One Plague in the Small Pub Industry VS. So Many Cures

Mandy DeGeit's publishing horror story has begun to go viral.  Her blog detailing the unprofessional behavior of Undead Press editor Anthony Giangregorio has been liked, tweeted, and linked all over.  Other authors and industry professionals are writing their own pieces on Ms. DeGeit's experience, and it has even reached the point that heavyweights like Brian Keene and Neil Gaiman have chimed in.

You can read the original post here... http://mandydegeit.wordpress.com/2012/05/14/when-publishing-goes-wrong-starring-undead-press

Don't get me wrong - I agree that Mr. Giangregorio represents the absolute worst that the indie press has the offer.  However, I hardly feel he is a proper example for the whole.  The deplorable actions of one man should not define an entire group.

I was troubled by the post written by Kelli Owen found here... http://kellidunlap.com/?p=3345

It seems to indicate by the very virtue of possibly being POD (Print On Demand), that any legitamacy this individual or group has is instantly rendered invalid.  She does not specifically state that Small Press or Indie Press is inherently "bad," but that is the feeling you are left with.  I should also point out, this is not to say that Small Press all use POD as a means to create physical books.  That is definitely not the case, especially as ebooks begin to take up a vast majority sales share.  However, the derision I often see focused on POD books is quite similar to what I've noticed others in the industry recently give to those authors who have chosen Amazon's KDP modle for e-books.

The industry is changing rapidly.  It's different than it was six months ago, and it will be different six months from now.  In this evolving time, there will be those like Mr. Giangregorio who will seek to take advantage of young authors.  There will be young authors who blunder through their first few years, making mistakes and trying out the new technology.  There will be bitter veterans who cling to tradition out of fear of becoming irrelevant.  There will be new literary heroes and leaders for the 21st century, those opposite of Mr. Giangregorio who still represent the evolution of the industry.

And... we'll still have awesome, respectable Small and Indie Press outfits.  If you take anything away from this post, please let it be the knowledge that many wonderful, talented authors are producing amazing works for companies you may have never heard of.  If Anthony Giangregorio and his Undead Press represents a plague in the Small Press, all these creative individuals are obviously the cure.

http://www.permutedpress.com/

http://darkcontinents.com/

http://www.darkregions.com/

http://www.uninvitedbooks.com/

http://www.badmoonbooks.com/

http://cuttingblock.net/

http://www.abaddonbooks.com/

http://spectralpress.wordpress.com/

http://www.darkfuse.com/delirium-books

http://chizinepub.com/

http://www.creepinghemlock.com/

http://grindhousepress.com/

http://www.rawdogscreaming.com/

http://deaditepress.com/

http://www.subterraneanpress.com/

http://eraserheadpress.com/

http://www.nightshadebooks.com/

http://www.darkredpress.com/

My Murder

I feel a certain kinship with darker things.  I don't know, I suppose I feel as if there is more validity in it than in any pretty social niceties.  Darkness is the natural state of things, much like chaos, a default that can only be partially limited by the occurances of light and order.  The latter two are imposed, the former simply our primordial origins.  But we so do like to delude ourselves that we have some iota of control.  The beautiful absurdity of the universe can come visiting whenever it chooses.

Tonight, I opened my front door at 6:15pm, preparing to walk a few blocks to a planned destination.  As I put on my coat, I heard what I thought was rainfall, perhaps even hail.  It wasn't.  Although I had grabbed my umbrella there by the door, I walked out onto my porch to discover the sound I had heard was the beating of wings - hundreds of them.  Across the street, in the two mammoth trees, swarms of darkness fluttered, then black waves rolling up through the sky.  It was a "Murder" of Crows, the term given to a flock of this type, but more gathered than I had ever seen in one place.  Ink spills shifting before the stars, so many of them that I had honestly mistaken their sound for that of a storm.  A murder of crows?  I looked above and saw a killing spree's worth.

Perhaps others would have felt dread, or at least anxiety.  While I was initially astonished, the sensations were more likened to... awe.  Inspiration and even joy.

The crows, they did not follow me.  I think I would have liked that.  I reached my destination and frantically asked others assembled if they had seen such feathered hordes.  No one had, and most looked at me a bit incredulously (as per usual). However, when I returned no more than a hour later with my father, he too saw the Xenocide Of Black Aves, heard their mockery of rain.  And even a man as well-educated and traveled as my father was struck by experience.  At least someone besides myself witnessed this brutal mass-Murder.

Minutes ago, I stepped outside once more... just to see, just to know.  Less, but still easily one hundred crows sat silently in the treetops.  I clapped only a single time, loud and echoing at 2:30am early on a Monday morning.  It sounded like a bag of nails being scattered across a tiled floor, I could almost feel the wind from their wings and weight of them released.  Midnight ribbons slashing through the air, only for a moment, then settling back to their perches.  Just birds, nature in motion, but we all know how particular events can cause more wild reactions in the prinitive portions of our gestalt consciousness.  Reason can be shredded against the might of the deeper human psyche, and many would have found this incident disturbing in some manner.

But I didn't.

I smiled.  I smiled and I hope they will remain my neighbors for a while...

Still Littering Das Intarwebz...

Google+.  Kinda stupid so far.  Oh, well.  Along with a handful of friends, I sent a bunch of invites to other authors and book reviewers.  It would be nice to see that pressence there.  Same with Tumblr.  The RSS Feed from my dot.com should be reaching my old account now.  Tumblr's a weird site... lots of niche porn and stupid kids.  Fortunately not together. 

I hammered out a cover for John J. Smith's next book, Deadly Affairs, this past weekend.  I'm still not happy with the font-work, but I'm waiting to hear back from him.  I've received my PDF proof for the anthology I'm going to appear in this fall, Playing With Fire, edited by Coral Russel.  Pretty excited about that.  I'm still trying to find time to finish the last two short stories that will appear with a third in the DarkRedPress Edition re-release of my novel In Bleed Country.  Strangely, I'm finding it hard to find the voice for a psychic cannibal. 

On a positive, I snagged a bunch of new music this past weekend as well.  Along with the new Taking Back Sunday and the SuckerPunch SNDTRK, I grabbed a huge amount from my girlfriend's external.  Since her taste is as eclectic and bizarre as mine, I was pretty thrilled to discover Pigeonhead and Volbeat in there.  Reason #72 why I'm dating her, I guess.

Oh, and my e-novella Far House, Deep House is still available for FREE the rest of the month of July over at Smashwords.  Some kinda special promotional thingy.  I dunno.  It's the most depraved tale I ever wrote.  You should totally go get it.  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/45936

SCOTT NICHOLSON talks at Strong Scenes

Scott Nicholson, one of the best-known (and most beloved) indie horror authors gives some insight to writing and the industry over at the website Strong Scenes.  Check out his wise musings on a career in the digital age and some advice he has for writers trying to break into the game.

http://www.strongscenecontest.com/2011/06/guest-post-from-author-scott-nicholson.html?spref=fb

Latest Book Reviews for 3 Amazing Authors

Check out what Daniel Pool has to say about Court Ellyn's incredible Mists Of Blackfen Bog...

http://www.examiner.com/pop-culture-in-oklahoma-city/mists-of-blackfen-won-t-bog-you-down-review

C.L. Stegall receives due praise from L.E. Olteano for his book, The Weight Of Night...

http://leolteano.hostei.com/blog/wordpress/reviews/the-weight-of-night-c-l-stegall/

Night Owl Reviews covers Rick R. Reed's latest novel, Homecoming...

http://www.nightowlreviews.com/nor/Reviews/Lilyraines-reviews-Homecoming-by-Rick-R-Reed.aspx

6 Excellent Author Blogs

John Claude Smith

http://thewildernesswithinbyjohnclaudesmith.blogspot.com/

Sarana DeWylde

http://www.sarannadewylde.com/

C.L. Stegall

http://www.clstegall.com/

Sarah E. Adkins

http://sadkins.wordpress.com/

Court Ellyn

http://cortllynn.blogspot.com/

Rick R. Reed

http://www.rickrreed.com/

Wendig's "25 Things Every Writer Should Know"

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1TQAs4/terribleminds.com/ramble/2011/04/26/25-things-every-writer-should-know/

Everything about this is simply brilliant.  And hysterical.  And true. 

I don't care if you've released dozens of books with a corporate publishing company, or you're struggling to compose short stories for a small online writers' forum... there's something in here, some bit of advice, that will resonate with you.  Read this.  NOW.  And let's all be better writers.

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1TQAs4/terribleminds.com/ramble/2011/04/26/25-things-every-writer-should-know/

Properly Apocalyptic...

What's all this rapture nonsense?  No, no... see, first Cthulhu will awaken from his hangover in sunken R'lyeh and start screwin' with our heads.  Then, as Dagon sends his stupid fish-cult after people, Hastur will wave his yellow sigil (gang sign) around and release really disgusting STD's.  Mr. Yig and Ghatanothoa will eat lots of folks, and Ithaqua will eat a ton of folks.  Basically all the Great Old Ones will have a big, bloody playdate.  But then Nyarlathotep will stroll up with Keziah Mason on his arm like a pimp, giving the thumbs up to The Outer Gods.  Yog-Sothoth will go all gate-like, and his sister Shub-Niggurath will pop through and give birth to a thousand screaming young.  While totally un-good, it gets way worse.  As Earth is battered in a celestial orgy of insane violence, the blind idiot god Azathoth will perk up,  put down his lame Pipes of Chaos and go, "Oh, that seems nifty!" Our reality is enveloped in pure suck, and Ubbo-Sathla gets pissed 'cause no one told him it was time to rebirth the universe. 

See, this is why Lovecraft is way cool...

Darkseid Is.

Believe In This... again.

I'm slowly coming to the conclusion that I hate most conservatives and liberals.  I'm going to have to start marking that box listed as "other," and then writing in Transcendental Existentialist - which in itself is an oxymoron.  To (once again) explain where I'm coming from, you can attempt to wrap your head around the statements below...

I believe in everything, I will give it all the benefit of doubt.

I believe the only constant in this reality is change.

I believe the universe is little more than chaos, and we should find the beauty in that.

I believe all that truly matters for our children is a better tomorrow at any cost.

I believe morality is only a matter of personal taste based upon limited criteria.

I believe I am a grain of sand on an infinite beach and that gives me comfort.

I believe too many humans fear death, instead of embracing the last grand adventure.

I believe in fluid variables and not in absolute concepts.

I believe arrogance & ignorance is too often mistaken for wisdom & experience.

I believe humanity has the spark of divinity within itself, and that is enough.

I believe the lowest common denominator should not be catered to.

I believe race, gender & sexual orientation are not chosen and therefore not a concern.

I believe that faith leads to dogma and that dogma leads to zealotry.

I believe the legacy we leave is more important than what we have today.

I believe the majority opinion is irrelevant as the majority represents the average.

I believe those who have suffered are stronger than the pampered.

I believe conservative thought is nothing but a gilded lie.

I believe liberal thought leads us down a ridiculous path.

I believe the “Old Ways” must always die to make room for the new.

I believe in unity and globalization, but not controlled by banks and corporations.

I believe humans are the sum of many variables & should not define themselves by one.

I believe the universe we reside in is malleable and not immutable.

I believe in the true freedom of choice and not choosing anything is still a choice.

I believe nothing should be taboo and nothing should be sacred.

I believe the human capacity to imagine is greater than science and religion combined.

I believe the concept of “Rights” to be man-made and quite presumptuous.

I do not believe in belief, I believe in theories.  Theories can evolve and change.