Friday, September 24, 2010

Welcome Scott Nicholson! Win a Kindle!

Today, I would like to welcome Scott Nicholson to Curling Up By The Fire.  If you've been following his tour, then you already know how important it is to read to the end of the post to find out how you can win a great prize. 

You Are the Story
by Scott Nicholson
http://www.hauntedcomputer.com/

Many of these early stops on the Kindle Giveaway Blog Tour are about ebooks, independent authors, and book bloggers more than about my work, and there’s a reason for that.

Without all of those things, I wouldn’t be here. My work would probably be sitting on my hard drive as I made one more push to sell a book the “old way.” No, I don’t want to rant about how New York doesn’t get my genius or publishing is dying. It’s not dying, it’s just changing, and the adaptable will survive and even thrive. I understand quite well the circumstances of the major publishing industry. And I better understand now that I am not in the publishing industry anymore, at least not as the main event.

I am in the Scott Nicholson industry.

It just so happens that my industry is currently built around ebooks, the Internet, and the Kindle. These are wonderful times for independence, and do-it-yourselfers, and even lazy dreamers like me.

But it’s not easy. Writing was never meant to be easy, and reading books is a minority habit. Two million writers are now pulling out moldering manuscripts from their bottom drawers and declaring themselves published. And they are. “Publishing” has no defined meaning anymore.

There’s a Chicken Little sector saying the sky is falling. It is issuing dire warnings about the threat to literature when just any old person with a keyboard and an Internet connection can be an author. Someone like me, who has spent 14 years at the craft and followed all the rules of the Old Way, even to the point of getting lucky and breaking in, should have a vested interest in defending the Ivory Tower because, heck, one day they may let me peel potatoes in the basement again, and at least I’d have some potato peels to eat.

But I rather like sitting in my one-room cottage industry. Sure, I am competing with two million other authors, and the competition will only grow. I expect the flat-text digital era has maybe a five-year lifespan before it will seem as antiquated as bookstores and paper sheaves bound in the skin of cows. I expect there will be 10 million e-books available in five years, if not two years. I expect everybody out there with wacky ideas, stories in their hearts, or insight into the world’s workings will find a way to share that idea in pixels.

And I think it’s wonderful.

I have a dyslexic friend who is writing a novel, and I am not sure he has ever read one. Young children, even kindergartners, are now publishing their own books. People in their 90s, who always wanted to be writers when they grew up, now have a golden chance to cultivate an audience.

I say “Do it.”

The Chicken Little crowd squawks, “Normal people can’t be trusted with something as important as deciding what is worth reading.”

I say each reader is far more brilliant than the finest New York minds in knowing what that reader wants.

To the Chicken Little crowd squawking about how impossible it will be to find quality literature, I’d point to all the millions, if not billions, of Web sites floating around in the ether. Are you bothered by all that content and those ideas? Do you have trouble finding only the information that interests you? Do you even know all that other stuff is out there?

A writer’s message may only appeal to half a dozen people. A book, no matter how badly written, may truly change one life or inspire one person. And doesn’t that give it value? Doesn’t that make it worth publishing, especially when the means is cheap or free?

More important than a writer’s being able to reach an audience, from 10 people to 10 million, is the reader’s right to seek out and share the stories and data and dreams they crave.

This era is not about the writers, editors, publishers, agents, or corporations at all, though 99 percent of all writers will surely benefit, at least for the near term.

This is the Era of the Reader.

You are the story.

Let the sky fall if it must.

If the sky was that small and fragile to begin with, a bigger, brave sky surely waits above it.

----------------

Scott Nicholson is author of The Skull Ring, Speed Dating with the Dead, Drummer Boy, and nine other novels, five story collections, four comics series, and six screenplays. A journalist and freelance editor in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, he often uses local legends in his work. This tour is sponsored by Amazon, Kindle Nation Daily, and Dellaster Design.



To be eligible for the Kindle DX, simply post a comment below with contact info. Feel free to debate and discuss the topic, but you will only be entered once per blog. Visit all the blogs on the tour and increase your odds. I’m also giving away a Kindle 3 through the tour newsletter and a Pandora’s Box of free ebooks to a follower of “hauntedcomputer” on Twitter. And, hey, buy my books and put me in the Top 100 and I’ll throw in another random Kindle 3 giveaway. Thanks for playing. Complete details at http://www.hauntedcomputer.com/blogtour.htm

83 comments:

  1. Just stumbled upon your blog ... love u style of writing

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  2. I love your statement "A book, no matter how badly written, may truly change one life or inspire one person." I've been unhappy with the quality of some of the books coming onto the market but now I have to reconsider my perspective.

    waitmantwillie at hotmail dot com

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  3. This post was very inspiring to an aspiring author like me. Thank you, Scott! You give me hope that someone, even if it's just one person (my mom...LOL), will find worth in my book.

    truebookaddictATgmailDOTcom

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  4. You may not be part of the "typical" publishing world but you're obviously innovative enough to tap into the ebooks world and create a following that the established publishing world would envy.
    hmhenderson AT yahoo DOT com

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  5. Minority habit! I love that :)

    chitownchicas at gmail dot com

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  6. Scott, you may be preaching to the choir and all I can think to say is, "Amen!."

    Jeff White at whitejw@ameritech.net

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  7. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  8. Thanks for the chance to win!
    bkhabel at gmail dot com

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  9. amen, brother! Write and publish people, and will will dine on Chicken!

    sstogner1@triad.rr.com

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  10. These are exciting times for writers and readers. I published my debut novel independently this year and it's been a joy connecting with readers and other authors from all over the world. And Scott has always been an inspiration to me.
    Christa
    cpolkinhorn(at)msn(dot)com

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  11. I really liked this post.

    sailorwind@gmail.com

    sailorwind at gmail dot com

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  12. What a great post i 100% agree this is a amazing time to be a writer and reader. Even if we only find one reader who is touched by our work and in return creates something of their own.

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  13. Thanks for the blog tour, Scott.

    web at jasonfedelem dot com

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  14. This was a great article. Scott's advice and insights have been a great help as I find my way down this road of being an indie author.

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  15. Nice post, Scott. I'm excited about this era of "publishing." It just makes me feel better that the reader determines what will be read.

    -Neal

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  16. This sounds just like the photography business. More and more people can afford a nicer camera and since they are digital anyone can publish a photo. Many established photographers are mad as hell since the newcomers don't charge so much and are taking away from the established photographers business.

    Things change. You can walk away or change with the times. It's all up to you.

    Thanks again Scott!

    randymir@gmail.com

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  17. Christa P. is right, these are exciting times for readers and writers. As I consider the Indie route, I love this line: I am in the Scott Nicholson industry.

    cathryn.m.grant[at]gmail[dot]com

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  18. THE SAME ARGUMENT CAN BE MADE FOR TV SHOWS OR MOVIES. ANYONE IT SEEMS CAN HAVE A SHOW ON CABLE TV OR REALITY SHOW OR INDIE MOVIE. BUT WILL EVERYONE WATCH THEM? I AM VERY SELECTIVE OF WHAT I READ AS TIME IS PRECIOUS. I HAVE DISCOVERED MANY NEW AUTHORS BY PERUSING THE EBOOK OFFERINGS AND HAVE EVEN DOWNLOADED SO MUCH MY IPAD IS BLOATED. HOWEVER I AM READING MORE THAN USUAL AS I CAN READ THEM ON MY IPHONE ALSO WHICH IS WITH ME IN THE BATHROOM,THE DOCTORS OFFICE OR WHEREVER I FIND A SPARE MOMENT. CARRYING A BOOK AROUND,EVEN A PAPERBACK,WAS NOT AS EASY. BUT I ALWAYS HAVE MY CELLPHONE. I ALSO AM A FAN OF AUDIOBOOKS AS I HAVE A ONE HOUR COMMUTE EACH DIRECTION. I USED TO HAVE A DIFFERENT BOOK IN THE BATHROOM, AT THE OFFICE, IN MY CAR, ETC AND WOULD BE CONFUSED READING BITS AND PIECES OF EACH BOOK AT IRREGULAR INTERVALS. NOW I AM MORE ORGANIZED AND READ JUST ONE BOOK AT A TIME. I HOPE EBOOKS CAN TURN INTO AUDIBLE BOOKS SOON WITH TEXT TO SPEECH SOFTWARE WHICH WOULD EVEN BE BETTER FOR ME. REG

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  19. Very intersting topic! Glad I found your blog.
    lisa.mcgeen@hotmail.com

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  20. Love this tour. You always give me something to think about AND I am finding lots of new blogs to follow. :)

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  21. Icedream, there is a lot of badly written stuff out there, but you can usually tell just from the author's product description or jacket copy. If not, it shows itself in a few paragraphs of the sample. As time goes by, those works will still be around but the better and more popular stuff will separate itself.

    @Randy and even the photo print industry is hurting. Everybody passes around digital images. We've become our own entertainment.

    Scott

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  22. Write Good or Die: I've got that downloaded and have read through a great many of the articles. Lots of good tidbits and advice in that.

    rabidfox[at]ymail.com

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  23. You just need to look at the music industry to see the future for books. The music honchos were just as protective as book publishers are now but couldn't stop the independence revolution. As a result, anyone can create, record, and market their own music. There's software for recording, My Space, GarageBand, Twitter, Facebook etc. for marketing. There are now many smaller venues for bands to play at. If you look at the venues, Warped Tour, Ticket Horse, etc. you will see many bands you've never heard of.

    My sons and their friends wrote their own songs, recorded them in our basement with $100 software, burned a bunch of CDs, designed and ordered a bunch of T-Shirts, and have their second gig coming up next month. They started last May.

    It's wonderful that so many are creating their own music instead of just listening to others and books will be the same. One of the most wonderful things about the Kindle is the access to low-priced indie authors and the many free books each month. I've discovered many authors that I would have never been exposed to in a bookstore.

    Thanks again Scott for another interesting stop on the tour.

    lorraine_lanning[at]yahoo[dot]com

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  24. Well said, Scott, and I totally agree. The next 10 years of publishing will probably open wide the electronic format of all kinds of books and stories, pretty exciting times for both authors and readers.

    caity_mack at yahoo dot com

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  25. I've found great writers just from following talented people's tumblrs, and have already purchased 3 books from writers there who self-published their own work. I love having access to the home-grown material that I know I'll like because their blog posts are already excellent.

    bunkercomplexATgmailDOTcom

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  26. Things really are changing. Fast!
    chey127 at hotmail dot com

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  27. Great contest and great author..

    monacart32 at hotmail dot com

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  28. Day #24!

    I really love this blog design. I love the warmth to it :D

    ashleysbookshelf@gmail.com

    Also don't forget to check out my amazing giveaways located at the top of my blog posts.

    Ashley's Bookshelf

    P.S. I sell complete blog layouts made by me thru blogger template. If you would be interested in one please email for the prices and I would be extremely thrilled to assist you!

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  29. Thank you for the chance! xlacrimax at gmail dot com

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  30. The sky HAS fallen; long live the sky!

    Twitter: MachineTrooper
    machinetrooper at gmail dot com

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  31. What I've been saying all my life!

    michaellmartinjr[at]gmail[dot]com

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  32. Hmm. These are all very nice and tame comments but I'm still waiting for Monster A Go-Go! Where is he?!
    Christa

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  33. I enjoyed reading the post; it was interesting.

    Thanks,
    Tracey D
    booklover0226 at gmail dot com

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  34. i understand that authors must pay for books that they send out for others to review in many cases. i can see where ebooks could be of value for authors and reviewers in that case. the author of course would have to make sure the reviewers are valid and must find a way to get garner reviewer interest. spvaughan@yahoo.com

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  35. A great post. I have not yet liked an author only because other people like them. I like some that do not get great acclaim and I have hated books by others that do. Its the same way with book types. And you cant judge the whole industry based on the big money makers. There is an awful lot of quality out there in the small print houses or ebook world.

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  36. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  37. I love having all the power! Bwahahahahahah!

    :)

    inannajourney at gmail.com

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  38. It's wonderful how an ebook won't go out of print, so you might connect to a dozen people now, but maybe hundreds+ later. And if actual events ever do coincide with events within one of your novels, you could appear farsighted and enjoy a sales spike. Just a lot of interesting possibilities that didn't exist before. varbonoff22 at cox dot net

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  39. I always enjoy your posts as they are interesting and give you something to think about.

    andrea.infinger@gmail.com

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  40. Great blog stop Scott.

    wakincade AT gmail DOT com

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  41. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  42. Hello, Scott!

    You wrote: "A book, no matter how badly written, may truly change one life or inspire one person."

    You couldn't have said it better. That is why I inexplicably continue to read YOUR books--hoping that one of them will change my life or inspire me. Neither has happened yet, but I do have a few more of your books to get through still.

    Actually, that's not entirely true. I'm not looking for inspiration or a life change in your books...more like insight and understanding. I want to know and understand the real you. They say that all writing is autobiographical to some extent...so I continue to read your novels in the hopes of getting a clearer understanding of what it is about a lady goat that "gets your goat"--so to speak, why there are laws in an 8 mile radius surrounding Boone barring you from being naked at ANY time---even in your own home, and how exactly you ever convinced anyone (hypnosis? blackmail? brainwashing? drugs?) to A) marry you and B) have a child with you! It's all so MIND BOGGLING!!!! (I already know that your excessive flatulence problem is the reason you are known locally as the "Hellbelly Hillbilly", so THAT mystery is solved! And NO, I will NOT pull your finger!)

    Sigh... I guess I'll just have to keep reading your stuff and try to read between the lines until you write your memoirs. Besides, reading between the lines is entertaining...those gaps between the sentences are often far more enjoyable than the sentences surrrounding them. Hee hee!

    Catch you on the next blog tour stop, sir! Have a go-go groovy day!

    CHEERS!

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  43. Wow I'd love having a Kindle!! :)

    sophiayunjin @ gmail . com

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  44. I boarded (Scott's) blogtour since Sept15 and I'm having fun. I certainly look forward to all these books. And a chance to win a Kindle Dx to boot!

    Thanks, Stephanie, for hosting!

    rowan_angel7(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  45. I enjoyed this post!

    kissinoak at frontier dot com

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  46. Nice post. I like the Scott Nicholson Industry comment. I also like the change to indie publisher from self published. One more that I saw on a blog that I liked was authorpreneur.

    dwdorow at gmail dot com

    ThrillersRus.blogspot.com

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  47. I really like the ending about the sky. It's true. Thanks for the giveaway!

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  48. Well said!

    I've read many independently published ebooks that were far better than the latest offerings from the big publishers...

    It's truly amazing that the digital publishing platform levels the playing field, so to speak. For once, it's not about quotas, slots, and marketing... It's actually about the writing.

    What an exciting time!

    Stefanie647@msn.com

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  49. I couldn't agree more =)

    Zita(at)dal.ca

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  50. Nice post! I loved the book cover xD its hilarious xD
    reisei.no.mizumi@gmail.com

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  51. I would LOVE a Kindle DX. Thanks for the opportunity to win one! :)

    P.S. Click on my name for my contact info. ;)

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  52. I totally agree with you, Scott! I think that everyone (and I do mean everyone, including the man shuffling around the corner everyday) can be a published author. :)
    You can reach me at luvpinkpanther@gmail.com

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  53. Great post Scott.

    Tom
    tztomfromcali _ at _ gmail _ com

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  54. As usual, very well said :)

    mayarend -at- yahoo.com.br

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  55. Please enter my name in your giveaway. Thanks.
    wandanamgreb(at)gmail(dot)com

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  56. Amen, Brother! Power to the Readers!
    Gail in Florida
    cowgirl3000 at gmail dot com

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  57. I love books.

    Thanks for the chance to win.

    lkish77123 at gmail dot com

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  58. Still hoping to win that kindle.

    bluefrog62@yahoo.com

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  59. What an optimistic, uplifting entry. I'm glad I stopped by!

    wordygirl at earthlink d0t net

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  60. You are the story - I like that. And I must say, I'm really enjoying your tour, Scott!

    Margay1122(at)aol(dot)com

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  61. Another interesting article.

    byonge@lonepinetv.com

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  62. so true! i'm hoping to write a couple childrens books at some point. it takes a lot of courage i think to put yourself out there in print like that. i'm not that confident, yet.

    hancoci_s at msn dot com

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  63. Thanks for the chance to win a E-Book Reader so meny of us out there want one.
    sasluvbooks(at)yahoo.com

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  64. Interesting approach. The question of quality of product always comes up whenever the issue of e-publishing is discussed. Since anyone can e-publish to a broad audience, there will be a lot of stuff out there that really isn't that good. With so much out there to read, it will be more difficult to find good books to read without relying on the major publishing houses leading the way. I know there are some truly good books out there that are not being picked up by major publishers. They need and deserve an outlet.
    The problem of piracy also comes up.. It is much easier to copy a book and distribute it to thousands n minutes. There is no profit in that.

    Thanks for the though provoking post.

    librarypat AT comcast DOT net

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  65. Love that this is the "era of the reader." Keep the Scott Nicholson industry rolling along.

    Julie pjtansey@hotmail.com

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  66. What I like about self-published e-books is the number of middle-men (and women) cut out of the process, making the books cheaper, which should translate into more sales.

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  67. Some of the Indie authors I've read have put out some great stories. I really only feel like I've wasted my time on one or two e books, and heck - I waste alot more time on TV shows that I decided weren't that great when they were over. I am enjoying having a wider selection of stories to choose from.

    crljqs1@gmail.com

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  68. There are tons of books out there. But I try to remember that even the bad ones are someone's favorite. Sometimes that's difficut to believe but I think it's true.

    kristiedonelson(at)gmail(dot)com

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  69. I know the electronic books are the future. I just will miss the tactile feel of the paper in my hands
    troublelore @ gmail .com

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  70. Thanks for the post!

    talaminari @ gmail.com

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  71. Hi. Thanks for being included.

    dorcontest at gmail dot com

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  72. @donnas, running the Indie Books Blog, i am amazed at the experienced writers, great ideas, and good stories that couldn't get a publisher

    @librarypat Pirated copies of my books are already available but I don't think thieves would buy my books anyway, so I'm not worried about it. better to be stolen than forgotten...

    @kristie I've found with my own books, some people will love one but not like others, and they will like the one most people don't like (The Harvest aka Forever Never Ends is like that--some like it most, others like it least)

    Scott

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  73. Great post, Scott. This is one I'll be re-reading for a while.

    I too loved the comment:

    "A book, no matter how badly written, may truly change one life or inspire one person. And doesn’t that give it value?"

    I think you've given me a future blog post!

    Thanks,
    Greg the Undead Rat

    theundeadrat (@) gmail (.) com

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  74. I definitely feel that every book out there will be liked by someone!

    kaitlynkline[at]gmail[dot]com

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  75. I remember a time in my own career where I was obsessed with making it in the big leagues and, sometimes, was even more obsessed what other writers in the industry thought of me. Then I woke up (partly inspired by cartoonist Dave Sim and his “who cares what anyone thinks of me” attitude), and realized that the “industry” is not who you write for. You write for the reader. They are the ones you want to entertain, laugh with, cry with and get respect from. When I woke up to that fact, independent publishing became a whole new world for me to explore even to the point of it now being my lifestyle instead of a career. It’s who I am and what I do.

    Truth be told, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

    Glad to have you aboard the USS Indie. Let’s boldly go . . .

    (And I agree, if your book can change just one life, then it was worth it and the book most definitely has value.)

    Coscomentertainment [at] gmail [dot] com

    www.canisterx.com

    BLOOD OF THE DEAD and ZOMBIE FIGHT NIGHT just $2.99 for the Amazon Kindle. Grab your copy here!

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  76. Great post, Scott. And another great blog find on this fun blog tour!

    dreamer dot ima at gmail dot com

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  77. All these posts are very interesting!

    amorrison916[at]hotmail[dot]com

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  78. I'm not quite sure what to think of the whole self publishing thing. Yes, it's good for some but just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. Don't get me wrong, I love books and I do love that this opens up a whole new world of books & authors but...I dunno, really. On the other hand, when the publishing houses are putting out books by Snooki what else can you do?
    teawench at gmail dot com

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  79. Please enter me ...

    Barry
    http://gnostalgia.wordpress.com
    anamchara(at)gmail.com

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  80. You have boundless energy, don't you? Thirty blog posts in one month. It's been amazing following you.

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  81. What a great giveaway.

    kellysydow@yahoo.com

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  82. Thanks, everyone, entries here capped at 83 but more chances to enter down the road.

    @greg, Kaitlyn glad you feel inspired!

    @teawench go read my post at http://hauntedcomputer.blogspot.com to see what I think of Snooki and NY publishing. They just lost their last shred of credibility with me--I don't mind if they honestly admit they are in it for the money, but when they talk about their valuable role in contributing to a literate society and justifying high prices and expensive corporate lunches on that reason, I can't buy into it any more.

    D Cootey, October will be wild so stayed tuned...I can't afford to not have energy! And all of you are keeping it fun.

    Thanks Stephanie for hosting!

    Scott

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