Wednesday, April 07, 2021

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group, QuaranCon, and The PRO Act


It’s time for another edition of The Insecure Writer’s Support Group, founded by Ninja Captain, Alex J. Cavanaugh.


Today’s optional question: Are you a risk-taker when writing? Do you try something radically different in style/POV/etc. or add controversial topics to your work?


I’ve written both fiction and non-fiction and in four different genres, but I wouldn’t call that taking a risk. I also tend to keep my fiction fairly clean and don’t add controversial topics to the mix. Some authors are bigger risk takers, so I’m curious to see how others answer this question today.

As a publisher, I do notice when a story submission takes a bit of a risk, perhaps taking a genre or trope and turning it on its head. Big Red was that kind of story – Nazis on Mars? But it worked so well! Bloodwalker also had a unique storyline with a killer in a European circus. There is the chance that taking a risk means the story just doesn’t work or seem plausible, but sometimes it does work.

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Dancing Lemur Press will be on a panel for Quarancon on April 10 at 12 pm EST.

The panel is Indie Flavours – Find Your Publishing Path: A panel talking about the pros and cons of starting out as a writer and the different incarnations of indie publishing. From small presses to imprints to going solo, what are the options for authors who want something different to the Big 5?

I'm also doing a reading prior to the panel at 11:30 am EST. 
DLP’s author Damien Larkin is on the panel immediately following ours – Writing Fight Scenes.
So is one of our IWSG anthology authors, Tyrean Martinson - she’s on a panel about disabilities in SF/F at 10am on April 11.

The con is April 8-12 and free to all – please join us!

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And if you are a self-publisher, a book formatter, an illustrator, a freelance editor, etc. – this affects YOU! The PRO Act bill that Dems and Biden are pushing would eliminate the freelance position, making it a W-2 employee situation instead. This would affect millions of workers across America who rely on freelance work to pay the bills.

It wouldn’t impact Dancing Lemur Press, but it would impact me personally as I do freelance formatting, consulting, and speaking. And since many of those come from self-publishing authors, they are not about to mess with W-2 forms – which means a large chunk of my income is gone.

This will affect many of you, too. I hope you let your congressman/representative know that this bill is NOT acceptable in its current state.


Are you a risk-taker when writing?
Tuning in to QuaranCon?
And will you be affected by the PRO Act if it passes? 
Please note, this week is IBPA's Publishing University and since it is virtual, I am finally able to attend - but it kicks off Wednesday with a heavy schedule Thurs-Fri, so I might not be responding here those days.