This Saturday, December 14th I have my first ever public book signing.  I’m nervous, anxious, and uncertain and my self-confidence is hiding somewhere.  I am very lucky that the owner-manager of our local coffee hangout, Jeff Gauger, from Beans n Cream Coffee House wants me to spend several hours Saturday morning signing books.  I am dumbfounded that he believes that I will be an “attraction”.  I’ve never been an “attraction” before and I am doubtful.  His bet is that the good local folks will want to with me well on finally publishing MURPHY’S TROUBLES, and take the time to buy a cup of coffee, maybe a danish or breakfast burrito.

Jeff even created a fantastic poster to advertise my upcoming appearance both at Beans n Cream and the Sun Prairie Library Monday night (December 16th) at 6:30 p.m.  I volunteered to take the posters around town and ask businesses to display them in a prominent place for several weeks.  It was the least I could do.

I wanted to use my “event” Monday night to support the Library so I’ll be donating half of the royalties from each book sale to the Library Foundation.  I didn’t want to advertise this because I was afraid that folks might see it as a gimmick to sell books.  It’s not.  It’s just my way of saying thanks to the Library Director, Tracy Herold, for her support.   There’s simply nothing more natural than a novelist supporting their local library in whatever way possible.

I have been working toward this time in my life for the past sixteen years.  I am ready, it’s the path I’ve chosen or maybe it’s chosen me, most days I’m not sure.  Wish me luck.  

I  can finally answer all my well meaning friends, who ask:  Where is that book of yours?  To be honest they have all been very generous and offered congratulations, asked where to buy the book and asked if I’ve planned any author events in December.

I’ve independently published my debut novel using Create Space, the publishing arm of Amazon.  My experience with Create Space has been nothing short of a miracle.  I singed a service agreement with Create Space on October 7th, and in 31 busness days my book is available to the world.

By contrast, I signed a contract with micro publisher, Mischievous Muse Press, and terminated the contract in February this year after 2 ½ years of frustration and providing numerous edited manuscripts that were never accepted.  I often wondered why they ever offered me a contract.

Create Space offers several distribution packages and I’ve selected the Expanded Distribution.  It means my royalties will be less but MURPHY’S TROUBLES will be available world-wide on Amazon and placed in bookstores at no out- of-pocket cost to me.

Amazon also offers me, again at no cost, an author’s webpage that is interactive.  In addition to providing readers with a bit more information about me, the author’s page has a forum where I can respond directly to readers’ questions, reactions and opinions.  It is a way for me to develop a relationship with my readers which is very important to me. 

I began the journey down publication road in January 2010 after being laid off from my job in December, 2009.  The lay-off was completely unexpected but I rebounded quickly by deciding it was an opportunity in wolf’s clothing.  With the lay-off I had the time to find out if I had the skills needed to have both a freelance career and to publish my fiction.

Following the exhilaration of seeing my book on Amazon I took a brief trip down memory lane.  I’m a saver and I’ve saved the notes from all my writing classes and conferences.  In the beginning of my writing journey I joined a critique group led by Laurel Yourke, a talented and award winning teacher, scholar and writer.  Stuffed in my notes from her critique class I found a one page assignment I turned in on November 6, 2000.  The assignment was a scene between Ian Murphy and his boyhood friend, Timolty Doyle.  I have been writing Ian’s story for a very long time.

I am honored to offer MURPHY’S  TROUBLES to all readers on Amazon.com and in local bookstores.  If you get a chance, send me an e-mail or post to this blog; let me know what you think.       

On Monday, November 18, 2013 my debut historical thriller, MURPHY’S TROUBLES became available on Amazon.com (www.Amazon.com/Murphy’s-Troubles-Rex-Owens).

Why am I announcing this event on Wednesday, November20th?  Now, there’s a story.  I was surprised to receive the final hardcopy proof with cover late in the afternoon on the 20th.  I didn’t expect the final proof until November 25th.  I sat down and reviewed the last round of corrections I submitted and found everything perfect.  I could have (or should have) taken the time to check everything again.  I’ve reviewed four proofs so I decided to take a leap of faith that another review wasn’t need.

I logged into Create Space and approved the final proof.  Then I selected price, distribution channels, created an account to have royalties deposited and ordered books for my readings on December 14th and 16th.  The instructions noted that after final approval it would take 3-5 business days to have MURPHY’S TROUBLES listed on Amazon.

Just to make sure I understood the timing I called the Create Space customer service.  They explained that they couldn’t provide a date for birth on Amazon, just the 3-5 business day range.  I then asked the typical newbie question, can you guarantee it will be on Amazon by Monday, November 25th?  YES!

I was elated because the book launch was a full week ahead of schedule.  I switched gears to marketing mode and began work on the details of making the big announcement on Monday.  For some reason Tuesday I had an abundance of nervous energy and couldn’t focus.  I distracted myself with mundane jobs like grocery shopping, painting set for our civic theater production and other non-cerebral activities.

Tuesday evening I was watching the last episode of a PBS series I enjoyed but again found I couldn’t concentrate.  I decided, on a whim, to check Amazon.  I went to Amazon books and typed MURPHY’S TROUBLES in the search bar.  It popped up at the top of the page!  How did that happen?  I don’t care.

Having MURPHY’S TROUBLES listed on Amazon is a moment of triumph and the conclusion of a journey that began in 2000.  My nervous energy dissipated and I felt a wave of calmness through my body and could literally feel my tense muscles relaxed.  I hooted at the top of my voice! 

So today I become marketing man and this blog is my first declaration to the world – I DID IT!   

While I was under contract with a traditional publisher I was comfortable with calling myself an author (or soon to be author when the book was actually published).  Several years ago I attended a presentation at the UW Madison Writer’s Institute by a publication attorney.  He explained that the term “author” has a specific legal definition.  A writer becomes an” author” when there is a contract between a person and a publisher to create a specific work.  Based on this understanding, at the time, I was adamant that anyone who self-published was not an author.

Well, the days of having a contract with a traditional publisher are fading in my rear view mirror.  In a few weeks I will release Murphy’s Troubles on Amazon print- on- demand and used their proprietary Create Space publishing service.  So, by my understanding of the term, I can’t honestly refer to myself as an author.

So, do I call myself a writer?  That term is very broad and doesn’t satisfy me as being descriptive of what I do.  Several years ago when I was developing my LinkedIn profile I used the term:  Novelist and Freelance Writer.  I don’t any longer remember why I chose those words, but I’ve decided it fits.  My first love is the novel and my second freelance non-fiction for my blog, Extra Innings, book reviews and an occasional print magazine.

After Murphy’s Troubles is available on Amazon I’ve settled on calling myself a published novelist.  I think that is accurate and it avoids any legal misunderstanding that may occur by calling myself an author.  This is important to me.  It may seem like I’m splitting hairs.  For me, the distinction is significant.  It’s also a way to answer the question – what do you write – in a simple, elegant way.   

The practice of children screaming “trick or treat” when visiting your home on Halloween evening didn’t begin in America until the 1940’s. Usually there wasn’t a trick because most homes offered their ghoulish visitors a treat, even though my Dad insisted on handing out apples.  Growing up I was embarrassed by his healthy handout, now, I recognize he was ahead of his time.

This week author Ruth Ozeki  is the guest the University of Wisconsin – Madison.  The campus coordinates a program called ‘Go Big Read’.  A book is selected each year for study by the entire campus (+42,000 students).  All 5000 entering freshmen were given a copy of Ozeki’s latest novel A TALE FOR THE TIME BEING.  For a week there have been discussion groups across campus that Ozeki participated in and 60 courses offered to students on her novel.  Any writer would be envious of both the book sales and attention Go Big Read generates.

Part of Ozeki’s duties for the week included making a presentation to a room of 1200 readers and I was one of the mega-audience attending.  We didn’t learn until she began speaking that she had no intention of talking about her novel, instead, she lectured us on “How To Be A Better Time Being”, which she read directly from notes.  In a forty-five minute presentation she shared only a thread of information on writing A TALE . . . It wasn’t even obvious that she had six points to share with us on ‘how to be a better time being’ until she announced number three and told us there would be a total of six.

Ozeki is a Zen Buddhist priest and had us spend +10 minutes meditating.  Again, not at all what I expected in an author’s book reading.  I’m not against meditating, but I am against being put in a position that I have to meditate with 1198 strangers, it was inappropriate and offensive.

At the close of her presentation 30 minutes was allocated to a Q & A.  The professor moderator, of  course, had to start with his own question – not that 1200 people in a college setting would need any prompting to ask questions.  He only wanted to show us how important he was, that he had to lead the questioning.  We once called that pompous and self-important.

All of the questions posed were about A Tale . . ., not a single question about how to be a better time being.  She didn’t answer a single question.  She stuttered and danced around any direct, meaningful answers. 

So, this Halloween we received a trick from author Ruth Ozeki.  My recommendation is, if you have a chance to attend one of her author readings, skip it.       

In February I terminated my contract with Mischievous Muse Press to begin the journey to self-publication.  Since then the book cover has been completely redesigned and the back of the book blurb tossed and re-written.

The first edit the manuscript had was a substantive edit by my friend and mentor Marshall Cook.  As a result I added two chapters and re-wrote the last chapter, dramatically changing the ending of the book.  Marshall convinced me that making the last paragraph of the book a cliff hanger just wasn’t fair to the reader.  Of course, he’s right.

Next, my website:   www.rexowens.us had a complete make-over.  I actually hired a pro to provide me with an analysis and make specific recommendations for change.  I accepted all the recommendations and in a single month saw a 25% jump in hits.

It took quite a while for me to find a compatible copyeditor/proofreader.  In August I found Christine Keleny of www.ckbookspublishing.com, who lives in a small town right here in Dane County, Wisconsin. Christine provided both insightful copyediting and line proofreading.  It has taken me about a month to review Christine’s recommendations and incorporate about 98% of them (Christine would prefer I write out all numerals).  In September I also took a one day brush- up course on grammar and punctuation because my experience with Christine was proof it would be beneficial for me.

I am now on the brink of publication.  First, I will be doing technical editing on formatting and consistency in the manuscript.  Then will come the day that I upload the manuscript to Create Space.  Recently, Create Space is offering more options on what is called interior design.  I want to take my time to get the “look” that I want for the book.  Create Space will also send me a hard copy galley to review and make final changes.  Then, the hour will arrive in October when MURPHY’S TROUBLES is published.

I want to choose a date for publication that coincides with a significant event in the history of the Provisional Irish Republican Army.  Right now I’m leaning toward 27 October (1980) the day the first Hunger Strike began.    

  

I’m at the stage of self-publication to need copyediting/proofreading services.  I asked one of my writing teachers for a recommendation for a local person and received one.  I dashed off an e-mail to learn if the person was currently available to take on another client.  The response I received corrected me; she was a line editor, not a copy editor or proofreader.  I thought the response was a bit high minded but the description of the services made sense. Her fee was $45/hr which was within the range I had researched on line for this type of service.  She asked for the first chapter of my novel and I sent a file on July 6th.

The first chapter is six pages, about 1830 words.  How long can it take to read those few pages and make a proposal?  It took three follow-up e-mails to receive a response on July 21st.  She estimated she would charge $200 for the first six pages.  At that rate line editing my novel would cost over $9000!  After reading just six pages she concluded:  I’m at the beginning stages of the novel and stated:  “My strong suggestion is to take a class in constructing the short story –this will strengthen your understanding of how to avoid cultural stereotypes and produce a complex protagonist who is a real individual; how to stick to a strictly internal POV; how to introduce back-story convincingly; and above all, how to expose conflict gradually, instead of all at once.”

Guess what?  The editor teaches short story writing.  Also, the editor has only published short stories, never a full length novel.  The critique is harsh and not transparent in being self-serving to attempt to get me to take one or more of her short story classes.

I understand that short story writing is a difficult and unique form in the writing profession.  I’m not writing a short story, it’s a novel.  A short story is a song while a novel is a symphony.  Her comments also convinced me she hasn’t kept up with current teaching on novel writing such as Donald Maass’s, WRITING THE BREAKHOUT NOVEL, where he implores authors to have conflict dripping on every page.

While her response was both subtle and tactful it still had the affect of slicing and dicing my novel to shreds.  Where is her support for a first time novelist?  She broke the cardinal rule of critique, praise the good and make suggestions for improvement.

I admit at first reading her comments were devastating and sent me into deep depression.  With this blog I’m exorcising her from my psyche and moving on.  I’ll find an editor I can work with.  

I believe, if we are honest with ourselves, all artists would agree that creativity is a mystery.  For centuries the common belief was that creativity was something external to the human being and the lucky few were visited by the external power more or less on a regular but whimsical basis.  We can site the Muses for the Greeks, the concept of genius for the Romans.

 Jung gave us a different view with the concept of archetypes and the collective unconscious.  As I devote more time to creative endeavors I find that the unconscious kicks in especially when I sleep.  While on vacation we’re having the living room painted because it requires skills I just don’t have and am not interested in learning, especially because the project involves painting a stair case.  To prepare for the project everything must be moved out of the living room and all the artwork taken down.  When the job is finished there will be a great opportunity to re-organize both the furniture and the artwork.  One evening I actually dreamt of how the living room could look if placement of the furniture was radically changed.

Maybe it doesn’t sound too dramatic but it’s the process that is important.  I viewed re-organizing as a puzzle to be solved and then let go of it so solutions could bubble up.  I use the same technique when I write.  Recently my editor suggested two significant changes to the plot by suggesting two characters be introduced earlier and given more back-story.  His concern was that the characters were a bit like cardboard and one dimensional.

Both characters are critical to the story since once is the protagonist’s best friend and the other is his lover.  I “slept” on the editor’s suggestion and developed two new chapters each based on one primary scene to introduce both characters much earlier in the book.  To make sure I on the mark with the suggestion, I e-mailed my editor with a very rough synopsis of the two new chapters and he confirmed it was exactly what was needed.

How or why does this work?  I really don’t know.  I have learned, however, to pay attention to it.  I would like to learn how the creative process works for other writers.  Reply to this blog and share how the creative enters your work.

  

I’m posting a day early this week and posted a day late last week, not that anyone would notice.  My former publisher strongly encouraged me to develop an author/book website.  I completed my own research and agreed it was a good idea.  I selected ipage because it allows you to include a blog on your website.  To me, that seemed efficient.  I wasn’t keen on supporting both a website and a separate blog site.

My webpage went live in December 2011 and I posted my very  blog on 12/12/11.  I have not been consistent in posting blogs, I admit it.  I accept responsibility for not seeking visitors to my website by posting interesting blogs weekly.

However, in the past 14 months the number of comments I’ve received can easily be counted on one hand.   So I’m beginning to wonder if I made a tactical mistake to bury my blog within my website.  Should I have created a separate blog on blogspot like many others have done?

Everyone in blogland – help me out.  Let me know if you think it would be worthwhile to create a separate blog on blogspot?  

I have not posted a blog since early November 2012 because I was waiting to hear from my publisher when Murphy’s Troubles would be launched.  In late November I received an e-mail telling me while originally planned for publication in 2012 it would not be published until early 2013.

The 2rd week of January I wrote my publisher at e-mail asking when my novel would be scheduled for publication since I submitted edits to the galley August 1, 2012.  I received a terse e-mail response that the publisher hadn’t received the galley back from the editor (I was not allowed to have contact with the editor – the publisher claimed it was their policy to retain the independence of the editor).  The publisher refused to offer a publication date stating:  “. . . when a book is ready to be published it tells us.”  The publisher also informed me that more money has been spent on my novel than any other title in their catalog and I needed to be patient.

My journey with the micro publisher in California began in December 2010 and now it was time to end it.  On January 28th I sent the publisher a registered letter terminating the contract.  It is now time to follow a new path.

I would never consider using a vanity press but do want to explore self-publishing with either Create Space or Ingram.  Recently I learned that I can use Create Space for publication, distribution and marketing and still submit the book to Ingram for distribution because I retain the rights of the work.

So, I am embarking on the self-publication journey.  When you take on a task such as this you find out who your friends are right away.  One friend, a retired Journalism professor has agreed to be my editor.  Another friend has agreed to design a new book cover.

When asked how I felt about terminating a contract with a traditional publisher and venturing on the self-publication path my immediate response was – relief.  I am now totally responsible for all aspects of bringing my historical novel to the world, I am up to the task and energized.  My target – a September release of Murphy’s Troubles.

Join me on the journey.  Give me your comments, suggestions, thoughts, what to avoid and what not to avoid.