A Journey

Am I Selling Out?

steven@steven-mather.com (Steven Mather) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 00:38:12 GMT

If you've read any of my latest entries, you know that I'm considering self-publishing seriously for a number of reasons. I believe that the future of publishing is changing and the industry will be completely reformed in 5-10 years. The bound book will disappear, which will spell the demise of one of my most revered places; the bookstore. Opportunities will abound for the savvy writer and publisher alike. iBooks.com is already under construction and my imagination runs wild about who is the power behind it. Amazon.com already claims close to a million sales of their first generation Kindle--an electronic book reader that Oprah endorsed and can't live without--and their sales of eBooks are a significant portion of their overall sales. Remember, an eBook is like a digital recording of music; once the original is created infinite copies can be sold at 100% profit. No other materials, warehousing, shipping costs, etc. are required, only the cost of marketing.

That brings me to the biggest reason behind my decision to possibly self publish. With the massive numbers of new books printed yearly, publishers allocate marketing budgets for only a select few of their authors, the rest are on their own, and for what, a tiny percentage of not even net sales. Without a minor miracle, an author's book without marketing will rarely sell more than 5,000 copies. My belief is that if I'm responsible for all of the marketing—the most important aspect of sales—then I'm entitled to most of the profits.

Well, my first novel is ready. I can do no more edits, it's been edited exhaustively by others, the cover's ready and phenomenal, and all that's left for me to do is sign a contract with my favorite POD company. Why have I waited? In big part, it’s because of the economy. I'm sure book sales are suffering too. The other major factor is that I'm just not ready financially and need more time to plan my marketing strategy. Marketing takes money and successful marketing requires a well-developed plan. I'm not there yet.

Therefore, while I wait and ponder, I've been sending out queries to agents; email queries only. Printed and mailed queries are a pain. Just recently, several agents requested portions of my manuscript: the first chapter, the first 30 pages, or the first 50 pages. One agent who requested 50 pages 4 days ago just requested the rest of the manuscript. What? Wait a minute. I had given up on agents and the traditional route. I was only fishing for fun and now I find myself with a potential dilemma. What if they want to represent me? Will you still respect me if I whimper out and go the traditional route? I checked the agency's web site and while they aren't a big New York firm, they are tremendously successful and have represented at least 50 bestsellers. Not only that, but a BLOG at their site says that they love it when they get 50 pages and they just have to see the rest, and my book does one thing very well, it draws you in more and more as each chapter goes by.

Of course, I'd be projecting if I began to believe that a publishing contract and debut is soon to follow. I'm grounded and realistic enough to know better than to think that way. It's like imagining what your children will look like halfway through your first date with someone you just met. The word premature doesn't come close to defining it. I can however, entertain a few brief fantasies. I've already had one contract to publish my first novel and I canceled it because I realized that my publisher was not right for what I wanted and expected. If a real publisher makes me an offer, would I take it? As long as the rights were not for perpetuity, you bet your sweet bippy I would. The industry is changing, and will change even more, but for the moment, the traditional business model is still King.

POD and Self-Publishing, Is it time?

steven@steven-mather.com (Steven Mather) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 08:39:17 GMT

This article takes a close look at rapidly growing alternative to traditional publishing, Print on Demand (POD). I frequently see people equate POD as an industrial form of Kinko’s or some other document printing service and give it no further thought. They assume POD means a self-published book that a traditional publisher wouldn't sign, and that must mean the book is no good. Fortunately, for the author, self-publishing is becoming a real and viable means for publishing their work and actually make money from it. As little as two years ago, there was a black and white view toward self-publishing. That is no longer the case, and people in the industry with the ability to look past the traditional way of thinking are taking POD very seriously. So should you.

Print on demand is no longer just a way for an author to have their book professionally printed. It has become a new business model that favors the author. For once, the author can be in complete control and maintain all of the same chances of success that are possible when signing a contract with a publisher using the traditional business model. To understand these business models better and gain a deeper insight into the publishing industry, read my article, The Future of Publishing. This article focuses on the new business model and how to take advantage of it.

It's important to realize that POD no longer means simply having your book professionally printed. The POD industry is just as complex as signing with a traditional publisher and careful thought and consideration needs to go into using a POD provider. Most POD companies can now be classified as publishers and not just a printing service, and as such are becoming serious competition for traditional publishers. This is great for the author. Competition breeds opportunity, and the opportunity for the author is a much larger piece of the pie.

The misconception that POD is strictly used by an individual author for self-publishing is a common mistake. Many independent, traditional publishers also use POD, many exclusively. For the immediate future, POD will gain in popularity and use exponentially. Unfortunately, this new business model will also change as the popularity of eBooks and eReaders rise (see The Future of Publishing), however for the immediate future, POD and self-publishing will gain in popularity and actually be the precursor to the digital business model that is sure to happen.

The topics covered in this article are:

· Why should you self-publish?

· What is POD?

· Why is POD becoming a mainstream industry?

· What do POD publishers really offer?

· Is your publisher an unnecessary third party?

· What should you look for in a POD publisher?

There are three things I'd like to emphasize before getting to the individual topics.

1. A publishing contract is not a golden ticket.

I, like many, assumed that if you received a book contract there was a good chance that wealth and fame were sure to follow. Nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, unless you’re a celebrity or an established author with a large fan base, more than likely you’ll spend more money than you earn. On average, 3,000 new titles are published each day. This includes all types of books, not just fiction. The real and raw truth is that very few books make money.

Out of the 1.2 million titles tracked by Bookscan.com in 2006:

· Almost 80% sold fewer than 100 copies

· 16% sold fewer than 1,000 copies

· Only 2% sold over 5,000 copies

These statistics are sobering and sometimes defeating, but before you give up, understand that the industry is changing, and the changes are all in favor of the author and consumer. With proper planning and execution, your writing can make you money.

These numbers, statistics, and the reasons behind them are a study all on their own, and I don’t address them here. If you’d like to know more statistics and the current state of publishing, I highly recommend visiting this site, http://thefutureofpublishing.com (not to be confused with my aforementioned study). This site is a great resource to see the numbers and statistics that show the stark reality of making money off your book. The site also has in-depth coverage on the future of publishing across all markets.

2. You are an artist and all you need to do is produce your art.

This has never been true, and I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard people moan that all they want to do is write—let someone else take care of all that other stuff. If you aren’t willing to get heavily involved in the marketing of your work, you’re wasting your time. The amount of effort required by the author in participating in the marketing of their work is proportional to their popularity and access to money. A beginning author will be required to expend more effort on marketing than the famous, wealthy author does. With money, you can hire people to do much of the work for you. If you’re a popular and recognized author, then quite often just your name on the cover sells the book. I suppose an author such as J.K. Rowling can spend the vast majority of her time writing, but even someone of her status and wealth has to take time out to interact with her fans, publicists, and marketing staff. You must treat your writing like a business and you are the CEO. You will need to learn about every aspect of your business and invest time and effort in activities other than writing. Embrace this fact and your chances of success are much higher.

3. POD is not just for self-published authors.

POD is gaining in popularity quickly, and for good reasons. POD makes very good business sense and I’ll talk more about that. More than likely, if you sign a publishing contract with a small publisher, they are going to use a POD provider rather than offset printing. Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and other booksellers are jumping on the POD bandwagon. POD is no longer just associated with the self-published author who could not get an agent or a contract for whatever reasons. Be aware of this or you may find yourself handing over the majority of your royalties to someone who adds little or no value to your success.

Why should you self-publish?

The reason most people choose to self-publish is simple, no one else seems to be interested in publishing it for you. It could be because you're work is so bad that it really shouldn't be committed to paper and offered to any one for reading. I'm going to assume, however that you're book is worthy, has merit, and deserves a chance to be discovered and read. Why then, won't anyone give you a shot? Why does it seem as though no one is even reading those hundred query letters you sent out?

The traditional publishing model is undergoing a massive change; even industry insiders are confused and unclear what the new model will look like. At a recent writer’s convention it became abundantly apparent from listening to the industry speakers that they were not doing business as usual, and in fact they were not sure what the future held. Fortunately, the recording industry provides us with an idea of what is to come. You can read about this in my study, The Future of Publishing and I recommend reading it first. As an author in today’s world, you need to be aware of how the landscape is shifting or you will waste valuable time in your attempts to become a successful author.

Traditional publishers are losing money. Their business model no longer works and they are offering fewer and fewer contracts each day. Even if you do receive a contract, the vast majority of marketing will be up to you. Why should you give away 70%-90% of your royalties to someone who will do nothing to help your book sell? Don’t let the fear of the unknown cost you a significant portion of your success. Most authors don’t even know where to start when it comes to marketing, or even getting their book printed, registered, and available for sale. That’s understandable, it’s just not your thing, but the knowledge is out there, free and readily available. If you’re not willing to do a little research then I would have to question your capability as a good writer to begin with. I know that sounds harsh, but somebody has to say it.

You’ve developed your first, second, or third book. It may be a paranormal romance between a rotting zombie and a lonely widow, a how to book on raising alligators as pets, your life story—truthfully told, a children’s story about two dogs and an unopened can of Spam, or one hundred beautiful shots of butterfly’s. Whatever it is, it’s your labor of love, and you think there’s an audience for it. You’re goal may be the bestsellers list, a guest spot on Oprah, or just connect with people who love alligators. It doesn’t matter, there’s no one to tell you it’s silly, approve the artwork, or change the ending and add a car chase. It doesn’t matter because if you choose to self-publish, you are in complete control.

This can be good or bad. The ability to have anything published has spawned a mass of unreadable travesties and has given self-publishing a bad rap, and unfairly so. The laws of nature assure that abysmal self-published books don’t succeed. People are intelligent enough to recognize work that is garbage and meaningless, ensuring self-published trash never truly sees the light of day. Good books, however will sell, provided you do your marketing.

There are an increasing number of success stories about self-published work, the stigma is beginning to wear off, and the automatic response that if your work is self-published then it can’t be any good is diminishing. The fact that it is becoming more and more difficult to be published has turned quite a few very talented people into the arms of self-publishing, and with hard work, they are selling books and making a name for themselves. In order to accommodate these talented folks, self-publishing companies have grown in demand and the services they now offer rival most traditional, mainstream publishers. The fact that traditional publishing is floundering and now faces serious competition is in my opinion, their fault. Too many good books and writers have been ignored or turned away while agents and publishers chased after celebrities or the next big thing. They ignored the fact that ten good books with modest sales were just as good as one big hit. Okay, I’ll step off my soapbox now.

Let’s remember the numbers and statistics again. Becoming a best seller and selling thousands of copies of your book is statistically challenging. If it happens, then good for you, but most likely it won’t. Rare is the author that makes a fortune off one book. There are, however a number of authors who after publishing a number of books begin to make a decent living. It’s called multiple streams of income, and its how many people become wealthy. If you sit on your one good book, hoping and praying for that publishing contract, it’s not making you a dime. If you go ahead and self-publish, the book may start to earn royalties and you can get on with your life and write the next one, and so on. Eventually, with marketing and patience, you may find yourself with ten published titles (or more), each earning a modest income yearly. Add that up and you might be able to quit your day job.

Okay, why should you self-publish?

· The traditional business model of publishing is broken.

· You remain in complete control of your work.

· You maintain all of the rights to your labor of love.

· If your book sells, the amount of money you’ll make is significantly higher. At that point, the publishers may approach you and you might realize you don’t need them.

· You’re going to be responsible for much, if not all of the marketing anyway, so why give a percentage of your success to someone who does very little for you.

· It’s never been easier to have your book published professionally without giving away the farm.

· Instead of waiting for rejection letters, you can be working on your next book.

What is POD?

Print on Demand differs from traditional offset printing in many ways. The primary difference is the technology used. With the ability to produce and format a document using software and the technological advances in printers, there is less of a need for offset printing.

Offset printing requires the creation of a physical template for each page of a book, and then with machinery, thousands of copies are printed in minutes, if not seconds. Most magazines, newspapers, hardcover, or mass-market books are still created using offset printing. Whenever there is a need to produce large quantities of a publication, offset printing is used. If your book becomes a hit, you can always turn to offset printing to fill those orders.

What if, however only ten or one hundred copies of a publication are needed? The cost to setup a physical template for each page becomes cost prohibitive. This is where POD began to gain popularity. Technology allows the reproduction of these smaller quantities without any set-up or tear down costs. Twenty copies of one publication can be produced, and then sixty copies of a completely different publication can be produced without changing out equipment or templates.

Offset printing is still less expensive and faster than POD technology, but only when dealing with large quantities of a publication where the cost of creating templates can be absorbed.

Technology has advanced to the point where a perfect-bound copy of a book can be produced without using offset printing, and since there are no setup or teardown activities required, a few clicks of a mouse produces the desired publication on demand.

Why is POD becoming a mainstream industry?

We live in the digital age, and POD makes perfect business sense. As stated previously, of the several hundred thousand new titles published every year only a very small percentage sell more than 5,000 copies. In order to make offset printing cost effective, large runs of 5,000 or more are required. This can cost the publisher $10,000 to $20,000 if not more. A publisher may have a book with high expectations and generate an order for 10,000, 20,000, or even 100,000 copies, and I’m only addressing paperback copies in regards to costs. Hardback copies obviously cost much more.

Booksellers have a longstanding agreement with publishers; if a book doesn’t sell, they can send it back to the publisher for a complete refund. In the case of mass-market paperbacks, the bookseller is only required to send the back cover of the book. Think about it, the publisher laid out possibly hundreds of thousands of dollars to produce large quantities of a book and if it doesn’t sell, the book is mangled and useless. For every book published that does not sell, the publisher takes a loss.

Copies of a book also have another requirement, storage space. A business pays by the square foot for space, whether it’s for an office, machinery, or warehousing. A publisher with several hundred, or a thousand, titles with print runs of 5,000 or more can spend a lot of money just storing them.

With the statistics stated, it’s obvious that publishers take a loss on most of their titles, hoping to make a profit on the few titles that will sell hundreds of thousands of copies.

I don’t have the figures, however I would imagine that online sales of books come close to matching physical sales, and may even outpace them. With an online order of a book, it’s no longer necessary to maintain a large stock of a particular title; in fact, in many cases it makes perfect sense not to even produce the book until a consumer has placed an order. This makes POD very enticing to booksellers and publishers alike.

· The publisher doesn’t need to print books that no one has ordered, store them, and possibly incur the loss when they don’t sell. The publisher also doesn’t need to layout thousands of dollars to have a run of copies created in order to enjoy the cost savings of offset printing. Their initial investment can be small.

· The bookseller no longer needs to order and store large quantities Although they don’t lose money when the book doesn’t sell; POD still helps them reduce overhead.

· The author can bypass the traditional publisher and maintain complete control of their book and a significant portion of the profits.

What do POD publishers really offer?

The term, ‘Print on demand’ is a broad and vague description of a set of technological tools that has become the catchphrase for a brand new branch of the publishing industry. POD started as a simple service allowing authors to bypass the costs of offset printing and were only a little more advanced than services provided by Kinko’s or the neighborhood printer. In a few short years, POD has emerged as a serious and viable alternate to signing a contract with an established publisher. In fact, they provide the author with something they’ve never had before, complete and total control of their work.

Simply put, today’s POD providers are publishers. There are three major differences between POD publishers and traditional publishers, big or small.

It is a service oriented business model and the author must pay a POD publisher for their services unlike a traditional publisher who should foot the initial costs and in some cases offer an advance. It’s important to remember that an advance is exactly that. It’s an advance on expected sales. An advance is deducted from your royalties first.
Only the large New York publishers and a handful of smaller publishers automatically have their books placed on the shelves of booksellers such as Barnes and Noble or Borders.
The author is in complete control of the publication of their book and the royalties per sale are much higher than what is offered by a traditional publisher’s contract. In short, you make more money off the sale of your book with a POD publisher.

POD Publishers have differing service models and you need to choose the one that suits your needs and budget, but all of the respectable ones do everything that a traditional publisher does up to the point of having your book in print and available for sale. The traditional services include at least the following:

Secure a valid ISBN number
Registration with the Library of Congress
Registration with domestic and international distributors such as Books in Print, Ingram, etc.
Copyright Notices
Valid bar codes on the cover
Accept and fulfill orders from individuals, bookstores, distributers, etc.
Develop covers and artwork
Full editing services

A good publisher will also provide some level of marketing. Surprisingly, or maybe not, the large publishing houses do very little to market the majority of their titles. Marketing budgets and campaigns are reserved for only a few cherry picked authors. The rest get only minimal marketing and POD publishers can provide this same level of service, and sometimes even more.

Press releases
Marketing campaign
Marketing materials (i.e. Posters, cards, etc.)
Author copies of their book
Internet marketing

Unlike traditional publishers, POD publishers won’t drop you for poor sales. Let’s face it, a first time author may take quite some time, and maybe several books before they build a fan base. Although POD publishers cannot automatically get an author’s book on bookseller’s shelves, they do offer sales and distribution services. It’s interesting to note that Barnes & Noble recently set up a channel for an individual author to petition the company to have their book placed on their shelves. POD Publishers also offer:

Internet presence and shopping cart functionality
Listing with all of the major online booksellers such as Amazon.com, etc.
Formatting and distribution of eBook versions

Is your publisher an unnecessary third party?

In just a few short years, POD has become a new business model that has traditional publishers scrambling to catch up and grab a piece of the pie before it’s too late. Combine POD publishers with eBook technology and the role of the traditional publisher will disappear. For more on this phenomenon refer to my article The Future of Publishing.

For the near future, the printed book will still dominate the industry and POD publishers will play an increasingly important role. In upcoming articles, I will dedicate an entire series on what I term Virtual Publishing and POD publishers are poised to take full advantage of this new business model, but for this article, I’ll stick to the role POD publishers play today.

I recently had a contract with a small, independent publisher for my debut novel, and to prepare to market my novel and gain maximum exposure, I had to study the marketing and distribution aspects of publishing. What I learned in those few months prior to my release date caused me to cancel my contract, pause, and decide how best to proceed.

Initially, I fought and argued with my new publisher about book format; specifically mass market vs. trade. Mass-market paperbacks are the 4” x 6.5” paperbacks you see in wire racks in every airport in the world. Trade formats are larger and can range anywhere from 5” x 8” and up. A small, independent publisher will not do mass-market because it requires a significant investment up-front. Remember offset printing usually requires the printing of 5,000 copies and up to be cost effective. Also, remember the statistic on how many new books sell over 5,000 copies. Most independent publishers cannot afford to lay out at a minimum $20,000 to have a room full of boxes of your book. Unless they are one of the larger houses, the publisher’s titles won’t make it to the shelves at your local bookseller. A smaller publisher must rely on online book retailers and their own web site shopping cart as the point of sale.

The issue of printing my novel in trade format was a huge for me, but I eventually got over it once I understood more about the economics of publishing, distribution, and points of sale. Unless you sign a contract with a publisher that automatically has all of their new titles available physically on shelves and can rely on brick and mortar booksellers as a point of sale, mass-market format is unrealistic. As a side note, more and more of the baby-boomer group are at the age of requiring glasses to read small print, and the larger print available in trade format is becoming and allure.

Once I understood the reasons behind having to agree to trade format, I asked my publisher how many copies of my book they were going to have produced. The figure shocked me. This particular publisher only intended to order one to two hundred copies and they used a POD company for this. At that time, the only thing I knew about POD was that they used advanced printer technology instead of offset printing, and could easily produce such a small amount without any setup and teardown costs. Yes, the cost per book was more expensive, but the initial outlay on my publisher’s part would probably be less than $1,000.

A few lights went off in my head. Wait a minute. I didn’t receive an advance. I could deal directly with a POD company. What exactly was I getting for my money? By money, I meant my share of the royalties. The more I looked into it and learned however, the less attractive that deal was.

Let’s step back a bit. I signed a contract that—in basic terms—said I would get 30% of the royalties and my publisher had worldwide rights to my novel in English for three years. They also had eBook and audio book rights in English for that same period. I must confess, I’m still unsure if royalties were calculated of net sales or some other complex algorithm. I did know that royalties for a first time author with a large publishing house were in the neighborhood of 10% to 14%, so initially, 30% sounded great to me. Receiving $.40 versus possibly $2.00 or more per sale of my book seemed too good to be true, and we all know what they say when something sounds too good to be true.

Okay, back to the point where I realized my publisher was using the services of a POD company. When I signed with this particular publisher, I knew up front that much, if not all, of the marketing effort would fall on my shoulders. I was okay with that since I had a strong business background. When I learned that very little money would be invested in the actual ‘publishing’ of my book, the businessperson in my head had to ask the question one more time. What were the publishers 70% of royalties buying me? I heard the following.

We stick by you for the life of your contract where a large publishing house will write you off and delist you within six weeks to six months if your sales are poor. How can a new author without a pedigree or a fan base develop a following in such a short time period? We will stick by you for the entire three years of your contract.

We offer a line of editors that will go over your book several times, inspecting content, continuity, grammar, and a final proof.
We will develop your cover art.
We will handle the registration of your book with all of the proper agencies, The Library of Congress, Books in Print, etc.
We will make you book available to all of the online booksellers and through our own web site as your points of sale.
When your book is published, we will guide you through the murky waters of marketing your novel to realize its full potential.

Now, all of this sounded great, fantastic even. I wanted to be a writer, not a publisher, and I certainly couldn’t do any of those items by myself, or so I thought. Interestingly, POD publishers also offer all of those items, with the exception of the final one, and even portions of the final item, marketing, are available when signing with a POD company.

So why did I need my publisher? Other than the fact that they would be the ones paying for a host of services that turned out to be relatively inexpensive, what was I giving them 70% of my royalties for? They weren’t giving me an advance, and they certainly had no marketing budget allocated for my novel. I justified it from the value of the editing services and the value of the most important item of all, marketing knowledge. I could write the next great American novel several times, but without proper editing, and most certainly without proper marketing, my efforts would be wasted. I have two mantra’s—actually I have more, but let’s stick to these two—revisions are the key to good writing, and marketing is the most essential part of any business venture whether it be selling widgets, sex, buffalo wings, or books. Marketing is king.

As it turned out, my publisher couldn’t offer good editing or good marketing knowledge, so they were useless to me and I canceled my contract. That cannot be said for all publishers or they wouldn’t remain in business. How to pick a good traditional publisher would make a great article, if not a book, and maybe I’ll write that someday, but let’s stick to the topic.

I realized that a POD publisher would do all of the things a traditional publisher would do for me with the exception of marketing my novel. I had already accepted that burden, so unless a New York publisher comes knocking on my door with an offer that includes a marketing budget, I believe that self-publishing is the way for me to proceed. Everyone needs to make that decision themselves, but here are a few interesting facts.

· After careful research, I found a POD publisher that handles all aspects of the publishing of my novel, and automatically has me listed on all of the online booksellers. They offer some other very nice services. With this particular POD publisher, the cost of these services is around $2,000.

· For $425, I have a graphic artist producing a royalty free cover, spine, and back that is awesome. There are hundreds, if not thousands of graphic artists who do independent work at a decent price.

· Using the internet, a search engine, and a little time, I found someone who is quite good to do my final proof edit at the cost of only $600.

· I get to keep 100% of my royalties and all of my rights.

· I am in complete control of how my novel will look and read.

Therefore, for around $3,000, my novel is professionally published, available at all of the domestic online booksellers, I receive 100% of my royalties, and I maintain all rights, English, foreign, audio, eBook, movie, and anything else. The next step in making my novel a financial success is completely in my hands.

The marketing is a separate task that I can manage in a variety of ways, and I have no misconceptions that it will be a challenge, but at least I’m comforted in knowing that it will be done, and by the one person who has my best interests at heart. Even at this point, I can choose to hire a marketing firm, a PR firm, manage the entire campaign from my home computer, or a mixture of all three.

Obviously, this is not the right choice for everyone. They may lack the funding, the knowledge, the confidence, or simply the desire to be responsible for this aspect of their career. Remember however, as bad as you wish you could simply write and not be bothered by the other stuff, even billionaire J.K. Rowling must be involved in the marketing of Lord Voldemort’s nemesis, Harry Potter. You can’t escape being involved in the marketing of your book.

Should you choose to go the traditional route with a traditional publisher, big or small, it’s very important to understand as much about publishing and distribution as possible. It’s also paramount that you understand what a publisher is supposed to do for you, and how. Ask questions, and get as much in writing as you can. Not everyone appears to be who or what they say they are. A good thing to do is talk to other author’s under contract with the publisher. They can shed light on things you wouldn’t have even thought about asking.

Combining the information in my article The Future of Publishing and this one, you may come to the realization that finding an agent and signing a contract with a traditional publisher may not necessarily be the things hindering you from becoming a successful, published author.

What should you look for in a POD publisher?

Okay, you’ve decide that you want to self-publish. Let’s say you’ve decided to become the master of your own fate and wish to choose an alternative to traditional, mainstream publishing. You’ve decide that signing a contract with a publisher who can print your book on demand the way you want it printed is the route for you, and a little marketing doesn’t scare you, in fact, you find it a exciting and challenging.

Just as in the traditional publishing industry, there are good and bad POD publishers. Some are downright predatory and should be avoided at all costs.

I do not intend to write an encompassing section on what to look for or avoid when choosing a POD publisher. The material would make for a book, and in fact one has already been written, and I highly recommend anyone considering using a POD publisher purchase the book (it comes in downloadable, digital form also) and use it as a reference when choosing your publisher. To try to summarize the information in this book would be an injustice to you and the author. Mark Levine has put together everything you need to identify the top three POD publishers you need to target and investigate.

The Fine Print of Self-Publishing, Third Edition by Mark Levine.

The book is an in-depth, comprehensive look at the major players in the POD publishing industry. It examines forty-five companies in detail. I could not have chosen a POD publisher without this book, and in fact, before I found it, the publishers at the top of my list from my own research turned out to be duds. You will waste a lot of time doing any research on POD publishers without first using this book as a guide and a reference.

After many hours of research, I personally chose to go with Dog Ear Publishing. I have setup a General Discussion board area on my forums for POD companies and a board for Dog Ear Publishing specifically. I’m not endorsing Dog Ear Publishing as the POD publisher for you. Everyone should do their own research and choose the right company for their needs.

The Future of Publishing (cont.)

steven@steven-mather.com (Steven Mather) — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 21:31:36 GMT

Anyone who's been following my BLOG's is aware that I think a dramatic shift is coming in the future of publishing, and it might happen even quicker than I thought. In the past, I posted draft portions of my entire study on the future of publishing. I've decided to make it available for free and will try and post it in it's entirety on my BLOG's. With all of the diagrams it make's it difficult. If you'd like to read the study in it's entirety, you can download it from this link, The Future of Publishing.

The reason I'm opening it up for free distribution is because certain events validate the study and as I said, I think certain elements will happen quite a bit quicker than posed in the study.

First was this bit of news:

Then this ringing endorsement by Oprah Winfrey on the Kindle, Amazon's eReader, http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/oprahshow/20081024_tows_kindle

The technology and public embracement of the new technology that will do for publishing what the CD and digitization of music did to the music industry. The road is being paved to open up the author directly to the consumer without the need of the publishing giants. It all becomes a matter of marketing,

What if someone tied your hands to keep you from writing?

steven@steven-mather.com (Steven Mather) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 00:59:42 GMT

In 2001, I had my first back surgery that seemed to go well. Unfortunately, in 2003, I re-injured my back and had to have another surgery. That one didn't work so well. Several months after the surgery, I tried to return to work and it was a dismal failure. My job required me to fly all over the country, lugging luggage through airports, standing in security, spending 8-10 hours a day at a client site. The only way for me to operate and remain active was through the use of hardcore pain medication. Needless to say, my work performance suffered and before long I was sent home and told, 'Clean up or don't come back.' I had to be admitted to a detox center and tried very hard. My back injuries however, are severe and the pain is intense. I've learned to deal with what I call everyday pain with small amounts of medication, and on days when the pain spikes from moving wrong or too much activity, I need to load up. I found myself at times abusing the medications that my body was often dependant on. I sought out help and a twelve-step program. Until science finds a way to correct my back, I'll have to live in pain, but through the work of a twelve-step program, I'm no longer abusing the medication, only using it as prescribed.

After two years of being on 100% disability, I realized that at the age of 44 I needed something in my life. My life was a drudgery of waking up each morning, wondering what kind of pain day it would be, and what would I do that day; nothing. So, I decided to write the novel I've always wanted to. Finally I had a purpose. Unable to sit at a desk for any period of time, I often sit in bed and type on a laptop. I can only write on days when I'm in moderate pain and only for short periods at a time, but I write fast.

I wrote the draft of my first novel in three months, all 64,000-words of it (in case you don't know, that's a bit short for a mainstream novel), and thought I had done it. It was so far from a completed work of commercial fiction it was embarrassing but I didn't know that at the time so I kept writing and finished my second novel and 2/3 of a third. With the help of an editor I met at my local writers group, FWA, I spent the next two years polishing and learning. I finally had something to show for my effort, my second novel, Three of a Kind. It's good, very good, and I received a contract to publish through a local, small, independent publisher. Everyone who read the book and knew of my pending publishing date would tell me how rich I was going to be. What little they and myself knew. I didn't receive an advance, the publishing company was too small. Three months prior to my publication date, I started researching marketing and distribution, and to quite my surprise, I found out that it is the rare author that makes any money off their novel. Between the small percentages of royalties offered by publishing companies and lack of marketing, 98% of published books sell fewer than 5,000 copies. At the $.40 per sale an author might make per book, that's very little money to go around.

While researching, I came up with a lot of questions my publisher couldn't answer, plus they had a clause in the contract that I would be exclusively available for promotional events for a period of time after the release of the book. I went to one conference with the publisher and a few of the authors in their stable prior to my publication date. It was an unpleasant experience for me. I couldn't participate for two to three days sitting at a table from 10:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m., never mind the long drive there and the after days parties and events. My back couldn't take it, so I canceled my contract. I needed to find another way to publish where I could be in charge and in control of my marketing efforts.

At around the same time, my disability carrier got wind that I had a book publishing contract, and I assume like everyone else, they thought I was making and going to make a lot of money. I tried to assure them that there is no guarantee an author will make a dime, but they launched an investigation anyway causing me to hire an attorney with a $5,000 retainer. The battle rages on and now SSDI is in the act. There are hints that if I had a publishing contract, there's hidden money, and that if I can write a book, surely I'm employable. Neither could be farther from the truth. So, I'm now in the position of I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't. I want to self publish, because I believe I can sell 5,000 copies and attract a large publishing house. Who knows, I might be able to make some money, and then I can see the disability carrier and SSDI taking an interest, but it doesn't look like I'll get that chance. If I publish, they'll cut off all of my disability payments, if I don't, then why bother writing.

It's obviously a very frustrating position to be in. I found something I'm passionate about, can do on my limited capability of activity, and maybe, just maybe I'll do well enough to take care of myself instead of relying on monthly disability checks.

What would you do?

The Bitter End

steven@steven-mather.com (Steven Mather) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 06:24:14 GMT

This probably won't be my last BLOG posting, but unless something changes, I'll no longer write fiction or non-fiction. I'd like to believe that the loss isn't only mine, but readers of of all types also. You see, I'm experiencing life at its finest. I don't mean fame, fortune, wild parties, good friends, or traveling to exotic places. I mean the raw, reality of life where circumstances, greed, the devaluation of human life, and callousness have created the perfect storm and an irony that is quintessential.

What is this guy talking about you're probably asking yourself. He's not making any sense. Let me share a little, my friends, and maybe you'll grasp how I can equate pain and suffering to life at its finest.

If you're able to read this then you've experienced suffering, and often sufferance leads to good things. There is some truth in the saying that what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. The trick is to suffer without dying from it. If you're able to read this then somewhere along the way someone taught you how to read. They patiently took you through the confusing and frustrating process of first identifying little marks and shapes as letters. For most of us, this happened at a very young age and our recall of what it was like is probably lost. Our immature minds couldn't grasp suffering yet. Then they taught us how those letters spelled words, and words used correctly made sentences. For some it was easier, for others not, but at least you can read this. Few of us remember the feelings of frustration we felt learning to read so let's skip forward. If you're reading this, you have a computer and an Internet connection. How were you able to accomplish that? You suffered and didn't die. Maybe you went to college and then got a job, maybe you skipped college and went straight into the workforce. Either way you suffered. You suffered through all the bullshit that comes with being a student and/or an employee. You suffered when you found out you paid too much for the first car that you bought on your own and the payments killed you. You suffered through relationships, dumping or getting dumped. Maybe you got married, even the best marriages have moments of trial and tribulation, you suffered but you didn't die. And through all of that suffering, hopefully you learned and came through it wiser. You suffer, and suffer, and suffer, and if you're lucky it doesn't kill you or ruin your self-esteem, happiness, or quality of life.

Life has conspired to put me through more suffering, and I should be used to it by now. Based on past experiences and that age old wisdom, I'm going to be better off for it, right; life at its finest.

I had a high paying career until at the age of 41, I became permanently 100% disabled; more suffering. I spent two years waking up every morning wondering, "Now what? What do I do with the rest of my day?" I can't go hiking, I can't volunteer, (most volunteer jobs require that you can physically do things or at the very least you can be counted on to show up when expected), I can't do much of anything. After two years, I remembered that I'd always wanted to write a novel. Hey, something I can do. It doesn't require much physical exertion and I can do it on my schedule. I can take advantage of those few short hours a day when I can sit at a keyboard and type, and if I'm in too much pain, I can stop. I can work at my schedule and I'm not causing anyone else a problem. Well what do you know, I'm not half bad at this writing thing. I still need a lot of help with editing 'cause my gramer ain't so great', but my ideas and stories are good, and my overall ability to weave a plot and build characters isn't so bad. So what if it takes me a long time to finish a novel. At least I've found something I can do that I love. What's the catch? Just because I write a novel, doesn't mean anyone would want to buy it and read it. But you know what, I won't even get a chance to find out. My disability insurer thinks that if I can do that, then surely I must be employable and they don't need to pay my monthly benefits anymore, or at least that's what they're implying. So, if I continue to write and try to publish, I'll end up homeless waiting for those 'guaranteed' royalty checks to come rolling in. I'll just push my shopping cart, with all my clothes in it, around for a while longer and maybe I'll hit the big time.

If I attempt to become a successful writer during those moments when I physically can, I'll lose my income. Note the word attempt. There are no guarantees in publishing, and I'll 'attempt' my way into a homeless shelter. So, for now I'll have to give up writing. Why write if you can't show it to anyone. Am I suffering? You bet. Will I come out at the other end better for it? I'm supposed to. Life at it's finest.

The Future of Publishing (part 2)

steven@steven-mather.com (Steven Mather) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 06:04:32 GMT

What happened to the traditional business model of the recording industry?

With the introduction of CD’s, digital distribution of music came to the forefront and shoved the analog vinyl album and cassette tape aside. At about the same time as the CD format rose in popularity, the use of personal computers in the home rose in popularity. For the first time in the history, the consumer could cheaply make exact duplicates of the music they loved, and loved to share, without any loss of fidelity. The countdown to dramatic upheavals in the recording business began at that time, but few could see what was coming and the traditional business model remained static.

Peer-to-peer file sharing was the next straw. Vast networks such as Napster ushered in a frightening new model the record labels never anticipated. Copied music became freely available to anyone with a personal computer. No one—not the record label nor the artist—profited from the millions of consumers who wanted the latest CD or hit song. With a few clicks of their mouse, the music of their choice downloaded to their PC, and if they wanted to play it on another device such as the stereo in their car, they burned a CD.

Seeing the loss of profits, the record labels and artists quickly stepped in and the courts began to try to enforce the copyright laws that protected intellectual property. These laws never took into account technology that didn’t exist or that was foreseeable. Battles raged over piracy and fair use of copyrighted material. Several rounds ensued where quick minds created new ways to get around these laws, and allow the practice of freely sharing copyrighted material among anyone with a PC. CD sales dropped with the advent of these technologies resulting in the loss of billions of dollars to the record industry and artists. File sharing still exists today and has affected more industries than just the recording industry; software piracy has also resulted in the loss of billions of dollars in revenue. While the United States and European companies have taken steps to outlaw these practices, piracy in the majority of the rest of the world remains strong.

The next straw was the MP3 player. No longer did the consumer require a CD player on their PC, in their homes, or in their cars. The MP3 player allowed the user to not only pick and choose exactly what music they wanted to listen too, it also untethered them from the physical constraints of the CD player. The consumer could take their favorite music with them and listen to it wherever they were. The recording industry staunchly tried to maintain their traditional business model, but eventually had to change and adapt to the new technology and attitudes.

Services like iTunes were born and the traditional model of the recording industry changed forever. They no longer had as much of a reason to exist. Over the span of a few years, their hold on maintaining that brick wall between artist and consumer crumbled. Additionally, their importance in the process involved in being the conduit between artist and consumer also slipped.

Powerful, inexpensive software turned individuals into producers, able to mix, edit, and lay down tracks negating the need of the expensive equipment and producers required to create a finished song or album.

The need to stock, maintain, and distribute CD’s to retailers also took a hit. A single digital master could now be stored on a computer and infinite amounts of copies are easily created with a few mouse clicks.

Now, with the MP3 player being the popular choice of a new generation and savvy older generations, the brick and mortar retailer had competition. Virtual Internet stores are now the major distributors and retailers.

The artists saw their opportunity. Why beg and grovel for a record label to sign you, give up huge percentages of the profits, and have a contractual noose? They can develop their own finished product and deal directly with the online retailers. That left marketing as the only value-added service a record label could offer.

This last aspect is the only thing holding the traditional model together, but that is also changing. Marketing usually requires money, even now in the Internet age, but less expensive alternatives are already available. Pay for clicks advertising is one of them and more are bound to emerge.

Today’s musician can maintain a web site for their fan base, produce their own music, deal directly with the online retailers or even better, directly to the consumer—reaping 100% of the profits—and market their work.

The only thing of value today’s record labels can offer is marketing capital and knowledge. They still have a stranglehold on the songs DJ’s play on the air, and they have the money to throw at massive marketing campaigns.

As time goes by, more and more private promoters with capital will enter the arena and fund a musicians marketing campaign, or successful artists will have the means to do it themselves. Companies are already forming to help the musicians promote themselves. Those companies have all of the same contacts and avenues as the record label at a fraction of the cost. Additionally, Internet radio is maturing, and with their MP3 players plugged into their ears, far less people are turning on their radio and listening to only what the neutered DJ plays.

Soon, what purpose will a major record label serve?

Next installment:

What is happening in the Publishing Industry that Mirrors the Recording Industry?

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The Future of Publishing (part 1)

steven@steven-mather.com (Steven Mather) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 20:57:47 GMT

Is the future of traditional publishing changing?

It’s 2008, and as a new author with an existing contract to have my first published novel, Three of a Kind, I entered the back end portion of being an author in today’s market. Presented with the arduous chore of self-promotion, I began to build a marketing plan, examined what is involved in distribution, and came to a shocking discovery; the future of the traditional publishing model was about to enter a fundamental change.

Anyone involved in publishing or writing probably knows that in the last decade, at the very least, the industry has changed, as all things do. Publishing houses have grown lean and mean, more books than ever are being published, more people than ever are writing books, and it has become more difficult for the aspiring writer to get published and make any significant money doing so. Technology such as word processing software, personal computers, advances in printing, etc. drove much of that change. These technological advances opened the floodgates for people to take a plunge into writing, no longer afraid of a typewriter, whiteout, and poor spelling. More printed books meant more competition, a greater chance of failure, and a tightening on the drawstrings of a publisher’s budget. Gone are the days of huge advances and a small pool of author’s for consumers and publishers to draw from. The mega-publisher is next to impossible to access without an agent, and a good agent is next to impossible to attract since they receive hundreds of new manuscripts weekly. I recently read an interview with a well-known, respected author, with over fifty novels to his credit state that were he starting out today, he doubts an agent or publisher would even notice him. These changes have led to the proliferation of boutique publishers and self-publishing. The status quo however, remains stable and despite all these changes, the traditional model of publishing has remained intact. With the rare exception, if you want to get rich and famous off your writing, you need the representation of the mega-publisher.

That is all about to change, and in fact has already begun. As you will see, in the near future, that traditional model is going to turn upside down and inside out. A struggle is emerging that is going to give the individual author more power than ever before, although I must point out, talent is still required.

The drastic changes in the music industry provide an excellent template to chart the future of traditional publishing. Without a doubt, I’m not the first one to notice the similarities between the recording and publishing industries. Search the Internet and others are talking about this paradigm shift. There are as many opinions as there are posts about the future of publishing, some well thought out and some not. One thing they all agree on is that the traditional model is changing, and changing fast.

Before the occurrences in my life that led to me trying my hand at writing, I spent twenty-two years in the IT industry. Unhappy with the service of my publisher, a small, independent one, I realized that the future of my career depended on the future of publishing. As an IT architect, often called on to examine how a company’s business model could embrace or be migrated to the Internet, I turned that same eye toward publishing since I now had a vested interest.

What I learned completely changed my approach to publishing. Now, the terms POD (Print-on demand) and self-published didn’t sound as dirty or discouraging. Being just a talented author won’t be sufficient for success. The material in this article details where I see the future of publishing headed, and how to take advantage of it.

How do the traditional business models of recording and publishing compare?

For decades, the traditional business models of producing music and publishing books looked almost identical (see Figure 1). The artist, or author, was blocked off to the consumer requiring the service or business model of their respective industry to sell their work to the public. The differences between the recording industry and publishing industry were small, the similarities significant.

The following table details the overall similarities with the traditional record label’s business model and publisher’s business model. There is very little difference to both these models. This model has almost completely broken down and changed for the recording industry. The same causes for this drastic change are happening to the publishing industry. What were the events that led to the demise of the traditional recording industry business model?

Next Installment, I'll look at:

What happened to the traditional business model of the recording industry?

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I've got some good new, and I've got some bad news. Which do you want to hear first?

steven@steven-mather.com (Steven Mather) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:22:32 GMT

What, the good news? Nah, I think you want to hear the bad news first. I signed a contract for publication of Three of a Kind almost a year ago and the release date was August 28th, 2008, just a scant six weeks away. I canceled the contract.

What? Are you nuts, Steve? Maybe, maybe not. Look, I have always been an entrepreneurial person first and an artist second. At times, I'd like to be what I call the 'Martyr Artist.' You know, the one who just wants to paint, sculpt, or write and let someone else worry about the business side of things. Let me be free to create. Unfortunately, there's that entrepreneurial spirit and business background. While learning about marketing and distribution, I began to realize that my publisher fell short of an acceptable mark. It was an agonizing decision. I didn't put my heart into Three of a Kind and wait a year for it to be published with no investment of my soul also. After I made the announcement to my publisher and we agreed the contract was canceled, I melted down. I think the stress brought on a migraine that had me in a total state of pain, confusion, and puking for six hours. Not fun. I had to do what I thought was in my best interests as a writer and my future. It may have been a colossal mistake, but I don't think so or else I wouldn't have been able to go through with it. Yes, thank you for asking, I feel fine this morning.

So, what's the good news. Well, that remains to be seen. I now have the choice of self-publishing or starting the grind of acquiring an agent and/or publisher. The latter of the two almost guarantees that Three of a Kind would not be published for eighteen to twenty-four months, at a minimum. Can I wait that long with the entrepreneurial spirit burning inside of me? Probably not.

I'm currently writing an article on The Future of Publishing and will use the time to make a decision.

So, I must apologize to the few of you who pre-ordered my book or were awaiting its release. I guess the good news is that Three of a Kind will be published eventually and my chances of success will be exponentially higher. Ignore the fact that my finger's are crossed that means nothing, its an affliction, a nervous tick.

I will keep you updated. Peace out.

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Choosing an Independent publisher for your new novel

steven@steven-mather.com (Steven Mather) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 13:44:34 GMT

You've written your baby and you have decided, either through an agent or independently, to go with a smaller, independent publisher. What should you know before signing a contract? A lot, and since your new to the business there are questions you'd never think to ask, until it's too late. Signing with a large publisher vs. a smaller publisher is a completely different discussion that I'll be posting about soon.

The following is a list of things you need to ask and consider with a smaller, independent publisher. A large publishing house probably has these things covered, but it's still information you might want to know about them also. It can't hurt.

I also plan on posting a more in-depth discussion of why these are things you should know, but for now, if you have any questions post a comment or email me.

Things to think about:

Does the publisher have agreements directly with the big online booksellers; B&N, Borders, BAAM, Amazon, Amazon.uk, etc.
Does the publisher have agreements with any of the top independent or smaller booksellers; Books in Print, Alibris, Bertram, etc.?
Do these agreements with booksellers indicate that the bookseller keeps an inventory of the publisher’s titles, are they drop-ship agreements directly with the publisher, or is it an agreement to order books as needed through a distributer or wholesaler? This is important for many reasons. A specific one would consumer sales psychology. When the consumer wants to order the book, does it state, ships in 24 hours, sold and shipped by <NAME OF BOOKSELLER HERE> within 24 hours, or ships in 2 to 4 weeks?
How does the publisher track retail sales? Do they use Bookscan.com, another service, or is it all done in-house based on the publisher’s own tracking methods?
Can an author get their retail sales figures when asked for (within reason)?
How many retail sales of all available titles has the publisher had year-to-date? Retail specifically means books purchased online or from the shelf, not books sold by author or publisher at conventions, signings, etc.
Does the publisher have a dedicated marketing department with available resources and contacts (i.e. reviewers in newspaper, radio, TV, online, etc., comprehensive lists of independent, and chain booksellers to approach for signings, etc? Important, can they provide examples.
How many copies of a novel are printed on the first run, including both hardback and soft back? (More to the point, how much are they willing to spend on your initial distribution?)
How many copies of the novel does the author receive free, including hardback and soft back?
Can the author buy books at cost for promotional purposes?
Can the author get a list of the current editorial and marketing staff and their CV’s, or a summary of their experience?
Does the publisher provide a press release on the release of a new novel, and more specifically, where the press release is sent too (i.e. number of places and names)? Can the publisher provide examples of past press releases and where they were printed?
Does the publisher develop a marketing plan? If so, can they provide an example?
How much of the sample-marketing plan is their responsibility? How much of it is your responsibility?

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Great News, Three of a Kind is available for pre-order at Barnes & Noble online

steven@steven-mather.com (Steven Mather) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 19:55:35 GMT

I just received some news that has me all fired up. Three Of a Kind, my first thriller, is available for pre-orders at Barnes & Noble online. The publication date is August 28th, less than 60 days away. If you're interested in pre-ordering, there is extra savings.

You can go directly to Barnes and Noble Online, type in my name or the title of the book, and place an order.

Even Better

There's no picture or blurb posted at B&N yet so I made another place you can pre-order from that tells you all about Three of a Kind and gives you a direct link to the B&N page. Click here to Pre-Order Now.

The First Time Author, Their First Good Book, and Their Publisher

steven@steven-mather.com (Steven Mather) — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 17:23:00 GMT

As with anything, the first time you take on a new endeavor, you most likely don't know what you're doing and the learning process begins. When I started writing, I didn't know how long a book should be, show vs. tell, what point of view to use, or what a tag line was. However, I persevered and watched as my writing noticeably got better, and I still have a long way to go.

With a completed novel in hand, I started the next process, being published. This meant, too me, finding an agent. Thus the quest for the mythical perfect query letter began followed by rejection after rejection. I got a break, sort of. A local independent, small publisher spoke at one of my local writers associations meetings and offered to spend several hours looking at submissions. Of the forty-five submissions she waded through that night, she only asked to see the manuscripts of eight submissions, two of them were mine. From that group, I believe I was the only one who received a contract offer. I was ecstatic. My publisher turned out to be a wonderful woman who really showed care about helping new writers. There was one small hitch; they only produced trade and hardback formats, not mass market. It took me months of questions and thinking before I signed.

Once again, I was off on a new endeavor, clueless to the publishing and marketing process. Therefore, I placed a lot of faith in my publisher and when my novel was just a few months away from publication, I started learning about marketing a novel. Like anything, the more I learned, the more questions I had. I am probably at that often spoken of place, just enough knowledge to be dangerous. Here is what I'm finding out. Before you sign with a publisher, begin to train yourself in the publishing and marketing process, not after. Why? You won't know what to ask about their business. You won't have the knowledge to do the proper due diligence to make sure that you are getting what you need and expect. Writing for fun and writing to be published are two different things. One is a hobby and the other is business.

Therefore, I highly recommend that while you send out query letters and wait for responses that you take the time to begin to educate yourself on the publishing and marketing aspects. You'll be much better prepared to make a decision should an offer come along, and you'll save countless hours of frustration and disappointment after you sign that contract.

If you're interested in where to learn more about publishing and marketing, contact me and I'll help point you to some resources and answer the questions that I can.

Peace out.

Another Step Toward Publication for Three of a Kind

steven@steven-mather.com (Steven Mather) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 18:04:19 GMT

I just received the first batch of content edits from my publisher Aisling Press for Three of a Kind. Publication date is August 28th, 2008. Whew, those 20-plus rewrites and hiring someone to do editing seems to have really paid off. So far, the changes are minor, but they're good and applicable.

If you're a first time author, or even second or third, paying someone to edit your work before submitting it anywhere is necessary. I say first, second, or third because Three of a Kind was not my first effort, it was my second of three. No one seemed to be interested in my first novel, so about 2/3rds of the way through editing, I had my professional editor switch to Three of a Kind, which was getting a lot if interest from agents and publishers. A rewrite and completion of the first novel Tweakers however, has given me something that there is interest in. Therefore, Tweakers may be my next book out before the sequel to Three of a Kind.

Anyway, I digress. I do not have a background in journalism or literature, and maybe someone who did would feel confident enough to submit his or her first efforts without having a real editor proof it first. I think that even for those people it would be a mistake. If you've been through a re-writing process you know how amazing it is to continue to find errors, even on your twelfth re-write, and those are usually simple typos, not content, continuity, readability, and all around good story. You're an author, and you're human. What you wrote looks good to you because you wrote it. Another pair of experienced eyes is so important before you send your baby off to the world to see. If they're any good, your editor will not only teach you proper form, they'll point out parts of the story that don't work as written or don't belong without changing your voice.

If you're a first timer author, it is imperative that you have your work professionally edited before you begin to submit it.

Finding the right editor for you can be difficult, and expensive. Shop around and you can find good people who charge a lot less. If you need some help, let me know. I have a few good names and email addresses of professional editors who are inexpensive.

Don't let pride, shyness, or money get in your way of having your first works professionally edited, even if the best you can do is a local critique group. Hubris will doom you to a continual string of eventual rejections.

A word on critique groups

Be warned, good critique groups are hard to come by since they are almost all made up of unpublished beginners or persistent people with little or no talent. You'll know when you've found the right one.

No one told me about this, I might have changed my mind.

steven@steven-mather.com (Steven Mather) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 19:04:10 GMT

The publishing industry has changed drastically over the last twenty years, and even more drastically since the explosion of the Internet. Gone are the days when Random House would offer a $100,000 advance and pimp your new novel for all it's worth. Today, even a seasoned, published, semi-famous writer can count on small advances and a vast decrease in publisher provided marketing and budget.

Forget even that if you're a new author trying to get your first novel published. Take luck and hope out of the equation because as the saying goes, "Hope is not a strategy" and neither is luck.

Today, conglomerates own the major publishing houses and their business models have changed drastically, not that I can fault them for some of it. Being a capitalist myself, I understand the need to pay attention to the bottom line, and the fact that only 1 out of 100 books published (I'm making these figures up, but they're close to accurate) makes the publisher any money, it's no wonder why the glory days are gone.

Now add in the latest trend. In order to get a big publishing house to look at your book you need to go through an agent (remember, luck and hope aren't part of this discussion). They use agents as a filtering process for the thousands of manuscripts that land on their desks weekly. That means finding a reputable agent who is interested enough in your work that they will honestly pimp your work to the big houses. Most agents are looking for sure winners, so unless your Paris Hilton writing a sex tell all, most aren't interested. I've heard too many stories of people signing with agents and two years later, nothing has happened. What the hell has that agent been doing? The same thing can happen at the publisher level. I recently spoke to a very recognized author where Tor asked for his manuscript explicitly. They've had it for two years and done nothing with it.

Overall, the traditional route of being published has become a vicious cycle with very few winners. I recently read a quote by a very famous author with over fifty published titles, and a few best sellers remark, "If I were just starting out today with the same material, I would never get published."

So, in the wake of this paradigm shift in publishing, many authors, even good ones with track records of well received published novels are turning toward the smaller, independent houses.

There are pros and cons to that decision, and there are too many for me to list and pontificate on here, maybe in another rant. The main con that I'm dealing with at the moment is marketing. As a new author and going through a smaller, independent publishing house, the onus, and primary budget, for marketing my novel is on me. I must however, give kudos to my publisher, Aisling Press, who doesn't have the budget to send me on a marketing blitz, is doing everything in their power to help and allowing me full access to their marketing knowledge and experience.

My novel is slated for publishing on August 28th, 2008, and it seems as though I should have started my marketing plan sooner. So, a word of advice to those embarking on the same journey, start learning and crafting your marketing plan six to eight months before your publication date. I recommend eight months.

Unless you have a background in marketing, and I mean a real background in marketing, there is a lot to learn. I thought I had a fair knowledge of marketing through all of my entrepreneurial enterprises over the years, but after reading a half a dozen books, countless web sites, I find myself lacking. The only thing positive I'm taking away from this is that the next time will be much easier.

In ending, if you’re a first time author, or even a somewhat seasoned one, keep in mind that you will be your marketing planner, staff, and publicists, and I suggest you start learning now, even if you've only finished your first draft. The reason I recommend this to even the somewhat seasoned author is from someone I met at my latest convention, another writer on the Aisling Press list. This exceptionally wonderful woman has been writing for 25-30 years and has pages of awards and reviews. Most of her work had been short stories, essays, etc. and she has recently had her first novel published. Let me assure you, the marketing arena had her just as baffled, but to her credit, she's learning it, and embracing it as part of her job.

Don't get caught out in the cold, start to understand what it means to be a published author in today's landscape.

Thanks all for letting me rant. Until next time.

Convention, The WrathofCon, May 2008

steven@steven-mather.com (Steven Mather) — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 21:23:55 GMT

The WrathofCon, held in Panama City, FL. was my first convention behind the scenes. As a Sci-Fi/Fantasy convention, the usual suspects were there; dealers of wild memorabilia, gamers, indie films, Q&A panels of the various stars, which was a great set of notables . This was their first year and so the convention was on the small side, but they had done a great job of securing good stars, vendors, and a variety of interesting pitches of new uses of the Internet.

The tables of publishers and authors numbered only four, but sales were brisk, especially for my publisher Aisling Press. Not having my book published yet gave me the freedom to wander more than the other authors who needed to stay with their titles, pitch them, and sign books. For me, it became a great networking opportunity.

The highlight of the convention were my conversations and picture opportunity with Gigi Edgley, Chiana from Farscape, which is possibly my all time favorite sci-fi series.

The convention I'm looking forward to is DragonCon in Atlanta over labor day weekend. Last years attendance was 100,000. Due to the economy, we don't expect it to be quite as big, but even half of that is a huge audience. This will be the first convention where I'll have my book in hand and ready to strut my stuff.

I hope to see you there.

The time is NOW

steven@steven-mather.com (Steven Mather) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 20:34:57 GMT

August 28th, 2008 is fast approaching, and I have to get my act together. On that Thursday, my first published novel hits the market and the fun begins.

This is my first 'official' BLOG post as a published author. Okay, it's not August 28th yet, but that date's not far off, and I have to get started on the other parts of my job as an author; publicist and marketing agent.

I'm developing the draft marketing plan that I'll go over with my wonderful publisher, Bo Servino at Aisling Press, and fine tune.

My goal is to make it on to a bestsellers list, if not with this first novel (wishful thinking), then with one of my others. I have two more being considered for publication, am working on a new series, a non-fiction 'How To' on writing the killer thriller, and the sequel to my first published novel, Three of a Kind.

I will open up to the entire painful and wonderful process from writing to publishing to marketing with BLOG posts. I won't hold anything back.

I should probably tell you about Three of a Kind.

They want you dead, and their agent of assassination could be standing right next to you and not even know they will be your murderer. It could be your spouse, your mother, or your best friend, and when you're lying dead, they won't even know they did it.

The mind of a serial killer and assassin is trapped in the bodies of two other men, and the three of them will stop at nothing to destroy each other.

Three of a Kind is a roller coaster thriller with twists and turns that will keep you up and reading late into the night.

Look for it on sale starting August 28th, 2008. I'll be providing more details about the novel, events, book signings, conventions, and so much more.

I look forward to your comments and correspondence.

Visit my Web Site
http://steven-mather.com

Look for Three of a Kind
Publish Date August, 2008

Steven Mather
steven@steven-mather.com

Sequel Angst

steven@steven-mather.com (Steven Mather) — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 00:02:00 GMT

Subsequence, continuation, picking up where I left off. I now have greater respect for those who write sequels. It’s not easy; in fact, it’s very difficult. You would think characters that you lovingly crafted and blew life into could walk on their own. They don’t. They are colored husks with a history, yet no future. Until you breathe animation back into their limbs and pull the strings that make their mouths move, they just sit there and stare at you, seemingly asking for commands. You would think continuation of their story would come easy, but what if you told everything about them you already knew. It’s time to give those legs and thoughts a purpose again.

In a sequel, you can’t tell the same tired story. I suppose you could, I’ve seen it done, but with predictable results. You can’t just bring them to life for the sole purpose of rounding out a hundred thousand words either. That leads to those horrible sequels that are disjointed and lack cohesion. There have been even more of those. No, you need a new story, as gripping as the first without falling back on used prose.

How do you put your creations into a plot that rivals, if not exceed, the previous story.

I’m struggling with Drawing Dead, the sequel to Three of a Kind. There is a story there, but what story. I got excited, I thought I knew what the theme and plot would be, but as I wrote, things became disconnected, ends frayed, and my characters are acting out of sync with their established patterns. I’d given them conflicts and resolutions and now it seems trite to heap more on them, but that is what I need to do. I did too good of a job wrapping things up the first time around that throwing a wrench in the works seems contrived.

I can see the finish line of books two and three, but not the race. This will be a greater challenge than the first one.

This blog has no answer, no resolution. I’m just documenting the wall I’ve hit that I must climb over. And climb I will. Scott Hayes and Johnny Torelli need to live again, the deserve it, and my job is to give them believable future. I am their god and I have a responsibility.
Wish me luck

A Tough Decision

steven@steven-mather.com (Steven Mather) — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 20:53:00 GMT

It’s been two months since I received the news that a publisher was going to offer me a contract for Three of a Kind, my second novel. Like any news, good or bad, its taken time for that to sink in. At first I doubted the offer would really come. When I did receive it, I was dumbstruck. I’m beating the odds. I only began writing for publication approximately two years ago today. I know people and have heard the similar stories from countless others in which being published has eluded them for far many more years than my meager two. These are also people with backgrounds in writing and degrees.

My publishing date isn’t until August of 2008, nine months from now, and I still won’t believe it until I see that first galley. I’m optimistic about life, yet pessimistic about my own success, even though I’ve had it and lost it more times than I can count.

Each step toward actual publishing brings me a completely new set of dilemma’s, emotions, and learning. Do I hire an editor? Is it ready for submission? Is it long enough? Should I continue to query agents and try to get in with a larger house? Do I need an agent? The list of self-imposed and real dilemmas is endless.

My newest quandary arose the other day when I was talking to my publisher about going with trade paperback vs. mass market. I don’t like trade paperbacks because to me, they speak of second rate. I’ve always associated the mass-market format with success and the trade format as something that wasn’t quite good enough or self-published. I want to see my novel in the mass-market format, available in shops in every airport in those racks made especially for them.

My publisher has told me that they use the trade format and my first run will consist of that and some hardcopies. I don’t like that, in fact, I haven’t signed my contract yet. I spent some time asking around and found that I wasn’t the only one with the same inherent avoidance to fiction printed in the trade format. In fact, I’ve found none who equates them with ‘a good read.’ Non-fiction trade paperbacks are a different story. My perceived target market clutches mass-market fiction in their hands when they are boarding a plane or dashing off to lunch.

I am aware that sentiment is shifting in the publishing industry toward the trade format for economic and readability—larger print—reasons, but I don’t think that same mindset has trickled down into the general reading public. I would hate to lose one sale because of format discrimination. One caveat, an almost bestselling book of fiction, Water for Elephants, is exclusively printed in trade format and is doing well.

While talking to my publisher and asking her why they use trade versus mass-market, she listed the general reasons of cost and such, and then the word POD slipped out. POD is short for Print on Demand, a trend, until now reserved for people who couldn’t get a publishing contract or chose to do it all themselves. Those reasons speak volumes toward the possible quality of the novels being printed using POD. POD offers the advantage of choosing to print one or a thousand copies instead of mass-market, which requires a printing press and orders of 5,000 or more.

This got me to thinking, what am I signing away? One thing is vast distribution rights and a majority portion of the profits. There is nothing stopping me from using POD and sidestepping a publisher completely. When pressed for what my signature buys me, the answers are not highly compelling. I’m not working with a publisher that can guarantee copies of my book on every Barnes & Noble in the country. They are not offering me an advance or even to cover marketing costs. Their general response is that as a first time author, they will guide me through the murky waters. Granted, they do have avenues of exposure I don’t yet have, experience, and contacts. That does count for something, but how much?

My initial contract is in the area of 25% of net as opposed to a larger house were, as a first time author, I’ll see 12%-14%. The math isn’t hard. Sell twice as many books with a large house to make the same money as with an independent, yet who has the better chance of posting bigger numbers. My second caveat, I’m getting nothing but rejections from agents and no large publishing house has offered me a contract. I have the proverbial bird in the hand.
I’m at a crossroads. First, what do I want to do with my days? For the most part, write the next novel. Do I want to spend nine-to-five marketing? I’m aware that a level of effort on my part will be required to market my book, and a level of monetary cost. This would be true even with a big publishing firm. How long will a big firm list and push my book? I’m told anywhere from six-weeks to six-months and unless I’m the next great thing, to the dustbins I go. The independent will work with me for the life of the contract, which at this point, is three years. As a first time author, I need time, time to gather a fan base, gain momentum, and turn out new novels.

Do I continue to pound on agent’s mailboxes in hopes to be presented to a larger house? Even then, there is no guarantee of a contract. Do I forgo a publisher altogether and use POD and my own exclusive efforts? Do I go with the independent who can give me some level of guidance, contacts, and initial publishing costs?

I’m not sure, but I’’ll certainly post my final decision and reasons.

Frustration

steven@steven-mather.com (Steven Mather) — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 19:17:00 GMT

Nothing in my life prepared me for the unilateral rejection from agents. I’ve never been there, but I think trying to get a date at the Playboy Mansion would feel similar. At least there, I know I don’t stand a chance. You know you have a worthy novel and these gatekeepers of the large publishing houses reject you with a litany of weak reasons. My favorite—I mean most frustrating— is the enthusiasm rejection. I’m sorry, but I don’t feel the enthusiasm for your novel that I require to get behind it. What a vague way of saying that I don’t like your submission. It stings, especially when you know that your baby is good read and worthy of publishing. Of course, that’s a subjective feeling, but it’s a legitimate one.

I’ve heard and read the stories of the best seller that suffered through one hundred rejections and finally hooked an agent. My hat is off to them. The perseverance and persistence to submit and receive that many rejections, yet continue is admirable to say the least. I don’t know if I have it in me, and fortunately, at this time I don’t need to find out. I have a publisher.

My advice to the sensitive, aspiring writer is approach smaller publishing houses along with your agent queries. Fortune may smile upon you and negate the need for an agent, for the immediate future.

I can double that feeling of frustration. I recently went to a writer’s convention. You know—those expensive things we are told we need to attend and network at. I signed up for the expensive interviews and chose my selections carefully. A side note, always research the agents you are paying good money too for an interview. There are a lot of charlatans working the conference circuit. These are folks who couldn’t help you even if you had the latest hot thing. They are there in an effort to promote themselves more than help you. Do I sound bitter? Perhaps, but my research turned up a lot of interesting and uninteresting facts about the interviewers available. Fear not, some are legitimate—although I wonder what they are doing there. The one woman I was dying to see acted like a robot, flat, unemotional, and definitely not personal. Was it me? Maybe, but I found out later that everyone who paid money to see her felt the same way. Let me get back to the frustration part. I had a publishing contract in hand, and the agents could have cared less. I was offering a freebie, and no bites. My presentation wasn’t stellar, but it was passable. I’m still mystified.

I believe there are good agents out there, but I have come away from this experience feeling that most of them are only looking for that guaranteed million-copy seller. The autobiography, or diet guide by Paris Hilton.

I have a little dream, my book sells a million copies, and agents approach me. I laugh, smile, and give them the finger. Yikes, bitter? No, just frustrated. If that time ever came, I would give them the same consideration they have given me. I’m just not enthusiastic about your representation.

To date, I have only queried ten, yes, only ten, agents for Three of a Kind. I got the same blanket response. These didn’t frustrate me nearly as much as the one-on-one interviews. I did pick the best agents, with stellar representations. I picked the hardest ones to hook up with. That’s okay, I always believe start at the top.

If I didn’t get a publishing contract, would I still be querying agents. You bet your butt I would, and the aspiring writer should too. It’s the system, and if you can’t work within it, you’ll never be published. That doesn’t mean rejection won’t hurt. It does. Just know that you are in good company. Many bestselling authors went through the same pain and they survived and thrived.

The pain of editing

steven@steven-mather.com (Steven Mather) — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 22:33:00 GMT

Writing a novel is easy compared to editing the same novel. I’m not talking about self-editing. I’m talking about a solid copy and content edit by a professional.

I do not have an English degree or anything close to it. My major was computer science. I was not a shining star in the public school system. I barely made it into the ninth grade before dropping out. Thank God, my mother forced me to get a GDE, or I may have never made it to college, which I finally did when I was twenty-one.
I always did poorly in English throughout junior high and my brief stint in high school. It may have had something to do with being a teenager in the seventies, although I doubt if it’s changed much since. At that time, I spent more time listening to Led Zeppelin, collecting black concert t-shirts, and smoking dope. Yep, I was one of those kids.

I always excelled in reading; I read at a college level in fifth grade. Putting together a proper sentence however, baffled me. I need to add that I was diagnosed as mildly dyslexic. A noun, a pronoun, an adverb, or prepositional phrases were mythical creatures to me. I just knew how to read. When I got to college and took the required English courses, a surprising thing happened. I was excused from English 102—or whatever it was called—three weeks before the end of the semester. The teacher handed out a 1,000 word creative writing assignment. We were to create our own version of Dante’s Inferno. I went a little nuts and I should have seen it as a sign that I might have a calling as a writer. I handed in 10,000 words. I still have it, and reading it is painful, but for a kid who couldn’t pass an English class, it wasn’t half bad. That was the end of my creative writing phase for twenty-three years.

My career in IT required me to write hundreds, if not thousands, of manuals, technical writings, and articles. In fact, my first job in IT was as a technical writer. I was fired from that job, go figure. My continued love for fiction and all those technical documents must have worked some grammar into my brain. When I finally sat down to write my first novel, it wasn’t horrible. In fact, I thought it was downright easy. I wrote my first 60,000-words in three months and thought I had a novel. I was wrong. I had a draft of a decent story. I even went as far as sending out query letters to agents with a query that was dreadful. What did I know?

Eventually, I ended up handing it over to a professional copy-to-content editor. We made it two-thirds through the story before I abandoned it—temporarily—to work on my second novel that agents and publishers actually showed interest in. For some reason, I can’t remember how I felt during the editing of that first novel, but my second one—the one that was my first published—was painful.

I have so much more to learn about writing, but the process of editing that second novel was the most difficult crash course of anything I’ve ever experienced. I’m not talking about simple frustration or difficulty. I’m talking about soul rendering pain, accompanied by anger and humiliation. By far, the edited version of that novel was far more difficult to write than the draft, infinitely harder.

I remember clearly the elation I felt when I my editor informed me that the first fifty pages of my manuscript were some of the cleanest pages she’d ever edited. I also distinctly remember the amazement and crushing feeling when I got those first fifty pages back. There were squiggles, comments, and whole sections crossed out on every page. My editor is very thorough and she left no paragraph, sentence, or word untouched it seemed. I wanted to scream.

It took me four months to get through her edits on half the novel that had only taken three months to write. It was agonizingly slow as I tried to decipher what was wrong with this, and why she made a mark on that. It’s not that her editing was illegible; it’s that my lack of skills made the task arduous. I cannot count the number of times I almost gave up or wanted to throw the stack of papers at the wall and cry.

My editor is a saint. I would call her up or send her emails with questions and comments that always had an air of skepticism. I openly challenged her skills as an editor. I even fired her once for ten-minutes. Thankfully, she liked me, and she like my story. Anyone else would have told me to copulate with myself and get lost.

It took those four months and half the novel before lights started going on and I began to understand why she made the edits she did. Writing became fun again. For a while though, it was one of the most difficult things I’d ever pushed myself through. I’m proud I stuck with it. I’ve abandoned less painful projects in the past.

I now have a sliver of skills that makes my drafts bearable, but I still need to have everything proofed—except these BLOG’s. I’m going out on a limb by myself here and the technically proficient will probably have a field day.
I see excerpts and clips of peoples writing’s on forums and contest threads, and wonder if anyone qualified has proofed the work. Usually not, and many writers get offended when I suggest it. Why, I don’t know. We all make mistakes, and I know we do not all have masters degrees in writing. I see so many simple grammar and style errors that it blows my mind, and I don’t even know enough to edit my own work completely. I always use the following example as something that works in MS word but is so wrong. The acoustic child fell to Pisces whenever anyone torched them. That’s a simple typo, not even a content or style problem.

Anyway, if you want to grow as a writer, and you’re not afraid of pain, hand your work to a professional first. It will save you so much pain and rejection in the end. It will also give you a dose of humility that I think all aspiring writer’s need now and then.

Welcome, and thanks for your interest

steven@steven-mather.com (Steven Mather) — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 19:19:00 GMT

I've titled the name of my BLOG, Challenged. Challenged is the way I feel about the whole business of becoming a published author. If you are an aspiring writer in today's market, you can relate. Publishers won't look at your book unless you have an agent. Agents are hard to get. Rejection letters form a collage on your wall, but you keep trying. You know you've written a good book, if not a best-seller. Haven't we all? We love our creations as if they were our children, and in some cases, they are.

I hope to share my travels from desiring to write to become a notable published author. Notice I say notable. I have the dream of becoming a household name. I think most writers would be lying if they didn’t admit to harboring the same illusions. It can happen. But can it happen for us?

I’ll be straight up; I want Stephen King recognition and J.K. Rowling’s money. The odds are against me and the reality is I’ll never achieve either, but I can hope.

What drives a writer? I’ve often heard it simply stated that the words or the story just had to come out. I can understand that. What I write hammers in my brain for release on paper. But do I do it simply from the need? That may have been how it once was for authors of the past. When I began, I assumed naively that I would write and someone else would handle everything else: the publishing, the marketing, and the reviews. I wanted to be the Artist Martyr.

I wrote one draft, then another, and then started on my third. This is easy, I thought. It was easy, living in a cocoon of ignorance. The day came when I realized that I couldn’t just keep writing and do nothing else. Even then, I still assumed I would easily find an agent who would fall in love with my novels and fame and fortune would follow. I received a rude awakening.

I began to submit query letters for my first draft, what I believed to be a completed novel. Let the editor’s brush up the few typos and mistakes. My query letters were full of bravado and hype. They got me nowhere. I decided I might need some help after all and joined a writers group. It was a horrible experience. None of them could write, and the excruciating dreadful prose I heard left me thinking I’d find no help. They also did me no favors at the time. They praised my work and had very little critique, leaving me with a sense of false accomplishment. I am, and always will be, grammatically challenged. I needed real help.

I stumbled across another organization, the Florida Writer’s Association. Here I found writers of a different sort. They told me the truth, as agonizing as it was. I had a long way to go. I met my editor; bless her heart. She gave me a discounted rate to begin work on my first novel, Tweakers.

I will leave the details of my freshmen editing experience for another post. If you’ve been there, you may already know what I went through. It was painful, embarrassing, humbling, and above all, the greatest learning experience I’ve had in decades.

I was two-thirds complete with the editing on my first novel when I switched gears, dropped it, and began editing my second novel. Why? When I would pitch my work at conferences and mini-events, agents and publishers were interested in my second and third works, but not my first. That was a hard decision for me to make. My first novel was a great story, but apparently, it didn’t grab anyone’s attention. I now know that it was my pitch, but I bowed to the reality of what I was hearing and left it alone to work on one that showed more promise.

I went through the editing process for Three of a Kind, my first complete pass through one of my novels. It was harder than writing the draft. The story I started with and the story I ended up with resembled each other, but were distinctly unique creations.

Then I got lucky. Plain and simple. An independent publisher spoke at one of our FWA meetings. She then offered to read queries and submissions, live. She allowed five-minute windows for your pitch. Over sixty of us showed up and I, type A personality, pitched all three of my books. Once again, she was interested in the second and third, but not the first. Out of sixty-eight submissions, she chose six that she wanted to see the manuscript for. Two of them were mine. I was elated.

I now have a publishing contract for Three of a Kind to be released in August of 2008. I still don’t have an agent and the ride is really just starting.
I’m a first time author and the success of my book is all up to me. There will be no huge marketing budget, no New York Times review (yet), and no money. If I wanted to play the role of Artist Martyr, I think I know how it would play out. My book would be published; I would send copies to friends and family, I might even force it on a few strangers, and then it would languish. Books just don’t sell themselves.

Okay, I’ve made it over what seemed an insurmountable hurdle. I have a publishing contract. But now the real work begins. Maybe someday, people will be anxiously waiting for my next novel. Publishers will bid against each other, and I’ll be scheduling my appearance on Oprah.

What drives me to want to be a writer in today’s market? You almost have to be a sadist. What drives me today is what drove me when I started. I want people to read my books and love them. I want to leave a small impression of my passing on the planet. I want all of the fame and fortune that could come in a perfect world, for me. I will however, settle for a few good reviews and occasional accolades from a stranger that what I wrote entertained them and captured their interest, even if it was only for a little while.