The Tinkerman (Article) - 2/6/2015 11:12:40 AM
It's the straight jacket and the padded room that prevent me from paying an editor $3,000 to edit a book that could never realize $3,000 in profits unless I was also willing to spend $50,000 in advertising costs, and years of my time in convincing others to buy it so they might actually read and appreciate my genius, or not, as the case may be. Meanwhile Sara Palin who can neither read nor write pays a ghost writer to make her $10 million while she laughs all the way to the Bank of Alaska.
The Tinkerman (Article) - 2/3/2015 11:50:12 AM
Your article certainly resonated with me. Throughout my academic career I've run into tinkerers. They would play with an essay or an article forever before finally finishing it. A couple guys that I know took 10 years or more to write their dissertation.
I, on the other hand, have often rushed to publish to my embarrassment. My first POD publisher told me that he edited my work and I believed him. When I finally got to reading those first two books, I had to edit them myself and republish as second editions. The good news is, if I ever get famous, those earlier editions with all the mistakes will probably be worth more. ;-)
The problem with self editing is that we can't see the forest for the trees and continue to make the same mistakes (before Google, with me, it was spelling) over and over again without knowing it. ;-)
That's why I've edited a couple of books for others for free. Maybe karma will pay me back.
Ron
I Write Like (Article) - 9/13/2014 8:55:53 AM
Sounds like an interesting place to visit. I have been compared to several well-known authors… You know… Flattery will get you everywhere… But I hardly get the readership in spite of all the honorary connection. Especially in short stories, I have written in several different styles. It just seems natural for me, spending my working life writing nonfiction, to experiment with styles that I've read along the line when it comes to fiction. I don't intentionally try to write like anyone, except I sometimes pick up what works from others' good work.
Ron
YouWriteOn (Article) - 8/27/2014 10:29:57 AM
Very good advice. I'll check it out. It's always good to get a perspective of how well you are writing.
Ron
