Derek Alan Siddoway's Blog, page 8

Review of Shelf Help by Ben Galley

It’s out of the ordinary for me to do a book review on my blog, but my good friend Ben was kind enough to send me a review copy of his self-publishing book, Shelf Help, and I’d prefer to write something a little more in-depth than an Amazon or Goodreads review.

Let me preface this review with a comment about my guidelines for reading how-to books on writing and publishing: as an indie author, my time is a precious commodity. I believe you can only read so many how-to books before you’re wasting time that could be better spent actually writing a book (or reading something else for entertainment/relaxation purposes).

With that being said, there are a few books about writing and self-publishing that I would label must-reads for anyone interested in this business. In no particular order, here’s a few of my favorites:

Write. Publish. Repeat., Sean Platt and Johnny Truant
Writer Dad, Sean Platt
On Writing, Stephen King
The Anatomy of Story, John Truby
Million Dollar Outlines, David Farland
Let’s Get Digital, David Gaughran

I’ve also got a new addition to the list: Shelf Help.

There are a lot of fluff books out there that are little more than a distraction from writing. I’m pleased to say that Shelf Help isn’t one of those books. Ben runs the gambit of self-publishing and still manages decent depth for the breadth of topics he covers. As Ben himself admits in the book, self-publishing can be a steep learning curve, but with Shelf Help, a brand new indie author can quickly bring him or herself up to speed.

Shelf Help presents the reader with three pillars of self-publishing: affordability, professionalism and technology. The sections of the book are also laid out in three: Polish It, Publish It and Promote It. Overall, I found this format to be simple and effective. The layout of Shelf Help also made it easy to jump between sections, making it a handy reference guide down the road (and right now as I’m doing a refresher to write this review). Summaries at the end of each chapter and section also further distilled information into bite-sized chunks. This isn’t a book that you’ll have to search long to find what you need — it’s a fantastic reference guide for the self-publishing industry as a whole. “The Pocket Guide to Self-Publishing” is an apt description.

I had very little complaints with this book. I felt like a history of publishing was a little unnecessary and I would have liked to hear more of Ben’s personal journey. I was also a little bugged by the formatting or lack thereof on some of the sub-headers, but on the whole, Ben gets right to the chase and doesn’t fluff what it takes to succeed as an indie.

While Gaughran and Platt and Truant may delve deeper into the nuts and bolts, Ben fills enough niches with Shelf Help to make it a worthy addition to the ranks of the books I’ve listed above. His strategies and tactics are also different enough from the self-publishers listed above to lay claim to his own space in the market.

Particularly useful to me were the sections addressing some old-fashioned practices. I think too many of us place our sole focus on e-books and forget that printing physical books, making appearances and scheduling signings are also valuable, viable ways to spread the good word about our work. As an added bonus, there are interviews in the back with Hugh Howey, Polly Courtney and Joanna Penn. It’s always a great motivator to hear the stars in this game talk about how they found success.

On the whole, Shelf Help is a handy little book to have around, whether you’re just delving into self-publishing or have been around for a few years.

You can buy Shelf Help in e-book or paperback at Amazon, Kobo, Libiro, or Nook. For more self-publishing help, visit the Shelf Help Website, or Ben’s author site.

The most important thing a new writer can do when their book is “done”

It’s been one  hell of a month. That’s about the easiest way to put it. Revising and revisiting Out of Exile has taken it out of me, but I’ve learned a lot. I learned that I wasn’t ready to publish last November. I’ve learned the importance of a fourth and fifth draft (and beyond!) and I learned that hindsight really is 20/20.

The good news is, I’m better now and my book is better. My writing is stronger and clearer which translates to a sharper book. I’m excited about the second edition, more excited even than I was when releasing the first.

I’m also glad I learned a valuable lesson early on in my writing/publishing career: Publish when your book is ready, not when you are. It’s a trap I didn’t think I’d fall for, but when you’ve spent months (or years, in the case of Out of Exile) slaving away at a book, it’s easy to talk yourself into trimming the editing process. Don’t do it.

Instead, when you think you’re ready, read it again, do another draft. Especially when you’re starting out. As a rookie in this business, haste can kill not only your book, but  your career as well. While I don’t profess to be anything beyond a greenhorn in the self-publishing world, I’ve learned a thing or two about impatience. As a rookie in this business, haste can kill not only your book, but  your career as well.

There are several reasons for this: one is to catch edits. If you’re like me, I’m constantly tweaking and polishing my plot throughout the editing process and sometimes it creates inconsistencies. I think it’s obvious why you’d want to catch copy editing and formatting issues. Second, it’s important for you and your (maybe) finished book to have some space apart from each other.

Many authors I know advocate this. Stephen King takes a minimum of six weeks before attacking a second draft. My friend, Michael Sullivan, often writes his entire series before publishing the first book. The reason for this is to look at your book with outside eyes, to see it as a new reader would. For Michael, writing out the whole series allows him to craft awesome, intertwining plots (check out the Riyria Revelations to see this technique in action).  As the writer, you probably have your whole book worked out in your  head. It’s important to make sure you translated that vision to the words on your screen.

To be honest, there were times revising when I wanted to quit. Times when I stared at my computer screen so long I convinced myself every word I’d ever written was garbage. Revising, for me at least, is the hardest part of the job. I can sit down every day and put 1,000 words on a page no problem, but revising forces me to take a serious look at my writing ability, to be the world’s biggest critic of my work. Sometimes you’ll feel good about. Other times you might have a moment of despair. When this happens, remember that the real battle is getting the story out there. Editing is merely chasing down the routed enemy.

Remember that the real battle is getting the story out there. Editing is merely chasing down the routed enemy.

I survived and persevered, thanks to friends, family and readers. It may not seem like much, readers, but to a budding author, nothing compares to the feeling you get when a complete stranger tells you they enjoy your work. Sometimes, that’s all that keeps us going.

On that note, I want to apologize to my readers. It was my goal going into self-publishing to put out nothing but the best. With the first edition of Out of Exile, I fell a little short. I realize that it has likely cost me readers and that’s the price I’ll have to pay for rushing things.

The important thing, though, is that I’ve learned. Just like my book, I’ve revised my writing career. And I can’t wait for the next edition.

 

 

 

 

So close and yet so far away

I expected there to be angels singing.

And then I remembered what it was like when I finished the final draft of Out of Exile — a feeling and a time similar to tonight in fact. It’s 10:45 p.m. and, at 145,005 words, I’ve finished the rough draft for Book Two (sorry, no title yet!) of the Teutevar Saga. I celebrated by backing the file up on three different thumb drives (which barely sates my paranoia of losing it all) and by writing this blog post.

So what’s next, you ask? Well (drumroll please) now it gets to sit. I’ll give myself time to forget everything and then attack the second draft with fresh eyes in July. In the meantime, I’m also happy to say that the cover for The White Knight is DONE! I’ve posted a picture of it below. I’d love to hear everyone’s thoughts on it, whether you leave a comment here, or email/tweet/Facebook me about it.

On a more serious note, although I am somewhat asleep writing this, I really want to thank everyone who has encouraged me to keep writing. I would have never believed I could write a novel of this length in six months (and go over my wordcount by 15,000 while beating my deadline by three weeks) but there you have it. There were days when the words came easy. There were days when writing was like pulling a festering splinter from my hand with buffet tongs. Most of the time was somewhere in between. Little by little, I chiseled away at the mountainous word count. Now it’s a pile of building blocks at my feet.

I’m also going to give a thanks in advance to my beta readers! You’ve got a lot of slog to wade through and I know you’re going to earn all of the appreciation I can give. You know the old saying, it takes a village to raise a child? Well, even when you’re an indie author, it takes an army to publish a book. Let me explain a little bit of the process to everyone.

Once I pick up the first draft again, I’ll first go about the arduous task of weaving the novel together. What I mean by this is that, unlike Out of Exile, I wrote book two (nope, didn’t come up with anything catchy since I started this blog post) by going all the way through one character’s point of view before starting another, instead of in a linear fashion. The result is a bunch of shorter stories about each character that need to be put in their proper place to create a metaphorical tapestry of  awesomeness.

After I’ve established a rough sequential order, I’ll do a reading and editing of my own. I’ll also tackle continuity issues between different point of views and add in all of the revision notes I jotted down while writing the rough draft. This all takes a lot of strenuous time, but down the road, it saves the beta readers and my editor more heartache than it causes me. I’m excited to be using the Scrivener writing processor this go around. Anyone who has written at length in Word will relate to the frustrations I faced with the first novel I wrote in that cursed program.

I will go into detail about the rest of the process when the second draft is done, but for now, let me give a short update on what’s going to happen the rest of June. First of all, I’ve got another interview coming up! More details to come later — I don’t want to spoil the surprise. This means that I’ve got my work cut out for me in the next two weeks. Not only will I be publishing The White Knight in the next few days, I’ve also challenged myself to finish the second edition of Out of Exile and publish it before the show. I know I’ve mentioned it before, but I can’t say how excited I am to unroll that beaut to the world.

Anyhow, it is once again past my (optimistic but never actual) bedtime.  Keep a weather eye on that horizon, you won’t want to miss a thing!

♠DAS♠

Keep Calm and Stay on Target

My how time flies!

Again, I apologize for my tardiness with this blog post — over the last three weeks I’ve been halfway across the U.S. by car and plane and spent more hours riding in a vehicle than I’d like to think. I went through Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah and Colorado in the past week and a half alone (Right now, as I reread that, the song I’ve Been Everywhere Man plays through my head). Plus, I think I get a pass since last Sunday was Mother’s Day and all. Like most moms, mine is a rockstar and I can’t say enough how much appreciate her.

I’m sorry to say, but I don’t have much of a soapbox to get on with this post. Nothing to pound the pulpit about. BUT, I do have some excellent updates to share. I’m very pleased with the way the revisit is going for Out of Exile. I’m collectively just over a third of the way through, when considering the revising and “bonus material” dropping. I was proud of the first edition, but I think the second edition will really shine. I may have mentioned this before, but every reader who has a copy of the first edition will receive the second for FREE, regardless of whether you bought Out of Exile or won it through a contest. I’ll be announcing this on social media as well to get the word out.

The first draft of Book Two is so close to being done I can almost metaphorically taste it. I find myself repeating lines the pilots say in the original Star Wars while racing down the Death Star’s trenches: “Almost there…almost there…STAY ON TARGET!”

Heh…anyhow, I just finished Harlan’s point of view this past week and am currently working on Arund’s. From there, I’ve got a couple other minor pieces to add here and there and then, (drumroll please) the whole first draft gets to sit and marinate. What I mean by this is that I’ll shift my focus to some other projects for a  month or so. This will allow be to come back to book two (still brainstorming a working title) with fresh eyes. Once I’ve gone through it again, it will be off to the beta readers. When that time comes, I’m working out the details for a contest that will allow some of you to beta read my book and give your personal insights on the second draft. But more on that later.

What are the other projects I’ll be working on  you ask? Well, for starters, I’ll be finishing up Out of Exile‘s second edition and also busting out the second draft for The Freelance Tales. Together with my co-author for Freelance, Sam Lundquist, we’ve already got a great first draft. I expect both books will be published and on the market by July at the latest. The White Knight is ready to hit e-shelves everywhere as soon as the cover is finished. It will be the first taste of what I’ve done with my revisit to Out of Exile.

Also, a big thanks to the Utah Valley Moms blog for featuring Out of Exile. Be sure to check out the blurb and the rest of Kimberly’s content while you’re at it! Without talented bloggers and reviewers, we indies would never get our names out there.

Keep a close eye on Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus in the coming weeks. As mentioned above, I’m working on some contests to select beta readers for book two and will also be offering awesome giveaways and special content for Athelon Archive subscribers. (If you haven’t signed up for my newsletter  yet, you can do so here).

As always, thanks for reading and for your continued support. We’re almost halfway through 2014 and, while I’ve accomplished much, there’s still more to do.

Happy Reading!

♠DAS♠

Rome wasn’t built in a day: Forging an author empire

As I write this, I am listening to an episode of The  History Channel’s Vikings in the background.  Characters representing the historical figures of men such as Ragnar Lothbrok and King Ecbert talk about building kingdoms and cementing a legacy in the annals of time. I can’t help draw parallels between the Vikings and the frontiersmen of the  great American West, accounts of adventurous men and women who, whether through sailing the ocean in a longboat, or crossing the Rockies in a covered wagon were after the same goal: building an empire.

My readers might ask why I would write a blog post about empire-building. When I tell you why, it may sound ridiculous and pompous, but I’ll leave that out to the jury.

In our modern age, there are some (like me) who bemoan the loss of such frontiers. It is easy in our hustle and bustle world to feel small and unaccomplished, easy to get caught in routine and abandon that desire to be, or create something more than oneself. Some might call that lost desire the American Dream.  But I submit to you that this dream is older than America. Old even than the first Vikings seafarers. It’s something primal and intrinsic, the drive that helped the first man create fire and fashion the wheel. Now that I’ve painted you my epic picture, here’s where I’m going to get a little grandiose:  for me, it comes in the form of writing and self-publishing.

I’m far from a pioneer on this frontier. Since the web first began, individuals have been searching and finding that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. YouTube sensations, bloggers, eBay tycoons, and, in recent years indie authors are all making a name for themselves, creating personal brands with hard work, a laptop and a little bit of luck. In the indie author, or self-published realm, to be more specific, many refer to their work as creating an “author empire.”

When we as authors talk about building an empire, it comes down to two things: gaining more exposure through a loyal readership and writing (always writing) more and better books. It sounds easy when you talk about it that way and for the most part, it is simple, in theory. Mix in readers, quality books and a little bit of luck and anyone who is a decent storyteller should be able become the next author emperor, right? Doesn’t it stand to reason that if an author does everything he or she can do write, edit and publish quality books that they will be a success?

This is the hard part. Sometimes, you can be doing everything right and, at the moment, it’s still not enough. This is where patience comes in. The Vikings raids didn’t happen overnight. They were a result of a generation of ship-builders and navigators who kept sailing a little farther for a little longer at sea. Likewise, the Wild West wasn’t tamed by one wagon train.

As the old saying goes, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” Whatever success I may find as an author won’t be instantaneous either. Although it’s hard, I’m learning patience. I try to write a little better for a little longer. I don’t get down when I have to yank the words out like a bad tooth, or when I sell one book every three weeks.  Day by day, it doesn’t look like I’m accomplishing much. But when I step back and look at the big picture, I can see how far I’ve come. I can see the groundwork I’m laying. It might not be an empire yet, but it’s something.

Back in the saddle

Greetings and salutations everyone!

First of all, let me apologize for any issues you may experience accessing my site. I updated the theme and the css decided to make everything gigantic. We’re working to get things back to normal. I also want to apologize for my three week tardiness. Since I got home from vacation, life has been a firestorm of job applications, writing, revising and outlining. As you can probably guess by the picture, I certainly feel like a hamster in a wheel right now. This post will be a little short, but I wanted to update everyone on my progress with a variety of projects and to let you know what I’ve been up to in more detail.

I’m pleased to announce that I broke the 100,000 word threshold on Book Two (no, still no title yet) and, as of exactly 1,500 more words tonight, I am just over 108,000. When I orginally envisioned this book, I expected to be around 125,000 with the finished novel. Now, I am thinking the rough draft will probably extend to around 150,000 and then final somewhere around 135,000. Again, these are just estimates, but I have a lot of characters who want their stories told. Some of their tales are longer than I first imagined before I sat down and outlined everything.

I also want everyone to know that I’ll be releasing a free short story soon! (Wahoo!) It includes a revised addition of the italic story from Out of Exile (informally called The White Knight). I’ve also added more history to the piece. I have the final, edited version ready to go, now I’m working with a cover designer to get it ready to publish. It will be my first book published using the Scrivener writing program and I’m excited to see how much faster the process can be. As mentioned before, each book will have one of these backstories and each will be released as a stand alone for free. I’m already working on the next one, The Founding of Athel, which will be released a month or so prior to Book Two.

In other news, I am surely and steadily working on the second edition of Out of Exile. I’ve finished Chapter 7, making some minor wording changes and all sprinkling in some “Easter Eggs” that tie in with future books. In the process of revisiting my first book, I’ve been reading through a series of Time Life books on the Old West. This research (if you can call it that) has helped me more easily and accurately portray a mashed-up American West and the Medieval world.

Unfortunately, The Freelance Tales are on a slight hold right now until I can finish Out of Exile’s second edition and publish the first supplemental backstory. Fear not, my writing partner and I will soon get back on track. I was able to read over his rough draft on my plane ride home. It will be refreshing to write something lighter (and definitely funnier) than the Teutevar Saga. I think readers will enjoy the change of pace and the episode format we’re planning.

The vacation was good. In the midst of being laid off and writing a bigger (and hopefully better) followup to my debut novel, the break was much appreciated. I was able to finish The Written by Ben Galley and also The Fell Sword by Miles Cameron. I would recommend both. I was also able to play Banner Saga by Stoic Studios. When I wasn’t catching up on casual entertainment, I visited the Caribbean Islands of Antigua, St. Lucia and St. Croix. I ate a lot of food and got a little sun in the process as well. All in all, not a bad week.

Again, sorry for the delay. We’re all back on track now and going full steam ahead. Hang on readers, the next seven months will be a wild ride.

 

My first taste of an author’s life

Hey all! I must apologize for being three days tardy with my latest post. My life has been a bit of a whirlwind lately and I’ve done a poor job keeping up with my planner. Nevertheless, here we are!

First, a brief update on where and what I’m writing. The rough draft of Ravyn’s POV for Book Two is close to completion. I anticipate one more chapter and then a sort of epilogue that will set up the events for book three. I was always excited to write Ravyn’s journey to Athel, but it took a few turns that surprised even me. I’ll be sharing a rough snippet of it in the coming days to whet your appetites.

Aside from book two in the Teutevar Saga, I’m in the works or revisiting and expanding The White Knight to release as free supplemental read. I attacked this project with a very particular writing style in mind and am still working to polish it to where I want it to be for you readers.

On top of that, I’m working on my first co-authored piece — a serial entitled The Freelance Tales. The goal for me and the chap I’m working with is to release three of four issues a year. Right now, we’ve almost got the rough draft (around 10,000 words) completed. Stay tuned for more on this.

I’m determined to make the most of my time as a full-time author, even if I’m only getting a small taste right now.Now for my bi-weekly musing. Since I last wrote, my life has taken a couple of major turns. I was let go from my day job, which came with a large amount of stress and worry, but also an equal amount of freedom. Although I loved my work, I now have the opportunity to start a brand new chapter in the story of my life! In the meantime, I’ve also been able to write more as well — I doubled my daily word count and have been flying right through the end of Ravyn’s portion of the novel. Until I head back to the work force, I’m determined to make the most of my time as a full-time author, even if I’m only getting a small taste right now.

In other news, I received my first review for Out of Exile yesterday. You can read it here, but suffice to say, it’s sort of a ‘love the sinner hate the sin’ commentary. It’s all good though! I love to receive feedback of all kinds and I take both the good and bad with a grain of salt.

Of late, I’ve been thinking on the dedication and the grind a self-published author subjects him/herself to. You’ve got to have a true love for the craft and discipline like a Jedi (had to throw that one in here) to even create a book, let alone publish a quality one. From there, the game’s just beginning. In addition to networking and promoting, you’ve always got to be writing more, because, after all, if you’re not writing…well, you’re not writing.

Last night, at the end of a busy day, I read over my review for the first time, laughed it off and then sat down at 11 to crank out another 1,500 words. At 12, when I was wrapping up and fighting to not fall asleep on my laptop, I knew what this post would be about. I was also reminded of the lyrics in a couple of songs I listen to when my writing hits a wall.

Eric Church, Devil, Devil (Prelude: Princess of Darkness)

This town, she is a temptress.

A siren with gold eyes, she’ll cut you with her kindness,

She will lead you with her lies.

She’s been called a glistening devil.

She’s good at keeping score.

If you make it she’s your savior, if you don’t she’s a whore.

The roads to and from her heart are littered with grave souls.

They gave all of their all and all they got in return is empty holes.

Indulge me while I share one more: Zane Williams’ Overnight Success:

…Then you play everyday for oh, about nine or ten years

…And guess what’s next… everybody calls you an overnight success.

Yeah, you’re an overnight success.

Hey, and all it really took was 20 years of blood, sweat and tears 

Now, before I continue, I don’t want everything to think I’m getting all down on myself. Truth is, I relish the grind and am thankful for the opportunity to write words that people actually want to read. Perhaps a couple more lines from Mr. Church will get my point across:

It’s not all bad it’s not all dark it’s not all gloom and crass,

But to find gold in this silver mine it does take balls of brass.

And I really believe that. I get tired of hearing from all the naysayers out there who preach about writing being a trial, like you’ve got to suffer for your art or you won’t go anywhere. It should be fun! If it isn’t, why are you doing it? After that, you get another group of pessimists who say you’ll never make it in the self-publishing world because there’s a million books out there and, after all, who is going to find and want to read yours.

Here’s my reply to the first doom and gloom statement: Writing isn’t hard, but it is hard work. Writing is all about discipline but that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun too. If it isn’t, maybe you’re not really writing what you really want to.

To the second, I say this: Self-publishing is even harder than writing, because now you’re putting yourself out there and, unless a miracle happens, it’s going to be a long tough road. People on the outside will look at you and call you an overnight success, but what they won’t know are the tiring hours you spent every night while they were watching the Late Show or the early hours you put in while they were still in bed. Still, we are not alone. We’re all here paying our dues and I welcome the chance the shell out mine.

No man is an island: traditional vs. self-publishing (from my POV)

For my readers who aren’t familiar with the self-publishing scene, there has been a big stir the last few weeks concerning a report called Author Earnings. This report, released by self-published author Hugh Howey and an undisclosed counterpart looked at the earnings of “indie” authors compared to those authors signed by Big Five publishing houses. According to Hugh’s numbers, indie authors are outselling the Big Five publications on Amazon. I won’t go go into the details, but if you’re interested in that sort of thing, you can read it here.

Obviously, this has stirred up quite a debate in the publishing world. Many authors out there have subscribed to an either/or attitude. They say things like “self-publishing is for amateurs, not professionals,” or, “traditional publishing is for schmucks who want to sell their soul to a publishing house.” Of course, there are a lot of people who sit on the fence in the grey area. I’m not writing this to argue about who is wrong and who is right. Personally, I’m a fan of self-publishing but would also love my books to be in print through a publishing house (if I could work out a fair deal for print books and still retain my ebook rights, that is).

The reason I AM writing this is to talk about why I chose to begin my journey in the publishing world as an indie. When I received by book back from my editor, I worked hard to polish my query and developed a list of agents to pitch Out of Exile. I did this for two months, (I know, I know, J.K. Rowling was rejected by TWELVE publishers and some people spend years pitching and rewriting their books) collecting form rejection letters. Frankly, I felt like I was wasting my time. And then I remembered something I read in the back of Theft of Swords about author Michael J. Sullivan. He self-published the Riyria Revelations, of which Theft of Swords was a bundle of the first three installments.

I wrote Mr. Sullivan an introductory email and asked for any advice he had for someone entering the self-publishing world. To be honest, I didn’t expect to hear back from him — authors are busy people after all. But receive a reply I did, one that was laden with invaluable links, recommendations and personal advice. I was flabbergasted that someone I considered a big-time author would take the time to help a fan-turned-indie author begin his own journey. I was flabbergasted that someone I considered a big-time author would take the time to help a fan-turned-indie author begin his own journey.

At the same time, I also discovered and reached out to Ben Galley. I sent numerous emails back and forth to both Ben and Michael, eager for every bit of information they could provide me. Without Michael’s edits and suggestions, my book blurb would be a mess. Ben gave me invaluable input (as did Michael) on my cover design. I don’t want to sound sappy, but I wouldn’t have the book I do today without their help.

Last month, a similar circumstance transpired. I bought Write. Publish. Repeat. (which I highly recommend) at a time when I was completely overwhelmed by the task of starting book two in the Teutevar Saga. WPR inspired me. More than that, it made me get my butt in gear and write. Still, I had more questions. I wrote co-author Sean Platt and, once again, received a prompt and sincere reply. We’ve shot a few emails back and forth since. Sean’s a great guy who’ll tell it like it is and won’t sugarcoat the demanding requirements of this trade.

My point in writing post this isn’t to drop names or advertise for these guys (although you won’t go wrong with any of their work). My point is this: when I started on this wild, crazy ride four months ago, all I received from the traditional publishing world was a no. I was told, in so many words, that I didn’t belong. I don’t feel picked on by the gatekeepers though. They may have even had good reason in rejecting my work.

What I got from the self-publishing world, however, was community. The guys I reached out to — and there are tons of great ladies too — were more than willing to donate a few minutes of their time to help the rookie. To me, this is what makes the indie route more appealing. As of now, I’ve only sold a couple dozen books. I realize it’s a long hard road and I may never be able to pay any, let alone all of the bills by writing. But that’s not what’s important. What I got from the self-publishing world, however, was community. What’s important is that I can do what I love and if I have question or need guidance, I don’t have to go it alone. That’s where the strength in self-publishing truly lies: in its authors. We know that its a long shot to the top. The majority of us won’t sell millions, or even thousands of books. But there are are great people like Michael Sullivan, Ben Galley and Sean Platt who have found success in this crazy industry and who are more than willing to help a newbie like me get a fair shot as well. There are people who are willing to extend the hand of friendship and invitation. For me, that’s much more appealing than a rejection letter.

 

 

The traditional vs. self-publishing debate (for me at least)

For my readers who aren’t familiar with the self-publishing scene, there has been a big stir the last few weeks concerning a report called Author Earnings. This report, released by self-published author Hugh Howey and an undisclosed counterpart looked at the earnings of “indie” authors compared to those authors signed by Big Five publishing houses. According to Hugh’s numbers, indie authors are outselling the Big Five publications on Amazon. I won’t go go into the details, but if you’re interested in that sort of thing, you can read it here.

Obviously, this has stirred up quite a debate in the publishing world. Many authors out there have subscribed to an either/or attitude. They say things like “self-publishing is for amateurs, not professionals,” or, “traditional publishing is for schmucks who want to sell their soul to a publishing house.” Of course, there are a lot of people who sit on the fence in the grey area. I’m not writing this to argue about who is wrong and who is right. Personally, I’m a fan of self-publishing but would also love my books to be in print through a publishing house (if I could work out a fair deal for print books and still retain my ebook rights, that is).

The reason I AM writing this is to talk about why I chose to begin my journey in the publishing world as an indie. When I received by book back from my editor, I worked hard to polish my query and developed a list of agents to pitch Out of Exile. I did this for two months, (I know, I know, J.K. Rowling was rejected by TWELVE publishers and some people spend years pitching and rewriting their books) collecting form rejection letters. Frankly, I felt like I was wasting my time. And then I remembered something I read in the back of Theft of Swords about author Michael J. Sullivan. He self-published the Riyria Revelations, of which Theft of Swords was a bundle of the first three installments.

I wrote Mr. Sullivan an introductory email and asked for any advice he had for someone entering the self-publishing world. To be honest, I didn’t expect to hear back from him — authors are busy people after all. But receive a reply I did, one that was laden with invaluable links, recommendations and personal advice. I was flabbergasted that someone I considered a big-time author would take the time to help a fan-turned-indie author begin his own journey.

At the same time, I also discovered and reached out to Ben Galley. I sent numerous emails back and forth to both Ben and Michael, eager for every bit of information they could provide me. Without Michael’s edits and suggestions, my book blurb would be a mess. Ben gave me invaluable input (as did Michael) on my cover design. I don’t want to sound sappy, but I wouldn’t have the book I do today without their help.

Last month, a similar circumstance transpired. I bought Write. Publish. Repeat. (which I highly recommend) at a time when I was completely overwhelmed by the task of starting book two in the Teutevar Saga. WPR inspired me. More than that, it made me get my butt in gear and write. Still, I had more questions. I wrote co-author Sean Platt and, once again, received a prompt and sincere reply. We’ve shot a few emails back and forth since. Sean’s a great guy who’ll tell it like it is and won’t sugarcoat the demanding requirements of this trade.

My point in writing post this isn’t to drop names or advertise for these guys (although you won’t go wrong with any of their work). My point is this: when I started on this wild, crazy ride four months ago, all I received from the traditional publishing world was a no. I was told, in so many words, that I didn’t belong. I don’t feel picked on by the gatekeepers though. They may have even had good reason in rejecting my work.

What I got from the self-publishing world, however, was community. The guys I reached out to — and there are tons of great ladies too — were more than willing to donate a few minutes of their time to help the rookie. To me, this is what makes the indie route more appealing. As of now, I’ve only sold a couple dozen books. I realize it’s a long hard road and I may never be able to pay any, let alone all of the bills by writing. But that’s not what’s important. What’s important is that I can do what I love and if I have question or need guidance, I don’t have to go it alone. I know there are great people like Michael Sullivan, Ben Galley and Sean Platt who have found success in this crazy industry and who are more than willing to help a newbie like me succeed as well. Who knows? Perhaps one day I’ll get an email from an author-in-the-making and be able to pay it forward too.

 

 

Third time’s a charm: Manure and manuscripts

I can hardly believe this is the sixth week since I’ve began this little venture. Time flies by when you’re having fun they say and I’ve certainly been busy having fun. Before I wax philosophical and nostalgic on everyone, let me give you a few updates.

I’m overjoyed to announce the launch of Undaunted, a publishing company that began as my brainchild last fall. Now, with the help of several great people, we’ve been able to launch. Three cheers to the Undaunted Team. Please take a moment to look at the website, but I’ll also give you a summary of what we’re about here: I truly believe Undaunted is the forerunner to the future of the publishing world. We’re doing groundbreaking things by combining the best aspects of both traditional and indie (self) publishing and it’s going to be a fun ride.

Speaking of fun, Book Two is coming along nicely at a rate of 5-6,000 words per week. I’m getting close to moving into what I’ve defined as the final third of Ravyn’s tale for this book and let me tell you, it’s going to be a blast to write. Once the first draft of Ravyn’s POV (point of view) is wrapped up, it’s time to march to war. When we last left them, the Imperium League and the Free Countries (The Simarron and Loriad) were really not getting along. Don’t you worry though, I’ll be on the front lines covering the start of the war between them (hopefully I make it out to tell the tale).

With that being said, let’s get to the heart of today’s post. About a week ago, I was down at our barn after work checking on the sheep and cleaning out pens. It’s mindless, stinking work and a really great opportunity to do some self-contemplation and good thinking in general. In the middle of my task, I couldn’t help but reflect on my writing and the daily grind at it I’ve come to love since 2014 began.  I also had a flashback to ten or so years ago, when I was down at that barn going about the same task.

Our barn, or “lambing shed” as it’s called isn’t what you’re probably picturing. It’s just over thirty feet from front to back, and is divided into thirds: an aisle and with four squarish pens running down each side. It’s red with a green tin roof and a big white “rocking S” (that’s our brand) painted on the side that faces the road. The roof slopes to one side, so if you’re standing on the east side of the shed, or in the aisle, you can stand up. If you’re on the west side, (haha, west side) you’d  have to duck your head because it’s only five feet or so from ground to roof.

It’s not quite as picturesque on the inside…

Anyhow, it was late summer and I was just about to start seventh grade (I think). Rocky Mountain Power had a backhoe on the farm to remove/replace power poles on our property. My grandpa Fritz was a pretty enterprising individual, so before they finished the project, he had them replace a post in our stack yard…and one other small job.

Although my parents beg to differ, I’m pretty sure the lambing shed hadn’t been cleaned out in its entire existence. As a result, there was between two and three feet of manure built up within. It was tall enough that you had to duck to get through the door and remain hunched over unless you wanted to hit your head. My grandpa decided he’d had enough of that, so he had the backhoe reach in the front door and take a scoop out. Well, that meant the rest of the shed needed to be cleaned out…and I was given the job.

Let me try and paint an accurate picture: if you laid the shed out like a grid, there would be eight squares of pens and four more for each section of the alleyway totaling twelve sections. Minus the square the backhoe took out, there were eleven left. This wasn’t a soft, squishy two and a half feet of crap either. It was layers and layers of straw, muck and clay so hard that I couldn’t use a shovel to dig through it. This required more sophisticated weaponry. I enlisted a pickax and manure fork.

I’d swing the pickax overhead (carefully because there wasn’t a lot of ceiling clearance to start with) and, half the time, it bounced off the top layer. Once I beat it loose with the pick, I’d jam the manure fork between the layers and try to pry the top one off to haul it out. It was like being on an archaeological dig, uncovering layer after layer of organic cement, peeling year after year of petrified waste away. I wish I’d taken pictures.

It took months. Each pen took days to finish and when I’d stop for the day, I could barely make a grip with my hands. (I loved that part, though. I thought I was getting ripped). It was hot and dry and dusty. I started in September and didn’t finish completely until November. Seriously, I wish we’d taken pictures.

So why am I telling you this? Why did I double my regular blog post length for this particular story? Because it hit me, the other night when I was down there, thinking about writing book two. Writing a rough draft is like forking manure from a barn. It’s long and unpleasant, but, little by little, you get the barn cleaned out. Little by little, you have a book. There’s a lot of days when you don’t want to do it, but you keep hauling crap until you’ve accomplished something. Neither is a neat and tidy job and they aren’t supposed to be. What matters is that they’re done.

In the end, when I stood (and didn’t hit my head) in the lambing shed, I was a pretty proud guy. I felt like I’d achieved something.  It might sound ridiculous, but it’s a rare feeling that I hope each and every one of you have felt and feel again. Few things match that moment ten years ago. Graduating college was close, but it wasn’t one of them. Completing the final revision for Out of Exile sure was though.

Happy Reading,

♠ DAS ♠