On Writing,  publishing

A Bunch of Stuff

You Ever Wondered What Happened To?…

For example, I started this book here on the blog about Self Sabotage. Basically it was subtitled “Fiction Writers and the Art of Self Sabotage.” I had a decent first chapter on it.

Then I wrote the second chapter and the third chapter and got about halfway through the fourth chapter, intending to put the chapters up as blog posts when I realized that Debbie Downer didn’t begin to describe what I was writing. I like being encouraging to writers because we all face the same basic fears and problems along this fiction-writing road.

But in those chapters I wasn’t being positive. Not in the slightest. So I tossed those chapters (blogs) and if I can come at the topic a different way, I will. But I got to let the “world is crap and then we die” approach fade some. (grin)

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Another fun thing. I had tried to set up a sorting system on my email but alas, it failed. But what it did do was drop a bunch of assignments for the Strengths Workshops into a file that took me a while to find. So sorry for the delay on those. Responses coming back and the email system trashed. (grin)

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I also haven’t done a new chapter on Killing the Sacred Cows of Publishing lately. The reason is similar as the book above. At Superstars I met numbers of younger writers all set to chase their dream of being published by a traditional publisher. Some were years and years into the process. Tough to rain on that parade.

So instead I just nodded sagely when someone was excitedly telling me about getting an agent’s card, or what was going to happen to their book. That is sort of why I haven’t written a new Sacred Cows chapter lately. There are some dandy Sacred Cows roaming out there now, many in the indie world, and I suppose at one point I will take a few of the Sacred Cows on with my trust sword and donkey. So stay tuned. Eventually I do get fed up with stupidity. (grin)

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Whatever happened to me talking about my writing daily here? Well, that will be coming back for a time. Many people have asked me about it, actually. I just haven’t been talking much about it, so in March or so I will bring that back.

And I have some more videos of books published in my 67 challenge and a few more videos I will post along. I am slightly behind, but that was expected at this point.

The exercise part of the 67 has not started up yet, again as planned.

And yes, there will be a ton of new issues of Smith’s Monthly Magazine coming out over the next six months. A ton.

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Questions on the Lifetime Subscriptions to the Workshops and Lectures

What happens if I die? Fair question, actually, when you are spending money for a lifetime subscription like this. And I am the face of the workshops and lectures.

But thankfully, WMG Publishing is actually behind the workshops. And we now have them on Teachable. We could not have done these Lifetime Subscriptions without all the workshops moved onto Teachable. So they will go on and survive me if something took me out. Second, WMG Publishing Inc. is a corporation that I don’t run. It will live far beyond me and the workshops will continue as well.

So at the moment over 40 workshops on the Lifetime Workshop Subscription and over thirty lectures on the Lifetime Lecture Subscription.

If you have credits for or have taken at least ten in either one, there is a discount rate. Also, these will be available going into the future.

And all new workshops will be added into them.

Get information at https://wmg-publishing-workshops-and-lectures.teachable.com

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NEW COOL STUFF ON NORTH BY NORTHWEST BOOKSTORE KICKSTARTER

First off, two new rewards. Now, instead of sending books to library or schools, you can also buy a set of books for yourself or a friend.

And also on the Kickstarter, you can support the store by buying the discounted Lifetime Lecture Subscription.

Both of those were added today.

We also added stretch goals bonus stuff as we approach our first stretch goal. Note the nifty one at $25,000. Writers, you get a chance of submitting to a closed anthology around the topic of the bookstore. Details will be announced if we hit that. And you have to have supported the Kickstarter in one fashion or another.

First Stretch Goal: $10,000

A BONUS FOR ALL SUPPORTERS IF WE HIT THIS GOAL!  

We will give everyone who has supported this campaign a 10% Permanent Shopping Passport. You can take 10% off anything in the store or that we will be selling on our website when it comes active, such as books, mugs, tee-shirts, and so on. And you can use it as many times as you would like. 

Second Stretch Goal: $15,000

A BONUS FOR ALL SUPPORTERS IF WE HIT THIS GOAL! 

We will give all supporters two issues of Pulphouse Fiction Magazine. If you already subscribe to Pulphouse, we will extend your subscription.

Third Stretch Goal: $20,000

A BONUS FOR ALL SUPPORTERS IF WE HIT THIS GOAL! 

We will replace for all supporters the 10% Permanent Shopping Passport with a 20% Permanent Shopping Passport. You can take 20% off anything in the store or that we will be selling on our website when it comes active, such as books, mugs, tee-shirts, and so on. And you can use it as many times as you would like.

Fourth Stretch Goal: $25,000

A BONUS FOR ALL SUPPORTERS IF WE HIT THIS GOAL!

We will contact every writer who has backed this Kickstarter to submit a story set around the bookstore for a professional-level anthology published by WMG Publishing and edited by Dean Wesley Smith. No guarantee your story will make it into the anthology, but it sure will be a fun project. And we pay professional rates.

In the questionnaire after this is all finished, we will ask you if you are interested in submitting a story if we hit this goal.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/403649867/north-by-northwest-bookstore

 

2 Comments

  • Gunnar

    Dean – losing Ursula Le Guin and Robert Parry is enough loss to last me at least another ten years, so please take your vitamins. North by Northwest Kickstarter looks very cool, will look it over today.

  • Kenny

    I can’t wait for your next batch of Smith’s Monthly.

    As for your Lifetime WMG subscription, I can only live in hope! I mean, one day I’ll save up enough to get them, but in the mean time I’ll just have to take what courses I can when I can.