Help an Iconic Bookstore

It comes as no surprise to most that established businesses are hurting from the blow to in-store shopping. One particularly hard-hit center is the New England Mobile Book Fair, our local beloved meeting place for readers and writers. They have been great for the community, and more than generous to patrons and area writers. They've held in-store music classes, and many programs, giving artists of all stripes a venue to meet the public. They're an important piece of culture for our region.

Like many others, they've been socked from the drop in revenue. They've started a GoFundMe campaign to see if they can stay alive. If you can, please consider a donation to this worthy cause. Please help spread the word to all readers who love books and support the places to get them.

https://www.gofundme.com/ne-book-fair

New Venue in Downtown Nashua for Selling Local Author Books

Many stores (especially bookstores) complain about how tough it is to sell from a physical location in this day and age, when it's far more convenient to pop online and instantly have what you desire. Yet many bookstores idiotically turn away business by not welcoming or stocking local independent authors. 

However, some local businesses realize the value of having items in their store from local people, who send their fans to the store as customers. One such is Nashua Coins & Collectibles in downtown Nashua. 

They carry a great selection of coins and collectible items-- and now stock some authors from the area. What a great idea!

Now while you're in downtown Nashua, drop in and see what they have to offer. They may even have authors do signings there, so keep posted on happenings. Make sure to support local businesses, to keep the local economy healthy. Benefits for all.

Author David Daniel gives a talk in Chelmsford to SIPA

We had a great night at the meeting for the Society of Independent Publishers and Authors (SIPA), with a special guest appearance by noted author David Daniel, who spoke to the group about writing and publishing.
Anybody in the Chelmsford area with an interest in writing and publishing should check out this organization.
We've had some terrific guests giving good advice and support.

And for those wishing to develop their knowledge of the writing craft, Dave teaches a class at UMass Lowell on Writing Popular Fiction- and you can sign up now. Class meets Thurs evenings, 6:30-9:20.
I've spoken to a number of people who have taken this course, and they all praise it as excellent.
 

 Dave is in the colorful shirt at the head of the table

And we had a good crowd- even more showed up after this pic, for a full house, who were eager to hear news and advice from a long-time writing professional.

 

 Dave has a supportive family, who showed up for the talk

 

Group shot of aspiring writers

 

Writers Helping Others- Consortiums, Donations, and Good Books

A few cool things to talk about today.

First up is a great article on the site of the wonderful Jane Friedman by Ursula Wong, author of Purple Trees. The article talks about writer's consortiums, where writers get together for mutual help and support. Well worth the read.

And here's an interview with Ursula.

*****

Next up is a chance to contribute to the education and growth of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers in southwestern New Hampshire by making a donation of an autographed copy of one of your books to the10th Annual Online Auction.
Over 400 friends and businesses, including 137 New England and New York authors and/or illustrators, contributed to this fundraiser last year.

The Children's Center, in Harrisville, NH, is a non-profit early care and learning center for children ages 6 weeks to 6 years old. They serve children from over 14 towns in the Monadnock Region of southwestern NH. All proceeds from this fundraiser will go to the Center to help fund the many wonderful programs offered to young children  and their families throughout the year.

The auction will run on their website from February 21 - March 20, 2016.
Contact:
Linda MacGillvary, Director
Harrisville Children's Center
66 Main Street P.O. Box 128
Harrisville, NH 03450
www.harrisvillechildrenscenter.org Federal ID Number: 23-7399517

*****

And lastly, the book recommendation of the week is the Paul Forte trilogy by Pete Morin.

Start with Diary of a Small Fish and go to Full Irish and Half Irish (the latter two had Susanne O'Leary as co-author)


And check out an interview with Pete here.

How to Save Big Publishing- Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Have a safe and enjoyable holiday.

In the spirit of giving, here's a plan to save Big Publishing. How's that for generosity!

These days, traditional publishing in the U.S. is controlled by five multinational companies, with offices in Manhattan. Because they are profit-driven, they want big-selling books, and don't want to bother with the ones that don't sell much. Oh, they'll tell you how they're still the Guardians of Culture, but any look at their catalog shows their devotion to the bottom line.

And they say they're hurting, despite larger profits from the sale of ebooks. Because with ebooks, one doesn't need to mess about with printing, shipping, storage, or returns. So in many cases, they're actually making more. But they say it isn't enough, they want more.

A big part of the problem is that they want sure winners, all-blockbusters. But it's near impossible to accurately predict the big sellers, unless it's a Stephen King book. So their business plan is based on gambling- putting out enough big sellers every year to offset the losses from the books that didn't sell as well.

And they're notoriously bad at picking which books to publish. Part of this is that some years ago the publishing houses decided they didn't want to read submissions anymore, they'd let agents do the screening for them. An agent is supposedly someone who knows the book business and can help an author connect a manuscript with a publisher. They advise the author on the arcane publishing contracts- despite, in most cases, having no law experience. One does not need any sort of licensing or qualification to be called an agent, they can just stick up a shingle and begin business.

So the Big houses want good books to publish, but they're using a faulty system to find candidates. Here's a plan that will help them, and maybe save them bundles of money so they can keep their Manhattan offices. Hey, maybe they could even pay authors more!

In the Indie publishing world, authors are putting books out and letting readers decide if they want to buy it or not. They go direct to the readers, unlike Big Publishing, who deals with bookstores, not readers.

Follow this plan- crowdsource potential manuscripts. Get an x number of screeners, who would be happy to volunteer their opinion (see Goodreads). Manuscripts go out to the screeners electronically, who then vote to publish or not. Most of the cost is collating the data. Track the reader choices: reward the ones who consistently select better-selling books, and drop the ones with higher failure rates.

This way, a publishing house could screen a vast number of potential books for minimal cost, and have a better record of hits for the better ones. It's not one agent or one editor doing the screening, it's several hundred power-readers, who'll do a much better job.

So there's the plan- simple, easy, inexpensive, and win-win for everybody. How about it, New York? Then you can stop complaining about Amazon.

Sisters in Crime Blog Hop

The Sisters in Crime have deemed the month of September as SinC-Up for bloggers.

They asked us to answer the following questions and blog about it-- and mention some other blog that you might like.

Which authors have inspired you?
They really do number in the hundreds. I've been a voracious reader for 50 years, and been inspired by so many good books and writers.
Mystery-wise, the line of writers from Dashiel Hammett, Raymond Chandler, Jim Thompson, Patricia Highsmith, John D. MacDonald, George V. Higgins, and Ellis Peters, through to the modern day, with Walter Mosely, Robert B. Parker, James Lee Burke.

Other writers: Mark Twain, Victor Hugo, Edna Ferber, Dorothy Parker, Ray Bradbury, Robert Heinlein, Shirley Jackson, Cordwainer Smith, Harper Lee, Kurt Vonnegut, Margaret Atwood, and two of my favorites, Stephen King and Harlan Ellison.

Which male authors write great women characters? Which female authors write great male characters?
Male authors- Have to give a nod to Stephen King. In the movie versions of two of his books, Kathy Bates played both Dolores Claiborne and Annie Wilkes (from Misery) and you won't forget either of those characters!

Female authors- Of course Harper Lee, who gave us Atticus Finch. The Ideal Man- as noble as Lincoln. Lesser known is Edna Ferber- the range of her characters was incredible, and both genders rang true, with all the strengths and weaknesses.

If someone said "Nothing against women writers, but all of my favorite crime fiction authors happen to be men," how would you respond?
Give them a copy of Jo Bannister's Deadly Virtues and a couple of other good examples.

What's the best part of the writing process for you? What's the most challenging?
When the words sing, and characters come alive. The most challenging thing is making that happen, day after day, story after story. Anyone can type, but it's an enormous task to put words on a page that matter.

Do you listen to music while writing? What's on your playlist?
Classical only, no words, softly in the background.

What books are on your nightstand right now?
We're having Hank Phillippi Ryan come to our Mystery Book Club night in Groton, so I'm in the middle of The Wrong Girl.

If you were to mentor a new writer, what would you tell her about the writing business?
It's a business, so you have to understand that side, while trying to create art. It's tough, extremely difficult, you'll likely be underpaid and underappreciated, and you'll get a ton of criticism, no matter how good you get.
If that doesn't scare you off, you have a chance to create real art and make your life matter. It is a fine thing to give light to new stories of quality. Write something they'll read a hundred years from now, for people that haven't even been born yet.

*****

Now for the other blog mention. One is Connie Johnson Hambley, who I interviewed here.

And if you're not following the Maine Crime Writers, you're missing out. This is a collaborative site from the top names in Maine crime fiction, and is chock-full of great stuff and news from all of them.
http://mainecrimewriters.com/

Cool- another guest spot- Susan Kaye Quinn

Can fame and fortune be far behind? :-)
First we guest on the site of Joe Konrath, prominent Indie guru:
http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/2014/04/guest-post-by-dale-t-phillips-and-vlad-v.html

Today we're guesting on the great blog of Susan Kaye Quinn-- Innovation: Four Indie Authors, One Small Cooperative:  http://www.susankayequinn.com/2014/06/innovation-four-indie-authors-one-small.html

She's written the Indie Author Survival Guide, listed on my Writer's Bookshelf resource page as a necessary book for writers to absorb.

Tomorrow I'll be selling books at the Town of Fremont, NH 250th celebration.

And a week from Sunday, I'll be at Noir at the Bar in Boston, hobnobbing with cool mystery writers.

The Big Time

Great news today- I'm featured on the prominent website of Joe Konrath, one of the gurus of self-publishing. I've got a co-written guest post with Vlad V. and we discuss how to give your way to success as an Indie writer. Check it out, and feel free to leave a comment. Oh yeah- there's some special deals for you for checking it out...

This is The Big Time- like getting an at-bat in the Major Leagues. And we knocked it out of the park.

We've got some excellent comments already, and people have found value in our message. The idea of joyous cooperation and collaboration, rather than fearful competition (fostered by Big Traditional Publishing) is resonating with more and more people.

Everybody does better when everybody does better (saying of Jim Hightower)

We've got a lot of people we work with. Folks like Chris Obert of Pear Tree Publishing, who puts together author signings and the New England Author's Expo. The owners of Books and Boos bookstore in CT, where they host author signings and include them at their showcase table at conventions. The New England Horror Writers. The Sisters in Crime. Librarians. Reviewers. Independent bookstore workers.

It's a great New World of Publishing, and savvy writers are working together to make things better for everyone. Viva La Revolution!

R.I.P. Pete Seeger

We lost a great light when Pete Seeger left this life. His music and work resonates across this country, and the world. He was the cultural heir to Woody Guthrie and the songs of America's people.

If you don't know much about his work, Check out the Wikipedia listing.

For decades he fought the good fight for peace and social justice. He did it with music and deeds, and made this world a better place. He is missed. We have no one like him- he was the Original.

Sing a song and remember a man who brought people together with the gift of the harmony of the spheres.

Bookstores- Good, Bad, and in Need

As a writer, I love bookstores, especially the non-chain ones, which are accomplishing somewhat of a resurgence, as the big chains suffer and die off in the new world of book distribution.

An independent bookstore is not a money-making proposition-- there's not a lot of profit in books-- the owners do it because they love books.

It's such a tough business that if they are to survive, they must adapt. They must find ways to bring in customers, who can buy books online cheaper and easier. They must be the connection point between writers and bookbuyers. Author signings and events must be part of their plan.

An author signing can fill a bookstore with book-hungry customers. It costs the store nothing (or very little, when properly done), and gets them a great deal of publicity, so it's a win-win scenario.
And yet, there are some who don't do this well. They don't want the extra customers and sales for some reason... They'd rather go out of business than have writers in their stores selling books and talking to buyers.

Sad, but true. I had one who told me, "Come back for a signing when you're famous."
Yeah, sure-- you didn't want me before, you didn't help, but I should take the time and effort to help you anyway, after I've done the hard work? What planet are you living on? Planet-soon-to-be-closed, most likely.

And I heard of another outrage recently. there's a well-known bookstore in Concord, MA, that's been around for awhile. Apparently, they believe this gives them a license to rip off writers, who don't make a lot to begin with. A writer I know went in to see about getting his books in on consignment (which means no cost to the store, and they get a cut of everything that sells-- free money). But that wasn't enough for the greedy bastards. They want writers to pay $100 just for the privilege of having their books on the precious shelves, along with the other thousands.
Had I been there, I'd have asked the proprietor if they were on crack.

In what world do you get to shit on people like that? Who is so desperate they have to put up money just to get in to your bloody store?

Nah. I'd rather send people to Amazon, and laugh at your closing sale. Stores who don't help writers are the first to complain about having fewer customers, and about the evil online seller that has books for less.

See, the thing is, I love books more than I love bookstores. And if stores don't want to help writers sell books and meet customers, they're destined for the dustbin of history. Writers are your content providers, so it's a lousy business model to refuse to do business with them.

But hey, your call. I can send buyers to your store, or to your competition.
But stop whining about how you're making less money. It's because you don't know your business.

*****

Two ways you can help the little guy. Give up a Starbucks latte or two and throw a few bucks to these worthy places who are crowdfunding their ventures.

Books and Boos, in Colchester, CT, run by Jason and Stacey Longo Harris. They bust their butt to help writers-- they have several signings a week, and they're a tiny store. They'd love to have more room for bigger events, but that takes money. So they've started a campaign to raise the funds to move to a larger space.

Another bookstore in Portland, Letterpress Books, would like to open, and needs some help raising the startup costs.

And a shoutout to the following small retailers who've been added to the list of where you can find my books for sale:

Second Hand Prose in Groton, MA, a new location for a little used bookstore.

Annie's Bookstop in Worcester, MA.

Mainely Murders in Kennebunk, ME.

Help Start a New Indie Bookstore

Here's a bit of good news. A family in Portland, Maine want to open a new indie bookstore, Letterpress Books.

Since they spend all their money on books, they're asking for help with startup costs, and are running a campaign to raise the initial startup funds.

So they've got an Indiegogo campaign.

Easy way to for you to toss in a couple of bucks for a great cause. Put my help in last night, as soon as I heard.

By chipping in even a little (equal to two Starbucks drinks), you can help launch a new bookstore in a very cool place. One way today you can make the world better.

And the word is getting out- my Twitter notice on this was picked up and featured on the site: Writing and Publishing Daily Update- THE NEW WORLD OF BOOKS & READING
which looks like a great place for information. Check it out!

And speaking of getting the word out, the cover for book #3 of the Zack Taylor mystery series, A Shadow on the Wall is now featured as one of the week's covers on the Sisters in Crime website.

Not too shabby to be featured on the home page of a national organization for pro writers.

Books and Boos Multi-Author Charity Signing

Happy July 4th! Hope your holiday is safe and you have good times.

Catching up here on last month activities. A number of authors in the horror genre gave up a beautiful June afternoon to attend the benefit signing for Holly Newstein Hautala, widow of noted horror writer Rick Hautala, who passed away a few months previous.

The event was held at Books and Boos bookstore, sponsored by Jason and Stacey Longo Harris. It was a good rollicking time, and many people donated items for the auction to help a widow in need.
Here's a group mug shot:

And we had a great panel discussion on the Favorite Books of All Time- from left to right: Vincent H.O'Neil, G. Elmer Munson, Stacey (Longo) Harris and Dale T. Phillips

 

And of course we had our books for sale- here's my table with Vlad Vaslyn.

Here's a list of other writers who gave up their time and donated works- check out their books!
Vlad Vaslyn
Vince O'Neil
Scott Goriscak
G. Elmer Munson
Jennifer Allis Provost
Bill Rockwell (big Dr. Who fan)
Trisha Wooldridge
David Price

Big Author Signing and Auction

No, we're not signing big authors, but having a lot of them in one place- at Books and Boos tomorrow, for the big author signing and charity auction.

News on Signing, and the Free Stuff, and Appearances

Ola! Yesterday, author Vlad Vaslyn and I journeyed to the Haverhill Public Library with his wife Jordanna. We were there for our author appearance and a reading.

Our thanks to those who made the trip to come and show their support: Ursula Wong and her husband Stephen, and author Scott Goudsward, who also has a book out from one of my publishers, Grey Gate Media.

The free promo offer for Halls of Horror on Kindle is working-- over 200 people have downloaded a copy, catapulting it to #28 on their list for Fiction> Short Stories. One kind reader gave it a 5-Star review!

Next Saturday, I'll be at the Chelmsford Library, for their Local Author Day-- for support only-- I already did my stint there last Summer.
I'll be going for Rich Feitelberg, who's got a fantasy novel out, Aure the Topaz.

And the following Saturday I'll be in Connecticut at Books and Boos bookstore, signing books for the Holly Hautala benefit.

Help on Selling Books- and Recommended Book

Here's a bit of help for struggling authors.
How To Sell Loads of Books - My Approach by Russell Blake

This 27-point piece gives much good advice on just what it says. While Your Mileage May Vary, it still has something for most writers looking to sell their books online. Some of it is good, hard-nosed business advice that will cause some folks consternation (you mean we have to work? And think?). There are points of argument, but overall a great list that should be studied.

While waiting for copies of my latest Zack Taylor mystery A Shadow on the Wall to arrive, I'm currently listed on the Sisters in Crime website, with a cover of the previous Zack Taylor mystery, A Fall From Grace as part of their display. Very cool to get this up.

A friend of mine, Chris Bernard, has his new non-fiction book out: Chasing Alaska: A Portrait of the Last Frontier Then and Now. It's received a lot of critical praise already, and my copy just arrived today. Chris went to Alaska and discovered some long-forgotten roots in the guise of an ancestor who went Alaska exploring years before. So you get a feel for our largest state in the past and in the present.

Judgment Days

It was a busy few days. First I served as judge for a High School speech competition on Saturday, spending many hours watching about 30 different kids do their talks in 5 different categories.

And along with suggestions for improvements, I had to be nice... so it was tough.
Just kidding- it was great-- these kids are well-spoken, polite, and communicate well. Not like teenagers at all!

And then this last Monday, I was in Nashua to judge the Flash Fiction Regional Competition, sponsored by the New Hampshire Writer's Project.

We had a number of contestants read original stories in three minutes or less.
The quality was great, and it was a good time, quite well attended.
I received good feedback on my feedback to the readers. Many said it helped them to clarify what could be improved in their story.

Thanks to everyone who came, including some I conned into attending, who all lied and said they had a good time.

Here Come Da Judge

Well, it's going to be an interesting next few days, from what I can judge.

Beause I'm going to judge-- twice!

First is a speech competition for High Schoolers. Should be an interesting time.

And Monday night, March 4th, I'll be at Martha's Exchange in Nashua, NH, for the
New Hampshire Writers' Project Regional Finals for Literary Flash.

Yup, I'll be one of three judges deciding the merit of readings from people's flash stories.

I asked if I should be Simon Cowell, or Paula Abdul...

Should be a good time-- drop on by.

Warring With Trolls

My last post was on encountering trolls on the Internet, and it proved to be timely. Writer John Scalzi has been in the news recently, with his response to a multi-year battle with a particularly odious online troll and his minions. You can read baout the epic battle in the Guardian and Salon, among other places, as Scalzi's response is the proper way to deal with such ugly hate. When life gave him lemons, he made a tasty lemon chiffon pie, and shared the goodness with everyone.

This troll and his ilk are those arrogant, self-proclaimed alpha males, who get off on insulting anyone who isn't like them, or agree with them. They seek to engage in flame wars (vitriolic arguments on blogs), and spend their time spewing hate and vast amounts of stupid.

People are funny, except when they're mean and nasty. Then they need the loving mallet of correction, and a donation to charities that promote good things.

With natural disasters like superstorm Nemo to worry about, can't we just be a bit nicer to each other?

Charity Anthology is out!

It's out as of today!

Nightfalls: Notes from the end of the world (Kindle edition)
A charity anthology in which twenty-nine writers from three different countries present their unique visions of the end of the world in half a dozen genres.

Folks, some of these writers have been nominated for a Pushcart Prize (a very prestigious literary award), and the stories are good ones. All the proceeds go towards a children's charity, so you get to help out while enjoying good writing.

Help spread the word and make it a better holiday for everyone.

Yeah, I've got a tale in here, and it's a good 'un- "Our Lady."

New Story and Win News Link

Big news this week-- my latest story "Our Lady" is coming out in the Nightfalls anthology,
where all proceeds go to a children's charity.

The other exciting news of the week is that my fellow  Briona Glen author  Cathy Dougherty and I are winners in the contest
"50 Great Writers You Should be Reading." 

Cathy is the author of In Polyester Pajamas.