Libby Fischer Hellmann's Blog, page 48

Writing Lite #9 — Language

In Writing Lite #9, I talk about the power of language and suggest a book that will help your language flow. Enjoy.

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Thumbs Up On Gatekeepers, But Who… And How?

Happy Fourth of July, America…. Hope it’s a good one. Now… on to business.

Some say the lunatics have taken over the asylum.

Until recently, agents and traditional publishers were publishing’s gatekeepers, deciding whose work was printed and whose was rejected. The growth of self-publishing has turned everything upside down now that anyone, anywhere, can publish, market their books, and call themselves an author. But is all this freedom a good thing?

Let’s look at the repercussions.

Glut of books/ Lack of Discovery

While reliable statistics are impossible to find, Bowker says nearly 150,000—43 percent—of all print books were self-published in 2011. But that doesn’t begin to cover ebooks, which we know total in the millions and are rising exponentially every day.

The question is how many of those books are actually read. And how much do they cost? I’m not going to belabor how the plummeting price of ebooks has devalued books in general – we know it has. I’m also not going to estimate how many self-published books are never read. We know the number is high. Bottom line: we have millions of books available at bargain basement prices that are never read. Being discovered is more a dream than a reality.

No quality control

If you want to write and publish a book, you’re completely free to do so, even if you can barely write your name. Imagine what would happen in other industries if this was the case; most professions demand some sort of training or certification to practice. but in publishing no credentials are necessary. Yes, there are editors, fact-checkers, and people who presumably check to see that plagiarism is not a factor, this story notwithstanding.  The problem is that not all writers take advantage of them.

Relentless Social media

Then there’s the relentless deluge of social media. Every other message these days seems to be “Buy my book”.  Or “Buy her book” or a first sentence or something akin to that. (And yes, I’ve been guilty of the practice myself). But we’re just at the beginning of the digital revolution. What will happen as the industry matures?

Pointing Readers in the Right Direction

Some say readers are already providing the gate-keeping function, democratizing the process and putting it in the hands of the “people.” But the sheer numbers of books being released make it impossible for anyone to thoroughly vet what’s out there. Gems will slip by unnoticed, while others, by virtue of salacious or weird content (Think 50 Shades), will generate buzz.

So, yes. I’m coming down on the side of gatekeepers. I think there SHOULD be some kind of gate-keeper function. But what form should it take? And how should it work? That’s where it gets fuzzy…

Bloggers

To some extent bloggers are already gate-keeping, by critiquing work and drawing attention to quality writing. But their process is hit and miss. There are thousands more would-be authors than bloggers. And bloggers’ TBR piles are already so vast that some aren’t accepting books at all.

Aggregators

We’ve seen the rise of aggregators like Goodreads, Booklikes, Shelfari, and Red Room, who play the role of gatekeepers by allowing anyone to rate books, post reviews, and then collect the panoply of opinions in one place. Theoretically, this is a terrific idea, but, like Amazon, these sites are prone to sock puppets and fake reviews and people gaming the system. Plus, some of them (Goodreads) take co-op money from traditional publishers, which confers a kind of Animal Farm “some are more equal than others” status in terms of authors’ visibility on their sites.

Btw, an offshoot of that are what I call “quasi-aggregating” sites like Penguin’s Book Country, and Bookish which are really nothing more than a forum to push publishers’ books. Most of the big 6 publishers have some kind of website like that. Don’t be fooled.

Market forces

Market forces also have a gate-keeping effect. If demand is high for a specific book, it’s fair to assume it’s a decent read. Maybe. There is a follow-the-leader mentality of readers who can’t bear the thought of missing out on the latest and greatest, which can result in a self-perpetuating whirlwind of sales. (Please, God, let it happen to me..:)

Author groups and coalitions

Some authors have taken things into their own hands. The Top Suspense Group, which includes me and fellow crime writers Joel Goldman, Lee Goldberg, Bill Crider, and eight other acclaimed thriller authors, is a good example. We formed Top Suspense to become our own gatekeepers. We have all been traditionally published, have been nominated for, and in some cases, won lots of awards. We want to showcase the quality of our work so we stand out from the crowd.

There are other author groups as well, usually around a particular genre but some, like the Incredible Indie Authors, span several. The benefits of working together are that all members have been traditionally published, and readers can be assured of a decent read. However, that in itself is an issue.

Do you know when a book sucks?

The level of craft involved is so uneven with self-published work that many readers don’t know when they’re reading sub-standard work.

Again, it’s like other industries. If you’re not part of the community, you may not know everything that goes into it. I’ve been writing and publishing over 15 years now, and I can tell by the end of the first paragraph of a book whether it’s well-written. I am seduced by smooth writing, emotional investment, and suspense. If you can get me past that first page, I will read the first chapter. And if you can get me past that, I am putty in your hands.

But there are millions of readers who don’t recognize a well-structured, beautifully written book. They may have a feeling that something isn’t quite right, or that the book isn’t moving along as nicely as others, but if you’re not a prolific reader or writer yourself, how do you know if a book sucks? Now, don’t get me wrong—if a story is terrific, or the characters are unique, I might read on even if the prose doesn’t sparkle and the structure isn’t tight. But my mental editor will be on full alert, and if there are too many obstacles in the way of the read, I will abandon it.

More Questions Than Answers

Of course, I’m just one reader. And one writer. And I’m aware that my taste may be very different than others.’ In fact, when you get right down to it, who am I to judge if a book is worthwhile? And if I’m loath to make myself a gate-keeper, who else should sift through the crap?

It’s a thorny issue. If craft and quality don’t matter, what does? And how do we find it?

I think you can tell that I’m not very sanguine about the future… at least today. So this is where you come in. I need some reassurance. I don’t want to wade through a morass of mediocre writing out there, whether it’s traditionally OR self-published. At the same time, I don’t want to miss out on a gem or two.

Librarians at the ALA  are starting up a recommendation program for adult new fiction this fall. Unfortunately, I get the feeling only traditionally published books will be included.

In other words, it’s the same old, same old. Yes, they’re performing a gatekeeper function…and  that’s good. Yes, I love librarians, but if they’re only considering one portion of the book market, are they really performing a service to the reading public?

I dunno. What do you think? What am I missing?

 

Image source: thawats

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Author Superstars and Branding

There are superstar scientists, property developers, art dealers, actors, singers, models and brands.  It’s a celebrity-mad world. But what about authors? Everyone knows you need to market your books if you want to make your career successful as a writer. But what about marketing yourself?

Traditional  publishing superstars

Celebrity status in traditional publishing is relatively rare. A few vocal types like Scott Turow and Stephen Frey make enough noise to get noticed. And multi-million sellers like J. K Rowling and John Grisham are more or less household names, along with the controversial Fifty Shades of Grey newcomer E. L James, simply because they are so successful. But their private lives generally remain a mystery and the worst kind of celebrity hysteria passes them by.

One-book wonders

Most indie authors, however, only have one book, at least to begin with. And there are millions of self-published books out there, some awful, some great. The question is whether marketing yourself as an individual—what we’re increasingly calling “branding”— will help you stand out from the fast-growing crowd.

Let’s face it. There is only so much you can say about your book. You need to give readers enough information to inspire them to buy it, with good jacket description, review blurbs, and so on. But you don’t want to give away the plot. You can mention the characters, settings and scenes, themes, aims and intentions. But too often you soon run out of things to say, especially if you’re writing a genre novel, like mystery, sci-fi, or romance.

What is this branding thing anyhow?

The internet makes it easy for indie authors to promote themselves. And plenty of them are doing it, some without realizing what they are doing. If you have a blog and you are an indie author, you are already involved in branding. A book is a product like any other. But when people associate you with that product, or something else that’s unique just to you, they can are likely to remember you, and may be more likely to buy your books.

Basic branding

Branding can be as simple as appearing in person at a library event to talk about something that’s a little different about your book, your writing process, or your background. It could be getting a feature in your local newspaper or using an author website and social media to emphasize that unique persona. Opening yourself up to interaction where you can gently, of course, discuss or bring up interesting facts and anecdotes about yourself and your writing.

In essence what you’re doing with all these activities is developing what they call in marketing a “unique selling proposition.” And branding yourself.

Give It Time

It might not happen all at once. Believe it or not, I JUST (after being published for eleven years) discovered my brand:  the author of “compulsively readable thrillers.”

Why did it take me so long? Well, in my case, I tried several different angles. For example, I grew up in Washington DC, a place that, when you’re gossiping about the neighbors, you’re actually talking politics. And yes, I love to read and write political thrillers. But I was a history major in college, and I love mining the twentieth century for fascinating scenarios and plots like HAVANA LOST. But I also love police procedure and mysteries, so I write two series. And, well, I love writing about women whose choices have been taken away from them, so I identify with women’s issues as well.

What a mess, right?

I tried focusing on all of these things at different points over the years, but nothing felt exactly right. It was a friend, who, in helping me write the book description of HAVANA LOST, came up with the phrase “compulsively readable thrillers.” Even then, it didn’t sink in for a couple of months, but FINALLY, I got it. That’s what I do! Whether I’m writing my series, a stand-alone, or even a short story, I want people to HAVE to keep reading.  And so, I decided to formalize what I do. And so a brand is born.

Can you do this?

Of course, you can. In fact as a writer you have a built-in advantage – you can write, and words drive the web. My blog brings me new readers, friends and fans, spreads the word about my books, shares my thoughts and experiences, and taps into people’s love of communicating with each other.  The caveat is, as I said before, it might not happen right away. You might, like me, go through several iterations of yourself and your brand before it “clicks” and you know, in a very fundamental way, that you “have it.” But once you do, it’s a great feeling, whether you ever become a superstar or not.

More about marketing

As you might have guessed this was a sneaky way for me to start talking about marketing. I plan to talk more about it in subsequent posts…

What do you think?

Do you think it makes sense for indie authors to turn themselves into brands to sell books? Is it a step too far into celebrity territory, or is there a middle way?

 

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Writing Lite #8 — Show, Don’t Tell

 

We hear it over and over. Show… Don’t Tell. But what does it mean and how do you do it? Libby explains in another Writing Lite.

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Five Reasons to Publish a Print Version of your Ebook

 

Those of us who have published our own ebooks over the past few years know it can be an exciting and profitable venture. And the ebook market is still growing, though not at the same pace as it was—but we knew that was bound to happen as the digital industry begins to mature. A Pew Research Center Poll in December 2012, for example, declared that 23% of Americans aged 16 and over read an ebook in 2012, up 7% over the year before, but those are not the triple digit numbers we saw in 2009-10.

We also know that market penetration of ebooks depends on what genre is involved. Thus, statistics are all over the place, depending on which side of the publishing shores from which you’re waving, and those statistics are apt to be heralded and/or manipulated to make a point. However, despite the vagaries of the “lies, damn lies, and statistics,” I think it’s important to produce a print book along with your ebook for the following five reasons.

 1. Print Demand; Ease of Production

The bottom line suggests that Ebook readership averages 20% of the overall book market. It’s higher for crime fiction, sci-fi and romance, of course. However, its important to note that of the 20 %, most readers ALSO still buy, borrow, and read print books. So the demand for print books is still enormous. In fact, it’s over four times as big as the market for ebooks.

Why on earth would an author ignore this? If you are serious about your writing, if you think your work deserves a wider audience, the answer is you can’t. Which means you should produce a print version of your book.

Today, companies like Createspace (owned by Amazon) make it incredibly easy to create a trade paperback or mass market, and I imagine Ingram Spark, when it launches in July, will as well.

2. Bookstores and POD Market Expansion

Now, this is important. I don’t want to mislead you. While producing a print version is easy, distributing and marketing it is not. It is still NOT easy to get into bookstores, especially if you’re using Amazon’s Createspace— booksellers have too much antipathy towards the company.  However, Ingram Spark, by virtue of not being Amazon, will not carry that stigma, and Lightning Source, Ingram’s current POD publishing arm, doesn’t either. Which is why it makes sense to consider a publisher’s account with them.

But a critical development, recently implemented, bodes even better for indie authors and bookstores. Major print distributors, like Ingram and Baker & Taylor, are now making POD books returnable, which was a major barrier why booksellers refused to stock them in the first place. The reasons why this happened and what the implications are for authors would require another blogpost from me, but happily, Kris Rusch has already written it and it’s a damn good explanation, so I’ll defer to her.

Because of this development, I think POD produced books will grow exponentially over the next year, and indie authors should see more opportunities and fewer barriers. The “returnability” factor alone will make booksellers more willing to take a chance on your book.

However, there is a caveat, and you should be aware of it. As a writer, you are NOT going to make a ton of money from the print version of your book. At least at present. If you elect to make your books “returnable,”  you will pay for that privilege.  On top of that, most distributors require that you offer books at a 55% discount off retail price. So, after you factor in all your costs, you will likely just break even. Or make just a few pennies. Still, I think it’s important to do. Read on.

 3. Libraries

The outlook is more cheerful when you deal with libraries. I do twice as many events at libraries than I do at bookstores these days, and all of them allow me to sell books at the end of the event. So that’s one avenue for sales. But let’s explore library sales from the distributor end. Once it’s on their shelves, it stays. At least for a few years. Plus, if a librarian likes your book, they can feature it in their newsletters or “Best Bets” lists, and new readers can find you. Plus, when you deal with libraries and librarians, you know you’re talking to a qualified audience—people who love to read. In fact, I have made libraries a cornerstone of my marketing efforts. Btw, if you’re in the UK, there’s a special library program where, under certain circumstances, the government will pay a stipend to you for your books that are acquired by libraries. Don’t quote me on this; I just know it is there for some authors and books.

The drawback is, of course, that libraries don’t buy as many books as bookstores, but here’s where you can help. Library budgets being what they are these days, why not gift a copy or two to the libraries in your area? It’s especially useful if you are trying to make a name for yourself. You can then ask friends to borrow it from the library, since the more people who borrow your book, the better chance another library will order it.

Plus. you should know that librarians talk to each other… a lot. In fact, they’re some of the neatest people I know.

4. No Batteries Required

Let’s face it: everyone knows how to operate a book. Just open the cover and turn the pages. No fancy downloading instructions, no messing around with charging an e-reader or tablet. If the electricity fails, you can still enjoy a book in print. And if you want the senior set to read, think print.

I didn’t buy a Kindle for almost two years because I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that I needed an battery to read. Now, of course, I’m a convert, but like millions of others, I still read printed books. And buy them too.

5. Promotional activities

Auctions, charity events, book fairs: all these events value printed books above ebooks, and elevate the intrinsic value of a book to a point that ebooks haven’t yet acquired. So make them available. And have them ready when someone approaches you.

You might even want to factor in the print costs as part of your promotional budget. The objective, after all, is to get read, especially when you’re starting out or trying to expand your audience(s).

In the final analysis you aren’t going to make the same kind of money you would with an ebook, but you don’t have to lose money, either. And the allure of a print book is still very much with us—I haven’t even touched on awards, many of which require a printed book—or collectors, which are a small but devoted market.

Questions? Comments? I’m here…

 

 

 

 

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Six Steps of Self-Publishing (Mostly for Traditional Authors)

I was at Printers Row this past weekend, the annual Book Festival sponsored by the Chicago Tribune, and I was struck by how many people wanted me to tell them about self-publishing. They were mostly traditionally published authors, some of whom have large followings, but they’re either dissatisfied with either the pace of traditional publishing, dislike the lack of control, or simply wanted to try something that their current publishers refuse to honor.

Those of you who already self-publish probably know these steps, but you may be interested in my process; it’s a little different, and, yes, it costs more money. In fact, I disagree with those who tout that self-publishing is basically free. I believe that if you want to be taken seriously, you need to invest. No short cuts.

Let me put it this way: I was hoping to go to Vienna, Prague and Budapest later this year. Um. That’s not going to happen now. I’m investing in my book instead.

I’m going to describe what I’m doing so far with Havana Lost. As some of you know, it’s coming out in September. And here’s the thing. Except for the actual production of the book, the process isn’t that different from the way traditional publishers approach the task.  Btw, it’s now June, and all of the steps below I’ve done, except for the last one. If you’re self-publishing, and you want to pursue print as well as ebook opportunities, give yourself 3-4 months to accomplish all these tasks.

Step One – Editing

There are two types of editing, and you’ll need both.

Developmental Editing: Whether you pay a good developmental editor to read your book for continuity, character development, authenticity, and plotting, or whether you’re lucky enough to have discriminating readers or author friends who’ll do the job, you absolutely need another pair of eyes on your manuscript. In traditional publishing, you get it automatically (or at least you used to). But when you self-publish you need to factor it into your plans. And it might cost a bunch of money. I used to work with a developmental editor who charged about $1500. I now rely on authors and friends, but they have to be honest, and they have to be thorough. Believe me, it’s not always pleasant, but it’s critical.


Copy editing: This covers all the other stuff; grammar, punctuation, style, consistency and accuracy. If you are like most authors, by the time you approach the end of a book you won’t be able to see the forest for the trees. You will need fresh, expert eyes to add those essential finishing touches, smoothing any rough edges and turning something that is good into something awesome. Don’t sabotage your work by a shoddy presentation. As an editor once said to me, “a good writer deserves a good editor.”

Step Two – The Cover

Expect to pay at least $200 for a cover… and as much as $700. I’m not a fan of pre-designed covers or templates. I prefer a cover that says something worth knowing about my books. Marketers recommend that, too; your cover has a vital role to play in catching readers’ imaginations and compelling them to find out what’s inside. Not to mention creating or sustaining your brand.

So be choosy. If you’re paying, don’t settle for a design you don’t like. Tell the designer to try again. Pay attention to fonts, the arrangement of words versus images, the clarity of the images, and the overall design. Good design is pleasing on the eye, poor design isn’t. It jerks your eyes around, making it difficult to read, or includes illogically placed text that makes the reader work harder than they should.

If you’re doing a print version, which I recommend, the designer will need to do the back cover and spine as well. Here’s what my designers came up with for Havana Lost.

Step Three – Preparing materials

Your publishing imprint – I recommend coming up a Publishing Imprint, the trade name under which your book will be published, especially if you create a print version (which I’ll talk about in more depth next week). You’ll need it if you want to establish an account with Lightning Source for print copies, and if you are planning to use Ingram Spark (which seems like an efficient, quick way to print books). My imprint is The Red Herrings Press.

This is NOT to hide the fact that you’re self-published. In fact in my query letters to reviewers, I make sure to tell them I self-publish; an imprint is simply something that makes you look more professional.

ISBNs - You’ll need at least 3 different ISBNs per book. One for your ebook, one for print, and one for audio, if you plan to produce one (I am producing an audiobook through ACX.  Yes, ISBNs are outrageously expensive. But they’re worth it, particularly if you plan to use more than one platform to sell your book. You can split 10 with a friend or even buy ISBNs  in bulk for a lower cost. Head over to Bowker.com, the official US and UK ISBN provider.


Jacket copy/Book Description – You need to to craft a couple of paragraphs that describe the novel. Keep it short and punchy. Get some help from other authors or writers whom you know and respect. Research other authors’ books in your genre and see how they do it. The same as your book cover, the aim is to seduce readers to such an extent that they can’t resist finding out more.

Here’s mine:

On the eve of the Cuban Revolution, headstrong 18-year-old Francesca Pacelli flees from her ruthless Mafia-boss father in Havana to the arms of her lover, a rebel fighting with Fidel Castro. Her father, desperate to send her to safety in the US, resorts to torture and blackmail as he searches the island for her.

So begins the first part of a spellbinding saga that spans three generations of the same family. Decades later, the family is lured back to Cuba by the promise of untold riches. But pursuing those riches brings danger as well as opportunity, and ultimately, Francesca’s family must confront the lethal consequences of their choices. From the troubled streets of Havana to the mean streets of Chicago, HAVANA LOST reveals the true cost of chasing power instead of love.

HAVANA LOST is award-winning author Libby Fischer Hellmann’s tenth novel and third thriller that explores how strife and revolution affect the human spirit. HAVANA LOST is a testament to Hellmann’s gift for authentic historical detail as well as her talent for writing compulsively readable thrillers. 

How will you use it? Your jacket copy will inform the query letter, the sell sheet and all the platforms through which you distribute your work. It will become ubiquitous, so make sure it’s powerful.

The sell sheet - This is a single sheet of paper with full details about your book. It should go out to all your reviewers and possible distributors, and it’s handy to have as an at-a-glance reminder. Here’s my Sell Sheet for Havanna Lost


The query letter - This is a simple query letter for bloggers and reviewers, politely asking them if they’d like an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) to review. The better you make your book sound, the more people are likely to be interested. It is another small but critical marketing job that can make a difference in how influential people perceive your book and how many of them get around to reading and reviewing it.


Interior design for print books - If you are creating a print version, as I recommend, someone needs to design the inside of the book. You can do it yourself, but I choose not to. It’s above my pay grade.

Step Four – Print and Distribute ARCs

Bound galleys – Just like traditional publishing, you need some bound galleys to send to reviewers and bloggers. I used CreateSpace, which is fast, efficient, and doesn’t cost a lot. I ordered 35 copies— the rest of my ARCS are pdfs.


Assembling a list – Assembling a list means capturing the contact details of professional reviewers, bloggers, and other potential influencers. If people/organizations have reviewed you favorably in the past, approach them first. There are lists all over the Internet, and at KindleBoards to help you find reviewers. It helps if you have an email list because you can canvas your contacts, asking if they’ll review your book in exchange for an ARC.


Paying for reviews – If getting the book into bookstores and libraries is important to you, consider paying for a review from PW, Kirkus and/or Foreword Magazine. They still have enormous influence and they are important enough to receive a bound galley.


Simplified covers – If your permanent cover isn’t ready yet, you can use a simplified one for the ARC. Here is the cover of my ARC:

Step Five – Formatting and uploading

Self-formatting – Plenty of writers format their ebooks themselves. I don’t. I’ve found people who will do it for me very reasonably. However you do it, You’ll need an epub, mobi and .pdf file, each with a cover embedded.


Forward and end materials – You will need acknowledgements, a dedication, a list of your other books, snippets of reviews, etc, and a call to action at the back; something like “If you liked this book, would you consider leaving a review on Amazon, Goodreads?  Thank you so much.”


Multi-platform upload – Upload your book to every available platform, unless you intend to go exclusively with one vendor. This is probably the simplest step of all. Essentially it’s just pushing buttons and filling out forms

Step Six – Promotion and Marketing

Marketing is the black hole of time and money. You can spend as much or little as you like, but one thing is certain; you need to do some promotion Here are a couple of essential basics.

Solicit blurbs from other authors in advance – You’ll use them on the front and back cover, in descriptions on Amazon and Kobo, within your website pages.

Promotion Budget - I suggest you prepare to spend at least $1000 on various promotional activities, mostly advertisements on blogs with a broad reach, eg. Book Bub, ENT, and Pixel of Ink. Ads on Facebook can also work well when you get them right.

Invest time – Time is just as important as money. Figure out how much social media you can get done without going crazy; Twitter, your Facebook fan page, Google Plus, Linked In, etc. This is, of course, above and beyond what you do on your website. But that’s another story. And blog post.

I’ll probably do another marketing post later, because it’s a huge subject all by itself. And, of course, marketing is much more of a journey than a destination.

The green stuff

Before I leave you, I want to give you an idea of my costs. Clearly, not everyone wants or needs to go this route, but here’s my ballpark:

$500    Cover
$200    Print ARCs
$600    Reviews (PW, Kirkus)
$450    Interior Design/Ebook Formatting/Print production
$500    Copy edit
$150     ISBNs
$100     Mailings

Total investment $2,500. Give or take.

I will be back next week with a post on why I think it’s important to produce a print version of your book.

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Havana Lost Book Trailer

Well, it’s done! The book trailer… that is. Take a look — I think it rocks, but, of course, I may be somewhat biased. What do you think?

It was produced and edited by Jacqui Wedewer.

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Jury Duty: My Day at the Daley Center

The Daley Center, Chicago

Two days ago I was called for Jury Duty down at the Daley Center, which for those of you not from Chicago, is both the city and Cook County courthouse in the heart of the Loop. It mostly tries civil cases, ie lawsuits. As it happens, I don’t mind being called for jury duty. It is my responsibility, and I take it seriously. In fact, I’ve wanted to be put on a murder case, and I was questioned for one a few years ago. Unfortunately, they rejected me, and I haven’t yet had the privilege of serving on a jury. Maybe Wednesday would be different, I thought.

Follow along. This is a real Chicago story.

I arrived at 8:30 am as instructed. I went to the jury room where after about 45 minutes we were shown a video about the rights and responsibilities of being a juror. I didn’t realize that America is the only country in the world that allows a litigant a jury trial if they wish. Yay USA.

Btw, Timothy Evans, who used to be a firebrand alderman, is now the Chief Judge of Cook County. Boy, has he changed! I sense he likes the life. And a younger, mustachioed Lester Holt was the on-camera narrator.

It may be time to update the video, guys.

Anyway, I was assigned to Jury pool #1, and I promptly thought, “Wow! This could be a short day.” I waited (that’s mostly what you do when you’re called for jury duty) for them to start calling the pools. Imagine my disappointment when the first up was Pool #11. I sagged. The second was #12. More sagging. But the 3rd call was my resurrection: it was Pool #1!

Off I went, with about 35 of my newest best buddies to the 24th floor, where, of course, we waited  for about half an hour.

At about 10 AM, we were led into the courtroom. Both the Plaintiff and Defendant were there, each flanked by two lawyers. The judge welcomed us, talked a little about what we should expect. He said it would be a one day trial and that it involved a traffic accident in a parking garage.

Yeah, I knew I was in for a civil case. But a traffic accident? In a parking garage? I had visions of contract disputes, thousands of dollars at stake, personal injury, maybe construction fiascos. But a traffic accident? Really?

The judge gave a few more details, then asked if any of us wanted to make a comment after voir dire. I raised my hand.

The lawyers asked questions… including the fact that if one of the principals in the case wanted to become a pastor, would that be a problem for us? Nope. If another did a stint in rehab, was that a problem? Nope. Had any of us been the victims of a crime? If so, what type of crime? (I was mugged at Maggianos 8 years ago. I wasn’t harmed but two goons trapped me in the revolving door while they lifted my wallet.)

Then the defense lawyer asked the most convoluted question I’ve ever heard. For a writer, that’s a CODE BLUE… if you can’t understand the question, how can you answer it? Apparently everyone agreed, because the lawyer tried to rephrase it. Then he asked, “Does that make any sense?”

I piped up with a loud  ”No.”  For some reason, everyone in the courtroom laughed. Including the judge, who said to the attorney, “Well, I guess you have your answer.”

Twenty minutes later, they called the people who’d wanted to make a comment into the judge’s chambers. I was the last. I went in. The lawyers were there, and the judge sat behind his desk.

“Well, hello author,” he said cheerfully. “Are you any relation to Lillian?”

I winced. I get that question a lot. “I wish…”

“So what do you want to say to us?”

I took a breath. “I’m sorry, your honor. I know I’m being unfair. But I’m already prejudiced about this case.”

“Why?”

“I realize I don’t know the facts, but it sounds to me that this is a frivolous lawsuit that should have been settled a long time ago. There are so many more important issues that the Cook County ought to be considering.  I’m irritated that we’re all dealing with might turn out to be a fender bender. It’s a waste of the court’s resources.”

The judge stared at me. The lawyers’ faces turned crimson. There was silence in the room.

Then the judge laced his hands behind his head. I was beginning to get the feeling that maybe I shouldn’t have opened my mouth. I was right, because the judge said, “Well now, Ms. Hellmann. Based on your comments, I think you would be a PERFECT juror down at 26th and Cal. And I’m going to see that you get assigned there.”

Again, for those of you who don’t know, 26th and Cal is the criminal courthouse for Cook County. That’s where they adjudicate murders, drug dealers, armed robberies, etc.

Now as far as I know, the judge didn’t know I write crime fiction, although I suspect the lawyers, all of whom had laptops, probably Googled me before I came in. And it’s not that I don’t want to go down to Criminal Courts. It’s just that I need to plan for it. It takes 90 minutes to drive from where I live, and I have to do something about the dog if I’m going to be gone all day. But that’s not what you say to a judge.

“Whatever you think, Judge,” I said meekly. I knew what he was saying. He knew what I was saying. And we both knew I wasn’t going to be on this jury.

That might have been the end of the story. But hey, this is Chicago.

The judge and lawyers came back into the courtroom and announced who was on the jury. I wasn’t, of course. Then the judge said, “The rest of you can go back to the jury pool room, collect your checks, and go home.”

“Except for Ms. Hellmann.”

Everyone looked at me. I swallowed. The sheriff’s deputy proceeded to escort me back down to the jury pool room where she told the clerk behind the counter that I was NOT excused and that the judge wanted me re-assigned to 26th and Cal.

The clerk frowned. I knew he was thinking “WTF?” He asked me to step aside while he handed over checks to the other excused jurors.

I waited. Again.

Eventually he motioned me over. “I think I know what’s going on,” he said. “You’re the type that marches to a different drummer, aren’t you?”

“Not really ,”I said. “All I did was tell the judge I thought it was a frivolous lawsuit.”

“Ahh…” The clerk said. His eyes narrowed. Then he cocked his head. I could tell he was trying to figure out what to do. It was clear I wasn’t happy, and neither was the judge. I held my breath while the clerk pondered the situation. I didn’t want to go to Criminal Court, at least not for a while.

Finally the clerk looked up at me and shook his head. “You know what? I’m not gettin’ involved in this. Here’s your check. Take it and get out of here.”

Saved! I couldn’t believe it. I mouthed the words “Thank you,” grabbed the check, and hurried to the elevator before he changed his mind. Or the judge called to make sure I’d been reassigned.

Don’t you love Chicago?

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Traditional vs Self-publishing – Part 3

Hi again, everyone. I thought I was going to finish my update about traditional vs. self-publishing with a candid look at the Pros and Cons of self-publishing. But there’s so much to cover and so much has changed. Again, it’s going to take me more than one post… so get comfortable.

In parts 1 and 2 I talked about how traditional publishing no longer has the benefits it once did, and  we ended up with a chart that looked like this:

 

 

COMPARISON OF TRADITIONAL VS SELF PUBLISHING


TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING


Pros
Cons


Support

Distribution

Editing

Bookstores

Awards



Reviews

Agents
Ebook Rights and Pricing

Delay in reporting and payments

Smaller advance/print runs

Limited time/shelf

Hinky contracts

Possible Bankruptcy

Accounting irregularities

Agents

Ooops.

But let’s be honest. It isn’t all rosy on the self-publishing side, either. As they say on the dating websites, “Y’all got issues.” Here is more or less the same chart I created three years ago, listing the basic pros and cons of self-publishing. Since then some trends have become more prominent. Others have gone away. Anyway, take a look.

COMPARISON OF TRADITIONAL VS SELF PUBLISHING


SELF-PUBLISHING


Pros
Cons


No Middlemen

More control

New Life for Backlist

Instant royalties/Accounting

You choose cover, story

Potentially more money
Money:Reality Check

Some genres sell well;

others not so much

Glut of ebooks in market

Financial Outlay

Inconsistent Quality

Gatekeepers still to emerge

New/Different marketing

Discoverability

 



Control, self-reliance and middle men

Let’s start with the obvious. Self-publishing gives the author much more control, by making them the focus of the process. But it’s what an author does with that control that matters.

The author entrepreneur is almost a cliché these days. But like most clichés, it’s true.  Authors need to understand the business of publishing if they’re going to be successful. Many traditional authors, having been coddled by publishers or prodded to do this or that, don’t approach it that way, whereas most self-published authors do. Being a Type A person, I’m all in with the entrepreneurial spirit, but I understand the anxiety of writers who aren’t.

Furthermore, there are still middle men. Instead of agents and editors, business people tend to call them allies or strategic partners. For example, whatever platform you use to distribute your work is essentially a middle man, including Amazon, Smashwords, Createspace and Kobo. But they’re impartial middlemen and you can use them in an unlimited way, which has opened the floodgates.  But there are other types of middlemen as well, and I’ll get to them in a bit.

Serious quantity and quality issues

For me quantity is one of the biggest problems in self-publishing. There are just too many ebooks. The market is saturated, borne out by the latest statistics from Bowker in late 2012, with the number of self-published books produced annually in the U.S. almost tripling. Self-published titles have grown 287% since 2006 with more than 235,000 self-published print and ebooks on the ‘shelves’ in 2012, up from 148,424 in 2011.

So, how does anyone’s work, whether you’re Stephen King or obscure John Smith, stand out in such a vast crowd? One of the biggest issues, going forward, is, thus, author discoverability.  (More about that later)

The other major problem is quality, just as it was when I originally covered the subject. Many of the authors I read don’t write well. They don’t understand the basics of the craft of fiction. Now that might not bother some readers, especially if the story is fresh and new, but for someone who appreciates good writing, like me, it isn’t good enough.

I can tell by the end of the first page— usually the first paragraph—whether the author knows what they’re doing. Really… it’s that obvious. Now I may be a stickler, or an old fogie —it took 5 years to get my first book published—but during that time I dedicated my energy and effort to honing my craft, learning from writing groups, hiring a good independent editor, and voraciously reading every great book I could find in my chosen genre.

The bottom line—I worked hard. I wrote four novels before my first was published. That’s right. The 4th novel I wrote became AN EYE FOR MURDER. I shudder at the thought of what would have happened if I’d self-published my first novel. Looking back it should be locked in a trunk and submerged at the bottom of the ocean, like Titanic, forever. It was that bad.

A lot of people seem happy to self-publish bad writing—but just because you can doesn’t mean you should. If something is worth doing, surely it is worth doing well.

If you’re committed to this thing called “writing,” it makes sense to treat your career with respect. Learn the basics of fiction. Teach yourself how to create clear, understandable prose. Find out how to build suspense. Identify how characters should behave (See Writing Lite for some tips).

And READ. As much as you can, whenever you can. Get a sense of how good writers approach their craft. Then write. And edit. And edit again.

What about self-publishing gatekeepers?

Some things haven’t changed. We are still waiting for self-publishing gatekeepers to emerge. Some say readers are the ultimate gatekeepers. Well, sure. But let’s get real. With literally millions of books out there, how are readers supposed to find, read, and make ‘value decisions’ about them?

Recently lots of organizations have popped up claiming they will help. Goodreads is probably the best known and most successful. But there are others who profess to do the same job. Of course, as a writer, you may have to pay these folks to gatekeep for you, otherwise you might not even qualify for a listing.

A word of caution: check who owns the site. Some are owned by traditional publishers, either individually or as a consortium. Others may be patently shilling for one author or group or another. As far as I’m concerned, once you’re beyond Goodreads and Shelfari you’re in the Wild West of gatekeepers, where everyone has a gun and a badge.

A fast changing marketing landscape

The gatekeeper issue is directly tied to discoverability. But before we go there, it’s important to discuss just how the marketing landscape has changed.

Many authors use social media to market these days, which is both good and bad news. Yes, marketing via social media doesn’t cost a whole lot compared to traditional marketing, promotion and publicity. The down side is the time suck involved. Being social eats up a huge amount of time, so much so for me that my productivity—actually writing crime fiction— has plummeted. But that’s another post.

Achieving good discoverability

Back to discoverability. How does an author stand out in such a crowded market? As I mentioned, there are middlemen who claim to cull the best of the best and promise visibility. But, again, be careful. Always check to see who owns the sites. Check their Alexa rankings. Find out how much they charge. Identify what they actually deliver. Are they publicists, advertising sites, or something else altogether? I’m not going to call them scam artists. Yet. But some of them seem to be sailing pretty close to the wind.

I still believe the best way to be found is through reviews. The more positive reviews you get, the more attention your pages will get. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Once upon a time groups of authors banded together to cross promote each other. I think the jury’s now out on that. Mostly because the quality varies so dramatically from author to author. And because seeing people pimping their friends’ books has become tiresome. I used to do it, and sometimes I still do. But long term, I’m not sure it helps.

So what should you do to get discovered? Social media mavens will tell you to blog, to do videos, to tweet, etc. In other words, to throw everything against the wall and see what sticks. But does that boost sales? I dunno. In fact, of all the “cons” in self- publishing, I think discoverability is the thorniest. I would love to hear ideas from those of you who have crossed that bridge successfully.

Once again, I’ve gone on too long. I promise I really will finish up next time. Thanks for hanging in there. I ought to give whoever got to this point a free ebook.

If you did, let me know which one you want.

 

 

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Writing Lite #7 — Character Arcs

All your characters, whether major or minor, need their own arc. Those arcs don’t have to be dramatic or life-changing, but they have to be apparent. I explain below.

 

What do you think?

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