Month: January 2014

Our Lawyers Are Making Us Do This: A Message from CrookTub

no thanksDear…author?

Thank you for the side-splitting laugh we had when our intern Jennifer told us that yet another indie author attempted to submit an order with CrookTub. Unfortunately, the editorial team, that is, Jennifer and Chippy, her robot chipmunk, has not selected your “book” and probably never will.

See, as a book promotion site, we get so darned many of these things. And because of, um, well, we can’t tell you that, at least without a lawyer present, we can only feature 0.1% of indie “books,” but only if they’re by Hugh Howey. We have to satisfy our subscribers’ desires for things that Oprah likes, or else how would we make any money, right? Continue reading “Our Lawyers Are Making Us Do This: A Message from CrookTub”

Broadening Horizons through Research

John Reinhard Dizon Guest Post
by John Reinhard Dizon

Writers’ block can be one of the most formidable obstacles along an author’s road to success. It can be ascribed to different causes: in my case, it was being depressed over the sudden inactivity of my rock band after a successful performance run. I immersed myself in the world of computer games as a means of distraction, and did not get back on track for an entire year. I was able to make the best of a bad situation through researching one of the highlights of the greatly-addictive game.

I chose Serbia as one of my nations in a game of world conquest. I recalled the Serbian War of the 90’s, but back then I was pursuing my degree and was out of touch with current events. Catching up to speed, I learned about the internecine feuds leading to the collapse of Yugoslavia and the key players within the conflict. I discovered Serbia to be a fascinating country whose society and culture reflects those of their neighbors in Eastern Europe as well as the Mediterranean area. I went so far as to begin learning basic Serbian words and phrases. I was delighted to find there was a small Serbian community here in the Kansas City area. Continue reading “Broadening Horizons through Research”

Ten Common Mistakes from a Literary Agency Point of View

checklistA little while back, I attended a class offered in conjunction with the Miami Book Fair International led by Amy Rennert. Her literary agency, The Amy Rennert Agency, includes authors such as Herman Wouk, Jimmy Buffett, and dozens of other New York Times and national bestsellers. Throughout the two days, I developed a list of the top ten mistakes writers make that will assure that your decline letter goes out by page five.

In no particular order, here is my list. Continue reading “Ten Common Mistakes from a Literary Agency Point of View”

Featured Book: India was One

India was OneIndia was One
by an Indian
Available from Amazon US, Amazon UK, and Amazon IN.

…Suddenly, he saw something shiny at the bottom of the abyss. He squinted his eyes to see what it was. He ran back to his binoculars and turned them to see what it was. Sharp barbed wires that separated the two mountains came into focus. He had come as far as he could in his country. But she was standing in another country.

He was in South India and she was in North India…

Have you ever imagined India being divided into two countries? What happens to the millions of Indians who are from South India but are now residing in North India? Kaahi & Jai were two such people who got trapped in this situation. Everything was going smoothly for them and suddenly, their world turned upside down.

How will they get together? Will India become one again?

Take an exciting journey with them from their college days in Mumbai to their life in the US and back to India when they find out that India is divided.