An idea that’s been gaining traction with me is publishing my new novel, Inventing Vazquez, as a free serialized online novel.
I know I haven’t exhausted my options in terms of looking for a literary agent (I’m now up to about 30 rejections), but the reality is that it’s going to be extremely hard to land one in this economy. So the question facing me is: do I have the will to go through another 70 rejections, or do I want to get this story out, no matter what?
Self-publishing is not an option for me at this point. Not only can I not afford it, but after the nightmare that was having my distributor bought out by AtlasBooks, I don’t know that I want to deal with that nonsense again.
So the alternative is, of course, publishing it for free online. I’ve done it before. In fact, my first ‘novel’ was an online serial, a novel-length Anime fanfic I did way back in the day. It was odd because I didn’t intend for it to be a novel. I started writing a fanfic, thought it’d be a short story, but as the story kept evolving, and my site got more and more traffic from interested readers, the project took on a life of its own. And so, 500 pages later, I’d completed the novel, and amassed an impressive readership.
With Inventing Vazquez, I guess I’d post the first five chapters, promote the site anyway I could, and then start posting new chapters about once or twice a month. And with 65 chapters, I’d say there’d be plenty to keep an audience interested in for a while.
It’d be the best way to tell the story now, and it’s a story I want to tell. As a Latino, I can barely go a week without seeing something on TV or film that insults me. I think most people of color can say the same thing. So this is a story for anyone who’s ever felt like mainstream media treats us like non-entities. And it’s a funny story that, I hope, will put a smile on the face of anyone who reads it regardless of race.
So there’s the sense of immediacy—I want this story to get out, and through traditional publishing mediums, it could be at least two years before it is.
But I have to weigh that against the dreams that I and every other writer holds—we all dream of that first published book (and yes, Solstice was published, but self-published) and receiving that first advance check from the publisher, or even getting that phone call from an agent saying, “I’d like to discuss representation.” Make no mistake, I don’t seek fame or fortune, but I’ve had these dreams too. For as long as I’ve been a writer (the better part of 20 years), I’ve dreamed of the day I became a legitimate author (and I think many people would argue being self-published isn’t legitimate).
Inventing Vazquez, I thought, would be a novel that could get me there. I think it’s infinitely better than Solstice, and has a broader commercial appeal because of its humor. So it’s a difficult decision I need to make. Do I abandon my dream for a while longer and publish a novel online for the sake of telling the story, or do I hold out for the hope that an agent will eventually be interested? Do I take full control over things and publish it online at a price (free) that anyone can afford, or do I trust myself to the universe and hope it’ll help me fulfill my publishing dreams?
The pros of publishing online are, of course, full control, and a chance to interact with readers. That’s one of my fondest memories of publishing my first serialized novel: I got to meet a lot of people online, and chat with them about my work. And, well, there’s always a distant chance that, if the novel gains some traction that way, a publisher might take interest.
The cons are, of course, not being “legitimate,” and not having the tactile reality of a book in your hands, or being able to say the novel you worked so hard on is now available in bookstores.
Well, I guess I have to think on it for a while. Probably harder to do so with all the things unraveling in my personal life, but oh well, have to keep moving forward somehow.
One final note: my band is now named Guru Hissy Fit, and we have a web site with samples of our songs. We hope to start playing out in September. Drop by, take a listen, and become a fan on Facebook if you like.
Peace.
Showing posts with label self-publishing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label self-publishing. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Another trick to writing: Remember it’s just a draft
I got to page 27 last night of Electing Choi, and I ran into my first genuine moment of, “Oh gods, this sucks!” The scene I’m currently working on has a lot going on, with a lot of characters vying for valuable screen time, and so far, I think I’ve made a mess of it. And as the first traces of frustration and self-doubt began to creep in, I decided to call it a night. Which is, I think, the best thing any of us can do whenever we come across a moment of self-doubt with regards to something we otherwise know we can do.
So this morning, as I’m prepping for work, I came across a couple of new ideas for the scene, and a new gag to throw in (remember, it’s a satirical comedy, so the funnier I can make it, the better). Just goes to show that, sometimes, you really do just need to step back, take a deep breath, and take a fresh look at things the next day.
But more importantly, it goes back to something that should be common sense among all writers, and that somehow eludes many, especially new or aspiring writers. And that is this: you’ll do yourself a great favor if you just concede that your first draft will suck. There, I said it ^_^
A first draft is called a first draft for a reason. It’s your first stab at something you hope will be great. But few things, if any, are great their first time around, and writing is hardly one of them. Even the most experienced writers, I’m sure, will write third and fourth drafts of something that are infinitely better than their first draft. Which is to say, a first draft is supposed to be bad, crappy, and lacking in detail and depth. It’s supposed to be something that makes you think, “This could work, but I gotta put a lot more work into it.” That’s what the second and third drafts are for ^_^
Like I said, this should be common sense among all of us calling ourselves writers. But it still astounds me how many aspiring writers out there get so bogged down by the notion that their first pages of their first chapter of their first ever piece of writing have to be the best writing known to man. They get mired in this perfectionist, high-pressure mindset, and when that first draft reads like a first draft (i.e., it’s terrible), they get discouraged and oftentimes stop writing for a while, if not for good. And that’s the biggest mistake anyone can make. You have to be patient with yourself, and understand that it will take time to craft something that's good, and that you can't just give up because you're not writing Shakespearean verses your first time around. Remember, it's about being kind to yourself.
With Electing Choi, I definitely hate the last five pages I wrote. But you know what? They’re a start, and when I go back and start the second draft, I’ll make them better. There’s no need for me to sulk and think, “I suck at this, I better stop because this one scene sucks so bad,” and there’s no need for me to spend the next month just trying to hammer out this one complex scene. Better to just accept that this first draft is going to be bad, move on, and keep pace with my writing goals.
So there you have it. Another kernel of five-cent wisdom from a writer who sounds like he’s figured everything out but who, in fact, doesn’t even know where he’s standing sometimes.
In other news, I’m happy to say that it looks like The Pineapple Brigade is active ^_^ I jammed with the guitarist, Eugene, on Sunday, and we definitely clicked. Not just musically, but personally, which is great. Not to mention, he knows who bands like GO!GO!7188! are, and he liked the Dirt Bike Annie stuff I gave him, so we’re definitely on the same page musically ^^; We’re still trying to figure out our approach, but we’ll start up in January and take things from there. Needless to say, I’m excited.
I also recently heard from two people regarding Solstice. One of them found me on Facebook and complimented the book, which was a such a pleasant surprise. And the other is actually an old friend whom I used to correspond with back when I used to maintain an Anime site, Senseless Solutions. It was incredible to hear from her again, and even more incredible to hear she bought the book, read it in two days, and loved it. Wow ^_^; Well, to both of you, thank you so much. You really made my day, and reminded me that, hey, the novel wasn’t the best, but it wasn’t too bad, and I sort of kind of maybe accomplished something kind of maybe perhaps nifty by self-publishing it ^_^ Or not ^^;;
But Inventing Vazquez won’t be self-published, that’s for sure. And I hope to start sending out those queries to literary agents in January. Oh wow, that’s going to be fun…
Anyway, it’s Christmas Eve, so here’s a happy holiday greeting to all of you who read this blog! May your holidays be healthy, safe, happy, and thoroughly enjoyed in the company of family and friends. May the new year bring you all the good fortune, changes, and happiness you want. And may we be always thankful for the all the good things in our lives, including the food on our plates, the roofs over our heads, and the affection of those who call themselves our friends and family. Cheers!
So this morning, as I’m prepping for work, I came across a couple of new ideas for the scene, and a new gag to throw in (remember, it’s a satirical comedy, so the funnier I can make it, the better). Just goes to show that, sometimes, you really do just need to step back, take a deep breath, and take a fresh look at things the next day.
But more importantly, it goes back to something that should be common sense among all writers, and that somehow eludes many, especially new or aspiring writers. And that is this: you’ll do yourself a great favor if you just concede that your first draft will suck. There, I said it ^_^
A first draft is called a first draft for a reason. It’s your first stab at something you hope will be great. But few things, if any, are great their first time around, and writing is hardly one of them. Even the most experienced writers, I’m sure, will write third and fourth drafts of something that are infinitely better than their first draft. Which is to say, a first draft is supposed to be bad, crappy, and lacking in detail and depth. It’s supposed to be something that makes you think, “This could work, but I gotta put a lot more work into it.” That’s what the second and third drafts are for ^_^
Like I said, this should be common sense among all of us calling ourselves writers. But it still astounds me how many aspiring writers out there get so bogged down by the notion that their first pages of their first chapter of their first ever piece of writing have to be the best writing known to man. They get mired in this perfectionist, high-pressure mindset, and when that first draft reads like a first draft (i.e., it’s terrible), they get discouraged and oftentimes stop writing for a while, if not for good. And that’s the biggest mistake anyone can make. You have to be patient with yourself, and understand that it will take time to craft something that's good, and that you can't just give up because you're not writing Shakespearean verses your first time around. Remember, it's about being kind to yourself.
With Electing Choi, I definitely hate the last five pages I wrote. But you know what? They’re a start, and when I go back and start the second draft, I’ll make them better. There’s no need for me to sulk and think, “I suck at this, I better stop because this one scene sucks so bad,” and there’s no need for me to spend the next month just trying to hammer out this one complex scene. Better to just accept that this first draft is going to be bad, move on, and keep pace with my writing goals.
So there you have it. Another kernel of five-cent wisdom from a writer who sounds like he’s figured everything out but who, in fact, doesn’t even know where he’s standing sometimes.
In other news, I’m happy to say that it looks like The Pineapple Brigade is active ^_^ I jammed with the guitarist, Eugene, on Sunday, and we definitely clicked. Not just musically, but personally, which is great. Not to mention, he knows who bands like GO!GO!7188! are, and he liked the Dirt Bike Annie stuff I gave him, so we’re definitely on the same page musically ^^; We’re still trying to figure out our approach, but we’ll start up in January and take things from there. Needless to say, I’m excited.
I also recently heard from two people regarding Solstice. One of them found me on Facebook and complimented the book, which was a such a pleasant surprise. And the other is actually an old friend whom I used to correspond with back when I used to maintain an Anime site, Senseless Solutions. It was incredible to hear from her again, and even more incredible to hear she bought the book, read it in two days, and loved it. Wow ^_^; Well, to both of you, thank you so much. You really made my day, and reminded me that, hey, the novel wasn’t the best, but it wasn’t too bad, and I sort of kind of maybe accomplished something kind of maybe perhaps nifty by self-publishing it ^_^ Or not ^^;;
But Inventing Vazquez won’t be self-published, that’s for sure. And I hope to start sending out those queries to literary agents in January. Oh wow, that’s going to be fun…
Anyway, it’s Christmas Eve, so here’s a happy holiday greeting to all of you who read this blog! May your holidays be healthy, safe, happy, and thoroughly enjoyed in the company of family and friends. May the new year bring you all the good fortune, changes, and happiness you want. And may we be always thankful for the all the good things in our lives, including the food on our plates, the roofs over our heads, and the affection of those who call themselves our friends and family. Cheers!
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Thoughts on Solstice…and a first bad review!
So for a while, it was looking like I wasn’t going to have distribution for Solstice anymore. Ever since Bookmasters bought out Biblio, the transition to the new distributor has been anything but seamless. Most troubling of all was an invoice issue that involved some returns from Borders. The new distributor wanted to charge me directly for the returns, even though Biblio maintained a reserve fund specifically for that purpose. Anyway, after talking to the main account person this morning, the issue was resolved, so now things are cool. I hope they stay that way. I was dreading having to handle all distribution and fulfillment by myself.
Still, it was an encouraging phone call this morning. The account person from Biblio remarked on how strong our sales of Solstice were. And, more importantly, how few returns we actually had. I could tell from his tone of voice that he genuinely believed the novel did very well. So much so he asked if there were other projects on the horizon. Alas, there are none; I’m thinking at this point that I will go agent-or-bust with the next novel, so maybe Solstice will end up being my only self-published venture.
Still, his comments re-affirmed my belief that the book was, by all accounts, a small success. More than 1,400 copies sold in less than six months, five premier reviews, two book signings, one book expo, and two interviews. ^_^ Not too shabby for a publishing project as poorly funded as this one was ^^; I got lucky, I suppose. And luckier still that I have such supportive family and friends.
Speaking of reviews, Solstice got another one! Only this one was…well…not so positive. ^_^; A new online publication, Speakerphone Magazine, gave the book a bad review. Not just bad; outright nasty. Which makes it really difficult to understand and process their critique since it was more destructive than constructive. I mean, anytime you’re talking about how it’s a fast read because you want to get past it and go on to something good, well…that’s not exactly the most constructive, or professional, thing you can say as a reviewer.
I don’t know. As a reviewer for Quiet Earth now, I try to abide by a couple of basic rules that I used throughout my teaching years. Rule number 1: Always have something positive to say. Even if the thing you’re reviewing is the worst thing you’ve ever seen, have at least one positive thing to say. Because even the worst things will have at least one good thing going for it, something the author/director/student can build upon for future works. And because it shows a basic sense of respect for the person you’re critiquing. Rule number 2: Always back up your claims. If you’re going to argue that something doesn’t make sense or something simply doesn’t work, explain and demonstrate why. Don’t just say, “this sucks” and leave it to the reader to guess why.
I think that’s what bugs me the most about this review. I know Solstice wasn’t going to be for everyone. And like anything else, some people are going to love the book, and others are going to hate it. That’s the way it is with any creative work, and no serious writer is foolish enough to expect everyone is going to adore their work. But this review, well, their main issue was that the storyline was predictable and the same old end-of-the-world stuff. Well, um…yeah! ^_^ That’s why it’s listed on Amazon and Barnes and Noble and libraries and everywhere else as apocalyptic fiction ^^; Their next big gripe was my use of metaphors, which they say didn’t complement the ‘choppy’ writing style. Apparently, my bad use of metaphors only served to make the book sound pretentious and smarter than it actually was ^_^; Well, what would have been nice is if the reviewer had bothered throwing in an example or two to demonstrate this. If nothing else, it would certainly help me see what they meant, and work on improving that problem for subsequent works. But alas, there are no examples, just a vague blanket statement about bad metaphors. Which were apparently bad enough to scuttle the entire book ^_^
I guess you can say they said something positive about the book: that it wasn’t the worst book ever written! So I got that going for me at least, which is nice ^_^;
Well, enough venting. It was just kind of odd to see people being so nasty and trashing the book without giving any real or constructive insight as to how they thought it could have been better.
Anyway, I’m happy to report that the rewrite of Inventing Vazquez is now more than halfway done. Which means I should have the draft ready by the middle or end of May. I have to admit, I am really enjoying writing this novel far more than Solstice, because it’s so much fun to write comedy. What this means in terms of my long-term writing career I still don’t know, but I think I did hit upon one thing at least. I seem to have a better time writing in the first person. I think it makes the characters seem more real, more introspective, and a lot easier to get to know.
Finding an agent will be a challenge. More so, probably, because Solstice was sci-fi, and this is going to be comedy. I hope I haven’t dug too deep a hole for myself ^^; But hey, that’s not going to stop me!
Anyway, remember to pick up your copy of Solstice for the kids ^^; Solstice is…um…a bright…breath of fresh air…in the…sordid silence…of swamphood!
Still, it was an encouraging phone call this morning. The account person from Biblio remarked on how strong our sales of Solstice were. And, more importantly, how few returns we actually had. I could tell from his tone of voice that he genuinely believed the novel did very well. So much so he asked if there were other projects on the horizon. Alas, there are none; I’m thinking at this point that I will go agent-or-bust with the next novel, so maybe Solstice will end up being my only self-published venture.
Still, his comments re-affirmed my belief that the book was, by all accounts, a small success. More than 1,400 copies sold in less than six months, five premier reviews, two book signings, one book expo, and two interviews. ^_^ Not too shabby for a publishing project as poorly funded as this one was ^^; I got lucky, I suppose. And luckier still that I have such supportive family and friends.
Speaking of reviews, Solstice got another one! Only this one was…well…not so positive. ^_^; A new online publication, Speakerphone Magazine, gave the book a bad review. Not just bad; outright nasty. Which makes it really difficult to understand and process their critique since it was more destructive than constructive. I mean, anytime you’re talking about how it’s a fast read because you want to get past it and go on to something good, well…that’s not exactly the most constructive, or professional, thing you can say as a reviewer.
I don’t know. As a reviewer for Quiet Earth now, I try to abide by a couple of basic rules that I used throughout my teaching years. Rule number 1: Always have something positive to say. Even if the thing you’re reviewing is the worst thing you’ve ever seen, have at least one positive thing to say. Because even the worst things will have at least one good thing going for it, something the author/director/student can build upon for future works. And because it shows a basic sense of respect for the person you’re critiquing. Rule number 2: Always back up your claims. If you’re going to argue that something doesn’t make sense or something simply doesn’t work, explain and demonstrate why. Don’t just say, “this sucks” and leave it to the reader to guess why.
I think that’s what bugs me the most about this review. I know Solstice wasn’t going to be for everyone. And like anything else, some people are going to love the book, and others are going to hate it. That’s the way it is with any creative work, and no serious writer is foolish enough to expect everyone is going to adore their work. But this review, well, their main issue was that the storyline was predictable and the same old end-of-the-world stuff. Well, um…yeah! ^_^ That’s why it’s listed on Amazon and Barnes and Noble and libraries and everywhere else as apocalyptic fiction ^^; Their next big gripe was my use of metaphors, which they say didn’t complement the ‘choppy’ writing style. Apparently, my bad use of metaphors only served to make the book sound pretentious and smarter than it actually was ^_^; Well, what would have been nice is if the reviewer had bothered throwing in an example or two to demonstrate this. If nothing else, it would certainly help me see what they meant, and work on improving that problem for subsequent works. But alas, there are no examples, just a vague blanket statement about bad metaphors. Which were apparently bad enough to scuttle the entire book ^_^
I guess you can say they said something positive about the book: that it wasn’t the worst book ever written! So I got that going for me at least, which is nice ^_^;
Well, enough venting. It was just kind of odd to see people being so nasty and trashing the book without giving any real or constructive insight as to how they thought it could have been better.
Anyway, I’m happy to report that the rewrite of Inventing Vazquez is now more than halfway done. Which means I should have the draft ready by the middle or end of May. I have to admit, I am really enjoying writing this novel far more than Solstice, because it’s so much fun to write comedy. What this means in terms of my long-term writing career I still don’t know, but I think I did hit upon one thing at least. I seem to have a better time writing in the first person. I think it makes the characters seem more real, more introspective, and a lot easier to get to know.
Finding an agent will be a challenge. More so, probably, because Solstice was sci-fi, and this is going to be comedy. I hope I haven’t dug too deep a hole for myself ^^; But hey, that’s not going to stop me!
Anyway, remember to pick up your copy of Solstice for the kids ^^; Solstice is…um…a bright…breath of fresh air…in the…sordid silence…of swamphood!
Thursday, January 17, 2008
What would it be like?
Hello all, and welcome to another installment of Ulises Babbles On and On ^_^;
So what’s been going on? A few things. I already started editing Inventing Vazquez, and am very excited about where it’s going. I don’t know how long it will take me to edit all 850 pages of it @_@, but I’m hoping I can move quickly and get to a second draft by April. I think that’s feasible.
Part of my urgency now is because I’ve begun to think that I will try and find an agent for Inventing Vazquez. After hearing some disturbing news about small-press distributors, I’ve started to weigh all my options. Self-publishing fiction is always a risk; that goes without saying. But when you throw in something as uncertain as the future of small-press distribution into the mix, it increases that risk. And there’s no denying that Solstice wouldn’t have had its success without the support of Biblio Distribution. They’re the ones who got it into bookstores, after all.
Besides, when I start to think of all that we’ve achieved with Solstice, I sometimes wonder what I could have achieved with the support of an agent, a publisher, and a real marketing budget. Consider the numbers. I wrote, printed, distributed, marketed, and promoted Solstice with an impossibly small budget (roughly $6000 less than the standard budget for self-publishing a book). I had to learn and do a lot of things myself (like typesetting, graphic design, and accounting) in order to save costs. Yet despite it all, we’ve sold more than 1,400 copies in less than four months. That’s about 50% of our total print run thus far. We’ve gotten five reviews (and a possible sixth one coming soon on horrorwatch.com), including in premier publications like Library Journal, and all of them have been positive. We’ve turned a profit, and according to the industry numbers, 95% of self-published books fail to do so. Even with a microscopic budget and a lot of improvisation, Solstice bucked the odds and became a small-time hit in its own right (well, it’s a hit in my own mind, but that’s probably because my only real goal was giving it to my family, not making money).
When I consider what I achieved with Solstice, I wonder what I could have achieved if I’d had a real budget to work with. If, say, I had some money to actually buy some promotional space (I’ve targeted some web sites for advertising, but right now I simply don’t have the cash), or the contacts to spread the word, who knows what Solstice could have become. Given the success it had on such a small scale, I wonder what it would have done on a larger scale.
I think this is one of the reasons why I’m considering going with an agent for Inventing Vazquez, or at least try to (you’ve heard the horror stories about finding an agent, I’m sure). I’m nervous about the distribution aspect, for sure. But I’m confident the new novel is better, and will have a much broader appeal for readers (my two test readers are already saying so, and that the book is really funny), and so I think there’s a chance it can perform well in the literary marketplace. So maybe it’s in my best interest to at least try and land a reputable agent, and see how things work.
Of course, how do you market a doofus that writes an apocalyptic novel about the end of the world, and then a comedic satire about a mousy film consultant? ^_^; Oh well…
I’m not adverse, though, to self-publishing Inventing Vazquez too. The fact is, I love the creative control that comes with self-publishing (in fact, we already have a crazy idea for a catchy book cover). I think that’s the single-best aspect of self-publishing; you call your own shots. As long as you’re willing to take the risks, temper your expectations, and do a LOT of work, I think self-publishing is an amazing challenge, and an even better experience.
Speaking of happy novels about the end of the world, my girlfriend and I were doing some brainstorming about The Mourning Syndrome on Sunday, and once we were done, I felt completely energized and excited about writing the novel. I think I was stalling because I was trying to be too clever, and maybe outsmarting myself in the process (not a hard thing to do -_-). But once I simplified things (e.g., a single narration instead of two narrations from different characters), and once we talked about the other main character, things started to open up. I now have a very solid and promising direction for the book, and some chilling possibilities for the main character’s initial antagonist. So I’m going to try and keep working on The Mourning Syndrome alongside Inventing Vazquez’ editing. We’ll see how that works.
Oh, and because I need more to do with my life, I’m trying to get a band together ^__^; Not an easy thing to form an indie rock band with Japanese rock influence here in Michigan, let me tell ya…
So what’s been going on? A few things. I already started editing Inventing Vazquez, and am very excited about where it’s going. I don’t know how long it will take me to edit all 850 pages of it @_@, but I’m hoping I can move quickly and get to a second draft by April. I think that’s feasible.
Part of my urgency now is because I’ve begun to think that I will try and find an agent for Inventing Vazquez. After hearing some disturbing news about small-press distributors, I’ve started to weigh all my options. Self-publishing fiction is always a risk; that goes without saying. But when you throw in something as uncertain as the future of small-press distribution into the mix, it increases that risk. And there’s no denying that Solstice wouldn’t have had its success without the support of Biblio Distribution. They’re the ones who got it into bookstores, after all.
Besides, when I start to think of all that we’ve achieved with Solstice, I sometimes wonder what I could have achieved with the support of an agent, a publisher, and a real marketing budget. Consider the numbers. I wrote, printed, distributed, marketed, and promoted Solstice with an impossibly small budget (roughly $6000 less than the standard budget for self-publishing a book). I had to learn and do a lot of things myself (like typesetting, graphic design, and accounting) in order to save costs. Yet despite it all, we’ve sold more than 1,400 copies in less than four months. That’s about 50% of our total print run thus far. We’ve gotten five reviews (and a possible sixth one coming soon on horrorwatch.com), including in premier publications like Library Journal, and all of them have been positive. We’ve turned a profit, and according to the industry numbers, 95% of self-published books fail to do so. Even with a microscopic budget and a lot of improvisation, Solstice bucked the odds and became a small-time hit in its own right (well, it’s a hit in my own mind, but that’s probably because my only real goal was giving it to my family, not making money).
When I consider what I achieved with Solstice, I wonder what I could have achieved if I’d had a real budget to work with. If, say, I had some money to actually buy some promotional space (I’ve targeted some web sites for advertising, but right now I simply don’t have the cash), or the contacts to spread the word, who knows what Solstice could have become. Given the success it had on such a small scale, I wonder what it would have done on a larger scale.
I think this is one of the reasons why I’m considering going with an agent for Inventing Vazquez, or at least try to (you’ve heard the horror stories about finding an agent, I’m sure). I’m nervous about the distribution aspect, for sure. But I’m confident the new novel is better, and will have a much broader appeal for readers (my two test readers are already saying so, and that the book is really funny), and so I think there’s a chance it can perform well in the literary marketplace. So maybe it’s in my best interest to at least try and land a reputable agent, and see how things work.
Of course, how do you market a doofus that writes an apocalyptic novel about the end of the world, and then a comedic satire about a mousy film consultant? ^_^; Oh well…
I’m not adverse, though, to self-publishing Inventing Vazquez too. The fact is, I love the creative control that comes with self-publishing (in fact, we already have a crazy idea for a catchy book cover). I think that’s the single-best aspect of self-publishing; you call your own shots. As long as you’re willing to take the risks, temper your expectations, and do a LOT of work, I think self-publishing is an amazing challenge, and an even better experience.
Speaking of happy novels about the end of the world, my girlfriend and I were doing some brainstorming about The Mourning Syndrome on Sunday, and once we were done, I felt completely energized and excited about writing the novel. I think I was stalling because I was trying to be too clever, and maybe outsmarting myself in the process (not a hard thing to do -_-). But once I simplified things (e.g., a single narration instead of two narrations from different characters), and once we talked about the other main character, things started to open up. I now have a very solid and promising direction for the book, and some chilling possibilities for the main character’s initial antagonist. So I’m going to try and keep working on The Mourning Syndrome alongside Inventing Vazquez’ editing. We’ll see how that works.
Oh, and because I need more to do with my life, I’m trying to get a band together ^__^; Not an easy thing to form an indie rock band with Japanese rock influence here in Michigan, let me tell ya…
Friday, May 25, 2007
The Marketing Campaign is Launched!
So things are starting to move along quickly now. On Wednesday, I received the bound galleys for Solstice, and this morning, they went out to the first batch of prepublication reviewers and two distributors. I guess this is the official start of the novel’s marketing campaign! ^_^
When it comes to having your work reviewed, the odds are stacked against self-publishers, especially self-publishers of fiction (or worse, apocalyptic fiction ^^) like yours truly. But I think that, with the right presentation, anyone can have a fair shot. Dan Poynter, the self-publishing guru, will be the first to tell you that presenting yourself as a legitimate publisher is critical to any self-publishing venture. What I’ve found through my own experience is that there are lots of little ways you can achieve this. And it doesn’t involve spending loads of money on hiring publicists, marketing specialists, or specialty services. It can start with something as simple as a clean, consistent look for all your marketing pieces.
I guess it’s helped me a lot that I work in a marketing department for a Fortune 500 company, in a Creative Services department to be exact ^_^; Where I work, there’s a big emphasis on image standards, so that every piece of marketing collateral produced by the company has a standard, consistent look and verbiage style. This helps to create brand recognition, so that anyone who sees one of our pieces can say, “Oh, this is a [company name] piece.” Even fonts need to be consistent across all pieces. So this helped me create a set of Tragical Mirth Publishing marketing pieces that, like my employer, has a common, consistent look. And this, in turn, has given all my pieces a more professional appearance.
The review packets themselves were in exercise in careful, strategic positioning ^_^ (don’t I sound all knowledgeable and stuff? Yeah right…). The first step was to buy good, black, laminated folders with a business card slot. On the cover of each, I placed a full-color label featuring the novel’s cover art, a teaser tagline, and vital information (ISBN, publishing house, etc). The hope is that it will intrigue them enough to actually want to open up the folder (which, in this industry, is never a sure thing)! In the inner left pocket, I put in a press release, a fact sheet (that again featured the cover art), and an “about the author” flier. In the inner right pocket went the cover letter and a full-color flier detailing the novel, its plot, and its pertinent information. As I mentioned before, every item had a consistent look and feel, with Melior being my font of choice, and blue/green being the company’s colors. So the reviewers aren’t getting a hodgepodge of randomly created fliers and things. They’re getting an information packet that’s reiterating key points, speaking in a consistent tone, and presenting a series of key images (the cover art and the company logo) repeatedly and consistently so as to create that elusive brand recognition.
This is just one thing I hope will present Tragical Mirth Publishing as a legitimate venture, and not just a one-time, vanity-press author trying to make a quick buck. Writing is my passion, and being an author is my ultimate career dream. So I wanted to make sure that passion translated into top-line professionalism when it came to designing this first marketing campaign. Because if a reviewer can appreciate your professionalism, then maybe he or she will be that much more inclined to review your book. So hopefully it’ll work. And if not, well, I blame the Melior font! ^^; And my friend Pam.
When it comes to having your work reviewed, the odds are stacked against self-publishers, especially self-publishers of fiction (or worse, apocalyptic fiction ^^) like yours truly. But I think that, with the right presentation, anyone can have a fair shot. Dan Poynter, the self-publishing guru, will be the first to tell you that presenting yourself as a legitimate publisher is critical to any self-publishing venture. What I’ve found through my own experience is that there are lots of little ways you can achieve this. And it doesn’t involve spending loads of money on hiring publicists, marketing specialists, or specialty services. It can start with something as simple as a clean, consistent look for all your marketing pieces.
I guess it’s helped me a lot that I work in a marketing department for a Fortune 500 company, in a Creative Services department to be exact ^_^; Where I work, there’s a big emphasis on image standards, so that every piece of marketing collateral produced by the company has a standard, consistent look and verbiage style. This helps to create brand recognition, so that anyone who sees one of our pieces can say, “Oh, this is a [company name] piece.” Even fonts need to be consistent across all pieces. So this helped me create a set of Tragical Mirth Publishing marketing pieces that, like my employer, has a common, consistent look. And this, in turn, has given all my pieces a more professional appearance.
The review packets themselves were in exercise in careful, strategic positioning ^_^ (don’t I sound all knowledgeable and stuff? Yeah right…). The first step was to buy good, black, laminated folders with a business card slot. On the cover of each, I placed a full-color label featuring the novel’s cover art, a teaser tagline, and vital information (ISBN, publishing house, etc). The hope is that it will intrigue them enough to actually want to open up the folder (which, in this industry, is never a sure thing)! In the inner left pocket, I put in a press release, a fact sheet (that again featured the cover art), and an “about the author” flier. In the inner right pocket went the cover letter and a full-color flier detailing the novel, its plot, and its pertinent information. As I mentioned before, every item had a consistent look and feel, with Melior being my font of choice, and blue/green being the company’s colors. So the reviewers aren’t getting a hodgepodge of randomly created fliers and things. They’re getting an information packet that’s reiterating key points, speaking in a consistent tone, and presenting a series of key images (the cover art and the company logo) repeatedly and consistently so as to create that elusive brand recognition.
This is just one thing I hope will present Tragical Mirth Publishing as a legitimate venture, and not just a one-time, vanity-press author trying to make a quick buck. Writing is my passion, and being an author is my ultimate career dream. So I wanted to make sure that passion translated into top-line professionalism when it came to designing this first marketing campaign. Because if a reviewer can appreciate your professionalism, then maybe he or she will be that much more inclined to review your book. So hopefully it’ll work. And if not, well, I blame the Melior font! ^^; And my friend Pam.
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