The 2012 San Francisco Writers Conference - a perspective

Heard best-selling author Lisa See (Snow Flower & The Secret Fan; Shanghai Girls)...that, besides Speed Dating with 17 or more Agents was the highlight of the event for me.  The theme of the 2012 conference was traditional publishing vs. self publishing. There appear to be two overwhelming trends in the writing and publishing industry: 1) Self-publishing has exceeded traditional publishing in the last three years; 2) E-books will overtake print in the next five years, leading many agents to actively seek out hybrid deals where they are willing and able to work with self-published authors.

For those desiring to undertake the joys of self-publishing, Smashwords or the newly launched, BookBaby, brother to CDBaby, offer easier options for the uninitiated.  If you choose to go the traditional route for your debut novel or non-fiction treatise, the best tip to come out of the conference: Writing Query letters that make Agents beg, should have: a premise; a fresh, interesting voice and some real authority to them.  And, a smidgen of humor never hurts!

2nd Feb, 2012 ; What is Indianized Rummy?

For decades since the long period of British rule, card games such as Poker, Bridge and Rummy have been immensely popular across India where they are played both socially and within the family. Indian Rummy is a fun rummy game with a big sense of tradition. It is particularly popular in card rooms and casinos across India where, in certain jurisdictions, classic Rummy is a wagering game played in many a Rummy club. Ironically, 5 card poker or 'teenpatti' is not allowed in Indian clubs, being denigrated as a game of 'chance' but Rummy is given the thinking man's stature and played with pride

It is possible that Indian Rummy is derived from the United States as it plays like a cross between Gin Rummy and Rummy 500. It is similar to Rummy 500 in that it is played with 13 cards, one or two decks, two or more players and usually jokers (wild cards). However in the overall simplicity of turn by turn play, it is a lot more like Gin Rummy, which is its closest relative. If you like Gin Rummy, you are very likely to enjoy Indian Rummy.