Nine Good Reasons (and One Bad One) Why Independent Novelists Should Write Short Stories

By Gamal Hennessy

Most authors I know (both independent and traditional) see the novel as their main creative outlet. It has the substance, gravitas and size to mark it as a major achievement. Few of them focus on shorter works as a beneficial aspect of their craft. (I include both short stories and novellas into this discussion See Just How Long is a Novel and How Much Should it Cost?)  I feel that independents, even more than traditional authors can get enormous benefits from writing short fiction. I've identified ten virtues of writing shorter stories that cover the business, craft and lifestyle of writing.

Business Virtues

1) Production benefits: Independents have several aspects of the production process that they have to be comfortable with in order to get their work out into the world. The best way to understand the nuances of pre-production, production, post production and launch is to get in there and do it. (See The Four Stages of Novel Production) There is a natural discomfort that comes from trying to understand all these moving parts when the 'test study' for your publishing education is the 120,000 word manuscript that you've worked on for two years. That hesitation is reduced when the “test subject” is a 15,000 word short story that you wrote in a month. You would still try to produce the best book possible, of course. But the emotional cost of each inevitable mistake would be less damaging to your psyche.

2) Cost benefits: One of the major costs in independent publishing is editing (See How to Find an Editor without Going Insane). The editing cost for a 120,000 word book can easily be $2,000 or more. The price is often based on word count, so a 15,000 word story might only cost $240 under a similar pricing model. This lower price offers flexibility on two fronts. First, you're more likely to try different editors if you know the cost associated with each one isn't that much. Second, the release of each book won't take such a huge chunk out of your limited personal budget. There is an increased cover cost for multiple books (See the Mystery of Cover Design) but there are ways to keep those costs substantially lower than your editing costs.

3) Sales benefits: The popular wisdom about independent publishing is that the more products you have in the market, the easier it is for readers to find you and the more success you'll have in the long term. The problem with that is that it might not be feasible to get 10-15 novels out in a reasonable period of time. Releasing 10-15 novellas on the other hand is a more manageable production plan (See What's Your Publishing Plan?)

Craft Virtues

4) Playground for Ideas: If you're playing with a certain characters or scenarios for a larger work, but you're not sure if you want to tell that story over an entire novel, then a short story can help you explore the narrative potential. If you get to the end of the short story and you're itching to write more, go ahead. If the idea fizzles after 10,000 words, then you can avoid wrestling with the concept for 30,000 to 40,000 words before you realize you've written yourself into a space that you can't get out of.

5) "Extra" ideas: I often come to points in my novels where minor characters suggest stories that won't fit into the main narrative. At other points they hint at something in their backstory that deserves to be explored. Instead of trying to cram it into the story where it might not fit or forgetting the idea altogether, I often use that idea as a separate short story to satisfy my creative detour without derailing me from the main plot.

6) Building blocks: I work under the concept that the chapter of a book is a mini story in its own right that includes a beginning, turning point and end (See Analysis of Story Structure Part 1: The Chapter). The only difference between short stories and chapters is that the chapter needs an internal consistency that also serves the broader book. Writing short stories is great practice for manipulating the individual elements of a novel that can be strung together to complete the story in the same way a season of a TV series is made up of discrete episodes. 

Lifestyle virtues

7) Project management: Cooking dinner for two is less intimidating than cooking for twenty. A 15,000 word project is less intimidating than a 150,000 word project. Breaking your creative work into smaller chunks might get you to a place mentally where you are more productive. This is even more beneficial if you use your short stories to build a larger novel.

8) Greater sense of accomplishment: When I look on my author page on Amazon, I feel better when I have more titles up there. The bigger catalog gives me a sense of progress and productivity that inspires me to write more. I don't know if I would get the same sense of accomplishment if I only saw my novels.

9) Creative freedom: When you know all your writing isn't tied up in one project, you can take risks. You can explore different genres, perspectives and ideas. You can push concepts farther than you normally would without sacrificing your main books. These might be stories that you never even release, but the creative freedom that they give you will come back and make your main stories even better.

The Vice of Short Stories

If there is a downside for releasing short stories, it is their length in relation to their price. With many independents selling full novels for $2.00 less, some readers and writers might reject the idea of selling 15,000 words for $.99. While I might disagree with the $.99 novel concept, I understand the economic problem it creates. 

My solution is to release a series of short stories in an anthology that is cheaper than the cost of all the individual stories. For example, I released an anthology of related short stories called Smooth Operator in 2013. The book contained five short stories and one novella for a total of 65,000 words. If I released each one individually, the price of the set would have been $7.99. I released Smooth Operator for $4.99 or 40% off the individual story cost. It's still more than the $.99 novel, but I don't believe in selling full novels for a buck.

Your turn

Do you write short stories in addition to or instead of writing longer novels? Do you do it for some or all of the reasons I listed, or do you have another rationale? Please share in the comments below. 

Have fun

Gamal

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Creating Your Own Niche: Developing Your Own Sub Genre

When I wrote about the opportunities and pitfalls of writing genre fiction last week, I suggested that we as independent authors have the chance to distinguish ourselves by pushing the boundaries of our chosen genre. (See Genre Conventions, Clichés and Evolution) Now, I'd like to focus on the specific I work with to help illustrate this idea.

Genre Combinations

It’s common in modern fiction for stories to blend more than one genre together. The tension or interaction between the different conventions gives the narrative a particular flavor that can work very well. Historical romance, military science fiction and dystopian YA have been and continue to be popular combinations.

I combine crime thrillers and spy fiction into a sub-genre that I refer to as criminal espionage. The connection between the two base overlaps to the point of almost being seamless. Intelligence officers often deal with smugglers, assassins, thieves and other criminal elements to carry out their missions. Espionage itself is often defined as breaking the laws of a foreign government to acquire information. Many of the major historical events that revolve around spies including Watergate, the Iran Contra Affair, and even Madame Butterfly also have a distinct criminal component.

The Why and the How

So if there is a basic link between crime fiction and spy fiction, what makes mine unique? The two aspects that I try to focus on are process and motivation.

Motivation: Unlike the standard spy fiction tropes, my stories are not about terrorists trying to kill the President, finding secret nuclear facilities or recovering the list of every undercover agent that always happens to be lying around waiting for someone to steal. (See How to Write Spy Fiction) The goals of my characters are much more sordid. They're driven by things like greed, lust, revenge and hate. Of course these negative drives find their way into spy thrillers of all types, but in my work they are not subsumed by concepts of avoiding war or saving the world. I feel the scope and reach of their actions and consequences is much closer to the reader's perspective. Hopefully that makes the characters and the story easier to relate to.

Process: Unlike a lot of crime fiction that I've read, my characters commit their crimes with the skills and tactics normally reserved for elite spies and Special Forces. My criminals are not desperate degenerates. They are skilled specialists. They don't rush blindly into an action. They study, evaluate, prepare and execute their operations with precision. They plan for not only the violent action but the legal, medical and social consequences of their actions. There are many real and imagined criminals that approach their craft with the same rigor. By combining high training with low motives, I try to capture a flavor in my work that will set me apart from other thriller writers.

Pioneers of the Craft

While I may or may not have coined the term criminal espionage, I certainly did not come up with the idea first. There is a significant body of work in this subgenre that spans across several types of media including:

• Books: 100 Bullets, A Lonely Resurrection, Thick as Thieves, The Killer, Silence and Co.
• Film: The American, Bad Company, Driver, The Professional, The Usual Suspects, Way of the Gun
• Television: Burn Notice, Leverage
• Video games: Hitman, Watch Dogs, Sleeping Dogs

All these stories provide more than just inspiration. They provide a road map that other criminal espionage writers can follow by introducing the concepts that can become conventions over time.

Your Turn

So what subgenre are you working in? What major works define your space and what have you learned from them? How do you make your work stand apart? Please leave a comment and let me know. We can all learn something by both finding our own space and watching others build their own genres too.

Have fun.

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Genre Fiction: Conventions, Clichés and Evolution

by Gamal Hennessy

Fiction writers balance their work on a creative tightrope. On one hand, we create books that fit within one or more categories defined by the public and the creators who came before us. At the same time, we are expected to create stories that transcend the limits of previous tales and break new ground with our craft. If we stray too much on one side, our work becomes derivative. Too far the other way and we run the risk that no one will understand what we are talking about. How do we deal with this balancing act and produce art? I have a theory, but before I explain that, it might be helpful to start with some definitions.

Genre Definitions and Examples

Genre: Broadly speaking, genre is a category of art formed by specific conventions. Fictional genres include traditional categories like mystery and romance and newer concepts like YA and slasher horror.  There are also sub-genres within most of the major genres. For example, thriller is a very large genre that includes legal thrillers, spy thrillers, medical thrillers and many others.

Convention: The conventions in genre fiction are certain standards of storytelling. They can be defined by location (westerns), levels of activity (action adventure vs. cozy mystery), expected emotional impact (romance or horror), type of protagonist (crime or YA), or definition of reality itself within the story (fantasy and science fiction). Within each genre, the interpretation of the conventions can vary wildly. For example, Ian Fleming, John Le Carre and Tom Clancy are all pillars of the spy thriller genre, but each one approached the conventions from very different perspectives with very different results.

Cliché:  is an expression, idea, or element which has become overused to the point of losing its original meaning to become trite or irritating. You are probably all too familiar with the clichés within your genre. The unearthly beauty of the vampire, the maverick FBI/ CIA/ former SEAL of the thriller and the naïve young girl of the historical romance can all fall into cliché because some writers have abused the convention and robbed it of its vitality.

From my perspective, the dilemma lies in how we play with and manipulate the conventions of genre without slipping into cliché. It would be hard to set a western story in modern day Manhattan or have a vampire story where no one sucked blood (or anything else), but how do we differentiate our work from all the other books, TV shows, movies and other stories in our genre that came before us?

I have two ideas. They aren’t really original, but I believe they can help us create work that is.

Creative Combinations

The idea behind creative combinations is that unique concepts can come from the blending of different genres. The resulting work contains more of a unique flavor because the conventions of one genre play off and against the conventions of the other. Examples that I’m familiar with include the criminal fantasy of Thieves World, alternative historical psychological thrillers like The Alienist, criminal horror like Grendel and sci-fi cop stories like Blade Runner and Alien Nation. My latest novel A Taste of Honey is an attempt to combine the crime and spy genres in the tradition of The Usual Suspects, The Way of the Gun and Miami Vice.

The good news about this method is that it allows the writer to combine whichever genres appeal to her, so she doesn’t have to sacrifice her interests for her craft. The bad news is that even with the broad number of combinations that are possible, most of them have already been explored in one form or another, so creative combinations serve as a stop gap measure at best.

Evolution of the Art

The best use of genre is to transcend the conventions to bring the craft into a new era. Writers who understand their genre completely have the chance to redefine the conventions and the genre itself.

Star Wars is the example that comes to mind first. The film at its heart is a monomyth that blends elements of fantasy and science fiction. I’m sure that has already been done before, but I don’t think it’s been done to a level this potent. Star Wars played on standard tropes to become synonymous with space opera. The knights of fantasy stories became Jedi and Sith. The science fiction trope of lasers became lightsabers. The fantasy concept of good and evil itself became personified in the Force.  If you want an idea of how successful genre manipulation can be, look no further than Darth Vader and his friends.

Robert McKee said that genres are useful to writers because they help shape and define our creations into “knowable worlds”. A story that tries to contain too many concepts, too many characters and too many conventions is quickly overcome by cliché. Our job then is to know our genre conventions through research and practice. Our goal can then be breaking from the convention to take our genres into unexplored territory or to create a new genre altogether.

So how do you use genre in your work? Please leave a comment and let me know.

Have fun.
Gamal

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How and Why to Watch the Sales Numbers for Your Books

By Gamal Hennessy

Watching the sales numbers for your book is a normal part of the publishing process. Any publisher, independent or traditional, wants to know how their product is performing in the market. If you just threw your book onto Amazon and then never checked to see if it made money, you might exist at the height of artistic freedom. But you would be ignoring the corporate manager and salesman functions of the independent publisher, (See What is the Difference between Self-Publishing and Independent Publishing?).

At the same time, obsessing your sales numbers can be an emotional rollercoaster that does little to improve your craft or your business. While I am often guilty of paying too much attention to the numbers, I think there is a benefit to looking at them the right way. I'll try to explore both the right way and the wrong way here.

Why We Look at the Numbers

JP Morgan once said “A man has two reasons for doing anything: a good reason and a real reason.” That has direct application for independent sales numbers. The good reason we check the sales page for our books is for financial feedback. High sales are the most basic indicator of the positive performance of our product.  Reaching the top of the bestseller list is an indirect comparison between our work and that of our peers. Good sales indicate a successful marketing campaign, and possibly, a positive revenue stream (See Profit and Loss Statements for Independents).

But the real reason I look my sales numbers has little to do with business related issues. My primary motivation is ego gratification. I see high sales as a validation of my work. I equate open emails and FB likes as social proof and recognition. I react to reviews of my books and comments on my articles as people giving me attention and support. It might be narcissistic. It might not have anything to do with sales really, but I would be lying if I didn't admit to the emotional component of watching my sales charts. This reality creates a potential problem, but the first step in solving a problem is to admit that it exists.

How to Look at Your Sales Numbers

Whether your sales are high or low, the second most important benefit to looking at them (after seeing how much money you made) comes from viewing them in relation to the other metrics of your book.

If you have an e-mail list, social media activity, an advertising campaign or some other marketing vehicle, you can look at the relationships between those activities and your sales. As you develop your brand over time, you can try to manipulate the other metrics to try and increase sales. Do you get a bump in sales when you have a blog tour? Is the bump higher when you run an ad campaign? Which one offers a better return on investment? Looking at sales in comparison to your other efforts is an aspect of social experimentation that is a fundamental part of independent publishing. (See What is the Difference between Self-Publishing and Independent Publishing?).

When we look at sales numbers in this context, we only need to look at them periodically, such as when we are trying to measure the impact of a particular activity. When we're trying to track our sales over time, a monthly review of sales makes perfect sense. If we are using our sales numbers as a financial feedback system, we're doing our jobs.

How Not to Look at Sales Numbers

Whether your sales are high or low, they should not affect your writing schedule or your outlook on writing in general. Looking at your sales numbers as you sit down for a writing session can be counterproductive no matter how many books you sold. Checking your sales numbers several times a day for a book that you just released is not a good use of your time. Comparing your sales to another author in the abstract can be self-destructive. Any rumination about sales that keep you from writing should be avoided at all costs. I feel all of these statements are accurate because I have been guilty of each and every one of them in multiple occasions.

Keep Writing

Sales are an important indication of your commercial success as an independent. But it is not the only measure of success (See How Do You Define a Successful Writer?). Even celebrated authors have not achieved the financial success that frees them from their daily routine (See Do You Really Need to Quit Your Day Job?). Writers, like all artists, are driven at least in part by ego. It is a natural expression of the ego to seek validation in things like sales numbers. As long as the hunger for validation doesn't eat the desire to create, obsessing over sales numbers isn't a big problem. Just remember to write in those moments between refreshing the screen to see how many more copies you sold in the last ten minutes.

Have fun.

Gamal

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Goodreads Book Giveaway

Smooth Operator

by Gamal Hennessy

Giveaway ends March 10, 2014.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

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What is the Difference Between Independent Publishing and Self-Publishing?

Many people use the term "self-publishing" to describe any books that an author releases outside the traditional publishing industry. Some people use the terms self-publishing and "independent publishing" interchangeably. I feel there is an important distinction between the two industries and while one isn't better than the other, some writers are more suited to one than the other.

The Characteristics of Self-Publishing

To me, self-publishing is an organic process that grows like a flower or a tree:

• The writer decides to write a book and then explores the experience of releasing it into the world. 
• The writing itself is often done by a discovery method or "pantsing" (See Plotting vs. Pantsing). 
• The post production process (See The Four Stages of Novel Development) is cobbled together ad hoc. The writer either figures out how to do everything on their own (the “self” in self-publishing) or friends and family are recruited to do this work for little or no cost (See the Gift Every Writer Can Give Their Friends and Family)
• The marketing is limited to narrow social media blasts with little no sustained connection with potential readers.
• Additional books may or may not be produced. If they are, there might not be any consistency between books, or any improvement in the post production or release process. 
• If a traditional publisher shows interest, the self-publisher will accept that deal as a chance to focus on writing and outsource the other aspects of publishing.
• A self-publisher is often unincorporated or acts as a sole proprietorship. 
• The self-publisher focuses primarily on her role as a writer.

The Alternative of Independent Publishing

By contrast, I see independent publishing as a strategic process that is identical to a business, except for the normally small size:

• The writer decides to write a book and then creates a long term publishing plan (See What is Your Publishing Plan?). 
• The writing itself is often done by plotting according to a specific production schedule (See Why Do We Word Count?). 
• The post production process (See The Four Stages of Novel Development) is a coordinated team approach. The writer hires professionals for the editing, cover design, formatting, and any other aspect where she doesn't have expertise. (See Just How Much Does It Cost to Release a Book?) 
• The marketing is ongoing, seeking to build connections with potential readers and other writers even when there is no book actively being pushed.
• Additional books are essential. The subsequent books will share a consistent look and feel.  They will be released according to an established schedule. As each new book is released, the craft and post production process is improved. (See Overnight Success in Ten Books or Less)
• If a traditional publisher shows interest, an independent publisher will reject that deal unless it fits in with the strategic goals.
• An independent publisher is often incorporated as an LLC for tax and payment purposes. 
• An independent shifts their focus across four different roles.

The Four Roles of an Independent Publisher

An independent publisher has to be a writer, a corporate manager, a salesman and an experimental social scientist. Each role focuses on a different side of the process and strives to answer a different (but related) question.

• As a writer, the independent needs to deal with idea development, research, writing, and editing. The main question for the writer is 'What books are being written?'
• As a corporate manager, the independent needs to deal with budgets, selecting and monitoring the post production team, beta reading, cover design, release scheduling, revenue collection and performance evaluation of each book. The main question for the manager is 'How can we produce the best books at the lowest cost?'
• As a salesman, independents handle distribution control, sales copy, marketing, reviews and advertising. The main question here is 'How can we sell the maximum number of books at the lowest cost?’
• As an experimental scientist, the independent deals with the constantly shifting playing field of publishing. He needs to research each aspect of the business, develop theories on what will improve all the other aspects of the business, and test those theories in the real world. The main question here is 'Why do some things work and others don't?'

A Personal Choice

Whether you use the self-publishing or independent publishing model is a matter of taste, time and personal goals. Some writer's need the structure of independent publishing; others don't want to deal with the inherent tension that comes from the changing perspectives of independents. Success is not guaranteed with either method. Ultimately it is our individual writing goals and not our method that will define our writing (See How Do You Define a Successful Writer?)

Have fun.

Gamal

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Advance Review Request for The Art of Seduction

I'm currently looking for advanced reviewers for my novella, The Art of Seduction from February 18, 2014 to March 10th 2014.

If you're not familiar with the advance review process, don't worry. All that means is that you get an early copy of the book in exchange for an honest review that you post on Amazon or Good Reads. It doesn’t have to be a five star review. An honest assessment of your reaction is better for other readers and the author.

Advanced reviewers for this book will receive a free copy of A Taste of Honey as a thank you for your support.

If you enjoy crime thrillers or spy stories, consider this premise:

The Art of Seduction: A Taste of Honey Book Two

Nikki Sirene is a spy who uses her sexual charms to steal secrets. Her latest target is Manuel Cruz, an Argentine shipping magnate who might be using his company to smuggle weapons into Mexico. Nikki's mission is to get close enough to the womanizer to get access to his shipping records.

Seducing this kind of man is easy for Nikki, but dealing with his paranoid business partner and mysterious wife create complications and problems she couldn't anticipate. 

As threats emerge from all sides, will Nikki remain the hunter or will she become the target?

Note: This is episode two of A Taste of Honey. The story began in Book One: Anything for Love and will conclude in Book Three: The Screams of Passion.

If you're interested in being an advanced reviewer for this book, please send an e-mail to gamalhennessy@gmail.com and I'll give you all the dirty details.

Thanks for playing.

Have fun.

Gamal

How to Deal with the World’s Reaction to Your Novel

One day you decided you were going to write a book. You came up with a story, changed it, fought with it and after a long struggle you finally reached the words “The End”.

Then you realized it was only the beginning. You edited it over and over again. You got feedback from beta readers. You got a proofreader and a professional editor. You got a cover designer. You wrote promotional copy. You found early reviewers. One day you released your story out into the world in eager anticipation for the world’s reaction.

This essay is about responding to that reaction.

Of course, I’m using “the world” as a dramatic device. In the vast majority of cases only a miniscule segment of the world’s population will have any knowledge or interest in your book, even if you sell a million copies. Out of seven billion people on the planet, only a select few will notice your book. But their reaction can be magnified out of all proportion depending on how you deal with it.

Their Four Responses

People will either love, hate, forget or ignore your story. These responses are based on a variety of factors, only some of which will be in your control. A reader might love your story because it reminds her of some aspect of her own life. She might hate it for the same reason. While you can’t predict how an individual reader or a group of readers will respond to your work, there are a few things you should keep in mind when these responses come.

If people love your story and tell you about it in reviews, emails and social media posts, take the time to thank them for their reaction. Fans are extremely valuable to an independent author (See Champions, Tastemakers and True Fans). Creating a personal connection with each of them is the best way to build a base of support that will buy your next book. It also helps to have another story available for them to read, because once a reader finds an author and characters they love, they will look for more stories. Keep writing.

If people hate your story and tell you about it, you need, as much as possible, to not see the attacks on your story as attacks on you. As writers we are mentally and emotionally connected to our work. It is difficult to see a distinction between ‘this story sucks’ and ‘this writer sucks’.  (See Learning to Love the Bad Review) But there is no point in getting into an online war of words with a bad reviewer. You won’t be able to change his mind about your book and you’ll probably alienate other people who see your defensive reaction. More importantly, focusing on a negative review will take energy away from efforts you could be putting into your next book.

If people forget your story, it is likely that they never bothered to react to it one way or another. There isn’t much you can do with this group except write the next story and try to bring them back as a repeat reader. A silent repeat reader, or even a one-time reader, isn’t as good as a vocal fan, but it still worth having them in your corner.

If people ignore your story you might feel lost. You won’t know if there is some technical problem that prevents people from buying it or some problem with your pricing, your cover, your description or some other factor that you can’t think of. You might start to feel isolated, as if the entire effort to put out a story was a complete waste of time. What’s the point of releasing a book if no one is going to read it?

Just remember that selling your work is not always a direct reflection on the quality of your work. People can’t decide a story is bad if they’ve never read it. It is impossible to read it if they ignore it or have never heard of it. You might need to change your sales and marketing strategy. You might need to improve your sales copy and cover design. You might learn lessons that you can apply to your next book. But under no circumstances should you stop writing. A successful writer isn’t just defined by sales (See How Do You Define a Successful Writer?) and the book that is ignored today can find a new audience when your next book comes out.

Your One Response

No matter how the public reacts to your work, you need to keep writing. It does you no good to be controlled by the fleeting moods and attitudes of your readers. You can be aware of them. You can respond to them in a polite and professional manner. You can take them into account in your future marketing plans. But the only way to fail as a writer is to stop writing. Public reaction, positive or negative, can’t stop you unless you give into it.

Have fun.

Gamal

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Read a Story of Crime and Passion Called Anything for Love

A Taste of Honey

Book One: Anything for Love

Nikki Siriene is willing to suffer for her lover Chris. She uses her sexual charms to spy for him. She deals with the constant slut shaming from his mercenary soldiers. She even faces the threat of sudden violence from his targets. But she wants a better life and she wants it with him.

That's why Nikki follows Chris to Argentina. She needs to escape the danger and constant stress of their lives. But new threats are hiding in this paradise. Will Nikki finally learn the truth about Chris and the men who are hunting him? Will she be able to leave the life of a honey trap, or will she be forced to sacrifice everything for her love?

Now available on Amazon and Kobo for just 99 cents! 

Note: This book is episode one of A Taste of Honey. It originally appeared in the 2013 anthology Smooth Operator. Nikki's story will continue in Book Two: The Art of Seduction which will be available in March of 2014.

Levels of Conflict: Hitting Your Hero From All Sides

by Gamal Hennessy

The vast majority of all fictional plots boils down to a struggle to achieve a goal. A protagonist has an object of desire that is material or situational. To get what she wants, your heroine has to exert effort against everything that stands between her and her goal. The power and intensity of her obstacles will define both your heroine and the strength of your story. But where do those obstacles come from and how can we build them into the story in a way that tests the heroine in the most satisfying manner? One answer lies in playing with the different levels of conflict.

Three Levels of Conflict
A level of conflict is a source of antagonism that stands between your protagonist and their goal. Robert McKee's book Story defines three major levels of conflict:

• Internal: where the thoughts, feelings or physical characteristics of a protagonist block achievement of the goal
• Interpersonal: where relationships with other people or groups block achievement
• Extra-personal: where institutions, natural phenomenon and situations block achievement

To put this into perspective, let's say you're writing a story about a boy named Adam living in Jerusalem. Adam has just seen a beautiful Arab girl and in that moment decides that he is in love. What obstacles does Adam face in his quest for a relationship? As a writer, you have several options:

• Internal: Adam's shyness, lack of experience with women and unattractive features get in the way of his budding romance. 
• Interpersonal: The girl might resist his advances for her own reasons, or she might have another suitor who wants to remove Adam from the picture. Also, Adam's parents could try to prevent him from getting involved with an Arab girl. The girl's brothers might threaten him with violence.  His own friends might reject him.
• Extra-personal: The wider Arab Israeli conflict could also inhibit our hero. Hezbollah bombings into the settlements could disrupt Adam's life or create a curfew situation. A suicide bomb could destroy everything or even kill the girl. Protests, strikes or other mass social events could tear their relationship apart before it even gets started.

This is just a few examples of what Adam is up against. If he is able to win this girl's love, the obstacles he'll have to overcome could make an amazing story.

The Different Directions of Conflict

After you determine the conflict against your hero, you have three main choices when deciding on the direction you’d like to go with each one:

• Broad: where the protagonist has to deal with conflict on each level, either at once or simultaneously
• Deep: where the conflict is primarily on one level, but the impact on that level is this hammers at the core of the character
• Compound: where the conflicts are both broad and deep and the hero fights intense battles on all fronts to achieve their goal.

The direction you choose is often a function of genre. An action adventure might have heavy interpersonal and extra personal conflict when the hero battles the arch villain on the top of a mountain in a blinding snow storm. A cozy mystery might have strong internal focus as the detective quietly strains her intellect to solve the crime. Every style of writing can tap into each type of conflict, but some genres lend themselves to specific conflict types.

Conflict as Spotlight

The best way I've found to develop conflict in my work is to focus on the aspects of my protagonist that I want to reveal and then creating conflicts that explore those traits. One of my main characters is a young woman named Nikki. She wants the affection of her mentor and lover Chris. To show her dedication to this goal, I put several obstacles in her path in the first twenty five pages of the book.

Nikki has to deal with the extra personal danger of spying on the Russian mafia for Chris. She has to face the interpersonal roadblocks of abusive teammates. The internal doubt she has about who Chris really is and her own feelings for him create the largest source of conflict. As the story progresses, each level of conflict deepens and interacts with the others to build a story that reveals Nikki's true character as the narrative unfolds. (See Creating Complex Characters)

The best stories have the strongest conflicts. While it's not necessary to throw every obstacle at every character in every story, a weak story is most often the result of weak antagonists. Pit your heroine against the strongest combination of antagonism that you can think of. Your readers will thank you for it.

Have fun.
Gamal

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Profit and Loss Statements for Independent Publishers

by Gamal Hennessy

When I hear self-published authors talk about the success of their book in the marketplace, the discussion often begins and ends with the number of copies they’ve sold. A few of them might boil things down to an actual dollar amount a book makes each month, but these board measurements don't capture the whole story.

A book that makes $1,000 but costs $3,000 to launch isn't as financially successful as a book that makes $1,000 but cost $700 to launch. At the same time, a book sold through one outlet will bring in less money than the same book at the same price sold on a different website. To help independents get a better handle on the financial performance of their catalog, I suggest using a simple profit and loss statement or P&L.

A Little Background
My experience with P&Ls comes from the time I spent in the media industry. Every time we released a graphic novel, DVD or other product, the business affairs department had to generate a P&L to predict and measure that product’s potential success.

A lot of companies use P&L's to plan and evaluate their business. The banks that I deal with now have P&Ls that would make your eyes bleed. I've kept my version simple because independent publishing has a fairly straightforward business model and because I'm not that smart.

Determining Losses
The first element to a profit and loss statement is calculating your loss. In publishing, this is the amount of money you have to pay to get your words out into the world. It is often referred to as the cost of goods sold. I've found that there are several costs that make up this number when releasing a book:

• Editing
• Cover Design
• Formatting
• Marketing
• Registration (ISBN, copyright, etc.)
• Advertising (if any)

You might have other costs associated with the marketing or production of your books, but this list covers the basics. (See Just How Much Does It Costs to Publish a Book Anyway?). In this case, your total cost is the sum of everything you have to pay to produce one book. That's the bad news.  

The good news is that digital distribution has reduced the subsequent costs to almost zero. You pay one price for the first book, but don't have to pay anything extra books whether it’s two more or two million more. That means the price you paid for that first book decreases with every additional book sold. You might have additional initial costs when you launch a new product (bundle, audiobook, graphic novel, etc) but then you also have an additional revenue stream.

All Profit Is Not Created Equal
Independents face a choice when it comes to distribution of their work. They can go with a low to generate volume sales or a high price to give each individual sale a higher impact. They can test the benefits of exclusivity with one distributor (Amazon's KDP program), or they can give up those benefits to post their books on several smaller online stores for higher incremental revenue.

There are vocal supporters on all sides of this debate. You'll have to make your own choices for each book you release. The one thing that should not change is keeping track of how many books you sell and how much you make for each book.

Profit in independent publishing is based on the royalty you collect for each book sold. For example, if your novel is $2.99 on Amazon, you collect 70% of the sales price or about $2.10. If that is the only place where your book is available, then it's fairly easy to determine how profitable your book is overall when you look at it relative to its loss.

Breaking Even
In the simplest economic terms, a book succeeds to the extent that the profits exceed the losses. The threshold between success and failure is the break even number. If your book sells at a level less than break even, you lost money on that book. If the book sells more than break even, it is technically profitable.  You might not be able to quit your job to write, but you're making more than you're spending. Congratulations, a lot of people never get to that point.

Using our example above, let's say your $2.99 book costs you $1,000 to release. If you make $2.10 per book, then you'd have to sell about 477 to break even.

In terms of a profit and loss sheet, it is helpful to determine the break even number and how much you make from each website at each price point. This will not only show you which websites are better for your book, but which prices make you the most money. Does it make sense to sell 50 books at a $2.10 royalty or 500 books at a $.35 royalty? Should you sell on one site and sell 200 copies or spread out to five sites and sell 40 copies each? If you compare the numbers in your P&L the answers should come to you.

Beware the Miser
A P&L has a larger benefit besides just telling you if you broke even or made money. It can help you manage the business side of publishing. It seems to me that there are only two ways to increase the profitability of a book; increase sales or decrease costs. Increased sales are the long term play. Because out books don't go "out of print" we can continue to count on long term sales if we continue to publish new material. Each new book stimulates interest in the overall catalog, making your new book the best advertising for your old book.

Decreasing costs is the short term play. If an author can make $500 in sales on a $250 production cost, he'll always be profitable. But it’s short sighted to reduce the quality of the product in an attempt to reduce the losses to zero. A low quality book will chase readers away to the point where both your costs and your profits are zero. (See Are Self-Published Books Inherently Inferior?). The smarter choice is to produce quality products within a budget you can handle.  They'll serve you better in the long run and you'll be proud of them.

Follow the Muse
It is also a mistake to use the P&L as an indicator or what to write. Let's say you're trying to choose between writing a YA werewolf story, a historical romance, and a sci-fi epic. According to your P&L, your last historical romance was profitable.  Your YA book fell flat and you don't have any previous sci-fi to make a comparison.

Which book should you write?

You write the book you are inspired to write most. The P&L is a helpful business tool, but it isn't a creative tool. Your artistic muse is in control when you sit down and write, not an Excel spreadsheet. You might get creative with costs and pricing when the book is done, but save most of your creativity for the book. Don't let the numbers get in the way.

Have fun.
G

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Analysis of Story Structure Part 1: The Chapter

by Gamal Hennessy

Exploring the building blocks of story is a helpful exercise in the development of any novel. Writers who plot can use this technique to help map a story’s progression (See Building a Better Story Part 3: Plot Construction). Discovery Writers can use it during their rewrite phase to understand how the story developed. They can also use it to modify elements that might inhibit the flow of the narrative. (See Plot vs Pants: Which Road Do You Choose?) This essay will look at the second level of story structure, the chapter. I plan to discuss beats, sequences, acts and sequels in later posts.

Disclaimer: The foundation of this method comes from the screenwriting book, Story.  I've modified it slightly for my own personal use.

The Story within a Story

In an ideal scenario a chapter is a miniature version of a story. It has all the structural components of a full novel in a compact form (See Building a Better Novel Part 2: The Narrative Framework). The goal of these ”mini stories” two fold; we want to move the story forward and reveal aspects of the characters. These goals are achieved when each chapter alters the condition of the characters on some level. The change can be minor or major. The change can be positive, negative or a bit of both. The change can be internal, interpersonal or extra personal. But in almost all cases, we need to create some change that drives the overall narrative and shows us who the characters are (See Creating Characters We Want to Know)

Felt but Not Seen

When the structure of a story works well it is similar to the structure of a building. People can enjoy the effects without thinking about or even noticing the details. For example, I work in an office building every day. The only time I notice the structure of the building itself is when something doesn't work. The same concept applies in your story. If a casual reader is picking out each element in your narrative, then they are not fully engaged in the story. Of course, a fellow writer might look at your story structure in the same way a building engineer instinctively looks at the working of a building. The casual reader shouldn't notice those things.

The Elements of a Chapter

I identify five fundamental structural elements in any chapter in a story.

• POV: This gives the reader the emotional perspective that you want them to follow and understand (See Managing Emotional Points of View) 
• Situation: This orients the reader in time and space, giving them an understanding of the character’s relationship to their world 
• Desire: This expresses what the POV characters want, whether it is their ultimate goal in the story or just a step that brings them closer to that goal. 
• Beats: The sequence of action and reaction designed to dramatize conflict.
• Turning Point: The action or revelation that changes the condition of the POV character
• Outcome: The result of the character's pursuit of desire. The outcome in most chapters plays a role in the situation and desire of the next chapter.

Example

The chapter structure does not require anything long, elaborate or convoluted. Consider this:

Jacob stormed up to the trailer with his Louisville slugger clutched tight in his gnarled fist. Lucky wanted to put his dirty paws on Ella? Let's see him try that with broken fingers. Jacob banged the handle of the bat on the flimsy door. It felt good to do that. If Lucky didn't open it and open it fast, it would only take a couple of swings to knock it down. Jacob had a mind to tear down the whole damn trailer.

Jacob never fired a shotgun before, but he knew the sound it made before it went off. His aunt Tee said it was a sound God created to drive off the spineless. Jacob wasn't spineless. He wasn't stupid either. The click clak of the shotgun on the other side of Lucky's door sent him diving for the mud. Splinters rained down on him. All the sound got sucked out of his ears. Jacob swallowed hard to keep his heart and his lunch from shooting up into his throat and choking him to death. Then he moved his ass.

Jacob scrambled away from the trailer on his hands and knees. He forgot about the Louisville slugger. He wasn't gonna get Ella back from Lucky with that.

My hope is that you can not only see the basic elements in that passage, but that you were also entertained enough to ignore the structure while you were reading.

Exposition and Non Events

If the goal of a chapter is moving the story forward and revealing character through conflict then there are two ways that a chapter can fail on a structural level. The first problem is referred to as exposition. This occurs if a recitation of facts is placed in a narrative for any reason other than the progress of conflict in the story. For example, in the recent series of Batman films, Bruce Wayne inherits a multi-billion dollar enterprise that seemingly built, controls and pays for most of Gotham City. No attempt is ever made to explain where this money comes from or even how much money he has. This wasn't left out because it's a "comic book movie". It's left out because it has nothing to do with telling the story. It is exposition that needs to be left out.

The second problem is the related issue of a non-event. This occurs when the condition of the characters in the end of the chapter is the same as it was in the beginning. These are the mundane events that provide no insight into the character and don't move the story along either. This is why as writers we leave out every shower, meal and bathroom break that doesn't directly impact the story. Sitting down to eat a ham sandwich often doesn't have a turning point, unless the meal is transcendent.

Stealing this for Your Own Purposes

If you want to look at the structure of your chapters, all you have to do is answer the following questions of each chapter in isolation:

1. Who is this chapter about?
2. Where are they in the story?
3. What do they want?
4. How do they try to get what they want?
5. Who or what tries to stop them?
6. Do they succeed or fail? What is the outcome?

Do you think this kind of analysis is helpful for your fiction? Do you already do something like this, or do you have your own method? Please leave a comment and let me know.

Have fun.
Gamal

A Special Sale Price for Smooth Operator!

To celebrate the release of my new novel, A Taste of Honey, I’ve decided to offer my last novel at a special low price for a limited time.

You can buy Smooth Operator for just $.99 by clicking on this link.

About Smooth Operator

Born into privilege, wounded by war, and skilled in the art of manipulation, Warren Baker works like a spider. He weaves plans and plots, drawing people into his web until they accomplish his goals without ever knowing he was involved.

In some cases, his influence is as delicate as a woman's smile. In others, he is a blunt instrument ruthlessly pursuing his goals. All the stories in this collection reveal insights into this complicated man and his mysterious quest for power.

Smooth Operator is ultimately a crime story about our desires, and how they define us. From ambition to passion, from blood lust to vengeance, our motivations do more than shape what we are willing to do; they reveal who we are as people.

When you are faced with a critical life choice, what you are capable of?

Note: Readers who purchase and review this book will be eligible for a FREE gift!

Smooth Operator was a 2013 Amazon Espionage Bestseller in 2013 and was a #1 bestseller in the Amazon's Hot New releases category. 

This sale won’t last long, so take advantage of it now so you can be ready for A Taste of Honey when it is released in February 2014.

Have fun.

Gamal

The Gift Every Writer Can Give to Their Friends and Family This Year

Being an independent publisher isn’t easy. Not only do we have to deal with the struggles and insecurities of writing (See The Writer’s Road), we also have to deal with marketing, sales and customer service in the form of social media.

Knowing an independent publisher might not be the easiest thing in the world either.  Some of us want free services to help them get our books out into the world. Some of us want our loved ones to take the time and effort to read our work and offer critical (but not too critical) feedback. Almost all of us want support, whether it comes from actual sales or a boost of confidence. In short, an independent publisher often expects their friends and family to be advocates, cheerleaders and fans.

But do any of these expectations make sense?

The Missing Pieces

I’ve found that many of the people who are close to me aren’t really interested in my novels. At first, I saw this as a personal rejection. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that there are several reasons why a person that cares about you might not want to read or support you work for reasons that have nothing to do with malicious intent or negative emotions:

• Lack of interest: Just because someone loves you doesn’t mean that they love your writing style, the genre you write in or reading in general. If you ask someone who watches mainstream TV to read your experimental novel, you’re putting a burden on them. They may or may not do it for you, but they might not be happy about it.
• Lack of time: The people in your life have their own financial, social, professional and recreational interests that have nothing to do with your book. While some of them could have several hours a week to read your work at your command, many of them don’t. This might be hard to believe, but your best friend might not be able to appreciate your magnum opus if she is trying to keep her job, pay her rent and go to the gym on a regular basis.
• Lack of perspective: When you ask a loved one to read your book, you are exposing yourself on an emotional level. A sensitive and thoughtful person will understand this and approach the request with the attention it deserves. This creates a dilemma for the reader.  If they don’t like the story, they have to find a way to say that without hurting your feelings or lie to you. If they do like the book, then they have to find a way to say that without making it seem like they would like whatever you wrote because of their relationship to you. Many people have a hard time with this. It is often easier to avoid the situation altogether.
• Lack of expertise: Some people think that they need a certain skill set or background to help a writer with their book. Others feel like they can’t absorb or evaluate certain stories because they are unfamiliar with the genre. You might simply want the input or opinion of an “average reader” but some people might not feel they are in a position to do that.
• Lack of comfort: Your friends and family have a certain image of you. Exposure to your writing could threaten that image and create an imbalance that undermines your current relationship. This is obvious if you write in a genre like erotica (See Erotica as a Literary Pariah) but it could be just as disquieting if you are writing about sensitive subjects like violence, religion, politics, or other deeply personal issues. Some people would rather avoid that journey into your mind, even if they have known you all their lives.

The Writer’s Gift

So instead of giving your friends and family another copy of your 200,000 word short story (See Why Do We Count?) or regaling them with stories of your trials and tribulations with the craft over your fourth glass of egg nog (See How to Talk About Your Writing Over the Holidays) why not give them a break?

• Go out of your way to talk about their creative endeavors instead of your own.
• Support their personal interests.
• Thank them for all the help they’ve given you in the past and apologize if you sacrificed time and attention from them to focus on your work.

Your friends and family might not need any of this, but they will probably appreciate it. You might still have an eager cadre of advocates, cheerleaders and fans around, you so make them a part of your inner circle. When you understand that people can care about you without caring about your work, you will appreciate the ones who embrace both that much more.

Have fun.
Gamal

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The IPN Top Ten Books of 2013

Reading is one of the essential activities of being a fiction writer. We need to read in our chosen genre to understand its conventions and trends. We explore other genres to widen our palette and find unique inspiration. We read the non-fiction to acquire research for our work and to stay in touch with the reality that we avoid while we craft our artful lies. Stephen King said it well in his book On Writing "If you don't have time to read, then you don't have time to write."

I've been able to read about thirty five books this year through the magic of e-books, audio books and the Comixology app. Most of what I've read has been decent, a few I had to abandon before finishing (See How Often Do You Give Up On A Book?). The following ten books comprise the most outstanding writing that I've been exposed to this year.

Keep in mind that this is not a list of books that were released in 2013. This is a list of books that I have read this year. This list also excludes books that I read in the past and went back to during the past twelve months. It’s not limited by genre or format, it is as well rounded (or scattershot depending on how you look at it) as I am. I've provided links to my longer reviews if I wrote one. Otherwise I just provide a link to the Amazon page where the book can be purchased.

1. Secret Pilgrim (thriller): John Le Carre closes the George Smiley series with an anthology of stories told during a dinner party for the next generation of British spies. Le Carre takes you through the Cold War and into the war on terror with emotional dexterity, dry humor, somber introspection and great insight into the mind of his fictional spies. This book might be just as good as Tinker, Tailor even if it isn't as well known.
2. On Writing (non-fiction): This is a classic in the pantheon of how to write books. It reveals not only King’s insight on the craft, but his gift of storytelling as well.
3. Delta of Venus (erotica): An anthology of short stories that explore various aspects of sexual expression with a delicate sensibility that doesn’t shy away from darker impulses
4. Batman and Psychology: (non-fiction) This book perfectly balances fiction and non-fiction by using eighty years of Batman’s postindustrial mythology as case studies for various psychological conditions. 
5. The Court of Owls (crime GN): This book blends a manipulation of the Batman mythology with some fanciful zoology about the animosity between bats and owls. The result is a fresh and enjoyable take on an icon that manages to retain all the things that make Batman interesting. 
6. London Twist (thriller): A novella that marks a slight departure from Eisler’s established conventions and an expansion of his creativity with very pleasant results.
7. Grendel Tales (crime GN): This book takes two minor incidents in the mythology of the assassin Grendel and unpacks them from the perspective of their doomed protagonists. Fans of Hunter Rose will appreciate the alternate resonance that these stories provide. New readers will be confused by who or what Grendel is, but that enigma will enhance rather than detract from the story.
8. Merrick (horror): Anne Rice brings her Vampire Chronicles and her Mayfair Witch series together in this book that also includes ghosts, voodoo and magic from the Incas, Egyptians and Christian mysticism. The glut of supernatural forces can be too much at times, and the long flash backs were sometimes difficult to get through, but this was still an excellent Halloween read.
9. The Killer (crime GN): This is a French book about a lone assassin who has to eliminate his targets, avoid being double crossed by his allies and battle the demons in his own mind in order to survive. It doesn’t push the genre into new territory, but it brings a minimalist flair to established conventions that recall excellent films like La Femme Nikita (See Bloody Inspiration Part 1: My Top 21 Films)
10. Hawkeye (GN): In the wake of the blockbuster Avengers film, this is a light hearted take on the groups least powerful member. If you ever wondered what a superhero does when he's not saving the world or hanging out with billionaires and thunder gods, then you will enjoy this book.

So what are your favorite books of 2013 (besides the one you wrote, obviously)? Leave me a note in the comments and let me know. I’m always looking for new books to read in 2014.

Have fun.
Gamal

What's Your Publishing Plan?

by Gamal Hennessy

The end of the year is a good time to look back on the progress you've made in your craft as a writer. It's also a good time to set goals for the New Year. For those of us who are predisposed to planning, the end of the year is the best time to set up a publishing plan. I'm going to try and show why this kind of plan is useful, what it is, how you can create one and what its limitations are.

Why Have a Publishing Plan?
The main benefit to a publishing plan is that it can help you manage your two most important resources; time and money. Few of us have unlimited hours to develop our craft (See Do You Really Need to Quit Your Day Job?) and while independent publishing is affordable, it's not cheap (See So How Much Does it Cost to Self-Publish?). Creating a plan can help you allocate enough time to reach your publishing goals in terms of output (See Why Do We Word Count?) and ensure that your costs for publishing don't interfere with any non-publishing expenses you'll have to deal with in your life.

What is a Publishing Plan?
The publishing plan is basically a projection of all your creative and writing business projects for a given period. It could be based on any goal you decide to set, and it can be broken down into any time period you like.

For example, my publishing plan for 2014 is to release two books that I wrote in 2013 and write two books that I'll release in 2015. Some people can break it down into quarterly, monthly or even weekly goals, but I prefer to work on an annual basis and have the goals from one year linked to the previous and subsequent years to maintain a steady output.

How Do You Create a Publishing Plan?
Creating a publishing plan is a three step process:

1. Set your goal for your desired time period. Keep in mind that we're talking about publishing goals, not necessarily income goals. A publishing plan can help if your goal is 'publish one novel per year'. It is less helpful if your goal is 'sell a million copies'. I don’t have a plan for that yet.
2. Breakdown your publishing efforts according to the four stages (See The Four Stages of Novel Development) so you give each project time for each stage it requires.
3. Layout your activities based on your timing and goals. It helps to schedule extra time for each stage, since life has a way of disrupting plans.

Examples of a Publishing Plan
As I stated earlier, my goal for 2014 is to release two books that are already written (A Taste of Honey and Dark End of the Street) and write two more (A Touch of Honey and Smoke and Shadow). Based on that goal, my monthly plan gets broken down into a creative goal and a business goal and looks something like this:

• Jan: Pre-launch Taste of Honey/ Production of Touch of Honey
• Feb: Launch Taste Book 1/ Touch Production
• March: Launch Taste Book 2/ Touch Completion
• April: Launch Taste Book 3/ Begin Production of Smoke and Shadow
• May: Launch Full Taste Novel/ Touch Post Production
• June: Production of Smoke/ Touch Post Production
• July: Vacation
• August Production Smoke/ Post Production Dark End of the Street
• Sept: Pre-Launch Dark/ Production Smoke
• Oct: Launch Dark/ Smoke Completion
• Nov: Catch Up
• Dec: Catch Up

It helps to keep a few things in mind when looking at this plan. First, I’m planning to release A Taste of Honey in Four stages to test a marketing theory I discussed a few weeks ago (See The Case for Episodic Novels). Second, I give myself six months to write a book based on the fact that the plots are already done (See Building a Better Novel). I also build in two months to play catch up just in case life gets in the way. If everything goes according to plan (and it never does), I can use those two "extra" months to get a head start on the publishing projects for 2015.

What Can't a Publishing Plan Do?
For all the possible benefits of a publishing plan, there are some things it isn't good for:

• You can't schedule pre-production creativity. Inspiration and ideas come when they come and no plan can force the creative mind to find its muse.
• You can't anticipate non-writing emergencies. Things like illness, layoffs, family issues and other unplanned events can completely derail a publishing plan which can force you to start all over again.
• You can't control third party responses. If you hire editors, cover designers and other professionals, you can influence but not control how fast they work. If you're looking for an agent or a traditional publisher there is no telling how long you might wait.
• The plan can't make you stick to it. If plans are antithetical to your nature or if you have a PhD in procrastination, a publishing plan might be more trouble than it's worth. If you don't have any concrete goals and just write for the love of the craft, a publishing plan might be beside the point. This is primarily a business tool. It shouldn't interfere with your creativity.

So what are your publishing plans for 2014? Please let me know in the comments.

Have fun.
Gamal

How to Talk About Your Writing During the Holidays

It doesn't matter if you are a first time writer or a New York Times bestseller. Inevitably, there will come a point where you feel compelled to discuss your craft in a public or semi public forum. Maybe it's over Thanksgiving dinner. Maybe it's at a cocktail party. Wherever it is, it makes sense to have a plan on how to deal with this situation before it comes up. A writer who can't describe their own book is sending the wrong message.

The Goal of the Discussion
Keep in mind, I don't really want to have a trite conversation about my books. The idea of reducing 75,000 words and a year of toil into a 5 minute uninformed conversation isn't my idea of a good time. I would love to have an engaging dialogue about the theme, characters and twists in my plot, but the odds of that happening are close to zero. So the compromise I came up with is part diplomacy and part marketing. I want to say just enough to end the inquiry politely and if I'm lucky increase curiosity about my work.

Disclaimer: If your work is controversial, sensitive or not suitable for the situation you are in, it might be best to avoid all discussions about it. The holidays are stressful enough. The last thing you need is your cousin accusing you of giving grandma a heart attack because of your Fifty Shades of Gray slasher horror comedy novella.

The Diplomatic Marketing Method
Diplomatic marketing is a four part process:

1. Setup is where I announce or introduce the fact that I'm a writer. This is the easiest part. Someone you just meet asks what you do or someone you know asks how your writing is going. The key is that I don't set up on my own. If no one asks about my work, I don't discuss it. Blatant self promotion is a faux pax I try to avoid.
2. The Pitch is where I give the "famous bastard child description" of my novel. The idea is to transform a complex, nuanced narrative into something that anyone familiar with popular culture can digest and understand.  This will often wind up sounding like a Hollywood cliche, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
3. If the pitch generates interest, my next goal is creating anticipation. In the flirt stage I tease something about the story, but I make it clear that if they want to know more, they'll have to read the book. This could lead to a semi earnest claim that they will 'check your book out' or in extreme cases they might try to download your book on the spot (hint: it pays to make sure your book is available online before the party starts, just in case)
4. Finally I deflect the conversation. In most cases, people aren't asking about my work because their dying to hear about my story. They ask me what I'm doing so I can turn around and ask them what they're doing. This is a natural social dynamic and since I don't want to talk about my book longer than necessary, I'm happy to help. There are several directions I can go; are they thinking of writing a book? what are they reading now? what was their favorite book? The direction doesn't really matter. The discussion of my book is effectively over until the next casual conversation starts. Then I just repeat the process.

Diplomatic Marketing in Action

A typical cocktail conversation goes something like this:

"So what do you do?"
"I'm a writer. I actually own my own publishing company."
"Really? What do you write about?"
"I working on a criminal espionage novel now. It's sort of a mix between Scandal and Homeland."
"Really, I love Scandal. Did you see the last episode?"
"I haven't had a chance to yet. What happened?"
"It was great. Blah, blah, blah."

Of course, there are several ways this conversation could go sideways. Maybe they never heard of those shows your referenced or they hate them altogether. Maybe they want to tell you about how all self-published books are crap or about all the money you won't make. Maybe they'll try to force their vague "idea" for a book on you as if you don't have enough of your own and they're too busy or important to write their own book. There's no way to get around that. 

On the other hand, the conversation could go unexpectedly well. The person you're talking to might turn out to be a fellow author eager to discuss business and craft. They could have a relative or spouse who can help improve your finished product. They might even buy your book one day. You won't know what will happen unless you try. Diplomatic marketing isn't foolproof, but it's better than going in blind.

In The Successful Novelist,  David Morrell advises authors to never reveal their role as a writer in polite conversation. This is one of the many areas of the book that I disagree with. For all its potential pitfalls, talking about your work in a thoughtful and concise manner can lead to connections and readers. Even if the conversations don't go well, you'll gain valuable practice learning how to pitch. It's a skill that might come in handy if you ever find yourself trying to get that novel turned into a tv show or movie.

So how do you talk about your books during the holidays? Leave a comment and let me know.

Have fun.
Gamal

Just How Long is a "Novel" and How Much Should it Cost?

My article last week talked about word count as a tool of measuring progress before a story is released (see Why Word Count?).  I got quite a bit of feedback on that subject, but many of the responses focused on the relationship of word count to the price of a book after it is released. This raises an interesting question; what is the relationship between a story’s length and its cost? I have my own ideas on the subject, but as always, I'm interested in what you think as well.

The Length of a Story

The rise of independent publishing and e-books has given writers the ability to release work of any size no matter how large or small. By separating the story from a dead tree we can publish anything from a haiku to War and Peace. This has resulted in ambiguity about what is and isn't a “novel”. There are several definitions of story size, but my company works with the general idea that:

• A short story is 10,000 words or less
• A novella is between 10,000 and 50,000 words
• A novel is 50,000 words or more

There may be other narrative forms smaller or larger than these three, but I write in this range so that's what I'll discuss. The rest of this essay will have the same logic even if you consider it for works outside these three sizes.

The Price of a Story

Prior to e-book publishing, there wasn't a big market for individual retail sales of smaller works. The price per copy of a short story wasn't an issue because most of them weren't available for sale on their own. Now short stories and novella sales are common place. But how much should they cost?

I've heard from several authors and readers who reject the idea that one author's short story could cost the same as another author's novel. I've heard some author's advocate higher prices across the board to increase the perception of self-published work in general. I've experimented with different price points since 2012, but I plan to adopt the following price model as of February 2014:

• Short stories will be priced at $.99
• Novellas will be priced at $2.99
• Novels will be priced at $4.99 for the electronic version and $5.99 for the paperback

The release of my next novel A Taste of Honey will have a direct relationship to the price. The novel will initially be sold in parts as three e-book novellas (See One Novel, Four Books). The first novella will be free to increase interest and, the other two will be released at $2.99 each. The full novel will be available for $4.99 with a bonus short story. With this kind of release pattern readers can try the novel for free, buy the episodic versions if they want to read the story early or they can wait and save $1. I get multiple releases and potentially multiple revenue streams. Everybody wins.

The Connection between Length and Cost ?

The one troubling idea I've encountered in this discussion is that the longer work should cost more by default.  I understand that a reader might not want to pay $4.99 for a 5,000 words story, but length has little connection to quality. O'Henry, Nin and Poe produced literary classics that were less than 10,000 words. I wrote a 120,000 word abomination that shouldn't even be released. The idea of charging $5.99 for it is sinful. Readers want good stories (See Great Expectations) not necessarily long stories.

But charging based on objective quality is impossible. If the writer is also the publisher who sets the price, their inherent bias, positive or negative, will unduly alter the price. I don't think any author throws out a book that they believe is bad, but every book that comes out isn't good. Even "good" books aren't agreed upon by everyone. Quality itself is a subjective concept in reading, so it can't be used by itself to set price.

I've said before the right price of a book is the price that readers are willing to pay (See Selling Books Like a Drug Dealer). What do you think? Do books of a certain size need to have a specific price for you to buy them? Does the popularity of the writer or the genre play a role? Leave a comment and let me know.

Have fun.
Gamal

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Why Do We Word Count?

It is counter-intuitive to try and measure the progress of art that is being created. As far as I know, composers don't count the number of notes they put in a new song. Dancers don't count their steps. Painters don't agonize over the number of brush strokes per day. But when I hear writers talk about their work, the number of words they put down per session or the number of pages they write is a barometer of progress. Why? Is this kind of measure helpful? Does it even make sense?

Wasted Words

Like most writers, I keep track of the number of words I string together in each session. There is an emotional boost that comes from knowing that I saved 1,500-2,000 words after an evening of creating lies. Is that uplifting feeling a sham?

If I write 2,000 words of exposition that has to be cut later, wouldn't it be better to write 100 words that show instead of tell? I can write 60, 70, 80,000 words or more, but if the story has to be trashed because it's horrible then what was the point?

Between 1993 and 1999, I wrote a science fiction novel called The Salvation Strategy. It was 120,000 of the most convoluted, derivative and scatter shot words ever linked together in desperation. It will never see the light of day. The only reason I'm admitting to it is because I know no one will ever read it.

Is Fewer Better?

When I decided to start writing fiction again in 2012, I thought that word count didn't matter as much as progress within the particular story. I work from a detailed script (See Building a Better Plot) so as I write I'm aware of how much of the story I've told and how far I have to go. Knowing my narrative destination gave me a mental finish line that seemed more relevant than endlessly throwing words on the page, hoping that some critical mass of content could turn my story from a disjointed mess into a masterpiece. This idea trickled down into my reading, I routinely avoided authors who I felt released books that were bloated and unwieldy. I suppose on a certain level, I became a minimalist snob.

Writing Exercises

But I recently came to a revelation; the practice of writing is similar to exercising in the gym or training for a sport (See Why Your Writing Practice is Like Your Gym Membership). If each word is a rep and each writing session is a workout, then my craft can become stronger as I continue writing. Seen from that standpoint, my Salvation Strategy wasn't snafu seven years in the making. It was a process of squeezing the cliché out of me, to let some fresh ideas push through. It taught me both how to find my own voice and develop the mental stamina to write. If I didn't go through that 120,000 process, my craft might not be as good as it is now. (I'm sure some people think I need to practice for another seven years before my writing is any good, but that's not the point of this story.)

Keep Writing

Authors of writing books like Stephen King, Robert McKee and David Morrell urge us to keep writing. Their advice has merit on several levels. The more we write, the more we can learn about writing and about ourselves. This can improve the quality of our stories no matter how long they are. The dancer might not count her steps, but she will practice constantly before a big performance. A composer doesn't count notes, but does experiment night and day with different arrangements before the song is done. The writer's words are our practice.  The more practice, the better the writing will be. Some writers do focus on word count as an end in and of itself, but the key comes not from how many words are used, but how we find the right words.

What do you think? Does my analogy of word count as exercise make sense or are stories simply better if they have more words? Please comment below and let me know.

Have fun.

Gamal

Early Warning Systems: Should Novels Come with Explicit Content Labels?

Recent events concerning the Great Erotica Purge of 2013 and subsequent discussions online have raised various issues for publishers. Independent publishers are even more sensitive to these developments because their books seem to be under more scrutiny. Other creative mediums have faced similar issues and have responded in different ways over the years, but one of the major responses has been the idea of informed notice. Is this response applicable to publishing? What are the benefits and drawbacks of this kind of warning? I'll take a look at this idea and the way that it applies to my own books.

Ratings, Labels and Codes

It's not hard to find examples of entertainment regulation in American media. The film industry has the MPAA that assigns ratings based on content determined to be adult (i.e sexual). Television has a similar system, so do graphic novels and video games. Music doesn't have a rating system, but it does have the explicit content stickers for albums with "objectionable" lyrics. In addition, certain songs are recorded twice; once in its original form and once in a sanitized "radio friendly" version. Novels and theater seems to be the only form of mass entertainment that doesn't have some kind of early warning system. I can't speak to the theatrical experience, but that kind of system could have a definite impact on the selling and reading of books.

Acceptance and Rejection

There are two potential benefits to placing explicit content labels on books:

• Informed readers: potential customers will have a better idea of what they are getting. Readers who are more sensitive to sexual content (because the vast majority of backlash in any media with regards to content involves sex (See Erotica as a Literary Pariah) can avoid titles without the need to interpret the cover or book blurb.
• Increasing cross genre pollination: while some readers avoid stories with sexual content, others specifically seek that material out. Stories with this kind of content that don't fit into the erotica genre can have an easier time finding readers and sales if readers know that in their historical fiction or space opera they might also find erotic themes. Mainstream readers can dabble in other styles and authors can add erotic concepts to their stories without the need to categorize themselves or their work as erotic if they don't want to.

There are four potential drawbacks to book labeling:

• Lack of surprise: if a reader knows that sexual content is inevitable, then surprise is replaced by anticipation. Subconsciously, they could be looking for the characters or situations that will lead to the sex scene instead of experiencing the story organically. There might not be an inherent problem with this. Anticipation can keep a reader turning pages and pull them more into a story. But if you want the element of surprise, the warning label takes that away.
• Summary rejection: some readers will refuse to read a book if they know there is sexual content up front. The context, treatment and craft of the writer isn't considered.  A reader who might otherwise be willing to accept and enjoy a well written scene that evolves naturally may never experience the story because of a prejudicial judgment based on the warning label.
• Ease of purge: Online distributors recently removed huge portions of their self-published catalog because of complaints revolving around sexual content. The purge appears to be over as books are being restored, but some of those books will never go back up. If there is going to be another purge or ban, an explicit content label could be a bull’s-eye painted on your book cover, regardless of the type of content in your story.
• Creative retreat: some authors might be willing to insert sexual themes in their non-erotic work if they can be placed quietly inside the rest of the narrative. If there was some kind of obligation to announce sexual content up front, some authors might alter their stories or change their writing style completely to avoid the scrutiny that might come with that disclosure. The label would have a chilling effect on the craft.

Self-Imposed Systems

After weighing the pros and cons, I've decided to try and put warning labels on my next novel, A Taste of Honey. Because the book is about criminal espionage, it might not be immediately clear that the book has sexual content (although some people will probably disagree with me). The way I see it, there is a benefit to attracting readers who like shows like Scandal. I also prefer to warn off people who are looking for a more traditional spy novel. There is still a chance that my book will be rejected out of hand by readers, but I'd rather have them not read it based on their own choice, rather than feeling like I tricked them.

What do you think? Are you willing to put a warning label on your book? Would you avoid a book with a warning label or would that make you more interested in the story. Please let me know with a comment.

Have fun
Gamal