SLEEPER'S RUN

Minding your Ps and Qs

2012-02-27T00:00:00.000-08:00

I write for adults. I always have. Don’t get me wrong, I like children’s books. I got a kick out of Treasure Island, enjoyed The Hobbit (yes, it’s a children’s book; get over it), attended my seven years at Hogwarts, and love Carlos Ruiz-Zafón’s early novels. I’d even like to take a stab at the genre one day. It’s one of the few places where you can really let your imagination run wild. But the themes and stories I’m interested in exploring as a writer are mainly for a mature audience. In the case of Sleeper’s Run, I doubt there are many kids, tweens or teens interested in politics, history, economics, etc.

Every now and then, I get a reviewer complaining about the book’s strong language. Mind you, these are grownups. And sure, we can make the case for different sensibilities, religious leanings, conservative views and so on. I get it. But to me, “bad words” are words as well. They are in common usage, you find them in the dictionary, and like or not, they are a form of communication. Are they a valid form of communication in every single instance? Of course not. The way I talk when I’m with a group of male friends at a bar is different than the way I express myself at a dinner party with my wife. This applies to both genders, by the way. A woman can be very eloquent at work and then curse like a sailor when she lets her hair down over a few martinis with the girls; it's not a case of hypocrisy but propriety.

Now, if we look at it from a writer’s perspective, it’s a case of honesty. Part of a fiction author’s job is to create characters. These guys can have points of views in line with the writer or be as far removed from his own experience. For example, if I were writing a story about racism, I’d have to get inside the mind of a racist. I need to try to justify their believes, understand where they are coming from, and portray them as real people. Sure, I could do what other writers do and turn that character into a caricature, ie. “I have a bastard’s degree from evil university.” But that’s not my style. Characters should be judged by their deeds, not a mediocre portrayal.

The language issue as it pertains to Sleeper’s Run is no different. Eric Caine comes from the military; he’s a combat veteran. If you read or watch any account about those guys, then you’ll know how they communicate with each other. The use of curse words, racist slurs, homosexual (or homophobic) references is common and blatant. So if some of my characters use colorful language under certain circumstances, it is not because of lack of eloquence on my part or an infantile need to shock my readers. I just strive to be accurate and realistic within a fiction framework. And no, the language on the book is not as strong as suggested above. Also, for most of the narrative, you’re inside Eric’s head, which means you get to see his unfiltered train of thought. There’s a difference between what may happen inside your head and how that content is edited for verbal expression.

I spent years working on Sleeper’s Run. There’s a reason behind everything that went on the page, and that includes how and why the characters express themselves. Nothing in my work is random.

Keep on running!

The Truth Behind Bestseller Books

2012-02-20T00:00:00.000-08:00

I found this article by Tanya Hall quite interesting and decided it was worth sharing. You can find the original article at: http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Truth-Behind-Bestseller-Books-and-The-Systems-Behind-New-York-Times-and-Amazon-Bestsellers&id=2538122 To learn more about its author, please visit: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Tanya_Hall I hope you find it useful. Enjoy:

To very loosely paraphrase the Bard, what's in a bestseller?

That which we call a New York Times bestseller by any other name (such as "underground bestseller," or "Amazon bestseller") would smell as sweet-well, maybe not.

As the number of books published each year continues to skyrocket upwards, we face an onslaught of "bestseller" claims. We see the word on marketing materials and press releases, on book covers and websites, and, at Greenleaf Book Group, on many submission forms each week. If this bestseller crown has not been awarded by one of the major publications, such as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, or USA Today, what kind of bestseller is it? The publisher may be partaking in sensationalist marketing-or just a stretch of the truth.

Whether the claim will benefit them or not depends on whom the publisher is targeting with this information. If the publisher intends to woo the consumer with bestseller claims on the book cover, yes, there's some chance it could help-although once your happy customer discovers the "bestseller" isn't as well-known as she thought, there may be repercussions. However, and this is a HUGE "however," a trumped-up claim of bestseller status could seriously hurt that publisher's reputation in the eyes of wholesalers, distributors, agents, and other parties in the tight-knit publishing industry, and that harm could result in books not getting on shelves. Note to all small publishers making larger-than-life bestseller claims: you're not pulling the wool over the industry's eyes.

Industry types have access to such fabulous tools as Nielsen's BookScan to research your sales history, and they will certainly consult them (amongst other resources) to corroborate your claims before making a decision to support your title. BookScan is a point-of-sale reporting service thought to reflect sales from approximately 70 percent of booksellers nationally. BookScan uses weekly data from over 6,500 retail, mass-merchant, and non-traditional outlets in combination with a statistical weighting methodology to present the most accurate information on sell-through available to the publishing industry. Certain notable accounts are missing, including Wal-mart, Sam's Club, airport bookstores, and Christian book retailers. Still, BookScan is a great gauge of sell-through, and as such, it is becoming increasingly influential in how sales are measured and bestseller lists are compiled.

While BookScan offers great insights into overall sales numbers and trends, it is not used exclusively (or sometimes at all) in building the prestigious bestseller lists. The holy grail of bestseller lists is the one published by the New York Times. The methodology behind how this list is built is kept rather hush-hush.

But most reports on the subject agree that the New York Times sends out a list of preselected trade titles (meaning titles you would find in a bookstore, not the boring academic titles like medical and law books that generally outsell them) to a selected group of close to five thousand retailers and wholesalers for them to record the books' weekly sales numbers. There are allegedly blank lines for the recipients of this survey to write in titles not included on the form. That's a quaint thought, but from what I know about inventory managers, highly unlikely to come into practice often.

With any bestseller list, it's important to note that it's a measurement of velocity of sales, not life of sales. A book that moves five thousand copies in one week is likely to make some list in some capacity when that week's numbers are run; however, a book that sells five hundred copies a week for ten weeks straight probably won't make any list at all. Lists also differ in how they categorize titles. For instance, the New York Times sorts by category (fiction, nonfiction, children's) and format (hardcover, trade paper). On the other hand, USA Today's list lumps them all together, from 1-150 by sales numbers, period. This means that a book listed at number one on the New York Times hardcover fiction list could be ranking in the triple digits on the USA Today list. Amazon.com's ranking system is a whole separate article in itself.

Differences in list-building aside, the notable bestseller lists are meant as a barometer of American culture. No list is 100 percent accurate, and none purport to be. Still, bestseller status on a major list is highly coveted, highly profitable, and highly protected specifically so that the word "bestseller" does not become meaningless. Use your sales history to support your efforts to expand your publishing endeavors, but be wary of making unsubstantiated bestseller claims lest you earn the wrath of industry types. Star-crossed lovers or not, that kind of behavior can bring a plague on all your houses.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2538122

Keep on running!

Rooster

2012-02-13T00:00:00.000-08:00

BookRooster.com is an interesting service. You send them a MOBI (format for Kindle) file and they put a call on a community of over 3,000 readers to find ten reviewers to post a critique on amazon.com for $67 per book. Like many of these services, you get an unbiased review about your work. Yes, like most of these services, you may be paying for someone to trash your work, so don’t expect the sugar-coated treatment just because you lay down some cash.

     The good thing is that those who sign up to assess your manuscript at least are interested in your genre. I really don’t see the point when critics start a review with, “I’m not really a fan of these genre…” or a variation of it, and then they proceed to give a low score because they are not really into it. If I don’t like, say, romance novels they why in the world would I review them?

      Anyway, the service is good if you are trying to boost your amazon.com reviews to attract other potential readers. I wasn’t 100% sure about them when I first bumped into them through a Google search. In fact, I thought it was some sort of con. Later on, someone recommended them to me. Apparently some of her clients have used the service and she's pretty legit, so I gave them a try. After all, attention is something any self-published writer is desperate to get.

     The only drawback I found with the service is a lack of communication. There are no updates or alerts when a reviewer posts on amazon.com and sometimes it took me a couple of emails before I got a reply. The first reviews started to appear several weeks after I submitted my novel; such a long time in fact, that I thought they forgot all about me. I had no idea what reviews were from BookRooster and which were from other readers. As for the quality of the reviews, what you see is what you get. Someone reads your book and if they like it, great; if not, well not-so-great. All in all, I think it’s a cheap and worthwhile service. Hope this helps.

Keep on running!

Things That Make You Go Hmm . . .

2012-01-30T07:36:00.000-08:00

As I navigate the world of publishing (self-publishing in my case), I keep learning more about it. However, the more I understand it, the less it makes sense to me. Let me explain myself. Say an established house published your book. You are a freshman author and lets say–for argument’s sake–your novel will not set the world ablaze, so you are a mid-list author. Your publisher estimates their projected sales for the first year and how much it's going to cost to do the editing, the cover, the binding and printing, as well as shipping costs. Then they figure out how much money you, the author, might make based on the royalty percentage. This number becomes the much coveted–and even more misunderstood–advance they will offer you. This could be as low as $3,000 and as high as $20,000, or so I’ve heard.

So what does that mean? Well, you just got an advance on your royalties. Let’s say your advance is $3,000. Until your book’s sales surpass this number, you won’t see another cent. Oh, and your agent takes 15% (sometimes 20%) of that. But here’s the kicker, the publishing house won’t promote your manuscript. The only people that get that–and the romanticize lifestyle of the literary author for that matter–are the big sellers. Your Rowlings, Browns, Kings, Clancys, etc. Everybody else has to hustle. You want your book to be promoted? Well, then welcome to the wonderful world of self-promotion. Guess where that advance money is going to end up? Mid-list authors (read: everybody but the top stars) have to hit the road on their own and peddle their titles. Even if you’ve gotten a $20,000 advance, that will just buy you some fair Internet exposure. Forget any meaningful print, TV or Radio marketing. Ah! But you are a published author; surely the media will review your work. That’s true, but reviewers are swamped with thousands of books to critique and not everyone will be reviewed. Known writers and whatever is commercially viable at the time will take precedence. In the end, the publisher takes about 90% of the royalties (if there are any); authors get to keep less than 10%.

Hmm, so to recap: you have to do all the work, you might not get a review and you are taking royalty crumbs for your hard work. The phrase “Don’t quit your day job” applies to writing with dreadful accuracy. Suddenly self-publishing starts looking pretty good. The differences are you have creative control, you don’t have to wait years for your novel to fall into the publisher’s printing queue, and you get to keep most of your royalties–as it should be. No wonder best-selling authors like Barry Eisler are turning to self-publishing. http://www.npr.org/2011/10/07/141116856/barry-eislers-detachment-from-legacy-publishing. I mean, after learning all of this, I’m beginning to think I am fortunate to have gotten my work out on my own. Who would have thought?

Keep on running!

Ignorance is Bliss

2012-01-23T10:58:00.000-08:00

There is a delicate balance between research and what ends up in the page. I want to be as realistic and accurate as possible, without interrupting the plot or turning the book into some poor excuse for a manual. When I did the practical research for my novel, one of the things I was looking for was to understand the psychology behind those skills, and the nuances involved. What do you focus on when you are a pilot in command? The sobering closeness one experiences in dealing with a knife fight and taking things like arterial spray into consideration. How does it feel to be hooded, cuffed and intimidated? I could go on, but I’m sure you catch my drift.

As an author, my job is to take all of that knowledge and weave it seamlessly into my work. My wife used to ask me why I was so adamant about presenting the elements in my book in such a realistic manner? After all, I was writing a novel and even well known authors have taken the fictional path successfully. She had a point; most people don’t care about such things and few would have the know-how to be critical. To me, it’s a point of professional pride. I’m writing for the general public, but I’m delighted when I make the initiate say, “The guy did his homework.”

A guy who works as a sound designer for video games once told me: “My job is to create the sounds people expect, not to recreate the actual sound.” I’m paraphrasing, but I found this to be quite a profound concept. The way a gun sounds when shot is irrelevant; what matters is what people think a gun sounds like. I didn’t know this at the time, but there was a lesson to be learned here.

Every now and then, someone brings into question the "lack of realism" in my book and its protagonist. I went through great lengths to understand, craft and explain the character. The possibility—even plausibility—of the situations in the book were carefully weighed. Granted, we’re talking about fiction, otherwise the story would end up being quite short. For example, on one of my earlier drafts, one of my editors told me I had to simplify the manhunt. "It's too hard to follow," he said. What I had done was make it closer to reality. There were many more law enforcement agencies involved in different countries, but that meant too many characters and too many acronyms thrown on the page. I reduced them to a handful, so the reader wouldn't get lost.

Even the more incredible aspects of the story are based on real experiments and technology. Same thing with the fights; they are not realistic just because of the moves, but because of the different type of opponents and psychological factors involved. "He can hack into the world's most secure servers," some critic wrote. I would like to know what book that person was reading; it wasn't mine. There's no such event in the story. In fact, all the hacking techniques I researched for the book are of the "do it yourself" kind. Any prepubescent kid can pull off these tricks. That's the whole point. To be more clear, no one who is a martial artist, tech-savvy, well-read about the military, understands security issues, or has any real knowledge of the things presented in the book, has ever complained about its veracity. On the contrary, they are pleasantly surprised that someone took the time to get it right.

Is the character peculiar? You bet! That’s why he’s the protagonist and that’s why he can perform the way he does in the book. Eric Caine started out as a run-of-the-mill guy, but it became clear to me early on that it was going to take a certain type of character to face the challenges of the story. This is a fiction story, not a biography. Then again, when we read about Theodore Roosevelt, Howard Hues, Ernest Hemingway and T.E. Lawrence (to name a few) we find that there are people in this world who have led amazing lives. If you want to bring the experience closer to "Sleeper's Run," then read the bios of former special operators and spies. You'll find that Eric Caine is more the rule than the exception of it.

It strikes me as odd that I never took into consideration that sometimes truth is harder to stomach than fiction. For example, if I tell you that John Smith is a capable and daring astronaut, you may suspend disbelief and enjoy a tale of him commanding a mission to Mars. If I start getting into the details of what kind of a person becomes an astronaut (the background, the training, etc.), and then start to use those attributes in a story, you may begin to question Commander Smith’s believability. “Yeah right! The space shuttle is about to enter Mars, they have no navigational system and this guy is calmly trying to reprogram the computer before they crash in fifteen minutes.” Well, astronauts are highly educated people, carefully selected and thoroughly trained to perform a very dangerous, unique and detail-oriented job. Their résumés make most of us feel like a bunch of slackers. That’s why they get to go into space in a rocket while we watch it on TV from our couches.

However, virtues are not the only victims of ignorance. Eric suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. Still, a few claim the character is too perfect. Really? I know PTSD, especially on combat veterans, is a seldom-discussed topic. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to feature it in my story. Even if Eric had no other flaws, that one alone would be monumental.

I guess the lesson for me in all of this is just because something is true, it doesn’t make it believable. Or perhaps, it’s the stigma of the indie writer and all the assumptions that accompanies it: self-published authors don’t hire editors, don’t do serious research, they have no idea about what they’re doing and so on. Live and learn I suppose.

Keep on running!

Taking the Good With the Bad

2012-01-16T08:43:00.000-08:00

For an author, bad reviews are just part of the job. Nobody likes them, but no one can escape them either. The first time I got a bad review, I felt as if someone had punched me in the stomach. No, scratch that, it felt worst. There was a sense of emptiness inside I couldn’t explain. This void would typically last all too briefly. I usually shrug it off after a goodnight sleep and then it’s business as usual. But there was a particular one that was hard to stomach.

In an attempt to put this particular bad review in perspective, I started reading reviews of works I admire. Sure enough, even works that are considered classics have failed to click with certain readers and critics. Suddenly, I didn’t feel as bad. It was as if those authors were telling me, “Don’t worry, kid. It comes with the territory.” This prompted me to search reviews for books I downright disliked. Lo and behold, my literary anathemas had received glowing praise from layman and expert alike. I laughed out loud. This actually made me feel even better about my little speed bump. Art, just like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. This brings me to another point.

A negative critique sucks, but I find unfounded bad reviews very upsetting. It’s OK if a person doesn’t like the work, but to make claims that fly in the face of what’s on the page is just unprofessional and a sign of sloppy assessment. I even understand when the comment comes from the lack of knowledge of the source material. After all, I spent a great deal of time researching my manuscript, so the information I’ve managed to amass far exceeds the average enthusiast. Those critiques I disregard from the get go. A reviewer might not be an expert on a certain topic, but if they are just going to skim through my work and offer a biased opinion, why should I take them seriously?

Luckily for me, bad reviews have been the exception rather than the rule (I perennially keep my fingers crossed). Yet, I wanted to share my thoughts and coping mechanisms with my fellow writers. I’m sure there are as many ways of dealing with bad reviews as there are artists. If anything, I hope you find this amusing.

Keep on running!

Longshots

2012-01-09T00:00:00.000-08:00

Lately, we hear in the news how the concept of working hard, sacrifice and opportunity is not enough to be successful. It helps, but it’s not enough. At one point in our lives we all have pondered what’s the secret of success. Is it money? It will certainly open doors, allow room for failures (i.e. keep writing books no matter how dismally they do sales-wise) and create opportunities. Yet, there are many wealthy people who can never hope to be anything more than a socialite, because they have no valuable skill. Is it talent then? I know a few very talented individuals that are incredibly unsuccessful. Networking? Who you know is important, but then again how many children of celebrities fail miserably trying to emulate their parents? And they have money too. How about good old-fashioned hard work? I also know my share of extremely frugal, hard working people who basically live from paycheck to paycheck. So how about unwavering focus, drive, taking risks and dedication? Nope, I’ve been trying to make a career out of my creations--whether in books, graphic novels, scripts--for nearly fourteen years and I’m still climbing that mountain with no zenith in site. Opportunity? I live in the Land of Opportunity, right smack in the middle of Tinsel Town; opportunity lives here. It goes without saying that this is a town filled with hopefuls. So it must be a combination of all this elements, you say. And I agree, but there are still people who have all of these traits and still have nothing.

So we reach the part of the conversation where we start dwelling in metaphysics and philosophy: luck, destiny, karma, divine intervention, synchronicity, causality, casualty, star alignments and any number of philosophical explanations. We can even make an argument for meme theory: the propagation of ideas through units that self-replicate, mutate and are passed down like a gene, but somehow propagate as if it were a mental virus. Maybe, who knows? How else can we explain Sheridan Simove’s bestseller What Every Man Thinks About Apart From Sex, or someone getting millions of hits in YouTube by posting some asinine video? “Ah! The depths of humanity’s absurdity,” the nihilist in me says. My creative side just wants to jump off a bridge hoping to land headfirst.

I’m one of those who believe each one of us writes their own ticket; you take out what you put in. Yet, I can’t ignore the fact that “Lady Luck” (for lack of a better term) seems to have a lot to do with being successful. For example, what would have happened if Alice Newton, the eight-year-old daughter of Bloomsbury's chairman, didn’t like the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone? Would The Hunt for Red October have reached the New York Times best seller list if then-President Ronald Reagan had not openly praised it at a televised press conference? What if Elaine Griffiths didn’t convince her friend, Susan Dagnall–who worked for a publishing house–to consider the work of her former teacher, J.R.R. Tolkien, for publication? Food for thought.

Keep on Running!

Lost in the Amazon

2012-01-02T00:00:00.000-08:00

Shortly after I published my novel, I received one of my first reviews via Reader Views. I was excited, the review was favorable and it was posted on Amazon.com. I hoped this was the first of many. After all, getting any sort of attention for a self-published book is no easy task. Then, one day, the review was gone without any warning. My first reaction was that this had to be some sort of technical problem, so I waited a couple of days, but the error was never corrected. It took a day for Amazon’s customer service to get back to me. The answer was something along the lines of “we have no control of what the people do with their reviews.” So I contacted Reader Views to find out what had happened.

The reply came from Irene Watson, Managing Editor of Reader Views and what she had to say was disconcerting. Apparently, Amazon was removing reviews by sites and individuals alike. The reason for the removal was that the reviews violated Amazon’s posting guidelines. However, Amazon failed to specify what exactly were those rules, or the violations for that matter. Ms. Watson kept digging for the truth and pestering Amazon. There are sites and individual reviewers still victimized by Amazon’s questionable review practices. What Ms. Watson has managed to uncover throughout this ordeal raises a red flag on the future of self-published authors. Below, you’ll find the links of a few of Ms. Watson’s editorials regarding this issue for more details.

Keep on running!

http://www.readerviews.com/Newsletters/2011.08/1.html

http://www.readerviews.com/Newsletters/2011.10/17.html

http://www.readerviews.com/Newsletters/2011.10/24.html

http://www.readerviews.com/Newsletters/2011.10/31.html

http://www.readerviews.com/Newsletters/2011.11/7.html (scroll down to the Post Script)

A Change Is Gonna Come

2011-12-26T00:00:00.000-08:00

There has been much ado about ebooks and the future of publishing. I found this article while researching this blog: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/20/technology/20amazon.html On one hand, we have a group of people saying that ebook’s are just another medium through which books can be sold. On the other, we have a group that claims ebooks are the future. I belong to this last group. Sure, ebooks are just another vehicle for books, for now. The massive proliferation of smartphones, the introduction of digital tablets and the ubiquitous presence of computers in modern society all point to a time where print (not books) will die. It’s not a matter of if, but when. It might not happen in our lifetime, but it will happen sooner than later.

Contrary to my point of view, I love books. I’d rather flip through pages than slide my finger on a screen, but I understand where the industry is heading. Ebooks save trees, are cheaper to produce, store and distribute, have less middlemen involved and their prices are lower. And that’s the key: cheaper, faster and more practical. I usually travel with two to three books with me; that’s not counting the ones I buy during some of my trips. Nowadays I can carry as many books as I want in a thin, light iPad.

Ebooks are to publishing as the Internet was to music; it’s a game changer. I hope the publishing industry realizes this faster than the music industry and adapts to the changes as they come. Yet evidence seems to point to the contrary. Ebooks are still treated as an ancillary profit rather than the next big thing. The resistance shown by the publishing houses and literary agents is understandable. Change is never easy and there are jobs (even careers) and true-tried systems threatened by this new paradigm. For example, why would a publisher depend on an agent when they can scout the web for self-published books, some of which already have a readership? Amanda Hocking http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2011-02-09-ebooks09_ST_N.htm might be an exceptional example of this, but I think you get the idea. Think about it: no cumbersome storage, no printing fees, no unsold copies to deal with, no physical distribution system and so on.

Ebooks are not a fad, they are here to stay and keep evolving alongside technology. They’re prone because of high-speed Internet, numerous popular reading platforms, a growing market ,and a system that maximizes profits for the publishers. To think that ebooks will never overtake its print counterparts is naïve at best. Of course, attached to this issue is an irrational fear that indie writers and our “lesser works” will flood the market. Artists are not created by technology. The printing press didn’t ushered an era of Shakespeares, file sharing didn’t sprung a new crop of Beatles, and YouTube didn’t give birth to a thousand Kubricks. It did, however, give an outlet for a number of people whom otherwise would have remained in obscurity because of geographic location, lack of opportunity and any number of other obstacles.

Like I said, I’m a technophile, but I have fond memories of LPs, the distinct sound the needle made when it touched the acetate, and browsing through the awesome (and large) album covers sitting on the floor of a record store. There might a time where those memories will be accompanied by others of me searching for books at a bookstore, flipping pages, feeling their weight and admiring their cover design. Such is the burden of any generation as it ages. Like the saying goes, “Nothing is permanent except change.”

Keep on running!

The Buzz

2011-12-19T00:00:00.000-08:00

During the early, naïve months prior to self-publishing Sleeper’s Run, I started educating myself about the indie world. I found an article on http://www.cnet.com/ that helped me get on the right path. Among the services the post talked about was a marketing company specializing in books called Author Buzz http://authorbuzz.com/ After doing a little research, I thought they could help me out. Their offers fit my limited budget, they had the time and patience to deal with my questions, and gave suggestions about keeping my budget low. Being a professional graphic artist for over a decade, I was not their typical client. I’m very hands on, opinionated and I have a clear idea of how I want my work to be presented.

To make a long story short, I hired them and they quickly became my marketing flagship (they still are). I caught a lucky break budget-wise and was able to hire further services from them, getting ads for my novel in websites, Facebook and newsletters. The number of click-throughs on the ads was considerable. One of the cool things about this experience was getting in contact with M.J. Rose, Author Buzz’s head and founder, international bestselling author, and founder/board member of International Thriller Writers http://thrillerwriters.org/ This is a person deeply involved with books and with a genuine interest in seeing writers thrive. We locked horns a few times: me, the self-assured rookie willing to put everything on the line; she, the seasoned veteran who knows how the game is played. M.J. has always been interested in knowing how the sale of Sleeper’s Run is doing. If I saw and liked my ads, she always offered her advice and at times, her personal experience. She always tried to give me a better deal for my money, present me with opportunities, and even went above and beyond the call of duty to try to understand certain issues with my novel.

Author Buzz was the first marketing company for authors (by an author, I may add). There are many services available on the World Wide Web. Yet, I don’t know how many of them would have someone with the kind of knowledge and dedication Author Buzz has, thanks to Ms. Rose. I consider myself lucky to have found them and I wouldn’t think twice about hiring them again for my next literary outing.

Keep on running!

Inglorious Bastards – Part 2

2011-12-12T00:00:00.000-08:00

Like I said in the first part of this post, this is not a rant against publishers, but my answer to a certain misguided attitude from certain authors regarding self-publishing. So what's the deal with the publishing business?

Agents have contacts and know their way around a publishing contract. They can maximize your profits from things you might not even begin to consider like foreign rights. Publishers understand the market, they know how to produce and sell a professional book; their editors help shape up novels and they can get you into all major bookstores. Is there quality control in the type of stories and the writing? Of course, no company is going to invest money in a bad product. And that brings us to a very important point: in the end, the publishing business is just that, a business. The days of the family-owned publishing house willing to bet on a writer's talent are over sadly; well really, they are gone in every artistic venue. No more letting a writer mature into his art with his first books or slowly building a readership. Like it or not, we live in an instant gratification, mega-corporation, bottom-line world.

A publishing house is just part of a larger conglomerate and the people who make the decisions read figures and percentages, not prose. People have jobs, bills to pay and profits to show at the end of any given quarter. You can write the next literary classic, but if your chosen genre is not popular at the time, it won’t see the light of day. Do you ever wonder why bookshelves are flooded with celebrity ghost written books and self-help books? There's profit in it. I mentioned in another post that regardless of Robert Ludlum's passing in 2001, books are still being written under his brand.

The words "wannabe authors" have been thrown around as a synonym for self-published authors. "Indie" has been used as a euphemism for this as well. I have no quarrel with the publishing world, but I'm not so insecure that I need their blessing to validate myself as a writer. Most books are published for their marketability. When the Da Vinci Code became a worldwide phenomenon, every single book that had anything to do with deciphering arcane codes and controversial religious storylines suddenly flooded bookstores. A few years ago, zombies and vampires were as dead as their namesakes; now everyday seems like Halloween. Today, there’s the emergence of the tween market. Guess what books publishers are angling? This is another reason why writers are not encouraged to steer away from the genres for which they’ve found success. They have a name and a readership already established and to walk away from that could mean career suicide. It’s not good or bad, it’s just the way it is.

I admit it; I have made mistakes along the way. Some of them are even embarrassing, but that's because publishing is new to me and the learning curve is rather steep. Add to that budget issues and you can begin to understand how a self-published work can suffer. I'm basically a one-man operation. Like I said in the first part, being published is not a walk in the park. Only the big names get to sit back, research (or use their research teams/assistants), write and do publicity for their books. Everybody else has to hustle. In fact, the percentage of authors who actually make a living through their writing alone is small. It’s a tough vocation. Now imagine having to do everything–and I mean everything–by yourself with no other guidance than what you can learn from books and the internet.

I didn't just research and write my novel, I hired editors and proofreaders, and designed and laid out the book. Then I created my own publishing company, found distributors, worked with marketing teams and advertising agencies, created a book trailer, designed ads and bought advertising space. I have run giveaways, built a webpage, set social media venues, dug for reviews and wrote blogs. I also give interviews and keep in touch with my readers.

Are all self-published books undiscovered gems unappreciated by the larger publishing world? Of course not; but in the same vein, not every published book is a branded literary classic.

Keep on running!

Inglorious Bastards – Part 1

2011-12-05T00:00:00.001-08:00

Recently, I’ve been seeing a few blogs, articles and forum posts saying some bad things about indie writers. Who these people are is not important. What I dislike is the condescending take on self-published authors. These people, who are themselves mid-list authors at best, make comments like “indies should be more professional;” or “I want to read good writing” so “why would I have to compete with self-published writers or help them?” Fear not, this article is not about trashing publishers. I became an indie author out of necessity, not choice. I’d rather have a publishing house behind me. All I ever wanted to do was to tell stories, not run my own mini publishing house. My beef is with the misconceptions about self-published authors.

Most people would like to be published through regular channels. When that option is no longer on the table we have two options: quit or do it yourself. If you are lucky enough to go through regular channels, then you’ll have an agent, an editor and a publisher to guide you. You’ll have an experienced group of people to assist in all aspects of your book. How much they help and are involved depends on how high you are on the totem pole, but the fact reminds the author is not alone. Don’t get me wrong; getting published by an established house is not a walk in the park, but it doesn’t hold a candle to self-publishing.

If you choose to go “indie,” you are on your own. You need to learn everything there is about the mechanics of putting a book together: editing, proofreading, design, layout and legal matters. Mistakes will be made; after all, you are not a professional publisher. Everything you are facing is new to you and the learning curve is steep. Then you have to know how to market, advertise and sell your work. Reviews? Good luck! The media has an unwritten rule on not reviewing self-published work, so you have to search far and wide if you want to promote your work. Oh, and there’s no advance on your work, not even a meager one; everything comes out of your own pocket and chances of seeing a return on your investment are very slim.

Then there’s question of quality of writing and publishable potential. People self-publish for different reasons. Some do it because every agent has rejected them. The working assumption here is that the keen eyes of knowledgeable agents–sometimes editors–can discern talent. I’m sure J.K. Rowling, Stephen King, George Orwell, John le Carré, John Grisham, Jack Kerouac, James Joyce, Dr. Seuss and Ernest Hemmingway (just to name a few “rejects”) would have something to say about this. Here’s a nice NY Times article on the subject; The truth is, nobody can really tell who has the goods (watch “Money Ball”). If that were so, every published book would be an instant classic, publishing would be one of the most profitable businesses on the planet, and authors would be wealthy beyond their wildest dreams.

Next week, on part 2 of Inglorious Bastards, it’s the publishing house’s turn at bat.

Keep on running!

Amazon.com Review Removal - Recap and Update

2011-11-28T11:33:00.000-08:00

This blog was created as a journal/services review in my journey through the self-publishing world. My words and experiences are my own, but I just received an email regarding an issue I think it's important to bring to my reader's attention. The message below is from Irene Watson, fellow author and Managing Editor of Reader Views http://www.readerviews.com/

I've been giving updates for the past year on the aspect of Amazon.com removing reviews and banning reviewers from posting. At first it seems it was just review sites like us but then it flowed over to removing reviews from individual reviews unrelated to any site or blog. There is no consistency except a stock email that says "you violated the guidelines" but the specific violation is never disclosed by Amazon.com.

We became victims of the removal/banning in May but after many communications back and forth we were reinstated and promised it would never happen again. Several months later, against their own word, Amazon.com removed/banned us. To this date we haven't been able to find out exactly why they did this and why they didn't stand behind their own word.

In the meantime, to my knowledge, 15 other sites have been banned. The surprising one is Midwest Book Review; one of the oldest and most respected review sites. I noted a review on one of my books is by MBR is still there, yet, when attempting to view them all a window comes up saying the reviews aren't available and the profile page is empty, the same as Reader Views'. I know at one point Amazon.com removed at least 10,000 reviews posted by MBR. We had about 7500 removed.

Several months ago I contacted the other sites I knew were banned to see if they want to band together and attempt to deal with Amazon or go to the media. Eight out of the 15 responded, two saying they aren't interested at all, 6 responded indicating they are on board, and the rest I didn't hear from. I assume there was no interest. One of the reviewers set up a Yahoo group so that we could communicate. Each one was invited but in the end only 4 reviewers joined the group. We did hear from several others that had ideas of what "you should do" but neither was interested in spearheading the idea.

During this same time many authors contacted Amazon.com but either got a stock email that basically said nothing or didn't get a response at all. Some even contacted the media and their legislators. But, I don't think there is enough impact because most of the reviewers declined to contact their author/publisher list, explain the occurrence and ask them to make a noise. The support, or concern, just doesn't seem to be there, either from other reviewers or authors/publishers. For example, Jim from Midwest Book Review posted on a self-publishing group that his reviews were removed and banned. I chimed in explaining what had happened to many others and asked for support from the group. A group "mom" rejected my post.

One author volunteered to create a FaceBook page and Twitter account titled Occupying Amazon. I, along with several other reviewers (I think,) let our list know but in the end only 16 "liked" the FaceBook page. In the meantime FaceBook removed the account and Twitter is removing the hash marks.

Personally, I'm exhausted in working diligently on attempting to get reinstated again or moving toward being noticed by the media or legislators of unfair treatment. In the end it seems like only one other reviewer and I are left to deal with the issue but I'm sure that if we were successful the others would be extremely happy and we may get a thank you...maybe. I'm not sure if it is worth it at this point. I've spent many hours dealing with this issue and several thousand dollars to pay staff to repost the reviews when we were reinstated the first time and then removed again.

Authors do have an option of posting an excerpt under Editorial Reviews through their Author Central account and those that have done so are happy. Some even said those seem to have more impact than the reader reviews, especially when they come from unknown people with pen names like "poop-doop" or "anonymous." (Yes, those are for real!) Credibility in the end becomes important and Editorial Reviews offer credibility.

For us, not being able to post the reviews on Amazon.com hasn't been an issue as orders continue to come in. I know that some of the reviewers are suffering because they aren't asked to review books and they feel this is a direct result of not being able to post the reviews on Amazon.com. This is sad because it's just another indication where a huge corporation can push out a small business owner in a click of a mouse.

Why we are removed/banned is still a mystery, especially when Amazon.com continues to favor some reviewers that don't adhere to their guidelines, those that show signs of being a fake, for e.g. reviewing in the realm of 70 books per week (This is humanly impossible even for a speed-reader.), those that ask for huge charitable donations in exchange for a review or those that charge for reviews. My personal assumption is that review services like ours are in direct competition with Amazon.com for obtaining reviews since they are now offering outrageously expensive reviews through their own CreateSpace program.

So...what next? I really don't know because two or three people can't do it alone, and yet represent a whole gamut of others with great expectations that we can make changes. I do sincerely appreciate those of you that took the time to contact Amazon.com, write to your legislators, join the FaceBook page, sign up for Twitter, and give moral support to me. I thank you profusely.

At this point, if an occasion arises, I will make noise but I am refocusing to business at hand in creating more ways to support the authors, especially those that don't get noticed otherwise because they are self-published, use self-publishing firms, or published by a small press and are on constrained budgets. In other words, I'm "movin' on."

Sincerely,
Irene

Media Muscle

2011-11-21T00:00:00.000-08:00

Meryl L. Moss Media Relations, Inc. http://mediamuscle.com/mmwho.cfm was a company I found out about through Author Buzz (review coming soon) early on, when I was preparing to promote Sleeper’s Run. I have to say, I’ve been lucky with the companies I have worked with thus far to sell my novel. They have really restored my faith in customer service and have shown me that not everyone is just about the bottom line.

I used Meryl L. Moss Media Relations, Inc. to run a blog tour as well as advertise, get a feature on my book, run a giveaway and showcase my trailer on Booktrib http://booktrib.com/. I also ran a separate blog on this site http://henrymosquera.booktrib.com/. They developed cool promotional ideas like giving away Sleeper’s Run shot glasses and T-shirts with the books, and even wrote a quiz to promote my novel https://apps.facebook.com/booktrib/Quizzes. It is worth pointing out that this is a full service marketing company; TV, press, radio, Internet, you name it. They cater to big and small clients alike.

I had the pleasure of speaking to Meryl Moss on the phone a few times. She was always cordial, professional and insightful on how to best market my work. Her staff was nothing short of excellent. They were always on top of things, quick to reply to any questions I may have or information I needed. I don’t star ratings, but if I did, Meryl L. Moss Media Relations, Inc. would definitely be a solid five.

Keep on running!

Too Much Of A Good Thing

2011-11-14T00:00:00.000-08:00

“Writer’s block,” a term used to describe the moment when a writer is in the middle of their work and says, “What do I write next?” It is reasonable to believe the all authors will have to face this horrible moment at some point during their writing. But how about experiencing the flipside of this dreaded literary malady? What if you were to experience what I call “Writer’s flow?”

I define “writer’s flow” as the moment when a writer is in the middle of their work and says, “ I don’t know which one of these ideas to write about?” In essence, your head is brimming with all sorts of possibilities, but you don’t know which one you should put to the page. Sounds ludicrous? Maybe, but that’s a problem I had to face when I was writing Sleeper’s Run. I know, I know… what a horrible problem to have. Actually, it is. It kind of reminds me of those old choose-your-own-adventure books in which you were faced with a decision, “Do you help the wounded old lady or do you walk on?” Depending on your choice, you had to go to a different page to continue the adventure. Oh, and by the way, the old lady turned into a monster and killed me. I had to start all over.

I have never experienced “writer’s block.” But there were a few times when I couldn’t decide where I’d want to take the story. If Eric did so and so, then this could happen and the story would veer into that direction. If this other character did something else, then the plot would develop this other way. I had at least three viable avenues to tell the story, and I had to spend a few days trying to decide which one was the most interesting. I had to go through each scenario in my head with a fine-toothed comb and gauge in which direction to head. Some of the criteria were believability, flow, how engaging the option was, which one was cliché, etc. In the end, I had to use my intuition as to what best would continue the story.

I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who has experienced “writer’s flow,” but probably I’m the only one who sees it as a potential problem. Paralysis through analysis, I guess.

Keep on running!

What's in a name?

2011-11-07T00:00:00.000-08:00

Naming a character has always been tough for me. Usually, I start writing under a working name for most of my characters. Eric Caine was no exception. One of my go-to answers is to go to a dictionary of names and start searching. In the case of Eric, I always liked the name; it’s short, and in my mind, projects power. For the last name, I wanted something that flowed with the first. I liked the symbolism of “Cain,” so decided to spell it Kayne. When my wife started to confuse it with “Kanye,” I knew it had to change. She suggested the spelling “Caine,” as in the British actor, and thus my protagonist was finally named.

Trishna (I love the name) came from a dictionary of names. According to the entry, it’s originally from India and means “Desired.” I like to give meaning to my character’s names. Trishna ended up being a composite of two characters I had in earlier drafts, but the name resonated with me so strongly, it survived every single re-write.

You can say that Nathan Blake is one of those characters who popped in my head fully realized. He was so kind to me, he even told me how we should address him. Somehow the name fit him perfectly and I’m not one to fight the muses when they favor me.

Antonio “Tony” Montenegro had a funny genesis. I had no idea what to call him, so I used “Tony” until I came up with something better. The off-hand choice was inspired by the titular character in the film “Scarface,” the novel taking place partly in Miami and all. But surely the name started to grow on me to the point I couldn’t conceive the character being called anything else. His family name was a conscious choice, it had to reflect both his Latino background and convey a sense of power, almost royalty; like someone who is part of a legacy.

Michael Singleton was born out of my subconscious at some point and snuck into the pages. I can’t recall when or how I chose his name, but it suited him and it stuck with the character.

James Sanders was a combination of someone I knew whom I used to call “Jimmy,” an allegory to sand. The character started out as a minor player in later drafts of the novel, but it soon took a life of his own and refused to play second fiddle. He’s a great example of a character telling a writer how things are going to be.

I hope you enjoy this morsel of trivia about my book and my process.

Keep on running!

Help!

2011-10-31T00:00:00.000-07:00

So you finished your novel, went through editors and proofreaders, set up your social media outlets and you are ready to go. What's next? Sell, sell, sell! Of course, but before that you need to market your manuscript. However, the media won't touch you, conventional reviewers are unlikely to pay attention to your work, and forums, author sites and social media are flooded with other writers promoting their books. Suddenly, the concept of making your work known looks pretty thin. What's an author to do?

When I was researching marketing outlets for "Sleeper's Run," I bumped into
Reader Views http://www.readerviews.com/ The company is basically a one-stop
shop for self-published writers i.e. editing, book proposals, advertising, etc. I hired them for their publicity services. Of the six packages they offered, I went for option "C-explosive exposure package," which is their most comprehensive. This is what you get with this option: feature for one week on Reader Views and Reader Views Kids (if a kid's book), and a written interview. You also get a press release, written and posted for international pickup, a live interview, and other postings. You can hire them to produce a trailer of your book for you, and they will post it on their website. I thought that was a cool service, but with that said, the trailers I saw didn't impress me. Regular readers of this blog know this is true for every single book trailer I have seen so far. They even run their own self-published/small publishers content, the annual ³Reader Views Awards.² On the press release front, you have more options:

Basic:

* Basic press release template
* Your website shown in your press release

Distribution:

* Major search engines – Google, Yahoo!, Bing, etc.
* Major online news sites like Yahoo! News and Topix

á Targeted distribution: 5 industries and 2 regions

á Real-time reporting: see pick-ups, impressions, and more.

Standard:

*          Basic press release templates, including:
*          ShareIt and TweetIt social media functionality
*          Callout quote for more visual impact
*          Personalized RSS feed within your release

Distribution:

*          Major search engines – Google, Yahoo!, Bing, etc.
*          Major online news sites like Yahoo! News and Topix
*          More than 250,000 news subscribers and 30,000+ journalists and           bloggers
*          Enhanced blogger visibility though our Zemanta partnership

á Targeted distribution: 5 industries and 3 regions
á File attachments: add documents, images, presentations

Advanced:

*            Interactive, search-optimized press release that includes:
*            Anchor text links and custom URL(s)
*            Embedded (and search optimized) images within your release
*            Personalized RSS feed within your release

Distribution:

*          Major search engines – Google, Yahoo!, Bing, etc.
*          All major online news sites like Yahoo! News and Topix

*          More than 250,000 news subscribers and 30,000+ journalists and bloggers
*          Enhanced regional distribution:
*          10 industries and 5 regions

Premium:

Your interactive, web-optimized news release includes:

*          Keyword links to your website to boost search engine rankings
*          Ability to embed images that show your business, your
merchandise, etc.
*          Ability to add video to your releases
*          Personalized RSS feed within your release

Distribution:
*          Major search engines – Google, Yahoo!, Bing, etc.
*          Major online news sites like Yahoo! News and topix
*          Premium news outlets such as USA Today, NY Times, Washington

Post and more through the Associated Press

*        More than 250,000 news subscribers and 30,000+ journalists and
bloggers

á File attachments: add documents, photos, presentations, whatever helps you tell your story.

á "ShareThis" makes it easier for your readers to send your news to others through blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Technorati, Digg, LinkedIn, etc.

* Ability to automatically share your news through your Twitter account
* Distribution to premium online publishers like Scottrade.com, StreetInsider, International Business Times, etc.

á       Targeted distribution: 10 industries and 5 regions
á       Link to your actual website within the release
á       Custom URLs for better search engine results

My experience with Reader Views has been positive so far. The review was sincere, the written and live interviews were fun, and the exposure has helped my book. I was bummed out that even after purchasing their best advertising package, I wasn't allowed to have the trailer I made on their website because of conflict of interest. I hope this helps. Keep on running!

Those Things We Do

2011-10-24T08:09:00.000-07:00

I was recently asked in an interview to explain a little bit about my writing process. I never really thought about it. I guess every writer has a way to go about their craft. As methods go, I never followed any orthodox method. I do what works for me; which might be completely useless to someone else. Each author needs to find their own way from their head to the page. With that said, being peculiar does not mean inconsistent, disorganize or impractical. Like any other art form, writing has been largely romanticized. And in an age where a large portion of the world’s population can read and write it has been greatly underrated.

Sure, anyone can put words together to make a sentence and come up with ideas, but being a writer goes far beyond that. I can also buy some oils, apply them to a canvas and call myself a painter. I once had a friend who said that what I did wasn’t art, or even hard for that matter. “Anyone can do what you do,” he said derisively. I didn’t argue, I just told him to give it a try and if he could pull it off, I’d concede to his opinion. Of course, I never expected to hear from the subject again, so I was shocked when he called me a few months later to apologize. He never went past the first paragraph of his opus.

My process (if there is such a thing) starts with an idea, which I develop into a plot. Then I usually come up with the main character and a few secondary characters. This in turn starts enriching the plot. Inevitably, whether I have knowledge of the subject or not, I go into research mode. This is a lengthy process, as I try to assimilate as much as I can about the subjects I'm going to write. During research, I write a synopsis of the story and the timeline of each of my main characters from birth to present (or time of writing, at least). Sounds elaborate, but this is nothing more than bullet points, and the only notes I will make throughout my writing. Finally, there is a period of gestation in my head. Then, I create a loose breakdown of the chapters to give me a blueprint of how to story will flow, before I start writing the first draft. I know it sounds like I'm flying by the seat of my pants, but here are a few rules I stick to unfailingly:

1) Write: You have heard it from other authors, from writing teachers, in books, etc. As ludicrous as it sounds, if you want to be an author, then start typing. Inspiration is just a spark; the fuel is your drive. Inspiration will not be there everyday and it will not last throughout the whole writing process. I sat in front of my computer everyday, regardless of my day job, personal situation or lack of idea as to what to write. Many times I threw away a whole day’s job, but I always found something worthwhile saving: a dialog, a situation or I’d get an idea that would spawn a new chapter. More often than not, the best chapters of the book came from those days I didn’t want to write, but still rolled up my sleeves and got down to it.

2) Work: If you are one of those people who think authors sit down and type down a whole novel in one inspired sitting, I have news for you: Writing is serious work; a lot of work. If you don’t like re-writes; you won’t like being a writer. I usually compare my writing with sculpting, you hammer down the rough form and then start to chip away and polish it until you get the final result. It’s a lengthy process.

3) Be professional: If you don’t take your writing seriously, nobody will. “Stop writing and come and hang out with us,” your friends will say. You wouldn’t do that if they called you in the middle of your workday, so why would you do it when you are writing? Distractions and excuses are a dime a dozen; it’s up to you to weed them out and remain focused.

4) Get Professional Help (and I don’t mean a psychiatrist): Find a reputable writing annalist service or editor and paid for it. It is not an expense, but rather a great investment. Even if they rip apart your work, throw your artist tantrum and wait until you go over the comments with a cool head. That’s what I did after my first draft performed abysmally on the first critique. A good editor is there to help your work be better; not to conspire against you. If they don’t understand your work, chances are very few people will. That is, unless you ship a CD with every book explaining your manuscript. If you care about what you do, you’ll be upset when faced with criticism; that’s fine. We invest a lot of ourselves in our work, so it’s only natural. Blow some steam constructively in private and then get back on the horse.

As you can see, they are all related, but these rules served me well in my writing journey. I hope you can find some value in them. Keep on running!

If an Image is Worth a Thousand Words, Then Numbers…

2011-10-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

…are priceless. Have you ever been hungry, checked out a restaurant and saw only a few patrons eating? That’s when you say, “This place is kind of empty, let’s go somewhere else.” We all have done that at one point or another. Perhaps we caught the place before or after the diner rush, but the fact is we walked away. Maybe we just missed out on an amazing restaurant, filled with rich culinary creations to be discovered. A book is the same thing.

I spent about four years writing my novel. In that time, I went through piles of books, articles, conversations, documentaries and drew from my own life experiences. Not happy with this, I went through flight training, learned to use guns and knives, and even got myself “kidnapped” to learn how to escape through a city with a team of “hunters” chasing after me. That was just research. Then about half a dozen editors ripped through my work as I went through numerous re-writes. Three of my drafts were actually three full-fleshed novels; I ditched them and started from scratch to do the best work I could offer. That was just the mechanics of writing. When I finally had my manuscript ready, I learned something quite saddening. Up to that point none of what I said above mattered.

In the journey of self-publishing, every author has to cross the ocean of marketing and promotion. Writers have to navigate through this stormy sea, desperately looking for a safe port. The majority will drift away to be claimed by those cold, merciless waters. Me, I’m just another sailor, but whatever happens I’ll be up in the top of the mast, fist clenched and howling challenges at the dark sky like Lt. Dan in “Forrest Gump.”

The fact of the matter is numbers attract people, period. Whatever is inside the covers of your book is largely irrelevant, until someone actually purchases it and undertakes the journey you have created for them. How you come about getting those numbers without the people is a mystery every self-published author has to solve. It’s the proverbial catch 22.

It is said that behind every success story there’s an element of luck, a beam from a distant lighthouse that will guide us to terra firma. To all of my fellow sailors braving the tides, best of luck. I hope one day we can gather around a seaside watering whole to share our maritime tales.

Please check out my interview on Inside Scoop Live http://www.insidescooplive.com/author-pages/Mosquera-Henry_Sleepers_Run.html I apologize in advance for the terrible breathing due to my cold. I hope you enjoy it.

Keep on running!

Something Gone Wrong

2011-10-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

Things have been quite hectic in these last two weeks. “Sleeper’s Run” is currently on a blog tour throughout the month of October. It’s receiving rave reviews and I’m posting some of my blog posts on different websites. There’s currently an interview with me on Reader Views http://www.readerviews.com/InterviewMosquera.html and I just finished a live interview that will be posted at some point this month. You can follow all these developments through Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sleepers-Run/135379323206432 and Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/sleepersrun pages. This has forced me to make the blog weekly, instead of bi-weekly. For now on you’ll find a new post every Monday. Let’s go on with the show.

So, you are done with you research, the novel is written and an editor has helped shape your work the best way they can; what’s next? Ironing out those pesky typos, grammatical mishaps and spelling debacles of course. Scribendi http://www.scribendi.com/ was the service I ended up using to correct my novel. I’ve read some author’s post complaining about their prices. So they might not be the cheapest, but they are definitely reliable and they offer some interesting services. Their packages are geared toward authors, English as a second language speakers, corporate or government clients, students and academics, business people and personal documents. Their services for authors are extensive: manuscript critique, editing, proofreading, query letters, synopsis, outlines and a few combo packages. But I’ll just focus on their author’s proofreading service, since it’s the one I used.

To begin with, the site provides you with a table that estimates the amount of time it will take to correct your manuscript based on the amount of words, and calculates a quote. My manuscript fell under the “from 65,000 up to 100,000 words category.” The expected turnaround was within two weeks. The price shocked me a little bit, but I’m not one to mince funds in my work. So I went ahead and purchased the service, and sent them my book as a Word file. During the purchase process, they ask me for any instructions I wanted to give the proofreader, and the level of toughness of the correction. I went for the harshness treatment and asked for particular attention to awkward phrasing.

Thirteen days later I got a message that my manuscript was ready to be downloaded. Scribendi gave me back two Word documents: one with all the corrections and notes, and a clean one with only the notes. The proofreading was thorough. They even corrected typographical mistakes within the book’s information, like an extra space between two words in the legal paragraph at the beginning; that kind of thing. Something that I personally liked was a few notes from the proofreader telling me that they enjoyed a line or the end of a chapter, and how they liked reading the book. Sure, the cynic in me immediately screamed “Marketing gimmick!” But the truth is they didn’t have to do it and any future patronage on my part is based on their performance, not compliments. Still, I couldn’t help but feel happy that the proofreader liked my work.

All in all, I would definitely hire Scribendi’s services in the future. The price may be steep, but they are fast and meticulous. I definitely recommend it. I hope this helps. Keep on running!

Death of the Journeyman

2011-10-04T08:36:00.000-07:00

“I didn’t come here to do all this [menial] stuff, when will I start designing?” That was the real quote a teacher used to warn us about being wholly out of place in the real world. The frustrated interloper was a college student protesting to her employer while on a summer internship. That was her last day in that company.

   It is well known that the current generation is all about instant gratification, and why not? In the 80s, we were shown the tantalizing rise of the twenty-something go-getter and the 90s made us jealous of the college drop out billionaire. Apprenticeship outside the halls of academia is basically dead, but it is sadly true in our collective psyches. A college degree is no longer a ticket for a good job; MBAs, Masters degrees, and experience seem to be the new “diploma.” In the arts, you can be an apprentice without much trouble. One can take a cooking class for self-edification, painting as hobby or learn an instrument to have fun with friends. The only cadaver here is the one of the journeyman.

    A journeyman was a craftsman who had completed his apprenticeship and was stepping out in the world to apply their skills and gain experience. In time, a journeyman could present a masterwork to a guild to be judged and gain admittance as a master. Nowadays, our society demands master as soon as the apprenticeship is over. Your first album didn’t go platinum? Sorry you’re not going to cut it. Your first film is not a blockbuster? Don’t let the door hit you on the way out. Your first novel is not an international bestseller? We hope you kept your day job. The days in which an artist could develop their art are over. An argument can be made about independent films, mid-list authors, local bands and so on. But they are the first ones that will tell you how hard it is to keep juggling their passion with paying the bills. Being stuck in the middle seems tougher than breaking in.

    I’m always left pondering about how all of these mediums expect to develop new talent? Since our business here is books, Dan Brown’s first three novels were far from being successful. It took his fourth try to hit out of the park. The whole fad of using celebrity’s names on ghostwritten books is a good example of the state of things in publishing-even if some of the celebrities themselves can’t write anything longer than their own names-big splash, quick buck.

    Maybe it will take the cycle to start over. That is, when the current system crashes down and then someone will wake up and say, “Wait a minute, if we invest in people’s talent rather than focus just on short-term sales, we can make more money in the long run.” Which is why we hear about self-published success stories every now and then. It took those brave authors to push through, even when the rest of the world told them they weren’t interested. Keep on running!

Inspiration vs. Influence

2011-09-29T08:29:00.000-07:00

I’m an avid non-fiction reader. That may come as shock being that I’m a fiction author. Human nature, history and theories fascinate me. In the end, they are all the same: The first refers to why we do whatever it is that we do; the second, to the things that we have done; and the last, to what it is what we might be able to do. That’s why my fiction tends to spring out from reality more often than not. I love threading possible (sometimes plausible) plot using real elements. So when I decided to write a novel, I could care less about what has been happening in the world of thrillers.

Early on, an editor asked me why that was that the case? My answer was simple; I didn’t want to be influenced by anyone. Sure, there were literary influences in my writing, but the whole concept of “He writes like so-and-so,” or “his novel’s style is similar to this other book,” or “he’s the next (fill-in-the-blank famous author)” are anathema to me. Sink or swim, I want to be me. I want to have my own voice and style. Then the editor hit me with “Yeah, that’s all great, but you need to learn the rules of the genre.” To me, that just read “Welcome to Clichéville!”

Every genre has a checklist of elements that places it in its proper setting: The rugged guy with a heart of gold in romance; the tougher-than-nails-protagonist in action; the cunning detective in a mystery; these are not only needed, but expected by readers. As I went through the earlier drafts of my novel, I soon found out something interesting; it was going to take a particular kind of protagonist to affront the challenges presented by the plot. Otherwise the book would have been the length of a two-page essay.

As I checked out some classic thrillers, I found kindred spirits in some of their authors, people who had the same outlook about the world, loved similar themes and spoke with similar voices. Not surprisingly, whatever ideas I had, someone had done it first and better than me. But I wasn’t done with my little rebellion. Whenever they went right, I went left; if they preferred a straight line, I took off sideways. When all was said and done, I had a manuscript that was familiar enough to make thriller aficionados happy, but twisted enough to offer them something fresh, and all of this with my own voice. Keep on running!

Dirty Movies

2011-09-27T11:24:00.000-07:00

Whether “Sleeper’s Run” is compared to films or readers tell me what a great movie it will make, or I’m asked about its potential for a big screen adaptation, the question about a motion picture adaptation seems inevitable. At this point, this is nothing more than an exercise in wishful thinking. I’m a very visual person, meaning that I see what I create play out in my mind first. When I write, I just describe these scenes as they develop clearly in my mind. When you add to this my background in film, it makes a transition between mediums quite obvious, but there are some issues I’d like to talk about.

They word is “adaptation.” A book taken to film will not survive the transition unchanged. Each medium has its strengths and weakness. Some books have a hard time when jumping into the silver screen, “Heart of Darkness” is one example. Others become better as films, like “Jaws.” Some get a nice facelift, as in the case of “The Bourne Identity.” And yet, a few books find an equally successful transition as with “The Lord of the Rings” and the Harry Potter series. Granted, some fans have different issues with these adaptations, but overall, they have transcended their literary lives claiming a niche in film. Recently I saw a preview for John le Carré’s “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/focus_features/tinkertailorsoldierspy/, which I can’t wait to see. Lee Child’s Jack Reacher is close to make his film debut amidst some controversy from the series’ fans. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/18/movies/tom-cruise-agrees-to-play-jack-reacher.html

The challenge with something like “Sleeper’s Run,” is how can you adapt such a peculiar first person narrative? This is an element that sets the novel apart and gives it a unique flavor. On the other hand, things like chases, fight scenes, gunfights and locales can be enhanced in a motion picture. Would it lose its essence? Would it become just another sleek, shoot-’em-up summer event or a landmark in its genre? “Sleeper’s Run” was always meant to be a novel. I took advantage of the particular advantages of the printed word to tell the story.

Unlike a novel, a movie is made by an army of people with different agendas and points of view. Also, film is a collective experience rather than a personal one, like in a book. When we read a novel, we all have our own unique version of the story in our minds. What we see in a movie is a director’s interpretation of a story, which is hopefully closer to the image the majority of readers have of a particular narrative.

Again, this is just an exercise in imagination. I hope you find it entertaining. Keep on running!

Human Touch

2011-09-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

It is no secret that the best way to get your self-published book known is through social media. Facebook, Twitter, blogs, YouTube, etc. are great ways to get your work out there and be in touch with your readers. Yet, in this vastness of the World Wide Web, there are options that are tailor-made for authors. Here’s a rundown of three of these services I’ve been using with various degrees of success (so far):

Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com has been hands down the most useful to me. Not only do you have the usual author’s biography, forums, bookshelf and “buy my book” features, but it allows authors to stream their blogs into the site, post a trailer of their novel, run book giveaways, and create trivia and quizzes. Fans can follow their favorite authors, review books and recommend them to friends. In my opinion, Goodreads is a great way to promote your manuscript and get in touch with your readership.

Shelfari http://www.shelfari.com is an Amazon.comwebsite also dealing with book-oriented social networking. It lacks the promotional options that Goodreads offers, no links to other social media, no option to upload trailers or ability to run contests and create quizzes. It does have a bookshelf and allows people to follow you, become part of your forums and allows users to generate reviews. It also offers a very detailed breakdown of your novel. You can list the book’s characters, significant places, write quotes, and a myriad of other minutiae about your manuscript.

LibraryThing http://www.librarything.com has a crude interface compared to the websites mentioned above. It basically allows an author to list their book and add links to other social media. Users can rate the novel, leave comments and participate in forums, but the amount of information is pretty limited and so are the options for marketing and social interaction.

In my experience, I’ve seen more interaction in Goodreads and it gives options more in tune with how I want my book to be presented and how I want to interact with my readers. Shelfari seems to have a lot of potential, but I’ve yet to discover how to exploit it. So far, it seems to be a site for self-promotion rather than interaction. I’m basing this comment solely on the fact that only authors seem to be doing the talking on Shelfari, while the readers are either watching on the sidelines or are simply not motivated enough to share their thoughts; I could be wrong. That’s my two cents; I hope it helps. Keep on running!

Money For Nothing

2011-09-20T11:32:00.000-07:00

There's an unwritten rule in the media about not reviewing self-published books. There are counted exceptions, but generally, do-it-yourselfers are left with a handful of options. One of them is Kirkus Indie http://www.kirkusreviews.com/indie/about/, the independent author's review branch of Kirkus Media, one of the most important book review magazines in the United States. Anyone from publishers, libraries, agents (including TV and film), producers, etc., browse Kirkus in search for their next potential client. So it's no surprise that getting reviewed by the self-proclaimed "World's Toughest Book Critics" is no cheap task.

For $425 ($575 if you want the express service) Kirkus Indie will give an author a review between 7-9 weeks (3-4 if express). What you pay for is the chance of getting reviewed, and of course, not the outcome. A writer might shell out some hard-earned cash just to get their manuscript trashed by a Kirkus critic. For better or worse, this is one of the few big-name reviewers an author can turn to when searching for some industry validation.

When I got my review, I was both excited and worried. Thankfully, the review was positive. The reviewer was professional and pulled no punches in the four lines of actual analysis. Yes, you read it well; four lines. I couldn't believe my eyes; the result was a massive paragraph of which only about 2% was an actual review. The rest was a slightly inaccurate synopsis of my novel, with a plot spoiler included. What a disappointment.

I hope other writers have a better outcome than mine. Self-published authors already have enough trouble finding exposure and have to squeeze out every drop of their limited budgets in order to give their manuscripts exposure. Kirkus Indie gave me what is basically a blurb for a pretty steep price. Keep on running!

Paperback Writer

2011-09-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

     The first step in self-publishing is to choose where to self-publish. Nowadays an author has the option between print-on-demand and/or going digital. Being a bit of an old-fashioned guy, I wanted to see my novel as a proper book. I had to set aside dreams of a hardcover for pragmatism's sake, but I wanted my first work to be in somebody’s bookshelf, even if was only mine. I’ll talk about e-publishing in a later article.
     There are companies like iUniverse, Xlibris, AuthorHouse, Lulu.com, Booklocker, Outskirts Press, Createspace among others that help a writer print and distribute their manuscripts. To me, it was a no-brainer; Createspace is an Amazon.com affiliate company and having my novel sold through the online behemoth seemed like the way to go.
     Createspace offers in-house and do-it-yourself (DIY) options, making the creation of my book very flexible. I had hired professional editors through another service, so I have no idea how their in-house editors are. Also, I’m a DIY guy, so I didn’t need their help to create a cover or layout my book (being a graphic designer has its advantages). They let you set your own price and have electronic calculators to show you what you’ll earn with each sale. You can order proofs and they are testing a setting that allows you to approve your book for selling without the need of one; I hope it’s here to stay. The approval of the files you submit is surprisingly fast; mine took less than 24 hours. And if you need an ISBN, they’ll provide one for you for a price.
     Of course, there’s always room for improvement. If you want to make a semi-decent profit, your price has to be set in the same range as established authors (some are even lower); this makes it tough to remain competitive. When you order a proof, the price of shipping is too high if you want to get it in a decent amount of time. The instructions on setting your cover when you have a bleed are vague. It took me a few tries until they got it right. That being said, their customer service was very helpful and quick. Last, but not least, if you have any changes after the book has been published (what can I say, I’m a perfectionist), the book goes into “temporarily out of stock,” it gives the patron an option to register for an email alert when the title becomes available. The files are approved so fast it can be done overnight.
     All in all, I’m pretty happy with Createspace’s services. My main gripe is with pricing vs. profit, but beimg in Amazon is a huge boost to anybody’s work. I’d definitely consider them again in the future. Keep on running!

Hero of the Day

2011-09-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

"That Others May Live," that's the motto of the United States Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) Parascuemen or Parajumpers (PJs) http://www.pararescue.com/ They are the Special Operation Forces (SOF) foremost experts on Search and Rescue in combat environments. They are part of the Special Operations Command (SOCOM) along with Air Force Combat Controllers, Combat Weathermen and well-known units like the Army¹s Special Forces and Rangers, Navy SEALs and EODs, and Marine Corps¹ MARSOC. They also have a "Tier One" component, the 24th Special Tactics Squadron, at the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) alongside other counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units like Delta Force, DEVGRU and The Activity (for lack of the current names). Yet, very few people know of their existence and incredible service.

The cliché of the SOF operative is a staple in the thriller genre. I for one didn't want to follow that path, but after a few early drafts of my book, I realized my protagonist was going to need a certain set of skills if he was to survive the plot's challenges. After I made my peace with the fact that I had to toughen up my main character, I immediately decided to make him a PJ. The fact that these men are highly trained commandos capable of handling the direst combat situations, and at the same time, have unparalleled paramedic capabilities, fascinated me.

The power to give or take life away resting in one man is a powerful concept. Eric Caine is a character born out of contrasts; being a Pararescueman fit him like a glove. Also, the Air Force has the highest required minimum score on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), due to its highly technical nature. I think this would attack Eric's intellect. Another element that convinced me to use a PJ in my story was the fact that it is a little known SOF, and –as far as I know, –has never gotten its day prominently in fiction. I love having the opportunity to honor these amazing professionals.

The media never mentions Air Force commandos, but they're always there; from the Iranian desert in "Operation Eagle Claw" in 1980, all the way to the raid to kill Bin Laden. Air Force Special Tactic Units may lack the celebrity status of their army and navy brothers, but they're part of the spearhead in the War on Terror. Keep on Running!

Right Between the Eyes

2011-09-08T00:00:00.000-07:00

     Being a self-published author is tough, especially when promoting your work.. Limited resources, time and lack of marketing know-how make this a tremendous hurdle for most of us. When I decided to promote my novel, I started studying what methods professional writers (or more likely, their publishers) used to advertise their work. Radio, TV, press, etc. have an enormous reach, but they are also beyond the average self-published author (namely, me)... That was until I bumped into online book trailers.
     Frankly, I was unimpressed. Even the promos for the top authors were boring, cheesy and looked quite the same. Go ahead; search for the trailers of your favorite authors and you’ll see what I’m talking about.
     After publishing my book, I’ve been approached by professional services offering to produce a trailer to, in so many words, “wow!” my potential readers. The problem is that their best efforts are nowhere near the definition of “wow!”
     Personal computers, the Internet and its online services allow us to do things from the comfort of our homes that would have been extremely hard to achieve otherwise. When it was time to do my trailer, I wanted it to have the same energy and excitement as my book. Now, I won’t lie to you, my background helped tremendously in the creation of my trailer and it wasn’t cheap. But I saw it as a worthy investment to promote my book. So far, the gamble has paid off. One of my promoters uploaded the video and within a couple of hours scored hundreds of hits. Now my trailer has become the spearhead for my marketing efforts. Now more than ever, we live in a visually driven society. So consider this for your novel’s marketing; it is certainly worth the effort. Keep on running!

Southbound

2011-09-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

Growing up, I was always thrilled to see or hear any mention of Venezuela in movies, comics books, TV, etc. Who am I kidding? I still do. I guess when you come from a relative obscure country, you are always surprised that someone knows about it. Personally, when people ask me “You have an accent, where are you from?” the range of reactions go from “Venezuela? Isn’t that the capital of Buenos Aires?” to a horrified expression followed by “Where the hell is that?” and everything in between. Mind you, I’m no geography expert, but I'd rather ask questions than make statements. Those better informed would know it’s in South America and would talk about our numerous Miss Universes, Miss Worlds and the fact that we are one of the top crude oil producers in the world. That seems to be the extent of our international projection.

In the past decade or so, the feedback from the casual interloper inquiring about the origin of my unusual inflection went from ignorance to infamy. It is not without reason; the media–which rarely paid attention to my country–is short on niceties when reporting about Venezuela lately. Granted, the place they talk about is very different than the one I lived in close to two decades ago.

When I was about 14 years old, I decided that I would make my living as a creator (the medium was irrelevant). I wanted to help bring Venezuela out of obscurity and dispel erroneous notions that we all live in the jungle, are poorly educated, involved in some criminal activity, homogenous and indistinguishable from other Latin American nations; big thoughts in the mind of a kid living in a place where everything seems so far away.

Yes, there’s a great deal of crime, corruption and poverty in Venezuela. I’m a pragmatist; nice speeches can’t eclipse our track record. Our culture does share a common bond with our Latino brothers and sisters, but we all have our own identity. Racially and ethnically, we are lucky to have a wealth of influence from Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany, the Middle East, Africa and other countries (those beauty queens don’t grow on trees). In my case, I’m the first generation of my family born outside Spain. I grew up influenced by my heritage, my place of birth, and a steady diet of Japanese cartoons (Anime) and American entertainment (like the rest of the world).

Like me, the book’s protagonist is multicultural; making him the best guide for readers to experience his world, while at the same time, giving him a more objective point about his environment.

One of the main things I want to achieve with “Sleeper’s Run,” is to portray a more realistic Venezuela. In my opinion, the political climate of recent years has made my birthplace ripe for an interesting story that deals with our relation with the United States and our collective past, present and maybe even our future. Keep on running!

Heroes

2011-09-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

When people ask me about my “book’s hero,” I quickly correct them and say that in my novel there are no heroes, or villains for that matter. “Sleeper’s Run” is not about good vs. evil. I wanted to create a story that reflected the world as it is, not as we wished it were. Unlike what the media would like us think; life is far more complicated than a news bite. Truth is relative and popularity seldom qualifies an opinion. The characters in “Sleeper’s Run” are people; they have their alliances, ideas, idiosyncrasies, personal baggage and all the accoutrements proper of a person.

One of the earliest comments my first editor had, was that Eric didn’t seem too heroic and Nathan wasn’t antagonistic enough. Earlier drafts of Sleeper’s had no clear opponent, other than a system of international politics and corruption. According to the editor, this concept was too esoteric for a thriller and I should go back and study the rules of the genre. Sure, I compromised at certain points; after all, I wanted to be a publishable, commercially viable author. But the whole “good guys vs. bad guys” angle seems too shallow and insincere to me. As much as I like cartoons, I have no interest in writing one.

I could do stories with Eric Caine until my fingers fall off; I love the character. Yet to me, he is a man. He had done things that were heroic and others that were questionable at best. Nathan Blake and the rest of the cast are the same way. I leave it to the reader to bestow the qualifiers as they see fit.

Eric is a character born out of contradictions; he's physically tough, but mentally brilliant; educated and privileged, yet very hands-on and laborious. These are but a few of the traits that comprise him. Thrillers have great laconic characters: tough, blue collar, disenfranchised loners, who are amazingly capable in their respective fields, but hapless in the larger society. I’m a sucker for this type of protagonist, but I wanted Eric to be a departure from this concept. He wants to be part of society and thrive in it. Eric doesn’t want to be alone and has more skills than those he learned in the military. He is highly educated, well traveled, eloquent and funny. The Air Force was part of his life, not the sum of his existence. Originally, he wasn’t going to have a connection with the armed forces, but the story makes it clear that it was going to take a certain type of background in order to confront the plot’s challenges.

Eric’s similarities to the genre’s main characters might appeal to the lovers of this kind of thriller, but is the differences that make him stand out and appeal to those who might have never given this type of book a second glance. Perhaps that is one of “Sleeper’s Run” main strengths; a book that is so familiar but takes the reader to uncharted territory. Keep on running!

Come Fly With Me

2011-08-30T00:00:00.000-07:00

As a kid, I always liked fighter jets and used to build models of them. When I decided to write my book, one of the skills I wanted my protagonist to have was the ability to fly a plane. I had no idea about civilian aviation. So, after talking to a friend who was learning to fly, I took a few classes at a local flight school to understand what being a PIC was like.

There's an incredible sense of freedom in being able to pilot an aircraft. My favorite part was always seeing the blue Californian coastline under my wing. The part that I hated was the lack of patience my instructor had. Once, he scared me stiff when I made a mistake at takeoff. I never understood how stressing out an already nervous person would solve anything. I was so shaken by the event; I went home unable to work and downed a few beers just to calm myself down. It goes without saying that I had a nice, long chat with my instructor on my next class. Sadly, the economy made sure I didn't get too far in my training, but left me with enough knowledge to accurately portray a civilian pilot in my novel. Hopefully, one day, I can finish what I started.

I once got a critique from an editor about the 'hyper-competence' of my main character. This argument flew on the face of an anecdote my Urban Survival instructor related to us during class. The details were vague, of course, but basically he was teaching a few SEALs from DEVGRU and presented them with a problem in which they have to escape a city in a hurry. A few minutes later, one of their answers was to commandeer an airliner. Surprised, my instructor said, "OK, how about if there's no one in the airport?" To which the SEALs shrugged and said "We¹d steal an airplane and fly it ourselves." Skeptical, my instructor asked, "Yeah, right. How many of you can fly an airplane?" Half the class raised their hands. Honestly, I'm not surprised. If that were my line of work, I'd make it my business to know how to fly and sail. Keep on running!

Street Fighting Man

2011-08-25T00:00:00.000-07:00

Martial arts has been part of my life from a very early age. When other kids wanted to play baseball or basketball, all I ever wanted to do was throw punches and kicks. Since then, I had the pleasure of being exposed to several styles in different places; from different forms of Karate (mainly Shito Ryo), Aikido, Kendo, Boxing, Brazilian Jujitsu, Eskrima, and Martial Blade Concepts, to more serious and dedicated training in Hapkido and Krav Maga.

So when the time came for me to write a novel, a thriller no less, I knew Martial Arts would have center stage. Film is the best medium to showcase a fighting style; writing action is tricky. If you get too technical, it reads like stage direction, but I wanted to give the reader a similar thrill one gets from a film without bogging down the story. If I can fault "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight," it is that the fight scenes were handled poorly; especially when they were showcasing the Keysi Fighting Method, a little known self-defense system that should have gotten a better cinematic debut. My challenge was to write fights that were technically sound, real and the reader could follow; all of this without slowing down the pace or going off on unnecessary tangents.

Eric blends traditional Jujitsu, Eskrima and Krav Maga making him a very versatile fighter. I also wanted to show a progression from traditional martial arts –which generally are our introduction as children –to more pragmatic systems. This gives the knowing reader a perspective to understand part of Eric's formatting years. It also mirrors the character's life: Jujitsu shows the discipline and balance in his early years. Eskrima could be analogous with the aggression and danger-seeking nature of a teenager. And Krav Maga shows the no frills approach in his adult life and former military career.

Needless to say, a lot of care went into my book's fight scenes and self-defense situations. I hope my readers enjoy them as much as I did writing them. Keep on running!

21st Century Digital Boy

2011-08-23T00:00:00.000-07:00

When they say that books sell less every year, these people must not be paying attention to the number of ebooks sold. http://techcrunch.com/2011/05/19/that-was-fast-amazons-kindle-ebook-sales-surpass-print-it-only-took-four-years/

The growth of digital book sales grows astronomically every year. The advent of smartphones and tablets have ushered a new reading era. Of course, we old-schoolers can always make the argument that nothing feels like a book: the weigh, the smell of paper, the feel of the pages on your fingers, etc. In that same vein, we can also make another argument about LPs, but the truth is the e-format is here to stay.

I would have been remiss not make "Sleeper’s Run" available on ebook stores. This was a brand new arena for me, so I did a little research and came up with two companies: Smashwords http://www.smashwords.com/ and Publish Green http://www.publishgreen.com/ The former is free, has a one size fits all methods and is perfect for do-it-yourselfers. The latter isn't cheap, but it offers expert manual formatting and distribution to 28 international vendors.

In an unlikely move, I went the lazy way and chose Publish Green. I didn't want my work not to look great as an ebook, having my baby distributed around the world dazzled me and I was pissed off that companies like Apple need an official "aggregator" (read "middleman") to make my manuscript available on their ebook stores. Plus, I have to admit having someone shouldering some of the crazy amount of work involved in self-publishing my novel was gladly welcome.

PB delivered as promised, their customer support was quick to respond to any of my questions, polite and very helpful when I ran into a few scheduling problems. My only complaint is the actual formatter. If you want the human touch, you'll also get the human fallibility. The formatter omitted changes, and typos were produced, so I had to double-check everything that was done (not that I wouldn't have anyway). Also, they lack a way in their website for you to track your sales. You have to wait until the end of the month to get a report and see how your book did.

Aside from that, PB is solid, but me being me, I'd like to give the DIY way a try next time just to compare. You may also want to check out this article on self-publishing an ebook http://reviews.cnet.com/how-to-self-publish-an-e-book I found it very useful. Keep on running!

Lonely Is The Word

2011-08-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

The unwritten rule in the general media is not to review self-published books. We all have heard of the few exceptions to this rule, which gives us all hope that we too could work our way through the system. We also hope to win the lottery, that our books become instant international bestsellers, and other nice things. The indie community is no better. The "we might review your book" attitude is everywhere. Unless, of course, you shell out some cash on a service like Kirkus and hope you get a good review, because what you pay for is the honor of being evaluated.
It could be worse; those few companies could not offer review services at all. Sure, they make a buck out of every eager author out there shunned by the publishing industry, but at least there are systems in place that help us pursue our passion. Yet, I wonder how publishers expect to get any new authors. I experienced something similar trying to break into the comic book industry for years. This is a medium that welcomes all kinds of artists as long as their medium is not the written word (letterers are exempt of course). That's why mainstream comics are nothing but gimmicks, rehashes and rip-offs. Every once in a while a drop of new blood gets in and then that person becomes the next visionary writer. If you move to a small and isolated community, everything you do would seem pretty original to the locals as well.

What I don't get is that, on one hand, the publishing industry complains about shrinking readership, sinking sales, dying genres; yet they don't seem to be doing anything to promote new talent. So we are left to Machiavelli our way as best as we can in hopes to find an audience, or make enough noise that a publisher sees some dollar signs in our foreheads. Keep on running!

The Future

2011-08-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

The technology presented in "Sleeper's Run" ranges from the theoretical to the mundane. The former is always tantalizing, but personally, I'm more fascinated with the latter. Since its inception, the book was going to have an ad hoc approach to technology. I love the idea of Eric having to think on his feet and using anything that was available to him. The hacker and social engineering stuff I had to research using books, documentaries and articles on the subject. I also got to experience social engineering first hand, when I underwent urban survival training. I stumbled upon an article for a homemade Radio Frequency Identification reader, which to me was like striking gold.

I was fascinated by this aspect of the research, and at the same time, terrified of how easy it is to do certain underhanded things like fake passports, steal information, hack the average computer or spy on someone. At the time, even Wired Magazine had a very interesting article about a reporter trying to stay off the grid. That was very interesting as well as helpful.

Of course, some of the information in my research was usually kept vague. It wasn't in the interest of the writers to open an outlaw school. I too left out key elements the few times I could have done otherwise for the same reason; I was writing a fiction novel, not a training manual after all. There are people who love when an author gets into the nuts and bolts of a certain subject i.e. the way a sniper rifle works. I'd rather learn as much as I can and then try to distill the information in a way that shows that the character is proficient, without alienating the majority of the readers. The story comes first.

It's a challenge to write a character that is far more intelligent and resourceful than the author. Thankfully there are so many brilliant and resourceful minds out there to lend a hand, even if it's indirectly. To me, research is not only a book-oriented activity. One of the things I love about being a creator is to step into unknown worlds and learn new things. Keep on running!

Sad But True

2011-08-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

I found this article when I was about to write this post: http://www.salon.com/books/laura_miller/2010/05/04/men_don_t_read, which reminded me of yet another one I stumbled upon months ago when I was searching the Internet for articles about self-publishing. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20225323,00.html

     If you read the date, you notice it’s old, but for the first time Stephen King didn’t deliver fear through his writing.
     Women have always been good readers, but so were men. I’m a little baffled when trying to understand what happened to my literary-inclined brothers. In my life, I can clearly divide the guys I’ve known into readers and non-readers; it seems there’s no room for dabblers. But Mr. King makes a good point; someone is buying authors like Lee Child, Tom Clancy and John Le Carré. For god’s sake, Robert Ludlum has been dead since 2001 and they’re still milking his name. 2010 in particular seems to have been a great year for thrillers; everyone from Stephen Hunter to Robert Forsyth had a new novel out. So this begs the question, is the male reader a species in extinction?
     The publishing industry claims that these men sell because they have already amassed a large, loyal following throughout the years. That might be true, and so is the fact that many of their fans are a little bit tired of the same old characters and the same old stories. Why the industry is so sure these male readers are unwilling to branch out into new authors is beyond me. Instead of injecting the genre with new blood to maintain its base and hook to new readers, their solution seems to let them wither and die. Well done. Were these the same people who asserted, “Kids don’t read anymore?” Tell that to J.K. Rowling and the string of children and young adult writers who followed.
     The point about reading being considered “unmanly” is just ludicrous. I’m an author, an avid reader; I love museums, good food, traveling and having an engaging conversation in just about any topic. At the same time, I can ride a motorcycle, play with guns and knives, hold my own sparring, climb rocks and dive the ocean in the dead of night. Being uncouth doesn’t make you a real man; it just makes you really ignorant.
     Maybe genres don’t die; perhaps those in the inside kill them with their pursue of a quick buck and lack of vision. So to all my fellow men reading this lines, keep on reading and keep on running!

If You Want Blood

2011-08-10T08:13:00.001-07:00

    A book annalist once told me that he didn’t care for Eric’s "excessive and casual violence.” Kindly enough, this gentleman proceeded to help me by suggesting that I read one or two books from a popular author with a character he felt was similar to mine. The good news was I had already read the first novel from the recommended author. The bad news was the example he chose had a brutal protagonist. If I omit the writer’s name it's because I respect him and enjoyed his work, and it's not his fault his writing was disparately used to illustrate a point.
    I admit that the condescending way the annalist presented his report was off putting (an exception among the others who helped me shape my novel). A couple of things became clear to me within the first few paragraphs of the dossier: He had little real understanding of the elements presented in the story and he read the book in passing.
    There is a glamour in violence as shown in film, TV, comic books, etc. or at least there is an element of coolness associated with it. I enjoy this fantastic portrayal as much as the next guy, but when I wrote, “Sleeper’s Run,” I wanted to take a different road. You picked a fight with multiple opponents? Sorry Bruce, chances are you’ll be making a stop at the emergency room. You want to play with knifes? You better listen to your mom, because your super model career will be short-lived. Speed is more your thing? Then I hope you are insured, Speed Racer, and I’m talking about liability. Innocent bystanders often get the brunt of the violence. In 2003, an old man drove his car by mistake through a farmers market in Santa Monica, California killing nine people and injuring almost 60 others. No trained stuntmen jumped out of the way in the nick of time.
    I depict violence in my work, but I don’t glamorize it. This is a conscious choice. However, the more I understand about self-defense, whether with a gun, blade or empty hands, the less inclined I’m to romanticize myself in a situation that might require the use of any of those skills. This has been reinforced by listening to men in the military, law enforcement and even those civilians that have the uncomfortable experience of having to defend themselves. If I were to treat violence casually, I wouldn’t spend so much time writing about the price of unleashing it. Keep on running!

Write about what you know, but if you don’t know…

2011-08-08T11:28:00.000-07:00

I loved researching “Sleeper’s Run.” Well, I love research, period. Granted, many of the themes portrayed in the story are of general interest to me, so not only did I have a good running start, but it also made the process more enjoyable. Piles of non-fiction texts, documentaries and articles informed me about history, politics, military units, tactics, technology, espionage and other topics. My life-long affair with martial arts definitely came in handy. I’ve been exposed to a wide variety of martial arts throughout my life, even becoming an instructor for a few years. The fighting systems involved in the plot were not randomly chosen. Needless to say, a lot of care and technical savvy went into to the fight scenes/self-defense situations in the story. I also drew from my knowledge of rock climbing, scuba diving, interest in Special Operation Forces and passion for history and traveling. Yet, that wasn’t enough for me.

When we think about a writer, one pictures some disheveled hermit wearing an old robe with socks and sandals, ie. Johnny Depp in the “Secret Window." There’s some truth to that, but how many authors do you know spend a day escaping a team of trackers after having been kidnapped?

That was the final exam of an urban survival class I took in the name of research. The course taught me how to pick locks, do social engineering, disappear into a crowd and other cool skills that came handy when writing Sleeper’s. That and it was also a popular topic of conversation at social gatherings. “Come here and entertain us with your stories of urban survival,” someone asked me in a recent friend’s wedding. Tactical shooting, knife self-defense and a few flying lessons also became part of the repertoire of things I chose to experience first hand.

Make no mistake I’m a weekend warrior. In no way do my forays into these exciting worlds put me anywhere near in the same league as my protagonist, the true professionals he represents, or the people who spend their lives dedicated to their respective disciplines. Curiosity and personal edification aside, this type of research informed me of the mechanics and psychology required to represent Eric Caine's abilities as realistic as I could. In some instances it even changed the way I looked at certain things, and it made me gain a whole new appreciation for the work of those who have to use this knowledge in the real world.

These experiences also put me in front of people who have to learn those skills as part of their job: federal agents, the military, law enforcement, etc. and of course, their instructors. I spent those priceless encounters trying to pick their brain as much as I could respectfully do.

I always say “Sleeper’s Run” is a fiction novel built on a solid non-fiction foundation. Research was a lot of fun, in fact, it still is. I can’t wait for the next adventure, whether is a class, book, person or a trip that will inevitably find its way into my work. Keep on running!

Urban Survival: http://www.onpointtactical.com/

Tactical Shooting: http://www.internationaltactical.com/

Knife Self-Defense: http://www.martialbladeconcepts.com/

Self-Defense: http://www.kravmaga.com/

Perfect Strangers

2011-08-05T07:40:00.000-07:00

One of the first things I knew I had to do when I wrote “Sleeper’s Run” was to hire a professional editor to help me whip the story into publishable shape. Sadly, the World Wide Web is like any large community, and the shady element is never too far. As I researched possible editing services, I read horror stories of sites charging people for manuscript analysis, only to abscond with the money. Fortunately, I asked a dear friend in the screenplay evaluation business for guidance and was happy to find out her company actually did manuscripts as well.

Research aside, this was the first real investment in my book. The work wasn’t up to par, so after throwing an ego-driven tantrum for a few days, I started the long process of re-writing. Suffice to say, it took several drafts and three whole books written from scratch to end up with the final version of Sleeper’s Run, but thanks to Scriptshark’s help http://www.scriptshark.com/, I ended up with novel worth publishing. Sleeper’s was good enough to become the audition piece when they expanded their fiction services. As they put it ,“It’s easy to critique bad writing; assessing good writing is a different story.”

Their analysts were helpful, professional and constructive. Even when the work was less than stellar, they always found a positive thing to say about my writing. This is a company that encourages writers and writing in different media. I strongly advise you check them out.

Without a good professional editor (in my case that was plural) my novel would have been nothing more than a good concept or an interesting idea. And hearing things like how much they loved the protagonist, how the book kept them on the edge of their seats or how realistic the dialog was, helped my writing-confidence tremendously. Keep on running!

It's So Easy

2011-08-03T08:38:00.001-07:00

A few months ago, when I mentioned to a friend about my self-publishing intentions, he shrugged and said: “yeah, self-publish!” as if it was the simplest thing in the world. Sure, self-publishing nowadays is extremely easy, even free; selling what you write though, is a whole different story. I’ll be getting to that in upcoming entries.

I had no idea about the inner workings of the ebook media and little about self-printing. When I asked a couple of self-published authors about it, they all said the do-it-yourself route (DIY) was the best way, but they were mysteriously guarded about the mechanics of the process. Maybe they had no patience or time to explain the minutiae or perhaps it’s one of those “Sorry, buddy. Each man for himself” attitude; I’m not sure.

Thankfully for me, the Internet was there to save the day and early on, I found two great articles on CNET that became blueprints for me: http://reviews.cnet.com/self-publishing/, which is about mainly with print-on-demand; and http://reviews.cnet.com/how-to-self-publish-an-e-book, dealing with ebooks exclusively. Also, http://www.absolutewrite..com/forums/ is a great place for aspiring writers to share experiences, ask questions, promote their work and find

information regarding literary agents. Keep on running!

Running Free

2011-08-01T08:38:00.000-07:00

On July 5th, Venezuela celebrated the 200th anniversary of its independence from Spain. I find this momentous occasion a good omen, for it is the same year and month that my novel was published; a story that takes place largely in Venezuela with a half-native protagonist. To my knowledge, no one has done this before, least of all in the so-called techno-thriller genre.

What made me go the do-it-yourself route? In a way, I’m a bit of an old-fashioned guy. You see, I want to be an author; a person who conceptualizes, thoroughly researches, and writes his work. Then, ideally, an agent takes over and a small army of people does the rest. Of course, reality always has something to say about our hopes and dreams.

Some six months ago, I sat down in front of my computer with the “2011 Guide to Literary Agents” with a steaming cup of coffee and a heart full of expectations. “Who’s going to be my champion in the publishing joust?” After six weeks of churning out 183 agent-specific query letters, I found out that
I'd better get on a horse with a lance of my own if I wanted to win the hand of the professional-literary-career maiden. Yep, you read it right, 183 rejection letters. But to me the word “quit” is just some computer term used to end a program.

So welcome to the “Sleeper’s Run” blog. This is the epicenter for news and information regarding the novel and its author. But this is not only just about shameless self-promotion. As I brave the exciting–at times intimidating–world of self-publishing, I’ll share my adventures and misadventures, links to useful articles; what services and sites I discovered that worked out for me and which ones left me wondering where my money went. You can also follow me on Facebook, Twitter and even buy some cool book merchandise at cafepress.com. Keep on running!