First Offenders

Hard times: What's an author to do?

I’ve noticed an alarming thing about the New York Times Book Review recently.

There are either very few or no book advertisements by major publishers.

This past week there was not one advertisement for a book published by a major New York house. Not. One. Not even the newest Jodi Picoult or John Grisham or James Patterson.

This does not bode well for authors who want — and need — to get the word out about our books.

When a company stops advertising its product, then we know we’re in the shitter.

Yes, times are hard. I have many friends who have lost their jobs recently and others who are hanging on for dear life. My brother just had to lay off 35 people in his office last week. Companies are scaling back; book publishers are no different. We’ve all heard the news: layoffs, restructuring; lower advances for authors; fewer acquisitions.

Sara Nelson, editor of Publisher’s Weekly for the past four years, was laid off as part of a 7 percent reduction of staff at Reed Business Information, which also owns Library Journal. A story in the New York Times on Monday about Nelson's layoff said:

Like the industry it covers, Publishers Weekly has suffered from a downturn in the retail economy as publishers have stopped advertising their upcoming books in the magazine. In past years, publishers used the magazine as a way to inform booksellers of the buzz on upcoming titles, but now most publishers communicate directly with bookstores and executives at the biggest book chains.

So that’s how it’s going to be. But I am still hard pressed to know how a publisher can get away without advertising. It’s great that publishers have this relationship with bookstores, but those stores are also cutting back on the number of books they take on. Bookstore profits are down, like everyone else’s.

Authors have to do more to promote, but I’m uncertain what else I can feasibly do. I do everything I can within my budget to promote my books. I have a good website, this blog, gone on blog tours, visited and commented on book blogs, set up events, printed and mailed postcards, gone to conferences, done contests on DorothyL, joined Facebook, visited with local book groups. But I didn’t get a huge advance to bankroll much more than that, and my royalties are next to nothing at this point since I’ve got two books out of print. I certainly can’t afford an ad in the New York Times or even the New Haven Register (although I did place an ad in my daughter’s choir program), and I can’t afford a really good book trailer (although I’m not sold on the idea that book trailers are effective).

Is there something I haven’t thought of, besides changing my name to Janet Evanovich?

Karen

Ready for a little mindless entertainment?

By Alison

I got some really great Christmas gifts this year, but as far as I'm concerned, the one that keeps on giving is the MP3 player. I've always wanted one of these things, and now I know why. I get to listen to all my favorite songs and, with shuffle play, they suprise and delight me anew. Less importantly, but still falling under the heading of pretty freakin' cool, it also enabled me to answer this very entertaining and mindless questionaire that a friend sent me, which utilizes one of my very favorite things.... song titles.

You ready? Good. Take your IPod, MP3, Windows Media, ITunes or whatever, and put it on shuffle play. Answer the following questions by writing down whatever song comes up. Copy and post in the comments section. (I'll do the same, only up here.) NOTE: Don't worry if the titles don't make sense in response to the questions. Some of them are bound to, and besides I'm not your damn editor. 

I've got my Sony WalkMan (yes they still make them) MP3 on shuffle. Here goes:

IF SOMEONE SAYS 'ARE YOU OKAY' YOU SAY?
Be My Lover (Alice Cooper)

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF
6'1" (Liz Phair).

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
White LIght, White Heat (Lou Reed)

 

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Soft Ground (Mott the Hoople)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
These Quiet Times (Shady Bard)

WHAT'S YOUR MOTTO?
Sweet Jane (Lou Reed)

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Silent All These Years (Tori Amos)

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
My Doorbell (White Stripes)

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Changes (David Bowie)

WHAT IS 2 + 2?
A Long Line of Pain (Amos Lee)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Suffragette City (Bowie)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Girlfriend (Matthew Sweet)

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Wonderful Life (The Felice Brothers)

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?

Bitches Ain't Shit (Ben Folds)

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Get-Well Cards (Conor Oberst)

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Details in the Fabric (Jason Mraz)

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Son of a Preacher Man (Dusty Springfield)

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?
Smoke on the Water (Deep Purple)

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Moon Tears (Nils Lofgren)

WHAT DO YOU WANT RIGHT NOW?
And She Was (Talking Heads)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Queen Bitch (Bowie)

 

Weirdly enough, my biggest fear IS smoke on the water...

Your turn!

We Can Still Guess

Like a lot of authors, I subscribe to the Publisher's Lunch daily newsletter. It provides a tremendous amount of information about the inner workings of the publishing industry - changes in personnel, unique marketing campaigns for books, sales figures, etc - that I find interesting and helpful. (And, uh, for the last six months, somewhat depressing as I've read about the numerous layoffs within the industry.)

But I really get it for the Deal info. I like seeing what's selling, who is buying and who is paying what.

Only I've noticed a trend over the last month or so.

If you subscribe to the newsletter, you're familiar with The Key that helps explain the financial terms of most of the deals. If you aren't familiar with The Key, here it is:

nice deal" $1 - $49,000
"very nice deal" $50,000 - $99,000
"good deal" $100,000 - $250,000
"significant deal" $251,000 - $499,000
"major deal" $500,000 and up

So depending upon how the deal is described, you can get a feel for what kinds of books editors are paying for and roughly what the market is dictating for that kind of book. Yes, there are always some numbers that don't skew correctly, but like a figure skating judge, I always throw out the highest and lowest numbers and then look in between.

Except now, they've sorta stopped doing it.

In a very unscientific study by me (I didn't even bother to count), it seems as if many of the new reported deals are not reporting the financial terms. I can make a few guesses as to why this is - advances may be lower, houses don't want to face the backlash for overpaying for books, etc - but I find it a little strange that all of a sudden everyone is going cloak and dagger about what authors are being paid for their work. And from a very selfish standpoint, I like to know what houses are paying. It's not that I'm keeping a tally list of what people are earning, but I do like to compare genres, newer writers vs. established writers and the like.

As such, the newsletter has become a little boring to me. Yeah, I still skim it for info, but I don't read it as closely as I did a few months ago. The thrill is gone.

Does it matter to you? Do you want to know what authors are being paid for their work?
Jeff

-33-

I was going to find a whole bunch of cool quotes and famous goodbyes, but then I realized I didn't want my last words here at First Offenders to be someone else's.

That's right, I'm leaving. Reasons both personal and professional contributed to this decision but when it comes right down to it, I wrote more and I wrote better when I wasn't blogging. All of my old brain jams and paranoia and general creative paralysis have been sneaking in again lately and I want to cut that out of my life before it screws me up too bad. I was also going to end this with a discussion about what people think about the tense I'm switching my manuscript to, but that really defeats one of the major purposes I'm going for here. I need to work more away from the comments and opinions and such of others. You can still find me on Twitter because I like being able to update from my phone when I'm bored out in the world. And I'll still update my Facebook page with pictures of Becky and Spenser and the rest of the family. But the long-form stuff is gone. I appreciate all of your support and expect the level of harassment and intolerance of Jeff Shelby to continue unhindered

Fashion police

All this talk about Michelle Obama's inauguration outfit and ballgown — what is she wearing, who designed it — got me thinking about how people seem to be obsessed with women's clothes.

I always found it irritating when I'd read a newspaper story about a woman like Hillary Clinton and they'd always mention what she was wearing. As if because she was a woman, this was the only important thing about her.

This is echoed in novels, too. Books that describe women's shoes and clothes, mentioning designer labels, seem to be shouting: "Hey, this is a woman character, this is what she's wearing, it defines her."

I hope I'm never defined by what I wear.

I've been careful to give my characters their own fashion style, but it's not usually invoking the name of Manolo Blahnik or Vera Wang. Annie Seymour dresses like a frumpy newspaper reporter, in khakis and button down shirts. I got a lot of emails after SACRED COWS came out about how Annie rummages in her laundry basket for clothes to wear. Don't tell me you've never done that. My tattooist character, whom everyone will meet in July, wears flowy cotton skirts and tank tops (she's in Vegas so it's hot there) and Tevas. She does pine for a pair of Kenneth Cole pumps and reluctantly wears  a chic  outfit from Ann Taylor at one point.  But the clothes do not define her. They are an accessory.

Women characters are not the only ones defined by their outfits. We've all noticed Jack Reacher's clothes and fancy shoes, and goodness knows James Bond wouldn't be James Bond without a tuxedo.

Do you pay attention to the clothes that characters wear? If so, do you think they help expand the characterization or does it just stereotype? If you're a writer, do you consciously name drop designer labels?

Karen

Speech, Speech!

By Alison Gaylin

Happy Inauguration Day! Like most everyone on the planet, I'll be watching President Obama's speech. Say what you want about the importance of good oratory skills, I'm thrilled to have a truly great speaker in the White House. I can't say that I've ever heard any transformative speeches made within my lifetime, but ever since I was a kid, I've teared up over tapes of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream." And "Ask not what your country can do for you" is pretty damn affecting, too. 

Words, said right, can be more powerful than anything.

I wish I were a great orator, but I'm not. I'm a pretty good reader and not a bad panelist, but as far as getting up in front of a group, solo, and eliciting emotion with my words and voice... um, not really. As writers, we're not required to be really good speakers, and as someone who can sometimes get nervous and a little tongue-tied in front of people and, uh, occasionally forgets what she's talking about mid-sentence, I'm glad of that. It's my job to put words on a page and make them entertaining. Stirring souls with them, changing minds and hearts and history -- I'll leave that to the real professionals.

Are there any writers you consider great speakers? Are you one of them?

Spouse Party

It's still taking a bit to get used to the Thursday posting slot. I don't adapt to schedule changes well. I need my ruts and routines to keep me grounded or I'd fall off into scatterbrained oblivion. But here I am so I might as well contribute something. And now, just as I'm starting to write this I've done something stupid. Googled my topic.

I was going to talk about the strains of traveling to writing conferences with a wife who is not a fan but I thought I talked about it a little already after I came back from Bouchercon. So I went to do a search to see what I had to say and came across this post from Duane Swierczynski back in 2005 where he talks about the same thing, only in a much more stylish way. I think the funniest part is my comment: "This is the reason I'm not married." Ha.

The best part of that post though is the conversation that develops in the comments section. It has a whole new dimension now that I am married and have a baby. I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one struggling with this issue. But now, three years later from that post it's an issue for me and I'm not sure what to do about it. Coming up in a few weeks Becky, Spenser and I will be heading to the Chicago area for the Love is Murder conference. I'm very excited about this one because I'll have a great new book ready to go and a few important meetings set up regarding it. It's also an energizing experience for a pursuit that can sometimes be draining mentally and emotionally. But Becky and I were talking about it the other night and she didn't seem very enthused to be going. She's not really into the whole mystery scene and since it's cold and not really downtown Chicago, there's not much for her to do and that's boring.

Also, I think at things like this she feels neglected and a bit jealous as I'm running off having fun and going to dinners and such while she's eating bad room service and taking care of the baby. I countered back that she'd still be seeing me more than if she stayed at home and I went by myself. At least this way I can help with Spenser a few times a day and check up on her and we usually get out to dinner a couple of times with just us but that didn't seem to work. I know she's supportive of my writing and she agrees it's a good thing for me to be at these conferences, but it's just a complex issue regarding whether she should come or not.

So what do you all think about this? And if any of you were among those who commented on Duane's post back in the day, tell me if anything has changed since then.

--Bryon

A girl pulls down her shots with fun

I check out my website stats every week, and I love checking out the search words used to find my site. The title of this blog post is one of the phrases someone stuck into Google and ended up at my website. I suppose I could see how that phrase could lead someone to me, what with the title of SHOT GIRL.

There are also many variations of Olson, Olsen, Olesen. The first name is usually a mystery: Mary E., Jaren. Someone looked for a Karen Olien and ended up with me.

Someone searching for “karen d. olsen autobiography” found me, too. I wonder if he or she ever found the person they were really looking for. I’m afraid my measly bio on my website isn’t exactly fodder for suppertime gossip. Just as a hoot, I plugged the same phrase into Google, and who knew? My website is the first site listed. The second is a link to Amazon, Karen Armstrong’s biography of Mohammed. I did not find a karen d. olsen autobiography.

Someone looked for “smoked cows” and ended up with me. I can see the logic in that, too: SACRED COWS and SECONDHAND SMOKE combined could definitely be smoked cows.

A Google search shows that I share a name with a Tallahassee, Florida, reporter, a Scientologist, and an accomplished violist who gets a lot of my emails because her website is karenolson.com and if someone leaves the “e” out of mine, they get to her. I’ve emailed her and asked her to forward anything for me, but she’s never done that. I’m sure she’s just hitting that delete button.

If you put your name into Google, who pops up?

Karen

Alison is thinking about Facebook

By Alison

Here's what I want to know: Is there anyone left on Facebook who is under 30 years old? Oh, I know they're still out there, the kids. They're instant messaging each other and rating each other's profile pics and ignoring friend requests from their parents. But I now have close to 300 facebook friends and the majority of them -- the ones I know, that is -- are in my generation. Kind of funny since Facebook was first started as a way for college students to gossip but hey, I get the appeal. It's fun. And weird.

The thing that's amazed me the most, since I signed up for facebook, is discovering how many people I actually know. Old high school classmates, writing group alums, people I used to work with ten years ago, people I'd normally see once a year at the bar at Bouchercon... they're all there on my friends list, posting pictures of their families, wishing me a happy birthday and beating me at Scramble. It's like a great big, ongoing "this is your life" show played out on my computer every day.

I still don't know how to do half the things you're supposed to be able to do on Facebook, but I do love the status updates. When I'm really bored, I click on the "friends" icon and read the third person sentences everyone is encouraged to post about themselves.  One friend has a cold, another is listening to her kids brushing their teeth, another is looking for the romance in the new book she's writing...  As for me, I've been posting updates about our new kitten for weeks now.  (Alison has a new kitten! Alison can't get the kitten off her laptop! Alison is cleaning the litter box!) At the beginning, I got lots of comments but now, they've tapered off and I'm afraid everyone thinks I'm some boring cat-obsessive.

Sometimes, I find out information I don't want to know from facebook. Just FYI, whenever you post a comment on a friend's wall, it goes out over the newsfeeds of all your friends. In other words, say you're having a party and you, uh, don't invite me. That's fine. Just please don't post about how much fun it was on another friends wall and have that friend (who I also know) comment back to you about it, on your wall, unless you want me to see both comments and get my feelings all hurt. Was it all the cat updates? Is that why you didn't invite me????

I guess I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook. While it's put me in touch with people I haven't seen since junior high school, it also makes me sometimes feel like I'm back in junior high school -- which I could definitely do without....

Better go check on the cat.

Are you on Facebook? Do you love it or hate it or a little of both?

Due To Unforeseen Circumstances...

...I don't have to time to write an incredibly witty, insightful, hilarious post this morning.

So instead - tell us about the three things you hope to accomplish in 2009.
Jeff