Lorina Stephens's Blog, page 73

Time to Trim the Long Tail of Publishing?

There are those who will read this blog post and tut-tut behind their hands. Some will consider the views expressed here as neophyte, uninformed, someone who plainly doesn't understand how things work in the publishing industry. We've always had the long tail, the convoluted, ritualistic, bureaucratic process by which an author's books are brought to market. This is the way it's done. We shouldn't change it.



But perhaps we should change it. Leigh Anne Williams wrote in Publisher's Weekly on February 8 about the uncertainty in Canada's publishing industry as a result of H.B. Fenn and Company filing for bankruptcy, Fenn being the largest retail book distributor in Canada. Publishers like Macmillan (being the largest represented by Fenn) scrambled to find a way to bring their books to market, and have now settled upon a wholesale (not retail) book distributor, Ingram. Canadian booksellers are concerned about returns, because Ingram is based in the US. The entire publishing industry is cowering under a falling sky as they did in 2002 when General Publishing gasped its last. They're blaming digital sales for the demise of Fenn, for the lack of print sales, for their own anaemic condition.



As a mouse you're able to gain a different perspective. Perhaps my larger, allegedly more sagacious colleagues would say mine is a minuscule perspective. From down here it seems to me everyone knew about this evolution in publishing, and instead of looking at how to adapt and survive, they kept those chins tucked and the tut-tuts coming.



Anyone with a modicum of common sense could see an industry that insists upon the inefficiency of multiple-sales-channel layers to bring a product to market is going to eventually collapse. There's only so much of that profit-pie to go around. It's almost Monty Python in its ridiculous proportion.



"Do you publish XBook by BAuthor?"

"Why yes we do."

"May I purchase a copy for our store, please? I have a customer interested."

"Oh, no, you'll have to go to the Official Bookseller for that."

"But the Official Bookseller won't allow me to buy only one copy. I have to buy 10."

"Oh, well, you could buy 10 and then return nine and get full credit."

"But I don't want 10, I only want one. Couldn't I buy that one I see right there?"

"Oh, no, I'm sorry. I couldn't possibly sell you that."



And so it's always gone. At least in the last 50 years or so.



Then there's the whole industry based around returns. Anyone with a modicum of common sense can see that allowing a customer (bookseller) to rent (allow returns) your product for a year at at time, and rent enormous quantities of it is most likely going to result in skewed sales numbers, unrealistic profit expectations, and eventual disaster. It's simply such a waste -- of natural resources, of human resources. It's a drain on cash flow.



Let me illustrate the ridiculousness of that business model another way. You purchase 10 ceramic mugs as stock for your store. You shelve them. Over the course of the year you sell two of the mugs, but now it seems the remaining stock isn't moving. So, despite the fact the mugs have been knocked around a bit, you fully expect to return the mugs to the manufacturer for a full refund, and are surprised when the manufacturer informs you that the mugs are now yours. You paid for them. How you get rid of them is entirely up to you. Perhaps you should only have purchased two mugs? Perhaps you should consider a sale to move the remaining stock?



It's called reasonable buying. You don't purchase a quantity of product simply for the luxury of having a bountiful display. You purchase according to a reasonable expectation of sales. That's called good business.



Now add into that mix the proliferation of established authors venturing into the waters of self-publishing. Indie authors and presses now abound, and that's a business model on the increase. Where in that model is there a place for book distributors, agents or that long tail of publishing? There isn't. Either adapt or find a new line of work.



And while I'm aware I've reduced the complexity of the current publishing industry crisis to simplistic forms, there is no arguing that the old industry model simply will not work in this 21st century. It's time to wake up to the realities. It's time to adapt, to evolve, and celebrate that change rather than wail about the passing of an era. Indeed learn from the past, but look to the future, and survive.

Gender Gap in Book Reviewing

Interesting post today at Society Pages (a sociological site) on gender gap in book reviewing -- major review outlets feature more book reviews by males, and more reviews of books written by males.

Of course, the larger question must be how big a role these print format reviews still play as arbiter's of taste, in a world shifting to eformat books and online reviews. Anyone up for doing a gender analysis of Amazon's or Indigo's or Goodread's reviews?

Digital Technology Preserving Humanity

The following is a position paper written by our own Public Relations and Marketing Director, Kelly Stephens, for a university course on Anthropology and Technology. The paper garnered a 95%, and we thought germane to the current discussion about the effect of the Internet on publishing.



The paper is reproduced her with the permission of the author.



 Web 2.0 has changed accessibility standards, bringing information down into the hands of the proverbial academic pauper and raising voices, opinions, and dialogue globally in an instantaneous time-frame. Kelty, et al. provides an elegant demonstration of the use of the Internet in anthropological research, opening a virtual dialogue which anchors the very substantial topic of copyright issues, piracy, and accountability in authorization. What is an interesting theme to draw from the conversation is the applicability of the subject matter to the every-day, specifically publishing, publishing rights, and education.



Drawing from personal experience, (as one can do within the Web 2.0 context given the personalization of information available), local indie publishers and the metamorphosis of the written word has shifted the demographics of readership, authorship, and ownership. My mother, with the use of the Internet, has launched a micro-publishing company; a feat not achievable upon it's conception in 1980. With the use of the Internet, blogs, social networking via Twitter and Facebook, and the development of the eBook, this publishing company has been able to tap into the once monopolized publishing industry, selling books in Singapore, Australia, France, United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States. From distributing books to bookstores from the trunk of her car, to world-wide sales, my mother has been able to cross the gap between elitist to accessible by building self-sufficient communities where knowledge is shared. Hilderbrand's illustration of web-communities can be clearly seen at publishersweekly.com and quillandquire.com.



With the inception of micro-publishers and the eBook however, is the ever-growing shadow of copyright infringement and accountability in ownership. Any individual with a need for fame can publish their conceived truths, tainting the ethical standard of what is fact. As Christopher Kelly illustrates, "the issue of accountability, in the precise sense of having clear and explicit norms for which a person or an entity is obliged to take responsibility," rings true and begs for the modernization of legislation.



Piracy, in the forms of p2p and bittorrents, lends hesitation to authors. But this has only caused a shift in marketing, reducing the sales of paperback novels amongst giants such as Barnes and Noble and Chapters/Indigo, shifting the marketing strategies of the written word to a digital format. Indeed, leviathans such as Sony have even hopped on the bandwagon of the fast-selling eReader. Amazon.com and it's Canadian affiliate, Amazon.ca, have captured the world-wide digital-word market, linking book-sellers globally to the average mouse-clicking consumer. These files, once obtained within the PDF format, are easily shared and redistributed, infringing upon the authors' copyrights, an issue recently brought forth in the House of Commons, with Bill C32. This is not the first time, however, this issue has been raised on a legislative platform. It would seem a solution is elusive.



With this open accessibility however, is the reformation of the educational system. Within the past decade resources for educational access have transformed from the traditional classroom setting, bringing the classroom into the home. Alexander highlights the online course management system, drawing attention specifically to a "digital flexibility" which students of the 21st century are growing accustomed to. In fact, even within my own educational time-frame, beginning my own degree in 1999, I have witnessed the classroom transcending from the traditional classroom/lecturer style to a digital forum of accessibility. Subject research can now be completed entirely from the comfort of my own home. This provides a greater range of subjects available to me within my own working schedule; a feat not possible upon the commencement of my degree.



Web 2.0, social networks, blogging, and online course management systems have brought a plethora of opportunities to individuals who otherwise would have never had the capabilities of achieving their goals. The publishing industry is facing its greatest reformation since the invention of the print-press. Accessibility is now a household term, as scholars and students, experts and hobbyists alike now have the ability to access critical resources. In fact, with the ongoing development of Project Gutenberg, the very classics of humanity are being preserved within the PDF format and are available for free download. Technology, it would seem, is preserving humanity. Anthropologists: take note.

Five Rivers Increases Editorial Staff

[image error] This year marks a pivotal year for Five Rivers, with four books due for release, and the possibility of an additional two, many from debut authors, some from recognized and beloved experts.



Because of increased editorial demands, we've sought out another editor for our team, and are pleased to present our Editor-at-large, Robert Chute.



Robert "Chazz" Chute graduated from The University of King's College with an honours degree in Journalism. After working in daily newspapers, he graduated from the Banff Publishing Workshop (Books and Magazines) and moved to Toronto to work in book publishing.



He has been a proofreader and slush pile evaluator (Harlequin), a publicist and senior editor (The Canadian Book Information Centre) and a book sales rep (Lester & Orpen Dennys and Cannon Book Distributors.) During that time he was also a co-founder of The Point, The Newsletter of Newsletters and junior editor for Film Canada Yearbook. He also vetted fiction manuscripts for authors.

After 16 years working in the alternative health field, he writes the regular back page column for Massage & Bodywork Magazine for which he was recently nominated for a Maggie Award. These days Chazz is writing and polishing manuscripts again full-time. And now part of Five Rivers' editorial team.



We are thrilled to add Chazz to our masthead.

Great Response in Waterloo for Alicia Hendley

This past Saturday, January 29 Alicia Hendley appeared at Chapters in Waterloo, Ontario, to sign copies of her debut novel, A Subtle Thing . The response from customers and fans was fabulous, with people crowded around Alicia throughout the afternoon.



A Subtle Thing is now stocked in the New and Hot Section of the store. Next month, Saturday, February 26, Alicia appears at Chapters in Ancaster, Ontario. If you're on Facebook, an event is posted there with details.



We thought we'd share some of those photos and memories here.



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Review of A Subtle Thing, by Judith Miller

Last week Dr. Judith Miller , associate professor of English language and literature at Renison University College  posted a review to her entire mailing list regarding Alicia Hendley's novel, A Subtle Thing. With Dr. Miller's permission, we reprint that review here.



Alicia Hendley's novel, A Subtle Thing, is a wonderful thing. Well-written, compelling, a good read. What more could a person ask for?

In addition, reading this novel is a learning experience. We spend time in classes here teaching one another about depression, about its characteristics, about possible treatments or interventions. To read Hendley's novel is to experience depression, the shadows that lie in wait,that can rise up to take over Beth's life.

In this book full of suspense, Hendley takes us through her main character's life and struggles. She shows us what it's like to experience the varied responses to depression. Some family members are offended by it and avoid Beth. Some people deny it. Others think she should just buck up and get on with life.



Mercifully, there are also friends like Adam, Patrick and Sarah to stand by Beth--often at considerable cost to themselves. There is professional expertise to provide much-needed help. Reading this novel is another way to learn about depression, as well as a way to meet some engaging characters.



A Subtle Thing is available through online booksellers globally in both print and digital editions, as well as through the following stores:

Words Worth Books, Waterloo, Ontario
Chapters, King Street, Waterloo. Alicia appears here Saturday, January 29.
Chapters, Meadowland Regional Centre, Ancaster, Ontario. Alicia appears here Saturday, February 26.
Chapters, Stone Road Mall, Guelph, Ontario. Alicia appears here Saturday, March 26.

Alica Hendley Interviewed at Chazz Writes

Writer and editor, Robert Chute, recently interviewed Alicia Hendley, author of A Subtle Thing. We reprint that interview here with Robert's permission.



Alicia Hendley's book A Subtle Thing tells the story of Beth, a young woman who attempts to navigate through life while experiencing recurrent clinical depression. Throughout the novel, Beth copes with life's difficulties. Beth's trials may resonate with many readers, especially those related to education, career, parenthood, and relationships.





Alicia Hendley, author of A Subtle Thing



Alicia was born in Kitchener, Ontario in 1970. She completed a B.A. at Wilfrid Laurier University in psychology. Then she progressed to her Master's degree and PhD in clinical psychology at the University of Windsor. Alicia's a psychologist in the Counselling Centre at the University of Waterloo. She's on maternity leave with her fourth child. She lives in Guelph with her husband (a journalist.)



CW: Alicia,when did you first know you wanted to be an author?



AH: That's a good question, but a hard one for me to answer. I can't remember a time in which writing and reading stories were not integral parts of my life. When I was growing up, my mother was a librarian and my father was a philosophy professor so books were fundamental to family life. When I was about ten, my parents gave me an old manual typewriter. From then on I spent much of my free time pounding out stories and poems. My writing continued and became a welcome stress reliever for me. I count on writing to ground me, no matter how busy or pressured the rest of my world. Now as a psychologist and mother of four, writing is something separate that just belongs to me. It's vital for maintaining my sense of self.



CW: Tell us about A Subtle Thing. How did you get the idea for your book?



AH: Indirectly, the idea of writing a book about depression likely came from my job. I'm a clinical psychologist, so thinking about mental health is normal for me. I've always been interested in the more complex side of human experience. What probably drew me to psychology in the first place was my interest in more existential stuff: the importance of meaning, resilience, and authenticity in people's lives.



CW: What's your writing process?



AH: While I don't have a formal writing process, per se, the way I start writing something new (whether a poem or a story) is often the same. Basically, I jot ideas down whenever they strike. Ideas seem come at me rather than me sitting down and consciously thinking about what I want to write. I wrote much of A Subtle Thing while on maternity leave with my third child so I had limited time to devote to it. Parts of the book were written on the back of receipts and paper bags, whatever I had handy at the time. I then used the small breaks I did have in the day to develop those ideas.



I perfected writing in spurts when trying to finish my dissertation in grad school. I was a single mother of two then, with very limited time to research or write. I was forced to learn how to immediately take advantage of free time when it became available, be it a half-hour nap period or early in the morning. Writer's block is not a term known to single mothers, at least not to me)!



CW: How long did it take you to write the book and find an agent and publisher?



AH: I'd say that the book took about a year to write. The short stories upon which The book is based on short stories I wrote during lunch breaks in my office. I completed the rest of the book on my maternity leave.



CW: And your path to publication was…?



AH: After I completed the first version of A Subtle Thing, I sent it to a few small presses. I received positive feedback from one, but they rejected it. I then learned from my brother Nate (who is also an author) about a fairly new, independent publishing house (Five Rivers Chapmanry.) He encouraged me to send my manuscript to them. The feedback I received from Five Rivers was encouraging. They suggested I lengthen the book and resubmit it.



CW: What's the most surprising thing you discovered writing this book?



AH: A Subtle Thing struck me as an odd little book, something I thought might be considered too dark, too out of the mainstream for most readers to embrace. Since it's been published, however, I've learned that a lot of people do connect with it. For example, I know of a men's book club that recently read my novel and gave it positive feedback. I like being surprised!



CW: What were the obstacles you faced getting the book out?



AH: I guess the biggest challenge now that it's published is getting exposure for the book, getting the word out. As a previously unpublished, unknown author, this can be really tough. I had assumed all books were on a level playing field with regard to getting book reviews. That's not necessarily true, which can be frustrating. To me, negative feedback is much better than indifference or silence.



CW: Publishing can be a hard road. Did you doubt yourself along the way?



AH: I'd say that the hardest part of the publishing process is maintaining your motivation level and belief in yourself in the face of rejection. As a psychologist, I'm used to pretty instant feedback in my work—I learn very quickly if what I'm doing with a client is helping or hindering them. What I most enjoy is hearing feedback from readers. After a lifetime of writing mainly just for me, this is exhilarating.

Sending out manuscripts to publishers is a different beast altogether. For about three years I sent out one manuscript (a memoir) to publishers. I received a number of standard rejection letters, but was able to get over the first "hump" a few times, with the manuscript being sent out to readers. I would then learn several months later that the manuscript had again been rejected. In hindsight, the memoir did need revision. I found the process equal parts discouraging, humbling, and frustrating.



CW: What advice would you give unpublished writers?

AH: My advice would be twofold: be tenacious but also be open to constructive criticism. When a professional writer or publisher has taken the time to actually give me feedback about my writing (rather than a standard rejection letter), I listen. At the same time, what one publisher might not like another could, so writers need to lick their wounds, rework what needs reworking, and then try, try again.

CW: Have changes in the book industry forced you to change how you published or marketed your work?

AH: I am still very naïve when it comes to the book industry so I haven't changed anything I've done. That said, following the advice of my wise publisher, Lorina Stephens, I have done things that, as a fairly shy person, I would not have believed possible, such as blogging and tweeting.

CW: What can you tell us about your next book?

AH: I recently completed a book about childhood female bullying and the impact such aggression has years later. Tentatively called The Bystander, it's not the story of a victim or a victimizer, but rather that of an observer who, through silence and distancing, may imply tacit approval. I attempt to raise various ethical questions for the reader, including questions related to goodness, accountability, responsibility, and tolerance of differences.

I've also just started writing a new story, which may become a book. The main character is an 11-year-old boy who was inadvertently the cause of his twin's death. We'll see where that goes.



CW: Thanks telling us about your work, Alicia!

Al Capone Reviewed at Mind Fog Reviews

Mind Fog Reviews, a subsidiary of Author Meeting Place, recently reviewed Nate Hendley's Al Capone: Chicago's King of Crime.



In Al Capone: Chicago's King Of Crime we follow one of the most famous mobsters, Al Capone, from his humble beginnings to the mobster that he became. I, of course, had heard of Al Capone as a child but never knew what drove him to become the man he was.





I think that those that enjoy reading or watching mobster movies would love to read this biography. Mr. Hendley goes in-depth and uses other resources that tell the story of Al Capone. He searched for the truth of the man instead of the legend that Al Capone became.



3.5 bookmarks

Carol A Langstroth, Manager of Mind Fog Reviews



Al Capone: Chicago's King of Crime is available in print and digital format through online retailers globally, and in select bookstores.

Lorina Stephens appears at Chazz Writes

As part of Robert Chute's author profile series at Chazz Writes, he interviewed Lorina Stephens. That interview is reprinted here with Robert's permission.



ABOUT LORINA STEPHENS



In 1980 Lorina Stephens picked up the pen professionally and never looked back. She has worked as editor, freelance journalist for national and regional print media, is author of six books both fiction and non-fiction. She has been a festival organizer, publicist, lectures on many topics from historical textiles and domestic technologies, to publishing and writing, teaches and continues to work as a writer, artist, and publisher.





Lorina has had several short fiction pieces published in Canada's acclaimed On Spec magazine and Marion Zimmer Bradley's fantasy anthology Sword & Sorceress X. Her books include: From Mountains of Ice, And the Angels Sang, Shadow Song, Recipes of a Dumb Housewife among others. She lives with her husband of three plus decades, and two cats, in a historic stone house in Neustadt, Ontario.



LS: That didn't happen until 1980 after I had to take a short leave of absence. While I'd always crafted stories, I'd never actually committed anything to paper, and when I suddenly had all this time on my hands I found myself recording those stories.



Chazz: Tell us about your book. How did you get the idea for your book?



LS: The genesis for From Mountains of Ice came about because I wanted to write a story about an unlikely hero, someone who wasn't all beauty, youth and brawn. In fact, I wanted a middle-aged man who reluctantly takes up the mantle of responsibility. That, combined with a fascination for the myriad funeral and death rituals around the world, made for the foundation of the novel. In particular, I found the Romano-Celtic legend of the cucullati of interest, and that legend plays a fundamental role in the culture of the novel, and the development of the plot.



Chazz: What research was involved in your book's development?



LS: While there wasn't research specifically undertaken for this particular novel, I did rely on research I'd previously done simply as part of my own interests; that is, study of Renaissance Italy; the history of the longbow as well as bow and arrow construction; death and funeral rituals, in particular the legend I mentioned previously, as well as the Indian festival that takes place annually on the River Ganges; study of historical dress; the Byzantine Empire; study of the historical basis for tattoos and their cultural impact; study of psychopathic behavior. The list really is quite expansive, and some of the resource material I used is listed in the afterword.



Chazz: Tell us about your writing process.



LS: I pretty much always begin with a concept surrounding a vehicle, usually an individual placed in an extraordinary situation. What seems to have developed over the years is that I write my first three chapters first, sometimes the ending, to get a feeling of where I want to go with the novel, to familiarize myself with the characters and milieu, and once I have that in place I write myself a fairly detailed chapter outline. I don't always adhere to that outline, but it acts as a map.



I do try to be disciplined about my writing, working every day except for weekends, but with this current novel I'm finding that a bit difficult, partly because I've also taken on the role of publisher, but partly because I'm challenging myself with this novel.



Chazz: How did you arrive at the decision to self-publish and what did you have to learn and do to accomplish that task?



LS: From Mountains of Ice took about 18 months to write, although I'd had the concept slumbering for about a decade.



I decided to self-publish partly because of the changing culture of publishing, and partly because of what I write. As to the first part, so many large houses have not only shut their doors to unsolicited manuscripts, but have cut their authors (many of whom are actually bestsellers), and that has resulted in agents closing their doors because they're scrambling to find homes for orphaned authors. What chance would an unknown author like me stand in the face of that?



And then there's the reality of what I write. I don't write easily pigeon-holed stories. Moreover, I don't write feel-good stories. My work tends to cross genres, being neither speculative, science fiction, fantasy, historical or mainstream. That makes me a difficult sell.



Given the ease with which a person can now self-publish (and I'm speaking of true self-publishing, not vanity press), and reach a market, I decided to jump into the deep end. The learning curve was interesting, but not overwhelming, given I already had some background in publishing. The most challenging thing was learning software (InDesign and Photoshop). The channels and rituals of the long tail of publishing was pretty simple. And I'm good at polite persistence.



All of that led me to expand my publishing venture and give voice to other Canadian authors so that we now have four authors (including me) publishing, and will present another four in the next two years.



Chazz: What was the biggest challenge you experienced through this book?



LS: Perhaps my biggest challenge has been overcoming lazy readers, and I know that sounds disgustingly arrogant. There was one reviewer who was convinced I'd written a knock-off of Gladiator because I had the soundtrack listed as inspirational music. Didn't matter that I explained to him the majority of the music I listened to while writing From Mountains of Ice was in fact by the group Dead Can Dance, and even listed which tracks underpinned which scenes. I think this is how Paul Stookey must have felt when academics insisted Puff the Magic Dragon was actually a song about drugs.



I also had two reviewers trash the novel because they insisted there was a glaring error when in fact what they read was correct, heraldic terminology. I know if I read something I don't understand, I first go and look it up before assuming what I've read is incorrect.



Chazz: What was the hardest part of the publishing process?



LS: For me the hardest part of publishing is convincing people my work is worth reading, worth the investment of their time. In short, it's difficult overcoming the stigma of self-publishing, with good reason I might add. But I love what I do. I love every moment, the high and lows, the triumphs and tragedies.



Chazz: What advice would you give unpublished writers?



LS: This is perhaps not wise advice, given society's propensity to create clones: be true to yourself. Write with your own voice, from your own heart, adhering to standards of excellence.



Chazz: Have changes in the book industry forced you to change how you published or marketed your work?



LS: Absolutely. One of the reasons I self-published, and also one of the reasons I rely heavily upon internet social networking.



Chazz: What's your next book project and what can you tell us about it?



LS: My next book is called The Rose Guardian, and deals with a woman coming to terms with the death of her mother, and her own search for lost innocence. It is in fact three stories which occur simultaneously. I must say this is the most difficult piece I've written. It has been hard to find just the right tone for each of the three main characters, and to link them together in a cohesive fashion without sounding too dark or cynical. I think I've finally conquered that problem, and am now making headway.



Thanks, Lorina! If you want to know more about Lorina and fancy buying her books, here are several ways to find out more:



Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lorina-Stephens/136091476870

For Five Rivers: email: info@5rivers.org

Twitter: 5rivers

Website: http://www.5rivers.org/

Blog: http://5riversnews.blogspot.com/

Nate Hendley interviewed at Chazz Writes

Author and editor, Robert Chute recently interviewed Nate Hendley for his informative blog, Chazz Writes. We reprint that interview with Robert's permission.



Nate Hendley is a Toronto-based author who was born in Connecticut in 1966. He is a full-time journalist and writer and has published and written over a dozen books, primarily on true-crime topics. He lives with a demanding cat and has a website at www.natehendley.com. You can check out his latest works on the Five Rivers website at http://www.5rivers.org/index1.html.  



His books: Motivate to Create: A Guide for Writers (Practical tips on how to start up or step up a freelance writing career) & Al Capone: Chicago's King of Crime (An intimate portrait of America's most famous gangster)



Previous works by Nate Hendley:



Edwin Alonzo Boyd: The Life and Crimes of Canada's Master Bank Robber, The Black Donnelly's: The Outrageous Tale of Canada's Deadliest Feud, Dutch Schultz: The Beer Baron of the Bronx, John Lennon: Music, Myth and Madness, Crystal Meth, American Gangsters Then and Now: An Encyclopedia, Bonnie and Clyde: A Biography, Jean Chretien: The Scrapper Who Climbed His Way to the Top, William Lyon Mackenzie King: The Loner Who Kept Canada Together



CW: When did you first know you wanted to be an author?



NH: I was around 10 or so, living in England (where my dad took a year-long sabbatical in 1975-76). I recall I started writing—by hand—a long war story that I ended up calling "Tank Tracks in North Africa". As might be surmised by the title, it was all about a bunch of guys in a tank fighting Rommel in the desert in World War Two. That's the first long-form book I recall putting together. I think it ran to something like 50 pages.



CW: Tell us about your book. How did you get the idea?



NH: Two books actually. One of them is on Al Capone, the other is about motivation for writers. The Capone book was originally part of a series of gangster tomes I penned for Altitude Publishing, an Alberta-based company that ,alas, is no longer around. When Altitude went belly up, Five Rivers Chapmanry kindly bought some of my Altitude books for republishing.



The second book, Motivate to Create: A Guide for Writers, is a rather drastic revision of a book I initially self-published. Lorina Stephens, publisher at Five Rivers, liked the concept of my book but wasn't totally excited by the contents. I ended up rewriting quite a bit of the book, making it more professional and taking out a lot of the personal anecdotes that filled my self-published tome. The newly revised book is considerably better than the original, which demonstrates the power of having a good editor crack down on your material.



The idea for Motivate to Create came from the fact that there is a dearth of info out there on motivation for non-fiction writers. Almost every writers' motivation book is aimed at creative writing, which is fine, but not what I do. A lot of the existing books seemed very sappy, too—all this crap about "finding and unleashing your inner muse." I was more concerned with concrete, practical advice that had already been field-tested by other, established writers.



CW: What research was involved in your book's development?



NH: Researching Al Capone involved reading all the available literature on the man (which is quite considerable) and tracking down newspaper and magazine articles from the period in which he lived. I was pleased to be able to correct certain falsehoods about Capone that have been perpetuated throughout the years. He was never a national crime boss, for example. He controlled the Chicago underworld but certainly didn't control organized crime across America.



For Motivate, I queried various writer friends and acquaintances and used some of their quotes throughout. The rest of the material was thought up by me.



CW: Do you have any formal training in writing?



NH: I went to journalism school after finishing university. I never actually completed J-school, having failed desk-top publishing three times in a row. Anyway, journalism school taught me the nuts and bolts of news and feature writing and was an invaluable experience.



CW: What is your writing process?



I don't really have a writing process. One of the tips I offer in Motivate to Create is not to get too precious about your writing time (i.e. "I only write when the golden sun rises from the horizon and the muse dances upon my forehead"). When I have a writing project to do, I just sit down and do it.



CW: How long did it take you to write the book and find an agent and publisher?



NH: Capone took about a year to put together (research, writing, editing.) Motivate was spread over a longer period because I essentially rewrote the book when Five Rivers purchased it. Self-publishing is a pain in the butt so I am glad that a real publisher took the book over. I still have about 30 copies of the original book sitting around my apartment. Unless you're really interested in marketing and promotion, I would not recommend self-publication.



CW: What's the most surprising thing you discovered in writing this book?



NH: Can't really think of any. I was pleasantly surprised at the number of freelance writers willing to respond to a general questionnaire I sent around for Motivate to Create.



CW: What was the biggest disappointment you experienced through this book?



NH: The biggest disappointment was that I didn't get fabulously wealthy through self-publishing. I thought orders would come flowing like a river. More like a trickle from a tiny pond.



CW: What was the hardest part of the publishing process? What did you most enjoy?



NH: Research and editing are by far the hardest part of the publishing process. Writing is the most enjoyable. When you self-publish, doing all the promotion and marketing is the hardest part.



CW: What advice would you give unpublished writers?



As Creedence Clearwater Revival once expressed it so well, "keep on chooglin'." In other words, just keep at it. Practise doesn't necessarily make perfect but it does make you more professional.



CW: Have changes in the book industry forced you to change how you published or marketed your work?



NH: Yes. Thanks to websites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn I can do more to promote my wares online.



CW: What's your next book project and what can you tell us about it?



NH: I'm revising a book about the drug methamphetamine for Five Rivers. It is a revamped version of a book I initially did for Altitude that came out in 2005. The new version has new interviews and updated statistics.

CW: Thanks for doing this, Nate! You can follow Nate on twitter at http://twitter.com/natehendley or email me at nhendley@sympatico.ca . The Five Rivers site is located at http://www.5rivers.org/. Best to check the Five Rivers site for any info on upcoming book signings.