Bloghopping
Some of the items in Marianne’s fire fund auction are ending in three hours!
Bombshell author Sandra K. Moore has a good entry called Are Bombshell heroines actually men?
This one really blew my mind, especially when I saw some of the names mentioned.
Gee, I wish somebody had told me before I started into years of working and learning that all it took to be a rich romance writer is ten monthly installments of $29.00.
The Belfry Collective has 10 Tips for Critiquing that I enjoyed.
The Red Pen Diaries has finally been updated with a hilarious take on realistic dialogue.
And don’t forget to visit The Breakfast Bitches. (You know, if you’re an adult who’s not easily offended.)
August 18th, 2005 at 8:55 am
Gee, I wish somebody had told me before I started into years of working and learning that all it took to be a rich romance writer is ten monthly installments of $29.00.
Heh. I when I first read the ad, I didn’t know if I was reading an ad for a writing book or how to make a million selling real estate.
But there are a lot of people out there who really believe there’s a “secret” and a “formula” and if you follow it, you’ll be able to rake in the money. That’s how I ended up writing in this genre — a co-worker kept going on and on and on about how romance novels were simple to write and all you had to do was follow the numbers, so she was going to make a mint. Well, I was pretty certain I wrote better than her, so I decided to give it a try. She never finished her book, I loved this type of writing and have been working at it ever since.
It did not, however, pay $29 either in ten monthly installment or singly (though I’ll admit to having a hard copy first-edition of Katherine Falk’s How to Write a Romance Novel and Get it Published on my bookshelf.)
August 18th, 2005 at 9:47 am
Wonder if that’s this Marilyn Campbell: http://tinyurl.com/chjpy
August 18th, 2005 at 9:52 am
Okay, I thought this was a joke. But I know every one of the names involved here.
August 18th, 2005 at 9:56 am
[…] Go forth and learn to write - for only $29.00 a month! Courtesy of Shannon Stacey: Writers Wanted! Best-Selling Romance Authors Show You How to Ea […]
August 18th, 2005 at 10:46 am
Color me poleaxed, is all I have to say. I can’t even find a smilie that fits.
Un-freaking-believable.
Karen
August 18th, 2005 at 11:40 am
I’m thinking
is pretty close. 
I’ve got my copy of Kathryn Falk’s How to Write a Romance…, too, Caro. I’m thinking I’ll be buried with it.
And I thought it was some normal scam, too. Then I started recognizing some of the names and…poleaxed is a good word.
August 18th, 2005 at 12:06 pm
Yeah, I thought about using the little WTF dude, but his expression wasn’t right. The Edvard Munch Scream is more what I had in mind.
Not sure which part stymied me more: That “anyone” can do this, that one can produce a marketable, saleable manuscript in three weeks (well, La Cartland could, but let’s not go there), that the minimum one would earn from a first novel is $14,000 (uh, hate to break it to ‘em, but some of my more recent SIMs haven’t done that well, and we’re talking waaay past my first book), or that editors are just absolutely starving for somebody, anybody to give them something they can PRINT, fer godssake. Because, y’know, their desks/offices/floors are totally empty with nary a submission in sight.
And, ’scuse me, but if this is such a lucrative endeavor, and it’s so easy to write the books, why do they need to supplement their income again?
Karen T.
August 18th, 2005 at 12:13 pm
And, ’scuse me, but if this is such a lucrative endeavor, and it’s so easy to write the books, why do they need to supplement their income again?
Karen T.
^ what she said. That’s the first thought I had, oh great, another person getting rich from talking about HOW to sell books rather than selling them. Shame is that someone with stars in their eyes will buy into the sale of the information that’s freely available on the net–if one looks hard enough.
August 18th, 2005 at 12:18 pm
Mel - That was my thought exactly. I mean, how many of us share writing tips and how-to articles on our sites, and carry on such discussions on our blogs and message boards. The info is SO readily available - and for free!
August 18th, 2005 at 1:04 pm
makes me want to pay for a ‘dumbass beware’ ad on that site
August 18th, 2005 at 1:15 pm
Jaci –
and
(Geez, are these smilies addicting or what. . .?)
Karen T.
August 18th, 2005 at 3:53 pm
How much did the Axelrod critique end up going for?
August 18th, 2005 at 4:07 pm
$970 or so, Angie.
I haven’t words about the website listed above. Marilyn Campbell was one of my favorite authors, too. She retired from writing, didn’t she?
August 18th, 2005 at 6:04 pm
Okay, out of curiosity, I backtracked to http://www.theromancewriterslife.com/
which is basically the same schpiel from someone else’s mouth. Only this time, they’re citing Sandra Brown and Nora Roberts as examples — which would make it sound as if those authors are endorsing this thing, yes?
Do we think Nora would not be amused?
Karen
August 19th, 2005 at 12:12 am
I wouldn’t be if I were her. (Actually if I were her I might not care because I could buy a Ferrari to make myself feel better.)
I let myself get sucked into reading more, and I’m so not impressed. I don’t think it would bother me as much if it wasn’t run by romance authors. They should know it doesn’t work that. way.
August 19th, 2005 at 3:56 am
Yeah, it leaves you feeling icky, doesn’t it? It boils down to taking advantage of people’s ignorance, when you KNOW how hard it is.
Upsetting.
August 19th, 2005 at 10:59 am
That’s the part that bothers me the most. That these authors would downplay their achievements by endorsing a program that makes out like it’s so easy.
But it does explain a heck of a lot Why so many new RWA members have such high expectations and air of entitlement, for example.
Geez, it makes me want to pay them just to see what the heck they’re giving people.
August 20th, 2005 at 7:40 am
wow - this just blows my socks off…thanks for posting this, shannon!
August 20th, 2005 at 6:24 pm
Love the Bombshell blog. I never could figure out why if a woman is strong she’s automatically looked at as less than feminine.:censor:
August 21st, 2005 at 12:48 pm
True. And I wasn’t sure how I’d like the entire concept as I’m very big on Alpha males, but I’ve enjoyed most of the Bombshells.
August 27th, 2005 at 10:06 pm
Hi Shannon-
It’s Saturday night and I’m blog-hopping for fun. Yes, I have no life of late. Found you via Smart Bitches, read this post and nearly wet myself from laughing so hard. Not only because that website is too ludicrous to be for real, but because you’ve got the best smilies I’ve ever seen - anywhere!
I’m off to order that book/program/whatever it is. Hell, I’ve been doing this the hard way, all these years. Just think, hundreds of rejections…:cry:
When all along, I could have been making thousands and thousands, without trying!
I do wonder if la Nora knows.
Thanks for the laughs, Shannon!
August 28th, 2005 at 10:49 pm
Hi Stef! I’m glad you hopped by!
I’m still shaking my head over that program, and it’s so tempting to lurk on their message board for a while just to try to get an idea of which “rules” they’re pounding into students.
And in case you haven’t hopped over there yet, Angie’s fishing for the goods on Pink’s next adventure on her blog: http://briannasmommy.blogspot.com
August 29th, 2005 at 10:07 am
Thanks, Shannon! I seriously love your blog. Not just because of the smileys - you’re good at this. I’m still trying to figure out why some blogs are so appealing, and others…well, you know what I mean.
Stef
May 9th, 2006 at 2:33 pm
I just don’t have anything to say right now.