J. Timothy King’s Blog

Why I Never Want to be Published

Recently, a fiction author told me that because I was “unpublished”–his word, not mine–I was unqualified to offer advice on writing stories. Of course, that’s silly, because getting published is not about whether you can write. It’s about schmoozing with editors and agents and about receiving enough rejection letters. Getting published is an exercise in marketing your work to publishers, not an exercise in writing.

If you want to learn how to give good writing advice, the best thing you can do is to critique others’ work and to have your own work critiqued by other writers. That has nothing to do with getting published. And if you want someone to give you advice on how to tell a story, what matters most is (1) whether he has done enough research to know what he’s talking about, (2) whether he knows how to write (not how to get published), (3) whether you like his stories, and (4) whether he knows more about the art and craft than you do. These are the same kinds of questions you ask when you look for a consultant in any niche, not just storytelling.

Actually, I do have some minor publishing credits: articles, short stories, and such. This was years ago, and I haven’t tried to be published since. Part of the reason, I admit, is that I don’t like to get rejection letters. Who does? And I don’t believe rejection letters are a necessary evil, which I hope to clarify below. But there’s a much better reason. When I discovered that I had the chops to turn an editor’s eye, I ran the numbers, and I discovered that unless you’re Stephen King, there’s no money in being published. No good money, anyhow.

Now after years of research, I believe there is no use in being “published,” at least not for me. As I enter the next chapter in my saga as a self-published author, let me set down some of the thoughts that have inspired me and the risk I’m taking. And where I expect to go from here. (Read more…)

Friday Snippet for the Premier of Jezebel James

I’ve been behind on writing because Client T has a release coming up at the end of this week, and I’m in a pre-release crunch for them. Ditto for Client Y. And on top of that, I’ve been gearing up for the premier of Amy Sherman-Palladino’s new half-hour comedy, The Return of Jezebel James, by posting each day to my The Return of Jezebel James fan site.

After the premier tonight, I’ll probably have more unsympathetic comments about critics. I’m also hoping for more anecdotes I can use in an e-newsletter article I’m writing about negative (and positive) reviews. (It’s partially written, but I need to finish it and clean it up.)

UPDATE: Here’s my own review of The Return of Jezebel James, which I truly enjoyed. And yes, I do have some more unsympathetic comments about critics.

Here’s a snippet from the next chapter of Abe’s Turn. (BTW, check out the book cover.) This connects with the previous snippet in which Clyde advises Mira caution in her feelings about Ike.

Cheers,
-TimK (Read more…)

Presenting Abe’s Turn, the Novel

Below is a digital mock-up of the first, 4-episode set of The Conscience of Abe’s Turn, which I’m putting together as a 6×9-inch trade paperback for release in April. This first volume spans about 250 pages, including 4 novelette-length episodes plus bonus extras.

I’ve been ad-testing graphics and text, and this design represents one of the winning results. But I am continuing to ad-test it, until the final release.

This book is mostly a promotional vehicle, because there’s so much more I have in mind for this project. So expect to be able to get a copy on the cheap.

The Conscience of Abe’s Turn joins a list of 21’st-century fiction works that are available online via free download or audiobook podcast and are marketed using guerrilla marketing techniques, works like Mur Lafferty’s Playing for Keeps, Scott Sigler’s Infected, and Bicycle Shop Murder, by Robert Burton Robinson.

Stay tuned!
-TimK

P.S. The Conscience of Abe’s Turn is a libertarian crime-romance drama about a group of Gen-X civil-rights activists from the fictional town of Abe’s Turn. These 4 friends refuse to accept the injustice they see and experience. They come up with a dangerous solution that ultimately pits them against corrupt government officials in a precarious balance of power.

Friday Snippet

Another scene from Abe’s Turn, this one piggybacks on the scene a couple weeks ago, in which Ike and Mira kissed.

I’m emotionally exhausted this weekend, having written some pretty intense scenes in this chapter and the chapter to come. Plus there was my worst review ever, which actually ended up making me feel pretty good, a lot more focused on where I want to go as a writer. Long story short, I’m still doing the right thing and going in the right direction. I’ll probably screw up in the process, but that’s a good thing… And that’s another blog post, which I only have half-written right now.

Remember this article on Holly Lisle’s site? “Live to Write Another Day: Writers, Depression, and Suicide”? I wasn’t going to mention this, because I think it sounds pretty creepy. But maybe there’s a lot of sympathy among writers in this area. Sometimes I wonder if I’ll end up like Sylvia Plath. Fortunately, my situation has never been that dire. But sometimes, I do sympathize with Sylvia.

-TimK (Read more…)

My Worst Review Ever

I’ve received negative reviews before. (What writer hasn’t?) But yesterday (March 5), was a new milestone for me. I received my new worst review ever, a review for my ebook 1001 Character Quirks.

-TimK