When it comes to Goodreads.com I'm often very clueless about a lot of the features. One, I don't have the time I'd like to have to really get into it. Two, I have this strong belief that Goodreads is more for readers than it is for authors. So what I do know about Goodreads has more to do with me thinking as a reader than an author. In other words, unless I'm leaving a review, rating, or comment about a book I've read, I let the readers talk about my books and I mind my own business. (Hint)
But sometimes I miss out on things I probably should have known about sooner. That happened last night when I discovered there's a feature on Goodreads for "Quotes." I honestly never knew this feature existed. For all I know, it's brand new. I wasn't even sure what to do with it when I first spotted it, so I did a quick search and found this article:
Is there a line in your book you are especially proud of? Did a reader quote you to yourself? Then add this snappy bit of text to the Quotes section on GoodReads. Tag it with relevant keywords and display it proudly. Readers can search for quotes by keyword or browse by topic. The quotes will also appear on your author page and on your book page (if you make sure to tag your book in the quote). And since GoodReads loves its trivia, readers can also play the “guess that quote” game.
What I still don't know is how...or if...these quotes are rated (in terms of adult content ratings) on goodreads. I added a few quotes last night from a few of my published books but I played it safe. I read a few quotes by other authors who left things that were high in adult content, so I'm guessing you can do whatever you want? But I played it safe and left G rated comments just in case. If anyone else knows about this, feel free to comment here. I suppose I could contact GR, but I'd rather keep it simple in this case. Besides, the quotes I like the most are not of an adult nature...in spite of the often detailed sex scenes I write sometimes.
And, check out the article I've linked to above. If you don't know anything about Goodreads, you will after you read it.
Upcoming Anthology with WWW.Loveyoudivine.com
Here's another area where I tend to be clueless: I don't keep track of my published works as much as I probably should. And my managing editor at Loveyoudivine.com recently informed me that I have enough western themed stories published with them to produce a western themed anthology. Here's a list of the stories that will be included, along with word counts.
As for word counts in short stories, I come from old publishing, as you might notice, where short stories are really short stories. It's only recently I've been writing longer short stories with word counts that go higher than 10,000. But the concept, to me, of creating a short story is knowing how to tighten it and get the point across with as few words as possible and still have the same impact. Writer's Digest does a contest every year where writers can submit short short stories of 1,500 words or less. For me, creating the tightest work I can is what short story writing is all about...and what all writing is about...not bragging and boasting about how many words I've actually written to make it longer. Edit, Edit, and Edit. That's what it's all about. Not length.
I know a lot of you have read these stories individually. But I also know some people prefer to buy anthologies instead of reading stand alone stories. So we figured we'd put this anthology out for those who feel that way.
Missing Jackson’s Hole 5392
Kevin Loves Cowboys 6524
Cowboy Howdy 7646
Something for Saint Jude 8113
That Cowboy in the Window 5703
Cowboy Mike and Buddy Boy 5836
A Life Filled with Awesome Love 12041
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