With notated critique/edits that I walked through with Eric Myers.
0 Comments / Tags: fiction, writing, washerwoman, draft, in-progress, editsI’ve used Bookmasters twice for self-publishing art-storybooks (Eleventy Billion Miles Away, and God’s Acre) and have been happy. I’m surprised at how big they’re getting now though since it seemed like some small midwestern operation.
The following was from an email blast of theirs. Nice set of services.
0 Comments / Tags: publishing, distribution, article / TrackbackBookMasters/AtlasBooks offers its publishing partners the finest digital conversion and distribution services. Utilizing XML-first workflow production/composition methods or post-production conversions to XML, we offer our publishing partners the opportunity to repurpose their existing content for future updates, Web use, or to utilize the many eBook and digital content aggregators that are available in the industry today. Whether it be converting back-list titles or the production of new front-list titles, BookMasters’ digital services can provide the conversion process that will meet the present and future needs of publishers.
If the publisher is interested in generating additional revenue from their titles by selling through the fast-emerging eBook channels, BookMasters can provide the infrastructure support to take your books from print version to multiple eBook formats as well as manage the distribution and fulfillment to such eBook players as:
- Amazon Kindle
- Sony Reader
- ebrary
- NetLibrary
- eBook Library
- Myilibrary
- And all other aggregators
Because each eBook aggregator has their own specific requirements and specifications, BookMasters will provide the bibliographic metadata to accompany each eBook file.
BookMasters will also provide the distribution support to see that the eBook files are made available, uploaded properly, and ready for sale.
BookMasters Digital Conversion and Fulfillment services will enable our publishing partners the opportunity to:
- Control their digital content
- Maximize revenue yet minimize the effort in selling digital content
- Create and accommodate online content demands
- Fulfill to the trade and library channels through a convenient yet professional approach
Marisa Egerstrom’s edits and comments.
0 Comments / Tags: fiction, writing, draft, edits, devils, in-progress
Cerrito Speakeasy artist-of-the-month, August ’08
The Cerrito Speakeasy contacted me about 8 months ago to be their August Artist-of-the-Month, based on the God’s Acre artwork (which features 3 artists and a musician). Twas a challenging hang, but with a few bits of fishing line and some big fat nuts to hang at the end, it came out pretty damn cool.
1 Comment / Tags: event, omnibucket, god's acre, ravens and the rhyme, render, art, news / TrackbackSuggested by Rosie Atkins as a good place for one-off classes. I’ll be looking these over and trying one out very shortly.
0 Comments / Tags: classes, on writing, education / Trackback
A PDF of "20 tips every non-profit should know" from Quickbooks (you know, the accounting software). As this is the area I’m least familiar with, but most interested, this one seems the most valuable. Part 3 of 3.
0 Comments / Tags: article, tips, business, accounting, non-profit
A PDF of "20 tips every contractor should know" from Quickbooks (you know, the accounting software). Applicable to contractors of all types, even though it’s bent towards home-construction contractors and the like. Part 2 of 3.
0 Comments / Tags: article, tips, business, accounting
A PDF of "20 tips every business should know" from Quickbooks (you know, the accounting software). All good stuff. Obviously some is more common sense than others, but it’s all good stuff. Part 1 of 3.
0 Comments / Tags: article, tips, business, accounting
The Creative Group (TCG) is a job placement agency (which has helped me obtain my last two interactive jobs) which publishes the occasional newsletter on industry trends. I haven’t read this one yet, but they’re usually well-informed.
0 Comments / Tags: article, interactive, web trends
Bookmasters has a monthly newsletter that I find pretty useful for tips on working within the publishing world. The article on digital distribution in this Publishing Trends PDF is interesting. Things to keep tabs on for sure.
0 Comments / Tags: article, publishing
This has been on my shelf for a while, and though I’ve read a few other collections by Calvino (some comprising my favorites), I have never apparently read these. I admittedly couldn’t get into the first story, but the second two are great:
Smog: A man settling into a city with a sense of unsettlement, preoccupied by dirt, comparing people and observing their equilibrium with themselves and the hypocrisies they support. He observes. He finds an apartment, gets a job, has an affair, makes acquaintances, and eats meals. He finds the place things become clean for the city.
Highlight quote: “Would the saints change their lives, if they knew heaven didn’t exist?”
Argentine Ant: Similar to smog in settling into a new place by finding an equilibrium…well, not an equilibrium, but a counterbalance of hope among the paranoid factors. The factors in this story were much more real and external though: watching neighbors deal with the ants in different ways. Through them you get a sense of these people’s society. A common trope used here to perfection.
0 Comments / Tags: reading / Trackback
Downloaded, edited, and re-uploaded using the OLPC little green laptop! An experiment that was marginally successful. The keys are just too damn small. But it works. I could potentially do this on the beach.
0 Comments / Tags: fiction, writing, molasses, draft, in-progressafter just lookin at it sit on my shelf on top of my "to read" books, i havefinally attempted (successfully as you can see) too connect this little green machine to our wireles network and typety-type on the interwebs. cool. but man this keyboard is hard to use! h xrist. that only took five minutes. oh well. mebbe it"ll get easier. i sure would love to take this to the beach to write.
0 Comments / Tags: technology / Trackback
0 Comments / Tags: notes, moleskin, book of ideas, scene, character, sweaters, story-starter, swapmeet, molasses / Trackback
What it sounds like: how having a routine with portioned time for creativity is actually extremely helpful, especially for those of us who simply don’t have an unencumbered day of sloth within which to work. Dammit, we’ve got those obligations to work around!
People often ask me (mostly working people or people at my day-job) how I get so much creative work done while having a full-time job and a fiancee. Routine is pretty much the answer.
0 Comments / Tags: article, on creativity / TrackbackCourtesy of my grandpa and dad:
fututi curu mati (fuck yo mother’s ass)
ce pula (what dick)
No, these aren’t here to simply revel in. They are research for my Romanian characters in the molasses story. Realism, dammit! I was secretly hoping the first one (which sounds like photo-scura-mootay, and I remember distinctly from my childhood) actually translated into something about sheep or goats, but alas.
0 Comments / Tags: inspiration, quote, molasses / TrackbackYou can call me Black Bottom Cupcake now.
My friend Jen Hewett’s new self-ascribed nickname (based on a breakfast order at Peet’s)…and now the character name for a prostitute in an upcoming story.
Edits by Kevin Lottes.
1 Comment / Tags: fiction, writing, draft, washerwoman, in-progress, edits
Edits from Kevin Lottes.
0 Comments / Tags: fiction, writing, draft, devils, in-progress, edits
It’s been a bit since I started trying to create an actual cohesive draft of this story. But now it begins. Its starting to form structure and voice and chronology. Since I really don’t know where I’m going with this, I imagine it’ll take a few weeks before it’s in a real first draft form, but I’m excited about it.
0 Comments / Tags: fiction, writing, molasses, draft, in-progress
Almost done. Just a few spots in bold that I’m wondering about in terms of necessity and/or punch in delivering what needs to be delivered. I’m going to send this to Zoetrope when it’s ready. Coppola likes war stories, right?
0 Comments / Tags: fiction, writing, washerwoman, draft, in-progress
Wonderful photo collection by Paul Fusco, featured in the New York Times, from the train carrying RFK’s coffin. The people look like little figurines placed there by someone else, too still and attentive to not be posed, but they’re not. I’m not sure what this makes me think of quite yet, but it can certainly be both dark and light.
0 Comments / Tags: inspiration, photos / Trackback
0 Comments / Tags: notes, moleskin, book of ideas, character, story-starter, molasses, scene, swapmeet, sweaters / Trackback
Just finished the first issue of my Tin House subscription (V9 #3)…and props to these guys! This is the first literary journal I’ve read whose stories were all enjoyable. That’s saying a lot. The content was generally still modern day and naturalistic, but they were all fun and they took some risks. I think some of my stories could find a home here. Maybe even Elbina. Highlights below.
Allan Gurganus’ Fetch: Clever, “distant” narration.
Alice Fulton’s A Shadow Table: Usual relationship subject, but enjoyable and with natural execution.
Ehud Havazelet’s Bill and Arlene: For Raymond Carver.
Adam Johnson’s Hurricane Anonymous: Good characters, description, a good story well told about a UPS driver post-Katrina.
Helen Schulman’s Parent’s Night: Short infidelity.
Keith Lee Morris’s Dart League King: Misanthrope. Dark tale, well done.
Marisa Perry’s Trespassing (new voice): Nice girls tale, a la Cherry by Mary Carr.
Paul Feldman’s Specialists (new voice): Futuristic, but only in the details. Otherwise, an ok story. Not much, but I like the futuristic setting, and it’s good to see that in a journal.
Good essays and interviews with Frank Bidart (poet, friend of Robert Lowell whoever the hell that is), Leonard Micheals, Elizabeth Hardwick, and MFK Fisher.
I am officially sick and tired of editing this fucking story. See what happens when you get ambitious before you learn some skills?
As I lumbered to the BART station this morning, annoyed by the order of sentences is this rearranged and rearranged piece, I decided that it just needs severe bloodletting. The plan is to start reading it from the beginning, and every time a sentence gets in the way, excise it and put it in a Notes document. Then, if I hit a spot that needs something, I should be able to find it there, but more than likely I will be left with a cohesive story and a bunch of unnecessary lines in a document that I can purge.
That’s the plan. I’ve finished 5 other stories by the time it took me to get this far with this one.
0 Comments / Tags: fiction, writing, gallows, draft, in-progress
I am a creative professional who works within a diverse set of media. This archive of my creative process contains ideas and examples of all things creative, and is intended to demystify the process for others to use.
» Scott Lambridis