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Killing the Top Ten Sacred Cows of Publishing: A WMG Writer's Guide (WMG Writer's Guides) by [Dean Wesley Smith]

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Dean Wesley Smith

Killing the Top Ten Sacred Cows of Publishing: A WMG Writer's Guide (WMG Writer's Guides) Kindle Edition

by Dean Wesley Smith (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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Part of: WMG Writer's Guides (25 books)

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The publishing world continues to evolve, but myths about who can make a living as a fiction writer maintain a life of their own. Whether you pursue traditional or indie publishing success, you need to know the pitfalls and traps that undermine many writers’ careers.

In this WMG Writer’s Guide, USA Today bestselling author and former publisher Dean Wesley Smith addresses the ten most damaging myths that writers believe in modern publishing.

Topics Include:
Right vs. Wrong
Writing Speed
Rewriting
Agents
Books as Events
Quality
Writing to Trends
Making Money
Writing is Hard
Career Killers

USA Today bestselling author Dean Wesley Smith published more than a hundred novels in thirty years and hundreds and hundreds of short stories across many genres.
He wrote a couple dozen Star Trek novels, the only two original Men in Black novels, Spider-Man and X-Men novels, plus novels set in gaming and television worlds. Writing with his wife Kristine Kathryn Rusch under the name Kathryn Wesley, they wrote the novel for the NBC miniseries The Tenth Kingdom and other books for Hallmark Hall of Fame movies.
He wrote novels under dozens of pen names in the worlds of comic books and movies, including novelizations of a dozen films, from The Final Fantasy to Steel to Rundown.
He now writes his own original fiction under just the one name, Dean Wesley Smith. In addition to his upcoming novel releases, his monthly magazine called Smith’s Monthly premiered October 1, 2013, filled entirely with his original novels and stories.
Dean also worked as an editor and publisher, first at Pulphouse Publishing, then for VB Tech Journal, then for Pocket Books. He now plays a role as an executive editor for the original anthology series Fiction River.
For more information go to www.deanwesleysmith.com, www.smithsmonthly.com or www.fictionriver.com.

Print length

128 pages
Language

English
Publication date

February 9, 2014
File size

366 KB
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

USA Today bestselling author Dean Wesley Smith published more than a hundred novels in thirty years and hundreds of short stories across many genres. He wrote a couple dozen Star Trek novels, the only two original Men in Black novels, Spider-Man and X-Men novels, plus novels set in gaming and television worlds. Writing with his wife Kristine Kathryn Rusch under the name Kathryn Wesley, they wrote the novel for the NBC miniseries The Tenth Kingdom and other books for Hallmark Hall of Fame movies. He wrote novels under dozens of pen names in the worlds of comic books and movies, including novelizations of a dozen films, from The Final Fantasy to Steel to Rundown. He now writes his own original fiction under just the one name, Dean Wesley Smith. In addition to his upcoming novel releases, his monthly magazine called Smith’s Monthly premiered October 1, 2013, filled entirely with his original novels and stories. Dean also worked as an editor and publisher, first at Pulphouse Publishing, then for VB Tech Journal, then for Pocket Books. He now plays a role as an executive editor for the original anthology series Fiction River. For more information go to www.deanwesleysmith.com, www.smithsmonthly.com or www.fictionriver.com. --This text refers to the paperback edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00ICKJ5NI
Publisher ‏ : ‎ WMG Publishing, Inc. (February 9, 2014)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 9, 2014
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 366 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 128 pages
Lending ‏ : ‎ Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #204,235 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #283 in Publishing & Books
- #816 in Book Publishing Reference
- #850 in Education & Reference (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
25 ratings

About the author

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Dean Wesley Smith

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Considered one of the most prolific writers working in modern fiction, USA Today bestselling writer Dean Wesley Smith published far more than a hundred novels in forty years, and hundreds of short stories across many genres.

At the moment he produces novels in several major series, including the time travel Thunder Mountain novels set in the Old West, the galaxy-spanning Seeders Universe series, the urban fantasy Ghost of a Chance series, a superhero series starring Poker Boy, and a mystery series featuring the retired detectives of the Cold Poker Gang.

His monthly magazine, Smith’s Monthly, which consists of only his own fiction, premiered in October 2013 and offers readers more than 70,000 words per issue, including a new and original novel every month.

During his career, Dean also wrote a couple dozen Star Trek novels, the only two original Men in Black novels, Spider-Man and X-Men novels, plus novels set in gaming and television worlds. Writing with his wife Kristine Kathryn Rusch under the name Kathryn Wesley, he wrote the novel for the NBC miniseries The Tenth Kingdom and other books for Hallmark Hall of Fame movies.

He wrote novels under dozens of pen names in the worlds of comic books and movies, including novelizations of almost a dozen films, from The Final Fantasy to Steel to Rundown.

Dean also worked as a fiction editor off and on, starting at Pulphouse Publishing, then at VB Tech Journal, then Pocket Books, and now at WMG Publishing, where he and Kristine Kathryn Rusch serve as series editors for the acclaimed Fiction River anthology series.

For more information about Dean’s books and ongoing projects, please visit his website at www.deanwesleysmith.com and sign up for his newsletter.

Customer reviews

5 star		69%
4 star		31%
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Top reviews from the United States

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flowercrownwolf

An absolute must-read for anyone considering publishing

Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2018

Verified Purchase

I agree whole-heartedly with about 85% of the advice and disagree with the rest, but the author is very open with this being his own journey and experience in the world of publishing. As an expert in his field, the author's words are useful for anyone with an interest in publishing. So often, authors get hung up in the toxic mentality of '90% marketing; 10% writing' only to find all the joy in their craft sucked out. I personally have followed the advice given in this book and found great success (and joy in writing once again).

Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2021

Verified Purchase

Every time I look at "Killing the Top 10 Sacred Cows...", I get some new insights. Sorry I didn't buy this sooner.

Roger Weston, author of The Recruiter

Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2014

Verified Purchase

I've followed the development of what were a series of blog posts into a great little book. Dean Wesley Smith packs all of his experience and years of wisdom in the world of writing and publishing into a guide that helps dispels the myths of the industry that hurt writers. Check it out. You won't be sorry. If you're a writer you might get a new lease on writing. I know I did.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

C. L. Roth

A lot to think about

Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2014

Verified Purchase

Some of these myths I knew about. A few places I had a slightly different take than the author but more due to how I work vs. how the writer does. And in some place this book blew my mind open and filled it with new ideas and hope. I loved this book. Plain and simple, he told it like it is.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Ryan J. Pelton

great book on publishing!

Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2014

Verified Purchase

I loved the honesty, truth, and boldness about the myths of publishing. This book will awaken you from your writing slumber to put your butt in the seat and write.

One person found this helpful

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A drunken panda

Worth reading

Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2018

Verified Purchase

Great book. Destroy myths that ficition authors believe.

Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2014

Verified Purchase

As an aspiring writer, this was very useful. This is a good companion book to Smith's "Think Like a Publisher".

One person found this helpful

Helpful

S. Johnson

Loved it so much

Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2018

I love this book and Dean Wesley Smith! After reading it, I immediately ordered, "Writing into the Dark," which I'm reading right now. I've been a professional copywriter and editor all my life, and 5-6 years ago I started getting serious about writing short stories and books (fiction and nonfiction).

This is a must-read for every writer—it felt truly liberating to me to finally be freed from the shackles of publishing rules that "everyone knows." It also gave me back the pure joy of writing, as opposed to it being "hard work." I highly recommend this easy-to-read book and would suggest following up with "Writing into the Dark," which is also proving to be great.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

V.A.H

A must have read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 4, 2015

Verified Purchase

This book has made me rethink everything about writing and publishing.

nagendra

Must for aspiring writer

Reviewed in India on September 2, 2018

Verified Purchase

It really opened my eyes. Many rules that I thought for writing really proved to be myths.It clears my mind and encouraged me to write more. I will return to thus book from time to time to keep myself from falling into those myths.

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