New Things, New Ideas. New Challenges.

by Louis Bertrand Shalako

c2010

All Rights Reserved


Our basic premise is cross-linking multiple platforms in social networking.

After joining Goodreads many months ago, I kind of forgot about it. I had no idea of what it was for, and for a number of reasons I don't actually read a lot of new releases. At the time, I was busy editing stuff.

So when I went back, I couldn't get in. It turns out I have 37 friends there! But I was accepting requests in my e-mail box, and reading a blog post by Angel McCoy once in a while.

Today I managed to hack my way back in, change the password, and begin the process of getting the 'author profile,' and hopefully some cover images in there.

Last night I successfully downloaded OpenOffice 3.2.0 or whatever, and it is a clean, safe download. It installed correctly. It seems to work fine, and the overall impression is one of speed--this thing is quick. I've got one file in there now, and no doubt there is some time-consuming learning curve.

Theoretically, I will have a POD version of 'The Case of the Curious Killers,' up on Lulu, Wordclay, and who knows, maybe CreateSpace within about two months. Yeah, I thought it out.

In order to stand up in front of a roomful of people and talk about my work, it would be helpful to have something to hold in my hand. Something I can let the people hold in their hand, to see the quality of the thing, and to feel the tactile allure of a brand-new book. At fifteen, or even twenty bucks, the thing is not too out of hand price-wise, and this gives me the opportunity to direct people to the website, the Amazon Kindle versions, the e-books, which are probably more profitable anyway.

For that price, I will definitely sign it for you.

I have read poems, and a few very short things in front of an 'audience,' and always read some story or other at writer's group meeetings, etc. The biggest crowd was about twenty-eight people. In some way, I know I can do it. That part is just a 'performance.' I may be a little more wooden one-on-one, but I have plenty to talk about and they will probably ask pretty general questions. I have a good voice and stuff like that, and at a height of 6'5" people kind of look up to me.

That cover for 'Heaven Is Too Far Away' needs to be re-done. My 'paint' program, another free download, should fix that, it's just a a matter of finding the time. Searching images is almost maddening...it really is.

So far I use the Twitter account very little to talk, but I listen well. I look for data and intelligence about the marketplace and what it is thinking. Every so often I grab one and share it on Facebook.

I suppose I understand the basic principles of social networking and cross-linking, multi platforms and multi formats. Too see how it all interrelates, and mutually supports itself...learning how to use it...that all takes time.

Soaring.

by Louis Bertrand Shalako

c2010

All Rights Reserved



We're holding onto novels like 'TIme-Storm,' for the time being.



My computer doesn’t know the proper spelling of certain words, but I think Microsoft’s spelling and grammar checker will eventually supersede ‘Chicago Style.’

Like flying at night, you have to learn to trust your instruments. I Google words to check spellings when the computer and I disagree.

I have three novels in reserve, two sci-fi, one fantasy. I have a collection of poetry, and probably enough material for two collections of short stories. I want to get more stories published before putting them out. I love foreign language credits. Someone spends eight or ten hours doing it, and that beats selling a story in English for $5.00 or $10.00. I plan to do a first draft of another novel this winter. Provisional title, ‘A Work In Progress.’ Lots of satirical humour in that one.

This afternoon I was re-writing a 15,000 word story, and also kind of dreaming about putting together a collection of short stories. It is a lot of fun, after all; I have the material just lying around. There is some logic in having another title out in time for Christmas. Theoretically, this is my vacation after ten months of hard work.

Right now I have 460+ friends on facebook, some of whom are guys like Mike Resnick, Robert J. Sawyer, Vicki Delany, Douglas B. Smith, and people with anywhere from one to sixty or seventy books. You learn very quickly that there are about fifty million pretty good writers in the English language. I aspire to compete with the best of them. Should I engage in a race for the bottom with the worst of them? I’m better than that. Some of them have awards coming out the wazoo. Resnick has the record in sci-fi. I’m too shy to talk to some of them guys! (So I just listen.)

E-book sales are exploding, with amazing new figures published every month. Probably one in five books sold this year will be an e-book. That trend will continue. It is a tough business, but I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else right now. My goal is to put out sixty books and a few hundred short stories before I die. (A man has to have a goal, right? — ed. )

Ultimately, it is not really about money. It is about the books, and getting them into the hands of the readers no matter what it takes. Interestingly enough, the e-book readers like Kindle and Kobo are wonderful for the elderly, or for people with arthritis, or Parkinson’s disease, because you don’t have to turn pages and you can magnify the text with the touch of a button. With the new ‘e-ink,’ batteries maintain their charge for a very long time according to published reports.

Hopefully, this is the year of the e-book reader for Christmas. Wouldn’t mind one of them myself.

Anyhow, I will go to my grave feeling a lot better, knowing that I did my best.