Maps and Story

Below is a map of Harbortown, the fictional town of my side project currently going by the same name. I enjoy drawing maps, but wanted to see if I could find some place that approached what I was thinking of, and low and behold, I found it.

One of the coolest things about maps or any images you gather, is that they help to inspire the story. When I began this story, it started with crime that I thought would be cool, then developed more and changed focus when I created the main character, and finally morphed into a type of story when I figured out where I wanted to place things.

I wanted a foggy, seaside kind of place that would lend itself to a noir type setting. I scanned up and down the west coast with Google Maps until I discovered a town of about the right size and met the current, sparse needs of the story. I began to create places in this town, bad guys, good guys, neighborhoods, and so on. When you do this, you’re always wondering just how the main character fits into this place. If she grew up here, what would life have been like? What would have inspired her to become a Detective in a place ruled by crime? The more I began to flesh out the town, the more her life actually came to life. It inspired thoughts and story directions I hadn’t considered or thought of before. In short, maps are a great development device.

Sometimes setting is just that, a backdrop to contain the plot and characters, but when it feeds into the characters and helps drive the plot, it becomes a character all its own. Harbortown is becoming like that for me, filled with quirky, strange, and badass people. It’s going to be fun writing a story in this town and watch my characters interact with it. From Old Man Smoothie, the ice cream shop owner to Casper Winegarten, the coroner, who totes around a Scooby-Doo sippy cup full of $100 wine, the town is an inspiration and I hope to make the most of it.

So, if you are stuck on a project and unsure where to go or what to do, flesh out the setting where your characters live, bring it to life, and see what can happen. You’ll be surprised.

HARBORTOWN

 

If You’re Going To Pay Me 6%, Then It Better Be 6%

There was a very interesting post put up yesterday by Ann Peterson on J.A. Konrath’s blog about why she left Harlequin Publishing. You can read it here: http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/2012/05/harlequin-fail.html. She highlights some very unsettling information with regard to royatlies, and there’s even more worthy info in the comments section from other Harlequin authors. It’s definitely worth the read.

The post is about why she has decided to go to self-publishing, and the gist of her argument is that she just can’t afford not too. A breakdown on her royalty numbers for one of her books indicated that she was getting a mere 2.4% royalty per copy. Harelquin’s stated royalty rate on category books, of which this book was one, is 6%.   So, how does this kind of discrepancy occur? One of the main reasons is a little known method through which the books get sold. Harlequin licenses out the book to by sold by a third party, and they take a fair chunk of the change from the book. The problem? Harlequin owns this company. So they get to keep their fair share while the author gets less than theirs.  Is it any wonder that the comments in Ann’s post are from a number of other authors who have decided to leave Harlequin to pursue self-publishing?

Now, to be fair, I don’t know all the ins and outs of how and why the publisher functions this way. I imagine there are financial reasons for it that make it more beneficial to them. Is it purposeful with regard to short-changing authors? Probably not, but that is the end result. Frankly, 6% should be 6%, regardless of all the financial wrangling the publisher does to maximize and sell its product. Using Ann’s example, she sold app. 180,000 copies of the book since 2002.  She made $20,000. She should have made $45,000 (these are approximate figures).  Whatever the publisher reasoning, good or bad, this is a problem.

There is a growing tide of traditionally published authors that are moving to doing it on their own. Ann is fortunate to have a fan base already and I expect will do rather well for herself on her own.  If you look through the comments on her post, you will see from some other authors how lopsided the results can be. It’s the difference between making a living and not making a living with your writing.

One particularly disturbing quote I read from someone who was at an RWA conference (romance writer’s association) who asked a Harlequin editor panel about this issue, was told rather bluntly that Harlequin doesn’t expect you to make a living from this. Don’t quit your day job. This is a hobby. Category authors write roughly 3-4 books a year. The time and resource investment necessary to do that does not make writing a hobby. That makes it a full time job and should be compensated as such. I should also point out that there are Harlequin authors who do make a living at this. I know one who was making close to six figures a year. They put out about 5 books a year. This still boggles my mind. That is a LOT of work.

The problem here is, you can’t expect professional, full-time work for hobbyist wages.  One of the major issues that the rise in digital publishing has brought up is the problematic publisher-author relationship. It’s not working.  If you are selling a product and the producers of the product are not happy with the relationship, it threatens your business. Publishing is an odd business however. Historically, writers have done and will do just about anything to get published. It’s the dream, and on a certain level, crappy terms and payments don’t matter. But now there is another avenue, one that is equally as challenging from an author standpoint, but one that is at least inherently fair. With the option given, who wouldn’t take a fair challenge over an unfair one?

Now, I do understand publishers have much to offer over doing it yourself. It’s a rather large service package you get as a trade-off for lower payment. You’re paying for editing, copy-editing, cover art, distribution, potential foreign sales, potential film/tv options, some marketing/promo. These services cost money. On your own they would cost a lot of money too. It has always been a take it or leave it ballgame, but not any more. Writing to publish with the intent to earn money is not a hobby, and authors should not be treated as though it were. It’s disrespectful to the art and the writer.

As an author, this is an important issue for me. Authors deserve fair and reasonable compensation. I don’t expect publishers to be finagling their methods to short-change me on that aspect. If we agree to 6% of the cover price as royalty, then it better damn well be 6% on my royalty statement. This is not an unreasonable expectation. Personally I want publishers to succeed. I like what they offer. I’m all for the full-service package so I can write stories and not worry about how and when I’m going to invest in all of the other elements of publishing.  I don’t want to have to do that.  It’s a lot of work just to produce a good story in the first place, and I would love nothing more than make a reasonable living doing so. Publishers, this is not too much to ask. Figure it out, please.

Giveaway: Deadworld Series and Harlequin Romance!

Some of you may know and many likely don’t that I live in a two writer household. My wife, author Tracy Madison (you can follower her on twitter at @tracymadison) writes light paranormal and contemporary romance. She is a wonderful writer and currently writes for Harlequin’s Special Edition line. Her debut with them, Miracle Under the Mistletoe won the Reviewers Choice Award at RT this year for best in the category for 2011. So, in celebration of that recent award and the release of The Lingering Dead, I’m going to giveaway signed copies of all three Deadworld books and a couple of hers as well.  Five book giveaway!

To enter, comment below. I’m not going to make you answer any particular questions this time, but if you have a question about writing in a two author household, feel free to ask, and I’ll be happy to answer. I’ll leave this open for a week through May 16th and announce the winner on the 17th (U.S./Can address only, please). Happy reading/writing everyone!

Why I Write the Broken Character

Why do we decide to write the characters we do? Lots of reasons I imagine, and I can only speak for myself, but my education is a big reason I lean in the direction I do. I have a B.S. in Psychology and a Master’s in Social Work. I also got a certificate in Women’s Studies to go along with that. A lot of my studies revolved around issues of violence against women.

I was involved in a speaker’s bureau for the local domestic violence shelter where I lived while going to school. I gave speeches to everyone from middle school to adult about the issues around power and gender, date rape, domestic violence, and all of the dynamics involved. It was a very important issue to me then, and still is, but I’m not involved in the public sphere of it anymore.

Thus, I’ve read and heard a lot of stories around abuse toward women and children. It’s heartbreaking, anger-inducing, mind-boggling, and after twenty years, still seems to be as prevalent as it’s always been. It’s a horrifically damaging problem, not only physically but emotionally as well. My education makes me particularly interested in the psychological side of things. Trauma, in all of its various forms can be ruinous and life-altering. Working through issues of abuse and violence is incredibly difficult for people. It is damaging not only when it occurs but continues throughout the course of life.  It also provides great background for character conflict.

When I wrote Deadworld, I wanted to have a character that had been shaped by traumatic events that altered her psyche with damaging results. Too often, I think, stories don’t give a real accurate portrayal of violence and the kinds of effects it can have on a person. It’s used simply as a basis for making a character problematic, tough, and gives the hero or heroine an obstacle to overcome. In some ways I guess you could say it’s a token backstory in order to make a character “difficult.”

While it does do this, it’s far more complicated than that. Damaged people don’t always behave in a productive manner. It makes relationships difficult. It makes self-image/esteem difficult. Issues of fear and trust are always at the forefront. While time and work do a lot to heal and recover, this doesn’t always happen in a timely manner. Too many stories make light of the fact that it is extremely difficult for some people to heal from the damage caused by violence. When I created Jackie for Deadworld, I knew right away that she would be a hard character and she would take more than one book to get back to any semblance of healthy.

Damaged characters don’t always behave nicely. They can be self-destructive to themselves and others. They can be self-involved, emotionally stunted, walled off from the world, uncaring, and even violent themselves. In short, very difficult people to know and love. Jackie is one such character.  Personally I find it very challenging and rewarding to try and bring a character from the depths of this personal kind of damage back to some sort of emotional health.  Perhaps most challenging, is the effort to present a character who is not overly likable by that one can still sympathize with. Who hasn’t known someone who they thought was a good person but their issues got in the way of anyone really seeing that? It’s tough to love them. You want to, but they make it so hard on you to do so.

I like these kinds of characters. Likely a lot of my own background and interests plays into this, as I enjoy playing therapist to my characters through the development of the story. I want them to heal, but it’s never an easy process. You want to smack them upside the head for being such an obstinate bitch, for turning away from that which can most help, for hating themselves and believing they deserve the horrible things that have happened to them.

Deadworld and the main characters of Nick and Jackie is my first effort at writing in this emotionally tumultuous soup. I’ve had a number of readers who just don’t like Jackie or think Nick is too weak. Emotional baggage does this to people. It’s hard to grow from it, and I want to give it the justice it deserves by showing just how hard it can be. I’ll continue to write the damaged, broken character in most of my stories. My own personal make-up makes me want to delve into them and “fix” them. It can be a long and difficult road, however, and the challenge will always be to get the reader to want to go along for the ride.

Ten Things I Would Do If I Was Going To Self-Publish Today

I spend a fair amount of time here rambling back and forth about self-publishing, the potential benefits as well as the pitfalls and issues. Mostly, it’s on the wary side of things, which I think is apropos of the current state of digital publishing. I may give the impression that I don’t like self-publishing, but that would be a misnomer. I think it’s potentially great, but there’s the equal potential for epic failure. So, I thought I would put down here (as my current state of thinking on this particular day) what I would do if I was going to self publish right now, given what I’ve learned in my poking around.

1. Write more than one book. Success in self-publishing relies a lot on momentum. Assuming for the moment that you garner some interest in a first book, you want to be able to follow it up with another.  I don’t mean in six months to a year either. You want to get a second book out close on the heels of the first, which means a month, maybe two at the most. I’d want to follow that up with a third within two to three months.  This provides a six month window to not only work on building readership and establishing a connection to them, but time to write another book. My end goal here is 3 books a year on a continual basis.
2. Write short. Short stories are a great medium to add to the characters and worlds you create in longer works. Being able to throw these in on occasion is an appreciated bonus to readers and gives you something to put up in those inbetween times. I’d want at least on short of some kind in between each book. Also, keep the novels to a word count on the lower end. It takes time to write an epic. While I love epic stories, it takes a longer time to write them. My goal would be in the 75-90k range. If you really want to write long, break it down into manageable chunks.
3. Create a social media presence. You need a blog or fb presence, i.e. a fan page. While you don’t need to necessarily have a platform from which to speak, you do need a place to interact with readers, a place to run contests/giveaways and a general venue for building interest in you as an author. Wherever your books are sold, this presence should be easily found, through your bio or information about the book.
4. Find an editor/copyeditor/cover artist. I’ve spoken about the need for these before on the blog. The vast majority (99.9%) of writers do not have the skills in these areas to do this themselves and do it well. This is one of the biggest problems in the self-publishing world. New writers don’t understand the value and necessity for these things, and until you work with professionals in these areas, you won’t truly get the benefit and need. They make your book better! A LOT better. Don’t insult readers by putting out a poor product, because that is what you do when you put out a poorly edited book with a crap cover. “My first book will be free so I don’t need to worry so much about these things” is not an excuse to not do this. You will kill any chance you have by starting out with a poor impression to readers. I won’t self-publish unless I can afford to get these services enlisted for my books. If this means waiting and saving, so be it. I value my work and the investment of readers too much to not do these things. You should too. There is no such thing as “good enough for self-publishing.” Either do it right or don’t do it at all.
5. Pay attention to reader feedback. One of the big benefits of self-publishing is the fact that your product can be improved after the fact. Errors can be fixed, content can be added or rewritten, and covers can be remade. If 90% of your readers complain about the pacing in the first half of the book, look for ways to improve. Unlike traditional publishing, you always have control over your content at all times. Take advantage of this fact. Another benefit of reader feedback is that you may get an idea of what kind of story they’d like. I’m not saying you should simply pander to reader desires, but if you created a compelling side character that a lot of readers love, you might consider creating a story about them. If you don’t pay attention to your readers, you will never know these things.
6. Build brand recognition. Don’t write a thriller and follow it up with a romance. Decide what kind of story you like the most and stick to it, at least initially. You want readers to keep coming back for your books. Many readers stick to story types and will expect you to provide something similar. Don’t throw them a curveball by publishing wildly different stories. You want to build a solid house before you start working on another. I’d put out half a dozen books of one genre before I thought about giving readers something different.
7. Get your book out there far and wide. I wouldn’t recommend locking your book into Amazon only. I don’t like their programs that lock in exclusivity. I don’t care that it might generate some more money within their store. If you’re happy with what you’re making from there, then fine, go for it, but I want the chance to build readership and to do that means having my story out in as many venues as possible. Anything that increases visibility and the opportunity to bring in more readers is a good thing. Don’t limit yourself. Personally, I’ll never lock myself in to Amazon.
8. Be positive. Not everyone will like your stories. I’ve had my share of bad reviews on my Deadworld books. That’s just part of the game and you have to accept the fact that not everyone will like what you write no matter how good it is. Some people like to throw the hate around. Again, nothing you can do about this, and responding in kind does nothing to promote yourself. Always be positive in response to readers. ALWAYS. “Your book sucks moldy cheese!” Well, sorry you didn’t enjoy it, but perhaps you’ll like my next book better. Don’t get caught up in defending yourself. There’s no need and it’s counter-productive.
9. Keep plugging away at traditional publishing. Self vs. Traditional isn’t an either/or scenario. There are benefits to both and there are drawbacks to both. If you’re in a position like me, where resources are limited, having someone who can do all of the non-writing elements and potentially get me to readers I’d never be able to reach is a huge bonus. More readers and a better quality books is a good thing. Yes, you take a big potential hit on money. It’s a trade-off, and one I still feel is worthwhile, even if I do believe authors deserve better terms with traditional publishing. My hope is the changing industry is going to force better terms, but one can’t underestimate the benefits of a good editor/copyeditor/cover artist/marketing dept. You don’t get these in self-publishing without paying for them, and you can pay a lot for good, professional services.
10. This kind of goes back to #4, but don’t compromise. I don’t believe there is such a thing as “good enough.” If, for whatever reason, you don’t feel your story is as good as it can possibly be, don’t publish it. Saying, “it’s as good as I can do” and knowing it could be better with a good editor or a better cover and so forth, isn’t good enough. Have integrity as an author. Respect the art of the story. Because if you don’t, readers will pick up on this. They aren’t stupid. If you respect the reader and the story, you won’t compromise on anything that goes into your book.

Ok, that’s my general run-down, and given all of that, it’s the reason why I won’t self-publish anything today. I’m not in a position to put out the best book I possibly can. I have put out one, and I regret doing it. It could and should have been better than it is. I won’t do that again. I will likely self-publish in the future, but it won’t be until I’m ready and able to do it.