Jared Sandman

(Originally posted last year on The Word Zombie, as part of my Blogbuster Tour.)

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Today I’d like to talk a bit about the differences between an artist (or artiste, as they usually call themselves) and a professional.  I know too many people who take pride in being labeled starving artists.  They feel if a creative individual makes money off his or her work, its impact or the effort that went into crafting it is somehow diminished.  This appears the same across multiple art forms, from painting to music to writing.

The dirty secret is that starving artists don’t have to starve.  Creative types are generally terrible with numbers (especially money), so shrewd businessmen easily take advantage of them.  These snake oil salesmen no doubt amassed their own fortunes by co-opting others’ bright ideas and wouldn’t be able to conjure an original notion to save their hides.  The artists get exploited in the partnership only because they allow themselves to be.

No one should make more money off an idea than the person who originated it.  I cringe when I hear stories of writers who got paid $5,000 for their novel, then sold the film rights for another $5,000, after which some screenwriter is hired at ten times that rate to perform one-fourth the amount of work.

Artists wait for inspiration to strike.  I find the notion of a Muse too lofty and romantic.  Professionals understand there’s no magic involved in the creative process (well, maybe a pinch).  The only “trick” involves applying one’s talents to the project at hand and not giving up until it’s finished.  For writing a book, that may take anywhere from six months to a year or two.  A professional knows to handle the job like any other career, which requires a tremendous amount of self-motivation and self-discipline.  For example, I know if I don’t treat it like a real job, no one else will.

This warrants two separate skill sets, and many people have difficulty balancing both.  There are the faculties associated with the creative side of the business and those on the entrepreneurial end.  After spending eight months working on a book, pouring my blood and sweat onto the page, I wind up with something to which I’m emotionally and psychologically attached.  It’s my responsibility to set aside those feelings when it comes to selling the project.  I must take off my Creator cap and put on my Businessman cap.  This novel’s no longer my pride and joy; it’s an intellectual property set to be auctioned to the highest bidder.

I understand it’s not all about money.  When cash alone (and not passion) drives one’s motives, one creates art that’s devoid of soul because it was developed for a quick buck.  (In the publishing industry, look no further than James Patterson or Nicholas Sparks to find proof of that.)

Bestseller money isn’t necessary for every writer.  I think most would be quite happy simply making enough to afford such luxuries as health insurance or a retirement plan.  A comfortable living is all many professionals ask; after all, that’s the only way we can justify doing what we love.

And that’s one thing on which both artistes and professionals can agree.

Best wishes and a speedy recovery to author Tom Piccirilli, who’s undergoing brain surgery today to have a sizeable tumor removed.  He’s a great western/horror/crime writer, and you should be reading his stuff if you’re not already.

For those who’d like to help out, consider purchasing any of his novels.  Here’s a full list of titles at Amazon.  If you prefer e-books, his digital publisher (Crossroad Press) has agreed to give Tom 100% of their proceeds from sales of his books.  In a more direct manner, you can donate to a Indiegogo fund set up on Tom’s behalf.

Couple things of note today:

Horror Palace just posted a review of my latest novel, Blackstone.  They gave it 10 out of 10, so I’m glad they enjoyed the book.

Earlier this week The Smoking Gun reported that Penguin Publishing is suing to recoup advances from several non-fiction writers who had signed contracts with them.  It’s standard operating procedure for a writer to return an advance if he or she cannot meet their deadline for whatever reason.  I think Penguin has every right to pursue legal action.  What I don’t agree with, however, is suing for the added interest as well.  That seems tacky.  Publishers hold onto royalties for far longer than necessary (six months versus thirty days from Amazon or B&N).  They could pay on a more timely schedule but choose not to.  No doubt that money accrues interest for them during the interim, not a penny of which ever makes it to their authors.  May not sound like a lot to fuss over, but that adds up over time. 

The article doesn’t specify whether the authors failed to deliver a manuscript at all, or if they did and Penguin merely rejected it.  In the case of the latter, I think their legal case becomes much murkier.

Over the next few weeks I’ll be reposting some of the guest spots I wrote during last summer’s Blogbuster Tour.  Here’s the first one, from I Just Wanna Sit Here and Read.

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Next month my upcoming novel will be published, The Shadow Wolves.  It’s my fourth book, though not the fourth I’ve written.  Four books released in less than a year, a quartet on which I’ve worked every day for the past fifteen months.  During that time I’ve lost fifteen pounds, compromised my immune system, have been plagued by bouts of stress-induced insomnia, and recently found gray whiskers in my beard.  (Not a single silver hair either, a noticeable patch.)

No doubt all this stems from the tremendous pile of work I’ve pounded out in that short time.  I’ve written or edited about 380,000 words since I started last spring (and proofed that amount four times over).  There are days I feel as though my brain will turn into hot porridge and dribble out my ears.  And despite feeling — mentally, at least — like an obese man slogging through the last half mile of a marathon, I can’t allow that to affect my work.  It’s my responsibility as a writer to ensure that the fourth book is just as well written, taut and free of errors as the first.  I would not recommend undertaking a similar feat to anyone else, and I certainly won’t do it again.  Four books in one year has cleared my backlist.  I have other manuscripts collecting dust on the bookshelf, but none I’d feel comfortable sharing with the public.

Have you ever exercised so rigorously or worked at some labor-intensive task to the point you can barely think straight?  You’ve stressed your body so much that it affects your mind.  And the reverse is just as true.  I know certain writers who gain twenty pounds while writing the rough draft of a new novel; equally, there are authors who lose that much weight.  (Some people snack absentmindedly as they type, and others get so wrapped up in the storytelling they forget simple things like bathing or eating.)  It’s obvious to me now that my mind and body are connected in a symbiotic relationship.

It’s important for writers to recharge their mental batteries and allow their creative wellspring to refill.  After the Blogbuster Tour concludes at the end of August, I’ll take a month-long break.  I look forward to September, when I’ll have time to go on walks every evening and will finally sit down to watch all those shows that I’ve recorded on the TiVo then ignored.  But I won’t be entirely unchained from work, as in the back of my mind ideas already percolate for other projects.

Because come October, I start the next book.

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UPDATE:  That book I began last October was Blackstone, my haunted prison novel, which is now on sale.

Just wanted to share this with you all, two of my favorite speakers on one stage.  It’s a bit long, nearly an hour and a half, but very entertaining and well worth your time.  Comedian Stephen Colbert interviews astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York City.

My novels are now available for the Sony Reader, straight from the e-bookstore.  Check ’em out.  I’ve also updated the individual titles under the Books section of the site.

Two posts in one day?  No, you’re not seeing double.  I thought this deserved its own post, considering how this will change the face of publishing.  Read the press release about Espresso Book Machine teaming up with Kodak.

Now I’ve raved about the Espresso Book Machine before.  Last summer I guest posted at Lindsay Buroker’s blog about this very topic.  Instead of libraries benefiting (which is still my preference), your local Walgreens, CVS or Rite-Aid will be equipped to print and sell books.  I cannot overstate how monumental that’s going to be, to have a backlist of more than seven million titles available to print and purchase in about five minutes.  I thought something like this might take at least 10-15 years to occur.  Once again, events are happening much more quickly than anyone could have anticipated.  The partnership with Kodak is a brilliant move for both companies, and I hope Amazon moves fast to ensure their CreateSpace titles (yes, including mine) will be available at the new printing kiosks.

Here’s an interesting read from Mental Floss about early rejections for bestselling writers.  Anyone who can finish this sentence — “Dear Author:  Due to the volume of submissions we receive, we are unable to . . . ” — understands that same frustration.

And a related article at PW about unfinished or unpublished manuscripts from bestsellers.  The only one on that list I’ve read is Billy Budd; I can see why it wasn’t published during Melville’s lifetime.

I recently learned about BookStub, a marketing tactic from AuthorHouse (recently purchased by Penguin Books).  Here’s a short clip that tells about it:

I think this is a neat idea.  I utilize something similar with my own books, marketing postcards that have the book cover on the front as well as the synopsis and purchase info on the back.  They seem to be a hit with readers, and they’re inexpensive ($50 for 1,000 cards).  I keep them in my car, take them to booksignings, pop them in goodie bags at writing conventions.  It’s a cheap and easy way to spread the word about your novels. 

In other news, attorney Bob Kohn submitted an entertaining legal brief — in comic book form, no less — about the ongoing case between the Department of Justice and the Big Six publishers (most of whom have already settled out of court).  It takes a very complicated issue and strikes at the heart of what I think was a misstep on the government’s part.  Personally, I support agency pricing; without it, I’d have to raise the price of my books.

Reminder that new Doctor Who episodes start tomorrow.  If you’re a fantasy/sci-fi/horror fan, this is the one show you need to be watching.  It’s been off the air for awhile (since last April, give or take), and it’ll only be on for one month.  The BBC released a short prologue to whet the appetite of fans.  Enjoy.