I’m thinking about writing a book that will require me to live forever…for a year. A few years ago there were a rash of books about people who tried to do something to the extreme for one year. I found the concept fascinating, and I read a few of them, most notably The Year of Living … Read more
Amazon Kindle Daily Deals: For quite some time, I’ve wondered why there’s no daily deals site specifically for books. With eBooks, it would be so incredibly easy to discount a book for a day and even cap it at a certain number of buyers if you won’t. However, I’m glad I didn’t pursue the idea … Read more
I have recently been smitten with an HBO show called True Blood. It’s gritty, sexy, Southern, entertaining, and actually asks some really interesting questions about how supernatural creatures would interact with the real world if they were “outed.” I’ve also discovered (this was a while ago), that like The Notebook, True Blood is an excellent … Read more
A month ago, my little publishing startup, Blank Slate Press, launched a Kickstarter campaign to support our 2012 author selection. Since then, we’ve decided to add one specific author to our docket (we sent him the contract today), and perhaps one other author later in the year (she’s doing a significant rewrite on her novel … Read more
If you’re ever wondering if you’re a human or a cyborg, a simple test is to record yourself talking directly to a camera. If you come across as relaxed and friendly, you’re human. If you’re stiff and stilted, you’re probably a cyborg. I’m a cyborg. The proof is in my publishing company’s first Kickstarter campaign. … Read more
For a while now, I’ve been compiling notes on what makes a great blog. That doesn’t mean that my blog is great–far from it. But I write a lot and I read a lot. I’m constantly observing what makes great blogs work well. So if you’re interested in blogging or you already blog, check out … Read more
I was really excited to attend Dan Ariely’s talk at the St. Louis County Library Headquarters tonight for several reasons: I rarely attend talks or lectures of any kind, much less on my own. I think Ariely is brilliant, as exemplified by the increase in the number of blog entries here about behavioral economics. Ariely … Read more
In helping to critique friends’ writing and working on Blank Slate Press submissions recently, I’ve read a lot of quality work. One thing is evident: This isn’t the first time around the block for these writers. They’ve been honing their craft for years. Many of them, I’m guessing, have a really bad novel sitting in … Read more
I work at a university church, so every year we say goodbye to a new batch of graduates. We had a sendoff Mass/lunch for them today, and usually the staff imparts some wisdom upon the graduates. Apparently that wasn’t in the schedule this year, but the advice I was going to give was: Your first … Read more
A kind reader did my work for me by e-mailing me this hilarious letter. Dear Jamey, So I’ve got this beef with the English language. Often when writing by hand (and sometimes when typing) I tend to combine the words “with” and “the” when they are written back-to-back into a new word “withe” and I … Read more