Benjamin Sobieck's Blog (202)

Trouble Placing Crime Flash Non-Fiction Piece

Among the 9 million or so side projects I've got going on, I'm trying to find a home for a piece of flash non-fiction. Not looking for money, but more just a place to publish the damn thing and get it out of my head. The places I've considered and/or submitted to fell into one of these categories:

 

1) Doesn't do crime flash non-fiction, only literary.

 

2) Charges a fee for considering the piece.

 

3) Likes the piece, wants it much…

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Added by Benjamin Sobieck on February 25, 2011 at 3:42am — 5 Comments

Black Friday Special from Writer's Digest and Me

As some of you know, I work for the publisher who cranks out the excellent Writer's Digest line of books and magazines. I went to the good folks of WD and asked them if there was a way I could give the writers of CrimeSpace some sort of special deal.



Through Friday, Nov. 26, use offer code FAMILY at checkout at WritersDigestShop.com and… Continue

Added by Benjamin Sobieck on November 26, 2010 at 10:00pm — No Comments

Review: "South of Shiloh" by Chuck Logan

Minnesota crime author Chuck Logan came up with the biggest jerk of a protagonist ever in "Absolute Zero." I gave the novel its own absolute zero in this review. But there was something about ol' Chuck that I liked. No matter how much I hated his characters, his writing style piqued my interest.

I decided to give him another chance, this time with…

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Added by Benjamin Sobieck on October 28, 2010 at 10:25pm — No Comments

Crime Fiction Readers Secretly Want to Kill Everyone – Including You

At least, I think they do. If released into the wild, crime fiction readers would be the first to put a pitchfork through their neighbor for spite or profit.

Read my interview with Susan Whifield here: http://bit.ly/d8DomD

Added by Benjamin Sobieck on October 22, 2010 at 11:59pm — No Comments

6 Books Everyone (Including Your English Teacher) Got Wrong

Found this over at Cracked.com. It's interesting to read how many classic books continue to be misinterpreted, such as "Alice in Wonderland" (not a drug trip, it's actually about algebra), "The Jungle" (not about bad meat, it's actually a call for socialism), "Fahrenheit 451" (not about censorship, it's about the threat of TV).



Read it here:… Continue

Added by Benjamin Sobieck on October 21, 2010 at 10:09pm — 1 Comment

Reasons to Read My October Newsletter

1) It's got a free full audio book (5 nice hours long) available for you to download or listen to streaming.

2) It features a book review that uses the words, "a fiction reader's equivalent of a fighter pilot pulling four Gs for a hole straight into hell."

3) It's got video of a psychic detective getting embarrassed on live television.

4) It's free...of herpes.

Click here to read my October 2010 newsletter.


Added by Benjamin Sobieck on October 15, 2010 at 9:00am — 1 Comment

Review and Read for Free

I'm in need of reviews for my flash fiction collection ebook, "4 Killer Crime Stories in 4 Minutes." I'll send it to you free if you post that review (good or bad) on Barnes & Noble.

That's it. Nothing to lose. You don't even have to like the ebook.

Just reply to this thread or send me a message.

Thanks!

Added by Benjamin Sobieck on October 4, 2010 at 1:09pm — No Comments

Psychic Detectives: Crime Fiction or Crime Fact?

In my pursuit of all things crime fiction, I came across this video. To the question of whether psychic detectives have any merit, we can say case closed in this instance.



What do you think about psychic detectives? I think they are more lucky than psychic.



James Randi, the host in this video, makes a good point. Why don't psychics pick up images from an item's history prior to the crime? As a knife enthusiast, I enjoy sharpening knives for…

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Added by Benjamin Sobieck on October 3, 2010 at 1:00am — No Comments

Book Bans Prevent Youth from Exploring Ideas Safely

by Benjamin Sobieck

CrimeFictionBook.com



In this day of digitization, librarians aren't what they used to be. Once, they sorted books. Now, they keep patrons from looking at porn of other sexy librarians on the computers. And when the Internet is down, they're battling stuck-ups of the worst kind:…

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Added by Benjamin Sobieck on September 27, 2010 at 10:30am — No Comments

Freshening Up My Website



"The only thing we need now is a chandelier! It's just not complete without a chandelier! What about this one? How 'bout this one? Or this one? Chandelier!"



Hang some gaudy crap from the ceiling, because my site (http://www.benjaminsobieck.webs.com) has been renovated. I'll summarize as the paint dries.



1) "4 Killer Crime Stories in 4 Minutes" eBook is on sale for $1.50. Proceeds…

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Added by Benjamin Sobieck on September 3, 2010 at 12:41pm — No Comments

E-Mail Newsletters Good Way to Connect With Readers

I completed my first e-mail newsletter for my legions of subscribers, all three of them. You can view it free of charge here: http://tinyurl.com/2763pzp.



Authors should consider sending an e-mail newsletter. They are an effective way to reach people who want to read you. Sure, Twitter and Facebook offer the same connections. But newsletters are engrossing and offer attractive formatting options.



There are free templates hanging… Continue

Added by Benjamin Sobieck on September 1, 2010 at 12:19pm — No Comments

"4 Killer Crime Stories in 4 Minutes" Benefits My Kidney

I haven't been very public about this, but earlier this year I was diagnosed with end-stage renal disease. This meant my wife and I needed to move our lives one state over and receive a kidney from a donor. Luckily, that happened before things got really bad.



Unluckily, kidney transplants are extremely expensive. The care required after the operation is also extensive. It isn't like changing a tire. It's like changing how your entire… Continue

Added by Benjamin Sobieck on August 30, 2010 at 9:00am — 3 Comments

6 Great Novels that were Hated in Their Time

For everyone crouched in the fetal position wondering if their writing will ever be appreciated, check out this post over on Cracked.com: http://tinyurl.com/2u2dtrb

Did your hated novel make the list?

Added by Benjamin Sobieck on July 26, 2010 at 2:30pm — No Comments

The Chapter One Blog #4

Latest from The Chapter One Blog: "In Jen's Words," by Jennifer Brown. Read the first chapter here: http://tinyurl.com/34exlkk

Submit your own chapter and I'll post it. Details here:
http://tinyurl.com/24ww5nw

Added by Benjamin Sobieck on July 25, 2010 at 4:13am — No Comments

Publisher Pushes Back Release Date 7 Months

The headline sums it up. If you were looking to read my crime novel, "Cleansing Eden," in Nov. 2010, you'll have to wait until June 2011.



How do I feel about this? I still have a contract. I suppose that's worth something.



If ever there was cause for e-publishing, this is it. Have you ever heard of a seven-month delay in e-publishing? No. But do e-books carry the same air of legitimacy as a print book from a traditional publisher? No.



In the meantime, I encourage… Continue

Added by Benjamin Sobieck on July 20, 2010 at 3:00pm — 2 Comments

Accepting Submissions to The Chapter One Blog

Crime novels have the best first chapters, which is why I started The Chapter One Blog on my website. In a nutshell, send me your first chapter and I'll post it on my site.

There's no catch. It's a great way to promote your published and non-published work. But more importantly, it's an avenue for sharing great writing.

Click here for the gist.

Added by Benjamin Sobieck on July 17, 2010 at 6:52am — 7 Comments

Today's Grammar Lesson: WIP - Acroynym or Initialism?

Ever since Penn and Teller delved into grammar on a recent episode of Bullshit (not being crude, that's the name of the show), I've been pondering this question.

WIP stands for "work-in-progress." Do you pronounce it like "whip?" Then it's an acronym. Or do you say the letters individually, such as "W...I...P?" Then it's an initialism.

Discuss.

Added by Benjamin Sobieck on June 21, 2010 at 3:30am — 3 Comments

Watch the Video Trailer for "Cleansing Eden"

Made this with 100% gumption. Unfortunately, several animals were killed in the making of this movie. Regardless, the trailer gives a nice overlook of the tone of the novel, and a bit about the plot.



"Cleansing Eden" comes out November 2010 from Shadow Line Press. Send Razzie Award nominations to benjaminsobieck.webs.com.… Continue

Added by Benjamin Sobieck on June 6, 2010 at 6:30am — 5 Comments

Got Two Minutes? Read My Flash Fiction

Got a new flash fiction piece up at Flash Fiction Offensive. It's called "You're the Boss," and it's quick and brutal. I tried hard to make this piece unique. The reader is a character in the story.



Sound cool? Check it out here: http://tinyurl.com/29s3y4y



Hope you enjoy it! Let me know how much you…
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Added by Benjamin Sobieck on May 11, 2010 at 1:01pm — 1 Comment

First Upload Sample Chapters to Scribd, then Commence Horn Tooting

Now I'm not one to toot his own horn – or one who starts doing something by denying that I frequently do it – but some horn tooting is in order. The first three chapters of "Cleansing Eden" went up over at Scribd. In less than 12 non-prime time reading hours, 110 people had read the chapters.



That may or may not knock your socks off, but I'm sure as heck happy about it. You can add to the read count by clicking… Continue

Added by Benjamin Sobieck on April 17, 2010 at 1:08am — No Comments

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