MIT’s Media Lab has come up with a book that is the true definition of interactive.
The experiment has been called Sensory Fiction. The book has sensors that readers strap on with a vest. As the characters undergo different emotional moments, the reader feels the feedback directly through the use of air pressure bags, vibrating devices, a heater and LED lights.
Watch the video demo here.
One of the biggest questions facing authors today is whether to go indie or pitch their work to a heritage publisher. In 2013, the Big Six (now the Big Five) commanded 89.6% of the titles in hardcover editions. That is a big chunk of the game.
Always remember that if your pitch to publishers fails, you can always self-publish. And nowadays, you can self-publish and still approach publishers with the same manuscript. So your options aren’t actually either-or. Nowadays, it’s a matter of how many paths you’ll take to publishing rather than which single path you’ll chose.
I’m spending six weeks in Pickens, SC working on my new novel. Here’s the first blog post to the Rensing Center’s blog on my experience. This one is about feral daffodils I found while walking the roads around the rural center.
In 2013, more new titles landed on the bestseller lists than ever before. That year beat out 2012, which also had more new titles than any previous year. That’s great news for authors who are interested in approaching traditional publishers with their manuscripts.
Mass market again saw the most first-time titles, with 290 books. This category was followed by hardcover fiction with 251 and trade paperbacks with 187 new titles. Nonfiction had 269 in their hardcover category.
Poets & Writers offers funding for readings and workshops in New York state and California as well as Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, New Orleans, Seattle, Tucson, and Washington, D.C. Details available here.
Bestselling authors Victoria Christopher Murray and ReShonda Tate Billingsley have teamed up to launch Brown Girls Publishing. The books will cover a variety of genres and, while the authors have focused on the African American community, their house’s titles will be for a broad audience.
They already have a number of titles lined up. They are looking for good stories that are well written.
Writer's Resource/Sunspot Lit 