byemilyveinglory

New blog

Emily Veinglory: — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:48:00 +0000

Oy.

Like I needed another blog.

But I will be tidying things up by keeping writing related stuff here and moving 2D visual art (photos, illustrations etc) over here.

Blue Murder, director's cut

Emily Veinglory: — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 15:05:00 +0000

You may have noticed the reappearance of "Blue Murder" in the works-in-progress area. This is a short story that currently appears in this Aspen Mountain Press anthology. It is scheduled for re-release as a stand alone ebook so it seemed like a good time to flesh out the story and show what happened after Bern and Kerry fked to Canada. All going to plan, Blue Murder will be reappearing as a short novella, about 20,000 words.

Kakapo Clip

Emily Veinglory: — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 16:25:00 +0000

The funniest thing I have seen in some time. "Some kind of mating ritual?" *Snort*.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Emily Veinglory: — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 12:22:00 +0000

Picture from a future book

Emily Veinglory: — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 14:26:00 +0000

My Day Off

Emily Veinglory: — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 21:33:00 +0000

Emily Veinglory: — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 21:31:00 +0000

A scene from the upcoming "Lover of Ghosts"

Who's a Naughty Girl Then?

Emily Veinglory: — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 09:22:00 +0000

"You have been banned for the following reason:Rule 3.) Attacks on Entrecard, staff, or other members, and any attempts to cause needless controversy, will not be tolerated, and will be invisibly removed. No EC Widget on blog

Date the ban will be lifted: Never"

Net News

Emily Veinglory: — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 17:04:00 +0000

Entrecard has been Acquired by Ziprunner, Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead

New on Fictionwise

Emily Veinglory: — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 18:16:00 +0000

TITLE: Wolfkin by Emily Veinglory
PRICE: $3.50
CATEGORY: Erotica
LENGTH: 30539 words; Reading time: 87-122 minutes
EPUBLISHER: Samhain Publishing, Ltd. Published: 2008
DESCRIPTION: The man Arun loves is kin to the wolf; but Arun is kin to darkness itself....
http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/b90527/Wolfkin/Emily-Veinglory/??r=7a6

Update

Emily Veinglory: — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 17:28:00 +0000

I got 1000 words done on Lover of Ghosts today and also sent of a short story collection to Aspen Mountain Press. If they like it I hope to release several more themed collections over the next few years.

"Best of the Rest"

Emily Veinglory: — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 20:50:00 +0000

The Lost Souls of Cats made the top ten in the Cat Magazine writing contest.

Historical Novel Society Conference

Emily Veinglory: — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 20:51:00 +0000

I will be at the HNScon this weekend. If you are there, let me know. Father of Dragons and King of Dragons, King of Men will be available at the sale price of $5 each--you could even get them signed :)

Even my fortune cookie won't cut me any slack....

Emily Veinglory: — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 20:39:00 +0000

New Review: Shifting Perspectives 2

Emily Veinglory: — Wed, 27 May 2009 20:43:00 +0000

"The Swan Prince” by Emily Veinglory ... a fast paced, action packed story that leaves you looking for more."

[full review by Cassie at 'Bitten by Books' here]

LOG update

Emily Veinglory: — Sun, 24 May 2009 18:44:00 +0000

The most recently written line for Lover of Ghosts:

Just when I thought my life could not possible get any stranger.

Lover of Ghosts

Emily Veinglory: — Fri, 22 May 2009 19:13:00 +0000

The good news is that Lover of Ghosts is half-finished. The bad news is that it is already meant to be finished by now.

Interest Examiner.com Posts

Emily Veinglory: — Wed, 13 May 2009 20:27:00 +0000

Hits Versus Content At Examiner.com, a.k.a The Best Email Ever

Competition for the Significant Puppy

Emily Veinglory: — Tue, 12 May 2009 20:29:00 +0000

The only inhabitant so far is a large, brown snail.

Chicago Botanical Garden

Emily Veinglory: — Sat, 02 May 2009 18:19:00 +0000

Fan Fiction

Emily Veinglory: — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 18:13:00 +0000

It seems my old fan fiction pages have some hacked code. I am cleaning them up and will post fresh links here. Bear in mind that this is very old writing that predates my published work. So I make no promises as to the quality.

Sherlock Holmes: Practice to Deceive
Batman: Comrade in Arms
Sherlock Holmes: A Scandal in Baker Street
Sherlock Holmes: A Scarlet Man

Dragon Speech :)

Emily Veinglory: — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 19:58:00 +0000

Given my reduced writing time I have decided to try out a new product. Dragon NaturallySpeaking is a voice transcription program and I am wondering if this might be a way to speed up first draft writing--especially as my typing skills are not all that good. Even after writing quite a few books I am still a two-finger typist. I look forward to being able to give it a go....

drowning hand

Emily Veinglory: — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 18:48:00 +0000

drowning hand
Originally uploaded by veingloria

I am now on Flickr! Just what I needed--another way to lose time online....

Entrecard Jumps the Shark

Emily Veinglory: — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 21:30:00 +0000

Entrecard was a free advertisement swapping system for blogs. A recent attempt to monetise the system caused many glitches and many complaints. The response? To ban any such discussion from the forums and block most users from accessing the forums. The end, I suspect, is near. And shutting off the ability to discuss it on site will have predictable results....

See also:
Entrecard Bans Most Members From Forums-So Much For “Transparency.”
Entrecard Founder Caught Faking Forum Posts
New Entrecard Forum Structure Change
Entrecard is dying. Only paying elite survives?
Leaving Entrecard On A Jet...
Entrecard Paid Advertising - What's the Problem Now?

Hmmm

Emily Veinglory: — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 16:14:00 +0000

I see the winner of the Pulitzer prize for fiction is a 300-page short story collection-slash- novel : Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout. I am always tempted by the Pulitzer winner. But I hesitate to sign up for this book which although no doubt excellently written seem to tred the the well travelled literary ground of sad people in small town, probably travelling through cruelty and ennui to end with a slightly ambiguous tragedy.

That and it is $14, which is a lot to pay for a paperback.

Podcasts

Emily Veinglory: — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:31:00 +0000

As I am about to send a lot of time in airports and taxis, I thought I would share some of the podcasts I subscribe to and will be listening to as I hurry up and wait.

My main requirement for subscribing to a podcasts is that it be informative, entertaining, and that it is delivered in a pleasant speaking voice. Frankly, I could listen to Stephen Fry dictate the phone book--and if anyone out there knows of a podcast delivered by someone with a Welsh accent, let me know; I don't care what it is about.

I encourage you all to let me know about more podcasts, either podcasts you make youself our the ones you subscribe to. The podcasts below are available from iTunes for free.

On Topic
* The Good Parts: the Art of Writing Smut
* Packing Heat: Erotica Writing Tops and Techniques

Other
* Stephen Fry's Podgrams
* Classical Mythology Podcast
* Stuff You Missed in History Class
* Art of Manliness

Body 2 Body

Emily Veinglory: — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:09:00 +0000

Based on Mrs. Giggles' comments I picked up a copy of the new book: Body 2 Body--a Malaysian Queer Anthology edited by Jerome Kugan and Pang Khee Teik. It seems that the publisher has been unable to successfully solicit reviews or wide distribution within Malaysia, not surprising as male homosexuality is still illegal in Malaysia.

So, anyway, I have ordered a copy and plan to join other bloggers in providing some online publicity. Body 2 Body is available on Amazon but steel yourself, it is $20 for a standard paperback. That is a little steep but I will give the published, Matahari, the benefit of the doubt. I have no idea what the regional limitations might be when to comes to small press printing and distribution.

If you do post a review of this book, please let me know. I will be posting my own comments in a week or two, after I get back from a joyous work-related sojourn to the balmy north. Meaning that this is a good time for all you duly-appointed contributors to ERECblog to run amok while I am distracted.

See also: Body 2 Body reviews
Mrs Giggles

Off Topic Links

Emily Veinglory: — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:49:00 +0000

An Olde-Fashioned Book Burning
Burnt Offerings
[Most disturbing, Scripture itself was burned—onto the pyre flew modern translations of the Bible like those that the woman in the joke deplored. Amazing Grace is a self-proclaimed King James Only church: "We believe that the King James Bible is the Word of God," says the church's Web site.]

Best First Comment
Literary classic Little Women being remixed with werewolves
First comment: [Enough already.]

Funny Dog Story
I Has a Sweet Potato
[From the kitchen, there comes a noise like someone is eating a baseball bat.]

I Laughed, Out Loud
10 reasons to buy a Kindle 2… and 10 reasons not to
[Flight attendants will tell you to turn it off on take off and landing. You can’t explain that it’s epaper and uses no current. You just can’t. It’s like explaining heaven to bears.]

Meanwhile, at lyd

Emily Veinglory: — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 15:16:00 +0000

* Epublisher Love You Divine seems to have reported a reviewer to the FBI for reviewing a bought ebook, assuming it was pirated. (via Mrs G.)

* P.s. While the whole trend of replacing names with acronyms is merely annoying, using them in lower case if just weird: "lyd titles are distributed world-wide, both electronically and in print."

XOXO

Emily Veinglory: — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 13:46:00 +0000

The XOXO website seems to be down for construction and most of the content on their blog is behing "invitation only" curtains. The publisher is, however, apparently active and amongst other things creating some charity projects. But charity by whom?

"We are a royalty paying publisher, NOT a vanity press. We offer 40% royalty of gross sales. This will be fully explained in the publishing contract.
... We have two fundraising books per year where the royalties are fully donated to two charities, while the other four books are offered a percentage of the royalties and donated to charities."

Do they really mean that only the author royalties are donated to the charity--or total profits?

Bulletin: Cacoethes

Emily Veinglory: — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:46:00 +0000

I see that the Cacoethes Publishing website has vanished. Is it a glitch.... or is it the end?

Linkage

Emily Veinglory: — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:31:00 +0000

Your Rights Online: Amazon Patents Changing Authors' Words
"...Amazon also touts the use of 'alternative misspellings for selected words' as a way to provide 'evidence of copyright infringement in a legal action.' After all, anti-piracy measures should trump kids' ability to spell correctly, shouldn't they?" (Slashdot)

“Due to the fact that the unhappy have made a nuisance of themselves…”
"Lol, why am I not surprised that those idiots at NCP would mistakenly remove books of the few authors that they have, who are crazy enough to still want to stay with them?" (Karen Scott)

Macmillan Issues New Contract Boilerplate for All Divisions, E-Royalty Lower than RH, S&S, Other Majors
"The e-book royalty will come as the biggest surprise to e-book royalty watchers, as it goes contrary to the trend (which some think is a polite word for something darker) among major publishers to pay 25% of net e-book receipts to authors. Unfortunately, Macmillan offers even less than that - 20%." (EReads.com)

Imitator Sues Me to Overturn Copyrights: Please Help Defend My Art
"My original art has been copied by a manufacturer who is now suing me in federal court to overturn my existing copyrights and continue making knockoffs. I have a strong case, a great lawyer and believe that if I can continue to defend myself, the case will be resolved in my favor." (John T. Unger, Sculptor)

Welcome to the library. Say goodbye to the books.
"...officials at the pristine campus about 90 minutes west of Boston have decided the 144-year-old school no longer needs a traditional library. The academy’s administrators have decided to discard all their books..." (Boston.com)

Scholastic Reverses Decision to Exclude Gay Friendly Book from Fairs
"During the past 48 hours more than 4,000 Change.org members joined in calling for Scholastic Books to reverse their decision to exclude a book from Scholastic's popular book fairs, simply because the book featured two moms raising a child. The book in question is Luv Ya Bunches by best-selling children’s book author Lauren Myracle." (Change.org)

Thoughts

Emily Veinglory: — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:17:00 +0000

I find it interesting that Dear Author castigates authors for lack of enthusiastic response to DA initiatives on the the issue of plagiarism, but also castigates them for too much enthusiasm on the issue of piracy.

Yes, Dear Author is "a reader blog and our focus is for the readers" but I am having a little trouble seeing the two issues as vastely different from a reader point of view--they both relate to the quality, integrity and sustainability of the product the reader is consuming.

But I suppose there is an obvious symmetry of author and reader point of view, if you compare the old EREC post: Breaking News: Plagiarism, Still Bad,and new Dear Author post: Piracy Is Bad.

And the prize goes to....

Emily Veinglory: — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:27:00 +0000

The Beatles Memorial Prize for Humility goes to Sheniqua Waters for her website domain of TheWorldsBestBook.com which takes the designation previously given to such pulpy rubbish as the Bible or Ulysses and bestows it on the Slave Girl.

"We're glad you decided to visit TheWorldsBestBook.com ... Here you will find out more about the newest up-and-coming author Sheniqua Waters and her breakout new historical romance novel Slave Girl ... Sheniqua Waters knows how to put "love" in a love story. She has a unique writing style and creates vivid scenes and intriguing story lines unlike any author we've seen. In our opinion, that is what makes her "The New Face of Romance".

Meanwhile the Inaugural Veinglory Prize for Chicken-Fingered Typing goes to Dark Castle Lords for the email to subscribers excerpted below (explaining that no newsletter will be forthcoming for October):

"Pam and I have gone through all the survey resutsl and will be implementing some of your suggestions next month. the first chagne you will notice will be that th enewsletter will be delivered in PDF. I have also moved the newsletter from the start of the month to towards the end of the month ... These chagnes are not set in stone and we hope you wil let us know if the changes we make are worthwhile and a benifit to YOU."

Links

Emily Veinglory: — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 18:42:00 +0000

The good

Crocheted Boobie Pillow (Etsy): "These boobie pillows are crocheted with worsted weight yarn and stuffed with polyester fiberfil. The nipples are either rubber baby bottle nipples or crocheted. Just let me know which you would prefer."

Frugally Marketing an E-book: "When I contracted with Red Rose in January, I started compiling my promotion toolkit."

The bad

I'm disappointed in the drama: "After attempts to talk to the owner of Red Rose, I got a brief email stating she'd turned over information to her lawyer regarding my book."

Shift to e-books to hurt bookstores, analysts say: "As the math currently works, each sale through a Nook is not just unprofitable but potentially replaces a higher-margin sale at stores," Balter wrote in a client note Friday."

The fugly

Cakewrecks: that's some spout: "I'm a little teapot, short and stout. Here is my handle, here is my..."

Insert the Usual Rant here (a.k.a. Fisking Breathless)

Emily Veinglory: — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 16:53:00 +0000

Full details here: Romantic Writing

FanStory.com and Breathless Press have teamed up to provide the romantic stories writing competition exclusively for FanStory.com writers. To the winners goes a publishing contract offer with Breathless Press and free promotion.

Gee, I wonder is there is any other way to "win" such a wonderful "prize"?

All submissions will be shared in book format and requires the prologue to be a query letter.

What? [Reads it again] Seriously, what does that mean?

Submission Directions: This contest requires creating a book. So prior to submitting your first chapter you should create a book. Click here to create your book.

Oh, I see. Breathless is requiring people to join Fanstory in order to submit a short story to Breathless. Because, um.... because....

The contest winners will receive a contract offer with Breathless Press. Sample Breathless Press Contract. The contract is for ebooks. Breathless Press will be publishing print books on select titles after several months as ebooks.

A.k.a. possibly never.

The contest winners will be chosen by Breathless Press. This contest does not offer a Visa Gift Card prize.

Good to know.

Sigh.

See also:

New Market: Breathless Press

Breathless Press Newest eBook Publisher Officially Launched: "In an industry full of e-publishers, Breathless Press (breathlesspress.com) promises to raise the standard of eBook publishing and it looks like they’re off to a great start."

Open Calls

Emily Veinglory: — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 16:43:00 +0000

Slash Books Call For Submissions - "Kink Bingo"
X marks the spot for this anthology, where each story utilizes a different kink to fill in a square on the Slash Books Kink Bingo card! Pitching for this anthology is simple: pick a kink, and let your imagination run wild! We'll be looking for stories from 2000 to 20000 words that explore the fun and wild side of kinks. As usual, all stories must include at least one same sex relationship. Your story should focus on the relationship. Intriguing characters and interesting situations are the ticket to success here. Be creative! All genres welcome. (Five days 'til the deadline!).

Like the Knave of Hearts: Circlet Press.
What if Alice returned to Wonderland as an adult, and met up with the White Knight or the Red Queen again? What if there was more going on between the Queen of Hearts and the Knave than just those tarts? And what kind of adventures was Mary Ann, the White Rabbits maid, up to when she wasn't at home? We're looking for a darker, sexier view of Wonderland. Be creative, keep it legal, and don't be afraid to explore your nightmares as well as your dreams.

Bookwhirl, in a hole and digging furiously

Emily Veinglory: — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 20:37:00 +0000

I had more-or-less forgotten about the so-called book marketing company Bookwhirl until a determined little defender-of-the-faith turned up on the POD People blog. Such things tend to make me take a good long long at my attitude, and cause it to either soften... or harden.

As for Bookwhirl, well, this is what I see:
* They spam egregiously--which is not a good look in a marketing company.
* Their use of the English language is quirky at best, this from their website: "Email advertisements works like a spider web. Its expansion can be boundless, thriving more possibilities, and bigger sales."
* Clear targeting of self-published authors: "Marketing your self-published book is never easy and it is very time consuming."
* Their online reputation is mud, well--something like mud but stinkier. If they can't promote themselves well, why would you hire them to promote a book?

So... It seems to me that Bookwhirl is a way for inexperienced authors to waste money on stuff that probably won't increase their sales and may actually make them look bad. That's my opinion, and comments from names with no Google footprint, that link to Bookwhirl's website, and are spiced up with convoluted logic and veiled insults aren't likely to change it.

Funny, that.

See also:
BookWhirl Can't Even Sell Itself
BEWARE OF BOOKWHIRL! -commonly mis-pronounced BookWorld
Ripoff Report: Bookwhirl
Bookwhirl's "lively" author forum (they had time to post a PR release about it, but not to delete the spam bots that quickly took it over).

...Long Live the King

Emily Veinglory: — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:41:00 +0000

Fictionwise is closing in on merging with Barnes & Noble and it does not like the the transformation will be a wholey agreeable one--with restrictions on content and extra charges already appearing. A few years ago there would not have been much in the way of an alternative. But AllRomanceEbook spin-off Omnilit is showing signs of stepping into those shoes. Omnilit recently forged and agreement with Ingram Digital giving them access to ebook from publishers like Random House, Harper Collins and Little Brown, in addition to the small epublisher who have been with them from the beginning. I am about ready to swap from Fictionwise to Omnilit; am I the only one?

My Ears Are Burning (Astatalk)

Emily Veinglory: — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 17:15:00 +0000

In the past I posted about what an extended process it was to get full text links to my work removed from Astatalk. This morning I noticed several hits to that post from a private "Closed Team" Astatalk forum thread which I cannot access, but which has the url "http://astatalk.com/thread/2309/1/USERS_TO_AVOID!!!". Do they mean avoid posting my pirated work? I sure hope so. I have added a check of Astatalk for my books to tomorrow's schedule.

Publisher Doings

Emily Veinglory: — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 15:49:00 +0000

Shadowfire is seeking F/F
"We could really use some great lesfic stories and books to publish in 2010. We even consider reprints so long as you have the rights to your work back from the prior publisher. You can see our formatting guidelines and instructions on how to submit here ... If you don't write holiday or themed call stories, we'd like to see the erotic romance lesfic stories you like to write. Guidelines to general erotic romance submissions can be found here." [Michael Barnette, Editor-in-Chief Shadowfire Press]

Eirelander Officially Opens
Eirelander took a long run up at it, which isn't necessarily a bad idea. This month they officially opened and more to a new website url. There still don't seem to be any books for sale from the website (when I click ont he covers,nothing happens?), although they can be found on websites such as Amazon. One of the first two releases from the Heat line is by the owner, TJ Killian.

Stuff

Emily Veinglory: — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:23:00 +0000

Cacoethes Blow Out Sale
Cacoethes Publishing is having a massive sale: all ebooks $2 and paperbacks either $5 or $10. Generosity or desperation?

JA Konrath shares Kindle sales levels
J A Konrath recently blogged, with unusual candor, about how Kindle sales (via publisher and self-published) stack up. I would suggest reaing the whole post as it makes a number of very good points. One of them being: "If I had the rights to all six of my Hyperion books, and sold them on Kindle for $1.99, I'd be making $20,580 per year off of them, total, rather than $4818 a year off of them, total ... According to my math, I'd be making more money if my books were out of print, and I had my rights back."

Bulletin: Brits get pounded, again (and so do most of the rest of us)

Emily Veinglory: — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:47:00 +0000

I previously noted that the British prices for ebook readers seem much higher than what is charged in the US, regardless of where the device is manufactured. Now it seemed the Brits will also have to pay more for Kindle-format ebooks--and so with the rest of the "foreigners".

After initially denying the rumors, Amazon now reveals to the Guardian that "foreign customers - including those in Britain - would be paying $13.99 (£8.75) for new releases and bestsellers, instead of the American price of $9.99 (£6.25). That amounts to a 40% premium for the same title."

Fisking Untreed Reads

Emily Veinglory: — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:12:00 +0000

Untreed Reads

As ever, their website txt + my 0.02:

"Untreed Reads Publishing is the primary imprint of fiction work. We are looking for fiction with minority lead characters and plots (Latino, African-American, Native American, GLBT, female, etc.)."

Um, last I checked females were not a minority, and what the hell is a "minority plot"? Is it a story made up by only one of three psychics?

"Any genre is acceptable except erotica, romance and poetry. The feeling is that these categories are already well-represented by other publishers, and we prefer our focus to be on lesser-realized genres such as sci-fi, mystery, fantasy and mainstream fiction."

No majority genres please. We only want less mainstream genres like... well, "mainstream".

"Romance and eroticism are welcome within the work, but we prefer plot over erotic scenes."

Because we all realise that off the many qualities a work of fiction might have, only two are connected by a direct, inverse correlation such that adding more of one results in having less of the other.

"It is our goal to present to the world multicultural fiction that expands the somewhat limited view currently seen in the industry."

Yes, world multi-cultural fiction populated by Americans of all different genders, colors and sexual orientations, not too focussed on falling in love and not having too much sex.

Fusion my Arse

Emily Veinglory: — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 16:40:00 +0000

In the case of JJ Massa we had an ebook writer lifting a story from fanfiction. Now there seems to be an example of the equal and opposite plagiarism of the ebook Among the Living by Jordan Castillo Price by gwendolynflight to create a full length Arthur/Merlin fanfiction of the same title (the only major sifferences being character names and a POV shift). The source is acknowledged in comments by the "author" as a "fusion". Is that what the kids are calling it these days?

Jordan Castillo Price's response

See also:
Jordan Castillo Price Plagiarized in Fandom
Blatant Plagiarism

Piers sends up smoke signals about Fictionwise

Emily Veinglory: — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 12:37:00 +0000

As has already been reported by Mrs Giggles and Teddypig, Piers Anthony has posted the following:

"October 2009 update: troublesome report that the one-time $15 set-up fee now is invoked any time a change or update needs to be made. They have been paying late, and sometimes in error to the author's disfavor, not corrected; this is harder to track because they have removed real-time figures. They have censored books, removing ”controversial” ones. This sort of thing bothers publishers, but few dare to protest."

Book review bloggers, take heed....

Emily Veinglory: — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 19:02:00 +0000

With recent legal changes, of you are an American blogger and you accept review copies of books you may need to post a disclaimer of some kind to avoid potential legal liability (and a $11,000 fine). It is really no big deal, you just have to write an honest review and disclose anything you received in return, including the review copy. Whether or not it is "fair" to require this, I don't see any reason not to do it.

See also:
FTC Publishes Final Guides Governing Endorsements, Testimonials
Book Publishers, Bloggers, & the FTC Guidelines
My Take on the FTC New Guidelines -- c.anne.gardner

Quoth

Emily Veinglory: — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:21:00 +0000

"We are the second largest ePublisher specializing in romantic fiction and erotic romance novels." [Lucia Carr, Public Relations Director for Samhain Publishing]

"What is the reason behind all the e-publishers shutting their doors, when other e-publishers starting up seem to thrive?" [Gracen Miller on the closure of Firedrakes Weyr]

"Readers aren't stupid like some people like to believe. They can tell the difference between bad story telling and bad editing." [Carrie, in reply to Gracen Miller]

Links

Emily Veinglory: — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:22:00 +0000

* The Death of the Midlist… [Romancing the Blog]
* The Snuggie Sutra
* Ravenous Romance on Home Shopping Network

Links and Pictures

Emily Veinglory: — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 18:29:00 +0000

Works for me!
Fiction
* A blog for anthology calls and anthology news
* My review of "The Collected Erotica"

I like the idea of collecting ebooks, and an exhibitionist theme
--but wouldn't real exhibitionists have a tan?

Ebooks
* Even Dan Brown can't break the e-book 5% rule
* Who here reads ebooks? What eReader do you use?
* Simon and Schuster create revolutionary ebook called a Vook

...when furry goes too far...
Off Topic
* Amazing Indonesia sea creatures (video)

Sunday Picture

Emily Veinglory: — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 22:33:00 +0000

Lulu opens ebook sales

Emily Veinglory: — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:44:00 +0000

Only a few weeks ago, Lulu got their search system working again. It took them only... well, about four months to repair a system that would not find a book even when you typed in the correct title or author's name. But, well, credit where credit is due--you can now do this successfully (key word or genre searching remains somewhat hit and miss).

But now I wonder for whom this repair was made? Recently Lulu searches started bringing up all kinds of mainstream books. This was not, of course, explained on the website or in the Lulu forums--but an online Press Release dated yesterday explains:

"Lulu ... today announced a vastly expanded selection of eBooks, adding 200,000 titles from authors such as Dan Brown, Malcolm Gladwell and Emeril Lagasse to a catalog of content already among the Internet's most diverse ... "It's time for a new era in publishing, one that treats all content equally and gives all authors an equal shot at success," said Harish Abbott, Senior Vice President of Products at Lulu. "We've built an open content marketplace that lets everyone get their ideas to all readers in all forms, print and electronic. And we mean everyone."

I guess it is a bright day for Dan Brown. I wonder how else he would ever manage to sell his books?

On one level I think more books, means more customers, which means more sales. One the other hand Lulu is never going to compete with Amazon, B&N and Powells. So it seems more likely to me that they are maximising their own profits and their authors can either accept a smaller slice of the pie or go to hell.

p.s. if you go there to buy my books, that of course is fine. [/hypocrisy]

Review: The Darkness Within by Joseph S. Meraz

Emily Veinglory: — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:00:00 +0000

Title: Mystic Quest: The Darkness Within
Author:Joseph S. Meraz
Genre: fantasy
Price: $12.99
Publisher: Tate
ISBN: 9781606964170
Point of Sale: Amazon
Reviewed by: veinglory

I wanted to like this book, but alas I comprehensively failed--so I will keep this mercifully brief. The Darkness Within is technically clean and well presented. However it has all the depth and pathos of a cut price fantasy war game. None of the characters, events or the entire world seem real. The names of people and places are jerked brutally from their historical context and feudal characters use language like "significant other" to refer to a girlfriend.

Characters referred to monotonously by some sobriquets like "the fair maiden" or "the warrior" move across a simplistic game board and engage in battles devoid of any kind of inconvenient topography or confusion, in which everyone can see exactly what is happening and only the actions of a half dozen people seem to be significant. Overall the book seems to be the work of a very undeveloped talent and, as such, at best a learning opportunity for the author. And given that the publisher is Tate (charging $4000 and up) it seems that it was an expensive lesson.

Rating: 2/10

Sunday Picture

Emily Veinglory: — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 20:47:00 +0000

Sunday Picture

Emily Veinglory: — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 09:03:00 +0000

Sunday Picture

Emily Veinglory: — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 09:01:00 +0000

Sunday Picture

Emily Veinglory: — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 09:00:00 +0000

New self-POD book review blog

Emily Veinglory: — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:48:00 +0000

My Indy Book Review

"My mission is to: 1. Promote Indy books (aka self-published) by providing reviews of of books by self-published authors and networking opportunities for them. 2. Invite readers to explore and discover new independent authors and their books."

Lulu Partners

Emily Veinglory: — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 23:44:00 +0000

I used to feel pretty positive about Lulu.com, but every new scheme seems to plot another point in their downward spiral. The release of books to Amazon without prior notice (let alone permission). The movement of reviews over to WeRead. The help system that has pretty much ground to a halt. The suppression of all non-Lulu paid services. Etc etc.

Meanwhile tools to help sell books to readers languish, under-developed. The search engine is terrible. The store fronts are a joke. The handling of adult material and related complaints is terrible. Shipping charges are insanely high and climbing, especially for non-Americans. And if there was any doubt that Lulu is more interested in milking aspiring authors than selling books, they have unveiled an affiliate programs: Lulu Partners.

"The Publishing Partner Program provides organizations with a mechanism to register members as Lulu authors and earn a share of the revenue generated by those authors' book sales and services purchases. Unlike traditional affiliate programs, this is a lifetime revenue sharing partnership-you register authors once, and share in all future revenue they generate."

So Lulu is "partners" with people who will indenture authors to them. The relationship with the authors themselves seems somewhat less egalitarian. Lulu, Rather than cutting out a share of the profits for procurers to bring you even more authors, how about helping authors lower their cover prices to make their books more competitive?

Veinglory at Large

Emily Veinglory: — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 17:35:00 +0000

I am a seriously addicted blogger, specifically a Blogger blogger. A tour of my posts for the day would include:

1) Here, yay!
2) My personal blog where I am posting about my latest garage sale purchase....
3) Over at POD People, a blog about self-published books I am riffing on Google search words.
4) At the gay romance blog Slash and Burn I am writing about character sketches.
5) And at the Erotic Romance blog I am reviewing the anthology Dark Thirst.

Now, time to get some writing done!

Dreams & Desires: a collection of romance and erotic tales

Emily Veinglory: — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 13:27:00 +0000

My story 'Blood and Feathers' appears in a new anthology Dreams and Desires which will be released on February first. The anthology is already available for pre-order at Barnes and Noble and Borders.

To mark the release there will be a chat day at Gemma Halliday's chat room on Thursday, February 1 from 8-10 pm EST/5-7 pm PST for a fun-filled gab session and the chance to win one of many free copies of our various recent and upcoming releases!

The following authors will be there: Jenna Bayley-Burke, Faith Bicknell-Brown, Amanda Brice, Sela Carsen, Rachelle Chase, Gemma Halliday, Candace Havens, Zinnia Hope, Jackie Kessler, Susan Lyons, Richelle Mead, Debbie Mumford, Rhonda Stapleton, Bebe Thomas, Emily Veinglory, Sasha White, Lois Winston, Shaunna Wolf & Kit Wylde

All net proceeds from sales of DREAMS & DESIRES will donated to a battered women's shelter, so not only are you getting some great reads, but you're helping women and children who desperately need a brighter future.

p.s. my story is M/M but the other 18 are M/F, ranging from very sweet to extra spicy :)

Grave Heart (m/m)

Emily Veinglory: — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 15:21:00 +0000

The Collector 2" Grave Heart a new volume in the multi-author Collector Series.

Kieran specializes in business dealings of a delicate nature. The sort that require an intimate knowledge of target and goal. And he’s very, very good at his job....

Part of the new and exciting multi-author 'Collector Series', Grave Heart is a short novella with a hero he need to deal with his dark part in order open his heart to love. Dark gay romance with a magical twist, from Emily? Say it ain't so! LOL. I hope y'all enjoy it.

Are You an Erotic Romance Ebook writer?

Emily Veinglory: — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 11:22:00 +0000

...Do you wonder what the sales figures are for different erotic romance epublishers?

Then you might be willing to participate in my new project where writers anonymously tell me about their sales...

http://www.veinglory.com/2006/11/sales-figures.html

'The Highwayman' by Emily Veinglory

Emily Veinglory: — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 12:38:00 +0000

The Highwayman (e-novella, 2006)

Genre: Gay erotic romance
Length: e-novella
Publisher: Cobblestone Press

Reynard is the impoverished son of a cavalier, driven to highway robbery to support his sister, Emilia. But a puritan he robs proves to be his new neighbor--and Emilia returns to the house with her intended fiancé, who demands her promised dowry or the deeds to the family lands.

Finally a new sheriff turns up in town to put an end to the latest spate of robberies. Just when Reynard needs quick money all he can steal is the heart of an insolent roundhead who has a few secrets of his own!

OFFSITE LINKS: point of sale

'Journey's End' from Emily Veinglory

Emily Veinglory: — Sun, 13 Aug 2006 19:12:00 +0000

Journey's End (e-novella 2006)
Genre: gay erotica/romance
Length/Format: novella, e-book
Publisher: Torquere

Castel is an elf stranded in human lands, slowly dying from lack of magical energy. Mendry is a human assassin descended from a line of vampire 'Dragon Knights' who seek to bring an evil dragon back to life.

When Mendry's father steals a child he believes to be his grand-daughter, the seventh generation needed to carry out the resurrection ritual, Mendry and Castel come together to save an innocent life, facing evil mages and more. Together with the child's uncle and mother, they make an unlikely band of heroes, and find a whole new meaning to the word family. Set in the same world as Emily Veinglory's first Torquere novel, Broken Sword!

byemilyveinglory

New blog

Blue Murder, director's cut

Kakapo Clip

Emily Veinglory: — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 12:22:00 +0000

Picture from a future book

My Day Off

Emily Veinglory: — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 21:31:00 +0000 A scene from the upcoming "Lover of Ghosts"

Who's a Naughty Girl Then?

Net News

New on Fictionwise

Update

"Best of the Rest"

Historical Novel Society Conference

Even my fortune cookie won't cut me any slack....

New Review: Shifting Perspectives 2

LOG update

Lover of Ghosts

Interest Examiner.com Posts

Competition for the Significant Puppy

Chicago Botanical Garden

Fan Fiction

Dragon Speech :)

drowning hand

Entrecard Jumps the Shark

Hmmm

Podcasts

Body 2 Body

Off Topic Links

Meanwhile, at lyd

XOXO

Bulletin: Cacoethes

Linkage

Thoughts

And the prize goes to....

Links

Insert the Usual Rant here (a.k.a. Fisking Breathless)

Open Calls

Bookwhirl, in a hole and digging furiously

...Long Live the King

My Ears Are Burning (Astatalk)

Publisher Doings

Stuff

Bulletin: Brits get pounded, again (and so do most of the rest of us)

Fisking Untreed Reads

Fusion my Arse

Piers sends up smoke signals about Fictionwise

Book review bloggers, take heed....

Quoth

Links

Links and Pictures

Sunday Picture

Lulu opens ebook sales

Review: The Darkness Within by Joseph S. Meraz

Sunday Picture

Sunday Picture

Sunday Picture

Sunday Picture

New self-POD book review blog

Lulu Partners

Veinglory at Large

Dreams & Desires: a collection of romance and erotic tales

Grave Heart (m/m)

Are You an Erotic Romance Ebook writer?

'The Highwayman' by Emily Veinglory

'Journey's End' from Emily Veinglory

Emily Veinglory: — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 21:31:00 +0000

A scene from the upcoming "Lover of Ghosts"