Why wait for someone in NYC to tell you what to read? Vote for the books YOU love.

Check it out. 

It’s an exciting new way to get your unpublished book noticed by readers. It’s called the Kindle Scout program and each vote cast is tallied to select who makes it to publication. See? No casting couch here. Just you, and your NOMINATION button pushing finger.

Please, take a moment and change a life. Mine-and the life of this book. Click here.

Thank you.

THE BOOK IS HERE.

 Click over HERE to see the goods.

Writers and Books and Things That Might Go Bump In The Night

 

Posts about that stuff and all sorts of ideas over here.

What's on a writer's bucket list?

Most likely:

•  publication in the New York Times
• Paris Review or Playboy
• landing the NYC agent
• selling to the top 3 legacy publishers
• attending Breadloaf, and not as a waiter
• being asked to be the Keynote speaker at an international event
• appearing as a guest on GMA during book week
• meeting your literary idols- whomever they might be for you
• selling your novel to Hollywood
• seeing your name in lights
• attending the Iowa Writers' Workshop- until you found out this.

which brings up that whole art as form thing. shown on this guy's bucket list.


My bucket list as a writer is more of a bunch of cramped notes in a dog-eared journal, a combination of prayers to a deaf God, hopeful meanderings of an optimist and desires that dwindled as I aged.

Yes, many are checked off, but not half as many as the number I've added to the bottom.
I'm determined to live a long, long life.

Book sale

Last night my daughter told me that I could start my own used book store with all the books I have on my shelves.

I laughed, then wondered again, about storage for my darling hardcovers, all those signed and first editions- books that I imagine will be called "antiques" before I die.

I know publishing is a changing industry. I accept that. I bought my Kindle, and shopping for tablets, read downloaded material all the time. 

 I even have my own e-book at all the retail outlets.

                        Simple Intent 

* on sale for the next fews days at a discounted rate of $4.99

Though I still buy books in all forms, I must admit, the nights of wrestling with a 600 page hardback book while trying to get comfortable in bed, only to have it bonk you on the bridge of your nose when you fall asleep... won't be missed.

So, do I really need a Literary Agent?

I know that was your morning meditation... so I wrote about it- over here:
WRITE BY THE WATER: writers retreats



What are your thoughts?

The Birth of an e-book. The death of tradition?

 So, yeah.
BOOKS. PUBLISHING. YADAYADYADA.
 Are you as confused as I am?

I saw an 80 yr old man reading a book on his I-pad at the car dealership waiting room yesterday and I was all, WTF? Really??
I had to run home and pull some John Cheever off my shelf to calm down.

Okay. no. I didn't. I came home and kissed my Kindle- which sounds sexy, but wasn't.

let's talk about the new world of books, shall we?
  I wrote about my own e-book here, well sorta.

 Jane Friedman of Writer's Digest talks about publishing trends here.
One of the best articles and Q and A's I've read in a long time.

Noted is the lack of respect for the modern editor. Sigh. Great blog post here.

And all of that means... what to you, my book loving friend?

 This weekend, I will be appearing at the Decatur Book Festival in Atlanta, GA for a gathering of over 300 authors and a writers and poets and book junkies.

My literary journal and writing contest, SCRATCH will be performing readings on Saturday, giving away back scratchers and raffling off a briefcase ( to buy our beer), all weekend long.

Of course, we're debuting my book, SIMPLE INTENT. Yay. Get that autograph now, before you have to pay for one. Heh heh.

We're also promoting the amazing collaboration called, Write by the Water: a writers retreat, and giving everyone who stops by FREE WATER.
YEP. You heard it here first. FREE WATER.

So follow along on facebook ( or twitter. ( @lindasands)
 I will be posting pictures, and comments... as will my fellow SCRATCHERS.

Reading, Writing and Publishing. In the Digital Age.

interesting look at how education will be transformed with the use of mobile devices