Special Birthday Guest ~ Deborah Raney!

by +AneMulligan  @AneMulligan

Happy birthday, Novel Rocket! 

Don't forget to leave a comment every day this week to be entered in the drawing for these books:

I'm delighted to have as our guest, our very first interviewee, Deborah Raney. 

Deborah Raney dreamed of writing a book since the summer she read Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books and discovered that a Kansas farm girl could, indeed, grow up to be a writer. After a happy twenty-year detour as a stay-at-home mom, Deb penned her first novel, A Vow to Cherish, which won a Silver Angel Award and inspired the acclaimed World Wide Pictures film of the same title. Since then, her books have won the RITA Award, HOLT Medallion, ACFW Carol Award, National Readers' Choice Award, as well as twice being finalists for the Christy Award. She and her husband, Ken, have four children and four precious grandchildren who all live much too far away. Visit Deb at www.deborahraney.com. 

Deb, you were our very first Novel Rocket interview in Sept 2005. What’s happened in the past 10 years? 

Wow, Ane! I can’t believe it’s been 10 years already! Whoosh! What’s happened in the past 10 years. Well, I’ve become Mimi to 5 precious grandkids, with 2 more on the way. Oh, wait… You mean in the writing world? ;) Well, let’s see…

Ten years ago, I was just signing my contract with Howard. I wrote seven books for them, and am now writing a five-book series for Abingdon Press. I’m working on my 31st novel now and still enjoying my career as a novelist. I’m also doing some freelance editing now, and finding I really enjoy that! 

How has your writing changed in these years?

With my two series for Howard, and especially my standalone The Face of the Earth, I was able to incorporate more threads of suspense than in my earlier novels. That was a challenge and made me a better writer, I think, even with my new series, which is a bit more lighthearted than some of my books.

Overall, I definitely write shorter and more spare now than I did earlier in my career. I’m not sure what brought that change about, but I’ve learned to let dialogue carry a good part of the story, and maybe I’ve learned not to include the boring parts readers skip over. 

How have you seen the industry change over the past 10 years?

The whole e-book phenomenon has really shaken up the publishing industry. I see both challenges and advantages for authors in this. Challenges because the competition has never been stiffer, and the rules have never been so hard to pin down. What worked even two years ago doesn’t necessarily hold true today.

With traditional publishing, there seems to be fewer slots and shrinking advances. But the good news is that it has never been easier to self-publish. Many authors are having success publishing their own novels or publishing with small indie presses. And competition is always good for everyone in the long run.

I think the future looks bright for new writers, as long as they don’t skip the important steps—study the craft, get professional editing, professional cover design, etc., things that have always been hallmarks of good books.

I’m sure we have yet to see how things are going to ultimately shake out, but one thing is sure: storytellers will never go away. And that makes this reader happy.

  

I’m so honored to have been a part of Novel Rocket all these years, and I hope you’ll come back [to me] in another ten years and see what’s up with both of us then!

Two Roads Home

Minor-but-nagging setbacks continue to sour Grant and Audrey Whitman’s initiation into the world of innkeeping, but larger challenges brew when an innocent flirtation leads to big trouble for the Whitmans’ son-in-law, Jesse.

Jesse Pennington’s friendly, outgoing personality has always served him well, especially in a career that has earned him and his wife Corinne a very comfortable lifestyle. But Corinne and Jesse are both restless—and for similar reasons, if only they could share those with each other. Instead, too many business trips and trumped-up charges of harassment from a disgruntled coworker threaten their marriage and possibly put their three precious daughters at risk.

With their life in disarray, God is tugging at their hearts to pursue other dreams. Can Corinne and Jesse pick up the pieces of what was once a wonderful life before it all crumbles beneath them?

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Indie Publishing with Patty Smith Hall

When Ane asked me to write a column on indie publishing for Novel Rocket, my first thought was why me? At that time, I only had one self-published novella under my belt and even with that, I had tremendous amounts of help for some very savvy ladies who had more insights into this subject that I ever could. But then it hit me—while indie publishing isn’t anything new, more writers, both published and pre-pubbed, are moving into this exciting new arena.

Including myself. So who better to share what I learn as I jump into the fray of the indie industry?

But why chose to go indie rather than traditional? There are several reasons. For me, it was the opportunity to get my work in front of readers at a pace I felt more comfortable with. By the time my next book hits the shelves in January, it will be almost two years since my last book, twenty-four months in which my readers have had time to forget about me. That is, if I let them. So I decided to publish a couple of novellas and one full length novel on Amazon or Barnes and Noble in the meantime. One, because even if it doesn’t reach all my readers, it can reach a large majority of them and two, it helps me pick up new readers that might go back and buy my already published series.

There are other reasons too. Creative freedom, the entrepreneurial feeling of being in control of every aspect of your work from cradle to grave, setting your own deadlines and working within the scope of your ‘other’ life. There are probably a dozen other reasons, but like I said early, I’m relatively new at this so I’m still learning.

So what little piece of wisdom can I offer today in regards to indie publishing? What do I wished someone had told me before my first novella had come out? Here it is, folks:

Don’t push the send button too soon.

Just because you’ve typed 'the end' doesn’t mean you’re actually finished. Every manuscript that is on the shelves of your local bookstore has gone through the editing process, and so it should be the same with your self published works. This rush to publication was one of the reasons why indie publishing gets a bad rap, because some writers think they’ve created a masterpiece with their first draft when what they really need to do is step back, put some time and space between them and the project then look at it with fresh eyes. Or better yet, give it to a critique partner or beta reader who doesn’t back away from telling you the truth.

I recently went through this process with the first manuscript I ever wrote. It was a story I wrote during a time of great heartache and gave me so much joy at a time when joy was the last thing I was feeling. At the time, I thought it was fantastic; the writing had just flowed out of me at times so it had to be good, didn’t it? It made the rounds at a few publishing houses, even garnered a revision letter from one but no one offered me a contract. So I saved it to my hard drive and moved on. Earlier this year, I decided to dust off that old manuscript and self publish it, but when I did my first read though, I discovered something.

It was crap.

Not all of it, but it needed some re-writes before I could even think about publishing it. Now, think about that—what if I had self published that book all those years ago the second I finished it? How many one-starred reviews do you think it would have gotten? How many readers would have never picked up another one of my books after reading that hot mess? That is why, before you  even think about hitting the send button, you put it aside for a week or two, then look at it from a fresh perspective. If you can afford it, pay for a professional edit. Tape these words to the top of your computer screen so that you can see them any time you're close to finishing a book.

Do. Not. Push. The. Send. Button. YET!

Until next time!

  
Patty Smith-Hall is a multi-published, award-winning author with Love Inspired Historical and Heartsong.  She currently serves as president of the ACFW-Atlanta chapter. She currently lives in North Georgia with her husband of 30+ years, Danny; two gorgeous daughters and a future son-in-love. Her next release, New Hope Sweethearts will be available in July on Amazon.

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Writing All Over The Road

Dan Walsh is the award-winning and bestselling author of 14 novels, including The Unfinished Gift, The Discovery and When Night Comes. He has won 3 Carol Awards and 3 Selah Awards. Three of his books were finalists for Inspirational Book of the Year. Dan is a member of ACFW and Word Weavers. He lives with his wife, Cindi, in the Daytona Beach area where they love to take walks and spend time with their grandkids. Click here to connect with Dan or check out his books.

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I have to admit, lately, the picture on the right seems more like the choices we're facing in the publishing world these days. Back in 2009, when my first novel came out (a Christmas novel called, The Unfinished Gift), life seemed so much simpler. There were really only 2 choices available for a fiction writer hoping to get his/her novel into readers' hands:

1. Somehow get invited to join the ranks of an elite club made up of those who were traditionally published.
2. Keep trying.

Apart from this, you really had no other choice, unless you were so desperate to get your name on a book that you paid thousands of dollars to a vanity press in exchange for a garage full of books you couldn't sell. No one recommended doing this. There was no such thing as "indie publishing," and self-publishing in general was totally frowned upon.

I was fortunate. An A-list literary agent picked up my first book within weeks after I sent out my first manuscript. She had a contract with a major publisher 2 months later. That book did very well, so they gave me a contract for another, then another. They did so well, they gave me a 3 book contract, with a commitment to publish 2 books a year. That was enough to allow me to write full-time, so I did. Then came another 3 book contract, then a 4 book contract. 

It seemed like everything was all set for a nice, stable career as a full-time fiction author. But while all this was happening, somewhere along the way, Amazon gave us Kindle. Then Barnes & Noble created the Nook. Then iPad got in the game (and Amazon created a free Kindle app that worked great on iPads). Then everyone had smart phones. Then people started feeling safe buying more and more of their products online. Amazon introduced Kindle Prime, with free 2-day shipping. I watched my e-book sales on my royalty statements go from 3% to 50% in just a few short years and watched my print book sales decline.

I would browse through bookstores at home and on trips, mostly to find my books on the shelves (and confession time, turn all the covers so they were facing out). But I started to notice more and more, I was the only one on the fiction aisle. Then a couple of years ago, I began to hear of Christian publishing houses going out of business, other publishing houses merging and downsizing their staffs trying to stay afloat. I'd hear from my published author friends the sad news that their contracts were not being renewed.

Then last August, my contract wasn't renewed. Months before this, I could see the

writing on the wall so I began to prepare myself to learn all about indie publishing. And I got lots of help from other authors who had blazed the indie trail before me. Last November I published my first indie suspense novel, When Night Comes. It has done surprisingly well. I followed this with my first nonfiction book, a 31-Day Devotional called Perfect Peace. Also published as an indie.

But now as I finish up my current work-in-progress (WIP), I find there at least 4 choices for me to consider on the road ahead (referring back to the first picture above):

1. Re-sign again with another traditional publisher (which my agent is urging me to do).
2. Sign with a smaller, independent press (who will do all the legwork for me, freeing me up to put more time on my writing...for a price). 
3. Continue on this new path as an indie author (doing everything myself).
4. Become a hybrid author (do half my books as an indie, half with a traditional publisher).

When did it all become so complex and confusing? It was so much easier when I was a "kept man." Since this is a writer's blog, I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling like I am now "writing all over the road." I'd love to hear your story, what choices you are facing and how you are processing all these changes.

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Constant Change is Here to Stay

Dan Walsh is the award-winning and bestselling author of 12 novels, including The Unfinished Gift, The Dance and When Night Comes. He has won 3 Carol Awards and 2 Selah Awards. Three of his books were finalists for Inspirational Book of the Year. Dan is a member of ACFW and Word Weavers. He lives with his wife, Cindi, in the Daytona Beach area where they love to take long walks. Click here to connect with Dan or check out his books.

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I don't know who said this: "Constant change is here to stay." I first heard it many years ago at a pastor's conference. It was shared by a seasoned pastor speaking to other pastors and, as I recall, he didn't know who first coined the phrase, either.

I don't even recall the topic he was speaking on. I just remembered that phrase, because it hit me as something eminently true. I suppose he offered the quote to comfort us about some big change he was announcing. It's not surprising that I don't remember the big announcement. Why should I? Whatever it was, it's probably been changed many times since then.

Because constant change is here to stay.

If you like your present circumstances, don't cling to them too tightly. They are going to change. If you don't like your present circumstances, be of good cheer. They are going to change. Constant change is here to stay.

The reason this saying came to mind, I'm pretty sure, is because I'm going through a season of change...again. Largely because, the whole publishing world is going through a change. I've been talking about some of these changes in my last several posts here.

Back in November, after publishing a dozen novels the traditional way through two major publishing houses, I released my first indie-published novel (read, self-published). I had been thinking of doing this for some time. My decision was greatly helped when my publisher decided not to re-sign me (after being with them 6 years).

Thankfully, because I did see this coming I began setting aside some of my advance money to be ready for this change. That's one of the things about being an indie: no more advances. You write the book, get it out there, people start buying it (you hope), then you get paid. One upside to this is that you get paid right away (well, every 30 days). But with the traditional route, money only came in about every 6 months.

Since everything was already going through an upheaval, I thought: why not increase the intensity? I decided to make my first indie novel, When Night Comes, a suspense novel. You're not supposed to do that, write a novel outside of your "brand." What's my brand? All my other books have been compared to Nicholas Sparks (not known for writing suspense).

Well, that was 4 months ago. Has this change been a good thing? I'm saying yes. A few reviewers clearly preferred my other kind of books (to be expected). But the overwhelming majority of reviews have been extremely positive. Perhaps even more importantly, the sales have been strong and steady. I'm close to reaching the 5,000 books-sold-mark and the income is on a track that, by year-end (Lord willing), I could make the same amount I used to receive in a typical advance.

It's been encouraging enough for me to decide to stay in the game and continue writing as an indie. I've decided to flow with the changes rather than try and stop them. To that end, I'm getting ready to do something else I haven't tried before as an author.

In a few weeks, I hope to release my first non-fiction book, a 31-Day devotional called, Perfect Peace (in Imperfect Times). In it, I share all the lessons I have learned during these last several years, a season most definitely marked by constant change.

I've been told that devotionals don't sell well. We'll see. Maybe they don't, and maybe this won't. Then again, you aren't supposed to write books outside your brand. Either way, I'm grateful for the freedom to be able to write this book, even if it only sells a handful of copies. It was a book I needed to write. I hope its lessons will encourage and strengthen believers wrestling with the uncertainties of life.

Because one thing is certain. Constant change is here to stay. And one other thing is certain--a more important thing: God is faithful; He loves us with undying love, and He's well-able to work all of life's changes together for good.

How about you? Going through any changes lately?

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An Open Letter to my Fellow Authors from novelist Richard Russo

It’s all changing, right before our eyes. Not just publishing, but the writing life itself, our ability to make a living from authorship. Even in the best of times, which these are not, most writers have to supplement their writing incomes by teaching, or throwing up sheet-rock, or cage fighting.

It wasn’t always so, but for the last two decades I’ve lived the life most writers dream of: I write novels and stories, as well as the occasional screenplay, and every now and then I hit the road for a week or two and give talks. In short, I’m one of the blessed, and not just in terms of my occupation. My health is good, my children grown, their educations paid for.

I’m sixty-four, which sucks, but it also means that nothing that happens in publishing—for good or ill—is going to affect me nearly as much as it affects younger writers, especially those who haven’t made their names yet. Even if the e-price of my next novel is $1.99, I won’t have to go back to cage fighting.

Still, if it turns out that I’ve enjoyed the best the writing life has to offer, that those who follow, even the most brilliant, will have to settle for less, that won’t make me happy and I suspect it won’t cheer other writers who’ve been as fortunate as I. It’s these writers, in particular, that I’m addressing here.

Not everyone believes, as I do, that the writing life is endangered by the downward pressure of e-book pricing, by the relentless, ongoing erosion of copyright protection, by the scorched-earth capitalism of companies like Google and Amazon, by spineless publishers who won’t stand up to them, by the “information wants to be free” crowd who believe that art should be cheap or free and treated as a commodity, by internet search engines who are all too happy to direct people to on-line sites that sell pirated (read “stolen”) books, and even by militant librarians who see no reason why they shouldn’t be able to “lend” our e-books without restriction.

But those of us who are alarmed by these trends have a duty, I think, to defend and protect the writing life that’s been good to us, not just on behalf of younger writers who will not have our advantages if we don’t, but also on behalf of readers, whose imaginative lives will be diminished if authorship becomes untenable as a profession.

I know, I know. Some insist that there’s never been a better time to be an author. Self-publishing has democratized the process, they argue, and authors can now earn royalties of up to seventy percent, where once we had to settle for what traditional publishers told us was our share.

Anecdotal evidence is marshaled in support of this view (statistical evidence to follow). Those of us who are alarmed, we’re told, are, well, alarmists. Time will tell who’s right, but surely it can’t be a good idea for writers to stand on the sidelines while our collective fate is decided by others. Especially when we consider who those others are. Entities like Google and Apple and Amazon are rich and powerful enough to influence governments, and every day they demonstrate their willingness to wield that enormous power.

Books and authors are a tiny but not insignificant part of the larger battle being waged between these companies, a battleground that includes the movie, music, and newspaper industries. I think it’s fair to say that to a greater or lesser degree, those other industries have all gotten their [butts] kicked, just as we’re getting ours kicked now. And not just in the courts.

Somehow, we’re even losing the war for hearts and minds. When we defend copyright, we’re seen as greedy. When we justly sue, we’re seen as litigious. When we attempt to defend the physical book and stores that sell them, we’re seen as Luddites. Our altruism, when we’re able to summon it, is too often seen as self-serving.

But here’s the thing. What the Apples and Googles and Amazons and Netflixes of the world all have in common (in addition to their quest for world domination), is that they’re all starved for content, and for that they need us. Which means we have a say in all this.

Everything in the digital age may feel new and may seem to operate under new rules, but the conversation about the relationship between art and commerce is age-old, and artists must be part of it.

To that end we’d do well to speak with one voice, though it’s here we demonstrate our greatest weakness. Writers are notoriously independent cusses, hard to wrangle. We spend our mostly solitary days filling up blank pieces of paper with words. We must like it that way, or we wouldn’t do it. But while it’s pretty to think that our odd way of life will endure, there’s no guarantee. The writing life is ours to defend.

Protecting it also happens to be the mission of the Authors Guild, which I myself did not join until last year, when the light switch in my cave finally got tripped. Are you a member? If not, please consider becoming one. We’re badly outgunned and in need of reinforcements.

If the writing life has done well by you, as it has by me, here’s your chance to return the favor. Do it now, because there’s such a thing as being too late.

Richard Russo

December 2013

Richard Russo is the author of numerous novels, including Straight Man and Elsewhere, and won the Pulitzer Prize for his fabulous novel Empire Falls. This letter was forwarded to me by novelist Scott Turow, president of The Authors Guild, in order to build support for the Guild.  We at Novel Rocket believe in the role, goals, and objectives of The Author’s Guild, and I've joined. Novel Rocket encourages all authors to consider the benefits of the Guild. You can find more information and a membership application at www.authorsguild.net or authorsguild.org. Tell them Novel Rocket sent you!

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