Hard time giving up the dough

I’m sure it’s not just me. Lately, I have a hard time paying over twenty bucks for a book.  Even paying over ten dollars is a hard sell.

Ever since I bought my Kindle and I’ve had hours of reading enjoyment for less than five bucks a pop , forking over $12 for what someone is telling me is a best seller, is hard to justify.  I have to wonder how some of those authors, the ones tied to the old elite publishers with contracts that require a particular price point, are doing these days.

Lately, Amazon has been marketing NYT best sellers like Kellerman for $12.99, next to an unknown author with a thriller priced at a buck ninety nine. It makes me wonder, which one of them is selling more copies.

My guess would be the new author is selling more. The hard core Kellerman (or insert your favorite best selling author’s name) fans are still forking over the dough to get the latest. For example, I’d pay the usual fifteen bucks plus to get the latest in the Dresden Files series.

But I doubt any new readers are jumping in at those prices.

Waiting

If you’ve attempted to sell your writing either to an agent or through an agent to a publisher you know that a significant part of your energy is spent in the waiting.

Waiting is excruciating. It is a knot at the pit of your stomach that won’t go away. The hope, the anticipation you feel every time you check your email. The tiny skip your heart makes each time your phone tells you there’s a new text message.

I hate the waiting.

One would think that, understanding that the process can take weeks and weeks, you could forget for a few moments that you’re waiting for something important.  And you do forget, or simply disremember now and then for brief moments at least. But then with a lurch, you remember what you’re waiting for, what a nod or a rejection could mean and the knot comes back, the heart skips and the eagerness to know what will happen next feels as if it will destroy you.

It’s far worse than waiting for Christmas, or a vacation or some other highly anticipated event. These events you know without doubt will happen.  Christmas will come. There will be gifts, and good food and a tree, friends and family. Vacation will eventually arrive at its designated time.

In the publishing process, you know that eventually you will hear something but you have no idea what form it will take.  A yes, a no. A short, formula rejection sent to hundreds of others just like you who waited with hope only to have their dreams dashed. Or a longer, nicer, detailed rejection that spells out all of the work’s flaws.

It could be a yes. People have received them. We dream about the yes.

In the waiting, we just want it to be something, one or the other, but something damn soon or you’re going to go crazy.

I have an addiction

I have an addiction. I’ve been struggling with it for some time and never realized how serious the problem was until a friend brought it to my attention. After spending an entire weekend behind closed doors, indulging in my addiction, rarely eating, barely moving, not answering the phone and enjoying every single second of it, I finally had to admit it to myself.  Like any addiction however, I really don’t WANT to fix the problem.

My addiction is to my Kindle.

It seems like only yesterday I was struggling with the whole idea of giving up my page-turning, hardcover-loving self, to become an
ebook reader.  How could I, as an author, go to the dark side and contribute to this new digital world where authors have
fewer and fewer pages to sign? Could I really buy books that are stored in a tiny device I can hold in my hand instead of standing in neat little rows on my already over burdened book shelves? After owning my Kindle now, the answer to those questions is, HELLS TO THE YEAH!

I LOOOOOOVE my Kindle! I love that no matter how heavy a book is it doesn’t break my wrists to hold it up, to flip a page with the flick of my thumb. I love that if I read a series I enjoy, I can immediately download the next book in the series, never leaving my chair, never leaving my house. And I also love that my selections of books have now greatly expanded. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still in hot pursuit of a publisher that would make my mystery series a hardcover success anyone can find in a bookstore, but if I don’t find a publisher soon, my Kindle addiction makes me believe it won’t matter all that much. Like millions of writers out there who are bringing their work to the world without the publishing house gatekeepr, it is possible to find writing success in the self publishing world. Many of those authors owe their success to the Kindle.

I’m not the only addict! There are millions of us out there, millions who are downloading books with one click, sucking in new stories with ease and spending hours and hours absorbed in great writing. Yes, I’m addicted. And now there’s the Fire and the Kindle Touch.

I’m pretty much toast.

Stop dawdling!

Faced with massive amounts of pages that need rewriting, I’ve spent the entire morning struggling for inspiration. I took several days off, hoping to put a dent in the work I face, but so far I’m feeling totally intimidated with what’s in front of me. So I am left with only one choice. To dawdle.

I sent a few emails, posted stuff to people’s walls, read some blogs, subscribed to some and quickly became bored with all of that. I
even did some book shopping, scrolling through the lists of ebooks on Amazon. I scrolled through the top 100 lists in SciFi, fantasy, mystery, wondering how some of the new writers listed there felt about finding their self published works on the top 100 lists.

It took a few minutes, but eventually I realized those writers couldn’t have found their books on the top 100 list if they hadn’t been
published and a book can’t be published until it’s finished.

So I’ll stop my dawdling and get to work…but first, I had to make a post to this blog : )

An interview with Cindy Young Turner

There’s nothing more exciting for a new author than to see her first novel in print. That dream recently came true for a member of my writing group, Cindy Young Turner. Her novel, THEIF OF HOPE, is an engrossing, entertaining and complicated fantasy page
turner. She paints a dark world where there is no black and white or good or evil. One minute, you think you understand about the evil Guild, the next minute, you question the rebels as unwitting tools for the nobles who only want their power back.

The book has already received multiple five star reviews on Amazon.com and several rave reviews in writing and fantasy  magazines. I spoke to Cindy about writing and, more importantly, the business of marketing her writing so that people can learn about the great work she has produced.

Q: Where did the character and story that become THEIF OF HOPE come from? What was your inspiration?

A: My parents had a record of the “Oliver” soundtrack that I used to love listening to as a kid, and then I adored the movie. A musical with pickpockets–how cool is that? Plus they fared much better in the movie than in the book Oliver Twist. I’m also going
to out myself as a geek and admit that I used to play Dungeons and Dragons in college, which really got me interested in fantasy, and yes, I had a character named Sydney. I loved the character and started thinking about backstory and writing about her and creating a world, and thus a novel was born. I also liked the idea of a story about fighting oppression and the commoners vs. nobility makes for an interesting dilemma, which is complicated by the Guild. I hope the story speaks to a number of levels, in addition to being a good fantasy adventure tale.

Q: How long did it take you to get to the final version that made it into print? Did you ever think that you would not finish the book?

A: Ha, I’m not sure I want to admit how long it took me from start to finish. A LONG time. More than 10 years (off and on) and numerous rewrites. And yes, there were quite a few times I despaired of ever finishing it and thought about just chucking the whole thing. My critique groups have been incredibly helpful and encouraging and kept me on track. The actual editing process after it was accepted for publication took about two months, and that was pretty intense.

Q: How many people did you get to read early drafts and how much of their input do you accept or reject?

A: I’ve been in two really amazing critique groups since 1999, so they’ve been reading drafts of the book since then, multiple times. (I guess that indicates how long I’ve been working on it!) I do take a lot of their input. They have provided a lot of good advice on how to write a novel, things like plot arcs and story narrative, which I didn’t fully understand when I started writing. In fact, the major rewrite of the book came out of a suggestion from someone that at one point the plot just didn’t make any sense.
I thought about it for a while and realized maybe that was why I kept getting stuck. So I took a completely different approach and threw out much of the book. It was a bit scary, but I think in the end it worked. Not that I take all of their advice, though, but I’d say it’s probably about eighty percent.

Q: How long did your agent shop the book around before you found a publisher? How many rejections
did you get before you found a home for the book?

A: It took a little more than two years to find a publisher. There were lots of publishers that just didn’t respond. A couple of the more established but not major ones asked for the whole manuscript, so I had hope that I was on the right track. It didn’t take long for Crescent Moon Press to respond to a query, request the whole manuscript, and then express interest in publishing the book.

Q: What advice would you give an unpublished writer about rejection?

A: Don’t give up. You will get rejected, probably many many times. It will be frustrating. It’s completely subjective and there’s nothing you can do about it. Don’t be afraid to try the smaller independent presses. Honestly, you’re not likely to make much money (but there’s hope), and you may have a much better shot with a small press that will actually value you as an author.

 Q: Describe the feeling of holding your first book in your hands? How did you celebrate the accomplishment?

A: It was very surreal. I kept looking at the book and thinking, wow, this is my book. These words on the page are the ones I’ve
slaved over on my laptop, and here they are in an actual book. I guess I haven’t really celebrated yet. I’m still on pins and needles about reviews. I have two good ones so far. Once I get a few more, then I think I’ll allow myself to celebrate.

Q: Marketing your book and earning money from the sales are far different than the work of actually writing. How do you feel about the marketing side of book publishing? Are you disappointed by that aspect of the business?

A: I have to admit, I really dislike marketing. I always wanted to be like JD Salinger, a recluse writer and hide out in my cabin and
write. Sadly, that doesn’t sell books, and just publishing the book is the first step. My publisher has offered quite a few marketing opportunities, but still, a lot of it falls on me if I want the book to succeed.

Q: Are you considering making a book trailer? How much do you think a book trailer might contribute to book sales?

A: I think book trailers are cool and it’s definitely on my to do list. Will it help sales? I’m not sure. There are so many marketing
avenues out there and it seems dubious how much they will actually lead to more sales. I think every little bit helps, though.

Q:  Aside from fantasy, what else do you read? What are you reading now?

A: I have eclectic tastes in books. Recently I’ve read The Road by Cormac McCarthy, The Gunslinger by Stephen King, and The Eyre Affaire by Jasper Fforde. I’m currently reading We Wish to Inform You that Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families by Philip Gourevitch, a harrowing look at the genocide in Rwanda, and Eternal Investigations, by Nancy M. Griffis, a fun paranormal read, which is an odd combination.

Q:  If your book was made into a movie, who would play Sydney? Who would play Willem?

A: Of course I’ve thought about this. What author hasn’t fantasized about the movie version of his or her book? The only problem is that I rarely see movies these days so I don’t know any actors who are the right age. I always thought Heath Ledger might be good for Willem, but unfortunately that’s not going to happen. I have no idea about Sydney. Someone unknown would
be best, I think. Can I request that Peter Jackson direct the movie version? Surely he’ll need a new project after he finishes The Hobbit. (LOL)

 Q:  If you could be any character in one of your favorite books, who would it be?

A: Eowyn from Lord of the Rings. Woman warrior who gets tokick some Nazgul butt!

Two problems with my writing group

I have two problems with my writing group.

The first is they don’t want to read memoirs.  A few weeks ago, I sent my agent a completed
draft of the memoir I’ve been ghost writing. The pages she recently returned to
me are filled with line edits.  I’m not surprised there are so many markups since, other than a few friends and a client, these pages haven’t been read and critiqued by anyone. I could feel bad that I didn’t send her a pristine, perfect, flawless manuscript. I could kick
myself for not being more careful or for not finding all of the missing commas,
for using bungled sentence structures and getting my theirs and theres
confused, but I won’t. I’ll just blame it on my writing group and their
annoying refusal to read memoirs.

The other problem I have with my writing group is that it takes too long to get an entire book through critique.  We only meet a couple times a month and I only get my turn every other meeting.  It takes about a year to have every page read and critiqued. It’s simply not fast enough. I want it to be all about me!  I want it to be MY writing group. I want them to only focus on making my pages better instead of this annoying turn taking thing we have gong on.

Both of my ‘problems’ are ridiculous of course. I don’t blame them for wanting to stick to fiction. Hell, I prefer reading fiction too.
And of course we take turns. I’ve read a few good books this year and four of them are the books my group has been writing.
If we didn’t trade turns, I’d never have the opportunity to appreciate how fantastically talented they all are.

But it does suck that I don’t have that trusted set of eyes on the memoir I’m writing. I could use their take on things. And I do wish I could get their input faster.  I’d like to be able to spit out pages and get instant feedback. I constantly need that blended
group of folks who smack me upside the head when I’m way off track or tell me to rip out entire sections when they get bored to tears.

Seeing all of the red marks and changes my agent left is stark validation that, despite my problems with them, my writing group is important to my process, no matter how much they might annoy me.

Going to the dark side is…cheaper!

According to a good friend, and probably a sentiment shared by many traditionalists, converting from a page turner to an ebook reader is equivalent to going to the dark side.

It is said, that once you accept it, the darkness is with you forever. While I know my Kindle will last a long time, and my reading list will be stored in the Amazon.com cloud forever, I’m not sure if I’m sworn off holding a real book for good.  What I do know is, every book I want is cheaper as an electronic item than it is as a published, hardcopy, page turning version.

Here are just five of the books I’ve read and loved recently that are under ten dollars.

Thief of Hope, by Cindy Young-Turner. Keep an eye on this author.  Her debut fantasy novel is the first in what should prove to be an entertaining series featuring Sydney, a pick pocketing woman unafraid of breaking the law, if necessary, to survive and protect her friends. Her quest is a noble one. Her friends are magical in more ways than one and her encounters with the Tuatha are told in vivid prose that captures the imagination. Young-Turner is getting well deserved multi-starred reviews.

The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. At under $5.00, you simply can’t find better entertainment. This is Survivor meets The Lottery in a struggle to the death that brings out the best in Katniss Everdeen. I read this book on a rainy Saturday afternoon and couldn’t put it down. When I finished it, in the wee hours of the morning, I immediately downloaded book two. The instant gratification of being able to move on to the next book in a series made me love my Kindle even more!  This three book series is bound to end up in a movie someday with good reason. The page turning action and vivid characters are not to be missed.

The Name of the Wind: Kingkiller Chronicle Day One, by Patrick Rothfuss. The first book in the series is under $10.00.  If you want to read the rest of the series — and you will — you’ll have to fork out almost $15.00, but you’ll want to read Day Two and will wait impatiently along with the rest of the fans for Day Three to come out at some unknown date in the future. An entertaining story voted one of the best in March 2011 on Amazon.com.

 The Second Ship: The Rho Agenda, by Richard Phillips. Self-publishing has its bright stars as well as an abundance of dim attempts at glory. The Rho Agenda series is definitely a heavenly light in the self publishing SciFi genre. You’ll want to immediately download the second book, Immune and will wait along with the rest of us for book three to come out, which shouldn’t be too long from now.  I’ve read an early draft of Wormhole, and I can tell you that fans will not be disappointed.

 Hounded: The Iron Druid Chronicles, by Kevin Hearn. Atticus is a thousand year-old, wise cracking druid in a handsome, twentysomething body, who conducts witty and thoroughly entertaining conversations with his dog, Oberon, and can whip together a band of paranormal friends, like vampires and werewolves, to battle Gods and demons. You might as well download Hexed and Hammered while you’re at it.  No sense in waiting. All three books will cost you less than the price of one hardcover bestseller at your local bookstore.

Bottom line is, if you like to read as much as I do, chances are you spend a great deal of discretionary income on books. Like it or not, you get more bang for your buck with ebooks than you will with traditional publishing. In these days, when we’re all looking for ways to cut back on expenses, you can’t ignore the fact that it’s simply cheaper to forego the paper product for the electronic one – especially when the books out there are such great reads.