To Be or Not To Be

There is a woman at work and I'm kind of coaching her on some freelancing basics. Demand Studios, Constant Content and writing for the Trues. Today we got into a discussion about admitting we are writers.
Long ago I thought I couldn't say I was a writer until I was published. It wasn't until I joined critique groups and Romance Writers of America that I discovered it wasn't a bad thing to admit I was a writer even if I hadn't been paid for it yet.
Being a writer is something you are because of what you do. Finances had nothing to do with it. Of course it would be better if we had money coming in from writing but that doesn't make us any less a writer.
The leap to answer questions about your career choices by saying, "I'm a writer." can be a big one. Big and scary.
Today I told my friend that she is a writer. She sold! I could see the realization dawning in her eyes. Like, Oh yeah-I am a writer!
In becoming a writer I think there are many hurdles. Stating you're a writer is one of the biggest steps. It puts you out there, face to the world, declaring what you are.
Scary at first. Then oh so satisfying.

Going Indie

Self publishing used to be called Vanity publishing because is was deemed more about ego than skill. Some self pubs were good, most were not.
Now with Amazon's ebook program anyone can self publish and they no longer call them self published, now, they're Indies. Independent publishing. And now that I have my Kindle I'm reading some and so far they're all good. The Indies have come a long way. I think they're better educated writers who understand the importance of critique and editing. Some have writer friends who help with the editing process, others pay for a professional to edit for them. Either way I think the Indies are a new breed in the industry and they're paving the way for a big change in publishing.
I write constantly. It's what I love to do. To get paid to do this would be a dream and not just to be "published" but to be able to keep writing while I paid some bills.
So I'm going Indie. As I've said before I'm working on rewriting something I've submitted in the past and had some good comments on from an agent and editor. I like this story. It's a paranormal romance about angels. I'd like to have it up sometime this summer.
Now I feel weird facing my gaggle of friends who traditionally publish. One of them an agent, other multi-published authors. Some are locked in the "self-pub bad" mode from years ago and aren't ready to face the new Indie revolution. I think some agents may feel threatened by the Indies. Others unbelieving that an Indie could do anything worth reading. I wonder if some are surfing the ebooks to offer representation?
I think publishing is in the middle of a revolution and there's no telling which way it will go. (Well, I think I know)
All I want to do is get paid so I can write more. I want to tell my stories, that's all. I don't want to go to book signings, do the dog and pony shows, or care if anyone knows who I am. I just want people to enjoy my stories.
What's wrong with that? If Amazon lets me do this with the chance of making some money then I'm ready to give it a try.
Anyone else going Indie? How do you feel about this?

Could this be about Critics?

Once in a golden hour
I cast to earth a seed.
Up there came a flower,
The people said, a weed.

To and fro they went
Thro' my garden-bower,
And muttering discontent
Cursed me and my flower.

Then it grew so tall
It wore a crown of light,
But thieves from o'er the wall
Stole the seed by night.

Sow'd it far and wide
By every town and tower,
Till all the people cried
`Splendid is the flower.'

Read my little fable:
He that runs may read.
Most can raise the flowers now,
For all have got the seed.

And some are pretty enough,
And some are poor indeed;
And now again the people
Call it but a weed.

--Lord Alfred Tennyson

A man's reach should exceed his grasp...

What does "We pay $1,000 against a 25% royalty. (The royalty enters the picture with respect to downloadable versions of the work.)" mean?

I was surfing over to Hero's and Heartbreakers and there was a call for submissions for shorts. I've sold a few to the trues so I was thinking of seeing if I have something for this one, but I don't understand what "against a 25% royalty" means.
And I thought I knew everything. :)
These publishers speak a different language. I think it could mean they pay the thou up front then 25% after that is earned out. Hey if I got the thou up front I'd be happy to let the story sit and germinate. But what if it means something else? This makes me wonder if my story could earn more if I sent it somewhere else.
And then I saw something on Amazon called Kindle Singles. I'm not sure what that is? Single stories? Are they talking novellas? It says expressed in it's natural length...hmmm. I saw one at 30 pages. Most I see are selling at 1.99. Not bad for 30 pages. If you want a quick read or have a short attention span something like this might be good. I think this section, which doesn't seem to have a lot to it yet, will grow by leaps and bounds. I wonder how long (or short) a Kindle Single can be? Either way, putting a short up on Amazon might be a better pay off in the long run.
I've seen several places that want short stories but don't pay and I wonder why would anyone want to submit? Why not put it up on your own blog if you're not going to get paid for it?
Thoughts?

Yay Kindle!

My wonderful hubby gave me a Kindle for Valentine's Day! Yay! Books beat out chocolate and flowers every time.
I've been surfing for a case for it because I'm so scared of damaging it. I'm afraid to bring it to work in case I bang it or crush it or drop it since I usually carry a backpack with my WIP (printed out), water, lunch, a book (Karen Slaughter's Broken), iPod & wire, notebook, magazines...What can I say? I'm really bored at work, I need to keep entertained.
Now I'm so excited to have a Kindle I'm surfing Amazon and scooping up some books. I'm not sure how to find the free ones yet but when books are only 2.99 my book budget is suddenly worth a lot more.
I don't think a Kindle can replace books. I still love the feel of a paperback in my hands. Something about cracking the spine of a new book and turning those pages is like comfort food. I read in bed and there's usually a book or two under my pillow. I don't think I can tuck my Kindle under my pillow. And what about the beach? Dare I take it to the beach? I worry enough about the cell phone and the sand.
:)
Later gators! I'm going to play with my Kindle!
My first purchase:

That thing in the book...

There's something in some books that bring you so far into the character and their world that you forget you're reading. When you have to put that book down all you can think about is what happens next. Some authors seem to do this easily, others...not so much. It has to be there and it has to be consistent throughout the entire book.
As I read and listen to books I try to figure out what this is. Is it the character's thoughts? Actions? Thoughts about their actions? It's something around that stuff.
In Meg Cabot's Insatiable she went into the main character's head a lot. We heard her thoughts and how she muddled through things happening to and around her. When other characters popped up it was inside the main character's head that we heard the discription.
Stephen King does this in The Dome. (Excellent book now available in paperback. I did the audio book.) We almost constantly see what's happening through the thoughts of the few main characters.
So is this the way you write? Omnipresent or inside a head? Which is better? Does one give us a more personal view of the world created?
This is my Edgar Allen Poe action figure. Every writer needs one.

When words ... show

I just finished Meg Cabot's Insatiable. Great book about a woman who doesn't believe in vampires learns they might be everywhere. This book was soooo well written I felt as if I was sucked into another worlds. The words Meg wrote gave vivid pictures, ripped the feelings from my soul and made me laugh out loud.
Now I'm reading Karin Slaughter's Broken and on the first page we get: "It wasn't so much raining as misting down a cold wetness, like walking around inside a dog's nose."
Can ya feel that? The cold dampness that sticks to your skin like a slick slime? These are words that give such an image that I can feel it. These are the words of a great writer. Someone who can conjure up a world and make me feel like I stepped right into it. Someone who can make me forget I'm reading.
I wish I could write such images. Even in the deepest end of my zone I don't think I could think to link rain to my dog's nose. Could you?
What are you reading and how well is it written?