Open Book Blog Hop Archives - Author K. Williams

Non-Traditional – Open Book Blog Hop #395

September 25, 2023 By Captain Maiel Leave a Comment

♦Welcome to another edition of the Open Book Blog Hop!♦

Topic #395

If offered a large advance by a traditional publishing company and told to produce a series of books in a certain amount of time, that obviously you would have to give up the rights to (maybe they would alter your writing too) and do all your own marketing, would you take them up on the offer?

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Before I respond about ghost writing let me talk about where I stand on publishing in the first place. The best I can characterize my publishing style is non-traditional. While I was published by a real publishing house and not just independently, as I am currently, I would not go back. The experience of both sides of the coin has taught me a great deal about the differences between the two. A lot of what you think you know about publishing is false, and propagated by movies and television, who really don’t have a great window into that world. The worst manifestation of traditional publishing is the ghost writer. That shapes my response on this question.

a boo ghost sits out on on dreary hillside, wearing black pants and sneakers. — ^{Photo by Tandem X Visuals}

If you’ll remember, in the past, I wrote on the blog hop and spoke on my YouTube channel extensively about publishing. My opinion is pretty clear on which side I fall. Independent is the way to go, unless you’re a celebrity who already wields a lot of clout and doesn’t have heavy lifting to market their work. For them, publishing is diversifying their already decent income.

Once you have name recognition, it may be of use to you to have a big publisher handle your work, and do all the paperwork. However, unless your name recognition is going to sell thousands of copies (enough to cover into the future, such as your advance and bolstering your notoriety), you won’t get that package deal from a publisher. Rather, they expect you to market your work, whether you are independent or traditionally published. That is the landscape of writing today and it isn’t changing any time soon. Not only does a traditional publisher take the majority of the profits (at an average of 90%), but you will also do the sales for them all on your own. That doesn’t strike me as a fair deal at all. You see, they think you should feel privileged to have caught their attention and use their label. What a racket!

First of all, in response to the question, never give up your rights to your work. Ghost writers do this all the time. I don’t know how they feel okay with it at the end of the day. I’d be a wreck knowing that I could not only NOT take credit for my labor, but also that I could not use any of it to promote the work under my name. When hired to ghost write, they purchase your anonymity along with your skill. Honestly, the pay fails at a fair trade or even good enough to erase your credit.

Second, let me say that I don’t think any creative should operate in someone’s preferences for the creatives products. If they have such high opinions of their own opinions, then they aught to sit down and get typing their self. After all, they believe they know best. Plus, the information and tools available via computers can help them get on their way. Don’t forget, they know their ideas are so much better than the actual writer hired. (And, yes, that was deep, stinging sarcasm.)

The recent writers strike should provide an eye-opening view into the publishing world for newer writers and experienced writers alike. There are still many hold-outs for traditional publishing despite what we see year after year. There are also the many people who think what we do is no big deal and/or contributes little to society. Between the public and the publisher, please realize that there is an agreement to get you to sell yourself cheap. The public would love nearly free books and the publisher loves the idea of reaping all the profits and giving authors very little in return. Know your value.

Too often, the public views writing as a hobby done on the side of a well-paying career, unless one turns out wildly popular. People who perpetuate the myth do not seem to be aware of how much writers do in the world. It would be a fun experiment to snap the magic fingers and disappear writing for a full week or more, just to give them a taste of a world absent writers. Every day job I held, I leaned in heavy on the writing skills, regardless of the enumerated duties. Writing underpins every sector of work. Every. Sector.

Lastly, I’ll remind the reader that advances are advance payments on projected sales. That means, whatever advance you obtain on a book, you must sell enough books to cover the payment it before royalties roll in. More often than not, writers will fail to do this. Their next project will get passed over, and they will struggle to find representation or a publisher to put them forward again (unless, again, they’re celebrities), likely cancelling any books they may have additionally signed. Remember what I said above: you plan and excecute sales pushes.

Let’s break this down. Pretend you present as a new writer with a small platform established on social media. The publisher gives you $10,000, because they think your book can sell if given the proper airing to the public. So, why won’t your advance rise to the occasion of creating a successful marketing campaign AND keep putting dinner on the table. Ten grand might get you a mediocre campaign. Return on that investment (ROI) usually ranges at about 10% per dollar spent. That’s certainly not going to feed you or convince your publisher to keep publishing you. So now you’ve made them 1,000 dollars. Your platform grew by about 3% permanently. Congratulations. Your next book has been cancelled, and you’re back to square one and with a poor performer under your belt.

a boo ghost stands on a hillside waving, waring black pants and sneakers. The scene is desolate fall. — ^{Photo by Tandem X Visuals}

Newer authors tend to forget that their platform is the first thing they need to build before they release a book. Without that platform, all efforts will be wasted. Publishing today is no harder than it was decades ago, except that a great deal of information around the process was difficult to obtain in the past. Today, you have a means to move in writerly circles and get the read of the room at your fingertips. You have the opportunity to build a readership without having to leave your home base for weeks on end, touring signings. Thankfully, also, it’s a lot of free ad time. Everything you do, when your socials are set up showcasing you as an author, is promoting that work.

Continuing with the platform you’re expected to build, think for a moment of the attempt to grow your readership via ghost writing. Recall that I said you cannot take credit for the work. That is the point of being a ghost. You hide behind the person taking credit. Don’t you think this is now an impossible task?

Unless you breach the contracted silence on your participation, and risk lawsuits that could devastate you financially, you’ll never be able to talk about ghost writing work. So all those great works you did for the benefit of others cannot benefit you further than the small paycheck you collected. Honestly, I cannot see why anyone would use their skill set to solely enrich someone else’s life (when that life is almost always already super enriched). Always watch out for yourself and know that your skills have value. Make sure you get credit! Then you can talk about those works with your readers and build their confidence in you.

In the end, my answer is a big no. I am no ghost writer. My name will appear on my work. They are not pet projects or vanity experiences. I am an artist and writing is my job. I will also take a larger percentage of profits by remaining independent of opportunistic practices, which seek to feed off my intellectual property while starving me out. Otherwise, I may indeed end up a ghost!

It is always up to the writer what they accept for themselves and their labor. Therefore, I take part in breaking the cycle of parasitical business operations. I hope that you will, too. (Keep in mind, that I understand if you need the money, but what a hard road you chose.)

Click on the links below to get other perspectives on this great question posted to our authors. To get this hop delivered to your inbox each Friday, drop your email in the box at the top right.

No Counting Words – Open Book Blog Hop #394

September 18, 2023 By Captain Maiel 4 Comments

♦Welcome to another edition of the Open Book Blog Hop!♦

Topic #394

Do you keep track of your word count on a daily basis? What’s your record for
most and least words? (Not including those days when you don’t write anything.)

I never track my word count. I have never seen a need for this. As a writer, limiting my words in anyway feels far too restrictive and strange an endeavor. Do painters count their brush strokes? I bet you’d think that was absurd if they did.

While I understand the point of a word count, I also do not find it necessary. For some, this is a way that they learn to write better, more precisely. This is a tool useful for fighting the dreaded passive voice. I’d rather recognize the pesky words for what they are. This way, each time I sit down to write, my performance is better. I work cleaner. There is less waste of time.

neon sign that reads: All we have is words. All we have is worlds. — ^{Photo by Alexandra on Unsplash}

Wasting time is a huge sticking point for me throughout every aspect of my life. My schedule is already chock-full. I don’t have time to add games to my writing time. Working clean is such a time saver. It is also the end goal, either way.

Sometimes, I do like to check what my word count is for no apparent reason, to see how massive the work I created grew. It’s just a quick button push. Aside from this, there was another function I liked better: individual word counts. Is there a word you constantly use too much? I’d use this to see how I did breaking free from a specific phrase or word. Then, I’d use find a word and find them all and make sure it provides the right impact or function in the text. If not, it gets changed out for something less used.

If you have a list of passive voice words that trip you up, you can search for them in your text and use suggested replacements that are more concise. Don’t ever do a blanket find and replace, however. You could end up really messing up the text, as it doesn’t always find only whole words. You must absolutely look at each one. Now, you know why you’ll never make these mistakes again! Wrestling with a 100 or more repetitions of a phrase, word, or passive expression is cumbersome. That isn’t a waste of time. It’s a quick lesson you’ll definitely remember for next time.

Besides, counting words doesn’t teach us what or how to replace items of question. It simply tells us if we fall in the arbitrary limits imposed by them. If your publisher wants a word limit, this is because of size of the manuscript which equates to cost of producing the book. It makes sense on their end, but not ours. Art shouldn’t have to face the consideration of peak monetization. I hate it here.

Before you go, please click on the links below to find out how the other authors answered this question. Also, drop your email in the box at the top right to have this hop delivered straight to your inbox every Friday! See you next time!

My Favorite Book – Open Book Blog Hop #393

September 11, 2023 By Captain Maiel 3 Comments

♦Welcome to another edition of the Open Book Blog Hop!♦

Topic #393

It’s been a long time since we’ve done this – what is your favorite
book (not your own.) Has it changed in the last few years?

This is a tough question. Much like music, I have a difficult time discerning what my absolute favorite is. You see, there are fantastic reasons to love all of the books I have read. I could probably more easily say which one’s didn’t pass my test. When they do, I adore them.

From Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland to Lord of the Rings, a lot of my reads range in the realm of fantasy and surrealism. But, I read non-fiction, too. I also used to read Romance in my late teens and early twenties. I grew up on classical literature and fairy tales. A great historical piece will always be welcome on my shelf. I’ve adored comics, and am not at all against Manga (although I haven’t had the time to select a series in that genre).

My favorite non-fiction book is probably Lary May’s Big Tomorrow. It’s a great read that helps explain how we understand our history, in many cases, so incorrectly. Another would be The Uses and Abuses of History. Let’s not forget Telling the Truth About History. Each of these were major influences in my studies of politics and film writing for graduate studies. They really helped my lens focus on how writers and filmmakers spin topics, and manage to build consensus in that crochet work.

As far as fiction, I would have to say that it remains Lord of the Rings with Alice in Wonderland haunting the fringes of first place. I grew up on these works. They have been huge influence on me. The effort that Tolkien put into his work has always been the litmus test. The insanity of Carroll’s world made me feel normal or, at least, not alone. As you know, my own work travels quite far down the rabbit hole.

This is such a short answer, compared to what I usually write. Be sure to read the other author answers by clicking on their links below. You’ll get more titles for your to be read list! Also, be sure to drop your email address in the box at the top right to get this hop delivered every Friday to your inbox. Thanks for stopping by!

The Troubles – Open Book Blog Hop #392

September 4, 2023 By Captain Maiel 3 Comments

♦Welcome to another edition of the Open Book Blog Hop!♦

Topic #392

What’s the biggest problem you have in your writing right now?

The troubles never end, as is true with all things. In my opinoin, the only way to experince boredom in life is to not have any issues to resolve. Feeling exhausted is a different story. Have you ever noticed how simply tired the elderly are? They’ve had their fill and I can imagine they’d prefer boredom to more problem solving.

girl on a mountain road with a map — Photo by Daniel Gonzalez on Unsplash

When you start out as a writer, the biggest hurdles are learning your basic skill set: actual writing/grammar, plotting, and a freshly creative execution of your ideas. Once you have a grasp on those items, you’ll find there is a lot more to understand and grow into. For instance, depending on your genre, you may need to get a grasp of research and author credibility. I’ve seen many authors throw this detail to the wind simply because, as they say in their own words: it’s only fiction. Eventually, the troubles they gain for themselves in disregarding all the reasons one should give an absolute F about reputation and how proper research builds one will meet up with them.

The above is one of the reasons I highly recommend bothering with college/university courses. Even if all you can afford is a creative writing course, it is worth your time, because you would then have a professor at your disposal to help explain the ethics portion. Besides, it is good to get exposure to such a setting, as it can teach about diversity and other social topics. Get all you can out of your course by thinking about it from multiple lenses.

Then, of course, you’ll get some coursework or a whole degree under your belt and decide to join a writer’s group. There, the troubles can range from personality clashes to spinning your wheels. I still say that writer’s groups are a good idea, but mainly for those early on in their journey. Unless you can form a group based on the level of experience, you’ll have people at all stages. This can be problematic for the more advanced who won’t find a lot of useful feedback on their work, which they could find from those of similar or greater experience. The beginner will get a lot out of a group that has more advanced writers, but they can also face ridicule from them, when folks join to just toot their horn.

If you join a writer’s group, always keep your mind open and make sure you’re using beneficial critiquing skills with your peers. You’re all putting yourselves out there, and it can be uncomfortable to do so. Keep in mind, regardless of how well you deliver a critique, the recipient can take it with umbrage. Keep rules clear and be sure that it is understood criticism is for the betterment of the recipient. This should help mitigate bad feelings. Also, don’t be afraid to call out another writer you feel is being needlessly harsh. Rules and clear communication of expectations in the group are an absolute necessity.

Once you get past the troublesome publishing hurdle, you’ll still find a lot of problems to work out. One of these problems is figuring out how to build readership and other marketing activities. The world has changed a great deal from the way we used to publish and sell books in the last two decades. Major publishing houses, however, have not engaged in marketing the work of their smaller authors ever. Also, be mindful that an advance is just that: and advance on sales. Once you make enough to pay back that advance to them, then you’ll see royalties. If you independently publish, there are no advances, but you still will need to market your own work.

Marketing is the number one trouble I see writers having. This is a troubles I have myself. Sadly, many think signing with a publisher will rid of this task. So, they never bother to learn, or study up on the process. It wastes a lot of time and results in greater hardship. If you don’t make enough sales, a publisher will drop you. Publish independently and you just have to get going on your marketing study.

There are a lot of resources out there for writers to learn marketing. You can study until the cows come home, and in the end, it will generally still be a conundrum. In my personal experience, you can do everything by the book and see no change in the amount of readers you have or sales you make. Luck is a big player in how your efforts play out. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

You still want to follow marketing lessons you learn (especially when gained in a college on the topic), as they are overall tried and true strategies. The part that will help you out the most here is getting creative with your execution. Be mindful. Your intended audience is marketed to death. By the time you walk in the door, they’re tired of the grind. If your social media posts look like ads, they’ll ignore them as ads. If you can’t post something that engages them, you’ll waste money and time.

Figuring out who your ideal reader is goes a long way to figuring out how to get them interested in your work. Never forget, however, that they can smell the sales pitch miles off. Engaging them on a human level is more important. Relax a bit. Make friends. People want quality interaction.

Yours truly has struggled with making friends all her life. The reason being, it has soured on me in ways that really make you wary of others after a while. Understand, however, that friendships online are parasocial. This means that they are of a different nature than your in real life bonds. Parasocial friendships seem as strong as real life bonds. However, limited information you gain of an online person, specifically only that which they wish known, provides the construction material. Absolutely, the information there paints a certain picture purposely put forward. It’s best to think of them of online contacts as acquaintances, colleagues, or associates instead.

While it is fun to do meet ups, don’t apply deep friendship bonds to these activities. It takes time to build a real relationship, and a lot of effort on the part of both parties. Most of what we know was filled in by us, via assumptions made observing them in a voyeuristic manner through skewed online interactions. Yes, most people omit a lot of details of their life. You should! It’s a safety concern to be too honest. And before someone says anything about meeting their bff online–of course real friendships are forged online, but they’re the exception not the rule.

It’s a lot easier making parasocial bonds online in recent years than it ever was in the past. This is why you see seemingly kind folks being absolute monsters to people they interact with online. They exclude the parameters of expected social behavior when a computer screen hides them. When the mask is on, a whole other side comes out.

This is similar to my experiences in real life. Once they bond with you, the façade that lured you in drops. What you find there is in stark contrast to what you once believed. That’s not necessarily your fault, although I have seen people ignore obvious warnings, such overt behavior. This makes it really difficult to predict a person. Being able to predict behavior is key in marketing.

So, here I find myself struggling to predict who my reader might be as well as how to reach them on a level they will respond positively to. The sad part is that, although when it boils down to it I want to sell them a product, the book means so much more than just another product for sale. Yes, we do expect compensation for all the work we do to create a book, but that doesn’t mean it’s a plastic nothing. Books offer their readers innumerable benefits for the small cost.

I wish I knew how to get past the suspicion of a potential reader who thinks I am up to no good by showing them a book I wrote… It really confounds me.

Click on the links below to see what troubles the other authors are experiencing at this point in their writing journeys. Don’t forget to subscribe to the blog by dropping your email address in the box at the top (emails are never shared with anyone). You’ll get the blog hop delivered to your inbox each Friday.

Truffles, Please – Open Book Blog Hop #391

August 28, 2023 By Captain Maiel 6 Comments

♦Welcome to another edition of the Open Book Blog Hop!♦

Topic #391

What snack do you like with your cuppa (coffee/tea?)?

Growing up, my go to treat with my cuppa iced tea or fruit punch was either Doritos Chips or Swedish Fish (or something like them). Of course that all changed sometime in my thirties. It was such a bizarre switch. Favoring fruity gummy candies and sweet treats was always such a normal for me. How was I going in a completely different direction?

hand with coffee cup, scrawled with name on it. — ^{Photo by Alex Moiseev on Unsplash}

At some point, the craving for more savory items took over from the sweets. I have a suspicion about what happened (hormonal changes linked with edging toward later years). Doritos were on the list from the start, but the salty cheesy goodness got dropped from the lineup for similar but better items (like Pizzerias, Bagel Chips, Peanut Butter anything). Yet, chocolate remains. In fact, chocolate has replaced the sweets that I used to snack on and taken a greater place in my cravings.

In more recent years, my love of coffee has also escalated. I was previously a big tea drinker (and I still love a nice cuppa Irish tea, black). My most favorite treat to have with my cuppa coffee is a good piece of chocolate. Hershey’s will not do. If I go on the affordable side, I highly recommend dark Dove chocolate. Hershey’s and Dove both make fantastic Ice Cream, by the way. Another affordable option is Ghirardelli. If you can get them, my new love is Truffes & Co. chocolate truffles.

a mug that says begin. — ^{Photo by Danielle MacInnes on Unsplash}

Whatever chocolate it is, I always reach for dark chocolate. The bitter sweet flavor pairs well with coffee. The flavors I choose, or even the regular coffee I buy, always compliments well with it. Every afternoon, about tea time, I crave a warm cup of coffee and a piece of chocolate. Many a work day this quick snack has gotten me through to the end of the day.

The comfort these refreshments provide us are important in selfcare. If we don’t replenish our well, we cannot pour water for our readers. This is true in ever sector of labor (working in the home never to be excluded in consideration). Take care of yourself. Be kind to yourself. Have that cuppa and treat when you can. The rewards are exponential, rippling through your own health to the work you do, as well as the health of those around you.

Hop through the other author responses by clicking on their links below to see what snacks they like with their cuppa. You might get a new favorite go to! Don’t forget to also subscribe to this blog by dropping your email in the box on the top right. You’ll get one email a week on Friday afternoons.