Shaun Meeks's Blog - Posts Tagged "writers"
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So far I have had some great success with my book, At the Gates of Madness, but there is always room for growth. I love seeing the reviews popping up here, on Amazon, Tower and Barnes and Noble and would love to see more. That's why I am asking for your help. as an indie writer, one of the hardest things to get is exposure, and that's one of the reasons I turn to social media websites. These places are full of other indie writers and artist that are working hard at getting there work out there to as many people as possible. That's why it is so important for people that enjoy these works to add, rate and/or review as much as you can! Recommend my books and many others that you can find on your list.
And to the writers that might read this, feel free to write me and we can always help spread the word for one another.
And to the writers that might read this, feel free to write me and we can always help spread the word for one another.
What's in a name?
So this blog is a little different, a little less self indulgent than my usual, but I think for up coming artists and performers, it's an important subject that needs to be broached.
In the art and entertainment world, so many of us strive to stand out, to be heard and remembered, but there are a few that would rather ride the coattails of others as though this will help them get to the top. Sometimes, that may not be the actual intentions of a person, but it could be how they are perceived by others which will have the same effect. What I am talking about here is the name you choose to go by when you decide to walk down the path towards recognition.
Let's start with performers. If you are a musician, a dancer, a burlesque performer, a drag queen or any other entertainer that plans on making a stage name, please, research the name you are going to choose. There are so many performers already out there, you need to make sure you aren't stealing a name, or even part of one. You may think you are fine, that you only perform in your city and nobody knows, but I assure you, they know. It doesn't take much to find out, go to Google, type the name you are thinking and see what comes up. Let me help you with this link: http://lmgtfy.com/
Now, I know that some of those that have stage names that are copies of others, or are a little too close for comfort to established people may have been totally ignorant in the name picking, but I know that is not always the case. There are plenty of Dita Von Tassels, Nina LaFleurs, Dusty Martinis and the such that it doesn't take a genius to figure it out. These artist pick these names the way The Asylum makes movies. They want people to Google a name of something popular in hopes that their website and photos will pop up. Is that good business or just the acts of a shady person?
I think the latter.
As a writer, you should also Google your name and make sure that there are no other writers sporting the same. Some people might not think this is a big deal, but if you were also born with the name Stephen King and you don't change it, I guarantee you will never make it as a writer. You want to stand out and away as a writer, you want people to search you name and not see ten pages of other writers before they finally find you, if they even search that far.
I know some writers out there are thinking that they would never change their name, that they were born with it, and that is how everyone knows them, but remember, at the end of the day, if nobody can find you, nobody will read you. If you are making this decision based on the fact that you want your family and friends to see your name on a book cover, they'll still know it's you so relax. What I think, is that people who just don't care and keep the name anyway do so because they want the people they dislike, the middle school and high school enemies, the teachers and ex's that said they'd be nothing, to see that they HAD made it.
Remember they can still see that with a photo, or a simple change in your name. Your name is Tim Lebbon, well change it to Timothy S. Lebbon, or T.S. Lebbon. Do something to change it so you stand out and when you check Google, nobody else in the same field shows up. This goes the same for actors.
In the end, you need to know that your name stands for who you are, it's not just a simple title. You have to ask yourself, do you want to be lumped in with a crowd or stand on your own for all to see?
What's in a name?
In the art and entertainment world, so many of us strive to stand out, to be heard and remembered, but there are a few that would rather ride the coattails of others as though this will help them get to the top. Sometimes, that may not be the actual intentions of a person, but it could be how they are perceived by others which will have the same effect. What I am talking about here is the name you choose to go by when you decide to walk down the path towards recognition.
Let's start with performers. If you are a musician, a dancer, a burlesque performer, a drag queen or any other entertainer that plans on making a stage name, please, research the name you are going to choose. There are so many performers already out there, you need to make sure you aren't stealing a name, or even part of one. You may think you are fine, that you only perform in your city and nobody knows, but I assure you, they know. It doesn't take much to find out, go to Google, type the name you are thinking and see what comes up. Let me help you with this link: http://lmgtfy.com/
Now, I know that some of those that have stage names that are copies of others, or are a little too close for comfort to established people may have been totally ignorant in the name picking, but I know that is not always the case. There are plenty of Dita Von Tassels, Nina LaFleurs, Dusty Martinis and the such that it doesn't take a genius to figure it out. These artist pick these names the way The Asylum makes movies. They want people to Google a name of something popular in hopes that their website and photos will pop up. Is that good business or just the acts of a shady person?
I think the latter.
As a writer, you should also Google your name and make sure that there are no other writers sporting the same. Some people might not think this is a big deal, but if you were also born with the name Stephen King and you don't change it, I guarantee you will never make it as a writer. You want to stand out and away as a writer, you want people to search you name and not see ten pages of other writers before they finally find you, if they even search that far.
I know some writers out there are thinking that they would never change their name, that they were born with it, and that is how everyone knows them, but remember, at the end of the day, if nobody can find you, nobody will read you. If you are making this decision based on the fact that you want your family and friends to see your name on a book cover, they'll still know it's you so relax. What I think, is that people who just don't care and keep the name anyway do so because they want the people they dislike, the middle school and high school enemies, the teachers and ex's that said they'd be nothing, to see that they HAD made it.
Remember they can still see that with a photo, or a simple change in your name. Your name is Tim Lebbon, well change it to Timothy S. Lebbon, or T.S. Lebbon. Do something to change it so you stand out and when you check Google, nobody else in the same field shows up. This goes the same for actors.
In the end, you need to know that your name stands for who you are, it's not just a simple title. You have to ask yourself, do you want to be lumped in with a crowd or stand on your own for all to see?
What's in a name?
The Price of Art
This may seem like a rant to some, but I assure you, it is not. The other day I was on Facebook, one of the most vapid social media sites out here in the interweb, and saw someone complaining about the cost of ebooks. The person posting claimed that any ebook priced over $1.00 is a rip off and that he encourages people not to buy it. Being the person I am, I posted on his comment, stating that I have a 400+ page ebook right now selling for $1.98 and that it is a bargain at that price. His response was, “you are part of the problem with your corrupt greed”. I would have loved to respond to him, but the comment was deleted, soon followed by his account.
You might just chuckle and say “Troll!”, but this is not the first time I have heard such a sentiment. I have heard people complaining about the cost of books, ebooks, music, etc. for a while now, so you have to ask yourself, what are you willing to pay for art?
In the case of a book, here you have weeks, months and in some cases, years of a writer’s life in front of you. There is literally blood, sweat and tears in those pages, especially in the case of an indie writer. The publishing world is a harsh place and finding someone to put your work out into the world is more difficult in many ways that actually writing. But to many, writing is not an easy task either. Finding time to write between your “real” job, social life, eating and sleeping can be a task in and of itself. Then there is coming up with a story, believable characters, setting…it’s all work and art. So when someone complains and says that it should be free or next to free, they obviously aren't really taking it all into consideration.
Imagine you go to work, do your 9 to 5 job and at the end of the week your boss says, “Oh, your job isn’t worth more than $1. You should just do it for free.” Then he gives you nothing for your entire weeks’ worth of work. That’s what it is like for us, hearing this comments.
Sure, with the self-publishing world becoming a little too big for its britches, there are a lot of stories, novellas, novels and collections making it out there that are not very good, even terrible. The market has been flooded over the last little while with people that haven’t ever fought through rejection letters, that have taken this new road without a chance to hone their art and these writers almost make the argument about work being free legitimate.
Almost.
Many of these writers do give their books away for free, not just as a promotion, but all the time. And if they are giving it away and people are rating it and recommending it, this work that is not just sub-par, but totally substandard, where does that leave the rest of us?
The problem is, there are plenty of great writers out here that work hard to put out the best work they can, only to have people more willing to pay $5 for a coffee at some artsy fartsy coffee bar that will last them only minutes, than on a book that will open their minds and last forever.
The same goes for music.
For paintings and sculptures.
Hell it is even the same for hand-fashioned clothes and tattoos.
We live in a world where people want it fast and cheap, but what do we sacrifice in the long run for that? Quality? Craftsmanship? Do we give up true art in order to have it cheap or free? I hope not. I hope that there will always be a group that wants a well-made, hand crafted corset that might cost a fair bit, than the one made by slave labor that comes apart in a month or two. I hope we see a day where people are buying music of artists they enjoy and want to show support to instead of just downloading it for free and making them give it up all together. I as for writers, I hope to walk into a Starbucks one day and know that the guy sitting there, sipping on his over-sized, overly expensive coffee, reading a book on his (insert ebook reader of choice), paid a fair price for the story he is reading and supported the work that went into it. When you drink your fair-trade coffee and eat your fair-traded chocolate, I hope you are reading a fair-trade book and listening to some fair-trade tunes.
You might just chuckle and say “Troll!”, but this is not the first time I have heard such a sentiment. I have heard people complaining about the cost of books, ebooks, music, etc. for a while now, so you have to ask yourself, what are you willing to pay for art?
In the case of a book, here you have weeks, months and in some cases, years of a writer’s life in front of you. There is literally blood, sweat and tears in those pages, especially in the case of an indie writer. The publishing world is a harsh place and finding someone to put your work out into the world is more difficult in many ways that actually writing. But to many, writing is not an easy task either. Finding time to write between your “real” job, social life, eating and sleeping can be a task in and of itself. Then there is coming up with a story, believable characters, setting…it’s all work and art. So when someone complains and says that it should be free or next to free, they obviously aren't really taking it all into consideration.
Imagine you go to work, do your 9 to 5 job and at the end of the week your boss says, “Oh, your job isn’t worth more than $1. You should just do it for free.” Then he gives you nothing for your entire weeks’ worth of work. That’s what it is like for us, hearing this comments.
Sure, with the self-publishing world becoming a little too big for its britches, there are a lot of stories, novellas, novels and collections making it out there that are not very good, even terrible. The market has been flooded over the last little while with people that haven’t ever fought through rejection letters, that have taken this new road without a chance to hone their art and these writers almost make the argument about work being free legitimate.
Almost.
Many of these writers do give their books away for free, not just as a promotion, but all the time. And if they are giving it away and people are rating it and recommending it, this work that is not just sub-par, but totally substandard, where does that leave the rest of us?
The problem is, there are plenty of great writers out here that work hard to put out the best work they can, only to have people more willing to pay $5 for a coffee at some artsy fartsy coffee bar that will last them only minutes, than on a book that will open their minds and last forever.
The same goes for music.
For paintings and sculptures.
Hell it is even the same for hand-fashioned clothes and tattoos.
We live in a world where people want it fast and cheap, but what do we sacrifice in the long run for that? Quality? Craftsmanship? Do we give up true art in order to have it cheap or free? I hope not. I hope that there will always be a group that wants a well-made, hand crafted corset that might cost a fair bit, than the one made by slave labor that comes apart in a month or two. I hope we see a day where people are buying music of artists they enjoy and want to show support to instead of just downloading it for free and making them give it up all together. I as for writers, I hope to walk into a Starbucks one day and know that the guy sitting there, sipping on his over-sized, overly expensive coffee, reading a book on his (insert ebook reader of choice), paid a fair price for the story he is reading and supported the work that went into it. When you drink your fair-trade coffee and eat your fair-traded chocolate, I hope you are reading a fair-trade book and listening to some fair-trade tunes.
