Beem Weeks's Blog, page 5
May 15, 2014
A Fantastic Look At 1920s Detroit.
The Sugar House by Jean SchefflerMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I discovered indie author Jean Scheffler on Twitter. She tweeted a message detailing her debut novel using words like speakeasy, gangsters, prohibition, and the Roaring Twenties. That alone would have sold me on the book. But then I learned the author is a fellow Michigander. That sealed the deal.
The Sugar House offers a look inside the Detroit of 1920s America, when industry had begun to drive the nation, and gangsters filled the vacuum left by prohibition with cheap and illegal bootleg whiskey.
When Joe, the story’s main character, loses his father, the youngster takes a job running errands for those gangsters controlling the now-booming liquor trade. But working for the Sugar House Gang takes its toll on the person Joe’s father had raised him to be. He develops an indifference to the violence and criminal activity permeating the city.
Jean Scheffler has a talent for taking a likeable character and exposing his all-too-human flaws. The story is well-researched and filled with details I became familiar with while researching the 1920s for my own novel.
The story’s flow is slowed in a few places, primarily due to inserted backstory. But the overall picture Scheffler paints is one tied to the rich history of the once-booming Motor City. She brings the story to life with vivid sound, flavor, and attitude.
Some readers may have trouble believing an eight-year-old boy could know the things young Joe understands. But keep in mind this is a different era; a time when kids had to grow up fast. Many, like Joe, were forced to support self and family.
Jean Scheffler skillfully sprinkles her story with amazing descriptions, pulling the reader into the era. Her characters become quite real. You can almost hear the commotion in the air.
The Sugar House is a strong debut and a carefully crafted piece of historical fiction. This is one book I will gladly recommend.
View all my reviews
May 4, 2014
My Review of So The Feeling Shows
So the Feeling Shows by Jo JennerMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
So the Feeling Shows is a collection of short stories by indie author Jo Jenner. Jenner has proven herself quite the talent, creating interesting and believable characters, placing them in unique situations that keep the reader involved.
Each story is connected by the threads of human behavior woven throughout the collection. Jenner's stories touch on love and loss and the misguided ways people often deal with these emotions.
Adding little surprise twists to many of her stories only enhances the joy of reading each piece. I truly enjoyed this collection and the style with which Jo Jenner writes. If you are a fan of good slice-of-life fiction, So the Feeling Shows is one you'll not want to miss.
View all my reviews
April 15, 2014
Our Lady of Victory: My Review
Our Lady of Victory: The Saga of an African-American Catholic Community by Shirley SlaughterMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Our Lady of Victory: The Saga of an African-American Catholic Community isn’t a typical indie-published book. What author Shirley Slaughter has written is an incredibly detailed history of an African-American Catholic community in southeastern Michigan prior to the 1970s.
This amazing book brings to light a deep and rich history about which many people—including myself, a native Michigander—knew nothing. This fantastic history lesson recounts personal stories concerning lives worthy of remembrance, and a community that most certainly would have been forgotten had it not been for one woman with a headful of memories and a talent for painting vivid pictures with the written word.
Shirley Slaughter writes with a clean prose that draws the reader in, shares with them her own personal experiences, and even leaves the reader yearning to know these amazing people of whom she speaks. This is a story of perseverance with which every history buff should be acquainted. Our Lady of Victory is part history book, part memoir, but fully entertaining. I recommend it to anybody who enjoys learning something new about things no longer here.
View all my reviews
April 6, 2014
This Is Rip 'N Time
I started my Twitter account @voiceofindie with the idea of helping indie authors and their work reach potential readers. It quickly morphed into a platform that includes indie musicians, photographers, and artists. Basically, I’ll tweet links and retweets for just about anybody with a creative endeavor needing a little extra word-of-mouth promotion. Because that’s all Twitter really is: word of mouth.
Recently, an EP came into my possession. This recording contains three fantastic tracks from a metal band called Rip ’N Time. But this isn’t your average band with the standard formation story.
Rip ’N Time began as a class project at a West Los Angeles high school. The course, taught by seventh period instructor Gunther Parigaliy, is called Multimedia Studies. The students in this small class were encouraged to create separate projects that would come together as a single affair. What they’ve accomplished deserves an A+ and the opportunity to record a full-length album.
Rip ’N Time consists of Riley Ripintyme on lead and rhythm guitar, Langston LaBelle handling vocals and rhythm guitar, and the strong rhythm section of Vincent Tarrega and Akemi Lee on drums and bass respectively. They cite bands as diverse at The Beatles, Queen, and Smithereens as influences. Toss the Bangles and the Byrds into the mix and you’ll get a pretty good feel for this band’s sound.
The EP, entitled Playing Her Guitar Suite, is just a sample of Rip ’N Time’s potential. It’s a taste of dreamy guitars and rock-steady rhythms. I hear hints of eighties rock mingled with classic sounds reaching further back through the seventies and dipping into the sixties. These two girls and two guys bring it all together into a cohesive sound that takes listeners on a journey into a faraway land—perhaps even to another world.
“Playing Her Guitar” is the lead-off track, setting the mood with its haunting melody and layered textures. The guitar work here is stellar, playing loose and sassy against the lead vocals, calling to mind a conversation taking place somewhere in the ether.
The middle track, an instrumental called “Twisting Road,” marches in on a great 1980s vibe with a twist of the modern. It’s the longest of the three songs, clocking in at just over eight minutes—and still not long enough. This one is my favorite of the collection.
Another instrumental closes out the EP. Entitled “Suite Dream,” this song is big and thick with sound. The press release that arrived with the CD refers to this track as a guitarchestral symphony. I’d have to agree with that proclamation.
The instrumentation on this project is solid. Riley Ripintyme can hold her own as a guitarist. Her style draws me back to another great female axe slinger named Lita Ford. Girls can play. Period. Riley seems poised to carry the proverbial torch into the next generation of guitar heroes.
Akemi Lee on bass and Vincent Tarrega on drums provide the very foundation on which this band rests. Good rhythm sections often take years to jell. These two sound like seasoned professionals.
The art work for the EP incorporates a storyline into the music via a graphic novel included as liner notes with the CD. This is a wonderful example of the talent that flourishes within every aspect of this project.
If you’re a music fan, this is one you’ll want to check out. If you just enjoy the creative process, here’s a fantastic example of the finished product.
I would like to thank Emily G. Woodbind, the band’s publicist, for alerting me to Rip ’N Time’s existence. This is a very cool endeavor. I only wish my high school had offered such a class way back in those long-ago days of the 1980s.
Show a little love and get this CD. You won’t be disappointed.
Get your copy right here: http://playingherguitarsuite.com/stor...
Recently, an EP came into my possession. This recording contains three fantastic tracks from a metal band called Rip ’N Time. But this isn’t your average band with the standard formation story.
Rip ’N Time began as a class project at a West Los Angeles high school. The course, taught by seventh period instructor Gunther Parigaliy, is called Multimedia Studies. The students in this small class were encouraged to create separate projects that would come together as a single affair. What they’ve accomplished deserves an A+ and the opportunity to record a full-length album.
Rip ’N Time consists of Riley Ripintyme on lead and rhythm guitar, Langston LaBelle handling vocals and rhythm guitar, and the strong rhythm section of Vincent Tarrega and Akemi Lee on drums and bass respectively. They cite bands as diverse at The Beatles, Queen, and Smithereens as influences. Toss the Bangles and the Byrds into the mix and you’ll get a pretty good feel for this band’s sound.
The EP, entitled Playing Her Guitar Suite, is just a sample of Rip ’N Time’s potential. It’s a taste of dreamy guitars and rock-steady rhythms. I hear hints of eighties rock mingled with classic sounds reaching further back through the seventies and dipping into the sixties. These two girls and two guys bring it all together into a cohesive sound that takes listeners on a journey into a faraway land—perhaps even to another world.
“Playing Her Guitar” is the lead-off track, setting the mood with its haunting melody and layered textures. The guitar work here is stellar, playing loose and sassy against the lead vocals, calling to mind a conversation taking place somewhere in the ether.
The middle track, an instrumental called “Twisting Road,” marches in on a great 1980s vibe with a twist of the modern. It’s the longest of the three songs, clocking in at just over eight minutes—and still not long enough. This one is my favorite of the collection.
Another instrumental closes out the EP. Entitled “Suite Dream,” this song is big and thick with sound. The press release that arrived with the CD refers to this track as a guitarchestral symphony. I’d have to agree with that proclamation.
The instrumentation on this project is solid. Riley Ripintyme can hold her own as a guitarist. Her style draws me back to another great female axe slinger named Lita Ford. Girls can play. Period. Riley seems poised to carry the proverbial torch into the next generation of guitar heroes.
Akemi Lee on bass and Vincent Tarrega on drums provide the very foundation on which this band rests. Good rhythm sections often take years to jell. These two sound like seasoned professionals.
The art work for the EP incorporates a storyline into the music via a graphic novel included as liner notes with the CD. This is a wonderful example of the talent that flourishes within every aspect of this project.
If you’re a music fan, this is one you’ll want to check out. If you just enjoy the creative process, here’s a fantastic example of the finished product.
I would like to thank Emily G. Woodbind, the band’s publicist, for alerting me to Rip ’N Time’s existence. This is a very cool endeavor. I only wish my high school had offered such a class way back in those long-ago days of the 1980s.
Show a little love and get this CD. You won’t be disappointed.
Get your copy right here: http://playingherguitarsuite.com/stor...
April 1, 2014
Connecting With Readers
As writers, most of us are thrilled to read reviews of our work posted on sites like Amazon and Koobug. Unsolicited, these words can spur sales of our books. They can also let us know where we lack in this craft we’ve chosen.
Then there are those messages that are of the personal nature, not intended for anybody but the author. I receive these every so often in the message box of my Goodreads account. These come from readers who were touched by something I’ve written or were reminded of some lost memory stirred back into their conscience by one of my short stories.
“Thanks for the message in your story,” they may write. “It brought back an event from my younger days—an event I’d long forgotten.” We never truly forget, though. It may slip from our thoughts but it’s always there, tucked away until the moment it’s challenged to reappear.
The thing is, I don’t set out to weave messages or lessons into my work. I write to entertain. But even so, messages appear. I believe these are out of our hands. Our egos tell us we are just creating. But there is somebody somewhere who has experienced what we’ve written.
I recently wrote a short story called Remaining Ruth, in which a teenaged girl cuts herself with a razor blade, in the privacy of her bathroom, just to have that one thing her parents can’t take away from her.
The messages were almost immediate: “I, too, was a cutter.” “I knew a girl just like Ruth.” “I didn’t cut myself but I did develop an eating disorder.” “My sister did this for years.” This particular story touched a nerve with so many readers, though that wasn’t my intention.
My novel, Jazz Baby, has prompted many such comments as well. Talk centers around the race relations within the story; Emily’s sexuality; the struggles Emily faced to achieve her dreams; women’s rights issues. I was asked by one reader why I chose to not use the N-word in the story—after all, it is set in 1925 Mississippi and New Orleans. The truth of the matter is: that wasn’t a conscious decision. I hadn’t even really thought of it until the reader brought it up. I suppose there may have been a desire to avoid the stereotypical racist clichés. The very real racism of the deep south of early twentieth-century America is indeed present within the story; I just found more creative ways to express it without resorting to what’s been written a million times in a million other stories.
And somebody found a message in that unintentional deletion.
Not every message need be heavy, either. After I wrote an essay about a childhood incident entitled Bigfoot Was My Father, I received many wonderful stories from readers wanting to share some silly moment their own fathers provided. I am honored and humbled that so many people consider me worthy of their memories.
As authors, we create worlds and characters that wouldn’t exist without us. It’s what we do. We convince ourselves of a story’s originality, of its uniqueness. But there will always be somebody somewhere who will be reminded of a long lost moment in time. It may not be spelled out in exact detail, but it’s there. It may be the metaphor you used to describe the loss of a loved one or the silly joke your main character’s love interest tells while trying to woo the girl. It will remind somebody of something. And that’s a blessing. It means you’ve written a piece in which others find a connection. It means your story matters to another human being.
There’s a verse in the Bible that says: There is nothing new under the sun; that which has been will happen again.
I believe that.
We just tell it in our own personal way.
Then there are those messages that are of the personal nature, not intended for anybody but the author. I receive these every so often in the message box of my Goodreads account. These come from readers who were touched by something I’ve written or were reminded of some lost memory stirred back into their conscience by one of my short stories.
“Thanks for the message in your story,” they may write. “It brought back an event from my younger days—an event I’d long forgotten.” We never truly forget, though. It may slip from our thoughts but it’s always there, tucked away until the moment it’s challenged to reappear.
The thing is, I don’t set out to weave messages or lessons into my work. I write to entertain. But even so, messages appear. I believe these are out of our hands. Our egos tell us we are just creating. But there is somebody somewhere who has experienced what we’ve written.
I recently wrote a short story called Remaining Ruth, in which a teenaged girl cuts herself with a razor blade, in the privacy of her bathroom, just to have that one thing her parents can’t take away from her.
The messages were almost immediate: “I, too, was a cutter.” “I knew a girl just like Ruth.” “I didn’t cut myself but I did develop an eating disorder.” “My sister did this for years.” This particular story touched a nerve with so many readers, though that wasn’t my intention.
My novel, Jazz Baby, has prompted many such comments as well. Talk centers around the race relations within the story; Emily’s sexuality; the struggles Emily faced to achieve her dreams; women’s rights issues. I was asked by one reader why I chose to not use the N-word in the story—after all, it is set in 1925 Mississippi and New Orleans. The truth of the matter is: that wasn’t a conscious decision. I hadn’t even really thought of it until the reader brought it up. I suppose there may have been a desire to avoid the stereotypical racist clichés. The very real racism of the deep south of early twentieth-century America is indeed present within the story; I just found more creative ways to express it without resorting to what’s been written a million times in a million other stories.
And somebody found a message in that unintentional deletion.
Not every message need be heavy, either. After I wrote an essay about a childhood incident entitled Bigfoot Was My Father, I received many wonderful stories from readers wanting to share some silly moment their own fathers provided. I am honored and humbled that so many people consider me worthy of their memories.
As authors, we create worlds and characters that wouldn’t exist without us. It’s what we do. We convince ourselves of a story’s originality, of its uniqueness. But there will always be somebody somewhere who will be reminded of a long lost moment in time. It may not be spelled out in exact detail, but it’s there. It may be the metaphor you used to describe the loss of a loved one or the silly joke your main character’s love interest tells while trying to woo the girl. It will remind somebody of something. And that’s a blessing. It means you’ve written a piece in which others find a connection. It means your story matters to another human being.
There’s a verse in the Bible that says: There is nothing new under the sun; that which has been will happen again.
I believe that.
We just tell it in our own personal way.
March 18, 2014
My Review of Boy Still Missing
Boy Still Missing: A Novel by John SearlesMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Dominick Pindle is a fifteen-year-old boy with far too much on his plate. Whenever his alcoholic father goes AWOL from the family apartment, it’s always Dominick sent to retrieve the man from any one of the small bars and pubs dotting the landscape of Holedo, Massachusetts. Then, on a June night in 1971, Dominick is sent by his suspicious mother to the home of one Edie Kramer, possible mistress to the boy’s father.
While he finds his father there, passed out in Edie Kramer’s bed, the aimless teenager doesn’t report the discovery to his mother, choosing instead to lie. But the lie isn’t meant to protect his philandering dad; Dominick Pindle finds himself in lust with the beautiful (and pregnant) Ms. Kramer.
The teen becomes confidant to the older woman. Secrets are spilled, confessions are made, and Dominick Pindle’s life—his very world—will never be the same again.
Edie needs money and Dominick knows just where to get plenty. But in taking this cash for his friend, Dominick triggers a chain reaction that will ultimately take away the one person he loves most in this world.
Author John Searles has painted a vivid portrait of the prototypical dysfunctional family, with a skill not usually witnessed in debut novels. The story itself is strong and quite intriguing, drawing readers in with little effort. The plot remains solid from start to finish. Searles’s characters are more than believable—they are people we’ve known throughout our own lives.
The only complaint I have against this work is that at times the writing slips from fresh and unique to generic and dull. The ending drifted into the sappy and cliché. But don’t let that deter you. If you’re searching for a good, solid read, I recommend this story.
View all my reviews
March 15, 2014
Keith Richards and the Kiddies
So Keith Richards is writing books for the kiddies now, huh? Well, he's certainly not writing for your kids or mine. No. Keith is writing for his own daughter. But he's not penning a book to read to his child. Mr. Richards is helping his daughter write a book. That's right; a rock-n-roll guitarist is now a children's author.
Or is he?
Some might say Mr. Richards is merely lending his globally famous name to a project undertaken by his own child. This would allow the young lady to bypass all of the struggles many of us in the real world face daily while trying to promote our hard work to the public. Enter Keith Richards; his daughter's work is now immediately known across the globe—even before it hits the bookshelves.
The ink of the indie author is his/her blood, sweat, and tears. We're all still paying our dues in this effort to reach readers.
Don't get me wrong. I'm a huge Rolling Stones fan. Keith is an amazing guitarist and a brilliant songwriter. His memoir "Life" is one of my all-time favorite reads—because of the content, not his writing skills. (Even this book he's "writing" with his illustrator daughter is being co-written by two other authors.)
Imagine if, when the Rolling Stones were a band of young upstarts, while playing clubs across the U.K., honing their chops and building a following, another band came along and took a recording contract that could have gone to the Stones. Now imagine this other band had never played a club gig but rather secured their record deal simply because one member's father was a famous record producer or movie star. Struggling musicians everywhere would have certainly taken offense with these usurpers.
Perhaps Keith's daughter is a gem of a writer just waiting to be discovered. Then again, maybe she's truly awful! Either way, let her work stand or fall on its own merits. To attach a world famous name to this project takes away all of the struggle. Struggle builds character.
I'm reminded of an actor named Nicholas Coppola, nephew of legendary director Francis Ford Coppola. Young Nicholas had a bit part in the 1982 film "Fast Times at Ridgemont High." Much of his performance ended up on the cutting room floor—this despite his family connection. The thing is, everybody in Hollywood knows the Coppola name. That's all anybody ever wanted to talk about when the struggling actor showed up for auditions. So Nicholas, wanting to forge his own career, changed his name...to Nicholas Cage.
When a person rides the name and fame of another person, the work is usually diminished in the eyes of many. Do your daughter a favor, Keith, let her sink or swim on her own. If she's a woman of character and talent, she'll thank you for trusting in her abilities.
Or is he?
Some might say Mr. Richards is merely lending his globally famous name to a project undertaken by his own child. This would allow the young lady to bypass all of the struggles many of us in the real world face daily while trying to promote our hard work to the public. Enter Keith Richards; his daughter's work is now immediately known across the globe—even before it hits the bookshelves.
The ink of the indie author is his/her blood, sweat, and tears. We're all still paying our dues in this effort to reach readers.
Don't get me wrong. I'm a huge Rolling Stones fan. Keith is an amazing guitarist and a brilliant songwriter. His memoir "Life" is one of my all-time favorite reads—because of the content, not his writing skills. (Even this book he's "writing" with his illustrator daughter is being co-written by two other authors.)
Imagine if, when the Rolling Stones were a band of young upstarts, while playing clubs across the U.K., honing their chops and building a following, another band came along and took a recording contract that could have gone to the Stones. Now imagine this other band had never played a club gig but rather secured their record deal simply because one member's father was a famous record producer or movie star. Struggling musicians everywhere would have certainly taken offense with these usurpers.
Perhaps Keith's daughter is a gem of a writer just waiting to be discovered. Then again, maybe she's truly awful! Either way, let her work stand or fall on its own merits. To attach a world famous name to this project takes away all of the struggle. Struggle builds character.
I'm reminded of an actor named Nicholas Coppola, nephew of legendary director Francis Ford Coppola. Young Nicholas had a bit part in the 1982 film "Fast Times at Ridgemont High." Much of his performance ended up on the cutting room floor—this despite his family connection. The thing is, everybody in Hollywood knows the Coppola name. That's all anybody ever wanted to talk about when the struggling actor showed up for auditions. So Nicholas, wanting to forge his own career, changed his name...to Nicholas Cage.
When a person rides the name and fame of another person, the work is usually diminished in the eyes of many. Do your daughter a favor, Keith, let her sink or swim on her own. If she's a woman of character and talent, she'll thank you for trusting in her abilities.
My Review of Damaged Girls
Damaged Girls I by Janice RossMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Stevie is a man in his mid-thirties. His one obvious vice in life is a taste for young, barely legal girls. The way Stevie sees it, if a girl reaches the age of consent—age 16 in his neck of the woods—she’s fair game.
When Stevie meets the young Jessie, he begins to plot and scheme to make the girl his own. However, after meeting the sixteen-year-old girl’s parents, it becomes clear they do not like the middle-aged Romeo’s intentions toward their daughter. Realizing this won’t be the easy conquest he imagined, Stevie finds solace in his former love interest Jill, who at twenty-one years of age, is too old for Stevie’s tastes.
But Jessie is a stubborn girl. She refuses to allow her father final say where her budding love life is concerned. Cracks begin to appear almost immediately as the relationship begins its ascent. Damaged Girls is a well-written documentation of that which is all too commonplace in our society: One person taking advantage of another for selfish motives. Author Janice G. Ross explores the subject to its very core, bringing to light these character traits that seem to permeate the human race.
Ross presents a great study of characters on both sides of this complicated fence, showing that even the victim in this isn’t really as innocent as one might think. And while the reader certainly won’t feel sorry for the predatory Stevie, the author manages to paint the man as human rather than monster. He has friends who care about him, particularly the story’s narrative voice, a woman named Morgan. But friend or not, Morgan’s goal is to protect the young girl, keeping her from the snare of Stevie’s web. But Morgan just might be too late.
Damaged Girls by Janice Ross is a good, solid read; dark at ties, but quite the page-turner.
View all my reviews
March 8, 2014
Proud To Be Indie
What would make a writer forego the traditional road to publication? Why would an author entrust his/her hard-fought creation to the Great Unknown that is the indie publishing industry? The answer, if we’re honest with ourselves, is because indie is the only ones who will have most of us at this point.
The above statement is in no way a reflection on the quality of the works being created by indie authors across the globe. I’ve read many self-published writers that seriously rival traditionally published authors.
The problem is with the middlemen. I’m talking about the agents and publishers who anoint themselves the all-knowing gods of the written word. Agents turn down most manuscripts that cross their desks. They cite this reason or that, making claims that nobody is interested in your sort of story. Maybe if your switch the characters, make them vampires or warlocks, just maybe there might be interest.
An agent is a catch basin for the big publishing houses. The agent will stop any and all garbage from slipping through the cracks. So the agent is the one who holds all the power within the publishing machinery. An author can create a true masterpiece that will never find its audience simply because some agent in a stuffy office has deemed the work unworthy of being sent to a publisher.
Publishers are worse than agents; they won’t even accept your manuscript without agent representation. Why? Well, because these publishers know exactly what readers everywhere want to read (or so they believe). Besides that, they don’t want to be bogged down by piles of pages from hopeful authors looking to be the next big thing, the latest shining discovery of the literary establishment.
But in the words of Bob Dylan: Oh, the times, they are a-changin’. Writers are no longer beholden to the whims of a fickle publishing industry. The need to court the trend setters and decision makers no longer applies to us writers. There are numerous outlets available, each allowing us a reach into the worldwide marketplace. Sure, it may lack the prestige of signing a contract or being able to tell anybody who’ll listen that you’ve got an agent. But keep this in mind: You own your work. You reap the lion’s share of the royalties—which is fantastic if you’re fortunate enough to sell a few thousand copies. Most importantly, you are a published author with a product that’s available to the world, right alongside Stephen King and James Patterson.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a catch basin in the indie world, which means garbage seeps through, tainting the market with its toxic odor. A reader must wade through piles of poorly written tripe in order to discover the gems that most assuredly lie just beneath the surface.
So here’s the question each writer must answer for him- or herself: Are you writing for prestige or are you writing to be read? If the prestige of an agent and a major publisher drives you, then, by all means, hold out for that prize. It might take a while, sure, but there’s also the possibility it may never happen. However, if being read by those who appreciate a good story is your true motivation, then self-publishing in the indie world just might be right for you.
The above statement is in no way a reflection on the quality of the works being created by indie authors across the globe. I’ve read many self-published writers that seriously rival traditionally published authors.
The problem is with the middlemen. I’m talking about the agents and publishers who anoint themselves the all-knowing gods of the written word. Agents turn down most manuscripts that cross their desks. They cite this reason or that, making claims that nobody is interested in your sort of story. Maybe if your switch the characters, make them vampires or warlocks, just maybe there might be interest.
An agent is a catch basin for the big publishing houses. The agent will stop any and all garbage from slipping through the cracks. So the agent is the one who holds all the power within the publishing machinery. An author can create a true masterpiece that will never find its audience simply because some agent in a stuffy office has deemed the work unworthy of being sent to a publisher.
Publishers are worse than agents; they won’t even accept your manuscript without agent representation. Why? Well, because these publishers know exactly what readers everywhere want to read (or so they believe). Besides that, they don’t want to be bogged down by piles of pages from hopeful authors looking to be the next big thing, the latest shining discovery of the literary establishment.
But in the words of Bob Dylan: Oh, the times, they are a-changin’. Writers are no longer beholden to the whims of a fickle publishing industry. The need to court the trend setters and decision makers no longer applies to us writers. There are numerous outlets available, each allowing us a reach into the worldwide marketplace. Sure, it may lack the prestige of signing a contract or being able to tell anybody who’ll listen that you’ve got an agent. But keep this in mind: You own your work. You reap the lion’s share of the royalties—which is fantastic if you’re fortunate enough to sell a few thousand copies. Most importantly, you are a published author with a product that’s available to the world, right alongside Stephen King and James Patterson.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a catch basin in the indie world, which means garbage seeps through, tainting the market with its toxic odor. A reader must wade through piles of poorly written tripe in order to discover the gems that most assuredly lie just beneath the surface.
So here’s the question each writer must answer for him- or herself: Are you writing for prestige or are you writing to be read? If the prestige of an agent and a major publisher drives you, then, by all means, hold out for that prize. It might take a while, sure, but there’s also the possibility it may never happen. However, if being read by those who appreciate a good story is your true motivation, then self-publishing in the indie world just might be right for you.
March 4, 2014
A True Original
The Village Idiots Ebay Club by Charlie BrayMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
If you’ve ever felt that unmistakable lure of E-bay, this is a book for you. If you just enjoy a good laugh-out-loud sort of read, The Village Idiots Ebay Club is just what you need. I found this hilarious story on the Indie Tribe web site and took a chance on it. I’ve never used E-bay personally, but I know many who seem to be addicted to the site. Author Charlie Bray has managed to capture the silliness of those who find themselves hopelessly caught in the pull of the online bidding web site.
Set up like an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, the story gives readers a fly-on-the-wall listen as a cast characters birthed from the mind of the author tell their tales of woefully idiotic behavior seemingly instigated by the bidding web site. Members of this group spill the beans on themselves, discussing the uselessness of the items purchased, the foolishness of prices paid for worthless objects, and the pure additive rush of a winning bid. Author Bray uses humor and wickedly creative dialogue like a true master, drawing laughs from readers with the ease of a classic storyteller. This book is unique, quite original, and deserving of a wide audience. I highly recommend it to anybody who appreciates a good, funny read.
View all my reviews
