Peter Kazmaier

In part I of this series on Micro-Publishing, I listed the arguments against self-publishing that I have heard from writers, editors, and publishers. These can be summarized as follows:

1. In Self-Publishing editors, publishing companies, and marketing vendors take advantage of neophyte authors by lauding a bad book idea and then having the author pay them thousands of dollars for services that produce a book that will never sell.
2. If the manuscript were really any good, a conventional royalty publisher would pay to have it published.
3. An individual does not have the infrastructure or the marketing clout to compete with the major publishing houses.
4. Most self-publishers only sell 100-200 copies of their book.
5. Self-publishing is synonymous with low quality work.
6. If you self-publish a book, your brand (name) will be tainted and conventional publishers will not consider your future submissions.

Are these criticisms valid? continue reading…

In the Writer’s Group that I attend we talked about self-publishing at our last meeting before we began to read our most recent creations. There were many thoughts presented for and against self-publishing versus the traditional route of searching for a royalty publisher for your manuscript. This question has been brought into sharp relief as traditional publishers and booksellers continue to suffer. For example Borders’ process toward Chapter 11 protection was recently documented (see the article by Tiffany Cary Borders Liquidation Riles Toronto’s Kobo, National Post, page FP1, July 19, 2011). So what is a neophyte writer to do with this question about whether or not to self-publish?

Let me begin by quoting Robert Sawyer, arguably the most successful Science Fiction writer in Canada.

Sawyer, in his Letter to Beginning Writers, says in his 1oth bullet “Do not self-publish. Seriously. Don’t.”

Beginning with that rather strong censure of Self-Publishing, let me summarize the arguments against self-publishing that I have heard from writers, editors, and publishers:

1. In Self-Publishing editors, publishing companies, and marketing vendors take advantage of neophyte authors by lauding a bad book idea and then having the author pay them thousands of dollars for services that produce a book that will never sell.
2. If the manuscript were really any good, a conventional royalty publisher would pay to have it published.
3. An individual does not have the infrastructure or the marketing clout to compete with the major publishing houses.
4. Most self-publishers only sell 100-200 copies of their book.
5. Self-publishing is synonymous with low quality work.
6. If you self-publish a book, your brand (name) will be tainted and conventional publishers will not consider your future submissions.
   

I think some (perhaps all) of these statements contain an element of truth in them and I will talk about them in more detail later, but is there another side to this story?

continue reading…

The PeterKazmaier.com website received it’s 10,000th visitor on June 24th in response to Bonnie Beldan-Thomson’s interview. My thanks to so many of you that have visited my site and special thanks to those who have left comments. You have all played a major role in helping PeterKazmaier.com achieve this milestone.

A few statistics as of July 13, 2011:

• The first blog entry was posted on January 28, 2006. It was entitled Surviving in a  New World [ http://peterkazmaier.com/?p=7 ].

• There have been 10,366 site visits
• There have been 16,647 page views
• 109 posts
• 241 legitimate comments

If some of you have wondered why it took so long to see your first comment in response to a submission. In that time period where I have received 241 legitimate comments, I have received 86,768 spam comments. Spam comments are generally entries such as “Great blog!” along with a link. These are usually fired off to increase a site’s search priority status with search engines by setting up as many links to other sites as possible.

Thank you for your support,

Peter

K. Dawn Byrd is an author of inspirational romance and romantic suspense. Mistaken Identity, her first young adult romance released on June 15 from Desert Breeze Publishing. Queen of Hearts, a WWII romantic suspense released in April 2010 and was the bestselling book for her publisher during its debut month. Killing Time, a contemporary romantic suspense, will be released August 1, also with Desert Breeze Publishing.

K. Dawn Byrd is an avid blogger and gives away several books per week on her blog at www.kdawnbyrd.blogspot.com, most of which are signed by the authors. She’s also the moderator of the popular Facebook Christian Fiction Gathering group at http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=128209963444.

When not reading or writing, K. Dawn Byrd enjoys spending time with her husband of 16 years while walking their dogs beside a gorgeous lake near her home and plotting the next story waiting to be told.

Q & A

KAZMAIER: I don’t read much adolescent Romance and yet as a writer, I have to write realistically about people of all ages. I learned a great deal about modern adolescent social interactions from reading your book. Where did you get your insights that enabled you to construct characters that are true to life?

BYRD: I enjoy reading young adult fiction. This keeps me up to date with the reality of modern day teenage life. My stepdaughter, Brittany, is twenty-one and devours young adult romance. She’s not been out of high school so long that she’s lost touch with that age group. She was a good sounding board while I was writing.

KAZMAIER: Dawn, by all accounts Romance is one of the hottest selling novel markets, particularly in the realm of Christian fiction. Your own novel, from the characterization, is directed toward young adult readers. What are your readers looking for?

BYRD: I believe Christian readers are looking for clean romance that’s entertaining. In addition, Christian readers are looking for manuscripts that glorify God and characters who aren’t perfect and are growing in some aspects of their faith.

KAZMAIER: I was intrigued by the detailed picture you painted of the social interactions of modern adolescents. Communication technology advances play a major role in these interactions. How has technology changed the way modern teenagers relate to one another when compared to previous generations? What changes have most profoundly influenced modern teenagers?

BYRD: I believe texting is an addiction, not only for young adults, but for some adults. I’ve found that it’s an easy way to keep in touch with family members who live out of town and my husband who works out of town during the day even if it’s just to tell him I love him.

KAZMAIER: In one of my favorite lines in the book, “the boy next door” Channing, the love interest of Eden, says:

“I am interested in a girl that’s as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside.”

How do you think Hollywood would react to that statement?

BYRD: I don’t think that statement would go over too well in Hollywood because the entire industry is based on the physical…model slim beauties who are beautiful to the eye, but some are pretty rotten on the inside. Just turn on the TV or read the Yahoo home page to see what I mean.

KAZMAIER: Two themes that emerged for me from the book were courage and communication. So many of the interpersonal problems encountered could have been avoided if either Channing or Eden had had the courage to speak forthrightly rather than worrying about how the words might affect their important relationships. Do we adults say what we think, especially in conversation with people who matter most to us? Have you gleaned any insights on the importance of courage and communication in interpersonal relationships?

BYRD: I cringe to think of the men and women who really love each other and don’t take a chance, those who are afraid of putting their feelings out there because of past rejection or emotional pain. I believe that love is worth a chance. Life is too short not to let someone know how you feel.

KAZMAIER: Dawn I have very much enjoyed interviewing you today. I wish you every success with Mistaken Identity and your future books. And to my blog visitors, I urge you to find more information about Dawn and Mistaken Identity by using the links below.

Thanks for reading,

Peter

http://peterkazmaier.com/

Links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geWeGQ6Ueu4

http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-178/K-Dawn-Byrd-Mistaken/Detail.bok

www.kdawnbyrd.com

Introduction

Bonnie Beldan-Thomson began writing for publication in the mid-eighties. She later studied with Russell Brown at the University of Toronto during which time she was awarded the EB Pratt Prize for Poetry. Her prose has been published in a variety of magazines such as Decision, Today’s Parent and Professionally Speaking. She has twice received scholarships to attend writing programs at The Banff Centre. She is a member of The Word Guild, the Writer’s Community of Durham Region and the Pine Ridge Arts Council.

Q & A

KAZMAIER: Bonnie, by all accounts Hot Apple Cider has been a success in a relatively small book market like Canada. How many books have been sold? What prompted the issue of the second volume?

BELDAN-THOMSON: Hot Apple Cider has 45,000 copies in circulation. The warm reception it received is one of the reasons for creating A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider. Readers wanted more.

But writers, as well as readers, benefit. Being a contributor to one of these books provides a unique opportunity for developing one’s craft through an intensive editing process under the tutelage of editors, NJ Lindquist and Wendy Nelles.  Contributors to these two anthologies gained first-hand understanding of the many steps required to take a book from manuscript to printing to sales.

Another benefit to the contributors is that they become part of an on-line community where they connect and learn from each other.

KAZMAIER: In A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider, your story Love in the Ice and Snow is an intensely personal account of a daughter visiting her aged father. I presume this was based on your own experience. How did this story come to you?

BELDAN-THOMSON: The characters, setting and plot of this story are fictional.  However, my understanding of how it might happen came about because of the last years of my father’s life.

The experience of losing someone you love to dementia, bit by bit, day by day, is difficult and painful.  My comfort came from looking not at the parts of my father that had gone missing, but at the bits of him that remained intact.  I saw this the day my siblings and I took musical instruments to his nursing home.  He no longer communicated verbally and gave no sign of recognizing us, but when we played familiar old songs, he began to sing, not just the tune, but words.  And he sang not just the melody, but harmony.  In spite of evidence to the contrary, my dad was there.

KAZMAIER: In my experience, there are some writers who are very market-driven, for lack of a better phrase, and they hone their skills to deliver what they perceive readers demand. Others are driven more by the idea and the art form and they hope that there will be readers who appreciate the creation. Bonnie where do you think you fit on this continuum.

BELDAN-THOMSON: Peter, I think I am driven first by the art form and the message, rather than a desire to write whatever will sell the most books. I have been fortunate in that I’ve always had a “day job” to pay the bills.  Consequently, I did not feel the same pressure to publish as someone whose income depended upon it.  It’s been a lovely luxury to write according to my interests and in the direction of ideas waiting to be explored.  Naturally I would very much like it if my writing resonated with many readers but in terms of your continuum, I am driven more by the idea and the art form.

KAZMAIER: Bonnie, which writers have influenced you the most? What books do you like to read?

BELDAN-THOMSON: Writers who have influenced me include GK Chesterton, Dorothy Sayers, CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien, Madeleine L’Engle and Ted Byfield. I also enjoy the beautiful language and imagery of Eugene Peterson.  My reading taste is eclectic and includes many of our fine Canadian writers and several contemporary poets.  I also read non-fiction articles and essays.

KAZMAIER: Bonnie, what is your next writing project? What goals have you set for 2011 and 2012?

BELDAN-THOMSON: My writing focus has shifted from adult to children with the specific purpose of helping them understand cancer.

During a recent family illness, I realized that many children think the Terry Fox story is a template for all people with cancer. Terry Fox was a great Canadian hero, but a hero who died.  In that context, many children believe that their loved one with cancer will die too.  I am writing now to present children with believable, real-life role models of people who have struggled with and defeated cancer.

I have completed a picture book, My Dad is Amazing, in which a Kindergarten aged child tells about life when Daddy has cancer.  I am also working on a book for children ages 9-11 that will tell stories of cancer survivors.  Anyone with a story to share about beating cancer can reach me at:

.

.

KAZMAIER: Bonnie it has a real pleasure interviewing you today. I wish you every success with A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider and with your upcoming children’s book.

And to my blog visitors:

If you would like to order a copy, go to: [http://hotapplecider.ca/store/get-your-copy/]

Thanks for reading,

Peter

http://peterkazmaier.com/

This year at Write!Canada, I had the privilege of interacting with Jeff Gerke the owner and publisher of Marcher Lord Press, a Christian speculative fiction imprint. Jeff brings a broad range of experience to the craft of writing: he has written several Science Fiction novels under the pseudonym of Jefferson Scott, he has held editing posts with a number major publishing houses and he has written two excellent books on the craft of writing. In a conversation with him he outlined his ideas on plot design particularly for plot-driven speculative fiction.

So what did I learn about plot design from Jeff?

continue reading…

I have heard Richard Dawkins speak about his book, The God Delusion on television, and write about it in the National Post. I think this book  has a significant cheer leading section of people who would like to see Dawkins’ message succeed, so I thought I should read it and dialogue with the main points of the book as I like to do. Along with Dawkins’ book, I am also reading The Dawkin’s Delusion subtitled Atheistic Fundamentalism and the Denial of the Divine by Alistair McGrath and Joanna Collicut McGrath. I hope by a consideration of these two books together, I will get an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the arguments they advance. So what is Dawkins’ book all about?

continue reading…

I had the opportunity to read Blind Descent by James M. Tabor (Random House 2010) about the quest to discover the deepest super cave in the world. At about the same time I also saw James Cameron’s 3D movie Sanctum. The first half of Blind Descent describe the exploits of  the American Bill Stone as he unsuccessfully sought the world’s deepest cave in Mexico. Since much of his caving involved diving through sumps (sections of the passage completely filled by water), the cave diving scenes from Sanctum provided a breath-taking rendition of this spectacularly dangerous undertaking.

[Note I talk about the plot, so if you are planning on watching Sanctum, you might want to wait until later to read the rest of this blog.]

Cave diving must be one of the most dangerous activities in the world even for experienced divers. Tabor tells the tragic story of Rolf Adams who died in one of Florida’s underwater caves. Curiously enough, according to Tabor, a fellow caver, Noel Sloan had a premonition of Adam’s tragic accident. continue reading…

I was delighted and intrigued by a video of a dog and a windowless storm door. The owner would open his front door and the dog would wait with eager anticipation for the owner to open the storm door so that the dog. The fact that the owner put his hand through the glassless door did nothing to persuade the dog that he could leave. Only the opening of the storm door would convince the dog that he was able to get out. On the return trip back into the house, the owner actually stepped through the glassless door to let the waiting dog in.

This video reminded me of a recent re-reading of C. S. Lewis’ book Miracles (1947). How do they relate?

continue reading…

Recently the game show Jeopardy!, pitted an IBM supercomputer (Watson) against two former Jeopardy! champions. Watson defeated these two champions handily and this has sparked a flurry of articles and discussions on when computer intelligence will supersede man’s intelligence. Adam McDowell in a National Post Article (Who’s Smarter? Elementary, Watson) quoted Ray Kurzweil as claiming this will happen by the 2020s. So are computers intelligent and are they able to reason? Will they really become more intelligent than we are? continue reading…