Book Trends

Articles about trends in bookselling and the publishing industry.

Handling Writer’s Block the Piers Anthony Way

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How fortuitous it was that a copy of Piers Anthony’s second autobiography, How Precious Was That While, came to me shortly after I had blogged about Writers Block. It was published by Tor in 2002 in mass market paperback with an ISBN 9780812575439. If you’re a fan, you’ll love this curmudgeon fantasy author talk about his self, his books, and the industry. He devotes a whole chapter to the writing process, to include avoiding writers block in Chapter 4: Ironies. I’m taking the priviledge of encouraging you to find a copy and reading this book. I’m going to list some of his observations and tips as a way of explaining why this is such a worthwhile book:

Writing a novel is like running a marathon. It takes steady endurance.

Writers block may be an excuse not to do what people don’t want to do–write.

Always have a variety of projects to work on (like my writing both a mystery and a fantasy every other day).

Use a bracket system so that when you come to a stumbling block, use a bracket and [write a short note to yourself as to what you think should go there and that you should come back to it later]. Then keep on going. I review these every day and write notes in a journal to myself before quitting for the day.

Keep a daily Work Record and track your progress. (He writes 3,000 words of text, 1,000 words of novel notes, and 1,000 of Personal file every day for a total of 5,000 words a day.) He’s 77 YO and still writing. When he wrote this autobiography he had written over 125 novels. Writers block? I don’t think so.

A real writer should generate his inspiration as a tool, ready whenever he needs it.

Have a working spouse to take off the stress of supporting a family, freeing you up to write. (Try it for a trial year like he did).

He goes on with many other writing realities in this chapter, which is why you should try to get a copy of this book. He has a blog at http://piersanthonyblog.blogspot.com/ His Twitter address is PiersAnthony.

Finally

These are Piers’ thoughts, not mine. Don’t shoot the messenger! On the other hand, take these suggestions seriously. Piers is one of the most successful genre writers in the past 50 years or so.

 

This is a reprint from Bob Spear‘s Book Trends blog.

Writer's Block

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You know you need to write, but you keep putting it off. You sit down before the keyboard, and you can’t think of anything worthwhile to write. You try to write something–anything, and it just doesn’t seem good enough. What to do?

These are typical signs of writers block. It can happen to any writer at any time–especially when you least expect it or are under the gun to meet a deadline. That last statement may provide a hint. Stress may be a major component of developing a writer’s block. The more the stress levels, the greater the block; the more the block, the greater the guilt; the more the guilt, the greater the stress, and now we’re into a dog chasing his tail scenario.

Let’s take a look at this subject from a:

•Generic point of view

•Fiction problems

•Nonfiction problems

•Some helpful tips

Generically speaking, there are several aspects that hold for all styles of writing. I’ve already mentioned stress, which is easy to understand–the greater the stress levels, the greater the blockage. Another problem is burn-out. If we have been working too hard for too long at too many things, a sudden case of writers block is nature’s way of saying, “Chill out, Baby.” Take break or even a short vacation from writing. You should be aware that it’s sometimes difficult to climb back into the saddle, so watch for that.

Another common problem among some writers is perfectionism. I used to watch one of my daughters agonize for hours over a 3-page school assignment. She would sit in front of her computer, staring at the screen and typing nothing. Why? She was attempting to write the paper in her head, trying to say and arrange everything just so before committing it into the computer. I finally would urge her to write anything, think about it, and then go into edit or rewrite mode. That seems like such an obvious thing to do, but you need to understand how obsessive perfectionists can be. They fear making any “mistakes.” If what you write doesn’t seem perfect, you need to lighten up. I was famous for saying, “It’s good enough for government work,” as a joking way of keeping a workable perspective when I labored in the Army’s bureaucracy, especially if I was under a deadline.

Now, lets look at some specific challenges to fiction writing:

Remember there are two major types of writers: outliners and seat-of-their-pants. Outliners have the advantage of a framework or road map to follow. If they fall into a block situation, it’s easier for them to pick back up where they left off. If that doesn’t seem to work, allow your muse to come into play. The blockage may have been a way for your subconscious mind of telling you to rethink your outline and its direction. Seat-of-their-pants writers can become lost in a maze of too many possibilities and fear of committing to a specific direction. Try outlining a direction and see if that helps. Maybe try comparing two or several short outlines and select one that seems interesting and feasible.

In other words, whichever style of writer you are, experiment with the other approach a little. See if that spices you up a little.

Nonfiction writing problems often come from perfectionism. Some scientists I have known had a difficult time coming to closure with a problem or issue. They would research a topic to death, looking for that perfect solution just over the next hill. There comes a time when you just have to say, “Enough!” It’s time to get on with the writing part, whether it’s a plan, a report, a thesis, or whatever. Again, outlining seems to be a good way to overcome a block. I used to free flow ideas and topics germane to my subject and its intended audience. Then I would rearrange them in some sort of logical order. I would then try to determine their completeness and add or take away that which was appropriate to the process. Once the outline was developed, it was just a matter of filling in the white spaces in between the topics. This approach tends to pull one through a project in a workable manner, lending less probability to developing writers block.

Tips for Overcoming Writers Block

Create a special space for your writing activities: my home office serves this function, and I usually can recover and remain free from blockages here. The other place I have is on the floor of my bookstore, which doesn’t work very well for the following reason.

Eliminate distractions: Ringing phones, constantly checking emails, and customers interruptions (in my case) easily can destroy a whole day of writing opportunities. I get so frazzled, I find myself playing solitaire in deference to writing.

Adjust your perspective about writing: Don’t let writing be your only reason for living. It’s only one activity of many that add meaning and spice to your life. The world won’t stop turning if you take a break occasionally.

Set goals free of guilt and remorse: Setting word-count goals are helpful for keeping on track as long as they are reasonable and flexible. Try to keep the guilt factor down. If you don’t meet your goal for the day, so what? At least you made some progress. In addition to setting goals, try to schedule down time and relaxing activities so that burn out doesn’t happen.

Chat with other writers: I’ve mentioned before that writing is a lonely career track. Try to join with other writers, both on line and in person, in a regular manner. We understand one another and are always ready to lend support.

Now, get back to your writing!

 

This is a cross-posting from Bob Spear‘s Book Trends blog.

The Importance Of Author Organizations

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Writing can be one of the lonliest career fields. There you are–hour after hour, day after day, etc. working away in a room by yourself. Even in a public setting such as a coffee shop, we build walls around us that warn, “Don’t bother me! Writer at work!”

Writers are human too. They need connectivity, especially with like-minded writers. There are a several ways you can do this. The first is to join a local group of writers. These are often sponsored by bookstores and libraries. Just ask at the counter. Contacts with these may also lead to contacts with critique groups, although you need to be careful. Other credible sponsors are colleges and community colleges. Ask in the English departments. Some schools offer workshops such as the University of Iowa’s Writing Workshop and their MA degree. Kansas University’s famous Jim Gunn runs an excellent SciFi/Fantasy program.

Probably the most helpful ar the writers’ organizations for specific genre fiction. The following are links to some of these:

Author Organization links

Amazon Author and Writer Groups  http://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=13786431

Mystery Organizations:
http://www.mysterywriters.org/

http://www.sistersincrime.org/

Erotica Fiction:
http://www.erotica-readers.com/

Horror Fiction:
http://www.horror.org/

International Thrillers:
http://thrillerwriters.org/

Romance Fiction:
http://www.rwa.org/

Science Fiction and Fantasy:
http://www.sfwa.org/

Western Fiction:
http://www.westernwriters.org/

Historical Novels:
http://www.historicalnovelsociety.org/

Children’s Books:
http://www.scbwi.org/

If some of you host similar sites, please comment to let us know.

Finally, some very gracious popular authors provide pages for other writers who want help and assistance in their writing. My favorite is Orson Scott Card at http://www.hatrack.com .

Linking in with other writers interested in your genre can be very helpful. Oft times they will point out other resources and people with which to network. Don’t let loneliness get you down. Get out there and network with others.

 

This is a reprint from Bob Spear‘s Book Trends Blog.

Screenplay Writing Interview III with Shannon L. Arrant

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Here is the final segment of my interview with screenwriter and independent filmmaker Shannon L. Arrant. She provides some critical information and links for your consideration.

A writer just finished her screenplay. What should her next steps be?

Registering [the] script should be [the] first priority. It can be registered with either the WGA (www.wga.org) or the Library of Congress (www.copyright.gov). Each offers different prices and different benefits for registering so choose whichever one appeals to you the most.

Once your script is registered, give it to anyone and everyone who is willing to give you an honest critique of it. Websites like Zoetrope (www.zoetrope.com) are filled with screenwriters who will review your work in exchange for you reviewing theirs.

Don’t give it to just fellow screenwriters, though. Give it to your family, friends, coworkers; pretty much anyone you can think of. If people that aren’t associated directly with the film industry find it entertaining to read, they should find it entertaining to watch, too.

Once you get their reviews, don’t feel like you need to make all of the changes suggested to you but don’t flat out ignore their comments, either. Use the suggestions that will ultimately improve your script and discard the rest.
How do you know which ones those are? This is where getting as many reviews as possible comes into play. If there’s an area that a lot of people are having problems with, then work on fixing it. The rest of the suggestions you receive can be included or not, depending on whether or not you feel they’ll improve your screenplay.
A great side benefit of giving your screenplay to as many people as possible to review is it will also help you network. Networking is vital in the film industry. Even if someone isn’t directly a part of a production company, you never know who they know that is.

What are the best ways a screenwriter can network?
Aside from telling anyone and everyone you’re now a screenwriter, attending screenwriting conventions (if you can afford it), being active on websites geared towards screenwriters and production companies like IMDb pro (www.proimdb.com), entering screenwriting contests, and interning with local production companies are all great ways for a screenwriter to network.

How does someone go about locating production companies to intern with?
The best place I’ve found is your local Cragislist page. Independent production companies are always looking for people to help with their latest film. Be sure to check ‘tv/film/video’ under the jobs section and the ‘creative’, ‘crew’ and ‘talent’ sections under gigs. Because Craigslist has started charging to post job openings in certain cities, a lot of production companies are now using the gigs section to place their open calls for talent and crew.

What screenwriting contests do you recommend?
The Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting Competition sponsored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (www.oscars.org/awards/nicholl/index.html) is by far the most prestigious screenwriting competition in the United States. If you do well in this contest, you stand a great chance of having your screenplay optioned.
 

The PAGE International Screenwriting Awards (www.pageawards.com) is another excellent contest to enter. It’s another of the more popular screenwriting contests out there and offers some great prizes. For an extra fee, you can also receive the judge’s notes and feedback they left while reading your screenplay. Considering the judges for the PAGE International Screenwriting Awards actively work in the film industry for production companies, this can give you invaluable insight into what other production companies think about your script.

The biggest problem with the previous two contests is that they only happen once a year. What do you do if you finish your screenplay but miss the deadline? That’s where Script Savvy (www.scriptsavvy.net) comes in! Script Savvy has a new contest each month, making it convenient to enter whenever you’re ready. The entry fee is reasonable and they offer two different levels of feedback on your screenplay. Every entrant also receives a PDF of over 400 agents and managers that are accepting new screenwriters. That alone can be well worth the cost of the entry fee.

Does a screenwriter need an agent?
No. Although, as with writing a novel, having an agent can make some things easier. They can submit your screenplay to more production companies and generally should know which companies are looking for your type of script.

How can he go about finding an agent?
Aside from getting the free PDF from Script Savvy of agents and managers if you enter their contest, IMDb Pro, other screenwriters, and a good ol’ Google search are some good ways to get that information.

What are some ways a writer can publicize her screenplay on her own?
In the internet age we live in, having a website is a must. It doesn’t have to be a website dedicated solely to your screenplay. All you really need is a place to post a synopsis, your contact info, and anything else you feel is important. Take your time to make this website as professional looking as you can. Always remember, you are selling not only your screenplay but yourself as a screenwriter. The more polished and together you are, the more likely you are to find someone interested in buying you both.
 

If you can afford it, film a trailer and upload it to every video hosting site you can think of. Even though you may not have any intention of producing your screenplay on your own, it’s easier for someone to invest money into producing your work if they can get a good idea of the potential of the finished product first. It could also get a lot of people interested in watching a completed film of your screenplay. The number of views alone could get someone interested in producing it for you. Whatever you do, if you go this route, don’t forget to link the video to your website!

How do you write a good query letter?
Read a lot of query letters. You can find examples of both good and bad ones through a Google search. Once you have a query letter written, give it to anyone who is willing to read it to get their reaction from it. If, after reading your query letter, they are intrigued enough to want to learn more, then you know you’re on the right track.

How does someone find production companies to send her screenplay to?
Remember how you can find an agent? It’s pretty much the same, except without the nifty PDF of information from Script Savvy.
 

As with novels, there is a proper etiquette to submitting your screenplay to production companies. First and foremost, do your research to see if they are accepting submissions in general and whether or not they are even interested in screenplays like yours. If the production company accepts unsolicited submissions, always send a query letter first. Don’t even think about sending your screenplay unless they ask for it or the submission policy on their website says it’s okay to do so. Failing to abide by proper etiquette will only wind up annoying the very people you want to option your script.

What should someone do if he receives an offer on his screenplay?
Before accepting any deal on your script, do some research first. Check out the company, see what (if anything) they’ve been producing lately and what they have queued for production.
 

Find out when they anticipate production will begin on your screenplay. If they don’t have the cash to produce it immediately, get them to give you a business plan that specifically states how they plan on getting that money and how long they expect it to take.

Always get a date listed in your contract of when the production company loses their rights to make the film and it reverts back to you, especially if they don’t have the money up front to produce your film. Otherwise, you wind up with a production company holding all the rights to a screenplay you poured your blood, sweat, and tears into that isn’t filming it, ultimately costing you the chance to get it produced by someone else.

What should he do if he doesn’t receive an offer on his screenplay?
Whatever you do, don’t despair! If you are confident your screenplay isn’t in desperate need of a rewrite, there are plenty of reasons why an excellent screenplay might not get picked up right away. It might be written in a genre where it’s difficult to get produced period, such as is the case with historical dramas. Or, it could be something as simple as it’s just might not be getting into the right hands at the right time. You can keep trying or take a break and try again later. You could even produce it yourself.

With the invention of digital camcorders, video sharing sites, companies specializing in print-on-demand media, and widely accessible editing software, it’s easier than ever to make your own movies and it’s inexpensive to boot. While I wouldn’t recommend attempting to film your feature length screenplay masterpiece that you converted from the best novel you’ve ever read, don’t be afraid to get out there, shoot some short films, and experiment! You just might find you have talents that lie outside the realm of writing.

Shannon L. Arrant is both an author and a screenwriter who has been blessed enough to work in various roles both onscreen and off. She has several short stories and an anthology available for download for free on her website at www.ShannonLArrant.com. Anyone interested in more information about her completed screenplay that has been hailed as the female version of ‘Braveheart’, the historical drama inspired by true events entitled ‘Sisterhood of the Sword’, can receive it by contacting her through her website: www.ShannonLArrant.com

 

This is a cross-posting from Bob Spear‘s Book Trends blog.

Comparing Ebook and Print Book Covers

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Clifford Freyman and Angela Farley were the two illustrators I was fortunate to have designing my mystery series covers. Cliff, known as @Selorian on Twitter, is a web designer and author who did my ebooks/audio covers. Angela, a freelance designer in Kansas City, has always done my print book covers. I thought you might find their work comparisons interesting.

Both are superbly creative but approach their media differently. Cliff”s, on the right,  have to standout on the screen and Angie’s, on the left,  have to catch a customer’s eyes on a book shelf.

 

      

 

      

 

      

 

 

This is a cross-posting from Bob Spear‘s Book Trends blog.

Finding and Filling Book Marketing Niches

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I have been a niche marketer all my adult life. For me, niche filling and creativity go hand in hand.
 

 
In college, I created the only rock and roll band with multiple horns on the Indiana University campus. In the 1980s, I created a society orchestra with a sound similar to “Big Bad Voodoo Daddy,” before they ever came on the scene and played all the formal dances at Ft. Leavenworth and later on the Bavarian Fest Circuit out of Munich, Germany for three years. From 1987 to 1997, I became the go-to- author for military self-defense and personal security books. Now, my wife and I are doing it again at our bookstore, The Book Barn, and with my publishing company, Spear’s Mint Editions Publishing. For me, finding a niche and filling it is as natural as breathing. I have always had an instinct for it. I’m not rich, but I’ve had a lot of fun along the way. I would like to use my store and writing/publishing efforts over the past ten years or so to explain what and how we do what we do.

 
Heads Up—Look Around
It’s important to be aware—sensitive to patterns in life and the day-to-day routines. What do people like, want, and need? Are they being satisfied? Are any fads becoming trends (a genuine turning point)? What excites and interests you and the people you service? Listen to what people say. Watch the news. Talk; get opinions. Watch and experience life. Here is how all that works:
 
The American Girls product line came out. What a great idea—hooking American history to female characters representing different periods and producing common formats to each one. We decided that was a good idea and began to organize events around single characters at a time. Instead of holding tea and doll admiration parties, we created a full context experience. We would pick a character and invite customers with girls 6-11 years old for an hour-long experience. I would quickly explain the historical period for the chosen character. I would play and sing a couple of songs from that time and culture. We would play a game from that time. Then came a short craft or art project centered on the time, after which we served a typical snack from the time. The little girls loved it and the parents could be heard commenting in the background, “I didn’t know that.” These events helped us receive a win in a national level competition amongst many other Independent bookstores.
 
Leavenworth was the first city in Kansas and has a rich historical background. We have always had a good regional selection of books. In 2000, I decided to add music to that by creating a CD album of ten songs—5 were original songs I wrote to tell fun stories about our area and 5 were traditional folk songs that had connectivity to our area. It has sold slowly but steadily ever since.
 
Next we noticed we had no attractive book below $15 for the tourists about our community. There were some excellent histories, but they were hardbacks in the $50 to $60 price range. They were fine for interested locals, but not for casual tourist shoppers. I asked several area historians if they would be interested in writing such a book ,and they weren’t. So, I took it on and spent six months researching and writing in 2005 to produce Leavenworth: First City of Kansas. This book won three marketing awards for its cover and interior design and has sold steadily with lots of favorable feedback. Four area museums and several gift shops sell it and the CD, as well as our store.
 
Don’t Be Surprised if You Earn A Reputation As A Reliable Resource—That’s What You Want to Happen
An interesting phenomenon has occurred. People are now introducing me as an area historian. My choosing to expand my storytelling programs into the next higher level called historical performing, where I become the famous Leavenworth favorite son, William F. (Buffalo Bill) Cody. I tell his stories in the first person, as if I really was him. I try to make him come alive for the listeners. Now, my college degrees are in music and business. I’ve had one American history course and four music history courses in my time. That does not make me a professional historian; however, the research I have done to put together credible projects and events provide me with enough knowledge to be interesting.
 
Now I am taking this Leavenworth/Midwestern history niche and adding something something that has been missing—a body of literature that provides a clear picture of pop culture of our area’s frontier times. My last post was a review of a wonderful book that explained how to find and re-publish public domain materials. What a Godsend that was! I have been able to locate a number of nonfiction and fiction books of the 1800s to early 1900s that opens wonderful windows of the exciting era. How much have I had to invest? Mostly my time and skills and very little money. I have downloaded text or htm files, pasted them into Word format, and then used InDesign to lay out the books with an old-timey look. The covers are simple black ink printed on colored card stock.
 
Now I have a unique offering in our niche. Could competitors do this? It’s doubtful; it’s too skill dependent and too small of a market segment for the big box stores, and there are no Indy stores in the area with the ability to pull it off. This is the ultimate example of “Long-Tail” marketing—find little niches that need filling but are too small for the big guys. Next week I will have ten copies of each of these digitally printed to provide enough for the store and to show the other outlets. See what I mean about not having to make a large investment. I will then use just in time inventory control to drive future print runs. Since I don’t have to use middlemen for these books, I can afford the higher pod costs. So, what are these long-lost tomes that will catapult our store’s image several notches upward? They are a good mix of nonfiction and fiction and an amalgamation of the two:
 
The Prairie Traveler— In 1859 an Army Captain who spent 25 years guiding settlers across the plains safely write the ultimate how-to book on doing this. He addresses the animals you’d need and why, the equipment, the supplies, and the skills. He also provides the day by day mileposts along all the major trails. This is an absolutely fascinating book, even providing information on the major Indian tribes you might encounter and what to expect.
 
Twin Hells— Leavenworth has a prison industry—7 of them in the area. This 1800s book was written by a man who founded one of our banks and was also president of an insurance company in Atchison. Political competitors managed to railroad him into an 18-month sentence on a trumped up fraud charge to the Kansas State Penitentiary, working in its very dangerous coal mine. After serving his time, he is hired as an investigator of Missouri’s penitentiary, which he finds to be just as bad. He takes his notes in shorthand so the guards won’t know what he’s writing about. There will be a lot of interest in this book in our unique community.
 
Adventures of Buffalo Bill From Boyhood to Manhood— Deeds of Daring, Scenes of Thrilling Peril, and Romantic Incidents in the Early Life of W.F. Cody, the Monarch of Bordermen. By Colonel Prentiss Ingraham, who was a master of pulp fiction. The subtitle is straight off the book’s title page. Buffalo Bill is of huge interest here.
There are several, but I think you’ll get the idea by these illustrations.
 
Emerging Pop Book Trends
Next, I noticed that novels of “place” had become popular. Setting is important to people. My wife also noticed the trend of adults buying Young Adult books for their own reading pleasure because they want entertaining, easy and quick to read books. That combination of factors is what prompted me to write and publish a series of five simple mysteries set in Leavenworth with easy-to-recognize settings and arch-typical Leavenworth characters. People love them.
 
Niche-Filling Creates Credibility and Trust
Notice all these projects and events are supportive of our community. We continue to raise the public’s awareness of our store and ourselves as a trustworthy source of information and entertainment based on the community past and present. This brings in more foot traffic of people interested in the niche and all our other offerings. They simply cannot get this kind of support at a major chain. We know the area; we know our books; we know the authors (many of them personally), and we know how to fit it all together with an additional service of fast, reliable special ordering of book not on our shelves. By approaching our niche from several different directions with different product types. I hope this gives you an idea of the mind set that you should find useful in this essential marketing attitude in today’s marketplace.

 

This is a cross-posting from Bob Spear‘s Book Trends Blog.

Mentoring – Paying Forward

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This will be a short one but an important one. How many of us were ever positively influenced by an authority figure when we were younger? Perhaps it was a teacher or professor. Maybe it was a cop or an adult big brother or sister volunteer. Maybe it was an established professional in our career field or a higher level executive in our corporation or a higher ranked officer/NCO in a military unit. In any case, did that person take you under his or her wing and provide guidance and help?

Oft times, it’s not possible or convenient to pay back those persons of influence other than to acknowledge their help. Since we can’t pay it back, we have the alternative of paying it forward. Do unto someone else as someone did for you when you were younger. Become a mentor. There are worthy new guys out there who could use a boost up. Look around for talent in the raw. Is there someone who could be helped by your hard-earned knowledge and experience? Consider taking that person on as a work in progress. You can make a huge difference in that person’s life. No, you’ll never be paid back directly by that person, other than perhaps his acknowledgment. But maybe he’ll pass that help forward to someone else who comes after he does. It’s like a chain letter in which everybody wins and no one loses.

Look around. If you’re an experienced person with something to teach, find someone worthy of your help. If you’re someone in need of assistance, look around for a mentor who can provide what you need. Paying forward is a very altruistic concept and has been with mankind forever. Recognize when it’s your turn to either ask for help or to give it.


This is a cross-posting from Bob Spear‘s Book Trends Blog.

The Past and Future of Pulp Fiction

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In the 1850’s, as so many literary trends have, pulp fiction began in New York. It was an outgrowth of the many magazine and newspaper empires that bragged of readerships west to the frontier and east to the European continent. The best of these was a publication called The New York Ledger. Its owner, publisher, and editor was a flamboyant marketer by the name of Robert Bonner. He firmly believed in giving his readership what they wanted (imagine that). What they wanted was “escape.”

He gave them that in the form of serialized stories filled with excitement and adventure in far-away places. These were written by some of the biggest named writers of the era—Harriet Beecher Stowe and Charles Dickens for example.

As soon as Bonner’s competitors saw the success of this model, they of course began to copy it. Soon serialized stories were everywhere. In the 1860, a natural follow-on to these gave rise as the Dime Novel. Irwin Beadle & Company advertised them as a dollar book sold for a dime. The frontier, the Civil War, and increased literacy rates among the young provided plenty of material and a ready readership of these highly romanticized novels.

As a historical performer of the historical character Buffalo Bill Cody, I learned that Ned Buntline turned Cody’s real life and imagined episodes of frontier derring-do into quite the money mill of dime novels. So much so, that Buntline recruited Cody and some of his Indian Scout friends to act in a stage production based on these dime novels to great success and the beginning of Buffalo Bill’s incredible career as a showman.

Dime novels sold at news stands and dry-goods stores. Their primary market segments were young blue-collar workers and juveniles. At their height, there were fourteen publishers who were cranking these easy to read, adventurous, and romantic low-cost books. The run was a long one—fifty years. It took a major postal rate increase and silent films to put an end to them. Long before it ended, however, an ex-telegraph operator, Frank Andrew Munsey, stepped up in 1882 to suggest a unique philosophy.

Departing from the magazine norm of printing on slick, glossy paper, Munsey stated, “The story is more important than the paper it’s printed on.” Thus began pulp paper magazines with the introduction of Munsey’s weekly, The Argosy. Continuing the theme of entertainment first, last, and always, other pulp magazines soon sprang up. Several began to specialize in developing genres such as mysteries, sci-fi, hard-boiled detective stories, western, adventures, and romance. The big difference was their target market segment—adults. After all, these grownups had been raised on serials and dime novels. Why not provide them more of the same, although with somewhat more sophisticated fare? This trend lasted even longer than the dime novels—seventy years. At its zenith, over thirty million American read the pulps monthly. That’s some major numbers.

Which brings us up to today. Remember the roots of commercial fiction was to provide easy to read escapes. With the stresses of modern society, the stage is set for a resurgence of similar literature. My wife, Barbara (the walking eidetic memory of where all our bookstore books are located), first noticed an emerging trend last summer. More adults were purchasing Young Adult books to read for themselves. She believes that the large YA books such as the Harry Potter series and Eragon exposed many adults to the excitement contained in books targeted for a much younger audience. They soon realized they could find much more of the same in much shorter books so popular with pre-teens and teens. They were exciting. They were written in a manner to keep the reader’s attention focused and titillated. Chapters were short—1-3 pages. Each chapter ending created a need to learn what happens next. The language was relatively simple and yet was entertaining. Bingo!!! Instant escapism for people with little time on their hands or for people who didn’t want a challenging read, just an entertaining one.

Here lies a potentially huge trend—a modern day equivalent of the dime novel and pulp fiction. We’re already seeing it with the sudden adult interest in teen themes such as vampires mixed with romance. Lines between genres and markets are becoming blurred. I’m not saying this direction will replace all adult writing. What I am suggesting is that this has the potential to become a major money-making trend. Time will tell, but it’s worth considering. A few major authors have been catching on to it as the first have entered the YA field and then began using some of the YA techniques in their adult writing—Patterson for one. Dan Brown and James Rollins for others. The Scientologists have revived a number of L. Ron Hubbard’s pulp fiction stories as pulp books and cheap audio book versions. I have also stumbled across a number of pulp afficiandos discussing the golden age of the pulps and attempting to write them as well on the internet.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.


This is a cross-posting from Bob Spear‘s Book Trends Blog.

Writing For Fame and Fortune – NOT!

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Last night, my bookstore’s writing group had the good fortune to hear from Patrick Dobson, author of Seldom Seen, a highly touted first book—a travel memoir of his walking from Kansas City to Helena, Montana in 1995. This Nebraska University Press title which has become a Midwestern Booksellers Pick has been getting very good reviews from Kirkus and others. Patrick is one more overnight success. Yeah—right—overnight.

He regaled us with how it took him 14 years to see his book in print. This is a phenomena often seen in literary and music circles when someone unknown suddenly hits the charts. In Patrick’s case now at age 41, he had left a stultifying job to perform his two and a half month walk  back in 1995. Seldom Seen is the first of two books describing the events and people he met along his way.

Patrick has done a lot of signings and book chats throughout the Midwest. He observed the many self-published writers he’s met during his marketing efforts and how sad it is to see them feeling crushed because their works are not being accepted. The problem , he said, was not because they were self-published, but because they expected to throw some words on pages without getting professional help. They had not really worked on the writing process. Patrick had been a journalist for five years. He had degrees in English and literature. He is just finishing up work on a doctorate in ecological history. He’s also a working member of the ironworkers’ Union with lots of real world experience. Despite all that education and experience, the publishing process with a university press took four years of peer reviews and rewrites.

How can a writing wannabe hope to have a credible work without this kind of background and assistance? The usual success by celebrities writing their books is generally not due to their writing abilities, but to their ghost writers’. The normal success is due from hard work on the part of the writer, whoever that may be. One cannot expect instant fame and fortune without paying one’s dues to the goddess of muse. It took me twelve years to get published. To expect instant success for writing a book is just not realistic without getting some assistance along the way. This is why folks like me exist—folks who have paid the price in experience who can help others along the way by providing editing, designing, and coaching services. Very few people get rich from writing. The probabilities are heavily weighted against the new writer. Heck, they’re heavily weighted against highly experienced writers.

If you are writing to gain fame and fortune but aren’t willing to put in the work required for a credible work, you need to rethink your writing scenario. I say the best reason to write is for the love of communicating and writing. The work and the journey is what makes the writing process worth it.

 

This is a cross-posting from Bob Spear‘s Book Trends Blog.

My Self-Publishing Saga Continues

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My 3rd book, Surviving Hostage Situations, was turned down by 35 publishers. Those who were kind enough to explain why had a common theme: No one likes to think about the bad things that can happen to them. They were correct, but as an intelligence professional who lived for contingencies, I really didn’t understand that attitude. So, that experience plus the bad publisher experiences convinced me to self-publish.

This was fortunately the same time I acquired a Mac clone made from a Mac mother board and a PC case. I also acquired Page Maker software and entered the dizzy world of book design. I eventually sold 5,000 of these in English and 2,000 in German through a German publisher of a military magazine in Düsseldorf, Germany.

I also acquired rights to a Army Promotion Board study guide written by an Army education specialist. That became my cash cow. The first order for that little manual came from the European Stars and Stripes bookstore system in Germany. Their initial order was for 5,000 copies. The catch was it would be 6 months before they would pay. I had just paid out of my own pocket for 1,000 copies each of the hostage book and the study guide. I was tapped out of cash and credit.

I went to our bank across the street seeking a $15,000 line of credit to print more books based on the study guide order. After they finished chuckling, they said they’d be happy to set one up if I 2nd mortgaged my bookstore building. I didn’t really have a choice, so I did it. That study guide eventually sold 25,000 copies and funded the printing of several other books.

I took on one other book by an author other than myself–an exercise book by a Marine officer who combined traditional physical exercises with visualization exercises. It was a flop. Traditional exercise adherents thought it was too airy fairy. New Age readers thought it was too traditional.

The next book was Close Quarters Combat for Police and Security Forces. It was the non-lethal version of Survival on the Battlefield. It sold about 3,000 copies, but was never as popular as the military manual.

In 1992, after double knee operations, I had recuperation time on my hands. I wrote and typeset 126 pages of my next book, Military Knife Fighting. A month later, my Korean son, Patrick, and I went into the photographer’s studio with my 14-year-old daughter, Desiree, who was my script girl. She read each technique’s captions, and Pat and I went from pose to pose. We took over 350 pictures in an hour, completely blowing the photographer’s mind. That book became another cash cow.

In the BEA held in Miami, I obtained a table at the Military Book Show held in conjunction. Doubleday’s Military Book Club editor, Moshe Feder, looked over my books and signed me up for Survival on the Battlefield and Military Knife Fighting. They both became best sellers for the book club, selling over 25,000 copies. I didn’t make as much money per book; however, they used my printer and allowed me to order copies on the same print run. Instead of paying for books at the 1,000-2,000 copy price range, I could piggyback along with Doubleday’s 5,000 book printing, getting the 6,000-7,000 per book price, which was much cheaper. Economy of scale is a great thing.

Marketing became my primary focus. I met and made friends with the editors of men’s magazines such as SWAT, Soldier of Fortune, American Survival Guide, and Fighting Knives Magazine. They began giving me very positive reviews in their magazines. I in turn paid for display ads and classified ads, building up my direct marketing business. I began writing anti-New World Order books and became a popular interviewee on talk radio–so much so, that I was offered my own radio show–a 5 day a week hour-long show called the preparedness hour. With that ready-made marketing venue, I put together a 200-book mail order catalog operation and performed all operations myself, invoicing, picking, packing, wrapping, mailing, and inventory management. I was also traveling all over the US giving workshops and selling books at survivalist and book trade shows.

By 1997, I was completely burned out after 8 years of 12-18 hour days. I gave all 8,000 of my catalog customers a month’s warning and pulled the plug. This had been a 1-man endeavor and I couldn’t do it any longer. I never had time for writing. It had all become a full-time job of marketing.

After a 2-year hiatus of college to gain music teacher certification in the State of Kansas and 2 more years of teaching all subjects at our Juvenile Detention Center, I pulled the plug on that and began Heartland Reviews on line. I saw so many books submitted that weren’t ready for publication, that I began offering editing and designing services as a book packager.

Today I am focusing on writing fiction and helping self-publishers and small presses. At age 64, I am slowing down a little, but helping people has always been foremost in my mind. Thus ends how I fell into the wacky world of self-publishing.

This is a cross-posting from Bob Spear’s Book Trends Blog.

How I Became A Self-Publisher

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The Beginning

Back in the early 1970’s, I served in South Korea with the US Army Intelligence. I spent 3-5 hours a day 4 days a week studying the Korean fighting art of Hapkido (a mixture of Korean Karate and Japanese Jujitsu). Unlike Judo, we had no reference manuals; however, the art had over 1,000 techniques. I decided to write a definitive manual.

In 1974 and 75 I posed with fellow students for technique pictures and wrote all the text. In 1976, I was stationed at Ft Huachuca, AZ. I submitted my proposal to Rainbow Publications (Black Belt Magazine). They turned it down because they had just published a Hapkido manual by the Korean actor, Bong Soo Han, who had been in the Billy Jack Movies. It was poorly written by a ghost writer, but they depended on Bong’s name selling the book. The word quickly got around the martial art community that it was poorly written, so it didn’t sell well.

Although I sent proposals in to other martial art publishers over the years, hoping than my credentials as the 1st non-Korean to attain a 3rd Dan black belt and instructors certification would make me acceptable. No luck, so I put it on a back shelf and got busy with other things.

In 1985, I attended an American Booksellers Association Expo (now called the BEA) and met with editors from Rainbow Publications and the second largest MA press, Unique Publications (Inside Kungfu Magazine). This time I was able to establish credibility and was asked to submit. Rainbow turned me down again because they didn’t want to compete against their own book. Unique accepted, and I finally had a foot in the door.

Two months before an assignment to Munich, Germany in 1986, I mentioned to them I had an idea for a military fighting manual based on Hapkido and other arts. They got excited, since they had nothing for the military in their backlist, and asked me to go ahead. I wrote it in the next 6 weeks and then flew out to Burbank, CA on my own dime to honcho a photo session with their models.

The night before the shoot at dinner, my editor told me I had to eliminate half of the techniques. That was a huge amount of stress to sacrifice half of my book overnight, but I did. The next day, despite an ear infection and a 103 degree fever, I coached the models through the remaining techniques and flew home the next day to get doctored up before driving my van across country to ship it from NJ to Germany.

In 1987, I received a box of my 2nd book, Survival on the Battlefield: A Handbook to Military Martial Arts. They had decided to publish it first and never gave me a chance to review the proofs, so I didn’t have the opportunity to correct technical mistakes they made. The next year, the same thing happened with Hapkido: The Integrated Fighting Art, except it was much worse. Instead of issuing a 2-volume set of every technique from white belt to 2nd degree black belt, they decided to issue a broad brush overview, cutting out techniques but not editing out references to these poor dead spirits. On top of that, the cover was ugly. I was heart-sick. It was like seeing my baby stillborn.

At the time, I was touring Germany on the weekends doing author signings and appearing on a TV talk show on AFN. I was advertising in GI magazines. I finally decided that my third book, Surviving Hostage Situations, would be published by me. My experiences with the major niche publisher and reading Dan Poynter’s wonderful self-publishing manual gave me the courage to make that decision. I arrived back in Kansas in 1989 just in time to pick up my first 1,000 copies of my third book from the printer. My next post will address how my press, Universal Force Dynamics Publishing, came to be and why it became a success.

 

This is a cross-posting from Bob Spear’s Book Trends Blog.

Significant Reader Trends

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Shift in Topic Popularity

According to the Shelf Talker newsletter, the long run of vampire/werewolf fascination is just about over. The next fad is predicted to be post-apocalyptic novels.

A Major Shift in Some Readers’ Tastes

We have seen a very interesting trend at our bookstore, The Book Barn, in Leavenworth, Kansas just north of Kansas City. It started several years ago when the Harry Potter fad began, followed closely by the Eragon trilogy. These mid-grade and young adult fantasies became read by many parents. Although the books were long for the genre, these parents discovered they enjoyed the reads. This led them to read more of the shorter-length YA lit to see what it was like—partly to learn what appeals to their children, but more and more for their own enjoyment. When we asked them why they were reading more YA’s, they disclosed several reasons why:

  • Easy to read
     
  • Fun to read
     
  • Fits into their daily schedules

Ah, this last factor is the important key—Available Time. People have so many demands on their recreation time, they don’t have enough time to read thick tomes anymore. Much YA lit is designed to pull the reader through quickly with 1-3 page chapters. They are fun, if not challenging, and short. A good adult reader can speed through a book and be entertained while reading it. They have found they prefer tightly written books where every chapter leaves one hanging, curious to read what’s next. My wife and I believe we have discovered an important trend. We’re not alone. Some major NYT bestselling authors have begun writing YA novels—Patterson for one example. They are taking advantage of the trend we noted. Although their YA’s have young protagonists, the characters act more adult than is usually found.

I remember 20-30 years ago, during the height of Harlequin Romance popularity when some men were reading these books to put themselves to sleep. Then, as now, non-traditional readers sometimes emerge to make an impact on the book marketplace. There is a need for shorter adult books written specifically for the time-challenged market segment. Most genre novels are 70,000 to 100,000 words or more. We believe there is a need for some genre lit written within the constraints of 45,000 to 65,000 words. They need to be written tightly without too much description, focusing on rapid plot and quick character development. This approach reminds me of the 30,000 to 45,000 stories of the pulp fiction era.

I’m putting my money where my mouth is, as I have written four mysteries of place set in Leavenworth and consisting of 50,000 to 60,000 words that will appeal to our region, military officer couples, and time-challenged adults. Only time will tell if my take on this trend is accurate or not. I believe other authors, and more importantly publishers, should consider supporting this market segment, which should grow as more and more demands are made on our available time. I welcome your comments. Remember, I’m not saying all books should be written this way, but that there is a previously unnoticed market segment.

This is a cross-posting from Bob Spear’s Book Trends blog.

Why Booksellers Must Become Destination Marketing Oriented

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What is Destination Marketing?

It is creating your business in such a manner that people want to come to it to have fun and be entertained. Whole downtowns can band together to create fun-to -shop places as a theme for their business community. There are plenty of stories about the big box chain bookstores driving the Mom and Pop bookstores out of business. How can the little guys compete and survive? By becoming a shopping destination.

My bookstore, The Book Barn, is a small store. It is literally a Mom and Pop operation, since 1979—just my wife and myself. It was 10 years or so ago that we first learned about destination marketing. We began having many more events at our store—author chats & signings and historical events such as The America Girls. We got better at these until we began to win national and State Governor awards for our events. More importantly, the word of mouth started getting around. The Book Barn was an interesting and fun place to be. Despite the economy, the price of gas, and 3 big box bookstores within 15-20 miles, our business began improving. Just as important, businesses around us began to understand what we were trying to do and started working on their events.

Two plus years ago, we decided to expand the scope of our next Harry Potter release party. It was difficult, but we talked the businesses on our block to work with us to create a Diagon Alley experience. The newspaper printed a special edition of the Daily Prophet and handed them out at the event. We had a HP movie playing outside. Over 2,000 people, many in costume ,came. Click here to see many pictures of people having a very good time. Ask yourself the following questions:

  • If they had a really fun experience in our downtown, would they leave with a good impression?
     
  • Are they more likely to return to shop?
     
  • Are they going to tell others about the fun time they had?

By putting this together and succeeding, the businesses around became more likely to join us in future events and have done so

In addition we have author book chats and signings, music & poetry events, and finally, we have historic events where we talk about a time frame, play & sing music from that time, play games from then, work on art/craft projects centered around the theme, and eat snacks common to the time and culture—a surround sound context. The kids and the parents love it. We ask for food or school supply donations for our local social care organizations

We have a wonderful Yellow Lab, Tucker, who greets everybody and loves up to them. Some bring in their dogs to meet and play with Tucker. We have had both dog and cat theme events featuring animal books and activities. We ask for treat and food donations for the animal shelter and the new dog park the city is building.

Do you see a pattern here?

We want people to see our store as a happy, happening place. We are not alone in this. Look at Rainy Day Books in Kansas City. They have stupendous lecture/signing events in cooperation with the Unity Church near their store. They draw huge crowds for national and international-level speakers and authors and sell a lot of books. The Wild Rumpus, a wacky children’s bookstore in Minneapolis, creates a wonderful, child-appealing atmosphere. There are live chickens and rabbits running around the store. In the middle of the mid-level book section, there is a small log cabin. Inside, there is a foot-wide plexiglass covering of a 10′ long trench which is lit up and contains white rats running back and forth under the floor. When you go into the unisex bathroom, watch what happens to the mirror over the sink when the light goes out—whoa, there is a beautiful aquarium filled with colorful tropical fish behind the mirror showing through.

The Bottom Line

For the smaller stores to compete there a number of things they can do; however, becoming a destination for people who want to come there is absolutely critical. The same can be said for websites. Make them interesting and fun to come to. People tend to share two things with their friends: great experiences and terrible experiences. Be sure you’re in the first category. Providing a good time while giving great service is essential.

 

This is a cross-posting from Bob Spear’s Book Trends blog.

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Book Interior Designing Trends

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There used to be sacrosanct rules in the layout of book interiors. To violate these rules was to scream, as the Germans would say, “Unprofi” or unprofessional. That became one of the sure signs of a self-published book. That is no longer the case. Green considerations about wasting paper and economic considerations about printing costs when margins are so small for the publisher have forced publishers to re-think how books should be laid out.

One of the major changes is the old rule about always beginning new chapters on the recto or right hand side. When a chapter ended on the recto, there would follow a blank page on the next verso or left hand page. That is seen as wasteful today. Chapters’ beginning pages will often be seen on either page, eliminating the need for blank pages on the left. This cuts down on the page count.

Another rule is to not show headers or footers on blank pages and pages where a chapter begins. This is beginning to change. One, there are fewer blank pages. Two, not showing a page number on the start of a chapter, especially when the table of contents gives one is annoying to the reader. The header above the chapter heading still should be eliminated because the page will look too cluttered; however, the page numbers should be placed as footers and they should remain so someone can more easily find a chapter from the TOC.

The inclusion of Library of Congress numbers on the Copyright page. I see these as optional. One, the staff at the LOC seems somewhat overwhelmed by the number of number requests. Two, if you don’t feel there is a large market in the library sector for your book, why bother with it. The librarians are the only folks who refer to these numbers in any way. If your book was designed to sell off the back table at your lectures and your primary sales venues are direct sales or bookstores, don’t bother with the LOC number.

These may seem like small points, but trust me, many publishers agonize over them. If any of you know some other practices which are changing and why, please add a comment below.

This is a cross-posting from Bob Spear’s Book Trends blog.

Why Johnny Won’t Read and What To Do About It

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More & more children do not like to read, especially boys. Why is that and what can we do about it? To answer these questions, I will address the following:

  • Developing a love of story
  • Lack of reading skills
  • Short attention spans
  • Competition for children’s time and attention
  • Lack of good, appropriate content

Each of these points presents problems as I see them and possible solutions. In addition to my book & writing background, I am a certified teacher and taught in a juvenile detention center as its school master for two years in 2000-2002. I’m also a professional storyteller (since 1997) who toured my state’s schools as a performer on the Kansas Arts Commission’s Touring Roster.

Developing a love of story

When I was a little boy in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s, My grandmother and my mother read to me or told me stories often. Each day I would anxiously await the Story Hour program on Purdue University’s radio station, when a story lady or man would read from an exciting children’s book—each day carrying the story along serial fashion until the book was finally finished and then a new one would begin. My favorite teachers were ones who would read aloud to our classes whenever they had the chance. All this developed my love of story and contributed to my love of reading. At one point, my mother and step-father (who were not readers of habit) actually took me to our family doctor with their concern that I was reading too much (is there such a thing?). Reading was my escape, my transport to other worlds and lands. Famous British children’s fantasy writer, Brian Jacques, understood that compulsion, when as a ragamuffin boy, he used to sneak into the library, grab a book, and hide back in the stacks to read until he was caught and they threw him out for being a dirty street kid. (He personally shared that story with me one night at an Author’s Dinner at the BEA).

Are we inculcating a love of story in our children today? Did we we read to them until they learned to read at school and then assumed they would read now that they knew how? Did we stop reading to them? Did books cease to come alive for them in the hands of a skilled adult reader? I read aloud to my incarcerated juveniles 30-60 minutes a day and they loved it. In my own family, even when my kids were in their teens, we would take turns reading thrilling children’s books aloud as a frequent family activity.

Finally, are we good role models to our children? Do we allow them to catch us reading? How can we teach them a love of reading, if we don’t display that behavior ourselves? All this illustrates what I mean when I talk about developing a love of story and a love of reading them.

Lack of reading skills

I could always tell when a student had been taught to read by the “whole word” reading approach. As they stumbled along, guessing at words until the passages became utter nonsense, I cringed at their frustration. Teaching reading by whole word recognition is like teaching the very visual Chinese written language. Instead of teaching students how to sound out words for themselves, using phonics, the students are required to memorize the shapes of words and encouraged to guess what words might be. It just doesn’t work well and makes reading a hideous, frustrating chore. How can children love to do something that they don’t have the skills to do?

Short attention spans

It is a great temptation to use the electronic babysitter (the TV) to occupy our children while we focus on getting the housework done. The next time you watch TV, note how often the camera shots change, about every 3-5 seconds. This constant stimulation of the brain at the unconscious level programs it to expect to be stimulated often. When that doesn’t happen, boredom immediately sets in. Is it any wonder we have so many children with ADD problems. The TV has trained them to expect constant stimulation on a very shallow level. Responsible parents should limit TV watching to few favorite shows per week instead of a constant bombardment of the senses. Books don’t hold up well in the competition for the senses because they require thought, visualization, and imagination. TV, movies, and video games offer immediate and constant gratification which doesn’t require any of these brain skills. In my early years, TVs weren’t available yet, so I sat and told myself stories I made up by the hour for my own entertainment. From this came my imagination and creativity in my adult years. Turn off the boob tube!

Competition for children’s time and attention

When I grew up, there were very few organized activities. Playdate? What the heck is that? Our biggest complaint as kids was there was nothing to do. Today, there are way too many things for our children to do: gymnastics, dance, music, horseback riding, sports, you name it. Moms and dads are worn to a frazzle just trying to keep track of all the schedules and transport there to. When is there quiet time just to read? When a child is constantly stimulated with physical activities, how can a non-physical activity such as reading compete in that environment?

Lack of good, appropriate content

My last point is directed more toward young boys than girls. There is not enough good content to read. That is slowly starting to turn around, although way too many children’s book authors tend to only write fantasies for boys and a wider range of literature for girls. Writers and publishers, you must consider your target audience/market! What do boys like to do? That’s what needs to be written about. Like their fathers, many boys tend to prefer nonfiction. They like true life tales, sports stories, history, as well as fantasies. There are a few authors championing this cause; however, they are too few. Make a difference! provide interesting, fun content boys can identify with.

Conclusion

If you go back over the above material, the common theme is adult responsibilities. The child can’t and won’t make these fixes. YOU have to. Hopefully, this has given you some ideas as to how a love of reading can be inculcated. From my experience with wayward juveniles, it’s never too late, but the earlier you start, the better your chances will be. Our civilization is threatened. Remember what the old cartoon character, Pogo, once said: “We have seen the enemy, and he is we.”

This is a cross-posting from Bob Spear’s Book Trends blog.