- Alternatives to story telling
If the medium changes, so does the message - or so the message went in the 1970s. Does anyone still believe that? More likely, the skills, experiences and ingredients of good story telling have actually stayed the same over the years, even if quill pens have given way to computerised word processors. At least, that's what this author thinks. Agree? Or disagree, it's up to you. - Internet Authors are farmers, really
As the age of Traditional Publishing draws to an end, authors are finding that the internet can now meet all their needs, for getting published and being heard. Writers make contact with readers through the web, get feedback and improve their craft. Their work grows in the sunlight of positive criticism, watered by the rain of encouragement. The author brings in a well-deserved harvest. Just like farmers, maybe? - Internet Authors are protest writers
If several authors are writing books on similar themes does this make a 'trend'? Traditional Publishers don't think so. They've never heard of Protest Novelists or Challenging Writers, but this could be the 'next big thing' in the world of books. To find it, you might have to look on the internet, but that's no bad thing. There's plenty of good stuff out there, just waiting to be read. - Internet Authors are the new Black Swans
Life is so unpredictable. Just when you were pretty sure that all swans were white, someone goes off and discovers Australia, where swans can be found that are black. No one was expecting that. Likewise, no one is expecting the edifice of Traditional Publishing to crumble, but after 250 years it is finally beginning to shake. Internet Authoring is the way of the future. That's a surprise too. - Internet Authors are the new King Kong
Who's that ape on the top of the Empire State building? Oh yeah, him. That's an Internet Author, the latest person to tear up the planet and make things new. It's changed, all this publishing business. Books don't come out of skyscraper offices anymore. They're written in garrets and basements and they get posted round the world using that most modern device, the computer. King Kong has torn up the contract. It's all different now. - Internet Authors don't need cut-offs
Close the doors. Don't let anyone else in. That seems to be the message from bureaucrats and rule makers the world over. Why? Is there really a question of Health and Safety? Or is it just that a man with a pen and a penchant for control has decided to make up a few rules, draw some boundaries and decide some outcomes. Is it necessary? Does it help? Let Mike Scantlebury take you through the arguments. - Internet Authors don't need fame
Tough being an author? Even tougher being a publisher! But in the world of Traditional Publishing there's all kinds of self-inflicted pain, most of which is no help to themselves, or their clients. Tune in with Mike Scantlebury and hear why he's an Internet Author, not bothering with the follow-my-leader of the last 250 years, now hopelessly out of date. - Internet Authors don't need friends
You want to write a book and see it in print? So who do you think is going to help you? Not your 'friends'. Not the people who like you as you are and don't want to see you change. Not the people who are jealous of your talent and your ambition. Not the people on the same road, the same race track, aiming for the same finishing line. You think they'll help? Think again. You're on your own. Make the most of it. - Internet Authors don't need needs
Ever wondered how to give the publisher exactly what they want? Forget it. Even if they knew, by the time they made up their mind, they'd have already moved on. Yes, check out Mike Scantlebury and see what he has to say on the subject of writing, publishing and finding out how to give the readers what they want - a much better idea. - Internet Authors don't need nonsense
Okay, so you've written a book and you're looking for advice. It would be nice to hear from an 'expert'. Unfortunately, most people turn to publishers instead. What hopes have you got of learning anything? Mike Scantlebury, Internet Author, isn't impressed with the standards of feedback available. Hear his story. - Internet Authors don't need prospectors
Publishers need authors, (they say). If that's so, why don't they read the stuff that arrives in the post? Because they aren't prospectors, says Mike Scantlebury, Internet Author. Publishers don't actually sieve the dross, looking for nuggets of gold. How could they? They're far too busy doing lunch and attending ceremonies, you know, important stuff, he says. - Internet Authors don't use quills
Every artist has a hero, someone they admired when younger and then set out to emulate. But do they copy the person or just follow in their footsteps? If you want to go the way of William Shakespeare does that mean you have to use a quill pen and write on parchment? Or is their another way? Perhaps we can learn from the best of new techology, while not ignoring the lessons of the past. - Internet Authors value the truth
When is a lie merely a well-meaning platitude? Do people ever say what they really mean. Not in the world of Traditional Publishing, certainly, where would-be authors are fobbed off, ignored and denigrated daily. Far better to explore the world of the Internet Author, where you get what you ask for and there's no reason to dissemble. Try the honest approach and start a new life, away from the platitudes of publishing and the lies of literature.
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