Self-Publishing and Marketing

When I published my first novel, I will admit to being woefully ignorant of the concept of marketing. By self-publishing, I knew that I would have a difficult time selling the book, but I had high hopes that my family and friends would get the ball rolling and eventually I might sell a modest number of copies. Using primarily Facebook and Twitter, I have managed to create some sales, but I am still short of my original goal for the novel. Hopefully, my blog will grow and more readers will discover The What If Project.

The best marketing advice I have found is to keep talking about the book and let people know the story. Don’t beg people to buy it or harass all your contacts with a bombardment of ads, but simply let them know it’s available and let them see some of that excitement that caused you to write it in the first place. So, let me tell you about The What If Project, an interesting tale about time travel and an ordinary man who can’t stop thinking about what might have been. The tag line for the book asks the question “What if you could go back in time and change one thing from your past?” Here’s the full description from the back cover:

Jack Mayland has spent a lifetime asking himself the same question over and over. What if? What if his little sister had not died as a child? What if his parents had not divorced after the incident? What if the entire course of his life had not been derailed by that one tragic accident? And what if there was a way to change it all and get his life back on track?

A chance encounter with the brilliant and controversial psychologist Dr. Jennifer Melton, gives him hope he may finally get some answers. The doctor has plenty of regrets about her own life, but she believes she has discovered a way to travel back into one’s own past and change a single event causing a ripple effect that can alter the present.

Jack agrees to participate in her study, but after several failed attempts, he begins to have doubts about the whole project. A new relationship with the doctor’s enigmatic assistant Rebecca, gives rise to a whole new set of questions. What if it’s all an illusion, a trick of some kind? What if the doctor is just manipulating him, using him for her own selfish reasons? What if the past really can’t be changed after all?

If you’ve ever had regrets about your past or wished you could go back and do things differently, read The What If Project, available now. If you’ve read the book and liked it, please recommend it to a friend!

And Now, a Brief Poem About the Solar System

I've been posting lots of poetry lately in anticipation of publishing a collection of poems by the end of February. This is a good example of why the book is titled A Head Full of Random Thoughts. Let me know what you think and please share with the poetry lovers in your life!

Book Review: Middlemarch, a Forgotten Classic

As a former English teacher, I have probably read many of the so-called classics that the average reader may have gladly pushed aside. For years, I would choose one such novel to read each summer, attempting to cover those great novels I had somehow missed over the years. Now retired, I still try to read at least once a year from the lists of classics and generally surprise myself by which ones I like and which ones I wish I had continued to not read.

The latest classic I discovered was George Eliot’s Middlemarch. I was not familiar with the book at all until only recently when I read an article proclaiming it to be one of the finest books every written. The novel appears on many lists of great books and is generally considered one of the best examples of the Victorian novel. Overall, I was impressed by the novel and enjoyed the reading. If you are a fan of the genre, I would encourage you to give it a try.

The biggest obstacle for many casual readers will be the language. Written in the 1870s and running well over seven hundred pages, it can be a demanding read. Those unfamiliar with the historical period may also find themselves bogged down by the political and social issues of the day, but it is the characters who will draw you to the story and hopefully, hold your interest. Despite a somewhat slow start and some long wordy sections, eventually, the narrative picks up and as the storylines begin to overlap and converge, a number of great characters appear.

Dorothea is the obvious star of the novel, a young woman ahead of the time in many respects. Despite her flaws, she is a genuinely good person who wants to make the world a better place. Dr. Lydgate, who Eliot originally conceived as the novel’s main character is also fascinating. He too dreams of improving himself and those around him with medicine as his chosen field. Unfortunately for both, their personal lives are less than ideal. Both find themselves in unhappy marriages, wed to partners who see the world much differently than they. Surrounded by a collection of minor characters who live and love and interact around them, Dorothea and Lydgate do their best to find purpose and meaning in their lives.

I won’t give away any major plot points, but I will say that there were several things that bothered me about the resolution. I generally prefer a realistic ending to a contrived happy ending, but I confess to being confounded by Dorothea’s actions by the end. I felt that Lydgate deserved better and others less in many respects, but overall, I will say again, I liked the book.

Days Gone By

Another original poem on this cold Thursday morning! This was written one evening several months ago after spending several hours without power due to severe weather. I really did spend some time reading by candlelight and enjoying the quiet time at home.

Martin Luther King Day

As a teacher, I tried whenever possible to expose my students to things I felt important, things I felt everyone should know, things I feared that many of them had missed somehow along the way. The “I Have a Dream” speech of Martin Luther King, Jr. is one of those things. For many years I would play at least a portion for my students as we neared the holiday. There are lines that are familiar to almost everyone, but even those are better heard than read. Surprisingly, a large number of people have never heard it in its entirety.

I don’t have a class or students anymore, so this is for my loyal readers. Whatever you may think about the man personally or in the unfortunate case of many young people today, if you are completely ignorant of the man and his place in our history, let me encourage you to listen to a fantastic speech/sermon/lecture, whatever you want to call it and spend some time thinking about the words which are as relevant today as they were in 1963.

Finding a copy should not be too difficult and it is well worth the time it takes to listen to the entire speech. Here’s a link to a pretty good version. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smEqnnklfYs

Parenthood

Thought I would share a poem. (And yes, those are my actual kids, Caitlin and Scott)

A Planner, A Pantser, or a Little of Both?

When beginning a novel, a writer must decide on his or her own individual level of planning. Some begin their works with elaborate plans and outlines developed well in advance. Others begin with a single idea and plunge ahead never knowing where they might end up. Whether you see yourself as a planner or a pantser, or a combination, all writers share the thrill of getting those words down on paper. So which are you a Planner, Pantser, or a little of both?

Until I wrote my first novel, The What If Project, I would have probably considered myself a Planner. Most of the writing I had done previously had always been preceded by lots of planning, multiple outlines, and detailed notes. Every short story I had ever penned was finished in my mind before I had even started writing the first words. I always knew the ending from the very beginning. After all, I was an English teacher. You’re supposed to start with an outline, right?

As for the pantsers out there, I confess that the idea of starting without a firm plan and simply flying by the seat of my pants truly scared me. I wasn’t sure I could pull it off without my story meandering all over the place and fizzling out.  I decided to take the advice of one of my favorite writers, Stephen King. In his book On Writing, he says “I want to put a group of characters in some sort of predicament and then watch them try to work themselves free … to watch what happens and then write it down.” I love that! And he’s a pretty successful writer, so I’ve been trying to plan less and fly more.

For my first attempt at writing a novel, I began with a very brief outline that included only two characters and a vague notion of what they were doing and I started typing. Amazingly, it worked! As my characters wandered around, they bumped into several other interesting people and soon I found my novel populated by a wide variety of characters who miraculously appeared just as they were needed. One of these new folks became very important to the story and even supplied my ending, the one I had not expected myself.

Two novels later, I still find myself needing a plan before I begin, but I am learning to start with less detailed plans that allow my characters room to grow and occasionally drift off on their own. And I have to admit, they do find themselves in some interesting and surprising places!

How to Start the New Year Right

I’ve often wondered why so many people obsess over the start of the New Year and make such a huge production of listing some random set of resolutions that rather quickly fall by the wayside. Don’t get me wrong. As a former coach, I believe in setting goals and stating them aloud or writing them down is an important step, but why New Year’s Resolutions? Why wait till the beginning of another year to start doing the things that will improve our lives or make us better, or at least happier people?

I suppose there is a certain logic behind the idea. New year, new start, that kind of thing. Not that there is ever a wrong time to begin making positive steps at self-improvement. I’ve heard that the most often cited resolution made for New Year’s is to lose weight. For many of us this is a worthy goal, especially after we have routinely overeaten at both Thanksgiving and Christmas. Other people resolve to do a better job of sticking to their budget. Again, a worthy goal after we have so recently overspent on food and gifts and travel. Whatever tops your particular set of resolutions, allow me to offer one suggestion. Resolve to let go of the past year and all its baggage.

In my first novel, the main character, Jack, is convinced that his entire life has been affected, in a negative way, by one specific past event. In his mind, every bad thing that has ever happened to him can be traced back to this one moment in time. He truly believes that the only way to fix his present state is to somehow change his past. As the author, I can sum up the theme of the book in one word – regret. And don’t we all have regrets about our past decisions? Things we wish we could go back and do differently?

So, this year, let’s all resolve to stop letting our past get in the way of our present. And our future. Let’s make the conscious decision to look forward and start the year off right by giving ourselves an honest and a fresh new year unclouded by our past mistakes. Let’s wipe away the regrets and stop dwelling on the things we can’t change, but instead focus on the ones we can. 2017 is gone. Let’s make 2018 a truly fantastic new year!