1st Turning Point

Posted By Jim Thomsen on June 27, 2010

Jim Thomsen: True Crime and Mystery Author

by Jim Thomsen
1st Turning Point Columnist
Copyright © 2010  Jim Thomsen 

My friend Craig Lancaster jokes that he should write a nonfiction book about his experiences as a fiction author called Dude, WTF?

Why that title? Well, because Craig’s journey in the 20 months since he wrote his debut novel as a National Novel Writing Month lark has been anything but typical.

Consider the following:

— Just 15 months ago, Craig self-published Six-Hundred Hours Of A Life, rolling it out with a launch party in his hometown of Billings, Montana.

— Less than six months later, buoyed by a handful of good reviews and a lot of word-of-mouth raves generated entirely by Craig’s tireless self-promotional efforts, the book was picked up by Riverbend, a small publishing house in Helena, Mont. It reissued the book as 600 Hours Of Edward last November.

— Widened distribution led to more rave reviews, and the book began to make a showing in regional awards competitions. Earlier this year, Edward was named a Montana Book Award Honor Book, and it is a nominee for a High Plains Book Award.

— Craig finished his second novel, The Summer Son, this spring, and decided to independently publish it through his own company, Missouri Breaks Press. There was no fallout between author and publisher, just an author’s desire to publish on his own schedule and make more of his own business and creative decisions.

— Just as Craig was taking pre-orders for The Summer Son, he learned that AmazonEncore — the publishing arm of the bookselling giant — had come calling after Edward. Riverbend wasn’t interested in selling those rights, but Craig approached AmazonEncore on his own about The Summer Son. A couple of weeks ago, a deal was struck. And the novel will be released, with the potential for a global marketing push, in early 2011.

So, for those you scoring along at home, that’s two books, two publishers … and zero agents.

WTF, indeed.

Craig and I work as night editors at our newspapers — mine the Kitsap Sun in Bremerton, his the Billings Gazette — and the following Q&A is synthesized from the many late-night instant-message chats we have when we really should be working.

Q: So … dude. WTF?
A: I know. It really is the salient question. You don’t have to knock around in publishing long to hear these incredible stories about years and years of toil and rejection before publication. There’s certainly no logical reason I should have an easier time of it. I’m not fantastically talented or possessing some inside knowledge of how the system works. I’ve been very, very, very lucky. If you don’t like that word, call it serendipitous.

Q: Describe that moment when you learned that the bigger book-mover in the solar system expressed its desire to put that power behind you and your book. What possibilities did you flash on in that instant?
A: I’d like to back that question out just a bit. The biggest reason I originally decided to go my own way with The Summer Son is that I thought I could cover the same regional territory I had with 600 Hours under my own flag, with more of the say in how quickly I moved books to market and, accordingly, more of a chance to realize the rewards of publishing success. To step away from that decision and put my book in the hands of another publisher required the belief that AmazonEncore could take my book places I could not. That wasn’t a difficult belief to develop.

Q: Your fellow AmazonEncore author, mystery/thriller writer J.A. Konrath, is famous for emphasizing that writers have the best chance of being successful when they get an agent and go through the torture test of story-vetting within the traditional publishing industry. Yet … you’ve landed two publishing deals now having never had an agent, and Konrath came to be your AmazonEncore compadre because he ran into some roadblocks trying to place his series books with a New York publisher. Both of you feel you’re better off where you’re at. What does what’s happened with the both of you say about what’s going on in publishing?
A: I’m not sure what it says, and I’m not sure I have the perspective to divine that answer. Joe and I share a publisher, but we’re in much different boats. His career is much more developed than mine, and he’s swimming in different genres. I have read what he’s had to say about why he went with AmazonEncore, and those reasons are similar to mine. We both believe in what AmazonEncore aims to do with our books.

Q: So, two publishing deals, zero agents. Does this say anything about how necessary an agent is to developing a proactive, self-starting career these days?
A: It makes for an interesting headline — and I’m sure some folks would use it as fuel for the “agents — who needs ‘em?” fire — but I’ll say this: It’s just the way things worked out. If I’d had a good agent with me from the beginning, I suspect that whatever opportunities I’ve had would have only been enhanced by the guidance of a pro. On my own, I’ve made good progress, but I know that a good agent is absolutely essential to building the sort of career I want to have. I hope someone looks at the track record thus far and takes me on.

Nathan Bransford had a piece recently where he made a convincing argument that while agents do amount to gatekeepers, that’s really not where the focus of their jobs lie. I understand that, but from an aspiring author’s point of view — and Bransford acknowledged this — the gatekeeping piece looms largest. There are other places I want to go, and I’ll probably need an agent to help me reach them.

Q: I know you’re under a non-disclosure agreement, but can you talk in general terms about what this deal allows you to do, and where its greatest rewards lie?

A: What it allows me to do: Instead of spending summer and fall tied up with production issues, I can embark on some serious work on Novel No. 3. If I may paraphrase Johnathon Schaech’s character in “That Thing You Do!”: “The point of all this is to write more books.”

The greatest rewards lie in putting my book in front of as many readers as possible. At this stage of the game, that’s the goal — not money, not fame, not notoriety. I want folks to want to read my books — and then I want them to want their friends to read my books. The rest will take care of itself.

Q: You’ve developed much of your reputation through your hard work — networking online, building relationships with booksellers, crisscrossing the roads of Montana, speaking to any group that’ll have you. Do you see that changing much with the power of Amazon behind you? Do you want it to change?

A: I hope it doesn’t change; I’ll certainly comport myself as if it won’t. I love the solitary pleasures of writing, and I tolerate the necessary tedium of the publishing process, but the absolute payoff for all of that is actually meeting people who love books. A reader who loves a book and tells all her friends is the best PR agent that book and author will ever have. I love getting on the road and meeting folks. Something I’ve done a fair amount of lately is meeting with book clubs that have taken on 600 Hours of Edward. In most cases, those meetings have come with a nice meal, some wonderful conversation and new friendships. It doesn’t get much better.

In Part 2 of this interview, scheduled to publish Wednesday, June 30, Craig Lancaster shares what he’s learned about smart book promotion on a shoestring budget. He’ll talk about the value of reviews and mainstream media coverage, Facebook vs. Twitter, library appearances vs. bookstore signings, and the surprising effectiveness of social media for book readers like Goodreads and LibraryThing, among other topics.

Jim Thomsen is a news editor for the Kitsap Sun in Bremerton, Wash., and has spent 23 years in newspaper journalism. He is a member of the Mystery Writers of America and is working on his first mystery novel. Find him on Facebook or e-mail him at desolationisland@gmail.com.

Categories: All authors, Jim Thomsen, Miscellaneous
Tags: 600 Hours Of Edward, AmazonEncore, Craig Lancaster, ja konrath, Jim Thomsen, Missouri Breaks Press, Riverbend Publishing, self-publishing, The Summer Son, writing