Posted in In the Biz, tagged blogging, community, confidence, Diary of a Virgin Novelist, e-book, fear, fiction, In the Biz, platform, Rebecca Hargreaves, traditional publishing, writer, writing, writing goal on July 29, 2010 | 15 Comments »
Two weeks ago, we had the privilege of hosting artist Jake Murray for our “In the Biz” column. This week, we return to writers with blogger Rebecca Hargreaves from Diary of a Virgin Novelist. Whether you’re looking to write your first e-book, or determined to go the traditional route, Rebecca’s fearlessly candid responses are as refreshing as they are inspiring. But don’t take my word for it… (more…)
Posted in E-Publishing, tagged Amazon, author, backlist titles, best-sellers, Cafe Lopez, e-books, E-Publishing, enterprise author, entrepreneurial, hard-covers, NPR, pigheaded, publishing bloggers, query, quintessntial, royalties, success, Wiley Agency on July 27, 2010 | 4 Comments »
This morning, NPR reported that the Wylie Agency, a top literary agency, has teamed with Amazon on a joint venture to electronically publish what’s known as ‘back-list titles,’ best-sellers written long before the age of e-books. The publishing industry wasn’t happy, particularly Random House. In a quintessential display of the kind of pig-headed mentality that has alienated authors (like myself) from traditional publishing, RH essentially blacklisted the Wylie Agency, refusing to enter into any future (English language) agreements with any of its clients. This act on their behalf has left some bloggers, that is Café Lopez, extremely confused as to the message they’re trying to send. (more…)
Posted in E-Publishing, tagged beta reader, blog, blogging, book, cover art, creativity, e-publish, Edit, fans, mantra, query, rejection, sales, tweaks, tweeting, writing on July 19, 2010 | 14 Comments »
I haven’t been devoting much time to the blog lately due to the final developmental stages on the book. But this I had to share:
Dear Mark,
Thank you for your query, and I apologize for the delay in response. I have reviewed the work, and decided to pass at this time. I wish you the best of luck, and success in the publishing world. (more…)
Posted in On Writing, tagged Cafe Lopez, existential, heist, hope, idea, Inception, movie, original, successful on July 16, 2010 | 3 Comments »
Café Lopez is a place devoted to writing and creativity. We avoid movie reviews because they’re a dime a dozen, but sometimes a movie deserves praise no matter how many people have reviewed it. Inception is one of those movies. It’s complex yet simple, layered just enough to be a thrilling heist or an existential thought provoker. And it’s been wildly successful. A $60 million opening for an original property? Incredible. And you know what’s even better? This is a film that challenges its audiences, and people are responding. I know of at least one other soon to be released property that expects the same from its audience. So in the hopes that I can one day repeat Nolan’s success, allow me to plant an idea into your head…
GO WATCH INCEPTION.
Posted in In the Biz, tagged Amazon, artistic perspective, characters, communication, cover art, cover design, fantasy, freelancer, illustration, illustrator, imagination, Jake Murray, portfolio, project, publisher, sci-fi, science fiction, screenwriter, Star Wars, TDDC, theme, tilt on July 14, 2010 | 2 Comments »
Last week, I had the privilege of hiring artist Jake Murray to design the cover to my book, The Dead Don’t Cry. With a keen eye for subtlety and a love for science fiction, he is bringing to life characters that have until now existed only in my imagination. But that trick isn’t unique to him. What is, however, is the level of thought he brings to his work. Regarding the angle he chose for my cover and the tilt reflected therein, he writes:
The “worm’s-eye” viewpoint gives us a sense that these two characters are strong (at least stronger than us because we have to look up to them), while the tilted angle suggests unbalance. They are strong, but their world is not stable.
Jake has not read TDDC, yet he understands perfectly the theme I was aiming for. In today’s “In the Biz,” he shares some more of his wisdom with us all! (more…)
Posted in My Writing, tagged attention, composition, contradiction, cover sketches, energy, hope, subtlety, TDDC, tilt on July 12, 2010 | 14 Comments »
Well, this is exciting. Sketches for TDDC’s cover art are in, and they are fantastic! But don’t take my word for it…
The artist’s name is Jake Murry. I hired him for two reasons: he understands subtlety and the power of contradiction. TDDC’s cover must convey beauty and danger in equal measure, and if possible, an underlying sense of hope. Difficult themes to illustrate, but perfectly captured in the first sketch…so why is it so hard for me not to choose the second? I love its energy, composition, tilt, the immediate danger posed in its framing. I admit – this probably isn’t the best direction to take, and it would probably be better suited for, say, an image in a trailer. But I’m curious, what do you think? For those of you who haven’t read The Dead Don’t Cry, which would be more likely to draw your attention?
Looking forward to your input!
Posted in On Creativity, tagged A Light in August, apocryphal, Cafe Lopez, epiphany, Ghosts dont cry, In the Biz, plausible, Puerto Rico, symbolic role, The Dead Don't Cry, theme, unlikeliest of places, Volver, Wikipedia, William Faulkner on July 9, 2010 | 3 Comments »
First off, wow, In the Biz was a hit. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, and applauding Suzanne’s responses. I hope some of our new guests stick around. Café Lopez has a lot to share in the days/months/years ahead 
A couple of days ago, I came across a little tidbit about one of my favorite books, William Faulkner’s A Light in August. To be fair, the source was Wikipedia, so there’s no telling how universal this opinion may be, but it drew my attention nevertheless:
Supposedly, one summer evening while sitting on a porch, [William Faulkner's] wife remarked on the strange quality that light in the south has during the month of August. Faulkner rushed out of his chair to his manuscript, scratched out the original title, and penciled in Light in August. (But this is probably apocryphal given the huge symbolic role that both light and the month of August play in the novel.)
The first thing I did was look up the definition for apocryphal. My next act was to challenge the writer’s claim. You see, to me, the story sounds perfectly plausible. If there’s one thing that I think all writers can agree on, it’s that some most of our best ideas come from the unlikeliest of places. Don’t believe me? Then consider the origin of the title to The Dead Don’t Cry. (more…)
Posted in In the Biz, tagged adventures, articulate, aspiring novelist, believe, Cafe Lopez, criticism, goals, humanity, imagination, imagine, In the Biz, inspiration, metaphor, passionate, peers, rejection, self-publishing, Suzanne H. Patton, The Ink Ribbon Writer, The Phantom Tollbooth, Two Swords One Pen, writer, writing career, Young Writers Society on July 7, 2010 | 14 Comments »
Welcome to Café Lopez’s very first “In the Biz.” Every Wednesday, we’re going to feature someone new to get a fresh perspective on writing by way of five direct questions relating to the business. Today, we’ll be interviewing Suzanne H. Patton. When I first met Suzanne here at the Café, I was immediately impressed with her passionate, articulate, and thought-provoking responses to previous posts. Imagine my surprise when I discovered she’s only 19! The surprises didn’t end there. Suzanne is also a moderator at the Young Writers Society, part of the writing duo at Two Swords, One Pen, and is embarking on an exciting quest to write a novel on a typewriter in her newest blog, The Ink Ribbon Writer. If anyone can be said to embody youthful exuberance, it’s her. Now on to the interview! (more…)
Posted in On Writing, tagged career, conflict, creative freedom, direct, George Lucas, improve, Jonathan McGough, learn, M. Night Shyamalan, mediocrity, produce, Roger Ebert, Star Wars, The Last Airbender, The Phantom Menace, The Sixth Sense, tour de' force, trilogy, write, writing on July 5, 2010 | 8 Comments »
Manoj Shyamalan‘s latest film, The Last Airbender, is being shredded by negative reviews. Roger Ebert emphatically calls it an “agonizing experience in every category I can think of and others still waiting to be invented. Mel Valentin, from Cinematical.com takes his criticism one step further, arguing that “The Last Airbender” fails without reservation or qualification in every conceivable category: story, characters, dialogue, and performances.” So imagine my surprise when my friend and colleague, Jonathan McGough, decided to go watch it anyway. When I asked him why, he gave me the following response:
Sometimes rather than learning how to do things from great examples, you can truly learn how not to do something. (more…)
Posted in E-Publishing, tagged books, cake, classic, creativity, dumpstering, e-book, E-Publishing, eco-friendly, enterprise publisher, love, magazines, paperbound, publishers, pulping, respect, revolution, traditional publishing, trees on July 2, 2010 | 8 Comments »
Of all the arguments in defense of e-publishing, there’s one that’s been tossed about rather flippantly, namely that E-books are eco-friendly. It’s almost always mentioned as an aside, and so I’m not altogether surprised that I’ve only now caught wind of what is a shockingly offensive aspect to ‘traditional publishing.’ What does surprise me, however, is just how well this secret has been kept. (more…)
