Category Archives: Books

Read it and Weep: half of self-published authors earn less than $500! But there is hope . . .

It’s a Reality Check, folks.

No matter which path you ultimately follow as a writer — the traditional one, where you pursue a publisher to take your book and launch it to the world — or self-publishing, where you launch it upon the world yourself — one should always do this with lots of preparation and eyes wide open.

And that “eyes wide open” thing means you accept the reality that most writers do not become rich and famous, selling gazillions of books, and most cannot support themselves by their book writing alone.

It’s like that in all the arts, always has been. Here’s some good information from The Guardian. First of all, like you’d imagine, most of the spoils in self-publishing go to the superstars, like Amanda Hocking and EL James. Like the headline says, half of all self-published authors earn less than $500 on their books. But, that also means that half earn more than that.

And, regarding genre: most successful is romance (like in traditional publishing), followed by science fiction and fantasy. It also helps to be female and it helps to be educated. Well, then, what if you’re a man and you’re writing literary fiction? It’s just more of a challenge to break out of the pack.
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And, I can’t emphasize enough, it really helps to have a professional looking product (from the report):

“Authors who tick none of these boxes would be well advised to spend time and money on making a title look professional, the survey found: self-publishers who received help (paid or unpaid) with story editing, copy editing and proofreading made 13% more than the average; help with cover design upped earnings by a further 34%.”

** For a description of the editorial and marketing services I offer to self-published authors, which include copyediting and proofreading, please click here.

Self-publishing: How to Decide on the Book Cover . . .

books, books on the shelf

The conventional wisdom says the most important factor in anybody checking out your book prior to making that all-important purchase decision is the cover. I would have to agree with that – it’s as true in the brick-and-mortar bookshop as it is while browsing Amazon or B&N online. But if you’ve made that big decision to self-publish your book, who do you trust your cover to?

Usually it will go one of two ways. Whatever self-publishing service provider you end up choosing – CreateSpace, Lulu, AuthorHouse, etc. – will have options for you, which, of course, increase along with the publishing package price. For instance, the most economical of the packages will probably have the fewest cover options – maybe a few background choices, a few typefaces for the title and your name, perhaps three or so layouts.

Of course, it’s hard for such a cover to look like anything but a template. You don’t want the person considering your work to think that they vaguely remember this cover (because they’ve seen the same design copied over and over) or worse, that it screams cheap product.

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Gay Romance Ebooks are (still!) IN

Writers take note: edgy, gay romances with steamy sex are IN. But don’t take it from me. Here’s a fascinating interview with CEO Lori James of All Romance Ebooks where she talks with Katie Dunneback of the Library Journal about the state of the romance ebook industry.

It will come as no surprise that gay romance ebooks were one of the top three subgenres for 2011 [the others being erotic and speculative (which includes paranormal, vampire/werewolves, shape shifter, sci-fi/fantasy — I know, a shock)].

The interview is great for getting some behind-the-scenes info on how the ebook business is actually run – great information for writers intending to self-publish ebooks in any genre. Lori also helpfully provides a nice amount of demographic data on who is buying what, along with some key insights into what a romance fan wants when she (he?) buys a book.

Continue reading →

Writer? Motivating tips . . .

I was gone (in San Francisco) for a long weekend. Now I’m back, and, as often happens, I’m finding it (somewhat) hard to get going full-speed again.

These tips may seem obvious, but I know a lot of writers who’ve used them to great effect.

Take classes: even the most seasoned writers can always learn something new. Whether it’s a university, the extension, online or a community center, having a teacher, classmates and assignments with a hard due date is a great way to stay motivated.
Read: One writer I know doesn’t like to read other authors while she’s writing something because she doesn’t want it to “affect her style.” But as a writer, you must read the literature to which you aspire, whether it’s fiction or non. I’m of the opinion that art, or craft, builds on what came before, and nothing springs from nothing.

Use a dictionary/thesaurus: take enough time when writing something to find the absolute perfect word, and believe me, there is one. Online tools have made it extremely easy for modern writers to be perfect spellers with amazing vocabularies.
Ruthlessly edit: Never turn in a first or second draft of something. Take time away from your project to get a fresh feel for it. Ask yourself, is this the best this can possibly be? Trust your instinct on this. If you feel it still could be better, it most certainly can be. Wait a little while and edit again.

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Proofread: There’s nothing that screams “amateur” louder than a manuscript or piece of “printed” material with common, very fixable errors. Sorry, spell check doesn’t quite cut it here. You need to actually read your writing, over and over, to make sure it’s perfect. Even better, hire a professional proofreader (best) or trade this task with another writer (good).
Encourage Constructive Criticism and Really Listen to It: The truth is you’re not writing for yourself, you’re writing for an audience. Feedback on your writing is invaluable for you to gauge how effective your communication is. Sometimes it smarts to hear someone’s subjective take on what you’ve done, but rarely does it result in a worse piece of writing. Tip: get more than one opinion!
Make it a business: Most of us don’t make a living entirely out of our writing efforts, thus finding the time to actually write can be challenging. Solution? Change your mindset, and make it a business. You’ll set regular business hours when you’re at your desk, working on your project, milestones and deadlines, even if they’re only yours. Treat it as you would any job you take seriously.

Continue reading →

Blogtalk Radio, Together Again: Benediction

I was on blogtalk radio today with Coaches Jim and Marsha talking about prostate cancer and “Benediction” (It’s the 7 pm segment):

Together Again, March 19 2012 show

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William Gay: Southern craftsman produced powerful, poetic voice

Southern craftsman produced powerful, poetic voice

Credit, Greg Hobson

Hey folks, sorry about not posting, for like, a week! I know it’s the mortal sin of the blogging world. What can I say? I’ve been busy.

Anyway, I loved Jon Sealy’s commentary in the Richmond Times-Dispatch about novelist William Gay.

I have to admit I’ve yet to read William Gay, who is often compared with Cormac McCarthy. What I loved about the commentary was the hope and possibility Gay’s life gives to writers of all stripes, really, but especially those of us who’ve lived huge parts of our lives already and came to serious writing later on:

“Part of the mystique around his life is that, in an era where most fiction writers get a master of fine arts and either teach in the academy or freelance copy-edit in New York City until they break through, Gay spent several decades living his life, hanging drywall and honing his craft, before exploding out of nowhere on the literary scene in his mid-50s.”

The part about the MFA and the freelance copyediting made my spit up my milk, as I’ve asked around about those MFA programs in the past half-year and just recently completed editing someone else’s novel – yes, on a freelance basis!

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How good to know that the cliche way forward is not the only way forward. The truth, I think, is that those MFAs credential one to teach writing at the college level – but this is for writers who need a day job, not for people with a teaching vocation. I’ve also been assured by veteran and (sometimes) bitter educators that those positions are increasingly rare and when they do exist, most do not pay well or have any kind of hoped-for longevity.

On the other hand, there’s always something that needs copyediting.

Back to William Gay:

Sealy says that for him, the dominant emotion Gay’s stories call forth is sympathy – for characters caught in bad situations.

“Sympathy, at times, feels like an anachronism in our modern, me-first world, and the same could be said of Gay himself — that he is a relic from a bygone era. Maybe it was the wisdom that comes from age and lessons hard-learned, or maybe it was that he lived and wrote in rural Tennessee, where the pace perhaps is slower and cellular signals are scarce, but Gay was cut from a different mold.”

I do wonder about that sympathy emotion – are we so insanely driven in our wired and 24/7 connected world to see those threads that should exist among people, even among strangers?

A character in the novel I’m currently writing is a contemporary twentysomething, and he tweets. In the novel. Of course, I’d like to think this form of social media will last, so the book won’t appear dated for at least a little while. But I do like to read things that have a much different pace – and look forward to picking up a book by William Gay.

More from Forest Dark – introducing Louis Ronald Reagan White

Here’s a little bit more from my novel-in-progress, The Forest Dark. In the second part of the book, which takes place in 2009, I introduce Louie, who is the son of one of the characters we followed in the first part of the book, which takes place in 1984. Meet Louis Ronald Reagan White.

Well dude, Noah saves the day once more, Louie thought.

When he’d opened the box with the knife in it at his birthday party in April, it had all seemed a little dramatic.

“Don’t laugh,” Noah’d said, when Louie tried the switchblade’s spring release for the first time. “I’d be happier if you carried a gun.”

They’d all had a good chuckle at that. Maybe a gun wasn’t such a bad idea after all, though the knife seemed to work pretty well for today’s asshole in the park.

Zeke! Where are you, man? I’m hungry.

As soon as he got to the bottom of the hill, Louie’s mobile signal returned and he’d called Zeke Montero. He would pick Louie up, they would go to the Brite Spot on Sunset, like they almost always did on Tuesdays for the meatloaf.

Louie didn’t know what was in it and didn’t care much. It tasted fine and it was their breakfast.

He didn’t have to wait long for Zeke, who still drove the chill red Pontiac Grand Prix he’d fixed up in high school and tried to perfect while at Los Angeles City College. As short and thick as Louie was deceptively tall and lean, Zeke had been best friend to Louie since they were in fifth grade without interruption except for one teenage summer when the Monteros stayed with their relatives on Lake Chapala.

Louis thought he’d never see Zeke again. But there he was, first day of school, hair slicked back with Brilliantine, like no time had passed at all. Continue reading →

Quiet! now everybody just STFU!

Just finished Susan Cain’s “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking.”

I have an introverted personality, though it’s been “smoothed out” around the edges over the years. So, of course, I found the subject fascinating. Particularly interesting to me was the discussion of how modern America is geared to revolve around an extroverted personality type – such as the constant emphases on things like “networking,” “working the room,” and my favorite (least) “team player-ism.”

Rarely is it brought up that – huh, well, maybe not everybody should try to be this. Some people, indeed, are wired differently – and it’s a difference, not a defect. I’ve always remembered something (and it’s a wonder I remember anything, more about that some other time) from the university – I believe it was a sociology class, where we were told that the research showed it was the person who talked the loudest and the longest who got their way.

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Right, it did not matter what the substance of their rant was, the person in the group who talked the most and the loudest was more often followed. This, of course, has huge implications everywhere. Something to remember at your next condo board meeting? Perhaps not.

I loved that she’s able to point out the value of independent, quiet thinking and working. I’ve always thought that group efforts tend to dumb down the task at hand, often with the loudmouths prevailing, no matter the wisdom of the opinion or plan.

I recommend the book, especially if you’re an introvert or have introverted kids you’re trying to bring up in this culture.

Things I would’ve liked to see more of were any connection between introversion and substance abuse, or introversion and sexual orientation – though perhaps that’s omitted because there is no data there. Who knows? But I thought of the question.

The Last Movember Update

Jim's moustache on November 30, 2011

So here it finally is, this last day of Movember, how far this thing has grown. I started late, so it’s not quite as spectacular as it could have been, but what the hell. It’s for a good cause.

My moustache (Mo) has no doubt generated some laughs; all in the name of raising vital awareness and funds for cancers affecting men.

Why am I so passionate about men’s health?

*1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime (yeah, like me!)
*A man is diagnosed with prostate cancer every 2.2 minutes
*1 in 2 men will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime
*24% of men are less likely to go the doctor compared to women

Please support my efforts by making a donation at http://mobro.co/JimArnoldLA.
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We only have a month to grow Mo’s and raise awareness and funds, so please come along for the ride.

Funds raised will help make a tangible difference to the lives of others. Through the Movember Foundation and their men’s health partners, the Prostate Cancer Foundation and LIVESTRONG, Movember is funding world class awareness, research, educational and support programs which would otherwise not be possible.

For more details on how the funds raised from previous campaigns have been used and the impact Movember is having please click on the links below:

About Movember
Prostate Cancer Foundation research
LIVESTRONG
Global Action Plan

Thank you for donating at http://mobro.co/JimArnoldLA and for helping me change the face of men’s health.

Movember Update, 11/28/11

11/28/11, casa de Jim

What is this caterpillar on my lip???

Just 3 more days to grow the damn thing, so I’m hoping to raise a few more bucks to support the fight against cancer.

Jim’s Movember Donation Page!
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Please consider donating $5 (or more) to Movember, by clicking the link above.

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I am a prostate cancer survivor. Thank you for your generosity during this Movember campaign!