Category Archives: Books

The Forest Dark – galleys are on my kitchen table

My new book innards, The Forest Dark

Here they sit, waiting for me to proof.

The new novel, The Forest Dark, will be available in May. What it’s about:

Genre: Family Drama/Mainstream-Contemporary/Gay-Lesbian Fiction

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I know that’s kind of vague, so stay tuned for more! As soon as I have a good cover graphic, I’ll launch the Facebook page. There’s a placeholder there already, so you can “like” the page, and I’ll post all updates there as well.

I’ve seen the future and it’s the independent artist: self-publishing

Well, it’s only fair that this blog post should come out on the heels of a previous one which lamented the awful state of book author compensation.

Hugh Howey, the science fiction writer, wrote this piece for Salon which is about as positive on the state and potential of self-publishing as the previous one was negative (also for Salon). (Although that book, “Broken Piano for President,” was published by a small independent, not self-published.)

Howey’s had great self-published success (the “Wool” series, among others) and offers several similar stories. But the real thing that I loved about this piece is that he sees the bigger trend which transcends individual successes, and bodes well for writers in general as well as readers.

He reminds us that “the slush pile is made available to readers.” What that means is that in traditional publishing, it might be only that 1% of manuscripts that make it through the fickle editorial/marketing gauntlet. With self-publishing, other gems are out there waiting for readers to find them.

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Howey contrasts the tired, old style route to literary success with the new paradigm of self-publishing by comparing it to the music business. Why is it we celebrate the hardscrabble musicians and their antics but not the writers who do analogous things? I believe there’s that persistent (and false and misplaced) myth that anybody can do it – anybody can write a book – if they just have the time to sit down and do it. Really? Kind of like that classic piece of modern art that your kid still hasn’t produced, right?

Bestseller Makes Writer Nothing — or Close To It

books, books on the shelf

The sad truth of the writerly life: probably, you’re not getting rich. Patrick Wensink lays it all out for you here in Salon.

I’m a firm believer in transparency — here, the transparency which seeks to eliminate wishful thinking and guesswork — both of which seem endemic to the arts.

Painters, dancers, actors — and indeed, writers — often let the magic of following the dream weigh heavily on the practical decisions to pursue the art. Not that it’s not worth pursuing – by all means, it is/they are – I just believe one should take that leap with a clear idea of why. (And a good line on a day job.)

And that “why” should not be about financial rewards. Sure, you may become the next Spielberg, Warhol, Baryshnikov, whoever — but chances are you won’t. Or it may take a really, really, really long time. So there has to be enough love in your heart and passion for the thing itself to enjoy it for its own sake. Otherwise, don’t do it.

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Wensink even calls writing books a “fiscally idiotic quest.” I had a well-meaning friend actually laugh out loud when she asked me what the average monthly royalty check on my book “Benediction” is, and I told her (I’m not telling you – but it’s small – so much for transparency). Yes, it does make one feel like an idiot.

But still, we persevere. There’s some powerful drive there, the need to create, to tell stories, to transcend ourselves, whatever it may be. Then there’s always the hope that someday we’ll get Hollywood-sized paydays (that’s actually a place where writers can make some decent money, though when you average out lean years with spectacular ones, it may not be all that much different from other professions, at least for the vast majority).

So keep writing. You need to do it, and we need your dreams.

Publish your book: CreateSpace

Find a gem: Good Reads

Fake Book Reviews, How to Spot Them

I thought this past editorial in Reader Views was instructive (RIP, beloved Irene Watson) – as part of the marketing deal, self-published (as well as traditionally-published) authors need to find some reputable reviewers who will, hopefully, give a book a good, thoughtful review. But like with so many things in cyberland, what looks legit to all appearance may be anything but.

Since Amazon is the main go-to place on the internet for books, we focus on that site, though others are similar in their treatment of peer reviews. One thing that’s pretty darn brazen: authors writing their own reviews, sometimes in the guise of adding information about the plot, etc! I’m surprised I didn’t think of that!

Also, look for, in a legitimate review: detailed descriptions of plot and character, and how the reader felt about them – a sure indication he or she read something. Be skeptical of 100% positive or 100% negative reviews, both categories being somewhat unlikely for most books out there, and possibly hiding reviewers with an agenda or an axe to grind. Also, beware of plot summaries disguised as fake book reviews, and check the reviewer’s other reviews, to see how many, their tone, etc.

Irene also has some concrete suggestions of what you can do if you’re an author who’s received a scam review.

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The New York Times did their own story on this issue awhile back, reporting on how Amazon was starting to try and crack down on fake reviews, and the inherent problems in deciding what was fake and what was legit. Still, if you didn’t read the book, that wouldn’t stop you from posting a review. As their spokesman said, “We do not require people to have experienced the product in order to review.”

Most enlightening of all, however, is the book review career of Harriet Klausner, an apparent speed reader with over 25,000 (28,611 when I checked right before posting today) Amazon reviews. I’m not quite sure how she does it, but it’s pretty awesome, depending on how you look at it. A lot of cojones, verdad? What do you think?

If I could read a novel a week, I’d be thrilled.

Teaser Promo Copy for “The Forest Dark”

Here’s my first attempt at some (like, 100 words) teaser marketing copy for my new novel, The Forest Dark:

“The Forest Dark” is a quirky, family-of-choice drama about Eden and Noah, middle-aged friends who must find a way to reconcile their unresolved past with an unexpectedly strange present.

In 1984, conservative co-ed Eden von Eiff befriends young gay man Noah Baldock during L.A.’s frenetic Summer Olympic Games. Becoming fast and intimate, Noah offers Eden a solution to an enormous problem — which she can’t, in the end, accept.

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Twenty-five years later, these two boomers struggle to come to grips with the choices they made long ago. They must navigate not only a troubled economy and professional failure, but also control a looming and violent threat to their future.

So, the idea is to entice without giving the whole plot away. I wonder if it’s too vague? What does anyone think? Also, how weird does a story have to be called “quirky?” I don’t want anyone to think it’s about, for instance, anyone named Zooey.

Late Bloomer Millionaires!

Steve Schullo (left), Dan Robertson

This new book, Late Bloomer Millionaires, demystifies the often-confusing process of retirement investing using the exceptional concept of presenting real-life financial data as the primary case study.*

Married partners Steve Schullo and Dan Robertson began investing for retirement in their mid-30s, only to realize later that the advice received from annuity salesmen and other employer retirement “specialists” was actually costing them dearly. Late Bloomer Millionaires chronicles not only their increasing investment savvy, but the actual ups and downs their real portfolios took in divesting from those teacher annuities, through the delirious tech bubble of the 1990s and on into the housing bubble and subsequent Great Recession of 2008.

Through it all, there are lessons to be learned and these nuggets are clearly communicated to the reader, including an exhaustive list of passive investment strategy portfolios based on Vanguard founder John Bogle’s philosophy of index fund investing.

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Late Bloomer Millionaires is for those Baby Boomers who’ve lost retirement savings in the Recession as well as for those who never saved and want to start a program. It’s also the perfect financial guide for someone starting investing at the beginning of their career, who will be able to take the hard-won, candid advice of Schullo & Robertson and not fall into the same traps they eventually overcame.

In addition to explaining in detail how they invested and rolled with the markets, applying lessons learned every time, Schullo & Robertson have specific sections on understanding an employer’s retirement plan as well as a lengthy section on financial consultants, which includes a hypothetical discussion between a 30-year-old newly-minted investor and an ethical fiduciary.

Written partly as autobiography and partly as how-to, Late Bloomer Millionaires is appropriate for an experienced investor as well as anyone new to the subject, and is especially appropriate for the Baby Boomer and LGBT communities, as well as teachers and female investors. The book incorporates appendices, which include sample portfolio allocations and returns, as well as a helpful glossary.

*Disclosure: the authors are also a marketing client of Jim Arnold Communications.

Trebor Healey Reading at Skylight Books

[youtube]http://youtu.be/Yr-lWN7kvB0[/youtube]

Author Trebor Healey was at Skylight Books yesterday to read from both his new novels, which coincidentally have been released around the same time by different publishers. In the video above, he reads from “Faun,” which definitely sounds like a unique (and often really funny) take on teenage wasteland!

His other new novel is “A Horse Named Sorrow,”, concerning a journey, both real and metaphorical, and centering on a great love set during the height of the AIDS epidemic in the early nineties.

Can’t wait to read both!

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Spooky homo-centric for Hallow’s Eve at Stories, Echo Park

Valley Village Matron after a rough night.

Last night Hank Henderson curated a great (and sometimes scary) evening of gay writers at his monthly reading series homo-centric, one of the few (is it now the only?) regular local L.A. events celebrating LGBTQ literature.

One of the things I like best about Hank’s series is that he champions both the emergent writer as well as the better known. It’s thrilling to be both a reader there (I’ve done it a couple of times) but also a listener, discovering the enormous amount of writing talent we have in our town.

Hank Henderson reading at homo-centric, 10/18/12

Hank started off the evening himself, reading the short story “Peekaboo” by Bill Pronzini. It’s in a compilation named Graveyard Plots (also available here) which, for me, had me on the edge of my seat with the accumulated anticipation of being really scared shitless all of a sudden. Don’t read it alone. (Queer connection: this story was read by a homosexual. Content is neutral!)

Next, Philip Littell spun a tale from the perspective of two ghosts anxiously awaiting a visit from the realty people. One of the humans is “sensitive” to the presence, one is not. Likewise, one of the ghosts is more assured in his role, the other, not so much. I really liked that this was told from that perspective, as in my usual forays into the realm of the ghostly world (OK, I admit it, reality shows Ghost Hunters, Paranormal State, Ghost Adventures, My Ghost Story, Paranormal Witness, blahdy blahdy boo!) it’s always told from the human POV. Here, we had ghosts who were at times lonely, scared, confused, controlling and funny! (Queer connection: I’ll go ahead and assume the assertive ghost was gay. Either that, or it was Philip’s cool sexy t-shirt with the orange stripes.)

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30 Indispensable Writing Tips From Famous Authors

30 Indispensable Writing Tips From Famous Authors.

I have a few draft posts in the form of lists I’ve collected, and perhaps that’s the easiest way to get another post up in these hot, last few days of August where a holiday weekend is looming and as the hours extend into the afternoon I find I have little motivation to do anything original.

Hopefully, in the nice list of writing tips above, there’ll be one to correct the horrid run-on sentence I just composed. I must thank my lovely sister Kate Maleckar for passing these along. I also very much like that they are photos with the tip embedded as a caption, making it all more entertaining and of much less effort.
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Having lost 2 weeks of editing on my book because of a recent computer crash, I’m keeping #8 at top of mind today – Elmore Leonard’s admonition to “leave out the parts that people skip.” Yes. Oh yes, let’s leave them out.

Great advice. What is your favorite?

7 signs you are ready to self-publish

books, books on the shelf

Bravo, writer Damien G. Walter of The Guardian has come up with a checklist of seven items the budding self-publishing writer should have accomplished before jumping in the deep end of the scary pool of independently published books.

He doesn’t say that you must have accomplished all seven of these items, though that would certainly help. If you’ve solidly come up with four, you may actually be ready.

By and large I agree with this list – certainly, for the likelihood of a commercial success (which is what everyone wants, right?).

#1: High Concept – usually (esp. in movies) refers to the kind of plot you can describe in one sentence. So, this may not indicate that anything is good, it’s just understandable before the purchase. Walter uses “Da Vinci Code” as an example. There are, however, many great books that would be hard to describe this way – and why do we need to dumb down the field any more than it already is?

#2: Practicing 10,000 hours to achieve mastery, a la a Malcolm Gladwell hypothesis. This I like. Writing, like music or dance or painting or anything, really, gets better with practice. The more you do, the better you get.

#3: Getting serious feedback for your writing. And, this doesn’t mean your mom! I can’t emphasize how important this is. Although painful, as well. Take classes with other writers who will critique your work. Listen to what they say and understand that the world may not be on your wavelength and that you haven’t communicated.

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#5: Having a platform: Self-publishing demands this, as the traditional publisher would be the marketer of the book, and that humongous task falls to the self-publisher. So be sure you do know social media or can afford to have someone do the marketing and publicity for you.

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