George R.R. Martin may not be good at meeting a deadline (cough, “Winds of Winter,” cough), but he makes an excellent point about how raising the stakes can increase the impact of your writing.
 
Basically, if there’s war and conflict in your stories, sometimes characters have to die. Including the ones that you like. (See above.)
 
“Once you’ve accepted that you have to include death, then you should be honest … and indicate it can strike down anybody at any time,” Martin says in the latest issue of Galaxy’s Edge magazine. “You don’t get to live forever just because you are a cute kid or the hero’s best friend or the hero. Sometimes the hero dies.”
 
In other news you can use:

• Ebook sales by traditional publishers declined in 2017, which isn’t terribly surprising given that they often price to actively discourage ebook sales. (Example #1: “The Handmaid’s Tale," published in 1986. Kindle: $9.99. Hardcover: $14.95. Paperback: $10.47. Example #2: “Little Fires Everywhere,” published in 2017. Kindle: $13.99. Hardcover: $16.20. Paperback: $18.75.) For a more comprehensive look at sales, we recommend this report over at Author Earnings that suggests independent authors have gained market share.
 
• PEN America has created an online harassment field manual that offers strategies to defend against online hate and harassment. Check it out. 
 
• Grammar and writing corner: Hyphens versus dashes.  Organizing in-line lists.

• Why a contract wanting perpetual license for derivative rights is a red flag for authors.
 
• Marketing corner: Diane Wink on how to use video marketing. 
  
• Joanna Penn makes the case for why writers need to stop comparing themselves to other writers.

• Amazon’s profit more than doubled during the first quarter as revenue continued to grow. It also raised the annual price of Amazon Prime to $119.
 
• In contrast, Barnes and Noble is, well, still alive. And it did roll out some improvements over at B&N Press. 
 
• Literary agent Heather Flaherty is accepting submissions in adult fiction, young adult fiction, middle grade fiction, and nonfiction. You can find more details about what she’s looking for here. She also has some good advice for all writers in a Q&A here. And here’s some advice on how to get past your fears and pitch to agents at pitching events.