Category Archives: Quest for Publication

Site section featuring content about my march to publication. Very meta right?

Summing up

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Zero posts in three years! But I’m back. I’ve been busy; lots to share. The trilogy of Northern Arcadia fantasy novels upon which I focused so much time (Witch in Morning, Thief in Long Shadow, and Demon in Darkness) is drafted and theoretically complete, but I’m not sufficiently pleased with the results to market any of them aggressively. Lord, what I’d give for a good editor.

One of my new projects I am ready to share is the Blind Pilot series, short pieces of fiction introducing characters, concepts and settings intended to serve as the foundation for long-running narratives. Pup Detective is a traditional sci-fi crime procedural that explores extreme body modification, alternative family structures and the future that’s waiting for us in the US. One episode (in draft form) is available; I think that’s sufficient to set the stage. Reverie Isle returns to some classic American television from the 70s and 90s, with occasionally hallucinatory results. Multiple episodes (in draft form) are needed to show off the arc I intend for Reverie Isle. I’ll be uploading two here shortly.

I’m also publishing some fan fic, based upon the controversial video game Anthem, and (yes, I’m crazy) a design specifications document for version 2 of Anthem, with which I am not associated. In my defense, I think I’ve hit upon a genius, ground-breaking idea, and when someone else does the same thing I want to be able to point somewhere and say, ‘Dag nabbit, there’s the proof! I had the same idea!’

Like I say, lots to share. Excuse me while I go upload some content.

The Mind Share Economy

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Pricing a novel at $2.99 is painful. Even if every one of my Facebook friends purchased 10 copies, I still wouldn’t break even… even if I assign a zero dollar value to the hours I spent bringing Thief in Long Shadow to life.

But the way I’m looking at it? I need to beg, borrow or steal a bit of mind/market share of the reading public. I need to win readers one at a time, and hope that one or two or ten novels from now, those same readers will be happy to pay $25 for a hardcover version.

Like musicians making a living from concert proceeds rather than royalties from album sales… I need to keep writing, keep producing and maybe (if I’m lucky, and sufficiently persistent) I might be able to make a living doing what I love.

On August 15, the first novel of Northern Arcadia launches

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I’m full of trepidation, but also excited. The work that John Galati of Weapons Grade Creative did for the book cover turned out well; the title treatment alone wound up being worth the investment (said the creative director in me.) I’m trying to keep my expectations in check vis-a-vis book sales. I’m going to be offering Thief in Long Shadow for a low price (not more than $2.99) and hoping the cover art entices people to give “Thief” a try. I can’t worry about it too much; I’ve got a novel to revise and another to draft.

Available on Amazon on August 15

Cover Art, Thief in Long Shadow

Better (Late)

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A onetime coworker turned published author recently asked his Facebook followers what they wanted in an author’s web site. A few items popped up regularly. Upcoming tour dates, author bio and bibliography seemed to be most common, with a few requests for favorite books. One person wrote enthusiastically about J.K. Rowling’s site(s?) for the Harry Potter books, which apparently offered behind-the-scenes and other ‘insider’ content.

The gap between the requests and what’s been on offer here, at this web site, didn’t go unnoticed. I’ve revised the ‘about’ section to include explicitly biographical information. Until I get a traditional publishing house to bring one of these manuscripts into print a ‘bibliography’ page would be premature. Book tours, likewise.

The only thing I’m missing, really? More people like you.

On the Role of Imaginative Fiction at the Present Time (Part I)

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The complexion of the world is as troubled as I can remember. Here in the US, the people are divided into two badly drawn groups. A large number of our elected officials are too craven and corrupt to support any legislation that threatens the revenue streams of our corporate overlords. I ask myself:

Shouldn’t I be doing something more important than writing books about made-up people in a make-believe world?

A couple of questions bubble up as I try to figure an answer. First, what do I mean by important? Second, what purpose do books of fiction serve, if any? Is my stubborn quest for publication a purely selfish enterprise (or just mostly selfish)?

The first question daunts me with its scope. The third is too easy to bother answering. But the second question? A provisional answer for that will be forthcoming in short order.

(Close to the) Edits

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I was up until the wee hours last night working on the THIEF sample available on this web site. I’m editing, which is absolutely premature. But I am, and I thought it might be helpful (for me, maybe not so much you) to document exactly what I’m trying to do. Basic stuff:

(1) Eliminate sentences, paragraphs and pages which don’t fit within the emerging narrative structure.
(2) Simplify verbs and verb tenses. The nuance provided by more complex verb tenses isn’t worth the page clutter, at least in commercial fictions like WITCH and THIEF.
(3) Rehearse and revise narrative voice, with an eye towards consistency, plausibility, likability, and trustworthiness. In later revision rounds (after a full draft of the manuscript is complete) this step will become a higher priority.
(4) Reinforce appeals to all five senses.
(5) Eradicate stray spaces, misspellings and unintentional grammatical follies.

Simple stuff, but important enough to keep me up at night. (The coffee helped.)

(Lack of) Progress Report

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I’ve marched out sixteen query letters. For fourteen of those, I’ve received either a rejection letter or I’ve waited a month without a reply. With only two outstanding query letters, and hope dwindling that getting WITCH published will be a relatively easy process, you might be wondering: what’s going to happen with Northern Arcadia?

I can’t quit, folks. I’m going to have the first draft for a second Northern Arcadia novel ready at the end of March, and I intend to publish the first fifteen or so pages of THIEF to this site. I’m going to continue to publish updates here every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, including posts on stuff I consider ‘fantastic America,’ behind the scenes detail on bringing this world to life and the odd post on the intersection of video games and the sort of character-driven narrative I favor.

IRL, I’m going to identify a couple, three writing conferences with a strong emphasis on imaginative fiction, and I’m going to attend with my smile up and my ears out. I want to get better at weaving stories where people can get cheerfully lost. Of course I’d like to be negotiating with a major publishing house right now. I’d love to have a high-powered agent with ties in the film and video game industries, and an editor with a merciless eye who isn’t afraid to tell me exactly what needs fixing.

But I’m not writing for fame, money, or other people’s approval. Not anymore. I’ve been guilty of all three in the past. These days, I write because I love writing. I write because when a passage or a page or a chapter works, I feel a sense of satisfaction that I get from nothing else.

A hundred rejection letters can’t take that away from me.

The Fabric of a New World: Outfits and Costumes

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Costuming for a quasi-historical novel offers different challenges (and opportunities) for an author than a narrative set in a contemporary era. If I describe a guy with a silver beard, wearing Birkenstocks, jeans and a freshly-laundered tie-dye Grateful Dead t-shirt, … Continue reading →