03

May

Plotting: I’m a believer. Are you?

Writing

Writing (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I’m in the midst of writing my sixth manuscript. It’s the third in my Reject High teen series.

I got stuck. Like all four wheels spinning helplessly in the mud stuck.

I didn’t want to try writing out my plot.

For my first three novels, I created my characters, wound them up and let them go. My major plot points were a function of their behaviors. While I knew where they were going and how it would end up, I let them guide me through the “how.”

With this book, it was just different. I couldn’t do that anymore. My characters were letting me down (they’re teenagers, so there’s that).

So, I turned off my cellphone and iPad, stepped away from my laptop and started writing with my main character, Jason. Once I finished his arc, I worked on his love interest. Three hours later, the entire plot was done.

I’d never thought I’d say so, but I’m a believer in sketching out plots on paper now. Are you? What’s your process?

46 days ago Short URL 1 Comment

Explanations/Musings/Writing and Editing

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29

May

Barnes and Noble: The inside details (or lack thereof) of a rejection letter

When I talk about publishing, I use quirky comparisons for effect. For example, my “ketchup and cheese” rule:  just because it’s cheap, doesn’t mean it’s good.

Have you ever bought generic ketchup or cheese? Off-brand ketchup and Heinz have one thing in common — they’re both red. Cheap cheese melts like hot glue, and while I’ve never tried eating Elmer’s, it can’t taste much worse than budget cheese.

For me, rejection letters are like asking out a pretty high school girl and being told “no.” She’ll never tell the real reason why she rejected you. It could be your personality, or your wardrobe, among other things. It’s an unsolvable mystery with no closure.

I recently applied for all three of my books to be shelved at B&N. Shelving is one of the nine streams of income you need as an author. If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you’ll know that this is a discussion you can only have if you are listed as the author of your book(s), and not a self-publishing company.

And yes, I got rejected. I won’t be dating that particular pretty girl anytime soon.

The buyer responsible for religious fiction decided not to stock my books, The Lost Testament, The Revelation Gate, and The Anarchists because: a.) the jackets (covers) weren’t compelling, b.) they did not have good advance reviews in trade magazines, c.) they did not have quotes from other writers working in the genre, d.) they did not have articles/reviews in the “usual consumer media,” or e.) my marketing and promotion plan wasn’t good enough.

How do you determine the poison pill(s) from five, very different reasons? 

What makes a jacket or cover “compelling”? Good art design and engaging back cover copy that will sell the book. But what’s “good”?

To a degree, book selling is science, but it’s also a crap shoot. When a legacy publisher picks up a novel, it’s thinking the book is good enough to sell at least two years in the future (it takes that long to edit, produce and market it). That’s a HUGE risk.

For indie/self-pub authors (some places consider you self-pub if you’re indie), advance reviews in places like ForeWord, and Kirkus (the ones you don’t pay almost $500 for) are hard to come by, as are quotes from authors in the genre. The Lost Testament and The Revelation Gate were endorsed by Christian fiction authors Stephanie Perry-Moore  and Michelle Sutton, respectively. My marketing plan for both was involved.

So, that at least narrows the field to three possible reasons for rejection, right?

The moral of the story is this: these details are not really details — it’s a form letter. The key is to do all of the things they request to the best of your ability anyway, and if you’re not good enough to “date,” there are other shelves in the world. Try becoming a Follett vendor (giving you the ability to be shelved in 800 college bookstores across North America). Also, solicit your local small bookstores. They usually love indie authors.

Hope this helps!

386 days ago Short URL 5 Comments

DIY Publishing/Explanations

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19

Apr

If you REALLY want to know. . .

It’s just the two of us here, so I can be direct and honest with you, right?

After all, that’s why you visit my blog in the first place – to know my unadulterated thoughts. The thing is: I adulterate a lot. It’s politically-correct, and a largely accepted practice. Isn’t it? If someone in your inner circle asks you “How are you doing?” and it’s the worst day of your life thus far, would you open up, or something like “I’m good.” (I tell the truth to the right people).

This week, I’d like to answer some recent questions my way.

Q: How’s the book going?

A: Well, book selling is essentially retail sales, and retail is seasonal. The reality is that, while Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc. are popular sales outlets, they pay 60-90 days out. So, even if I made a lot of sales this month, I won’t see a dime until July. Their profits allow them to sell merchandise lower than everyone else, which undercuts my ability to do so through my own site.

Am I going to top Suzanne Collins’ numbers next week? Probably not. Will I sell enough to sip coffee, listen to Pandora, and hire a publicist, marketing firm, and accountant so I can write my next three books? Not yet. But I’m working on it. In the meantime, I’d appreciate your help spreading the word about The Anarchists. I’d do the same for you :)

Q: Why can’t I have a complimentary copy of your book?

A: Because my parents – the people who helped give me life – pay for their copies. And, unfortunately, when I go to the grocery store, they won’t give me complimentary food. No matter how much I ask for the hookup.

Q: Why don’t you just (enter simple, but time consuming task)?

A: The first two years of starting up are the hardest for a small business. Great Nation Publishing is a month away from being two years old. Often times, a bank will not loan a start-up money until it’s been in operation for at least two years. At that point, you get a shot.

What that means is I do my own marketing, publicity, bookkeeping, and event planning. In between, I write, and occasionally spend time with my toddler and pregnant wife . So, while your suggestion is a GREAT one, I simply don’t have the time to do it. However, if you’re offering to help. . .

Just a little insight this week. Hope this helps!

426 days ago Short URL Comments

Explanations

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01

Mar

When throwing money isn’t an option

Say you’re a start-up solopreneur (as my friend Kemya Scott likes to call us D-I-Yers) with this great, new book. You are persuaded beyond a shadow of a doubt that this magnificent creation will save its owner time and money. Or, at the very least, entertain them.

The problem is — nobody knows about it.

Grassroots is a good thing, if you’re talking about lawn maintenance. But to the novice solopreneur, the grassroots approach is a time killer. Not only do  you have to make time to learn how to market, you also have to do it and be good at it.

You’d like to hire someone, but you just can’t afford it. Everyone you ask about doing it for you comes up with an eye-popping amount, and when you ask if there’s a lower price range they say something to the tune of “That’s-my-fee-and-I-don’t-apologize-for-it.” Which is fair and their right (I say the same thing when it comes to editing — it’s HARD work!!!). It doesn’t help grease your way out from between that rock and hard place though.

It also doesn’t help that, for the most part, marketing is an inexact science with no clear Return-On-Investment formula. For example, I sent out postcards announcing my first novel with a special deal on them. Not one of them connected with me for an order.

Does that mean it failed? Couldn’t they have bought a book from Amazon or some other retailer? If they did, I never would have known the difference because Amazon does not send me sales figures by region. I didn’t follow up with them, either. In marketing, consistency is key. Random messaging is not.

Something I found that works is this: the most successful marketers are the ones that combine the traditional stuff (mailings, flyers, bookmarks, etc.) with the newer stuff (QR codes, Hashable, social media, etc.) and do it cost-effectively, not cheaply. There IS a difference.

In promotions for my next book, that’s exactly what I did. My blog tour (traditional) is virtual (non-traditional) and I’m only sending out electronic copies (cost-maintenance).

Sounds great, right? I can’t tell you how many hours I spent sifting through blog forums and websites looking for people who reviewed e-books, my kind of fiction, and were open for submissions. Eventually, my curated list came down to under 100 reviewers. I didn’t hire anyone, but it did cost me time.

Remember my ketchup-and-cheese rule: just because it’s cheap, doesn’t mean it’s good.

Lastly, be encouraged! Surround yourself with people smarter than you and keep at it!

Hope this helps.

475 days ago Short URL 2 Comments

DIY Publishing/Explanations

18

Jan

Definitive time travel rules

Cover of "Back to the Future"

Time travel is a tricky concept to master

For my next book, I spent A LOT of time researching time travel, quantum physics, and alternate realities. All of it is theoretical, of course, which presents a number of obstacles. I found a solution that seems to work, and I’ll share a little bit of it with you.

Some Debbie Downer chaos theorists say that any mode of successful time travel within your own lifetime would destroy the planet. Makes for an anti-climactic novel, don’t you think? The call to action destroying all of mankind? Bummer.

There’s the Back to the Future theory, where you can travel outside of your own lifetime, like Marty McFly, and return to a reality resembling the one you left. To make this movie work, his parents would have to have awful memories, wouldn’t they?

My wife loved The Lake House. I still don’t buy Keanu Reeves as a romantic lead, but I like Sandra Bullock enough to ignore most of the potholes in the time-jumping plot. And, while The Butterfly Effect was critically panned, I appreciated the negative consequences of Evan’s time-jumping. He caused brain damage to himself. After all, once you change your past, EVERYTHING, from the clothes you wear the next day to the next sentence you speak, has the possibility to be different.

Here’s are three tips that I found useful:

  1. I’ve heard it said that if you write characters that the reader/viewer falls in love with, you can get away with pretty much anything plot-wise. Yeah, my soapbox on writing good characters  is pretty much always in use. But think about it: how many movies have you seen with unbelievable plots but you didn’t care?
  2. Make your theme clear. Sure, they’re going back in time. It’s cool and adventurous. But, why did they go in the first place? What’s the ultimate message? In Back to the Future, Marty was warned not to interfere with history, but he did it to save his friend. Ultimately, that was deemed an okay rule to bend. Evan in The Butterfly Effect sacrificed the love of his life and destroy his method of time travel after realizing that playing God was too dangerous.
  3. Keep it simple. If you get lost in the writing, your reader will get lost in the reading — and not in a good way. Some of my writing was once compared to that of Toni Morrison. She’s a Nobel Prize winner and a celebrated author, but I did not take that as a compliment. It was her excuse for not reading any further. Don’t let the same happen to you.
Happy writing!
B
Related articles

518 days ago Short URL Comments

Explanations/Musings/Writing and Editing

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17

Jan

Characterization: real people with real issues

How do you write real people with real issues? I write inspirational fiction and shy away from calling it “Christian fiction” because of the genre’s tendency towards squeaky-clean people or the other side of the spectrum: wrong-side-of-the-tracks bad boys or girls.

My preference is for a multi-cultural cast of characters. They have screwy childhoods and destructive tendencies that evolve into redemptive qualities at the end. Sometimes :) Not everyone deserves a happy ending, and not everyone who gets a happy ending deserves it.

Characters need motivation: a reason why they do things. If your bad girl is promiscuous, why is she promiscuous?  If it’s because she likes sex, why does she like sex? Sound like a stupid question? “Because it feels good,” “it’s a part of the genre,” or “sex sells” are convenient and lazy reasons. Dig deeper with your character. It’s her way of taking back the power over her body that was robbed from her by an assault. Or, she uses sex to get what she really wants — intimacy from a man — because it’s what she was told she had to do to get it.

I’m writing a character for my next book who has Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. I’m fleshing her out by interviewing people with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The character, named Isoke, is a hardened war survivor with abandonment issues. In addition to my research, the experiences of those people help color Isoke’s world for me. How can she sustain relationships with PTSD. Can she sustain a romantic relationship with someone who does not understand her or her feelings? If she can, how? 

My characterization form, which I cobbled together from different sources, is kind of (REALLY) long, but useful. If you’d like a copy, drop me a comment or e-mail me at brian@authorbrianthompson.com

Happy writing!

B

519 days ago Short URL Comments

DIY Publishing/Explanations/Musings/Writing and Editing

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27

Dec

The world of a Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder victim

The book I am currently writing follows a group of people picking up the pieces after a bloody war. One of those people suffers Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) because of experiences she won’t (or can’t) talk about.

Instead of relying on antiseptic details and descriptions of PTSD (you can do that here), I like to interview people who can color in the spaces for me. My father did a tour in Vietnam during the late sixties. A friend of mine, who we’ll call “John,” was sexually assaulted. Another friend, “Andrew,” was molested by a family member.

Three different people, with different lives and traumas, but united by a common thread.

For my dad, both his physical and mental health have been affected. He spoke with regret about his personal relationships, and the damage his condition might have caused to them without his knowledge.

John talked about living in limbo, wanting to move on in one way, but tethered to the past for its comforts in another. He described his attack with detail. But it left him with a dependence on medication for temporary peace. No one understands, he says, even as he tries his hardest to relate it. That frustrates him.

Andrew and the relative who assaulted him cannot be in the same room together without Andrew feeling discomfort. His parents feel regret for exposing him to this person and not being able to protect him. His relationships are scattered, and the one girl who helped him feel normal left him for another guy. Still single, he has catatonic episodes and moments where he cannot cope.

The stories gave a new depth to my character, but gave me a greater understanding and compassion for victims of this disorder. It’s a real problem, particularly for war veterans. It cannot be medicated away, cured, or erased. John said he does not want it to be erased, but merely hopes for resolution, whatever that may be.

I know they don’t speak for all trauma victims, but each of them said this: you cannot cure PTSD. After your diagnosis, it’s about managing your life and decisions in a way that makes life worth living again. I understand that now. Hopefully, you do too.

Brian Thompson’s passion is motivating and encouraging others to write and to pursue Do-It-Yourself publishing. He is also author of acclaimed Christian fiction thrillers The Lost Testament, and The Revelation Gate. You can read more about Brian by visiting his author site.

539 days ago Short URL 1 Comment

Explanations

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18

Nov

Business of the business

OK, so you have decided to start your own small business. I believe in adhering to the laws of the land, so if you don’t believe the same, skip everything I am about to say.

Let my mistakes be your lesson. I did not do my due diligence in two instances and paid someone to file my Sales and Use Certificate (which allows you to buy some business-related expenses tax-free and collect, report, and pay sales tax) paperwork, and my Federal Employer Identification Number (establishes you as a business in the eyes of the IRS). Both, as of today, are FREE.

When you google either, if, through the miracle of SEO (Search Engine Optimization — some businesses position themselves in the top 10 web search positions because that’s as far as most people read) a government website does not pop up, ignore it. Do you really want to pay someone almost $40 for a certificate you can apply for yourself in the same amount of time they take? You won’t receive it any faster, despite what you are told.

You need to file paperwork to do business as your business name. Without that, you cannot open a business checking account, which you will need to have to separate your personal accounts from your business account. In Newton County, it costs $25. I found a free notary through an old business connection.

A business address may be a good idea, especially if you would rather not publicize your personal address. Some Post Office-like stores have mailboxes you can rent by the month and issue addresses that sound like actual offices. PO Boxes set off scam alarms for the consumer, and are not looked upon as professional.

Finally, there’s the Business License itself. For a Sole Proprietorship like Great Nation Publishing, it costs $145 to establish and you have to renew it at the end of the year. In addition, the law requires you to pay for a business listing (name, address, and phone number) that will run in a local paper for two consecutive weeks. Here, in Newton County, you pay for it at the courthouse and it costs $40.

So, to recap, you need a Sales and Use Certificate, a FEIN, a DBA, a mailing address (if you prefer), a license and a public listing. Altogether, depending on how much your mailbox costs per month, you can be looking at anywhere between $220-$250. Take my advice: it’s always better to have your things in order and prepared, just in case they come checking for you. Be blessed.

944 days ago Short URL Comments

Explanations

18

Aug

So, you say you’re a “heathen”. . .

I recently spoke with a college friend who challenged me to also market to the secular community rather than alienate it.

Challenge extended.

In reaction, I mentioned the multi-faceted characters of The Lost Testament: namely a Louisiana Creole that practices voodoo, a prostitute, Klansmen, and a church girl with slippery morals; in short, I made a statement that, if published on a large scale, would likely alienate the secular audience.

The Christian fiction I’ve read before is very “churchy,” in that there’s a pastor who is the protagonist (guilty as charged) who meets a wayward girl (guilty again) that becomes his love interest. Sprinkle in some church politics and some stereotypical/archetypal characters and there you have it. This does not mean it’s “bad” fiction; to me, it just speaks of what we’re used to seeing as a Christian audience.

So, I took a look in the African-American interest section of a bookstore the other day. I found Christian lit., next to Erotica and modernist and post-modernist works and, of course, street lit. Conversely, the Christian lit. section is just Christian lit.; there’s no color differential. Eventually, when I hit major distribution, I wonder where The Lost Testament will go. I don’t believe it lends itself to a purely African-American audience. There’s something in there for everyone.

If you are not a Christian and you are looking for a good book to read, may I recommend The Lost Testament? Not because I’m looking to convert you to Christianity, though ultimately, whether you do or not has little to nothing to do with my efforts. If you have ever lost a fiancé or spouse to death or divorce, the love story in this book will speak to you. You can find love again. Found yourself headed down a career path you never saw coming, but did so out of desperation or due to a tragic occurrence? There’s empathy for you in Charlie and Jolene. It doesn’t have to be the end of your story. Done something so horrible, you thought redemption was out of the question? Read the book and see what Jack Miles faces.

Challenge accepted.

1036 days ago Short URL Comments

Explanations

06

Aug

First book signing/E-book News

Got my morning coffee and started my day off with prayer, daughter’s off at daycare, and here we are together once again. Pandora is set to a hip-hop station to get my juices flowing and motivated.

This past Wednesday, a few former co-workers organized what came to be called a “book shower” — basically a book signing with a few refreshments, courtesy of them. It was a sacrifice, as their pre-planning time for the school year was cut to two days and it was held after the time they were required to be there. It both honored and humbled me. Remember, it’s not a sacrifice unless it hurts to give it.

As of July 21, I’m committing to contribute $2 of each book sale to Relay for Life. Soon, I will be converting “The Lost Testament” to an e-book format, and I will donate $1 each of those sales. Because of the legalities involved, I couldn’t offer a 32″, HD LCD television more than locally. It’s a giveaway to help raise money for this cause. Some people aren’t moved by cancer because it hasn’t personally touched them, but a free television might do it. I told the Relay Chair, Diana Brown, that I’d like to write her a check for $1,000 by the middle of September. Will you help by purchasing a book or donating?

1048 days ago Short URL Comments

Explanations

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