Day Job News: Littlest Pet Shop Premieres in November!

While there are no curmudgeonly dragons or mischievous wizards to be found on Littlest Pet Shop, I'm pleased to report that the show I've been writing on for almost a year is going to start airing next month on The Hub TV Network. In addition to the hyper-adorable character designs, there's some smart and, imho, funny writing attached, too.

What's the show about? From the press release:

“Littlest Pet Shop” follows Blythe Baxter and her father as they move into a Big City apartment above the Littlest Pet Shop – an amazing day-camp for pets of all kinds including a doggie diva, dancing gecko and sweet, adorable panda.  Her real adventure begins when she discovers that she alone can miraculously understand and talk to all of the pets.  She joins them on fantastical adventures that include uproarious song-and-dance sequences featuring all-new original music."

Sounds fun to me! Littlest Pet Shop, or LPS as we showbiz insiders call it, is a hoot to write for and I'm hoping the viewers will get a kick out of it, too. I'll post more details as they become available. Here's the promo:

A Take (or two) on Author Rank

SF author John Scalzi has an interesting take on the new Amazon author rankings. He kicks off his post by stating:

"Amazon has started ranking authors by total sales via Amazon, updated hourly. This is certain to make a whole bunch of authors begin to freak out as they constantly refresh their Amazon author pages to see where they stand in the rankings..."

The "freak out" part is where I have a problem with Amazon's new set up. Personally, I think if a writer pays too much attention to all of this ranking business it can be counter-productive, quite literally. When a higher portion of creative energy goes into promotion and its accompanying worries over actual writing, then there's something wrong with the equation. Does that mean an author, specifically an indie or self published one, shouldn't do any promotion at all for his or her books? No, of course not. But there has to be a balance and I think some folks are more worried about, as Scalzi puts it, "gaming the system" for their current books, than the much more important challenge of writing new books.

Other than a pathetically low-key social media presence, my not too terribly complicated marketing/sales plan is to write books that readers want to read. Yup, that's the plan in its entirety. Hopefully, I'll write enough books that I can build up a decent backlist. With a decent backlist and enough readers reading my books, there's an outside chance that I'll be able to earn a living as an author (which is, no matter what you hear, the ultimate goal for any author). I don't care what my author ranking is (no I haven't looked) and I'm pretty gosh-darned sure that I never will care.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. Please let me know what you think about Amazon's new round of rank-o-mania in the comments.

Guest Post: Author Cynthia Ravinski Talks Emotobooks

I think the concept of "Emotobooks" is an interesting one. Check out Cynthia's guest post on the subject and let us know what you think about this new medium in the comments. Take it away, Cynthia!

Hi Roger, many thanks for letting me post on the Novel Project today. And I’ve got just that for you. My story, Lingering in the Woods is an Emotobook. And that is a new medium of fiction published by Grit CityPublications to be available for ereaders of all sorts.

The idea of Emotobooks as a literary form lodged in my mind and haunted me for days after I’d first heard of it. Using abstract imagery to enhance the reading experience engages multiple areas of the brain, which appeals to my vivid sense of color and shape. Louis Sullivan, an American architect, put it perfectly, “form ever follows function.” Emotobooks have a unique style and structure. They are all fast-paced, imagery-heavy short stories or serial novels containing abstract, emotionally provocative illustrations to depict what characters feel during peak moments of tension. These expressionistic elements provide both a cerebral and visual stimulation, which enhances the experience. 

Lingering in the Woods was not always an Emotobook though. I had written it and let it sit in a drawer for a couple of years by the time I heard about Emotobooks. Its fast pace and image-filled narrative seemed to me a perfect fit for this new form. Also the publisher is looking for all forms of fiction, including all the genres. So the fact that Lingering in the Woods is a fantasy also fit perfectly.

When the editors accepted it I was thrilled. I’d get to be a part of the Emotobook revolution. The first thing they did was comb through my story to find the best locations for the abstract images that are unique Emotobooks. At this point they brought on the artist that would create the imagery; see this sneak peak from inside Lingering in the Woods:

When they sent their editorial notes back I reviewed and worked with their suggestions to improve the balance of pace and intensity. When I’d returned the final copy, the editor formatted it for the different ebook retailers it would be going to. It is available at Amazon, iBooks and all major ebook retailers.

Grit City Publications is a very different type of publisher. It’s more like an indie collaborative--a little like the folks who come together for this Magic Appreciation Tour a few times a year. The publisher requires all authors who publish Emotobooks support each other through social networking. The catalogue is always growing, so the support base is as well.

Recent advances in technology brought us a good way to read the electronic book. Emotobooks have brought a new way to enjoy ebooks.

If you try an Emotobook and love it, visit the Grit City page to request an autograph card from the creators.

This post concludes my September Magic Appreciation Blog Tour. My previous stop was an interview at the Importance of the Impossible with A.E. Marling.

Cynthia Ravinski

Cynthia Ravinski writes Emotobooks, among other things. From her coastal northern setting she finagles language into stories. She’s been an athlete, a co-pilot, and a world traveler. She’s basked in the light of great poets, and has been educated to high degrees at UMaine Farmington and Seton Hill University. To say she is obsessed with drinking tea is an understatement.

Find Cynthia Ravinski at her Blog www.cynthiaravinski.com

On facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CynthiaRavinskiAuthor

And twitter @CynthiaRavinski

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Thanks, Cynthia!

Dragonfriend Signed Copies Available -- In Canada!

For all of my Ottawa, Ontario friends there will be signed copies of Dragonfriend available NEXT Saturday (9/29) at the Gaia Java Company.

Author pal Scott Bury has graciously allowed me to piggyback onto his signing for "The Bones of the Earth" (I sent some signed copies to him). His epic fantasy is quite good so I recommend picking up a copy of that, too!

Check out this link for details.

Book Review: Urchin King

Paul, the quintessential street urchin, has spent the last nine years of his life barely eking out an existence in the back alleys and public squares of the town of Wynburgh -- completely unaware of his secret heritage. All of this changes when he's roped into an elaborate scheme that has him taking the place of the sweet, yet mentally challenged heir to the throne. Placed squarely in the path of a conniving wizard and an evil necromancer, Paul has to use all of his street smarts to outwit them and save the members of the royal family he has come to love.

Author Katharina Gerlach successfully combines an easy to read writing style with some first-rate storytelling in this appealing fantasy novel for young adults. Even though the set up, at first, seems to be similar to Twain’s The Prince and the Pauper, the similarity ends once you get past the “pair of princes who ‘coincidentally’ resemble each other.” Urchin King is a completely original story that stands on its own and is a lot of fun. Recommended.

Giveaway Winner! (and other news)

A hearty congratulations to Angie Forney, winner of my Goodreads book giveaway. A signed copy of Dragonfriend will be heading Angie's way later this week!

In the meantime, work continues on Giantkiller, sequel to Dragonfriend. Even though I had to take a break to finish up a draft of a 'Littlest Pet Shop' script (animated half-hour to air on The Hub -- psst! It's going to be really funny) and generate some premises for two other shows (prayers and/or positive vibes welcome!) I'm almost at the end of the second to last chapter. Yes, I'd say I've officially entered the "light at the end of the tunnel" phase of the program. Updates to come!

Independent Authors International

I recently joined iAi, an independent author's group with the very lofty goal of making sure its member's books are suitable for publication.The group's recent press release explains it all:

Authors’ cooperative venture changes the publishing world — again

iAi to be a symbol of quality and professionalism in publishing

A group of writers, marketers and designers unaffiliated with publishers have banded together to create their own publishing model, “Independent Authors International (iAi).”

The new organization, whose members hail from across the U.S. and around the world, aims to support and legitimize the independent author movement, and bring new voices to readers throughout the world.

“Recently developed technologies like e-readers and print-on-demand make it now possible for individual writers to publish books without the resources of a large commercial publishing enterprise,” says iAi spokesperson, Scott Bury.

“The iAi co-operative will help professional authors by bringing together the skills and services that a commercial publisher offers, while leaving the authors in control of their work, at a fraction of the cost, and with a much more responsive and personal touch.”

The iAi's goal is to help its members produce quality, professional works recognized by literary agents, publishers, booksellers, and readers. The group is a democratic, cooperative organization controlled by its members.

Membership is granted by invitation of existing members. The group vets prospective members to ensure they meet the professional writing, editing, and marketing standards of the iAi.

To receive the services of the organization, members must contribute their editing, production, or marketing skills to other members.

The iAi currently has 12 authors and publishing professionals from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Israel and the Philippines. The iAi website at http://iauthorsi.org/ has information on the organization's goals and principles, a list of members, books that meet iAi criteria and links to sites where these books can be purchased.

For more information about Independent Authors International or to schedule an interview with one of its members, please contact Scott Bury by email at scott.bury@iAuthorsi.org.

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I hope this group succeeds because if there's one thing the world of independent publishing can use, it's more quality checks. Check out the iAi featured publication in the sidebar. 'Anabar's Run' is this month's book and author Will Granger wanted to be sure you knew he's donating one half of the 2012 profits to a charity called "The Relief Bus."