It’s Time

The time has come to move forward with self-publishing.

I’ve tried to find an agent, I’ve pitched my books to independent publishers, and so far have found no takers. Barring a last-minute note of interest from an indie publisher, on Monday I’m going to reach out to a company I’ve been looking at for over a year. They’ll create a cover, format the book for both print and e-readers, make it available in multiple catalogs and sites, print it on demand, and push out ads.

We’ll see how this turns out. Could be just a vanity project that I can use as a tax write-off, but it’d be nice to at least sell enough to cover the cost. I have to admit, I do feel a little excited at the realization that my book (and hopefully plural books) is finally going to be published.

Yesterday I finished the short story I was writing. Today I’m going to start reading through First one more time and in a few days will start the process of getting it published.

Well…

I ended up starting a new short story yesterday. I know, I know, I was going to do something else to while away the time this week. In fact, it started out rather slowly in my head and I almost abandoned it. Instead, it took an odd twist and I ended up with about 1200 words in less than an hour’s worth of writing.

Yes, I’m still going to shore up the book I’m going to work on self-publishing next week. I can do some of that on the weekend. Plus, I still have to determine which book I’m going with first. I was thinking about that while I was walking yesterday (97 degrees, heat index 115) and still haven’t come to an answer.

While I dither in the cyclone of indecision, I might as well write something. And so I am. At least it’s keeping me entertained.

Ideas

Why do book ideas come to me when I’m trying to sleep?

The one that showed up in my brain last night was about something I’m not sure is mine to write. First of all, it’s not a novel, it’s a memoir. Second, and this is the part about my reluctance, I think other people have better things to say about the subject than me. And finally, it would be very personal. Not sure I’m up for that.

I doubt it’s a story that would anybody outside my family would appreciate. But then again, it’s about enshrining memories and never forgetting. That would make it worthwhile. It make take some time before I’m ready.

Next

Finished another short story yesterday. I turned out liking it better than I thought (see previous post) and it was a worthwhile effort. Is it the best thing I’ve ever written? No, but like I said, it gave me a chance to write from a different perspective and see if that would lend itself to a whole book. Maybe? I don’t think I totally captured why this narrator would be different than the narrator who told the story in First. If I end up writing the book I’ve been thinking of, I’ll really need to work on giving this narrator a distinct voice. Otherwise, I might as well write it using the same narrator.

What next? I’m waiting another week for responses from my queries to independent publishers, and if nothing positive comes back then I’ll start the self-publishing journey again. In the meantime, I can get my ducks in order. The first question I have to resolve is this: which book to self-publish first?

Seems like it would be a question easy to answer, right? Publish them in the order written. Except I have this feeling that Next Time would be easier to market. One train of thought is that if it’s successful, people would be more inclined to read subsequent books. Another thought is that I put out First and see how it goes, using it as a means to figure out what I will need to do better when I publish Next Time. And somewhere in there is Assignment Day, but I don’t think that will be the first one I publish.

Once I make that decision, I think I’ll take one more look through the book I choose and make darn sure it’s in the best shape possible, especially story-wise. Then I’ll go from there.

Dislike

What if you’re writing a story or part of a story and you dislike it? That’s a bad sign, right?

It’s happened to me multiple times when writing novels. I’ll be several chapters down a certain path and find I don’t like where the story has gone, or that I’m losing interest. To me, that’s a really bad sign. If I lose interest then a reader certainly will, too. I’ve scrapped tens of thousands of words in some instances.

I guess if I worked from a more detailed outline that would avoid those situations. Instead, I tend to have a general idea of the story and a clear picture of the ending. Everything else is fluid. I like writing that way and it works for me since I’ve come up with some good character development and storylines I wouldn’t have otherwise. But as mentioned above, sometimes it leads off the beaten path.

Why is this important now when I’m not even working on a novel? Because writing short stories allows me to try out some new situations and perspectives to see if they work. The one I’m currently writing is teetering close to the edge of dislike. It’s not a horrible waste of time, but it is making me wonder if a full-length book with this narrator would work out. In contrast, the story I wrote a couple of weeks ago worked like a charm. Trial and error, experimentation, new paths, whatever you want to call it, sometimes it’s worth writing something you end up disliking.

Shorties

I’ve now written a couple of short stories in the world of First, and I have to say I enjoyed the experience. Plus, I now have a little more background on some of the characters. This week I’m going to write another story from the POV of one of the other characters.

Will these stories ever see the light of day? Well, to make sense their parent story has be published first, and we all know how that’s going so far this year. These stories assume you’ve read the novel. They’re standalone tales, but if you don’t know all the context I don’t think they’re as enjoyable. Let’s just say the enrich the book in different ways, but without adding to or distracting from the novel.

How would I publish these? I have several options. On this website, for one. As an incentive to join a mailing list, if I ever create one. As part of a future compilation of short stories. I’ve written quite a few in the past and maybe I could dust off some of those and combine them all into a book.

Let’s see about getting the book published and then we’ll worry about the short stories. In the meantime, I’ll keep pounding away at the keyboard.

Journey

Part of the intent of this site and blog is to chronicle my publishing journey, such as it is. If someone else happens onto it and realizes they’re not alone, then at least this can be marginally helpful. With that in mind, where am I on the journey?

Right now I have a number of queries out to the independent publishers. It looks like several of them would be a good match, but we’ll see. I want to give that process several more weeks, at least until the end of the month.

In the meantime, I’m looking into self-publishing and resources I’ve found for independent authors. There are organizations that offer a whole list of services but I’m not sure at this point I need those. I’ll continue looking into them and keep them in mind if I move forward.

Here we are, almost halfway through the year. Am I frustrated by the glacial progress toward publishing my books? A little, yes. I know it’s not an overnight process but I thought I’d have something in the works by now. Hopefully that just means the second half of the year is going to be a lot busier.

Complete

I finished the short story on Saturday and I feel like it was a success. It kind of went in a bit of a different direction than I expected, but using it as a test for a concept for a longer piece worked out well.

So, what next while I wait for replies on the queries I sent out last month? Probably a break for a few days since I have some upcoming late nights (baseball) while still working during the days. Then probably another short story. I kind of enjoy that approach since it’s like writing “deleted scenes” that show up in the Bonus Features. At least it’s a story with a little more meat than a deleted scene.

Which makes me wonder, is it something that would enhance the book itself if I added it? I thought about that this weekend. In this case, I’d say a definite no. First of all, it’s written from the first-person perspective of a different character. Second, it’s interesting but not critical to the overall story in the book. Which is why I didn’t think of it in the first place. Don’t get me wrong, it fills in some gaps but again, they’re points that took place off-camera, if you will. And finally, even though this is not the most important of points, the book is already long enough. No need to add more.

Sometimes I feel like knowing what to not add to a story is just as important as knowing what to add.

Test Run

I settled on writing a short story while I wait on replies from my independent publisher queries. I’ve received two so far, both nays.

The story I decided to write is kind of a test run for a book idea. It involves one of the characters from First, and while I’m sure it’s not a new perspective from my narrative choice, it's definitely new for me. Without giving too much away, I wanted to see if telling a story from this POV was possible. So far, it seems to be working just fine, and maybe even better than I thought.

Plus, while I’m contemplating a new novel or series of novels, it gives me something different to try. That’s the good thing about writing: the opportunity to fail miserably without anyone noticing. I can experiment with a story line, a character, a situation, or even style of writing, and if it doesn’t work then all I’ve lost is time. I suppose if I actually made a living doing this I’d have a different attitude, but for now I can do a test run in the freedom I have.

Revelry

Last Saturday’s wedding and the surrounding social revelry took up most of my time over the last week. We’ve had visitors in town, at the house, and certainly out and about. I took an extra day after the holiday, mainly because I needed some down time where I wasn’t entertaining guests.

Where does that leave me with the latest on writing? If the above wasn’t clear enough, then let’s just say I haven’t done anything in a week. I suppose in some ways it’s good to take a break and let my brain relax from thinking about writing stuff every day. On the other hand, it’s the end of May and I need to make some progress.

Since I sent out a number of queries several weeks ago, I’ll give them a few more weeks to see if I get any positive responses. No need to panic and do something, anything, without giving publishers time to respond. As you might have noticed from previous posts, I’ve been pondering what to do in the meantime. I’m leaning toward writing a short story or two. Time to get started.

Weddings

We have a wedding coming up this weekend and it got me thinking about why weddings are so common in storytelling. Beyond the fact they’re a major life event, of course. Examples abound of weddings in storytelling.

For example, The Godfather starts with a wedding celebration. In the movie it seems to take up the whole first hour, although it’s probably not that long. But it does serve as the vehicle for an introduction into the world of the Corleone family. We meet the family, we meet the people who want favors from Don Corleone, we see the security team shooing away the police, and we get a sense of the conflicts among the people at the wedding. The other reason the wedding’s important is because it serves as a bookend to the finale of the story when Michael stands in a church at a baby dedication while his men seize power by gunning down all his rivals. The wedding at the beginning gives a glimpse into the culture and conflicts we’ll experience until the payoff at the end.

Weddings are also devices in comedies, not just dramas. I won’t even go into all of them, but suffice it to say, the wedding itself is not always the main piece, but rather, it’s the idea of a wedding. It’s oftentimes a goal or destination. Why? Because it resonates with the reader or viewer, depending on the medium. Is putting a wedding into a story original? Not at all. Is it a useful device? You betcha.

In the Meantime

What to do, what to do…

I’m in that limbo where I’ve queried several independent publishers but probably shouldn’t start writing something new. As soon as I begin a new book that’ll be my focus for a couple of months, whereas if I get the nod from a publisher that’ll be my top priority. Not that I can’t put the writing on hold.

I think my reluctance is that if I do start writing and nothing happens with publishing, I’ll be pleasantly distracted and then it’ll be late summer and I’ll have four books to publish instead of three. I mean, I guess that’s a good problem to have. The alternative is to putter around and make no progress on writing while I wait for responses. Or in what I’m guessing will be the case, non-responses.

I could do what I’ve done before and write a short story in the world of one of my books. Maybe I should do that again since it’s a nice asset to have in my back pocket for someday when I do a mailing list and offer incentives for people to sign up. Yeah, that’s the ticket…

Series Pt. 3

What I posted the other day about the second option for writing a series, where each book is somewhat of a standalone in a continuous universe, got me thinking a little more. Mainly in the sense that a series like that is much like a television series. Yes, I said ‘television’ instead of ‘streaming.’ I’ve been around for more than a couple of decades, so deal with it.

I think there’s an inherent drawback for television that’s not always so in books. In television shows, conflicts have to be resolved within the time limit of the episode. In sitcoms, not only does it have to be resolved, but everything has to go back to the way it was when the episode started. That rule is still there for dramas, but you also know the main character’s not going to die in a hail of gunfire, especially when the show is named after him or her. That limitation is less of a concern in books where you don’t have to worry about an actor or that you’re violating their contract by writing them out of the story.

Not to say you can’t include changes and character growth in television shows. Heck, that’s what makes them interesting. One show that comes to mind is Cheers, which we’re rewatching. Does Sam Malone end the show’s long run the same guy as when he started? Somewhat, yes. He ends up still owning the bar, and still single. Arguably, though, he’s a changed man because the ups and downs of the previous eleven seasons have shown him the value of his friends and what the pub means to him and them. He wouldn’t have understood those feelings in the first season.

How that concept translates to books, or doesn’t, is an interesting thought exercise. Just like I’m still pondering the idea of writing a series, I can continue pondering the overall concept.

Series Pt. 2

See what I did there? I made that post about writing a series into a series. Tricky, huh?

Continuing thoughts from that previous blog entry, I’m not thinking of writing a series just for the sake of writing a series. Writing and editing a book is not something done on a whim. It’s a commitment. And writing multiple books with an ongoing story, and presumably ongoing characters, is a multi-year ordeal. I don’t want to get a few books down the road and decide I’d rather be writing something else.

Which means mapping out the story arc. Gosh, that sounds like a lot of work. Only kidding, I usually have a general outline in my head and sometimes on paper when I write a book. But with a multi-book series I need to have more guardrails and there are a couple of ways to go about it.

One way is that the series is an ongoing narrative, kind of like life. It can be a single-threaded story or there can be multiple threads all contributing to the overall tale. Think Lord of the Rings. Even though it’s a series of only three books, each one is an entry in a single overall story.

Another option is to write books that could stand alone but all exist in the same universe. Oftentimes this type of series has personal growth or slight changes to characters over the course of multiple books. For example, one series I’ve read is based on a private detective. The world around him is consistent, such as his neighbors, the bars and restaurants he frequents, his parents, etc. But he also goes from a single guy to being interested in a cute neighbor to marrying her. And other neighbors help him with surveillance, get new jobs, and take on more responsibility in their own personal growth. So even if the series I write isn’t a continuous storyline it still needs to have some changes over the course of the books.

Which is better? Depends on the story I want to tell. I’m still mulling it over.

Series

I’m kicking the tires on some ideas floating around in my head for a series. I haven’t landed firmly on anything yet but I have some intriguing ideas.

Why a series? It’s the literary equivalent of binge-watching a streaming show. I’ve found several series using my Kindle Unlimited in the last few years where I ran through 15-20 books quickly. Not that I didn’t read series of books before electronic ink, but now it seems to be easier to keep going.

For example, when I read the Lost Fleet series a few years back, I did most all of it through the library. And that was hit or miss. Not knocking libraries, but you’re at the mercy of other readers. We have a couple of libraries in our area and I’d have to find which one had the next book available and reserve it there for pickup. Pretty sure somewhere in there I ordered a book since it wasn’t available, but that only happened once or twice, I think.

With a KU subscription now I just click the ‘Read Now’ button for the next book in the series and keep going. Occasionally, I have to log in and return some books, but that’s no big deal. I’ve read series about a team of assassins, a detective into film noir, a generational space ship, and a group of Earth soldiers trying to keep aliens from knowing we exist. Those are the ones that pop into my head on short review.

I think it’d be fun to write multiple books in the same universe, with compelling characters and the option for readers to binge. I’ll have some more thoughts in the next post.

Prologue

As I’ve sending off queries to independent publishers, I double-checked the manuscript of First to make sure I’d left it formatted correctly. In doing so, I read the first few pages and it made me wonder again if a prologue was a good move.

When I wrote Assignment Day, the idea started with the prologue, and in particular the last line, which set the foundation for the whole story. I have no waffling about the prologue in that book. TBH I’ve struggled mightily with the prologue for First, though. Which may be the sign that it shouldn’t be there and I should rip it out.

The reason I started the book with that particular prologue is because it puts the reader in the middle of the action right away. The prologue is short, less than a page. And it gives a hint of what’s to come later in the book without giving away too many details. See, when I write it out the reasoning like that I want to keep it.

But then I look at the negatives. Does it really add anything to the narrative? Plus, I like the first line of Chapter 1, which is: I spent most of my first day as an astronaut trying to find the nearest restroom. It’s not Dickens or Melville, but I think it’s pretty good since it sets up several things right out of the gate. To start with, the narrator is telling the story in first-person narration. Next, he’s just starting the journey to being an astronaut, but what kind? Is he going to the Moon? Or Mars? Or someplace else? We don’t know but we’ll find out. And finally, the wry comment about the restroom is his main takeaway from the first day on the job and not something glamorous. Why did he need to use the restroom so much? Medical condition? Nerves? Well, as we find out in the next paragraph, it’s because he drank too much coffee. I think many of can identify with that.

So, with all that floating around in my mind, to prologue or not to prologue in this case? I finished the book over a year ago and I still go back and forth about it. And I still don’t know which is the right way to go.

Ongoing

This week I’ve been pitching my books to independent publishers. It’s much like the agent search I did last year in that many of them want a synopsis and pitch letter. I’m mainly throwing Next Time out there, and First as well to a couple of publishers. I also thought about putting Assignment Day into the mix and realized I don’t have a synopsis or pitch for it yet. Guess I better get to work on that.

My thought right now is to give it a couple of months for replies. I don’t expect instantaneous answers but I also can’t wait until the end of summer. My goal this year is to publish books, not just write them, and we’re nearing the midpoint. Time to get crackin’.

Interesting

We live in interesting times. No big revelation there, right?

Think of the last 600 years (actually a few decades less). Since Gutenberg invented that printing press we’ve gone from hand-copied books to electronic ink. The ability to own your own Bible, and other books beyond that, was not always an option. In the 21st century the printed word is everywhere, from the library to the airport news stand to the laptop to the Kindle. It’s an age of wonder.

Think about the last 200 years (actually a few decades more). Inflammatory pamphlets were printed in small batches and distrubuted to readers pre-Revolutionary War in what became the United States. That morphed into large-scale publishers a century later, and really snowballed by the middle of the 20th century. The scenery changed as publishers came, went, consolidated, and some persevered.

Now we live in a time where anybody can be a publisher. We’re no longer reliant on movable type or small-scale distribution systems or behemoth publishers. I can publish my own books, both electronically and in print, and I have. Independent, hybrid, and traditional publishers all play in the same space and have their reasons for existing and thriving. Think of how boring the world would be if everything still funneled through the big houses. Instead, people like me have a chance to be heard. It truly is an interesting time to be alive.

Back To It

I spent the last week or so on vacation, and that included leaving my laptop at home. I was originally planning on taking it and doing a few things related to writing but ended up taking my work laptop instead. Since I couldn’t take both I had to leave behind the one I use for writing.

It ended up being a good thing to hop off the writing bus for a few days. I’m a big believer in giving my brain a rest when it needs it, and this was a prime time to do so. The last time I did this was our trip to Ireland last October, and I came out of that with the idea for a new book, which turned into Next Time. I don’t know if that same creative blast will happen again and kind of doubt it, but at least my brain a break.

On vacation I went to a wedding, read a lot, watched some Stanley Cup playoff games on TV, and sat outside by a lake for a couple of days. I thought about writing a little, but not too much. I have some ideas I’m tossing around for my next book, but first I need to take care of publishing the books I have waiting to be unleashed on the world. I’m going to finish up the synopsis I was working on, get that out to some independent publishers, and see what happens. Vacation time is over.

Synopsis

I was looking through a list of independent publishers yesterday and determined I need to go through the routine of writing a synopsis for the new book. And a hook for a query letter.

Those were requirements for last year when I spent the better part of two months trying to find an agent. They’re requirements for this effort, too, and so yesterday I started writing the synopsis for Next Time.

I have to say, it’s an interesting exercise. Summarizing the relevant plot points and leaving out others makes me think about the relevance of each chapter to the whole, and if they serve the end goal of the story. That’s been a topic in our home as we we’ve been watching a show where we’ve been treated to a C-story (doesn’t even make it to B-level) that was clearly scabbed into the short series to serve as a nod to diversity and does absolutely nothing to advance the overall story. It’s so noticeable and distracting that it takes you out of the experience. I’d shrug my shoulders and say it’s just the world we live in, but beyond that it’s just bad storytelling. Anyway, examining the story points in my book is another chance to make sure I wrote a good story without any fluff.

And try my best to avoid bad storytelling, a concept writers of a popular streaming show don’t seem to understand.