There’s this lovely bit in The Hobbit when Bilbo asks where Gandalf went while they were encountering the trolls, and what brought him back in the nick of time.  Gandalf answers to the first “Looking ahead,” and to the second, “Looking behind.” This time of year I find is good for reflection of both sorts, [...]

I’ve never been a plotter.  When I write a synopsis for an unwritten book, it resembles a back cover blurb.   My brain just shuts down and my imagination freezes when I try to think too far ahead in a story.    And yet, when I started selling to NY publishers, I was urged by people who [...]

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Joyous Kwanza, Happy Boxing Day, and Happy New Year! As the year draws to a close and we review our accomplishments, it’s clear that 2008 has been another busy and productive year for Novelists, Inc. We compiled a set of Ninc nonfiction books, in association with our packaging partner Tekno Books. [...]

One year into my Amazon Kindle experience, it’s time to evaluate the relationship. This is a highly partial, definitely biased, non-techno savvy review. I love reading on screen. Big screens. Little screens. PDAs. Dedicated readers. I’ve loved it since my Rocket Book many years ago, loved it through the TV Guide/RCA model. Even loved it [...]