Christopher D. Schmitz's Blog, page 29

State of Writing

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Thanks to everyone who voted over the weekend for my books that were award nominations. you can check out friday’s post for info about that if you would like to help with a vote.

I did successfully complete the rough draft of my offbeat, comic mystery 50 Shades of Star Trek TNG. I can start a new draft soon before I let it sit and percolate before some more earnest rewriting. It took me a little over 30 days to write so I basically did a nanowrimo over January as a personal challenge (I’d never done it before since my novembers are usually busy.)

More coming up soon, but now I’ve got to catch up on some book reviews since I let most of them go on hold while under such an intense writing schedule. Next up for me is to finish revisions for Wolf of the Tesseract 2 and The Kakos Realm 3 and then I’ll begin the final prewriting phases for the Hidden Rings of Myriddin the Cambion series (plus I’m still scheduling author events through 2018… I have some neat irons in the fire I’ll mention as soon as they are written in ink. Until then, come hang out at the MN Writing Workshop. You can still register for the event which is Feb 17.)

I’m up for an Indie publishing award and need help!

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Hey friends!

I just got the word that two of my books are finalists for the Christian Indie Awards. It’d be awesome if you guys could give me a vote and any kind of social media traffic. They run a publishing blog that is one of the top blogs that I encourage people to follow. The voting website is http://www.christianpublishers.net/18votes/

My humor book, John in the John, is in the Devotional section (about halfway down). Also, my other book is the last entry on the page before the submit votes button, a nonfiction book titled Why Your Pastor Left (which is near and dear to my heart) and has some good reviews, being out for a little while now: give it a look over at Amazon.

You can check out John in the John at Amazon as well and if you want, I have an automated system that sends out one reading every day from the book (plus extras.) Check it out here http://eepurl.com/c51Cxv

Thanks guys! I appreciate all the votes and rates/reviews on Amazon and other sales outlets.

 

thanks guys!

Writing is Easy; Being an Author is Hard

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Can I break your heart early and save you some future trauma (and money?) There is no easy button. All across the internet and social media you will see ads, stories, and articles about how to get 10,000 followers in ten days or how you can launch a bestseller over a weekend as an unknown talent.

Those are crap articles.

You have a greater likelihood of winning the lottery than finding success with those scam “internet courses”. Here’s why: you have to buy a ticket to play the lottery. There is some kind of minimum-level threshold for involvement in the lotto system. A special course that gets you crazy results circumvents that normal system. What the regular publishing system requires is hard work, diligence, and time. Those crap articles promise you’ll win the lottery if you buy a bushel of oranges… it’s convenient for them that they happen to be orange vendors, isn’t it?

A lot of those jackwagons selling courses these days are simply passing off info they gleaned from someone else (or maybe paid for) in order to try and push that forward at their profit. It kinda reminds me of the Rainbow and Kirby vacuum cleaner sales folks of the past few decades. Eventually, we will have such a glut of “course instructors” online that they burst the bubble and then only the good ones will remain (I have 2 or 3 I would trust, but that’s about it). We’re at an unstable number now, I think, which means supply will outpace demand, prices will drop (and probably quality) to stay competitive, and then the bottom will fall out.

The thing about writing is that it takes time. It takes effort, energy, and attention. It’s not much different on the platform building side, too. We live in a social media age that champions attention and connection above all else… shot-gunning spam into the internet or building a simple website and leaving it doesn’t work anymore. People expect more—they want a connection and to be pursued by someone offering value.

I think mature readers (those in the best position to buy your book and engage with you as an author) are kind of like middle-aged divorcees: they’ve had something decent in the past so they know what they want, they’re tired of isolation and are looking for something with substance and staying power, and they’ve probably put all their one-night stands behind them and are looking for something real that can take them forward with stability. If your book is subpar in any way it will look like a fixer-upper mate… if it looks really good but the groundwork isn’t there (poor platform, no reviews, questionable future/might not keep writing or complete a series) you will come off as a pickup artist or a Fu@#-Boy.

It sucks to see others who seem to do less work and have greater success. It makes a writer tempted to try one of those courses promising the world—maybe you’ll be the break-out exception! Can I level with you? Those other authors experiencing sudden success have probably been doing work beneath the surface for a while you can’t see, or have been plowing the ground for longer and certain leads are starting to finally come in—or more likely—they aren’t having as much success as you think they are having. Our perception is largely comparative and often emotions-based. We rarely see reality for what it is; we see reality for how we feel.

I often say it, but our greatest frustrations are born from reality not meeting our expectations. Do the hard work; put in the time. Above all, keep your expectations grounded in reality and understand that the back-end of being an author (promotion, selling, platform building, etc.) is all plowing uphill. If you really want your field to produce something you will have to do the work.

Review: Songweaver

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DW Johnson’s story of Xenkur continues to expand with Songweaver. It is book 1 in the Iron League Books.

I’m no stranger to her universe. Her writing has gotten tighter, for sure. For those uninitiated to Xenkur it is a world very similar to Pathfinder’s world of Golarian (a D&D world).

Johnson has learned a few things and the cover and layout are much improved from the first installment. I also appreciated her story… not everybody pulls off a strong bard character in universes full of rogues, warriors, barbarians, and wizards.

The action was great and the author’s ability to keep you in the moment is great. Battle scenes unfold exactly as they ought to in the given scenarios (trying not to drop any spoilers).

If I have any gripe, it’s that the last chapter/conclusion is a bit rushed, but the pacing is otherwise excellent. I’m sure it was penned the way that it was as more of a setup for an future sequel rather than for story purposes.

I got a free copy in exchange for an honest review at my bog, Inside the Inkwell. You can get your copy by checking it out on Amazon.com

State of Writing

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I’m officially in novel lengths for my nerdy, short novel. I think I’ve nailed down a title as 50 Shades of Star Trek TNG.  It really is pretty comical and I’m having fun writing it, although it’s been a struggle since I feel like I’ve not had as much time as I’d like to commit to the project. I do think, however, that it’s a really sellable piece of merchandise as I hit the comicon circuits this year.

Hopefully reception is good and I plan to even do some crazy things with it (put cut out pieces on the interior like paper dolls for the main characters plus celebrities I’m using in a parody manner in my stories,) and even send some early copies to said celebrities.

I’m literally just beginning to wrap up writing and starting the climax and denouement. I have maybe 8,000 words left to write in the rough draft and should be able to wrap it up this week. I feel strongly enough about it that I’ve already contacted my art team overseas about my ideas for a cover.

Now, onto the work week! Time to hit it hard and carve out some segments of time so I can complete this absurd pastime of mine.

How I’m Breaking the Amazon Associates Rules (accidentally).

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Oh Dang. Most book bloggers I know are probably breaking the rules for Amazon Associates… and completely on accident. I came across a good blog recently that mirrored some of my own discoveries. Like Amy Lynn Andrews who did some extra legwork and contacted Amazon to get additional information, I too stumbled across the potential of accidental violation by watching a video by crime author Mark Dawson.

Dawson had accidentally sent an email with an affiliate link and Amazon let him know that he was about to have his whole account blocked for an accidental gaffe which could have financially hurt him in a major way.

As a blogger, I’m quite certain I’ve been breaking the rules as well. Here’s how we can easily violate their TOS without even knowing:

Let’s say you publish a book review or talk about your book or any other product in a blog post and link to that item with an affiliate link. That is exactly how the system is supposed to work, so no violation because you didn’t email the link…it’s on a blogpost—exactly where Amazon likes to see it, right? Right?

It sounds like we did everything perfect, but still might have broken the rules (which I admit are draconian.) Anybody who subscribes to your blog might have the contents automatically sent to him or her resulting in an emailed affiliate link that breaks the rules and could possibly result in your account termination and a blacklisting by Amazon!

To avoid this we’ve got to make sure that we “truncate” our posts. It sounds like it’s difficult, but it’s not too awful. It does mean that book bloggers need to add one extra step before posting a blog: Use the “insert Read More tag” button before you add the affiliate link to make sure that readers only see this by visiting your actual blog rather than by clicking though an email message.

Here’s what that “insert Read More tag” looks like on the WordPress platform, circled in red:

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It’s pretty easy to overlook something like this, so always be on the lookout for ways to protect yourself from accidentally breaking the rules. I caught it early and so I’m fixing it asap… if you use affiliate tags in your posts you might want to do the same!

For more reading on the topic, check out Amy Lynn Andrews blog post on the subject.

Review: Westward Tally Ho!

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I recently read Milo James Fowler’s Westward, Tally Ho! (well, listened on audiobook, actually.) It has its bright moments. The story is about an English kid who follows his father who was a world adventurer. As his first big act as a young adult he travels to America alongside his butler (who was just sacked) and helps him locate his missing daughter while navigating the Wild West.

It’s an interesting premise and has more than a little humor (some of which I think probably translates better in the written version.) All in all, it rather feels like a western adventure between Alfred and a young, naïve Bruce Wayne, and that has a certain kind of charm.

There is a distinct lack of new westerns in writing (mainly because the audiences are rather tired of the genre, and so the mix of unique elements such as spec fic or alternate POVs like a British perspective.) If you’re looking for a new taste of the old west, or if you’re used to reading YA and want to get a taste of sixguns and satire, this would be good book to pick up.

I got this book to review for Inside the Inkwell reviews for free in exchange for my opinion.

State of Writing

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Feel like I under-performed this week. My word-count is barely over 30,000. I did, however write a few blog posts for the future and had a very busy work week. It’s somewhat less this week. Ideally I would like to finish my current story this week; I think I will just miss it (if I were a betting man, but it’s in the realm of possibility.)

Lot’s going on, but I figure I will process my grief from this MN Vikings loss by writing. I also have been working with my state’s regional chapter for their Fine Arts programs and will be one of a few hosts on a writing panel on April 28. If you’re in my area, it should be a pretty neat event talking about the “how to” aspects of Indie writing.

Swimming with Sharks—avoid publishing house scams

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I see it all of the time on the internet… publisher scams. Well, actually, I don’t really see it. Because of targeted marketing and the fact that I am these sorts of companies’ ideal consumer (or at least, an ignorant version of me is,) I get a million of predatory publishing scams popping up in my social media feeds regularly—they’ve become white noise.

Once you’re familiar with the slimy feeling they induce beneath a thin veneer of accolades and ego stroking they dump on an unsuspecting author they become easy to spot.

Before the turn of the century many vanity publishers (self-publishers, which is a nuanced difference between Indies and vanity press authors) began targeting indie writers with author scams where they represented themselves as legitimate publishers. Some of these included iUniverse, Trafford, Author House and Xlibris. Some more modern examples came along including Tate, Xulon, and to a degree, BookBaby. These companies operated on the premise that they sell a false hope to an author rather than sell a book to a consumer.

Thankfully, the internet typically reveals the sharks for what they are. Try searching your preferred search engine or a service like Preditors and Editors for reviews and horror stories. Even if you know a contracting publisher is legitimate, it may be worth getting perspective from other authors.

The primary way these companies work is that they either steer you or flat out require an author to use their services. Legitimate authors pursuing an Indie avenue know that they ought to use professional services for editing, cover copy, cover design, etc and so shady publishers try to sneak under the radar by looking like the real deal while actually making their money off of the authors instead of the books.

Of course, scammers won’t turn down free money from your loved ones, too, and so they will still fulfill orders and do the business side of the publishing house—usually while over-inflating the price in order to compensate for the typically low sales that are common of unknown writes that aren’t properly equipped by their publisher.

Identification is relatively easy.

Ask what the publisher is selling (if they are making claims that you will make money as a full-time author or gain fame and accolades, run fast and far.) Publisher sell books, not dreams.
If they are pushy and try to get you to commit (and you’re not selling a gazillion copies as an indie or getting millions of reads on Wattpad) then they are probably a scam.
Publishers get more queries than they can even read—they don’t need any freshman or sophomore authors submitting to them to be happy, and they certainly won’t chase you down, cold call you, or advertise open submissions on social media. They often have deliberately misleading adverts.
If your book will be priced excessively high, it may be a scam. I write about proper book pricing elsewhere.
If a publisher charges fees for anything (even upgrades to the “traditional publishing service”, flee in a serpentine motion, ducking repeatedly for cover.
(This is the one that I see that is so common) is the sale of a “publishing package.”

 

Simple rule of thumb is this: whenever someone wants to sell you a “publishing package” of any variety, it’s an indicator that you are the company’s primary consumer. Publishing should never cost you, the author. That’s not how this works… not even for debut/break-in authors, unless you are an Indie and plan to contract all of the work yourself—while the thought that a “package deal” is nice (you can get all of those professional services done for one easy bill) most of those “services” are so outrageously overpriced that third grader with math skills can tell you it’s a bad idea.

You had an idea. You did the work to bring your story to life. You deserve to make money from your books’ sales. Pay to play only works at casinos—and even then, the house nearly always wins. Don’t be a book casualty—research everything.

I recommend checking out the list at http://www.sfwa.org/other-resources/for-authors/writer-beware/thumbs-down-publishers/ for further research on the topic and remember to hold onto your wallet.

Review: The Eye of the World

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I have found a new December tradition. After collecting most of the books in Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series I decided to finally begin reading them this winter. I was pretty blown away and hooked from the start. The book evoked the same feels that I had as a young kid reading Tolkien for the first time.

Why did I ever wait? Probably because there are so many books in the series (and I was never very clear on where to begin, exactly, since they weren’t listed with a sequential numbering system until later). Also, they are crazy long. Eye of the World, the first book, is 700 pages long and it’s not anywhere near the longest of them.

What continually amazed me, besides how Jordan is able to keep the tension of the story ratcheted so high for so long without letting the story tire, was how he built such a seamless world. He didn’t use elves and dwarves and the traditional tropes… his world is entirely his own and while it hearkens to some traditional elements of traditional mythologies, it is still so supported by the story that one can hardly escape the perfect mythopoeia.

Another possible reason for an early reluctance was because of how big of a Tolkien fiend I am. Jordan’s writing has so much in common (from a worldbuilding sense) that it makes the transition easy. Because Jordan’s work is more recent (and follows a different set of rules as far as hooks, tense voicing, character development, etc.) Eye of the World was perhaps a more engaging (possibly more enjoyable) read.

The story is on such an epic scale and with high stakes that the bad guys gave me goosebumps. While it’s not a comedy, the inner thoughts of Rand and Perrin’s take on the other’s womanizing (which actually never happened) made me laugh out loud.

I had to decide to pace myself as I neared the end of Eye of the World. Now that the fire has been lit, I look at the any thousand pages yet to be read and think, “what ever will I  do when I finish it—it’ll be gone before I know it and there will be no more!” (Jordan passed during prewriting for the final novel and the notes were given to Brandon Sanderson, his protégé, who completed it). Thus, I’ve decided to only read one book per year (well, maybe two… I could take one on summer vacation, right?)

If you haven’t started the Wheel of Time, you should. I’d always heard it was something of a requirement for fantasy fans, and now that I’ve cracked the cover I’m a firm believer.

Check it out on Amazon by clicking here.