When you know it's for real

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JigokuBosatsu
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When you know it's for real

Post by JigokuBosatsu »

So, tonight I'm getting in free to see this: http://filmusik.com/filmusik-warriors-of-the-wasteland/ to cover it for a music blog. Which is pretty awesome. I'm also going to be interviewing David J in the next week or so for the same blog. I've never really considered myself a "journalist", and never had a desire to be one, but I guess I am out of default. Even though I don't get paid, I get awesome stuff and a chance to talk to really cool people. So it's as real as it's going to get.

Everyone here has a hobby or passion or whatever, and at some point you may have an experience that lets you know that what you're doing is 'real'. I've had a few- nothing really earthshattering in comparison to most successful people, as I have always plowed wide and not deep. But getting a novel published was obviously my 'real' moment as a writer. I'm always thinking of ways to understand this process and be a better person because of it.

So, I'm curious about you guys. What are your 'real' moments? I'd like this thread to be full of gratitude and joy. Or sarcasm and insults, player's choice.

:mrgreen:
Omegonthesane wrote:a glass armonica which causes a target city to have horrific nightmares that prevent sleep
JigokuBosatsu wrote:so a regular glass armonica?
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mean_liar
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Post by mean_liar »

Shit for me felt real when I was leaving work at 12pm to have dim sum, then drink, then go home to the suburbs at 6pm on the train.

I love my job, but not for the reasons I imagine my employer wishes.
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Count Arioch the 28th
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Post by Count Arioch the 28th »

I don't know if it's real or not real, but despite the fact I bitch a lot on the internet, the fact that I managed to live on my own despite my mental and emotional handicaps is not only more than what anyone expected (i.e., criminal or welfare bum), it's well above most of my peers and classmates.
In this moment, I am Ur-phoric. Not because of any phony god’s blessing. But because, I am enlightened by my int score.
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Re: When you know it's for real

Post by Doom »

JigokuBosatsu wrote: . But getting a novel published was obviously my 'real' moment as a writer. I'm always thinking of ways to understand this process and be a better person because of it.

So, I'm curious about you guys. What are your 'real' moments? I'd like this thread to be full of gratitude and joy. Or sarcasm and insults, player's choice.

:mrgreen:
Grats on the novel; I got the first one I wrote published, have had no luck with the other two, ridiculously enough.

Hard to say my best 'real' moment...either finally getting the JM Straczinski interview, or flapping out to California for a Planescape: Torment interview. Certainly been a few years since I've had anything else on that level...or maybe I'm a little jaded.
Last edited by Doom on Mon Aug 08, 2011 2:44 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by K »

I'd be curious to hear what terms you got on your novel(s). From what I can figure out from reading author blogs, sci-fi and fantasy novels can usually fetch $5-10K for the first NA print rights.
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JigokuBosatsu
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Post by JigokuBosatsu »

Well, I signed with very very indie startup presses, so got an assload of contributor's copies on advance and then royalties afterward. I wasn't expecting big (or any money) to start with. A big part of it for me is just the achievement. I wouldn't mind moving up to money like that once I semi-retire, which won't be soon enough.

:mad:
Omegonthesane wrote:a glass armonica which causes a target city to have horrific nightmares that prevent sleep
JigokuBosatsu wrote:so a regular glass armonica?
You can buy my books, yes you can. Out of print and retired, sorry.
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Post by K »

JigokuBosatsu wrote:Well, I signed with very very indie startup presses, so got an assload of contributor's copies on advance and then royalties afterward. I wasn't expecting big (or any money) to start with. A big part of it for me is just the achievement. I wouldn't mind moving up to money like that once I semi-retire, which won't be soon enough.

:mad:
Have you considered going with the eBooks and Kindle and all that? I've been looking at that model and it seems you can get $0.33 on a $0.99 sale on Amazon so it seems pretty decent for sci-fi and fantasy books that usually don't see high-volume but attract first-time buyers pretty consistently.
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JigokuBosatsu
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Post by JigokuBosatsu »

Actually, most of my sales are for the Kindle, and my royalties are much higher there- like 70%. It's a good idea for anybody.
Omegonthesane wrote:a glass armonica which causes a target city to have horrific nightmares that prevent sleep
JigokuBosatsu wrote:so a regular glass armonica?
You can buy my books, yes you can. Out of print and retired, sorry.
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Datawolf
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Post by Datawolf »

I suspect that one day authors will sell eBooks directly from their website.
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Post by Maxus »

Datawolf wrote:I suspect that one day authors will sell eBooks directly from their website.
They're already working on that.
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Datawolf
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Post by Datawolf »

Maxus wrote:
Datawolf wrote:I suspect that one day authors will sell eBooks directly from their website.
They're already working on that.
Some people already do it (the tools for doing so all exist), but unless you advertise really well or have a lot of fans that check your website regularly, it's better to sell your stuff in bookstores or through larger merchant websites like Amazon or Indigo.

It's likely that you won't see too many authors selling their books directly from their sites for a while though, since that method cuts out literary agents, editors & publishing houses, printers, wholesale distributors and retail distributors. That's a lot of lost jobs. Plus the entire publishing industry seems to be having a hard time adjusting to the rise of eBooks. Ebooks were outselling print books within a few years of their introduction.

With enough self-promotion, though, you can still pull in a decent amount of income from publishing solely on the web. Hell, webcomics have been around for over a decade, shilling merchandise for their creators.
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