Rod "RJ" Moore

Not another fatalistic column about the future of journalism? No, not from me. I happen to think journalism has a great future. Just not as journalism. Because, you might say, we are all journalists. Citizen journalism is taking hold. As is hyperlocal journalism. Some say microblogging is journalism. And it probably is. It just doesn't (more…)

The toughest thing to do as a solopreneur is to have faith in yourself. And to have faith in your product or service. And faith in your work. That's probably the hardest thing for an artist. I consider myself an artist. In fact, you might say I'm an artist, only with words. So don't (more…)

I'm working on an e-course that will hopefully be available this fall and it's all about the art of re-writing. There aren't many courses on re-writing so I'm hoping to offer something valuable to freelancers and beginners.
So, how do you go about re-writing? Well, first you must have something to re-write. Sometimes your first drafts will be less than (more…)

I'm a little late in posting a blog entry because I've been on a much needed writing retreat. See, I've been so busy writing other things that I needed a break to focus on co-authoring my new book with my wife. We're writing a book about branding and we need to hold each other (more…)

In a previous post I said your story is your most compelling marketing tool. I recently read a column by Jason Fried, founder of 37signals and Inc. columnist, that has reinforced my belief. He says your story should be told with personality. Which means it should be authentic and in a voice that captures (more…)

I'm preparing for a trip to New York and I am not ready. No, not the packing part. The preparation of my pitch or pitches. I'm taking a more relaxed approach. Well, I said that last year too. But this year I'm not trying as hard. I'm hoping for serendipity. That's why I'm skipping the free-for-all speed dating with agents and editors. (more…)

Your story is the most powerful marketing tool you have if you are self-employed or you are a small business. Think about it. It's YOUR story. Not someone else's. No one has a story exactly like yours. Sure, there might be some similarities here and there. But it's uniquely yours.
If you aren't telling your story (more…)

This is a follow-up to my last post about Apple's iPad and ebook pricing.

   In case you missed it (yeah, right), Apple's iPad will be $499 minimum. So, the price of a PC notebook. Lower than anticipated, but still not chump change. Seeing how Kindle's are selling, I think the iPad could become the killer e-reader. (My wife will get one first since I got the MacBook).
   In addition, ebooks in Apple's digital bookstore will be priced from $12.99 to $14.99, but bestsellers will likely stay at the magic $9.99 price. Good news or bad news? Good news for authors and publishers. After all, if you have a bestseller, a (more…)

   The countdown is on for the announcement of the much anticipated Apple Tablet. As an author, my hope is that the Tablet will do for publishing what the iPod has done for music. That is, boost interest with a new digital platform. After all, iTunes is the number one seller of music in the world.
   However, I do have mixed feeling since I’m not happy with the pricing or royalty split of most electronic books. Seems the consensus is $9.99. In anticipation of Apple’s Tablet, the behemoth Amazon.com has backed off of their hard-line policy with authors and publishers. Last week Amazon.com announced a 70% royalty option for Kindle Books beginning June 30, 2010.
   Either way, publishing needs a shot in the arm. Bigtime. Bookstore sales peaked in 2005, according to the Census Bureau, and have fallen since then. Last year’s sales are much worse. So, I’m hoping Apple’s Tablet won’t be too expensive which would increase the barrier of entry. Seems like the iPod Touch would be a good price point. And it would be competitive with other e-readers. Comments?

• Find an agent who's hungry—and "monetize." "Anyone who wants to break in should read Variety and Hollywood Reporter and see which assistants have just been promoted to agents…anyone can teach a three-act structure. What I want students to get in the mind set of is 'How do we write something with the purpose of monetizing it?'" —Ryan Saul, literary agent, APA, and screenwriting instructor

• Don't be a barista waiting for someone to stumble upon your genius. "Our editors travel, they get around. They look at writer's conferences, at MFA programs. They look at magazine articles and at blogs. That's what editors do, they sniff things out from so many different sources." —Carol Schneider, Random House Publishing Group

• Find another way in. Slush pile finds "are the rare exception that give people hope. If we found one writer a year that sent things in randomly, that would be a lot…agents are necessary gatekeepers but it's nice if there is an alternative entry…there are subversive ways to get your stuff read—you just have to be dedicated. A writer I know wasn't able to get treatments read so he started rendering them as comic books." —David Granger, editor in chief, Esquire

• Contests! "I'm always wary to recommend to writers that they go to competitions too much because there are fees and they can end up spending a lot of money. But the ones that do get industry attention are really fantastic opportunities to network and to make important relationships." —Hannah Minghella, president of production, Sony Animation Studios, formerly in development at Miramax

• And buck up. In 1957, Tom Wolfe interviewed James Michener, a former slush pile reader and the author of "Tales of the South Pacific." Mr. Wolfe asked him if he had worried, upon submitting the Pulitzer Prize-winning tome to publishers, about competition lurking in the slush piles. "If you've ever read a slush pile," said Mr. Michener, "you'd know I had nothing to worry about," Mr. Wolfe says. "He knew how much garbage there was out there."

© 2010 Dow Jones, Inc.