I have found that the best way to be successful and productive is to do two things: Set SMART goals; and Challenge myself. The challenge myself portion is what I want to talk about today. You see, when I set the goal, I am in effect competing with myself. Those types of competitions are what really drive me to be productive. The problem is, unless I have some way to measure that productivity, I sometimes lose sight of my goals and things come to a screeching halt. That’s why I’m successful at NaNoWriMo. I have that status bar that I continually update so I know exactly where I am at any given time. When I was at Balticon, I heard […]
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Get Published Episode 110 – Ed Robertson Talks Self-Publishing and What Book Rankings Mean
I don’t know about you, but I have always wondered about the book rankings that show up on Book sites like Kobo and Amazon. What does it really mean if a book has a ranking of 60,000? On today’s show, I talk to someone who has had some luck deciphering what those rankings truly mean. We also talk about his experiences in self-publishing and the strategies he has seen and used to be successful. I also talk about conventions since, as this episode drops, I will be at Balticon in Hunt Valley, Maryland. I talk about what you as a convention goer should be doing while attending the various conventions, both literary and other out there. That’s today’s episode. I […]
Read moreThe Flurry Before Departure
We’ve all heard the term “Perfect Storm”, right? Well, it feels like I am in the middle of one right now. This Friday, I am leaving for Balticon in Hunt Valley, Maryland. I still have to pack my bags, ensure I’ve got business cards and books AND get my itinerary completely locked down. All that and, right now, there are renovations happening at the house that I didn’t think were coming for a couple more weeks. Oh yeah, AND my mother is moving and I’ve got to get my podcast obligations taken care of and some writing done. Like I said, Perfect Storm (at least for me). So, I’m busier than I would like, trying to deal with everything. C’est […]
Read moreMik Murdoch, Boy Superhero Has Been Shortlisted for a Prix Aurora
There are things that we always hope for but don’t really expect to happen in our careers. One of mine was to be nominated (and hopefully win) the Prix Aurora. In case you don’t know what a Prix Aurora is, it is a national speculative fiction award in Canada. This is the 30th year for the Auroras and, this year, they have included a new category specifically for YA fiction. Mik Murdoch has been shortlisted in the YA fiction category for this award. I’m not sure if words can truly express how I feel about this honour. This is one of those things that is a BIG DEAL that I never really expected to experience. I use the word “thrilled” […]
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