Guest Post: The Life Cycle of the Small Fish in the Big Pond

Housekeeping:
Don't miss our chat with LATE RAIN author, Lynn Kostoff here


Guest Post

By Eric Beetner and JB Kohl co-authors of Borrowed Trouble

Eric: We have a publisher, Second Wind. They are, contrary to most stories of the publishing industry, the nicest bunch of gentle southern folk you’d ever care to meet. So none of this is a complaint. We’re published and we’re grateful. There are quite a few great mystery books on our imprint. You should check them out.

Here’s the thing though – you gotta go find them. If I don’t tell you about them, or our books, you’d never find them. There’s a reason the publisher’s motto is “The best authors you haven’t read, yet!” Welcome to the world of independent publishing. 

Again, not a complaint, just the facts of the biz when you swim in the kiddie pool. We’re not self-published – that scarlet letter of the book world that, if you ask me, is quickly losing its kryptonite power over book sales – but there are times when it feels like we do so much on our own that we’re self-everything else.

Indie publishing is a tough racket. You have to be a writer, publicist, art director, new media consultant and car salesman. Quite often Writer falls to the back of the line.

It becomes doubly hard when you don’t particularly like shilling your wares like a snake oil salesman to all who will listen. I truly believe in our books, both of them One Too Many Blows To The Head and the brand new one, Borrowed Trouble. (Snake oil sales tip – mention the product often) I’ve put myself out there more than I’m comfortable with simply because I truly think I’m selling a quality product here. And meeting readers and other writers while being out and about at conferences and such is pretty damn cool, I will say. I’m just lousy at closing the sale. I’m much more likely to tell someone about the new Victor Gischler book or, “Hey did you see Dope is back in print,” than to shove our own book on someone’s hand.

I’ll say this, it makes every single sale very special when you meet the readers who are buying your books or hear of a bookseller who recommended your book to someone in Italy (as happened to us once).

Jennifer: Gotta go find them is right. I remember doing the queries for One Too Many Blows To The Head and when I found these guys I wasn't sure if we should even submit. Our book seemed a little to edgy for this particular publishing house. The one who reviewed our book indicated in his comments that this wasn't the sort of book he'd ever read, but he felt there was an audience out there for it. 

Okay, great . . . so how does a writer published with a small indie press go about getting an audience? I agree with you, Eric, it's hard. A lot of it is by peddling on the internet . . . web site, blog, e-mail. As a writer you don't want to be out there to the point of nauseating your potential readers, but you also want to let them know there's a new book out and it's one worth reading. 

I used to spend a lot of time on MySpace, back when it was still a viable use of my time, and there were writers on there that plugged their stuff to the point of irritation. It got to be so I viewed any e-mail from them in the same way I viewed a telemarketing call during dinner. It was annoying. I no longer cared if they had anything worth reading because I just wanted them to go away. Forever. 

But take a blog, or a book signing, or a web site – someplace I can voluntarily go to check things out and I'm there. I want to know what's been written and where and when I can get it. I love to read blogs by other writers because they usually write about what they're reading and so many recommendations come to me through word of mouth. I buy my books based on reviews and recommendations from family and friends. But that brings up still another issue: how do family and friends find out about a book if there's no way for them to find out it's there. 

And while we're on the subject, what's the sound of one hand clapping?

EB: Well, that gets to the heart of why being on a bestseller list is a perpetual motion machine. People who don’t know what to read next go look at the NYT top ten and pick from that and look no further. I don’t blame them. Most people don’t have time to find out about the thousands of books that come out each year. 

The thing that has been fascinating for me in our experience has been how being on a small press lets us do more to have control over our book. For example, we’ve done our own covers for both books. I sucked a friend into painting the One Too Many Blows To The Head cover which we added all the type and layout to, then I sent you, what, five different designs to choose from for Borrowed Trouble and we created that entirely ourselves (plus one tiny image I pilfered from an old pulp magazine from the 40s.) Would St. Martin’s Minotaur let us do that? I doubt it. The good news is we’ve gotten many compliments on the artwork which is nice because bad cover art is a dead giveaway for a small press. 

We created our own book trailers, which I could do for free since I am a TV editor by trade. If we had to pay for one I wouldn’t do it. I think they can be a waste of time and money and there are more bad trailers out there than bad covers. I like ours thought.

This stop off at Do Some Damage is just one of many we are doing in our “blog tour”, surely a phrase that didn’t exist even two or three years ago. But it’s all about finding as many ways to get out there as you can. 

One surprising thing I have found is that most authors I talk to, even those on the big boys, are always wanting more promotion. They do the same tricks we do to get noticed. This is not an indie press vs. large press problem anymore. If you want your book to get noticed you have to be out there actively promoting it. 

I agree with you though that you don’t want it to seem like that’s all you do. Hopefully we can get away with it for this month since it is our book release month. I’ll go back to Facebook updates about my kids on March 1st, I promise.

One thing I feel a little dirty about flogging is our “story” of having never met. I will say, though, that I see it as a marketing tool in our toolbox. If we can get a little human interest that gets people to notice the book it sure beats moving to Sweden and dying just to push the old Amazon sales ranking. 

And your question about one hand clapping? That’s the sound of an author with no support system. I feel so grateful that we seem to have a cascading applause of goodwill out there. Part of it is based on good writing, part of it based on being good people and dealing with good people which the crime fiction community is full of. The crime/mystery community is the absolute best place for small press authors, I think. No one looks down on us because we’re not in hardcover at every Walmart in America.

Jennifer: One of my favorite things about our publisher, Second Wind, is that they have a brick and mortar bookstore in Winston-Salem (called Barnhill's) where they carry titles from small presses. The store is located in what I'd classify an art district in the center of the city, filled with eclectic shops run by local artists. There's such an appreciation of one another's work down there--whether the artist is a painter, a writer, a clothier, a sculptor, or a collector searching for something new. And I have to confess, when I travel, I always look for bookstores, and I always look for the ones off the beaten path, run by people who do it because they love it and not because it's a paycheck. It's these little places that carry obscure titles printed in limited runs where you can actually meet some of the great authors who appreciate what it is to have an audience. As a writer I'm always looking for inspiration but as a reader I'm always looking for a good book. Unfortunately, independent bookstores are few and far between and you really have to be looking for one in order to find it. 

I guess that leads me to another thought--and that is that the writing world, when you get down to it, is sort of small. We tend to brush up against one another in cyberspace periodically and read each other's blogs and work, etc. It's the voices of other writers I tend to listen to when I'm wondering what I should read next. Of course I listen to readers too. . . I mean of course I read the reviews on Amazon . . . but seriously, I'd much rather know what people who write the same sort of stuff I write are reading. I think that's a seriously viable form of publicity in and of itself. If you can impress your peers then you've got talent regardless of whether or not you're on NYT bestsellers list. And that has to be worth a little something. 

Eric: At Bouchercon this past year Eddie Muller said to me that it was, “Writers selling to other writers.” And it’s true that the most avid readers I know (aside from my sister) are other authors. 

In the end I doubt there is a writer in the world who is satisfied with his or her book sales or profile in the literary world. Being entirely responsible for your own marketing and promotion is a daunting task that can suck some of the fun out of writing. It only takes one positive Amazon review or one mention on a blog to boost me back up though. Having people drive out of their way to come to a signing is incredible. Having booksellers I respect give me the time out of their busy schedules is amazing. It’s what we have to do – dive into the deep end and keep treading water until you can hopefully start to ride a current of word of mouth and good reviews to bigger sales numbers. 

I’m going to go ahead a beat the metaphor to death here and say that I’m more than happy to be swimming alongside so many writers I like and respect and who I consider friends. I’ll do my best to be out there shilling your works alongside my own. For us small press folks we are our own best allies – sometimes the only ones we get.

So here’s to the independents. The no-promo-budget, not-in-stock-at-Borders, scraping-for-each-Twitter-mention among us. We do it because we love books, we love words and we love writers. We won’t stop just because it’s hard. 

We encourage you to check out our book Borrowed Trouble, even urge you to start with the first book, One Too Many Blows To The Head. Trust us. The snake oil we’re selling really works.

Everyone shouldn't be published

by: Joelle Charbonneau

Why is it wrong to say that everyone shouldn’t be published? Yeah – that question is already sending some of you to your refrigerator to procure vegetable missiles. And while I might have to duck and cover, I will say that I don’t believe that everyone who writes and seeks publication should actually achieve it.

Should everyone be an accountant?

Does everyone have the ability to be a neurosurgeon or a rocket scientist?

Trust me when I say you don’t want me playing with sharp objects near your brain or doing whatever mathematical equations are necessary to launch people into space. Does that mean I suck at science or math? No. No it doesn’t. But it does mean that some people are better than me at it and I’m glad they’re the one in charge of keeping satellites in orbit.

Could I have applied myself and become a fabulous doctor or a ground breaking scientist? Yes – although all the studying in the world might not have helped me reach the fabulous or ground breaking parts. But yes – I could have spent years and years in school studying the principles and then years and years in internships and residencies and in a variety of jobs to learn the skills I needed to learn.

But I didn’t and so I will never crack open a skull (unless it is on the page) and I’ll never get high on rocket fuel fumes.

When I decided to sit down at my computer and type, I did so because I wanted to see if I could tell a story from beginning to end. And I did. Once I did that, I decided I wanted to learn better ways to write a story. I worked with other writers to learn about the craft of writing. I read lots of books in the genres I wanted to write in to see how the authors I liked best sculpted their words. And I worked hard to find my own voice….as crazy and wacky as it sometimes is. And even after years of work I knew that I might not ever be published because there are only so many books publishers will buy and mine might never be one that fits what they are looking for.

Would not being published mean I was a bad writer? No. Great writers go unpublished all the time. That’s just the way the business works. And I was okay with knowing that. In fact, just knowing that made me work harder to make my own writing stronger. I never wanted to publish the books myself (even though many do and they are very happy with that choice) because I wanted all or nothing. I wanted to get an agent, be edited by an editor and go through ever step that the authors I have loved for years went through. And if that had never happened I would have been at peace with it. I would never have thought less of myself for trying or curse the fates.

Publishing is what it is. A tough business.

And yet, for some reason saying the words “Everyone who writes shouldn’t be published” gets a lot of people pissed off and ready to do battle.

Being published takes hard work and even still you might come up short. I’m sorry, but that’s the way it is. The current trend to self-publish (and I’m talking full novels here not short story collections that are best sold directly to the author’s fan base by the author themselves) seems to perpetuate the thought process that all people who type on their computer should call themselves published authors. I can’t help thinking this is wrong. The new trend of writing a book and sticking it up on Amazon almost immediately after hitting "THE END" gives writers permission to skip steps in learning the craft and the business that would make them a better writer. They don’t have to go through the painstaking editing that might be required to get the book to the next level. They don’t have to worry about making sure every word is necessary. They don’t…

They just don’t.

Those steps are important. And I’m not saying that there aren’t books out there that have gone through these steps and for some reason or another didn’t get traditionally published. And I’m not saying that there aren’t reasons that one might want to self-publish a book. (Those short story collections are great reasons to venture into this arena.) But everyone who writes – traditionally published authors included – should never skip the steps that make their writing better. And if you are willing to skip those steps then you shouldn’t be published.

I’m not saying any of this to be mean or rain on anyone’s parade. In fact, I want to do just the opposite. I want every writer striving for traditional publication to keep working toward that goal. Keep writing, revising and submitting. Will you find an editor or agent if you do this? Not necessarily, but your chances are better. The more you do this, the more lottery tickets you buy in the publishing raffle. And one day, when you least expect it, your number might be called. And if not – then you will be proud of your efforts.

Of Sausage Making and Writing

by
Scott D. Parker

Yesterday over at Murderati, J.T. Ellison posed some interesting questions about readers, writers, and the secrets behind the curtain. In short, she wondered if all the transparency about the process of writing devalues the art and mystique of writing. She wonders if all of us readers and writers are just circling the sausage factory to watch how the strange meat gets into that weird, elastic tube. I think that it's a good thing and, for some, the only thing.

Nowadays, we writers are supposed to tweet, interact on Facebook, go on book tours, have signings, give lectures to book clubs, maintain a website (because you know the publisher ain't gonna do it for you), oh, and write books. And stories. Then, of course, you've got the mundane aspects of book creation: galleys, edits, etc.

The entire post is worth reading, but one paragraph stood out:

"Do you see James Patterson tweeting? Hardly. But he can put out 17 new books in a year, because he’s focused on creating. Same with some of the other big dogs I admire – the Stephen Kings and Nora Roberts of the world. I look at them in awe and wonder. HOW do they write so much? HOW are all their ideas so clever and original? WHAT IS THEIR PROCESS LIKE?"

Here's the thing: the authorial examples she uses is the anti-thesis to her argument. King, Patterson, and Roberts came of age as writers in the era before the internet. By the time Facebook became a legitimate method to promote books, they were already brand-names, not even needing the new technology to let readers know of new books.

In 2011, there is a new paradigm of how authors "get out there." A blog is a great way to get oneself noticed. Through countless blog posts, a writer can establish a foothold on this large mountain range that is the business of writing. The blogger--for that is what the newer writer truly is--blogs for the love of the genre or, as in my case, the public self-education of mystery and crime fiction. My blogging consists largely of reviews where I state my opinion, what I learned, and how I might apply it to my writing. Over a few years, the readers showed up and kept coming back. Now, I receive unsolicited copies of ARCs and other books for review. Pretty cool, no?

But what about the person who wants to transition from blogger to writer to published author? Isn't that what we all want? I've started watching "American Idol" this season and am not surprised at how many contestants *think* they are great and are shocked to discover they're not. In the writing realm, I know many, many of us not-yet-published writers have that same, exact question. Are we good enough? Only time and persistence will tell.

For a lot of us, the answer will be no. So what's left? The communal commiseration of the process. The sausage making. The search for that one thing that can get us over the hump and into the realm of publishability. And that's where this love of craftsmanship comes in regarding published authors. I don't know about you, but I love the Behind the Scenes featurettes on DVDs. I enjoy knowing the genesis of a story, how the costumer made certain selections of fabric, and why the director chose to film in black-and-white.

The same is true for published authors. It's the sausage making that is, at times, equally as interesting as the end product. How a writer crafts a story is fascinating and can often offer insights into the process that can be helpful for other writers. But there's the dark side, too, the delusional part of this type of fandom. If James Patterson writes with a pencil on yellow legal pads, then a certain contingent of not-yet-published writers will start the practice. If Stephen King writes on an old, 1990s-era computer, some writers will head on over to eBay and find the very same model, thinking that the final obstacle to overcome.

That isn't the answer. It's an easy short cut that leads nowhere. The answer is from within. The solitary writer, banging out prose on a mission towards publication, constantly doubts, constantly frets, constantly needs encouragement like few other professions in this world. As Ellison wrote yesterday, "Sometimes, a little note on Facebook is all we need to turn a bad writing day into a good one." Sometimes, it's nice to know that one's favorite author outlines just like we do, or writes using the same software as we do. And sometimes, it's just nice to hang out with fellow writers who all share a common knowledge base, and just talk about writing.

At the end of everything, no matter what, it is still a person putting words into a logical sequence and hoping someone else enjoys it. The old paradigm about the famous and non-famous and pants still applies: Nora Roberts puts on her pants one leg at a time. She also puts one word on a "page" before another just like other writers.

Writing is a solitary journey. It's up to us to define what happiness means to us. Is the journey itself enough? For some, happiness (read: publication) may never come. Thus, we settle for the sausage. But, let's not forget: sausage can taste really, really good.

Song of the Week: Philip Glass's Piano Etude II. In these frigid days we're all experiencing, the loneliness, isolation, and cold this piece evokes is strangely warming.

A little pimpage

Russel D McLean

Shhhh...I'm doing things this week. Very complex, secret and involving things* which means that I can't delight you with my usual wit and insight. And I didn't even have time to go and beg a guest blogger. So instead, I'm going to give you some videos. Videos of fellow Scots crime writer - Irvine Welsh's favourite - Tony Black (who I believe may be making an appearance on this here blog very soon, so here's an appetizer for you...)

Tomorrow sees the official release date of Tony's latest novel, TRUTH LIES BLEEDING. Its the start of a new series for Tony, following his hugely succesful Gus Drury novels.

What? You don't know Gus?

Here's a little something about Gus's first appearance in PAYING FOR IT:



And here's a video created for LONG TIME DEAD:



And here's what I had to say on Tony's second novel, GUTTED.

Next week, normal service shall resume. And by normal service, I mean the usual rambling insanity.

*that sounds like a tease, and the likelihood is you'll never know what it is I'm doing but there we go...

The Lincoln Lawyer

You may have heard of Michael Connelly.

One of my favorite writers. He's most known for his Harry Bosch novels, but he's put out a series about a defense lawyer, Mickey Haller. And you may have heard there's a movie coming out starring Matthew McConaughey. Here's the trailer



And, guess what? To tie in with the flick, Do Some Damage is running a contest.

We have five copies of The Lincoln Lawyer novel and five movie posters to giveaway.

Here's how I'm going to do it. You're going to email me an answer to the following question.

"What's the nicest thing you can say about New Jersey?"

Post it in the comments.

At the end of the day, I'll read them over and decide (the decision is SOLELY mine) the ten winners and post my email address. The winners can email me their address and I'll make sure you get either a book or a poster. (Yup, that means you'll have to check back on the website twice.) Let's say I'll make a decision around 7 pm eastern standard time.

Deal?

Good. Now, give me some positive Jersey vibes!

One More Time...

Brad's post was so good yesterday I think we should leave it up for another day so even more people have a chance to read it and go and buy his books.




(and this has nothing to do with the fact that I'm late and haven't got a post ready. Nothing at all...)


Also, stop by the DoSomeDamage GoodReads Book Group to discuss Late Rain from Lynn Kostoff. We're having one hell of a chat.

10 Things Crime Fiction Writers Can Learn From Taylor Swift

By Brad Parks

Esteemed Guest Blogger

The last time I had a book to flog, I came to this very virtual space and broke bold new ground with my much-celebrated blog post 10 THINGS CRIME FICTION WRITERS CAN LEARN FROM PARIS HILTON.

It was ground-breaking because no one had ever waded into this den of hardcore noir practitioners to blog about such an utterly vapid topic. 

It was bold because I made fun of Bill Crider, who is a noted sociopath. (Had I known then what I know now, I would have made fun of Steve Weddle, who keeps trying to come up with these tough-looking profile pictures in defiance of the simple fact that he looks like Richie Cunningham).

It was celebrated because it started a sartorial war with Dave White, wherein I pointed out that even though he’s an almost-grown, almost-man he retains the fashion sense of a colorblind frat boy; and he pointed out I dress like an 80-year-old going out for the local shuffleboard team.

Anyhow, the blog post became an instant Internet sensation. (By “sensation,” I mean, “Janet Reid picked it up and wrote about it on her blog, which gets twenty times more traffic than this dump.”). It vaulted me onto the bestseller list. (By “bestseller list,” I mean the one kept by my mother, in which I outsell John Grisham, Stieg Larsson and Lee Child combined). It even got me some cherished quality time with Paris herself. (By “herself” I mean certain video representations of the heiress).

Now here I am, a year later, pushing my next book – it’s called EYES OF THE INNOCENT, it releases today, Michael Connelly blurbed it, and if you don’t buy it Russel D. McLean will be forced to kill a puppy – trying to once again make blogging history.

And so it is time to extol my other twiggy blonde role model: Taylor Swift.

I know. I know. I’m about 20 years older than her core demographic. I’m also a dude. And you’re probably thinking it’s not possible that a critically acclaimed author such as myself – an Ivy League-educated, award-winning writer whose second book shows his burgeoning maturity as a serious voice in crime fiction, inasmuch as it contains fewer boner jokes – could possibly find inspiration in a simple, sweet-faced country music star.

But I do. I love Taylor Swift. And not just because I have this dream of being one of her back-up singers. (Taylor, if you’re reading this: I made Connecticut All-State choir three times in high school. I was even once lucky enough to sing with Joelle Charbonneau. Any chance I can have an audition?).

I own all her albums. I sometimes listen to her music while I write. I even once subjected myself to an entire viewing of The Ellen Degeneres Show just because Taylor was on it.

I love that she can write a song in thirty minutes. I love how she turns phrases (personal favorite: “You made a rebel of a careless man’s careful daughter.”). I love that anytime someone messes with her, she turns to her pen for revenge and absolutely f!&ks them up (dying to know which woman inspired “Better than Revenge,” in which she sings, “She’s not a saint and she’s not what you think, she’s an actress/ She’s better known for the things she does on the mattress.”).

   

And you know what? Even more than I love her, I respect her. So should you. She wrote a 350-page book when she was 12 and had the good sense to keep it in the drawer forever (Dave White only wishes he did that with WHEN ONE MAN DIES). She once did a 13-hour meet and greet to thank her fans, which I find impressive not only because it shows she remembers who to thank for her success, but because I’m not sure I have 13 fans who would be willing to meet and greet with me for an hour each. She doesn’t use co-writers (take that James Patterson!).

And – this is the most important thing of all – the chick knows how to tell a story. Listen to any of her songs (borrow my iPod if you need to), and you’ll quickly hear there’s a strong narrative in every single one of them. That’s more than Philip Roth can say about his work.

Yes, there is much this multi-Grammy-winning artist has to teach all of us. And so I did my usual exhaustive research – a good five minutes of pulling quotes off the bio on her personal website – to arrive at:

10 THINGS CRIME FICTION WRITERS CAN LEARN FROM TAYLOR SWIFT

1. “Hi, I'm Taylor. I've been alive for 20 years now, and I finally have my own kitchen.”

This is a great first lesson any for author, or would-be author: It’s good to have simple goals.

2. “I love bright colors and things that make reality seem more whimsical than it is… I over-think and over-plan and over-organize.”

Always bear this incredibly prescient observation. The first part aptly describes the prevailing attitude at most publishing companies… unfortunately, the second part does not.

3. “These days, I've been trying to classify my thoughts into two categories: ‘Things I can change,’ and ‘Things I can't.’ It seems to help me sort through what to really stress about”

This is good advice for thinking about the buyers at Barnes & Noble.

4. “I still love writing in my journal and wearing dresses all the time and staring at chandeliers.”

Funny, so does my publicist. What makes it funny is that his name is Hector. (Though, I will say, an A-line flatters his figure quite nicely).

5. “Love is a tricky business. But if it wasn't, I wouldn't be so enthralled with it. Lately I've come to a wonderful realization that makes me even more fascinated by it: I have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to love. No one does.”

Substitute the word “love” with the word “publishing” and you have one of the truest statements ever written.

6. “I've apparently been the victim of growing up, which apparently happens to all of us at one point or another.”

This is the case for most folks – except for the undead and associate editors, who as a collective will remain roughly 25 for all time. Remember this well, because if you are unpublished, these might be the people who will be taking a first read of your precious manuscript. Oh, and some of them probably listen to Taylor Swift.

7. “I just think every once in a while you need fries and a chocolate milkshake and your mom.”

Sorry, that’s not advice. That was just me after reading my first one-star review on Amazon the other day. (“This book set my teeth on edge and quivered my skin in repugnance,” wrote a woman named Kat Warren. “I cannot fathom the enthusiasm for this egregiously opprobrious mystery novel. If the content didn't repulse then the writing should have given pause.” Luckily, she wasn’t one of the Shamus judges). 

8. “I'm still beyond obsessed with the winter season.”

So is the sales rep at your publishing company. Which is good when it finally is the winter season. Then it becomes the spring season and he totally forgets your name. Ah, just kidding. I love the Macmillan reps. They’re the best. And I know they love me, too… you, uh, you do, right guys?

9. “I still love … really old cats that are only nice to you half the time.”

And if you have this attitude, you will get along great with book reviewers.

10. “I'm pretty stoked that you read this whole thing. I commend you for that. This was ridiculously long, and you probably have other stuff you could've done in the last four minutes. So to you, or anyone else who has spent four minutes on me in some way-- listening to just one song, or watching one of my videos….Thank you. I love you.”

You and me both, Taylor. You and me both.

Brad Parks’s debut, FACES OF THE GONE, became the first book ever to win the Nero Award and Shamus Award, two of crime fiction’s most prestigious prizes. His next book, EYES OF THE INNOCENT, releases today from St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books. Library Journal gave it a starred review, calling it “as good if not better (than) his acclaimed debut.” For more Brad, visit his website, follow him on Twitter or became a fan of Brad Parks Books on Facebook.