NATIONAL WRITERS ASSOCIATION S LOS ANGELES S MARCH 2011
BACKMYBOOK
Hello authors! Welcome to the twenty-first century! Change you can believe in The old guard “brick and mortar” publishing industry is crumbling. This is no secret to anyone who has been paying attention; everybody has an e-reader and a Facebook page, and stores like bookstores like Borders and Barnes and Noble are hemorrhaging money. Still, like a stubborn child, the publishers continue to drag their heels and desperately try to hold on to the reins. Of course this doesn’t mean you need to keep playing by their outdated rules. For the savvy 21st century author the change is already here, the tools are in place to take what’s yours. Traditionally, the distribution of roles and responsibility between author and publisher has been quite one-sided, with the publisher performing most of the roles, and retaining most of the revenue. We should all be able to agree on that, right? That is no longer true in the 21st century, however. Authors now have the power to drive their own success by assuming more and more roles that publishers were responsible for. This claim I suppose I’ll actually have to back up. After all, the 21st century author doesn’t just more on page 2
Our speaker
What is BackMyBook? BackMyBook provides you, the author, with tools to own your customers. Treat your website like it’s a store. Every person that walks into that store should be able to buy directly from you, as opposed to going to Amazon or another outlet. BackMyBook also provides e-mail marketing and other tools for you to build a long lasting, valuable relationship with your reader. Engage with your readers so you can tell them about your next book, your next tour stop, or your newest project. Do it in an easy, no hassle, stress free manner so you can get back to writing.
Tay Nguyen co-founded DivX Inc., an Internet media company that grew from a small cult of technologists into a major consumer electronics brand by harnessing the power of its online community. DivX had a successful $435 million IPO in September, 2006. His latest company, BackMyBook.com, is aimed at helping writers use proven online and entrepreneurial strategies to build effective brands and an engaged readership.
FIND OUT HOW E-BOOK PUBLISHING CAN BENEFIT YOU! LEARN THE IMPORTANCE OF BRANDING & MARKETING JOIN US MARCH 19, 2011 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Mo’s Restaurant 4301 Riverside Drive Burbank info: call 661-406-4627
relatively unknown however, this is an expensive step for publishers. Any author who has tried out print-on-demand can testify to this. It’s think something is true because she read it on the Internet. not easy for authors trying to self-publish, and if you didn’t get past the gatekeeper you can forget about the publishers doing this for you. She’s smarter than that. In order to make this point, I’ll break down the book publishing process into some easy to swallow Again the internet is the 21st century author’s best friend. Write the stages. No spoon feeding here, just food for thought. book, convert it into different file types if you need to, and you’re Change you can believe in continued from page one
done. E-books! Audiobooks! The only cost to you is time and effort. Granted there may be a bit of a technology gap for some authors, but the internet is full of people willing to help you out (including us), and compare digital publishing to the cost of printing your own books. Distribution is very similar to manufacturing in terms of how it has changed. Traditional publishing deals and printed books need trucks and planes to take them to the stores, and that costs the publisher a lot of money. Your e-books however can be delivered straight to the reader from Amazon.com, the iPad Bookstore, or anywhere else ebooks are sold. You can even podcast your book. It’s quick, it’s easy In that light, while this step hasn’t changed in terms of and it’s free. “yep, I’m still the one writing books,” it’s importance has increased significantly. Having good content is the founda- The 21st century author does not need tion for finding success. Creating a brand, marketing your- a publisher to reach the public. self, building a fan base, all requires that you have a prod- If you’re still married to the idea of printed books being just plain betuct worth selling. I could go on for days about that, but for ter than e-books, well... There’s an argument to be made; many people now the most important point is that the actual writing of do feel that way, and for good reason. I’m simply suggesting that 21st new material has always been the authors’ ace in the hole. If century author shouldn’t limit her opportunities because of an old way you write good books, you have the ability to sell them. of thinking. The internet and digital technologies are amazingly powCreation Writing the books! Without books, there is no publishing industry. Think about that for a second. For all of the royalties the publishers lop off the top of your earnings, they wouldn’t even have a book to peddle if it weren’t for the authors! The publishers should be working for you, and not the other way around. This is the author’s domain. No matter what, the publishers can’t take this step away from you.
Gatekeeper If you’ve ever thought of the publishers as big bullies, it’s probably because of this step right here. The publishers look over manuscript after manuscript and the vast majority are turned away. It’s almost hard not to think of a scene out of Lord of the Rings... “YOU SHALL NOT PASS!”
erful tools at your disposal, so don’t be afraid to use them. At least consider this: it’s much easier to land a traditional publishing deal if you’ve already leveraged the internet and digital tools to build a fan base ahead of time. Which of course leads us to...
Branding This is where it really gets fun for the author. You have control over your brand. After good writing, this is the #1 most important thing that Well the Internet has changed that. Obviously it’s not a an author has to master. Is it difficult to master? Yes. Does it take time night and day change, but as long as you have an inter- to be effective? Yes. Is it within your means? Yes. I could write an ennet connection you’re already ahead of many past authors tire post on this, but for now the point is that the ball is in your court. whose work never saw the light of day. It’s also important to note that the author is not necessarily her own gatekeeper either, and I would even go so far as to say that the fans take on this role. Again it all comes back to writing quality content, and that is within the author’s control. Philosophically, I would take it even another step, and say that the only gatekeepers there should ever be are the authors and the readers. Anybody else that an author has to go through in between is just getting in the way. This is not to diminish the great help and support that authors receive from editors, agents, and even publishers. We just think that ultimately the author should have to answer to the reader.
You have the ability to create your own brand without any influence from a publisher, and when you have an established brand you have a lot of leverage, both for negotiating with publishers later on and for gaining new fans now. This is the foundation for the 21st century author’s success. Marketing In a traditional publishing deal a publisher will put your book on the front bookshelves stores all over the country. They will have a team of marketers coming up with ads and posters and promotions for your book. Okay I admit, that’s pretty sweet, fair enough. But allow me to poke two holes in this boat and sink the Titanic marketing campaign.
First, the publishers will do all of those wonderful things for you if your name is Tom Clancy or James Patterson, which I’m guessing it’s Manufacturing and distribution not on the grounds that the publishers probably pay somebody to read In the past, for the books that are deemed worthy, the pub- blog articles like this one for them. Publishers want home runs, not feel lisher prints the books in mass scale. Now, If you’re book good stories, and they’re not going to pour their marketing budgets says “Harry Potter” on the cover I’m sure that the publisher into risky projects (read: unknown authors). will be happy to dedicate all the trees and printing presses that your heart desires to the printing of your book. If you’re
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Second, it’s not sustainable. Okay stay with me here... for this type of marketing, through mass media, the publishers must continuously funnel new traffic, or eyeballs, to your book (through ads, promotions etc.). Most of those eyeballs (attached to the faces of potential fans and customers) will overlook the product or simply not be interested. This tactic works solely because of the massive scale, but it’s tremendously expensive and inefficient.
FEBRUARY REDUX
Carrying on with Jill by Tom Howard
The most important takeaway however, is that once the promotions are gone, so is the public interest. A mass media marketing cam- Diminutive yet perky Jill Schary Robinson began to hold paign can have the plug pulled at a moments notice, leaving you court almost from the moment of her arrival at Mo’s, the storm cloud afternoon of February 19, 2011. After high and dry. The 21st century author would love to have those things, but should not depend on them as the only way to be successful. By leveraging the power of online social networks (this has a lot to do with brand again) an author can create buzz in their reader community. Think of it as a grass roots or community marketing campaign.
the harried leader (yours truly) disrupted three steadfast early arrivals and corralled the room into a “Knights of the Round Table” format, all eyes were on Jill as she warmed up to the tale of her life.
You can’t pay for the kind of marketing that your “true fans” can do for you by getting the word-of-mouth machine up an running, and spreading the word throughout their social networks. Fans will be more invested in you because they are part of your community, not just a passerby at the bookstore. And just like branding, it’s under your control, not the publisher’s. So what does all this change mean? With the exception of creation, performing the roles of the publishing model in the time honored, traditional manner is prohibitively expensive for authors to do themselves. And we’re seeing that it is prohibitively expensive for the publisher too! The publisher has to invest a lot of money and effort, and in the end most authors do not get published. The ones who do hardly see any reward, as the publisher takes most of the royalties. The publisher owns the book, the process, and your soul! Well, the first two at least. In the past this system was King because there were no alternatives. This is no longer the case. E-readers are now commonplace, everybody has internet access, and it’s imminently possible to find your audience, engage with them in a meaningful manner, and create a fan base that supports you. [Editor’s note: Kindle is now available for your PC or Mac. No need to buy the $139 tablet.] This holds true whether you decide to go it alone or work to get a traditional publishing deal. Is it more work for the authors? Yes, but the opportunities are boundless. The author has complete control over her brand and her book, and at the end of the day the author collects the reward. Imagine a world where the relationship between the author and the publisher has changed: the author owns the book, and owns the process. The publisher provides services for the author only has needed. The balance has finally shifted to make this possible, and to help authors reach their readers with little or no interference.
Her first book, With a Cast of Thousands, received a spontaneous pitch from one attendee, and Jack Clubb said that Jill’s memoir Bed/ Time/ Story was a must read. Jill gave us a glimpse of her Hollywood upbringing under the guidance of her father, MGM’s well-known writer/producer, Dore Schary, who brought home every night screen tests and daily rushes to watch and critique. Her parents entertained all the stars of the day — from Kathryn Hepburn to Marlon Brando and many more, some of whom, such as neighbor Bobby Redford, were only kids but left a lasting impression. Dad even used Thank You notes as a writing lesson. He would say, “Don’t use the same word twice! Be creative!” It was at Stamford after being expelled from sewing
The 21st century author recognizes her value as the creator. She is class (she broke the machine) that Jill found guidance no longer simply the pawn, but can now play the many roles of the from writing teacher, Hannah Green, who told Jill ,”Go to the forest every week and write about the trees,” Queen. Reprinted by permission, courtesy of BackMyBook.com.
which Jill did. She began to “feel in her bones” that she was a writer and knew, “This is what I have to do.”
more on page six
THREE
SHOWCASE
Rainy day on Sunset Boulevard by Thaine H. Allison, Jr.
It’s raining and Los Angeles doesn’t do well in the rain. Gray just doesn’t suit us.. The mountains disappear, the magical light reflected off the Pacific ocean is gone or subdued and the palm trees sway too much in the breeze. Sunset Boulevard is a mess with traffic, running water and palm fronds. The Hollywood sign and Griffith Observatory are shrouded in misty clouds, familiar land marks obscured by clouds. But mostly it’s hard on people unaccustomed to the foul weather. I’m sitting in one of those fast food restaurants having a sausage and egg sandwich and a cup of coffee, black, I’m too white and too sweet as it is. Small yellow barricades are set up at the entrance declaring “Piso Majdo”, wet floor, rubber mats are spread out and Monjulla in her uniform attempts to keep ahead of the mess with her mop. This is her job, she owns it and is “proud to serve” according to her badge. I’m not in that swanky toney stretch of Sunset Boulevard made famous by 77 Sunset Strip and other film and TV shows. This is due east where the wounded come to repair their hearts and souls. Kaiser “proudly” occupies “eight square blocks”, the Self Realization Fellowship offers a mock Indian Mosque like structure, L. Ron Hubbard gets a street named after him and Childrens Hospital dominates the other corner. Down the street is Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital and the red line makes a stop on LA’s short but efficient subway. Observations are quirky on a morning like this. I’m feeding my face at the junk food trough because I had an early morning appointment with the vampires at the blood draw station at Kaiser. I’m here for a fasting blood sugar test. Routine blood work goes with the territory of Type II diabetes as a result of too many meals in junk food restaurants. It’s a vicious cycle, but Kaiser couldn’t afford to keep a healthy meal restaurant open. So it closed and we’re relegated to this tasty chunk of carbohydrates and grease, laced with cholesterol. Just what the doctor ordered! Right! The floor is what got me pondering this fine day: It is made of ceramic tile, an off white, hides the dirt better I suppose, although the big Blue A in the window reassures me that my hard working county inspector has certified
that I won’t die of rat dung or other contaminants, just clogged arteries. On closer inspection I realize that these six by six inch tiles have a fake wood grain embedded in them. The notion of six inch wide wood planks is OK, even white birch I suppose, but in six inch random segments? Come on people we all know planks are longer than six inches, that is why I find most decorators a waste of money, they have no sense of reality. Gazing around the room I note other interesting choices made by the corporate decorator. The Naugahyde material that provides a cover
for thin padding on the backs of the booths and seats of the chairs is gray with purple and white strings of angel hair spaghetti like images stamped in to them. I wonder how man Naugas are killed each year to supply enough material to decorate these places? The booths with their hard fiberglass molded bases serve a purpose but I think the most obvious purpose is that they get you in and out quickly. They are cold, hard and can only be attractive to the homeless gentleman sitting in the next booth. The chairs are even more awkward. They are attached to metal posts that holds the bottom and the back, no legs. The backs are metal and made to look vaguely like cane back chairs from the thirties. Again comfort has been sacrificed for function, “herd um in, herd um out.” After all it is called a fast food restaurant. It is a gray day and all the gray in the décor just sort of blends together under the harsh florescent lights embedded in the fiber board ceiling. The big advantage over outside is it is warm in here. Most of those scattered around the various tables in the room are here because it is warm. Angelenos, whether temporary or permanent residents, don’t take too well to cold damp
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weather. The gentleman in front of me is on his third glass of free water and is nursing a cup of coffee. Dressed in layers, not because that is trendy, but because each time he finds another piece of clothing he puts it on. It saves him from having to acquire another shopping cart to replace the one just confiscated by the cart man. The stores send out a kind of posse, or bounty hunter, in a pickup truck to collect carts and return them to the store. Occupied or not they are gathered up and loaded on the truck. Poor “Chuck”, as I will call him, is left with a pile of precious possessions on the small piece of grass that adjoins my humble restaurant. Chuck has a wonderful conversation, with himself as he savors his coffee. These conversations are on going, women take note some guys do share what is going on with them, lengthy and events in his life tend to be repetitive. The advantage is he seems to get the answers that he seeks. “Laura” sits in the big curved booth in the corner, you know the one reserved for six or more. She appears to be Latina but could pass for any number of elasticities. It to has the resident décor and is inviting on this rainy day. Her conversations seem to have a higher meaning. She sits with coffee. Actually it is sugar and fake milk with a splash of coffee that was left on the table when the construction guy got a call and ran out and jumped in his truck. Her conversations seem to be with God. She has a black rosary and seems much more serene in her extended conversation. She too is a bit “over dressed” for the moment but her two wheeled shopping cart is full and this must be a stop on her morning rounds to the recycle bins along the way. A lottery ticket scratcher in front of her tells me that at least some of her prayers were not answered. Sad she could have had a sausage sandwich with that coffee had she not gone for broke. I suppose the adrenaline rush as she revealed each number gave her a little boost, at least until the last didn’t even give a payoff to get another ticket. Life has its ups and downs even for the devout. Behind me are two sets of African American pairs. Closest to me is an elderly woman and her older daughter. They argue constantly. Mom is certain that the doctor is trying Ë
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to kill her with all of these medications that he has put her on. Daughter is trying to be reasonable and explain each pill. One for cholesterol, one for blood thinning, another to keep her heart regular.
SHOWCASE
My dad
“Where’s Pete? He promised to be here this morning.” I asked my father and he said, “I couldn’t understand him so I said, Yes.”
Before them is a pharmacy cornucopia of drugs. I’m sure there are drug dealers with a smaller inventory, certainly with an inventory that meets a much narrower range of conditions. The argument goes on the whole time I am here. “The wrong pill, that one makes me dizzy, I’m intolerant to that one.” On and on. “Getting older ain’t for the faint of heart” the daughter admonishes her mom. Taking care of those getting older ain’t easy either I think to myself. The other couple barely can fit into the booth. The table is covered with a plethora of food items from the breakfast and lunch menu. Both are stuffing themselves while arguing at the top of their lungs about the schedule for the day. There is debate about the bus schedule, what store to go to and why they should be eating more healthy. The rain has put them behind schedule and the hope for completion of the day’s rounds is some what at risk. Near the door is an older white guy snuggled in with his LA Times. He’s on his third refill of coffee and confidently tells the clean up girl that he is “in for the long hall.” He has no place to go and as long as it’s raining he will just sit it out. Near by is a carbon copy of the first guy. They both seem to have the same agenda for the day but don’t have the willingness or ability to face each other and have a conversation. Ships docked at the same pier in the night but inability to make conversation across the great abyss of six feet of tables and chairs. Funny how humans seek human attention but can’t seem to communicate their needs to each other. In the twenty minutes I’ve been here the staff has accommodated approximately 100 orders. Some eaten here, some stuffed in a bag and hastily carried off into the gray morning rain, others order from the stream of cars that go by the window and talk to the mechanical ordering device which blares just outside my window, Good Morning, the cheerful if not mechanical voice says, “What can I get you this fine morning?” No one has changed the script for the change in circumstance. The rain, dreary and unrelenting, continues. My coffee finished I head to my heart doctor appointment. It is a gray day on Sunset Boulevard in the city of angles. Drier days will be coming. Warmth, solitude, sustenance, spiritual guidance, company, protection from the elements, its all here on the strip of Sunset. Puddles span the boulevard. I love LA.
by Joe Panicello
My dad and I went to a coffee shop once and he wanted to impress me with his English by giving the order. He said to the waitress, “I wanna cuppla coffee anna piece of applela pie.” I said, smiling at the waitress, “I’ll take the same.” I’ll never forget that. I always got a kick out his broken English.
The Mandolin Player. 1878. William Merritt Chase, 1849-1916.
Dad was born in Sicily in 1892. He came to this country in 1912. He was a cabinet maker of new and periodic furniture. In Sicily he was already a journeyman at eighteen, making mandolins and guitars for his friends for free in his spare time. He never learned the English language well because he hung around with his own kind in Little Italy in Brooklyn.
When I was six years old I whined to my dad, “Why can’t I have cream soda?” He said, “Soda issa no good for you. Shut uppa and drinka you wine.” In 1950 my dad had his own business on Second Avenue in Manhattan around Fiftieth Street where he restored or made new furniture for the New York Art Galleries. When his partner died, he had to answer the phone by himself, but he generally didn’t understand the caller so he would just say yes. I did his books once a week when I was in college in lower Manhattan. One day I got there in time to answer the phone and the man at the Plaza Art Gallery asked,
A man came into his shop to have a Stradivarius violin repaired. He said my dad was recommended by the Plaza Art Gallery. My dad said to the man, “I fixa for $50.” The man thought he was too cheap and left. A month later he came back and said, “I couldn’t find anyone else to fix it, so I’ll have to take a chance on you.” I was there when the owner came back and he played the fixed violin for a long time. He was so happy he gave my dad $100. My dad said to me, “He’s a Patsa (crazy).” It had taken my dad only a half hour to fix it. When I as 16 years old my dad and I were walking down the street in Queens, New York. As we passed a man on the street, my dad tipped his hat and the man saluted back. I asked my dad, “How come you know this man? He’s Slavic and you’re Italian and neither of you can hardly speak English.” My dad said, “I tella you the story. I was inna the Calvary for Italia, fighting against thissa Slavic Nation. On my horse I tried to killa this foota soldier with my sword, but my horse bucked and I was thrown to the ground. The Slav was about to bayonet me when my horse bucked again and knocked the man down. I quickly got up and captured him. That issa the man. He knows a me and I knows a him.” I was shocked because unbeknown to Dad, I was friends with the man’s son and had a crush his pretty blonde daughter.
It’s not what we eat but what we digest that makes us strong; not what we gain but what we save that makes us rich; not what we read but what we remember that makes us learned; and not what we profess but what we practice that gives us integrity. ~Sir Francis Bacon, 1561-1626
FIVE
SHOWCASE
MIDNIGHT
ETHERE
(Ethere)
The poetry form, Ethere, consists of 10 lines of 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 syllables.
Stark, silent, unruffled, the great horned owl unblinkingly sits glowering down at his prey. A fog-covered moon and dark shadows cannot hide little unsuspecting mouse, nibbling on a meal in the quiet beauty of the night.
If you want to get creative, write an Ethere with more than one verse but follow suit with an inverted syllable count. Reversed Ethere: 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 Double Ethere: 1,2,3,4,5,6, 7,8,9,10,10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1
—Mary L. Ports
Triple Ethere, Quadruple Ethere, and so on!
Reprinted courtesy of SMILE magazine, SPRING 2010 No. 61
VIEWS is a print and online newsletter distributed via USPO to the members of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Writers Association and online at www.issuu.com/the-taylor-trust/docs. Meetings take place at 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on the third Saturday of every month, except for July and August, at Mo’s Restaurant, 4301 Riverside Drive, Burbank. More info at www.nwala.org.
Carrying on with Jill from page three
OFFICERS President – LaVonne Taylor Vice President – Joe Panicello Secretary – Arturo Ruiz Treasurer – LaVonne Taylor CHAIRMANSHIPS Fundraising – LaVonne Taylor Historian/Photographer – Madelyn Beck Hospitality – Mary L. Ports Membership – Jack Clubb Views Editor – LaVonne Taylor For more information, call: 661-406-4627 Or send e-mail to lavonne.taylor@sbcglobal.net See website at www.nwala.org In July of 2007, NWALA mascot, Spunky St. Jude, an abandoned and dying kitten selected the right person to be her rescuer. Arturo Ruiz gently scooped her up and brought her home. He could not be her forever home provider, however, so she was subsequently adopted by chapter prez, LaVonne Taylor, where she now lives a life of graciousness and ease with four siblings (as cats are meant to do).
Although her writing eventually won several awards, she realized that she could not be on too high a horse once she began to raise a family and had to take writing-related jobs such as advertising, teaching, and public relations to make ends meet. Thank you, Jill, for charming us with your fascinating life story and encouraging us to carry on!
PRESIDENT’S CORNER
Small but mighty In spite of the fact that my space may be limited this month, I have some important resources to pass on to you as writers. Check out Dan Poynter’s newsletter for authors. It is free and jam-packed with helpful information. Published continually since 1986. Circulation: more than 40,100. No advertising. They don’t share your e-mail address. DanPoynter@ParaPublishing.com; http://ParaPub.com; 1-800PARAPUB. And also take a look at the LA Times site on changes in the publishing world: www. latimes.com/reading Happy writing! LaVonne Taylor
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