Must be something in the air- or the blogosphere. Recently, several writers took to the Internet to talk about money. One person bravely tells how she cluelessly blew a third of a million dollars, and others tell how to watch out for and cope with the trap of a sudden windfall from publishers or skyrocketing sales.
Makes for some very interesting reading and comparison between them all.
First was Heather.
Vincent Zandri is a sharp cookie, but even he had some difficulty after he got a big book contract.
Chuck Wendig weighs in.
And Dean Wesley Smith has some great advice.
So I'll be well prepared when the big contract comes my way. Let's hope it's soon, so I can test my strength of character coping with outstanding success and money...
Showing posts with label Dean Wesley Smith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dean Wesley Smith. Show all posts
Saturday, September 21, 2019
Monday, December 31, 2012
New Year, New Goals
Happy End of 2012.
Well, we survived the Apocalypse, and all the trials and tribulations of the last 12 months. Whew!
A year ago, I set a set of insane writing and production goals for 2012. I was prompted, in part, by the advice of long-term professional writer Dean Wesley Smith, who also had set himself impossible production goals.
At the time, I knew it was a stretch (well, impossible really), but I wanted to challenge myself and do more than I'd done in all the years before.
And I did. Although I fell far short of my stated goals, I accomplished and published more in one year than some writers do in their entire careers.
First goal- produce a book a month, 12 in all.
This included novels and story collections. I had a backlog of many stories, and learned how to put these into collections and sell them as books, producing both ebooks and print versions.
7 of these story collections got published, and my second novel, for a total of 8 books. Short of the 12 goal, but still a great output. Am I happy to have met "only" two-thirds of an impossible stretch goal? You bet.
Second goal- produce a story a week for sale in ebook format, 52 total.
I quickly found that the time and resources to do this was at a level that could not be sustained. You need careful editing, a good cover image, formatting, descriptions, and adding the links everywhere.
I did the first four stories, and stopped, realizing it was more important to produce new material. So I really fell far short on this goal. Am I happy to have abandoned this goal? Nope. Would love to have over 50 stories up for sale, but it'll have to wait.
Along with all that came other writing milestones.
I wrote new stories, and had modest success, with sales and publications.
I finished writing most of the third Zack Taylor mystery novel "A Shadow on the Wall." That'll be out soon.
One past story was selected by Every Day Fiction to be in their upcoming "Best of" anthology.
One new story appeared in the charity anthology Nightfalls, where I'm in with some pretty good new writers.
I was selected as one of "50 Great Writers You Should be Reading" by the national radio program The Author Show.
I'm a weekly guest on WUML (91.5) radio, speaking with host David Tierney about writing.
I've had numerous talks and signings, attended shows, and made many new contacts in the writing world.
All this-- plus publicity-- has to be done when not at my day job.
So no excuses for not writing!
For the coming year of 2013, here are my new writing goals.
Again, from the advice of Dean Wesley Smith, I'm going to shoot for an average of 5000 new words a week, for a grand total of a quarter-million by year's end.
That's the equivalent of four good novels, and 4 is the number of books I plan on publishing in 2013. Still pretty ambitious.
So what are your goals (writing or otherwise) for the coming year?
Well, we survived the Apocalypse, and all the trials and tribulations of the last 12 months. Whew!
A year ago, I set a set of insane writing and production goals for 2012. I was prompted, in part, by the advice of long-term professional writer Dean Wesley Smith, who also had set himself impossible production goals.
At the time, I knew it was a stretch (well, impossible really), but I wanted to challenge myself and do more than I'd done in all the years before.
And I did. Although I fell far short of my stated goals, I accomplished and published more in one year than some writers do in their entire careers.
First goal- produce a book a month, 12 in all.
This included novels and story collections. I had a backlog of many stories, and learned how to put these into collections and sell them as books, producing both ebooks and print versions.
7 of these story collections got published, and my second novel, for a total of 8 books. Short of the 12 goal, but still a great output. Am I happy to have met "only" two-thirds of an impossible stretch goal? You bet.
Second goal- produce a story a week for sale in ebook format, 52 total.
I quickly found that the time and resources to do this was at a level that could not be sustained. You need careful editing, a good cover image, formatting, descriptions, and adding the links everywhere.
I did the first four stories, and stopped, realizing it was more important to produce new material. So I really fell far short on this goal. Am I happy to have abandoned this goal? Nope. Would love to have over 50 stories up for sale, but it'll have to wait.
Along with all that came other writing milestones.
I wrote new stories, and had modest success, with sales and publications.
I finished writing most of the third Zack Taylor mystery novel "A Shadow on the Wall." That'll be out soon.
One past story was selected by Every Day Fiction to be in their upcoming "Best of" anthology.
One new story appeared in the charity anthology Nightfalls, where I'm in with some pretty good new writers.
I was selected as one of "50 Great Writers You Should be Reading" by the national radio program The Author Show.
I'm a weekly guest on WUML (91.5) radio, speaking with host David Tierney about writing.
I've had numerous talks and signings, attended shows, and made many new contacts in the writing world.
All this-- plus publicity-- has to be done when not at my day job.
So no excuses for not writing!
For the coming year of 2013, here are my new writing goals.
Again, from the advice of Dean Wesley Smith, I'm going to shoot for an average of 5000 new words a week, for a grand total of a quarter-million by year's end.
That's the equivalent of four good novels, and 4 is the number of books I plan on publishing in 2013. Still pretty ambitious.
So what are your goals (writing or otherwise) for the coming year?
Monday, November 19, 2012
Great interview out today
Happy Monday, and Happy Thanksgiving Week! Don't forget the cranberry sauce...
Today I'm interviewed on the blog of Serena Akeroyd, fledgling Romance Writer, and I get to give long-winded answers to a lot of great questions, giving writing advice and dropping names of other writers giving even better advice: Stephen King, Dean Wesley Smith, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Chuck Wendig.
This is the third interview in the last few weeks-- lots of exposure for the work, as I feverishly hammer away at A Shadow on the Wall, the third Zack Taylor mystery.
Today I'm interviewed on the blog of Serena Akeroyd, fledgling Romance Writer, and I get to give long-winded answers to a lot of great questions, giving writing advice and dropping names of other writers giving even better advice: Stephen King, Dean Wesley Smith, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Chuck Wendig.
This is the third interview in the last few weeks-- lots of exposure for the work, as I feverishly hammer away at A Shadow on the Wall, the third Zack Taylor mystery.
Friday, May 4, 2012
What's Wrong With Publishing, or The Kobayashi Maru
Today someone asked "how's your book doing?"
It's great to be able to say-- "Which one?"
As of last December, I only had one novel out for sale-- A Memory of Grief-- now I've got two novels published, with a third due out later this year-- while I also do work on book #4, the one to follow.
And I've got five story collections out in print-- while working on several more.
And-- the other novels I've got in the immediate pipeline.
So the book(s) is/are doing well, thanks. Better every day.
In our talk, I said it was tough being an Indie writer, as you're responsible for all the promotion-- as well as writing more. No matter if you're promoting one book or writing another, you feel like you're not doing enough if you can't do both at the same time-- and with a regular day job and a family, you have little enough time as it is.
He smiled and said, "You've got a real Kobayashi Maru situation there."
This touched my nerdy little heart. For those of you who may not have your geek creds, the Kobayashi Maru was a plot device used in Star Trek. It was an exercise at Starfleet Academy, designed as unwinnable, no matter what the player did. It was designed to teach prospective officers the meaning of fear and failure. Everyone failed. Until James T. Kirk came along, a man who refused to accept failure, ever. He beat the Kobayashi Maru by cheating the rigged game! Kirk hacked the game computer to allow for a winnable scenario. And won it.
The whole idea is legend to those of us who get it. It shows us what Kirk's indomitable spirit is all about, and why he's successful as a Starship Captain.
This had tremendous resonance with me, because of another recent communication. I told a pro writer about my ambition to write fiction full-time, making it my living.
The response was "Forget it-- it's a pipe dream. You can't make a living writing fiction. I've had too many friends who've come to a bad end because they tried this."
Now this is a person who has been writing and publishing in the traditional pub world for almost 20 years. They said that they can sell a new book on a short proposal. They've got a spate of prestigious awards and nominations. With terrific, high-level reviews from professionals, a following, a number of books with good covers, a good website, and impressive sales rankings and reviews on Amazon. And with the support of big publishing behind them, offering hardback, paperback, e-books, audio books, and translation editions.
And this person cannot make a steady enough income to survive!
That, dear readers, is What's Wrong With Big Traditional Publishing.
Someone is making a ton of money here, and it ain't the person creating the product. A pro, with everything in place, is not getting a steady income from a terrific backlist and a regular supply of new books.
Wonder why. Maybe because Big Trad Pub gives a piddly 17.5% to the creator of the work, then another 15% comes out of that for an agent.
So we have a system that creates the expectation of failure. You can have everything going for you, do everything right, and you still get nothing but scraps from Big Trad Pub (for which they expect you should be groveling and grateful).
Sorry, ain't buying it. Like James Tiberius Kirk, I reject this rigged system, and the attitude of failure it fosters.
It's the Kobayashi Maru scenario once again-- a system that's unbeatable.
So, like Kirk, I'll go outside the system to beat it-- and do what's necessary to succeed. If that means Big Trad Pub is Starfleet, and won't let me be a captain without playing their losing game, I'll go rogue and get my own damn Starship.
I'll follow in the steps of others who began at Starfleet, and who have also rejected Big Trad Pub-- and are now making a very nice living.
Folks like JA Konrath, Dean Wesley Smith, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, and Barry Eisler, just to name a few. The ones who show you how to succeed, how to reach for the stars, not be afraid of them.
For some time now, when people have asked what the middle initial T stands for in my name, I've answered "Tiberius."
Now you know why.
Live Long, and Prosper.
And Non Carborundum Illegitimatus.
It's great to be able to say-- "Which one?"
As of last December, I only had one novel out for sale-- A Memory of Grief-- now I've got two novels published, with a third due out later this year-- while I also do work on book #4, the one to follow.
And I've got five story collections out in print-- while working on several more.
And-- the other novels I've got in the immediate pipeline.
So the book(s) is/are doing well, thanks. Better every day.
In our talk, I said it was tough being an Indie writer, as you're responsible for all the promotion-- as well as writing more. No matter if you're promoting one book or writing another, you feel like you're not doing enough if you can't do both at the same time-- and with a regular day job and a family, you have little enough time as it is.
He smiled and said, "You've got a real Kobayashi Maru situation there."
This touched my nerdy little heart. For those of you who may not have your geek creds, the Kobayashi Maru was a plot device used in Star Trek. It was an exercise at Starfleet Academy, designed as unwinnable, no matter what the player did. It was designed to teach prospective officers the meaning of fear and failure. Everyone failed. Until James T. Kirk came along, a man who refused to accept failure, ever. He beat the Kobayashi Maru by cheating the rigged game! Kirk hacked the game computer to allow for a winnable scenario. And won it.
The whole idea is legend to those of us who get it. It shows us what Kirk's indomitable spirit is all about, and why he's successful as a Starship Captain.
This had tremendous resonance with me, because of another recent communication. I told a pro writer about my ambition to write fiction full-time, making it my living.
The response was "Forget it-- it's a pipe dream. You can't make a living writing fiction. I've had too many friends who've come to a bad end because they tried this."
Now this is a person who has been writing and publishing in the traditional pub world for almost 20 years. They said that they can sell a new book on a short proposal. They've got a spate of prestigious awards and nominations. With terrific, high-level reviews from professionals, a following, a number of books with good covers, a good website, and impressive sales rankings and reviews on Amazon. And with the support of big publishing behind them, offering hardback, paperback, e-books, audio books, and translation editions.
And this person cannot make a steady enough income to survive!
That, dear readers, is What's Wrong With Big Traditional Publishing.
Someone is making a ton of money here, and it ain't the person creating the product. A pro, with everything in place, is not getting a steady income from a terrific backlist and a regular supply of new books.
Wonder why. Maybe because Big Trad Pub gives a piddly 17.5% to the creator of the work, then another 15% comes out of that for an agent.
So we have a system that creates the expectation of failure. You can have everything going for you, do everything right, and you still get nothing but scraps from Big Trad Pub (for which they expect you should be groveling and grateful).
Sorry, ain't buying it. Like James Tiberius Kirk, I reject this rigged system, and the attitude of failure it fosters.
It's the Kobayashi Maru scenario once again-- a system that's unbeatable.
So, like Kirk, I'll go outside the system to beat it-- and do what's necessary to succeed. If that means Big Trad Pub is Starfleet, and won't let me be a captain without playing their losing game, I'll go rogue and get my own damn Starship.
I'll follow in the steps of others who began at Starfleet, and who have also rejected Big Trad Pub-- and are now making a very nice living.
Folks like JA Konrath, Dean Wesley Smith, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, and Barry Eisler, just to name a few. The ones who show you how to succeed, how to reach for the stars, not be afraid of them.
For some time now, when people have asked what the middle initial T stands for in my name, I've answered "Tiberius."
Now you know why.
Live Long, and Prosper.
And Non Carborundum Illegitimatus.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
First Story Collection Published
Inspired by folks like Joe Konrath and Dean Wesley Smith, who have told us we could now do well by writing good works and publishing them ourselves, I took up the challenge.
Here is one amazing result-- my first story collection is now available! Fables and Fantasies is a book of 5 tales of magic, swords, vampires, princesses in peril, and choices to be made. Heroes and villains and something in between. Monsters, both internal and external. Encounters with the unusual to make you think, laugh, and shiver with fright.
Three stories are all new, and two have been previously published, in Aoife's Kiss and Sorcerous Signals. So hard-nosed professional editors have paid tough-to-come-by-money for some of these tales. Four of these stories are available as singles.
It's a great new world for the writers who want to succeed. No more lottery systems-- just get the work up and let the readers decide! Viva La Revolution!
Here is one amazing result-- my first story collection is now available! Fables and Fantasies is a book of 5 tales of magic, swords, vampires, princesses in peril, and choices to be made. Heroes and villains and something in between. Monsters, both internal and external. Encounters with the unusual to make you think, laugh, and shiver with fright.
Three stories are all new, and two have been previously published, in Aoife's Kiss and Sorcerous Signals. So hard-nosed professional editors have paid tough-to-come-by-money for some of these tales. Four of these stories are available as singles.
It's a great new world for the writers who want to succeed. No more lottery systems-- just get the work up and let the readers decide! Viva La Revolution!
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Joining the Revolution, Going Nuts With a Challenge
Today I took the plunge, and put my first story up for sale on Smashwords- Froggy Went A Courting:
At a mere 99 cents!
This is where I've really joined the publishing revolution. Do it yourself? Heavens to Murgatroyd!
And the reason is a group of writers who have been preaching for some time that writers have choice, that all those countless hours we spend toiling away might actually be put to use, by putting up our good work so that readers can find it and even compensate us with a few pennies.
People like Joe Konrath and Barry Eisler, with their conversation in Be the Monkey.
And Dean Wesley Smith, with his trilogy of terror:
New World of Publishing
Think Like A Publisher
Killing the Sacred Cows of Publishing
And many others. Okay guys, some of us have been paying attention. And we've changed our strategies...
A year ago, I was still looking for a traditional big publishing house, likely in New York, to publish my first mystery novel, A Memory of Grief. I'd spent years writing good queries, researching which agents to send to, and did everything properly. Had some interest from some pros, had an agent for 2.5 years, but still no sale. Years of wasted time.
Then along came a small outfit, a startup publisher, and they asked me if I wanted to take a chance and publish with them. After weighing the pros and cons, I did, and this last Summer, Briona Glen Publishing released my first book in print (and as an ebook).
I was over the moon, but didn't stop there. I finished the edits to book 2 of the series, A Fall From Grace, and now that's going to be out very soon! Two good books published six months apart.
HA-- try that with a big NY house-- if your name isn't Stephen King!
Hey, pretty good, but why stop there? I'd published over 20 short stories, some really good ones, but once they appear, they dissolve after a short time and don't get seen. But the guys mentioned above have been saying-- get that stuff up, folks! Your backlist is a goldmine!
I hear ya! And so I'll put stories up for sale, as singles and collections. They won't be hiding anymore, they'll be read.
In fact, I've been so inspired, I decided to go absolutely nuts. It's because of these guys, I swear!
Dean Wesley Smith was trying to write 100 stories in a year, while also doing his books. Life got in the way, so he couldn't finish. But he proved the method, that working writers can produce a lot if they get over this notion they HAVE to write slowly, and only put out a book (or two) a year.
So I'm picking up that torch and running. I want to be a full-time fiction writer, so here's what I'm going to attempt for the coming year, while I'm still keeping my day job.
The 2012 Challenge
First, the Book of the Month Challenge- I want to put out books (ebooks first, and we'll see about print) to the tune of one new book for every month of the New Year. I can't write good novels that fast, so a few will be novels, and the rest will be story collections. Still, it's 12 books.
Which leads us to Part II of the Challenge.
Second, I'll have a story put up for every week of the New Year-- 52 stories by the end of next year. I've got just 1 so far. Long way to go.
So there you have it-- 12 books, in addition to my two novels, and 52 stories-- an insane schedule.
Since I have only limited time, it's going to mean full-out crazy.
Too much? Maybe. But I'm fired up with writing religion, and a desire to play in the Big Leagues. You can blame it on those guys who've been egging us on to do stuff like this. By way of thanks, I'll be buying their books to support them, even if I'm cursing their names by the end of next year!
So check back to see how I'm doing.
Smashwords and Amazon allow you to sample the work before you buy, so check out the writing.
And wish me luck-- I'm gonna need it!
At a mere 99 cents!
This is where I've really joined the publishing revolution. Do it yourself? Heavens to Murgatroyd!
And the reason is a group of writers who have been preaching for some time that writers have choice, that all those countless hours we spend toiling away might actually be put to use, by putting up our good work so that readers can find it and even compensate us with a few pennies.
People like Joe Konrath and Barry Eisler, with their conversation in Be the Monkey.
And Dean Wesley Smith, with his trilogy of terror:
New World of Publishing
Think Like A Publisher
Killing the Sacred Cows of Publishing
And many others. Okay guys, some of us have been paying attention. And we've changed our strategies...
A year ago, I was still looking for a traditional big publishing house, likely in New York, to publish my first mystery novel, A Memory of Grief. I'd spent years writing good queries, researching which agents to send to, and did everything properly. Had some interest from some pros, had an agent for 2.5 years, but still no sale. Years of wasted time.
Then along came a small outfit, a startup publisher, and they asked me if I wanted to take a chance and publish with them. After weighing the pros and cons, I did, and this last Summer, Briona Glen Publishing released my first book in print (and as an ebook).
I was over the moon, but didn't stop there. I finished the edits to book 2 of the series, A Fall From Grace, and now that's going to be out very soon! Two good books published six months apart.
HA-- try that with a big NY house-- if your name isn't Stephen King!
Hey, pretty good, but why stop there? I'd published over 20 short stories, some really good ones, but once they appear, they dissolve after a short time and don't get seen. But the guys mentioned above have been saying-- get that stuff up, folks! Your backlist is a goldmine!
I hear ya! And so I'll put stories up for sale, as singles and collections. They won't be hiding anymore, they'll be read.
In fact, I've been so inspired, I decided to go absolutely nuts. It's because of these guys, I swear!
Dean Wesley Smith was trying to write 100 stories in a year, while also doing his books. Life got in the way, so he couldn't finish. But he proved the method, that working writers can produce a lot if they get over this notion they HAVE to write slowly, and only put out a book (or two) a year.
So I'm picking up that torch and running. I want to be a full-time fiction writer, so here's what I'm going to attempt for the coming year, while I'm still keeping my day job.
The 2012 Challenge
First, the Book of the Month Challenge- I want to put out books (ebooks first, and we'll see about print) to the tune of one new book for every month of the New Year. I can't write good novels that fast, so a few will be novels, and the rest will be story collections. Still, it's 12 books.
Which leads us to Part II of the Challenge.
Second, I'll have a story put up for every week of the New Year-- 52 stories by the end of next year. I've got just 1 so far. Long way to go.
So there you have it-- 12 books, in addition to my two novels, and 52 stories-- an insane schedule.
Since I have only limited time, it's going to mean full-out crazy.
Too much? Maybe. But I'm fired up with writing religion, and a desire to play in the Big Leagues. You can blame it on those guys who've been egging us on to do stuff like this. By way of thanks, I'll be buying their books to support them, even if I'm cursing their names by the end of next year!
So check back to see how I'm doing.
Smashwords and Amazon allow you to sample the work before you buy, so check out the writing.
And wish me luck-- I'm gonna need it!
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Contest Winner, Writing Fast
Congratulations to Michelle Grayce, who won a copy of A Memory of Grief from the contest at Shellyrae's Book'dOut. Hope she enjoys a good mystery novel.
Many sites host contests where you can win free books, so treat yourself for Christmas!
+++++++
I've always been a believer in the slow writing process, with lengthy, painstaking revisions and editing.
Yet Dean Wesley Smith and others have said that we should write fast, to access the creative side of the brain. Dean says that's the best writing stuff, and that we shouldn't bother with a lot of rewriting-- it takes too much of the good stuff out, as it's the other side of the brain at work then.
Other opinions, like Zoe Winters and others are all for word flow.
I'm rethinking my process. How about you? What's your preferred style? I know a few people who try NaNoWriMo and find some value in it. So is faster better?
Many sites host contests where you can win free books, so treat yourself for Christmas!
+++++++
I've always been a believer in the slow writing process, with lengthy, painstaking revisions and editing.
Yet Dean Wesley Smith and others have said that we should write fast, to access the creative side of the brain. Dean says that's the best writing stuff, and that we shouldn't bother with a lot of rewriting-- it takes too much of the good stuff out, as it's the other side of the brain at work then.
Other opinions, like Zoe Winters and others are all for word flow.
I'm rethinking my process. How about you? What's your preferred style? I know a few people who try NaNoWriMo and find some value in it. So is faster better?
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