Jake Bible Fiction

  • The Great Publishing Dilemma!

    Hey Folks!

    So, publishing… Yep…. Huh…

    I dare anyone to say they know what’s going on with publishing these days. Seriously. I don’t care how long you’ve been in the business, or how short you have, no one knows what is going to work with publishing these days. Least of all the writers.

    This makes things very difficult for a writer such as myself. I happen to be prolific. I’m not saying great, or even good, but prolific. I write a lot and I write fast. I have written four novels (none under 100,000 words), several novellas, and countless short stories in the past three years. I’d estimate I’ve written over 1 million words easy. This is all while having a full time job and a family.

    But I’m not one of those writers that writes into the wee hours of the morning. Or gets up before dawn to hammer at the keyboard. I write when I write and when I do write I write fast. I can’t write late at night (too tired) or early in the morning (still sleeping) or on lunch break (eating). If I have some down time I write. If I have an evening or afternoon free, I write. I’m just lucky that I can crank out some output when needed.

    What does this mean? It means I need to get some shit published! I have published my first two novels myself (DEAD MECH and The Americans), but have two novels that are sitting there. One has been written and with my agent for a year now. Great rejections. No, seriously. I got some very positive rejections. But no offers to publish. The other novel I just finished and have sent to my agent. Just waiting for notes.

    Some may say that I am way ahead since I do have an agent while thousands upon thousands of writers don’t. I agree, it’s pretty cool to have an agent. But so far that’s all it’s been: cool. Not profitable.

    And that’s the rub: profit. I love to write and will always write. It’s what I’ve done my whole life. But I started writing in earnest to make some dough. I have never had any illusions as to what the average writer makes (which is jack crap), but I have never aspired to be average. I have grand plans and sweeping dreams. (They may involve my own island and private helicopter, but they’re my dreams and I’m not sharing.) I jumped into writing seriously in order to turn it into a business. And like all businesses, it’s 99% trial and error. No one really knows what they are doing until they’ve done it.

    So I write and write and write. And dream and dream and dream. Meanwhile, my words sit there. I sell some ebooks, I sell a couple of paperbacks, but mostly I wait.

    And I don’t like to wait. I’m a doer. Hence the really fast writing. I get something in my head and I go for it full speed. The publishing industry doesn’t quite move like that. It’s a hurry up and…wait kinda business. I hate that. Drives me crazy. That’s why I self-pubbed my first two novels. But I discovered that while I may love being a writer, and have a knack for cranking out words, I do not love being a publisher and do not have a knack for marketing and promotion.

    Hold on, let me back up. I do have a knack for marketing and promotion. I do not have the organizational ability to do marketing and promotion at the scale I need to. I have great ideas, but no follow through. Nope, hold on. Scratch all of that. If I focus on marketing and promotion then I can get it done. But I don’t want to. I want to write. I want to write a lot. If I could write full time I could complete a novel a month. No jokes. I could do that.

    Great, so what does all of this mean? It means I am at a crossroads right now. I have some decisions to make. And I wanted to share my thinking on these decisions so that maybe you, good reader, might have some insight.

    Decision #1: Publish everything myself. -Ugh. That just sounds like a ton of work. And a ton of money. Money I don’t want to spend and time I want to use writing. My agent is actually trying to sell one of my self-published novels. That’s how much I really don’t want to keep self-publishing. It’s a time killer and a buzz killer. For me, at least. But, I get to keep full control and work on my timetable. I like that part. I also keep all of the profits. I really like that. Again, ugh.

    Decision #2: Keep sending stuff to my agent and just keep writing. -I like this because, well, I get to keep writing. And I don’t have to worry about the hustle of selling my novel. I have an agent for that. But that is a long process. And even if I do sell something (fingers crossed) it means more of the hurry up and wait game. Most novels are published about 18 months after they have been submitted. Sweet god! I don’t want to wait 18 months before my novel is published. And then at least another six months before I get paid! And even then it’ll be a small percentage of royalties and I will have lost most of my rights because big publishing doesn’t play well with others. And by others I mean writers. Yikes! But, I will be published by a major publisher and get the exposure that brings. If my work hits a nerve I could have a bestseller! Or I could get some interest by Hollywood and end up with a little movie option money in my bank account. That is the trade off. And quite a gamble. And since I write a lot. I can just keep throwing novels at the industry and see what sticks.

    Decision #3: Sign with a small publisher. -How is this different than signing with the big boys? Well, in today’s publishing world, the smaller guys have realized they can sign some great authors, and get some great novels, if they offer a fair and reasonable contract and work WITH the writers instead of trying to screw them over. Novel concept. Pun intended. Most now offer 50/50 royalties split. Plus reversion of rights in a short time period or, and get this, upon request! Wow! But I wouldn’t have the market exposure that I would have with big publishing. I would have a lot less chance of having a bestseller. Or of getting that movie option. But I would be published. And I could move on to my next project and just keep writing. And in the day of ebooks, where everyone is equal on Amazon, then having a huge publisher behind me may not make much difference.

    So those are my three decisions I am faced with: Self-publish and keep all control. Sell to big publishers and lose all control and pray I end up a bestseller. Or sell to small publishers, lose some control, get a fairer shake than with big publishers, but not get the exposure I want so I can buy that island and helicopter.

    Pretty much what every other writer is having to decide these days. So why don’t I go into a little more detail with my thought processes. I explained some above, but let’s rap a bit here.

    Decision #1: Honestly? Except for novellas and short stories, I think I am done with self-publishing. Except for the last novel in the Apex Trilogy. That one I have to self-publish in order to finish out the series in a timely manner. As for future novels I would prefer to sell those. I lose some of the profit, I lose some of the control, but I don’t have to deal with publishing. Or the hustle of marketing and promotion. At least at the level needed to get the word out there. I guess, in reading my own words, I’ve made that decision. Of course, I could change my mind at any minute. Say, for example, I all of a sudden could write full time. Then I’d have way more time to put into self-publishing. I could still crank out novels and have the rest of the day to market and promote. So maybe I should shelve this decision until my circumstances change. Great.

    Decision #2: And to be honest it’s the contracts that big publishers want writers to sign that scare the crap out of me. Why? Because I know how to read a contract. I considered going to law school at one point. If I had I would have specialized in contract law. Why? Because contracts are the perfection of words. A perfectly written contract is a thing of beauty. It has no plot holes, no dead ends, no red herrings. It is exactly what it is and nothing more or less. And if you have ever read a contract for a big publishing house, and understood it, then you know you are kissing your rights to your work and your profits goodbye. More and more those contracts are turning into creative slavery. They put all of the risk on the writer and none on the publisher. They take away the writer’s rights to their work and take away the writer’s chance to make a fair profit from their work. Then, even if the book doesn’t sell, they don’t give it back! Sure, all of this is a generalization, and depends on the publisher and the contract, but for a control freak like me it is disturbing. Not to mention the total lack of marketing dollars that go behind a rookie novelist. Total lack. Oh, but the gamble of having a run away hit. Some call it the lottery. But a lottery is pure luck. I think of it more as poker. There’s a ton of skill in that. There is also a ton of waiting. Have I mentioned how much I hate to wait? Hate. It. I am leaning away from this choice, but what if I sell a novel and they dangle a fat advance in front of my face? UGH! Dollars or rights. Dollars or rights. Tiger and the lady, man. Tiger and the lady.

    Decision #3: If you haven’t figured it out yet, this is the direction I am looking at. Signing with small, independent presses, getting a fair contract, minimizing my risk of losing my rights, letting someone else pay for the editing, the cover, the marketing and promotion, and having time to write without being worried I will have to go to war with the very people I am supposed to be working with. BUT, they do not have industry pull! They don’t have a budget to pay me industry advances so I can get into the writing associations that help get novels noticed for awards. They could go bankrupt next week and I am back to Decision #1 or Decision #2. Or they could just not know what they are doing and totally screw it all up. I have had a novel published by a small, independent press and there was no concept of ebooks there. That wasn’t good. That was a few years ago and I’d be sure to do my research on any publisher that is interested. But you just never know.

    So why should any of you even give a shit about all of this? Because you may be facing the same issues and decisions. And you are also being bombarded by fifty trillion blogs and articles that say that you should ONLY self-publish or you should NEVER self-publish. Or that big publishing is EVIL. Or that big publishing is the only LEGITIMATE form of publishing. Every day I see blog post after blog post, tweet after tweet all saying you have to pick a side and can only be on that side. I hate ultimatums. And blind zealotry. It’s such a waste of time.

    If you get anything out of this post I hope it is that you are not alone. If you are facing decisions 1-3 then know that someone else is also. And realistically? You know what I’ll probably end up doing? A mix of all three. Why? Because I’m a writer, dammit! Not a publishing warrior. Not a toe-the-line follower. Not a sucker. I’ll do what’s best for me at that moment and if it means I choose Decision #1 one day or Decision #2 the next, then so be it.

    As long as I get to write and I get that writing out to readers. And get paid doing it.

    …wait, which decision gets me paid?

    And the cycle continues.

    Discuss!

  • Sample Saturday: Scott Roche!

    Hey All! Welcome to the first installment of Sample Saturday!

    What’s Sample Saturday? It’s a chance for writers to share a wee bit of their work. And a chance for you, dear reader, to get a taste of some writers that you normally may not stumble across. And there’s a lot of tasty writers out there!

    This will be a weekly blog post so make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss a single word!

    And if you’re a writer then please see this post HERE for info on how to get involved.

    And now I present the first writer of Sample Saturday: Scott Roche!

    Scott Roche is a writer, husband, father of three, and a complete maniac. This is the only possible explanation for why he is also a contributing editor for Flying Island Press for both their Flagship and Abattoir imprints and produces podcast content for them. As if that weren’t enough he also co-runs the Seekrit Projekt podcast
    (http://www.theseekritprojekt.com/) There is not enough time or caffeine in all the world for him to do what he wants, but he’ll die trying. You can find information about all of his projects by going to http://www.scottroche.com

    Let Go – Scott Roche

    “Faced with the atrocities he’s committed to keep his wife and son safe
    and provided for, Chris is forced into a bitter decision. He must find
    a way to let go of his family and move on. But in a world gone to
    hell, is there any other choice?”

  • How To Eat Fried Words

    So, one thing I have learned in life is that I am destined to eat my words. I have made claims since I was young that I wouldn’t do any of the following:

    Live in the South

    Get married

    Become a salesman

    Go to church

    Have a cell phone

    Have email

    Eat any animal product ever again

    And a few more…

    I have systematically been forced to eat each and every one of those words above.

    I currently live in Asheville, NC and love it. It’s a lot like where I grew up (Eugene, OR), but with southern hospitality. And, by the way, there’s no more racism or bigotry in the South than any other region of the US. Trust me.

    I got married, and am still happily married with two wonderful kids. Glad I ate those words.

    When my son was born I had to make a choice: get a real job and make money or keep slinging hummus as a natural foods chef. Money (and responsibility) won easily.

    I currently attend a pretty groovy non-denominational church here in Asheville. Any place that regularly plays the Grateful Dead and Rusted Root as part of the service is fine by me.

    I, of course, have a cell phone and five email accounts. What can I say? I was living in a basement in the mid-‘90s when I said that stuff. Who knew?

    While I am still vegetarian, I am no longer vegan. There really just isn’t a vegan version of great pizza. Sorry cows.

    So, what does this have to do with writing? A lot.

    Since I started writing seriously I have made many statements and drawn several lines in the sand. Of course, as I have gained experience as a writer and learned more about the business and realities of writing, I have had to eat those words, also. Or probably will eat them in the near future as I face some hard decisions.

    That’s great, Jake, you say, but why should we care?

    Well, dear reader, if you are an aspiring writer you better care. In this day and age of blogs and websites and Facebook and Twitter, your words are permanent. If you change your mind, you will be challenged. You will be challenged with your own words.

    So, Jake, what you are saying is we should waffle and be wishy washy wusses?

    Not at all. What I’m saying is choose your words wisely. Be sure you have all the facts, and experience, before you make blanket statements that could hurt your credibility down the road when you realize you were a rookie ass when you made those statements.

    Can you give us an example?

    Of course! I once said I’d podcast every single bit of my fiction for free forever. That was a stupid thing to say. Why? Because I am now shopping a YA novel to major publishers (well, my agent is doing the shopping, I’m doing the waiting) and it won’t be just up to me whether or not I can release that YA novel as a free podcast. Publishers have different opinions of free. Pretty much 100% of those opinions are against free of any kind. I want the novel to be successful, so if they say I can’t podcast it then I’m not going to fight. You have to pick your battles.

    Another example?

    Hmmmm, let’s see. Oh, yes. I once said I didn’t think ebooks were a big deal and I wouldn’t release my writing as ebooks. They were just a waste of time. Yep, ate those words. Ate them big time. I now have several ebooks available for sale with many more on the way. It’s amazing how the world changes in just a few months.

    What’s changed that makes you write this mea culpa?

    The world has changed. It has changed big time.

    Last May I was on the self-publishing panel at our local con, FANATICON. I was hoping to get published and didn’t really have a ton of experience to speak of, but shared my knowledge of podcasting my novel and the success that I had with building a fan base. I didn’t mention ebooks once and neither did any of the other panelists. Nor did a single attendee ask about ebook publishing. This year I am on the panel and will be moderating the discussion. I’m guessing there will be a good chunk of time devoted to ebooks.

    That’s it?

    No. My time has changed. I have a lot less of it. Well, actually, I have a lot more going on now and it is taking up all of my time.

    When I first started writing, and podcasting, I only had one project to deal with. As of this moment, I have no less than twelve different projects in the works. And that doesn’t include guest posts, my time on Twitter and Facebook, my time helping other writers, interviews, podcast/writing discussions, etc.

    I no longer have the time luxury of spouting off like I know everything. I just don’t have time to know everything!

    So, what specific words do you see yourself eating soon?

    Well, if I told you that then that would defeat the purpose of this post. I’m not gonna say anything until it happens. Otherwise I’ll spend my time backpedaling instead of writing and publishing. I don’t like to back pedal. Riding a bike makes my bum hurt.

    And that’s it, folks. Nothing hugely insightful, just some words on eating words. Maybe this post will help some of you take a step back the next time you’re about to make a major proclamation. Maybe you can learn from my mistakes of talking like I knew what I was talking about when I couldn’t possibly have known what I was talking about since I didn’t have the experience of talking about it for real yet.

    That makes sense, right?

    Sigh. I’ll probably end up eating these words, too. Oh, well…

    Cheers, yall!

  • Hey, Writers, Guess What? No More Excuses!

    So, as most of you know, I’ve been pretty vocal on the whole self-pub/indie publishing wave that is occurring right now. See! There goes another twelve thousand digital books!

    I have also made sure I’m not picking sides while the war between the “traditional” publishers and “indie” publishers wages on. It’s not my war and I have zero stake in it. Think of me as Switzerland, but without the Nazi gold.

    That’s not to say I won’t take a stand where I think I need to. Now, I’m just as clueless as everyone else when it comes to where publishing is heading. What I’m not clueless about is where writing is heading if folks keep tossing their should-be-rejected-by-God-and-all-that-is-holy digital novels into the marketplace.  That’s a no-brainer.

    Which brings me to my point: the no-brainers. The novels written and published without a thought. I’m not going to site specific examples, because I find that tacky. I don’t need to call people out to make my point. I have class. Well, I have the illusion of class, at least.

    I’ve mentioned in previous posts that if you’re going to publish your novel yourself then, as a writer, you have a duty to make sure it is professionally edited, has a professional looking cover and that you handle yourself in a professional manner. Writers, just like teachers, journalists, lawyers, doctors, architects, etc are professionals. If you want to be a writer, then you must want to be a professional also. No separation between the two exists.

    Let me put it this way: would you continue to see a doctor that walks into his office with a lit Pall Mall dangling from her lips? Would you use a lawyer that has nothing but file folders stacked on his desk and not a computer in sight? Would you continue to read a journalist’s work that sites Perez Hilton as a reliable source? No, you wouldn’t. So why, as a writer, would you expect readers to tolerate your typos, your bad photoshopped cover and your author bio that was obviously written by your mother?

    There’s no excuse for any of those things!

    “But, Jake, I can’t afford to have all those things done professionally!”

    That’s not an excuse, that’s a delay. Understand? Wait until you can afford those things. Or figure out how to beg, borrow or steal (don’t steal because that’s wrong) the services you need. There are ways to get what you need done at the price you can afford. You are not ready to be a professional if you aren’t ready to hire professional services.

    “But, Jake, I see lot’s of writers publishing novels that have bad covers, tons of typos and their website looks like they developed it on 1997!”

    Really? Monkey see, monkey do is your argument? There are some lemmings heading for the cliff over there. Get in line and leave me alone.

    “But, Jake, if I don’t get my work out there now while ebook publishing is still new then I’ll be lost in the glut that’s about to happen?”

    You do realize there have been MILLIONS of print books released before you were even born, right? Are you whining about getting lost in the glut of all of those? Please, ebooks are a format, that’s all. You were never going to be a single star in the sky before, don’t think you will now.

    “But, Jake, I learn better by doing. I’ll fix the mistakes later.”

    Uh-huh, right… That’s a good argument actually. After all, Doctors call their businesses “practices” because they must keep learning their entire careers. Of course, they have to go to eight years of college, years of residency, deal with state boards and licenses, keep up their CEUs for re-certification/licensure and literally have their patients lives in their hands. Once again, they are professionals. Teachers have to go through all of this too, as well as lawyers. Sure, you learn as you progress in your career, but you certainly don’t just hang out a shingle stating: “I am a Writer because I say so!” You put the time in to hone your craft to a point where someone says, “Hey, I liked that. You should publish this.” Trust me, your own word is not good enough.

    “But, Jake, I’ll lose thousands of dollars if I don’t publish NOW!”

    No, you won’t. That’s just stupid. There’s no gold rush, people. The vein isn’t going to disappear. There have been writers since the dawn of written language and there will be writers until society destroys itself in a massive microwaved Peep apocalypse! You aren’t going to miss the ebook train, so calm the hell down!

    “But, Jake, some ebook authors have sold hundreds of thousands of books and they did it all themselves!”

    Yep, you are right. That’s called The Lottery. Let me spell that L-O-T-T-E-R-Y. Not the Shirley Jackson short story masterpiece, although I’ll gladly stone your excuse-laden ass. No, this is where you have a 1 in 1 quadrillion chance of hitting those kind of numbers out of the gate. Could it happen? Sure, because it has and possibilities are infinite. Will it happen? Well, you tell me. Has your piece of crap, typo-ridden, crayon-drawn covered novel sold a hundred thousand copies yet? Didn’t think so. And neither have the majority of perfectly professional novels released, whether print or digital. Success in publishing is dictated by one thing: luck. Right story, right place, right time. Get used to it.

    “But, Jake, what about-?”

    Oh, shut up! No more excuses! There are no excuses to do something wrong!

    Will you make mistakes? Yes, everyone does. I have books on my shelf  put out by small presses that are like pieces of art and I have books put out by billion dollar companies that have more typos than my eight year old’s book report! Shit happens, folks. But, just because shit happens doesn’t mean you should step in it if you can avoid it! That’s just crazy talk. Why purposely step in a steaming pile of shit? Who does that?

    So to sum up: No excuses will be tolerated. You don’t have to be perfect, no one is, but you do have to be professional. Do it right the first time. Don’t fling your poo out there like the other monkey-sees.

    Cheers!