Karen Dionne's Blog
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Mar.29.2012
I’m probably one of the few authors on the planet who enjoys marketing her books. For me, thinking up fresh ways to get the word out about my novels is almost as much fun as creating the story and the characters.
For my first novel, FREEZING POINT, I held an online book launch party that simulated...
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Mar.26.2012
If you're a whiz at creating loglines, you can enter for a chance to win FREE tickets to the Broadway play SEMINAR starring Jeff Goldblum! (And yes, you can win the tickets for someone else!)
Contest details:
“What’s your novel about?” is the question aspiring writers hear over and over again at...
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Feb.01.2012
I miss my Borders. The Borders bookstore on Hall Road in Utica, Mich. was my hangout. I'd drop in whenever I was in the mood to browse for books, and inevitably, I'd leave with great armfuls.
There's a Barnes & Noble a few miles away from my still-empty Borders. I've tried shopping there,...
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Jan.04.2012
If the Internet seemed slow on Christmas Sunday, it might have been because around the world, literally millions of new e-reader owners spent a fair part of the day downloading e-books.
It's too early to know exactly how many e-readers were sold this year as holiday gifts. But on December 5, ...
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May.05.2011
Despite the massive amount of attention that self-publishing is receiving as ebooks have come to the fore, many aspiring authors still hope to place their books with a traditional publisher. To do that, they first need to find a literary agent to represent them.
Recently, the organizers of the...
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Apr.18.2011
How much should an e-book cost? The answer varies widely, depending on who is asked. Most traditional publishers price their authors' e-books the same as the print version, reasoning that the costs associated with publishing, marketing and promoting a title do not disappear when a book is published...
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Apr.04.2011
Ultimately, it's readers, and not the author's publisher, who determine whether or not the author will be offered another book contract. The reason is simple. If a publisher doesn't make a profit on an author's titles, they can't continue to publish them. What's an author to do?
You can read the...
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Mar.20.2011
In April 2009, I traveled to Chaitén Volcano in Northern Patagonia, Chile, the setting for my next novel. Chaitén Volcano came to life for the first time in 9,000 years on May 2, 2008 in a major rhyolitic eruption. The magma blasted 3.1 miles (5 kilometers) through Earth's crust in only about four...
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Mar.07.2011
For public libraries, it's the best of times and the worst of times: Usage is skyrocketing, but budgets are being slashed. What to do? A few thriller authors are stepping in -- and using their time and fame to help organize fund-raising events for libraries. The goal is to create a national...
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Feb.17.2011
Beginning as early as the end of the week, 6,000 Borders employees will be out work, and publishers will likely lose millions of dollars in bad debt. Hardest hit will be "midlist" authors -- those whose books aren't bestsellers but still do well enough to justify their publication.
See...
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Jan.31.2011
Many writers are discovering the wonders (and extensive rewards) of self-publishing, but there are still places where professional representation can be be well worth the trouble. The confusing but often lucrative world of international sales is an example.See full article from DailyFinance:http://...
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Jan.23.2011
Should the deeply troubled Borders chain close, publishers will survive just fine. But for authors who don't have instant name recognition with book buyers, the loss of an outlet with scads of shelf and floor space is a serious blow. Plus, it's one less place where authors and readers can connect....
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Jan.08.2011
My third article on the economics of book publishing written for AOL's website, Daily Finance, is now live. Here's a sample: Analysts estimate that hundreds of thousands of e-readers were given as gifts this holiday season, spurring a massive explosion in the number of e-books that will likely be...
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Dec.26.2010
Two years ago, e-books constituted 1% of total book sales, a figure that's now closer to 10%. As electronic media accounts for a larger and larger portion of the book business, consumers are benefiting from lower prices for books, and manufacturers are enjoying massive sales. But how is the e-book...
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Dec.24.2010
I love action. Not in real life. In real life, I’m a writer, which means I spend 90% of my day sitting in front of my computer. Oh, once in a while I get up, stretch a little, put on my shoes, and walk out to the mailbox to see if the mailman happened to drop off a royalty check. Or I head into the...
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Fans of the late Michael Crichton will enjoy Dionne's exciting second ecothriller . . . Crisp writing keeps the pace fast, and the tight interweaving of story lines bodes well for this author's future efforts.”
—Publishers Weekly
About Karen
Karen Dionne is the internationally published author of Boiling Point,an environmental thriller about an erupting volcano, a missing researcher, and a radical scheme to end global warming. Karen's first science thriller, Freezing Point, ...
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Causes Karen Dionne Supports
WaterLife Foundation - http://www...