Writerly Linkee-poo

Jim Hines is starting up his holiday book drive to benefit a local domestic violence shelter. I full endorse this. Our local shelter is our main charity. Over the years we've given clothes (new as well as used), bedding, toys, household products, an Xmas tree, paper and office products, and money. If you have new books to give (this year Jim is cutting the used book portion, as he explains that the shelter's bookcases are bursting) I highly recommend this.

A Making Light post with a letter from the RWA (Romance Writers of America) concerning Harlequin's new business venture into vanity/subsidy press work with ASI Solutions. As Jim Macdonald says, "They really do take their role as author advocates seriously over there." Let me reiterate that RWA is an excellent organization. They don't do everything right, but they do the vast majority of things right. Back when we were all discussing SFWAs problems, RWA was the organization plenty of people pointed to as to how to structure and run a Genre Authors Advocacy Organization. RWA are good people. They care about what they're doing and, my God, do they give support and encouragement to new writers (I'm one).

SC Butler is musing about the future of brick and mortar bookstores. The more I learn about this business the more I learn just how screwed up the distribution model has become. Instead of "we sell you what you want" it's been turned around to "buy this crap everybody else is buying." What would be very good for bookstores is to have a new player in the distribution and big box store (who gets "local tastes" and understands cooperative cross marketing, ie. your sales don't have to be just in your store). Unfortunately the barrier to entry is exceedingly high, so I doubt that will happen, or than Ingram, B&N, and the other one (I forget what it's called) dump their idiotic MBA approved business plan and get back to the business of actually selling books. Because, yeah, if I need to order the damn book, I'm going to Amazon (they typically have a lower price, and their shipping policy is better).

The incomparable Justine Larbalestier and her equally incomparable married significant other Scott Westerfeld continue with the NaNoWriMo tips (which, BTW, aren't just for NaNoWriMo). I admit I've fallen behind in keeping up with them, but the ones I have read are good stuff (even if the advice doesn't work for me individually). Again, the generic "try it, if it works, keep it, if not, dump it" applies. And what works (or doesn't) for me might not work (or be fabulous) for you.

Now back to fixing Chapter 32 and maybe getting on to 33.