#174 Interview With The Graveyard Cowboy

I did my first interview today on a podcast out of Atlanta called The Graveyard Cowboy Poetry Show.  The podcast is a creative variety show that focuses on poetry, but Clint and The Graveyard Cowboy have been nice enough to discuss prose with me.  Check it out here!

#173 A Clockwork What?

For some strange reason I picked up my copy of A Clockwork Orange and read the author's note that accompanied the 1986 re-release of the novel.  In the note, two things popped out at me.  1) He was surprised that his work lasted longer than a few years, as most literary works tended to dribble toward obscurity after being published.  2) American publishers refused to publish all 21 chapters of his original novel.  Instead, the big NY publisher responsible for A Clockwork Orange (Ballantine Books - part of Random House) only published 20 chapters, thinking the last chapter was not needed.  In his note Burgess defended his reasons for the 21st chapter and condemned American publishing for its excessive pride, its audacity to take a work of art and change it simply because they had the power to do so.

This is an old story, and most likely is only one of a thousand.  But this hit home with me considering my current struggle to self publish my own works.  I chose to avoid the big publishing houses because I felt they took a large piece of the financial pie because they had rigged the game so heavily in their favor that they could demand writers to sign less-than-worthy contracts.  But that was only a partial truth.  On top of that, they changed the art themselves.  Against the artist's will.

That is unforgivable.

Burgess recites in his note the reasons he allowed this to happen.  As it was in the 1960's, prominent writers did not make much money.  Financially he needed what he could get, and in the wake of Kubrick's film, he had only one opportunity to publish his book in the states.  For financial reasons, he took that opportunity.  This is a simple case of the big publishing houses flexing their muscles, a right they definitely had considering the landscape of publishing in the 1960s.

But things have changed.  Considerably.  The big publishing houses have enjoyed the leverage they've had over the years because writers had no way to get their stories to readers without them.  Writers had no power.

But now we do.  Writers can tell their stories (all 21 chapters) without a large company changing it.  I just wish Anthony Burgess were alive to see the shift in power.  The true liberation of the writer.

BTW, so dramatic for a Wednesday evening... It's because the US play Germany today.  I'm on edge!

#172 First Month Sales

Exchange Day has been out for a month.  I remember when it was nothing more than a glimmer in daddy's eye.  And now it has been available for readers around the world for an entire month!  My how time flies... Well, one down, infinity to go!

To commemorate this landmark I have included a graph of sales up to this point.  So the real question is: what do these numbers mean?  Do these forecast in anyway what the book's potential is?  Or do these numbers forecast the number of friends/family and friends of family I have willing to spend a couple of dollars on my behalf?  Most blogposts I've read from newbie indie writers claim that sales for their first books were extremely slow in the beginning.  For 6 months or more sales trickled in (with little to no promotion), until something clicked and their books took off.  I would be fine with that.  5 months from now I intend to have 2 more books out and will be close to finishing another.  At that time I will have quadrupled my shelf space (3 of the books being in one series).  So we will see how this graph changes over the next few months.  We'll see if something clicks.

My ultimate goal per book is 1000 copies sold per month.  Many indie writers sell 5X that.  With 1000/month I could make a living.  I could continue doing this, which would make me very happy.

#171 World Cup 2014 - Game 1

Watched the US Soccer Team's first game with my brother Cody, who is relatively new to the soccer scene.  So I dressed him in US garb, complete with headband, and explained the rules of the game.  In the middle of the broadcast the American announcer said something strange.  He said, "Let's tip our cats to the US team, for they've played really well today..."

Cody thought this was the funniest thing ever.  Each time one of my cat's entered the room he would say, "Hey, come over here so we can tip you!"

After the whistle blew, securing the US's 2-1 defeat over Ghana, we could think of only one thing to do.  So, here's to you US Soccer Team.  For you, we tip our cats!

#170 Joke's On You!

You know how the first time you tell a joke it just doesn't come out right?  The timing is off.  You forget a key component.  You have to say, "Hold on.  Wait.  Let me start over!" Or you have to admit it was funnier "If you'd been there..."

Writing stories is similar to telling jokes.  The first time you get the story down on paper, the timing is a little off.  Or there are missing components.  Or perhaps a character is underdeveloped.  This is why the revision process is so important.  I am revising Book 2 of The Exchange Day series. I am not a huge fan of revising because the process reveals all the flaws in the story or my craft, which can be a bit demoralizing.

However, it is through the revision process that the story gets fine tuned, becomes smooth, and ultimately leads to your reader's satisfaction.  Just like a good joke you can count on because you've told it so many times, you know just how to get it out right!  So treat revisions with as much care as you devote to the first draft.  Both are equally important, and are essential to telling an effective and entertaining story.

As if you didn't already know that!

Amazon Ranking Update

My first book [Exchange Day] has only been out a couple of weeks now, but I achieved a new high on the Amazon Best Sellers Rank.  My new high is 33,150!

So out of all the books offered, at some point during the last week my broke through the top 33,000 books sold.  Now, that may not look like much, and truthfully, it means I have a lot of opportunity to improve.  But still, I will celebrate even the small victories.  I will open a great bottle of wine this weekend and know that someone somewhere is reading my book!

#169 Desert Island Book List

For the indie writer, finishing a novel is NOT enough.  Us indie writers are responsible for finding editors, graphic designers, formatting, and marketing.  So much to do.  So much to worry about!

My first book Exchange Day was published 2 short weeks ago and I have been toiling over marketing ever since.  I posted on FB, asked friends to share the book page I created, begged friends with twitter accounts to tweet something for me, and have told everyone I know to share the book by good ole fashioned word of mouth.  But I knew I needed to do more.

I've been reading Indie Writer Blogs to learn as much as I can about other forms of marketing that I can explore.  A few days ago I learned about KBoards.  These are discussion forums designed to share info on books.  I am unfamiliar with the KBoard culture, but have enough common sense to know not to annoy everyone with self-promotion.  However, I do not really understand the point of most forums and have a difficult time understanding how they can be used.  So I decided to start small.  I found one forum titled "Your Top 10 Desert Island Books," and read all the posts.  Seemed straight forward enough, though I don't know why strangers would care what books I would take with me on a deserted island.  So I decided to pop my KBoard cherry.  I made a list of 10.

I have posted this list below, not so that you can judge the books I would take with me.  I posted to show you how much of a social media lame-o I am.  I numbered my list like everyone else.  However, for number 8, I unwittingly typed a sunglasses emoticon.  Not sure if this comes across as a square trying to play on the newfangled computer.  Or if it looks like I am cool and especially like Game of Thrones (which I do.)

Oh well.  Live and learn, I guess.

#168 Identity Revisited

I wrote a post earlier this year on identity.  As an aspiring writer, I questioned the moment when one could or should refer to himself/herself as a writer.  This is a sensitive topic for many (me included) and ultimately I believe this is a struggle each writer faces individually.  In an effort to help others with this issue, I would like to share a small step forward I took this weekend.

I found myself mingling with friends/acquaintances/strangers at two events: work function and birthday party.  In the life of a writer, this constitutes an EXTREMELY busy weekend.  As is usual at these functions, I was asked what I did.  Normally I struggled through my answer, looking like a pageant contestant searching for an answer to world hunger.  A mannish, unattractive pageant contestant.  Something was different about this weekend.  My confidence was up.

So what was different?  For starters, I published my first book Exchange Day a couple of weeks ago  (you can check it out at amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com.)  Secondly, I've finished book 2 and currently have it with my editor.  Thirdly, I am well into my 3rd project and am very excited about where it is and where it is going.

My first book has only been out a short while and has not sold more than 40 copies.  My other books are not out yet.  I have not made enough on my work to make a living.  I have not had many reviews. It is not the validation of others that has given me this confidence (though I must admit that the positive words I've heard so far about Exchange Day has helped tremendously.)  It is the fact that I am writing.  That is what makes me feel like a writer.  And no one can control that except for me.

If you are a newbie writer and you struggle with the question, "What do you do for a living?"  The best thing to do is write.  Cause when you are consistently writing, it is easy to look that person in the eyes and say, "I'm a writer!"

Amazon Ranking Update

Just checked my Amazon ranking, and it has broken the 40,000 mark.  There is a lot of room for improvement, but I must take baby steps.  For the first week or so, I remained in the 80,000-100,000+ range.

#167 Needy Writer, Much?

Know how you can tell if a writer is exceptionally needy?  Just break one of his/her ankles.  I play in a soccer league, and unfortunately rolled my ankle so bad I will be on crutches for the next couple of weeks.  I never considered myself to be needy, but learned quickly how much of a pain in the a$$ I really am.  I woke up and plopped myself down on the couch, and the needs began to surface.  I need my laptop.  I need the power chord.   I need a glass of water.  I need to be listening to Radiohead: Hail to the Thief.  I need a bag of ice.  I need more pillows.

My needs never stopped.  No wonder no one likes writers!

I will end this post with my final need.  I NEED to keep writing!  So many pages left to fill...

#166 The Secret Life of Alexander Mori

Watched The Secret Life of Walter Mitty this weekend.  Was a fun movie, but there was one scene in particular that felt especially relevant to my life.  It was the scene in which he debates internally whether or not he should jump on the helicopter...which translates to the key theme of the film, should he live life to the fullest despite the potential fears and dangers that come with adventure.

Last week I released my first novel, Exchange Day.  I toiled over clicking the final button that would e-publish the novel on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and several other e-book sites.  I worried that the book wasn't ready.  I worried that people might not like it, that they might judge me for putting myself out there as a writer instead of pursuing a job of which I was certainly more capable (bartender or record store music organizer.)  But like Walter Mitty, I decided to go for it.  I pushed the button and instantly felt like Walter as he clung to the interior of the helicopter rising dangerously into the air.  We see his expression of fear and wonder as he lets go of his inhibitions and decides once and for all to GO FOR IT!  That was me exactly.

And all week I have been exhilarated and nervous about checking my sales.  This was a soft launch, so I did not post anything on FB or any Amazon forums.  I told a few friends and family members, and that was it.  To commemorate this week, I have included a picture of my Amazon Dashboard.  You can see the $16 I've earned, all attributed to the 8 people I told.  However, you will notice one thing strange.  Beside Amazon.co.uk, you will see 1.21 GBP.  This truly is amazing.  The first person (non-family member) who bought my book lives in England!  

I've jumped on the helicopter, and it is rising into the air.  I am nervous and exhilarated, but most importantly, I am ready for this adventure!