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Jennifer Brozek
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Industry Talk: An Insider's Look at Writing RPGs and Editing Anthologies Kindle Edition

by Jennifer Brozek (Author), Matt Forbeck (Foreword) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 14 ratings
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Industry Talk is a collection of two previously published columns by Jennifer Brozek, "Dice and Deadlines" and "The Making of an Anthology". The collection also contains brand-new content including step-by-step instructions on how to pitch an anthology and advice on managing a freelance career.

“Want to write for games? Want to navigate the dark labyrinths and endless mazes of freelancing? Let Brozek be your guide.”
– Chuck Wendig, game designer and author of 500 Ways to be a Better Writer


“If you’re going to make that leap, though, and come over to the freelance side to join us, don’t go blind. Do your research. Ask questions. Read this book.”
– Matt Forbeck, game designer and author of Amortals and Vegas Knights


“To those looking to save hours of field research into two highly specialized and hard-to-crack fields, Jennifer Brozek's pragmatic, down-to-earth advice serves as an essential clue-dispenser.”
– Robin D. Laws, game designer and author of Hamlet’s Hit Points


As Brozek says, “Freelancing for the RPG author is an active thing. You need to look for (or make) the opportunities and grab them.” The first opportunity you should grab is this book. It will give you the information you need to decide whether you’re dedicated enough to become a freelance RPG writer or anthology editor, and if you decide you are, then it will tell you how to go about it. Take Brozek’s advice to heart. She knows what she’s talking about.”
– Angel Leigh McCoy, writer for Guild Wars 2 and editor of Wily Writers Podcast
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  1. Print length
    126 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    April 28, 2012
  5. File size
    237 KB
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  7. Word Wise
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0081WAGEE
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Apocalypse Ink Productions; 1st edition (April 28, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 28, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 237 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 126 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 14 ratings

About the author

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Jennifer Brozek

Jennifer Brozek

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Jennifer Brozek is a multi-talented, award-winning author, editor, and media tie-in writer. She is the author of Never Let Me Sleep and The Last Days of Salton Academy, both of which were nominated for the Bram Stoker Award. Her BattleTech tie-in novel, The Nellus Academy Incident, won a Scribe Award. Her editing work has earned her nominations for the British Fantasy Award, the Bram Stoker Award, and the Hugo Award. She won the Australian Shadows Award for the Grants Pass anthology, co-edited with Amanda Pillar. Jennifer’s short form work has appeared in Apex Publications, Uncanny Magazine, and in anthologies set in the worlds of Valdemar, Shadowrun, V-Wars, Masters of Orion, and Predator.

Jennifer has been a freelance author and editor for over fifteen years after leaving a high paying tech job, and she has never been happier. She keeps a tight schedule on her writing and editing projects and somehow manages to find time to volunteer for several professional writing organizations such as SFWA, HWA, and IAMTW. She shares her husband, Jeff, with several cats and often uses him as a sounding board for her story ideas. Visit Jennifer's worlds at jenniferbrozek.com.

"I see story ideas. All the time. They're everywhere. Just walking around like normal ideas. They don't know they're stories."

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
14 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Jason Andrew
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Guidance
Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2012
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This book contains a number of essays about two specific fields: Role-Playing Game Freelance Writing and Editing Anthologies. It was though the author had been looking over my shoulder and decided to help me out by giving advice for all of my pending projects. If you are interested in either topic, I highly recommend this book.
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Ross E. Lockhart
4.0 out of 5 stars A Welcome Glimpse Behind the Publishing Industry's Curtain
Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2013
Verified Purchase
Lighthearted, informative, and engaging, Jennifer Brozek's  Industry Talk: An Insider's Look at Writing RPGs and Editing Anthologies  focuses on RPG freelancing and anthology editing, but has much to offer any beginning author or editor seeking an understanding of the publishing business. And while this slim volume may not answer every question a seasoned industry veteran might come up with, Brozek's glimpse behind the curtain and sharing of her freelance and editorial processes is greatly appreciated.  Industry Talk  is the book of secret wisdom I wish I'd had access to before publishing  The Book of Cthulhu .
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Useful, enlightening, thought-provoking
Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2014
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I used this book primarily for the last half, where it discusses the editing process of anthologies. It provides some new thoughts and a good general outline to the methodology used by the author for creating high-quality, coherent anthologies. Anyone who is thinking about editing, copyediting, proofing or submitting to an anthology is likely to benefit by giving these chapters a once over. The thoughts that the book proposes will give everyone something to think about, and should render them better prepared to approach an anthology project with confidence.
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Lawrence Kotkin, PhD
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent tree to cherry pick
Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2014
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While I'm not an anthology editor, a number of points and suggestions to keep in mind while writing and working at selling my own novels and short stories are clearly and concisely presented. I found this a useful tool for both writing and marketing.
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R. Edwards
5.0 out of 5 stars Jennifer Brozek Knows Her Stuff
Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2012
I have been a fan and follower of Jennifer Brozek for some time now and when I discovered she was publishing Industry Talk: an insider's look at writing RPG's and editing anthologies, I was very eager to read about her advice and experiences in the role-playing game industry. As an RPG writer with a handful of published adventures under my belt and a full length tabletop game on the way, I figured that indirectly picking Mrs. Brozek's brain would be a great way to learn more about this world which I chose to enter. My only concern was that at 98 pages, how much could I hope to glean (or pick, in this case) about "the business"? How was I going to learn the secrets of the universe in 98 pages? Here's what I discovered.

NUTS & BOLTS
Industry Talk is a collection of Jennifer Brozek's columns, Dice and Deadlines and The Making of an Anthology, about the ins and outs of the world of game design and anthology publication, respectively. Out of the 98 pages, 46 are devoted the RPG side and 33 are set aside for anthology editing.

THE PROS
The first part is a wonderful collection about survival in the field of RPG freelancing. It's is filled with some great advice that Jennifer has mined from her 20+ years in business. Whether you want to know how to manage a freelance career schedule or the best way to look for work (in every sense of the phrase), Jennifer will guide you through these topics (and many more) on the way towards a better understanding of the RPG industry. While every section of this collection is informative and fun, I really enjoyed the one entitled "You Don't Have to Fail for Me to Succeed". Her views on karma and collaboration are a much needed shot of solidarity that more RPG companies (big or small) should adopt.

The second part, which focuses on the field of anthology editing, was a surprisingly enlightening read. At this point in my career, the thought of anthology editing is the furthest from my mind. However, I still found this section very useful. The topics concerning the story selection and proof-reading processes make this section worth the time.

THE CONS
For my part, there were none. It would be nice to see a follow up or a full-fledged "how to".

FINAL ANALYSIS
This book was a pleasure to read. Jennifer's relaxed, conversational style is comforting and encouraging without the Pollyanna sugar coating. Whether she is discussing the perils of contract negotiation or the necessity of persistence, she provides a "no-nonsense" approach to the information at hand. Thank goodness! I can't tell you how many "informative" books I have read where the author spent three hundred pages dancing around the subject matter, when he could have given me the skinny in ninety.
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Steven Saus
5.0 out of 5 stars Required reading for this small publisher
Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2012
There's actually two sections to this book (edited collections of columns Ms. Brozek has done elsewhere). First up is the part I was expecting: advice on freelancing in the RPG industry. While I don't have a ton of experience working in that industry, I've got enough time doing freelance work to know that this is also a valuable reference for anyone doing any freelance writing work... and especially those wanting to make more of a living doing it. It's a very useful guide, and Ms. Brozek writes in a comfortable, casual style that helps pass along the attitude needed to make this all work.

The second part is advice on how to put together an anthology for a publisher.

Remember, I'm not just an author, but also a small (or micro) publisher. Over the last years I've worked with five anthology projects from the publisher's point of view. And let me tell you: every problem, every question, every little thing that could have been headed off before it became a big thing was addressed. Industry Talk is so spot-on that I am making it required reading for anyone pitching anthologies to me. Seriously.

If you've ever thought about freelance writing or putting together an anthology (and especially if you want to do either in the games industry), this book is well worth the price of admission.
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Jvidja
4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Read.
Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2014
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An interesting and insightful read. Highly recommended to gamers and aspiring game writers.
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Emily French
5.0 out of 5 stars Offers exactly what it says, and well done.
Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2017
Purchased directly from the author at a convention. Helpful pile of information, highly useful. Recommended for anyone interested in either topic--RPG writing or anthology editing.
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