To produce my novels, I got to save me a lot of money. The first thing I’ll do is publish the corrected version of Central Park, in the Fall. That has priority. I’ll redo the cover art, too, using my airbrush. I think that will lend the cover a more professional look. It’s also important to correct the order forms I placed in the back of the book, making them reflect the reduced prices. I should say realistic prices. I think a lot of us self-publishers price themselves out of the overall market.

Nothing will be published by me until I have no other option left. My novels must run through my agent list first, and the publisher list second. Once those two lists are completed, about six months for each book, I’ll be free to do what I want with them. And why not? I just read that agents are having a hard time selling previously published authors. Those with good yet marginal sales. The mid-list authors. I never would have thought a thing like that possible. In fact, I’m not too sure what to think, but I will keep my eyes open. One thing for sure, this time around I’ll have a more rounded marketing plan, something all-encompassing, reaching for the readers. I’ll try to launch Central Park and one other book for the holiday market. I’ve applied for a grant to help do this, and will apply for more grants.

That leaves me with one last thing to consider, and that’s cash flow. I have one talent that lends itself to positive cash flow. I’m a good artist. I can sell my art on-line. I was hoping this blog would pick up, allowing me to showcase my art projects. But, that isn’t happening. Time to look over the social networking sites, and choose one that fits my goals, catering to the strange, bizarrely cool folks on the Web. I have the feeling Facebook is more geared to what I need. I’ll also be looking into doing cover art for small publishers. See what they need, and what I can do to meet those needs, but I’m not going to hold my breath.

I’ve been eating out the garden, and enjoying it. The first batch of beets are ready, and I always pickle my beets. Managed five pints. I did four pints of green beans, too. Large photos from now on, and below is the garden. The corn stalks are waist high. Barring a big storm, I’ll have a lot of corn to eat over the next year. See you next week.

Orange Moon Publishing wasn’t an easy decision to make. I wanted to do something based on everything I’ve been through as a writer. I started submitting novels and short stories before they (and me) were ready, way back in 1995. I read a lot of How To books since then, and started publishing short stories around 2000 - 2003, but what I wanted to do was write novels, and now I write novels. Along the way there was three chances I took (three non-traditional publishers), and I feel I was royally boned three times, put away wet, and have yet to be offered a traditional after-sex smoke. It happens. There are a lot of people that prey on aspiring writers, and their stories litter the World Wide Web. Now I’m careful, seeking only publishers who have a proven track record, and actually pay their writers money. I learned some harsh lessons and moved on.

I want to do more with Orange Moon Publishing, but I don’t have the money. A little publicity aside, I haven’t sold one book from my site. What went wrong is simple enough to explain. I needed to give away signed books. I needed to give them to newspaper outlets, television outlets, talk radio stations, and all the reviewers I could possibly find. Several hundred books, and all the postage that involves, is several thousand dollars I don’t have. Think about how much it would cost if I gave out a thousand books, because, to be fair, that’s how many I would have to hand out to make my book a success, and my publishing company a success. Fifty books ordered and delivered runs me about $350.00, and would cost me about half that in postage to mail them out. There is no guarantee that any of these media outlets are going to do anything for me, free signed book or not, which is why I would have to hit so many with a free signed book. If I’m really lucky, about a third would respond in a way that gives me some needed publicity. That blanket coverage would generate some good sales figures. Since I live on a fixed income, I have to generate my own cash flow. I have to figure out how to generate publicity on the free, first. If it costs me money, that’s secondary.

It costs me $200.00 to produce one book, and it takes me three sales of that same book to pay for the storage fees. It runs me about $350.00 per year to maintain Orange Moon Publishing, regardless. Add $15.00 dollars per year, per book. The startup costs ($1200.00 give or take a sawbuck) are done and over, and now I have the year to year costs of being Orange Moon Publishing. Do I proceed? Should I let it fail?

Money aside, I have six finished novels. These novels are as perfect as I can possibly make them. First, I submit to a long list of accredited agents. Second, I submit them to various publishers who allow submissions from authors without agents. Ten to fifteen publishers. Three big publishers, the rest small publishers. All the small publishers are recognized by agents as real publishers. Publishers of quality, not clearinghouse publishers. After that, I have me, and my own publishing firm.

The problem with publishing yourself is, nobody takes you seriously. So many people out there are writing books, and most of them are of such poor literary quality, they give us serious writers a bad name. We all get thrown into the same sad slot. Only a few gems make it on their own, becoming big reader hits, and when that happens, publishers step in and buy them. One or two books a year might make it to that higher level. Those books then become traditionally published bestsellers. One book alone can give a writer the money to buy a house, a car, new furniture, and pay off past debts.

My options are limited. I start with agents, go to publishers, and then small publishers; then I produce them myself. That’s it. Either way, this is all I have to go on, while I try to break into traditional publishing. That’s the point of this blog. I’m figuring it out as I go along. See you next week.

The writing tools I use, most of those reside in my head. How I use words, how I edit my words, and the stories I tell. My computer uses Windows XP, so that dates the machine, but it does everything I want it to and more. I have notebooks and a pens. I read lots of books. Those are my tools for writing. One good contract can do a lot for me. Unfortunately, I could spend several more years, writing novel after novel, before I get that contract. I have to stack the odds in my favor. That’s the trick, and the rub. I actually have to research, write down what would and could stack the odds in my favor, and then implement those strategies. Those same strategies have to practical, and fit in with my hectic day-to-day life. It isn’t easy when one of the agents I submit queries to, admits to not remembering me, not realizing I sent in several other queries. And, probably isn’t going to remember a thing I do in the future. Women also outnumber men 25 to 1 on almost every agent client list published on the Web. Another strike against me. Yet, I’m a storyteller. I love writing novels. The Brain Turds blog, that details what I’m doing with my novels. What I think and how I feel in any given week. The Central Park blog, I let you read what I write. New posts once a month.

Four big publishers still take books submitted to them without agents, and that’s it. There are about 12 desirable small publishers out there, and only seven want what I write. That limits me to eleven possibilities, plus the agent list I sub to . . . 36 contacts total. That’s the best I can do, the best I can submit to, every contact or market legit.

Then there is me, and Orange Moon Publishing. I blog about that next week.

Last week I talked about my garden, and here are the pictures I promised. Two pictures of the garden, which looks ugly, but isn’t. Already I picked and enjoyed lettuce, radishes, onions. I gave some produce to a neighbor, who is elderly, my mother and my sister. I included a photo of the trash pile left to me by the crew who installed the town sewer system. That’s the half I have left to clean, and most of that is trees and metal. When metal prices rise again, I take it to be recycled, making a few USDs in the process.

I have tools and skills, and I have to remain home to take care of my wife. A small list of thing that are paramount, while meeting my goals. I can list everything all at once, confusing myself, but I’m not that crazy. Take the first item on the list. I have tools. Garden tools, art tools, writing tools.

Land to put the garden on is a tool, there are tools to work the garden with, and tools to save the food with. And I’m using the word "tool" loosely. A hunk of land is a hunk of land, but to me it’s a tool. Rakes, shovels, hoes, and all the drudgery and hard labor that implies. Why else do you think I look so good? Glass jars of all sizes, rings and lids, are more tools. Shelving to place the jars on. Tools. Green tools. People powered green tools. Gardening is green. Green does save money, but like that instant can of soup, it takes some considerable prep time.

My wife and me, we like to garden. Each year we put out a small garden, and I process as much food as possible. Small to me is 50' long by 30' wide, give or take. Onions, beans, tomatoes, peas, carrots, more. If I can grow it, it tastes good, can become part of a soup, it’s in there. I mow an acre of lawn with a push mower, and it has a bag. All those clipping get added to the garden. I turn the clippings under, and I use them as mulch. Everything I can use as compost, becomes compost. Shredded newspapers and junk mail confetti. Chopped up weeds and old plantings. I add as much compost to the garden as I can, all year round. Compost is 100% natural, and doesn’t cost much at all. Gardens thrive on compost. And you can compost anywhere, using containers to garden in. Apartment dwellers take note. You can grow a lot of food on a balcony, and you can compost. I work as much compost into the garden as I can, all summer long, and replant items that have run their course, like radishes and onions. Nothing says lovin’ like a green onion kiss.

I’ll post some photos of my garden before the week is out. I forgot batteries. I’m a busy guy; what else can I say.

"Life is a shit sandwich. The more bread you have, the less shit you have to eat."

　

My name is Mark, and I’m grateful for many things. My health, my wife and sons, the roof over my head, and that delightful quote from above. I’m in the process of rebuilding my life. I turn forty-eight this summer, and contrary to popular belief, it’s okay to fail as long as I never give up. Failure does teach many of the lessons we need to finally succeed in life. Hopefully, as time goes by, I can put those lessons into words.

　

The backdrop to all this is my wife of twenty-three years, who is physically and mentally disabled. I take care of her 24/7/365. I love my wife. I cook for her, clean for her; housework, yard work, garden; whatever it takes. Her seizures (she has a severe form of Epilepsy) prevent her from doing things that could be dangerous. Stairs are dangerous, pots of boiling water, chopping fresh anything with a knife, running with scissors is a given for everybody, but you get the idea. The mental side of it, it’s like living with a perky tween. You can see why I take my job as a husband seriously. She is my life, the last seventeen years by her side every single night and day, and she will continue to be my life.

　

I’m pretty much on my own. My family has helped us all they could. They treat us with decency and respect, keep us close to their hearts, and every holiday we get together for food and fun. We’re po’ folk. It’s what we do. When my wife’s mother died I found out she had cut us out of her will, and my wife’s sisters, several of them, made it a point to show us their new cars. Once sister talks to my wife on a weekly basis but can’t look me in the eye, two sisters rarely talk to my wife (Couple times a year?), and one wouldn’t pick up a phone to save her soul. Me, to them, all of them, I’m worse than garbage. A title I wear with pride, thank you. You can think what you want on that.

　

I want you to understand what I’m up against. I’ve been listing all my options, listing my resources, trying to decide what to do, rebuilding my life with the tools at hand. I make do. Most people throw money at their problems, but I can’t. I don’t have any to throw. We live on a fixed income and food stamps. Therefore, in order for me to get ahead, I have to save as much money as possible, while making as much money as possible. There is one more thing to consider in that oversimplified equation. My food stamps. For every dollar I make, the state takes away a dollar in food stamps. Fair or not, that’s the way it is. Hard to climb out of the poverty pit when Uncle Sam bends you over for every dollar make. My attitude toward all this is one of crafty desperation, and humor.

　

I’m a trained graphic artist and illustrator, and way back when, when I needed to see to my wife’s care full time, I tried to start an agency that dealt in marketing material. Brochures and such. Identity packages. Logos. I took what I had then in resources and produced my own marketing material, sent it out to area businesses large and small. I met and talked with people for eight months and they all wanted something for nothing, and I kept saying I was in this to make a living. At the end of those eight months I was broke. I had to pull back. Being a full-time illustrator, that meant producing and mailing marketing material, and lots of purchased art supplies. This was all before personal computers ruled our worlds, btw. Before scanners, copiers, and color printers could be purchased as a single appliance for under fifty dollars. Back then it cost big money to produce color marketing material. Back then I couldn’t do it. I had rent to pay, food to buy, and mouths to feed. I took my hobby, writing, and came to the conclusion that was all I could afford. Paper, ribbon, postage.

　

Fourteen years later I successfully published every short story I ever wrote. Most short stories published many times, actually. I then decided to concentrate on novels, and have six of them ready to go. I’m almost done with my seventh, and have a very good 20,000 word start on my eighth novel. You want to know where I am now? Nowhere. I got about 700 plus rejection slips to prove it. I blog about those adventures separately over at my Brain Turds blog.

　

Over the years I’ve been ripped off by three online publishers. The last of which became a clearinghouse publisher. They’ll publishing anything, from anyone, with little or no editing. But, I tried. I tried, and I learned.

　

Orange Moon Publishing was my still-born baby. My publishing company, that still could work. Several hundred dollars ($1200 to date) to produce one book, doing everything myself to save money, and I haven’t made one single dime. I bought PageMaker 7 to produce the book, spent three years paying for a Web site that sits and does nothing, paying also to keep my domain name current, and a few other items not worth listing. I don’t have the funds to produce or market a second book, but I’m working on that. Family comes first.

　

Central Park, in the Fall was a wonderful dark fantasy novel. A love story, if you must know. I produced a very nice paperback. Inside, outside, cover art, typography. I promoted the book for a year, gave away numerous signed copies to venues that promoted authors, got (some limited but good) publicity, and nothing happened. Not one book sold from my Web site. I don’t know what to think about the online booksellers. There are a lot of new and used books out an about that I should have been paid for. You can read the first chapter of Central Park, in the Fall over at the Central Park blog. I’ll keep it up for a month, replacing it with a complete short story the next month. After that I’ll put up a first chapter of another finished novel, or the first three chapters. Let you see what I send out as sample pages in a standard full query.

　

I will admit Central Park, in the Fall is flawed. There are four typos, and I misused the semicolon. Instead of (word, and then) or (word; then), I had (word, then). I did that (word, then) thing about 150 times. Four typos, and 150 (word, then) things. Most people would catch the typos, at least two out of the four typos, but the (word, then) thing? I think most readers wouldn’t give the (word, then) thing a second glance. The book is fast-paced, easy to read. Those that have read it say it’s great. I know it’s damn good, despite its flaws. All that within 90,000 words. I’ll publish a corrected version when I can afford to put it out. All I have is me, and I make mistakes. I’m willing to learn from my mistakes. I took myself back to school. I spent years learning, editing my other books. Grammar, style, whatever. I wanted them right before I again approached prospective agents. And, if I get the chance, I don’t want another flawed book on the market.

　

Until next week. Take care.