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Listening To Lombardi

April 15, 2011 in Rapscallion | 3 comments



- Hut-THREE!

Before the word died I was across the line of scrimmage, neatly dodging my marker, heading for the line. Faster. Break. Shoulder down and cut inside. Now turn! Keep your eye on the ball. Let it come to you. Perfect pass. Now go. Run till your lungs are bursting .. TOUCHDOWN!!

And in that vast arena the only voice I could hear was my father’s, shouting:

- That’s it son! Show’em what you can do!

It was the only voice because he was the only spectator. Him and Lombardi, our faithful old dog.

It was the best present I’d ever had. A brand new writing-kit, helmet, pants, jersey with my own special number – ISBN 978-1-4523-3709-8 – but more than that, the chance to play at Kindlestick Park, home to 5 million fans. This was my chance to make it into the Big League.

As the day I’d always dreamed of drew ever closer, I was the envy of all my friends. Woo-hoo, you made it, you really made it. Gee, I really wish I could be there. I prepared a press-pack, posed for publicity shots – the all-American hero. Yes, I knew it was a lie, but somehow all-British didn’t really work; surely I could be a virtual American, couldn’t I?

But now, as I sat in the locker-room before my big game, I had my first misgivings. Sure, I was just happy to be there and on the team – except there was no team. Plenty of other players, but each one of us scheduled for our five minutes of glory out there alone on the field. Imaginary glory, an imaginary game, imaginary supporters. Except for my dad and Lombardi.

I ran. I dazzled. I scored. I wept.

My father patted me on the helmet.

- Never mind, son. If only the scouts had been here. With a performance like that, you could have been a contender.

And then, for the first – and last – time, Lombardi spoke:

- The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual.

At the time, it didn’t seem to make any sense. But somehow, I couldn’t shake those words out of my head.

I was out there on the practice field with a few of my friends. Back to earth. We were choosing sides for the game, and it was my turn to be captain. Who would I pick first? Suki Michelle. There was a writer I truly admired. A player who hid behind her characters so you’d hardly know she was there, but then when she came running at you, boy, she packed a punch. Like with her short story, Daddy’s Machine: the first time I read it, I didn’t know quite what had hit me.

So who next?

Maybe it was because Lombardi was sitting there, tongue lolling, head cocked, his eyes bright and staring at me – was that a wink? Suddenly I realized exactly what he’d meant. If we were going to win big-time, it wasn’t just about finding the best players. I needed to build an organization. People working together.

Who next? David Baboulene. Player-coach. David’s a strategist, a student of the game, and he teaches his distilled knowledge in The Science of Story. But like me, he’s a performer too, blogging live on how he’s turning a 25-word synopsis into a film within six months. (We still need to teach David a bit about the American game – he thinks he’s Georgie Best, and insists on kicking the ball every time he receives a pass.)

And then? Well if we were going to find talented players, then we needed scouts. First up, I chose eCapris, who reviews ‘ebooks that are shorter than usual’. That’s smart. With so many writers to choose from, it makes sense to spend an hour or so with them and see how they perform. If they were rated by eC, then I was ready to take a closer look.

Next? Cheer-leaders and supporters. Now I know supporters usually choose the team, not the other way round. But there were a couple who’d been particularly loyal, reading everything that came their way. I wanted Niki and Stuart on my side. And I wanted them to know that their efforts to support the team and spread the word were as important as anything else we did.

And now my mind was racing. It wasn’t enough to be a single team. We needed to play in a league. To associate with other teams who had great players too. Teams like 40kBooks perhaps, producing ‘smart books for smart people’. Was I thinking right, Lombardi?

I glanced across at the old dog. He nodded.

# # #



Today’s featured short-story comes from Suki Michelle. A native of Chicago, Suki’s one of the most versatile and exciting writers I’ve met. You’ll find Daddy’s Machine free at Smashwords. It’s a disturbing story about the consequences of intelligence without understanding, and knowledge without wisdom.

If you enjoy this sample, then head on over to her Facebook page for The Apocalypse Gene, something completely different, as is the way with Suki. It’s a novel co-written with partner Carlyle Clarke that ‘breaks convention, combining the magic of urban fantasy with the swagger of near-future cyberpunk’, scheduled for publication in the fall by Parker Publishing Inc.

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New cover design for The Lebanese Troubles

March 15, 2011 in News | 4 comments


The Dog River – Nahr Al Kalb

Our little rubber boat swirled and twisted in the boiling, ice-cold water. Circling above us dizzily, the thick green pines and the mountain peaks, here and there flashes of snow gleaming in the spring sun. The Dog River – Nahr al Kalb. Somewhere up here last year, they said, a father had hacked his daughter to death because she’d run off with her lover. Now that same blind fury was sweeping us down from the primitive heart of Lebanon, down towards its narrow rich Mediterranean plain.


Well I’ve finally gone ahead and done it. Changed the cover design for The Lebanese Troubles. And this is it. I’ve left the original cover over on the right for you to make comparisons.

Why not until now? Two reasons. First, I absolutely love Tom Young’s painting which I used on the original cover. When I first saw ‘Twenty Years’, it seemed almost to have been painted for TLT, perfectly reflecting the mood at the end of the book, even if it shows a scene that never actually happens.

But what I’ve learned in the past year is that artistry and appropriacy is not enough for a good front cover, especially for ebooks. The reader normally only sees a thumbnail sketch of the cover; nevertheless the impression it creates will very often determine whether the purchase is made or not.

My problem was that the original cover was bleak, and it seems that readers don’t buy bleak. Worse, it gives the impression that the whole book is about war. Today’s readers want blood and guts, that’s true, but only when the perpetrator is a vampire. Reading for many is a form of escapism: they want to suspend their disbelief, not be confronted with grim realities.

I haven’t managed to slip a vampire into the story yet. But if you’ve read the book, you’ll know that there’s a good deal of humor and energy, and that was not reflected in my cover.

The second problem was that I couldn’t find a good alternative. But today I found it – the picture I’ve used – license free, in that great resource, Wikimedia Commons. A little bit of work to do with the titles, using the free design tool, Paint (here’s a tutorial on how to create your own book cover), and we were good to go.

Several readers told me they thought the book would sell better with pictures of Monique and Claire on the front cover. As you can see, I didn’t. I thought long and hard about it, but in the end decided that I just didn’t have the skill, the time or the money to do it well. I’ll consider that again in the next iteration.

Another thing I didn’t do was to change the title of the book, despite frequent criticisms. Again I thought about it: “Sinners in Paradise” perhaps; or “The Land of Nod”. My favorite was “East of Eden” … but that’s been done before. What about “An Apprentice Hero”? In the end I rejected them all. The things is that I’ve spent months building brand recognition and getting “The Lebanese Troubles” to the top of the Google listings. If I change the title now, all that good work will be lost … and I’ll immediately invalidate those oh-so-important reviews. And besides, TLT is really quite a subtle title, exploding into a new meaning towards the end of the book.

Back to the cover design, and you’ll see a new Rapscallion logo at the bottom left. Thanks here to my good friend from TNBW, Greta Stone, who kindly developed four alternative designs for me, all with a spiky humorous touch. At thumbnail size, we’ll hardly see the logo, bur at full size I think it works, don’t you agree?

Let’s hear your views on the changes. Will the new cover make customers more likely to stop and look again than previously? How does it work for you? And in the coming days, I’ll let you know whether it really does make a difference to sales.



Please note that TLT will not be available at Amazon for a few days while their version is updating. But Smashwords has already made the changes, and the book is available there as normal – just follow the link in the sidebar.

I posted yesterday a longish sample from TLT, describing the mood in Beirut on the first day of the civil war. It seemed particularly appropriate as Bahrain seems to be headed in the same direction. How I wish people would learn to accommodate and celebrate their differences instead of using guns to enforce a point of view. Anyway, if you’d like to read the sample, you can either click here, or use the ‘Sample’ tab at the top of the page.

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Paul Story: Finding Your Writing Twin

May 4, 2010 in Activities | 15 comments

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Postbox

‘Postbox in Cambridge’
Not my bike – but it could be!

I’m hosting this post on behalf of Paul Story, author of Dreamwords,who came up with an excellent suggestion on the Kindle Community forum today. His idea is that a community of talented independent writers should seek out books which will ‘twin’ with their own. The twin would be in the same genre, might have a similar theme, would appeal to similar readers, and would maintain the same high standard.

There’s been considerable interest – follow this link if you’d like to see the whole discussion.

We’ve agreed that we now need to discuss the details off-line – so today, A Real Writer takes on a new role – it’s a gleaming, freshly painted postbox. If you’re interested in the idea or you’d like to learn more, just post a response to this post. I’ll then pick up your email address and forward it to Paul.

If you’re a regular reader, you’ll know that I’ve been an advocate of indie writers learning to hunt in packs for some time – and Paul’s idea has the virtue of simplicity.

There must be something in the air. Paul wasn’t the only one talking about collaboration today. I’ve been talking to Ali Cooper, author of The Girl On The Swing, who’s also keen to cross-review with other literary fiction writers.

What unites Paul, Ali and myself is that we’re all disenchanted with the constant beating of the self-promotion drum that seems to afflict indie writers. Yes, of course we all want to draw attention to ‘the best book you’ve ever read’. As a reader – a fan of indie books – commented on Paul’s thread today: ‘…a lot of writers shoot themselves in the foot when it comes to promotion.’ Better than self-promotion, we think, is building a strong community of talented writers, and reviewing the work of those we most admire. If we do so fairly, intelligently and professionally, this is surely an important step on the road to indie credibility and a wider readership.

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With A Little Help From My Friends

April 18, 2010 in Rapscallion | 10 comments

Rapscallion

I can’t think of many reasons why I would want an established publisher to handle my novels. On the whole I’d prefer readers to enjoy my books now, not when I’m dead. Even if I got lucky and it didn’t take half a lifetime to find the ideal agent/publisher, I’d regret giving up control over my work. And I’m not impressed by the poor earnings mid-range published authors (like Lynn Viehl) report: if a writing career means life in a garret, I’d prefer to gather in the thin rewards myself, not pay for someone else’s pension plan.

But there’s one big advantage that the big publishers bring. Credibility. With a capital C.

If Credibility was just a matter of self-esteem – Ma, guess who’s just agreed to publish me? – then it would be no big deal. But it is a big deal, because Credibility is what’s going to get you reviews, and reviews are going to help get you readers, and readers are going to get you more readers.

Think about it. How many books have you read recently when you’ve never heard of the author and there were no recommendations? Books and authors with zero credibility. That’s where we all start as Indie writers. As I’ve put it before: we’re on the top shelf in the darkest corner of a back room in a bookstore that nobody ever visits.

Unless …

Unless we do what the publishers do. Hunt in packs. Work as a team. Build a market together. If my reader numbers are still small and your reader numbers are still small, and we both enjoy one another’s work, then it makes sense to search out those readers together. Because when someone does find my book and enjoys it, and they see that I’m an admirer of yours, the chances are reasonable that they might try your book too. And vice versa. Add a third good writer into the mix, and the chances are even higher for all of us. How do we do that? We agree to share an imprint. Like, say, Rapscallion.

There are other consequences of this approach. It’s important to me now that readers like your book. It has to be as good as it possibly can be – for my sake. The same with my book – for your sake. So it makes sense for us to work together helping one another. How? Well, cross-editing for example. Or if I’ve got web experience, maybe I can advise you on putting together a good website. If you’re an artist or a photographer, maybe you can help me with my cover design. And maybe the third writer works in another life as a marketing expert or a lawyer. So let’s bring those skills on board too. Also we can all start reviewing one another – honestly, critically and professionally of course, because if a reader detects that we’re making false claims for one another, then we all quickly lose credibility.

What does this make us? A publisher? Well, not exactly. This is more a collaboration than a business: authors still retain their own copyrights and can opt in and out of the scheme at any time. So is it a literary agency? Not exactly that either. Rapscallion – because that’s what I’m calling this collaboration – will absolutely not be requesting submissions: I don’t want to be in the business of disappointment, issuing rejections. Or being submerged with manuscripts we can’t handle. A better way, as I see it, is for Rapscallion to headhunt – to go looking for talented writers and inviting them to join. In a sense, I suppose, we would do the job I’d really like the agent to do: not just find a publisher – but to manage the whole marketing campaign, helping writers reach the widest possible audience and be well-rewarded for their skills. (Think Brian Epstein and The Beatles – if you’re that old!) That’s very much the Rapscallion mission.

Call it a seed publisher, perhaps. A Credibility Conferrer.

Ah – do I hear objections at the back of the room? Elitism, you say? Not in the spirit of the Indie movement? You’re making value judgments. Well, perhaps I am. I’m saying that I admire writers published under the Rapscallion imprint. And that their work complements mine – If you loved this book, then you may also enjoy … And that their work is published to the highest standard. In that sense, elitist. But I’d never deny anyone the right to publish anything they choose to. Nor would I want to see Rapscallion taking control, denying writers their independence. The idea is that the imprint should serve writers, not vice versa.

So it’s sorted then? Indie writers work in teams and find thousands of readers? Unfortunately it’s not as simple as that. Reputation and credibility are built one reader at a time, as Suki and I have seen with our first Rapscallion publications. Have we been delighted with the response so far? No. Is it hard work? Yes. Will it succeed?

I pause for dramatic effect.

You know what’s coming, don’t you? I’m going to ask you for your opinion.

Well, actually, I’m not. Not yet anyway. More important are your questions. How exactly will it work? Who will do the inviting and how many will be invited? How will it grow? How will we maintain editing standards? Will people need to pay for services rendered? Will they be paid for services provided? Will there be a pricing policy? Will we deal with printed books as well as ebooks? How will we cope with different genres – and therefore different readership profiles? Could people join as Rapscallion readers as well as Rapscallion writers? Do we need to be country-bound – or even language-bound?

How would you answer any of these questions? What other questions do you have? And to focus your thinking, let me point you in the direction of a group of writers who started thinking this way before I did. I came across Backword yesterday, when one of their members mentioned them in a post on the Kindle Boards. Interested, I sampled one of their novels last night – R.J. Keller’s Waiting for Spring – and now I’m a fan. I’ll be going back to read more of the Backword books, for sure. So their Indie authors’ collective worked for me. One reader at a time.

Related

The Indie writer – freedom to innovate

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