StoryStarters Title Day Transcript

Due to the overwhelming success and interest in simple access to the #StoryStarters added during Genre Week, I’ve decided to make a .pdf transcript available. If you don’t have it, you will need to download Adobe Reader to view it. The transcript is broken down into sections for each genre, and each genre is instantly accessible through a menu at the top.

Enjoy the Genre Week #StoryStarters and I hope some of them inspire your muse! Click the link below to view the .pdf transcript.

StoryStarters Genre Week Transcript

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There are two main reasons why I think the rush of new eReaders is a good thing. Here they are.

Competition breeds innovation.

The more companies competing for market share there are, the more each will try to push the envelope of what their product offers that others don’t. This is not revolutionary thinking; it’s a cold, hard fact. Not only does the company that comes out on top win, but so do we, the consumers.

Second, Competition leads to lower prices.

The more products there are on the market, the more likely that prices will begin falling. Again, nothing revolutionary here, just a cold, hard fact. Aside from innovation, the quickest way to garner market share is to beat your competitor in price. The company wins because of selling more products leading to more profit and consumers win because of the lower prices.

These two reasons alone, together or separately, are enough to celebrate the coming onslaught of new eReaders to the market.

Today, at Publishing Perspectives published an editorial about CES, eReaders, and tablet computers that stated:

…until books somehow morph into something other than “books,” the e-readers we have are already good enough to satisfy the needs of the vast majority of readers.

While I mostly agree in the context it was being stated, that no new eReader hitting the market is likely to revolutionize publishing, I do think they are of benefit simply for the two reasons above. Let’s face it, not everyone is willing or able to shell out the cash for an existing dedicated eReader at the prices currently being asked for them. Add in the innovation of devices that are more than just readers, though, and they may be willing to pay that price. Factor in lower prices brought on by more devices to compete with and even more people will buy them.

It is then, that either the devices become innovative enough or cheap enough, that they will truly have mass appeal. And once enough people have them and are using them, then there will be a true revolution of the publishing world. Sure, it may be a long time in coming, but there has to be steps in bringing about radical change.

For now, though, I’m happy enough with the idea of better devices at a cheaper price that I can actually afford to spend my hard earned money to buy. What about you? Do you think the new eReaders coming this year aren’t needed? Or do you think they are of benefit, no matter if they aren’t able to revolutionize the publishing world? Let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment.

Here’s the deal. On Sunday morning, while showering, I had an idea. I started the #storystarters hashtag on Twitter some time ago as a way to give back for all I’ve been given. It has slowly been catching on, but I really wanted a way to raise awareness of it. Amidst the warm water and soap bubbles a crazy idea came to me. Why not do a challenge?

Fresh from the shower, I tweeted my challenge: If the people of Twitter added twenty-five new #storystarters Sunday, I would add fifty myself on Monday and if they added fifty, I would add one hundred. I normally add three per day, made up on the spot, so either one was going to push my creativity if the challenge was accepted and met. That, my friends, was the crazy idea.

Now, this is where the wonderful tweeple come in. Jessica Rosen was the first to respond and she led the charge in making sure I would have to coax at least fifty #storystarters from my muse. Many other terrific people started adding and before long there was a slew of great, new #storystarters adding up and awareness was rising. How awesome is that?

While I watched the numbers adding up, I had another idea. I asked two authors I greatly admire, J.C. Hutchins (author of 7th Son) and Scott Sigler (author of Contagious),  if they would each add a #storystarter to help in the crusade. Reconfirming I respect them so much, they both agreed, sending me two wonderful #storystarters that I then tweeted, stating they were contributions from @jchutchins and @scottsigler. That they would do that for someone they don’t even know just goes to show what kind of people they are.

By the end of the day, there was over thirty new #storystarters added and I began sweet-talking my muse.

So, Monday morning I started tweeting #storystarters in batches of five at a time. People tweeted to cheer me on as well as to add their own. I also received a DM (Direct Message) from Annetta Ribken asking if she could ask me a few questions about #storystarters for a blog post she was writing. Of course I said sure and was amazed at how well she does interview type questions. She made me feel like a celebrity or something. When finished, she posted an amazing blog post talking about #storystarters. Again, how awesome is that?

By the end of Monday night, I had pushed my muse to the limit and added fifty #storystarters. I’ll admit that I’m not happy with all of them, but I did it and they may provide a starting point for someone to use to kickstart their muse. But what I was most pleased about was the level of awareness and activity that had been brought to #storystarters. They are all about helping people find creativity when it doesn’t want to reveal itself, as well as being a great writing exercise that helps others at the same time. Now I hope the momentum we started keeps going.

To everyone that took part in this crazy little idea I had and helped in getting the word out, I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. You’re all wonderful tweeple to help with a crazy idea to support what I think is a good cause. My hat off to you all!

With the turning of the page from 2009 to 2010 comes a new chapter in the books that are our lives. As always, it’s a time of both reflection and looking forward. Yes, it’s cliche, but it’s true. No other time of year, beside maybe our birthdays, do we put so much emphasis on what we have accomplished or what we want to accomplish in twelve months worth of time.

This year I will be turning 39 in February. It’s hard to look at that number without thinking about the next one that looms on the horizon. There were so many things I wanted to accomplish by the time I hit 40, so 2010 is THE YEAR those things have to be realized. If not able to be realized in such a short amount of time, then, at the least, groundwork must be laid for them.

In 2009 my wife talked me into trying out Twitter. For that, I am forever in her debt, as Twitter has been huge for me where my writing is concerned. The people I have met, the friends I’ve made, the knowledge I’ve gained, and the renewed desire it has lit within me are phenomenal. It is also through Twitter that I discovered Chris Brogan (@chrisbrogan), author of Trust Agents, and his 3 Guiding Words, which changed the way I am planning for the coming year.

If you’re not familiar with Chris’ 3 Guiding Words, here it is in a nutshell. Rather than making resolutions, he chooses three words that he uses as compass points to guide his way and shape what he does to achieve his goals in the coming year. This framework is more flexible than specific resolutions and can be used for a variety of goals rather than just one.

I’m calling mine Compass Words because that term works for me, but they are, basically, Chris’ 3 Guiding Words. The words I have chosen are ones that are meaningful to me and relate, for me, to what I want to accomplish in 2010. So, without further ado, here are my Compass Words for 2010.

Discover, Capitalize, Realize

Discover – When I discover, I learn and when I learn, I can then make informed decisions and act with the greatest possibility of success. In 2009 I made many discoveries that have already or will help me accomplish what I want to do. In 2010, I will continue my quest of discovery in everything from finding a balance between family and other pursuits to getting published.

Capitalize – Discovery means nothing if you don’t capitalize on it by using what you’ve discovered. So, I will make sure that I will capitalize on what I learn. I will capitalize on the opportunities that present themselves to me. I will not sit idly by and let anything pass me by that can be used to accomplish my desired goals.

Realize – Realization of goals is key for me this year. Too many years I have meandered in what I have done and never really realized anything. This year, I will discover and capitalize to realize a concrete completion of (or, at least, a significant step toward) my goals.

For me, I think using Compass Words will work much better than making resolutions. Do you think they could work better for you than resolutions? If so, then care to share your own Compass Words with us? Please, share your thoughts and your Compass Words with us in a comment below.

2010 is THE YEAR!

“We’re doing this to preserve our industry,” Mr. Young said. “I can’t sit back and watch years of building authors sold off at bargain-basement prices. It’s about the future of the business.”

Mr. Murray said that if new hardcover titles continue to be sold as $9.99 e-books, the eventual outcome will be fewer literary choices for customers, because publishers won’t be able to take as many chances on new writers.

The problem is these publishers are fighting e-books instead of embracing and using them to their advantage. No matter how bad they want it, the reality is that e-books and their lower price points are inevitable. They should be planning for this instead of trying to postpone it while alienating potential customers in the process.

I’m not a publisher, or even someone with a business degree, but I do I have a few ideas of strategies publishers could use to make e-books work for them. Note that none of them includes delaying the release date until after the hard cover release.

1. Serialize e-book editions of potential best-sellers.
   Publishers would serialize the e-book edition of potential best-sellers by breaking the book into three equal parts. Release the first part the same day as the hardcover edition is released. The next two parts would then be released one per month over the next two months. Each installment would be priced from $1.99 to $3.99, whatever would bring the e-book edition to approximately in-line with the price point the paperback edition would be set at.
2. Bundle backlist books with e-book editions of potential best-sellers.
   Publishers could take advantage of the e-book edition of a potential best-seller to promote backlist books from the author or of other authors who fall within the same genre. Prices would be set at around $19.99. Customers would get two books, the author’s older books could be sold, and readers could be introduced to another author they may decide they like and eventually buy more of their books.
3. Bundle books by debut authors with e-book editions of potential best-sellers.
   Instead of releasing a hard cover or paper back edition from a new author, test the waters by releasing their debut novel only in an e-book edition that would be bundled with a potential best-seller in the same genre as their book. Again, the price would be set for around $19.99. Customers would get two books, publishers could take a lower cost risk on new authors, and the new author would get the promotional advantage of being included with an expected best-seller. If the new author is well received and interest is high enough, the publishers could then release print editions in either hard cover, paperback or both with the knowledge that the potential for sales is already there.

Like I stated above, I’m not a publisher or someone with a business degree, but these seem to make sense to me. What do you think? Are they feasible options publishers could take? Or am I way off base in my thinking and should leave business ideas to the professionals? Don’t be shy, speak up and let me know.

All it may take to get past it is a little inspiration, some little something to spark that creativity that needs to be released. It could be a word, a phrase, a sentence, or just about anything. The smallest of pushes could lead to a quick write to alleviate writer’s block, give you that idea for your next short story, or even provide you with the foundation for your next #1 New York Times Bestselling novel.

I’ve created the #storystarters hashtag to provide that nudge we all sometimes need. I know, you’re probably thinking there are plenty of sites on the internet geared for that very thing. You’re right; there are tons of fantastic sites for writing prompts and kick-starting your creativity. Since joining Twitter, though, I have been amazed at the amount of support there is for us writers from our fellow writers: @JohannaHarness’ #amwriting, @WritingSpirit’s #WriteChat, and @jmstro’s (J. M. Strother) #FridayFlash to list just a few. I wanted to do something to give back to everyone for what those writers listed above and numerous others have given and the #storystarters hashtag is what I came up with.

What exactly do I envision #storystarters as and how does it work? It is a place on twitter where we writers can go to find and share creative sparks that may help us or fellow writers when faced with the dreaded blank page. I myself will try to add a few items each day and hopefully my fellow writers will join in and add items themselves. It could be something as simple as a word, something you heard someone say, an opening line, or a headline from a news story. Anything that may help to spark an idea to write about is fair game to be posted.

Although I doubt there is a need to from what I’ve seen of writers on Twitter so far, I’m going to issue you all a challenge. Rise to the occasion and support the #storystarters hashtag on Twitter to help your fellow writers beat their bouts with blank page syndrome. And if you happen to find yourself suffering from a case of it, you know where you can find the cure. Together we can eliminate the blank page!

#storystarters…writers inspiring writers!

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