For Your Weekend: Is Writer’s Block Real?

It seems most writers go through periods where the words just won’t come, no matter what we do. Some writers call this dull, dark time “writer’s block,” but others writers — more than you might suspect — think writer’s block is little more than a myth, something writers invent to excuse everything from laziness to depression. Yet others see the […]

The EPUB Connundrum

For readers and publishers both, the EPUB format has everything one could want in a 21st century digital publication — except for one thing: Uniformity of presentation as described by the IDPF Standard. This post looks at some of the more common failings to be found in the EPUB reader ecosystem, and proposes changes that the IDPF could make to the EPUB Standard that would help it live up to its goal of being "the industry standard" for digital publications.

Coming to Terms

There is certainly a satisfaction and dignity to be gained in coming to terms with the mistakes one has made. — Kazuo Ishiguro AE Matson is an author, and Creative Director, at Metaphor Publications. She’s also a textile fiend, SFGiants fan, aspiring Buddha, RPGer, tech-geeky, crone, corsair. It’s all about the stories. What’s yours?

Indie Author’s Spotlight: Julie Nicholls

Welcome to a brand new feature here at Metaphor Publications. Our “Indie Author Spotlight” section is an opportunity for independent, self-published authors to talk about their latest projects. An author’s appearance here is not necessarily an endorsement or recommendation from MetPub – we’re just helping authors put the news out there, and then leaving it up to you, our readers, […]

We Need a New Genre of Fiction

You know the list. You’ve seen it a thousand times. There’s fantasy fiction, science fiction, historical fiction, crime, mystery, thriller… The list goes on and on — until the clothes come off. Then, whatever real genre the novel belongs in, whatever real literary merit the work may have, is all forgotten. It’s tossed into the “erotica” bin. The literary world’s equivalent to […]

Why We NEED Fantasy Worlds

I’ve written this today primarily because the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) just issued their ruling on the Hobby Lobby thing, and unless you’ve been under a rock, you’ve already caught part of the fire storm of outrage that erupted in almost every corner of the Internet. For-profit corporations – already “persons,” in the eyes of the law […]