I attended the Indie Author Conference and Showcase 2016.
Introduction
The Indie Author Conference and Showcase were held on November 12, 2016, at the Parma-Snow branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library in Parma, Ohio.
Three lectures were presented concerning different aspects of self-publishing. Following the lectures, a showcase was presented featuring over 50 self-published authors.
The first lecture was by Dana Kaye, called “Your Book, Your Brand”.
She presented the lessons she learned as a publicist and detailed in her book. It is important to create and establish your author brand, which consists of you and your book. To find your brand search for the common denominator in your writing and distill that into a short tagline. To establish your brand, first get your online house in order. Make sure that all the platforms that you use, reflect the message that you want to convey. Update your website. Secure your online real estate. Create accounts even if you do not use them now, because at some time you might want to use them and you do not want someone else to use a site that can be confused with content coming from you. Identify your target audience. Develop a content strategy. Do not be afraid to say no, if an opportunity does not fit your brand.
The second lecture was by Deanna Adams, called “Beta Readers and Editors: Don’t Publish Without Them”.
There is more to creating your best work than just self-editing your manuscript. It is important to invest in yourself and in your book. Search for an editor because they can see what you can’t, they understand the industry, and can help you become a better writer. The Editorial Freelancers Association job listing service is a good place to look for freelance editors at http://www.the-efa.org/ Writer’s groups are a good resource for beta readers. Beta readers in your genre can give insights into where your writing is going right and going wrong.
The last lecture was by A. E. Jones on “Self-Publishing Doesn’t Mean You Have to Do Everything Yourself.”
First, every author must ask some basic questions. Why do you want to publish? Why do you write? What do you want to accomplish? How much can you afford to spend? How much time can you dedicate to writing? Depending on how an author answers these questions, determines where you go next. Everyone needs a support system. You must find your tribe. Your tribe is like-minded individuals that share your goals. Determine what you can do on your own and when you need to call on your tribe.
The following are the steps for publishing your work. Write the book. Determine your goals and motivations. Determine your publishing path, traditional, completely self-published, or independently published. If you choose Indie, then learn the process. Determine what you can do yourself and what you need help on. She handed out an information sheet which gave many examples of the websites that further expand on her steps for publishing.
She offered one of her books for free on https://www.instafreebie.com/ I have downloaded several additional books from the website. The site offers different genre books at different times.
I’m glad I went to this conference, I learned a lot.
Links
A similar Conference to the Indie Author Conference and Showcase 2016 was the Western Reserve Writers Conference 2016. Winter Fiction Fest is sponsored by Literary Cleveland while the Cuyahoga County Public Library sponsors a similar event called the Western Reserve Writers Conference 2016.
This is my recap for the Western Reserve Writers Conference 2016 on September 24, 2016. It was located at the South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library at the new William N. Skirball writer’s center which is located at the branch. It was a one-day event with an introduction, a keynote speaker, three breakout sessions, and one Q & A panel.
Caliban’s War by James SA Corey, Book #2 of The Expanse Series.
Introduction
In Caliban’s War by James SA Corey, the action moves to the moon of Ganymede. Someone captures a girl with a rare disease, they set loose a monster, and the moon base is under attack. James Holden is back and, with the help of new allies, must discover who is behind these attacks and how they can defeat them.
Summary
The first novel in the series only had two main viewpoint characters, James Holden and Joe Miller. Caliban’s War by James SA Corey expands the list to four, which gives more opportunities to see the same events from different viewpoints. Miller is not back and the reason is eventually explained. In the prologue, Mei is kidnapped, and that sets the main plot into motion.
The first viewpoint character is Bobbie Draper. She is a Martian Marine stationed on Ganymede, watching the UN troops also stationed there. She becomes the lone survivor when a monster single-handedly destroys both units.
The second viewpoint character is Holden and he is sent by his benefactor, Fred Johnson, to find out what is happening on Ganymede.
The third viewpoint character is Prax. He is Mei’s father and is desperate to find her. He eventually teams up with Holden. The last viewpoint character is Chrisjen Avasarala, the assistant to the undersecretary of executive administration of the UN. Bobbie ends up on Earth and teams with Avasarala. The two groups face challenges, discover the truth, and then head to confront Mei’s kidnappers.
Recommendation
Caliban’s War by James SA Corey is a great sequel to Leviathan Wakes. It expands the setting and ratchet ups the stakes. My only quibble is that the villains seem too similar to the group from the previous novel. I am planning to read the next adventure of Holden and his crew of the Rocinante in Abbadon’s Gate. Note that the Syfy series introduces Avasarala in season 1 of the expanse. Season two of the show will cover the end of the first novel and part of this novel.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Caliban’s War by James SA Corey.
Leviathan Wakes by James SA Corey, book #1 of The Expanse, is a space opera set in the near future when the solar system is settled. Jim Holden becomes the captain of the Rocinante and Detective Miller is on a missing person case. Their paths cross and the fate of the solar system lies in their hands. This is a link to my review.
Abner Marsh is a river steamboat captain on the Mississippi River in 1857. He receives an intriguing proposal by Joshua York who suggests that they enter into a business relationship where Joshua finances Abner’s dream steamboat called the Fevre Dream. The only stipulation is that the first journey of the steamboat is to follow the Mississippi to New Orleans. Abner notices that Joshua keeps unusual hours, has unusual associates, and displays unusual traits.
Summary
The opposition, Damon Julian, is introduced in an early chapter as an isolated point of view where it becomes clear that he and his band are vampires. Abner investigates Joshua to satisfy his curiosity about his unusual behavior. Joshua eventually reveals that he and his group are vampire hunters searching for Damon. These vampires are not the traditional ones of legend. They display some aspects of vampires such as extreme sensitivity to light, superhuman strength, superhuman regeneration of injuries, and a thirst for blood that builds until it reaches what is called the red thirst. They also display aspects of werewolves such as the cyclical change in personality that leads to the red thirst. The novel follows Joshua’s gradual reveal of the whole truth to Abner and their confrontation with Damon.
Recommendation
This novel takes a refreshing look at vampires through a science fictional framework. The reader learns who these creatures are and why they do what they do. The novel comes to a logical and satisfying conclusion. Highly recommended.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Fevre Dream by George RR Martin.
A similar novel in the fantasy genre is the Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan. Adamat, Tamas, and Taniel fight gods and men in this gunpowder fantasy. This is a link to my review of the novel.
The Long Way to A Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers.
The Long Way to A Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers, Book #1 of The Wayfarers series.
Introduction
In The Long Way to A Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers, Rosemary Harper takes a job on the starship Wayfarer to get away from the memories from her home. She meets and bonds with the crew of the starship. They are about to take a long journey where each crew member must confront their fears and make the mission a success.
Summary
The mission of their starship is to punch wormholes between the stars to create fast travel. The problem is that the ship must make the first trip without the benefit of the wormhole, so it will take over one standard year to arrive at the destination. There are eight crewmembers, Rosemary, Corbin, Ashby, Dr. Chef, Jenks, Kizzy, Ohan, and Sissix. Each has a story and each must come to a resolution.
This novel reads like an episodic TV show. We go to Kizzy’s homeworld, we hear Dr. Chef’s backstory, we go to Sissix’s homeworld, there is a planet where Corbin has a run-in with the inhabitants. Each episode is self-contained and resolved. It’s a fun book to read, but there is no conflict. They do what they do, they look and sound cute, but nothing happens that challenges them. Rosemary is the narrator and the summation of her story is that she finds a home on the Wayfarer.
Recommendation
I’m not used to a novel that doesn’t have any conflict and has no opposition character. The opposition in the novel consists of two groups. A group of aliens hijack the ship and get what they want. They leave before the next chapter starts, and don’t reappear. The other group is the Toremi, who owns the small, angry planet and wants the wormhole desperately. That conflict is too little and too late and of course, resolved in one chapter. This was not my kind of novel. I will not be reading the next book in the series.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of The Long Way to A Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers.
A similar novel, Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey, book #1 of The Expanse, is a space opera set in the near future when the solar system is settled. Jim Holden becomes the captain of the Rocinante and Detective Miller is on a missing person case. Their paths cross and the fate of the solar system lies in their hands. This is a link to my review.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by JK Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by JK Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany, Book #8 of The Harry Potter series.
Introduction
This book is billed as the eighth story in the Harry Potter series. It is actually a copy of a stage play. The play was co-written by the play’s director and staged in London. It is set nineteen years after the events of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, right after the epilog of that book. It follows the relationship of Harry Potter and his son, Albus, as he becomes a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Albus must deal with the legacy of being Harry Potter’s son and challenges of his own making.
Summary
In the course of the play, we follow Albus during scenes set at different times during his first few years at Hogwarts. Reading the play felt like hearing an oldies rock band replaying their hits. The sorting hat was from book 1, except Albus was sorted into Slytherin and his best friend became Scorpious Malfoy. Albus and Scorpious use the polyjuice potion from book 2. The time-turner they will use is from book 3. The main plot is derived from book 4’s Tri-Wizard Tournament. Cedric Diggory’s father, Amos, wishes to rewrite history. Albus and Scorpious attempt to do so with disastrous results. Was this play an homage or a fanfiction? You be the judge.
Recommendation
It was a fun, short read. I greatly enjoyed reading them playing their hits, but on reflection, I don’t feel that this book should be a canon part of the series. I did not believe the twist at the end was earned or made any sense based on the previous seven books. However, if you have read the first seven books then you must read this one.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by JK Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany.
A similar novel in the fantasy genre is the Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan. Adamat, Tamas, and Taniel fight gods and men in this gunpowder fantasy. This is a link to my review of the novel.
A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge, Book #1 of The Zones of Thought series.
Introduction
Johanna and Jefri’s parent’s spaceship has crashed on a planet ruled by the Tines. The Tines are a dog-like race that has communal minds. Two rival groups of Tines capture each kid. On the other side of the galaxy, Ravna and her crew race to get to the kids. Ravna believes that the kids have the clue needed to fight the super-intelligent being called the Blight. She hopes to get that clue before the ships controlled by the Blight intercept her or get to the kids first.
Summary
A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge is set in the far future when humanity has gone to the stars and mingles with the beings found there. The world-building is the star in this novel.
There are four areas of the galaxy that are called zones of thought. Knowledge, speed of thought, and speed of travel all increase as one go from the inner core to the outermost edge of the galaxy. The Unthinking Depths have the least of all. The Slow Zone, where the old earth is located, is limited to sub-light travel. The Beyond has faster than light travel. It is where humanity has expanded to and the area where the kid’s spaceship came from. When civilizations become extremely advanced, they head to the final zone called the Transcend.
Researchers in the low Transcend release the superintelligence called the Blight. Only the kid’s spaceship escapes. The plot alternates between the story on the Tines world and Ravna’s crew.
Recommendation
While the world-building of the Ravna plot was intriguing, the actual interaction between Ravna and Pham Nuwen was less so. The better stories were about Johanna’s interaction with the Tine called Woodcarver and the melding of Jefri with the Tine called Amdi. The background is difficult to understand, but the characters make it an interesting read.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge.
A similar novel, Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey, book #1 of The Expanse, is a space opera set in the near future when the solar system is settled. Jim Holden becomes the captain of the Rocinante and Detective Miller is on a missing person case. Their paths cross and the fate of the solar system lies in their hands. This is a link to my review.
The Confluence 2016 Conference was held on from July 29 to July 31, 2016, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
I attended the Confluence 2016 Conference on July 30 and July 31, 2016. I drove from Cleveland, Ohio to the conference that was located at the Sheraton Pittsburgh Airport Hotel. The conference is run by the Parsec organization of Pittsburgh. It is a literary science fiction, fantasy, and horror conference. The events included panels, readings, interviews, writing workshops, and filk concerts. I was focused on attending as many panels as I possibly could on Saturday and Sunday. I attended 15 panels and the U.S.S. Improvise improv sketch comedy routine.
Ancient Wonders was a talk about the earliest science fiction and fantasy writings.
Communicating with Aliens Panel
Communicating with Aliens was a talk about how communicating with aliens can be written about in science fiction. The nature of determining intelligence is not always clear. How the author describes the communication is determined by if humans have gone to find the intelligent life or the intelligent life has found humans on earth.
The Basics of Ancient Warfare Lecture
Next, Timons Esaias gave an interesting lecture on The Basics of Ancient Warfare. He began talking about local soldiers using their locally available weapons. Professional armies were a threat to the local king, so wars were fought by mercenaries, who were paid and then dismissed after the war was over. This did not change until the development of the heavy infantry of the Greeks, which was called the phalanx. There are three types of warriors; on foot, on animals, and on a ship. Other topics in the talk were the Welsh longbow, Roman artillery, and the Huns and Visigoths use of horses to defeat the Romans.
The How (Not) to Sabotage Your Writing Panel
How (Not) to Sabotage Your Writing was a panel where the panelists gave their unique advice on how they persevered in becoming writers. That advice included; be okay with criticism, collaborate with your editor, engage your audience, know your tools as a writer, and take the time to learn to be a better writer.
Alien Worlds and Races Panel
In the Alien Worlds and Races panel, the panelists talked about they designed alien lifeforms. The P.E.R.S.I.A. acronym for determining a race’s culture was discussed. It stands for political, economic, religious, social, intellectual, and artistic institutions.
What the U.S. Navy Taught me About Starfleet Lecture
Christopher Weuve gave a lecture on What the U.S. Navy Taught Me About Starfleet. He started with giving three points about the U.S. Navy. First point, the history of the U.S. Navy starts with battleships. The torpedo and then the airplane drastically changed naval warfare. Second point, a surface ship uses hiding to avoid enemies. Third point, hydrodynamics affects the ship’s maximum speed. The, he gave three points about Starfleet. First, Starfleet is really not like the navy. It is more like the coast guard because it has multiple missions including law enforcement. Second, Starfleet has a really hard problem. Space is really big. The ships do not have shore support and there is no international law in space. Third, Starfleet has it easy because no one is incompetent and stuff doesn’t break. A final observation was that rank is not a job description.
Promoting Your Writing Panel
The next panel explored how you should be Promoting Your Writing. The panel advises starting promoting a book at least six months before it comes out. The rule of thumb is to spend 80% of your time writing and 20% on marketing. The work does not end when you turn in the manuscript. You are your brand. Plan to attend cons, do readings at bookstores and libraries, participate in anthologies, and also use targeted Facebook and Twitter ads. Create publicity by having a newsletter, an author’s website, a mailing list, a blog, make guest posts on other blogs, and create podcasts.
Mapping the Fantastic Panel
Mapping the Fantastic was about how authors invent worlds that make spatial sense. A map is a perception. Geography dictates much about the plot of a story.
U.S.S Improvise Sketch Comedy Show
The only event at this time was held in the ballroom, where many conference goers arrived to see the sketch comedy show called U.S.S Improvise. I thought that the cast was engaging and funny. Most of their riffs were from Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: The Next Generation. It was a welcome change to hearing seven panels and lectures.
Writing Alternative History Panel
The next panel described how they were Writing Alternate History. It’s important to do the research. There are many pivotal historical events, when changed for fiction lead to interesting stories.
Game of Thrones Panel
The last panel I went to on Saturday was on Game of Thrones. The moderator was unable to attend, so the audience became the panel. We debated different topics on the books and the HBO show. I was exhausted at the end of the day, so I went home after the abbreviated discussion.
Sunday: July 31, 2016
The Crystal Palace Exhibition of 1851 lecture
The first lecture on Sunday was on The Crystal Palace Exhibition of 1851 presented by Timons Esaias. The Industrial Revolution led to Iron, Steel, the Steam Engine, and the Railroad Engine. In 1851, an exhibition was planned to showcase the technology of the times. Joseph Paxton designed a huge modular greenhouse to hold the exhibit in Hyde Park in London, England. It was called the Crystal Palace. The event brought people, technology, and ideas from all over the world. In effect, the exhibition was the first World’s Fair.
Indistinguishable from Magic Panel
The next panel asked when do advanced technologies become Indistinguishable From Magic? This panel takes its premise from Arthur C. Clarke’s Third Law, which states that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. In other words it was suggested that magic is technology that we do not understand yet.
Near Term Technology Panel
The panelists described what Near Term Technology is available.
Getting There Panel
The next topic was on the technology of space propulsion called Getting There. In non-manned flight laser propelled sails are being researched. The biggest change in manned flight has been the beginning of commercial means of getting to space. In the NASA approach, failure must be avoided because failure leads to review boards. Commercial flight companies are willing to fail because eventual success will pay off well. Nuclear rockets are needed now, electro propulsion should be seen in the near term, and wormhole technology is a long term option.
The Economics of Self-Publishing Panel
The last scheduled panel was on The Economics of Self-Publishing. All four of the panelists have self-published and related their experiences to the audience. Authors who self-publish must design, edit, publish, and market their work. They suggest that it is vital that the author spends money on a professional editor. Book covers sell the product, so money spent on a cover designer is necessary to promote the book. Purchase multiple ISBN codes, one for each format used such as hardcover, paperback, e-book, and audiobook.
Self-publishing is easier now because of print on demand. Self-published authors no longer must pay for a print run of books and then sell them one by one. There are two main print-on-demand formats, Ingram-spark and Createspace (An Amazon Company). I was inspired so much by the panel that I purchased a book from the panel’s moderator, Chris Kennedy. The book is called Self-Publishing for Profit. He details how he became a best-selling self-publishing author.
Wrap-up
I had a great time at the Confluence 2016 Conference. It the first conference that I have ever attended. I learned many things and was glad that I made the time to take the trip. I plan to go to the next Confluence. It is scheduled for August 4 to August 6, 2017.
Links
A similar Conference to the Confluence 2016 Conference was the Western Reserve Writers Conference 2016. Winter Fiction Fest is sponsored by Literary Cleveland while the Cuyahoga County Public Library sponsors a similar event called the Western Reserve Writers Conference 2016.
This is my recap for the Western Reserve Writers Conference 2016 on September 24, 2016. It was located at the South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library at the new William N. Skirball writer’s center which is located at the branch. It was a one-day event with an introduction, a keynote speaker, three breakout sessions, and one Q & A panel.
