Last week I attempted to negotiate with two independent bookstores to host an author reading/signing event for me.  One of the bookstores currently carries Murphy’s Troubles on consignment; the other is out of state, in Omaha where our son lives.  I had made the assumption, maybe leap of faith, that there is a natural bond, relationship between independent authors and independent bookstores.  I frankly was under the naïve notion that all I needed to do was ask for a date and like magic, I would be scheduled.

Both bookstores routinely host author reading events.  My local indie bookstore often hosts at least one event a week.  To be honest, the local indie bookstore specializes in a specific genre and Murphy’s Troubles doesn’t fit their specific niche.  The local bookstore does support Wisconsin authors and in fact has an entire bookcase devoted to Wisconsin authors where Murphy’s Troubles shares self space.

I found it interesting that in discussing the potential for an event both owners asked if I could guarantee an audience of 20-25 readers at the event.    That doesn’t sound like a roaring crowd but I was startled at the question.  I have participated in four events to date and the largest crowd I had was 16 people, which I considered a fantastic turn out.  One of the bookstore owners explained that their experience was that advertising and promoting an event didn’t bring in readers – the author brings in readers.  

From the book store owners’ perspective the purpose of an author event is to bring in traffic to the store.  The hope is that attendees will buy the author/presenter’s book at a minimum and hopefully browse and purchase other books.  I’ve witnessed this phenomenon myself so it’s not some pie in the sky idea, it is reality.

I was honest with both bookstore owners and admitted that I couldn’t guarantee attendance of 20-25 readers with credit cards burning to be used to make $50 in purchases.  My honesty means I won’t be scheduled for a reader’s event at either bookstore.  I don’t really consider their request unreasonable.  However, it is sad.  Even independent bookstore owners must be risk averse and not support independent publisher/authors just because it’s the right thing to do. 

Book Review for

 

MURPHY’S TROUBLES

By

Rex Owens

 

Propelled by insatiable grief, patriotism, and youthful naivety into a decades-long double life, a popular Irish author’s secret ties to the Irish Republican Army finally implode in Murphy’s Troubles, Rex Owen’s soulful political thriller.

A Catholic from far southern Ireland, Ian Murphy joins the IRA after the violent death of his childhood friend, an IRA volunteer fighting to liberate Northern Ireland from British rule.

But after thirty years of living as both a best-selling novelist and the secret author of an infamous IRA training manual and other published IRA propaganda, Ian’s dual existence is upended by family tragedy and a lover’s betrayal.

Some of the story’s most wrenching scenes come as Ian’s lover, a married, aggressively professional, award-winning newspaper journalist, stumbles upon his secret and must weigh whether to share it with the world. The couple’s subsequent confrontation, in a dank pub cellar, is rawly emotive. 

Emotions run deep, in fact, throughout the story, as Ian deals with other deaths, the accidental maiming of his young niece in an IRA bombing, the demise of his affair and bitter recognition of the role he has played in the IRA-related deaths of thousands of people. His tortured existence is further complicated by an increasing propensity to drown his sorrows in alcohol.

Ian’s struggles, however, lead him to chart a new course, working for peace rather than violent confrontation. Love – and love lost – can cloud our minds but can also clarify, is the message.

The story charts the characters’ motivations for setting their lives on a particular course, the hard choices they must make to stay on that path or divert from it, the courage required to do either, and the repercussions of it all.

Owens does his homework, offering a credibly researched, albeit fictionalized, primer on the IRA and its place in Irish history. Historical context is woven into the novel in a clear, concise way that will appeal to readers in and outside of Ireland, including those only marginally familiar with the country’s politics and past.

The novel could have been improved by clarifying one key point in the plot’s chronology, a scene early on in which Ian, in despair after his niece is injured, crashes his car into a British barricade. Owens places enough importance on this explosive crash to lead the novel with it. But did it occur before or after his lover’s betrayal? That’s never clearly stated, even in careful retracing of the text. Recapping this scene by coming fully back to it, rather than leaving its place in the overall course of events to the reader’s imagination, would have brought the story full circle and might have lent important context to Ian’s mindset.

This omission isn’t fatal, however, to this otherwise excellently researched and well-penned, deeply human story about life-changing decisions, reverberations and the potential for renewal.

-Inkspots Reviews

I’ve always been a person that need a carrot out in front me, like a reluctant horse, to get me to move along.  My wife likes to say I’m goal oriented.  That’s kind but the truth is that without something to grasp for I fall into lethargy.

Earlier this year I gave myself the goal of finishing the first draft of my second novel.  I knew, in general, what I wanted to write but I was plagued by the lack of a writing routine and a concrete idea of what meant in daily work.

I decided that “second novel” was too vague.  I felt comfortable with writing about 80,000 words in MURPHY’S TROUBLES, so I made that my goal for the second novel.  Next, I needed a specific target to aid it, 2014 for completion was too vague too.

For no particular reason, I decided I wanted to finish the very ROUGH draft by November 30th.  My previously shapeless goal was not taking on a real form.  For years I have used a seven day week as my work unit.  I learned a method based on a Stephen Covey book to set a goal that needed to be completed in a week, and then figure out what needed to be done to meet that goal.  The last step was to create blocks of time to work on the tasks that would result in a completed goal.

To write 80,000 words by November 30th would mean slugging out about 1700 words a week. Unfortunately, I had false starts the in January and February and part of March, meaning I now had only 38 weeks to write my 80,000 word novel.  I need to write about 2100 words a week to make my goal.  Now that’s something you can bite your teeth into.

I purchased a big white board calendar and put my week goal in large numbers at the top.   Each day I write on the board how many words I’ve written.  To date, I’ve cranked out over 18,000 words a week, about double my goal!

Shizam!  It’s working.  I’m now confident that I’ll make my goal, I can relax. My creativity and imagination are in high gear and I’m enjoying the writing without stress.  That’s the POWER of a goal.

           

Recently I heard a report on NPR about reading in America.  Since I was driving while listening to the report I wasn't confident I heard what I thought I did.  So, in the week the world wide web turned 25, I searched on Google for "reading statistics."

This is what I found:
    - Percent of U.S. high school grads who will never read a book after high school               33%

    - Percent of college students who will never read a book after they graduate                     42%

    - Total percentage of U.S. families who  did not buy a book in 2013                                 80%

Fortunately, several weeks ago I met with a local book club to discuss my novel, Murphy's Troubles.  I was invited to attend their discussion and was even asked to lead the discussion.  I prepared background material on Ireland, talked about my path to write and publish the book and then prepared a series of questions to spark discussion.

Two members of the group had traveled to Ireland and two others had Irish heritage.  I asked the members to be frank with me because that's how I grow as a writer.  They were frank but not unkind.  I was surprised how some of the club members reacted to various characters in the novel. We talked together for just over two hours.

As an author there is nothing better than sharing the experience of your book with readers.  The data shows we are not a book reading nation, however, there are enclaves of book clubs that maintain a fierce devotion to books whether hard copy, trade paperback or ebooks.

It's generally accepted that during the Dark Ages Irish monks saved the knowledge of Europe by copying and maintainng books.  Book clubs are keeping reading and discourse alive and well and by doing so saving the world.

A few weeks ago I was talking with a friend about a book that our community will read together.  Our library director is initiating a program called Sun Prairie Reads this year which kicks off in late March.  The book selected is a young adult fiction, Seedfolks, by Paul Fleischman which is a Newbery Medal winning novel.  I talked about the structure of the book, how the story built into a crescendo and how characters lives were woven together.  My friend looked at me and said:  "As a writer you read differently than I do.  I just liked the story."

His comment caused be to reflect on my reading life.  He was right, having completed the process of writing, editing and publishing a novel I do read differently that I did before that experience.  In the past I consumed Ray Bradbury novels, not for the science fiction, but the story.  I'll read any Wallace Stegner for his language and common life stories like going home after a lifetime away and learning about yourself.

When writers are asked for advice they often say that you need to read, deeply, exhaustively, in all genres.  In many ways this advice is self-evident.  I can't imagine a writer who doesn't also love to read.  I must confess that I don't read all genres.  I skip erotica, non-fiction, paranormal and dystopia just from personal preference, no judgment intended or implied.  I tendy to rely on my Tuesday Morning Book Club to introduce me to literature I might not choose for myself and that has proven very satisfactory.

This month I read my first Russell Banks, Continental Drift.  I don't know how I reached my age and be ignorant of Russell Banks.  Continental Drift was nominated for the Pulitzer and if I had voted it would have won.  I must admit that the point of view Banks uses initially confused me.  I felt like I was watching a movie about Robert Raymond Dubois and Vanise Dorsinvilles.  For perspective I contacted my friend and mentor Marshall Cook.  He suggested that the point of view was intentional because both characters often are just observers in their own life.  Eureka!

Reading Continental Drift taught me a lesson as a writer.  I'm working on my second novel and my worst problem, point of view, has reared its' ugly head in chapter one.  Reading Banks' book gave me a solution to my point of view problem.  So I agree with my friend that, as an author, I do read books from a wrtier's perspective, and that's just fine.

When we travel my wife and I stay at a bed and breakfast.  We have been staying at the Crystal River Inn near Waupaca, WI for over six years and have become friends with owners Robert and Deb Benada.  This past weekend we stayed at the Inn hoping to cross country ski at Hartman Creek State Park.  Saturday morning the ranger explained they had rain earlier in the week and the trails were covered in ice, we could hike but not ski.  We changed to snow boots and took a hike.  The rest of the weekend we spent reading and being disconnected from my laptop and all forms of social media.

Robert and Deb had gracioiusly agreed to sell a few of my books to guests that may be looking for something to read.  They set up a nice display at the entrance to the B & B.  Sunday morning we walked to the main house for breakfast and was greeted by an older man making himself a cup of tea.  We exchanged "hellos" and he asked:   "Are you the author?"  I responded, "I am" and introduced myself.  He said his name was Thomas Olson and he writes too, he wrote songs.  In fact, he had written asong already that morning and asked if I wanted to hear it.  Why not?

We sat in opposite chairs and Thomas sang a verse of a song about the sunrise that sounded like a children's song.  When he finished he looked at me with a broad grin and said he wrote mostly children's songs.  He then got up and left the room.  He returned carrying my book.  He handed it to me and asked me to write something in it for him.  He suggested I listen to him play some more songs and then I would know what to write.  He sang a series of traditional Irish songs.

Thomas told me he was visiting a friend at the VA Hospital in King.  Thomas was in the Viet Nam War and suffered a head injury.  He said he spent 10 years in the VA home and the man he was visiting had been his roommate.  I asked Thomas his age and he said 68 although I would have guessed 78.

He handed me his business card and explained he and his wife sang at churches for children. The card said:  "Music that brings joy to your life" with a picture of Thomas and his wife standing in front of the Wasington Monument and their phone number listed at the bottom.

Thomas was a simple man.  He shared his creatvity and joy through music, simple, heartfelt music.  It was important to him that he share his music Sunday morning.  When he finished I told him I knew what to write in his copy of my book:  "To Thomas Olsonb, an Irish bard in spirit."

"What's a bard?" he asked.

"You are Thomas, you are a bard with your music." 

Since Murphy's Troubles was launched last November 18th I have been on a marketing roller coaster.  I was astonished at the local support I received.  Both our local coffee shop, Beans n Cream and the Sun Prairie Public Library agreed to host author book signing/reading events.  They also collaborated to design and print a poster advertising the events, I handled the distribution.  Our local newspaper, The Star, agreed to an interview and published an in-depth four column article announcing my book release. 

Yet, my presence in th internet world is almost non-existent.  I've had my website for several years and have been blogging once a week for a year.  I paid a consultant to review my website and made a lot of changes that resulted in about a 25% increase in hits.  It was worth the expense.

In January I took the time to develop a detailed marketing plan for myself.  Right away I learned about myself that my goal wasn't to sell books, my goal was to attract readers.  Really, the motivation to write is to have readers.  I have discovered there are numerous services to help independent writers/publishers but they all cost money.  Of course, the big wad was spent in bringing Murphy's Troubles into the world so there aren't a lot of resources to invest in marketing, which is a class catch 22.

I developed the strategy that the cost of any marketing dollars must be recovered through book sales.  Sounds like a rational policy.  Then I was talking with a consultant I trust and she said I could take that approach butr I had to realize I'm an unknown author and the effort to become known will cost money.  She was right and I knew it.

In my marketing plan my original goal was to devote at least five hours a week on direct marketing activities.  I also have the goal of finishing the first draft of my second novel this year.  In part, these goals were in conflict.  Part of my time devoted to finding readers for the first book while also devoting creative time for my second book.  I kept a calendar to record the hours I spent marketing and soon found myself a slave to that calendar.

By chance I found a blog, The 7 Worst Mistakes of the Indie Author and How to Fix Them by Joanna Penn March 4, 2012.  The seventh mistake is focusing everything into one book.  Her point is that yes, an author needs to market that first book but must remember that we're writers and not lose focus.  "Obsessing over marketing one book isn't as important as getting on with the next."

Eureka!  Now my marketing goal is to focus on one specific marketing activity a week and devote the majority of my time to writing my second novel.  It feels right.  I've found balance.  Thank you, Joanna Penn for blogging about your writing experience.    

I must share my experience with one Madison independent bookstore.  I will strive to share my experience without judgment, although it is difficult.  I would prefer each of you to form your jown conclusion.

I e-mailed the event director of the bookstore three times asking what the process was to schedule a local author reading/signing event.  In the third e-mail I allowed my frustration to show and specifically asked for the courtesy of a response and documented my two previous e-mails.

After the third e-mail I received an apologetic response that didn't address how to schedule an author event but did make an offer to take three of my books on consignment and a form was attached for me to complete and bring in when I delivered the books.

I was disappointed that they only wanted three books, but it was a start.  I printed the form and learned there was a $15.00 fee for selling my books plus the bookstore would take 40% of the sale price.  I admit, I was angry with the request for a $15.00 fee.  I had spent the week researching marketing opportunities and everything cost money.  For example, a two week blog tour cost $175; joining the Author Marketing Club cost $125; placing an ad in Goodreads was $100; a marketing company wanted $690 to evaluate my marketing plan and do 10 blogs.  The $15.00 fee was more than I could tolerate.

To calm myself I completed a financial analysis of the consignment.  When I include the book cost and shipping for each book then add the $15.00 fee it would cost me about $6.00 to have the bookstore sell three books.  The bookstore would make the $15.00 fee plus 40% of the sale price. The bookstore would get about $33.00 for selling my book.  Do you think there's anything wrong with this picture?

I e-mailed the bookstore event director and shared my financial analysis and asked if their practice of charging an independent author $15.00 to sell books was fair.  I told them I simply couldn't afford to have them sell my books unless they relinquished the $15.00 fee.

The response I received was that they too had completed a financial analysis and claimed that it cost them $15.00 to sell my book.  That argument seemed inaccurate to me because I'm sure they dont charge traditional publishers to sell books - no publisher would pay a fee.  In addition, the bookstore has to buy the book from a traditional publisher.  In a consignment sale the bookstore doesn't purchase the book.  The director of events claimed that most independent authors covered their fee by raising the price of their books.  My book has the price, with a barcode, on the back cover.  I can't and wouldn't change the price of my book, it isn't ethical.

I didn't respond to their final e-mail.  There is no point.  For the record, the bookstore is A Room of One's Own.  Next week I'll share my experience with the other independent bookstore in Madison.

What do you think of a bookstore charging an independent author/publisher to sell books? 

Sometimes I feel like writing about things, unexpected things that happen in my life.  This week’s blog is one.  I live in the country off of a state highway.  My neighbor and I share a mailbox post that the previous owner ingeniously constructed to hold two mailboxes on a single post.  Saturday I ran a few errands and when I drove into the driveway I stopped to pick- up the mail.  Our mailbox was gone!  I saw huge tire tracks in the snow where our mailbox used to me.  The box now rested in the ditch about twenty feet from where it stood.  Black plastic parts of a vehicle were strewn in a path following the tire tracks in the snow.

There were footprints in the snow leading to our mailboxes.  Someone had checked it out but left the boxes where they were.  Soon our neighbor joined us and he showed me a business card from one of the local sheriff’s.  His wife noticed a car abandoned in the ditch and our mailbox and called the sheriff.  Apparently the car had an Iowa license plate and the driver took off.  My guess is that the driver was as drunk as a skunk.  The mailboxes rested on a 3 inch square post buried in the ground so to knock break through a solid piece of wood meant the car was traveling very fast.  By the tracks in the snow the only thing that stopped the car was the snow.

My neighbor wanted to repair the damage so we could have our mail delivered.  My solution was to notify the post office and have our mail held for us to pick up and address the problem in the spring.  My neighbor wanted that mailbox back up.  He agreed to make the repairs and prop it up; trying to break through frozen ground would be a folly.  My job was to google postal regulations on how to put up the mailboxes.

The temporary job is done, it’s not pretty, and it’s functional.  Living in the country has risks I never imagined but having a one acre wooded lot is worth it.

I have one huge pet peeve.  “Pet peeve” is my Father’s language and the older I get the more often I hear my Dad’s words escape my mouth.  A peeve is a particular grievance and mine is people who don’t respond to a specific request.  For example, if I write a friend an e-mail asking if they would be available for coffee on a specific day and time, I EXPECT an answer.  If that friend doesn’t answer – that peeves me.

In my journey to market MURPHY’S TROUBLES I make my initial contact through e-mail.  I was asked for a blog interview, completed it and was told it would be posted in a week; that was on December 1st.  There was no post.  I waited until January 15th and sent a follow-up e-mail, no response to my follow-up. That peeves me.

On November 29th I sent our book group leader a copy of my book and asked if it could be included in the group’s fall 2014 session.  No response.  Why?  Don’t I deserve a response?  Even if the response is – NO – NO WAY – it would be an answer.  Silence peeves me.

I placed on ad on Goodreads.  I spent good money on the ad.  In 10 days I had 3893 views of my ad.  Not ONE click to purchase my book.  Not ONE.  What are the odds that not one in nearly 4000 people would click into my ad?  At least I have the opportunity to change the ad to try to fix it.  

I’ve also sent e-mails to several bookstores asking how to schedule an author reading/signing and offering my book for sale on consignment.  Guess what?  No response?  I have been under the impression that business courtesy was to respond within at least a week.  I haven’t had any responses.  I suppose I’m old fashioned in expecting a business response to a business request, it’s easier just to ignore me.  I’m not giving up.  This week I’ll follow-up with a phone call.  With my luck, I’ll talk to a voice mail.

 So, if I ever contact you with whatever media (e-mail; phone-call, text) please have the courtesy to respond.  I always respond to requests, even if I say – no thank you.