Christopher D. Schmitz's Blog, page 20

State of Writing

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I am sooooo close to being able to write creatively again J I finished the workbook and I hope to finish revisions/edits on it this week to make it print ready. Maybe I’ll even get a chance to start fooling around with outlining for my next Dekker’s Dozen story.

Perhaps I’m procrastinating my Hidden Rings series when I’d hoped to be wrapping up another installment around now, but I’m feeling drawn to short fiction. It helps me stay sharp, and there are a few stories which I’d very much like to complete for future reasons (another Dekker’s Dozen print installment and a few other stories I’ve kicked around for many years in different variations.)

Ideally, the rest of my year looks like this: while recording two audiobooks in the works, outline and write another Dekker’s Dozen novella, sketch characters and outline a fantasy story I’m toying with, rewrites on Fear in a Land Without Shadows before beta reads, and then work on the next Hidden Rings book this fall/winter.

Time to get crackin.

My Publishing Story Pt.1

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I often field questions via email. One of those recently was “how did you first get published?” I thought that’s a good story, one fraught with trolls and many other dangers. It might lend some credibility to my advice, and maybe you can identify with parts of my tale. I’m certain you can all relate to parts of my journey.Through high school, I’d always been an avid reader, and also a bit of a storyteller. I dabbled in really bad comic books and played some RPGs with friends as the GM. I also wrote short fiction for fun, not just writing classes. Fresh into college I started writing a Star Wars story; this was 1998 and hype was big for the first, new prequel in the works. Up to that point, I’d read every Star Wars novel in print (I told you I was an avid reader,) plus lots of other SF. I became super interested in the series after reading Timothy Zahn’s Heir to the Empire series and then started working on my own after his Thrawn Duology came out. My book would come directly after with an original character. I did not intend to write fanfiction and had no idea that was even a thing.

I’d written about 40% of the book (handwritten, mind you, as I had neither computer nor internet) and I looked up Lucasfilm’s phone number and called to ask about the process. I knew nothing about publishing, plus rules were different anyway. Don’t even ask how I located and was able to contact someone there in the industry… in that era, contact information wasn’t impossible to find. I was told that the company commissioned established authors and so the best way to write a Star Wars title was to become a well-known author of SF/F… and so I began brainstorming and looking for completely original story ideas. After looking at all of my older short fiction, none of it seemed big enough for a full-length book and so I began writing a paranormal/fantasy hybrid with an original concept. About two note-books deep I bought my first computer; that helped.

The Kakos Realm took a long time to finish: partly because it was really two books worth of material and partly because I wrote it as a “pantser” who hadn’t yet learned to outline. Although, I’d sketched out where the entire series would go and how I would conclude it. After trimming it down to about 145,000 words I somehow managed to secure a small publisher that was part of a larger small press—mainly because the small press recognized the marketability of fantasy as a genre really hitting mainstream at the time. While they ultimately passed, their smaller wing loved it. Around that time I learned all about the sharks and trolls: vanity presses disguising themselves as legitimate publishers. You can read about my hatred for them and their tactics in my blog. Neither of the two above companies is still around. They were both bought out, and according to a quick search, it looks like that guy ran them into the ground and dissolved them (lucky me, I’d started to learn by then and was able to get my rights reverted before the first buy-out.)

Also lucky for me, I’d learned how much I didn’t know by joining a criticism-heavy writers group. Everything I thought I knew was pretty much wrong. I learned how to edit and write (especially how to kill passive voice and avoid mistakes) from them. I put down the TKR sequel I’d begun and left it to sit for over a decade while I wrote short fiction exclusively for at least 2 years. That was an intentional move so that I could improve my craft on all sides: beginning, ending, plotting, voicing, and then editing and revising.

I was also on the board at one small publishing company, pulled out of active members of my writers’ group. Author JP Dellova’s wife died and he used a chunk of her estate to form a small trade publisher called Marion Margaret Press, in fact, I even designed the logo. MMP eventually was bought out… by one of the other authors on the same board who could turn it into a labor of love. MMP still exists but operates primarily in the UK.

Following that came the dark period. I didn’t write much and didn’t promote much. It became less important to tell people/identify as an “author” to me. part of that was because the market was in the midst of dramatic changes… the other part was a lot of change in my personal life (jobs, relocations, etc.) More on how I snapped out of that funk next week.

Review: Pilgrims with Blades

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I was given a copy of Pilgrims with Blades by the author, Douglas Van Dyke Jr, at a convention I attended. There are many things to love about this book. The appendices and artwork give great flavor to the world of Dhea Loral, which is a part of the larger world that Van Dyke writes in (with at least one completed trilogy apart from the Pilgrims that I know about.)

I’m familiar somewhat with his writing, and Van Dyke’s writing is tight and action is well paced and thought out. Immediately, I spotted some things that made me grin, like the dwarf who dreamed he was  a giant (one of the great, crowd-pleasing ironies viewers pointed out in Avengers: Infinity War was this exact same scene played out by Peter Dinklage. Spoiler alert—Van Dyke’s came out first.) The weight of the dream sequence itself hearkened back to another fantasy series that I absolutely love: The Wheel of Time. While the Dhea Loral series is nowhere near the scope of Robert Jordans’ 11,500 PAGE epic, it’s a great start and I can safely recommend the Dhea Loral series to fans of high fantasy, across the board.

If you’re interested in an action packed fantasy series, check out Pilgrims with Blades here, and then look into the rest of the Dhea Loral series as well.

State of Writing

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So I’m about twelve hours behind on my Monday blog… but I had a big weekend. I did the MN Fan Fusion comic convention. What started as a sluggish first day turned into one of my top two book sales events ever. I moved something like 50-60 books (if you count comic books, and roughly 40 of those were novels sold.)

I’ve got big ambitions for the next week, but I haven’t felt particularly drawn to any projects beyond getting caught up on prewritten blogs, though I may sketch out some short fiction to begin over the next couple weeks (I consistently sell out of my Firefly-esque sci-fi novel at cons and I’m about 40,000 words/2 novelettes away from having a new paperback installment ready for readers… and several have asked after it this year.) I’m also in the midst of two new projects I’m collaborating on with art teams and have spent some time doing other, non-novel writing projects.

Man. I’ve got to start writing. Gotta balance that line between promotion and writing. I’ve also been developing a workbook to go along with my Indie Author’s Bible to use during workshops and panels where I’m helping other writers. My big goal for this week: finish those last few pages on that workbook so I can get back into the creative side of things.

The Dark Side of Having a Lit Agent

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I recently read an interesting article from Kristine Kathryn Rusch (a Hugo winning SF author). As an unagented author this is something that is not currently on my radar: having to deal with agents embezzling money from me, but it is a problem, according to many authors. according to Rusch, it is more common at the bigger, most respected agencies than anywhere else.

Her article can be found here: https://kriswrites.com/2018/06/06/business-musings-what-it-feels-like-to-have-an-agent/

She cites a story about Chuck Palahniuk (the guy who wrote Fight Club) who has been stolen from for years, now. (His agent’s book keeper embezzled at least 3.4 million from clients… that they can trace.)

One of the upsides of the Indie world is that we can easily track all of our sales numbers. It’s also a drag since that’s the business side of things many of us would rather not do, but at least we don’t have to fear that someone else is playing a shell game with our royalties.

I’m not against agents. I’d love to secure one for a couple of my projects, but it’s one more comfort to take solace in with choosing to be independent on some of my stories. As an Indie, I know that nobody will work harder than me to get books into readers’ hands… and I know that I’m not going to steal from myself (although, I suppose that I could have a Tyler Durden moment.)

Review: Blood Calls

[image error]I recently got Andrew Wichland’s book Blood Calls (Dragon Knight Chronicles book 2). He continues his saga with the same tight storytelling and fast paced action typical of his novels. (I’ve read two previous titles by him and they never fail to disappoint.)

In Blood Calls, Robin’s got a problem. Maltanore may be dead, but his armor is still acting wonky. His quest to ree the magical beings previously enslaved takes him through space… and the stakes increase when he discovers his long lost sister being dragged into slavery.

The story is a bit of a genre blender, which I love (and do with my own fiction). It felt like a wonderful smash up of Robin Hood, Pirates of the Caribbean in Space, and Voltron… especially that Voltron flare with its dynamic assortment of characters, giant, cosmic evil, and the high calling of the Voltron Paladins (or, in Wichland’s story, the Knights.)

I’d recommend this book to anyone loving am solid adventure and it seems the Dragon Knights will be a solid series with a number of installments before the adventure concludes. I got a copy of his book for free in exchange for an honest review on my blog, Inside the Inkwell. You can get a copy of it here.

 

State of Writing

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I had a nice weekend… I did very little, although I was able through the week, to begin the audio production on Through the Darque Gates of Koth and hired out the TKR series to an audible talent who will record and produce all three books by winter.

Last week I did get my copies back for Bridge of Se7en, my paranormal detective short story, back and submitted to the publisher, so cross your fingers. I’m also planning on writing another comic book and have been in discussion with Jessie Gillespie about doing the art (he did all the artwork for the wildly popular Hand of Fate board game).

Other than that, I’ve got lots of projects in the works. Now to keep recording my next 2 audible releases and working outlines for my next couple projects!

The Verdict on Small Publishers

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We’re completing our month-long conversation about small publishing houses, this week.

The Verdict on small presses:

Small publishers represent the biggest testing grounds where an author can prove oneself in the market. Trade publishers do not take risks and have little concern with quality literature: money always rules their decision making… that is how the Big Five stay the Big Five. An article in the Guardian mentions that the major publishers typically wait until an author has a proven record at smaller presses and then pick up books based on an author’s established name. Essentially, they are more concerned with market branding than with literature. The Guardian notes, however, that this is a necessary evil in order to get the largest distribution for authors. This certainly seems like a top-heavy model, and it is.

Larger publishers let the smaller ones do all the heavy lifting and hard work and then they swoop down and steal the best-of-the-best to feast on like capricious gods. Nathan Scott Mcnamara notes in the Atlantic that our consumer mentality and the approach used by the big publishers (I order to squeeze out every sale possible) that “readers are experiencing a shrinking cultural attention span… major presses are inadvertently helping foster an environment where American indie presses can thrive by doing the very thing they’re best at: being small and, by extension, focusing on creativity and originality over sales.”

With all of the changes rocking the long-established publishing industry over these last couple decades, one wonders if their top-heavy system has finally bloated to the point where the whole thing will unravel and we’ll be left with something new? Between advancing technology and the consumer patterns developing right now (as evidenced by massive book chains’ closures and the shuttering of many brick and mortar retailers—even shopping malls—who refuse to embrace those changes) I think we’ll see something radically different within the next decade.

Ultimately, authors need to keep their eyes wide open with small publishers all while remaining optimistic. Healthy skepticism is rarely a bad default setting, and this is especially true with your publishing options.

Review: Touched by the Fire of the Sun

[image error]Touched by the Fire of the Sun. That title gives the book something of a series feel from the cover. It really is something other than what is pitched on the front (a graphic that feels like an anime version of Marvel’s Multiple Man/Jamie Madrox.) Flipping to the back we find it’s something more of a SF rom-com, and that’s a genre there are not enough of. Everything these days are ripped bodices and turgid members. I’d prefer not to break into a nervous sweat during romance scenes in a book.

While this isn’t exactly an adult romance with Calvin’s cardboard cloning machine, I certainly wondered if Bill Watterson’s classic strip might have had some kind of inspiration. I also wondered what it would be like to watch author LeVar Ravel try to flirt with girls. I assume some of that tongue in cheek wordplay like “how do you like my graduated cylinder” comes from real life, laughable situations. Those and Zelda’s frequent romantic bumbles (which I find all too relatable.)

All in all, I felt it a little long. The writing is fine, even if it could be tighter in some places (meaning both the tightness of the prose and also the actual length), but I’m used to a different genre entirely, so that could be me. It’s a solid book, and any story with as many references to MacGuyver can’t be bad, right?

There is enough intrigue to keep the story moving without being a straight-up comedy and enough aside moments to keep it from waxing too serious. It strikes a pleasant middle ground where it could be a perfect guilty read. I got a free copy in exchange for a review on Inside the Inkwell Blog. You can check it out by clicking this link.

State of Writing

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Right before leaving for a weekend comic con I was able to complete the final (I hope) version of my novelette, The Bridge of Seven, my paranormal detective story that takes place in the same universe as the Wolves of the Tesseract series (and the Hidden Rings series).

This week I hope to get some additional feedback on the story before I submit it for an anthology I’m excited for. I’m hoping to perhaps sketch out a steam punk story for another anthology that a friend referred me to. Maybe, but maybe not. Lots of people at the con wanting more comics from me and so I think I should maybe work on one of those (thinking about a black and white interior with a story featuring Vikrum Wiltshire… kinda shooting for a mike mignola/noir kind of feel).

I have other big new, too. Corwin Zahn (son of SF legend Timothy Zahn, who he edits for) will be editing Fear in a Land Without Shadows! I’m super pumped. More to come… if I’m not bogged down in rewrites, that is.