Getting Lost in the Amazon: Part Two - The Craft

Welcome to Part Two of "Getting Lost in the Amazon" where I spew my random thoughts on the changing state of the publishing industry. To be clear, I am a newcomer to this world of query letters and ebooks and royalties and everything else that goes into getting published and making a living in the literary world, but one thing that I haven't seen is an honest to goodness talk about "what's actually going to happen" in the new Amazonian age.

Now, I'm not talking about "more authors!" or "less print!" or the other distress signals that I have seen pop up over the internet and among my writing peers. I'm talking about step by step, nuts and bolts, on how the fundamental world of publishing is going to change in ways that affect you, the writer. Will I have to epublish? Will I have to market in new methods? Now, I can't tell you yes or no with absolute certainty, but like Chess, I think there's enough information out there to look four or five moves out and anticipate what the landscape will look like with some good reasoning.

Last time, I started by setting the groundwork in my last post, the introduction (see below), on what I wanted to go over. Here I want to start going into depth on the first part of my VERY simplified publishing process which includes Craft, Selection, Distribution, Compensation, and Reception.

So, Craft.

How are Amazon and ebooks going to change the way YOU write your novels? Are they? How do we as authors write at the present? We brainstorm ideas, sketch outlines, make character webs, organize character traits, make a rough draft, revise, second draft, revise, (rinse and repeat), find a critique group to help out, and voila, we have a final draft. Now, yes, this is very simplified and I'm going to cut the line at where we take the draft to any sort of professional review (e.g. editor, literary agent), because I talk about that in Selection. But does Amazon have any play in any of the above components of our craft? Not exactly; we don't even think about publishing channels until we have something to show for. But what about inexactly?

Let's dive a bit deeper. In my mind, and likely at the mind of authors wanting to write publishable stories, is the (bitter?) reality that we must write for consumers. This is how books turn into bucks. Yes, it's sad that there simply won't be enough people who like your obscure plot line or obtuse characters to get past the breakeven point, but that's when you adapt it in ways that you feel will be more accessible. That's how it's always been. No change yet. What Amazon (and the digital age in general) has done is transformed entertainment away from reading and towards screens (video games, movies, TV, Kindle, etc). Screens are associated with short term entertainment like cartoons or movies. But in addition, what written entertainment remains has largely been pressured by downsizing: converting stories into bite size pieces which go down easily like candy instead of the turkey and potatoes of classic literature. See here for what I'm talking about.

Furthermore, for the YA writers out there (myself included) take a look at this interesting marketing move done by Scholastic. Rick Riordan, the author of the Percy Jackson series and the 39 Clues series is going to release a seven part short story ebook series later this year. He will be releasing each ebook daily over the course of a week from December 25, 2011 to December 31, 2011. Ever thought of writing a story like that? Seven mini stories? Each story, will come with a playing card and information which can be plugged into a multimedia, interactive platform online for kids to solve puzzles and presumably complete the story. How about that? Websites? Playing cards? This sort of story telling, if successful (and the interactivity of the 39 Clues books which are already out have been very successful) does have the potential to steer how authors craft their books. Have you thought about designing a website to literally tell part of your story for you? How about a video game or playing card set?

Now, I can't say that this type of multi-platform storytelling is the wave of the future, but it highlights the growing assumption that shorter attention spans will necessitate shorter books or at least, smaller bites. Are you planning your own Atlas Shrugged or Les Miserables anytime soon? You may want to reconsider breaking it into a series, website, and playing card set while you're at it.

And it's not just me that thinks shorter stories are an inconvenient truth. I heard a great interview with Seth Godin, director of "The Domino Project," which also discusses some of the changes authors will make in the way they write in light of the new Amazonian landscape. Although largely about distribution, he does mention that no word should be written without purpose and every effort to write succinctly must be made. You can listen to it here (scroll down to the play button).

Ultimately though, I think that Amazon has the least influence over this part of the writing process. We write for readers, not online retailers. If readers expect shorter books than they are the driving factor in that change, not Amazon. We just need to be prepared for how new channels of reaching those readers might change how we craft our stories. Similarly put, if readers want to eat up vampires and werewolves for the next fifty years, then authors better be prepared to give it to them. These things are just supply and demand though, something not even Amazon can influence.

Next time, I'll talk about Selection, which I believe will get into the heart of what I see changing in the publishing industry.

Getting Lost in the Amazon: Part One-Introduction

As an aspiring writer trying to come of age in the digital age, I have a lot of thoughts on how the changing publishing landscape will affect my dream of distributing my stories to the masses. I'm sure you have the same thoughts too if you're reading this.

Everyone's talking about what the new normal in publishing will look like. Will the organized selection, distribution, and payment for books that the traditional model encompassed be replaced with a wild, wild, west where every single idealist has his or her own mediocre novel uploaded to Amazon? Or, will the democratization of near free e-publishing open up the reading community to hordes of new, groundbreaking ideas which had been written off as "unpublishable" in the past?

It's hard to say. But I wanted to spend the next few blog posts covering what I think could be a probable future and simultaneously starting a discussion with fellow readers/writers.

Let me start by describing, in simple terms, how I see the traditional publishing industry, in a series of fundamental components: Craft, Selection, Distribution, Compensation, and Reception. I believe none of these components are vanishing but rather morphing, with emphasis shifting among these areas. Each of the following posts will cover each of these components in more detail.

At the heart of the traditional model, an author must first write his novel (Craft). Simple enough, right? Don't we wish. Then he must be noticed and chosen by a publisher through query letter, pitch, inside contact, etc. (Selection). This is arguably the biggest barrier to entry for writers into the traditional book market, which, I will show has served an integral purpose. After being miraculously selected for publication the publisher/author together negotiate with bookstores, libraries, interest groups, etc. for the sale of books (Distribution). Who cares about these business details though? (Note: you should.)

Also included in the negotiation is how the author, and the publisher, will receive payments (Compensation). Again, on a simple level, the end consumer pays a bookstore directly in cash at the register. These funds go directly or indirectly toward the compensation of the publisher (either on an agency or wholesale model), which in turn fund the compensation of the author (advances, royalties, etc). Lastly, readers react to the book through sentiment, writing reviews, posting best seller lists, holding media interviews, making movie deals, etc. and begin to form a reputation for the author (Reception).

Simple right?

The above is, obviously, an oversimplified depiction of the traditional publishing industry. I would happily accept additions to the basic premise but I think the above is enough to discuss the meat of the changes that we can foresee will happen. The post is getting a little long now but I wanted to set the scene for my logic. In the next post, I'll start with Craft and describe through economic incentives, tastes and preferences, how writers will see their stories altered, if at all.

If you like what you read here or have differing opinions, I would love to hear from you in the comments where we can discuss what we think will happen. Also feel free to forward this to your contacts and bring them into the discussion; diversity of thought makes for the best consensus.

The 'Glee' Approach vs. The 'Weekend' Approach

Recently, I experienced two different artistic experiences of injecting "the gays" onto screens (and yes, gays are still being injected. We're not just there, the way Cinderella stories run rampant in rom-coms or zombies run through theme parks. But we're getting there). For gays, the way this happens can be touchy: a marketing campaign with too many cooks in the kitchen. Do you go hard or soft? Peaceful protest or demanding rights, right now?

Well, that's the fun part right?

My first of two recent experiences I am sure you will be familiar with: Glee. What are your thoughts? Is it over the top "gay in your face" agenda pounding propaganda? Or is it just a modernized version of Saved by the Bell? It's not a staple of my weekly entertainment intake, but when I heard last week's episode was to gush over, complete with boot knocking frenzy, I figured I would take a peek. Glee's director and creative mastermind, Ryan Murphy, has been "bold" on projecting "real" gay characters into his series...yes...Kurt and Blaine have done so much as kiss, rub noses, and canoodle fully clothed on their bed. Groundbreaking, right? As one of my gay coworkers put it, "if that's what America thinks we do, they'll all be in for a big surprise."

But, yes, it is groundbreaking, sort of, and I have to give Murphy some credit. He's a "victim of the times" so to speak. Gays are going through their 1950's right now where shared beds on TV is still a display of hedonism, and where a candid portrayal of a gay person growing up "out" and confident, is an affront to people's world paradigms. So I give him credit, mainly because he's getting the ball rolling. Am I happy that such confidence in gays comes from a show flagrantly devoted to musicals, pop culture, and sex? Maybe not, but I also know that part of changing people's thoughts also requires starting on known territories.

Gays like musicals. Fine.

However, despite the kids gloves handling of the issues, these characters are reaching one of the widest audiences ever. So, that is the first approach, we'll call it The 'Glee' Approach.

Now, my second experience was a little more... brazen. I went to an indie film called "Weekend," and boy was it a treat. The aptly named film takes place over 48 hours from the end of a drunk Friday outing at"Propaganda," a gay night club in Nottingham, UK, through to the end of Sunday. After meeting on the dance floor, two attractive gay men spend the weekend doing everything from sex, to coke, to bumper cars, to amateur art exhibits. But most importantly, they spend the bulk of the film discussing what it means to be gay in a world meant for straight people.

Essentially, the movie is one big meta piece of art.

The more vocal of the two gay men proclaims at one point, "straight people will go to movies about, war, disease, murder, and rape, but if it has gay sex....whoa! they can't go to that. Only the gays will come." And of course, I looked around the theater to see only the prophesied pockets of gay men watching the film. Was it true though? Does gay sex stop straight people from coming in the theater better than a defensive line, or was this just a case of gay people flocking inordinately to see representations of themselves on the big screen? Who knows?

The film's voracious, thought provoking instigator works at the more reserved protagonist as he struggles with his own sexuality. And indeed, in the end, the movie certainly pushed me, an out gay man, to think even further about ideas of self loathing, pride, gay activism, etc. If the Glee Approach had kids gloves on, the Weekend Approach came wielding a sharpened bayonet, at least in terms of pushing gay characters into ultra representative settings. And the actors were spectacular as well.

So then, what do you think is the correct way to continue injecting gay characters into story lines? Should we stay slow, allowing the general public time to acclimate to the warm water before turning up the heat? Or should we push them in, knowing nerves may be singed, but hey, this is life, get over it? I would love to hear your thoughts.

Debut Cologne

Sometimes when I awake,

socks half on,

comforter skewed,

and my nose worn from running,

I smell your cheap, debut cologne.

It's nothing special.

Just a store clerk's commission,

a blind leap into adulthood,

The facades of brands.

But,

It descends from inches above me,

Nonetheless,

a five year old veil,

perfect.

You run your cautious fingers through my hair,

Breathing reluctant cadences on my cheek.

You squirm your legs around mine,

Skin on cold skin,

upsetting the sheets.

You pull me from my sterile dreams.

No better than my clock's alarm,

Or neighbors' screams,

A lone strand of sunlight.

And a million intimacies.

But the veil falls,

and, with it, my nervous sweat.

I gather my arms beneath the pillow,

Cruelly bereft of that cheap perfume.

Just a life made of endless memories,

Five years old,

With others beside.

The hardest, impossible to forget.

Kevin Zimmerman

Copyright © All Rights Reserved

Go the F**k to Sleep, and other sweet nothings to tell your child.

So. I know what you've been thinking since November 1st: It's freaking National Picture Book Idea Month and I have been so negligent in my picture book reading. Don't lie. You had all the makings of an elaborate plan to increase your intake of pretty illustrations and rhyming couplets, but each day, after looking at the annotated calendar of goals and accomplishments that have gone unfinished, you feel like a failure.

NOT TO WORRY ANYMORE!

From the dark mind of newly sleepless father, Adam Mansbach, comes "Go the F**k to Sleep." ...And you thought picture books were simply for the swinging underarm fat of elementary school librarians.

For full disclosure, I have no children, I'm not expecting, I have no friends who are expecting (yet), but, I absolutely loved this book. Maybe it's the fact that I likely said these words when my baby sister, thirteen years my younger came into this planet. Maybe it's the near canonical appreciation my mother has for "Goodnight Moon," which this book clearly plays off of. Most likely, it's my fantasizing that if, (God forbid), I ever have a child, I would actually use this book to lull him/her/it to sleep.

I don't think I actually need to explain the premise here, but, suffice it to say, the book's language would immediately garner an "R" rating while it sweetly, subtly demeans a restless child as she refuses to sleep. Oh, and the audio book is narrated by Samuel L. Jackson. Literary? No. Perfect? Yes.

I got to meet Mansbach tonight at a reading where, among other tidbits of wisdom, he professed his displeasure with the lack of humor in Sweden, had the opportunity to emphatically announce his level of higher education, and took jabs at two of my favorite women in the world: Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb. Overall: quality human being.

But seriously check out this book. It makes for a perfect gift for any mother or father to be. I'll even plug it. Go to Akashic Books, the indie publisher that got it started.

'Sleep No More,' Naked Women, and Stubborn Twenty-Somethings

Last Saturday, I experienced something amazing. A woman I have never met came up to me in a run down hotel, grabbed my hand, and forced me to run with her up two flights of stairs before stopping in front of her bathtub and undressing to complete nudity. She then said I smelled odd and noted my soft skin before falling backwards in the tub and washing off blood from her body, (she claimed the blood had come from two recent murders her husband had committed). Being gay, I was a bit shocked to have a naked woman inches away, telling me how soft my hands were. The blood and murders, however, were not shocking at all: her name was Lady Macbeth.

Punchdrunk, a British theater company, has transformed three abandoned New York City warehouses into "The McKittrick Hotel" for an avant-garde rendition of Shakespeare's Macbeth in a production entitled Sleep No More. This piece of interactive theater has been widely praised by most everyone who has seen it, and I couldn't agree more. The theater company, made up of one speaking actress, (my own captor, Lady Macbeth), and about a dozen other dancing actors, races around the five floors carrying out the scenes of Macbeth, anachronistically and simultaneously. No single person will see the entire play from beginning to end, it's designed specifically to avoid that, but, by repeating the production three times over three hours for each audience, each participant in the string of murders can see enough to piece together the great Shakespearean tragedy.

Audience members, which, as I have used above, are more like participants, must wear masks and choose which rooms and haunts they wish to view. Some may spend three hours perusing the 1920's era books in the library, others may spend the majority of their night listening to old time jazz. Still others will witness Macduff's prophesied birth in a naked blood orgy accompanied by witches, warlocks, strobe lights, and house music. You decide. That's why it's genius.

Beyond the novelty that each participant must actively engage in their viewing in order to fully enjoy it, the production is simply beautiful. Because the production avoids speech for the most part, the actors rely on their settings, dance, the audience, and simply facial expressions to move the play along. Some of the most satisfying moments come when one off vignettes conflate into beautiful scenes such as a waltz of eight characters on the ballroom floor, or the murder of Banquo in an old saloon. A working knowledge of the play is beneficial, given very little dialogue occurs, but not essential. The play relies fully on emotion, mood, and insanity to convey the tragedy. If anything, after viewing the production, you will run to the closest used book store, purchase a copy of Macbeth and try to understand why all these trees kept getting closer and closer to the castle.

After my viewing, which ended in me breathless, (both by the performance and the endless running), I had the opportunity to meet a friend of a friend who had also seen it. His views on the play were much different than mine. He despised the use of the term 'revolutionary' to describe what he had seen, as many professional critics had done in their reviews. The play was nothing more than a farce of theater, he claimed, abandoning chairs but not actually involving the audience into the plot as he felt true interactive theater should do. We went back and forth on the issue, each of us unwilling to concede our points, until finally we compromised on alternative definitions of "interactive." I felt interactive was anything that put the audience past the fourth wall, he felt interactive was anything where the audience became an additional character in the production.

In any case, Sleep No More, has become somewhat of a phenomenon. It has been extended multiple times and has drawn in well known celebrities as participants. Lured by the requirement that all must remain masked, the production has become a sort of masquerade ball of old times past where all different walks of life partake in the same entertainment, no one knowing who is there sharing the experience. I hope to see more productions follow suit. Who knows, maybe it will even move over to the West Coast so I don't have to take a plane to see it.

For more information on purchasing tickets, click here: http://sleepnomorenyc.com/

Book Review: Dash and Lily's Book of Dares

David Levithan and Rachel Cohn have done it again: an exciting novel based in Manhattan following a romantically liberal pair of high school students as they woo each other through a series of larger than life stunts. Yes, this is the third installment in the loosely connected series beginning with Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, continuing with Ely and Naomi's No Kiss List, and, now, Dash and Lily's Book of Dares. The paired authors certainly have a talent for pulling off extremely witty, extremely romantic stories. But, this time around I couldn't help hearing the publishers calling out from each page, "if it's not broken, don't try to fix it!"

Before we get to that, here's the premise. Dash and Lily are two unrelated sixteen year old kids who have been left home alone for the holidays: Dash convinced each of his divorced parents that he was spending Christmas vacation at the others' house while Lily was abandoned by her professorial parents as they flew off to Fiji. With loneliness mounting, Lily decides to plant a notebook in one of her favorite bookstores, the Strand, with a set of off the wall instructions for anyone who should find it to follow. Lo and behold, Dash, our hero, finds the book, and the two strike up an unconventional romance as they lead each other around the city through back and forth entries into the red Moleskin.

In the midst of the two love birds' gallivanting, the story tackles a number of themes including idealism vs. realism, commercialism, what it means to be caring, and even substance abuse to a certain degree, though these topics certainly take a back seat to the story's lighthearted romantic-comedy flare. Like its predecessors, Dash and Lily holds our two wise teenagers up against a host of unique personalities ranging from vulgar to vicious while they try to make sense of their budding adulthood. In the end, the story accomplishes painting a wonderful New York City winter landscape full of twists and turns along the way.

All these great strengths aside, and believe me when I say I loved reading this book, I can't help but think that these characters are starting to become a little bit repetitive. The formula, essentially, consists of having the main characters present a compilation of artistic/literary knowledge and having the love interest meet on the common grounds of the humanities, all the while being insanely well versed for high school students. Hey, I love it and as I said above, if it's not broken, don't fix it.

However, I know that Levithan/Cohn have the ability to develop these characters further without simply finding more and more unique settings and circumstances to place them into. For high school students reading the book, having a string of similar characters probably isn't even an issue. The recurrence of these archetypical adolescent wonder children may also be indicative of the publishers' desire to stay safe on a known winner; who knows, they may also be hoping to land another movie deal, but while I was reading I couldn't help but think I was reading a second version of Nick and Norah, with the characters changing names and hobbies but otherwise being the same. In all reality, I'm just dying to see how the two authors would face a more mature character set, possibly in their early twenties.To be fair, Bruce the Second in Ely and Naomi, really began to break out of the mold, bringing in a crisis of self-identity. In fact, Ely and Naomi overall felt like Levithan/Cohn's style was evolving away from the entertaining but simple love story of Nick and Norah.

This is probably why I even bring it up at all: I thought I might get to see my desires for that no man's land of 18-30 years old on the pages of this new installation (which I fully understand would knock the novel out of the all important YA classification). Instead, what I got was a very entertaining, very endearing love story in the vein of Nick and Norah, but hey, I certainly don't think that's anything to complain about. I highly recommend this book, especially as we enter the winter holidays.