When it comes to artists, there are certain undeniable truths. Not fact, but truth. And by “truth”, I’m taking in very relativistic terms. Why? Because a “truth” for an artist may not necessarily reflect the by-the-book definition of truth held by society as a whole. Even so, the artist is […]

10 Things every artist must start doing

Ask an artist if what they do is an art or a business and you’ll be surprised at the answers you receive. Ask different types of artists and you’ll start to see a pattern take shape. That pattern, from my perspective, is quite telling. Depending upon the medium, you’ll see […]

Is it art or is it business

Last night, around 10:00 PM EST, I received word from Amazon that Suicide Station was not selected to represent Kindle Press. After picking my heart up from the floor, my first question was the quickest to be answered. That question? “What happens now?” The answer? Business as usual. So this […]

What happens now?

I talk about art and being an artist too much. This, I know. I think about it even more so than I write about it. Why? Because it is who I am. There are days when I have these thoughts about my work and I want to shout them out […]

The Camera Obscura(rt)

Mozart died a pauper. Let that sink in. The greatest composer in the history of the world died penniless, in a commoners grave that was later dug up (because it wasn’t afforded the protection of the aristocracy). For any artist, that’s a tough pill to swallow…especially in a time where art […]

Success and failure: The measure of an artist

As I wait to hear the verdict for Suicide Station from Kindle Press, I am reminded of a topic I have taken to bed with me many a time over the years. Rejection. Part of the artist’s life is accepting rejection. We have to cope with it on every level […]

The art of rejection and acceptance

You may or may not know, but I do loves me some Shakespeare. As an actor, I relish the chance to mine the depths of his texts for intent, meaning, and circumstance. As a writer, I bow to his masterful work on every possible level. So it should come as […]

The quality of mercy IS strain’d

Fooled you! You seriously thought I’d written my last Kindle Scout update yesterday…when my dashboard said 0 days left. Well, I woke this morning to a nice surprise: My Kindle Scout Dashboard confirmed my suspicions that a programmer designed the system (obviously) and made sure to point out that counting […]

Kindle Scout Update: Day 29

One day left and I’m still sticking with the idea that tomorrow will be the zero days left post that we’ve all been anxiously awaiting. I even have my cat, Bigen, at my feet shouting “1 day left!” Or he may be screaming at me that it’s time for some […]

Kindle Scout Update: Day 28

Sometimes artists simply aren’t good with maths. And yes, I like saying it in the plural in the same way I prefer the British pronunciation of zebra (“zehbra”, sounds classier, don’t ya think?). What am I talking about? Well, the title of today’s post is Day 27 and yet…and yet…I have […]

Kindle Scout Update: Day 27

I originally wrote this post for The Reading Ape. Recently I began my first Kindle Scout campaign. The book is a paranormal romance (with a twist even the Grim Reaper wouldn’t see coming) called “Suicide Station” and, so far, it’s doing quite well in the program. If you’ve never heard […]

Why every indie author should submit to Kindle Scout

Today someone mentioned how much they loved the ad images I’ve been creating for my Kindle Scout campaign. That kind compliment made me think it was time I got into the business of creating ad images for indie authors. We, as a collective whole, must always be aware of putting our […]

Kindle Scout Update: Day 26

Repeat after me: Four days left. Four days left. Four days. Four. F. Don’t we all feel better now? I thought you might. So I’ve grown to depend upon Buffer. I’ve mentioned it twice before, in this series, but feel like I should give it one last bit of promo. […]

Kindle Scout Update: Day 25

If I keep staring at my Kindle Scout campaign, long and hard enough, I just know that magic will happen! I can click my ruby slippers together and I’ll be transported to the final day and can breathe a much-needed sigh of relief. But, to be honest, I’m going to […]

Kindle Scout Update: Day 24

Funny how things work. No matter how much you want to believe it, there’s very little we have control over. Life is finite, success is relative. One minute you’re there…the next you’re not. Fleeting is the name of the game. I was chatting with a dear friend of mine today […]

Kindle Scout Update: Day 23