Some other Spring…
After a long, long, LOOOOOOOOONG winter here in Minnesota, the spring has made a brief appearance. Although not officially here, it feels like summer with warm temperatures, late nights on the deck, and a few appearances by my favorite friends, the mosquitoes. And by “favorite friends,” I actually mean blood enemies! But enough about those suckers.
“Let’s talk about books, baby!”
It’s been an equally long time since I posted an update on my blog and a couple days ago I received a dressing down from a friend/reader about what I’ve been up to. “Am I still writing books?” AM I STILL WRITING BOOKS?! Is this even a question? Well, I guess it’s an apt question given the length of time since my last release. And although no one’s about giving me the George R. R. Martin business (“Are you going to die before you finish the series?!”), I should be putting out more (There’s a softball pitch for my randier readers – haha). The good news is: I finished my fourth book and just received it back from the editor. I’m making changes now and look to go out very soon to beta readers (if they’re still interested) to get some initial first impressions.
I still haven’t unveiled the title or concept because one big element in it might change depending on the comments I get back. But I can tell you it’s a fantasy adventure with all the stuff my readers have come to enjoy: effusive action, imagination, endearing characters, and some humor to boot. I’ve already scheduled a cover for it, but that won’t happen until July. 
Now, I often get asked why other contemporary self-publishers manage to put out several books a year and I only put out one. It’s a fair question and a bit of a sticky one. You see, ever since Amazon opened the gates to self-publishing, authors have looked for ways to get a leg up on the competition. More often than not, this came down to figuring out a way to game the system (i.e. play Zon’s algorithms in your favor). For many, that meant keeping a constant presence in the rankings. This lent itself well to readers that like to connect with authors (through social media, of course), but also by establishing a series that readers could return to again and again. This trend invariably led to authors writing and releasing material as fast as humanly possible (some at a rate of 1 a month). For a great many authors (in many genres), this has proven a successful tact. They’re making boatloads of money, gaining loads of fans, and giving readers more and more content to read. Unfortunately, it comes at a cost. That cost is quality. It’s simply impossible to put out really good work when so little revising is done. And regardless of what you’ve heard (and what many have argued), good writing is all about revision. Now, many authors defend their quick releases as pulp writing. With all due respect, I grew up on pulp writers. Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Barbarian series has long been one of my favorites, but anyone that thinks he just rushed those stories out doesn’t understand the first thing about good writing. The ironic thing here is that there are some truly gifted authors utilizing this trend. And for many, it’s sort of like selling tapas. A small bite that’s good enough to suspend those hunger pains just long enough for the next bite to arrive. Is that a bad thing? No. But I’m a four-course-meal-kind-of-guy. I like to send my readers home fat, exhausted, and dreaming about a similar meal for months. And if some of these authors put a little more time into the meal, they’d be the renowned chefs the world deserves.
Food metaphor aside, you only live once. Every time I release a book, I want to know it’s the best I can be. I’m not worried about a legacy, but it is important my kids know hard work is always rewarded. I know I have a long way to go before I’m compared to the Stephen Kings and Arthur C. Clarkes of the world. But I’m okay with making less money as long as I can feel proud of the work I put out (don’t tell my wife.). And the truth is, I’ve always liked stories that challenge me. As such, I do a great deal of research for my work, and that takes time. There’s nothing worse than someone pointing mistakes that could have easily been corrected with some forethought. Or afterthought. As many great authors have said, the story is really in the details. I don’t want cliches and tropes. I want originality, flavor, and mind-blowing creativity. I hope fans of my work want and appreciate the same thing.
BTW, the image above is of a tree in our backyard. It’s called a “flowering crab tree” and it only blooms once every three years. And, then, the pink leaves only last a week to ten days. Makes you appreciate its beauty even more, right?
The new book is scheduled for release in July. I hope my fans love it as much as I do. I’d also like to report that I’m about halfway through my fifth book, which is unrelated to #4 and the RC series. As that one will be set in space, it requires a little less research than past works, so who knows? Two books in 2018 might not be out of the question.
Hope you’re all ready for a wonderful summer. Be good to yourselves and others.
And, as always, good reading.
