2009-05-11

Sorry For Not Posting Anything For A While...

My personal life is kind of in a shambles right now.

It's got nothing to do with hubby not having a job for 2 years now.

Or that he's waiting for Social Security Disability to give him the thumb's up for getting disability pay.

No.

It's about me.

I am on the precipice, looking into the abyss (almost, sorta, kinda rhymes) known as getting fired.

Yup.

Me.

Me, who has 20-some years experience doing this sort of stuff. Me, who suffered a brain aneurysm last year, but survived. (No, this is not a ghost or a clone typing this, heh.) Me, who's had trouble getting all this at my new job to click in my head.

And maybe that's part of the problem. Maybe certain brain functions are screwed up or something, because a lot of what I'm being taught and trained just isn't staying in my brain; I've had some faux paus lately that I knew were wrong, but it's as if I couldn't help myself.

Sheesh.

Anyhoo, I actually brought home a manual I've been told to work on in the hopes that I can get all of it banged out and to my boss on Monday. She's wanted to see it from time to time to edit, and I've tried to give that to her, but it's not good enough. I've always tried to finish things first before handing them over, but that's not what she wants, apparently.

Again, this might be more of my fried brain, but who the hell knows?

All I know is that I've been playing the lottery like you wouldn't believe. Not that I'm spending hundreds of dollars a week on that; that's nuts. I have spent $10 or $20 a week, and have managed to get 2 numbers on 2 or 3 different tickets, but that's been it so far. I got some books that take a more mathematical approach to this (lowering the odds to win by looking at different trends or patterns), but I still haven't done better than 2 numbers on a ticket.

Once I get to 3 numbers, I know I'll have gotten this thing down. Until then, I keep looking for certain trends and have actually caught a couple, but nothing won as yet.

It's all a matter of time, all around, ya know?

Love and kisses,

~Nancy Beck

2009-05-09

Kunati Book Publishers

What a shame.

I'd read early on over at the Watercooler on Absolute Write about this "publisher" out of Canada, and it sounded good.

Almost too good to be true, as it's turned out. ::sigh::

What is it that the sages on writers' boards say about new epublishers? "Wait a year." Wait a year - to see if they're still around. Wait a year - to see if any bad stuff comes to light.

In this case, the fecal matter has hit the fan. It seems that this place was set up to publish one of the founders' books. Which is all and fine; if that's all you want to do. I have nothing against people trying to sell their own books online; it's a tough go, especially if you write fiction, but if you're determined to do it - more power to you. (No. Really. If you really want to do that, go and do it!)

My take is if that's what this guy wanted to do, why did he corral others into it? Let's face it: Editors don't have enough time as it is to help their own stable of authors, so how much time would editor give to those authors if he/she had his/her own book, hmm? And that pubbed book came out with his own publishing company, hmm? (In this case, it looks like one of the principals has come out with something like 6 or 7 books since they started up operations.)

Do you think he's going to spend more energy on his own books or his authors books, hmm?

Methinks...his own? (Human nature, as far as I'm concerned.)

Still convinced this might be the place for your book? (They've stopped taking fiction mss., BTW.) Then look at this Water Cooler thread and look at this post by an editor at a publishing house.

But, my gawd, you say...the woman at the publishing house will have her own book out. BUT, I would say, it's not coming out from the same publishing house where she works. No conflict of interest, no putting herself and her books ahead of her clients.

Totally on the up-and-up.

Form your own opinions, but it's a shame that this has happened. It's especially a shame for the authors they ensnared.

Love and kisses,

~Nancy Beck