Home-Made And On the Road

When I was a kid in the late 40s–early 50s, Mama made most of my clothes. In fact, she made all my dresses, slips, and nightgowns. I still have a lot of the baby clothes she made. Here's one of my baby dresses.

A closer look. Mama not only made it, she also embroidered it.

 

She made me a lot of sun suits when I was a baby. . . .

 

. . . and when I was a little older.  In the picture below, my cousin Marty and I wear matching sun suits that Mama made us.

I still have Mama's treadle sewing machine, but it hasn't been used for decades. I never learned to sew on it.

I suppose I'm still into homemade stuff. My latest book—Them That Go—an Appalachian coming-of-age novel with paranormal overtones is homemade, if you consider self-publishing (albeit through the services of CreateSpace) as being homemade.

A commercial publisher might send its author on a book tour. A home-made author has to set up her own "tour." My first stop was at the Franklin County Library in late March where I sold some books even though I didn't have as big a turnout as I'd have liked. My second stop was at the Westlake Library, and stories in two lake papers, The Laker Weekly and The Smith Mountain Eagle, gave me some good press. A couple dozen folks turned out to hear me read and talk about the book, and I sold a respectable number of books. Last Saturday, I sold books and talked to folks who stopped by my table at the Franklin County Library. At the public presentations of the Lake Writers anthology, Reflections on Smith Mountain Lake, at the Moneta/SML Library and the Westlake, members of Lake Writers were able to sell their books, so—as one of the editors and a contributor to the anthology—I sold some books there.

And my tour continues. In May, I'll be on the road to the Wytheville Library on May 7 (10 AM-2 PM), the Fincastle Library on May 12 (6 PM), and the Vinton Library on May 14 (11 AM) as part of the Vinton Heritage and Storytelling Festival. If you're in the area, come see me.

If you can't make it to one of my stops on my home-made tour, you can buy my novel on Amazon and at a few local places. While home-made books aren't available in bookstores, you can get Them That Go at Virginia Office Supply in Rocky Mount and The General Store and Southern Roots at Westlake.

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Novel-in-Progress Progress

Writing about writing is boring, so you might want to skip this post.

I'm letting the recently completed first draft of my Appalachian novel-in progress, Them That Go, "set a spell" before I start revising it. Why do I let it "set"? So I can distance myself from it and look at it with (I hope) a fresh set of eyes. So I can notice what needs to be added or cut to make the action flow properly. So I can get rid of excess words that add nothing to the story.

When I was attempting to write children's lit, I heard this said about picture books: "Make every word earn its keep." I think that applies to all writing. If words/sentences/paragraphs don't advance the story in some way, they need to go. I use Amazon's "Look Inside" feature to check books that I might be interested in buying, but when I see excess description ("setting the scene"?) or an info dump of backstory, I stop reading. I won't waste my money on writing that consists mostly of filler. Consequently, I want to make sure my words earn their keep.

I also try to adhere to Elmore Leonard's Ten Rules of Writing. If  I find I've violated a rule, I go back and fix it. His rules:

1. Never open a book with weather.
No problem here. I have mentioned the weather a few times throughout the book, but only when it impacts the characters or is important to the plot.

2. Avoid prologues.
I had one in my first self-pubbed novel. Now I know that if a story needs the information in a prologue, the information should be in the first chapter.

3. Never use a verb other than "said" to carry dialogue.
Once in a while, I used "asked" or "replied." I really hate reading books where characters retort (what the heck is that, anyhow?), groan, hiss, respond, blurt, or reassure.

4. Never use an adverb to modify the verb "said”. . . 
…he admonished gravely.
I don't think I do that. I hate when characters respond wearily, state firmly, etc.

5. Keep your exclamation points under control.
I sometimes—on rare occasions—use exclamation points in dialogue when a character yells something,  but only one at a time.

6. Never use the words "suddenly" or "all hell broke loose."
Maybe in dialogue, not in narration. In Them That Go, I have a total of three suddenlys—in dialogue or inner monologue—but no hells break loose in this novel.

7. Use regional dialect, patois, sparingly.
This is where I have to be careful. I have one character with a strong accent, another with a not-quite-so strong accent, and several with a few regionalisms. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I'm trying to avoid a lot of apostrophes to mark dropped endings. Instead I'm relying on diction and syntax.

8. Avoid detailed descriptions of characters.
I hate this in books I read. I think I've kept descriptions to a minimum in this book.

9. Don't go into great detail describing places and things.
I hate it when a writer takes a time-out to describe stuff that doesn't have anything to do with what's happening. Again, I think I've only used enough description to give the reader a general idea, not to bog the reader down in detail.

10. Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip.
I hope I've done that.

I recently read (I can't remember where I read it) that it's best not to try to edit more than 5,000 words a day. That seems reasonable. When I start actual editing, I'll do a chapter a day. 

While the manuscript "sets a spell," I've been running MSWord's find feature for certain words. Yesterday, I eliminated over two dozen excess thens. Today, I eliminated a half-dozen excess soons. 

Even though this book won't amount to much (it'll be self-published, so sales will be low), I still want it to be as professional as I can get it. I've already made the font decision—Garamond 11, the same font and size I used for the CreateSpace edition of Patches on the Same Quilt. Garamond is one of the most popular book fonts and very easy on the eyes.  The 11-point size is also easier on the eyes and is much easier to justify correctly than a larger size that might leave holes or rivers through the text.

I've also decided the book's size will be the same as Patches on the Same Quilt—5.5 inches by 8.5 inches. I dislike reading a larger-size paperback because it requires two hands to keep it from flopping about. Also the 5.5 x 8.5 will fit into some purses, so it's more portable. To make the book's set-up as easy as possible, I'll use a formatted template I got here. 

Stay tuned to this blog for further developments in the book.

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Self-Pubbing Advice

Yesterday, I joined three other self-published authors (JB Bonds—who is actually Brenda Rowell and her sister Jane), Sally Roseveare, and Kimba Dalferes) to present a program on self-publishing at the Westlake library. 

Kimba, Jane, and Brenda.

 I was surprised how many folks—mostly retirees—turned out. 

Apparently a lot of Smith Mountain Lake area people have written, or are in the process of writing, books. 

We had a great discussion, but it ended way too soon.  

Anyhow, if you’re wondering about self-publishing, here’s a bit of advice:

Do you really want to self-publish?

Maybe you have a great idea for a book, and you’ve spent months or years getting that idea into manuscript form. You really want to be discovered by a big name agent (not a scammy agent) who will sell your book to a major publishing house, and within a few months your book will be made into a movie. That’s what you really want, isn’t it? Alas, the odds are against you.

Having your book picked up by a major publisher might happen. It happens every day—but not to everyone. You can spend years querying and/or sending your manuscript out to agents and editors. Eventually, you’ll get replies saying, “Your manuscript doesn’t meet our needs.” You might query a few publishers you’ve found on the Internet, but some of these are ones you have to beware of. After a few years, you’ll see the writing on the wall—or at least the writing on a wall covered with rejection slips. You will consider self-publishing.

Why do you want to publish? 

If your answer is “to share my feelings with the world,” don’t publish. You may “share your feelings” with a select few—maybe friends or family. The rest of the world doesn’t care about your feelings. Make copies for the select few and save yourself some money.

If your answer is “I write just like David Baldacci/Lee Smith/Sharyn McCrumb/John Grisham/insert name of favorite author,” let them publish instead of you. They write just like themselves, too, and they were there first. If your answer is “I have a good story that’s not quite like anything that anybody has written before,” then you want to publish.

If your answer is “I want to preserve local history in a way that no one has done before,” then you want to publish.

If your answer is “I have some family stories that a lot of people—not just my family—can relate to,” then maybe you want to publish.

And there are other reasons why you might want to publish.

However, wanting to publish and being ready to publish are not the same.

Are you ready to self-publish?

If your manuscript had been purchased by a commercial publisher, it would have been groomed for errors in both content and mechanics. Plot holes would have been filled. Characters would be developed. Those little typos, the dangling modifier or two, the wrong tense, all those passive verbs—those little problems would no longer exist.

But if you’re self-publishing, odds are good that unless you’ve got a good eye for style, punctuation, grammar, and syntax—as well as content development, your manuscript could use a little help.

How do you get help?

You need critical readers. No matter how good a mechanic your brother-in-law might be, he probably doesn’t know diddly about writing. Now matter how well read the lady across the street might be—you know the one, she’d just LOVE to read the book she heard that you’re writing because she always wanted to write herself but she just didn’t have what it takes—well, you get the picture. You don’t want to ask just anyone to read your manuscript. Beside, your brother-in-law will probably hate it and the lady will probably love it. So, what do you do?

Find an editor. Be warned that there is no editor certification board. No license exists to prove that an editor can actually edit. Anyone can call himself or herself an editor. The back pages of Writers Digest are full of ads from editors who will be delighted to work with you. You know better to mess with them—maybe you know an English teacher who needs a project for the summer and would just be so thrilled to see her name in the acknowledgments. But be warned that not all English teachers, no matter how much they intimidated you in high school—can actually edit. A background in English helps, but it’s not everything. An editor should have a college degree, though (you have to actually write papers in college) and a good background in literature and at least one advanced grammar class. The editor should actually have edited something of some substance—the PTA newsletter, the junior high newspaper, and the neighborhood magazine that folded after two issues don’t count. The editor should have a bunch of writing credits—ask to see them. 

Join a writers group. Before you even think of finding an editor—if indeed you need one—get the kinks worked out of your manuscript in your writers group. If you join two writers groups, odds are good that you’ll get different advice from both of them—and that’s OK. Don’t be afraid to show your manuscript to anyone for fear that they’ll steal your ideas (they have their own ideas). You want input on what works, what doesn’t work, and what to do about what doesn’t work. After a while, you’ll find a couple of individuals with whom you can work. These are not people who tell you how absolutely wonderful your work is; these are nit-picky individuals who have the guts to tell you your participles dangle and your cliché-infested sentences aren’t working and you have an unnecessary adverb after every single verb. These individuals will scream at you, “Show—don’t tell, for goodness sakes!” until you stop telling and start showing. At first you will hate these people (How dare they suggest that your work isn’t flawless!); then you’ll appreciate them. Then you’ll revise your manuscript—probably several times.

Learn to format. Besides getting your writing just right, you need to know how to format. You must be at least somewhat computer literate—or know someone who is. Writing in longhand is passé, although a few still insist—like I used to —that words have to flow from my brain, down my arm, through the black pen I grasp in my fingertips and onto the yellow legal pad/crisp white sheet of paper/handmade parchment made from the skin of an old rival/whatever. Get over it! Let the electrical energy from your brain flow down your arm and through your fingertips and onto your keyboard where words magically appear on the screen. Rewriting on the computer is a heckuva lot easier than rewriting in longhand. Plus it’s faster and easier to read.

Your delete key can be your best friend. Cut and paste doesn’t involve scissors—it’s magic!

Learn how to set indents (no, don’t just hit the tab key!) and how to select a readable font. And for goodness sakes, don’t put two spaces after a period—or any other mark of punctuation— when you word process. That’s typing! And use curly quotes, not those little straight thingies. And know when to use an em dash and when to use an en dash (and figure out how to do it). Never type two hyphens (--) when you mean a dash. And learn to justify your text—real books don’t have ragged left margins. Real books don’t have hyphens when dashes are called for. Real books usually aren’t in a cutesy font. Real books don’t have three exclamation points at the end of a sentence followed by “he exclaimed.”

When your manuscript is as polished as you can make it—and you’re sure you want to do it yourself, you’re ready to investigate printing services. (But first, read about the top ten self-publishing mistakes.)

Options: Self, POD, & Vanity

A self-published writer has a few options. One is to completely self-publish (lots of money needed up-front for a print run). Another is print-on-demand (via Lulu or CreateSpace). A third is subsidy publishing (aka vanity publishing), but that can be expensive. Victoria Strauss of Writer Beware defines these terms here.

If you think you can sell at least 1,000 copies, complete self-publishing might be the way to go. Of course you need an ISBN number (Bowker sells them here for $125 each.) You’ll also need a bar code, but hold off on that until you know what kind your printer wants.)

So, you’ve gotten your ISBN. Now comes the fun part. You find a printer. Finding the right printer is sort of like finding the right spouse. You want somebody compatible, somebody who’ll keep promises, somebody who’ll make you look good. You can’t just go to the nearest bar and pick up a printer.

The back of Writers Digest lists printers who are eager for your business. However, you can’t just pop in on them. They’re a long way away from you. How do you check up on them? And shipping those books will cost extra. The local phone book is full of printers. The catch is that not all of them print books. And quality varies. So how do you know? Your best bet is to check with local printers.

Ask other local self-published writers what printer they used. If their books look lousy, don’t use that printer. If their books looked good, consider that printer. And while you’re asking, find out if they had particular problems with a printer. Did the printer deliver what was promised?

When you’ve accumulated a few names of printers, go visit them. Pop in unannounced just to see how organized they are and if someone can attend to you right away. Is the printing done on the premises? Ask to see other books that they have printed. A good printer will have a wide variety on display. Check the quality of paper. Can you see print through it? Is the printing blurry? Is the book poorly bound?

If you like the quality of the printer’s work, get an estimate. If you’re writing history, you might want hardbound. If you’re writing fiction—or non-fiction that will soon be out-dated—you want soft cover. Soft cover is way cheaper than hardcover.

Will the printer design a cover or are you responsible. Keep in mind that full color costs more than two-color. The more copies you print, the cheaper the price per copy. In general, your asking price per book will be double your first run publishing cost plus 20%. Stores like to have the book’s price already printed on the cover. Usually you will put down a portion of the cost—up to 50%—when you place your order. You will have to pay for everything if full when you pick up the books. (If you plan to sell all your books yourself, get you business license and sales tax number in advance—that way you don’t have to pay the sales tax on your books; If you plan to sell a few books yourself but most you will wholesale to stores who will collect sales tax, then you will pay sales tax on your printing order. Decide in advance what you’ll do.) After you’ve gotten several estimates, make your decision. A few printers (not many—and it costs more) will take hard copy, but most want your work on disk. Usually the printer will tell you how your work should be formatted—or not formatted. A good offset printer will have your books within a month or less.

Do you have storage space for a thousand books? That’s probably the number of your first press run. A thousand books take up about the same amount of space as a refrigerator and you often have to transport them yourself. Mine took up about 2/3 of the back of my pick-up when I picked them up from Commonwealth Printers in Radford.

But full press runs aren’t practical unless you know you can sell a lot of copies fast. Not many folks still self-publish with an entire press run these days. There are other ways to get your book out.

Print-on-demand: Not many folks still self-publish with an entire press run these days. Print-on-demand requires a lot less money up front, and there are lots of print-on-demand services. Currently, the two most popular are CreateSpace and Lulu. These require a bit of skill, but it’s learnable. And they’re way cheaper than a offset press run. [UPDATE: Createspace has been absorbed by Amazon's KDP publishing. What you need to know about formatting and publishing for KDP is here.]

Publishing services: If formatting a book intimidates you, you might want to try a vanity press. Costs vary from reasonable to pricey, depending on the options you choose.

While there are many reputable services, many scams abound. Check Writer Beware, Preditors and Editors, and the Absolute Write “Bewares & Background Checks” forum before you sign a contract. Look at some books published by the company. Ask people who have used the service what their experiences have been.

E-books: Publishing via Amazon’s Kindle costs nothing and is fairly easy to do. Amazon is the major retailer for e-books and, thank to the free Kindle app, readers can read Kindle books on their computers, tablets, or smart phones. Other e-publishing sources are Smashwords and Barnes & Noble’s Nook.

At any rate, do research—and know what you’re getting into—before you commit. A good starting point is this article and resource list from self-published author Matt Iden. 

Vanity Publishing

. . .  is not a good idea. I've done it four times, albeit for collections of previously published work that had a limited readership.

 The company I used was once pretty good to work with when it was owned by a family and offered personal attention as well as a reasonable (and negotiable) set-up rate. Now, it's gone the way of other vanities and offers lots of "services" for big money.

It used to be I could order twenty copies of my books at 40% off the cover price, get free shipping if I ordered a minimum of twenty copies, and get paid a royalty for what I bought myself. I could make a little bit from the books I sold from the trunk of my car (which is the main marketing method of vanity-pubbed authors). Now, there's a "handling fee" of $4.50. Consequently, I don't often order copies.

Recently I got this email from the company:

Dear Rebecca S  Mushko;

With the arrival of Spring, we at Ixxxxxxy are making preparations for a fresh new season. And we would like to give our authors an opportunity to Spring into marketing their book. As with any growing company, we are taking stock of our inventory and the limited space in which to store it. Our internal review has uncovered that we have an over run of copies of your printed book “The Girl Who Raced Mules & Other Stories” which is great news for you!

We would like to offer you a fantastic opportunity to purchase your books at 65% off the $11.95 cover price of your book.  That means you can purchase the 4 units we have in stock at $16.73 plus shipping and handling ($13.49). To our authors with multiple titles, please contact us to see if we have any inventory of your additional titles that we can include within this very special deal.

This is a limited and rare special offer which will expire on May 24th, so contact us as soon as possible to take advantage of this incredible deal.

To place an order for these books please using a credit card email [addy] or call Brittany at 877[toll free number] extension 12 or you can print a copy of this email and enclose with your check/money order. 

To receive the proper discount please reference Spring13 when placing your order.  

PS  Please note: This one-time special discount book offer is for as-is books, and all sales are final. Additionally, royalties are excluded from the sale of these discounted books.  Infinity retains the right to dispose, sell or retain any of the remaining books after the end of this promotion at its sole discretion. This offer is not valid for web orders, an author must email, call or mail the order to Infinity Publishing.  This special offer cannot be combined with any current or ongoing promotions or specials.

... followed by another, almost identically worded, except the book title and number of copies were different:

Our internal review has uncovered that we have an over run of copies of your printed book “Peevish Advice” which is great news for you!

We would like to offer you a fantastic opportunity to purchase your books at 65% off the $10.95 cover price of your book.  That means you can purchase the 7 units we have in stock at $26.83 plus shipping and handling ($13.49). To our authors with multiple titles, please contact us to see if we have any inventory of your additional titles that we can include within this very special deal.

I am not impressed by the "fantastic opportunity"or "special deal"or whatever. How could there be an "over run" (did she mean "overrun"?) when there's no press run? Since vanity publishers are print-on-demand, they print the number that are ordered—and already paid for. They should have no books in stock. And what's with the "as-is"? Are they damaged?

Doing a bit of math, I see that with the discount, the four copies (plus shipping) of The Girl Who Raced Mules comes to $30.22, or $7.50 a copy. However, if I'd ordered 20 of them at the regular 40% off and paid $4.50 handling, they'd be $7.40 a copy before I got a royalty which would discount them more. I'd actually do slightly better with the overrun copies of Peevish Advice, but still. . . .

I'm not taking advantage of this "special."

And I'm not vanity-publishing anymore. I've gone with a small press for the last two of my print books, and recently I've recycled some of my previously published work into Kindle e-books. Neither option cost me a cent.

For those thinking of paying to publish with a vanity company (Some of them call themselves "self-publishing" companies. They're not.), you might want to read David Gaughran's recent blog post.

Remember, the way it should work is that the publisher pays the author, not vice-versa.

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