Jami’s rants

Is Taking the Hard Road a “Waste”?

March 15, 2012 Writing Stuff
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My post about the ethics of fan fiction went viral this week, spreading beyond even the Twilight fandom.  From a post on mediabistro/GalleyCat to mentions at Dear Author, Jezebel, The Paris Review, and AbsoluteWrite, people have been discussing ethics in regards to writing and the publishing industry. I don’t bring that up to brag but to [...]

Tagged as: advice for writers, dreams, ethics, fan fiction, Jami Gold, Jami's rants, paranormal author, professionalism, risk, self-doubt

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Who Cares about Quality Writing Anymore?

March 13, 2012 Writing Stuff
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No, that’s not a rhetorical or trick question.  Recent events in the publishing industry have left me asking that as a serious point of confusion and discouragement. I know this is an ongoing complaint about the state of literature.  Over a century ago, people complained about penny dreadfuls and dime novels, and then moved on to complaints [...]

Tagged as: branding, editing, genre, Jami Gold, Jami's rants, literary, paranormal author, perfectionism, professionalism, self-publishing, traditional publishing

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When Does Fan Fiction Cross an Ethical Line?

March 6, 2012 Random Musings
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Fan fiction, also known as fanfic, refers to stories written by fans about the characters, situations, or world of existing works created by others.  This definition sounds broad because the world of fanfic is broad. On some level, everything from Wicked, inspired by The Wizard of Oz, to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies could fall under the umbrella [...]

Tagged as: authors, ethics, fan fiction, Jami Gold, Jami's rants, paranormal author, professionalism, story seed

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What Is the Goal of Ranting?

January 26, 2012 Writing Stuff
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*sigh*  It’s happened again.  An author has insulted other authors and a huge percentage of readers.  Why do people do this? Between social media, the interrelationships of the publishing industry, and the permanent nature of the internet, news of negativity travels far and wide.  Sure, we can’t spout unicorns and rainbows all the time, but [...]

Tagged as: advice for writers, Jami Gold, Jami's rants, paranormal author, professionalism, romance fans, romance haters, romance novels, social media

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The Insanity Behind the Pressure to Have “Numbers”

October 20, 2011 Writing Stuff
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Confession:  I broke one of the unwritten rules of the Writer Code. I ranted.  In public.  On an agent’s blog. And yet I’m still here to tell to the tale.  In fact, the agent responded to my comment and then—in a show of fantastic grace—emailed me to make sure I didn’t take offense.  We ended [...]

Tagged as: advice for writers, agents, authors, blogging, Jami Gold, Jami is insane, Jami's rants, Kristen Lamb, paranormal author, risk, self-publishing, social media, traditional publishing, Twitter

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How To Avoid the Publishing Kool-Aid

October 4, 2011 Writing Stuff
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This isn’t going to be one of those “let’s bash traditional publishing/self-publishing” posts.  There are still too many of those opinions on both sides, and I don’t want any part of that. Two people I respect blogged recently about publishing and kool-aid.  Agent Janet Reid posted about the ten things authors should be doing right now. [...]

Tagged as: advice for writers, agents, dreams, ebooks, happiness, Jami Gold, Jami's rants, paranormal author, self-publishing, traditional publishing

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Should Books Have a Rating System?

July 28, 2011 Random Musings
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This must be the week for me stepping into controversial topics.  It’s a good thing I’m still wearing my flameproof jacket from my last post on plot vs. character.  *smile* It’s been a while since Meghan Cox Gurdon’s article at the Wall Street Journal and her contention that young adult (YA) books are too dark.  I’m [...]

Tagged as: book ratings, censorship, genre, Jami Gold, Jami's rants, listening to characters, muse, paranormal author, self-publishing, traditional publishing, YA

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How Do You Choose Blog Topics?

June 9, 2011 Random Musings
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In case you missed it, Kristen Lamb started a debate with her post yesterday—Sacred Cow-Tipping–Why Writers Blogging About Writing is Bad.  A collective whine went up from the writing community.  ”No blogging about writing?  Then what are we supposed to blog about?” *raises hand*  I was right there with the crowd, joining in the hyperventilating.  What [...]

Tagged as: advice for writers, blogging, branding, Jami Gold, Jami's rants, Kristen Lamb, paranormal author

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When Shouldn’t You Self Publish?

April 12, 2011 Writing Stuff
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Many articles have been written about traditional vs. self publishing (this blog is no exception, as my articles here and here prove), and agent Rachelle Gardner’s recent post added an intriguing twist to the conversation.  She asked her readers who are sticking with traditional publishing to explain their reasons why. Good question.  And I don’t [...]

Tagged as: agents, beta reader, feedback, Jami Gold, Jami's rants, paranormal author, professionalism, queries, self-publishing, traditional publishing, writing contests

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How Much More Do You Have to Learn?

April 7, 2011 Writing Stuff
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In my last post, I lamented how it’s hard for us to see our learning curve and know how much more we have yet to understand.  I wanted to know how close I was to that elusive “destination” of knowing everything I need to know about writing. *pshaw*  Silly me for thinking such a destination actually [...]

Tagged as: advice for writers, agents, grammar, Jami Gold, Jami's rants, paranormal author, perfectionism, plotter vs. pantser, professionalism

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