A lot’s happened with me over the past year. My neighborhood blew up in a gas pipe explosion, my father had a stroke, I quit my job of nearly 10 years, I published a book, and now I’m getting the big D.

I’ve known my wife for nine years, been married for six. I don’t think either of us has been particularly happy for a long time. Psychologists will tell you that it’s natural after 5-7 years to start questioning your choices and feel the itch to move on. You’re supposed to fight for these things. But the fight left us a long time ago. It’s been over for a while; we were just going through the motions.

Divorce doesn’t come easy. After all, I have it made. My wife offered to support me when I quit IGN and let me live out the dream as a stay-at-home writer. I own a nice house in a neighborhood that probably won’t blow up again anytime soon. A lot of people would stay just to remain in a comfort zone. I’m glad I’m not like a lot of people.

My wife and I hold no animosity towards each other. It wasn’t working and we didn’t care enough to fight for it. That’s the sad truth. We move on to better things, still friends, just not lovers. We helped each other grow in those early years only to find we were holding each other back at the end. We part, because we want to live better lives.

I quit IGN for two reasons: The job was killing me and I didn’t like who I’d become.

They say heavy is the head that wears the crown. No shit. I took on more than anyone could handle and felt responsible for everything in and out of my control at IGN. The stress was destroying my body. I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t think about anything but IGN. I had constant back and neck pain. I was in love with my job, but maybe too in love and it was ruining me. I knew — I mean, I knew — the job was taking 5-10 years off my life. But what life did I have anyway?

All that stress really got to me over the years. Every bit of emotion I had I gave to work and had nothing left for myself at the end of the day for my friends or my wife. Most people who know me now wouldn’t realize it, but I was a very different person a decade ago. I was happy, I was vibrant, I was a great friend, I was nice. I had fun taking on the persona as the mean guy in the office, but those things tend to stick once you leave work. It’s been an ugly, lonely, miserable few years.

I left IGN for the same reasons I leave my wife and home. I have to be the old me again. I like the old me. It was a good version of me.

With all that’s gone on, I’m sure people expect me to be miserable, but I haven’t been this happy in a very long time. I’m 36, but I feel 19. Hell, I look younger too. I’m terrified of the future. I’ve got no job — and no job prospects — and an apartment in the city that’s gonna suck away my savings very quickly. But that fear is also exhilarating. The future looks wide open. It’s been a long time since I felt hopeful. It’s been a long time since I wasn’t angry. It’s been a long time since I was “me”.

This has been a hard year — a hard couple of years, really — but now I have clarity. I’ll do great at whatever job comes next, but I’ll never approach work the same way. I get it now. You can be great without being consumed. I might even return to editorial work. I know how to do it now without having it kill me. Or I might do something else. Who knows?

It’s going to be fun finding out. It’s going to be nice to be a good friend again. It’s exciting to rediscover living.

Buy My Book	DC Comics’ Big Gamble	Newsletter
Available on Kindle, Nook, and in print.	Why the new 52 won’t save comics.	Weekly updates on my latest projects.

Someone recently asked me why I left IGN if I still wanted to write about games. Well, the truth is that writing a freelance article here or there is not the same as working a fulltime job. It’s a fun little aside where I have all the control (I can accept or decline assignments). Writing about games and comics is what I enjoy, so I’m not about to stop doing it until I have a real job that would prevent me from doing so (due to conflict of interest).

How do I choose where to write? I don’t choose, actually. I am the least proactive freelancer ever. If an editor contacts me about coverage, I’ll do it if it makes sense (good pay, something I want to do). Basically, I take what people offer and don’t really push for much. So far it’s been previews and reviews — the standard stuff. Hoping to write about the industry as a whole or games media or editorials, but, like I said, I rarely bug people for writing gigs. I’m pretty busy with other stuff, so these things are nice bonuses.

That said, you can read some of my stuff I’ve done so far. I do some coverage for Gamesradar, like this preview of NBA 2K12′s Greatest Mode. If you pick up the October issue of OXM (has Master Chief on the cover), you can find an editorial from me at the back. I imagine a gaming world where Halo never came out (*shudder*).

Someone from IGN asked me if we’d ever see my stuff on my OG site again. To which I replied, “Isn’t that your decision?” I mean, someone asks and it makes sense, I’ll do it. Same goes for Gamespot or wherever. The nice thing about being freelance is that I can have my voice heard in various spot. No exclusivity. My loyalty is now to myself as a writer, not to any organization. It feels very… relaxing.

Upcoming from me is a FIFA 12 review in the next issue of OXM. Oh, and a return to IGN Comics, a channel I launched many years ago. I revised and rewrote the Top 25 Batman GN of All Time feature. Should be up in the next week or two.

I’ll be sure to post on hilarygoldstein.com anytime something new is available.

Remember: It’s only a good life if you go out and live it.

That’s my plan.

Buy My Book	DC Comics’ Big Gamble	Newsletter
Available on Kindle, Nook, and in print.	Why the new 52 won’t save comics.	Weekly updates on my latest projects.

Which lands us at the boldest move taken since DC Comics scrapped its continuity in the mid-’80s. DC has (once again) started over. This time, launching with 52 all-new #1 issues and daring to change aspects of the origins of its roster of characters. No character is safe. Not even the sacred origin of the boyscout in blue and red.

DC has thrown off the floaties and jumped headfirst into the deep-end of the pool without knowing if anyone bothered to fill it with water first. It’s ballsy. And after the first full week of new #1 issues, it appears to be the real deal. The New DCU is here to stay. But will it matter?

In the short term, sales will boom. Those who already were picking up DC books on a regular basis will likely buy additional issues to get a better sense of the new landscape. Old readers will be intrigued by new possibilities and might like the idea of getting in on the ground floor. But, frankly, these people don’t matter. Over time, the sales will even out as readers thin their pull list to the essentials and casual readers fade away. Soon enough, we’ll be back where we were. The only thing that can bring true growth is attracting a new audience.

I’m not certain DC will manage to pull that off or hold those readers for long if it does.

We’re at the first full week of new DC books and as a lifelong DC Comics reader, I’m thrilled. The new Action Comics makes one of my least-liked heroes (yeah, I don’t like Superman that much) interesting. The new Joker feels more like a Dexter villain than Jack Nicholson in clown makeup (a good thing). And Gail Simone kept the core event of The Killing Joke intact and made sure it was essential to Batgirl. Animal Man, Swamp Thing — these are great reads. But there is a flaw in the plan.

As someone who reads comic books and who’s going to buy several books in the DC lineup, I can follow along with time jumps from one book to the next. Justice League starts off “five years earlier” but tells us that clearly at the outset. The other books aren’t always as clear. Action Comics #1 is set about five years in the past from the current DC timeline, showing the earliest days of Superman. Batman is, I think, set in the “present” as is Batgirl. Again, if you read comics often, it’s easy to figure out what is going on. If you don’t, I think this is going to confuse the hell out of people.

If you want to excite the current fanbase and draw in some former readers, the current structure works brilliantly. I’m hooked. I think it’s a great idea to have this mixture of present and past storylines that tell us how the DC Universe came to be. But it’s a terrible idea if you want new readers to jump in and stay in. You’ve got to set the status quo for them first. As is, I feel the new DC is geared towards selling a few extra issues to the same-sized group who were buying them before. I can’t see how it will get truly new blood into the mix.

This is a big issue for many websites. It’s easy to spike your pageviews (number of pages clicked). More great content means more things for your userbase to click on. The challenge is increasing unique visitors (individuals who come to the site). Throwing more content, even more interesting content, out there generally spikes pageviews, but has only a minimal (and temporary) affect on unique visitors. This is what happens with “events” in comics. And the New 52, right now, is just another big event.

The real test will be in three or four years. Know anyone who started watching Lost in the middle of season 4? Of course not. Got a lot of friends who are picking up Mass Effect 3 having never played the first two games? Doubtful. And comics run into the same issue time and again. Continuity is a barrier to new entrants. The real question, the one I haven’t heard asked yet, is how you keep from having to relaunch the whole universe again in another decade. What is changing with how comic books are structured or written that would invite in new readers when we are at Action Comics #50? If there’s no answer to this question, then there is no real solution yet to growing the industry.

Comic-book writers build long-lead hooks. Sub plots develop slowly over time and eventually elevate to main plots. Character introductions are taken for granted over time. This thing that happened in issue #14 to this one side-character suddenly means there’s a clone of Bruce Wayne running around in issue #40. To new readers, mainstream comic books are intimidating. There’s nothing worse to a new reader than feeling like you are missing out on something. This exciting new history becomes just as intimidating for new readers as it was before the relaunch. If you don’t get in now, will you be able to jump in later?

And then there is the issue of price. I commend DC Comics for going day-and-date with its releases. A $2.99 digital comic book, however, is not going to draw in new readers. It only services old readers who want the convenience of a digital experience. Yes, comics will now be more easily available, but in direct competition with millions of annual digital releases. The key to digital success is 99 cents. That is not a secret.

It’s hard to believe a serialized release could interest the average consumer at three times the cost of the one-time purchase of Angry Birds. That might be comparing apples to oranges, but last I checked, both were fruit. I don’t expect one piece of fruit to cost three times as much as another or to have to pay per bite. The economic model remains broken.

I believe in comic books. The industry will always be around. The digital age means smaller publishers will be able to grab a larger market share and are more likely to attract new readers due to minimal continuity concerns. But the big dogs, Marvel and DC, are in a lot of danger. I want to see the big boys grow, because they still account for a big chunk of the money (and higher pay scales) in the industry. So I hope they have more up their sleeves to solve these issues.

The New 52 is a great start. But it’s only a start. There’s a long, long road ahead for the comics industry and the two biggest issues (bringing new readers into continuity five years in and cost) have yet to be solved.

Buy My Book	Pitching Comics	Newsletter
Available on Kindle, Nook, and in print.	Take a peek at some comics I’m working on.	Weekly updates on my latest projects.

I’ll save what goes into a pitch for another time. But part of the process is putting together at least five completed pages and a cover. While I won’t be showing off any interiors that are in the works, I do have two covers I can show you today.

Covers are incredibly important, especially for a new series with an unknown writer. They have to grab your interest amidst everything else on the shelf. The cover’s goal is to get you to take the book off the shelf and look at it. After that, it’s up to the art and the first page or two of story to convince someone to buy the book. But if they never pick it up from the shelf, well, you never have a shot at scoring a purchase.

Check out the finished cover for SAVED by Garry Brown and the inked cover for MONSTER MAKER by Mark Lone. These guys didn’t do the interiors, but their cover work is so strong, I knew they’d create stuff people would have a tough time passing up on a shelf. Oh and how awesome is David Dumeer’s SAVED logo?

If you’re curious, I have seven (yes, seven) pitches in the works. They’re all good (or why bother?) and all quite different. By keeping it varied, the chances increase in getting optioned. Who knows, maybe something will get picked up and then you can say you were here when I got my start in the comics biz.

Saved – Comics Pitch Cover by Garry Brown	Monster Maker – Comics Pitch Cover by Mark Lone

I did this very mid-life crisis sort of thing and quit my stable, good-paying job. The plan: convince people to give me contract work so I could live out my boyhood fantasy of moonlighting as a fiction writer. So far, not that many jobs. But the fiction writing is in full force. I’m sure you already heard me go on and on about my book of short stories. Well, I’ve got something else in the works.

Comics became a big part of my life in fourth grade due to social necessity. My friends were reading Uncanny X-Men at lunch and I had no clue what the fuck anyone was talking about. So I started buying comics — X-Men, Batman, Spider-Man, etc. I fell hard for comics and for the past few decades I’ve read a lot. My friends in elementary school and I even did our noble best to make our own comics. I am pretty sure all our stories were better than things like Dark Phoenix Saga and The Dark Knight Returns. Ahem.

In my college days, I made a serious attempt at getting into comics, but each project fizzled out. The truth is, I was kind of good enough to have a self-published ‘zine, but I was not at all up to snuff to write comics professionally. Now I’ve picked up the challenge again and this time, I’m pretty sure I can actually break in. The years have been kind to me — maybe having a critical eye towards books when I ran IGN comics helped or I just got better as a writer, but I’ve got some shit brewing. Some good stuff.

Comics is not an easy one to crack into, as anyone in the industry will tell you. Tougher for writers for two reasons: 1) artists can usually only do one book a month, where a writer might do 3-5, so fewer openings and 2) no one wants to read a n00b’s script. So how do you even get into this business? The advice I’ve received makes sense. Create pitches. A lot of pitches.

A pitch, which is for Image, Dark Horse and smaller publishers, really only needs to be a one-pay synopsis of the series that catches someone’s interest and about 5-10 finished comic book pages. Finished meaning actual pages with pencils, inks, colors, lettering and a cover. Rather than make a full 22-page issue of one idea, you create a few ideas with different creative teams. Don’t bother developing much further until someone says, “Shit, I want this book.”

It started out as one project, actually. Someone who knows my work at IGN hit me up, said they wanted to work with me on a comic book project. I developed an idea based around her talents, wrote a script, and off we went (sorry, she wants to stay anonymous for now). She’s amazing. The work so far looks great. And I’ve been fortunate that this is a passion project for her. She’s doing it all on spec (meaning, free for now in hopes we get picked up). Most artists aren’t going to offer that.

A few weeks ago at Comic-Con, as I spoke to professionals and publishers, the message was pretty clear: I was a fool if I didn’t assemble some other ideas. I have a ton of confidence in this first project, but that doesn’t mean it’s an automatic pick-up from a publisher. Maybe they don’t think they can sell it or they don’t want to take the risk of doing a series with two comics newcomers. It’s certainly harder to sell an ongoing series when you’re unproven.

I now have four other pitches that are getting off the ground. All are with artists who have been published — mostly indie, some with Image and Marvel. The nice thing is that they still have to read the treatment and the script and decide if they want to do it. Everyone who’s read this stuff has been excited so far. Each project is very different. Each artist is very different. I think they’re all good. I love each of them for different reasons. I will always push the first project most, because I know the level of investment of my artist. This is our baby. But I think one or all of these could have a future.

I don’t really like talking about things that are basically in concept phase, especially since I’m not going to show off much art. The alpha dog is a fantasy, steampunk, and ’80s punk blend (you can see two early sketches above). Others include my spin on the classic Lone Wolf & Cub story with the ronin being a bad ass ex-mossad widow, a Teen Titans book with lots of attitude, a drama about the struggles of people saved by superheroes, and a mini-series about a sidekick dealing with the death of his mentor.

Whether accepted or rejected, one day you will get to see some of the work developed for these and get more insight into the process. I find that comics writers tend to do a fairly shitty job at discussing how they got into the industry. I’m certainly on the outside looking in, but consider yourselves along for the ride.

Buy the Book	Extras	Newsletter
Available on Kindle, Nook, and in print.	Wallpaper and author’s notes on all 15 stories!	Weekly updates on my latest projects.

Six weeks ago, I left my job as Editor-in-Chief of IGN.com. Since then, I’ve had calls and lunches with a variety of people in the industry, attempting to drum up some contract work. The funny thing is, even as people congratulate me on my decision to break free from the daily corporate grind, they also almost always recommend full-time positions I “might be interested in.”

Leaving a steady job with great pay for the uncertainty of contract work is scary. Really scary. I have a mini-freak out a few times a week, because I still have a mortgage and an unhealthy obsession with buying things. But this is the right move for me.

I’ve gotten more done for my fiction writing career in the past six weeks than in the past decade. And the longer I can maintain a cash flow from freelance, the greater my chance at succeeding in something I truly love.

A little over a month since leaving IGN, I can very confidently say that this is the best decision I have ever made in my life. I’m scared and I don’t know how long I can go without a regular gig, but I’m living free of regret.

What I’m Doing to Support Myself

Writing

A bulk of my freelance work (though “bulk” is a little bit misleading, since I hardly have any work) is writing about games. I’m doing some analyst work for a great site called GigaOM (subscription based, full of amazing insights), some print stuff you’ll see in a few months, and trying to work out some online writing gigs.

If you pay professional rates and you are looking for some new writing – hit me up. If you’re on this site, you probably know my work.

Mock Reviews

This is where publishers pay people good money to play and write an analysis of a game a couple of months before its release. It’s meant to give an idea of what to expect from reviews. Since I have 10 years experience reviewing games (and, more importantly, managing other reviewers) this is sort of a no brainer. Have done a few and hoping to secure many more of these as we hit the big release season.

Consulting

This has been the slow one to get rolling, but when you have a decade of experience in the games industry, there’s a lot you can do to help publishers and developers with their upcoming titles. Some stuff in the works here, but certainly the area where I need to push a little harder.

What I’m Doing as a Writer

Book

If you haven’t picked it up yet, I published a short story collection, Even Swamp Creatures Get the Blues. It’s available on Kindle, Nook, and in print. People seem to dig it.

Comics

This is where most of my energy is focused. I have been reading comics since I was eight and writing my own since fourth grade. I’m going all in to make a comic-book career happen. I’ve hooked up with a truly incredible artist on one project, which we’ll be set to pitch in a few weeks. I think it’s got a good chance. It’s fantasy merged with steam punk. And the creature designs are superb.

I have three other comics projects I’m developing. One is a very different kind of zombie tale. One is a very different kind of superhero story. And one is a very awesome new take on Lone Wolf & Cub. It’s very difficult to find great sequential artists looking to work on a pitch. If you’re interested, have skill, and (most importantly) sequential art samples, hit me up – hilgoldstein [at] gmail [dot] com.

Thank you for your support. The window is closing on my opportunities. I have to make the most of this time while I have it.

Buy the Book	Extras	Newsletter
Available on Kindle, Nook, and in print.	Wallpaper and author’s notes on all 15 stories!	Weekly updates on my latest projects.

The incredible Hugo-nominated Kate Baker was kind enough to read “Sadness, Like a Warm Cup of Cocoa”, a story about a very unique kind of addict. Please to enjoy.

Buy the Book	Extras	Newsletter
Available on Kindle, Nook, and in print.	Wallpaper and author’s notes on all 15 stories!	Weekly updates on my latest projects.

So what’s on this site?

• Buy Links
• Audio Reading (coming soon!)
• Author’s Notes on All 15 Stories
• Wallpapers for PC/Mac, iPad and iPhone

Even Swamp Creatures Get the Blues Official Site

Buy the Kindle version – $8.99 (also available in the UK and Germany)
Buy the Nook version – $8.99
Buy the print version – $13.95 (20% OFF DISCOUNT CODE: EWK7ZP95)

Note: It will be about a week before you can purchase from Amazon.com.

You can discuss the book on its official Facebook Page. Join now!

What the heck is Even Swamp Creatures Get the Blues? Glad I asked for you.

15 EXTRAORDINARY TALES
“We ate people,” I said.
“We ate a lot of people,” she answered.
“But we don’t anymore, right?”

An estranged couple discovers cannibalism is the key to marital bliss; a swamp creature goes out on a disastrous blind date with a Goth girl; a private dick travels to the future to find an abducted teenager; Snow White uncovers a dark secret protected by seven ugly dwarves; a man without a past witnesses the murder of a ghost who’s haunted his dreams; an addict attempts to reconcile with the victims whose emotions he’s devoured; a widower infiltrates the underwater base of a mad scientist to exact his revenge.

EVEN SWAMP CREATURES GET THE BLUES takes you from Hollywood to ancient China and out to the darkest parts of deep space. Love, loss, sex, and the Devil await in 15 imaginative stories examining our search for identity.

The Stories
A Bird, A Plane, A Man…
At Home in the Big Black
The Devil’s Art
The Dream Eater
Even Swamp Creatures Get the Blues
Firsts
The Hearts of Baboons
Israel Stein, Private Dick
Job Interview with the Vampire
The Lost Season
The Monster Maker
Ravi’s Funeral
Sadness, Like a Warm Cup of Cocoa
Seven Sins for Seven Dwarves
They Eat People on Phobos

About Zoom Press
Zoom Press is a new speculative fiction imprint devoted to discovering and promoting promising talent overlooked by traditional publishers. With a focus on the growing eBook marketplace, Zoom Press looks to offer better ways to connect authors and readers with a variety of web-exclusive content, Q&A sessions and more.

Its first book, EVEN SWAMP CREATURES GET THE BLUES, collects 15 stories from Pushcart-nominated author Hilary Goldstein. More books will come. Full details on how Zoom Press plans to conquer to world will be revealed next month.

I’ve left all the copy off it so you could get a nice look at this baby. If you read the book, I think you’ll find the cover really matches the mood.

So what’s next? Here’s what’s to come in the next week or so:

Website Launch
Very soon you’ll be able to pop over to swampcreaturebook.com and find some goodies (it currently redirects back here). The site includes:

• Author’s annotations on all 15 stories — get insight into the creative process
• Wallpaper of the cover — including iPad and iPhone
• Audio reading of the story “Sadness, Like a Warm Cup of Cocoa”
• Buy links so, you know, you can buy the book

Book Release
It’s almost here! The Kindle and Nook versions of Even Swamp Creatures Get the Blues will be available in the next few days. In fact, they may be available as soon as this weekend. It sells for $8.99.

The print versions will be available on Amazon.com by the end of the month and sells for $13.95. However, if you order through my personal Amazon.com sales page, you get 20% off your purchase. I’ll share the link once the book is available.

Promotion! Promotion! Promotion!
I left my swank job at IGN so I could do things like publish stories and do cool shit with my life. I gave the ol’ stink-eye to corporate life to pursue artistic endeavors. And now I need your help. If you know people who read, drop the word about my book. If you dig this amazing cover Arthur produced, pass it around.

I’ll be doing my fair share of promoting as well. But people like you better and will listen to you.

Thanks again for all of the support. I really do appreciate it. Hope you dig the book.

Sign up for my newsletter and be the first to hear when Even Swamp Creatures Get the Blues is available for order.