The Publishing Glass is Half Full--of Poison?

What The Funk is a Hybrid Novel Anyway?

You’ve heard it all before folks and every time you turn around on a dime, someone is raining on your publishing parade. I think we’re all aware of not only the pitfalls of writing a novel, but the astronomical pitfalls of getting one published. But isn’t life always like this all the time though?  Nothing is ever easy, after all. If anything was easy, as easy as the Staples “Easy Button”, we’d all be basking under a palm tree in Tahiti with a Piña Colada gently held to our lips and we’d marvel at the wave patterns like Robert Duval did in Apocalypse Now.  Dream on.  You’re not alone in this uphill battle, even though I know that just like me, you hope you’re the next David Wroblewski, author extraordinaire of  Edgar Sawtelle fame and fortune. (Need anyone be reminded?)

But that’s the good news. The Sawtelle story is the quintessential example of what a Hybrid Novel is and how to freak one together.  Aspiring authors need to learn this old-fashioned technique in order to be the next big hit in the world of publishing. It’s easy. Let’s break it down into three easy steps.

First, you must be smart. But not just any smarts will do, mind you.  You must be as close to genius as possible. Hold on now, because If you’re not a genius, like Cormac McCarthy, then ingenious will do nicely. You see how easy it is to overcome obstacles?

Next, you must be what they call, “passionate”. A word that McCarthy seems uncomfortable with, and admits it’s too fancy--implying it has sensual connotations. (If you saw him in Oprah’s interview, you know what I mean. And if you missed that gem of an interview, you can still see it on YouTube.) Doesn’t everything wind up on YouTube, sooner or later?

Okay, so back to the “passion” thing.  Let’s keep in mind that Wroblewski worked on the Sawtelle story for about ten years in his spare time. Take note that this is not only “passion” but an innate belief, a knowing that this story will succeed in the marketplace.  Although Wroblewski says that this first novel was an experiment of sorts--a study and an exploration more than anything else and that he never expected it to get published, despite his uncanny ability to write engaging prose. (Except for Henry's Chapter.)  Humility is a good thing. I think it’s clear though that his diligence and attention to detail along the way has paid off.

Not to mention the valuable feedback he amassed during those ten years from a long list of so many friends and professionals alike. Not a bad way to experiment. He had a good support system, to say the least, and that certainly counts for something. Maybe everything. And it’s a good thing that Wroblewski landed such a lucrative deal because he has plenty of friends to thank. Unless they’ve already been paid in Super Bowl pizza and beer parties. Who knows? Not important at this point. You get the idea.  Hey, let’s not forget, it was ten years and about 600 manuscript pages to go around.  What a pest. I can’t even get my mother to read my lousy first chapter. And that’s only 18 pages.

Okay, so do you have “passion”? Sure you do. Nobody sets out to write a novel of any length just for the fun of it. And you must be well-read and willing to borrow some ideas that have already proven themselves to be winners.  You must plan your freaky hybrid story to the point just short of plagiarism, or at least work off the assumption that your premise, your brilliant idea, is a surefire concoction or word-manna from heaven. And then you must learn many things along the way and apply them to your story in such a way that your novel will improve and get you closer to your publishing goals. But let’s say that unlike Wroblewski, you don’t have a support system of checks and balances in place.  No problem. You can always pay for the services and opinions of impartial readers who are more than eager to steal, I mean, give your tome a read of sorts. Don’t have the money? Sure you do.  All you have to do is sacrifice a few things. You know, prioritize. Wow, two out of two, so far. Now we’re…you know, whatever.

Okay, so lastly, you must pick the right agent, or the right publisher. I think agents are a wise choice since they know if your story will sell, and to whom it will sell. They are insiders, after all, and they have connections to people such as Stephen King for example. And we all know how valuable a flattering book blurb from the master of suspense is.

Fine. So first and foremost, how do you go about finding the right agent for your particular novel?  They are a discerning bunch, as you already know and they don’t take on just any project. Why should they?  Let’s face it, they have to be just as excited about your story as you are. They have a track record they must live up to and with so many queries piled up on their desks, they have the luxury to be picky.

So, just like Wroblewski, you close your eyes and skim your index finger (or middle finger) down a massive list of potential agents and stop anywhere. You know, like pinning the tail on the donkey kind of thing. If you like what this agent has to offer, then you repeat your highly scientific search and send out a half dozen queries and get back six rejections. Fine, you say. You’ll send out a dozen queries next time and then you’ll sit and wait for the phone to ring, and it does. And viola, you have a deal! But not just any deal. But a major deal bid by a huge publisher. Fantastic. You see how easy that was?

All right. Now for the book blurb from Stephen King. Hmm…that’s a tough proposition right there, but not impossible. It all depends on how creative your agent and editor are, right? Right. Great, so how exactly do you go about setting a fire under your agent's ass to get anything even close to that from happening?

I wish I had a funny answer but sadly enough, I don’t. (Frown here.) Whatever makes you feel better because here’s where the schtick ends and the naked truth begins. (Oh, the horror of it all!)

Here it is:  Do your homework. Come up with something different and new that’s never been written before in a flavor only you can conjure up. For example, let’s say you put together a hybrid story based on Romeo and Juliet. You know, like West Side Story.  Or let’s say you take a seed of an idea, like in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, and embellish it with the Vietnam experience, and you transform it into the mega-movie, Apocalypse Now.

One more. How about delving into European markets for ideas from unknown books in this country, and piece together your own freakish novel and come up with something like, Planet of The Apes.  These are known as hybrids these days. A modern word for what's been going on in the world of literature, music, and film, for ages, my friend. That’s the buzz word. Don't fight it. Ride with it and stop trying to re-invent the wheel.  The Greek gods get very angry when you try.  

In other words, there's nothing new under the sun folks.  Deal with it.  Those that came way before us have already figured it all out and they don't like it when you mess with their tried-and-proven template.  Unless you're the next Cormac McCarthy that is.  He has a direct pipeline to Aristotle's ghost and channels all the unwritten amendments to "The Poetics" and then he has the audacity to change them and make them his own. (Have I gone too far?)  

So please, get your freaky hybrid on and just do what you do.  That’s what I do.  It's a bit of wisdom I picked up from the gorgeous, super cool, SADE.  We’ll see if this formula really works. Stay tuned.

Oh, BTW, if you're a first-time novelist concerned about your platform, or the lack thereof, relax, that's what the Hybrid Formula is designed to do.  Build your name brand. 

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Hmm…you see how easy all this really is? I told you it can be done in three easy steps. And so the glass was not only half full of poison, but half full of hope too. That’s otherwise known as the Oriental Ying-Yang Circle of Life.  It's a beautiful thing.

 

 

Toni Morrison's, A Mercy: A Found Treasure

Two decades after her first novel "The Bluest Eye," had been published in 1970, Toni Morrison disclosed in an Afterword that she was dissatisfied with the book's language and its structure, and that it 'required a sophistication unavailable to me', she had confessed. Be that as it may, whether that was the case or not, I believe her first novel stands on its own merits, although, the sophistication she referred to, if you will, can be found in her newest work, "A Mercy."

Without question, in my view, it is very much a contemporary classic work which resonates, not only with sophistication, but wisdom as well, after all it has been 39 years since the writing of her first novel and Morrison's insights into human nature, especially within the context of race relations, is quite profound.

Morrison has certainly put to good use her fertile mind, her imaginative ideas, and her passion to tell a story, a history of slavery that to her has always been too close for comfort but always within reach--emotionally within her grasp. Certainly her rich family ancestry has passed on to Morrison, many of the stories she so vividly talks about in all her books.

The many heartfelt tales her wonderful characters portray and live out throughout her novels, in one form or another, are as breathtaking as they are heart-breaking, and more so, is the story told by Florens in this story. An unknown character, who we soon learn, named Florens, opens this tale with a confession. A bloody deed. She tells of how she plans and plots her way to YOU, as she refers to the reader's conscience, as I understand it. Almost as if she wants us to be co-conspirators, or witnesses to her crime.

At first, this is a confusing, albeit a necessary ploy on Morrison's part. Confusing because the narrative, its syntax that is, is somewhat unusual, because of the narrator's awkward phrasing, and necessary because Morrison knows how to involve her readers -her audience in a partnership. She's a master at getting her readers to participate and become an active part or a willing character in her stories and I believe she succeeds brilliantly in this case.

But it is after that short, poetic, first chapter. The chapter you must read twice, in order to get it, that the story opens up as Jacob Vaark, the "white-man's conscience" in the story makes his entrance and stirs things up a bit. But of course, the very astute Morrison gives Vaark a formidable handicap: He is just as human as any other white man and therefore just as greedy, despite his admonition: "His distaste for dealing in flesh."

Morrison goes on and makes wise use of her invisible, sinister, narrator that opens the story, by using this narrator to begin many other chapters, slowly and methodically cluing us in on her devious plot. The task, the errand at hand she has been sent to carry out in the name of justice. In the name of her mother, a minha mae. (Meaning, "my mother" in Portuguese.) It is all very intriguing and as always, Morrison's plots are very active and take many turns and multiple points of view, which adds a wonderful texture to her writing.

If I had one tiny criticism, which I've justified in my own mind, it is that the ending sounds a bit preachy and authorial. Maybe even hard-hitting to those who receive the character's (and consequently, the author's) brave message. A message that Morrison has penned in subtler ways since her first novel. A message of her pain and the long-suffering among Blacks in a predominantly White world. The injustice wrought on her and her people throughout many generations. A strong admonition that nonetheless needs to be heard, and heeded. I just don't agree that it should be delivered so transparently in a work of fiction. (Could Toni Morrison be testing the waters for her take on an upcoming non-fiction account of slavery? We'll see.)

The characters in this novel are also delineated superficially, which is most likely intentional, as the plot and it's main theme, namely, injustice, are at the center of this powerful and beautifully written story. If you're a newcomer to Morrison's writing, any of her great novels is a good place to start enjoying everything she has to offer.

Start with her first, as mentioned, "The Bluest Eye," and work your way up, one by one, up to "A Mercy." So far her last story, but hopefully, not her last book. Reading this novel was like discovering an old 17th century relic that contained an important message with valuable seeds inside of it. Seeds that when sown inside your heart, grow magically and eternally into something profound. Something beautiful.

Thank you for the courageous words, Toni Morrison, they are well-received.

About Your Story's Premise

Life's unforseen events sure have a way to distract one and delay your goals at times.  I thought I'd write a quick post to keep in touch.  Right now because of recent open-heart surgery, I've been unable to post, write or finish my book and I've missed another self-imposed deadline to self-publish.  It appears that I'm several months from editing my final draft, but trying my best to continue with my goals and at the same time survive this major surgery.  The good news is that my story is very polished and I'm about one quarter of the way proofing and editing. I wish I had more time to dedicate to it but my health is interfering since the surgery and I've been unable to continue posting here as well.

I'm determined of course to finish what I started 2 years ago and finally shop my MS around to see what kind of reaction I get from agents this time around.  Plenty of rejections to be sure, but I think I'll get a few requests for a full MS.  It's amazing what re-focusing and rewriting will do for a story. Sometimes the main idea gets lost in translation and before you know it, all your writing veers off into something close to what you want to say but not quite as focused as it should be. That had been the problem with my story until I finally had found a way to connect the dots and sharpen the imagery and the premise that I've been trying to crystalize for so long.  

Here's the thing: 

Sometimes you start out with a basic premise but somewhere along the way, you find a deeper premise, a more focused idea that will take your story where you really want it to go.  So unless you start out with a difinitive premise, your story may flounder for lack of focus.  You can of course have more than one premise in your story but that means that you'll have to be more careful and more strategic in not diluting the main premise which should be the central idea and the point of your story to begin with.  This is what I've been struggling with all along, but I think I finally have a good grasp of my storyline, which means that I know exactly where to start it and how to finish it. Big difference.  This is nothing new to me and I've always known the pitfalls of a weak premise but sometimes you just want to dive in and test the waters. In doing so, you can hopefully emerge from the depths of despair and save your story along the way, as opposed to letting it drown. 

I've worked out all the kinks, as far as I can tell, and I know one thing for certain.  My story is much more focused than it has ever been and its central idea shines through from page one to the ending.  That's a good feeling and a sense of achievement that has finally come together for the good of the story.  A learning experience that had begun with so many ideas that now make sense and work together to form a complete and cohesive story that everyone can enjoy.

BTW, many would-be authors think that self-publishing is the kiss of death.  It can be depending on many things. In my case, even if I had a million dollar deal on the table, I'm going to self-publish my novel anyway.   Only I can publish it the way I want it, with the cover I want and the title I think is best, and so on.  Besides, as a graphic designer, I do know a thing or two about book design and I have plenty of marketing experience to know what I want and what I think will work in the marketplace.  Publishers can do what they want with my novel in order to sell it, but this is my project first and foremost and even though I would like to land a million dollar deal, just like everyone else, I could care less about selling it just the same.  My work is done and it's done my way, with all my ideas and my words and nobody can take that from me. A big ego you say?  Hardly.  I don't have all the answers, but I do have answers to what's in my heart and soul and the kind of story I want to tell.  

Sometimes, we are the answer.

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BTW, I'm still working on the review for Toni Morrison's Mercy which is half done and I'd like to finish it and post it soon.  Her book is an excellent study.

Godspeed folks.  Hope to be back soon.

The Secret to Edgar Sawtelle’s Success

Writing a novel is an exploration into something that is inherent in all of us, yet, these ideas must be fed and nurtured in order for our stories to grow and take shape and finally resemble something of value. Not just in a monetary sense, as a product, but value as in something meaningful to you as well as your prospective readers.

Aside from the Sawtelle story, I'm also touching on Toni Morrison's new novel, A Mercy, which is a challenge considering her level of literary achievements to date which she has taken to new heights with her latest offering; and what a classic it is, I might add. (It grows on you.)

Your stories, if crafted well, will also take root in the hearts and minds of your readers and they will tantalize their beliefs and disbelief's. At least they should. I’ve never looked at it any other way, however, there are two main differences among writers and aspiring writers; authors on the cusp of breaking out, which David Wroblewski, of Edgar Sawtelle fame has recently done. (More than just luck.) In one of my previous posts I had poked fun at him and his story, which we all know is another form of admiration. I’ve recently had the time to read his novel and although it has its flaws (like all literature does) it is a very well-crafted and superbly written tale. But the focus here is not on his writing, but on the book's successful marketing. Yes folks, it's all about sales. The almighty dollar, as usual. Let's face it, if we were only interested in writing for ourselves, all our precious manuscripts would be shoved in a bottom drawer where no one but us new they existed.

Okay, maybe I’m just another dreamer like you, but let’s face it, marketing books is not easy, but not impossible. The more stories I read, the more I’m convinced that I can accomplish the same thing. Which reminds me that aside from Wroblewski, Toni Morrison is one of my favorite new authors. Wroblewski, I’m sure is flattered that I would mention him in the same sentence along with the incomparable Toni Morrison. Although they are very different writers indeed and furthermore, W. is in training wheels just as I am, while Morrison is in a league all her own.

But, I’m finally investing time reading and discovering Morrison's incredible writing. I like her flavor. She’s of course been around for a long time and has been one of my favorite writers ever since the movie and novel by the same name, Beloved. But again, she’ll be the subject of another post which will be very interesting because she is Toni Morrison, Nobel Laureate, after all. An amazing talent and I look forward to reading her most recent short novel, A Mercy, which should arrive in my mailbox by Saturday. Ahh, something to live for, at last. It feels that way. Sometimes the literary world seems to stand still, for me at least, since I am such a picky reader.

But the good thing is that when I finally get to another writer on my long wish-list of books, it’s always a very exciting time. Something to write about. Life is just way too short and foraging through the vast sea of literary work is daunting to say the least. And BTW, how did such a great writer such as Morrison slip by me for so long? Blame McCarthy, Faulkner, Hemingway, and a host of so many others for that. Like I said prioritizing my reading list is hard work, but I’m finally ready for some Toni Morrison and I can’t wait.

Meanwhile, let me sidetrack, if I may, into my own debut novel, a.k.a., DFB before I get into the Wroblewski story, but don’t skip this part because it is integral to the whole message/lesson and that’s why I’m bringing it up. There’s no way I can make this a short post, but I’ll try to keep it as brief as possible.

First of all, my MS is in its Final Draft folks and I’m so happy to say that it has reached the 95k word mark and going on to 100k soon enough, I suspect. That to me is amazing because my first draft was only a scant 60k. My writing is very tight and so I keep a lot of what I write so I don’t expect the word count to drop by much after editing. My book needs the volume so it won’t look so short and not worthy of the price. Although we all know the old page thickness/formatting tricks of the trade, but that only goes so far.

And here’s where the lesson comes in. How do you go from what you think is a finished story at 60k to 100k in the space of 3 months? BTW, my initial first draft word count of 60k is roughly the equivalent to Morrison’s finished novel (A Mercy, novella) of 176 pages.

Obviously, I’ve decide that my novel needed some padding, (nice commercial word) also some much-needed detail in my opinion. Let me take a deep breath and get on with this.

Here goes:

The world according to publishers, these days in particular, is all about perceived value. And what that simply means is that in these tough times, consumers more than ever before want to get their money’s worth, regardless of what product they buy. Novels (books) are no different. So how is it that Toni Morrison can publish a short novella of 176 pages and get away with it?

Get away with what you ask? Don’t ask me. I have no problem with short novels. I only have a problem with short, crappy novels, or long crappy novels for that matter. It always boils down to the quality of the story. And by that I mean not just writing technique--that must always be a part of the mix. But more importantly it has to do with the level of story. And that in word is what we all know as “High Concept”.

In case you’re not familiar with that term, in Hollywood speak it is simply the premise of your story. Its nucleus. Its defining image. What propels the story into motion. The reason it exists to begin with. You get the idea. A short logline such as: Aliens invade planet Earth, A boy that can fly, A preacher that raises people from the dead. Those are high concepts in their most basic forms. Without these defining images, stories have no impetus, no magic, no flashpoint to interest anyone, especially agents or producers and therefore they are not considered marketable.

That’s right folks, for the most part, stories that lack this component are nothing more than mountains of scrap paper in the solitary heap of proverbial slushpiles. Sorry to break the news to you folks, but that’s the whole point of these posts. You actually learn something valuable that you can use to improve your stories. (Come on now, stay away from your MS for another 10 minutes, more good stuff is on the way--read on.) Actually, I'm going to make an exception to this High Concept rule and as an example use the novel and a magnificent movie by the same name: A River Runs Through It. There are other stories similar to this (Robert Redford style) that are subtly as powerful. The point being that the HC rule applies mostly to unpublished writers. Write a HC, high profile story first and then you can write stuff like Redford and Morrison and "get away" with it. As new writers we have something to prove.  Then again, new writers break through with stories like "A River..." once in a while. (There is hope for us, after all.)

Morrison’s new novel is priced at about $24 (hardcover) but you can get it at a discount on Amazon, of course for about $14. Some people might still think that’s even too much to pay, lest they forget who the author is. And that’s the obvious difference right there, folks. While Morrison is not, by definition, a commercial writer, she cannot exclude herself and her great books out of the necessary machinery of publishing commerciality. And these days, Oprah has a lot to do with that machinery.

BTW, thanks to Oprah, Morrison’s Beloved was put on the map and my literary radar ever since it was featured in Oprah’s book club years ago. That’s how I heard about Morrison and as a result, have recently purchased her latest novel, practically sight unseen. I already know it’s going to be good. Besides, this is the genre I enjoy the most. Literary fiction--yes, even though Morrison’s books are usually categorized under African American Literature but, literary nonetheless.

This classification, in my opinion can be an advantage to Morrison because it caters to her fan base, which is mostly black Americans, I suspect. (That is her audience, by her own admission, and rightfully so. Should we expect otherwise?) But the flipside of that is that categorizing her writing that way also opens the door for readers that really know and appreciate great literature for what it is, as opposed to what it is not. And that is to say that literature is first and foremost, a form of expression that not only entertains us, but involves us in ways that other art forms cannot. So for those adventurous readers who crave the unusual, the offbeat, a perspective from someone else’s point of view, that’s where writers such as Morrison and McCarthy come in. They are very giving writers and offer us a lot of themselves and their beliefs are built into their stories. They not only write stories, they have lived them as well. That’s not to say that everything in their stories is factual, it is fiction, after all, but it means that their core beliefs, their raw identities are always superimposed above their stories.

Their novels are layered thick with more than just conflict, but with the inner workings of all things that make us human and make our hearts beat and our souls ache for their characters and their difficult lives as portrayed in reflection to who we are at any given time.

These writers do not cater to commercialism. They write for themselves and do not compromise their words or their ideologies. They don’t adhere to formulas (except their own) and they don’t copy what everyone else is doing. They are originals and innovators in the world of literature. They don’t follow all the rules and they make their own rules along the way.

They are gifted and that’s why they’ve both been awarded Pulitzer prizes and Nobel Prizes. Yes, there it is folks, the “G” word. It’s what separates the men from the boys, as they say.

Many people believe that writing cannot be taught, but what they really means is that the “gift of writing”, such as Morrison, McCarthy and Hemingway were apparently born with, cannot be taught. And they’re right. And not to diminish the “gift” in any way, this so-called gift is nothing more than a unique way of looking at the world and expressing it like no other can. But of course it is much more than that as well. It is a perception far beyond what most of us see. A structure and a musicality of words and ideas that only they can envision, and only they see in their unique way. This cannot be mimicked or imitated. Great writers such as these are great visionaries first, writers and crafters, second. That’s what sets them part from the crowd and allows them to write memorable and lasting works such as, Sula, The Old Man and the Sea, or The Crossing, which brings me back to my point: Why couldn’t I have written a short novella and get away with it? Publishing standards, of course.

If you’re a first-time author, a novelist, you must adhere to the minimum of about 80k words as a standard length for a novel. Anything less will mark you as an amateur and inspire the prospective agent or editor to fling your beloved MS into the slush-pile heap, even if it’s a great story. And they would be right to do so. Do you think anyone will buy a short novel from an unknown, unproven writer without a track record? A wannabe writer? Of course not. I wouldn’t and neither should you.

Excuse my digression, this brings me back to the Sawtelle book (what I'm supposed to be writing about). It is almost 600 pages, mind you. Almost two novels in one. Why? Why not the standard 350-400 pages? Well, I don’t have an answer to that because Wroblewski’s editor, Lee Bourdreaux is not saying.

In my opinion, I think the story could still work, minus a few hundred pages, without affecting the plot one bit. Although I suspect that since it is written in a literary style, that its length, its wonderful words, are part of its charm. So why delete them? Not to mention that since he is a first-time author, maybe Bourdreaux reasoned that he had something to prove, and allowed Wroblewski the words to prove it, and he did. Bravo to David, but shame on his editor. She should’ve had more confidence in his writing to begin with and not opt to sacrifice a stronger plot in exchange for page volume and perceived value to the consumer/reader. But then again, I speak as someone who knows a lot more about marketing than I do about writing and publishing. Enough said.

I congratulate the Sawtelle “team” for the book’s success. I enjoyed the story, nonetheless. Even though I cheated and skipped quite a few chapters, which I’ll get to whenever I have more precious time on my hands. I owe that much to the book’s author and his story which is certainly worthy of every word.

Okay, so we have a hodge-podge of ideas I’ve presented to you, randomly in a stream of consciousness and it should all lead to some profound point somewhere along the line. I don’t see it yet, but it’s on the tip of my tongue. In fact, here it is: if you’re an aspiring novelist and you have a debut novel, an MS that’s ready to be shopped around, where do you begin?

Unless you know someone who knows an agent and can possibly introduce your work, you'll have to scour the internet and literary markets for good agents. Read their Bio's and what they've recently published and try to match your story that way. And BTW, let me say that all agents are not the same. Which is to say that all people are not the same, for that matter. But, the right agent/editors can make or break your career, or the start of your career, whatever the case may be. Some are more ambitious and resourceful than others and those are the ones you need to look for. The ones with rare vision and a keen sense of marketing prowess. Because that, among other things, is what it takes to make it in publishing. (It always helps to know someone, of course.)

How do you think the Sawtelle book got its marathon legs? Simple. Its clever editor sent the Sawtelle MS to none other than Stephen King (since he’s the master of suspense) and he loved it. He gave it a raving endorsement that was used on the back cover. A gem of a blurb that catapulted the book into the stratosphere, practically overnight. That’s the secret to the book’s initial jump-start. Phase one. Phase two, was also successful thanks to Amazon.com’s marketing savvy when they featured the book on their homepage with the King endorsement and a personal note from Wroblewski. Do you know of anyone who would not be interested in a book, endorsed by the master himself?

What they did was link Stephen King’s enormous fan-base to another suspense/thriller and voila, paydirt. Very smart, although it’s nothing new as far as marketing techniques go, but very effective nonetheless when executed the right way. Phase three had a life of its own, as multitudes of very opinionated readers had plenty to say about the story on Amazon’s one-of-a-kind Book Review forum. Whether they liked it or hated it, that doesn’t matter. Any kind of talk, or buzz about any product or person is always a good thing. In fact, the more controversy, the better. (You better pray that lots of people also hate your book too. Controversy is always good publicity.)

Phase four? Drum roll please…that’s right, you guessed it folks, it’s a damn good story. I’ll admit that I was very skeptical at first, but I must confess that whatever praise the book has gotten is well-deserved. It is a well-crafted, beautifully written and very entertaining story. Yes, a contemporary classic. And that’s what gives it what I call, marathon legs, like a centipede. Traction, beyond the hype. That being said, it has its flaws (as all literature does) as I’ve already pointed out, mainly with the story length which affects the plot to an extent, and for me, it was a bit predictable in many ways, not just the fact of knowing beforehand that it was modeled after Shakespeare’s, Hamlet, but it is written (no comparison intended, but very much unlike Morrison) in a very linear form, which by its nature tell-tales many of its events.

Wroblewski has many strengths as a writer but by far I believe that the characters in this story, resonate masterfully-- especially Claude and Edgar, its antagonist and protagonist, respectively, which are as real and as vivid as any of the classic characters in recent memory. A hallmark of classic storytelling. Cheers David! (Excuse the dorky exclamation mark.)

Okay folks, I’ve set all that up to say this and if you’ve been following my posts you’ve heard it before. Everything in your story must work. You cannot leave anything to chance. Especially your marketing. Sure, “lucky” writers such as Wroblewski had the good fortune of teaming up with a courageous agent, such as Eleanor Jackson, and a savvy editor such as Bourdreaux. Yes, courageous, as in, she had the audacity to stand by her writer and sell his story against all odds. This is not your typical, marketable story, mind you. And yes, savvy, because Bourdreaux took the chance and got the MS into the right hands for the perfect blurb of all time. A clever marketing strategy that paid off in many ways and helped launch a promising writing career for Wroblewski in the process. Everybody wins in this case, especially the readers who now have a wonderful story for life, which is the most important thing from a literary/societal standpoint.

Take heed my friends. Work on your stories and polish them to your agents’ and editors’ delight as I’m also endeavoring to accomplish in due time. Good things cannot be rushed. Great stories must be nurtured with TLC into full-grown status before they can become valuable, viable, marketable products. The point I’m trying to make with this post hearkens back to an older post where I also mention many of the things that I’ve said here and that’s because these points are important to realize if you want to breakout as a novelist in today’s marketplace, and therefore worth repeating.

Writing a novel is much more than window dressing and you must decide the type of writer you want to be or the kind of writer you aspire to become. In my case, with A Death for Beauty, I think that my story is as marketable as the Sawtelle story, which is to say that it will not be easy, but not impossible either, depending on the agent/editor/publisher involved. I’m already in deep. Two years of my life, deep. That’s a considerable investment in time and effort and I’ll go as long as necessary. I’m into my 7th and final draft folks and the more I work on my story, the better it gets. But as a first-time author, I can’t get away with a short novella. I need to put out a standard length book that is similar to others in its genre. Similar to their look and feel as well. If a new writer wanders too far off the beaten path, they’ll get lost in a world where most readers are comfortable with writers they already know and trust, like Morrison and McCarthy, among others.

Experimental writing is not for new authors. Not if you want to break into the mainstream book market. But if you’re happy writing for your eyes and ears only, then by all means experiment all you want. Just don’t complain when your novel doesn’t sell. Although Wroblewski's novel might be considered experimental in a way, however, what really sells his story is not that it is a hybrid structured after Hamlet, since many folks would never have noticed that to begin with, but I believe that its core audience, suspense enthusiasts and dog lovers too, had much more to do with it, plus the fact that the characters were so well developed. (That's what hooked me.)

New authors must first fit into the current literature mold, before we can break it and remake it to our own liking. We must conform and acquiesce to publishing standards and bravely face our “rites of passage” (Can you hear the graduation music?) into the world of American Literature as we know it and understand it, at least until we’ve proven ourselves beyond our first book, our first novel.

But we must also plan wisely. Great stories are not enough. Great things don’t just happen, we have to work hard and work smart to make incredible things happen. Whether that means doing our homework to write the great American novel, (Something that Norman Mailer never achieved, by his own admission. That's scary.) or the ultimate non-fiction book, we must rightly do all things that lead to the proverbial brass ring. Nothing else will do. Think Archtype, high concept characters and ideas. The things that made famous stories such as: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Catcher in the Rye, and The Old Man and the Sea, for instance.


Here’s the tall order for aspiring novelist:

• Study diligently literary work within your genre
• Read and learn from books you love
• Master writing techniques within your genre
• Write your heart out every day
• Hire a competent freelance editor
• Develop a high concept
• Write with all your heart and soul, the kind of stories you would like to read
• Develop your own voice
• Write the next great American novel and polish it with re-writes and as many drafts as necessary to make it shine
• Shop for a competent agent/editor/publisher
• Self-publish an ARC and enter as many writing competitions as possible
• Seek endorsements from notable writers
• Learn the ins and outs of marketing your book and marketing yourself
• Never give up

I'm sure you can add to this list. Nobody ever said it would be easy and it usually never is. I believe the phrase goes something like this:

Faith without deeds is dead.

Stay tuned for my next post about Toni Morrison’s new novel, A Mercy. This post is bound to blow your mind. Not because I’m writing it, but because I’ll be discussing some of Morrison’s writing techniques and why her methods, her unorthodox structure is not something you tamper with, especially if you’re a new writer.

Till next post, Godspeed.

Strong Medicine For Novelists: Pinch Nostrils--Open Wide

...And Down The Hatch

Okay folks, for those of you who’ve been wandering around the planet, in a bubble of utter confusion, like the zombies from Night of the Living Dead, trying to figure out what it takes to succeed as a novelist, here’s my one-of-a-kind ProseFreak spin:

Which of these two books would you be inclined to buy?

Joe Pantoliano’s Memoir, or Frank Sinatra’s Unauthorized Bio?

See what I'm getting at? But let’s expand this ridiculous comparison even further and have some fun. Shall we? Hey, unless you had plans to finally isolate that pesky MD Strain in the next 15 minutes or anything remotely similar to that, I’d read on.

Hang on, this is a strange elixir indeed my friends. Here’s your spoonful:

For starters, who the fuck is Joe Pantoliano? That of course, is a fair question, and here’s the answer: Remember the movie From Here To Eternity? No, not the one Frank Sinatra starred in, the other one. Right, the one with Maggio. Yeah, that one in the photo. That’s Joe Pantoliano, otherwise known as Ralph Cifaretto in HBO’s, The Sopranos. Now you know who I’m talking about. Well, it turns out that all three of us: Frank Sinatra, Joe Pantoliano, and yours truly, Alberto Rios, are from Hoboken NJ. Notice the descending lineup and name recognition. From megastar, to the actor whose name you can never place, to a complete, obscure and unknown I hesitate to even mention in the same group. (I can take it.)

SO NOW whose memoir would you rather buy? You see that? Is selling millions of books really all about celebrity status though? Uhh…YES! Of course. That’s the way the world works. What else did you expect? Hell, if a good actor like Pantoliano can’t sell his memoir (I checked it out at Barnes & Noble last year. I read the back cover and quickly tossed it back into the pile of bargain books for a buck.) Get the picture? Hey, if you’re not following any of this by now, schedule an emergency session with your shrink and ask him to help you decipher it and suck it up. On second thought, never mind. All he’s going to do is keep looking at his watch anyway.

So the next logical question comes to mind: Is there any hope in God’s green universe of me ever selling my memoir, or my novel, unless I’m someone like Frank Sinatra? Hmm…very good question. I could end this right here, wooosh down a whole bottle of Percocet with some Aquafina and call it a day, or a life, but that would be no fun at all. I haven’t gotten to the best part yet. (I’ll leave the pills for later.)

Uh…where was I? Oh, right, the Frank Sinatra thing. Okay, so if that’s the case, how did first-time novelist Wroblewski (That’s the Edgar Sawtelle guy.) wind up on the bestseller list? Trust me this guy’s no Frank Sinatra. Doesn’t even look like Frankie. Matter of fact, throw a curly wig on him and slap a ruffled collar around his neck and you’ve got a modern-day version of Shakespeare. Come on now, that was a good one folks, and more importantly to Wroblewski, it ties in with his story, so I doubt he’ll be offended by a little humor as long as it helps promote his book. Believe me this guy knows good publicity when he sees it. BTW, I’m going to bestow him with my Medal of Sheer Marketing Genius Award which he so deserves. Shakespeare, dogs, and a murder mystery? Now that’s brilliant. Forget the story, all the marketing is built right in. That’s all you need. I think he started a whole new genre all by hiself. (This typo was due to my cheap-ass Gateway keyboard, and left-in as an ode to Cormac McCarthy, but I digress.)

Okay, so now things are starting to look my way. Maybe there is hope for my novel after all. Marketing huh…positioning in the marketplace, an author’s platform, planting marketable ideas, and themes inside my novel as a way to help promote it. Wow! Why didn’t I think of this before? (Okay calm down, it’s been around since Aristotle’s Poetics.)

Great you say, but doesn’t all that built-in marketing dilute and commercialize my story? Not if you gracefully weave in your relevant themes with a little misdirection. Hey, you want the low-down dirty truth or not? This is a brave new world when it comes publishing. Anything goes. Unless you want to settle for the labyrinth of POD’s out there, parading as real publishing houses, I’m sure you want to attract the big guys, like: Harper Collins, Little Brown & Company, Random House and all their imprints. Or maybe you’d be happy with a smaller publisher: A University Press, for instance. Whatever’s your fancy.

So many choices, so little time. And, if you’re like me, and you’re not Frank Sinatra, or even look like him, you’ve got your work cut out my friend.

Unless you work on YOU first, building yourself as a Name Brand and transferring all that wonderful charisma onto the page and into your wonderful tomes, you’ll always be at a loss. Not just in the business of writing and publishing, but in life in general. You need to be recognized. You need to be liked. You need a plan.

NOBODY buys from a NOBODY. (Not in mass quantities anyway. Write this down folks, you don’t hear quotes like this every day. Hell, my own momma probably won’t even want to read my novel. In fact, she’s already told me she won’t. Oh…the trauma—the trauma.)

That’s the lesson folks. I warned you there was going to be some unsavory stuff. But here’s another spoonful. Come on, open wide. All that celebrity stuff is just the tip of the ice cube folks. Lots of tiny ice cubes that make up this gigantic literary iceberg.

THE COLD, HARD-TO-SWALLOW FACTS:

Let’s not forget some of the golden rules of marketing, advertising, and sales that always apply, regardless of who you are: You think your publisher is gonna invest marketing dollars in you? (Belly-ache, side-splitting, roll-over-the-parquet-floor laughter right here.)

SOME MARKETING RULES:

1. It helps to be well-known, not as a celebrity, but as someone likable, especially because of controversy, but not always the case.
2. Professional and Academic credentials help.
3. Champion a social cause or develop a Platform around your subject or expertise.
4. Write a good, short, sales pitch for the back cover, a.k.a., a Book Blurb. (Maybe the subject of my next post.)
5. Try and promote your book during relevant events.
6. Come up with a great title, or maybe steal one from the KJV version of the Bible, just like Hemingway used to do. (Don’t blame me if God never forgives you.)
7. Write a great Press Release, and submit it to places like: http://www.PressReleases.com, or PRnewswire.com, many others.

SOME ADVERTISING RULES:

8. Identify your target audience and make sure they find and understand the book you’re offering. Answer their question: What’s in it for me? (with banner, text, or print ads)
9. Research your market and experiment with different book covers to see which one gets more attention, responses, interest. Design intriguing covers that stimulate curiosity.
10. Make sure you put together an irresistible offer that will encourage prospective readers to buy your book.
11. For example: Buy now, pay later. (That’s one of the best offers of all time.) Get this book at 25% off until (date here), etc.
12. Here’s a statement that will throw you. “People don’t buy products or services. They buy benefits and offers.” That’s a proven fact. I didn’t make it up, ask any advertising rep.
13. You can literally sell ice to an Eskimo with this approach. It works every time, although it depends on other factors too. (Hey, what can I say, this supposed to be a short a blog post, but turning into the GB Address)

SOME PROBLEMS WITH SALES:

In your world, there is one seller, YOU, but many potential buyers. That means many kinds of buyers with different levels of desire and motivation to buy a given product at any given time. Hopefully your book, but maybe they have too many obstacles in their way.

1. Your page-rank on Google is in the cellar. You need to be on the first page, at least not passed the 3^rd. Fine-tune your META TAGS. Consider buying Google AdWords.
2. The price of your book may seem too high to many buyers.
3. Buyers don’t trust you. You must convert all prospective buyers into first-time customers with persuasive copy. Then, if they order and you deliver what they consider a good and valuable product, you’ll get repeat business, but only if you repeat the right offers. You must build trust in your sales copy. (Another lesson.)
4. Your website sucks. It looks cheap and unreliable, reflecting the assumed poor quality of your book to the reader. Learn HTML or hire a web designer.
5. Your shopping cart sucks. It’s confusing and time-consuming and most orders are dropped because people become impatient, flinging their laptops down the stairs.
6. Your sales copy is pushy and arrogant. Here’s a tip: Don’t sell—Present and display your product with quality graphics, and state the facts in an interesting way with a kick-ass offer. Then shut the Fuck up! (Ahhh…shades of Julianne Moore.)
7. Your ex just wiped out your bank account. (Call the cops.)
8. You get the idea folks, everything has to line up with all the planets and the godforsaken moon has to rise under the seventh house. Something like that.
9. Here’s the tortilla Wrap:
10. Put together a great book that people will want to read from cover to cover, over and over. Nothing else will do.
11. Make your book available at the most visited and accessible sources: Scour the www.
12. Put together a great offer. Everyone loves a bargain.

Any questions?

Good. Now, apply these sacred principles, wait a while, sit back and watch your bank account swell practically overnight into 6 figures. And remember, I also have a beautiful bridge in New York I'd like to sell you.


Yeah, the Brooklyn Bridge. It was a bargain. I bought it off a famous New Yorker years ago--for a song.


Yeah…from him, that’s the one.

Spontaneous Rant: Now, if only I can get a damn role in the next production of “From Here to Eternity”…

STORY: Lipstick on a Pig is Not Good Enough

The book, Story, by Robert Mckee, which came highly recommended to me by my editor, without question, is intended for writers who are as serious as Mckee about telling a good story. So serious, in fact, that it almost reads like a textbook. But that’s a good thing folks. If you’re starting out, as a screenwriter, or if you’re a writer at any level, this book is the first you should read, over and over again. (And apply its principles, of course.)

From an insider’s POV, Mckee, deftly lays the solid foundations and the principles of screenwriting and offers a broad overview of Hollywood screenwriting and storytelling in general, in a way that you “get it” without sounding too heavy-handed.

Here’s one quote you’ll never forget: “If the scene is about, what the scene is about, you’re in deep shit.” In a nutshell, this is all you’ll ever need to understand about the all-important and ever-so-elusive “subtext”, mind you.

Mckee starts, appropriately enough, with “The Decline of Story” and champions his cause with all the major nuts and bolts you’re going to need to bring this “decline” to a much higher plane. And in my view, he succeeds brilliantly at outlining the many steps you need to know in order to get there.

(Scratch the needle across the vinyl record right here folks, or the laser’s optical eye, if you’re under 35.)

I’m as much a skeptic as you. And I ask myself: Why can’t I think of one screenplay that Mckee has written? As in Oliver Stone’s, “JFK”, or Tarantino’s, “Pulp Fiction”.

Which movie can we tag Mckee’s name to? Well, if you read the fine print, in this case, the back flap of the book, you’ll find that it says: ‘Mckee has written numerous television and feature films,’ and that, ‘in addition to writing and lecturing, Mckee serves as a consultant to major film production companies such as, Tri-Star, and Golden Harvest Films’, and so on. Yet, it never mentions any of his screenplays that have been at least optioned, let alone any that have been produced. Although, there is a long list of Mckee’s students that have either written or produced impressive movies, themselves.

Hmm…the only answer I can come up with is; that you’ve probably never heard of Oliver Stone writing a bestseller on the art of screenwriting either. He’s probably too busy either writing another screenplay or directing another movie, while Mckee is probably just as busy teaching his craft to sold-out crowds. Fair enough. (Focus, people, focus.)

But there’s a catch, ladies and gentlemen, and here’s where Mckee’s all-important disclaimer comes in: ‘ “Good story” means something worth telling that the world wants to hear. Finding this is your lonely task. It begins with talent. You must be born with the creative power to put things together in a way no one has ever dreamed.’

In other words, for those poor souls that weren’t born with that “creative power”, there’s not much hope for you, and not even Mckee’s fine “STORY” will save you. (If you want to write over-and -above the “decline”, that is.)

All those writers who want to wing-it by trial and error, or for the sake of the almighty dollar, are of course welcome to do so without Mckee’s help. And that’s why, as in years passed, Hollywood will crank out dozens of movies that audiences will most likely see only once, and then just as quickly forget about them. They’ve paid their hard-earned $10 bucks, sat in an uncomfortable chair with their boat shoes stuck to the floor, and as always, they’ve left the theater in disappointment: trying to find a shred of redeeming value in the last 2 hours of their routine lives.

But even though most theatre-goers have been bilked by Hollywood’s movie-making machine, everyone else in the movie-making food chain has been well-fed. Actors such as, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, and Angelina Jolie, are easily taking in 10 to 20 million per film, and you’ve just paid part of their fortune folks. But in the end, nothing was lost. After all, you got away from the kids, your spouse, or your wonderful mother-in-law.

And it was well-worth the $10 bucks and the $3 dollar box of Good & Plenty. I should know.

Now, as for Mckee and his book: he’s the seller; and we’re the buyers. End of story.