Wanted: Ebook Advice

Keith here.

Remember when you used to write "e-mail" with a hyphen? Then it got so ubiquitous that you dropped the hyphen and typed "email." Well, I remember when you inserted that hyphen in ebooks, too, but now it just looks old-fashioned, like you haven't gotten aboard the train before it left the station. The NY Times is running ebook bestseller lists. My compadre Barry Eisler eschewed a $500K advance for paper-and-pulp books to go the ebook publishing route. And I'll bet it can't be long before Mystery Writers of America and the International Thriller Writers add a best ebook original category to their awards to go with the best paperback original.

I live in Silicon Valley and have been on the cutting edge on some things like cloud computing and the Luddite fringe on others like smartphones. I guess on ebooks I'll be somewhere in between.

My agent is currently circulating a manuscript of mine for paper and ink publication. I have the rights to e-publish one of my books now on bookstore shelves in trade paper (Smasher), and I have another manuscript sitting on my hard drive. It's called Drop by Drop after this quotation by Aeschylus: “And even in our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart....” In Drop I draw upon my experience as counsel to the Senate Intelligence Committee overseeing spying and other covert activities conducted by US intelligence agencies. I loved writing the novel and friends who have read it have been nudging me, so I want to get it out there for others to read.

Paul Levine gave me advice on where to go to get the manuscripts formatted for Amazon and B&N and to get covers for them. (The one on the left above is just a mock-up I did myself.) But here's what I don't know, where I'm lost. When Smasher came out in paper, I went to BEA and signed books, and then visited bookstores and signed even more. The publisher sent out galleys to newspapers and magazines, which followed up with reviews. I was interviewed by print reporters and even on TV. But how do you do all that with an ebook? How do you send reviewers a copy? (It probably doesn't matter since they won't review an ebook original anyway.) I can't go to bookstores, for signings -- there's nothing to sign.

I had a great set of blurbs for Smasher, but what about blurbs for an ebook original? Is there even room for one to be legible on the front cover? (There is no back cover.) Is it uncool to ask for a blurb that would just be used on the Amazon, B&N, and Smashword download sites?

So I have to come up with a new launch strategy, don't I? I guess I can tweet and blog to my heart's content. But beyond that, how do I get the word out there? I'd be grateful for any ideas you have or experiences you've learned from. Thanks so much.

Keith

P.S. I'll let you know when the books are available for download and how it goes in a future posting.

Inkspot News - April 30, 2011

Today at 10:15 AM, Midnight Ink author Beth Groundwater will take part in a panel at Malice Domestic entitled Shot At, Robbed, Hypothermic and More: Travails Authors Endure to Get it Right. Other panelists include Sandi Ault, Joanna Carl, and Vicki Delany with Toni L. P. Kelner moderating.

Today at 10:15 AM, Alan Orloff will take part in the panel, New Kids on the Block: Agatha First Novel Nominees, along with Avery Aames, Laura Alden, Amanda Flower, and Sasscer Hill. Moderated by Margaret Maron.

Today at 1:45 PM, Jess Lourey is fan-girl geeked out thrilled to take part in the panel, Gumshoes with Gams: Female PIs on the Job, along with Sue Grafton, Laura DiSilverio, and Cathi Stoler. Moderated by Con Lehane. Signing to immediately follow.

Today at 4:10 PM Midnight Ink authors Lois Winston and Jess Lourey will take part in a panel at Malice Domestic entitled Funny Gals, Dark Books: An Intellectual Look at Humor in Mysteries. Other panelists include Donna Andrews and Judi McCoy with Cathy Pickens moderating.

Tomorrow at 8:45 AM, Deborah Sharp will take part in the panel, Here Comes the Corpse: Wedding-Themed Mysteries. Other panelists include Rhys Bowen, Mary Jane Clark, and Tracy Kiely, with Ilene Schneider moderating.

Tomorrow at 11:45 AM Midnight Ink author Alice Loweecey will take part in a Malice Domestic panel entitled: Grannies with Guns and Trash-Talking Nuns: Characters Who Defy Stereotypes. Other panelists include Rhys Bowen, Chris Grabenstein and Parnell Hall with Chris Roerden moderating.

Monday, May 2nd at 4 PM Midnight Ink authors Lois Winston, Jess Lourey, Alice Loweecey, Beth Groundwater, Alan Orloff, and Vicki Doudera will appear at the Festival of Mystery in Oakmont, PA.

Then, Beth Groundwater goes on a whirlwind tour with the following signings (see the Appearances page at her website for details):

Tuesday, May 3, 6 – 7:30 PM
Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Barracks Road Shopping Center
1035A Emmet Street, Charlottesville, VA 22903

Thursday, May 5, 12:30 – 2:30 PM
Fountain Bookstore
1322 E Cary Street, Richmond, VA 23219

Friday, May 6, 2 – 6 PM
William & Mary Bookstore
345 Duke of Gloucester Street, Williamsburg, VA 23185

For Margaret Fenton and my Alabama Friends

Until last week, the closest I had ever come to seeing damage from a tornado was the famous twister on The Wizard of Oz. Here in Maine, we have blizzards and hurricanes, black flies and mud season, but tornados are something that happen in other places, to other people.

Last week, I witnessed the effects of tornado damage up close. We were driving south on Route 95 through North Carolina, the day after severe twisters ravaged that state, and even from the highway, the wreckage was apparent. Later, passing through some small towns, I saw scenes of destruction and despair. One scene stood out in my mind: a tree completely full of pink insulation -- wrenched from a house and somehow deposited on the branches. All around us, homes were flattened, trees were severed, and homeowners wore the look of resigned determination I've seen here after whopper snowstorms. The only difference? Instead of snow shovels, they were wielding chainsaws.

And now the twisters have devastated Alabama, and my heart aches for the many people I met there in February at Murder in the Magic City in Birmingham, and Murder on the Menu in Wetumpka. 194 people are estimated to have perished in Alabama alone: the 173 tornadoes that have ravaged the south are the deadliest since 1974. I'm writing this to let the mystery fans and authors that I met there know that we are thinking of them -- praying for them, and hoping that their lives can return to a "new" normal as soon as possible.

I'm especially thinking of Margaret Fenton, who got me to taste my first-ever Fried Green Tomato BLT. (Yes -- it was delicious.) For those of us in the mystery genre world, Margaret is one of our champs: she works tirelessly to organize a great conference and promote our books. She's a writer herself (Little Lamb Lost) and a remarkable woman. Margaret -- I know I am not alone in thinking of you and wishing you and your family the best! Also Tammy, who organizes a fabulous luncheon and discussion in Wetumpka --- hope all is well....

What does this have to do with writing, you may be asking? Well, even though we may write our novels in a vacuum, we promote them in community. I absolutely loved meeting the writers and readers of Birmingham and Wetumpka. They are my friends, and in this dark time, I want them to know that they aren't forgotten.

On the Road Again ...

When this article posts, I will be sitting in the Denver, Colorado, airport waiting to board my flight to Washington, DC after having gotten up at o'dark thirty to drive to Denver from my home in Colorado Springs. Thus begins my East Coast Book Tour: 9 events in 10 days in 3 states (Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania). To see what I have planned, go to the Appearances page of my website.

Am I crazy? No, I'm just trying to make my promotion dollars stretch as far as possible. You see, every single bit of this trip will be paid out of my pocket. Like most authors, my publishers don't pay for me to go on tour. That only happens for bestselling authors, who really don't NEED to go on tour--readers are going to buy their books anyway. But for mid-list authors who DO need to visit different locations to get our name out there and meet booksellers, librarians, and readers, that tour money isn't forthcoming. So, it comes out of our advance checks.

Thus the need to stretch those travel dollars as far as possible.

Here's how I'm doing it. First, I dug into my frequent flier mileage accounts to pay for the flights, flying out on one airline's miles and returning on another's. I will rely on public transportation and a friend to get around in the Washington, DC area. That's so I can put off picking up a discount rental car using a Costco coupon until Sunday.

When I'm staying in hotels or motels for the Malice Domestic conference in Bethesda, Maryland, and the Festival of Mystery in Oakmont, Pennsylvania, I'm sharing a room with another mystery author. Otherwise, I'm mooching on a friend in Arlington, Virginia, for one night, an author friend in Annapolis, Maryland for one night, my sister in Charlottesville, Virgina, for another night, and my parents in Hampton, Virginia for four nights. Bread-and-butter gifts to my hostesses will likely be autographed copies of Deadly Currents.

I'll have one bookstore signing in each of the first three "mooch" locations, then I will use my parents' home as a base of operations for four events in the Tidewater area of Virgina: a signing at my alma mater (The College of William and Mary Bookstore), signings at two other bookstores in Newport News and Richmond, and teaching a class to the Hampton Roads Writers on "Realistic and Effective Dialogue in Fiction" that will net me a small speaker's fee. I spent my high school and college years in Hampton and Williamsburg, so even though the Tidewater area of Virginia is a loooong way from my current home in Colorado, I can claim "home town girl" status.

Whenever I can find a spare moment, I'll stop at other nearby bookstores to sign stock, if they have my book on their shelves, or to leave a postcard or bookmark if they don't, along with a suggestion that they order some copies. And those meals that aren't included in conference registrations or provided by my much-appreciated hosts? Will they be at fancy restaurants? No way, Jose! We're talking fast food salads or subway sandwiches for most of them.

So, what do you think of the glamorous life of the author on book tour? Want to join me?

Memorable?

What makes a story memorable? The plot? The characters? The action? The lines? The gist? Or maybe the author.

I’m pretty sure it’s not the plot. Who remembers exactly what happened and when in any story, even your own life’s tale? In fact, some argue only seven literary plots exist, so it’s got to be other variables that make a book memorable.

It could be the characters. Many people seem to have fallen in love with Lisbeth Salander from Stieg Larsson’s series. And Scarlett O’Hara holds a spot in many readers' hearts as does Rhett Butler. All three are extraordinary…and maybe that’s the ticket…being extraordinary.

But then action does seem to make a difference. Lisbeth Salander kicks some butt, and wouldn’t we all like to do that on occasion? Scarlett was a master of manipulation, and Rhett recognized—and loved—her for what she was. And isn’t being good at something and being loved, even in spite of ourselves, what we all dream of?

Or do the lines make a story memorable? “Tomorrow is another day.” “My dear, I don’t give a damn.” As for Lisbeth quotes, well, some of those words aren’t in my vocabulary, which made them all the more attention-getting.

Now the gist of the story, the central idea, the essence, could be what ultimately makes a book memorable. I remember reading Still Alice and being horrified I was developing Alzheimer’s, and all the other members of my book club thought they were, too. So does reading about someone suffering through an event that could happen to us make a story memorable? If so, I probably ought to remember more stories, since I read plenty of women’s and almost zero science fiction.

I currently have one hundred and six books in my catalog on Goodreads. Looking at their covers, I remember the gist of one quarter. The others, regardless of whether I rated them a five or not, have completely left my memory. Is that because I really am developing Alzheimer’s or because the stories, while entertaining and well written, were not, in the end, all that memorable?

Of the one quarter I recall, half were written by an author I’ve met, which made them more interesting to me. I didn’t necessarily rate them any higher, but I remember them better because of that additional significance.

So what is it that makes a book memorable? Does each of us have a different answer, depending on our own life experiences? Or does a universal thread exist, woven through all of the memorable tales, embedding them in our minds? If so, I can’t put my finger on it; can you? Is it even important for a book to be memorable? What do you think?

SETTINGS AS CHARACTERS?

Darrell James

I was once asked, What’s the toughest part of writing a novel? Without thinking, my knee jerk answer was “Decision Making.”

Authors make decisions even before the writing begins. What to write about? Where to set the story? Where to begin the telling? And the decision making continues throughout the process until the very end, deciding on the minutia as well as the major plot and character elements.

One of the decisions an author must make early in the writing process (perhaps even early in their career) is: Will my story(s) have a fictional or real setting?

Some authors have made real settings part of their own storytelling brand, (Michael Connolley’s L.A., Dennis Lehane’s Boston) by using real places (restaurants, bars, hotels, buildings, streets, rivers, and landmarks) as the backdrop for their fictional characters. Others prefer to fully fictionalize their settings. While, still others, offer a mix of the real and fictional elements.

Stephen King has created towns so familiar and real to us that we can hardly think of them as fictional. Yet, the towns of Derry and Castle Rock are fully the fabric of King’s imagination, set topographically amid the greater (real) Maine landscape.

I personally like this approach. And, as an author, it offers a couple of advantages. The first is flexibility. Elements of the fictional setting can be decided (that word again), manipulated, and fully architected to support the plot. The other advantage (and this is the important part to me) is that the author can fully imagine the setting and breathe a personal life into it, treating it, in many ways, as a character in the story.

In my forthcoming novel, Nazareth Child, missing persons investigator, Del Shannon, goes in search of the mother she’s never known. Her quest leads her into the clannish hill country of southeastern Kentucky, to the town of Nazareth Church, where the infamous faith healer, Silas Rule, seems to hold the key to her mother’s past.

These hills (and it’s people) are my roots. It is the birthplace of my mother and father. The DNA of my existence. Take the mountain parkway southeast out of Winchester, and your journey will take you through the very real towns of Clay City, Stanton, and Bowen, all mentioned and used as real topographic anchors in the story. But, search as you might, you won’t find the town of Nazareth Church anywhere but between the pages of the novel.



From the giant cross that marks its entrance, to the old cemetery, and church without windows, it’s all fictional. And, yet, so very real to the possibilities and likelihoods that one will scarcely know the difference.

Nazareth Church has become real in my mind. It lives. It breathes. And it plays a very “real” role in the development and outcome of the story. Only in fictional form can it fulfill its role so completely.

What about you? As a writer, do you prefer to write real or fictional settings? As a reader, which do you prefer?


Nazareth Child, a Del Shannon Novel, is scheduled for release in September. It is currently available for pre-order on Amazon

Never Enough Books!

I’m in the midst of preparation for Malice Domestic and the Festival of Mystery right afterwards. Just before this, I was giving book talks and driving to signings, mailing bookplates and books readers had won in giveaways. I’m fried.

Then I updated my website with this picture:


I felt a bit silly when it was taken—it seemed so “posed.” But when I look at it, I realize that this encapsules the goal I started reaching for in 2005. I’m at a bookstore about to sign my books.

That’s what this is all about, really—books. I almost lost sight of it what with everything that needs doing. So I went upstairs and stared at my bookshelves. There are five of them, they’re all packed to bursting like this, and I’ve read every single book on every shelf; some more than once. Some several times.

Then I took off the shelves this selection of books:

Every one of them is written by a writer friend of mine. It makes me proud to bursting when I see them. We’ve all been on very long roads to achieve this. JD Salinger, in Seymour; An Introduction, put into words what my friends and I wanted to do: “Ask yourself, as a reader, what piece of writing in all the world [you] would most want to read…. [Then] sit down shamelessly and write it yourself.”
So we did. Because we love books.

Writers, please share if you would: What was your lightbulb moment? Was it a quote from a book? Was it staring at your own bookshelves? Something else?

Readers, please share if you would: What book do you most want to read? Do you already own it? Are you waiting for someone to write it? You never know—it might be the WIP on an Inker’s laptop.

Inkspot News - April 23, 2011

Next Friday, April 29 - Sunday, May 1, the Malice Domestic conference will take place in Bethesda, Maryland, and many Midnight Ink authors are participating.

Friday, April 29th, at 10:30 AM, Beth Groundwater, Alan Orloff, Joanna Campbell Slan, and Deborah Sharp will participate in the Malice-Go-Round.

Saturday, April 30th, at 7:30 AM, Alice Loweecey will host a table at the New Authors Breakfast.

Saturday, April 30th, at 10:15 AM, Beth Groundwater will take part in a panel entitled Shot At, Robbed, Hypothermic and More: Travails Authors Endure to Get it Right. Other panelists include Sandi Ault, Joanna Carl, and Vicki Delany with Toni L. P. Kelner moderating.

Saturday, April 30th, at 10:15 AM, Alan Orloff will take part in the panel, New Kids on the Block: Agatha First Novel Nominees, along with Avery Aames, Laura Alden, Amanda Flower, and Sasscer Hill. Moderated by Margaret Maron.

Saturday at 1:45 PM, Jess Lourey is fan-girl, geeked-out thrilled to take part in the panel, Gumshoes with Gams: Female PIs on the Job, along with Sue Grafton, Laura DiSilverio, and Cathi Stoler. Moderated by Con Lehane. Sihttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifgning to immediately follow.

Saturday, April 30th, at 4:10 PM, Lois Winston and Jess Lourey will take part in a panel entitled Funny Gals, Dark Books: An Intellectual Look at Humor in Mysteries. Other panelists include Donna Andrews and Judi McCoy with Cathy Pickens moderating.

Sunday, May 1st, at 8:45 AM, Deborah Sharp will take part in the panel, Here Comes the Corpse: Wedding-Themed Mysteries. Other panelists include Rhys Bowen, Mary Jane Clark, and Tracy Kiely, with Ilene Schneider moderating.

Sunday, May 1st, at 10:15 AM, Kathleen Ernst will take part in a panel entitled Behind the Curtain: An Inside Look at Unusual Settings. Other panelists include Janice Hamrick, James Lavene, Joyce Lavene, and Clare O'Donohue.

Sunday, May 1st, at 11:45 AM, Alice Loweecey will take part in a panel entitled Grannies with Guns and Trash-Talking Nuns: Characters Who Defy Stereotypes. Other panelists include Rhys Bowen, Chris Grabenstein and Parnell Hall with Chris Roerden moderating.