Charles Martin's Blog, page 53
October 17, 2011
"Edward and the Island" review from Urban Bachelorette
Sample from Urban Bachelorette's review of my second novel:
"I thought that this book was well written, intriguing and definitely thought-provoking. Even after reading this book a few weeks ago, I find that I recall events from it and find myself thinking about the story. Clearly well written, and while it isn't a religious book, I find that Martin takes into consideration many aspects of religion in his writing."
Check out the complete review HERE!
October 16, 2011
Artist labels are the model of the future.
Self-publishing is a fact of life for first time authors. If you are famous or have industry connections, you might be able to skip this step. Most of us don't and, regardless of talent, no amount of writer's conferences or query letters are going to attract the attention of New York editors until you have developed an impressive resume.
It would be like starting your job search straight out of college by applying for CEO of a Fortune 500 company. We all have to start in the mailroom until we've shown what we can do in the real world. To take that idea further, many of the most famous musicians started out by producing their own EPs, demos, or vanity projects until they built a fan base sizable enough to garner the attention of A&R reps.
A growing trend in the music industry, among established and emerging bands, is the artist label. This idea has been around since music was first being recorded, but with the rapidly shifting landscape of the music industry, artist labels are a way for musicians to deal direct with fans. There is less overhead since the talent is handling a lot of the chores of marketing, packaging and production. The talent also retains more of the rights to their work, so if there is a breakout hit, then more money goes back to the artist.
Starting a small press is best when taken under this model. When Literati Press started, I knew I would be doing the bulk of the work, but didn't want to actually own anyone else's project or really even profit off us. It was more about sharing the load in the hope that if one of us makes it, then it would be good for all of us. The keys to doing this successfully are:
Keep it lean and mean. The fewer projects and artists/authors you take on, the better. If you are producing too much, then you can't properly focus. Quality control also diminishes, and your press is only as good as your reputation.
Avoid vanity presses and use print on demand. We use Lightning Source, which also comes with distribution at no extra charge, but there are other excellent print on demand services out there as well. We design our covers in house, though will often pay photographers or artists to produce the cover image. If you can do this on your own, by all means but make sure it looks professional. It is better to pay a quality graphic artist than to put out an unprofessional project.
Edit! When you are done editing, edit again. Then pay for a professional editor. This can start at $1 a page and go up. Make it an ethical point to pay people for their services. I know this is an extra charge, but typos are annoying to first time readers. Also, you can not improve as a writer until you have someone tearing your work apart and helping you put it back together.
Only work with people you trust and whose artistic vision you respect. Don't take on projects as a favor, no matter how much you like the person. Ensure that everyone involved in the press brings something to the table. Not everyone has to travel to conventions or work on marketing, but if they don't help carry the load or extend your brand in anyway, then don't take on their future projects.
Do not take on debt. You will need to print, you will need to buy convention tables, pay for ads, produce merchandise, pay for travel, get hotel rooms, etc. Do not take on debt. If you cannot pay for these things outright, readjust your expenses or your goals until you can. Debt will destroy a small press since even the most successful small presses are not money-making ventures. I currently have five jobs to help pay for Literati. Its hard work, but its necessary to keep the dream alive.
Grow your sphere of influence slowly. Don't start traveling coast to coast on your first book. Start inside your state, build a following there and learn the game. Expand regionally and then nationally. Don't worry about getting your book into every bookstore in the nation, it is more important to meet the fans face to face. You should, although, find a small and select group of privately owned bookstores that specialize in your area of expertise and develop close relationships. If you can get an owner or clerk to hand-sell five books, then it will be much more valuable in the long run than selling ten at a Barnes and Noble signing.
When you travel, go as a group. There is nothing more off putting to readers at a convention than one guy with one book. That's where I started and I made it work, but once I started traveling with comic book artists and novelists, it legitimized us all. That is the true benefit of establishing a small press, strength in numbers. Again, don't just team up with anybody. Find someone who compliments you and whose work is in the same vein as yours.
Network at every event. If you are at a conference, talk to your neighbors and make nice. If you meet another press, talk shop and share secrets. You aren't competing with other writers for convention dollars. There are more than enough to go around especially if we work together. you also have no idea who or where the big break will come, so treat every customer and contact with respect and courtesy. You never know who they might know.
Give back. Don't just go to conventions, help out with your own local conventions or start a book fair. Support your local music scene, volunteer at an animal shelter, anything that calls to you. You will lose money and time on this, but if you asking people to invest in you, then you should be willing to invest in them as well.
So, that's a somewhat brisk introduction into starting a press. If you've got a project you believe in. Stop waiting for the big break and just get it out there. Find a few friends who right the same type of stuff, and join up to make your own small press. If your work has value, it will gain steam and, over time, the big break will find you.
October 15, 2011
October 11, 2011
Examiner's Daniel Pool Reviews The Wonderboy Serials
Charles Martin and Will Weinke of Literati Press have created something of true beauty, and it's called Wonderboy. This is not exactly a novel, a bird or a plane—it's a serial. If you are a fan of superheroes, urban fantasy, science fiction, or just like experimental literature in general then I would say this is your next ebook purchase.
Wonderboy (not this one but the other one) was once just an Okie Joe Blow with nothing but truth, justice and the American Way in his heart until he gained his fantastic abilities of flight, super strength, teleportation, telepathy, duplication, and a host of other powers (which could all be just one ability used in different ways). He uses these powers to clean up the streets of the world and elevate his fame to the top of the chats. However he has a dark secret that the world is about to learn.
The Wonderboy Serial is the story of a real life superhero and the effect he has had on the world around him. It's Superman but with consequences. This first issue is actually made up of short stories of people talking about Wonderboy from their personal perspectives (all surrounding a single televised Wonderboy interview with a talk show host). Speakers include his bastard daughter/public relations manager, his greatest nemesis/performance artist, one of his girlfriends/biggest fans, and others.
This is a delightfully insightful story that will leave you thinking about the purpose and limits of religion and government in your life. Like Wonderboy, these sorts of powers out of our control soothe us into a mind set of inaction—why should we worry? The powers that be will protect us, right? Much alike to Zizek's thoughts in his book Violence or Badiou's Being and Event, Martin has created a world in which man does not need to worry, work hard, or even be concerned with our own well being.
This is not an easy book to get into however. The start is a little slow and the concept is experimental (which can be too weird to some people). This is not your average high adrenaline superhero read. It picks up (especially when it gets to the villain—my favorite character!) later in the work but the start is not gripping. If this story develops the ideas it has laid out however it could become amazing. I think the real issue here though is that this would be a great movie or comic, it has a very visual feel to the read.
So check it out on Literati Press or Smashwords.com today!
The author duo of Wonderboy, Charles Martin and Will Weinke, are as interesting as the work itself however. Martin is a native Oklahoman and free lance writer for the Oklahoma Gazette. He is also the founder and editor for Literati Press, an indie press that specializes in works of local creative minds (such as Eric Gorman of Eggs). In his spare time he helps organize the Oklahoma Small Press Association.
Weinke is a mysterious journalist who has kept himself out of the limelight. He was the reporter who covered the Jim Jacobs Cult.
In conclusion this serial is a lot of fun and if given a chance would make an incredible film (as would some of Martin and Weinke's other works). Give Wonderboy a chance and you won't regret it. I give it three dancing hamsters out of five.
October 10, 2011
Daniel Pool of Examiner.com on "Gay Zombies Attack"
I recently picked up a copy of the World Wide Tribune Issue 3, a super market tabloid comic created by Art of Destruction, at a Literati Press (the producers of Eggs) release party for Wonderboy Issue 2. It was experimental and more than worth the money.
The comic pays homage to the trashy Yeti Today and UFO Weekly magazines that you read when you ran out of cereal boxes at the checkout line without making you wade through X-Ray Specs and Male Enhancement ads (though from the mind of Ms. Destruction either or both at the same time would be a great addition). The tabloid styled comic takes you through the bizarre would of post-zombie eaten Midwest USA with topics spanning from an undead gay pride parades and how humanity deals with unlife football.
World Wide Tribune does however sport ads for pet dragons and chupacabras with celebrity interviews with Snooki. The amount of thought that went into the detail and layout of this publication alone makes this oddity a true work of art. Who would think of what FDA warnings you would have to put in a pet dragon commercial?
"GAY ZOMBIES ATTACK" is not perfect though and it does have its flaws. Some of the comedy seems to fall flat in places while in other places it is laugh out loud. The problem is the dryness of the material—the tabloid template itself. This is actually not really so much an issue of comedic skill of the writer but an inherent flatness to the medium: tabloids are supposed to shock us and surprise us (what makes it funny are our views of the world reflecting on this alternate z-world).
To put it in a cohesive thought: this is an experimental work so some of it is harder to get into than a physical/body humor work would be.
This becomes a strength for World Wide Tribune though as it is presented in a visual state and thus reducing the disparity between the tabloid style/journalistic humor and conception of a humorous setting. Things like the weather girl discussing what parts of down town to avoid because of undead right after presenting the day's high and low temperatures is dry and hilarious because you can see the joke play out and then move to the next issue.
This work is more than just a funny look a post-z invasion though. Reading the World Wide Tribune makes one think about their world; why do I never see gay zombies in the movies, what would you do if your football team was turned undead, would the world just keep ticking away after an event like that? This is not just a comic book you pass some time with and toss out—GAY ZOMBIES ATTACK is as much a journey through an alternate world as it is ourselves. Who are we? What would we do if zompocalyse happened tomorrow?
In closing this is a flipping-tastically* awesome comic of experimental fiction that everyone who loves zombies should read. Some of the humor is a little dry but that seems to be a built in part of the tabloid template. This is a thought provoking and seriously hilarious adventure.
I give this 4 out of 5 Dancing Hamsters!
To check out your own copy of World Wide Tribune and as well as other Literati Press Products make sure to check out their book store and Smashword site—WWT is also available in e-format here.
Continue reading on Examiner.com The Gay Zompocalypse – Oklahoma City Pop Culture | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/pop-culture-in-oklahoma-city/the-gay-zompocalypse-review#ixzz1aNvYGuWi
