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Many Journeys to Saratoga – Open Book Blog Hop #397

October 9, 2023 By Captain Maiel 4 Comments

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

Topic #397

Has a book or movie ever been based somewhere you’ve lived?
How did it compare?

Welcome back to another Open Book Blog Hop! The authors included in this ongoing series wish to thank you for your reads. Even more so, we appreciate that you share our writings with friends. If you’re new to the series, welcome aboard. The authors engage and impress weekly. Prepare to become a regular reader.

So many films have been made in my hometown, along with it and neighboring cities being mentioned since the hey-day of the silver screen. I am sure you’ve heard Schenectady mentioned in classic movies. Albany gets mentioned a lot in the Law and Order series. Then, there are nods to the horse racing city of Saratoga that is where I was born. You can view a list of films made there and about it here: https://saratogaliving.com/saratoga-goes-hollywood-15-movies-shot-in-saratoga-surrounding-region/

The top films made about my hometown are mostly from the classic era. The last is more recent and probably quite familiar to you. However, they all are on one subject: horseracing.

Saratoga (1937)
The Homestretch (1947)
Seabiscuit (2003)

Saratoga Springs, NY (United States) is also well-known for its connection to mineral water and the Victorian health craze for it. An entire industry built up around bath houses and drinking mineral water. Few of the resorts still exist in this time, but I did work at one as a teenager in the early 1990s, which has hung on for decades. Most of the tourism is around the horseracing that has outlasted the health crazes. In fact, one might find that the pendulum swung to the other side, as horseracing brings in a less healthy practice of organized crime.

I cannot answer about the accuracy the first two films on the list have for Saratoga. I cannot recall seeing either. As for Seabiscuit, I was very much around for the filming. I never watched the film in its entirety. To be completely open, I wasn’t all that interested. I know–I know. I know it’s an Oscar nominee and a high quality film.

Though I love horses, because they’re just giant doggies, the races aren’t exciting or interesting. I have a problem with the exploitation of the animals, for one. Then, there is the other list of issues…It’s a big to-do for the entitled wealthy of the world. They come to our town to amass trophies and cash, and pad their fragile egos. It brings with it some nefarious figures looking to cash in, who indulge in excessive gambling and drinking, and also treat the locals poorly (see my YouTube for further explanation).

Just to show I’m not alone, my closest friend, who was also born there didn’t care much about the Seabiscuit film either. Recollection of the reviews ranged from it was okay to a great film. The reviews from locals directly correlate to how those folks view the races. Having attended the races and photographed them, having grown up in Saratoga and lived there for most of my life, I could probably tell you if the films are accurate. That said, I’d have to watch them. Maybe that’s an idea for a watch party live?

I cannot wait to find out what the other authors have to say about their home stomping grounds, and if they feel any of the films did justice to them. Click on their links below to find out more. Also, be sure to drop your email in the box on the top right to subscribe to the newsletter and get this hop dropped in your email each Friday.

Support Is Food for the Soul – Open Book Blog Hop #396

October 2, 2023 By Captain Maiel 4 Comments

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

Topic #396

Who was the first person who ever believed in you?

Wowzers, does this take me back! I started writing shortly after seeing the film Memphis Belle (1990). I drove my friends absolutely batty with this movie. Not only was it star studded, with practically every man a GenX’r could want to see, but the subject was my favorite period in time. I could not get enough. Not only did this introduce me to the incomparable Harry Connick Jr., but I also discovered a couple more actors who have remained among my favorites since: D.B. Sweeney and Billy Zane.

A couple of years ago, I was able to meet D.B. Sweeney on a private online forum for screenwriters. It was a fabulous couple of hours, listening to him talk about his career and answer our questions. The man is as friendly as I had hoped. It really brought things full circle to get to engage in this event!

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash, a couple clasp hands across a table between coffee cups.

In those early days of my writing, I scribbled all of the time in a binder that I kept with me through all classes and breaks. There was never a time I was without, unless I made the grave mistake of forgetting it at home, in which case, I would find loose paper to use. My favorite place to do my writing was in my bookstore study hall period. Between my friends and the high school staff member who helped us run the bookstore, Mrs. D, I had quite a great support system.

Mrs. D said that I would undoubtedly be published one day, and she was right. I did not give up that dream because of this support, even though it never quite turned out as I had pictured. My friends Rachel M who was not in the bookstore, and Jen C, Stacy R, Katrina L — who all sat through the study hall with me in the bookstore, asked lots of questions about my work. Their support was imperative. I missed it a great deal once school was over. I could have used the lift in the dark times after college, but paths parted and I found myself with fewer of the contacts I once had.

If it were not for the interest and support of friends and teachers in my early years, I don’t think I would have continued writing for very long. Their encouragement kept me fed, so to speak. The feeling that this gave me is probably why I go on to this day. Creating worlds and people and telling stories was very fulfilling in those days. Despite all of the work that it now entails, I still get a taste now and then of that thrill.

Oddly enough, a few of the people who supported me early on came back into my life later through social media. Jen C is always in my corner cheering me on. She’s one of the best people I’m privileged to know. Kind hearts are treasures indeed. And, my closest friend, Rachel is still in my corner to this day. In fact, after supplying me with lots of Memphis Belle magazine tear-outs, became my daughter’s aunt in 2017.

So who supported the other writers in our hop? Click on their links below to find out. Don’t forget to subscribe to the blog in order to get this hop sent to your inbox weekly. See you back here soon!

open book blog hop, camera and a notebook on a vintage map

Non-Traditional – Open Book Blog Hop #395

September 25, 2023 By Captain Maiel 2 Comments

♦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?

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.