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Art or Commerce? How about both?

After jumping in with both feet to the Authorial Darkside last week, I am going to throw myself on another writerly hand-grenade this week.

Art vs Commerce.

Among many arguments writers have engaged in over the centuries, none have raged harder and deeper than which of these is more important.

Art is all about passion. If you don’t have art then what is the point of writing.

Commerce means you can exist as a writer. If you can’t make a living off it how can you survive as a person let alone an artist.

To my way of thinking it is all totally subjective, based on who you are, and what you want to do with your writing. Is it just about getting out ‘the novel I have inside me’, or do you actually want to make a living at this?

For those with the comforts of a day job, where writing is a hobby or a daydream, the ability to have firm beliefs in everything being about art is entirely possible. They can talk at great length, how everything must be about passion, and art. People who don’t need to take into account pesky things like living and eating, can very well look down their noses at people who write to market.

Personally, I think people would be very surprised at the number of books that are written to market, mashing up genres to produce some very popular series that folks really probably think were entirely passion productions.

Very few authors will announce they wrote to market though (it tends to be whispered to other authors at conventions, or maybe a bit more loudly at the hotel bar), because that somehow implies that they are not invested in a project, and that they are filthy capitalists whoring out their muse.

Believe me, if you spend months and months in writing, editing and marketing a property, you are invested in it right up to the eyeballs. As to the muse, well I have never entirely believed in that comfortable imagery writers indulge in. Inspiration can come from any number of tiny details in day to day life, I don’t think it comes from anywhere otherworldly.

Here’s the truth of it. Many, many writers have had to walk away from writing, or even died while waiting for some commerce to come their way. My favourite poets died waiting to be paid for the work they did. (I always thought it was a cruel trick of fate that their best career move was shuffling off their mortal coil.)

So yes, the people who make their living off writing do not have the luxury of waxing philosophical about art. They make it about work. Craft and passion are damn useful, but the writer is the master of words, the words are not the master of him or her.

Art and passion are all very well, but books (at least the ones you plan to sell) must also be a commodity.

People on the art side, like to flog the commercial writer with the implication they are a sell out…but I think the real reason is, it makes them feel superior. Even if their book never sells enough for them to make even one car payment, they can at least fall asleep at night, knowing that they make ‘ART-DAMNIT’, unlike those filthy, successful people who actually sell their books.

So in short, you need both. Art is all very well, but no one wants to write a book that only their friends and family read. Anyone who tells you so is just plain out lying.

As for writing just commercially, with not one flicker of investment in the project. I tried it once…it is like pushing a stone up hill. I ended up pulling the eject seat on that short story, and I cannot imagine having to do that for a whole novel.

However, a passion project that I know is never going to sell, I also will not pursue. I have a virtual desk draw full of lost concepts that I might enjoy writing, but I know my time is better spent finding a story I can enjoy writing and sell.

So find a project that is both commercially viable and one that you have some passion and interest in. If anyone turns up their nose at your success then just understand…it’s helping them sleep at night knowing that they are totally more artistic and better than you.

Welcome to the Authorial Darkside

It ain’t all sunshine and unicorns out there cupcakes.

I’ve written plenty of blogposts about how awesome the community of writers and podcasters are….and that still holds true…in most cases. However now I think it is time to address the nasty shadows in the corner of your sunny writing room.

There are people out to get you and bring down your brand. You might not know their names, and they might not know yours, but sooner or later your paths will cross. You might be surprised when a strange fellow writer you meet at a convention suddenly says ‘you aren’t fit to lick my boots’. Literally. That’s exactly what they will say. To your face.

The first time it happens, it will feel like a slap. You’ll be left dazed, and wonder ‘what did I do to them?’ or ‘why on earth would they say something like that to me?’ If they are ‘a big name author’ you may just want to flee the field altogether wondering if you will ever be able to make it in publishing.

But don’t. That would mean they won.

Here’s the unpleasant truth; not everyone subscribes to the ‘rising tide lifts all boats’ idea.

For some authors trashing other authors is a way for them

to feel better about themselves
to guarantee themselves publication (well at least in their head)
to make themselves look like ‘big man on campus’ to their cronies.

They will take joy in belittling other authors on panels, ignoring them in social situations, or taking to their blog to discuss the totally irrelevant clothing choices of female authors. And yes, we are talking about professionally published authors, some of whom have been in the business for decades.

For some reason, some writers think that your success means there is a little less in the pool for them. They get competitive, want to know sales figures, want to know how well everyone is selling, and can set out the trash people they feel are ‘threatening’ them. They then take to their blogs or open forums, in veiled or blatant ways to stick a stick in your spinning wheel.

There are enough challenges in being a jobbing writing: pulling in a pay check, taxes, selling a manuscript, hell just finding time to write, that we don’t need to rip each other apart. There are so many other ways to help your fellow author, build something, share readers and grow each others sales.

Before you freak out, and if this is your first rodeo, I want to assure you that in all my years writing, there are only a handful of people I have met that have been like this. The kind, helpful people who realise community is a more positive way to go really do outnumber those thrashing around trying to get attention by just being nasty.

Personally, I want to use whatever influence I have to help those with the attitude of the former. The others I will simply ignore and not bother wasting oxygen on. I suggest you do the same as well should you run across those unfriendly beasts.

In parting, my I suggest this as a way to fight the darkside….

Guest Post – Consider a Memoir

As part of the Write By the Rails Endless Possibilities Blogtour, I’m happy to welcome Jan Rayl to my blog with tips on how to get your memoir done.

They say everyone has a book in them, and I believe it. I want to encourage some of you that have been toying with the idea of writing a book to consider a memoir. There are many stories about families lost to the passage of time. Generations of family history are lost. With the advent of self-publishing it is easier than ever to publish a book for a smaller audience like your relatives.

My father, Al Rayl, did just what I am talking about. He wrote a book, â€œBeyond my Wildest Dreams,â€ about his life for our family. I learned that I am related to Silas Vance, once Secretary of State for the United States. If that is not enough claim to fame I also learned I am related to Don Knotts aka Barney Fife. He was on, The Andy Griffith Show, a popular television show when I was growing up. These and many other family memories might have been lost had it not been for the book my father wrote.

Where to start? Start at the beginning, where you were born, and grew up. What memories do you have of specifics from â€œback in the day.â€ Were there family traditions for holidays?Â What can you tell about parents, grandparents, great-grand parents? Include those family legends and tales that you have been told as part of your family tradition.Â Interview your parents and grandparents and other relatives with open ended questions; â€œtell me about growing up in..,â€ or â€œwhat is the most unusual thing you know about our family,â€ or â€œdo you know anything or anyone famous in our family?â€ Make a list of ten questions to ask and more will come to you as you start the process.

Start asking those relatives older than you their story, before their stories die with them.Â Some you may know as fact and can be stated as such and some are legend. For example, my Grandmother tells me she believes we are part Choctaw Indian because she recalls her Grandmother told her this. At this point it is still family legend; however she recently gave me a name to work with. So now I am in the process of verifying this information. This is one example I wish I had known when I was paying for college had I been able to confirm it back then it could have helped financially with my education. You never know what gems your relatives may tell you if you interview them for your family history book.

Chances are your family book will probably never win you a Pulitzer or make you a millionaire but it does leave the legacy of your family story for generations to come. You might find some hidden gems out there that can be shared for generations to come.

Once you have all your information garnered write it down.Â Each chapter can tell about a different aspect or time period of your family. You can do this in Microsoft word or Apple pages or any other word processing program. Once you have the story down on paper edit, edit, edit. I cannot say this enough. Have someone read and proof your story. Someone in the family that has good command of grammar and spelling can proof for you. Give them a free copy of your book and a thank-you in the acknowledgments. Spell check will not catch all the mistakes. Nothing is worse than trying to read a poorly written book with mistakes on every page.

Once the book is done you are ready to get it printed. You can use a vast number of publishers. For something like this for the family I strongly urge you to use a publisher that only charges for your book. You do not need to pay them to publish your book.Â You do not need to pay for marketing services. This is a family heirloom it is not a New York Times best seller. One such publisher I recommend is Lulu. You can search on line for other independent (indie) publishers that publish on demand. By looking for â€œon demand printingâ€ you can get small press runs of a few books and do not have to get more copies made than you actually want.

If you are in the Prince William County are feel free to come to a Write by the Rails meeting and be encouraged in your quest to write your family treasure.Â If you live in another are find your local writers group they are a great source of encouragement and inspiration. For more information on Write by the Rails

Jan is a travel and book review blogger. Jan is also a multi-media artist. Other fascinating travel facts, recommendations, adventures and reviews of the ever important vacation book can be found on Janâ€™s BlogÂ or on FacebookÂ drop by and leave her a comment. Jan is a member of her local writing group Write by the RailsÂ

The future of publishing is here…again

The future I remember my very first brush with self publishing. I wasn’t a writer then, heck my reading was still far from the fantasy and science fiction genre.

In a small mall in Wellington, New Zealand, there was a lot of empty space in the late 1980s. Times were lean, but I recall vividly that there was one man who had rented out the smallest space in his mall, and filled it with books.

Well, sort of.

Actually, with one book. His. The whole of this small space was full of his book, floor to ceiling. Even as a kid I recall thinking, ‘how the hell is he going to sell all these?’ I imagined him building houses with them, and just how awful he must be around the Christmas season giving them to every one of his relatives. I bet his family all got a copy…heck three copies…of his book. Every. Year.

I often wonder what happened to that guy? Is he still around? Maybe he took his precious book and put it out into the e-world. Maybe he just got burnt by that experience and turned into a bitter old man using old copies of it for toilet paper.

I guess he was the hipster of self-publishing, and I kinda wish I could remember what the heck his book was about.

He was so far ahead of the curve he couldn’t see the horizon. Now every man and his dog, and his dog’s flea has a book, and they are all up for sale.

What got me thinking about him was this article by Mark Coker, nice guy and founder of Smashwords, and nodding my head. I wonder if the guy with the one book bookstore is around to take notice.

For me the highlights are

It’s all about the basics. Write good stuff. No matter how much you write, if it isn’t good, then you’re never going to get people back to buy your next thing.
Production takes on increased importance in 2014. However, those that can produce at a decent clip are going to be at the top of the wave. So no slacking off!!
A larger wave of big-name authors will defect to indieville. Hybrid authors! Yes, big names realise that they can leverage that big name for their back list, or short stories and make money….in fact more of a slice of that money than even they are used to. Yay, more hybrids in the pool!

The things I am still noodling through as to how to leverage

Multi-book collaboration. Our daughter is mad keen for this series called the Cat Warriors. There are a huge amount of books, always coming out, and with all kinds of guides to go with them. At first I was boggled as to how one author could possibly do all that. The answer is, she doesn’t. They do. Erin Hunter is actually four authors. So I can see how this kind of collaboration could work, just not sure how to do it myself.
Subscription ebook services will change the game. How this will serve authors is a concern. Like Harlan Ellison says money should come to the author, but as long as this happens then this could be an exciting development that will make fiction accessible. I’ll wait and see on this one.

This article makes me excited, nervous, and then excited again. It’s important to keep on top of new developments, because this thing is moving like the Flash.

So stay light on you feet, because I know one thing for sure; I don’t want to be the one book bookstore guy. Neither do you.

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