Writing and Publishing Team Melanie and Brian Jackson

 

The eBook revolution has some married couples shooting it out together in the literary trenches. Publishing a book isn't easy. The hardest part sometimes is the time and energy needed even after the writing is done. If a writer is working on a budget, there are a lot of costs to consider: covers, editing, and promotion. Couples like Melanie and Brian show how a partnership can be helpful: One takes care of the publishing aspects, while the other does the creative. I had a chance to talk to them, so I asked them how they do it, and how it's going.

CJC: Did either of you always know you wanted to be in writing and publishing,or did you have other career ambitions?

Melanie: I always knew that I would be a writer. It was the most magical and wonderful career I could imagine, and from the moment I understood what books were--and that people thought them up--I knew it was what I wanted to do.

Brian: I always wanted to be a writer but chose to earn a decent living instead as a software developer. My last job was with a company named Cisco Systems where I made a great deal of money off stock options before the .com bubble burst. This allowed me to retire in my mid 40s and pursue writing as a full-time hobby.

CJC: My understanding is that Melanie had a traditional writing gig a few years ago. Who was that with and what happened?

Melanie: I wrote for Dorchester Publishing, one of the NY publishing houses. My first book, a Scottish historical romance called Iona, came out twelve years ago.  I did twenty odd books for Dorchester's various imprints without ever making it beyond the 'mid-list'. When the company decided to go all e, I decided it was time to strike out on my own. After all, there was nothing they could offer me that I (with Brian's help) couldn't do for myself.

Brian: I wrote about how we got started in my blog entry entitled "How the Heck Did We Get Ourselves In to This Racket" http://bit.ly/pk8rs3.  It might be worth summarizing here: In July, 2010, I got bored. I had recently received my latest rejection letter and was fed-up with trying to get myself published. I decided to use my copious free time by self-publishing the huge pile of rejected material that was cluttering my PC. At the time I began self-publishing, Melanie was being published in paperback by Dorchester Publishing in New York. Just as I started to experience some success, Dorchester Publishing came upon hard times and terminated Melanie’s contract. Melanie took note of what I was doing in self-publishing and decided to join me. 

Note that our overnight success was some 10 years in the making.

CJC: How has self-publishing been better or worse?

Melanie: For me, it has been much better. I like being in control of all aspects of publication. I no longer have to worry about the disconnect that often happened with the art and marketing departments. Nothing would make my heart sink like getting a book cover that looked like it belonged on a feminine hygiene product for a book that was about goblins with flame-throwers. There is also no editorial interference. We have all our books professionally edited--but not for content. There is no dumbing down of the writing because a publisher feels that it best to appeal to the lowest common denominator. My readers--our readers--are intelligent people and can handle the kinds of things we write about.  They don't need a nursery school version of an adult story.

Brian: I can't think of any ways in which self-publishing has been worse. It's been better in being able to publish what I want when I want. There is also transparency into sales and I actually get paid (quite well). There are no middle men (agent, editor, ...) to have to placate. It's great being in control of my own destiny.  It's fun doing it all. Again, see my blog entry "Why I Self-publish" http://bit.ly/p4E7Go. 

CJC: Brian, you're also a writer, but my understanding is that you handle most of the publishing aspects for both of you.  How do you balance it all? What is your work day like?

Brian: Yes, I'm Melanie's current publisher.  I spend my days trying to get her to write faster.  I find the whip works best. Seriously, I spend most of my days writing.  I find that the publishing part of my day takes up very little time.  It's fast and easy to format a Word document for publication and publish the work via the web interfaces provided (e.g. KDP, PubIt, and Smashwords).  The rest is just tracking numbers using a set of spread sheets I've developed which I do for my own enjoyment. I think that if every writer knew how easy it is to self-publish and how much money there is to be made in it, they'd all be self-publishing.  The secret that New York is still successfully hiding from most is that publishers are no longer needed.  See "Do New York Publishers Have Anything to Offer" http://bit.ly/pbWjsE.

CJC: Do you recommend working with your spouse versus say a publisher or an agent?

Melanie: This has worked well for us, but I think it is because we can agree at the start of the project who will be taking lead for that story. If it's Brian's book--he gets last say on art, pricing etc.

CJC: Because Brian is also a writer, do you read each other's work and offer critiques? Does it ever get ugly? Be specific (especially if there's hair pulling), my readers like drama.

Melanie: Opinions are given only if sought :-). And that is done respectfully. This is art, not math. Tastes vary.

Brian: I'm really horrible at this. Melanie does the majority of the reading and critiquing. Because I possess a fragile male ego, she's very gentle with me. Sorry to disappoint your readers, but there's no hair pulling.

CJC: Have you ever written a book together? How did that go?

Melanie: We have written several books together and I think it worked well.

My favorite collaborations are the dream books (Metropolis, Meridian and Destiny).

Brian: We wrote three books together: The Book of Dreams Trilogy.  The hardest part for me was ceding control of the project to Melanie.  Once I decided that Melanie was going to get the final word (the one in the driver's seat), things went very smoothly after that.  I look forward to writing together again. Note that there was a bit of a power struggle during the writing of the second book, Meridian, during which I wanted to make the story about the lead character seeing through the eyes of a murder and Melanie had some idea about an ancient druid.  The book suffers from a bit of schizophrenia as a result.  Being in the driver's seat, Melanie had to pull it together as a cohesive unit and I think she succeeded.

CJC: How are your sales? Does it pay the bills, or do you have day jobs?

Melanie: Sales are good.  Certainly better than when NY took the lion's share of the royalties.

Brian: Come now, sales have been better than just good. Since people have probably skipped ahead to this question, I'll try to provide some detail without being too specific. My first month self-publishing, August, I made a few hundred dollars.  I thought, "Wow, this could turn out to be a nice paying hobby."  Then just before Christmas, sales skyrocketed. This year, 2011, we'll make more in our worst month than Melanie made during her best year publishing with Dorchester in New York.  By the end of July (six months), we had made more money than Melanie made during her entire 10 year career with Dorchester. That's as much as I'm willing to say, but I think you get the picture.

CJC: For Melanie: You've written A LOT of books and you're so young (cheap flattery).  What is your writing process and how do you stay so prolific?

Melanie: I am what is sometimes called a 'pantser' (as in writing by the seat of one's pants and not to an outline).  I don't chase trends and rarely know what I will write next.  Often characters introduce themselves in my dreams and start telling me their stories.  If they are persistent enough, they get a book.  This was how I ended up writing Saint Nicholas' biography (The Saint) and a book about Alexandre Dumas (Divine Night).

Brian: For what it's worth, I'm a 'plotter'.

CJC: For Brain: Your covers are great. It was the first thing that drew me to Melanie's books. What software do you use? Would you advise others do their own covers, or do you just have a special talent?

Melanie: Brian does great covers but I will take some credit for having an eye for the right image. Covers are tricky because they should distill the essence of the book--genre and mood both.  Font, general color scheme and images are all a part of it.  Covers for e-books also have needs that are different for books in hardcopy.

Brian: And I like your covers too, Chris. Melanie and I do covers together. She likes doing it and I just like getting it done.  I drive while she throws out ideas. I use the GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP), a free Adobe Photoshop like tool that runs on my Windows 7 PC.  Mostly what I do is lay text over images that I buy off the net.  See my blog entry "Create a Professional Looking Book Cover on Windows 7 for $18.50" http://bit.ly/pk8rs3 for details. Until you become really successful (and even then if you're having fun), you should create your own book covers to save lots of money and, once again, to be in control.

CJC: Your next book "The Secret Staircase" will be out soon. Because we have the same copy editor, I've gotten the inside scoop and apparently it's your best story yet. Can you tell us a little about it?

Melanie: It's one of those unexpected, panster things. I was reading about some islands off the coast of Maine that are claimed both by the US and by Canada and I got to wondering about smuggling and if this would be an easy way into the states for smugglers since no one has definite jurisdiction.  And once started, the Gothic atmosphere was a given.

Brian: I'd like to add that the common copy editor of which Chris speaks is none other than Jessica who is fast, efficient, and affordable.  You can contact Jessica at 'strangelandediting@gmail.com' after visiting her web site http://www.strangelandediting.com. She was a great find. Thanks Chris.

CJC: What advice would you give would-be writers?

Melanie: Do all you can to master your craft. I'm all for breaking rules--once you know what rules you are breaking. Beyond that, it is about being persistent. This business will grind you down if you listen to the nay-sayers. Listen to advice, but only you can know what process will work for you. Also, no one will take your writing seriously if you don't. Respect what you do. You stand on the shoulders of giants. Do them proud.

Brian: I began getting the creative juices flowing by taking a creative writing course at my local junior college.  You can only learn how to write by writing.  So write.  While you're at it, you may as well take the little extra time required to publish what you write and, who knows, what you've written may take off. So: 1) write, 2) self-publish, 3) begin again with step 1.

Check out Melanie's website: http://www.melaniejackson.com/ 

Brian's blog: http://brianjjaxn.wordpress.com/

Some of the good ones are being lost in the digital revolution. Walden Books, San Diego, Ca.

Amazon's New Look

Amazon is in the process of testing a new website design. It's a less cluttered, more tablet friendly page. For self-published authors this is gold. Now the emphasis will be on its digital products: books, music, movies, etc., and not on lawn chairs and fedoras for your cat. If you've ever tried to use a tablet, in my case a Nook, to search for something on Amazon, you know what a pain it can be. What's still uncertain is whether or not Amazon will continue to suggest items or feature best sellers. The "recommended" feature is a big help for self- publishers, so I personally hope that stays, but the page is still in its test phases so there is no need to jump to any conclusions.  It's also rumored that the new site is in preparation for an Amazon tablet, a device to compete with the iPad. The Kindles are fine, but my Nook is color and it can surf the web; but if Amazon comes out with a tablet, I bet it will bury the iPad.


Here's the good news: "The new site emphasizes Amazon's digital goods over its physical ones," the Wall Street Journal reported. "On the old site, a column of buttons leads users to both electronic content and physical goods, such as toys, clothing and sporting gear. On the new site, a single row of buttons advertises only digital books, music, video and software."


Check out the article here:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2011/09/amazoncom-testing-new-website-design.html

The Elizabeth Chater Website Is Now Up!

   My grandmother, Elizabeth Chater, was a Professor Emeritus, wrote 22 regency romance novels, and published countless short stories. The Chater Trust has just created a website in her honor that will feature her regency romance collection, as well as some of her lesser known work, including an unpublished science fiction novel and a mystery novel . Being a female science fiction writer back in the 1950's wasn't easy, so she had to publish under the pen name Lee Chaytor. She published several stories in Fantastic Universe, among others, and in the 1970's she went to work as a professor for SDSU. She may have been the first person in the United States to teach a class in Science Fiction Creative Writing. That's quite a claim, especially considering nowadays you can't throw a rock without hitting someone teaching a course in Advance Klingon Poetry. John Scalzi taught a class over the summer at UCSD, the tuition for which was in excess of $9,000!
   Elizabeth Chater's classes were packed and she had students like Suzette Haden Elgin and Greg Bear. Greg Bear later became her teaching assistant. Joan D. Vinge and Vernor Vinge were teaching at the college at the same time and often shared works in progress and sought advice from Professor Chater. Science fiction was her first love, but after getting Richard Curtis as an agent, she knew she'd have a better chance selling regency romance novels. The science fiction work had to take a back seat, until now. The Chater Trust is going to posthumously publish one of her science fiction novels, which I can tell you is totally awesome. Dare I say award worthy...yes, I do dare. Grandma Betty was a genius, her IQ was off the charts, and she had an imagination that inspired and wowed everyone she met. It's no wonder authors like Greg Bear dedicated a book to her.  
   The first book the Chater Trust will be putting out is her cozy mystery thriller "A Course In Murder" due out September 2011. It's set at a college where a freshman girl tries to solve a murder caused by a demonic cult.

   There will be plenty more to come: short stories, novels, and poetry. So make sure to check it out: www.elizabethchater.com     

The first chapter of my new story, due out this fall: Ωmegasphere.

Chapter 1

Kurt often thought creativity came from some other place. How could those ideas he wrote in his novels come from him? Was it God, the Muses, or some great source in the stars . . . well, he didn’t know exactly, but he often felt like a radio receiving transmissions. He would soon find out how right he was.

Those broadcasts from beyond had brought him here, to the editor in chief’s office, on what he hoped was the precipice of a career in writing. He was already working as a reader down the hall in the nonfiction department, but after two years of battling the blank page he had finished his first novel. He was hoping for a spot on Lor Publishing's roster of writers whom he had admired since he was a kid. He wanted this badly.

Kurt had to know, "Did you like it?"

"I liked it," Miles said without making eye contact. His head was lowered, his attention on the manuscript on his desk. Miles was a veteran of over three decades in the publishing game. As the editor in chief of Lor Publishing, he was an important man to know in this town. Kurt had worked hard at getting his attention.

On either side of Miles’s desk stood two men in gray suits. Were they studio executives from Hollywood looking to option the rights to his novel before it was even published? Only in Kurt’s dreams. Had he removed the dollar signs from his eyes, he might have noticed the suits were a little too conservative for Hollywood types.

"Funny thing is," Miles said, finally making eye contact, "I liked it the first time I read it, over a week ago."

Kurt blinked several times. "What do you mean? I just gave it to you last night."

"I read up until chapter seventeen of your manuscript before flipping to the last page. The ending was exactly as I had expected. Word for word," Miles said.

Kurt waited for the punch line.

"I knew what the ending was going to be, because I’ve already read this manuscript. Unfortunately it had someone else’s name on it. It had Richard Bock’s name on it."

Stunned, Kurt was speechless. Richard Bock currently had three novels on the bestseller list, two of which were already made into movies; the third was on the way. He was Lor’s most important writer. Had Bock tuned in to the creative frequency first? Writers sometimes came up with similar ideas, but never complete novels word for word. It had to be a mistake.

"I asked my secretary to bring me Richard’s manuscript and, lo and behold, they were nearly identical. Same idea, same basic arrangement of words," Miles said.

"That’s impossible," Kurt said.

"I thought someone was playing a joke on me. You’re not playing a joke on me, are you, Kurt?" Miles asked.

"No." Joke? Kurt never joked about his writing. In two years he hadn’t even talked about his novel with his own mother.

"You’ve been working for me as a reader for . . . two years now. Like most of our readers, you have aspirations to be a writer. I’m always thrilled to come into work and find one of their manuscripts on my desk." Bullshit, Kurt thought. "And even though we publicly claim to have a full client list, the first thing I did—after my half-caf, no foam, skim latte and bagel—was read your manuscript."

"Are you telling me that last week Richard Bock submitted a novel exactly like mine?" Kurt asked.

"Yes."

"Same title?" Kurt asked.

"That's right."

"Same words?" Kurt asked.

"Some were different, but not many. It looked like a sloppy attempt at veiling plagiarism. Like kids do in school," Miles said.

"I wrote every word in that book," Kurt said, jabbing his finger at the manuscript.

"Richard Bock begs to differ. And so do his lawyers," Miles pointed to his left and then to his right, "Joshua and Byron Fickelstein of Fickelstein and Fickelstein."

The two suited men acknowledged Kurt sternly. The whole thing was like bad television, like they had rehearsed it.

"There’s more," Miles said.

"More?"

"More manuscripts," Miles said.

"I stole more than one?" Kurt asked.

"You’re admitting it?" one of the suits asked.

"That’s an admission," the other suit chimed in, making a note of it on a legal pad.

Kurt glared at them.

"If this is a joke, now is the time to tell me," Miles said.

Kurt said nothing.

"Then you mean to tell me you don’t know anything about the other six manuscripts that showed up on my desk," Miles continued. "The ones exactly like Bock’s?"

"There are six other manuscripts?" Kurt asked in a shocked gasp. "Wait a second. Why are they like Bock’s? Why not like mine?"

"Richard Bock is a Hugo Award winner, has a PhD in astrophysics, and is a best-selling author."

"Yeah, so?"

"So, he’s innocent until proven guilty. The rest of you are suspects."

One of the suits handed Kurt a document as thick as a dictionary.

"This is basically a gag order," Miles said. "You can’t talk about, submit, or distribute the manuscript. The copy you submitted to me, as well as the other six manuscripts, are being held as evidence. Fickelstein and Fickelstein have also asked that your house be searched, your computer be confiscated, and criminal action taken."

"Criminal action!"

"Copyright infringement is a crime," Miles said.

"Miles, you can’t possibly think I put my name on someone else’s book? How stupid would that be? Give me a little credit!" Kurt said.

"No one is pressing formal charges as of yet, but I suggest you cooperate with the authorities in any way you can," Miles said.

"How could I have stolen from Richard Bock?" Kurt asked. "I work in nonfiction. You’re the only one at Lor authorized to read his material. I’ve never even read one of his published books!"

"As a reader for the publishing house, you have access to submissions. You know how manuscripts fly around this office," Miles said.

It was true. Last year one manuscript in particular, a tearjerker written by a well-known romance writer, had been passed around to every secretary in the office. One of the girls had even taken it home for a few days and brought it back wrinkled with tear stains.

"Miles. The whole reason I wanted to work in nonfiction is so I wouldn’t be influenced by other writers," Kurt said.

"Now Kurt, I’m not saying for sure you plagiarized his work, but it's a little strange you submitted the same book he did. What am I supposed to think?"

"Similar ideas come out all the time. Remember those two asteroid movies?"

"Kurt, your whole book is identical to Bock’s book."

"Impossible! No way!"

"If there’s been a mistake, we’ll find out what it is. You have my full support, but for now, I regret to inform you, I have to let you go. You’re fired."

"You’re firing me? I can’t believe this!" Kurt threw up his hands.

"Security has already cleaned out your desk. They’re waiting for you in the lobby."

As Kurt left the office, shocked, confused, and angry, Miles's last words were nearly lost on him: "Get a lawyer."

Out in the lobby, amid the pity-filled eyes of a half dozen receptionists, two security guards he knew by name handed him a cardboard box full of his stuff and escorted him to the elevator. He felt like a criminal.

To top it off, a very angry woman was waiting for him in the lobby.

What length should an eBook be?

The great thing about eBooks is that a story can be whatever length the author wants it to be. There may be some reader expectation when it comes to something described as a book, so it's good to know the current industry standards. Also, if a writer wants to submit to a particular contest, or just wants to know what to call a work that's 17,420 words, there is a guideline available.

Book length was actually what started me on the path of eBooks.  About 6 months ago, I submitted a novel to an agent. It was 47,000 words and I was afraid it might be considered little too short for a novel, but at the time I wanted it that length and I hoped the agent wouldn't fault the work for it. I had read that, according to agents and editors, a first time novel should be about 80-100,000 words.  Wouldn't you know it, the agent sent me a message back saying that he liked the idea but that it was too short. He called it a short story, although I knew better. So I wrote him back and asked if he'd consider the book if it were longer. He said yes, so I started on a three-month journey of rewriting, trying to pull words out of the air, doing my best to make it fit to industry standard. I finished it, resubmitted it to him, and he said he wasn't interested. That was the moment I decided to self-publish.

Book length and size used to be set by distributors and pulp magazines. For instance, in the 1920's when Hugo Gernsback was pumping out Amazing Stories Magazine, he published stories that were about 30,000 words. By the 80's, when those paperback book racks started showing up in supermarkets, the books that fit them were about 80-100,000 words. Oddly, since the 60's the industry standard for a novel has gone up about ten thousand words per decade.  There are exceptions, of course. These days traditionally published mystery books average about 65,000 words. Kid's books are typically much shorter.  

The question now is: what length should an eBook be?

Answer: Any length.

BUT

Make sure your readers understand what they are purchasing.  Don't call a short story a novel, and be careful when referring to a shorter work as an eBook. It's best to include a word count and the proper nomenclature for the work in the book's description.

Here's what I found from a few sources on the web:

Flash Fiction: 100-1000 words

Short Story: 1000-7,500

Novelette: 7,500-25,000

Novella: 25,000-60,000

Novel: 75,000-110,000

Epic: 110,000+

There are always exceptions. Personally, I think a novel can exceed 110,000, maybe as high as 130,000, but these numbers are really more of a guideline. If you're shooting for a Nebula Award, stick to these parameters.

I've read reviews where the work was criticized for being advertised as a book when it was really a novelette or a novella. You don't want your readers to be disappointed or feel cheated.  Readers are very sensitive about what they feel is the right price for a work, and they might even be more willing to pay more for a longer work.

The story I'm working on now, so far, is looking to fall into the 20,000 word range, making it a novelette. A lot of readers might refer to that as a short story, unaware of what a novelette is, so when I publish it I'll be sure to include a word count. But who knows, I may get on a roll tomorrow and suddenly have a novella.  That's the cool thing about self-publishing eBooks.

How Print on Demand Could Save the Environment

   The Traveler's Companion is now available in print form from Createspace. I have a real book for sale, which means I'm a real author . . .  er, whatever. I have to thank Createspace for providing this opportunity, it's pretty awesome and its nice to know I'm helping to save the world. It's proof that the market is just as good a tool for protecting the environment as a tree hugger, of which I'm one. Is it possible to be for the free market and a tree hugger? Now it is. We'll call ourselves Free Huggers.

   How are Free Huggers saving the world? POD is one example.

   You've heard of pulp books? After WWII, pulping was a term used for mass market books that were destroyed or returned to the publisher because they weren't selling. Books were sometimes "remaindered" which was when the publisher sold the book at a reduced price, but this was usually reserved for hard cover books--not to say that hardcover books weren't destroyed as well; they were and they still are, and more often than you might think.

   Why did they do this? Back in the forties, there were no Free Huggers and paper was cheap and plentiful--so cheap in fact that it was cheaper to just destroy a book rather than try to keep selling it. Today it's cheaper to destroy the book rather than store it somewhere. If they wanted to keep every book that didn't sell in its first printing, they would need a very big warehouse.

   The pulping process survives to this day. It's now called "stripping." If a book isn't selling, book stores tear off the covers of mass market paperbacks, destroy the book, and send the cover as proof to the publisher that the book was destroyed. (Sometimes the books end up in used book stores or thrift stores, but they aren't supposed to.) To be fair, sometimes destroyed books are recycled for cardboard products, but more often than not they are burned like a Nazi s'more party. If you bought a book without a cover, the author and the publisher received none of the revenue, and no, you can no longer be a Free Hugger.

    How many books are destroyed in this fashion these days? For mass market paperbacks it can be as high as 50-55 percent of books. WOW! For trade imprints, it’s a little lower, more like 35 percent, and for specific imprints like tech books it's about 25 percent, which is still a lot of books.   

   Publishers budget for a certain amount of returns, but one would think, with this much waste, publishers would be quicker to embrace eBooks. What other business plans on destroying more than half of its unsold products? It doesn't make sense!

   With that many books being destroyed, it's just a matter of planetary health that we embrace eBooks or POD. I submit to you that every POD should also come with a Free Hug.

Get your physical, printed, pulpable, and environmentally friendly version of The Traveler's Companion today!

https://www.createspace.com/3620787

Check out Dave Taylor on the subject:

http://www.askdavetaylor.com/what_percentage_of_books_printed_end_up_destroyed.html