I'm a big believer in coincidence. That clashing together of fate that opens your eyes to something new and walks you into an unknown world. Last year I read an article about short story writer, Pinckney Benedict, found him mentioned two days later in a blog post by Jedidiah Ayres, then found the book Jedidah mentioned at the monthly book sale. "Town Smokes" by Pinckney Benedict. If you enjoy Larry Brown, you'll love Mr. Benedict's work. He takes you deeper into that well of human despair than you've ever gone but never lets go of your hand. Don't believe me? Try this story, "Pig Helmet and the Wall of Life" http://www.fiftytwostories.com/?p=1258
So, how do you find new authors?
7 comments:
From outstanding blogs...like this one, Sandra. I've come across so many great writers since I started writing again and had my own blog.
E-Zines are also great to find top writers!
I agree with David. i typically find new authors through their electronic work, which I often find via recommendation. Sometimes I'll see a review of a book that will persuade me to check out a new author.
Word of mouth seems to be the best form of advertisement for writers doesn't it? I know I never realized how many great writers there were before I started reading online. I thought all the best writers were on the NYT best seller lists.
Word of mouth, absolutely. That and "meeting" people online who have books coming out, especially cool people. It's actually gotten unmanageable, especially with so many people putting their stuff out electronically. I'm still sticking about 90% with print stuff, with the exception of some of the anthologies and such that have been released digital-only.
Digital only has become a wide open market for short stories in the past few years, Chris. And word of mouth is definitely selling quite a few of those!
Word of mouth, typically from blogs or writers, who I know share my tastes and I respect their opinions. The internet has really made it easier to discover and read short fiction. E-books have made it very easy and more economical to download and read more novels. I especially like when a writer, who's novel I have read, keeps a blog and actually interacts with the commenters. Some forget about the fans, once they have "made it".
Author blogs are either great or just a platform for jumping up and down yelling "Look at ME!", Sean. Most of the authors who go with group blogs manage to keep them on an even keel of teaching and helping other writers while still getting the word out about their work. It's a hard balance to find.
Post a Comment