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Why Are Sleazy Protagonists Popular?

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by L.J. Sellers, author of the bestselling Detective Jackson mysteries

Alcoholics, sex addicts, porn stars, thieves, and kidnappers. In today’s crime fiction, these characters are often the protagonists, and as a reader, I’m expected to root for them. I rarely can. I’ve put down many well-written and well-plotted novels lately because the main character was not someone I could relate to.

 

 

For example, in one story, the protagonist—a reformed criminal, living a good life—participated in a kidnapping to keep himself from going to jail. If I had not been reading the book for discussion, I would have put it down immediately. For me, there was little point in reading about a protagonist I wanted to see caught and punished, especially since I knew he would not be.

In another story, the character was well developed, resourceful, and good-hearted and I really wanted to like her. But the world she inhabited was sleazy and everyone she encountered gave me the creeps. Despite the terrific writing, I finally gave up, because spending too much time in her world was a little hard to take.

Don’t get me wrong. I love crime fiction! And I’m certainly not a prude. I write a mystery/suspense series, and the first book is called The Sex Club. My main character is a homicide detective who’s a hardworking family man. Not perfect, by any means, but he’s also not a cynical, pill-popping alcoholic with dysfunctional relationships. I’m tired of that cop stereotype, and I want my character to be someone readers can relate to.

But it’s not a clear-cut issue. Two of my favorite books last year had protagonists who were criminals…or at least they had been. In Beat the Reaper, the main character is an ex-hit man who becomes a doctor. But he’s trying to redeem himself, and it’s a terrific (and often funny) story. The Lock Artist, another novel I loved, is about a psychologically mute safecracker. But the reader knows from the beginning that Michael goes to jail and hopes to change his life. So I rooted for both characters all the way.

For me, good characterization for a protagonist, especially a recurring character, means creating someone readers will care about, like, and/or respect in some way. (I make an exception for Elmore Leonard’s stories, in which everyone is shady, but often likeable, and I can always cheer for a charming thief, especially if he’s played by George Clooney.)

I realize I may be somewhat alone in this thinking. In my book discussion groups, many other readers say they don’t have to like the protagonist to find the story compelling.

How do you feel about protagonists who are unlikable, deeply flawed, or simply not someone you’d ever spend time with? Does it spoil the story for you? Can you name a novel you thoroughly enjoyed even though you didn’t like the protagonist?

 

 

This is a reprint from the Crime Fiction Collective blog, and is reprinted here in its entirety with that site’s permission.

The New World of Publishing: What Should Indie Publishers Be Called?

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This post, by Dean Wesley Smith, originally appeared on his site on 9/8/12.

We have indie publishers, self publishers, specialty-press publishers, small-press publishers, and so on and so on. Are there any differences and does anyone care?

Well, it seems some people care. Those people with far too much time on their hands, in my opinion. But alas, I have been asked questions about the differences now for some time and I figured it was about time to lay out my opinion on the subject.

So here is how I break it down….

(I will not defend this because, honestly, I have too much actual work to do. And I honestly don’t care. But for the sake of future articles, let me be clear how I see each term. Then you all can agree or disagree.)

Self-Publishers.

Writers who are publishing their own work and have not started a press, don’t have a press name, and when they publish a book, it says only their author name as the publisher.

I have zero issue with authors publishing this way as long as they never hope to grow a larger business. This way is for occasional writers wanting to get something into print. Nothing wrong with it at all.

In fact, this article is self-published. So for this blog and other articles on this web site, I am a self-published author.

Indie Publishers

Indie publishers are writers or fans or whatever who have started a press name that publishes either their own work or someone else’s work. Indie publishers run their press like a business. They often don’t even have their own checking account under the business name, although most do.

Again, nothing wrong with that.

Indie presses usually have more than one author name under their press, have a press web site, and act like a business with their writing. In my columns called “Think Like a Publisher” I try to help writers set up their own presses and act like a business.

Specialty Press Publishers 

 

Read the rest of the post on Dean Wesley Smith’s site.

Publetariat Site Maintenance

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We’re not posting new content tonight, as we’re using this evening to perform some server maintenance tasks. The site will remain online during this time, and we’ll be back with new content tomorrow evening, 9/10/12, at 6pm Pacific Time. Thanks for your patience and support.  (no need to click through – this is the end of the post)

Writers' Code of Ethics

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This post, by J.A. Konrath, originally appeared on his A Newbie’s Guide to Publishing blog on 9/4/12. .

Lots of controversy on the internet concerning writers lately. It’s time for…

THE WRITERS’ CODE OF ETHICS

1. I will never pay people to write positive reviews of my books.

2. I will never use a false account (aka a sock puppet or anonymous account) to leave negative reviews of any of my peers.

3. I will never use a false account to review my own books.

4. I will never send reviewers copies of my books if they review in a periodical where my publisher buys advertising.

5. I will never ask friends, family, peers, or anyone who knows me to write reviews of my books, since they are biased toward me.

6. I will never ask fans to write reviews of my books, since they are biased toward me.

7. I will never pay a publicist to send out books of mine to be reviewed, since I am essentially paying someone for reviews.

8. I will never allow a publicist working for a publisher to send out books of mine to be reviewed, since they are being paid to do so.

9. I will never allow anyone to send out copies of my books to be reviewed, because if they were doing that they must know me, and if they know me it is impossible to get an unbiased review.

10. I will never allow any review from anyone I’ve ever met. Every review must be from someone who has never met me, heard of me, or read me before, and must come with a signed affidavit proclaiming such.

11. Every review must be from a professional reviewer who has true integrity. But this professional reviewer cannot accept money in any way, shape or form, because getting paid for reviewing could compromise their ethics.

12. I will personally interview every reviewer to make sure they are unbiased, and then ask them to remove their review because upon meeting them (The Konrath Uncertainty Principle) I may have affected their review, which renders it biased.

13. I will never blurb a book by an author I know.

14. I will never accept a blurb from an author I know.

15. I will never blurb a book from any author, because I may know them some day.

16. I will never review anything, or blurb anything, or allow any of my books to be reviewed of blurbed.

17. I will never allow anyone I have ever known, or ever might know, to blurb or review anything.

18. I will never use a sock puppet or post anonymously online about anything at all, because I should stand by my own words.

19. I will never post anything at all online, ever again, because it might impinge upon someone else’s ethical standards.

20. I will publicly chastise, denigrate, ridicule, mock, and lynch anyone who has breached any of the above.

21. I will tattoo this code of ethics permanently upon my back to show all how ethical and moral I am.

22. Those who don’t ask about my ethics will still be forced by me to memorize the tattoo on my back, in public, as many times as I demand.

23. All who do not comply will never be allowed to write again, and will broken on the wheel, their intestines forced down their own lying, cheating, dishonest, unethical throats while they beg for mercy, then they’ll burned at the stake, drawn and quartered, their charred, smoking, crispy body parts placed on spires for all to view. This punishment will be meted out to any person, living or dead, who has ever had contact with, or has heard of, the offending party.

Joe sez: If you haven’t figured it out yet, this isn’t about dishonesty. It’s about degrees of dishonesty. And everyone, to a degree, is dishonest. Glass houses and throwing stones, folks.

The only way to make the system pure is to never allow anyone to do anything, ever. But that’s impossible. So instead we have people pointing fingers and masturbating to their own smug sense of superiority because they haven’t been caught in the "ethical lapse du jour" yet.

 

Read the rest of the post on A Newbie’s Guide to Publishing.

17 School Writing Rules You Need to Unlearn in the Real World

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 This post originally appeared on onlinecollege.org.

We have some good news for English class haters: some of the rules your teachers drilled into your brain are absolute hooey in the real world. Who really says “an historic”? And personally, we love starting sentences with “but,” “and,” and “or.” Read on as we explore these and 15 other school writing rules that really don’t have a place in modern writing. English teachers, you have our apologies.

1. WRITING ENDLESSLY TO GET YOUR POINT ACROSS:

As school progresses, we go from small paragraphs to 50-page papers in college, but more doesn’t necessarily mean better. In fact, in the real world, it’s much better to get your point across in a concise way.

2. SENTENCES CAN BEGIN WITH AND, BUT, OR OR:

This classic English class rule has become obsolete, as people have ignored it so much that hardly anyone observes it anymore. It may not be completely professional, but it’s widely accepted and a great way to get your point across.

3. WAITING FOR A PROMPT:

In school, you’re handed assignment after assignment that spells out exactly how you should approach your writing, but in the real world, rarely do such prompts exist. Learn how to figure out what to write and find the confidence to decide what you want to put into it.

4. LONG PARAGRAPHS:

Chances are, you were taught to construct paragraphs with topic sentences, supporting evidence, and small conclusions, but that’s just too long for the real world. You can better keep the attention of your audience by limiting paragraphs to three sentences at the most.

5. EDITING HAPPENS ALL AT ONCE, AT THE END:

No one’s saying you can’t give your work a once-over before sending it along, but if you’ve got a lot of ground to cover, it might make sense for you to edit as you go, rather than all at once. Fixing problems and having clean copy to work from can make it easier to move on and write the rest of your work.

6. NOT ENDING SENTENCES WITH A PREPOSITION:

Sometimes, you just have to end your sentence in a preposition. A good rule to remember is if you can remove a preposition and the sentence still makes sense, you need to cut it out. If not, keep it. For example: “What did you step in?” needs “in”, but “Where is it at?” could stand to lose the “at.”

7. AVOIDING INCOMPLETE SENTENCES:

Sentences do not have to be complete. They don’t even always have to have a subject, verb, and object. Quick, punchy sentences can help add drama and make a point when used sparingly. Journalists violate this one all the time.

 

Read the rest of the post, which includes 10 more writing rules that may not apply outside of school, on onlinecollege.org.

 

 

The Business Rusch: The End of the Unprofessional Writer

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This post, by Kristine Kathryn Rusch, originally appeared on her site, The Business Rusch, on 8/22/12.

On July 24, 2012, Canada’s The Globe and Mail published an article titled, “There Will Be No More Professional Writers in The Future.”  The article cites a number of writers, from the ubiquitous Scott Turow to Ewan Morrison who, The Globe and Mail thoughtfully tells me, is “an established British writer.”

Morrison says that the advances he’s received from traditional publishers have been slashed to the bone. He says traditional publishing has started to use “ominously feudal economics” to maintain its empire. He then goes on to denounce the digital revolution, saying it will destroy “vital institutions that have supported ‘the highest achievements in culture in the past 60 years.’”

And as if matters can’t get worse, he predicts, “There will be no more professional writers in the future.”

Here’s the thing: Viewed from a certain perspective, Morrison is absolutely right. A decade or two down the road, the model that we once called “professional” for writers will disappear.

That model depended on writers writing on spec until they sell something. Those writers need a day job to support themselves. Those writers once they sell something then hire an employee with no legal training who negotiates their contract. Then that same employee, who usually has no literary training, vets all of the writer’s future works.

For this single sale, the writers will get an interest-free loan that they do not have to pay back if their book fails to sell well. If the book does sell well, then that interest-free loan will be paid off and the writer will receive a percentage of the book’s cover price (in theory) for each copy sold. Of course, cover price might be subject to discounting (at which case the percentage paid to the writer goes down) and the definition of sold might include free copies given away in hopes of goosing remaining sales, but hey, who is counting?

Wait. The answer to that is no one. Because accounting programs at most traditional publishers are so behind the times that they can’t handle e-book royalties in any sane way. In fact, an intellectual property attorney tells me that in a recent contract negotiation with a traditional publisher, the publisher’s attorney removed a phrase the lawyer added. That phrase? That the publishing house was to provide “true and accurate” royalty statements. “True and accurate” is a legal phrase generally put in other business contracts in which one party fills out an accounting for the other party. But traditional publishers…well, apparently, they don’t want to do what other businesses do.

But I digress.

Morrison is right when he calls traditional publishing a feudal economic system. What he fails to see is that it has always been one. And that the economics are simply getting  more rigid as time goes on. The writers are getting less of the pie than they did before, and seem to have no way to combat that.

 

Read the rest of the post on The Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s site, The Business Rusch.

The Publishing Process, In GIF Form

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This post, from Nathan Bransford, originally appeared on his site on 8/27/12.

In which literary agent-turned-author Nathan Bransford posts a ‘show, don’t tell’ blog all about what it’s like to go from being a hopeful to a published author.

At first you’re thinking of writing a novel and you’re all…

 

 

But then you have an idea!

 

 

And you go…

 

 

But then you hit page 50 and you’re all….

 

 

And then you hit page 75 and you’re all…

 

 

But you power through!!

 

 

Read—or in this case, view—the rest of the post on Nathan Bransford’s site.

What Form Should a Prize for Self-published Writers Take?

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This post, by Dan Holloway, originally appeared on his The Cynical Self-Publisher.

OK, there are lots of prizes for self-published books already. There are even some prizes where the self-published can compete alongside the mainstream. This post was occasioned by the latest renewal of one of the book world’s most raucous and high profile events, the Guardian’s Not the Booker Prize.

 
Never short of controversy, as I know, having been the publisher, at eight cuts gallery press, of one of last year’s shortlisted books, The Dead Beat, Not the Booker is also a great platform for small publishers and edgy literary books. The rules of entry have always been the same as those for the Booker. But this year, for the first time, the competition’s infinitely patient organiser Sam Jordison has made reference to the elephant in the room:
 
“But leaving [self-published books] out does seem increasingly anomalous in the brave new world of electronic publishing”
 
and he even hints at more to come
 
“we’ve even discussed the idea of a new and separate award for self-published novels”
 
The reaction has been predictably mixed. On the one hand, commenters have welcomed the thought of a self-published prize run on such a high profile forum as the Guardian. On the other, concerns were expressed about the ghettoisation of self-published books. There has been, however, an amount of consensus behind the idea expressed by the commenter lemonworld:
 
“I’d  love to live in a literary world where we don’t spend so much time talking about HOW something is being published and instead talk even more about WHAT is being published”
 

I think that’s a sentiment all of us, except maybe for a few sub-editors, would concur with. The question is how to get there.

 

Read the rest of the post on The Cynical Self-Publisher.

Can You Afford To Be Fashionably Late To The Digital Party?

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This post, by Bob Mayer, originally appeared on his Write It Forward blog.

In general it’s always a good thing to be the “first” at something. Being part of something on the ground floor tends to give you an advantage. This is why Bob and I are always trying new things and open to new innovative technology. But there is an inherent flaw in being “first”.

What was the first eReader? A Sony. They were first, but they aren’t really a big player anymore now are they? What was the first “smartphone?” Most people would probably say the Blackberry. Nope. It was a phone designed in 1992 by IBM called Simon. And well, we all know that IBM used to be synonymous with Personal Computer, except they have made a PC in years.

Anyone ever hear of Kodak? Did you know Kodak actually developed the technology for the digital camera? In 1995 they were pushing the Kodak DC40. They had pulled in Kinko’s and Microsoft to help develop digital making software and put kiosks inside Kinko’s stores. Even IBM collaborated with Kodak to make an internet-based network image exchange. These campaigns helped launch digital cameras to the consumers and now everyone uses them, but what has happened to Kodak?

It’s not that being first is the flaw. The flaw is the inability to adapt to continued change. Kodak made some ground breaking advances, but they never adapted to their own creation. The danger in being first and successful at something is the standard thinking that it can be re-created in identical format. Also, we have to remember that usually being first means it’s only the beginning. Too many people sit back and relax because they feel as though they’ve already achieved it. Whatever it is.

So, what does this brief little history lesson bring us to? Last week I visited the Corporate Offices of Kobo. During a tour of the offices with Mark we discussed various technologies, and how it has impacted the business of publishing, the writers, and the readers. I sort of joked that Kobo was a little late to the digital party and Mark responded with, “perhaps a little late, but with a solid plan.” One of the things that impressed me with Kobo is their ability to see what is going on around them and then act instead of react. They took their time launching the new Writing Life Portal. It’s been in the works for about a year, but they were busy watching, listening and learning. They are very aware of what is going on with other on-line stores and they welcome the competition. Mark constantly repeats how Kobo feels that the author should be able to get their book on as many platforms as possible.

 

Read the rest of the post on Bob Mayer’s Write It Forward.

Back to Basics: Propp's Functions, Introduction

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This post, by Brooke Johnson, originally appeared on her blog on 5/7/12.

Next up in the Back to Basics series is Propp’s Fairy Tale Functions, which I discovered upon reading Memo from the Story Dept. by Christopher Vogler and David McKenna. Most of what I have to say on the subject will be story analysis. The actual breakdown of each stage is Vogler and McKenna’s doing. In their book, they compare the functions to the Hero’s Journey, but I’m not going to list that here. In all honesty, you should read the book. I learned a lot from it.

 
Propp’s Functions result from his observations of about a hundred Russian fairy tales. In those stories, he found repeating patterns, identifying thirty-one in all. These functions are not necessarily a structure, as we would consider The Hero’s Journey or Three Act, but instead, they are pieces that can be mixed and matched, a “compendium of possibilities” as Vogler says.
 

I’ll do a quick summary today, and then starting Thursday, I’ll cover the first six or so functions more in depth with examples. As I said before, these are Vogler’s words, not mine. I haven’t studied Propp’s functions as extensively as I’ve studied the Hero’s Journey, and so honestly, I don’t feel qualified to expound with my own opinions and theories about them. However, I do plan to attempt writing a story based on these functions, so perhaps in the future, I’ll be better equipped to analyze the functions more deeply.

 

 
For another, simpler summary, check out the Wikipedia page on Vladimir Propp.
 
Propp’s Functions
 
The Initial Situation: There’s a family or a hero living somewhere.
 
1.      Absentation: A member of the family is dead, kidnapped or lost. Something’s missing from the hero’s life.
 
2.      Interdiction: Someone tells the hero “Whatever you do, don’t…” (open the door, go into the woods, etc.)
 
3.      Violation of Interdiction: The hero does exactly what has been forbidden, or fails to do something he’s been told to do.
 
4.      Reconnaissance: The villain, perhaps tipped off by Function III, seeks information about the hero. (Or the hero may seek information about the villain.)
 
5.      Delivery: The villain gets information about the hero. Or the hero gets information about the villain, perhaps brought by an informant.
 
6.      Trickery: The villain uses information to deceive or trap the hero, or to steal something.

 

Read the rest of the post, which includes 31 functions in all, on Brooke Johnson’s blog.

The Slap-Your-Head-Simple Secret for Selling More Books

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Remember the wannabe-summer-blockbuster Battleship?

If you’re drawing a blank, I’m not surprised.

Released all the way back in May, the movie is based on the classic board game, which is fun, but not quite deep enough to plot even a summer movie.

So, they added Liam Neeson (who I hope just needed the money), the Nordic-looking vampire from True Blood, singer/celebrity Rihanna and…aliens. Yes, aliens.

Think there’s no way that movie could possibly be good? You’re right. It currently stands at a 33% on Rotten Tomatoes. And some of those positive reviews “praised” it only for not being as bad as expected.

As a result, Battleship made back only 30% of its production budget. A genuine flop.

For a big movie studio, that’s a disappointment, but not the end of the world.

As an author, however, making only 30 cents for every dollar spent could prevent you from ever publishing again.

 

Unfortunately, book flops are common. An oft-cited statistic is that 80% of published books (indie or traditional) sell fewer than 100 copies.

Wait! Don’t think I’m trying to pop your awesome indie balloon!

What if I told you that I know the reason for those flops? And, even better, I know what to do to make sure it doesn’t happen to you. It’s a secret so simple that (I promise) you’ll do a *headdesk* when you read it.

The Flopping Problem

Before we get to that simple solution, let’s discuss the problem. It’s rooted in the traditional publishing process, which probably looks pretty familiar:

  1. Write your book.
  2. Revise and edit.
  3. Publish.
  4. Market. Cry at lagging sales.

Even taking out my cheeky “cry” comment, do you see the problem with the above? To compare, check out this alternative process:

  1. Write your book. Build your fanbase.
  2. Revise and edit. Build your fanbase.
  3. Publish. Sell bookoo books.
  4. Keep building your fanbase. Repeat.

In process number two, you have a built-in fanbase ready to buy your book when it’s released! Which rocks, right?

Have you guessed the secret?

The Simple Secret for Selling More Books

Begin marketing before you release your book.

I told you it was simple! That single rule combats the number one problem I see among indie authors: the separation of the writing process from the marketing process.

It’s a huge shame! The writing process is the perfect time to begin building both momentum and your fanbase!

  • Think it’ll take forever? Wrong! Seriously, you can build your crazy-dedicated fanbase in an hour or two a week.
  • What if I don’t finish my book? Don’t let it happen! Getting fans onboard gives you motivation to complete your novel. Folks are waiting!
  • I don’t want to give away the farm! You won’t — you’ll get valuable feedback from the readers who will buy your book.

Anticipation is your ally.

I’m not going to lie, the Olympics have me totally obsessed — did you SEE the hoopla with that poor South Korean fencer? Seriously, though, why are they such a big deal? They only come around once every four years. There’s 3-years-and-50-weeks of buildup (and anticipation) for that one event!

Your book release is your Opening Ceremony, your very own epic event: work to make it that special!

So, how do you go about building the momentum for your epic book release?

1. Start building a fanbase at least 6 months before your book is released.

Yeah, six months might seem like a long time. Trust me, though, the more time you give yourself to build up your fanbase, the better. This also gives you plenty of time to revise, edit and polish your work!

“But I already released my book!”

If you sold less than 100 copies, pretend like you didn’t. I’m serious! If you don’t want to go the revisionist-history route, release a second edition 6 months down the road with some sort of added bonus. That could be:

  • A chapter from your next book
  • A short story from another character’s POV
  • A bonus prologue or epilogue
  • Added reviews and praise

Think of this re-release as your book going back in the Disney vault. You know how you want to buy Robin Hood as soon as they put the blasted thing back in the vault? This principle of scarcity is another one of your allies.

Now that you’ve planned that release (or re-release) date, use the principles of reader-centered book marketing to build up your fanbase.

If you’re thinking that 6 months is a long time to keep readers interested, I’m right there with you. Here’s how you do it:

2. Release exclusive content leading up to your launch.

To communicate with your fans, create a mailing list and give your signup form a prominent spot on your website. When folks sign up, send them a free sample chapter, short story or other (valuable) freebie.

The key? Make your freebie something quick and awesome. Don’t send them a 200-page tome from your backlist! Showcase your awesomeness through something quick to read that makes them decide they want to hear more from you.

Now that you’ve got folks on your list, plan to send out a weekly or bi-weekly email with (key point alert!) something of value.

Our attention is so divided nowadays that as soon as your reader stops receiving value from your emails, they unsubscribe. But, don’t freak out about making each email epic. Providing value doesn’t have to be complicated! You could:

  • Discuss a recent blog post in more detail
  • Promote a friend’s book
  • Share an exclusive excerpt
  • Spotlight a character with a detailed profile
  • Ask a discussion question

Basically what I’m saying is don’t endlessly spam/annoyingly promote. One tip to make things easier: write your updates like you’re writing an email to a friend. Jazz up your readers: get them excited about your book, the characters and the release!

3. Begin gathering reviews at least 3 months before your book is released.

Shannon has a great post on the do’s and do-not’s of requesting book reviews, but, in addition to those tips, think of how your fanbase can help out.

A few months before releasing your book, offer up 25 free copies of your book (via an electronic advanced reading copy) in exchange for reviews.

Encourage readers to follow through by offering a reward: this could be chosen at random or for the best review (it’s up to you). Something like an Amazon gift card, a signed paperback copy or a specially-packaged limited edition (more on that later) all work well.

4. Take preorders and make preordering rewarding!

A month before your release, begin taking preorders. Make preordering an awesome deal for your fans!

Your goal with preorders isn’t to make a ton of money — you will be rewarded in other ways. A successful preorder builds up excitement for the official release while encouraging your early-adopters to read the book, leave reviews and spread the word.

A few ideas on creating a special preorder:

Even this preorder release should be an event! It’s like a dry run for the REAL release, so don’t be afraid to go all out.

5. Release the heck out of your book.

Warning: the week of your release will make you want to cry — out of both exhaustion and relief! You’ve (finally) made it, but your work isn’t over. To escape that 80% trap, finish strong!

Be everywhere your readers are! Show them why they should be your fan — don’t tell (kind of like writing, right?)! In every interview, guest post, Q&A and whatever else, share something new and valuable. Make being a part of your fanbase exciting and exclusive!

Talk Back!

What do you think? Is building up your fanbase before releasing your book a great idea or huge mistake? How did you make your book release an event? Are you a part of the 20% Did you actually pay money to see Battleship? Let me know in the comments!

 

This is a reprint from the Duolit team. Click here to download Duolit’s free 35pp guide to self-publishing.

The Five Mistakes Killing Self-Published Authors

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 I Don’t Take Sides

I feel that traditional publishing has a lot to offer the industry. If I didn’t believe that, I wouldn’t spend so much time and effort challenging them to innovate to remain competitive. Self-publishing is not a panacea, and, since I spent last week focusing on the traditional end of the industry, today we are going to talk about the top five mistakes I feel are killing self-publishing authors.

Mistake #1 Publishing Before We Are Ready

The problem with the ease of self-publishing is that it is, well, too easy. When we are new, frankly, most of us are too dumb to know what we don’t know. Just because we made As in English, does not automatically qualify us to write a work spanning 60-100,000 words. I cannot count how many writers I have met who refuse to read fiction, refuse to read craft books, and who only go to pitch agents when they attend conferences at the expense of attending the craft sessions.

Additionally, too many new writers I meet do not properly understand the antagonist. They don’t grasp three-act structure, and most don’t have any idea what I mean when I mention POV, Jungian archetypes, or the phrase, “scene and sequel.”

I see a lot of new writers who believe their story is the exception, that the rules make for “formulaic” writing. No, rules are there for a reason, and, if the writing is too formulaic, it has more to do with execution than the rules.

Three-act structure has been around since Aristotle, and there is a lot of evidence in neuroscience that suggests that three-act structure is actually hard-wired into the human brain. Thus, when we deviate too far from three-act structure, it confuses and frustrates readers. Stories have clear beginnings, middles and ends. Without a clear story objective, it is impossible to generate dramatic tension, and what is left over is drama’s inbred cousin, melodrama. Yet, many writers start off writing a book without properly understanding the basic skeleton of story.

Writing fiction is therapeutic, but it isn’t therapy. Yes, characters should struggle with inner demons, but that does not a plot make. Struggling with weakness, inner demons, insecurity, addictions are all character arc, not plot arc. There should be a core story problem that we can articulate in ONE sentence. The plot arc should serve to drive the character arc. If the character does not grow and change she will fail, but it is the core story problem that drives this change. Without the problem, there is no crucible.

Yes, we are artists, but we need to understand the fundamentals. I played clarinet for years, and yes it was an art. But this didn’t excuse me from having to learn to read music, the finger positions and proper embouchure (the way to position the mouth to play).

The better we are at the basics, the better we know the rules, the more we become true artists.

I’ve received contest winners whose first pages were filled with newbie errors. Yet, when I sent them my critique filled with pages of corrections, I would then receive a reply telling me that the book had already been self-published.

OUCH.

Sometimes there are reasons we are being rejected and we need to take a hard look and be honest. Self-publishing is suffering a stigma from too many writers publishing before they are ready. If you really want to self-publish, I am here to support you and cheer you all the way, but remember, we have to write better than the traditional authors.

 

Read the rest of the post on Kristen Lamb’s blog.

Of Sentences And Stories

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This post, by Craig Lancaster, originally appeared on New Wave Authors on 7/30/12.

Listen up, kids. If you want to make the writing life even more difficult than it already is sometimes, have this for an answer when someone asks you what kind of stories you write:

"Um … well, they’re sort of literary, but … you know, a bunch of stuff happens, but it’s, like … you know … I guess it’s sort of family drama stuff. Sort of. You know?"

That’s, like, a direct quote or whatever.

And if you want to stump even people who write for a living, ask them to define for you, in a single sentence, what constitutes "literary fiction." A few bright souls might have a simple answer, but for the most part, expect some stumbling around.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately–as I try to tame my current work in progress into what I think it wants to be, as I read Dwight Allen’s bizarre complaint about Stephen King (accurately subtitled "a snob’s notes") and then cheer Sarah Langan’s astute takedown of that same piece.

(Let me stop right here to posit that I consider Stephen King a literary writer. Yes, also a horror and fantasy writer, but his best work illuminates the human condition, bringing the things we fear the most and love the most together and telling us some fundamental truth about them. That, to me, is the very essence of literary writing. If we cannot agree on this point, we’re not likely to agree on much else, so perhaps it’s best to part ways. I’ve gotta finish writing this post. Maybe you could go over here.)

When we’re not careful about how we define our terms, we tend to get bifurcated into these extreme points of view: Literary writing is about the beauty of language and the depth of character. Genre writing is about the pace and plot of the story.

 

Read the rest of the post on New Wave Authors.

Curiosity Quills Press Hosts A Cover Art Giveaway

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We often post articles here that urge indie authors to seek out pro services, so we’re happy to highlight this contest from Bone Wires, which is awarding a professional cover design.

To show support for self-publishing and independent authors, Curiosity Quills Press is giving away free professional cover art design as part of a giveaway to promote their latest release – Bone Wires by Michael Shean.

If you win, your cover art designer will be Michael Shean. In addition to being an author, Michael Shean is a professional graphic designer and designed his own covers for Bone Wires and Shadow of a Dead Star. Even if you don’t win the free cover art for your novel, by entering you have a great chance of winning a free copy of Bone Wires.

If you win the grand prize of cover art and don’t need it at this time, Michael can assist you with a blog banner or similar graphic design project.

 

Enter the giveaway here: http://curiosityquills.com/bone-wires-cover-art-giveaway/