The Writing Show 2005 Archives

Each week, Escape Pod presents fun, contemporary short science fiction and fantasy with commentary and reviews. Creator Steve Eley lives in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife, infant son, and Welsh corgi, all of whom have too much sense to podcast. In this stellar interview, Steve explains: * What's missing from much of today's short science fiction * What he looks for, and rejects, when selecting stories to air * Why it's so important to compensate authors for their work * How podcasting differs from radio * How podcasting portions of their books can help authors sell printed copies * How to get started in podcasting

Gail R. Gross is Chief Operating Officer of R&M Royalty Review LLC in New York City. Gail's career in accounting includes work in both the publishing and investment industries. In this exciting interview, Gail reveals: * How she recovered nearly a million dollars in lost royalties for one author alone * Why all authors, not just those who sell lots of books, should audit their royalty accounts * Why so many accounting mistakes creep into authors' royalty accounts * What to watch for in your book contract * How publishers feel about authors who audit their royalty accounts

Christopher Largen is an internationally published writer who has appeared in hundreds of print and Web venues. He is a guest speaker at colleges and festivals across America. His new novel, JUNK, is a dystopian drug war satire about a war on junk food. In this calorie-rich interview, Chris reveals: * How he "method wrote" his book while on a junk food binge * What makes for effective satire * How he achieves his tongue in cheek effect * How he uses different techniques for drawing major and minor characters * Why he infuses the book with "mockuments" * How he found the perfect publisher, and why he's ecstatic about his choice * How he stays in character to promote his book in everything he does

Hugh McGuire recently founded a public domain audio book library based on volunteer contributions. In this introduction to Librivox, Hugh explains: * How his repository works * Why so few authors are making audio recordings of their own books available * How free podcast versions of books could help promote sales of physical copies * How Creative Commons licenses are providing an alternative to restrictive practices of Hollywood and the music industry * How you can volunteer and listen

Investigative journalist Mark Horner is a nationally recognized expert on the sensational and tragic Hossencofft murder case. As an Albuquerque TV reporter, he started pursuing this fascinating story in September, 1999. His must-read book on the still-evolving case, September Sacrifice, lays out the twisted and often complicated story of domestic violence, con artists, bloodthirsty shape-shifting reptilian space aliens, and the perils of Internet flirting. In this compelling interview, Mark summarizes the case and tells: * How he received a death threat (and a visit from a mysterious intruder) as a result of his involvement * How he gained the trust of sources and witnesses involved in the case * How he successfully organized a massive amount of research and documentation * Why he was able to get inside his characters' heads so completely * Why he wasn't able to write everything he knows on the subject

Hear prize-winning author Sean Murphy on his absurdist novel that recalls 1984, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and Barbara Kingsolver's Animal Dreams. Sean's hilarious story features a corporate takeover of the United States, human-caused destabilization of time and gravity, a boy who can perform tiny miracles, and a charismatic political activist heroine descended from Thomas Jefferson. In this illuminating conversation, Sean reveals: * Why smell, sight, touch, taste, and sound are so important in his writing * How he uses the element of surprise to make people laugh * Why he loves to write about the absurd * How he adds depth to comic fiction * How ideas from Franz Kafka and Gabriel Garcia Marquez have influenced him and his work * How fiction became fact as he was writing his novel.

Tim Harper is a veteran journalist and author with eleven books and hundreds of articles to his credit. His daughter Lizzie, soon to be a sophomore at Oberlin College, has already been published in The New York Times and The Bergen County Record. This dream team dropped by recently to talk about: * How Lizzie made it into The New York Times when she was still in high school * Why kids' perspectives should be heard a lot more often * How writing can give kids (or anyone) power * How kids can publish in newspapers, magazines, books, and on the Internet * How to conduct an effective interview * How to get organized and meet deadlines * How to collaborate without driving each other crazy

Mike and his co-authors attempted to determine whether online sales of used books are cannibalizing sales of new books. His findings may surprise you. Hear Mike explain: * Whether used books actually threaten authors and publishers * How increased product variety is changing the face of bookselling and publishing, and which kinds of authors might win and lose as a result * What's happening to book prices and why, and the surprising effect on publishers and authors * How new developments are presenting exciting new opportunities for authors and strengthening their bargaining position with publishers

Hear Jim reveal the secrets of professional book reviewers: * What really happens to all those books publishers send to reviewers * Why older books almost never get reviewed * Whether reviewers actually read the book they're reviewing * How to make sure your book gets reviewed * What to do if your book gets a bad review

In this incisive interview, Barbara holds forth on: * Why Google's digitization project is a good deal for publishers and authors * How academics are rebelling against journal publishers who charge exorbitant prices, and winning * John Ford, Wee Willie Winkie, and opportunities for publishing a new kind of book

Hear Michael on: * His zen/Jedi/DIY/punk rock approach to making art * Gutter spirituality * White hat hacking * How he went from 99-cent film school to $30 film school * Changing the world through art.