenge for me has been the stigma that some people have clung to that self publishing is bad and those of us that do it are the scum of the earth and lesser beings.

Frankly, it has become less of an issue ever since I realized that for the majority, most of them are simply jealous due to the fact that I have made more money off of my self published work over the last year than many of them have made over their lifetime of sitting there waiting for the inevitable rejection letter from the overloaded, understaffed and unmotivated publishers out there.

So I’m out for this year, but it was a great experience and probably the kick I need to pick last year’s project back up.

Then you said: “The thing about NaNoWriMo, which a non-writer could never possibly understand, is it has nothing to do with the word count or even the website.”

Which makes my face jump off of my head and try to kill you.

The paragraphs before that mention the site AND your word count. So it IS about their stupid site. It’s a terrible thing and it makes people be tired for no reason. Using your words:

“Like a fool with no concept of time or pressure”

Needless, senseless, HARMFUL, LaMoYouOh
Acadia recently posted..Halloween Contest Winner

One suggestion–remember we’re always our own harshest critics (and believe James when he says it’s good) and unable to see the forest for the trees.

Second hint–if you KNOW you can make it better or closer to what you want, do so, but don’t hold it back for fear that it might not be its best. It may be the best thing NOW, and often finishing something is better than finishing it perfectly.

I need to relearn some old advice constantly, as my editor-brain hates this–”It’s okay to let a first draft suck.” (It’s also okay to let it go the direction it wants to go; when you’re at the end of the story, you can look back and course correct the plot. )

Sometimes, it’s just an exercise to get the unnecessary junk out of your head so the second draft is really the story that should be told.

And sometimes, that first draft is compost for ideas that’ll eventually poke their heads out of your subconscious and be the story you really need to tell and just when you’re ready to tell it.

Hope you stick with it and it turns out better with some reflection and drafts.

Steven

Our understanding of our own brains has made giant strides with the availability of imaging machines (MRI, etc.). We now know that we are programmed to respond in horror to a number of stimuli not the least of which is eating people and harming babies. These instincts are part of our old (reptilian) brain and trigger responses over which we have no control.

We can look forward to some innovative horror as this knowledge is put to good use. Fear of the unknown is primal. You can learn to become insensitive to people having their brains splattered on the wall but you will always react with horror to the unknowns that trigger these basic fears.

How about a “add to cart” link or something?

I haven’t had a chance to check out PopArmy yet, but I have been visiting KidWonderful and I think you’re doing a great job!
Nicky recently posted..Magic And My Favourite Commercial

And while the big A is cool, I think the two J crew is pretty swanky too. or is it 2JCrew… I don’t know

maybe the Podcaturday crew call sign is JAJ

either or, its a cool thing
Patrick recently posted..The Concept Album

Oh yeah, I can’t wait to see what your mind has come up with this time. I’m sure it’s awesome, as always.
Nicole recently posted..Why I’ve Been MIA

Thanks for your thoughts and for your well wishes!!

Good luck with your new motivation and I hope you remain productive.
Tarheel Rambler recently posted..Sunday Scenery – 112

Also, I’ve been keeping up with Haven, and I love it.
Nicole recently posted..Why I’ve Been MIA

Except, I will not cry when it ends.
Jen recently posted..The Dentist

I know it’s no consolation, but this will pass. It doesn’t feel like it will right now, but I’m pulling for ya. Passing along positive thoughts and prayers,
ginabad
ginabad recently posted..Baptism- Christening- Kids- &amp Faith

And you have done an awesome amount of cool stuff at Kid Wonderful, for example.
Patrick recently posted..Monopoly 75th Anniversary!

M

Hang in there.