C.L.R. Dougherty's Blog, page 9

How reading eBooks instead of paper books has changed my reading habits

I recently posted a description of how I became a convert to eBooks to our sailing blog, Voyage of the Play Actor.  Reading eBooks instead of paper books has changed how I read, as well as what I read.  My basic taste in books hasn't changed, but the advent of self-published eBooks and the republication as eBooks of  paper books that enjoyed a limited life because they weren't commercially successful has opened a much broader selection of material for voracious readers.  The availability of books that didn't come through the filter of the traditional agent/publisher/bookstore screen has been a revelation. 

I've always suspected that many good books weren't published, and my experience over the past two years confirms that.  I got especially interested in this when I self-published a novel several months ago.  I had written the book about 8 or 9 years ago, and I made some limited attempts to interest agents back then, but my life on a sailboat made all of the required printing, copying, and mailing difficult, so I put the manuscript in a plastic bag in a dry spot on the boat and forgot about it.  After several years and thousands of miles under sail, I got wrapped up in reading eBooks.  Then I discovered how easy it has become to self-publish.  I dug out the old manuscript, rewrote it 15 times, (really, all those years gave me some objectivity) and published it as an eBook and a print on demand paperback.  I had enough sales and positive reader reactions to encourage me to keep trying.  I've since published a non-fiction book and a short story, and I began specifically looking for self-published material to read myself.
The traditional publishing process clearly rejects some poorly written books, although a lot of them do make it through the traditional screening process, and some become successful, simply because they are available through the established market channels.  The market for books comprises many readers, and their tastes are not as predictable as we like to think.  Self-publishing, though, has the potential to eliminate any screening, and the sometimes-dubious editorial benefits of screening.  The quality of the editing, even in books from the large publishers, has declined significantly over recent years.  We appear to have a generation of editors who learned grammar from television and consistently misuse I and me, as well as failing to understand the use of the subjunctive mood in conditionals.  Even though they may not be great, they do keep out some of the more egregious errors, which are to be found in a fair number of obviously unedited self-published works.

There are many self-published books that far surpass the quality of the traditional "best sellers," in terms of grammar, style, and content.  There are numerous books that tell compelling stories, if you can overlook the grammatical errors.  There are some that are written by authors with a good command of the language, but no ability to tell a story, and there are a few that just make no sense whatsoever.  As a writer, I find myself wading through all of them, because they all offer valuable lessons on the craft of writing, and most of them are enjoyable to read, at least on some level.

I believe that the world is enriched by the ready availability of eBooks from outside the mainstream of publishing.  What do you think? 

The Lost Tourist Franchise

Well, I managed to pin Donald down long enough to put together a short story about some of his adventures in Washington.  Read it and discover why the title is The Lost Tourist Franchise.  You can find it right now in most eBook formats on Smashwords, The Lost Tourist Franchise on Smashwords.  It should be available on the Kindle Store on August 2.  I'll post the link here when it's up.   Please let  me know what you think of the story.  For now, it will only be available in eBook format.  Depending on your reactions, I may publish the back stories of some of the other characters from Deception in Savannah.  If I do that, perhaps I'll collect enough of them to make a paperback worthwhile.

Runaway Character!

Now I'm into it.  I've started writing about Donald's adventures in Washington. In typical Donald fashion, he's off and running, and I can't stop him.  Once again, it feels as if I'm along for the ride, hanging on by my fingernails.  My plan was to make this a short story, ending with Donald going home to Savannah, ready to take up the role he made for himself in Deception in Savannah.  Maybe that will work; maybe it won't.  Right now, he's too exited about exploring Washington and figuring out the people he's meeting there.  I can't get him to focus on getting back home, but that lack of focus is part of what makes him interesting. I don't want to stifle him; I guess I'll just go along for a while and see where we end up.

What to do next?

We're back home on the boat and life is slowly returning to what we, at least, think of as normal.  We have rested from our two-month trip and from the frantic pace set during the last two weeks of visiting grandchildren.  We've taken care of the small irritations of a boat which sat idle in tropical salt water for two months while we were in the States, and I'm running out of excuses to avoid working on the next book.  
I have the opposite of writer's block -- too many ideas, and conflicting feedback from the marketplace.  ''Dungda  de Islan'," the non-fiction book released in June, has sold more copies in one month than my novel, "Deception in Savannah," has sold in six months.  I was planning to write another novel, and in fact have two in process, but, I must confess, I like to see sales numbers climbing.  I also have the notes for two more short, non-fiction books, so I'm in a quandary.  Do I chase the numbers, or stick to my plan? 
While I puzzle over that, I think I will write a short story about Donald, one of my favorite characters from ''Deception in Savannah." How's that for avoiding a decision?

Dungda de Islan' is available in paperback

I just reviewed the second proof version of "Dungda de Islan'" in paperback and released it for production.  It's available now from Createspace.  There is a link on the right side of this page which will take you there.  It will be available from Amazon in a few days, and from other online bookstores soon.

Thanks to my friend Kim Ahlers for the cover photo, which he shot as we were sailing in company with Kewaydin from Antigua to Guadeloupe a few years ago.  It's a treat to get a picture of your own boat under sail.  Thanks also to my wife and her folks, Carol and Alan Rea, for their patience and support while I finished the book over the last several weeks.

Finally, thanks to all who have been reading "Dungda de Islan'" in eBook format.  I'd love to hear from you.

Dungda de Islan' is Published

Dungda de Islan' is available in eBook format at Amazon and Smashwords, and will be making its way into broader eBook distribution over the next few weeks.  Check out the links section under the cover image at the right to get a copy.  The paperback is in process, and should be released in a week or two.  I'll post a link when it's available or let me know and I'll send you an email.
For more information about the book, see the post below entitled, "This is a Sea Story."

If you're an ebook person, watch for promo offers and do a little shopping -- there is at least one "limited time only" deal.  I'll be adjusting prices as the book moves into distribution.  I hope you enjoy it.  Email comments are always welcome.

Back to Work

Now that our major boat project is behind me, I can focus my energy on writing again.  I've enjoyed hearing from those of you who sent emails after reading "Deception in Savannah."  Thanks to all who have read it.  Thanks especially to those who took the trouble to post reviews on Amazon (Amazon Review) and Smashwords (Smashwords Review).  I hope you all enjoyed it as much as the folks who wrote to me. 


"Dungda de Islan'" is coming along.  The first draft is almost finished.  Now the work begins.  I rewrote "Deception in Savannah" 15 times before I was satisfied with it.  I hope this one goes more quickly.  Rewrites don't take me as long as writing the first draft, but they are truly draining.  It's hard to stay focused on material that you've read repeatedly, especially if you wrote it to start with.  I'm still expecting to release "Dungda de Islan'" this summer, so check back.  If you're interested in email notification when it's available, send me an email.

This is a Sea Story...

Struggling with all of the details of replacing the engine in our sailboat has been distracting me from work on the next novel, but I have been able to do a bit of work on a non-fiction book that's been on hold for several years.  Dungda de Islan' is the story of our voyage to the Caribbean, as well as our experiences during our first year in the islands.  It's a tale of how we fell in love with this part of the world, to the extent that, after 7 years, we're still here and have no immediate plans to leave.  Dungda de Islan' started as a collection of emails written en route, and it has elements of a travel log, a sea story, and the evolution of our relationship with each other, the boat, and the wonderful people of the island nations of the Caribbean.  The title is patois, and it translates roughly to Down in the Islands.
It's been a lot of fun to go back and resurrect the experiences, which, like mangoes ripening in the sun, have grown richer with the passing of time.  Writing non-fiction doesn't offer the same creative kick that spinning a tale from whole cloth provides, but it is a challenge of a different kind.  It's tough to go back through our logbook entries and convert them to a cogent story.  Memories surface as I read my old notes, and I find myself wanting to write about things that are only tangentially relevant to the story of our travels, whether metaphorical or physical.
If you've wondered what it would be like to chuck it all and go sailing, this book will give you a good idea.  From the lonely splendor of a two-week, two person ocean voyage, to the delight of finding out of the way corners where people are in tune with the elemental joy of simply living, you can ride with us.
Depending on how the engine replacement goes (see http://www.voyagesoftheplayactor.blogspot.com/ ), maybe I'll post some installments here as I work.  I expect to have the whole story done in the next few months, so check back from time to time to see how I'm progressing.  The details of the engine job, a story in itself, are posted on the Voyages of the Play Actor blog.

Help! They won't leave me alone.

Some of the characters from Deception in Savannah won't go away.  I often wonder what's happening with Donald now.  He charmed me with his cheerful, trusting approach to other people.  I wish I knew more folks like him.  Sometimes I wish I were more like him myself.  He won't be quiet.  Connie is calling to me in her own way, too.  She doesn't have the charm about her that I found in Donald, but she is an interesting person because of her courage and determination.  Although I'm not sure he could have survived the story, Jonas Belk is nagging me as well.  A lawyer whose ethics didn't permit him to take on a client unless he was sure the client didn't need legal representation has definite possibilities.  Is there any way he could have made it out of Deception in Savannah alive?
Should I let these characters rest, now that they've played out their parts in this tale?
They are trying to catch my attention as I begin working on the next book.  Should I shut them out?  I didn't have in mind writing a sequel to Deception in Savannah.  Should I let them try out for parts in another story?
What do you think?

Deception in Savannah is not my first work of fiction.&nb...

Deception in Savannah is not my first work of fiction.  During my corporate and consulting careers, I wrote numerous business plans, a few of which were best sellers.  Deception in Savannah was much more fun to write than those other works.  The experience of writing a novel is a real kick.  It didn't start out looking anything like the finished product.  The characters took over and went in their own directions, to my frequent surprise and occasional chagrin.  The ones who ended up driving the story were mere bit players in my initial conception.
Before I wrote Deception in Savannah, I had the notion that I would map out the story and the characters and then grind through the process of writing and rewriting until I finished up with a book.  I was mistaken.  Indeed, I started out with a story line, and a few character sketches.  After the first few thousand words, I realized that I was just along for the ride.  The characters had their own ideas about where the story should go, and I could only influence their actions, as opposed to controlling what they said and did.  This made the work challenging, and more entertaining than I had expected it to be.
While the independence of the characters entertained me, it also made for frustrating work.  Sometimes they wanted to go off on side trails and play in the woods, when I wanted to make time on the Interstate.  At other times, they tricked me by rushing to places that I had no idea existed.  Fashioning a coherent story out of the interactions of characters, who were by design eccentric, was more difficult than I had reckoned.  I had to leave some fascinating byways unexplored in the interest of finishing the tale, just like in real life.
After several years of short, intense periods of writing, interrupted by the exigencies of life on a cruising sailboat, I had a story and a bunch of characters, but they weren't integrated into anything that could pass for a novel.  I realized that moving to the next step involved a large investment of time and drudgery, and I found it difficult to commit myself to the effort.  This summer, as my wife and I settled into Grenada for the five months of hurricane season, I found that I had the time and the inclination to finish what I had started, so here it is.
I hope that you enjoy the story as much as I did.  Let me know what you think.  Email is welcome at clrdougherty@att.net.  If you write, I will answer, but please be patient.  Internet service is not readily available on the high seas, so I sometimes go a week or two without being able to check email.
For those who still like to read "dead tree books," Deception in Savannah will be available in paperback after the first of the year.  Send me an email, and I'll be sure to let you know when it's released.