For all of you that are aspiring (or established) writers, I sincerely hope that your writing goals are met this year. Personally, I’m quite behind in mine. But this newly-minted year has brought me fresh perspectives and my goals will finally be realized.

At the top of my list, my long-awaited novel The Orphans of the Creek is sure to be released soon.

Also, I am preparing a short story collection. My working title is Tiny Tales from Scanlon Creek, all set in the long-suffering community that has served as the backdrop for nearly all of my sordid stories.

Both will be available in eBook format at first with hard copies to follow.

For all my wonderfully loyal readers (and readers-to-be), I certainly thank you for your patience. As you might know I had been caring for an elderly relative for well over a year, putting me behind in my writing and other activities but as I always say, family comes first. Now that I have been discharged of that responsibility, you’ll be getting more me of than you might be able to handle.

So to thank you for your support I’ll soon be providing all my blog subscribers with a free teaser short story download from the upcoming eBook collection. Watch this space for more details soon!

See lots more of you in 2012!

If you’re a writer, write. And if you’re a reader, keep reading. We need you!

Richard Todd is an author, blogger, and Social Media guy. Plus a few other things that get lost in the clutter. Visit him online at www.richard-todd.com.

No more hauling twelve paperbacks in your suitcase. No more waiting in line at your local bookstore. Your book is delivered to your device in a fraction of the time and at a fraction of the price of buying books the traditional way. Even borrowing from the library will be easier one day. No book would ever be out on loan and unavailable!

I personally believe that the print book is doomed. Today its folksy advocates wring their hands and fight for tradition but in a generation adults will get their reading material exclusively online. Their kids will look at print books like kids today look at typewriters.

The margins for publishers are too good to resist. How can you compare the cost of creating a file and running an eStore to the cost of printing, binding, wrapping, and shipping?

And then there are the authors. Sure, the per book royalty rate is much less on an eBook but with eBooks selling at such low prices they might make up the difference in volume. They can even forget the publishers all together and run their own eStores!

One of the biggest pro-eBook arguments involve the environment. Millions of trees would be spared. And that is a great thing.

But I would also suggest that the emissions that result from the manufacturing of these devices wipe out acres of trees at a time. And that’s something to worry about. Perhaps the next generation of eReaders should come with an oxygen mask.

The eReaders have my support entirely, except for the potential increase to environmental damage.

If you’re a writer, write. And if you’re a reader, keep reading. We need you!

Richard Todd is an author, blogger, and Social Media guy. Plus a few other things that get lost in the clutter. Visit him online at www.richard-todd.com.

This blog is primarily about writing and publishing. Not that I’m another Hemingway offering valuable writing advice or some Doubleday executive with the secret to publishing success. I’m simply an author who hopes to convey insightful, practical advice to help guide you to your publishing goals.

I’ve been there. And I love mentoring people, like I do with my Raincloud Reading Series. I can’t say I’ve influenced any J.K. Rowlings…yet. But you never know; the next Rowlings could be you.

This also is also for my readers that enjoy a glimpse into the world of publishing. And if they read these pages and get inspired to pick up a pen, I’d be delighted to no end. Then they can really benefit from this blog!

If you’re one of the thousands of writers who are struggling to land a publishing deal, have a look at my Adventures in Self-Publishing blog series. Or if you are already published and want a little free exposure, check out my Introducing series for new authors. Contact me if you’d like to be featured too. Like I said, I’m here to help.

You’ll also get glimpses into the  personal challenges that I’ve faced while trying to balance life while keeping up with writing (not always successfully). Maybe you’ll see something you can relate to.

Thanks again for subscribing. I’ll work hard to keep your attention. And have a great Holiday season. There’s lots to look forward to in 2012!

If you’re a writer, write. And if you’re a reader, keep reading. We need you!

Richard Todd is an author, blogger, and Social Media guy. Plus a few other things that get lost in the clutter. Visit him online at www.richard-todd.com.

I’ve often thought I’d enjoy writing for a living. I had brief stint writing for Soulshine Magazine and some special features for newspapers. But if I learned anything from these experiences it’s that I don’t want to write for a living. Or at least for someone else five days or more per week.

In other words, I only want to write when I have something to say. This blog, which I try to update at least once a week, is a perfect example of this philosophy.

I believe that if you believe in what you write, you will touch your readers. It sounds like a no-brainer but there have been times win I sat down to blog but couldn’t think of anything interesting to say. So instead of forcing something out, I walked away. The fact that it was forced would surely show in the writing. And I like to think that my readers would pick up on that.

So, fellow blogger, be careful not to bore your reader with material you wrote just for the sake of doing so. You might force yourself to write it but nothing is forcing anyone to read it.

If you’re a writer, write. And if you’re a reader, keep reading. We need you!

Richard Todd is an author, blogger, and Social Media guy. Plus a few other things that get lost in the clutter. Visit him online at www.richard-todd.com.

Great line. And all too true.

Artists have always lived on the fringe of society. Some are shunned due to their poverty. Others keep odd hours that revolve around their productive moments. Still others are what society might term as insane. But for this article we’ll stick with the financial angle.

In the middle ages lucky artists were revered by both royalty and the upper-class populace. Their paintings, writings, and music immortalized them. DaVinci, Byron, Mozart…all names still familiar today.

Yet I can’t help but wonder how many artists existed back then that died penniless and now forgotten.

Times haven’t changed much, except that big business is now the middleman between the artist and their audience. Try living off of book royalties unless you’ve built a huge audience like Frank Patterson or developed a monster franchise like J.K. Rowling. Walk into your local bookstore. Thousands of authors are represented. How many do you think live off of book royalties alone?

The biggest wake-up call for me was during a book signing in a Chapters store. One of the store employees showed me the shelf containing her eight novels. And she was signed to a good-sized publisher too.

At least she’s working in an environment she loves and can pitch her books directly to the customer. How many of us can say that?

So for all you writers out there, don’t quit your day job. At least until you sign your first movie deal.

On a side note: I’d like to thank everyone for their support during this recent time of sorrow. Your kind words were definitely appreciated.

If you’re a writer, write. And if you’re a reader, keep reading. We need you!

Richard Todd is an author, blogger, and Social Media guy. Plus a few other things that get lost in the clutter. Visit him online at www.richard-todd.com.

Nice picture. But what does it mean? And what does it have to do with the story?

It’s a no-brainer that any novel needs to have an eye-catching cover, something that screams “Pick me up!” from amongst the myriad of books on the retail shelf (even though I think more books are displayed spine-out than front-face, but that’s beside the point).

My novel’s cover has received mostly positive reviews. Almost everyone loves the photograph. But one discerning “first five pages” critic found it bleak and uninspiring. The tie-in to the story wasn’t immediate obvious to them and was certainly well beyond the fifth page.

When it comes to covers I like the more subtle approach. Had I chosen to include more generalized story elements, the cover would have been a mix of images including a crow, an ancient First Nations Chief, a dead body in the snow, a detective and a policewoman, and…well, you get the point.

It would have had all the full-colour glory of a Harlequin romance novel, with a half-naked man holding a scantily clad woman, behind them a pirate ship and a setting sun. In other words, cheese!

So for The Orphans of the Creek, my next release, I’m going to go from using an actual photograph to self-designed artwork. The design will be simple but subtly chilling, the focal point underscored with a little bit of blood.

I mean, it’s a psychological thriller. It has to have at least some blood, doesn’t it?

 If you’re a writer, write. And if you’re a reader, keep reading. We need you!

Richard Todd is an author, blogger, and Social Media guy. Plus a few other things that get lost in the clutter. Visit him online at www.richard-todd.com.

But I also know a number of converts who once swore they’d never read an eBook, only to become a devotee.

So where does that leave us as self-published writers? Do we struggle to lay out the funds for a hard-cover book or simply upload our work into online publishing services like Smashwords, where our only expense is incurred when there’s a sale?

I don’t over-romanticize hard copy books. You don’t need coke-bottle glasses to see the writing on the wall for this hallowed medium. One day, and soon, eBooks will have the lion’s share of the market.

Why not embrace this fact and sell your work electronically? A good social media strategy can make your book stand out from the thousands upon thousands of other titles out there. The price point is attractive to readers as well. What’s $2.99 for a book?

Can’t sign an eBook? Maybe you can digitally sign a limited number of copies. Feel silly at a book event without a hard copy book? Sell coupons for downloads. There are lots of things you can do.

Who knows? You might just sell enough books to attract the attention of a traditional publisher (if that’s your goal). It’s happened before. But be warned: it’s much more the exception than the rule.

If you’re a writer, write. And if you’re a reader, keep reading. We need you!

Richard Todd is an author, blogger, and Social Media guy. Plus a few other things that get lost in the clutter. Visit him online at www.richard-todd.com.

Libraries are among a writer’s best friends. Not just because of the potential to see one’s work on its hallowed shelves, but they also provide a warm, quiet atmosphere in which to write.

It’s a sad fact some of these venerable institutions are facing cutbacks and possible closures due to budget constraints. So, in an effort to raise funds to keep our libraries healthy and strong, I would like to propose they open a coffee bar within each location.

Just think: the ultimate marriage between libraries and the writer’s other best friend: coffee. More people in general would use the libraries and the added revenue would keep the system going.

Writers writing longer, the system getting stronger. The occupation might never end.

If you’re a writer, write. And if you’re a reader, keep reading. We need you!

Richard Todd is an author, blogger, and Social Media guy. Plus a few other things that get lost in the clutter. Visit him online at www.richard-todd.com.

Well, anyone who knows me or has followed this blog for a while knows the story. I self-published, worked hard to promote my book through Social Media and book events.  I sold a lot of books and could call the entire venture a success.

But I felt the exercise was lacking one thing: the support of a traditional publisher. Only then would it really felt like I had “made it”. And when I had a short story published by one such (albeit small) publisher, I felt I was on my way with my next novel, The Orphans of the Creek.

Yet I still give pause. Why?

I kind of enjoyed being my own boss. Calling the shots to everything from content to the book cover. And I’m on my own schedule to promote my work without someone breathing down my neck asking about 2nd quarter projections.

 Not surprisingly, the biggest detractors to self-publishing are the traditional publishers themselves.The simple reason is that they don’t like the competition. They want readers to buy their books, not those from the self-published author.

In short, to them it’s not about the love of the printed word. It’s about the dollars.

I find readers don’t care whether a book is self-published or not. They just want a good read at a fair price. With self-publishing eBooks sites like Smashwords, uploading, publishing, and selling  your work is a snap. 

So what if I don’t have a relationship with a big-time publishing house at this point? Right now, strengthening the relationship with my readers is the most important thing anyway. And with each technological advance, that’s getting easier and easier to do all the time.

RST

“If you’re a writer, write. And if you’re a reader, keep reading. We need you!”

Richard Todd is an author, blogger, and Social Media guy. Plus a few other things that get lost in the clutter. Visit him online at www.richard-todd.com.

The other day, while scanning the feed for something interesting, I came upon an item I hoped would amuse me. Little did I know that it would have the opposite effect.

It was a picture of a boy sitting on the lap of a garishly made-up clown. The boy was crying hysterically; the clown was smiling. The poster called for captions. Expecting untold degrees of hilarity, I clicked the link to view the replies.

None were very funny, but one representing some literary journal leapt out of the page. It went something like: “Another ‘indie’ author trying to sell a book on Twitter”. A few people clicked the ‘Like’ button. If there was a “Dislike” button, I would have been all over it.

I don’t know what makes some traditionally-published authors look down upon independent authors. Is it literary snobbery? A feeling of accomplished superiority? Weren’t they struggling writers once as well, or were they offered publishing contracts at birth?

I’m writing this post not just because some goofball took a shot at indie authors. I’m writing it because I’ve seen it before, not only online but also in person. And as a proud self-published author, whose work has received praise from many readers and critics, I think it’s unfair to forget that we were all in the starting position at one time. It’s just that now more writers are empowered to showcase their work.

That doesn’t mean they’re less talented. They just haven’t gotten lucky. Yet.

For successful people to forget their roots is folly. And it’s a mistake I intend to avoid. I don’t want to be “that guy”, because “that guy” is ugly. And a jerk.

If you’re a writer, write. And if you’re a reader, keep reading. We need you!

Richard Todd is an author, blogger, and Social Media guy. Plus a few other things that get lost in the clutter. Visit him online at www.richard-todd.com.