Getting With the Program
I plan to briefly mention my first book & publishing the new book, Vengeance Strikes the Blow. I want to spend the bulk of my time discussing writing that book & the Battle of Midway. I've assembled a Power Point presentation containing photos of all of the book's viewpoint characters. I also have a few stories to tell of my communicating with some of the surviving veterans. This is my chance to remind people of the debt that we owe. I can't think of a better time to do so than the 70th anniversary of the battle.
I have very fond memories of my county library. There was many an afternoon after school when I walked over to it. After an hour or two lost among the shelves, I'd walk over to my father's place of business to catch a ride home. I must confess that I lost touch with the library when I reached adulthood. My love of reading was just as strong if not stronger. With regular paychecks though, I bought the books that interested me. The book stores took the place of a library. When I began doing research for my first book Odin-son, I found it necessary to continue buying books. This is because I'm a yellow high-lighting terror. I've never met a reference book that I didn't have to highlight from cover to cover. I believe that I could paint a school bus with the amount of color I've smeared over the years. You probably won't ever catch me selling any of my old reference books. I don't know who'd want the marked-up things. As you can see, I don't believe that the public library would want me taking such liberties with their collection. PLEASE don't tell me that you have a 1st edition for me. I know that I'll knuckle under to the temptation the minute that I see a passage that I just have to remember.
Memories
One of the things that I’ve most enjoyed from the experience of publishing Vengeance Strikes the Blow is the number of people who have sought me out wanting to talk about the book. I’d like to say that most just wanted the feel the thrill from meeting the author. The fact is that many wanted to pass along the fact that they knew or was kin to someone who fought in the battle. One of these people after discovering the history of someone that they had talked to for years said, “You never really know the people that you interact with every day.”
I guess this is another of those Universal Truths. Certainly some of this ignorance is because we don’t take the time to explore each other’s personal experiences at anything more than a superficial level. Often the conversation centers on entertainment, sports, our community, etc. I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with this. Some people don’t feel comfortable talking about their pasts. This is especially true of those who have served in the military and witnessed combat. As I did research for the Midway book & now World War I, the horrors that these men & women lived with on a daily basis is staggering. Imagine feverishly digging a hole into muddy, shell-torn ground in an effort to escape murderous enemy fire an unearthing human remains. Worse, diving into a convenient shell crater only to land among the mutilated bodies of the men who had been torn to pieces by the exploding shell. You never escaped the stink of the dead & dying amongst the trenches. How could such not leave long-term effects upon an individual? Is it any wonder why many veterans choose not to remember these things by talking about them?
We must understand & honor those who keep their silence. They have earned that right. At the same time, let’s feel grateful for those who do share their experiences. I don’t believe that any of them speak up in an attempt to gain personal recognition or glory for themselves. There is no glory in war. The veterans will be the first to tell you that. I think that they seek to honor the memories of those who fell. By speaking of their own experiences, they relate those of the others who shared those terrible times. Their personal stories also relate those of the people around them. There is no brotherhood like the Brotherhood of Combat.
Just as important to many of them is the fact that we must never forget. There are two reasons for this. The most obvious is out of respect for their sacrifice. Those who die in service of their country die for us all. Yes, there is no glory in such a death, but there is honor & sacrifice. There is also a terrible toll on the ones left behind. Every casualty echoes down through the ages in the families & loved ones scarred. That is the man element of the necessity of remembering. The societal element of why we must never forget is that hopefully we will learn from our mistakes. And if fighting wars isn’t the largest blight & mistake that mankind engages in I don't know what is.
Soapbox View - America's Greatest Generation?
First, this has nothing to do with that generation or with the people who lived through those trying times. I can assure you that no one has a greater admiration or respect for those men & women. As the author of a book detailing the American triumph at the Battle of Midway, I developed an even deeper appreciation of their great sacrifice. In fact, my motivation for finishing the book & publishing it grew out of a sincere desire to make certain that we never forget what we owe.
Yet, having said that, how can one judge the sacrifice & struggle of one generation against that of another? From my researching a book on the First World War, I can admire & respect the men & women who fought & survived during that terrible period in world history. Had the United States not intervened, European history undoubtedly would have been changed. The triumph of the Kaiser's army was a very real possibility in 1917-1918.
To take the idea further, how can we overlook the years 1861-1865 when America was fighting to maintain its great union? Two separate, divided nations could have emerged. How might that have impacted history going forward? From a moral standpoint, how much longer would the abomination that was known as slavery endured had it not been for that generation?
Going all the way back to the 1770s, there would not have been a United States of America if not for the courage & resolve of that generation. America could have seen a bloody, prolonged struggle against Great Britain similar to the fight that has rocked Northern Ireland for years.
I can continue through American history noting the issues, problems, & ordeals that each generation has dealt with. My generation grew up during the 1960s when an unpopular war raged in Vietnam. Back home political & civil unrest inflamed our streets & college campuses. The culmination came at Kent State with 4 young people gunned down by the same government that was created under a constitution that guaranteed them the right to free speech. On the other side of that issue, the young men & women who followed their beliefs either by enlisting or submitting to the military draft saw that same government & society turn its back against them when the war finally ended. I've never been more ashamed of my country than I was at seeing the way that these people were snuck back in to the country under the cover of darkness. "Don't ask, don't tell," originally applied to the experiences of the Vietnam Vets.
I can keep going. I think of the medical cures & breakthroughs against killing & crippling diseases discovered by American men & women of science. I think of the courageous Americans who stood up & fought for civil rights for minorities, the handicapped, the under-privileged, the American worker, children, etc. All of these things happened throughout this country's great history & not due to any single generation. How can any of these achievements be judged against another time period & world?
Yes, as a country we have made mistakes & will continue to do so. No matter how lofty our ambitions we are subject to human emotions & frailties. But when disaster strikes anywhere in the world, America is always the first nation to respond & offer assistance. I do believe that there is an innate sense of goodness in the majority of us.
So what do I believe is America's "Greatest Generation?" That's easy to answer. America's Greatest Generation must always & continue to be the current generation. Each generation must find the courage & wisdom to deal with its changing world & society. I hope & pray that this country will keep improving & maintaining its position as the leader & guiding light of free people everywhere. May we continue to provide the model & inspiration for oppressed people to throw off their shackles & embrace our ideals of liberty.
You Might Be A Writer If
There's a great debate raging & I don't know why. The issue is when can someone truly call themselves a writer. Some folks believe that you must be published by a "legitimate" publishing house to earn the revered title of writer. Others hold the opinion that anyone who puts a pen/pencil to paper or punches a PC keyboard & creates stories or poetry deserves the title. I'd like to help settle the argument by offering some typical characteristics of a writer. See how many apply to you. With apologies to Jeff Foxworthy, you might be a writer if:
1. At your regular, bills' paying job you reply to company emails by making grammar corrections & tips on "tightening up the plot."
2. You laugh aloud while watching the first few minutes of TV & movies where the characters are having to divulge backstory disguised as conversation. "If you remember Joe, last year when Aunt Martha ran off with that traveling salesman & Uncle Bob suffered that heart attack you vowed to..."
3. The first thing you look for when visiting a new city is the nearest bookstore.
4. To you kindle doesn't mean "to start a fire."
5. You honestly believe that Word's Spell Checker is for morons & weaklings.
6. Your childhood memory is a complete blank except that you vividly remember getting your first library card.
7. No matter how bad the economy gets you'll always have money to buy books.
8. To you nook doesn't mean "a secluded place."
9. You know for a fact that the book is always better than the movie.
10. You find yourself reading books as an adult that you wouldn't have been caught dead with as a teenager.
11. To you POD doesn't mean "an anatomical pouch."
12. You don't write because you want to but because you have to.
13. You understand that the writing part is easy. It's all those d*mn revisions that are difficult!
14. Only when the words are freely flowing onto the page are you truly meditating & in the zone.
15. To you amazon doesn't mean "a large river in South America."
Cripple Creek Press Update
I followed that up by formatting the new novel, Vengeance Strikes the Blow, for the Barnes & Noble Nook reader. It takes some time to do both novels because I choose to do all of the formatting myself. This involves going through each novel page by page in Word's outline view. It's the best way that I have found to locate issues with the text & correct them. I know how jarring it can be for a reader to stumble across a formatting error in the midst of the copy. By using Calibre software, I can then convert the Word document into the proper format for the desired ereader. By downloading both the free Nook & Kindle viewers for desktop, I can actually see what the finished book will look like. This allows me to check the final versions before downloading them for sale.
I have learned the hard way about allowing other people to do this for you. I definitely wanted full control when I publish the book under my own company. If mistakes are made, I want to be the one making them, learning from them, & then correcting them so they don't happen again. Since the Berserk book was published by another company, I did the most that I could without possibly invoking more charges from them. In the long term I will close this account & regain full control of the novel. For now I can at least feel better about the final product.
Finally, I am working on the talk that I am scheduled to give at my local library next month. I plan to spend a little of the time discussing writing the first book. Briefly run through setting up the publishing company. And then concentrate on the Battle of Midway & the Midway novel. I'm looking forward to reminding my audience about the upcoming anniversary.
So you want to be a publisher? - 9
In my last blog I said that using your name for the title of your publishing company is normally not a good idea. This is especially true if you're hoping to expand your company & eventually publish other writers. There is at least one occasion when using your name is probably a good idea. If you're publishing as a hobby & do not care to separate yourself from your writing, using your name probably makes sense. The reason why concerns legalities involved with the use of a fictitious name for your company. In Florida, it is generally not necessary to register your business name as long as you name is a part of it. For instance, I could have called my company Simons Publishing & do business without registering it with the state of Florida. The name, however, is just a small piece of setting up a business. There are other regulations & restrictions, many of which involve your local municipality or county. These regulations must be followed to operate legally. As always, check with your own state & municipality when setting up your business.
Here's what I had to do to create Cripple Creek Press in Florida:-I ran an ad in my local newspaper advising my intention to operate a publishing business at the given location & called Cripple Creek Press.
-I sent a notification of proof that the ad had been run to the state to register the name.
-With written proof that the fictitious name was registered with the state, I went to my county courthouse & paid the local license fee.
-Taking copies of all the paperwork, I was able to open a bank account in the name of Cripple Creek Press.
As you can see, there was nothing especially difficult about the process & the fees were reasonable. The important thing to cut down on the potential aggravation is to research in advance the requirements. The various steps must be completed in a specified order. Calling ahead & checking on-line provided me with the needed information to smoothly complete the process.
The next step in my plan was to establish a web presence. I had secured the domain name www.cripplecreekpress.com early in the process of naming the company. I did some price/features checking with various domain providers & settled on Go Daddy. I set up a basic site detailing my company & offering some pages about Vengeance Strikes the Blow. Among these are a review, excerpt, & a bibliography. I was also keenly aware of the need to update the content to keep visitors coming back. Go Daddy offers this blog site to go with the website. I simply link to this blog from the Home Page. I use this blog to discuss the company, books, writing tips, & editorials. It is important, however, to establish a regular schedule of updates. I try to update this blog every Monday evening. With the exception of my being out of town or ill, I have pretty much maintained that schedule for over a year. Thanks for joining me here.
So you want to be a publisher? - 8
Now that I've talked you through writing your book & publishing it on Kindle, I need to take a step backward in the process. This pertains only if you intend to use a bank account with a company name rather than a personal account for Amazon to deposit your earnings. Notice that I use the word earnings & not royalties because that's exactly what they are. THAT is perhaps the biggest difference between publishing yourself & having a company publish your work. All of the profits go to you. If you deposit your gains into a personal account, congratulations you are totally finished with the process. Just be sure to keep good records. Also, remember that taxes are owed. There is a mountain of considerations & laws involved with the issue of taxes owed & there's no way that I'm going to attempt to address them. My advice is to either consult a professional or buy a good book on the subject. I recommend:
http://www.amazon.com/Small-Business-Start-Up-Step---Step/dp/1413316840/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1333378750&sr=1-6
It's a good read for anyone looking at bringing in additional income even if you don't intend to start a business.
Since I decided to form a company, the first thing that I needed was a good name. My advice is to take your time choosing one & give it a lot of thought. You're going to need a presence on the web, so you should consider this when naming your company. After drawing up a list of potential names, I went on-line to see about the availability of a .com address to go along with each one. I also did a web search to see how many existing companies I could find using an exact or a close match to my candidates. This eliminated several choices from my list.
The next thing I did was to examine each one with an eye to their versatility. With a goal of eventuality publishing other types of books from other authors, I wanted to make certain that the company name didn't stereotype it. I mean, a company called Wild West Books would be expected to publish westerns & not chick-lit. I'm not saying that it couldn't. I'm saying that it might be hard for some readers to accept this. You don't want to alienate a potential customer before they even open the book cover.
It is probably not a good idea to name your publishing company after yourself especially if you want to be taken seriously. Believe it or not, some folks will look skeptically at a book written by John Smith & published by a company of the same name. No, elaborating the company title to the Johnathan E. Smythe Press probably won't fool anyone. Yes, it's true that a reader can probably make the effort to discover how large your publishing company is regardless of the name, but many won't make the effort. They take things at face value unless you make it easy for them by using your name. There is one case where using your name in the company title is a good idea. I'll discuss this next week.
Another point worth considering is to not tie yourself to a geographic area unless you intend to focus on books having some connection to the place. Again, it's a matter of potential readers' assumptions that you must consider. People might think that books published by Greater Florida Press is a regional publishing company that caters to Florida authors only. Again, that might not be true, but it could be an uphill battle to convince people otherwise. I know, some of you might say that my chosen company name, Cripple Creek Press, seems to contradict this idea. Not so. I'm sure that there are streams named Cripple Creek all over the world. I don't believe that I have localized myself. Besides, the name was selected as a homage to my favorite group, The Band, & their classic song, Up On Cripple Creek. Now you know.
Soapbox View - Amazon Reviews - 2
Amazon reviews have become meaningless. See www.thebigriverreview.com
I appreciate the fact that someone took the time to leave a comment. In that spirit, I looked at the site but can see no obvious goal or meaning for it. It says that it wants to promote a discussion with the "book trade." That sounds fine to me & I'm definitely in favor of open discussion, however, this website is vague on what the nature of the discussion should be. I might be going out on a limb here, but from pages that I have read this looks like an attack on Amazon's rating system. To say that the system is being manipulated & meaningless, makes for good web copy, but I believe it's going to an extreme that is not warranted. To make matters worse, there are no alternatives or suggestions for improving or changing the process. There's not even a definite statement calling for such a "discussion" to take place. The final page of the site states:
Is it time for those associated with the book trade to start a discussion?
Note that the optimal message that I gleamed from this site is poised as a question. I'm not attacking the site or trying to stir up an argument. I'm just confused by its purpose. Perhaps whoever is master of the site will take my comment as constructive criticism. The site concludes with the admonition to "Watch this space." While I doubt that I'll spend much time watching, I did want to pass along the comment & offer the website's address for those who might be interested. I encourage you to check things out for yourself & form your own opinion. As for me, I stand by my comments in the earlier blog on Amazon reviews. Use a little common sense & due diligence to make your buying decisions. Take the reviews for what they're worth & not at total face value. I'll argue that you can STILL find good, honest critique among the "suspect" reviews. And remember that caveat emptor should guide any purchase.
Soapbox View - Amazon Book Reviews
For instance, there is a theory shared by many of the Amazon faithful that states that most if not all 5-star reviews of books by unknown authors, especially self-published books, are written by the author's family, friends, people owing him/her a favor, another self-published author wanting a reciprocal 5-star review for their novel, etc. Some of this is true. But is it really fair to label all such reviews as suspect? Is it not possible that a complete stranger COULD have enjoyed the book enough to write a good review? Yes, my friends & family have been very supportive & vocal about the merits of my book. Believe it or not, however, I have received an even larger number of kind words & praise from folks that I've never met.
I enjoy the Amazon reviews & use them myself when making book choices. That said, I'm not an idiot. I don't immediately suspect that every 5-star review is false. I do tend to place more value on the reviews, 0-star through 5-stars, where the reviewer is very specific with his/hers comments, good or bad. There are some folks, though, as hard as it might be for various Amazon commenters to believe, that are not versed or comfortable in writing a comprehensive, specific book review. They read a book that they enjoy & want to share the word with other potential readers. They see Amazon's rating system & give the book the highest mark. Perhaps their reviews seem simple or "false", but it's not fair to accuse all such reviews as being suspect.
At the same time, the author is pulled into the controversy & is usually attacked also. It doesn't bother me because I believe that ANY review, good or bad, is welcome. At least I know that someone read the book & got at least something out of it that they wanted to comment on. I also know for a fact that some of the lower-star reviews that I have received actually helped me become a better writer. I did get the message & accept my weaknesses & worked to improve them. I also believe that the specific negative comments can convince people to buy the book. For instance, one reviewer mentioned the fact that the Berserk book was a cut & slash adventure story. Perhaps he didn't like those type of books but their are some folks who do. I appreciate him spreading the word.
My advice is to take the Amazon reviews for what they are & don't put too much good or bad value in them. Compare a few & pay extra notice to those that list specific items. Please don't suspect or worse, accuse other reviewers of being friends or relatives with the author. What's the point? Please do offer constructive criticism on specific parts of the book. Good, honest criticism should always be welcome by any author.
Writing Tips - Inspiration
Both of my first two books, Odin-son & Vengeance Strikes the Blow, were inspired by two of my favorite authors. The first is Robert E. Howard, the creator of Conan the Barbarian & one of the greatest, most prolific storytellers of all time gave me countless hours of fascinating escapist reading. I think it's a shame that there are so few novels available from the major publishing houses today that offer such tales of high adventure. I don't understand why. The Indiana Jones movies are some of the biggest box office successes of all time & they are definitely throwbacks to the great pulp stories of authors like Howard.
There is certainly nothing wrong with literary novels or other genres like thriller, suspense, romance, science fiction, etc. I often read in some of the categories. I just believe, however, that there is an audience for action/adventure stories. Stories that seek to entertain first &, hopefully, sneak in a message or two at the same time. One of the themes that appear often in Howard's work is the idea that "barbarians" are often more noble & honorable than those considered to be "civilized."
My inspiration for the Vengeance novel was the late Michael Shaara. Anyone who hasn't read his classic on the Battle of Gettysburg called The Killer Angels owes themselves a favor to do so. This is the way that historical fiction should be written.
That covers how I came up with the ideas to write my novels. I have read of other authors who scan the newspapers & internet news sources for inspiration. I have not had much luck this way, but that doesn't mean it can't work for others.
There are also those who write about people they know & things that have happened to them. I've never tried this, either. One definite watchout here is that you're careful of what you write & the way things might be taken by those who recognize themselves. A loved one could be deeply hurt or shamed by that dramatic moment in their life that you weave into your novel. What's worse, never forget that we live in a world filled with lawyers dying to file annoying, expensive lawsuits at the mere whisper of wrongdoing. Don't fool yourself. Good intentions mean nothing in a court of law. You might ask yourself if the potential headaches are worth the effort.
My final source of inspiration to discuss is the one that we probably have the least amount of control over. I'm talking about that sudden flash of insight that seems to come at the strangest time & place. It's usually when I think that I'm NOT thinking about the novel in progress that I get my unexpected moment of insight. A perfect example concerns the Berserk book. I was in the middle of an afternoon run one day when I suddenly reached a revelation about the priest character. The idea solved several plot points & offered more opportunities for improving the plot & adding to the conflicts. Yes, I'm sure that my subconscious is involved in such episodes, but it STILL happens when I least expect it.
