Writer’s Digest and PoeWar

I just received an email from the people at Writer’s Digest letting me know that PoeWar (one word not two, guys) has been selected as one of the 101 Top Web Sites for 2006. It feels good to be given some recognition for my site, especially from a magazine that has been serving writers for so long. I have worked hard to make this site what it is today and I am pleased to see the results.

This is probably as good a time as any to discuss some of the modifications I have been making to the site lately as well as the modifications I intend to make in the future. Those of you who come here to view the freelance and job listings have probably noticed some changes already. I have altered the format that instead of individual posts for each listing I am posting the jobs in bulk every day. I made this change because the old style was causing people to become confused and send their resumes to me.

I recognize that many people liked the old format so I am attempting to serve them as well by starting three new sites.

• thefreelancehub.com which will focus on freelance jobs in general and will not be limited to writing and editing opportunities.
• writingjobroll.com which will cover writing and editing jobs of all sorts, with the exception of technical writing positions.
• atechwritingjob.com which will focus solely on opportunities for technical writers and editors.

On these sites, I will not be providing an e-mail address, and with luck the domain names will make the purposes of the sites a little clearer so there will be less confusion.

Some people (too few unfortunately) may have noticed that I discontinued the Fast Fiction Exhibition. I did this because the number of responses had been dwindling for quite a while. It had a good run though, lasting over two years. Instead, I am soon going to start posting regular writing prompts here in the main blog where I hope more people will find them. These won’t be the same as the old Fast Fiction, but I do plan to cull some of the better prompts from the old exhibitions.

Finally, some people may have noticed that the number of posts I have been making to the main blog have been a little light for the past couple months. In part, this is because I have been spending time writing for a new site: justusnerds.com. Also, I am in my final semester at the Northern Arizona University Graduate English Program. At the age of 38, and after fifteen years in the writing field, I am finally getting my Masters Degree. Once that is accomplished, I will be posting much more often. Also, by the end of the summer I am hoping to release my first book of poetry as well as a book about blogging. I will be discussing those projects in depth a little later.

Bukowski

Cross Posted at Just Us Nerds

Charles Bukowski was not nice guy. He’d tell you that himself. He was ugly, drunk, abusive, angry and crude. He was also, in my opinion, the best poet of the Twentieth Century. His direct, painfully honest style ran in the face of extravagant academic poetry and the self-congratulatory “frankness” of the Beats.

Unlike the Beats, Bukowski didn’t celebrate the fact that he was living on the bottom rung of society. He didn’t choose that life. He lived what was given to him and he wrote about it as prolifically as any writer ever has. No matter how broke or drunk he was, or how screwed up his life and relationships were, he took the time to write every day. If he missed a day, he was more miserable about that than anything else that was happening to him.

I am not advocating that you admire Bukowski’s life or try to emulate how he lived. You can’t fake what Bukowski went through and you can’t bring it upon yourself. You might want to embrace his work ethic though, because he kept writing through many, many years of poverty and rejection. Bukowski wasn’t successful in his twenties, his thirties or even his forties, despite having written steadily through all of those years. His true success came as he neared age sixty and was, as he said, too old to enjoy it.

There is a new documentary about his life out on DVD, Bukowski - Born Into This. This is a must-see for any fan of Bukowski’s poetry and anyone interested in his life. Parts of it are hard to watch, especially when he takes a tour through the childhood home where he was beaten by his father with a razor strap every day from the age of six to eleven. There is also a disturbing moment between Bukowski and his wife that makes it clear Bukowski the man was not an admirable person. Still, it is one of the most riveting documentaries I have ever watched.

If you haven’t read his poetry or his novels, you should. You may or may not enjoy his style or content, but you’ll get a clear picture of writing that is stripped of all pretenses. Bukowski’s work is as real and direct as anything you’ll ever read.

Poetry

• Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame
• Love Is a Dog from Hell
• You Get So Alone at Times That It Just Makes Sense
• Play the Piano Drunk Like a Percussion Instrument Until the Fingers Begin to Bleed a Bit
• The Last Night of the Earth Poems
• Mockingbird Wish Me Luck
• Dangling in the Tournefortia
• War All the Time
• Betting on the Muse

Novels

• Post Office
• Ham on Rye
• Factotum
• Women
• Hollywood

Publish America Ordered to Repay Author

According to an article in The Frederick News-Post, Publish America, the self-proclaimed “nation’s number one book publisher” was recently ordered to repay one of its author’s for breach of contract. Phillip Dolan, the author of A Handsome Guy, won what he calls a “substantial settlement” through arbitration.

I’ve heard many complaints about Publish America. There are claims that they misrepresent themselves as a traditional publisher when in actuality they are a vanity press. There are claims that people get locked into onerous long-term contracts. There are claims that Publish America cheats authors out of their rightful royalties.

I have had no experience with Publish America personally, so I cannot verify their alleged misdeeds except those that are reported in the press. I do want to warn people to be careful when dealing with this company. Your chances of getting published through them may be good, but your experience may not be worth it.

There is nothing wrong with self-publishing your work if you do it for the right reasons. If you choose to go that route, take the time to compare different publishers and be sure that you are getting the best deal possible. Also remember that it is always your responsibility to promote your work, no matter who publishes you.

Mainstream Erotica

I just read an article about erotic fiction growing more and more popular. According to the article in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, erotica is also graining a foothold within the mainstream publishing houses. Both Harlequin and Avon are starting erotic romance imprints. The main growth has been in erotica written by and for women. While some of the plots step outside the romance genre, many titles are essential the same as traditional romances except with graphic descriptions replacing old-fashioned euphemisms.

I believe this trend is a predictable progression. The success of women-centric shows with sexual themes such as Sex in the City and Bliss has proven that there is a market. The rise of chick-lit books with sexually frank heroines such as Bridget Jone’s Diary, Good in Bed and Can You Keep a Secret? has made it clear that sexuality is acceptable in mainstream fiction.

Independent publishers have been showing success in the erotica market and now the bigger publishers want a piece of that market. The question is just how big a market will it become? Will erotica climb onto the bestseller list? Will erotic romance novels take over the existing romance market? The answers won’t come right away, but the trend is definitely one worth watching.