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syscall girl
Nov 7, 2009

by FactsAreUseless
Fun Shoe

Sundae posted:

I could've worded that better. I meant "what is it?" I honestly have no idea.

You know Starship Troopers by Heinlein? It's like that, just a robot suit that goes over your body and armors you and holds weapons or something. It's cool if you don't. Heinlein was something else.

Nowadays it's mostly an anime thing I think. And Mechwarrior in the tabletop/PC games world.

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syscall girl
Nov 7, 2009

by FactsAreUseless
Fun Shoe

ArchangeI posted:

Any word if/how they are going to monetize that for the authors?

I'm just doing napkin math here but it looks like $9.99 x n subscribers / infinity.

syscall girl
Nov 7, 2009

by FactsAreUseless
Fun Shoe

Jalumibnkrayal posted:

Mailchimp.com is mentioned a lot as being free (for up to 2,000 subscribers) and easy to manage. There's also TinyLetter.

My Mom uses http://myemma.com/

I don't know much about it but it lets her put together a professional looking email with words and pictures and then send it to I would guess a bit more than 2k people.

I am two of the people because she just dumps her contact list into this thing. Every month I get to look forward to book covers and the family dog.

syscall girl
Nov 7, 2009

by FactsAreUseless
Fun Shoe

Sundae posted:

Never use either of those fonts ever again.

Sundae posted:

Never use either of those fonts ever again.

Sundae posted:

Never use either of those fonts ever again.

Sundae posted:

Never use either of those fonts ever again.

Sundae posted:

Never use either of those fonts ever again.

Listen to this guy.

syscall girl
Nov 7, 2009

by FactsAreUseless
Fun Shoe

No Gravitas posted:

It's my first time, be gentle...

Eh... Ok. I need some help.

I have the plot written out one paragraph per chapter chunks.

I'm... stuck to get past that point.

How the gently caress do I start writing?

In the past it was just easy, write whatever the gently caress I felt like writing for fun and shred it at the end of the day. Now that I have the idea of selling my crap writing... It just won't even start to flow.

What do I do?

Drink about it. When you wake up after only being able to sleep 3-5 hours have some coffee and greasy breakfast in front of computer.

Or skip the computer part and just scribble things on a legal pad like an animal. But avoid the internet and other peoples' words. They are poison for the creative process.

syscall girl
Nov 7, 2009

by FactsAreUseless
Fun Shoe

EngineerSean posted:

I just wanted everyone here to see my new avatar.

It needs some kind of text to indicate its prurient origins.

Otherwise it's pretty fine.

syscall girl
Nov 7, 2009

by FactsAreUseless
Fun Shoe

EngineerSean posted:

well I never even saw Super Hornio Bros, I think this is more fitting anyway

Me either. I just realized I can't even see title text on awful app. Had to click on your profile to read it, looking good.

syscall girl
Nov 7, 2009

by FactsAreUseless
Fun Shoe
TheForgotton, blurb 2 was too long and explicit.

Ya lost me at "street pharmacist with a penchant :words:"

And "neurotic" and "afraid to jaywalk" could be seen as redundant in the context of a blurb. Pick one, probably the more descriptive one.

Basically use blurb 1 but change "tricked-out sports car" to something like "Ferrari" or "6 and a half figgies of detroit muscle" or just anything that sounds like something someone would actually say.

Otherwise, great cover and blurbing.

syscall girl
Nov 7, 2009

by FactsAreUseless
Fun Shoe

angel opportunity posted:

Is it okay to post an erotica blurb in here and get feedback, or is that breaking the no erotica rules? It's pretty standard vampire stuff no incest or hosed up poo poo

Chinese vampires?

Lesbian vampires?

What kind of vampires are we talking about?

syscall girl
Nov 7, 2009

by FactsAreUseless
Fun Shoe

angel opportunity posted:

My first erotica short is pending preview on Amazon. Thanks for all the help from people in this thread, especially ravenkult and romantique!

Your posts in the China thread should be published as well

syscall girl
Nov 7, 2009

by FactsAreUseless
Fun Shoe
e: /\/\/\ f; b

laxbro posted:

A couple years ago I read an awesome sci-fi book about a warring species of telekenetic dogs. A human crashlands on their plannet and builds a radio for one of the dog armies etc etc. I think it was nominated for a hugo award but I can't remember the name of it and google is failing me.


My collection of short stories is doing decent. Have made 100 bucks so far! I'm having a tough time motivating myself to write when I come home from work, so I'm thinking that I might try writing in the morning before work.

A Fire Upon the Deep.


On a personal note I'm up to a whopping 4 pages a night!

Congrats everyone else on your accomplishments!

e: for content A Fire Upon the Deep is part of a trilogy I think? Just google Vernor Vinge. I can see my copy from here is how I know

syscall girl fucked around with this message at 00:50 on May 8, 2015

syscall girl
Nov 7, 2009

by FactsAreUseless
Fun Shoe

angel opportunity posted:

my new erotica writing schedule is to just stay up really late until I finish my words

Same, but not erotica.

syscall girl
Nov 7, 2009

by FactsAreUseless
Fun Shoe

EngineerSean posted:

I really hate the fact that my boss only allows me to write the sex scene, but one day I'll work my way up to cliffhangers or maybe even management.

You're braver than me. I can write everything up to the sex scene so they put me in continuity.

In, out, in, the champagne flute is stage left.

Stage left!

syscall girl
Nov 7, 2009

by FactsAreUseless
Fun Shoe
Headboard is all sticky.

Drawers on the kitchen ceiling fan. Who has a ceiling fan in their billionaire bedroom?

ffs

syscall girl
Nov 7, 2009

by FactsAreUseless
Fun Shoe

Pinky Artichoke posted:

There's a book/series that always seems to be in the top 10-20 of the fantasy list (sigh) that has something to do with werebear(s) ordering up a mail-order bride. I could not write this book, because 2/3 of it would end up being the very confused conversation where the poor girl, probably in recently-learned English, is informed that there are such things as werebears.

Goldilocks?

I understand Anne Rice sold a few books by BDSMing the hell out of Sleeping Beauty and I'll bet there is potential money in taking the watered down/disnefied fairy tales and putting the original insanely creepy sex stuff back in.

e: Err sorry for the ribald forbidden topic discussion

syscall girl
Nov 7, 2009

by FactsAreUseless
Fun Shoe

Pinky Artichoke posted:

Ain't nobody paying for punctuation.

I alternate Oxford commas between character POVs, what of it?

syscall girl
Nov 7, 2009

by FactsAreUseless
Fun Shoe

a shameful boehner posted:

I've been thinking about doing some satirical, fictional work involving the current Republican presidential candidates and incorporating the genre that shall not be named.

What kind of libel or liability concern would an author have describing a fictional tryst between, say, Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio? Any?

Change the names and switch out the actual sordid details for fictional sordidness. Also use Michael Trychton as a pen name.

syscall girl
Nov 7, 2009

by FactsAreUseless
Fun Shoe

ravenkult posted:

With a book trailer you're asking people to watch an ad. Nobody is doing that.

I really liked Zack Parson's Liminal States trailers.

But that was probably him social networking with some goony goons to get them film school creds

syscall girl
Nov 7, 2009

by FactsAreUseless
Fun Shoe
https://vimeo.com/40797554

syscall girl
Nov 7, 2009

by FactsAreUseless
Fun Shoe

ravenkult posted:

It's backwards marketing though. You're getting your fans to watch your video, which would be fine if you were trying to sell them videos, but you're not, you're selling them books. Spend your time selling them the book.

It sold me

And what about those ads on TV and radio for best selling authors?

Not advocating it but someone thought it was a good idea.

syscall girl
Nov 7, 2009

by FactsAreUseless
Fun Shoe

Bobby Deluxe posted:

"Can I just check if you have a book in stock?"

"Certainly sir, what was the author's name?"

"Chuck Tingle. C H U C -"

"Get out."

syscall girl
Nov 7, 2009

by FactsAreUseless
Fun Shoe

EngineerSean posted:

ALSO if you ever start any business in any industry by looking at the guy at the very top without also looking at the thousands of broken dreams along the way, you deserve the failure you get.

I have a friend who's been published in dead trees back in the day

She's been trying to finish her new post apocalyptic cash in like it's gonna be her million seller

The actual apocalypse is gonna be here before she finishes at this rate and if she does finish it it's not going to make what she thinks it will

Alas

syscall girl
Nov 7, 2009

by FactsAreUseless
Fun Shoe

Magnanimous Lurch posted:



This.
Got more than a few friends who think like this - one has a plan for a new Game of Thrones/Pratchett crossover and another planning out an epic sci-fi saga for years etc.

I figured, I'd fail rather early and often and learn from that rather than sitting in a room for years with no result.

drat

GoT and Discworld

We get a good cop with a dragon lady wife walking the streets of Westeros and not dying of stupidity

syscall girl
Nov 7, 2009

by FactsAreUseless
Fun Shoe

Chokes McGee posted:

What did I do :(

I can't say but something about that elongated torso sends me to the uncanny valley.

syscall girl
Nov 7, 2009

by FactsAreUseless
Fun Shoe

Chokes McGee posted:

In my defense I was going for something more expressionistic than realistic? If I whiffed I'll go back to the drawing board.

I'm not trying to offend but as others have said your cover is actually your best shot at getting purchases, neh? You're gonna get people spending about 0.5 seconds looking at it.

If it looks too goofy

Someone back me up here.




And never judge a book by its cover, I know.

syscall girl
Nov 7, 2009

by FactsAreUseless
Fun Shoe

Chokes McGee posted:

Nope, no worries! "It's bad" is perfectly okay, that's why I'm here. :) Just trying to pinpoint where my fuckups were so I don't do it again.


e: How's this for a base image instead? (Some of these are probably gonna be real turds since it's my first attempt, please bear with me)




You might be right that the surreal aspects of the image reflect the content and will attract customers, I really don't know.

:ninja: that looks kind of cool

syscall girl
Nov 7, 2009

by FactsAreUseless
Fun Shoe

The Fuzzy Hulk posted:




Eyes are the windows to the soul, and you can't see the subjects on the cover. A lot of covers feature eyes, without them your protagonist seems alien and unrelatable.


Man, I was just thinking of Molly Millions

How she had her Oakleys implanted into her face so no one could ever ever ever see her soul again

When she was saving that kid, and the kid asked 'how do you cry through those?'

'I had my tear ducts rerouted into my salivary glands so I spit instead'

syscall girl
Nov 7, 2009

by FactsAreUseless
Fun Shoe

Chokes McGee posted:

I've got it

Neil Gaiman

I think this one could work you guys

A g-g-g-gay man?

Go with something more classical like Mercury.

Neil Mercury.

syscall girl
Nov 7, 2009

by FactsAreUseless
Fun Shoe

Bobby Deluxe posted:

Kneel Gayman

Is urban fantasy erotica a thing? It must be. Mustn't it?

Look into your heart

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syscall girl
Nov 7, 2009

by FactsAreUseless
Fun Shoe

LionArcher posted:

On writing program chat, remember that JK Rowling wrote her first two harry potter novels by hand and then typed them up on a type writer. Point being, we can all get very into our tech, but it really doesn't matter that much.

That being said... Scrivener all the way. The IOS app is also rock solid. If you time it right with NW, you can get the main computer program and the app for $45 bucks. Once bought, that's it. syncs between the main computer program and IOS with dropbox like a charm. And yes, if you're using a windows computer, it still works with IOS syncing.

When Stephen King's Wang became a valuable collector's item he was wealthy enough to be able to auction it for charity.

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