I Don't Get It

Sometimes I feel like I need to start a post with a disclaimer, and I guess this is one of those posts.  If you are one of these people, don’t take this post as an attack, because I honestly (as the title says) don’t get it.

I have a great friend in Lucky Dunbar, who has done the artwork for my stories and I hope he can continue to do so for as long as I need artwork for my stories.  BTW, visit his Facebook Page at LuckyArt.  But, as he continues to work his craft, he will be busy with other projects and I can’t expect to always be number one on his list.  So, I’ve been perusing DeviantART and finding other artists that I could use in the event Lucky just doesn’t have the time to get something done.

In my journey’s I have found a handful of artists that do some great work and their style fits what I am looking for.  For the most part, they aren’t too expensive.  If I want a character art, it costs X.  If I want a character and a background it is X.  If I want multiple characters, etc.  One artist has even gone so far as to show examples of what you would get for so much money, with the explanation that more complexity equals more money.  Very customer friendly, and since they only have certain times when they are available for commission work, I can assume business is good for these artists.

Then there is the, what I consider, not-so-customer-friendly artists.  You almost get the feeling that if you have to ask how much, then it’s too expensive for you.   

Now, let me make something clear, for those of you who are not familiar with DeviantART.  This is not a site for well known artists.  You won’t find Vellejo, Parkinson, Bell, or Kinkade hawking their wares (okay, that would be odd for a couple of them since their dead…bad examples, but you get it).  The artists found on that site are talented people who haven’t had the exposure.  Some want to be the next big thing, while others are happy with their niche in life.

So here we get to the part I don’t understand.  What is it about pricing your artwork that needs to be a secret?  Is it too complex for you to give the potential customer an idea of what they would spend if they worked with you?  Why do you shun the apparent model that other artists follow with their pricing structure?  Or, is it a case of “if you have to ask…”?

Look, I know there is some reasoning behind it.  You have a reason for not disclosing your pricing structure, assuming you have one.  But I have no clue as to what that reason could be.

Here is how it looks.  And don’t take this as an attack.  I am simply saying this is how it looks to your average customer with no training in business101.

You overvalue your work.

I am the average customer and that is how I see it.  I don’t see your art as better than the others.  In most cases, your artwork is on par with other people who are more than happy to provide pricing information.  Any guesses on which artist I will go to?

As I said, I don’t understand.  Perhaps you don’t overvalue your work, but because I don’t understand why you want to hide your pricing structure, that is how I see it.  Not only is that how I see it; that is how the average customer sees it.  The sentence “If you have to ask, it’s too much.” can be read from two different perspectives.

It'll Never Happen

When the term technology is used our minds fill with visions of computers, wires, and laser beams.  Wind the clock back a hundred years, a couple of hundred years, or several hundred years, technology takes on a different sense.

The printing press was a technology frowned upon for many reasons, one of which was the belief that monks would become lazy.

The automobile.

Photography.

Flight.

All technological advances.  The commonality?  They were all feared, shunned, played off as a fad, and touted they would never, ever, not in a million years, replace “x”.

You just have to love us human-types.

Digital photography will never replace film.  That statement came from a photography magazine printed in 1994.  In all fairness, digital photography has not “replaced” film, but when was the last time you saw a new film camera for sale at your local superstore?  As a matter of fact, without doing a search on the web, tell me fast, where would you take that film to get developed?

People will always want to read the morning paper.  It will never be replaced by the internet.  There are hundreds (if not thousands) of newspapers and magazines that no longer exist because they failed to recognize the oncoming train of technology, and countless more that are struggling to catch up before they too go under.

“X” format will never replace the LP.  People long for the hiss and pop of the classic vinyl record.  Been to a “Record” store lately?  Oh wait, you can just get that online.  If you dig deep enough, you can even get a copy of that song with the hiss and pop included.

So, why do we believe electronic books will never, ever, not in a million years, outsell print books?

Already we see signs of that flawed belief.  Whatever happened to the “Big Six”?  What are we down to?  Five?  Four?  The big publishers sat mired in the mud for years.  Now they struggle to catch up with the very technology they downplayed.

When was your most recent trip to Waldenbooks, B Dalton, Borders?

Will the e-book ever completely replace the coveted print version?  No.  Much like a photograph printed on special paper, the desire will always be present.

However…

Much like a hand-tooled leather belt, the printed photograph, the hardback novel, will become cost-prohibitive for the average customer.  They will become novelty items relegated to the collectors and those with disposable income.

It won’t be today.  It won’t be tomorrow.  It may not even be within a decade, but there will come a time in your children’s life when special orders for printed books will be the norm.

The bookshelf, much like your photo album, will be virtual.  So, instead of fighting technology, find a way to make it work to your advantage.  After all, technology is coming, and it has been proven over the centuries, its force is greater than any resistance you can provide.

Go ahead, keep saying it’ll never happen.  You’ll be one less competitor we have to worry about when it does.

Shameless plug here:

I have three titles available; one novel, Blood of Two, and two shorts, The Leaf Pendant, and The Most Intelligent Orc in the World.  Check out Smashword, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Diesel, or iTunes to find a copy.

If You Don't Have Anything Nice to Say

I have been conspicuously absent from social media for a couple of weeks.  I just haven't had anything nice to say, and it has been bothering me.  Am I really that much of grump?  Well, maybe I am, but this morning I realized what has had me residing in Grumptown; social media.

I open up my Facebook feed and it is littered with angry people, hypocritical people, and whiny people.  Read a few posts from these folks and see if you can live on the sunny side of life!

I have read post after post of political propaganda from all three sides of the fence.  Each of them taking a quote out of context, throwing out a number that sounds outrageous, but isn't true, or just bad-mouthing the other side because they can.

I won't go into my political viewpoint, because it really doesn't matter.  I don't care what side of the fence you sit on, when you distribute lies, YOU are the idiot; not the president, not the guy running against the president, not the NRA, not the anti-gun.

If you want to tout the virtues of eating healthy, eating organic, eating right, don't follow that post with a status of your location being a pizza house, or a burger joint.  Unless you're protesting fatty foods, you just negated your earlier posts.

And really?  I don't care how unfair life has been to you when you get on your iPhone/Pad, or personal computer to type that message out, while your munching on food you don't need, living in a climate controlled environment, thinking about where you are going to go to in your car that costs more than someone in Mexico makes in a year.  There's an undernourished kid in Uganda that would like to speak with you.

With all that said, I unfollowed a lot of people this morning.  Life is already looking brighter!  I haven't had anything nice to say because the people I surrounded myself with in the social media world didn't either.  Problem fixed.

When the world gets in your face
I say
Have a Nice Day!

A Different Perspective

I look back some twenty years ago when I dabbled a bit with writing a book and I see a different outlook on writing.  Back then, before I was ready to write, I had big dreams.  I would be another big time writer.  My books would be side by side with King and Grisham at the front of the stores.

How things have changed.

I suppose one of those changes is the fact that bookstores are becoming more and more difficult to find.  Like it or not, technology has changed the face of the book world.  The most important change, for me, is my perspective on my writing career.  I'm a few years older, and a bit more aware of the reality of writing.  Having a title share the headlines with Terry Brooks is a long shot.  It is still a goal, but it is no longer get there quick or give it up.  I like to think there will be a day when my writing attains that quality and reach.

Twenty years ago, the dream of quitting my job and writing for a living had a different perspective as well.  I would write a few hours in the morning and play the rest of the day.  The goal was a life in luxury.  Now?  Not so much.

Last night was another one of those nights where life interfered.  It happens a lot to us writers.  Outside of our imaginary worlds we still have real world commitments; things that need to be done around the house.  I wanted to write a few thousand words last night.  I really did.  Somehow, some way, my adult responsibilities hovered over my keyboard and kept my fingers at bay.  This was when I realized just how much my perspective has changed when it comes to writing success.

I still want to make money off my imagination, but it's different now than twenty years ago.  I want to make enough to quit my job so I will have time to write.  Not so I will have time to play, but to write.  I want to spend as much time as I can writing without work getting in the way.  My duties at home do not get in the way of writing, it is my job that gets in the way.  At forty some odd years old, I just want my writing to sell enough that I can concentrate on writing more.  That's quite a bit of difference from twenty years ago.

I still want to write "that book", I think most of us do.  I think that dream will always remain.  I want people to look back on one of my titles and say "That is the book that changed the face of the genre."  That thought never even crossed my mind twenty years ago.  It was all about the money, which is likely why I never succeeded in getting anything written back then.  Today it is all about the writing.

It's just a different perspective.

It's Over So Shut Up

There are certain topics that get banned from conversation during family get togethers for one reason or another:  religion, sports, politics etc.  Usually because the passion involved makes even the most likable person a true ass.

We all just suffured through another presidential election.  I think in many ways we suffered more than ever before.  In one sense, I am lucky.  I live in the state of Oklahoma.  In the grand scheme of things, Oklahoma doesn't matter.  We aren't one of those states that can decide an election, so no money isn't wasted on television commercials.  For that matter, if you are a democrat in Oklahoma, you may as well stay home on that one Tuesday every four years.

This time around it seems that social media was just littered with election garbage.  And it was just that; garbage.  The falsehoods propogated on Twitter, Facebook, etc. were astounding.  The sad part of it was that people presented these falsehoods as fact.  This of course makes them no better than the morally lacking candidates that ran for office.

Republican, Democrat, or whatever other not-a-chance party, it didn't matter.  The lies spread like an egg in a lopsided frying pan.  What really throws me off is that people that I thought were intelligent human beings shared, retweeted, reposted stories that were just outright lies, or misrepresentations of photographs.  So, either these intelligent people are liars, or they are dumber than I gave them credit for.  Either way, a lot of people, from all sides, lost a lot of my respect for them.

It all goes back to something I have said before on this blog:  Don't believe everything you see on TV, read in the paper, or find on the internet; research the facts.

If you share, retweet, repost a story without finding out whether or not it is true, then you have been made the fool.  Don the cute little hat with bells on it and do a little jig, because you are qualified for one thing, acting the fool.

And now that the election season has passed, I still get inundated with propoganda on the social media outlets.  It's over.  There is nobody that needs to be convinced that your side is the only side to be on for another four years.  And really, do you actually think that your lies will change someones mind?

It's over, so shut up.

My favorite line this election season, that says more about the speaker than it does about who they are speaking too:
"If you don't vote for Obama, then you are racist."

Shameless plug:
Blood of Two (Drums of Rallinwar:  Book One) is available in electronic format at your favorite e-book outlet, including Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Kobo, iBooks, Diesel, and Smashwords.  Buy it, rate it, review it.

Idealism

1. belief in perfection: belief in and pursuit of perfection as an attainable goal


"youthful idealism"

2. living by high ideals: aspiring to or living in accordance with high standards or principles

3. belief that material things are imaginary: the philosophical belief that material things do not exist independently but only as constructions in the mind

In my mind, one of the catalysts to progress is Idealism, or "belief in perfection".  We see something that can be improved, or performed in a more productive manner and we pursue a goal of perfecting the process or thing.  I love it.  Idealism drives a lot of what I do at work and at home.  To some extent, Idealism has driven me to write fantasy that does not conform to the cliche's or formulae that have been prevelant in this genre.
 
Idealism rocks.
  
However...   It is one thing to be idealistic, and quite another to be condescending.
 
Idealistic does not necessarily mean "better".  In some cases your pursuit of perfection may lead you down a less productive road.  In many cases, your pursuit has been tried and been written off as counter-productive.
 
We see this in all walks of life.  Take my path of publishing, often referred to as Indie Publishing.  At some point in time, Indie Publishing (not to be confused with Vanity Publishing) was an idealistic pursuit.  Not a better pursuit, just idealistic.  In a broad sense, it was actually not a new idea, considering Vanity Publishing has been around for a long, long time.  In a narrower sense, Indie Publishing is idealistic.  E-Readers and the potential audience (by far greater than the old Vanity route) has created this idealism.  But it is not better than traditional publishing, just different.

At work, you may be flooded with a new method of reaching point 'x'.  Idealism at work.  Is it better than the traditional method?  

Maybe it's raising a child.  Idealistic methods of child rearing have been around forever.  As mentioned before, this is how we progress.  Are these methods better?  

The better mouse trap?  

Methods of lawn care?  

Washing a car?  

Idealism is great.  Just be careful how you present it.  Idealism can quickly become freak hippy voodoo, expecially if you choose to be condescending to those who don't share your methods of progress.   After all, who is smarter?  The one who believes their way is the best way, or the one looks at many methods and decides which one works best for them?  

Now, how about we tie that into a character or two in story.  A character who is idealistic, yet narrow-minded and condescending.  A character who is idealistic, yet constantly get distracted by bigger and better ideas.  A character who is idealistic, but is appreciative of those who choose to do things differently than them.   Characters abound.  We just witnessed a few examples of idealists pursuing several different government offices.  And there were more than one or two that were viewed as freak, voodoo hippies.

Shameless Plug: Blood of Two (Drums of Rallinwar Book One) by C. Hollis Gunter is available through most electronic book outlets including: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, ibooks, and Smashwords.  Buy it.  Rate it.  Review it.

Don't be a lazy American

This topic gets me wound up; well, as wound up as my personality allows. The subject of immigration, legal and illegal, is a polarizing topic filled with misconceptions, half-truths, and outright lies. Much of which is propagated by the media and politicians.

Let me make one thing clear, before I move on; illegal is illegal. People come to this country for reasons that most of us take for granted. Many come by following the proper, legal channels, while many come here by skirting our laws. Those that come here illegally know that they are breaking laws, and they know that if they are caught, they will be sent back to their homelands. I don’t have a problem with deporting people who are here illegally. Until we change our laws, this should happen. What some people fail to recognize is the fact that we do not enforce these laws with any kind of consistency.

I encourage you to do your due diligence and research the truths of immigration. In most cases, what you read in your paper, see on the news, or hear from your politicians, is not fact. You have to dig to find the truth. You have to be able to recognize propaganda, from either side of the argument. Do not bombard me with stereotypes. Do not try to impress me with generalizations. You will only make me laugh at your ignorance.

Illegal aliens take jobs from Americans that need them. Really? Americans do need jobs, but we Americans have come accustomed to making more money than what some of the industries that illegal’s work in are willing to pay. I’m not sure that we, as consumers, are ready to pay American wages for these jobs. How much are you willing to pay for that tomato? Do your research. Give this subject due diligence. Don’t just go off what MSNBC or FOX is telling you. YOU must find the truth.

Illegals are a drain on the economy. Again, do the research. What you find may surprise you.

So, what is the answer? If I knew that, I wouldn’t be wrestling to survive from paycheck to paycheck. I do know that Alabama’s recent actions are not the answer. Of course, coming from a state with a heritage of racism, their new laws are hardly abnormal.

The answer can be found through intelligent discussions. A solution that does not adversely impact your well-being, because that is what most concerns you, can be reached. Do not approach this topic in ignorance. Do not approach this topic armed only with the knowledge gleaned from the national media and politicians who want your vote. Learn the facts. Find the truth. Arm yourself with the knowledge to make your own decision. Don’t be the stereotypical Lazy American.

Until you have actually researched the topic beyond the six o’clock news and talk radio, please keep your ignorance to yourself. You will appear much smarter for it.