Is the Self-Published Book Always Inferior to Traditionally Published Book?



The Publishing Snob

I have come across a fairly persistent bias in my brief cybernetic wandering through the self-publishing world. There seems to be an idea that a self-published book can’t be as good as a similar book coming from an established publishing house. As a self-publisher, my first instinct is to reject this idea as propaganda from a desperate publishing industry and feigned elitism from those writers who can’t let go of the old 20th century model. But the more I think about it, the more I think that they might be right, for now.

What Does “Inferior” Mean?
Keep in mind, when I talk about the difference between an inferior and a superior book, I am not talking about the quality of the story. I have read quite a few books from prominent authors and released by prestigious publishing houses that were simply horrible when it came to the actual story. We have all read plenty of mainstream books with two dimensional characters, plots riddled with clichés and created as pure money grabs. There are also brilliant writers who are crafting beautiful stories and releasing the books independently. The quality of the story is not determined by who does or doesn’t publish it.

I’m also not sure that sales can be a definite indicator of a book’s superiority. It is a highly touted concept that most self-published books don’t recoup their costs. I think that is true, but I think it is also true that most books that come out of traditional publishing don’t make back the money spent on them. So if the majority of books on both sides fail financially, the potential profit of a book might not have any connection to how it got published.

The Publisher’s Advantage
I have dipped my toes in e-book publishing for six months now. At this point, I can see that there are clear advantages that a publisher brings to the table. The secret is expertise and division of labor. Here are some likely facts about a book that has been released by a publishing house:
  • It has been vetted by a series of professionals for its market potential
  • It has been professionally edited, proofread, re-written and positioned in the market
  • It has been professionally packaged in terms of cover design, copy writing and formatting
  • Someone was willing to take a financial risk in releasing that book

Self-published books can be released without any of these factors coming into play. With today’s technology and distribution channels, a passionate and inspired writer (or anyone for that matter) can release a book without doing anything to create a polished product. We can to everything ourselves, even if we shouldn’t. The result is hundreds of thousands of books that don’t look or read as well as a traditionally published book. That is where the bias comes from. The ability that we have to circumvent the old system has robbed us of the benefits of that system.

Change My Title to Change the Game
I have no interest in going the traditional publishing route because I believe artistic freedom and innovation are greater in self-publishing. But I do think there is something to learn and even steal from the old guard. I haven’t given up on being independent. I have given up on being just a writer. I have expanded my focus from the story to the book.

A writer has a limited set of concerns and skills. We deal in plot, character, subtext and all the literary building blocks of our craft. But the story is only the first step in the book. It has to be refined, polished and packaged for consumption. It has to go through the same process as it would in a traditional publishing scenario. The only difference now is that I have to be more than the writer. I have to be the publisher.

That means I have to create the publishing process. I have to test the market to make sure the concept is viable. I have to hire the team of experts to create the polish. I have to manage the process. I have to position the book and build the audience. I have to take the financial risk. I can’t just write the story. I have to publish the books.

Remembering the Goal
I don’t read books based on whether they are self-published or not. I pick them up when they catch my attention and make me curious. I read them because they hold my interest. I remember them because they made me think and feel something. That is what I want to create for you in the end. I want to create the stories that will stick with you. If I do my job as a publisher properly, you’ll appreciate my effort as a writer much more. You won’t be able to tell the difference between my books and the ones coming out of Random House. Then you can focus on the story, which is all that really matters in the end.

Have fun.
G

Bloody Inspiration: Part 2 (My Inspirational Comics)















Many people don’t associate comics with dark themes, strong characters and compelling stories. I’m not one of those people. Comics are as important to me as movies or TV. As a child I learned to read through comics and as an adult I worked for Marvel Comics in a corporate capacity. If you avoid comics, you’re missing out.

Last week I wrote about the movies that inspire me, but my writing has been influenced by comics as much as any other medium. I don’t write stories about guys running around in leather and spandex, but a lot of my favorite comics don’t fit into the traditional superhero formula. If you like the following comics as much as I do, then you have a pretty good insight into the characters I create and the stories I write.

  1. 100 Bullets: A nationwide mafia style drama wrapped around one of the most inventive premises ever.
  2. Batman (Dark Knight Returns):  Redefined an icon and started a multi-billion dollar comics to movie success story
  3. Daredevil (The Elektra Saga): Combined tragic romance with deranged killers and the desperate need for redemption
  4. Grendel (Devil by the Deed, Devil Child & Black White and Red): The story of a gifted child twisted into an assassin, a crime lord and ultimately an icon of evil
  5. Lone Wolf and Cub: a classic revenge manga that is sparse and beautiful in its brutality
  6. Master of Kung Fu (1984-1989): a reimagining of a pulp series complete with betrayal, intrigue and of course…kung fu.
  7. Queen and Country: A spy series that is part Jason Bourne, part George Smiley with a female lead that is more than a match for Bond
  8. Sin City: The quintessential noir comic of the modern era, dragged down by an uninspired movie adaptation
  9. Shi: A warrior priest fights with her own heritage and the yakuza in this modern interpretation of the Lone Wolf formula
  10. Wolverine (The First Graphic Novel): A Japanese noir story that put this famous character on the map (and might be the plot for the next Wolverine movie…)

So what comics do you read (or have read) that have the same flavor as these? I don’t read comics as much as I want to anymore, but I’m always looking for new inspiration.

Have fun.
G

You're First Look at My "Last" Erotic Story



I’m offering my last erotic novella on Amazon this week.


A young couple visits New Orleans to sample the local strip clubs. Their travels take them to several unappealing spots that drain them of their enthusiasm and their desire. But the last spot on Bourbon Street promises to be different, blurring the lines between a simple dance and a memorable seduction.

Now that I have five pure erotic pieces available for your enjoyment, I'm going to proceed with my master plan to alter the landscape of modern fiction. Don't say I didn't warn you. 

If you decide to read it, please let me know what you think by writing me a review. Every opinion helps, whether it’s good or bad.

Have fun.
Gamal

Skyfall’s Downfall: A Film Review



To say that the James Bond franchise hasn't influenced me or my writing would be a lie of monumental proportions. Like most people born in the last 50 years, Bond has been a staple of my entertainment for as long as I can remember. It wasn't just the iconic image of the super spy that inspired me. It was the relationship between his frivolous, womanizing characterization in contrast with the single minded dedication of his true character. It was also the way that the concept of Bond evolved with each new actor to take the role. Unlike other movie franchises that get stuck in a particular time period, Bond relates to new audiences by re imagining the character to fit the times.

Daniel Craig’s run as Bond has met, if not exceeded, previous Bond’s in its ability to stay current. Terrorists and corporations replaced Russians and world destroying villains. Brutal violence replaced elegant gadgets. Most profound was the nature of the change in the main characters. Bond became less of a playboy lounge lizard and more of a pure assassin. M became less of a random old man in a leather office to a tough fiery woman who was just as ruthless, in her own way, as Bond was.  The new series was well suited for the 21st century.

Having said all that, Skyfall drops the ball in terms of evolution. The first three acts are an impressive interpretation of the classic formula. It has intrigue, exotic locations, beautiful women and a good combination of both chase and combat choreography. It also manages to include the development (or decline) of the major characters and their relationship with each other. The rising complexity of the film fit in nicely with the underlying message about the continued need for espionage services. Judi Dench stole the show as M and is clearly the best head of MI6 in the history of the franchise (I can’t even remember who the other guys were who played M in the past).  If the film ended with the close of act three, Skyfall could stand confidently as a classic Bond film.

Unfortunately, the movie wasn't done. The last act was a self-indulgent, overly nostalgic attack on the franchise. It was like watching an episode the A-Team meets Dr. Phil on a field trip to Scotland. It had all the trappings of a multi-million dollar reboot or sequel set up that was tacked on at the last minute to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Bond. And the last three minutes were the worst. It was painful to watch the director try to erase all the progress and evolution of the Bond character by dragging him back into the trappings of the 1970’s. I wouldn’t be surprised if the next film reintroduced the cliché of having sharks with laser beams on their heads trying to kill Bond as the master villain explains his entire evil plan.

Craig and Dench have done very well with Bond. The fact that the franchise is so intent on looking backward instead of forward is the downfall of an otherwise very good film.

Have fun.
G

The International Spy Museum: A Blend of Fact and Fiction



Most of my crime thrillers contain a healthy dose of espionage because it is one of my favorite subjects. When I graduated law school, I seriously considered joining the State Department, the FBI and the CIA for the chance to be a part of that world. After I decided not to pursue those careers, it still fascinated me from both a real world and a fictional perspective. The interest I have in intelligence made me eager to visit the International Spy Museum in Washington DC for several years. I finally had a chance to go a few weeks ago. While I was a little apprehensive in the beginning of the tour, I can confirm that it is a great place for anyone who is interested in any type of spying.

When we first walked in, I thought the trip would be a complete waste of time. The elevator lit up like something out of an episode of Get Smart. The first display consisted of artifacts connected to the new Argo movie and lists of “cover identities” that you were supposed to choose and memorize. The worst part was that small children outnumbered adults by about 2 to 1. It all seemed quite simplistic to me and not at all what I was looking for.

The next room is a small theater. We sat there and watched a short film narrated by Dame Judi Dentch (for obvious reasons) about the personal motivations of spying. They didn’t specifically refer to the MICE acronym, but that was the thrust of the film. When that was over, I felt the presentation had more substance and I started to relax a bit.

The main exhibit is broken into two parts. The first part looks at various aspects of collecting intelligence. HUMINT, SIGINT and flaps and seals are all covered with an emphasis on the Cold War. The second part of the exhibit looks at the worldwide historical impact of spying from Sun Tzu to Casanova to Mata Hari to Josephine Baker to the D-Day disinformation campaign. This was easily the most interesting part of the museum and not geared towards children at all.

The last part of the museum we saw was the gift shop which also tried to balance real world espionage with more light hearted items. While the front of the store had silly things like spy t-shirts, key chains and posters, the rear of the store had books on foreign policy, special operations and major intelligence analyses from Napoleon to 9/11. I bought several items there, but if I told you what they were, I’d have to kill you.

The only thing that ISM was missing was an exhibit on intelligence after 9/11. The historical exhibit ended with the bombing of Pearl Harbor, so there was no discussion of intelligence relating to modern terrorism or the rise of corporate intelligence over the past 10 years. Keep in mind that when we went, part of the museum was closed for a new exhibit based on the new Bond film; Skyfall They might have left out modern spying because they were making space for Bond  or they have skipped it because they can’t get useful material for an era that is still current. Either way, it is a glaring oversight.

It might start out a little silly, but anyone interested in intelligence or espionage will enjoy the International Spy Museum. It was an inspiration to me and my writing and I think it has something for everyone who wanted to know more about the subject.

Have fun.
Gamal 

We Are Not United States



Our states are not, nor have they ever been, united. 

We are constantly at odds with each other over race, class, education, income, gender, health, sexual preference, sexual identity, sexual expression, religion, ethics, morals and culture. We do not share the same dreams, the same goals or the same fundamental perspectives on reality. 

The political alliances or connections we do make are often temporary and motivated primarily by our own self-interest. We have used this reality as both a collective strength and contentious weakness. But we are not together. We never have been together. 

The United States of America is not an honest name for our country. The Divided States of Discord is a much more accurate description.

Have fun voting (or not)
Gamal

My New Novella Dead on Arrival is Now Available for Free




I’m offering a new crime thriller novella for free on Smashwords.

Dead on Arrival

It was supposed to be a simple job. All Hamilton Chu had to do was pick up a VIP at the airport and bring him to the safe house. How hard could that be for a veteran covert operator? The simple job gets a lot more complicated, when he finds out that assassins, deception and murder are all included in the assignment. In the end, if Chu can’t find the killer and stop him, this simple job could be his last job.

If you decide to read it, please let me know what you think by writing me a review. Every opinion helps, whether it’s good or bad.

Have fun.
Gamal

Should E-books Be Free (and have ads in them?)




I’ve got a lot of responses from last week’s article on using free books now to attract fans that will pay for books later. I started thinking more about the concept after the post and realized that in a lot of ways mediums like TV, radio and apps already have a model that makes money while giving the product away for free; ad supported content. Maybe this concept can work for e-books as well.

As a reader and an author, what is your position on ads in e-books? Do you think the business model of free books supported by ads is a viable? I know Amazon and Microsoft have explored this option on a corporate level, but do any of you have experience doing it on the self-published level?

Also, does anyone have any companies or advertising networks they could recommend if someone did want to explore the e-book advertising option?

Thanks in advance.
Gamal

Selling Books Like a Drug Dealer: Free vs. Almost Free


How much would you pay for an e-Book?
In 2012, price is an amorphous concept in digital publishing. I read more than a few books for free. I have rejected a book priced at $4.99 because I didn’t think it was worth it. I have paid more than $10 for a book I really wanted. You can’t nail it down. It all comes back to a concept that I learned in Economics 101; as a seller, the “right” price is highest price that the market will bear for any particular item.
So how much will the market bear to read my short stories? This question has plagued me since I started publishing. At first, I thought that $2.99 would work, then I tried free on Kindle Direct Publishing, then I tried $1.99 and so on. After six months, these experiments have led me to a conclusion; the price of the story doesn’t really matter at this point.
Why? Because I haven’t found the audience interested in my style of crime thrillers and I haven’t proven to those readers that my work is worth reading. With so many self published writers competing with the publishing houses and other forms of entertainment, I can’t try to compete with everyone. I have to find my niche and focus on appealing to them. And since people only have a limited amount of time and attention, I have to prove that my work is worth the effort before my audience will read my stories consistently.
So I have come up with a new plan; I am going to target a very narrow segment of the reading population and offer them several of my stories for free. My theory is that once I find the right readers and expose them to my work without any financial risk, they will be more willing to pay for other books later. My hope is that readers become addicted to my style, like a crackhead who can’t get off the pipe. I don’t think people should spend their rent money to pay me or start stealing TV’s to buy my e-books, but I will take the royalty payment without asking a lot of questions.
I currently have three urban horror stories available for free on Smashwords for Halloween. Other stories will go online for free in the coming months on Amazon.com. Try them and let me know what you think. The first ones are free. After that we’re going to have to work something out…
Have fun.
Gamal

Bloody Inspiration: The 21 Films That Have Influenced My Writing


Every artists and writer is influenced by their background, environment and what they are exposed to. I’m sure that there are hundreds of things that I have seen, heard and read that have shaped the way I write. I grew up in a movie culture, so there are probably dozens of movies that guide the way I envision character and create dialogue. I’m sticking with 21 for this list because they match the tone and genre that I enjoy the most and because I can’t spend days on this blog post. In any event, if you enjoy these 21 films, I think you will enjoy my writing.
  1. The American (2010): a minimalistic spy thriller; one of the few times the movie was better than the book.
  2. Basic Instinct (1992): the most well known example of the erotic thriller
  3. Blade Runner (1982): an amazing blend of noir and sci-fi that defined cyberpunk 
  4. Brick (2005): a well done noir detective story set in high school 
  5. Chinatown (1974): defined noir drama for an entire generation
  6. Enter the Dragon (1973): its never considered a espionage film due to the excessive ass kicking, but that’s what it is at it’s core
  7. Fight Club (1999): we don’t talk about fight club… 
  8. Heat (1995): a very stylish example of the heist film
  9. Inception (2010): a beautifully structured combination of sci-fi and espionage
  10. La Femme Nikita (1990): a classic European espionage film that spawned a good TV show, a bad TV show and an awful American remake 
  11. Layer Cake (2004): a British crime drama with a good plot and a good cast
  12. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998): strong characters and stronger dialogue 
  13. Memento (2000): the crime drama that redefined the use of the flashback 
  14. Miami Vice (2006): a spy thriller pretending to be a remake of an 80’s cop movie
  15. Reservoir Dogs (1992): I wish all the dialogue in my writing was this good
  16. Ronin (1998): a crime drama that manages to be both subtle and over the top
  17. Seven (1995): easily one of the best film endings of the past 20 years
  18. Spy Game (2001): an excellent example of the career of a master spy
  19. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999): nice film adaptation of a classic book
  20. The Usual Suspects (1995): a great cast a great script and the best villain in years
  21. Way of the Gun (2000): a systematically brutal with a twisted pessimism and questionable motives all around
What are your favorite crime dramas or spy thrillers? I’m always looking for good material. Let me know what I should add to my Netflix queue.
Have fun.
G

Surveillance Countermeasures: A Book Review



by Gamal Hennessy
One element that often comes up in my writing is surveillance. Ria Marlen stalks a pedophile from the shadows or Harrison Trent takes complex steps to detect and avoid a tail. In spy fiction, surveillance is as common as chase scenes in action films. It doesn’t matter if you’re talking about The Pavement Artists in John Le Carre’s classics or the SDR’s of Barry Eisler. There is an art and a science to being followed.
One of the books that I’ve used to inform my writing is Surveillance Countermeasures (SC). Released by Paladin Press in 1994, this book approaches counter surveillance as a skill not just for spies but for business executives working abroad, victims of stalkers and others. While the book does go into a lot of theory and practice for avoiding observation on foot, in a vehicle or even in the home, it makes several assumptions that reduce its effectiveness for a wide audience.
The book starts by explaining the difference between surveillance detection (figuring out you are being followed or watched), surveillance avoidance (eluding someone who is trying to follow you) and counter surveillance (following the people who are following you). Then SC walks you through the process of detecting, avoiding and countering observation in a variety of scenarios including day, night, on foot, in a car, in urban, sub urban and rural areas. It even tries to provide a small section on detecting microphones and video cameras in your home, although that section lost me and I doubt it is as relevant now as it was in 1994.
For all the good information that SC provides, it has its limitations. The main one is that it assumes you are being shadowed by professionals over a long period of time. This gives you a chance to detect patterns of movement or behavior during the course of your daily life. That premise makes perfect sense for the scenarios that I write about, where professional operators and terrorists have the patience to put their schemes in motion. It isn’t as applicable for the woman being stalked by her jealous boyfriend or the potential crime victim being followed by an opportunistic criminal. I don’t think this reduces the utility of this book overall, but the audience it can serve isn’t as broad as it claims.
The other minor point is that SC was written in 1994, so it doesn’t take technological advances into account. A new version that I haven’t read was released in 2008. While that might be dated as well anyone interested in SC should probably pick up the updated version. I would also suggest picking up Marc MacYoung’s Street E&E book to get a more visceral perspective on the subject.
I think my descriptions of surveillance have been enhanced by this book. I recommend it to anyone who is interested about this art.
Have fun.
Gamal


Who Is Gamal Hennessy?



I'm getting ready to do a radio interview this week, which means I have to be ready for hard questions like "Who the hell are you?" In an effort to prepare for this probing inquiry, I decided to revise my author bio. Then I realized that not everyone will get to hear the radio show (I'll try to post a link to it next week) and you might be reading this and still not know who the hell I am, so I decided to share the bio with you...
Author Biography for Gamal Hennessy
Gamal Hennessy is an author, entertainment attorney and nightlife advocate in New York City. He began his professional career at a Japanese animation company before moving to the corporate offices Marvel Entertainment. After leaving Marvel, Gamal began writing about the culture of New York nightlife and published a book about it called Seize the Night in 2010. Now Gamal writes stories from the shadows, bringing his readers into a world of deception, seduction and violence.

Gamal describes his fiction writing as the Usual Suspects meets Jason Bourne with a little sex thrown in to spice things up. Many of his readers agree, calling his work “gritty, chilling and provocative”. Some see a dark ambiance reminiscent of the Harvey Keitel’s Bad Lieutenant and or the Burke series from Andrew Vachs. All of them say the writing is “well crafted, fast paced and immersive”. New readers can get free digital copies of his work to form their own opinions while he plans his first novel. 

Now when all your friends ask "Who is Gamal Hennessy?" you'll be able to tell them. 

If you'd like to read some of my work for free, please check out Afraid of the Dark, Spare Some Change and The Replacements on Smashwords

Have fun.
G

Trade of Innocents: A Film Review




Hollywood franchises like Taken use human trafficking as the back drop for their car chases and gun fights. A thread in my own writing explores the impact of sexual slavery as part of the overall narrative. While films like Taken don’t raise the overall awareness of modern slavery they do acknowledge its existence. A much smaller independent film tackles the same subject with more sensitivity and fewer explosions. Trade of Innocents explores the complexity of the subject but its refusal to make hard narrative choices prevents the story from being truly satisfying.



The main story revolves around a former US military officer and his wife who have just relocated to Cambodia. The couple has recently lost their daughter to a pedophile kidnapper and now they are travelling around the world trying to prevent other children from being sold into sexual slavery. In their struggle to stop the pimp in a particular town the couple runs into corruption within the police department, villagers fearful of reprisals, cultural bias against girls, extreme poverty and American pedophiles that will pay any amount of money to rape children. They also have to come to terms with the loss of their own child. The strain that their daughter’s death puts on the wife and on their relationship could have been a problem more emotionally draining than fighting systemic prostitution.

Unfortunately, the traditional Hollywood movie structure hijacks this film and drains most of the life out of it. The conflict between the couple is conveniently resolved without any real effort. There are chase scenes and fist fights that don’t need to be there. The characters that you do care about never feel like they are in any real danger and the climactic opportunity for growth in the wife’s character is replaced by a predictable hero coming to save the day.

The most powerful and nuanced performance of the film is in the subplot of the American pedophile. We learn more about the root causes of sexual slavery and the depths of its perversion from this side story than in any platitude or tearful revelation of the main story. If Trade of Innocents explored more of this world it could have been a much better film. As it stands, it is a more thoughtful version of Taken even if it isn't executed as well.

Have fun.
G

Learning to Love the Bad Review


Absorb what is useful, discard what is not, add what is uniquely your own.” Bruce Lee

One of the milestones in your artistic journey is rejection. You spend months or years focusing your energy and imagination to create something and express an aspect of yourself. Then a critic comes along and tells you it sucks. This is not a small thing to most artists. It is a blow to even the strongest of egos. It is also inevitable. So how do you deal with a scathing review that rejects every aspect of your art? The tactic I have developed is an attempt to answer this question.

What a bad review does for you:

First, let’s accept that no matter how a bad review makes you feel, it does serve useful purposes. Critical analysis helps your art (and art in general) evolve by:
  • Counterbalancing possible review bias: There are several reasons why you might get a good review that have nothing to do with your book. It could be based on the reviewer’s relationship to you or for work you’ve done in the past. If you only get good reviews your ego will swell and your growth will stagnate.  It’s true that you could also get bad reviews for reasons that have nothing to do with your writing. It could be based on the readers need for ego gratification or traffic (as a Yelp reviewer, I can confirm that bad reviews get much more attention than good ones). But if you get bad reviews that have constructive criticism you can learn from your mistakes and you will improve your craft. 
  • Evaluating your story from a new perspective: You know your vision and what you’re trying to say. You’re sure that what you put out conveys that message. But a negative review might point out that you’re not getting your message across. Or it could point out that people don’t embrace or agree with your vision. Either way, you find out just as much about yourself and what you’ve created by a negative review as you do from a positive one. You might learn more from a negative review.
  • Tests your resolve to write: Some bad reviews are nothing more than personal attacks or desperate cries for attention masquerading as constructive criticism. But if the opinions of other people are enough to stifle your creativity, then it might be better for you to not write at all. There will always be people who try to project their failures and discontent onto you. Don’t let that stop you from expressing yourself.

Other advice for dealing with a bad review
There are many methods for dealing with the inevitability of bad reviews. The best one for you is the one that fits your personality and writing style. Here are to good examples that I have found:
Lindsay Buroker
  • Realize that everybody gets bad reviews
  • Don’t let the bad comments outweigh the good ones
  • Don’t look at the reviews
Intergalactic Medicine Show
  • Think about what the critic is saying.
  • Don't read reviews:
  • Stay cool.
  • Remember, it's not personal.
Both these methods include a suggestion to avoid reading any reviews, but that sacrifices a chance to learn. My alternative attempts to get something useful out of a review.

My method for dealing with a bad review

The inspiration for this is the same type of intelligence analysis my characters go through in my stories.

Step 1: Review the review: When I get a bad review with specific criticisms, I break down the review into discreet parts and figure out if there is anything there that I can use to improve my writing. This gives me the sense of taking control of my work back from the critic. It also helps me separate useful criticism from useless posturing.

Step 2: Get independent confirmation: Single source information is never as reliable as corroborated information. Once I find potentially useful observations of my work from a critic, I take that information to other reliable sources to see if they can confirm or deny the critical findings.

Step 3: Act upon the conclusions: If you find constructive criticism and confirm that it is useful from third parties then incorporate it into your future work. It is natural to make mistakes when creating art, but you don’t have to keep repeating the same mistakes.

Step 4: Keep writing: Don’t obsess over a bad review (or a good review). Remember the reasons you are writing and maintain the resolve to keep writing in the face of criticism. Your art can grow and thrive in the midst of critics. It can’t grow if you give up.

Have fun.
G

The Horror That Lives Just Around the Corner

                  
When I was learning to write, I was taught about the distinctions between different types of fiction. Horror, of course, was one of the main genres and came in two varieties. It was broken down into natural horror (stories based on threats like criminals, sociopaths and the violently insane) and supernatural horror (stories based on unconfirmed concepts like vampires, zombies and ghosts).  Right now the craze in horror is completely of the supernatural variety. All you have to do is look at all the media devoted to the zombie apocalypse to see what I’m talking about. But in spite of the current trend, I write natural horror because I believe that it makes the stories much more frightening.
I have three urban horror stories currently available for free on Smashwords:
  • The Replacements is a story about three high school boys who are forced to face their worst fears when they try to buy a girl in the sex trade.
  • Spare Some Change reverses the power dynamic between an urban yuppie and a homeless man deep in the tunnels under New York City.
  • Finally, Afraid of the Dark is set in a near future society where government sponsored killers roam the streets answering to no authority but their own.
I try to create a sense of realism in my horror that infects the mind of the reader. I don’t want you to imagine a theoretical horror. I want you to feel like “This could happen to me.” That’s when you get scared. That’s when horror works.
I know Halloween is traditionally about supernatural horror. I know that vampires and zombies have a lot of cache in modern entertainment. But I don’t relate to supernatural horror, so I don’t have any inspiration to write about that. Stories about being terrorized by homeless maniacs or slave traders might not be the trend now, but try not to follow the trends. I’m trying to tap into primal fears and the fear of someone who might be just around the corner is more powerful than the fear of something that might only exist in our collective imagination.

Have fun.
G

Read This New Erotica (Because Everyone Should Get a Second Opinion)

A new erotic story from Nightlife Publishing goes on sale this week. Here is a look at the cover and a preview of the story.

The Second Opinion
He wants to celebrate his birthday and forget his advancing age by spending a night with his lover. When she shows up with her friend, does that mean the end of their night of passion or the start of something else? 
Authors, book reviewers and bloggers who want to write a review for this or any other Nightlife Publishing title should contact me directly at gamalhennessy@gmail.com for press copies.
Have fun
Gamal

Read a Little Urban Horror and Your Train Ride Will Never Be the Same

A new urban horror story from Nightlife Publishing goes on sale this week. Here is a look at the cover and a preview of the special story I’ve written for Halloween.

Spare Some Change
Martin is young, arrogant and drunk when he decides to harass a homeless man on the train. But he doesn't realize the power that the old man wields in the tunnels. He can't escape from the wrath of the deranged torturers who want to punish him for the sins of everyone who has ever abused them. Will he be able to live through their brutality and see the outside world again?
Authors, book reviewers and bloggers who want to write a review for this or any other Nightlife Publishing title should contact me directly at gamalhennessy@gmail.com for press copies.
Have fun.
Gamal

Erotica as the Literary Pariah


“Writing ought either to be the manufacture of stories for which there is a market demand -- a business as safe and commendable as making soap or breakfast foods -- or it should be an art, which is always a search for something for which there is no market demand, something new and untried, where the values are intrinsic and have nothing to do with standardized values.”  - Willa Cather
My writing has not generated much interest or discussion over the past four months. I haven’t yet figured out the proper marketing methods that will allow the eager masses hungry to read my masterpieces. But what little discussion my writing has generated has all been about my erotica. I can write about conspiracy, murder or torture and there is no ripple within my social circle. Stories about sex on the other hand, forces people to turn away in silent rejection or (I think) alter the way they see me as a writer and a person. The reaction that I’ve received has inspired me to think more about what I am writing and why in relationship to the mind of my potential audience.
The American Relationship to the Erotic
In spite of the summer flurry around Fifty Shades of Gray and the deluge of BDSM erotica that tried to ride that long tail, erotic writing is still a repressed art form in America. We are trapped between our Judeo-Christian Protestant morality and our obsession with sex as a tool of commerce and power. We willingly exploit the concept that “sex sells” but reject any insightful public discussion about seduction or sexual expression. Our collective response to sincere sexuality is avoidance, disdain, ridicule, silence or backhanded suggestions of mental imbalance.
Thankfully, the reaction to my erotica hasn’t been that aggressive but it is disconcerting to discover the people in my life conform, to one extent or another, to the same attitudes towards sexual expression as the rest of society. This makes sense. They are functioning members of the community they live in. It is understandable that they share the beliefs of that group. I had no reason to expect anything different but somehow I hoped it would be.
Controlling the Image
I don’t have illusions about the way people interact with each other. I know that each of us holds onto an image of every person in our lives. We project attributes, titles and values onto the people that we know and then assume those qualities will be fairly consistent over time. Any information that alters or upsets the image we create is resisted and rejected. If a revelation doesn’t conform to our defined social relationship then we don’t want to hear about it. By and large, most of your family, friends and co-workers don’t want to know anything about your sexual expression because it upsets their image or you and falls outside the realm of acceptable information. Writing erotica, whether it is autobiographical or not, is a revelation about your sexual expression and your sexual philosophy. That makes it a subject not to be discussed or explored. Living in this world, only a total stranger or an intimate confidant is willing to learn about you that way. No one else you know has any interest in the subject.
I’m not trying to invite everyone I know into every sexual moment of my life or warp their image of me so much that they go insane from over exposure. At the same time, my sexual expression is a large part of the definition of who I am as a person. To push that part of me away or to repress it would be rejecting a facet of my life that I’m not ashamed of. Inserting erotica into my work makes as much sense to me as including humor, wit or complexity. It is fundamental to my art and to my life. If I didn’t put it in because other people weren’t comfortable with it, then my writing wouldn’t be mine any more. My life wouldn’t be mine any more.
Pushing Boundaries through Art
Just before I started releasing my work, I read a book from Susie Bright called How to Write a Dirty Story. The book was quite good partially because it helped me see my role as a writer both in terms of erotica and in terms of other aspects of writing. Her advice, like Ms. Cather’s above, was to use my craft to push the boundaries of society and not just relax within the comfortable framework of acceptable commercial work. I have no interest in writing the most shocking, perverted or controversial book ever. Marquis de Sade already did that. My goal is much more insidious. I want to embed the erotic in other types of stories so deeply that one can’t be separated from the other. I want to construct scenes that are arousing not because of their graphic explicitly, but because of their realistic intensity. Hopefully when I’m done, the erotic elements of writing will be as engaging as the conspiracy and murder. Until then…
Have fun.
G

Life, Death and Sock Puppets


A few days ago, a New York Times article revealed a little known practice in the self publishing business. It appears that several authors, some of them very high profile, are paying companies to write great reviews for their books on Amazon and on other sites. Some writers go one step further and pay for people to write very bad reviews of books written by their competitors. These paid writers are referred to as sock puppets and they could have a major effect on the publishing industry.
What’s Wrong With Sock Puppets?
The problem sock puppets create is twofold; first because there are so many books available online, many people make their choice of what to read based on skimming the reviews a book gets. They work under the theory that if a lot of other people liked a book, they might like it too. That theory is fine if you tend to like mainstream work, but it completely falls apart if a book gets 75 great reviews all written by one person who was paid to write them.
The bigger issue might affect Amazon directly. I am under the impression that the algorithms that Amazon uses to recommend books to people take the average customer review into account. If there are three hundred books on salsa dancing available, the first books you’re going to see are going to be the ones with more good reviews. I don’t think most people don’t search every result for every book search they do. I’m sure many of them only skim one or two pages of results. If the sock puppet books fill up those pages, the writers who didn’t pay for good reviews will never be seen and never be purchased.
Loving to Hate Sock Puppets
The more I learned about sock puppets, the more ambivalent I became. I spend a lot of time reading and writing about corporate spies and espionage. I am very familiar with the concepts of deception, persuasion and subterfuge. I can accept the idea that paid messages can come in the form of ads, sponsored blogs, subliminal messaging and other forms of psychological warfare. I don’t think there is anything sacred about customer reviews whether they are for hotels, electronics or books. It feels like the inevitable struggle that occurs whenever someone learns how to manipulate a system for their own purposes.
But as a writer I still have questions and dilemmas created by sock puppets. Why should I spend months trying to get real reviews if someone can spend $500 to get 50 fake ones? How do I even know how many sales the sock puppets are going to get me? Are these authors devaluing their own efforts for 10 extra sales or 10,000? Even if I did decided to pay for sock puppets, what am I saying about my own work? The last question is the most important one for me. Does paying for reviews make me a pragmatic publisher who adapts to the market in ways that will maximize sales or does it make me an insecure writer who isn’t confident enough in his work to let it stand on its own?

The Best Stories You May Never Read
At this point, I think I'm just going to go back to writing and leave the sock puppets to their marketing masters. I am too vain about my craft and too unsure about the real benefits of manipulating the system. My refusal to use sock puppets might mean that I am creating the best stories that no one will ever see. But at the very least, I want to feel good about what I'm doing.
Have fun.
G