Guest Post - Learning Lessons - by Roberto Calas

This week, I'm very pleased to have author Roberto Calas back for an utterly fascinating guest post on the history and state of writing and publishing. As the saying goes, 'History repeats itself', and Roberto is going to show us how much our modern age has in common with the 15th century. He is no stranger to the late Middle Ages, and so, without further adieu, take it away Roberto!

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Learning Lessons

"Nobody can understand the greatness of the thirteenth century, who does not realize that is was a great growth of new things produced by a living thing."

-- G.K. Chesterton

Never build your sand castle near the water line.

Sand Castle - Creative Commons

I think most of us learned that lesson when we were very young. The tide is relentless and it doesn’t give a crap about the things you have built. I’m a bit thick, so it took a lot of mini-tsunamis and crumbled castles for me to internalize that particular lesson. But I learned.

So, in 1998, I decided to leave my career as a magazine editor to go to art school. I loved writing then, as I do now, but I could see the rising tide approaching. The castles built by magazine and newspaper publishers were too close to the water line.

To use another water-based analogy, the vast lakes of magazines, newspapers and books were evaporating, like watering holes in the African savannah. Three of the magazines I had worked for were sold out from under me – acquired by dreadnought holding companies that stripped them of staff and resources and filled them with fluff that complemented the ads that were sold. Magazine distributors thinned, from hundreds to dozens. Writing and editing jobs started paying less than marketing internships. It seemed that no one wanted to read anymore. It was all about television and online video. About photos and images.

So I went back to school. Art has always been my second love, so I decided to try making a living of it. And for fifteen years, I did.

But a new tide is rolling in. The electronic revolution is reaching far up onto the shore, destroying even the staunchest of sand castles and making room for new ones. Writing jobs are more prevalent, and they pay more again. Editors are valued once more. It is a Renaissance. A Golden Age of the written word, and it reminds me of another time in history when writing spurred a rebirth.

Back as late as the 14^th century, monks were the publishers. And like traditional publishers of the modern age, they controlled what was printed and what was not.

A Gutenberg Press in action

But in 1450, Johannes Gutenberg used a few hand-molds and some oil-based ink to break the monk stranglehold. His mechanical press ushered in a golden age of writing. It’s no coincidence that the Renaissance began shortly after he invented modern printing.

But like all technologies, the mechanical press was seen by many as a bad thing. Scribes went on strike, afraid they would lose their jobs to the printing machines. The lay people were, at first, terrified by the presses. Every copy was identical, which of course meant that the devil was involved. Gutenberg’s friend and partner, Johannes Faust, was arrested and charged with witchcraft. Fortunately, Faust escaped death and the mechanical press churned on.

We are on the cusp of another golden age now and, as in the 15^th century, there is resistance. Computers are the new Gutenberg press, and once again there is a witch hunt.

The traditional publishers, the very same companies that drove independent bookstores and magazine distributors out of business, are asking for help as they, themselves are driven out of business. But who was there for the independent bookstores? Who was there for the mom-and-pop magazine distributors? No one. And no one will be there for the publishers. Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon and the new galactic overlord of the Milky Way, said that “Complaining is not a strategy.” And he’s right. Traditional publishers had the chance to jump on new technology and lead the way to the second Golden Age of Writing. They had a chance to move their sand castles back as the water rolled in, but they chose to fight the new technology, instead.

Electronic publishing is as revolutionary today as Gutenberg’s press was in his day. Traditional publishers can no more fight this technology than the monks and luddites of the 15^th century could stop the wild spread of the printed word. And in this brave new world of easy publication, lots of things have changed.

The author has become the publisher. Novelists can release their works themselves, delivering precisely the product that they want, and they can connect with their readers directly, in ways they could never do before.

Serial story-telling, one episode at a time, is popular again.

Novelists are getting feedback directly from readers, as soon as their novel is published.

And those novels are being published far more quickly, because novelists no longer need to rely on the lumbering machinery of the rusted publishing companies. No, the writer becomes the head of his kingdom, contracting out editors and cover designers and doing what he or she can for publicity. Voices that were always filtered and steered by dreadnought holding companies are no longer fettered. Ten million songs, each unique and unaltered, ring out across the Web.

And while the great castles of sand built by traditional publishers slowly erode, the new castles are being built in our homes, far from the sea.

Because even a child understands that you can’t fight the tide.

Roberto Calas is a published (and self-published) author and lover of history. His serial trilogy (The Scourge) is about a 14^th century knight fighting his way through a demon-infested England to reunite with the woman he loves. And every bit of it is true except for the made up parts. Roberto is taking advantage of the new publishing tide to ask readers for help in publishing the third novel in his Scourge trilogy. Please have a look at his Kickstarter campaign for more details.

In addition to The Scourge series, Roberto has written The Beast of Maug Maurai (fantasy), and Kingdom of Glass (historical fiction in the Foreworld universe).

Roberto lives in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, with his two children, and visits the United Kingdom on a monthly basis to be with his fiancée, Annabelle. Sometimes he fights demons to get to her.

You can learn more about Roberto on his website: http://robertocalas.com.  

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I want to thank Roberto for taking the time to ‘stop by’ the blog, and for his thought-provoking words. Who would have thought – Gutenberg as an indie-champion! We do indeed live in exciting times of creativity, and Roberto is one of those fighting the good fight and giving us some great storytelling. If you haven’t read The Scourge or The Beast of Maug Maurai books, I highly recommend them. I’ve also just finished his short story, The Wages of Sin, and it’s a great read!

Be sure to check out Roberto’s Kickstarter link too. It’s a chance to help the story continue, and any measure of support will help this warrior of the written word to continue his campaign.

Cheers, and thanks for reading!

Indie Writer Overload...and what to do about it.

As an independent writer, the last couple of years have been extremely exciting. If you do a Google search or visit any one of the multitude of blogs out there you will find a plethora of enthusiastic articles about how great it is for indie writers these days, the many options, avenues and tools that are at their disposal.

And it’s true! This is indeed an exciting time for writers whose work is out of the ordinary or transcends genres. With the global economic crisis, many mainstream publishers have shored up the defences, preferring to exercise restraint rather than risk. Unless you were the next Dan Brown, chances are you would have a long wait ahead of you.

I myself have not been at this for a very long time, indie publishing that is. I’ve been writing for many years, creating, improving. I’m still at the beginning of my indie campaign to recruit legions of readers. With this post, I just wanted to share some of the thoughts I have to this point, some little insights. You will find articles like this all over the place, virtual pages where writers have outlined their thoughts. Well, these are mine. I’m still learning of course, but it is always a good idea to take stock with my mental quartermaster.

When I set about doing this, I thought Well, what do I have to lose? The publishing is free (depending on who you go with). No sense being armed with a novel or two and not marching out!

Little did I know how much work it would turn into. More options and avenues means more choices which means more work. And that’s fine since anything having to do with my writing doesn’t really feel like work in the usual sense. But there are times when my mind is spinning and no amount of list making or spreadsheet creation will help me get things in order. A bottle of Chianti is more likely to help.

There is no end to the tools at an indie writer’s disposal. You’ve got a host of self-publishing sites, blogs and do-it-yourself websites, reader-writer interactive websites like Goodreads and of course, the social media fortresses of Facebook, Google+, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and many more. Storming each of these can spread you pretty thinly. But that is not all.

Just because the book is written doesn’t mean you are finished. Some say that is the hardest part but I’m not sure I agree anymore. Being an ‘indie’ writer means that you are just that, ‘independent’; which means that unless you have some extra cash flow or a small money tree in your backyard, you will be going it alone.

So, on to formatting and cover creation, ISBN assignments and book trailer creation, book launches, guest blogs (here is mine), deadlines and endless revisions of critical paths. And then there is the marketing which involves all of the above avenues, online, offline, in person, on walls and well, in your sleep, because you rarely stop thinking about all of it. I never really knew about marketing before my indie campaign and I am still learning but it is a whole new world that every indie author needs to become familiar with. One site I have found particularly helpful is www.thecreativepenn.com . Check it out.

Most writers are solitary people, inward, but if you want to achieve success you must have a Caesar-like PRESENCE! and maintain that presence or else be forgotten.

Add to all this the ever-important family life, day job (which I have), exercise and general activity of living then, well, you are surrounded. The indie writer life is like trying to plan Rome’s invasion of Germania: it’s big, there are many variables, it is an uphill battle and if you leave your flank exposed, you’re dead.

There will be times when you think you have signed on to the Project Management School of “I’m insane and like to torture myself!”

Hold it! I forgot one detail, one activity on which the success of the campaign all hangs – THE WRITING! Is that not why we are doing this in the first place, because that’s what we are, writers who love to write? When does that happen?

For me the writing happens at every opportunity, every day, whenever I can get at it with my notepad or laptop. I love to get into the past, to write about it, to bring my own characters to life in a world long gone but certainly not forgotten.

These stolen moments of creativity are what keep me going.

But when the indie writer life does get to be too much, as it inevitably does, here are some random tips that might help.

•         Stop. Take some deep breaths.
•         Make a list – Prioritize
•         Pick 1-3 social media and focus on those. This is an important one as there are so many out there. All you need are a couple to be effective. Social media and marketing can easily suck up your time.
•         Create a weekly agenda for activities and stick to it. I’ve noticed that far fewer people are on social media from Tuesday to Thursday. Why not use those days for writing, editing or formatting?
•         Meet with other writers to exchange ideas, enthusiasm and understanding. Therapy for the independently-minded!
•         Build up your cava. (I threw that one in for fun!)
•         Be patient! It all takes time and very few see overnight success. Stick to it, keep marching and you will see success eventually.
•         Have fun! There is so much to learn, so many people to meet. The indie community is helpful and friendly.
•         Keep Writing! This last because, of course, that’s the best art of it all. As long as the creativity and ideas are flowing, get the stories down on paper and Word.doc.

Be sure to give into your creative flow as often as possible. The more material you have, the better armed you will be.

That’s it for me. I’m tapped and there are other things to do. In the last two years I’ve learned so much and at the same time I have grown as a writer. My legions are marching forward and I’m taking on new recruits along the way. I’m battered and exhausted but, at the end of the day, I do so love it!