Dude, I really like this episode. Only half way through but wanted to confirm that you do have a soothing voice. The part about the curse definitely came through as honesty and i felt no need to stop listening. The social awkwardness part is not something I have, although I do say yes to everything like you did for coaching. I just figure it out along the way and don’t really think much about what people think. But you described your feeling so well and I know a lot of people I know will relate. What I did relate to was what you alluded to about religious beliefs. We will hopefully talk more about that 1:1. So I do have questions for how you produce these podcasts which I’ll email you about. I’ll press play for the rest of your episode. I’m a fan.
Now you're getting into my arena of thinking ;) Two thoughts:
1) the question of the curse. I grew up in a very non-organized religion atmosphere which is a long story you're welcome to anytime you want that drudgery, but I was also allowed to find my own way. I spent most of my high school, college and post college years, studying many religions, philosophy, new age, everything I could get my hands on.
I've read a lot on physics and from several things I've come across, thoughts have energy attached to them. Even a simple, "bless you thought" a "you #@$%@@!" thought and even simple smiles when you think of someone, have energy in them. So, theoretically, could you "Curse" someone?
In terms of that, yes you could. However (my favorite word in the entire language), in the other philosophical, religious and new age ideas, everything comes down to you and your energy. How much weight do you put toward the incoming? Take it in terms of a bad review of your book. In essence, it's equal to a "curse." What is a curse other than someone publicly admonishing you (or performing a ritual in a backroom with a snip of your hair)? A bad review counts as a curse in my view.
However :), the difference is the weight and amount of time (and energy) you give to the "curse." The more conscious weight and notice you give a curse, the more power it has over you, and your mind will find reasons and examples of how this "curse" is not only real but affecting your life based on your belief. If you believe you are cursed, then in very real ways you are because you will categorize any negative thing coming into your life and equate it with this "curse" and then you've got real numbers to back up this idea. Just sayin' ;)
Wow! Thank you for this thoughtful response. You've brought something akin to science with your reasoning. I feel a lot of gratitude for your friendship, Craig. I'm grateful for your kindness.
Same to you. Of all the people I've met on Twitter, you have been the most supportive of my writing efforts and I hope to do the same for you. You have great insights into this publishing thing and you need to keep sharing it with other authors...especially the ones who need that set of hands to help them back on their feet to keep marching forward.
First, I got your book (an hour ago) because I love the excerpt you posted, which was funny because I hadn't listened to the podcast yet. Hopefully, I might contribute to lifting a tiny corner of the curse, if there is such a thing. I don't want to believe there is. We have so little control over what happens to us as people and writers that admitting to a power capable of sending us doom is just too disheartening. And I am disheartened right now. I have a 4-book contract that is about to collapse from neglect (by the publisher). In 2 weeks they will be in breach, actually they already are because there's no way the book will launch in 2 weeks. So I wasted almost 2 years with these people. I'm not discouraged, I'm angry. Fuming to be precise, lol! And I'm a calm, patient person, I swear! But I'll keep at it, like you, and break that wall.
Thank you, Martine! And may I say, you might've been just the key I was needing to push back the curse (if there are such things…). I saw your sale come in and not long after, my ad produced 2 from Facebook! So thank you.
I also grabbed a copy of your book Elymore off Amazon, and I'll be sure to leave a review for it just as soon as I finish reading!
As for the news of you book contract, please let me offer my deepest sympathies. It's an awful thing they've done, and I hope you will find an equal but opposite boon for the hardships they put you through.
If you want to bend someone's ear who's in a very similar situation, reach out to Heather O'Brien, and tell her I sent you. She comments on many of my podcast episodes, and she's also active on Twitter as @RealHeatherOB.
I read her novel, LOCKHARDT SOUND, and couldn't believe a publisher would fail to do everything in their power for that book, because it's a goldmine just waiting to be found by readers.
Thank you again for your support. You don't know how much it means.
Oh dear! Elymore... my God, lol. That was like prehistoric times. I haven't read that in forever. I was still very green then. To say that my writing has evolved is the understatement of the year. I do not write SF/Fantasy anymore. I got that out of my system 10 years ago. I write crime (the book contract was for a contemporary PI series.) I think you would have a better idea of what I'm about if you looked at my Derringer Award nomination. It's short and free, here: https://www.bristolnoir.co.uk/short-story-double-trouble-by-m-e-proctor/
Ahahah... no, it's fine. I like the series. Still. And there's some solid writing in there. Things like: "In his memory she would remain there forever, in her scarlet robe, surrounded by the dusty feathers of dead birds."
Actually, give it a try, tell me what you think, honestly. I'm probably too critical. The folks who read the series loved it.
This episode dropped at the perfect time for me. I'm halfway through launching my novella series, slowly accumulating sales and reviews, biding my time to try a couple of last ditch self promo options. It is encouraging, though not spectacular, but I haven't done one tenth as much as you on the marketing side. I started writing the next novella, but paused and decided to wait for more feedback on the first series for a while. In the meantime I will focus on my neglected farm, and put some more energy into my experimental farming sub stack (including sneaking some fiction and non-non-fiction into the mix). You mentioned having no choice but to keep going forward, but these days I am feeling like sideways, over or under, or maybe even vanishing off the map into any number of new portals opening up is an option. Digging down into why writing novels has meant so much to you for so long could be useful. I have done the same and returned to a few unexplored avenues. Unless you are obsessed with using them as doorstops or projectiles then there is no reason to limit yourself to that peculiar, archaic form.
I really look forward to our next interview. We have similar passion, similar creative drive to try, learn, devour, explore, and we are nearly polar opposites in how we apply romanticism.
Let me tease a line of inquiry we'll discuss: the archaic form is my greatest love. I can't imagine a better way to spend time than with my nose buried in a novel (or the act of creating one).
You know, the main reason I had a pause in my writing career between my time in Hollywood and now was my son.
No regrets spending as much time with him as I could doing activities, sports, scouts, band, etc.
They only grow up once, so I encourage you to embrace those opportunities--not because of social pressure from the community--but because they will remember Mom and Dad being there for them, and you're imprinting a parenting value on them that they will carry on.
As for the ups and downs of the writing business, oy vey!
At one point, Arnold and I were the head writers on The New Addams Family, writing for two other Fox Family shows, had 2 pilot deals for new series and looked like we were on the way to really getting our "big" break. Then, ABC bought Fox Family, all the executives got replaced, our development deals got shelved, and we were yesterday's news.
And did I ever tell you about the time we had a pilot in development with Brandon Tartikoff, the wonderboy of NBC in the eighties, who spearheaded "Must See TV" shows like (I know he's a pariah now, but it was a top show back then before we knew how creepy he really was) The Cosby Show, Family Ties, Hill Street Blues, Miami Vice, Seinfeld... We were about to pitch it to the networks, a big deal back then! And then, I'm driving down Sepulveda Blvd, listening to the radio and hear that he died. And so did our pilot. Whomp!
So, a dip in sales is not that big a deal, nor a bad review. Not telling you this to cheer you up, but I selfishly need to vent about it from time to time, and remind myself that I know how to climb that hill, just need to lace up my boots and get to it.
I am always conscious of what my kids are seeing in me, and when it's time for papa to put his head down and work long hours, I talk a lot to them about the value of putting everything you have into a project.
Then there's time to play board games and video games and sports with them, and I try to be fully there and not checking my phone or talking about adult stuff.
But most of all, I try to find ways to apologize when I screw up, because my dad never apologized, and that made me feel worthless, like I was always the problem. (Coaching though, is not my specialty—still, I'll do it.)
It just so happens that regarding your work, Rich, I think you're onto something and your books are going to gain a big audience. I love hearing about your days in TV. Not the outcome, but the work you were doing. It shows in your productions, too.
Keep up the good work, and thank you for the consistent support.
The setup? Discussing social awkwardness? I relate to that so much. SO much. You described my own feelings. We differ on the religion stuff, but even the coaching thing. I used to be a Team Mom for little league - a bunch of 13-year-old boys. I could see you out there and how it might be feel for you. Brought back a lot of memories. And, as always, it spotlights more of our similarities.
As for the books, I still have to say what I also say to myself: MORE BOOKS. There need to be many books. One book (or two) won't do it for long. Hang in there (I know you will, obviously). It's the long haul. I get how you feel. And I'm there, too. But I truly believe you're on the right track.
You're not cursed. I don't believe you are at all. I do think we have active senses surrounding integrity and guilt (or whatever). That pressing sense of right vs. wrong is a good thing. In fact, that's not even the issue, right? The thing is - what if you DIDN'T feel that guilt or tug at you? That's what the problem would be.
To sell more books, we need to write more of them. Oh - and selfish? Nope. I don't think so. There are plenty of people out there doing what we do. That doesn't just "happen" overnight. It's a process. A process that needs to have a start, and a trajectory. It isn't "typical," perhaps, but it's not selfish. I get how you might feel that way or give weight to those who say it (I feel that way lately w/my husband).
But I will say that, when we pray, and then we catch a glimpse that the prayer has been heard and addressed to some extent, there's something there, too. Maybe in addition to gratitude (which I agree with), there might be some acknowledgment - that gratitude - for the communication.
More books. Challenging myself to write uncomfortably fast. I have a guest coming up, J.P. Smith, and his comments about writing books resonated with me. He aims to write one a year. I'm going to push for two, myself, as long as I can produce quality. (I get how you feel that way with your husband, and I don't know him personally, but I sense he's happy to help you realize a long-held dream.)
I don't know. Writing "fast" spooks me. Or maybe that's just my thing. I know that, if I can take the necessary time to sit and do a detailed outline ("...in this scene, Chris goes to Ben to ask about ...") and fill in as much detail as comes to me - details more related to the overall plot than anything - I can write fairly fast. I wrote book 2 in 6 wks (173K words until last year's deep dive) and book 4 in four months. If I can front-load the book's creation with outline, it's like I tell my husband: "Now, all I have to do is fill in the words." I could probably do 2 books/year like that, even with my historically big word count.
But if that isn't flowing, or if it's not what you see/want from your book or story, maybe "fast" isn't all it's cracked up to be. Now, with your series, it'll be easier for you in a sense, because you're not creating and developing a whole new stable of characters each time. Your base characters are the same.
I know you could do 2 books/year. Maybe we should be each others' accountability partners. LOL
Yes to all. And at the bottom of it, I think in a world that functions optimally, an author should be able to earn a living writing one high-quality novel ever 24 months. There are no other art forms that force their practitioners to move faster than that as far as I know.
But what other art forms do people unashamedly state that writers should make their work available for free? Where stealing isn't addressed much at all? I think it's also about author and brand recognition. All or many who have the 24-month luxury are known. This is where our journey is. And until we get our brand established to the masses, we're in a position of, "Okay, so you've written a handful of titles - but what have you written this year?" When Harper Lee wrote two in her whole life - and, up until around the time of her death, she'd been known for only one.
Quality books, quality stories, are now competing with a bunch of folks who churn out unedited and poorly crafted junk. We've discussed the pros and cons of the self-publishing world, where its good news is also the bad news.
We just shoulder forward. Put on the blinders. Keep writing anyway. Keep doing the next right thing. It's sort of like my analogy of working for years to become an overnight sensation. We'll get there. One way or another.
Yes, yes, and more yes. The notion for freebies is so frustrating, and I also am trying to borrow the radio model here. You can have my stuff "free" if I can get it sponsored or if you agree to recommend it. That is a project in the works ATM. (Yep, I just used a brev like the cool kids.)
Also frustrating are the readers who adamantly say, "I don't like books that..."
I just got a 2-star rating from someone who says she DNF because Farin was blindsided with a pregnancy. "I don't like stories with the pregnancy trope..."
I'm not sure I get why readers find these excuses to not finish - like, no one "really" gets blindsided by a pregnancy or something. But we roll with it, however baffling.
Thought 2): Had an epiphany the other day, watching a group/band on YouTube. I'm on my own journey on publishing and trying to make a name for myself as an author (took a very long time for me to think of myself in terms of being an "author" vs. a writer too). I have indie presses backing my book coming out this fall, but most of the marketing is falling back on me. And first--thanks because you've had some great insights and feedback for me as I break into this.
I'm very new to this and I'm reading lots of books and have lots of authors on the subject of marketing handing out silver bullets for my advertising gun and the "secrets" of marketing, and so on.
I published a novella and someone gave me the idea of going to local bookstores to see if they would carry it and it seemed really cool. I contacted three places in town who try to help local authors. One never responded to me. I worked with a second and they were excited in the beginning but then it bogged down and a new manager started and ended up going nowhere. The third, they were excited, followed through and boom, my indie press novella sat in their store on their book shelf. Wow. I'm on cloud-9.
The reality: I think maybe a half dozen copies were sold through that outlet, and most of them by friends who found out it was in an actual store and went there specifically to buy it. Yeah.
My point? I think a lot of these marketing/advertising ideas are sound. They make sense, they get your name out there and they do add to sales. However ;), it's a small dent in making a name for yourself. Sometimes an almost unnoticeable dent.
I'm finding this out too with various ads I've been running for my Project Threshold book. I've tried four different avenues (no FB ads yet, or Amazon or Google) and so far, it has been very inexpensive, but still an outlay of cash. I'm not getting great responses from any of the four except one, and I still wouldn't call it "wow."
So it seems like all of these silver bullets don't have enough primer and none of them are killing the werewolf to get my name spread across the land like a virus (hey, I'm in horror, virus is in my wheelhouse ;)). And I've read so much from authors and "experts" telling me how they knocked one out of the park and I can do the same, but it's all falling short. So what's the deal?
Which brings me back around to the band I watched on Youtube. I got to thinking about bands and how they start small, and it takes time for them to make it big. I live in Iowa City, nowhere Iowa and there have been some Big Bands--who are big now (or were) that I found out played a venue here called Gabes back in the day when they were nobodies (don't even ask, I am terrible at coming up with these kinds of factoids on the fly...I'll think of it about 9pm and then I'll tell you...).
The point is, I thought about that and realized those bands had to probably play hundreds of gigs. Some in hole in the wall bars only the locals frequented, probably more than not, and they had to keep going, keep playing and keep grinding UNTIL.
And that's the point I think we all tend to not think about or we don't even realize. We do lots of these minimal things for advertising and marketing and individually, we feel like they fail because they don't hit a homerun for us. But (changing it up from however ;)), each effort does have some weight and impact. It's over the equation of time that you get a cumulative effect. It's the not giving up and it's the continuing to try different avenues that leads to eventually breaking it open.
I got into an argument with a guy over submitting a short story to a press. The payout was $30 for up to an 8000 word story and he groused about being a terrible trade for all that work. I told him I didn't give shit one about the money. I was looking at it as an addition to my publishing resume. I was looking at the long game, not the short term payout. For me, adding numbers to the list of stories I have published is more important than the amount i got paid for a single story. And yes, my story got published for a few dollars but now it's on my wall of published stories on my website. It's a small thing by itself but I have sixteen others, soon to be 22 other publications now because of continual effort.
And I think that's the key. I know you're getting discouraged right now, but keep going. The work you've done so far is leading you forward. When one avenue gives nothing back, look for the next. Yeah, you have to be careful how much money you sink into it, but keep poking holes in the dike. It's persistence over time. Just like the small nobody band no one has ever heard of who one day, knocks one out of the park and gets noticed by the "powers" that have the money and the means to spread your name across the land....like a virus ;)
Dude, I really like this episode. Only half way through but wanted to confirm that you do have a soothing voice. The part about the curse definitely came through as honesty and i felt no need to stop listening. The social awkwardness part is not something I have, although I do say yes to everything like you did for coaching. I just figure it out along the way and don’t really think much about what people think. But you described your feeling so well and I know a lot of people I know will relate. What I did relate to was what you alluded to about religious beliefs. We will hopefully talk more about that 1:1. So I do have questions for how you produce these podcasts which I’ll email you about. I’ll press play for the rest of your episode. I’m a fan.
Thank you for the kind words. I look forward to talking soon. I have a feeling we'll enjoy some fun, in-depth conversations.
Now you're getting into my arena of thinking ;) Two thoughts:
1) the question of the curse. I grew up in a very non-organized religion atmosphere which is a long story you're welcome to anytime you want that drudgery, but I was also allowed to find my own way. I spent most of my high school, college and post college years, studying many religions, philosophy, new age, everything I could get my hands on.
I've read a lot on physics and from several things I've come across, thoughts have energy attached to them. Even a simple, "bless you thought" a "you #@$%@@!" thought and even simple smiles when you think of someone, have energy in them. So, theoretically, could you "Curse" someone?
In terms of that, yes you could. However (my favorite word in the entire language), in the other philosophical, religious and new age ideas, everything comes down to you and your energy. How much weight do you put toward the incoming? Take it in terms of a bad review of your book. In essence, it's equal to a "curse." What is a curse other than someone publicly admonishing you (or performing a ritual in a backroom with a snip of your hair)? A bad review counts as a curse in my view.
However :), the difference is the weight and amount of time (and energy) you give to the "curse." The more conscious weight and notice you give a curse, the more power it has over you, and your mind will find reasons and examples of how this "curse" is not only real but affecting your life based on your belief. If you believe you are cursed, then in very real ways you are because you will categorize any negative thing coming into your life and equate it with this "curse" and then you've got real numbers to back up this idea. Just sayin' ;)
Wow! Thank you for this thoughtful response. You've brought something akin to science with your reasoning. I feel a lot of gratitude for your friendship, Craig. I'm grateful for your kindness.
Same to you. Of all the people I've met on Twitter, you have been the most supportive of my writing efforts and I hope to do the same for you. You have great insights into this publishing thing and you need to keep sharing it with other authors...especially the ones who need that set of hands to help them back on their feet to keep marching forward.
First, I got your book (an hour ago) because I love the excerpt you posted, which was funny because I hadn't listened to the podcast yet. Hopefully, I might contribute to lifting a tiny corner of the curse, if there is such a thing. I don't want to believe there is. We have so little control over what happens to us as people and writers that admitting to a power capable of sending us doom is just too disheartening. And I am disheartened right now. I have a 4-book contract that is about to collapse from neglect (by the publisher). In 2 weeks they will be in breach, actually they already are because there's no way the book will launch in 2 weeks. So I wasted almost 2 years with these people. I'm not discouraged, I'm angry. Fuming to be precise, lol! And I'm a calm, patient person, I swear! But I'll keep at it, like you, and break that wall.
Thank you, Martine! And may I say, you might've been just the key I was needing to push back the curse (if there are such things…). I saw your sale come in and not long after, my ad produced 2 from Facebook! So thank you.
I also grabbed a copy of your book Elymore off Amazon, and I'll be sure to leave a review for it just as soon as I finish reading!
As for the news of you book contract, please let me offer my deepest sympathies. It's an awful thing they've done, and I hope you will find an equal but opposite boon for the hardships they put you through.
If you want to bend someone's ear who's in a very similar situation, reach out to Heather O'Brien, and tell her I sent you. She comments on many of my podcast episodes, and she's also active on Twitter as @RealHeatherOB.
I read her novel, LOCKHARDT SOUND, and couldn't believe a publisher would fail to do everything in their power for that book, because it's a goldmine just waiting to be found by readers.
Thank you again for your support. You don't know how much it means.
Oh dear! Elymore... my God, lol. That was like prehistoric times. I haven't read that in forever. I was still very green then. To say that my writing has evolved is the understatement of the year. I do not write SF/Fantasy anymore. I got that out of my system 10 years ago. I write crime (the book contract was for a contemporary PI series.) I think you would have a better idea of what I'm about if you looked at my Derringer Award nomination. It's short and free, here: https://www.bristolnoir.co.uk/short-story-double-trouble-by-m-e-proctor/
I will reach out to Heather, thanks!
I should've asked first. Apologies!
Ahahah... no, it's fine. I like the series. Still. And there's some solid writing in there. Things like: "In his memory she would remain there forever, in her scarlet robe, surrounded by the dusty feathers of dead birds."
Actually, give it a try, tell me what you think, honestly. I'm probably too critical. The folks who read the series loved it.
This episode dropped at the perfect time for me. I'm halfway through launching my novella series, slowly accumulating sales and reviews, biding my time to try a couple of last ditch self promo options. It is encouraging, though not spectacular, but I haven't done one tenth as much as you on the marketing side. I started writing the next novella, but paused and decided to wait for more feedback on the first series for a while. In the meantime I will focus on my neglected farm, and put some more energy into my experimental farming sub stack (including sneaking some fiction and non-non-fiction into the mix). You mentioned having no choice but to keep going forward, but these days I am feeling like sideways, over or under, or maybe even vanishing off the map into any number of new portals opening up is an option. Digging down into why writing novels has meant so much to you for so long could be useful. I have done the same and returned to a few unexplored avenues. Unless you are obsessed with using them as doorstops or projectiles then there is no reason to limit yourself to that peculiar, archaic form.
I really look forward to our next interview. We have similar passion, similar creative drive to try, learn, devour, explore, and we are nearly polar opposites in how we apply romanticism.
Let me tease a line of inquiry we'll discuss: the archaic form is my greatest love. I can't imagine a better way to spend time than with my nose buried in a novel (or the act of creating one).
You know, the main reason I had a pause in my writing career between my time in Hollywood and now was my son.
No regrets spending as much time with him as I could doing activities, sports, scouts, band, etc.
They only grow up once, so I encourage you to embrace those opportunities--not because of social pressure from the community--but because they will remember Mom and Dad being there for them, and you're imprinting a parenting value on them that they will carry on.
As for the ups and downs of the writing business, oy vey!
At one point, Arnold and I were the head writers on The New Addams Family, writing for two other Fox Family shows, had 2 pilot deals for new series and looked like we were on the way to really getting our "big" break. Then, ABC bought Fox Family, all the executives got replaced, our development deals got shelved, and we were yesterday's news.
And did I ever tell you about the time we had a pilot in development with Brandon Tartikoff, the wonderboy of NBC in the eighties, who spearheaded "Must See TV" shows like (I know he's a pariah now, but it was a top show back then before we knew how creepy he really was) The Cosby Show, Family Ties, Hill Street Blues, Miami Vice, Seinfeld... We were about to pitch it to the networks, a big deal back then! And then, I'm driving down Sepulveda Blvd, listening to the radio and hear that he died. And so did our pilot. Whomp!
So, a dip in sales is not that big a deal, nor a bad review. Not telling you this to cheer you up, but I selfishly need to vent about it from time to time, and remind myself that I know how to climb that hill, just need to lace up my boots and get to it.
I am always conscious of what my kids are seeing in me, and when it's time for papa to put his head down and work long hours, I talk a lot to them about the value of putting everything you have into a project.
Then there's time to play board games and video games and sports with them, and I try to be fully there and not checking my phone or talking about adult stuff.
But most of all, I try to find ways to apologize when I screw up, because my dad never apologized, and that made me feel worthless, like I was always the problem. (Coaching though, is not my specialty—still, I'll do it.)
It just so happens that regarding your work, Rich, I think you're onto something and your books are going to gain a big audience. I love hearing about your days in TV. Not the outcome, but the work you were doing. It shows in your productions, too.
Keep up the good work, and thank you for the consistent support.
The setup? Discussing social awkwardness? I relate to that so much. SO much. You described my own feelings. We differ on the religion stuff, but even the coaching thing. I used to be a Team Mom for little league - a bunch of 13-year-old boys. I could see you out there and how it might be feel for you. Brought back a lot of memories. And, as always, it spotlights more of our similarities.
As for the books, I still have to say what I also say to myself: MORE BOOKS. There need to be many books. One book (or two) won't do it for long. Hang in there (I know you will, obviously). It's the long haul. I get how you feel. And I'm there, too. But I truly believe you're on the right track.
You're not cursed. I don't believe you are at all. I do think we have active senses surrounding integrity and guilt (or whatever). That pressing sense of right vs. wrong is a good thing. In fact, that's not even the issue, right? The thing is - what if you DIDN'T feel that guilt or tug at you? That's what the problem would be.
To sell more books, we need to write more of them. Oh - and selfish? Nope. I don't think so. There are plenty of people out there doing what we do. That doesn't just "happen" overnight. It's a process. A process that needs to have a start, and a trajectory. It isn't "typical," perhaps, but it's not selfish. I get how you might feel that way or give weight to those who say it (I feel that way lately w/my husband).
But I will say that, when we pray, and then we catch a glimpse that the prayer has been heard and addressed to some extent, there's something there, too. Maybe in addition to gratitude (which I agree with), there might be some acknowledgment - that gratitude - for the communication.
More books. Challenging myself to write uncomfortably fast. I have a guest coming up, J.P. Smith, and his comments about writing books resonated with me. He aims to write one a year. I'm going to push for two, myself, as long as I can produce quality. (I get how you feel that way with your husband, and I don't know him personally, but I sense he's happy to help you realize a long-held dream.)
I don't know. Writing "fast" spooks me. Or maybe that's just my thing. I know that, if I can take the necessary time to sit and do a detailed outline ("...in this scene, Chris goes to Ben to ask about ...") and fill in as much detail as comes to me - details more related to the overall plot than anything - I can write fairly fast. I wrote book 2 in 6 wks (173K words until last year's deep dive) and book 4 in four months. If I can front-load the book's creation with outline, it's like I tell my husband: "Now, all I have to do is fill in the words." I could probably do 2 books/year like that, even with my historically big word count.
But if that isn't flowing, or if it's not what you see/want from your book or story, maybe "fast" isn't all it's cracked up to be. Now, with your series, it'll be easier for you in a sense, because you're not creating and developing a whole new stable of characters each time. Your base characters are the same.
I know you could do 2 books/year. Maybe we should be each others' accountability partners. LOL
Yes to all. And at the bottom of it, I think in a world that functions optimally, an author should be able to earn a living writing one high-quality novel ever 24 months. There are no other art forms that force their practitioners to move faster than that as far as I know.
You're so right about this. Spot on.
But what other art forms do people unashamedly state that writers should make their work available for free? Where stealing isn't addressed much at all? I think it's also about author and brand recognition. All or many who have the 24-month luxury are known. This is where our journey is. And until we get our brand established to the masses, we're in a position of, "Okay, so you've written a handful of titles - but what have you written this year?" When Harper Lee wrote two in her whole life - and, up until around the time of her death, she'd been known for only one.
Quality books, quality stories, are now competing with a bunch of folks who churn out unedited and poorly crafted junk. We've discussed the pros and cons of the self-publishing world, where its good news is also the bad news.
We just shoulder forward. Put on the blinders. Keep writing anyway. Keep doing the next right thing. It's sort of like my analogy of working for years to become an overnight sensation. We'll get there. One way or another.
Yes, yes, and more yes. The notion for freebies is so frustrating, and I also am trying to borrow the radio model here. You can have my stuff "free" if I can get it sponsored or if you agree to recommend it. That is a project in the works ATM. (Yep, I just used a brev like the cool kids.)
Also frustrating are the readers who adamantly say, "I don't like books that..."
I just got a 2-star rating from someone who says she DNF because Farin was blindsided with a pregnancy. "I don't like stories with the pregnancy trope..."
I'm not sure I get why readers find these excuses to not finish - like, no one "really" gets blindsided by a pregnancy or something. But we roll with it, however baffling.
Thought 2): Had an epiphany the other day, watching a group/band on YouTube. I'm on my own journey on publishing and trying to make a name for myself as an author (took a very long time for me to think of myself in terms of being an "author" vs. a writer too). I have indie presses backing my book coming out this fall, but most of the marketing is falling back on me. And first--thanks because you've had some great insights and feedback for me as I break into this.
I'm very new to this and I'm reading lots of books and have lots of authors on the subject of marketing handing out silver bullets for my advertising gun and the "secrets" of marketing, and so on.
I published a novella and someone gave me the idea of going to local bookstores to see if they would carry it and it seemed really cool. I contacted three places in town who try to help local authors. One never responded to me. I worked with a second and they were excited in the beginning but then it bogged down and a new manager started and ended up going nowhere. The third, they were excited, followed through and boom, my indie press novella sat in their store on their book shelf. Wow. I'm on cloud-9.
The reality: I think maybe a half dozen copies were sold through that outlet, and most of them by friends who found out it was in an actual store and went there specifically to buy it. Yeah.
My point? I think a lot of these marketing/advertising ideas are sound. They make sense, they get your name out there and they do add to sales. However ;), it's a small dent in making a name for yourself. Sometimes an almost unnoticeable dent.
I'm finding this out too with various ads I've been running for my Project Threshold book. I've tried four different avenues (no FB ads yet, or Amazon or Google) and so far, it has been very inexpensive, but still an outlay of cash. I'm not getting great responses from any of the four except one, and I still wouldn't call it "wow."
So it seems like all of these silver bullets don't have enough primer and none of them are killing the werewolf to get my name spread across the land like a virus (hey, I'm in horror, virus is in my wheelhouse ;)). And I've read so much from authors and "experts" telling me how they knocked one out of the park and I can do the same, but it's all falling short. So what's the deal?
Which brings me back around to the band I watched on Youtube. I got to thinking about bands and how they start small, and it takes time for them to make it big. I live in Iowa City, nowhere Iowa and there have been some Big Bands--who are big now (or were) that I found out played a venue here called Gabes back in the day when they were nobodies (don't even ask, I am terrible at coming up with these kinds of factoids on the fly...I'll think of it about 9pm and then I'll tell you...).
The point is, I thought about that and realized those bands had to probably play hundreds of gigs. Some in hole in the wall bars only the locals frequented, probably more than not, and they had to keep going, keep playing and keep grinding UNTIL.
And that's the point I think we all tend to not think about or we don't even realize. We do lots of these minimal things for advertising and marketing and individually, we feel like they fail because they don't hit a homerun for us. But (changing it up from however ;)), each effort does have some weight and impact. It's over the equation of time that you get a cumulative effect. It's the not giving up and it's the continuing to try different avenues that leads to eventually breaking it open.
I got into an argument with a guy over submitting a short story to a press. The payout was $30 for up to an 8000 word story and he groused about being a terrible trade for all that work. I told him I didn't give shit one about the money. I was looking at it as an addition to my publishing resume. I was looking at the long game, not the short term payout. For me, adding numbers to the list of stories I have published is more important than the amount i got paid for a single story. And yes, my story got published for a few dollars but now it's on my wall of published stories on my website. It's a small thing by itself but I have sixteen others, soon to be 22 other publications now because of continual effort.
And I think that's the key. I know you're getting discouraged right now, but keep going. The work you've done so far is leading you forward. When one avenue gives nothing back, look for the next. Yeah, you have to be careful how much money you sink into it, but keep poking holes in the dike. It's persistence over time. Just like the small nobody band no one has ever heard of who one day, knocks one out of the park and gets noticed by the "powers" that have the money and the means to spread your name across the land....like a virus ;)