I finished plotting a new novel a few days ago and started writing. Given it was the Holiday season, with vacation time, New Year’s resolutions, and bad weather, maybe you decided to also write that novel? Two months from now, when two paragraphs of writing are angrily staring at you from your desk, you might wonder where it all went wrong. It used to happen to me. I have a big folder of unfinished work on my laptop. Okay… So then what?
John Scalzi wrote an article about the new Amazon all-you-can-eat-self-publishing model, and why it’s bad news for self-publishing authors. I agree that this kind of subscription model makes writing a zero-sum game, but I disagree that that’s not the case for other forms of publishing.
Full disclosure, I’ve written a book, but haven’t published it yet, so I have limited knowledge of the publishing industry. I have been part of the software industry for fifteen years, and seen the way economics work there, which I feel has some bearing on e-books at the very least.
I went to see the Hobbit 3: the Battle of the Five Armies yesterday. I found it to be a fitting ending to the series. Much better than the prequel trilogy we do not speak of. Of course, no matter how good I think a movie is, I always take the story apart and see what works and what doesn’t, because, you know, I don’t have an off switch for that.
This review will contain lots of spoilers. If you haven’t seen the movie or read the book, go do so, then come back here. Seriously, it’s a good movie.