Bookmark It! – WritersWeekly

WritersWeekly has a lot of resources for writers, from books to articles to markets.

Another useful part of WritersWeekly is their forum, where you can post and read comments on writing-related topics.

One of my favorite parts of this site is the newsletter. Make sure you check that out.

So, I recommend you check out WritersWeekly.

Amazon’s Still in the News

You may already know that Amazon has been in the news for its efforts to have all books published via print on demand be printed by Amazon in order to be sold by Amazon. The alternative if they want to do their own publishing but still be sold by Amazon is to become part of Amazon’s Advantage Program, where the POD publisher would have to give Amazon 55% of the list price, pay Amazon a yearly fee and pay for shipping.

The latest in this saga is that BookLocker has filed a class action suit against Amazon.

WritersWeekly has posted a timeline of the events leading up to this lawsuit – back to March 28 when Amazon removed the “buy” buttons for PublishAmerica books and PublishAmerica issued a statement refusing to comply with Amazon’s ultimatum.

In early April, Author’s Guild, the largest society of published book authors in the U.S., published its own statement.

Many bloggers, including me, have written about this ongoing action. Bigger news outlets, like Publishers Weekly and Wall Street Journal, have reported on it.

This is something individual writers should keep their eye on to see how it all shakes out.

New Ways Authors Can Use the Web

If you’re an author who’s neither Internet savvy nor a computer geek, you may find it intimidating to try to promote your books online. But that doesn’t mean the Internet can be ignored. Nowadays, almost all authors have at least a website. And many authors are going well beyond that. They’re going multi-media. They’re doing elaborate blog book tours with book giveaways. They target the Internet from different angles -- websites, MySpace, YouTube, and other social sites.

Just the thought of having to do that can be exhausting and scary to those without degrees in computer science or a little brother who has grown up with his hands and mind in the cyber world..

The bad news is that online promotion is almost a must. The good news is that you can hire someone to do it for you.

NPR has an article about an author who has taken that step beyond the threshold of the ordinary webpage.

Author Marisha Pessl hired Freedom Interactive Design to build an elaborate website to promote her book. and to compliment her MySpage page.

Visitors can pick up objects, zoom in on pictures and newspaper clippings, visit Blue's MySpace page or unfold a map of the Great Smoky Mountains, where the story takes place. A distracting June bug buzzes around a bright blue desk lamp.

According to the NPR article,

It's more and more common for a debut novel to have elaborate homes on the Web, complete with blogs, chatrooms, videos and games. Oftentimes the sites are richly illustrated, almost cinematic.

Another author, Charles Bock, not only created a website, he asked musician friends to write and record songs based on his story. Then he offered free downloads of his book – 15,000 people took him up on his offer.

The world of book promotion is changing almost faster than we can keep up with it.

One Writer’s Road to Publishing Success

Wired magazine has come out with an article about a new book, called Daemon, a technothriller.

According to Wired, the book is fast-paced and tells the story of

a terminally ill game designer who unleashes a diabolical, self-replicating Web entity that enlists disaffected Netizens in its mission to destroy civilization.

But what might be more interesting than the plot was the author’s road to publication. Leinad Zeraus (real name: Daniel Suarez), an IT consultant, finished the book in 2004, then submitted it to agents. He got disappointing responses.

Finally, he and his wife formed their own publishing company and began producing the book via POD. They also got help with publicity from bloggers and influential techies. They wrote about the book on their sites and on Amazon. They pushed sales up. He got blurbs from big names and people who are respected by those likely to read such a techothriller. And word is still spreading through the Internet about Daemon.

Now a sequel will be coming out this year.

Just another example of someone taking a new, alternate road to publishing success.

New Mystery Crime Imprint

Mills and Boon, the British subsidiary of Harlequin, is going to launch Black Star Crime in August. The series will feature new and established authors of thrillers and crime fiction. The books will be priced the same as a Mills and Boon historical romance. They expect to release five titles every two months.

According to Publishers Lunch,

Mills and Boon expects the series to sell 250,000 to 500,000 units a year (no word on whether that is world-wide or solely in the UK.)

Bookseller says that figure would be

around 2% of the total UK crime and thriller market.

Bookseller also noted:

M&B will spend around £100,000 on its launch marketing campaign, and is due to start presenting the series to retailers this month. The company is keen that the brand is not tarred with the M&B brush, and that it is kept as far as possible from its romance publishing.

The International Thriller Writers said:

The series will publish crime fiction at low price points in an idea that sounds similar to Random House's Chick Lit "Little Black Dress" imprint.

ITW Blogger Russel McLean also noted:

If it gets new authors out there at a decent price point to pick up new readers, I'm all for it.

So, if you’re interested, you might want to note that the address for Mills and Boon offices, according to Publishers Lunch is

Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road, Richmond, Surrey, United Kingdom, TW9 1SR

Bookmark It! – A Writer’s Words, An Editor’s Eye

Lillie Ammann, both an editor and a writer, does a great blog worthy of bookmarking. It’s called A Writer’s Words, An Editor’s Eye.

She writes mostly about writing, editing, freelancing and other writing-related topics. You can learn a lot from her. For example, she’s been doing a series of articles on becoming a freelance writer. In the first installment of the series, she gives you a long list of resources you can turn to – blogs and websites either by or for freelancers.

In another post on May 1st, she explained about RSS. It’s an easy way to subscribe to blogs so that, like Lillie, you can keep up with many blogs without it taking up your whole day.

Lillie’s been blogging a while, so just scroll through the archives. You’ll find lots to read.

New Kids Imprint

For those of you who write children’s books, you’ll be interested to know that Walden Media and HarperCollins Children’s Books are teaming up to launch a new imprint called Walden Pond Press.

According to Publishers Weekly, the new unit will have offices in both New York and Boston.

According to the article in Variety on May 11, the new imprint will not only acquire and publish books, they’ll work on getting some of the books onto film.

The first title will be “The Will of Will Wolfkin,” a fantasy set under an Iceland glacier.

Susan Katz, prexy and publisher of HarperCollins Children's Books said:

"Having a single imprint will enable Walden Media to focus their book publishing program and Harper to market and sell the books most effectively."

How to Be a Featured Author at the Texas Book Festival

Since I’m a Chair for the Texas Book Festival, I get asked by writers how they can be invited to appear at the festival. The fact is that although the staff does a great job of finding wonderful authors, they can’t know about everyone, even though they’ve been out talking to publishers for months. So, if you haven’t been contacted by now, it’s up to you to let them know about your book.

And you can do that. Or you can have your publicist do it for you.

Just go online to the Festival site and you’ll find out how.

Here are some things to keep in mind:

You have to have had a book published in the 18 months prior to the start of the Festival, which in 2008 is November 1st.

Your book can’t have been self-published.

You or your publicist will have to send in copies of your book, a press kit, an author bio and more.

And if you want to be considered to speak or be on a panel, act now. It’s best if you submit all your material before June 1st. Authors are already being lined up and preference is given to those who act early.

And, just to let you know, I have absolutely nothing to do with who gets chosen. That’s done by a committee. I don’t even choose who appears at the Austin Museum of Art, the event that I chair.

The Texas Book Festival is a huge event – and that means many authors participate. If you want to be one of them, go online and find out how.

Christian Publishing News

Boy, I seem to be coming across a lot of news lately about Christian publishing! This one’s about Zondervan launching a teen fiction line. It’s from MLive (the M stands for Michigan). The line will be aimed at readers 13 to 16.

"Sales of young adult books, according to our numbers, are 15 to 20 percent of total book sales in terms of dollars," said Michelle Bayuk, marketing director of the Children's Book Council, based in New York City.

Zondervan aims to tap into that reading group by offering an alternative to the current books for the age group, according to Annette Bourland, vice president and publisher for Zonderkidz, the young readers’ line for Zondervan.

"There has to be an alternative to 'Sex in the City' for teens," Bourland said. "We offer a Christian world view rather than a hopeless, post-modern world view. We offer realistic answers."

Another tidbit that I found interesting in this article is:

Research by Zondervan found five authors account for 71 percent of young adult titles sold in Christian bookstores: Melody Carlson, Bryan Davis, Bill Myers, Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins.

Five authors do 71 percent of the young adult titles? Wow.

Visiting Bookstores

I just got back from a trip to San Francisco. Had a wonderful time.

Did you know there's a Starbucks on every corner in San Francisco? I'm not kidding. I believe that statement to be true, at least for the area where I stayed -- the Financial District. There was one in my hotel. Came out the front door of the hotel and there was one across the street. Walked up the street and there was one on the corner across the street. Walked around the block, and there was one on the backside.

Everywhere we walked - Starbucks. It became a joke.

There are also a lot of independent bookstores. I passed quite a few of them. And we walked and walked everywhere from China Town to Fisherman's Wharf to the Golden Gate Park to the Mission District to one area that we quickly hightailed it out of.

One bookstore I visited (can't remember the name of it), had narrow doors and interesting angles and turns, and floor to ceiling bookshelves.

On our last day in town before heading to the airport, my son wanted to find a book or magazine for the flight. Since we didn’t know of an independent close by, we went to the Borders less than a block away. He looked for magazines and books to take on the flight. I perused the magazines and didn't see anything interesting, so I did what I like to do when I'm in a bookstore.

Note here -- Booksellers may not like the following...

I looked for books by author friends of mine. And when I found them, I turned one or two of their books face out.

Didn't find everyone that I looked for, but did find Susan Wittig Albert -- turned one of her books face out. Also found Jeff Abbott and turned his. Located Diane Fanning in True Crime and sort of rearranged the shelf so I could face out two of hers. Went through Romance and found Jordan Dane and readjusted hers. Didn't see Rick Riordan in mystery, but found his children's series in that section of the store and made sure his was turned.

When you shop for books, you roam through the store and the books that first catch your eye are those with the cover facing out. So, I say, if you have friends who are authors, then find their books and turn one face out. Every little bit helps and they'd do the same for you.

LoveReading Site

Since I introduced LoveReading yesterday, I thought I’d highlight their website today.

The site is so new (still in Beta Testing) that I can’t recommend it yet, but it’s worth looking into, so I’m linking to it in case you had any trouble finding it.

You can look up books by genre. You can also search by categories, like Publisher of the Month, Author of the Month, Green Reads or Mind & Body. You can read extracts from books, find reviews, link to other books by the same author, and find out more about the author.

There are personalized email newsletters you can sign up for and a way to earn points. Plus, the site is searchable.

So, check it out.

Book Promotion Site

The UK is trying a new approach to promoting books by print-on-demand authors. Like the US, the UK is experiencing a surge in POD books, and they recognize the problems authors can have getting their books in brick-and-mortar stores.

The online book recommendation service, Lovereading, has just launched Lovewriting. Lovewriting is so new, it’s still in its Beta Test phase.

The press release about it in BookTrade was clearly a marketing piece, with tons of praise and hype, but it’s still worth keeping an eye on, especially if you’re an author in the UK.

Crucially – and this will be a major attraction for independent authors – on Lovewriting, just like on Lovereading, readers will be able to download and read, for free, Opening Extracts of each book. And if readers like what they read, they will be able to order and buy independently published books all in one Basket and all in one payment (by credit card or Paypal).

The site intends to help authors who published through publishing houses as well as guide POD authors through the process.

Additionally, Lovewriting has formed a relationship with the recognised and respected self-publishing house, Matador, who will guide unpublished authors through the publishing process. However, if a would-be author would rather go it alone and get their book published, Lovewriting provides an easy to use guide to take them through every step of the self-publishing process.

If anyone signs on with Lovereading, let us know how it goes.

Books: News and Not News

There’s news and then there’s not-news. When it comes to books and reading, here in the U.S. we hear a lot of not-news.

People are not reading as much as they used to. Young adults turn to the Internet and YouTube for their news. Publishers are struggling to make money and are turning to ebooks and no-royalty books. Bookstores are closing. Some people feel writers should get a one-time payment for their books, then give up all rights and make them available for free. Illiteracy is high. Frankly, this is all Not-News. We know it already. We may not like it, but we, as a nation, are not doing a whole lot about it.

Then there’s News. Take a look at the article in AllAfrica.com called, “Nigeria: National Book Policy Ready Soon.”

Dr. Jerry Agada, Minister of State for Education, at a press briefing to commemorate the 2008 World Book and Copyright Day (who in the U.S. even knows there is such a day!) said

the draft policy will address key issues in the book publishing industry such as how to make standard books available to Nigerians, copyright and book piracy. The policy, according to the Minister will also serve as a guide to Nigerians and motivate the citizenry to imbibe the habit of reading books and maintain personal libraries in their private homes.

According to Agada,

the development of a National Book Policy was a proactive step by the Federal Government to have a nation that reads and a nation that thinks, since meaningful socio-economic development cannot be attained in an illiterate environment.

Now that’s news. Good News. We could use a bit more good book news in the U.S.

Can a YA Author Successfully Move to Adult Fiction?

For a young adult author to change gears and write for an adult audience is not always easy. Margaret Wise Brown, who wrote the timeless classic Goodnight Moon, tried for years to do it and could never make the switch.

Some are able to make the move. Judy Blume has been successful with her adult books.

Author Stephenie Meyer is now trying to make the leap. She’s the mega-selling author of the Twilight Saga vampire series. In that series, she’s got three out and a fourth on the way. (I’ve read the first two.)

Now she’s publishing her first “adult” book. It’s a science fiction called The Host.
Her publisher hopes it will be successful, but doesn’t seem to be expecting it to be an immediate mega hit like her vampire series.

According to The Canadian Press,

The publisher has announced a first printing of 750,000, huge for most authors, but not so special for Meyer. She has more than 7.5. million books in print worldwide, according to Little, Brown, and is currently enjoying a Harry Potter-like presence on Amazon.com.

Oh, that we could all be that “not so special.”

In the article, Meyer admits that she started The Host as a “side project.” She did not “consciously write ‘The Host’ for an older audience and did not think of it as an adult book until she had completed it and showed the manuscript to her agent, Jodi Reamer.”

But a lot of adults, like even moi, picked up her YA vampire series and read them. Her publishers are hoping they’ll continue reading her as she makes this foray into adult fiction.

Amazon in the News Again

Amazon has been making news for months now. Some good; some not so good.

Remember Amazon’s ebook reader, the Kindle? Its sales seem to be still going well.

You’re hopefully aware of their push to have all publishers who use print-on-demand technology have to publish through Amazon’s POD arm in order to sell on Amazon. You can look at my post back in March to learn more.

You have to go back a little farther to remember that New York’s Department of Taxation and Finance put the screws to Amazon by deciding to tax Amazon and other e-tailers who don’t have a presence in the state.

This so greatly affected Amazon that this bill became known as the “Amazon tax.” Finally, according to Wired, after all this time Amazon has decided to fight.

The Seattle-based online retailer filed a complaint with the Supreme Court of the State of New York, calling the law unconstitutional.

Amazon argues that it shouldn’t have to pay (or collect) New York state taxes since it doesn’t have an office in the state. They also argue that the law “intentionally targets Amazon.”

If you sell your books on Amazon, especially if you’re an affiliate, this is something to keep an eye on.

Bookmark It! – Literary Rejections on Display

Here’s a blog worth bookmarking so you can go back to it for fun and information. It’s called Literary Rejections on Display.

Writer, Rejected’s bio reads:

I am a published, award-winning author of fiction and creative nonfiction--but whatever. In the eyes of many, I am still a literary reject.

S/he talks about publishing and about rejections – his or hers and others. (Clearly, I haven’t figured out whether Writer, Rejected is a man or a woman.)

Here’s a sample of what s/he has to say:

Remember when that was what it meant to be a writer? I find these days of celebrity worship to be confusing time. Whatever happened to contributing to the collective wisdom? I think mostly I write to figure out what the heck is going on in the world; at the very least, to know what I think about it.

S/he also posts his/her own rejection letters.

Stop by Literary Rejections on Display and take a tour.

Joe O’Connell – Guest Author

Our guest author this month is Joe O’Connell, award-winning short story writer and author of Evacuation Plan, a novel-in-stories. O’Connell is also a film columnist for both the Dallas Morning News and The Austin Chronicle. He's also written for Variety and Texas Monthly. Plus, when he’s not writing, he teaches writing to grad students at St. Edward's University and undergrads at Austin Community College.

Joe blogs about film, fiction, and his life. You can also find out a lot more about him and his teaching at his Austin Community College website.

Joe agreed to be interviewed about writing in general and his writing specifically. Not only did he answer all my questions, he’s offered a free copy of his book to a reader. At the end of this blog post, you’ll find out how to add your name to the drawing.

Welcome Joe.

Helen: How has your work as a film industry columnist and journalist helped you in fiction writing?

Joe: When I was a newspaper reporter in mid-sized cities, we'd have to take turns working Saturdays and the dreaded "festival beat." Every Saturday, particularly during warmer months, there would be a festival of some sort with a theme-watermelon, cotton, corn, you name it. Throw in some rodeos and you have a real challenge. Well, as an undergraduate I minored in business. The one class that actually stuck with me was economics where the talk was about the macro and the micro. Most reporters wrote the macro story ("A good time was had by all."), but the writerly reporters learned quickly that it was all about the micro--telling the big story by detailing the small tale of a young girl riding her first bull as her nervous family watched. I learned from this how to pay attention to detail.

At the same time, reporting teaches you to listen. Evacuation Plan grew out of a project I was chosen for that sent writers and visual artists into Hospice Austin's Christopher House, a residential hospice. Because I was an experienced reporter, I had less trouble shutting up and listening to people's stories. And the main character, Matt, is a screenwriter going into the hospice in search of a plot from his next script, so that's clearly inspired by my involvement writing about the film industry.


Helen: Evacuation Plan has an unusual structure. How did you come up with it? Was it planned or did it evolve as you wrote or researched?

Joe: When I did that project at Christopher House, I wrote poetry about it. I don't know why; that's just how the experience came out. Later, sitting at the bedside of my wife's feisty 93-year-old grandmother as she died, I realized this was a story I wanted to explore more in fiction. I'd read Tim O'Brien's novel July, July, which tells of a college reunion then jumps off into the stories of what experiences had shaped these old friends in the intervening years. I saw that I could do that with Evacuation Plan as well. Tim O'Brien, by the way, received some of the same reaction to this novel-in-stories style that I have! Some people love it, while others are put off by it and refuse to accept that this is in fact a novel. I think it's all about our expectations as readers. But it's the style I chose because it allows me to fully tell the story of this place while concentrating as well on a larger story of redemption and loss.

Helen: How much work did you do on each character's story, background and voice? Did some characters come whole to you? Were some based on real people?

Joe: That's a tough question. Some parts of the book date back a good while and others are very recent. My actual experience in Christopher House largely involved a friendship I developed with a wonderful 80-year-old woman. When I decided to write this as fiction, I knew I couldn't tell her story per se. Instead I thought of the one time I chickened out at the hospice. It was with an older man who reminded me too much of my own father. I left his room without hearing his story. So I decided I would tell his story as I imagined it. I also wanted to tell an entire family's story. I wanted to know the children's stories that the father never knew. My friend from hospice is alive in my book though. My experience with her and with other people at Christopher House is sprinkled throughout the story. We also get the stories of nurses, a funeral home worker, a cook, all sorts of people who move through this world of last moments.

Helen: A lot of published authors say that marketing is more difficult than the actual writing of the book. Have you found that to be true? What ways are you using to get the word out about Evacuation Plan?

Joe: It is tough. An author can choose to release the book out into the world and let it quickly disappear or work very hard to get people to read and talk about it. As the book was nearing publication, I met with a woman from Hospice Austin who offhandedly said, "It's good you realize how you can be of use." That hit me hard. I realized this book comes with a responsibility. While I consider myself an artist and writer and therefore mainly responsible for creating the best work possible, I also must work to get the word out about hospice. That message as I see it is that hospice gives people the gift of taking charge of the ends of their lives in as peaceful and pain-free an environment as possible. So I'm spreading that word. I talk to book clubs, writers groups, at book festivals, at pretty much any event that will have me. It's hard work--both finding places that want me to speak and devoting the time. But I think it's worth it. Celebrities dominate the book world these days. Serious writers who want to get noticed are going to have to do the heavy lifting themselves. And that's OK. As my personal writing mentor, the late Andre Dubus, said to me: we volunteered for this job. I guess the truth is marketing is putting me book on the festival circuit, only this time it's book festivals!

Helen: As a writing instructor at both St. Edward's University and Austin Community College, what advice would you give to Straight From Hel readers who are aspiring writers?

Joe: Know that it's not easy, and be sure that this is what you are driven to do. Find some good mentors to help you hone your craft, whether it be teachers or a solid critique group. I got an MFA in creative writing, and that helped me a lot, but I also got just as much after graduate school from a critique group that included mystery novelist Mary Willis Walker. They didn't talk much about plot in grad school, but the critique group did! And pacing, character motivation--all of those important things. The big advice I have is to be both humble and arrogant as a writer. Don't get too attached to your words, but don't bend to everyone's advice. The worst thing about being a writer is you essentially volunteer to be rejected over and over again. The writers who are successful learn to get past that. Ask yourself why you are doing this. If it's because you have to, keep going and never quit. Success comes to the persistent.

Helen: What are you working on now?

Joe: I wish I could say I applied for the project that brought me into hospice for all the right reasons. Actually, I was doing research for a mystery novel. I'm completing the second in a series that involved a small-town newspaper reporter and actively looking to place the first book, which was a finalist for publication from Poisoned Pen Press. I'm also doing some screenwriting projects. I've got a script treatment going out right away to a very influential producer. But that side of writing is even tougher! I've got enough story ideas to keep me busy for a long time, and I like that.

Thank you Joe!

Beth Newcomb, with The Paisano, said this about Evacuation Plan:
"Evacuation Plan: A Novel From The Hospice" by Joe M. O'Connell is nothing short of remarkable….While reading this book, one feels a need to race to the end and unravel the mystery surrounding this complex story.

If you’re interested in buying a copy of Joe’s book, you can find a link on his website. And if you’d like to possibly WIN a copy, all you have to do is go to his blog and leave him a comment with your contact information. Good Luck!

Thank you again, Joe.

One Author’s Path to Publishing Success

For anyone who’s self published or is considering that path, USA Today has a success story to make you feel good.

An Oregon author, William P. Young, wrote a novel “to explain his own harrowing journey through pain and misery to ‘light, love and transformation’ in God to his six children, ages 14 to 27.” His immediate goal was to get it copied and bound in time to give it to his kids at Christmas.

But then he read about a pastor who had self-published and was reading at a nearby bookstore, so he went to see him.

The end result? That pastor, Wayne Jacobsen, and another, Brad Cummings, formed Windblown Media and published the book. Along with Ross, they “embarked on a word-of-mouth, church-to-church, blog-to-blog campaign to get copies out.”
QUOTE: Now, "there are 880,000 copies in print, 750,000 in distribution, and we're talking to New York publishers," Young says.

And since we’re on the topic of Publishing Success – Joe O’Connell, our May Featured Author will be here tomorrow for a Q&A about writing, his new book, Evacuation Plan, and any other questions you have for him. And remember, you’ll have a chance to sign up for a free copy of his novel-in-stories.

An Author Who Did the Work and Got the Reward

An article in the Daily Record (United Kingdom) caught my eye. It’s about a Scottish author, Jack Ross, who has published his first crime novel. The fact that he’s a debut author isn’t what intrigued me, although that was interesting enough –

He took the usual route of a new author – he sent his manuscript/query out to agents … and got rejection after rejection and did rewrite after rewrite. He followed this path for years.

But then …

He eventually decided to aim for the top and sent his manuscript to well-known London agent Caradoc King, of the AP Watt firm. King represents best-selling writers Philip Pullman, Nicholas Evans, of Horse Whisperer fame, and Man and Boy author Tony Parsons.

And then…

"Within 48 hours, I had a call from his office and, once I got in touch with him, things went very fast."
The novel was sold to publishers Hutchinson in a two-book deal (the sequel River Of Grass is currently close to completion), while foreign rights have been sold to Germany and Romania, with the BBC buying up the audio book rights. It is released on paperback by Arrow books (John Grisham's label) later this year and they are currently working on deals to sell the book in America and further a field. A Hollywood agent is also planning to hold discussions with major studios to agree film or TV rights when the second novel is finished.

Now, clearly, that’s a great story. But what interested me in this article is the research Ross did on the novel. He’s from Scotland – keep that in mind.

He spent seven years researching and writing the novel. During that time, he wasn’t just sitting at his computer at home. He traveled to Miami “to scout locations and research his subject.”

During his trip to the sunshine state, Jack was warned off "no whites" slums, met prison warders, relatives of death row inmates and also went on ride-alongs with undercover cops to get a real feel for the seedier side of the city.

Since his book had its beginnings in a story of real people, he interviewed them.

"I spoke to a lot of detectives to get an idea of how they work and how they talk, and get a feel for things."

As well as gaining an insight into the city's seedier underbelly, Jack also spoke to people directly involved with death row inmates, a situation his fictional character William Craig finds himself. … And he spoke to relatives of inmates on death row and state penitentiary workers.

He, of course, also did considerable research on the Internet.

Then … he wrote the first draft in a month.

It pays to do the groundwork.

No Poet and I Know It

I used to write poetry. Way back in the emotional days of college. I was actually pretty good at it. Or so I tell myself.

But not anymore.

Last week, I went to lunch with a group of writer friends. We all get together five or six times a year. But one member is leaving the group and moving back to her hometown. So for the lunch, we were to each bring her a present to remind her of Austin and to write something for her.

I decided to write a poem. I even made it rhyme – more or less. It had no form, no structure, no flow. It really wasn’t good. But it rhymed … sometimes.

Okay, I admit it. It sucked. I’m no poet. I know it.

Bookmark It! for Writers

This week’s Bookmark It! site is actually a blog post. John Kremer sent out a challenge – come up with 101 ways for authors to market their books.

Author Joanna Campbell Slan took up the challenge. Slan is the author of Paper, Scissors, Death, available this September. She lists 101 Ways to Market Your Books on Kremer’s site.

Some are obvious:

Get the best cover possible.

Some less so:

Print marketing information on the inside of that over-run cover and use it like postcards, especially to market to booksellers who want to see the cover before placing an order.

Some cute:

Carry my book with me and read it while I'm waiting in public transportation.

Some sneaky:

Swap with an author friend: I put up her info on Wikipedia and she does the same for me. We both mention our books.

Check out the entire list.

May’s Guest Author Coming Next Week

Next Thursday, author Joe O’Connell will stop by Straight From Hel for a Q&A. I’ll have questions for him and you’re welcome to post questions or comments for him as well.

Joe’s Bio starts out like this:

Joe O'Connell has met a mass murderer, competed in a Spam cook-off, prowled a crack house, and spat seeds at a watermelon thump. He's an Austin, Texas, native whose early career focused on small-town journalism in Texas cities including Lockhart, Temple, and Victoria. He specialized in politics and won awards for feature writing while telling the stories of both the ordinary and extraordinary.

Ya gotta like a guy like that. By the way, I’ve decided Joe and I might be cousins, since I spent a weekend doing research in a Texas women’s prison; I’ve lived in Austin for a little over 21 years; I went to high school in Lockhart; and they used to hold the Chili cook-off on the grounds of Aquarena Springs where I was a mermaid. I also lived one year in Luling where the annual watermelon thump is held. Holla, Cuz Joe.

His book, Evacuation Plan, was inspired by three months spent at Hospice Austin’s Christopher House. As part of a competitively chosen group of writers and visual artists, he listened to the terminally ill, their families and the nurses and staff talk about death. From that, he wrote, not a nonfiction account of his experiences, but a novel-in-stories that has garnered much praise.

You can visit his blog, check out his website, then come back next week to ask questions or leave comments for Joe – and sign up for a chance to win a copy of Evacuation Plan.