Writing advice –“First you buy a wood burning stove.”

A few weeks ago my wife and I paid a visit to an Amish craftsman who is known for building unique dining room tables. We have always wanted one of his tables since we first enjoyed a dinner around one of his masterpieces a number of years ago. However, he does not have a web site or even email so if you want to order one, you have to schedule an appointment and pay him and his bride of nearly 60 years a visit.

It is more than a two-hour drive from our home, but it was well worth the trip. When w we arrived,  I was surprised to learn he was 80 years old and is still building tables and clearly enjoys it.  He explained that by saying, “I would rather wear out than rust out”. Our conversation also caused me to see writers could learn from him.

I confess I love spending time with craftsman of all types.  I mean people who are really good at what they do and are clearly passionate about it. So when I have a chance to spend time with people like that, I take advantage of the opportunity to learn what they do to be so good and what keeps them motivated.

Writers can learn from wood working

Who knew a visit to an Amish craftsman would inspire a blog post to help you in your writing journey

Once we went through the details of ordering the table, I asked him a few questions to see what I might learn from him. The first thing that became clear is writing is a lot like wood working. It is a craft that requires practice and you will make mistakes, but that’s OK.

In fact, when I asked the table maker what he would he tell someone he was training, he quickly said, “buy a wood burning stove so you have somewhere to put your mistakes”. Writers can learn from that. You must work at it, but sometimes you will write something and realize it is not that good.  That is OK and is actually part of the process. However for some of us that feels like failure. Instead you should you look at it as a learning opportunity.  What did you not like about the current version that you would do differently with your next draft?

It is a craft that requires practice and you will make mistakes, but that’s OK.

Sometimes you can see it and admit it to yourself or sometimes it requires an editor to show you the rough edges. Either way, you may have to throw it in the “wood burning stove”, learn from the mistakes and get back to writing a better draft.

3 Big Reasons Why Hollywood Wants Your Self-Published Book Now

For the past five years in my role at Author Solutions, I have been working with our team to build relationships and partnerships in Hollywood and help create events like the Book-to-Screen Pitchfest to expose entertainment executives to self-published titles and give our authors unique opportunities to put their books in front of people who are making decisions about what makes it to the screen.

Now more than ever, producers, managers, directors and even studios are looking more closely and intentionally at self published titles. In fact, I have noticed a significant change in the past year in terms of how many entertainment industry people are calling us, wanting to attend our events and get access to our author’s books. What’s created this increased interest? Here’s what I think has changed

1. The number of scripted shows being produced has nearly doubled in the past five years.  

The rapid expansion of media outlets including cable channels and streaming services like Netflix, Amazon and Hulu have led to explosive growth in the number of scripted shows being produced. In a widely quoted study from FX Networks Research, Variety noted this past year the number of scripted shows totaled 409, which is nearly twice as many as were green lit just five years ago.  

Julie Piepenkotter, exec VP of research for FX Networks commenting on the report said, “This was the third consecutive year that scripted series count has grown across each distribution platform – broadcast, basic and pay cable, streaming – led by significant gains in basic cable and digital services. This statistic is staggering and almost unimaginable from where they were a decade ago.”

2. Two significant movies from this past year started as self-published books.

Books have always been a source of inspiration for movies, and self-published books have been a starting point for a number of films in the past. In fact, People magazine recently ran an article highlighting seven films that first came to market as self-published titles. One of the more widely known examples is Legally Blonde. The book, originally self-published with AuthorHouse, became a starring vehicle for Reese Witherspoon and spawned sequels and even a Broadway show.

An Oscar winning performance started as a self-published book

However, this past year, I believe two things happened that have caused entertainment executives to look even more closely at self-published books for ideas. First, Julianne Moore won the Oscar for her performance in the movie Still Alice.  An international best-seller for Simon and Schuster, Still Alice began as a self-published book with iUniverse.  Second, the movie, The Martian was a box office success and it too started as a self-published work.

3. These two developments have made the hunt for fresh ideas more critical than ever.

With so many time slots to fill on the small screen, producers and writers are looking for new ideas more than ever before. Self-published books can be a vast source of inspiration and often they can find these books before they are widely known to the public. That makes the acquisition of the material more feasible because they can typically avoid bidding wars, but still reward the authors appropriately.

On the big screen, successful sequels are still a focus, but movie studios are also looking for the next franchise movie, like The Hunger Games or Twilight, plus they are looking for great stories they can produce for a reasonable amount and recoup their investment.

While Disney had great success with The Force Awakens, lest we forget they lost millions on flops such as Tommorowland, The Lone Ranger and the infamous, John Carter.  From a business standpoint, each of these movies cost $200 million or more to produce, which means their breakeven point was well above that amount. That is why they are also looking for movies they can make with a much more modest production budget, which tells a great story and make a profit, which is still the goal for studios.

Now, while I believe this is all very good news for self-published authors, I have also seen these new opportunities squandered. In my next post, I am going to share 3 Key Reasons Why Hollywood Will Reject Your Self-Published Book.

5 free webinars every aspiring author should watch

As part of my role with Author Solutions, I have the opportunity to give and participate in numerous webinars for writers and authors for The Author Learning Center, Hay House and iUniverse to name a few. I always enjoy the experience, but I have to tell you I think some of the best webinars available to authors are on the Archway Publishing website.

Some of the best free webinars for authors are available on the Archway Publishing web site

Full disclosure: I am always involved with approving the topics.and sometimes talk with the presenter to help shape the content, but each time I am always thoroughly impressed with the content and the topics that Simon and Schuster makes available to authors through Archway.

Here are the webinars that you can access for free to learn more about what it takes to publish a better book and market it more effectively.

1. Secrets of an Acquisitions Editor – How To Get The Attention of a Traditional Publisher–-Presenter: Michael Szezeran, Editor at Simon & Schuster
2. Top Ten Mistakes Writers Make–Presenter: Abby Zidle, Senior Editor at Gallery Books and Pocket Books
   from Simon & Schuster
3. Four Keys To A Killer Cover–Presenter:Jason Heuer, Associate Art Director at Simon & Schuster
4. Best Practices For Authors on Facebook–Presenter: Susan B. Katz, Author & Strategic Manager at Facebook
5. How To Capture Attention On Twitter–Presenter: Andrew Fitzgerald, Twitter Media Team