Amazon’s Kindle Worlds will pay writers to write fan fiction

(Credit: Screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET)

People who write fan fiction could find a paying market for their work courtesy of Amazon.

Unveiled Wednesday, Kindle Worlds is a new publishing venture from Amazon that promises to reward both writers and the original rights holders for new fiction based on existing stories and characters.

Authors who create works of at least 10,000 words in length will receive 35 percent of the net revenue based on the actual sales price, with royalties paid each month. Those who write shorter pieces between 5,000 and 10,000 words will receive a digital royalty of 20 percent of the sales price.

Read more: News.CNET.com

‘Secret Heat: Tales of Forbidden Lust’ – New Release from Rising Temperatures Press

Secret Heat: Tales of Forbidden Lust, the latest erotica collection ebook from Rising Temperatures Press, is now on sale at  Amazon Kindle for $3.99 – just in time for hot summer reading (even better if your spouse/significant other happens to be nearby *wink*!).

Secret Heat features four new short stories, including a man fantasizing about his sexy daughter-in-law, a father giving an unexpected form of comfort to his son’s girlfriend, a young woman expressing long-secret desire for her former guardian, a mother’s best friend become’s daughter’s first lover, and a nanny offering her unnamed ‘special’ services to the man of the house.

You can find the entire Rising Temperatures erotica collection listing on this page.

Book of the Week 5/20/13

Are you a quiet person or know one in your life? Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking (Crown, 2012), the New York Times best seller by Susan Cain reflects on the topic of the introvert, their struggles from everything from being told to “speak up!” to being undervalued in general.

Cain shows us a side of quiet people with a refreshing, bright perspective, including stories from actual introverts. The author shows that introverted people can be (and are) as intelligent as extroverts, how some have made differences in the world as we know it, and most important, Quiet is well-written and thoroughly researched.

I could easily relate to many contents in Quiet, being I was both a shy child and adolescent. To a degree, being an introvert played a role in my own writing. There are many “quiet” authors – among other professions – who managed to succeed.

As another reviewer pointed out, without introverts, the world would be devoid of:

The theory of gravity
The theory of relativity
W.B. Yeats’s The Second Coming
Chopin’s nocturnes
Proust’s In Search of Lost Time
Peter Pan
Orwell’s 1984 and Animal Farm
The Cat in the Hat
Charlie Brown
Schindler’s List, E.T., and Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Google
Harry Potter

If you’re looking for works of nonfiction that will help boost self-esteem of either yourself or someone you love, Quiet should be at the top of that list.

SEEN This Week 5/20/13

This week’s book, author, and event news:

Stephen King will release a sequel to his classic bestseller The Shining in September 2013.

WPXI See & Be Seen won for Best Online Entertainment at the Golden Quills May 13. Carly won for Best Feature and S&BS’s digital team won for Best Spot News. See a photo here. WPXI is the Pittsburgh NBC affiliate.

Among countless other notable achievements, he gave the world the beloved John Rambo character in his 1972 debut novel First Blood. Now internationally bestselling author David Morrell brings his brand new and highly acclaimed Victorian thriller, Murder as a Fine Art to the Gazalaplooza Author Spotlight.

Congratulations to Victoria Tweed, who made The New York Times May 19 bestseller list with her nonfiction work Two Old Fools on a Camel.

Tim Kreider is offering a new essay as a 99¢ download. The essay, Up in the Air, is a short – around 1500 words, the length of one of his New York Times op-eds), but it’s one of hsi favorites. The essay includes an old, previously-unpublished-online cartoon as an illustration. You can find out more at this link.

Ash Krafton is looking for blog hosts. All interested bloggers may send an email to Ashkrafton@hotmail.com. The second novel in the Demimonde series was released May 14.

For anyone who hasn’t picked up the third Nick Bracco thriller A Touch of Greed by Gary Ponzo, grab it here on Amazon.

Will your publisher allow you to self-publish? Go here to find out.

Road Runner by Tee Tyson is among stories featured in the Fem Noir Cars and Girls, the first release from publisher Pankhearst. Cars and Girls goes on sale May 24.

Ted Bernal Guevara’s new book True Feel is set for release May 22. The story follows a paraplegic Chicago reporter investigates a murder in which the suspect is an exotic dancer…and his love interest.

Beverley Turner asks why Mary Beard chose to write about being a shoe addict in an article printed in UK paper The Telegraph May 9.

My News for the Week:

Kristal McKerrington and Canadian wrestler Joe E. Legend were guests on The L. Anne Carrington Show May 15 Part 1 and Part 2.

The L. Anne Carrington Show broadcasted live from Tampa, FL on May 11. Click here for the special episode.

Klass Act is listed in the AuthorsDB Book Cover Contest in the Sports and Outdoors category.

The Marilyn Diaries is in the Other category for AuthorsDB’s Book Cover Contest.

Do you have news you’d like to see in an upcoming column? Either post it on a related site or email writingmerchant@gmail.com before the following week. Also follow me on Twitter @lacarrington1.

Side B Magazine Accepting Submissions

 

 

Side B Magazine is devoted to publishing unknown and underrepresented voices in the contemporary arts world. They believe that all people have the right to read, see, and hear stories that affirm their identity.

Consequently, Side B has a special interest in publishing and promoting the work of women, people of color, immigrants, LGBTQ people, working class people, and people with disabilities, especially in the beginning of their careers.

Side B has published eight print issues, a special anthology issue, ran an arts and culture blog for two years, and are currently accepting submissions for their forthcoming issue due in July.

Side B is currently accepting submissions for fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. Please review submission guidelines page before you submit.

SEEN This Week 5/6/13

This week’s book, author, and event news:

Do you write erotica? Are you looking to get published? Horny Devil Publishing wants to see what you have to offer!

Much Better Adventures is looking for writers! Visit this page for more details and the criteria outline.

Outrage has been expressed over female authors being relegated to American women novelists subcategory on Wikipedia, clearing space for all-male main page. Read the story and feedback on Guardian.

Shelly Ramm is scheduled to appear on The L. Anne Carrington Show May 9.

Go here to read a great interview with author E.D. Brady.

Ted and Raymond are two frog friends who grew up together. In Ted and Raymond books they teach a lot of different things. Some are patience, team work, friendship, making the best of hard work, differences, helping others, fire cautiousness, having fun, being different, ABC’s, colors, shapes, numbers 1-10, Jesus birth, God loves everybody, sea, fish, animals, and lots of fun for kids. Ted and Raymond are short stories for children and every one of them have big messages. Educational, fun, exploring, adventures and much more kids will love. Go here to find out more about these books by Rhonda Patton and Chester McDaniel

Joe E. Legend and Kristal McKerrington are scheduled to appear on The L. Anne Carrington Show May 15 and The Patricia Ann Show May 25.

Did you know Amazon links are territory specific? You can now create a link that works everywhere for free.

Anything For You: A Coming Home Short Story by Jessica Scott has received several amazing reviews as of late. Have you gotten your copy?

Bibliocracy EBooks invites everyone to visit their web site and contribute a short story about what happened between Han Solo’s wife and Chewie. The best story will be promoted as well as the author and his books. Also view the video at this link.

Pain and Gain-The Untold True Story by Marc Schiller is the true story behind the film. Another great read.

My News for the Week:

I will not be posting  Book of the Week  or SEEN This Week  on May 13. I will be spending a few days in Tampa, Florida, but will  return with both a new book profile and column May 20.

Do you have news you’d like to see in a future column? Either post it on a related site or email writingmerchant@gmail.com before the following week. Also follow me on Twitter @lacarrington1.

Book of the Week 5/6/13

Crash Into Me: A Survivor’s Search for Justice (Bloomsbury USA, 2011) is a riveting true story of author Liz Seccuro’s world being torn apart when she received a letter from a man who raped her twenty-two years earlier, asking for forgiveness.

Through e-mail correspondence with her rapist, Seccuro tried to piece together what and why that attack happened; as a result, she set forward to prosecute her assailant. In the process, many other aspects of the crime were uncovered.

Crash Into Me is perhaps one of the most well-written and detailed accounts of a rape survivor. It is a highly recommended read for both college students and sexual assault survivors. Seccuro’s account of what happened to her and the initiative she took to bring her attacker to justice will walk away with a far different perspective of what sexual assault actually is and why reporting the crime is important – even if it’s several years after the fact.

The final outcome of Crash Into Me is not what one will expect…but you’ll have to read this dynamic work to find out.

SEEN This Week 4/29/13

This week’s book, author, and event news:

Stephan Pastis the former lawyer-turned-cartoonist behind the daily comic strip Pearls before Swine, was recently interviewed in The Los Angeles Times.

Have a peek at Lucy Felthouse’s new book cover. Grand Slam is an erotic romance she co-authored with Lily Harlem.

A review of Sliding on the Snow Stone by Andy Szpuk can be found at this link.

Kharisma Rayne would like to start featuring an author each month in her newsletter. If you’re interested, send an email to KharismaRhayne@gmail.com with Author Spotlight in the subject line. There is a stipulation: that you must agree to send a free ebook to one of the newsletter subscribers the month you are featured (there are currently 500 subscribers).

Gary Ponzo signed a contract with a publisher to produce an audiobook version of his Nick Bracco series. They are wanting to fast-track the process, so look for this to be available within 8-10 weeks. First up: A Touch of Deceit.

Dark Dragon Publishing is proud to announce that Tyner Gillies was one of Fan Expo Vancouver’s Author Guests. If you missed the event, you can still get a copy of The Watch here.

Jill Pennington’s book The diary of a single parent abroad is a true account of expat life with three kids, no man and no money on a Italian mountain, where wine is cheaper than water, so not all bad. Click here for the paperback, and the Kindle version at this link.

Famelton Writing Services’ aim is help aspiring authors with manuscript assessment, editing and proof reading before they approach publishers and agents. Go here to give their page a “like.”

If anyone would like a free review copy of Katheryn Lane’s next romance series, The Sheikh’s Beloved, send an email to KatherynLane1@hotmail.com for a .PDF copy.

My News for the Week:

The Marilyn Diaries is in the Top 25 in Other category for AuthorsDB’s Book Cover Contest!

Do you have news you’d like to see in an upcoming column? Either post it on a related site or email writingmerchant@gmail.com before the following week. Also follow me on Twitter @lacarrington1.

Book of the Week 4/29/13

Brian T. Shirley gives his readers an inside look at the lesser-known side of stand-up comedy in his 2012 Boston Book Festival feature book A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Club (Libboo, 2012).

From amusing to what-the-heck-was-he-thinking moments while traveling across the country, Shirley outlines his experiences in a witty and delightful manner with a collection of short stories, while showing that stand-up comedy isn’t easy as it looks. There are many rough patches comedians go through to keep their audiences laughing, and Shirley reveals each experience in all of his stories.

For anyone who always wondered what happens behind the scenes in comedy,  A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Club is perhaps the best book to satisfy one’s curiosity.

On a side note, Shirley loved writing this book so much he developed it into a one-man stage show. He does all the stories featured in the book, presenting them as question responses about being a comedian.