One of the "soccer moms" from Owen's U8 team is a "consultant" for some jewlery/pyramid scheme company. Bascially, she arranges "parties" for folks to come buy overpriced jewelery, and she pockets a pretty profit from each sale. Not only that, but she earns a sales percentage for each new "consultant" she recruits...and for each "consultant" these "consultants" recruit. My head is spinning a little. Have enough "consultants" earning under you, and I suppose you could retire. The same works with Mary Kay and Avon. Other companies, too.
So Soccer Mom/Jewelery Lady shows at an 8:30 AM soccer match wearing at least ten pieces of costume crap (er...jewelery). Each time she corners my wife alone, the conversation revolves around coming to a party (to buy, buy, buy...)
Yuck, right?
But...isn't marketing a book a little like that pyramid scheme?
The more folks who know about you, the more chance you have to spread a little "word of mouth" and sell books, right? In theory, if the book is good enough, the pyramid continues to grow.
Well, this is where I fail. I don't mind spouting about writing online, but in person, with the folks I interact each day...well, I just don't talk about it. The other day a brunch, a weekly "family affair" our closest friends in Lawrence attend each week, one of them said, "Well Aaron doesn't like to talk about his writing."
Eeek. Wrong message, I think. Sometimes I feel so insulated in my "writing world", I just don't want to brow-beat anyone in the "real world" with talk of my work. Maybe I should.
A little.
Just don't expect me to show up to soccer with a stack of autographed copies, okay?
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
WIP Wednesday: Like a Dog
The pseudo-horror, magically real (I hope), The Things They Carried inspired WIP has a working title. I'm not sure mentioned it before, but for the record I'm calling it We're All Liars Here. Until I can work "Saints" into the title, that is...
As I finish stories, I'm going to try and sell a few individually. Some won't work out of context of the book, but others should fare just fine.
So far, I've written part (or all) of the following (about 20K):
"We're All Liars Here"
"The Second Death of Elroy Jantz"
"BJ is Seventeen"
"Mutiny"
"The First Girl I Loved"
"The Ground Plan of Hell"
And I'm having a helluva good time along the way. I hope to share the journey in its entirety someday, but for now...
Tony Manning was a liar. He usually lied about little things, like when he stole beer from his father on the night Bobby killed Elroy Jantz. Tony lied so well his old man never imagined a single can went missing. The big lies he reserved for special occasions, but all of them--big or small--came from his lips with a silver of magic.
How's your WIP coming along?
As I finish stories, I'm going to try and sell a few individually. Some won't work out of context of the book, but others should fare just fine.
So far, I've written part (or all) of the following (about 20K):
"We're All Liars Here"
"The Second Death of Elroy Jantz"
"BJ is Seventeen"
"Mutiny"
"The First Girl I Loved"
"The Ground Plan of Hell"
And I'm having a helluva good time along the way. I hope to share the journey in its entirety someday, but for now...
Tony Manning was a liar. He usually lied about little things, like when he stole beer from his father on the night Bobby killed Elroy Jantz. Tony lied so well his old man never imagined a single can went missing. The big lies he reserved for special occasions, but all of them--big or small--came from his lips with a silver of magic.
How's your WIP coming along?
Monday, August 23, 2010
Dear Reader...I'll Bake Cookies
My proverbial "gears" were already in motion before I read Brendan P. Myers' recent blog on the Futility of Marketing. He lays it out very neatly.
My summary:
"Traditional" advertising doesn't sell books. Word of mouth sells books.
So how, dear reader, does one get his/her book to be the topic of said "word of mouth"?
I've clicked on "read my novel, BAD TITLE HERE, at INTERNET BOOK SITE" links on Twitter only to drown in lousy writing after a sentence or two. Self-publishing crap and then asking people to read it isn't really going to help win readers. Besides, the only people who might have clicked on the link were already "following" the nitwit in question. I'm not getting down on Twitter here, just noticing that 90% of the chuckleheads who Tweet their stuff seek followers for self-promotion and nothing else. Personally, that turns me off faster than a power outage during a tornado. I don't want to be that guy.
If you're going to be your own word of mouth, I expect people (readers) need to trust you (and don't you dare break that sacred bond) and you have to be pimping something damn good. Personally, I don't think a writer can be his/her own word of mouth. Not in the traditional: read this because it is made of awesome sort of way. When is the last time you grabbed a book off the shelf and read it because the author of said book touted how great it was? In the real world, nobody blurbs his/her own stuff. So really, the only hope is to plant the right seeds and wait to see what grows. The right seeds? Quality stories. Entertainment. Writing that transcends. Writing in which you can't see the writer's fingerprints, but you can see the beauty of his/her imagination.
Yes, I've spent a good deal of time thinking about how to market my books. They won't be in bookstores (anywhere save local places which love to carry local authors). Every sale--and more importantly, reader--must be won from the masses involved in a crazy free-for-all battle royal.
For some readers, digesting a book is more than a passing thing. On Brendan's blog, I contrasted reading a novel to eating a cheeseburger (think about how each is marketed differently). I'm sad to say I probably eat more cheeseburgers than I read novels in an average year, but I don't talk about the burgers much after they're gone. The good books, the really special books, linger. I can't push them out of my mind (or from the tip of my tongue). I want to tell everybody: read this book. I talk (and blog) about them years later. The really great ones, I teach (when I'm lucky). The emotional investment is huge--much bigger than it is with a burger. A good book becomes part of you forever. A cheeseburger doesn't stick around after a few hours (if you're lucky).
So, yeah. I hope I have the good, lingering type of material for you, dear readers. I hope you'll give my work a chance. If I've lived up to my part of the bargain, I hope you'll pass on the book. And those other writers...well, they won't bake you cookies, will they?
I just might.
My summary:
"Traditional" advertising doesn't sell books. Word of mouth sells books.
So how, dear reader, does one get his/her book to be the topic of said "word of mouth"?
I've clicked on "read my novel, BAD TITLE HERE, at INTERNET BOOK SITE" links on Twitter only to drown in lousy writing after a sentence or two. Self-publishing crap and then asking people to read it isn't really going to help win readers. Besides, the only people who might have clicked on the link were already "following" the nitwit in question. I'm not getting down on Twitter here, just noticing that 90% of the chuckleheads who Tweet their stuff seek followers for self-promotion and nothing else. Personally, that turns me off faster than a power outage during a tornado. I don't want to be that guy.
If you're going to be your own word of mouth, I expect people (readers) need to trust you (and don't you dare break that sacred bond) and you have to be pimping something damn good. Personally, I don't think a writer can be his/her own word of mouth. Not in the traditional: read this because it is made of awesome sort of way. When is the last time you grabbed a book off the shelf and read it because the author of said book touted how great it was? In the real world, nobody blurbs his/her own stuff. So really, the only hope is to plant the right seeds and wait to see what grows. The right seeds? Quality stories. Entertainment. Writing that transcends. Writing in which you can't see the writer's fingerprints, but you can see the beauty of his/her imagination.
Yes, I've spent a good deal of time thinking about how to market my books. They won't be in bookstores (anywhere save local places which love to carry local authors). Every sale--and more importantly, reader--must be won from the masses involved in a crazy free-for-all battle royal.
For some readers, digesting a book is more than a passing thing. On Brendan's blog, I contrasted reading a novel to eating a cheeseburger (think about how each is marketed differently). I'm sad to say I probably eat more cheeseburgers than I read novels in an average year, but I don't talk about the burgers much after they're gone. The good books, the really special books, linger. I can't push them out of my mind (or from the tip of my tongue). I want to tell everybody: read this book. I talk (and blog) about them years later. The really great ones, I teach (when I'm lucky). The emotional investment is huge--much bigger than it is with a burger. A good book becomes part of you forever. A cheeseburger doesn't stick around after a few hours (if you're lucky).
So, yeah. I hope I have the good, lingering type of material for you, dear readers. I hope you'll give my work a chance. If I've lived up to my part of the bargain, I hope you'll pass on the book. And those other writers...well, they won't bake you cookies, will they?
I just might.
Vampires. Sparkles.
Look! I'm in a book with famous people!Hey...that vampire has braces. Sparkly braces. Heh.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Casting a Wide Memorial Net
A few of Jamie's international writing buddies have contacted me about putting together a donation for the memorial fund at Iowa Savings Bank in Coon Rapids (easier to donate from the States, it seems). If you're a member of said international community and want in, drop me an email at aaron_polson(at)hotmail(dot)com.
In addition, Kody Boye has posted about other giving opportunities on his site, and Chris Fletcher of M-Brane Sci-Fi has collected a number of memorial links.
I'm heartened to see how the writing community comes together during dark times.
In addition, Kody Boye has posted about other giving opportunities on his site, and Chris Fletcher of M-Brane Sci-Fi has collected a number of memorial links.
I'm heartened to see how the writing community comes together during dark times.
This Feels a Little Unimportant at the Moment
...but I have a brief article up about so-called "weird-fiction" up at Flash Fiction Chronicles today.You can view it here: http://www.everydayfiction.com/flashfictionblog/still-weird-after-all-these-years/
Regular readers of this blog may also enjoy Leonard Hazell's article about eight classic monsters. http://www.everydayfiction.com/flashfictionblog/the-church-of-many-fears-monsters-of-the-horror-genre/
Enjoy your weekend. Hug a loved one. Go outside. Look at the stars. Tell a story. Cry. Laugh.
Be human.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Thank You and Godspeed
Those of us who do this writing thing sometimes live in strange, insular bubbles. The internet has made contact between bubbles easier.
One writer I came to know through the magic of the 'net was Jamie Eyberg.
Jamie and his wife died last weekend in a freak accident. I only learned about it earlier today.
I was shocked. Angered. In disbelief.
My heart goes out to his children, Kennedy and Brendan, and the rest of the family.
Jamie was a good writer and friend, but most of all a great and kind man. We shared stories and novels, helped critique each others' work, and cheered each victory in this ruthless game.
When this year's edition of 52 Stitches goes to print, it will be dedicated to Jamie. The profits will go to Kennedy and Brendan's memorial fund.
I'll miss you.
Thanks for everything.
*This link takes you to a memorial at the funeral home with information about the memorial account for Jamie's children and a guestbook to sign.
One writer I came to know through the magic of the 'net was Jamie Eyberg.
Jamie and his wife died last weekend in a freak accident. I only learned about it earlier today.
I was shocked. Angered. In disbelief.
My heart goes out to his children, Kennedy and Brendan, and the rest of the family.
Jamie was a good writer and friend, but most of all a great and kind man. We shared stories and novels, helped critique each others' work, and cheered each victory in this ruthless game.
When this year's edition of 52 Stitches goes to print, it will be dedicated to Jamie. The profits will go to Kennedy and Brendan's memorial fund.
I'll miss you.
Thanks for everything.
*This link takes you to a memorial at the funeral home with information about the memorial account for Jamie's children and a guestbook to sign.
WIP Wednesday: The First Day of School
Yes, the first day of school. I have plenty of WIP action on a little something I'm calling We're All Liars Here, but today it's all business. At least until 1 PM (early release). Pray my voice holds out that long. I'll post some snippets later. Right now, I need to brace for the third wave.
image from: myartspace>blog
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
Can't Get Enough
I'll have a piece of flash in January's issue of Necrotic Tissue (lucky #13 for those of you counting at home). NT has become a very tough market, and I'm beyond thrilled to land my third piece with them.
"Enough" was based (quite loosely) on an experience I had with eBay this summer. Remind me to fill in the details come press time. For now...
"Enough" was based (quite loosely) on an experience I had with eBay this summer. Remind me to fill in the details come press time. For now...
Dance, monsters. Dance!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
The Horror! (of a meme)
I'm "it"...along with a pile of other people. Natalie Sin has tagged me, and now I must share the infection with five other people. And I choose...
What do they do, pray tell?
This: fill a post with pics from horror movies, each following a theme. Can you guess what theme we're working with? Eh?
This: fill a post with pics from horror movies, each following a theme. Can you guess what theme we're working with? Eh?
1. 
2.
3.
4.
5. (Sorry it's so tiny...I couldn't find a better screen grab)
6. (I know, WTF?)
The movies:
2.
3.
4.
5. (Sorry it's so tiny...I couldn't find a better screen grab)
6. (I know, WTF?)
7. (no...he's NOT a zombie)
The movies:
1. The Thing (1982, John Carpenter)
2. Videodrome (1982, David Cronenberg)
3. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1996, Kenneth Branagh)
4. Eraserhead (1977, David Lynch)
5. Alien (1979, Ridley Scott) *this shot is actually from the deleted scenes
6. The Brood (1979, David Cronenberg)
7. The Fly (1986, David Cronenberg)
What do they have in common...
Major body alteration/mutilation--and not in the standard, hack-you-up-Texas-Chainsaw-Massacre way. Body dysmorphia is a scary thing, folks. Dying...yeah, that's scary, but everybody has to do it eventually. Getting turned into an egg sac for an Alien queen (ala #5)? F*ck that.
Have fun.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
WIP Wednesday: Taking Back the Man Cave
Yes, you read that correctly. Today I take back the Man Cave.
Maybe I'll do some writing later. In the Man Cave. Ah, that's the stuff.
One of my favorite books--top five (seriously)--is Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried. If you're familiar, skip ahead. If not, well, it's a collection of stories (sort of) and a novel (sort of). O'Brien served in the military during that awful tragedy in Vietnam, and The Things They Carried follows a platoon through combat, coming home, and even fictional Tim's experience before the war. Or is it fictional Tim? Are the members of the platoon fictional? Just how much of this book is true, how much is made up?
Damn, it's a good book when it has you asking those kind of questions.
My last visit home really inspired me. You've seen the pictures. I've had this seed of an idea to write a novel/collection (kindasorta experimental) with my hometown as the base. Yes, it would be horror-esque. More dark fantasy and magical realism, I think. Yes, I would break a few narrative conventions, ala The Things They Carried. Visiting home again, I just knew this was the right thing to do. Maybe a little too ambitious for a writer of my skill, but hell. I'd rather try to climb a mountain than roll down a hill.
It's been brewing for a while. I better just write it, huh? In fact I've already started:
Elroy Jantz’s first death was an accident.
Maybe I'll do some writing later. In the Man Cave. Ah, that's the stuff.
One of my favorite books--top five (seriously)--is Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried. If you're familiar, skip ahead. If not, well, it's a collection of stories (sort of) and a novel (sort of). O'Brien served in the military during that awful tragedy in Vietnam, and The Things They Carried follows a platoon through combat, coming home, and even fictional Tim's experience before the war. Or is it fictional Tim? Are the members of the platoon fictional? Just how much of this book is true, how much is made up?
Damn, it's a good book when it has you asking those kind of questions.
My last visit home really inspired me. You've seen the pictures. I've had this seed of an idea to write a novel/collection (kindasorta experimental) with my hometown as the base. Yes, it would be horror-esque. More dark fantasy and magical realism, I think. Yes, I would break a few narrative conventions, ala The Things They Carried. Visiting home again, I just knew this was the right thing to do. Maybe a little too ambitious for a writer of my skill, but hell. I'd rather try to climb a mountain than roll down a hill.
It's been brewing for a while. I better just write it, huh? In fact I've already started:
Elroy Jantz’s first death was an accident.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Don't Let Rainbows End, 'kay?
PARSEC Ink has put together another magnificent collection of short, speculative fiction, and I'm beyond honored to have a story included in its august pages.
I received my contributor's copy of Triangulation: End of the Rainbow yesterday and skimmed a bit. Read a few stories. Read my story, "The World in Rubber, Soft and Malleable" again...and damn it, my own story made me get all choked up. Coupled with the afterword by editor Bill Moran, I was almost in tears.
Why?
"...fiction writing is dying..." (from the afterword)
By Zeus, I hope not. But Mr. Moran lays out a pretty powerful argument for why it is. (Let's just say Transformers 2 was not his favorite movie...) Me? I blame the internet. For all it's wonder and fantasy, it has made fiction cheap and easy. Cheaper than pulp stories. Hell, authors writing for pulp mags back in the Golden Age were paid near living wages for their words. Now, that kind of pay just isn't feasible (without massive debts) even for the best mags. I'd be shocked if any of them are turning profit. I'd be thrilled if they were.
Yes, YA novels are selling like crazy. And yes, some of them are wonderful. Okay, a few of them are wonderful. There's a ton of shite out there, though. Trust me. I work with teenagers. I see the kind of crap they grab at the library. I try to cultivate a love for good fiction, but it's a grueling, uphill battle. They have a million and one distractions: mindless movies, Youtube, text-messaging, Facebook...
Too many other choices for how to spend their copious leisure time to demand quality fiction. If the readers don't demand it, don't vote with their dollars, who is going to care?
This is the next generation, folks. This is the future.
If fiction dies, is the art of storytelling far behind? Is there anything more human than storytelling?
Man, I'll rage against the dying of that particular light. Rage hard, even if it kills me. I'm going to write, and write hard. Yeah, I'm back from the strange doorway in my basement.
"The colors through that door shamed anything the Krylon people could imagine. Shattered the rainbow, too."
But it was all a lie. A bigger lie than anything fictional. A bigger lie than "...fiction writing is dying..."
I hope.
Buy a copy of Triangulation: End of the Rainbow. Help fight the good fight. Win one for stories and good fiction in an era of paste-pudding and drivel.
I received my contributor's copy of Triangulation: End of the Rainbow yesterday and skimmed a bit. Read a few stories. Read my story, "The World in Rubber, Soft and Malleable" again...and damn it, my own story made me get all choked up. Coupled with the afterword by editor Bill Moran, I was almost in tears.Why?
"...fiction writing is dying..." (from the afterword)
By Zeus, I hope not. But Mr. Moran lays out a pretty powerful argument for why it is. (Let's just say Transformers 2 was not his favorite movie...) Me? I blame the internet. For all it's wonder and fantasy, it has made fiction cheap and easy. Cheaper than pulp stories. Hell, authors writing for pulp mags back in the Golden Age were paid near living wages for their words. Now, that kind of pay just isn't feasible (without massive debts) even for the best mags. I'd be shocked if any of them are turning profit. I'd be thrilled if they were.
Yes, YA novels are selling like crazy. And yes, some of them are wonderful. Okay, a few of them are wonderful. There's a ton of shite out there, though. Trust me. I work with teenagers. I see the kind of crap they grab at the library. I try to cultivate a love for good fiction, but it's a grueling, uphill battle. They have a million and one distractions: mindless movies, Youtube, text-messaging, Facebook...
Too many other choices for how to spend their copious leisure time to demand quality fiction. If the readers don't demand it, don't vote with their dollars, who is going to care?
This is the next generation, folks. This is the future.
If fiction dies, is the art of storytelling far behind? Is there anything more human than storytelling?
Man, I'll rage against the dying of that particular light. Rage hard, even if it kills me. I'm going to write, and write hard. Yeah, I'm back from the strange doorway in my basement.
"The colors through that door shamed anything the Krylon people could imagine. Shattered the rainbow, too."
But it was all a lie. A bigger lie than anything fictional. A bigger lie than "...fiction writing is dying..."
I hope.
Buy a copy of Triangulation: End of the Rainbow. Help fight the good fight. Win one for stories and good fiction in an era of paste-pudding and drivel.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Bollocks!
Yeah, you know what I mean. I like cursing in another country's slang; that way I don't feel so naughty.
Owen's 7th birthday was yesterday (happy b-day, buddy). I'm scarcely breathing today. My writing has suffered of late. I haven't penned a decent story in...well, at least a month. I have plenty of work to do in preparation for the new school year, too. I need a lifeline, and fast.
So, when I read this article, "Is Having Children an Unexpected Path to Publishing Success", you may think I answered "NO!"
But, in fact, having kids is fantastic. Having the structure of a full time job and kids...I'm motivated. I'm motivated.
Having summer vacation, too many Legos, and 100+ degree weather...
What was I talking about?
Oh yeah. My lack of motivation. I'm back to work on Friday. I'll see about that Pulitzer Prize winning novel, then.
*by the way...you want to preorder Cate Gardner's short story collection, Strange Men in Pinstripe Suits and Other Curious Things, don't you? C'mon...
Owen's 7th birthday was yesterday (happy b-day, buddy). I'm scarcely breathing today. My writing has suffered of late. I haven't penned a decent story in...well, at least a month. I have plenty of work to do in preparation for the new school year, too. I need a lifeline, and fast.
So, when I read this article, "Is Having Children an Unexpected Path to Publishing Success", you may think I answered "NO!"
But, in fact, having kids is fantastic. Having the structure of a full time job and kids...I'm motivated. I'm motivated.
Having summer vacation, too many Legos, and 100+ degree weather...
What was I talking about?
Oh yeah. My lack of motivation. I'm back to work on Friday. I'll see about that Pulitzer Prize winning novel, then.
*by the way...you want to preorder Cate Gardner's short story collection, Strange Men in Pinstripe Suits and Other Curious Things, don't you? C'mon...
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
WIP Wednesday: Blood from a Stone
The boys and I paid visit to Grandma this week, allowing me another opportunity to mine my poor ol' hometown for story ideas. How many times can I squeeze words (blood) out of these stones?
The factory building which inspired "Spider and I" is gone. Gone-gone. It used to be in front of the ugly sheds in the picture above.
These limestone gates still guard Greenwood Cemetery. I've called it by various names in the past, but the cemetery, and the creepy pond behind it, inspired various tales, including "The Bottom Feeders" and the as-yet unpublished "Wanting It". I learned to drive on the gravel roads in Greenwood. I guess Mom thought I couldn't do much damage to the residents.
I love the old, creaky Carnegie Library downtown. It's one of only 30-odd Carnegie Libraries in the U.S. still used as a library. The sinister top floor spawned "In the Primal Library". I've also used it as a setting in my YA WIP (crying out to be edited and revised), Borrowed Saints.
There's more, of course. Hell, the whole town of Clay Center has become my fictional Springdale (setting of The House Eaters and several stories). It's not the most original location, but it's mine. I'll keep on squeezing as long as she has something to give.
The factory building which inspired "Spider and I" is gone. Gone-gone. It used to be in front of the ugly sheds in the picture above.
These limestone gates still guard Greenwood Cemetery. I've called it by various names in the past, but the cemetery, and the creepy pond behind it, inspired various tales, including "The Bottom Feeders" and the as-yet unpublished "Wanting It". I learned to drive on the gravel roads in Greenwood. I guess Mom thought I couldn't do much damage to the residents. 
I love the old, creaky Carnegie Library downtown. It's one of only 30-odd Carnegie Libraries in the U.S. still used as a library. The sinister top floor spawned "In the Primal Library". I've also used it as a setting in my YA WIP (crying out to be edited and revised), Borrowed Saints.There's more, of course. Hell, the whole town of Clay Center has become my fictional Springdale (setting of The House Eaters and several stories). It's not the most original location, but it's mine. I'll keep on squeezing as long as she has something to give.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Meat. And Storytelling.
I couldn't help but listen to this story from NPR...a bit of human evolutionary history coupled with mention of "storytelling" as uniquely human behavior (you have to listen closely for that last bit, but it's in there).
Further proof that barbecue is good for you. Mmmmm.
"Meat, Fire, and the Evolution of Man" by Christopher Joyce
Any day I can mention barbecue and storytelling in the same post is a good day.
Further proof that barbecue is good for you. Mmmmm.
"Meat, Fire, and the Evolution of Man" by Christopher Joyce
Any day I can mention barbecue and storytelling in the same post is a good day.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)