Rory Price @RoryPrice@writing.exchange

Hey everyone. My name is Rory Price and I'm a science-fiction writer. I recently self-published my first novel, Opt Out. It follows a group of free software activist who get very worried about a new form of invasive proprietary technology known as smart implants.

Other than that, I'm a dedicated free software user and take privacy very seriously. I'm very interested in storytelling in general.

Check out my website at https://roryprice.net/

I got some work done towards releasing a print version of Opt Out today. I'd been leaving it aside for too long.

In the same vein, can anyone recommend marketing services that are actually worth it? I'm thinking in investing there, but I'd rather avoid Amazon-centric services and I'm not interested in any sort of social media coaching. Really, I have no idea how to market a book outside of what I'm doing here.

While I obviously don't write as much as I used to before I started this new job, I kinda like the schedule I have right now. I feel like when I do sit down to write, it's more productive and rewarding.

I guess I'll see if I still feel that way once I'm in the twentieth round of edits. First drafts are always the most fun part.

I think I might be getting carried away when it comes to my next book. I keep adding more chapters, more details, and a higher word count. I have to keep reminding myself that the book can be as long as it needs. Part of why I self-publish is so I don't have to deal with arbitrary rules.

So yeah, I might be writing a brick. We'll see.

I started a new job two weeks ago. It's nice to get back into normal life to a degree, but I haven't written in a while, or really been active online at all. I should try to work on my next book today, or maybe write a blog post. I have no idea what I'd blog about though.

The more I do it, the more I hate formatting. Everything having to do with graphics design is just so alien to me. I feel like I have to look up every single slightly technical term, and then have to research most of the vocabulary used in the definition.

I want to learn, but man is my brain not wired for this shit.

I ended up watching "Bye Bye 2020" yesterday, which is a comedy show that airs every New Years in Quebec. I've been treated to some honestly insulting attempts at mocking the people who needed money from the government to survive the pandemic. The whole thing reeked of capitalist propaganda, and I'm utterly disgusted that Radio-Canada (French CBC) aired it.

Here's to hoping we learn from the pandemic and start building a fair society that treats everyone with dignity.

I made a Twitter account. I probably won't use it as much as I use Mastodon, but I figured it can be useful for people who want to know what I'm up to.

https://twitter.com/RoryPriceAuthor

I already hate it, so definitely just a marketing tool for me, haha.

Watched Contagion by myself tonight. It seemed like good timing.

I've been looking at Blurb as a potential printer/distributor. Has anyone worked with them before? Would you recommend them?

I will obviously do my own research, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask directly as well.

So I figured I'd do the unthinkable and try to make an account on *that* birdsite for promotion purposes. I played around with the setting and left it aside, never even really set up a profile. I then forgot about it and came back to it this morning. Apparently my account is suspended, for doing nothing except creating an account and looking through the settings.

We can add it to the list of why Twitter is BS, I guess.

"I don't know" is probably one of the most important sentences ever. We can't learn unless we admit ignorance on a particular topic. Even when we're an expert on something, we'll constantly be faced with new facts or incomplete information.

"I don't know" is something we should be saying at least once a day. It can refer to something trivial like how much toilet paper is left, or something profound like why someone we love is acting distant.

#rambling

I'm honestly starting to wonder if I'll ever be able to get a paper print. Ingram took 3 weeks to reply to a simple query, and their response was extremely unprofessional and didn't address any of my concerns. Amazon is obviously out of the question, and so many smaller companies are really just vanity presses looking to scam writers.

I'll admit, I'm at my wits end.