Joe Hart's Blog, page 10
July 5, 2012
What would Stephen King do?
Hey everyone, just had a few quick updates this week and a thought that's been rolling around in my head for quite some time.
First off, the updates- Two new short stories will be available later this month and I'm very excited about both of them. They will be published on Amazon Kindle and I'll be sure to Tweet and Facebook about them once they are. Before they go live I'll do a cover reveal (psst...the covers are excellent)- really excited about them also.
Now the little thought- You might be wondering why I titled this post what I did. Was it to use Stephen's name recognition to suck people into my blog? No, not really.
You see King was my first literary love. I began reading him when I was eleven. I know, that's probably what's wrong with me, I hear it from my wife almost constantly. His writing is the gold standard that I hold my and nearly everyone else's writing to. If there's one person who I admire as an author and all around wonderful storyteller, it's him. So when the talk of the indie publishing movement VS traditional comes up, I sometimes ask myself- what would Stephen do?
I'll go out on a limb and say if Kindle and the independent publishing option had been around in the seventies he would have jumped on the bandwagon faster than you can say "Carrie".
Why am I so sure? Because he's an author and an artist at heart and no author likes getting rejected or told his or her work is not on par with other pieces of merit. I'm not saying it isn't good to face obstacles and overcome them while bettering yourself in the process. I'm asking how many classic pieces of literature and just wonderful stories in general have died and rotted in an unknown author's desk drawer? How much has the world missed because of a handful of people who decide that the wind is right and the moon is just full enough for a story to sell?
I for one don't want to know. I think it would make me sick.
I'm sure some of you are saying, "Yeah but Joe, there's a whole lot of crap being published right now just because there's an outlet." My answer is, yes there is. But there's a whole bunch of great stuff out there too, you just have to look for it. Also, the truly poor written drivel doesn't sell so if no one's really reading it, what's it hurting?
All I'm saying is that the contemporary greats of literature would have been hard pressed to ignore an opportunity like that of which is staring we unknowns in the face. I think each and every one of them- King, Koontz, McCammon, would have been tempted to hit the self publish button if they had that to choose from or yet another rejection slip. Because really, one opens up a world of readers to your work and the other you can use as a bookmark in one of your dusty manuscripts that even you will soon forget.
I've already chosen. And I couldn't be happier.
First off, the updates- Two new short stories will be available later this month and I'm very excited about both of them. They will be published on Amazon Kindle and I'll be sure to Tweet and Facebook about them once they are. Before they go live I'll do a cover reveal (psst...the covers are excellent)- really excited about them also.
Now the little thought- You might be wondering why I titled this post what I did. Was it to use Stephen's name recognition to suck people into my blog? No, not really.
You see King was my first literary love. I began reading him when I was eleven. I know, that's probably what's wrong with me, I hear it from my wife almost constantly. His writing is the gold standard that I hold my and nearly everyone else's writing to. If there's one person who I admire as an author and all around wonderful storyteller, it's him. So when the talk of the indie publishing movement VS traditional comes up, I sometimes ask myself- what would Stephen do?
I'll go out on a limb and say if Kindle and the independent publishing option had been around in the seventies he would have jumped on the bandwagon faster than you can say "Carrie".
Why am I so sure? Because he's an author and an artist at heart and no author likes getting rejected or told his or her work is not on par with other pieces of merit. I'm not saying it isn't good to face obstacles and overcome them while bettering yourself in the process. I'm asking how many classic pieces of literature and just wonderful stories in general have died and rotted in an unknown author's desk drawer? How much has the world missed because of a handful of people who decide that the wind is right and the moon is just full enough for a story to sell?
I for one don't want to know. I think it would make me sick.
I'm sure some of you are saying, "Yeah but Joe, there's a whole lot of crap being published right now just because there's an outlet." My answer is, yes there is. But there's a whole bunch of great stuff out there too, you just have to look for it. Also, the truly poor written drivel doesn't sell so if no one's really reading it, what's it hurting?
All I'm saying is that the contemporary greats of literature would have been hard pressed to ignore an opportunity like that of which is staring we unknowns in the face. I think each and every one of them- King, Koontz, McCammon, would have been tempted to hit the self publish button if they had that to choose from or yet another rejection slip. Because really, one opens up a world of readers to your work and the other you can use as a bookmark in one of your dusty manuscripts that even you will soon forget.
I've already chosen. And I couldn't be happier.
June 11, 2012
Sorry for the absence...
Hey everyone. Sorry for the absence. It's been a busy month. My novel is finished! It is currently with my editor Neal Hock and a few select beta readers. I'll post an update here in a few weeks about where and when it will be released. Right now I'm working on two short stories that will be available as Kindle singles soon; one is done and the other is under construction.
But in the meantime I have a little goodie for you- here's a short, short story I whipped up today. It suddenly came to me out of nowhere like stories do most times and I had to write it down. It's perfect for posting here, a quick read that might leave you with some imagery, a sick stomach, and maybe a little to think about. Thanks for checking in with me!
“Do you know what love is?” I asked him this as I pressed the knife against his throat. His eyes were reaching for something above me, like something would drop down out of the ceiling and stop what I was doing. Stop the blade from cutting the tender skin of his throat. His throat.The words that had come from there. My God. The sick, lying words that had come from his mouth to lure her away from me. What had he really said? I’ll probably never know. Jane can’t tell me, because she’s gone. This blade that’s so steady in my grip cut her flesh too, and I wonder how he feels about that. If he sees any meaning in it. I guess I don’t care. “There’s money on the dresser…” His words are lost as I press the knife further in and cut them off. Cut too deep and watch the blood well out just a little. It makes my stomach churn and spiral with butterflies. Is that wrong? To want this? To want the end? “I asked you a question,” I said. His eyelids fluttered, and then he looked at me. Really looked at me for the first time. “Just take what you want…”I leaned closer. “How many women did you do this to? Five? Ten? How many?” My mouth was so close to his face he shut his eyes, and I sat back not wanting to end it too soon. “How many people did you hurt?”He swallowed, which was a feat since the edge of the knife was pressed so close to his adam’s apple I figured it might shear it off. I could hear his breath and wondered how it felt to feel afraid. I wasn’t afraid any longer. I had been once. When I first found out about the two of them. I’d noticed the signs but kept them pushed far enough away that they didn’t seem real. Her new perfume and a new set of panties that I’d found accidentally. Women who have been married for fourteen years don’t buy those kind of panties. I looked at him again. His long dark hair that must have drawn them in. He looked like an artist. I could see him brooding in a coffee shop, a book of poetry splayed open before him on the table and his eyes on the window, watching the rain outside instead. I could see how they’d been attracted to him. But it didn’t make any difference now. His tricks were up. There’d be no more coffee shops for him. No poetry either. “Please,” he said beneath me. I could almost hear her voice saying the same word. It sickened me so much I had to stop myself. Stop before I could say what I needed to say. His soul needed a sendoff, and I was going to give it to him.I sat forward again. “You picked the wrong woman to do what you did to her. You didn’t know she’d be married to a man like me.” I leaned closer still so that my mouth was only an inch from his ear. “I saw things the others couldn’t. No other husband noticed the things I did. I found the spot you put her and the others in the ground by the gravel pit. I saw what you did to all of them, how you cut them. I knew that Jane was the last since the knife was buried beside her. The pieces of her. I knew you’d be moving on. Glad I caught you before you did.”I shifted back into a sitting position and looked into his eyes. The eyes of something evil, and I was not afraid.
But in the meantime I have a little goodie for you- here's a short, short story I whipped up today. It suddenly came to me out of nowhere like stories do most times and I had to write it down. It's perfect for posting here, a quick read that might leave you with some imagery, a sick stomach, and maybe a little to think about. Thanks for checking in with me!
“Do you know what love is?” I asked him this as I pressed the knife against his throat. His eyes were reaching for something above me, like something would drop down out of the ceiling and stop what I was doing. Stop the blade from cutting the tender skin of his throat. His throat.The words that had come from there. My God. The sick, lying words that had come from his mouth to lure her away from me. What had he really said? I’ll probably never know. Jane can’t tell me, because she’s gone. This blade that’s so steady in my grip cut her flesh too, and I wonder how he feels about that. If he sees any meaning in it. I guess I don’t care. “There’s money on the dresser…” His words are lost as I press the knife further in and cut them off. Cut too deep and watch the blood well out just a little. It makes my stomach churn and spiral with butterflies. Is that wrong? To want this? To want the end? “I asked you a question,” I said. His eyelids fluttered, and then he looked at me. Really looked at me for the first time. “Just take what you want…”I leaned closer. “How many women did you do this to? Five? Ten? How many?” My mouth was so close to his face he shut his eyes, and I sat back not wanting to end it too soon. “How many people did you hurt?”He swallowed, which was a feat since the edge of the knife was pressed so close to his adam’s apple I figured it might shear it off. I could hear his breath and wondered how it felt to feel afraid. I wasn’t afraid any longer. I had been once. When I first found out about the two of them. I’d noticed the signs but kept them pushed far enough away that they didn’t seem real. Her new perfume and a new set of panties that I’d found accidentally. Women who have been married for fourteen years don’t buy those kind of panties. I looked at him again. His long dark hair that must have drawn them in. He looked like an artist. I could see him brooding in a coffee shop, a book of poetry splayed open before him on the table and his eyes on the window, watching the rain outside instead. I could see how they’d been attracted to him. But it didn’t make any difference now. His tricks were up. There’d be no more coffee shops for him. No poetry either. “Please,” he said beneath me. I could almost hear her voice saying the same word. It sickened me so much I had to stop myself. Stop before I could say what I needed to say. His soul needed a sendoff, and I was going to give it to him.I sat forward again. “You picked the wrong woman to do what you did to her. You didn’t know she’d be married to a man like me.” I leaned closer still so that my mouth was only an inch from his ear. “I saw things the others couldn’t. No other husband noticed the things I did. I found the spot you put her and the others in the ground by the gravel pit. I saw what you did to all of them, how you cut them. I knew that Jane was the last since the knife was buried beside her. The pieces of her. I knew you’d be moving on. Glad I caught you before you did.”I shifted back into a sitting position and looked into his eyes. The eyes of something evil, and I was not afraid.
April 25, 2012
Oh, the irony.
Hey everyone. Just wanted to share some thoughts that have been bouncing around in the brain pan for a few weeks about the publishing revolution.
I know it's been beaten to death but I noticed something the other day that I couldn't help laughing at. It was during Scott Turow's rant about Amazon being the big bad bully of the publishing world. He said something to the effect of this-
"New authors traditionally are nurtured by bookstore personnel, especially in independent bookstores. These people literally hand sell books to their customers, by saying, “I’ve read this. I think you’re going to love it.” Not to mention the fact that a bookstore is a small cultural center in a community. That’s definitely a loss."
Sorry, just threw up in my mouth a little bit from that serving of BS.
Okay, let's just think back about 6 to 8 years ago shall we? E-readers and e-books were basically unknown and the major retailers such as Barnes and Noble and Borders were in a good place. I know for a fact in that time period that the large discount retailers were affecting the smaller mom and pop bookstores in local areas. Now the president of the author's guild is saying, Shame on you Amazon, look what you're doing to the nice little bookstores I strolled through as a wide eyed kid.
I got news for ya Scott. The independent bookstores are gonna be fine.
Even though I'm a self published author and do a lot of shopping on Amazon, my family and I still spend a decent amount of cash at our local bookstore and I send other people there all the time. Why? Because it does have an ambiance that I like and who doesn't get a thrill from seeing all those spines looking back at you from the shelves?
My prediction is this: The big discount retailers are going to fall and fall hard. They're having done to them what they attempted to do to the indie bookstores awhile back. They're crying foul but they didn't seem to hear the complaints when they took away customers from smaller shops themselves. As far as I'm concerned it's ironic justice and I'll happily still give my local bookstore business as will others when there isn't a giant to shop at in the next town over.
Time will tell but that's what I see coming down the pipe. Until then keep writing and reading and I'll see you back here soon!
I know it's been beaten to death but I noticed something the other day that I couldn't help laughing at. It was during Scott Turow's rant about Amazon being the big bad bully of the publishing world. He said something to the effect of this-
"New authors traditionally are nurtured by bookstore personnel, especially in independent bookstores. These people literally hand sell books to their customers, by saying, “I’ve read this. I think you’re going to love it.” Not to mention the fact that a bookstore is a small cultural center in a community. That’s definitely a loss."
Sorry, just threw up in my mouth a little bit from that serving of BS.
Okay, let's just think back about 6 to 8 years ago shall we? E-readers and e-books were basically unknown and the major retailers such as Barnes and Noble and Borders were in a good place. I know for a fact in that time period that the large discount retailers were affecting the smaller mom and pop bookstores in local areas. Now the president of the author's guild is saying, Shame on you Amazon, look what you're doing to the nice little bookstores I strolled through as a wide eyed kid.
I got news for ya Scott. The independent bookstores are gonna be fine.
Even though I'm a self published author and do a lot of shopping on Amazon, my family and I still spend a decent amount of cash at our local bookstore and I send other people there all the time. Why? Because it does have an ambiance that I like and who doesn't get a thrill from seeing all those spines looking back at you from the shelves?
My prediction is this: The big discount retailers are going to fall and fall hard. They're having done to them what they attempted to do to the indie bookstores awhile back. They're crying foul but they didn't seem to hear the complaints when they took away customers from smaller shops themselves. As far as I'm concerned it's ironic justice and I'll happily still give my local bookstore business as will others when there isn't a giant to shop at in the next town over.
Time will tell but that's what I see coming down the pipe. Until then keep writing and reading and I'll see you back here soon!
April 6, 2012
Writing: The Friendliest Profession
I took a little hiatus over the past month, please don't yell at me, I've been writing my keister off on my novel which is about three weeks away from being done. I'm very excited but that's not what I'm writing about tonight. Tonight I'd like to just say a few words about an aspect of the writing industry that I just recently realized: it's the friendliest profession in the world.
Now, that's a pretty profound statement but hear me out. The reason being that it's the friendliest is there's no actual competition between writers. Sure you may compare yourself to another author or be a little jealous when he or she is outselling you but the nice thing about books is they are a 100 % renewable resource. A person doesn't go on Amazon, spend three months researching which book they'd like to purchase and then take another five years to read it. The people that are true readers read several books a month, at least I know I do, and there's millions of them out there! Personally I've been so happy to help out a few fellow indie author's lately. Whether it's been on Twitter, Facebook, or just by purchasing a copy of the book.
A great example of authors helping authors is Mr. Griffin Hayes. He's a really great guy who's written some pretty scary stuff. Right now his first novel Malice is selling really well on Amazon. Griffin was kind enough to interview me on his own blog which can be found here. By having me on his blog it helped draw more people to his books while also giving me exposure which is really great.
All in all I can't say enough good things about the other authors I've met so far. Even some of the bigger names like Jeremy C. Shipp and Michael R. Hicks have responded to me when I've sent them messages and I have no doubt that in the future they would help me with a project if I asked them. (Just a side note, I've noticed that these really successful authors put their middle initial as part of their name. A coincidence? Perhaps not. Maybe I should do that too. Hmmm.... I'll mull that one over for awhile.)
Anyways, that's my dose of love for the week. Basically just giving a shout out to all the authors out there that realize the more people read, not only their books but everyone else's too, that we'll all be better off. Until next time, keep writing, reading and I'll catch up with you soon.
Now, that's a pretty profound statement but hear me out. The reason being that it's the friendliest is there's no actual competition between writers. Sure you may compare yourself to another author or be a little jealous when he or she is outselling you but the nice thing about books is they are a 100 % renewable resource. A person doesn't go on Amazon, spend three months researching which book they'd like to purchase and then take another five years to read it. The people that are true readers read several books a month, at least I know I do, and there's millions of them out there! Personally I've been so happy to help out a few fellow indie author's lately. Whether it's been on Twitter, Facebook, or just by purchasing a copy of the book.
A great example of authors helping authors is Mr. Griffin Hayes. He's a really great guy who's written some pretty scary stuff. Right now his first novel Malice is selling really well on Amazon. Griffin was kind enough to interview me on his own blog which can be found here. By having me on his blog it helped draw more people to his books while also giving me exposure which is really great.
All in all I can't say enough good things about the other authors I've met so far. Even some of the bigger names like Jeremy C. Shipp and Michael R. Hicks have responded to me when I've sent them messages and I have no doubt that in the future they would help me with a project if I asked them. (Just a side note, I've noticed that these really successful authors put their middle initial as part of their name. A coincidence? Perhaps not. Maybe I should do that too. Hmmm.... I'll mull that one over for awhile.)
Anyways, that's my dose of love for the week. Basically just giving a shout out to all the authors out there that realize the more people read, not only their books but everyone else's too, that we'll all be better off. Until next time, keep writing, reading and I'll catch up with you soon.
March 10, 2012
It's all over but the crying
I just got done reading Joe Konrath and Barry Eisler's response to Scott Turow's statements regarding Amazon and traditional publishing. If you haven't seen it go here. Scott spouted nonsensical statements like a sprinkler without having any viable facts to back it up. Joe and Barry basically took him apart piece by piece. There's only one thing I would like to add- It's all over but the crying.
The bottom line is no matter who or what entity rages against the ebook revolution as well as the indie authors, there's no stopping what is taking place already. The facts are out there if you look. Amazon pays better and reaches more people than any of the Big 6 will ever hope to. The Big 6 are lamenting a lost era and that's fine and dandy, let them lament. It will do nothing to keep the people who want to purchase my book from doing so. The public hasn't even spoken, they've just shifted into buying what Amazon's selling and no amount of whining is going to change it.
So there's really no need to take apart the diatribe that you hear on the internet or read in the paper because all they're doing is trying to call the snow back up the mountain after the avalanche has already begun. It's done. It's over. End of story.
I'll laugh the next time I hear a representative of the Big 6, or now it seems influential members of the Author's Guild, saying anything other than positive statements about ebooks or Amazon. I don't have time anyway, I'm too busy writing.
The bottom line is no matter who or what entity rages against the ebook revolution as well as the indie authors, there's no stopping what is taking place already. The facts are out there if you look. Amazon pays better and reaches more people than any of the Big 6 will ever hope to. The Big 6 are lamenting a lost era and that's fine and dandy, let them lament. It will do nothing to keep the people who want to purchase my book from doing so. The public hasn't even spoken, they've just shifted into buying what Amazon's selling and no amount of whining is going to change it.
So there's really no need to take apart the diatribe that you hear on the internet or read in the paper because all they're doing is trying to call the snow back up the mountain after the avalanche has already begun. It's done. It's over. End of story.
I'll laugh the next time I hear a representative of the Big 6, or now it seems influential members of the Author's Guild, saying anything other than positive statements about ebooks or Amazon. I don't have time anyway, I'm too busy writing.
