Author Archives: Darrick Dean

Amazon a “Market Disruption” for Publishers

Posted on August 16, 2014 by Darrick Dean

The war between Amazon (who has led the wholesale changes seen in publishing in recent years) and traditional publishers (currently Hachette Book Group) has come to a head over e-book pricing. Hachette’s position is that they have the author’s best interests at heart, but indie writers argue otherwise. One of them, Robert Bidinotto, explains that there is more to the story:

…even though publishing contract terms (including advances, royalties, and rights) are simply awful for 99% of authors, a relative handful of Big Name Authors do in fact benefit disproportionately from their alliances with Big Publishing. These “one-percenters” (to borrow a term from current political parlance) get extravagant advances from the publishing houses — advances so large that they don’t care much about other contractual terms, such as royalties and subsidiary rights, which other authors must endure. They have a huge vested interest in keeping the publishing industry frozen in amber, exactly as it is. As marquee figures in the industry, these Big Name Authors also dominate prominent writers groups, such as the Authors Guild. So, when such individuals and groups issue statements, purporting to speak for authors generally, you can be sure that they are really only representing their own narrower interests.

You can read the complete post at his site and the petition that supports the Amazon side. Bidinotto also writes, “Look, I have no problem, in principle, with publishers. If they really did what they promise to do — take the burdens of editing and publication off writers, compensate them reasonably, and market them creatively and intelligently — I think many more authors would be happier than they are now. A number of small presses still do this.”

And that is truly what is at the heart of the debate. It isn’t that Big Publishing is evil or that no authors ever succeed with them or that no one but bad authors indie publish. Once writers had another path to publish their works, they were free to question the system that usually left them with the least return. If big deals come along, that’s great, but most writers would be happy to pay the bills and make a living. And most don’t.

The industry is changing. The death of many bookstores has shown us that. If traditional publishers don’t change, will they follow the same path?

P.S. For an example of how some in traditional publishing are adapting, see the October issue of Writer’s Digest in which “The Evolving Agent” details how agents are joining the digital era.

Categories: Books, Writing | Tags: , , , | 1 Comment

Bad Deeds

Posted on August 12, 2014 by Darrick Dean

Tired of the System run by the corrupt that protects the corruption? You could call Batman. Or you could find Dylan Hunter.

In Robert Bidinotto‘s Hunter, we were introduced to investigative reporter Dylan Hunter who has, let’s just say, a bit of a past. Nor does he like when the criminal element gets away with murder.

In Bad Deeds, we find Hunter and his woman friend Annie on a much needed holiday in the towering forests of northern Pennsylvania. It’s not long before they find themselves in a middle of a war as ecoterrorists attempt to take down the evil corporate gas drillers. Soon, the trail leads to the cesspool of corruption known as Washington, DC, where the Hunter finds himself up against those who will do anything to cling on to power. They believe themselves untouchable. Hunter may have a thing or two to say about that.

Is this second installment, Bidinotto has built on the first and taken the story to a new level, as any sequel should. Readers find themselves in a “ripped from the headlines” tale that is all too plausible. Political games and money trails are all too the norm in our world. As are cover-ups and the near immunity of politicians from the rules the rest of us play by. This all unfolds in a page-turning fashion that exceeds Hunter’s last adventure. Of course, in the tradition of all memorable thrillers, Hunter finds himself in some over-the-top situations. At the same time, there is much to provoke thought in the thinking reader. When will more people become fed up with the status quo? Maybe not necessarily in the way Hunter goes about justice.

Then again, when are we going to stop letting the corrupt define justice?

pyr

Categories: Books, Fiction, Writing | Tags: , , , | 1 Comment

Raising Giza

Posted on June 27, 2014 by Darrick Dean

The pyramids of Giza. The last of the Seven Wonders of the World. They have spawned endless speculation into the methods of their construction and purpose. Much of it bizarre: Aliens built it. It’s a power plant. A weapon. Vault of lost knowledge.

This all makes for a lot of absurd — I mean interesting — speculation. And occasional fun fiction. In this case, though, fact is far more interesting.

In The Secret of the Great Pyramid, Egyptologist Bob Brier chronicles the quest of architect Jean-Pierre Houdin to unlock the secret of the Great Pyramids assembly. Rather than resorting to stargates and levitation, Houdin looked at it with an eye honed by design and engineering: Moving and raising blocks is physics. No advanced math is needed. No spaceships either. That doesn’t mean it was easy.

Realize that Egyptians wrote about nearly everything, except how they built pyramids, which adds even more to their mystique. Brier recounts their history, which began with others before those at Giza. A bit of science, a bit of trial and error. Eventually it was perfected. I won’t reveal the details here, but it seems we may have long been looking for an answer too complicated. Sometimes simple is all that is needed.

Perhaps most fascinating is that pyramids came early in Egyptian history rather than later. We continue to learn that the ancients were quite intelligent. Too often we look back and down on those who have faded into history — “chronological snobbery” C.S. Lewis called it. They were smart, just had a different level of technology and knowledge base. Discoveries continue to show that mankind’s intelligence existed very early, if not from the beginning.

Our modern nations have existed for an eye-blink in time. Will we approach the longevity of ancient empires? Or will we be crushed under the weight of our misplaced stones?

So perhaps the pyramids carry a message after all.

pyr

Categories: Ancient Sites, History, Origins of Man, Prehistory | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Are you Tired?

Posted on June 15, 2014 by Darrick Dean

The person ahead of you is just as tired. The one who gives up last will come first. – Neila Rey

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Of Martians and Details

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Darrick Dean

Have you ever read a book where you feel like you are bogged down in a swamp? The author wants to tell you every little detail of his or her world. The color of every last button, the exact feel of every object, every inch of every person in vivid color. It’s as if they are afraid the reader will perceive something, anything, different from what was imagined in the author’s mind.

It’s true that too little detail is boring. Just as certain is that not allowing a story to breathe, to capture the reader and bring them in, is just as boring. It doesn’t take a lot of detail to paint a picture in the mind. A perception. A feeling. An immersive book doesn’t have to be 200,000 words long. Fewer and purposefully chosen words can ignite the reader’s imagination, draw them inside and propel them forward.

One of my favorite books is Ray Bradbury’s Martian Chronicles. Relatively short, it’s a collection of short stories, mostly connected only by the Martian setting. But Bradbury’s descriptions of the ancient, dead (or dying) Martian world leave an impression in one’s mind, one that stays with you long after. Maybe each reader’s image in their mind’s eye of the red planet is a little different in reading these stories. Yet long after they forget every exact word, character and event, the mere mention of the book brings up imagery and feeling like a memory of place actually walked.

And that is one of the traits that distinguishes remembered books from those forgotten.

Martian Chronicles

Categories: Books, Fiction, Writing | Tags: , | 2 Comments

Promoting Your Book, Off-line

Posted on May 25, 2014 by Darrick Dean

Writers dream of big newspaper ads, displays in bookstores and maybe a radio spot or two. Truth is, most books are not marketed like a movie release campaign. Authors also quickly realize that they hold much of the responsibility for getting their book noticed. Often this requires willingness to do some old-fashioned networking.

Ren Garcia, the mind behind the League of Elder series, writes that nothing is off the table:

“A key component of spreading the plague that is my brand is showing my smiling face: craft shows, bake shows, car shows, any place I can set up a table is fair game.” And then there is the convention scene where it is easy to be overlooked, but as Ren writes, “For me, the greatest value of attending a convention is the contacts and genuine friendships I make. I walk around and talk to the authors and show genuine interest in their work. I listen to them.”

Robert Bidinotto, author of the Dylan Hunter novels, details that something as apparently mundane (in our electronic world anyway) as business cards can effectively spread the word about your book. He explains:

“…by far the best way to use them is person-to-person. Every time you meet someone new, they want to know what you do. ‘I’m an author,’ you say, and hand them your card. If you have a spiffy-looking book cover, your card will impress them and very likely generate questions.” In other words, be proud that you are writer and let people know. He adds: “But you don’t have to wait around to encounter strangers. You are constantly running into strangers: store clerks, waiters and waitresses, barbers and hair stylists, people sitting next to you in coffee shops, the clerk at the post office window. You can initiate a conversation, quite naturally…” Read the rest of his post for an amusing little lesson in bringing your book up to complete strangers.

So instead of waiting for the big movie trailer for your book, explore every and any opportunity to make your epic story known.

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Summer is Close….

Posted on May 23, 2014 by Darrick Dean

For many, this weekend marks the unofficial start of summer. For us purists, we have until mid-June for the real deal. In either case, summers unearth years of memories from everyone’s past. All differ a bit, but so many are the same: Summer vacation, blue skies, swimming, friends, beaches…

One of the best books to capture the essence of summer is Ray Bradbury’s Dandelion Wine. It’s one of the few times he left sci-fi and horror, yet is still quintessential Bradbury. Set in the Midwest in (now) distant 1928, 12-year-old Douglas Spaulding’s summer adventures will remind everyone of those July and August days long thought forgotten. A must for your reading list in the coming weeks of Sun as you sip on lemonade or dandelion wine under the shade of a towering oak…

Dandelion Wine

Categories: Books, Fiction | Tags: , , | 2 Comments

Reinventing Barnes and Noble

Posted on May 12, 2014 by Darrick Dean

Once again, come the predictions of the end of Barnes and Noble.  Even with the end of Borders,  B&N has had troubles, with many laying the blame at the foot of Amazon and its Kindle-led e-book revolution.

As usual, it is never quite that simple.

I’ve seen many bookstores pop up in former Borders locations. Amazon is a great place to shop for books, and is the legend of internet commerce, but its profit margin isn’t all that high [And since I first wrote this, Amazon has begun to open stores, seeing the profitability in them.  Indie bookstores have seen strong growth. Who says no one buys real books?]. Ironically, B&N stores compete against e-books — all the while pushing its Nook reader — and its own website. All stores have websites, that isn’t the only problem. B&N does make money, if in decreasing fashion. It can survive, if it reinvents itself. That is, it will if it gets back to the basics it began with:

Become known as the local neighborhood bookseller, rather than the national chain bookstore.

The suggestions below are the same I made about a year ago. To these I add this: Forget the Nook. Let Amazon and Apple and all the others have it. E-books are here to stay, but be the old-fashioned bookstore. Be the specialty store. Paper books will never disappear. They are timeless and durable. Just like we treasure ancient tomes, so will the future want ours. And these:

1. Make that regional and local book section more prominent. Expand it. Make your store the one stop place for anyone looking for local authors and books on area subjects.

2. Ditch the cafes. Never stepped foot in one. You’re a bookstore. Yes, there are people who like to hang out in them, so farm them out to someone else. Get out of the food business. [Update: I have since “stepped foot” in the cafe once or twice. Not bad, but just not what I’m looking for when I go in a bookstore.]

3. Indie books and indie presses have grown rapidly in recent years. E-books are their main outlet because they still operate outside traditional distribution networks. Change this. Get their books in your stores.

4. Ditch the music and movie section. If e-commerce has hurt book sales, it has done more so for these other two. Save a spot for local artists, toss the rest. [Update: I realize that there has since been growth in vinyl records, which B&N sells. Good, sell them, but don’t bank on this or that fad (like adult coloring books). Fads come and go. Address them, but they can’t be at the core of your business.]

5. Enough of the $20 membership fee. Virtually no one charges for their loyalty cards.

6. Keep cutting unprofitable stores, but don’t pass up chances to open new, smaller stores in areas with a bookstore vacuum.

7. The kids area, the learning toy section and the games area are the best non-book items you have. They are better quality than what we find in department stores. But how many people know you sell this stuff? Your kids book section blows everyone — even Wal-Mart — away. Tell people. [And remove the toys that others have at cheaper prices. We all love Legos, but you can’t compete. Hobby board games are huge, your hobby board game section is great, but too small.]

8. Overall, your selection, style, arrangement and size of stores isn’t bad. Use your strengths as a national chain, but operate like a local store. Each market is different. Be able to respond and provide at an individual store level. Let them know that you are there. Host events more regularly. Be a destination.

Be like the stores of old. Books will never die, nor do you have to.

 

Categories: Books | Tags: , , , , , | 6 Comments

Light vs. Darkness

Posted on May 3, 2014 by Darrick Dean

The supernatural and fantasy shelves at the bookstore are overflowing with books looking to be The Next Best Thing. As with any genre that hits high levels of popularity, it has become saturated with many all too similar tales. Yet there is always a couple that stand out.

Tosca Lee‘s Demon: A Memoir takes a turn away from the urban action or romance-centered supernaturals. What if a demon, who had been around since the beginning, showed up and wanted you to write its story? That’s exactly what happens to writer Clay one day. The demon Lucian, who appears as a different human in each encounter, relates his personal experience of the Universe’s creation, the rise of Evil and the arrival of man. Eventually, though, Clay and Lucian’s story become intertwined. In many ways a thought-provoking book as it progresses, which adds depth to an entertaining page-turned. Ironically, though, I have seen readers complain when they weren’t warned that a book might challenge them or leave them some items to ponder. Can’t make everyone happy, I suppose.

Mande Matthews introduces readers to her ShadowLight Saga with the short The Light Keepers. Astrid, oppressed and locked away by her mother, is no ordinary girl. Her abilities have been growing and, of course, the evil in the world wants her for their own insidious plans. This prologue also includes a sneak-peak at Bonded. The Light Keepers will definitely leave you wanting to know what is to become of Astrid in what looks to be an epic saga between Light and Darkness.

And speaking of that, I have previously reviewed Morgan L. Busse‘s Follower of the Word series that begins with Daughter of Light. It is the story of Rowen Mar, another young woman who is learning she is not another average human in the Lands. Evil is rising and she is being called to make a choice, lead the fight or deny her gifts. Good and evil here aren’t the vague ideas of many novels. There is something real and tangible behind both. This book seems almost a prologue to a much longer story. The characters are just beginning to realize who they are. Evil is still spreading through the countryside and they have yet to fully engage in the struggle.

All of these books are about the battle between Darkness and Light. Why do so many explore this conflict?

Quite simply because fiction is often inspired by fact.

bk1 bk3bk2

Categories: Books, Fiction, Writing | Tags: , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

When Will You Tell Yours?

Posted on May 3, 2014 by Darrick Dean

I wrote awhile back that everyone should put their story into print. Whether for the whole world, or just for family and friends, everyone should record at least some segment of their life for posterity.

Think about all the people that have come and gone. Few walk the Earth and not impact or influence others, whether they know it or not. Every person you meet, even for a fleeting moment, is a Point of Contact, a chance to make a ripple in their Stream of Time, their Story.

Take Randy Pausch’s The Last Lecture. After being diagnosed with terminal cancer, Pausch, who was a professor, presented his “Last Lecture” at his university. It wasn’t just on his field of expertise, but his life story, which he converted into his best-selling book.

Did he cram every bit of wisdom and experience of his life into a short book? No, of course not. What he did do was give windows into his life that would allow his children, some very young at the time, know who their father was.

Or as Ed Voss did in Rambling, a combination of true and fictional stories. Some people can tell as much, or more, about themselves through fiction as they can fact.

Everyone should take the time to put together books like these. They don’t have to be epics or perfect in prose or looking for fame and fortune. Everyone has stories that deserve to be told and preserved.

When will you tell yours?

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