News

"Heavy Sulfur" appears in Operation Arcana, a Military Fantasy anthology published by Baen and edited by John Joseph Adams.

Credits: Sole author

Cover art by ????.

Availability:

• Amazon.com

• Barnes & Noble.com

• Books-a-Million

•  Powells

Baen

It occurs to me, I’m sitting here wondering about various marketing issues–but I don’t NEED to. I have people right here I can talk to. So, take half a minute and help me out, please?

If you have NOT purchased* one of my books (in whatever format) in the past couple of years, would you be so kind as to tell me why not?

*(Or otherwise legally acquired, such as having gotten one as a gift.)

I need real data here, so if your answer is something fairly final, such as "I don’t read fantasy" or "I don’t care for your writing style," okay. I can accept that. (*sob* 😉 )

I’m now offering a low-cost fiction critiquing service. Whether you’re an up-and-comer who wants advice, or an experienced pro who just wants a second set of eyeballs, my experience to date makes me your guy.

Please note that I’m just getting this off the ground, and such I cannot yet speak to details such as what percentage of client requests I’ll be able to accept, average turnaround times, and so forth.

What do I mean by "critique"?

Basically, I’m offering a less formal variant of a "content edit." I will offer overall opinions on the work as a whole, perform a basic level of proofreading, and I will look for, and suggest solutions to:

• plot holes
• inconsistencies
• unclear or repetitious description
• general issues of style

Note that "suggest solutions to" does not mean I will rewrite it all myself. I will, of course, provide you the tools and advice to do so.

What sorts of jobs do I accept?

I’ll critique basically anything that falls under the umbrella of "speculative fiction." Fantasy, science-fiction, supernatural horror, steampunk, that sort of thing. Nonfiction, and fiction genres outside the speculative, are outside my wheelhouse.

I’ll accept short-form or long-form fiction, within reasonable parameters. See below.

Rates

I charge based on word count, at a level that varies slightly depending on project length. All prices are in US dollars.

Up to 1,000 words: Flat fee of $15.

Up to 10,000 words: As above, then 2.5 cents/word for every word beyond the initial 1,000.

10,001 to 40,000 words: As above, then 2 cents/word for every word beyond the initial 10,000.

40,001 to 100,000 words: As above, then 1.75 cents/word for every word beyond the initial 40,000.

Longer works may be negotiated on a case-by-case basis.

Payment

I vastly prefer working through Paypal, but we can discuss other options. Unless we’ve made other arrangements, I’ll be asking 25% of the fee up front, with the remainder due upon completion. (Longer works may require 50% up front.)

Rush Jobs

I cannot normally provide a guaranteed turnaround time, but if you absolutely must have your critique by a certain date, we can negotiate that for a slight up-charge.

How to request a critique

Solicitations for a story critique must come to me via the following form. Requests sent to other addresses, or entered into other forms, may well not be seen at all.

Please change the subject line to read "Critique [story name]". (If it doesn’t yet have a name, call it Untitled.) In the body of the e-mail, please provide

• Your name
• The approximate word count of the work you want critiqued
• Genre(s) of the work
• A brief (one-to-three sentence) description of the story

I’ll contact you and, if I’m able to accept the job, discuss with you total fees, means of delivery, and other requirements.

Further Questions?

Contact me via the form below. Please change the subject line to read "Critique Questions." Or you can ask in the comments section, below, if it’s a question you don’t mind discussing publicly.

Important disclaimer! Read before emailing me:

While it’s not common, authors do occasionally have very similar ideas. By clicking this box, or sending me any sort of request for a critique, you are agreeing to hold me blameless if any of my work–past, present, or future–bears any resemblance to the material you sent.

Please Fill In All Fields

[formbuilder:3]

I’m now offering a low-cost fiction critiquing service. Whether you’re an up-and-comer who wants advice, or an experienced pro who just wants a second set of eyeballs, my experience to date makes me your guy.

Please note that I’m just getting this off the ground, and such I cannot yet speak to details such as what percentage of client requests I’ll be able to accept, average turnaround times, and so forth.

What do I mean by "critique"?

Basically, I’m offering a less formal variant of a "content edit." I will offer overall opinions on the work as a whole, perform a basic level of proofreading, and I will look for, and suggest solutions to:

• plot holes
• inconsistencies
• unclear or repetitious description
• general issues of style

Note that "suggest solutions to" does not mean I will rewrite it all myself. I will, of course, provide you the tools and advice to do so.

What sorts of jobs do I accept?

I’ll critique basically anything that falls under the umbrella of "speculative fiction." Fantasy, science-fiction, supernatural horror, steampunk, that sort of thing. Nonfiction, and fiction genres outside the speculative, are outside my wheelhouse.

I’ll accept short-form or long-form fiction, within reasonable parameters. See below.

Rates

I charge based on word count, at a level that varies slightly depending on project length. All prices are in US dollars.

Up to 1,000 words: Flat fee of $15.

Up to 10,000 words: As above, then 2.5 cents/word for every word beyond the initial 1,000.

10,001 to 40,000 words: As above, then 2 cents/word for every word beyond the initial 10,000.

40,001 to 100,000 words: As above, then 1.75 cents/word for every word beyond the initial 40,000.

Longer works may be negotiated on a case-by-case basis.

Payment

I vastly prefer working through Paypal, but we can discuss other options. Unless we’ve made other arrangements, I’ll be asking 25% of the fee up front, with the remainder due upon completion. (Longer works may require 50% up front.)

Rush Jobs

I cannot normally provide a guaranteed turnaround time, but if you absolutely must have your critique by a certain date, we can negotiate that for a slight up-charge.

How to request a critique

Solicitations for a story critique must come to me via the following form. Requests sent to other addresses, or entered into other forms, may well not be seen at all.

Please change the subject line to read "Critique [story name]". (If it doesn’t yet have a name, call it Untitled.) In the body of the e-mail, please provide

• Your name
• The approximate word count of the work you want critiqued
• Genre(s) of the work
• A brief (one-to-three sentence) description of the story

I’ll contact you and, if I’m able to accept the job, discuss with you total fees, means of delivery, and other requirements.

Further Questions?

Contact me via the form below. Please change the subject line to read "Critique Questions." Or you can ask in the comments section, below, if it’s a question you don’t mind discussing publicly.

Important disclaimer! Read before emailing me:

While it’s not common, authors do occasionally have very similar ideas. By clicking this box, or sending me any sort of request for a critique, you are agreeing to hold me blameless if any of my work–past, present, or future–bears any resemblance to the material you sent.

Please Fill In All Fields

[formbuilder:3]

I’m now offering a low-cost fiction critiquing service. Whether you’re an up-and-comer who wants advice, or an experienced pro who just wants a second set of eyeballs, my experience to date makes me your guy.

Please note that I’m just getting this off the ground, and such I cannot yet speak to details such as what percentage of client requests I’ll be able to accept, average turnaround times, and so forth.

What do I mean by "critique"?

Basically, I’m offering a less formal variant of a "content edit." I will offer overall opinions on the work as a whole, perform a basic level of proofreading, and I will look for, and suggest solutions to:

• plot holes
• inconsistencies
• unclear or repetitious description
• general issues of style

Note that "suggest solutions to" does not mean I will rewrite it all myself. I will, of course, provide you the tools and advice to do so.

What sorts of jobs do I accept?

I’ll critique basically anything that falls under the umbrella of "speculative fiction." Fantasy, science-fiction, supernatural horror, steampunk, that sort of thing. Nonfiction, and fiction genres outside the speculative, are outside my wheelhouse.

I’ll accept short-form or long-form fiction, within reasonable parameters. See below.

Rates

I charge based on word count, at a level that varies slightly depending on project length. All prices are in US dollars.

Up to 1,000 words: Flat fee of $15.

Up to 10,000 words: As above, then 2.5 cents/word for every word beyond the initial 1,000.

10,001 to 40,000 words: As above, then 2 cents/word for every word beyond the initial 10,000.

40,001 to 100,000 words: As above, then 1.75 cents/word for every word beyond the initial 40,000.

Longer works may be negotiated on a case-by-case basis.

Payment

I vastly prefer working through Paypal, but we can discuss other options. Unless we’ve made other arrangements, I’ll be asking 25% of the fee up front, with the remainder due upon completion. (Longer works may require 50% up front.)

Rush Jobs

I cannot normally provide a guaranteed turnaround time, but if you absolutely must have your critique by a certain date, we can negotiate that for a slight up-charge.

How to request a critique

Solicitations for a story critique must come to me via the following form. Requests sent to other addresses, or entered into other forms, may well not be seen at all.

Please change the subject line to read Critique [story name]. (If it doesn’t yet have a name, call it "Untitled.") In the body of the e-mail, please provide

• Your name
• The approximate word count of the work you want critiqued
• Genre(s) of the work
• A brief (one-to-three sentence) description of the story

I’ll contact you and, if I’m able to accept the job, discuss with you total fees, means of delivery, and other requirements.

Important disclaimer! Read before emailing me:

While it’s not common, authors do occasionally have very similar ideas. By clicking this box, or sending me any sort of request for a critique, you are agreeing to hold me blameless if any of my work–past, present, or future–bears any resemblance to the material you sent.

Please Fill In All Fields

[formbuilder:3]