Say Goodbye to The Old Dream

By Robert Gregory Browne

Your book is going to be a bestseller.

You just know it is.

Before long you’ll be invited to appear on The Daily Show or David Letterman or, at the very least, get a chance to yuk it up in the wee hours with Craig Ferguson, where you’ll tell witty stories about how your novel developed from the germ of an idea to the work of genius it is today.

Oh, and signings. You’ll have readers queuing up for blocks, waiting to meet you and get their personalized message on their copy of your book.

The next logical step, of course, is a sale to the movies or television, and people will be arguing over whether or not Tom Cruise is the right guy to play the lead. And after all of this, your publisher will have no choice but to give you a seven figure advance for your next two—

Okay, enough already.

You get it.

Whether we admit it or not, this—or some variation of it—is what we’re all hoping for when we get that first traditional publishing deal, and some of us actually manage to live that dream. Not many, mind you, but there are always exceptions to the rule. Take a quick glance at the New York Times bestseller list and you’ll see a few.

But at the risk of offering you a bit of unsolicited tough love, the reality of being a published author is that the rewards are far less grand and a lot more personal than what we’ve been led to believe. The cold truth is that making a living at writing books is extremely tough, and for most of us it’s a hard and sometimes treacherous slog up a very steep and unforgiving hill.

So if you got into this profession for any other reason than the love of telling stories, the need to create characters and build worlds and develop plots that engage your readers, you’re in for a rude awakening. Because the biggest reward of writing books is a sense of personal satisfaction. Those small moments—like the rush of excitement when you know you’ve nailed a scene, or that email from a reader telling you she couldn’t sleep until she finished your book, or basking in the glow of a particularly good review…

Cherish these moments, because they are sometimes all you have to sustain you in a career that will most certainly have its highs and lows. Cherish the fact that you have done something that many people attempt but few actually achieve, then put your butt back in that chair and keep your head down and write the next book and the next one and the next one. And maybe one day you will hit the bestseller list or get that movie deal.

But even if you don’t, know that with the recent dramatic changes in the world of publishing, you actually can make a good living writing books. Right now is the best time in recent memory to be a novelist. A time when authors are finally taking control of their work and seeing financial and emotional rewards that were once quite rare in this business.

So say goodbye to the old dream and embrace the new reality.

BIO
Robert Gregory Browne is an ITW Thriller Award nominee and author of the Amazon #1 bestselling legal thriller, Trial Junkies.  His first novel, Kiss Her Goodbye, was developed and filmed as a pilot for a CBS television series starring Dylan Walsh. Rob has written several acclaimed thrillers and his most recent book is the just released Trial Junkies 2: Negligence.
Rob grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii, but now lives in Southern California with his wife, dog, two cats and seven guitars.

BOOK BLURB
Trial Junkies 2: Negligence
She was found with a bullet in her head, and the kid she was last seen with woke up drugged and disoriented in a neighbor's back yard. Now the kid is awaiting trial for her murder, and crime reporter Matt Isaacs is convinced that there's more here than meets the eye. But Matt's old college pal, Ethan "Hutch" Hutchinson—washed-up actor and newly-minted trial junkie—isn't so sure, until a violent attack propels Hutch and his friends into the middle of a conspiracy that takes them all the way from the courthouse gallery to the not so hallowed halls of an exclusive Chicago prep school... straight into the hands of a killer.

Writing Fiction: Seeking the Light Bulb Moments

By Libby Hellmann

You’ve undoubtedly heard those annoying TV commercials where the little girl says somewhat arrogantly, “Wow… you guys have it easy. Back in my day, we didn’t have…”  and proceeds to talk about how wonderful the product is.

The same can be said for publishing. Back in my day—alas, only ten years ago—publishing was static. There were publishers, authors, and agents. Everyone knew their place, and while you didn’t have to like it, you had to play by the rules.

Things change.

What we have now is chaos. Revolution. The Wild West. Roles and rules evolve on a daily basis. Authors become entrepreneurs. Agents become publishers. Publishers hang on to whatever they can.

Thankfully, though, one thing has not changed, and I hope it never does.  That is the craft of writing.

Notice I call it a craft, not an art. Writing fiction can be taught. I know. I had to learn. It took me four years and four manuscripts before my first thriller, AN EYE FOR MURDER, was published. And while I’m still not sure why I was stubborn enough to persist, I’m glad I did. I look back on those “practice” manuscripts now, and I am appalled by what I didn’t know. Or thought I could pass off— the “well, they’ll know what I mean” school of writing.  (Btw, they don’t know what you mean.)

So I understand where you’re at. I wish I could make it easier for you; I wish you could wake up one morning and know not to put in too much backstory… or how point of view works… or how to build suspense… but each writer has to learn on their own. Some of you will learn quickly; for others it will take time.

I do remember a few “light-bulb” moments, however, and most of them came from listening to other authors talk about how they approached their writing. Which is why I started teaching. And probably why ITW is offering a series of blogs devoted to craft. I applaud them for their foresight, wisdom, and willingness to offer you a light-bulb moment or two. Because if you don’t know how to craft a great thriller, the rest of it doesn’t matter. Story trumps everything in today’s publishing world.

My video series, WRITING LITE, is my way of providing some light-bulb moments.  They’re not long, certainly not intense, but you just might learn something that you can apply to your writing.  At least I hope so.  My plan is to have a new installment every week or ten days, so check back whenever you have the chance.

Good luck. I hope to see you on the Best Seller Lists soon.

BIO:

Libby Fischer Hellmann writes Compulsively Readable Thrillers. Her 10th novel, HAVANA LOST, a stand-alone literary thriller and love story set in Cuba will be released in September, 2013. A BITTER VEIL, another stand-alone thriller, is set in revolutionary Iran during the late ’70s and was released in 2012.

SET THE NIGHT ON FIRE (2010), a stand-alone thriller, goes back, in part, to the late Sixties in Chicago. She also writes two crime fiction series:  
EASY INNOCENCE(2008), DOUBLEBACK (2009), which was selected as a Great Lakes Booksellers’ Association “2009 Great Read,” and TOXICITY (2011), a police procedural thriller, all feature Chicago P.I. Georgia Davis. In addition, there are four novels in the Ellie Foreman series, which Libby describes as a cross between “Desperate Housewives” and “24.”

Libby has also published over 15 short stories in NICE GIRL DOES NOIR and edited the acclaimed crime fiction anthologyCHICAGO BLUES. Originally from Washington D.C., she has lived in Chicago for 30 years and claims they’ll take her out of there feet first.

HAVANA LOST coming September 2013:
On the eve of the Cuban Revolution, headstrong 18-year-old Francesca Pacelli flees from her ruthless Mafia-boss father in Havana to the arms of her lover, a rebel fighting with Fidel Castro. Her father, desperate to send her to safety in the US, resorts to torture and blackmail as he searches the island for her. So begins the first part of a spellbinding saga that spans three generations of the same family. Decades later, the family is lured back to Cuba by the promise of untold riches. But pursuing those riches brings danger as well as opportunity, and ultimately, Francesca's family must confront the lethal consequences of their choices. From the troubled streets of Havana to the mean streets of Chicago, HAVANA LOST reveals the true cost of chasing power instead of love.

Don't Kill Your Editor

By Linwood Barclay

Thriller writers spend a lot of time thinking about killing people. But the people we imagine doing away with it are imaginary. So, whack ‘em. No harm done.

There’s one possible exception.

There are times when we think about killing our editors.

They put us through hell. I’ve had calls from editors that made me want to step in front of a bus. They tell us things we do not want to hear. We may know it’s coming. The book is not quite right, but we’re hoping our editor won’t notice. Maybe we’ll get away with it.

Fat chance.

The toughest part of the process for me is not waiting for inspiration, or starting that first sentence, or working through the plot, or dealing with readers who all email thinking they’re the first to notice the typo on page 23, or even reading those first reviews once the book is out.

The toughest part begins once I hit “send” and my manuscript lands in my editors’ inbox. Waiting for the verdict is a killer.

But here’s the thing. Every book I’ve written has been made better – sometimes, a LOT better – because of an editor. Good editors – and I have been lucky to have almost no poor ones – have saved my ass.

We’ve all heard this a thousand times, but it bears repeating. When you’ve spent months and months toiling away on a novel, you lose all perspective. You’re in no position to judge its merits. Not only are you unlikely to be able to see what’s wrong with it, it’s very likely you can’t even see what works.

I know there are novelists out there who believe every sentence they write is sacrosanct. Thou shalt not change a single word, they tell their publishers. If they’ve got more clout than I do, it’s very likely they can get away with this. Good for them. And their book may be pretty damn amazing. But I’ll bet it could have been better, even just a titch, if they’d been willing to take some advice from their editor.

It’s not easy, but you have to get past your ego in this business. I’ve gone into tailspins of depression after hearing from an editor who believes my latest delivery needs to be rewritten. It’s hard not to take personally, even though the editor is being strictly professional. You feel stupid. How did I screw it up so badly?

But the truth is, if you hadn’t created this book in the first place, there’d be nothing for that editor to judge. This was your idea. This was your concept. The editor is going to help you shape your creation into the best book it can be.

Be grateful. (Okay, maybe that’s pushing it).

With each book, I’m getting a little better at sucking it up and getting on with the job. I’ve come to expect it. As the audience for your books grows, you can’t afford to slip up. You can’t coast. Readers notice.  

Everyone, and forgive the pun, is on the same page here. Everyone wants the best book possible. Let an editor help you make that happen.

But, if it makes you feel better, think about killing them. No harm done, really. 

Author Bio:

Linwood Barclay, a former columnist for the Toronto Star, is the author of a dozen novels, including No Time for Goodbye, the soon-to-be-released A Tap on the Window,  and Trust Your Eyes, which is in development for a movie with Warner Bros. He lives near Toronto with his wife Neetha. They have two grown children. Connect with him at his website. 

Latest Book:  

A Tap on the Window, to be published by New American Library Aug. 6, asks the question: What if the hitchhiker you picked up wasn’t the same hitchhiker you dropped off? Private detective Cal Weaver’s decision to give a young girl a ride draws him into a deadly small town conspiracy.

A Bumpy Road to Publication

By Don Helin

During my time in the military, I must have written a gazillion “Subject to” papers, but unless you care what some general has to say, no one bothers to read them.  As I was preparing to leave the army, I attended a travel writing symposium sponsored by The Washington Post.  I enjoy traveling and figured, why not get paid for it.

After about four years of travel writing, I decided to try fiction.  I enjoyed reading thrillers and thought, “Hey, I can do that.”  I remember the day when I received what most authors refer to as, “The Call.”  My wife thought I was nuts as I danced around the kitchen when the acquisitions editor at Medallion Press said, “We want you.” 

My first published novel, THY KINGDOM COME, was actually my fourth manuscript.  So don't pine away at your mail box when you finish one manuscript.  Get busy on your computer or as my friend says, “Slam your butt in the chair,” and start writing another one.  You'll get better with each manuscript.

In the summer of 2009, I signed a contract with Medallion Press for my second novel in the Sam Thorpe series.  Then the e-book frenzy hit.  The following spring, my publisher put up a detour sign.  “Sorry, we only want to publish your novel as an e-book, not an e-book and paperback like the first one.”  Once I decided to cancel the e-book only contract, I went to work on a new series featuring Colonel Zack Kelly. 

The key is to get involved in writers' groups and volunteer.  Early on, I joined Pennwriters, a state-wide writers' group in Pennsylvania. Conferences will help you make contacts, grow as a writer, and stay up to speed on the myriad of changes in the industry.  

Being a debut author at International Thriller Writers allowed me to receive mentoring from some of the best.  I made friends with my debut mates, who one day will become leaders in the publishing industry. 

On one Thrillerfest panel, I met a well-known author who introduced me to his publisher.  She liked DEVIL'S DEN, and here I am, doing book signings.  Contacts matter.

Whenever I do a signing, I always think of what Donald Maass said at a conference.  “It's not only about how many books you sell, it's about building a community.”  You are your brand.  If people know you, they may read your book.  If they like it, they might become life-long fans.  So, get out there and meet people.

The publishing industry is changing, but I see success stories every day.  I'm convinced these successes are facilitated not only by hard work and a thick skin when you get rejected, but by becoming involved with writers' groups, having a competent critique group, and staying abreast of what's going on in the industry.

Good luck to each of you.  Please check my website: www.donhelin.com.  I'd be delighted to discuss my experiences so don't hesitate to ask.

About Don:

During his time in the military, Don served seven years in the Pentagon as well as multiple tours in the United States and overseas. His Washington D.C. insider positions have provided him ample material for his novels. His first thriller, THY KINGDOM COME, was published in 2009. Don is an active member of International Thriller Writers, Mystery Writers of America, and Pennwriters, a state-wide writers group. He makes his home in Pennsylvania and is hard at work on his next Zack Kelly thriller, RED DOG.