TheBanyanTree: Of Authors, Writing and other things; Warning - lengthy

[Monique Colver]

Some self-pubbed writers are hobby writers. Some are selling lots of books
in niche markets. Some are selling lots and making tons of money. Some are
happy we've made a difference to some people, even if it isn't all that
many and isn't what some people would consider "successful." Some are
putting out crap without any editing. Publishing is now like the wild west,
where the rules don't apply except for when they do. If you're a celebrity
with no known writing talent, you can get a contract worth millions before
putting pen to paper. Publishing has little to do with writing in many
cases. It has to do with money.

I'm not that great a writer, but my editor insisted I send the book out to
publishers and agents because she thought it was that good. One publisher
she worked with had recently signed two memoirs that hadn't done well, and
so they were off memoirs for a bit. Typically, once you finish a book, you
can expect it to be 5 years before publication, if you go the traditional
route.

Assuming you make it at all. Agents and publishers are deluged with
questionable works, so much so they can barely wade through it to get to
the good stuff. And of course, whether something is good or not can vary,
depending on who's reading it and what they're looking for.

Get familiar with query shark. http://queryshark.blogspot.com/ Fabulously
entertaining, at least. I've found I can write credible queries, though I
don't necessarily have an entire story.

I'm taking a writing break. I may extend it indefinitely. It's hard,
sometimes, what with all the stories that keep popping into my head, but
I'm resisting putting any on paper for the time being until I figure out
what I want to do. I've been doing lots of reading, but I'm finding that
I'm easily put off by a lot of things that other people enjoy. I've become
picky in my old age. Maybe it's a depression thing, I don't know. Kindle
books are fab because I can download tons of samples, then decide what I
like before I purchase it.

Develop your platform while you write the book. Everyone needs a platform,
they tell me. Whether you self-pub or get a publisher, you need a platform.
You have to have people interested before it's out there. If you do get a
publisher, you still need to do a lot of your own marketing.

I don't have a platform. I hocked it when I was short of cash in exchange
for some shiny baubles.

I love shiny baubles.

My question is, why should I be writing more? For myself? I can tell myself
my stories in my head, I don't need to write them down. For anyone else?
Anyone else can find plenty of stories out there without me getting
involved.

I haven't decided. Besides, I'm busy making money the old fashioned way.

Keep writing, develop a platform. If you have something that can turn into
a series, even better -- those work well, because once someone reads
something they like, they want to continue. Join writing groups, where you
will be deluged by all the other writers wanting you to buy their book. Or
avoid them like the plague, because they're filled with people talking
about writing instead of doing it.

And remember: everyone's a writer. Recently a friend from Florida emailed
me to tell me that since she saw how easy it was for me to write a book,
she's going to write a series of novels and make a ton of money. "Yay for
you," I said.

xoxo











Monique Colver
Colver Business Solutions
www.colverbusinesssolutions.com
monique.colver at gmail.com
(425) 772-6218



On Mon, Nov 19, 2012 at 7:08 PM, Jim Miller <jim at maze.cc> wrote:

> Back in March of 1996, shortly after being diagnosed with heart failure,
> Linda told me that she heard about a roadside diner where writers and story
> tellers gathered. I dropped by and didn't leave until Wes hopped a freight,
> and didn't return. Life changed after that. I didn't write so much, and at
> times nearly quit altogether.
>
>
> I made good friends there. Sadly some are now gone, and like myself, others
> have grown nearly silent. I know you are out there listening. You still pop
> in occasionally. I was pleased to once again hear Robin's voice a few
> months ago, and there was Roger the other day with a Linked In invite. What
> I truly miss are the stories. Well maybe the parties and Elyphants, and
> kissing booth and especially my favorite bartender Dee.
>
>
> Many of you know that I survived a heart transplant in 2004, and neck and
> throat cancer in 2007. Some of you have seen the pictures of my hike to the
> bottom of the Grand Canyon in 2008. And then cancer struck again last
> winter. This time in my trachea.
>
>
> All of these years I've been telling myself to write. Write Jim; write.
> I've said it over and over, and life got in the way. In April of 2011 our
> two oldest granddaughters (now 13 and 16) came to live with us. Both are
> special needs girls and were physically abused by their mother. My how life
> can suddenly grow intense, and no longer be your own.
>
>
> For several years I've been preparing a professional speaking career. I was
> ready to launch. Then in March my vocal cords took flight on the wings of a
> silver scalpel and crash landed on the rock pile of broken dreams. (OK,
> that's enough corn.) To remove the tumors in my trachea required a full
> laryngectomy (read; no more vocal cords) along with half my trachea. I'm
> officially a neck breather. Not so bad, but it makes talking a little more
> difficult. There are ways to talk, but none of them lend themselves well to
> public speaking. So here I am with stories to tell. Again, it's time to
> write, and write I will.
>
>
> I always believed that I would write my personal stories. I will write
> those stories, but lately I've come to realize; they aren't my priority. I
> desperately want to write fiction. This is interesting, because I'm a
> detail person; a fanatic; nearly anal. I haven't considered myself as being
> creative, yet I enjoy the creative process and find that I am, after all,
> creative. I always knew that I was, but to actually discover the reality,
> is awakening.
>
>
> For years all my reading related to personal motivation and leadership.
> Those were the growth areas I sought, and wanted to teach others. And yet,
> I find that writing on those subjects, for me, is boring. In the past I've
> read many books of fiction. (Never got much into the classics) I remember
> asking my son, who was reading Red Storm Rising at the time, how long the
> book is. Over eleven hundred pages he said, and I said I will never read a
> book that long, and then I did. I was hooked on Tom Clancy. I read
> everything by Robert Ludlum that I could get my hands on. Of course I
> wasn't locked into those, but they were big for me.
>
>
> Perhaps you have noticed how well known, and popular writers seem to quit
> trying. When it took me two months to get into a new Tom Clancy thriller, I
> suspected that he wasn't enjoying it so much, and then he started to
> co-write and I quit reading. Has anyone read the last two Janet Evanovich
> novels? Yep, I slip to chicklit occasionally. I recently read another
> Robert Ludlum book and decided to swear off reading him again. The
> suspension of belief was beyond acceptable. The scenarios became
> unbelievable in my wildest imagination, and the protagonist, a highly
> trained consular operative, conducted himself like a cowboy with complete
> and utter disregard for his and the woman’s safety. Yet one by one, as the
> world’s greatest assassins, sporting the world’s most sophisticated
> technology, and attacking in large numbers, all died at his hand. I decided
> enough Robert Ludlum. So where to go for inspiration.
>
>
> I pulled out my Kindle and found a couple of books I could borrow with my
> Prime Amazon membership. I found books that are fun, entertaining, and
> quite well written. One author, Victor Methos; I found especially
> interesting. He was entertaining, easy reading, and I liked his character
> development.
>
>
> A week ago, I took an all day workshop on fiction writing from a New York
> Times bestselling author. I was inspired and received great information. I
> downloaded his first published novel to see how a relatively unknown,
> bestselling author writes. Since he invited comments, I dropped a note
> telling him that I enjoyed the book, but found a sex scene gratuitous and
> unnecessary. He wrote back and told me that it was gratuitous, as his agent
> had told him to put it in. He said it was forced and he wasn't comfortable
> with it either. Obviously it didn’t’ prevent that book from becoming a best
> seller, as the publisher invited him back, and he has added three more in
> that series. I was pleased that I had perceived what the author already
> knew.
>
>
> So now the questions are; what do I write and how do I publish. I’m friends
> with several self-published authors. So far, their level of success has
> only been that of hobby writer. If that satisfies your desire, good for
> you. Personally, I've had my ego stroked before. I’d like to make some
> money.
>
>
> Victor Methos has a blog and has offered good advice to aspiring authors.
> After many rejections, he went straight to Amazon Kindle publishing. He
> talks about other epublishing but believes there are advantages to locking
> into Amazon. It is his belief that traditional publishing is
> dead. I've watched the newspapers go the same way; not recognizing that
> they are beginning to stink. I've always enjoyed holding a book in my hand
> and loading the book shelves, but the more I use my Kindle, the more
> comfortable I am with ebooks. I no longer have stacks of books waiting to
> be read. If I’m momentarily bored, or want to switch genres, I can simply
> switch to another book without worrying whether my bookmark will fall out.
> I never take a book on a trip anymore, and with Amazon Prime and $0.99 -
> $2.99 ebooks, I don’t hesitate to try a new author. Methos says that he
> started epublishing in June of 2011. In December 2011, one of his books
> sold 30,000 copies that month. His caveat is simple; always be writing and
> provide good content. As a businessman, I believe that motto belongs on
> every wall regardless of the product.
>
>
> So there you have it. Jim is writing again. Have you asked yourself, should
> I be writing more? What are your thoughts?
>
>
> Jim Miller
>