KN Magazine: Articles
Self-Publishing: Gone Fishing
When you self-publish, you often don't have the good fortune of having an all-powerful, brilliant editor who's going to turn each of your caffeine-fueled lines into a polished gem. Rather, the onus falls on you, dear writer (brilliant in your own right), to keep the reader in the forefront of your mind and make each word, each scene, fraught with tension.
In this month's "Self-Publishing," author Tom Wood gives insight into how he builds suspense and how you, too, can become a fisher of men, so to speak.
Gone Fishing
By Tom Wood
When’s the last time you went fishing? It’s been years, maybe decades, since I wet a line (that’s fishin’ talk).
If like me — always behind the keyboard and busy writing, writing, writing, trying to meet a deadline — then it’s probably been a while for you, too.
Right now, I’ve got another Word document open and am hard at work on the sequel to my debut novel Vendetta Stone, a fictional true-crime thriller. So when my Killer Nashville Online Magazine editor e-mailed a request for me to contribute a column about literary suspense, I said, sure, no problem. What’s one more deadline?
As a journalist/author, I’ve lived a lifetime meeting deadlines.
But actually, I would rather be down at the ol’ fishing hole, gentle waters lapping at my feet and introducing Mister Minnow to Mister Bass.
That got me to thinking.
Building literary suspense is a lot like going fishing.
I mean, isn’t that what we are all trying to accomplish with our stories? Author Joe Fisherman wants to catch as many fish, er, readers as he can—no limits—and in doing so, he want to catch them off-guard.
All genre writers know the basic definition of literary suspense, though we may approach it from different angles—which makes us anglers, another synonym that fishermen use to describe themselves.
My quest in building literary suspense is to create enough compelling tension in the story and enough obstacles for the main characters that readers feel an empathy for them and concern for their safety and well-being. I want them hanging on every word, and when they get to the end of the chapter, I want them to breathlessly flip to the next page to find out what happens next.
In fishing parlance, that’s called playing the line. Get the reader hooked, let them run with the story going in one direction and then the other, a few tugs at the heartstrings and then worn out from holding their collective breaths, you slowly reel the reader back in.
One reader emailed how much they enjoyed Vendetta Stone, but complained that I made him late to work because he stayed up reading. I smiled, knowing I had done my job.
You need the right bait, the right lure, if you’re gonna reel in readers. That’s the compelling action of your story and what the stakes are for your protagonist versus his/her antagonist.
What’s your story hook? Figure that out, and you have them.
Patience is a virtue when you cast that line, but you must learn how to play it just right. You don’t want to lose the reader to sloppy writing, a boring story, a lack of action or any other number of things that lets them wiggle off the hook.
Some of the best writing advice I learned was at 2011 Killer Nashville during a session on story structure hosted by guest of honor Robert Dugoni. It wasn’t about fishing, but it would’ve been a good analogy.
Bob talked about the importance of the first sentence/paragraph of a chapter being so good that it compels readers to continue. The second-most important sentence/paragraph, Bob said, must close that chapter—the object being to compel the reader to quickly turn to the next chapter. And it didn’t matter how long—or short—the chapter was to get from Point A to Point B, just whatever it took.
That excellent advice helped me hone my story and take it from a good story to a publishable work of fiction.
When everything comes together, you’ve caught the reader—hook, line and sinker.
A veteran sports writer and copy editor, Tom Wood has covered a variety of events ranging from the Iroquois Memorial Steeplechase to the Atlanta Olympic Games for The Tennessean in Nashville. After retirement, he continues his passion for writing, contributing to the Civil War-based anthology, Filtered Through Time and conducting an interview with Stephen King for Feast of Fear: Conversations with Stephen King. In the last year, Tom has begun writing Western fiction short stories, two of which have been published by Western Trail Blazer. “Tennesseans West” is his next project with four other authors involved. He is also an actor and can be seen in several episodes of the ABC series “Nashville”. He also coordinates the Killer Nashville guest blog series. Vendetta Stone is his first novel and he is working on the sequel.
Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale.
Self-Publishing: The Perfect Title
I used to have a professor who would often ask, “So, what are you writing right now?”
The first few times he asked, I gave him a synopsis of whatever plot I’d been kicking around, major character traits, etc. Inevitably, my professor would stop me and say, “Yeah, but what’s your title?”
His lesson was simple: if you aren’t committed enough to a piece to sit down and think of a good, working title, then why should anyone else care about what you’re writing?
Granted, that’s a bit harsh, but his philosophy helped me to understand that titles are paramount to shaping readers’ perception of your work, and the creation of titles is not to be taken any more lightly than any other component of the writing process.
Often, though, finding the right title for your work seems impossible. Nothing fits; nothing inspires. In this month’s column, author and self-publishing wiz Tom Wood offers insight into how to find the perfect title for your work.
Finding the Perfect Title
By Tom Wood
"Vendetta Stone: The Force Awakens."
“Whaddya think?” the marketing genius said. “It’s got a nice ring, huh?”
A thoughtful pause.
“You’ve had some wild ideas that worked before, but I don’t know about this one,” the treasurer/vice-president retorted. “What do you think, boss?”
An instant response from the chief executive of Me, Myself and I Self-Publishing, LLC: “Next! One more like that and you guys are fired!”
Sigh.
As great as it would be to capitalize on the success of the latest movie in the Star Wars franchise, it probably wouldn’t be the best title for the sequel to my self-published debut novel. So, I’ll pass on this one. Go in a different direction. Try something else, perhaps a little more in tune with what the book is actually about.
A silly conversation, at best, but it illustrates the decisions you have to make about perhaps the most important aspect of your self-published novel: The Perfect Title.
Look at it this way: You’ve spent countless hours writing and rewriting your novel, then run it past an editor, your critique group, your beta readers—or maybe just the relatives—and you’re going to spend just a few minutes, perhaps several hours (or maybe even a couple of days) coming up with the first words a potential reader sees about your book? Traditional publishing houses hold scheduled meetings to consider different titles for books.
There are a number of facets to consider in boiling the guts of your book down to one catchy turn of a phrase when trying to connect with potential readers.
But you have to think of it as a smart business decision, one that intrigues/hooks a reader before they’ve read the back cover or the first paragraph of the first chapter. The title may or may not tie in to the cover art, but that’s a discussion for another day.
Inspiration for The Perfect Title can come from anywhere.
It might be a line from your book. Or it could come from “The Good Book.” Some of the great book titles inspired by phrases from the Bible include Chariots of Fire, East of Eden, Stranger in a Strange Land, The Sun Also Rises, and Vengeance Is Mine.
Titles inspired by our literary predecessors are also not uncommon. Lines from some of William Shakespeare’s greatest works have wound up in book titles, including Something Wicked This Way Comes, Brave New World, and The Fault in our Stars.
Inspiration might be found in a sense of whimsy, a twist of a popular phrase, some other form of media, or an off-hand comment from a family member or friend. It might take weeks, months, and perhaps even years, to decide on the right title for your book. Then after you’ve settled on one, something else comes to mind and you go in an entirely new direction.
And sometimes we’re just in the right place at the right time for that spark of imagination that will lead to a great title.
For me, inspiration was a combination of all these. And it came from one of the last things I wrote.
Vendetta Stone tells the story of Nashville advertising executive Jackson Stone and his quest to find his wife’s killer.
After months of kicking around ideas, and not being happy with any of them, at my wife’s suggestion I decided to spend an afternoon downstairs boiling the book down to its basics to come up with ideas for the title. I had the television on, but wasn’t really watching.
Ten minutes into what I expected to be a day-long process, I decided to focus on these angles:
Jackson Stone. I wanted the main character’s name somewhere, somehow in the title. Stone provided more opportunities and gave it a little more grit. Stone’s _____ or _____ Stone. OK. That’s settled.
Play up the revenge element. I started thinking about synonyms for revenge and pairing them with Stone. Avenge, vengeance, retaliation, payback and retribution all came to mind. I said combinations out loud, seeing if that had that certain ring to them. Stone’s Vengeance? Nah. Payback for Stone? Nope.
At almost the exact moment I said “Vendetta Stone,” a commercial for Rosetta Stone, the language-learning software, came on the television …
Ding, ding, ding.
Excited, I quickly Googled for Rosetta Stone and found this definition at dictionary.com: “A clue, breakthrough or discovery that provides crucial knowledge for the solving of a puzzle or problem.”
Light bulbs exploded in my brain.
I knew I had found The Perfect Title.
But these moments of inspiration aren’t always so easy to come by. More often than not, finding The Perfect Title requires long hours and several bad ideas before you land on a good one. Test out different methods and figure out what works best for you. There’s no wrong way to go about finding your own perfect title.
A veteran sports writer and copy editor, Tom Wood has covered a variety of events ranging from the Iroquois Memorial Steeplechase to the Atlanta Olympic Games for The Tennessean in Nashville. After retirement, he continues his passion for writing, contributing to the Civil War-based anthology, Filtered Through Time and conducting an interview with Stephen King for Feast of Fear: Conversations with Stephen King. In the last year, Tom has begun writing Western fiction short stories, two of which have been published by Western Trail Blazer. “Tennesseans West” is his next project with four other authors involved. He is also an actor and can be seen in several episodes of the ABC series “Nashville”. He also coordinates the Killer Nashville guest blog series. Vendetta Stone is his first novel and he is working on the sequel.
Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale.
Self-Publishing: Finding Your Audience
So, you’ve published a book? Now, the real hurdle is getting it to your readers. This is an extremely difficult task—especially for self-published writers—and dooms a good many. Author Tom Wood shares his own methods to distribute his novel, Vendetta Stone.
Finding Your Audience: Festivals, Events, Book Signings
By Tom Wood
Over and over, an old media axiom was reinforced during several workshops at the recent Film-Com event in Nashville.
“If Content is King, then Distribution is King Kong.”
For self-published authors, truer words were never spoken.
Or harder to achieve.
Writing your book is just the first baby-step in this process. Distribution of your novel is everything.
On one hand, distribution is easier than ever, thanks to the Internet. I self-published through CreateSpace, and get worldwide distribution through Amazon and Kindle.
My book, Vendetta Stone, sells very well in Europe and I have registered sales in Australia and many other countries outside the U.S.
On the other hand, I have trouble getting my fictional true-crime thriller in chain bookstores and even some independent bookstores. The latter especially bothers me.
I understand how indie storeowners would consider Amazon the enemy, but not carrying my book isn’t hurting Amazon. It’s hurting me—and, potentially, readers who might enjoy my book.
Some chain bookstores won’t carry Vendetta Stone on the shelves, but it is available for order on their website or at a store.
So distribution can be a tricky puzzle to solve.
A grass roots approach seems to work, at least it does for me.
I do as much promotion as possible, arranging events and interviews, festivals and libraries, speaking engagements, etc. My motto is: Never turn down an opportunity.
When Vendetta Stone first came out in late 2013, John Seigenthaler, my former boss at The Tennessean, invited me to tape a segment for his long-running talk show with authors. It aired in late July 2014, just a few days after his death at age 86.
After the taping, John and I discussed marketing strategies. When I told him I didn’t want to be seen as too pushy, he smiled and offered two words of advice that have stuck with me. “Be pushy,” was all he said.
And that is about the best advice I have to offer—be pushy (but in a kinder, gentler way).
You are going to have to network to find some of those opportunities, keeping your eyes open for any prospect. One author I know announced that she would be appearing at the prestigious 2014 Dahlonega Literary Festival. I made a couple of calls, looked at the event’s website, sent a few emails—now I will be at the 2016 Dahlonega Literary Festival in March.
So, finding lists of major book events in your region is one key. Reach out to your local and state libraries for contact lists. Scan the local newspapers for lists of upcoming events that don’t have a thing to do with books. They publish those lists sometimes months in advance or have a website with that information readily available. They might even provide you with a list, or at least point you in the right direction.
Festivals and fairs are always looking for vendors to hawk their products. And if you’re an author, your books are your products. Go to FestivalNet.com for an idea of what’s out there. It will blow your mind just how many different events are listed in your area.
It’s like this: when you are writing, you are creating worlds, spinning yarns and living the dream. When you are promoting, you are a salesman, and you have one product to sell. Well, two. Besides the book, you are selling yourself (but not your soul) as someone to whom an audience should pay attention. It takes a lot of confidence, and a little brass. But if you don’t do it, who will?
Our Authors Circle group annually has several members at events in Franklin, Tennessee, such as the Main Street Festival in the spring, and Dickens of a Christmas in early December. We are right out there with all the food vendors, the candlestick makers, the jewelry sellers, and everyone else. Books make great Christmas gifts, right?
For speaking engagements which may lead to sales opportunities, contact the Rotary Club, the Lions and any other civic groups you can think of, especially those which have something to do with your particular genre. Think outside the box—and the books!
Here’s a final suggestion: always carry a few bookmarks to distribute wherever you are. If I see someone reading a book at the airport or a coffee shop, I’ll politely interrupt and offer them a bookmark with a picture of my book cover, a teaser, and information on how they can order a copy.
Maybe someday they’ll look at it and decide it intrigues them enough to buy.
That’s old-school distribution: one reader at a time.
A veteran sports writer and copy editor, Tom Wood has covered a variety of events ranging from the Iroquois Memorial Steeplechase to the Atlanta Olympic Games for The Tennessean in Nashville. After retirement, he continues his passion for writing, contributing to the Civil War-based anthology, Filtered Through Time and conducting an interview with Stephen King for Feast of Fear: Conversations with Stephen King. In the last year, Tom has begun writing Western fiction short stories, two of which have been published by Western Trail Blazer. “Tennesseans West” is his next project with four other authors involved. He is also an actor and can be seen in several episodes of the ABC series “Nashville”. He also coordinates the Killer Nashville guest blog series. Vendetta Stone is his first novel and he is working on the sequel.
Killer Nashville is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you purchase a book from the links on this page, Amazon will give Killer Nashville a small percentage of the total sale.
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