Fred Holmes's Blog: The Journey Journal

Ever seen the movie, TITANIC? Most people have, but I confess I'm not a fan. In my opinion, Cameron is a great technician, but a lousy writer. His dialog is laughable and his characters cliches. Maybe I'm becoming cynical in my old age but remember when Rose was floating on a door after the sinking, clutching poor Jack's hand? Did she insist they take turns lying on the door? Nah, not courageous Rose. What did she do instead? She promised him over and over, "I'll never let you go, Jack! I'll never let you go!" Then as soon as Jack dies, what does she do? She let him go. Bye-bye, Jack, have a nice float to the bottom.

Then courageous Rose goes on and lives her life, all the while hiding the priceless Heart of the Ocean diamond necklace in a drawer. You think maybe her family could’ve used the money? Or, at the very least, she could’ve donated it to a museum. But not courageous Rose. Oh no, she keeps it to herself. Then decades later what does she do with it? First chance she gets, she drops it in the ocean with an "Oops!"

So, I confess now days when I see the scene of Rose standing on the Titanic's bow, arms outstretched with Jack’s hands clutching her around the waist, all I can think is, "Go ahead, Jack, give her a shove!" Bye-bye, Rose, have a nice float to the bottom.

I recently saw a picture of Charles Dickens sitting at his desk, writing. Yes, I admit I'm a huge fan. He wrote 15 major novels, several plays, several non-fiction books, and numerous essays and articles, most in support of the poor and disenfranchised. Today, many of his novels are considered some of the best ever written: A CHRISTMAS CAROL, A TALE OF TWO CITIES, DAVID COPPERFIELD, GREAT EXPECTATIONS, and many, many others. And he wrote them all with a quill pen before the age of 58.

My first thought when I saw that picture was, "Wow, I wonder how many more masterpieces he could've written with a modern computer?" Yes, today's literary hacks like yours truly have some advantages. Then again, every time Microsoft updates Windows, they screw up my printer. Their Word program is amazing, but incredibly complicated. Where is the symbol for ½ anyway? Oh. Never mind. I found it. Scrivener makes me fill out a ridiculous number of forms (who cares if my protagonist's hair is brown or black?), and ProWritingAid criticizes everything I do.

So, the truth is, my friends, if Dickens was writing today, he'd still be on page one of A CHRISTMAS CAROL and considering returning to the boot polish business.

Okay. I’ve complained enough. I'm going back to my writing. So, excuse me while I sharpen my quill...

Let me say first off that if you don't like fantasy and you don't like to laugh, you will not like Terry Pratchett...nor will you like this post, so it's best if you move along.

However, if you like all three as I do, read on!

Back in 1997, long before I met Sir Pratchett (in the literary sense), I was directing a film in Big Bend. For those of you unfamiliar with Texas, it is a national park right on the southern tip of the state, famous for its mountains (the Swiss would call them hills) and its arid desert (the Saharans would call it a rest stop).

Just outside the park, in the middle of that desert, is the Starlight Restaurant. This one-time movie palace serves up such tantalizing fare as wild boar sausage and antelope strips, along with some guitar-picking entertainment.

Our film crew went there for dinner one Saturday, and apart from the lights from the restaurant, the desert is pitch black at night. It just so happened the Hale-Bopp comet was passing the earth on its 2,500 year orbit of the sun, and in the clear, dark, desert air, its tail literally stretched from horizon to horizon. It was a spectacular sight.

So what does that have to do with Terry Pratchett? Everything. Like a comet he streaked through our lives, leaving us gasping in awe, and was gone far too soon.

There are those who have labeled him the greatest comedic fantasist of our generation. I would go one step further. I don't think we've ever seen his like, nor will again, certainly not in our lifetime.

Were there times he could have used an editor? Absolutely. But who would have dared attempt it? He was like a literary Robin Williams--free-wheeling, fast-paced, somewhat manic--there are times when only he knows what he's talking about--but none of that negates the sheer exhilaration and enjoyment of the ride. And trying to slap a governor on such spontaneity would have been like trying to lasso the Hale-Bopp comet. Not only an impossible feat, but a foolish one as well. Better to stand where you are, watch in awe as it unfolds, and thank the stars that you got to live in a time when Terry Pratchett was making his delightful journey around the sun.

Let me tell you a story. Years ago, when I was a young whippersnapper, I was directing television documentaries all over the world. I was spending months out of the country, traveling all over the place (and some of those places were not very safe), and after one particularly harrowing experience I came home thinking I needed to do something else with my life, or I wasn't going to have a life. And as I've yet to see a film (or TV show) worth dying for, I looked around for something less dangerous to do for a living.

In those days there was a popular TV show on the air called LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE. Most of you don't remember that show, or its star, Michael Landon, but at the time folks loved it, and I loved it. And one day I was watching it and I thought to myself, "Self, you can write a show like that, and no one will shoot at you while you do it." Little did I know. Ha! Okay, I'm just kidding, but I was a complete and utter dummy, so I set off to write an episode of LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE.

First off, you should know that TV shows have what are called bibles. A bible is a document that spells out everything about the show: who will fall in love with who, who will hate who, what's going to happen over the next ten years, etc. And of course you, the dummy, cannot possibly know any of this, so you cannot possibly write a spec teleplay for them...but since you're a dummy, or at least I was, you give it a try. And I wrote mine on a yellow legal pad because I didn't know how to type, and I wrote it in long hand with a pencil. And because I didn't know how TV scripts were formatted, I wrote it like a short story. In other words, I did everything I could possibly do to jinx myself.

After I finished my opus, it took me a long time to track down PRAIRIE'S production office, but I finally did (it was on the Twentieth Century Fox lot, where I would later spend a lot of time) and, to put a final nail in my coffin, I did not submit my "script" through a reputable agent. I simply stuffed it in a manila envelope and mailed it.

Months went by and I eventually gave up hearing anything. But then one day I received a letter on Fox stationary. It was from PRAIRIE'S Executive Producer, and he told me the show had been on summer hiatus, everyone had been gone except him, and he had been sitting in his quiet office one day, bored to tears, when, lo and behold, my envelope had come across the transom. He said they get scripts from dummies like me all the time (he actually said it a lot nicer, but I'm paraphrasing), and their secretary normally tosses them in the trash unread. But since everyone was gone and he was bored to tears, he decided to read it and have a few laughs. Well, he didn't laugh--except where I wanted him to--and in fact he loved it, and sent it to London where Michael Landon was vacationing with his family, and Michael Landon loved it, and they would like to buy my script and produce it. Talk about shocked. My feet didn't touch the ground for a month.

But I was lucky. It could have easily gone the other way. And usually it does go the other way. So if you're going to write for television, you're much better off learning the rules. Because it's only when you know the rules that you can successfully break them. And breaking the rules, successfully, is what will separate you from all the dummies like me.

So what are those rules? On boy, there are so many--too many for me to address in a short piece like this--but one thing you should know right off is that television writing is very formulaic. And one of the things they like you to do is to start off your story with a "happy family". In the happy family formula, you enter the story while the family is...well, happy. Everything's right in their world. But then comes the inciting action. This is where the family's happy world is turned upside down, and they're sent on a quest to turn their world right side up again. This, of course, they eventually do, and your story ends with them being a happy family again.

The problem with formulaic writing is that it's predictable, and when you're brought in to write a show, the head writer will inevitably tell you that if you can come up with a twist on the formula, they would love it. But if you do, know this--it damn sure better be; 1) a good twist, and 2) one that fits their formula. If you can do that successfully, you'll write lots of scripts for them. And if you can't, well, you'll be back overseas getting shot at.

Oh, and by the way, this is how submitting to television is really supposed to work. You don't submit a spec script like I did. You get an agent, and your agent sends out samples of your writing to all the shows you'd like to write for, and, hopefully, someone from a show (usually the head writer and/or executive producer) will bring you in and they will assign you a scenario to write because, after all, they know their show's bible, and you don't.

So, back to the rules. Like I said, there are a lot of them, and not all of them have to do with the television formula. Quite a few have to do with how you tell a good story, whether its a TV show, a film, or a novel. I previously mentioned one of them, "inciting action", and for those of you who do not know what that is, an inciting action is that moment in your story where the plot kicks off. This can be a murder, or a plane crash, or anything that will create a problem that has to be resolved. And if you're not a dummy like me, you will enter your story at the last possible moment, just when that inciting action takes place.

Now, finally, let's talk about the "ticking clock". Didn't think I'd ever get to it, did you? Well, I was trying to build the suspense. But here it is--other than inciting action, there are many, many tools you can use to tell a good story, and one of my all-time favs is called the "ticking clock". If you're unfamiliar with this term, it means you literally (or figuratively) assign a ticking clock to your story. In other words, the conflict must be resolved within a defined period of time. The classic example of this, and perhaps the first time it had ever been done well, was in a Gary Cooper movie called HIGH NOON.

Remember that film? It won an Academy Award, and in the story, Gary was the sheriff of a small town, and many years ago he arrested "the bad guy" and sent him to prison. As we enter the story, we see the town as a "happy family". Everyone likes the sheriff cause he was so brave for sending " the bad guy" to prison.

But then, bang, comes the inciting action. The sheriff (and all the rest of the happy family) learn "the bad guy" is getting out of prison, and he has put together a whole team of bad guys to help him kill Gary for sending him to prison. And here's where the ticking clock comes into play. The bad guy and his hoard of cohorts will be arriving on the twelve o'clock train.

So Gary goes around town, trying to get his happy family to help him fight the bad guys, but now the happy family isn't so happy anymore, and they would just like all of this disruption (meaning Gary and the bad guys) to go away. So they tell Gary, don't be a dummy, get the hell out of town. But Gary is, after all, Gary Cooper, and Gary Cooper would never run away. Gary Cooper is courageous and brave, so he decides to stay and face the bad guy and his cohorts.

And what the director did then that was so freaking brilliant is that as the story progressed he kept cutting to various clocks around town. And every time Gary looked at one of those clocks, he saw himself getting closer and closer to noon, and death.

And so, to make a long story short, Gary finally heard the train whistle, the train showed up, the bad guys got off, there was a horrendous, very long, running gun battle, during which the townsfolk had a change of heart and came to Gary's aid, and Gary not only won the battle, barely, he also won the girl. Wait, did I tell you about the girl? Oops, sorry about that. There's always a love interest in a good story, and sure enough, Gary won her heart, and the happy family was a happy family once more.

The twist? Gary decides that he can't stand his gutless happy family anymore and after all that, HE LEAVES TOWN. And you're saying to yourself, Wait, what? He left town? Why didn't he leave town before? Well, because he's Gary Cooper, and Gary Cooper is...blah, blah, blah...

But that's not the point. The point is the ticking clock works, and it works really, really well. Why? Because it emulates life. Life is all about a ticking clock. We're all counting down to something--the weekend, a date, a vacation, death. When you're young, the clock moves too slowly. You can't wait to be ten, thirteen, twenty-one--but then you turn thirty and the clock starts getting faster. And pretty soon you want it to slow down. But you can't slow it down, and suddenly you're ninety, living in a nursing home, and NOW that freaking clock slows down, and you sit in your tiny room day after day wishing you were ten again, or your happy family would call you, or would come see you, but they don't, and all you have to look forward to is that clock finally ticking to a stop.

Depressing? Well, that's life. None of us get out of town alive--unless your Gary Cooper--and he will forever be riding off to new adventures.

So what am I saying? I'm saying, don't be a dummy. Use the ticking clock in your writing. Build a whole story around it. Literally show the clock (or something like it) counting down the seconds to the final battle. Doing so will give your story structure and momentum, and you'll have your readers flipping pages as fast as they can.

Sound fun? Then go ahead, give it a try.

And until next time...I'm movin' on...

Let me see a show of hands: How many of you dislike insta-love in a novel? Let's see now...that's one, two, three, four...boy, there's a bunch of you. And I'm not even counting the guy in the back wearing a raincoat. I know how he'd vote.

I recently read READY PLAYER ONE. Have you read it? It's really good, but the "love" relationship in it was a classic example of superficial love, or as I prefer to call it--lust. In the story the two "lovers" meet online in a video game. Based on the girl's avatar (our hero hasn't met her in person), he professes his undying love. Then later when he hears she might not be as attractive in person, he says her physical looks aren't that important to him. Come on, seriously? All he's talked about is how she looks!

The fact is insta-love permeates almost every novel. The reason for this that writers most often give is that they don't have time to develop a true relationship. And in their defense, novels must compress time. Reality is boring, and no one wants to sit through the days, weeks, months, and sometimes years that a real relationship takes to develop.

My issue with taking this shortcut in literature is that it creates unrealistic expectations, especially in young people. Insta-love is based solely on the superficial--how the person looks, the sound of their voice, even the way they dress--and all of this has little to do with what the person is really like. True, we as a species are designed to procreate, so we're constantly searching for the right partner (whether we realize it or not!) But the problem is that by confusing lust with love we are coloring how people see relationships. Then when things go badly, they look for the easy way out.

And let me save you some time. I am NOT talking about sticking in an abusive relationship. It goes without saying that someone in an unhealthy relationship needs to leave. What I'm talking about are the typical Hollywood romances that happen too quickly, and end too quickly, all because the two people involved had unrealistic expectations.

So what's the answer? I think as writers we need to portray relationships more realistically. We need to clearly show the difference between physical attraction (lust), and real love that develops over time, and we need to call them what they are. If you think someone you just met is "hot", that's lust, not love.

Years ago I worked with a young writer on a movie script I'd been hired to direct. The "love" between his lead characters was taking place too quickly and I suggested he enter his story later, after the characters had met and fallen in love. This would have saved him a lot of screen time, and produced a more believable relationship. He couldn't see it. He had been raised on insta-love, and the movie suffered for it.

I think this is why novels like THE NOTEBOOK are so popular. Yes, the two lead characters did experience insta-love at the beginning of the story, but their love was tested over time and endured.

Aren't we all searching for that kind of love? Wouldn't you prefer to share your life with someone who will stick with you no matter what? Then we need to model that kind of love in the stories we tell.

Happy New Year! And until next time...I'm movin' on...

Has this ever happened to you? You write something that sounds so logical, so perfect, you can't possibly improve upon it, then a few days or weeks or months later you reread it and you're shocked by how bad it is! Well, maybe not bad; it's just that the idea you were trying to convey is lost in all of the rhetoric and hyperbole.

I can't tell you how many times this has happened to me, and I think I've finally figured out what I'm doing. I'm writing using stream of consciousness. I'm letting the words flow out, and more often than not, they come out jumbled. The idea I want to express might be there, it's just buried in all of the verbiage.

Of course all of you old-timers are saying, "That's what rewriting is for, and why we hire editors." I know that. Well, I know it now, but I had to learn it, you see? And what have I learned? I've learned that I'm a plantzer; a pantzer who plans.

For those of you who don't know, a pantzer is a writer who "writes from the seat of his or her pants". It's an analogy taken from flyers--pilots who set off into the unknown without filing a flight plan. They just want to see what's out there, they want to explore. And I can't tell you how much that appeals to the explorer in me. My whole life (and career) I've loved setting off into the unknown, trying to see what's on the other side of the mountain or valley or whatever. So when it comes to writing, I love doing the same. The only thing that gets in my way is the planner in me. Cause even though I love setting off into the unknown, I also love having goals. And in order to have a goal, you must have a plan to achieve that goal.

As most of you know, I began my career making films and television, and it is not an environment that appreciates pantzers. A film shoot must be meticulously planned. As a director, when you walk on the set at seven in the morning there are 250 people waiting for you to tell them what to do. You not only have to have your day planned out, you have to have that day broken down into shots and how you're going to achieve those shots. You actually give your AD (Assistant Director) a shot list that he or she passes out to all of your department heads. And way before that shoot day there were meetings upon meetings upon meetings to discuss how you planned to achieve your goal of making the best film possible. And even before THAT, you started planning that film when you first wrote your screenplay. You spelled out everything about every scene--Interior or Exterior, Day or Night, your location, your characters--it's all there on the page because your department heads will be "breaking down" that script and making lists of what they need to provide. Therefore, screenplays are very cut-and-dried because everything has to be spelled out. Your department heads don't care what your characters are thinking or feeling. They just want to know what prop they'll be holding in their hand, or where your characters live, or what car your characters will be driving. So all you write down in a screenplay is what can be seen and heard because that's all anyone involved in making the film cares about.

And actually, this has been surprisingly helpful as I make the transition from writing screenplays to writing novels. Both screenplays and novels require that you show and not tell. The issue I seem to be having in writing novels is how to communicate that "showing" using language. Yes, screenplays use language, but screenplays use a very specific kind of language, and it is totally different than what you encounter in a novel.

So I'm having to learn how to do that, and in the process, I'm finding myself, more and more, using stream of consciousness as I write--because as I said in the beginning, I do love rushing out into the unknown! And after so many years of carefully planning film shoots and writing screenplays, there's something incredibly freeing about not having to plan quite so much. However...I do plan because it's the only way of achieving my goal of writing the best novel possible. So I am a pantzer who plans. I am, I freely admit, a plantzer.

Maybe that's why I love looking at a blank screen in the morning. I know some writers hate it, they feel it's intimidating, but to me that blank screen represents adventure. Its a mountain or valley or ocean that I haven't explored yet. There are unknown wonders lying on the other side. All I have to do is slap on my boots and put on my coat, and with my trusty map in hand, set out...

So until next time...I'm movin' on!

Early in my career I became friends with a man named Samuel Bronston. Sam was an old-school Hollywood producer--short, built like a fireplug, who wore expensive Italian suits, and smoked ridiculously expensive cigars. He had produced KING OF KINGS, EL CID, FIFTY-FIVE DAYS AT PEKING, CIRCUS WORLD (with John Wayne), THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE, and many, many other huge blockbuster movies.

He was born in Russia, educated at the Sorbonne, and was the nephew of Leo Trotsky. Quite a pedigree. When I met him he had been through some financial difficulties and was trying to make a comeback by producing a film on Isabella of Spain. I was a young guy just starting out, a wannabe director, and he was kind enough to share some great stories with me.

One of these stories concerned Sophia Loren. He adored her, and when possible hired her and Charlton Heston to star in his films. He and Sophia used to play chess together in the evenings, and Sam said he would always let her win. After all, a good producer never angered his star. One day, however, she complained, saying she could never trust anyone who cheated--even to lose. Sam said that from then on he did his best to win, but she still beat him! It was, in his words, a humbling experience.

The last time Sam and I had dinner I asked him if he had any advice for a young director just beginning his career and he thought long and hard about my question while puffing on his cigar. Finally he took it out, pointed it at me, and said with his gravelly voice, "Never trust a stuntman with a limp, or a special effects guy with only one hand."

It was the best advice I ever got.

So until next time...I'm movin' on...

During my career I've had the privilege of working with some great people, and one of those folks was Dean Jones. Dean had starred in a bunch of Disney movies (LOVE BUG, BLACK BEARD'S GHOST, etc.) and was great friends with Walt. I directed him in a TV movie called SCROOGE & MARLEY that we shot at Universal/Hollywood, and one day on the set I told him I was a huge Disney fan, so he started telling me Disney stories. My favorite was this...

Back in the fifties Dean was having lunch with Walt at the Disney commissary when Walt's brother, Roy, stormed up to their table. Roy was in charge of finances for the studio and he complained to Walt that their investment in that "kid's park" down in Anaheim was going to bankrupt them. They were in debt to Bank of America for a million dollars, Walt had mortgaged his home, and if the park failed, not only would they lose the studio, Walt would lose everything--including his home. Dean said Walt just sat there quietly and let Roy yell at him. Flash forward a year and Dean was having lunch with Walt again and this time Roy was there. Disneyland had opened and Walt was telling Dean how millions of people were visiting the park each week and it was making a million dollars a day, etc, etc, etc...and the whole time Roy just sat here, head down, eating his lunch and not saying a word.

The point of the story was this: Why are some people successful while others are not? Because successful people believe in themselves, trust their instincts, and are willing to take chances. That was Walt Disney...and it can be you as well.

I'm back again with another (hopefully!) helpful post on cracking Hollywood. For this post I am assuming you have read my earlier post on how to get an agent. If not, read that first, then come back to this one.

For those who are unfamiliar with what a spec screenplay is, let me give you a short overview. There are two ways to sell a screenplay in LA: either someone hires you to write one (say on a novel you wrote!), or you write a screenplay on your own hoping someone will purchase it. This second type of screenplay is known as a spec screenplay because you have written it "speculating" that you will sell it. Once it is ready, then your agent will set up pitch meetings with the development folks at the various companies in LA that buy spec screenplays. This can be anyone from a major studio to a small production company (who hopefully has a development deal with a major studio) to an individual actor, producer, or director.

My personal preference is to not do more that two pitch meetings per day, mainly because LA is so spread out and the traffic is so unpredictable, that you are risking missing a meeting if you do more than one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Of course you're at the mercy of those you are meeting with, so be flexible, and you can always meet with someone over lunch--but not to do a pitch unless they're a good friend. But above all else remember the cardinal rule: when it comes to meetings, if you are not early, you are late.

If your pitch meeting is at a studio, ask your contact (or have your agent do it) if they will give you a "drive on" pass. This will allow you to drive onto the lot and park by their office. Otherwise you will have to park in the studio's parking lot and walk. Most studios have a tram to ferry you around, so if you're not familiar with the studio, ask your contact how to get around. The bottom line here is if you have to park off-lot, allow time to get to your contact's office. Some studios, like Disney, are great as the parking is very close, but others can be challenging.

When you arrive at the office, you most likely will be greeted by an assistant or a secretary. Be friendly and cordial. They will be your gateway to future meetings. When you are invited in to pitch, be aware you have a limited amount of time--as little as five minutes or as much as thirty, but rarely more than that. If you have a choice, pick an uncomfortable chair and do not slouch. Slouching conveys arrogance and/or disinterest. Sit forward and be excited. There will usually be two people in the room--the head of development and their assistant for taking notes. There can occasionally be more, so don't let that psych you out. Be prepared for some small talk--usually less than thirty seconds. If they do not invite you to start your pitch, find a way to segue into it. Remember, time is your enemy. You want plenty of time to get them excited about your story.

When you pitch, make sure you mainly focus your attention on the head of development, but do not forget their assistant. Make eye contact, hold for a few seconds, then move to the other person--unless the assistant has their head down taking notes the whole time, then you can ignore them. In your pitch, just hit the broad strokes. If you can compare your story to a movie that has been successful, do so. If you can open with something funny or exciting, please do. When TWINS was pitched, the writer started off by saying, "Danny DeVito, Arnold Schwartzenegger...TWINS." Tell the beginning, middle, and end, what is at stake, the main characters, then end with something pithy and wait for questions. Be prepared for them to ask for more details. That is a good sign--it means they're interested. If they're not, they may ask you what else you have, so be prepared with two more short pitches just in case.

Rarely does a pitch meeting end with any sort of commitment, so do not push. Thank everyone and leave. You want to leave them with a good taste in their mouth. You can bring a synopsis of your script or even a treatment with you, and offer to leave it.

The next day, send a note of some sort, either text, email, or letter, thanking your contact for their time and expressing your hope that you can work with them in the future. Do not call them.

So there you have it. I've left out a lot of details, so if you have any questions, leave a comment.

Until next time...I'm moving on...

There IS a gold rush in independent publishing, and it's been going on long enough now that we can finally draw some conclusions. If getting rich is your thing, some people are, but the pure, unadorned truth is this...the vast majority of people aren't. This fact is supported by Amazon itself who, quite rightly, stresses up front that most people sell only a few copies of their novels, and those are purchased by their family and friends. Many people don't sell any books at all. Guess their novels are so bad even their mothers won't buy them. :-)

All of this reminds me of the California Gold Rush in the 1840s and 50s. If you're unfamiliar with what happened, here are the simple facts: A guy found some gold, word spread, and vast numbers of people braved stupendous hardship to travel to California to seek their fortune. When it was all said and done, a few people did make some money, but most of the prospectors went away broke and heartbroken. The only folks who consistently made money were those who serviced the prospectors--store owners who sold them shovels, coats, etc., saloon keepers who kept them "fortified", hookers who...well, you know, and numerous unscrupulous characters who cheated the miners out of everything they were able to scratch from the ground or siphon from the rivers.

Unfortunately, the same thing is happening in the independent publishing biz. A couple of writers have made some money--mainly those writing nonfiction, romance, and thrillers--but most of Amazon's writers aren't making their original investment back. So who's making money? Well, Amazon, of course, as well as those selling "the secret to self-publishing success!" Yes, there are a lot of these, and most of them are failed writers trying to make a buck off their fellow writers. Not all of them are unscrupulous, of course. Some of them honestly want to help you, but here's some tough love for you, folks. The self-publishing model isn't working well yet. Why? Because the traditional publishers are still the big kids on the block. Their distribution models have been in place for a long time now, and it's difficult, if not impossible, for you to compete with these models successfully.

What also continues to harm the independence model is that a lot of book contests won't let you enter their contests, and many bloggers, vloggers, teachers and librarians won't read and review your books. Some will, and kudos to those who do, because, truthfully, there is a lot of self-published garbage out there. It was dumped into the market by people who were just trying to make a buck, and who attacked anyone who dared call their work what it was. So it's not surprising that many bloggers, teachers, and librarians now shy away from self published books. However, this makes it very, very difficult for legitimate writers to reach their audience--especially those, like yours truly, who write middle-grade fiction.

The other factor that limits the outreach of self-published books is money. Traditional publishers can provide a huge, world-wide launch for a book, sending out thousands of review copies, doing book and blog tours, ad campaigns, etc., etc. A self-published novelist doesn't have the money or the marketing structure in place to compete with this.

There are companies that will supposedly give you this same world-wide clout, but all of them cost you a considerable amount of cash. My advice would be to tread carefully and investigate them thoroughly, for you see this a lot in the independence movement. You have a problem? Someone has their hand out, promising you that in exchange for your money, they have your solution. Do they? I'll let you decide, but I would read the fine print. However, without this ability to reach your audience, you can write a wonderful book and do your due diligence in getting your novel edited professionally, with a professional cover, etc., but you still won't make a dime. And if you can't make a living, folks, you can't publish. Yes, you can write, but you can't publish.

Is there hope for the future? Yes, there's always hope. The publishing business HAS been positively impacted by the independence movement, and I'm hopeful that even traditionally published authors have benefited from this impact, and that eventually the independent novelist will benefit as well. But we're not there yet.

So if your goal in 2017 is to write your first novel, be warned...before you start, spend considerable time investigating the best way to market your book. There is no point in spending a year of your time and a lot of your money if you can't get your book into the hands of your readers. Believe me when I say I'm not discouraging you from writing your novel, for true writers write regardless of whether their books make money, but I am trying to get you to approach the process with your eyes open. Besides, who knows, you might be one of those breakout people! The world can always use another great book!

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to drop me a note.

Until next time...I'm moving on...