Once upon a time, a writer taking on a big publisher like that remained secret, partly so that the writer could sell another book. (Even then, the large publisher would often bad-mouth the writer in private to any other publisher who would listen.)
Times have changed.
Continue ReadingLast week, I got taken to task all over writer communities on the internet (and probably in writers’ group meetings as well) for telling writers with only one or two books out not to worry about promotion. The response I got in the comments to last week’s blog were mild compared to the vitriol my […]
Continue ReadingHere’s what they don’t tell you when you start out as a writer: 1. You need to learn business. 2. You need to learn copyright because that’s what you sell. 3. You need to learn how to hire people because the wrong people could destroy your life and career. 4. Your traditional publisher doesn’t give […]
Continue ReadingI finished my second novel (as an adult) on the day my best friend from high school gave birth to her second child. My friend called me from the hospital to tell me the great news and then, because she was a sweet woman and because she was from the upper Midwest, she reflexively asked […]
Continue ReadingEvery morning, I read two or three newspapers on my iPad. One of those papers, The Los Angeles Times, has continued to showcase an editorial about the “death” of the self-published author. (I refuse to link to this thing; look it up yourself if you’re curious.) Okay, the article’s not really the death of the […]
Continue ReadingThe Business Rusch: The Changing Definition of Publishing Kristine Kathryn Rusch This week, the announcements for the Pulitzer Prize shocked the publishing world because, for some reason, the Pulitzer board declined to chose a winner from the three fiction nominees. Lost in the controversy (besides the hurt feelings of the fiction nominees and the fact […]
Continue ReadingThe Business Rusch: Quality Kristine Kathryn Rusch Last week, I finally figured out how to describe the changes going on in the publishing industry. My post, “Scarcity and Abundance,” went viral. If you haven’t read it, please do so, just so that I don’t have to redefine my terms again. As usual with a viral post, […]
Continue ReadingThe Business Rusch: Sneaky Growth Kristine Kathryn Rusch My website crashed just over a week ago, through no fault of my own. My ISP had a catastrophic server meltdown that took more than 36 hours to fix. I had a startling realization in those 36 hours. This website has become an important part of […]
Continue ReadingThe Business Rusch: Traditional Publishing & Its Suppliers Kristine Kathryn Rusch My posts over the past few weeks have elicited quite a few comments, in person, in e-mail and in the comments section, that go like this: “How can traditional publishers treat writers like that? This is clearly a sign of a decaying business.” Naw. […]
Continue ReadingThe Business Rusch: How Traditional Publishers Are Making Money Kristine Kathryn Rusch Of course, this past week has been just as busy in publishing as the last several weeks. The changes are amazing, especially considering how stable the industry used to be. Third quarter earnings have come in, and the publicly traded publishing companies must […]
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