Bubbling to the Surface

6-15-20  When Your Publisher is Sold
​ Black Opal Books, which published The Clown Forest Murders, changed hands in July of 2019.  The previous owners had accepted Clean Copy, my Chinese espionage thriller/SF novel, in January 2019.  A bit of confusion set in as old editors and designers left and then Covid-19 struck.  I did not hear of any edits after a year.  I have re-summited the file and a copy of the contract and received confirmation of the receipt.  I am awaiting edits.   The good news is that Black Opal continues to publish books and to support the sales of existing books.  I suppose there are several things worth noting from this experience:

• The process of publication with a non-vanity publisher is long
• Sale of a business may not go seamlessly.
• Communication and repeat communication is essential.
• Keep writing.

Co-Writing: 3.5 Tips to Avoid Murder Charges

• Published on April 3, 2018  in A.C. Brooks' LinkedIn page

I had a unique opportunity to join my father, Robert Brooks, in a book signing for our recently published mystery novel The Clown Forest Murders. Aside from getting further pictorial evidence of what I'll clearly look like in 30 years, we were both asked by the Obama-inauguration sized crowd to share what it had been like to write and edit the novel together. As we respectively answered, countered, accused and rolled our eyes, it struck me that some of the 'lessons learned' are applicable across any experience of creating (in this case a written work) with a group.

1. Remember everything is someone’s baby - One of the audience said she thought it was adorable that the original manuscript for the novel was my baby, and that I was my father’s baby. This had little to do with the book itself and mostly served to embarrass me as a fully grown adult, but it did resonate. Even in work contexts where you’re co-writing and editing a press release, marketing copy, or simply a company-wide email, every author feels like a creator. He or she is invested in the content they’ve put on the page down to specific word choices and turn of phrase. And this doesn’t mean you don’t edit with the sharpest of scalpels, but it does mean…..
2. Circling large sections of dialogue and writing ‘PUKE’ isn’t great feedback - In retrospect, I could have been more thoughtful as to why I found certain sections of our collaborative writing vomit-worthy. Perhaps I could have added context like ‘I don’t believe a 20-something in 1995 would use this phrase, perhaps we could choose this instead’. Simply slashing and striking without any explanation, is not only the equivalent of calling that someone’s baby ugly, but deciding it’s so ugly it needs to be burned from the face of the planet. With hellfire. The natural reaction to that type of criticism isn’t to say ‘oh yes, you’re right, I’m sorry for even thinking I had the right to exist in the first place, much less my creation’. It’s a bit more in the ‘dig in the heels and stop being productive’ category.
3. 1,000 readers means 1,000 different books read - My father mentioned this quote in reference to how unique each reader’s experience with a piece of fiction is. The reader brings their own context, obsessions, beliefs and background to the story. For the co-writing process, this meant character behavior I found ludicrous, my father found unique, interesting and engaging. And this is one of the powers of co-writing, be it for pleasure or business. You shouldn’t be looking for a partner to simply nod and say ‘yep….you nailed it’. You are looking for a partner that potentially pushes a different agenda and view, and in so doing gives that many more readers and opportunity to connect the dots into their own specific life. Take the moment to reflect on how deep your personal bias, and how unique and therefore not broadly applicable your own perception may be before dismissing alternative approaches out of hand.

And the 3.5th tip is to keep your distance. My father and I were blessed to have done our co-editing of the near final manuscript from a distance of 2000+ miles. Mostly over email. So even when one of us wanted to strangle the other, the worst we could do was threaten to write me out of the will / put him in a shoddy home. Family!
And of course, please get the book now on Amazon.

5/25.19  Highland Books
The independent bookstore in Brevard, NC has moved to a new location in the heart of downtown.  They have also adopted an upgraded consignment system that tracts sales and issues reports.  I placed two copies each of Justi the Gifted and The Clown Forest Murders in Highland Books in time for the White Squirrel Festival on Memorial Day Weekend.  These author-signed copies are available to the hefty summer traffic that visits Brevard to enjoy such things as a downtown with an independent bookstore.  Support your local bookstore.

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3/5/19 The Three-Star Review
I’ve heard an author bemoan a three-star review as not supportive enough and as not promoting sales.  The author was requesting that reviewers of the book not post any review if it were not at least four stars.  This strikes me as wrong for several reasons.  
     A three-star rating is a supportive one.  It means the book had strengths, but there were areas significant to this reader that could be improved.  In the mystery-thriller arena, I would reserve the five-star rating for some books of leading authors like  John Sandford, Dean Koontz, Martha Grimes, Agatha Christie, C.J. Box, and Jonathan Kellerman.   Some of their novels might get only four stars.  All these authors’ works have hundreds or thousands of reviews on Amazon that include one, two, and three stars.  Even Harry Potter books get one or two stars.  This is to be expected, for as Andrei Tarkovsky said, "A book read by a thousand different readers is a thousand different books."
·       A larger number of reviews, including three stars, benefits sales.  Few reviews are a warning sign.  Many reviews, including those of three, four, or five stars, tells the potential buyer that this is a book with appeal.  Readers know that a few reviews of five stars are the authors friends and relatives and reflect kinship, not quality.  Many reviews means widely read and therefore readable.
·       A substantive review with three stars is of value.  Readers appreciate knowing what works in a book and what is missing.  This guides diverse readers who may have no qualms about lack of description or interior dialogue or humor because they want plot, action, mystery.  An honest review also guides the author for what worked and what didn't.
·       A three-star review avoids censure by Amazon.  A slew of reviews, all five stars, makes it easy for the Amazon robots to glean that this is a set up, especially since the reviewers did not buy the book.
·       Restricting reviewers seems unethical.  If we demand only four- and five-star reviews, isn't that the equivalent of ghost-writing our own reviews?
​I guess my sentiments fall under the umbrella that there is no such thing as bad publicity.  Authors should cherish all reviews as signs of being read.  Nothing is worse than writing a book, getting it published, and being ignored.  One can always contest a negative review and thereby garner more notice due to whining.

9/20/18  Signing
Author Robert Brooks of Brevard NC is a featured guest at The Curiosity Shop bookstore in Murphy on Friday, October 5.  The book-signing event from five to eight p.m. for his mystery novel The Clown Forest Murders is part of the regular Friday night Art Walk celebrated each month in Murphy, NC. 
Bob, along with first author and son A.C. Brooks, wrote The Clown Forest Murders released last November by Black Opal Books. The tale is set in a small town with surrounding forests and fields where strange mushrooms can arise and change behavior.  Those who marvel at the alluring fungi in western NC forests will see them in a new and mysterious light.  The novel tells Dave’s story: he witnessed his brother’s murder, amnesia protects him, memories return, and he must investigate.  Dave’s return to his home town sparks problems with his psychiatrist, local cops, and the killer.  Written in memory of a son and brother, the novel is dedicated to those who endure mental illness. Elements of an attractive but flawed hero, a heroine who holds a secret, and a hidden killer make the book a great read.  The author will be available at The Curiosity Shop to discuss his books, reveal secrets of their creation, and sign copies.