Now, understand, this is just not the last few years. This disorganization  has built since the late 1980s. (All my stories from earlier were destroyed in a house fire.) Some years I would use a nifty numbering system that seem to make sense at the time. Other years I would use dates and months with no idea why I thought that was a good system.

And not once did I give a thought to the future and the mess I was creating for myself until my creative voice stopped me from writing until I cleaned all this up.

Now I have a simple system that has worked for the last few years and it is logical and makes sense to my mind. And there is a spread sheet that I can sort and figure out where stories were published. And everything will be backed up when I get done with this challenge.

I figured going into this challenge that I would have about fifty ten-story collections, no repeats of any story. But then I started deciding to leave some stories in the past, and found duplicates on stories with different names, and so on and so on.

So now I am down to about 37 collections of stories I want to move forward. There might be more after tonight.

So I will go through all the electronic files, seeing if each story is on my spread sheet and in a collection or not. One more time into the mess of decades of disorganization. And then I will call it good.

Be organized right from the start.

And you know what is even more fun on this. I have seven file cabinets in storage. 16 file drawers, all jammed solid with short fiction, many of which were published, but I have no electronic file in this new system for. Easily 300 stories out there, most of them have no electronic copy.

So over the next few years I will dig back through very old computer hard drives to find stories and try to bring them forward if they are worth it. So eventually my run of collections might total 50 or more books. But just not for this challenge that ends in just over three weeks.

Am I going to make the 75 published books? It is going to be close.

Fantastic new fantasy novel by Kris plus two brand new collections. And we hit all the stretch goals so all the short stories will go to all backers, plus some extra writing classes.

And yes, only for this Kickstarter, this one time, we are offering the two special workshops from the previous campaign as well as the two new special workshops because we did these two campaigns so close together and both were fantasy.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/a26/strange-sights?ref=ey942h

Again, ends at 7 pm West Coast time TODAY!!

Here are the details of each class. And yes, only for this Kickstarter, this one time, we are offering the two workshops from the previous campaign as well as the two new ones because we did these two campaigns so close together and both were fantasy.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/a26/strange-sights?ref=ey942h

— Special Workshop #1… THE PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE

You are the result of what you repeatedly do. 

Now understand, there is a massive difference between the pursuit of excellence and the pursuit of perfection. Chasing perfection will kill your writing and your career. 

So for three weeks we will focus on this topic of excellence. Honestly, it might change your entire writing life and career. It’s going to be a good class and a hard one for some people.

This special workshop will only be offered through this Kickstarter. Plus, you also get the new STRANGE SIGHTS novel and two dark fantasy collections in electronic editions.

— Special Workshop #2…. THE WRITER’S LIFESTYLE

Yes, we know every writer is unique, but there are patterns that cross through successful writers that can be learned and focused on.

Philosophy not goals impact your writing and we will go over those aspects in the three weeks. Just remember, you can’t have courage and comfort at the same time.

 So, as with the first workshop, this class will be amazingly eye-opening and very hard for some writers. But might be the difference between not understanding why you are failing and actually going forward.

This special workshop will only be offered through this Kickstarter. Plus, you also get the new STRANGE SIGHTS novel and two dark fantasy collections in electronic editions.

— Get Both Special Workshops At A Discount!!

You can get both special workshops (#1 and 2) under the $250 reward level or as an add-on. In two short classes you will take your writing to another level.

These special workshops will only be offered through this Kickstarter. Plus, you also get the new STRANGE SIGHTS novel and two dark fantasy collections in electronic editions.

Both three-week classes will be offered starting November 19th and December 1st. Your choice. 

— Special Workshop #3… MONEY MAKING TIPS USING INVENTORY

In three weeks, we will give you a whole bunch… a lot… no, make that a ton of tips and ideas on how to make money with your inventory. Many indie writers give this no real thought, not realizing they are sitting on a gold mine in just the stories and novels they have already finished. 

Remember, stories never spoil. They are new to the reader when the reader first reads them. But the key for the writer is getting these stories in the hands of readers. That is what this class is all about.

THIS IS A BUSINESS WORKSHOP. We might suggest an idea you would never do in one sentence and then give you an idea in the next sentence that will help you make extra money and find new fans and readers.

Only available one session starting October 27th and running for three weeks. Plus, you also get the new STRANGE SIGHTS novel and two dark fantasy collections in electronic editions.

— Special Workshop #4…. LOCATION! LOCATION! LOCATION! Beyond  Depth… How to Make a Location Come Alive

A city, a spaceship, a colony, a building, or in the case of Seavy County books and stories, coastal towns. This three-week workshop will focus beyond depth, far beyond, into the methods, tricks, and techniques of making a setting really come alive in the reader’s minds.

This is an advanced craft class that all levels of writers in all genres can learn how to make the locations of their stories real to the readers.

Only available one session starting October 27th and running for three weeks. Plus, you also get the new STRANGE SIGHTS novel and two dark fantasy collections in electronic editions.

— Get Both #3 and #4 Special Workshops At a Discount!!

You can get both special workshops under the $250 reward level or as an add-on. In two short classes you will take your writing and business in any genre to another level.

Only available one session starting October 27th and running for three weeks. Plus, you also get the new STRANGE SIGHTS novel and two dark fantasy collections in electronic editions.

— Get ALL FOUR Special Workshops (#1, 2, 3, 4) At A Discount!!

You can get all four special workshops under the $400 reward level or as an add-on. You will take your writing and business in any genre to another level. 

And remember, Special Workshops #3 and #4 can only be taken starting October 27th. Plus, you also get the new STRANGE SIGHTS novel and two dark fantasy collections in electronic editions.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/a26/strange-sights?ref=ey942h

It is Kickstarter season again, with lots of new and fun campaigns.

I’ve been doing this every Friday now for a long time. And it certainly has been fun studying Kickstarters.

Here us a summary of what I look for in a campaign to list here…

— I look for fiction campaigns that are not just about “pretty books” but actually want readers.

— I look for clarity in the campaign, meaning can I figure out what the hell is offered.

— I look for a good story that flows and good art.

— I do not bother with anyone who is so flipping lazy as to us AI in any part of their campaign.

— And I look to see if the campaign will fund or if the writer behind the campaign asked for far too much.

You know, sometimes a campaign just catches my attention and I think it is worth mentioning.

NEW THIS WEEK!

Ghost Telling Their Own Stories by Robert J. McCarter

Celebrating the fifteenth anniversary of Shuffled Off with 29 new stories told by ghosts!

I love Robert’s ghost stories and bought a bunch of them for Pulphouse. He’s a great writer and this is a great campaign. It funded quickly, so you can get these stories and books. Super reading. Worth your time to back this one. Great stories.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/robertjmccarter/ghost-telling-their-own-stories?ref=ch2rtm

—-

Magical Mail: The Spell of the Month Club by T. Thorn Coyle

12 months of old-fashioned snail mail envelopes stuffed with spells, prayers, poems, original art, audio meditations, and more!

Lots and lots of fun things in this one, including some fiction by Thorn, who is a great writer. Take a look at this to see what you can do with a Kickstarter campaign. And if it sounds like fun to you, back it.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thorncoyle/magical-mail

—-

Here there be Dragons by Christopher C. Diamond

A dragon-themed short story collection by Christopher C. Dimond.

This is an ebook and audio only campaign for one collection. It is doing pretty good and should fund. It has a good look about it and is well organized. I would back it but I only back paper I’m afraid. Just me. Nothing at all wrong with doing an ebook only campaign. Not a thing. And this is a good one to look at and back.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/christopher-c-dimond/here-there-be-dragons

—

STILL GOING

STRANGE SIGHTS by Dean Wesley Smith

A Brand New Dark Fantasy Novel by Kristine Kathryn Rusch plus two Dark Fantasy Collections

When I finished reading this brand new novel by Kris, I went “Wow!” When Kris lets go, as she said she did in her introduction, there is no better fiction writer working today. The brand new novel STRANGE SIGHTS is stunning. And this Kickstarter edition will be ahead of the regular release of the book by nine months or so. So don’t miss this chance to get it way early.

This launched on Wednesday and funded in one hour and made the first stretch goal in about 15 hours. And the two collections with the new book are really special dark fantasy short fiction.  Some great workshops as well. Both Special and in the stretch rewards.

And you may want to study this one as well. We got a Project We Love from Kickstarter. Notice the bright colors, lots of art and covers, and very clear story. That’s what I look for and what Kickstarter looks for as well.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/a26/strange-sights?ref=ey942h

—-

Voices Through Time: A Ghostly Appalachian Novella Trio by Kari Kilgore

Special edition omnibus full of romantic suspense, ornery ghosts, and the antique postcards and images that inspired the tales.

Oh, my, is this going to be a great book when it comes out. I have read a lot of Kari’s stories and loved them and Kris has bought many of her Appalachian stories. Trust me, you are going to love these. This is one of those wonderful campaigns where it has so much cool stuff, you might do a lot of add-ons. Fiction inspired by antique postcards and then having a bunch of the old postcards in the campaign,

This is a campaign worth studying and also backing. Some great fiction here.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/karikilgore/voices-through-time?ref=ctw09d

—

Festive Fantasy Holiday Tales: 10 Tales of Holiday Magic by Rebecca M Senese

Reindeer and elves, Krampus and Yule creatures, even a magical, runaway turkey, delight in these 10 fantasy tales of magic and heart.

Wow, does this one look great. Rebecca has done a bunch of great campaign and they are always wonderful and I have read some of her holiday stories and trust me, they are wonderful. And even though this is for only one collection, it has funded and doing great. Really attractive campaign and the fiction will be worth reading.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rfarpublishing/festive-fantasy-holiday-tales

—

Strange Tales by John Betancourt

The premier in sci-fi, fantasy, and horror.

This is a new magazine firing up by John Betancourt of Wildside Press. John already publishes four other magazines in this same genre including WEIRD TALES MAGAZINE. I have known John for 40 years and when he was an assistant editor at Asimov’s way back he gave me some great rejections. Wildside Press has been going now since back when Kris and I owned Pulphouse Publishing in the early 1990s. On top of that, John is a bestselling fiction writer.

This campaign is really done right all the way and it got a Project We Love from Kickstarter. Clearly, the art is amazing in the story. Very clear to a theme and he sticks with it. Studying this one is worth your time and also if you love great fiction on the dark side, backing this campaign is a great idea.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wildsidepress/strange-tales

—

LAUNCHING SOON

Merry Catastrophe: A New Holiday Cozy By Shaw Collins!

Cassia Lemon and Genevieve are it again in a romping holiday mystery with quirky characters, cranky villains, and ridiculous action.

This looks like a really fun book and a good campaign. Really simple and clean and fitting of the book in the campaign. Worth taking a look and getting on the watch list.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/greenleespublishing/merry-catastrophe-a-new-holiday-cozy-by-shaw-collins

—

The Dark Ship: Science Fiction Stories from the Boundary by Ron Collins

Ghost ships, mad scientists, impossible machines, time travel, strange worlds, alien monsters, and the people caught in the middle.

One of the best science fiction writers working in modern fiction is doing this amazing collection. And to be honest, that Kickstarter header might be the best header I have seen. Take a look at it. Just amazing.

And get on the list to be informed when this comes out. Maybe some of the best science fiction reading you will find.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/roncollins/the-dark-ship-science-fiction-stories-from-the-boundary?ref=6pj0qd

—–

SOMEWHERE IN SILENCE; a warm, wry novella on starting again by Alexandria Blaelock

A grounded, reflective and dryly humourus story about starting again and coming into yourself.

Alex is a great writer and this looks like its going to be a great campaign and a good read. Check it out and get on the notification list.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/alexandriablaelock/somewhere-in-silence

Here are the details of each class. And yes, only for this Kickstarter, this one time, we are offering the two workshops from the previous campaign as well as the two new ones because we did these two campaigns so close together and both were fantasy.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/a26/strange-sights?ref=ey942h

— Special Workshop #1… THE PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE

You are the result of what you repeatedly do. 

Now understand, there is a massive difference between the pursuit of excellence and the pursuit of perfection. Chasing perfection will kill your writing and your career. 

So for three weeks we will focus on this topic of excellence. Honestly, it might change your entire writing life and career. It’s going to be a good class and a hard one for some people.

This special workshop will only be offered through this Kickstarter. Plus, you also get the new STRANGE SIGHTS novel and two dark fantasy collections in electronic editions.

— Special Workshop #2…. THE WRITER’S LIFESTYLE

Yes, we know every writer is unique, but there are patterns that cross through successful writers that can be learned and focused on.

Philosophy not goals impact your writing and we will go over those aspects in the three weeks. Just remember, you can’t have courage and comfort at the same time.

 So, as with the first workshop, this class will be amazingly eye-opening and very hard for some writers. But might be the difference between not understanding why you are failing and actually going forward.

This special workshop will only be offered through this Kickstarter. Plus, you also get the new STRANGE SIGHTS novel and two dark fantasy collections in electronic editions.

— Get Both Special Workshops At A Discount!!

You can get both special workshops (#1 and 2) under the $250 reward level or as an add-on. In two short classes you will take your writing to another level.

These special workshops will only be offered through this Kickstarter. Plus, you also get the new STRANGE SIGHTS novel and two dark fantasy collections in electronic editions.

Both three-week classes will be offered starting November 19th and December 1st. Your choice. 

— Special Workshop #3… MONEY MAKING TIPS USING INVENTORY

In three weeks, we will give you a whole bunch… a lot… no, make that a ton of tips and ideas on how to make money with your inventory. Many indie writers give this no real thought, not realizing they are sitting on a gold mine in just the stories and novels they have already finished. 

Remember, stories never spoil. They are new to the reader when the reader first reads them. But the key for the writer is getting these stories in the hands of readers. That is what this class is all about.

THIS IS A BUSINESS WORKSHOP. We might suggest an idea you would never do in one sentence and then give you an idea in the next sentence that will help you make extra money and find new fans and readers.

Only available one session starting October 27th and running for three weeks. Plus, you also get the new STRANGE SIGHTS novel and two dark fantasy collections in electronic editions.

— Special Workshop #4…. LOCATION! LOCATION! LOCATION! Beyond  Depth… How to Make a Location Come Alive

A city, a spaceship, a colony, a building, or in the case of Seavy County books and stories, coastal towns. This three-week workshop will focus beyond depth, far beyond, into the methods, tricks, and techniques of making a setting really come alive in the reader’s minds.

This is an advanced craft class that all levels of writers in all genres can learn how to make the locations of their stories real to the readers.

Only available one session starting October 27th and running for three weeks. Plus, you also get the new STRANGE SIGHTS novel and two dark fantasy collections in electronic editions.

— Get Both #3 and #4 Special Workshops At a Discount!!

You can get both special workshops under the $250 reward level or as an add-on. In two short classes you will take your writing and business in any genre to another level.

Only available one session starting October 27th and running for three weeks. Plus, you also get the new STRANGE SIGHTS novel and two dark fantasy collections in electronic editions.

— Get ALL FOUR Special Workshops (#1, 2, 3, 4) At A Discount!!

You can get all four special workshops under the $400 reward level or as an add-on. You will take your writing and business in any genre to another level. 

And remember, Special Workshops #3 and #4 can only be taken starting October 27th. Plus, you also get the new STRANGE SIGHTS novel and two dark fantasy collections in electronic editions.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/a26/strange-sights?ref=ey942h

That’s right, just this week, I got letters from writers wanting me to look at their Kickstarters for inclusion in my Kickstarter Friday. Clearly not a one of them have read one of the Kickstarter Friday posts. But that is not the laziness I am talking about.

Nope, just this week three different writers with different projects wasted my time looking at their campaigns (which for regular, real writers, I love to do) because they used AI somewhere in the process.

The art, the writing, the proofing, something in the campaign itself, and so on.

They were all early stage writers too stupid to understand that AI used stolen work from writers and artists because heaven forbid a young writer would care about copyright theft.

Every Friday on Kickstarter Friday posts I say the same thing… “I do not bother with anyone who is so flipping lazy as to us AI in any part of their campaign.”

These three lazing fucking writers wasted my time and energy because they used my stolen work and others.

AI may be a tool of the future, but right now in fiction and art, it is just pure theft.

So back to what I said yesterday. And what Harlan said. “PAY THE WRITERS!” Don’t steal our work or ask us to work for free. And I hope in November to be paid for some of my work one AI company stole.

And yes, I am angry because I got my Covid and Flu shots yesterday and didn’t have a lot of time today to waste on thieves.

In the comments on last night’s post, the rant that Harlan did about paying the writers was posted. I guess it is on YouTube and is part of the movie about him.

What that Hollywood agent wanted me to do was work for free, and I basically said, “Hell no!!”

But I got a number of letters and a comment about how that agent might have caught other writers.

So how do you not get caught?

Simple… You draw the line and never work for free.

Period.

Back in the 1990s, when traditional publishers started cutting sale forces and wanted the writers to promote instead, I asked my editor at Pocket how much they were going to pay me to promote. He said “Nothing.” I said, “Then if there is not an agree-upon amount in my contract that is paid to me for promotion, don’t expect me to do any.”

He just nodded and nothing was ever said again. And no contract going forward ever had a clause paying me to promote.

I got paid to write the book. Not sell it. That was the publisher’s part of the job.

Now as an indie writer, I work at promoting my books at times, but I get paid for it in more money from sales and Kickstarters and such. And I am the publisher. Duh…

But work for someone else for free, write something for free for someone else, not a chance. It is a very, very clear line and easy to understand.

So if some Hollywood slime comes slithering up to you and wants you to do a pitch deck or write a synopsis of your book, you simply ask for the WGA rates for such work. And watch them slither away and thus save you more time than you can imagine.

Never write or work for free for anyone else. Ever.

A very clear and simple line.

And honestly, I think most writers working in traditional publishing in the last 15 years sadly prove the belief system.

But over the last two days I was contacted by a “Hollywood” agent for a project of mine. At first I thought it was spam, but checked him out and he was real. So we cleared that up and he wanted some basic information on how I deal with rights for one of my books.  No issue. I told him. Now, in Hollywood, agents are lower than doormats. I knew that, but my response to him took me two minutes to see what he wanted.

Then suddenly, even though I told him that I had been around for fifty years, had a ton of experience, and knew what I was doing, he came back assuming I was a stupid beginner. He wanted me to do a ton of work that others in Hollywood make good money to do for my projects.

He assumed I was stupid and the very idea of having a project in Hollywood with an “agent” would make me do a ton of stuff so he would not have to pay others to do it. And sadly beginning writers would do the work for no money.

Once again my belief system that all agents in the publishing world are scum has been reinforced.

I will ghost him, but if he does come back again, I will remind him that my work is registered and that I had better not see anything using it or him and his agency will be very sorry I didn’t just delete their first email.

God I hate stupidity and I hate even worse that so many writers just play into the myth that we are all stupid. Sigh…

It is doing great. It funded about fifty minutes after launch and now, and now right on the edge of the second stretch reward.

We ended up not only offering the two really cool new special workshops, but for those who missed the great workshops a month ago, we are offering those again for one session. Check it out.

Plus three of the stretch goals not only have fiction from Kris, but three writer’s classes.

And for those of you who grabbed those Special Workshops a month ago, an email has been sent to you on where to get the classes and the codes to get in.

This is a really fun Kickstarter. And some great reading. Strange Sights is a brand new novel from Kris that is stunning.

Check it out.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/a26/strange-sights?ref=ey942h

As many of these blogs are, this is triggered by comments from writers that make me just shake my head. Writers, especially fiction writers, seem to have an aversion to learning copyright. It is like if they learn and understand copyright, they will catch something that will kill them instead of make them money.

So over the next few day or weeks, I am going to point out some head-shaking comments by fiction writers about copyright. Again, this will be basic.

Head-shaking comment… “You never want to sell all your copyright.”

And that comment assumes it is all right to sell “some” of your copyright.

OH, HELL, NO!!!  Not ever. Period. End of sentence.

You never sell any of your copyright. There are no exceptions for anyone reading this blog.

You license your copyright.

And you control the terms of that license, and when the license expires exactly, to the day. And under what conditions.

You never give a license away for no money and you must always have a signed agreement with all terms worked out.

This is basic copyright. You always keep your property. Sure, you can license a use to others, but you never sell the property or any part of that property.