Sam Costello: Writer, Editor, Web Consultant
I am a writer, editor, and web consultant who works with marketing companies, web development and IT agencies, magazines, websites, and other organizations. I help clients develop and refine messages, ideas, and businesses through precise, creative writing, accurate grammar, and cutting edge web consulting.
I am available for freelance projects in any of these areas, and also in writing or editing fiction, comics, and graphic novels.
My clients include:
- About.com
- Schwadesign
- FrameMedia
- Rue Morgue
- Aardvark Design
- RI Home, Living & Design
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My services include:
- Writing for the Web
- Web Consulting
- Web Marketing: SEO and Email
- Journalism
- Editing
- Blogging
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Latest News
October 5, 2008 at 2:09 am
· Filed in 52 Books/52 Weeks
Hammett’s second novel; I liked the first, Red Harvest, better. Though the prose and dialogue are a lot of fun, the plot felt too driven by the need for the book to continue and less by the characters. Perhaps the book was overplotted – I just didn’t want to continue after a while.
Buy The Dain Curse at Amazon
Book: 52/52
October 3, 2008 at 1:07 pm
· Filed in 52 Books/52 Weeks
A modern retelling of the Bluebeard legend (I did my own version at Split Lip), with art by my collaborator Sami Makkonen. A great debut for Genco, who updates the story well while retaining a dreamy sense of fairy tale. I’d love to see more comics adapting fairy tales and folk ballads.
Buy Blue at Amazon
Book: 51/52
October 1, 2008 at 2:05 am
· Filed in 52 Books/52 Weeks
The conclusion to Umezu’s 1970s kids apocalypse story in which a full schoolhouse is sent into the future after a disaster. Every volume has some “oh my god,” Lord of the Files-style moment, making each installment awfully, disturbingly pleasurable. The series ends on a downbeat note, which was both surprising and appealing.
Buy The Drifting Classroom at Amazon
Books: 48-50/52
September 30, 2008 at 2:04 am
· Filed in 52 Books/52 Weeks
The conclusion to the Australian horror/thriller comic whose first volume I loved. This was OK – heavy on exposition, as horror sometimes is. It makes me wonder if there’s a way to do a good horror story that has less exposition and more atmosphere/scares. Something to try in my own work, I think.
Buy The Dreaming Vol. 3 at Amazon
Book: 47/52
September 28, 2008 at 1:04 pm
· Filed in 52 Books/52 Weeks
An experimental novel a la House of Leaves, which I loved. This, less so. The experimental stuff seemed unnecessary; the story dragged in places. The bare minimum of text in the last 50 or so pages was a gift – I might not have finished the book otherwise. Just no momentum for it.
Buy The Raw Shark Texts at Amazon
Book: 46/52
September 18, 2008 at 2:15 am
· Filed in 52 Books/52 Weeks
Christine lent me this amusing memoir about the life of a marginal professional basketball player (11 teams in 4 years isn’t a successful track record). Though Shirley’s insight into higher-achieving players in fascinating and he’s definitely not your average pro athlete, he’s not quite as beyond them as he seems to think.
Buy Can I Keep My Jersey? at Amazon
Book: 45/52
September 14, 2008 at 2:42 am
· Filed in 52 Books/52 Weeks
The third installment of Shanower’s epic graphic novel of the history of the Trojan War. An impressive technical achievement, in that strictly speaking very little happens (a lot of sailing and talking, really), yet it manages to be gripping. His focus on character, nuance, and a gods-free narrative makes a great story.
Buy Age of Bronze Vol. 3 at Amazon
Book: 43/52
September 12, 2008 at 2:41 am
· Filed in 52 Books/52 Weeks
A typically beautiful and high-design comic focusing on the life story of one resident of a Chicago apartment building; part of Ware’s Building Stories series. Good stuff, but I wonder: does anyone ever laugh in Chris Ware comics? Writing funny is hard, but these comics, great as they are, can be bummers.
Buy Acme Novelty Library 18 at Amazon
Book: 42/52
September 10, 2008 at 2:38 am
· Filed in 52 Books/52 Weeks
The second book-length collection of found notes, letters, journals, and ephemera. The novelty is wearing off a bit, or maybe the finds just aren’t as high quality, since more of them are needed to support the magazine and the books. Still, I was proud to have a find in the first volume.
Buy Found II at Amazon
Book: 41/52
September 8, 2008 at 2:02 am
· Filed in Business
A lot of people don’t think copy editing is that important, or that it’s only important for professional publications. Not surprisingly, as a copy editor, I disagree. For instance, check out this sign at a local tailor’s shop on the way to my gym:
See if you can find all the grammar and spelling errors (there are three, though one’s pretty hard to see in this photo; sorry - took the photo from my car as I waited at a stop light).
Someone must have pointed them out to the shop, because the sign was up one day and down maybe two or three days later. Still, it doesn’t reflect well on the tailor or the sign shop that no one knew enough grammar or spelling to catch these mistakes - they would have taken but a minute to fix.
