Ask the Author: Chris Kelso
Answered Questions (3)
Chris Kelso
That's a good question. I'd say more so in the Slave State mythos, which is surprising given that the DREGS universe is much more rooted in our everyday reality. I think the 'tone' in the Slave State books is the main thing to've come from ME - from my nature and my own personal palate.
There are a lot of contributing factors: the tough time I had at school and university, as well as battling other personal demons -these kind of set the ball in motion pretty early. I treated those books like a therapy session with very little regard for enjoyablity or reader satisfaction. The 'SS' books started as a way of externalising a lot of negative emotions, and as a result those same negative feelings wound up on the page of published material. It's strange actually. There's a lot of me in there, sometimes I cringe when I think about how much I offered up to the arena of public consumption and criticism.
Forewarning for other readers: I don't think you could read, never mind 'enjoy, anything i've written if you're not comfortable with the residue of depression or hopelessness.
There are a lot of contributing factors: the tough time I had at school and university, as well as battling other personal demons -these kind of set the ball in motion pretty early. I treated those books like a therapy session with very little regard for enjoyablity or reader satisfaction. The 'SS' books started as a way of externalising a lot of negative emotions, and as a result those same negative feelings wound up on the page of published material. It's strange actually. There's a lot of me in there, sometimes I cringe when I think about how much I offered up to the arena of public consumption and criticism.
Forewarning for other readers: I don't think you could read, never mind 'enjoy, anything i've written if you're not comfortable with the residue of depression or hopelessness.
Chris Kelso
Getting started as a writer is relatively easy – all you have to do is put pen to paper, to write and to draw with conviction and resolve! The next steps, well, they can be a bit more of challenge.
It should be noted that I’m not a ‘successful’ writer by any stretch of the imagination. I make modest sales, I don’t write full-time, and I only have a very small (if awfully devoted) fan-base spread across the continent. However, I have been published extensively and am well acquainted with the various pitfalls of the publishing industry.
My journey was a fairly unconventional one.
So, once you’ve got your content and you’re happy enough with it, it’s time to start pitching.
First things first – there/their/they’re; your/you’re. Do NOT make these basic grammatical errors, they count against you big time. Even indie presses hate bad diction and sloppy syntax. Proofread!
There are thousands of independent publishers with open submission calls; it’s your job to sift through the swells and find a press that best suits your work. I recommend getting signed up to Duotrope, a subscription-based service for writers that offers searchable databases of fiction, poetry, and non-fiction markets. You’ll be amazed at the diversity of choice.
Make sure you have a strong cover letter and always adhere to the publications guidelines. The process of working through a slush pile is an arduous one for an editor, so be patient – I once submitted a story in December 2014 and didn’t hear back until January 2016 (it was a rejection). Response times vary from publication to publication. DON’T FREAK OUT!
Don’t be discouraged by rejections either. They’re inevitable. Lord knows I’ve had my share; I continue to be rejected on a weekly basis. Remember, JK Rowling was famously rejected by a screed of publishers before Harry Potter saw the light of day. Just because the first 100 publishers pass on your story doesn’t mean that the next hundred won’t be clawing each other’s eyes out to sign you up! You learn from rejection: it builds character and toughens you up. You’ll need a tough skin, my friends.
Some writers go down the route of obtaining an agent before submitting a manuscript. You should know that agents can be harder to get than a publishing contract. I chose not to seek an agent. As a result, I became skilled at pitching my own work to respected publishers. Sometimes doing it yourself can really make things happen. But if you are lucky enough to get an agent it’ll remove the extra DIY aspect of your writerly life – which, admittedly, can be draining. Constantly self-promoting is…yes, draining.
Small presses may not have the advances of bigger publishers but they do put a lot of their own money into making the final product look great. In fact, some of the most beautifully formatted and presented books I’ve come across were spawned from indie presses. Another thing - smaller companies won’t usually ask you to compromise your artistic vision. My first book was picked up by a small publisher from Manchester. They put a lot of effort into the product and marketing. Now I had my footing in the industry, placing my other material elsewhere is much easier. The bigger publishing houses I work with are always trying to spin my novels from a certain angle so that it’ll appeal to a whole new demographic of readers. Honestly though, I’m not all that interested in selling books on that kind of scale. I’d rather have artistic integrity. Maintain control. So I suppose another important piece of advice would be stay true to yourself.
If you write for money then you’re writing for the wrong reason. I write some of the most surreal and dark fiction out there but there are always going to be people around who want to read that sort of stuff.
For graphic novels, I’d even recommend self-publishing. If you decide to self-publish you control the content (we’ve established that’s essential for a healthy artistic psyche!). This means you can then tour your comic at conventions and pitch it to industry professionals – and once you’ve successfully pitched your book to a distributor you can join the Live Literature database. Having the finished article to show off will really go in your favour.
Lastly, I’d say know your limitations – managing expectations is vital. My books are pretty scary and nihilistic, so I’m realistic about sales and feedback. I write marginalised fiction for a very niche crowd. When I get a bad review I just remember that not everyone is going to like reading about murderers and demons. Be strong. Believe in your own work.
It should be noted that I’m not a ‘successful’ writer by any stretch of the imagination. I make modest sales, I don’t write full-time, and I only have a very small (if awfully devoted) fan-base spread across the continent. However, I have been published extensively and am well acquainted with the various pitfalls of the publishing industry.
My journey was a fairly unconventional one.
So, once you’ve got your content and you’re happy enough with it, it’s time to start pitching.
First things first – there/their/they’re; your/you’re. Do NOT make these basic grammatical errors, they count against you big time. Even indie presses hate bad diction and sloppy syntax. Proofread!
There are thousands of independent publishers with open submission calls; it’s your job to sift through the swells and find a press that best suits your work. I recommend getting signed up to Duotrope, a subscription-based service for writers that offers searchable databases of fiction, poetry, and non-fiction markets. You’ll be amazed at the diversity of choice.
Make sure you have a strong cover letter and always adhere to the publications guidelines. The process of working through a slush pile is an arduous one for an editor, so be patient – I once submitted a story in December 2014 and didn’t hear back until January 2016 (it was a rejection). Response times vary from publication to publication. DON’T FREAK OUT!
Don’t be discouraged by rejections either. They’re inevitable. Lord knows I’ve had my share; I continue to be rejected on a weekly basis. Remember, JK Rowling was famously rejected by a screed of publishers before Harry Potter saw the light of day. Just because the first 100 publishers pass on your story doesn’t mean that the next hundred won’t be clawing each other’s eyes out to sign you up! You learn from rejection: it builds character and toughens you up. You’ll need a tough skin, my friends.
Some writers go down the route of obtaining an agent before submitting a manuscript. You should know that agents can be harder to get than a publishing contract. I chose not to seek an agent. As a result, I became skilled at pitching my own work to respected publishers. Sometimes doing it yourself can really make things happen. But if you are lucky enough to get an agent it’ll remove the extra DIY aspect of your writerly life – which, admittedly, can be draining. Constantly self-promoting is…yes, draining.
Small presses may not have the advances of bigger publishers but they do put a lot of their own money into making the final product look great. In fact, some of the most beautifully formatted and presented books I’ve come across were spawned from indie presses. Another thing - smaller companies won’t usually ask you to compromise your artistic vision. My first book was picked up by a small publisher from Manchester. They put a lot of effort into the product and marketing. Now I had my footing in the industry, placing my other material elsewhere is much easier. The bigger publishing houses I work with are always trying to spin my novels from a certain angle so that it’ll appeal to a whole new demographic of readers. Honestly though, I’m not all that interested in selling books on that kind of scale. I’d rather have artistic integrity. Maintain control. So I suppose another important piece of advice would be stay true to yourself.
If you write for money then you’re writing for the wrong reason. I write some of the most surreal and dark fiction out there but there are always going to be people around who want to read that sort of stuff.
For graphic novels, I’d even recommend self-publishing. If you decide to self-publish you control the content (we’ve established that’s essential for a healthy artistic psyche!). This means you can then tour your comic at conventions and pitch it to industry professionals – and once you’ve successfully pitched your book to a distributor you can join the Live Literature database. Having the finished article to show off will really go in your favour.
Lastly, I’d say know your limitations – managing expectations is vital. My books are pretty scary and nihilistic, so I’m realistic about sales and feedback. I write marginalised fiction for a very niche crowd. When I get a bad review I just remember that not everyone is going to like reading about murderers and demons. Be strong. Believe in your own work.
Chris Kelso
Hi Janie. You know, I think I've always sought out other artists who could enhance my material. There's an element of visual-literacy that i'm interested in: after all, a striking image can really give great life to words on the page.
I've been lucky that whenever I reached out, most of the good guys have said yes to a bit of fraternisation - Bradley, Clairval, Bahr, Grassmann, Swank, Agpalza, etc. Oh, I actually have short story collaborations with Laura Lee Bahr, Gio Clairval and Preston Grassmann featuring in various publications his year, so keep an eye out!
With people like Bradley and Patterson on 'The Church of Latter-Day Eugenics', I just wanted the opportunity to work with guys I already admired (I have all Tom and Nick's books and he's always been one of my favourite bizarro writers. To have a book out with him is really surreal!).
I'd totally love to work with Jim Agpalza again. In fact, we do have another comic story-boarded, it's just finding a home for it. This one has a more Philip K.Dick vibe about it. I do think (hope) people will enjoy it if it ever sees the light of day. Shane Swank and I will definitely be collaborating on the third instalment of the DREGS trilogy, 'Ritual Amerca'. Hopefully my career will be littered with fruitful collaborations though. Working together to make better art is what it's all about!
I've been lucky that whenever I reached out, most of the good guys have said yes to a bit of fraternisation - Bradley, Clairval, Bahr, Grassmann, Swank, Agpalza, etc. Oh, I actually have short story collaborations with Laura Lee Bahr, Gio Clairval and Preston Grassmann featuring in various publications his year, so keep an eye out!
With people like Bradley and Patterson on 'The Church of Latter-Day Eugenics', I just wanted the opportunity to work with guys I already admired (I have all Tom and Nick's books and he's always been one of my favourite bizarro writers. To have a book out with him is really surreal!).
I'd totally love to work with Jim Agpalza again. In fact, we do have another comic story-boarded, it's just finding a home for it. This one has a more Philip K.Dick vibe about it. I do think (hope) people will enjoy it if it ever sees the light of day. Shane Swank and I will definitely be collaborating on the third instalment of the DREGS trilogy, 'Ritual Amerca'. Hopefully my career will be littered with fruitful collaborations though. Working together to make better art is what it's all about!
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