The Books Are Never Really Done

Part of writing non-fiction books is that even when you think you're done, you're not. My wife always wonders why I don't purge all my research when I'm done with a book. I understand her concerns, but it took a lot of time to pull all of that material together and you never know, you might need it again.
I keep the material so that if new evidence or data emerges, I can cross-reference it. Despite the hard work I do in archives around the globe, there are things that come out that both surprise and delight me every year about the subjects I write about.
A few cases in point:
This week I was reached out to by a member of the Rapson family regarding my book, Terror of the Autumn Skies. They wanted to connect with the members of the family I had talked to and to fill n some of the genealogy of their family tree. Wow. I hadn't looked at that material in years - but I had it. Also, the person that does genealogy for me, was all over this request as well. We both got over names and addresses etc., so that this person could connect with their roots. It was pretty cool. Two of the people I had interviewed had passed away, but she was finally able to make contact with one of her long lost cousins.
A San Diego historian reached out to me on the same book a month ago, attempting to explore my research into the Rapson family in terms of their San Diego ties. Very niche research and - very cool.
I get things like this every few months or so, and answer them best that I can as long as they aren't belligerent. I had this guy write me a message about Cruise the Sea Eagle, my book on Count Felix Von Luckner about three months back. This guy, let's refer to him as "Mr. Ass," sent me two pages of "corrections" I needed to make to the book. His "credentials" (his word, not mine) was that he was born in Germany and, "I know more about Count Luckner than you." To be blunt, he had two mistakes that I learned of after the publication (back in 2005). The rest were either wrong, subject to his twisted interpretation, or just pointless. One I couldn't even find in the book. I didn't respond to Mr. Ass. The lack of a time machine (mine disappeared six months ago and, according to my calculations, should be reappearing in six weeks) makes such messages pointless. I'm not going to go back in time and correct the book, though I'm more than willing to make updates in future editions… if necessary. As I've written in Cubicle Warfare, 'Don't wrestle with a pig. You'll get dirty and the pig likes it."
You have to have a little more credibility than saying 'I'm an expert.' There are a handful of exceptions to this - like Jon Guttman and Alan Toelle, who are very intelligent and have strong areas of expertise. In these cases they have never said they were experts - I made that determination on my own.
I am in a constant state of learning. Look, I'm a historian - my whole career here is about learning new things. I enjoy that part of my work. No matter what, there are always things that people find that they question - and that's healthy. I had one person argue with me on Lost Eagles about the spelling of a small French town. I was quoting an official report and used their spelling, which was off by a letter or two. I should have stuck a (sic) next to it but missed it. Oddly enough that minor nit was something that drove him nuts. I didn't mind this though, because he was friendly and nice about raising the point with me.
I do want to know if I have made mistakes…but tone and presentation is everything. If you are seeking validation of your importance in the universe, I'm not the guy to reach out to.
I know you're all dying to know if I responded to Mr. Ass and what I said. I did not. This blog entry will have to serve and I assume, because he reads everything I write so he can refute it, he will see this and respond…so watch the comments below!
The difference in these requests is simple. One was a request for information or assistance. Glad to help as long as you realize it will take some time to dig up the info. The other is a scathing critique from some self-proclaimed expert with his head firmly planted between the pale white cheeks of his own butt.
Rant mode: OFF

My inspiration to be a writer? Star Trek!

I received an email from a fan recently that asked what inspired me to be a writer.  I had to think about that for a while.  Ultimately what drove me to being a writer was…brace yourself…Star Trek. 

I was a child of the 1960’s and 70’s.  When I came home after school, every day at 5:00pm, Star Trek was on.  This was not the sanitized Star Trek of The Next Generation, this was Captain James Tiberius Kirk.  Those shows rocked.  Say what you will about William Shatner, but you can’t bad-mouth James Kirk.  The man could beat a Vulcan and three-dimensional chess, beat the crap out of Klingon, and had no problems scoring with the ladies. Oh, I respect Picard – but the guy I’d like to sit in a bar and have a drink with is Kirk.  Three words here – Flying Leg Kick.   

Yes, the special effects were cheesy by today’s standards…but the stories were great.  It was the first time I watched TV and said, “the guys that write this are the real stars.” I remember looking at the show and thinking about the characters and their dynamics – how they interacted with each other.  For me I started thinking for the first time about the work that went into creating good characters and how important their dialogue was. 

And I saw the impact of good story telling.  You may not remember this, but when NASA rolled out the first space shuttle they had a contest as to what to name her.  The winner, by far, was Enterprise.  This was a case where fiction overtook the real world and made a deep impression on me.

I went to college at Central Michigan University with a business management major.  We had a kick-ass school paper then – the CM Life.  I decided I wanted to write an editorial column for the paper – to test out my creativity.  I drafted three columns, typed them (on a typewriter – boy am I dating myself!) and went over to the editorial offices to push for the job.  I was going to be competing against people that were going into this field as a career…business students simply didn’t write for the paper.  I remember thinking, “pull a Kirk here – bluff and bravado can pull this off.”  I met with the editor and got the job.  For three years I wrote columns for the newspaper and I didn’t take a single journalism class.  People were asking me “how come I never see you in my journalism classes?” and I would shrug.  The reality was I was taking classes at the other end of campus in the school of business.  James Kirk got me that job. 

My last year in school a role playing game came out from a little company called FASA based on Star Trek.  I played D&D and the chance to play sessions aboard the Enterprise was appealing.  I came up with an idea for a scenario set for the game and wrote it up.  I sent it into the publisher and waited.  Nothing.  I was bummed.  After I graduated I wrote them a follow-up letter and they came back and said they wanted to buy it!  But first, before that came out, they had a new game they wondered if I would write for – Battledroids (BattleTech).  So I became a part-time writer for them.  Eventually my Star Trek material came out – The Strider Incident.  That led to me writing other Star Trek sourcebooks and game product.  My experience there led me to write computer games tips books for Star Trek games for Brady Books.  Yup, you got it – Star Trek got me into writing for the game industry. 

When I was writing the tip book for Star Trek Generations I was sent out to California to meet with the programmers.  They had some of the props from the movie for filming the scenes in the game.  I got to sit in a Klingon captain’s chair straight out of the movie.  Face it, a number of you are jealous right now - aren't you?  Up close it was a little disappointing, it was a Chevy Vega bucket seat with a cheesy plywood base around it – but I didn’t care.  The guy from Paramount told me that the season wrap party for Star Trek Voyager was the weekend after I was slated to go back…and I could come if I wanted.  I couldn’t!  I always regretted that.  Three words – Seven of Nine. 

Writing game material led me to write BattleTech novels.  Writing those novels let me write business management books (Cubicle Warfare) and military history.  But, when you look back, the origins were me sitting on the floor of my Battle Creek home watching my folks black and white TV, watching Star Trek after school. 

Thank you Trek!  I owe you big time. 

Writing in multiple genres

This is going to be a big year for me as an established author.  I have four books coming out with a possible fifth.  Usually I have one book a year published, but this year the stars came into alignment.  Even more interesting is that I have books coming out in four different genres – Business, Horror, True Crime, and Military History.  There’s a possibility of two books in that last category – we’ll have to see.    

Traditional wisdom usually calls for a writer to specialize in one genre and become well known and established in that genre.  They usually write in that space for some time until they finally try and branch out and do something different.  Their fans protest.  The author finds him/herself typecast into being a X-writer (insert the genre of your choice.)  That’s not necessarily a bad thing.  It sure works for Stephen King and a lot of other authors. 

I don’t subscribe to this thinking. 

I write because I like to write.  I read books in a varied group of genres.  Sure, I like science fiction, but sometimes I’m in the mood for a good true crime book or a good military history story.  I started out primarily as a science fiction author with a dozen or so novels under my belt from Penguin Putnam’s ROC imprint.  I bucked the trend when I wrote my first business management book (Cubicle Warfare) and my first military history book (Cruise of the Sea Eagle.) I am confident that my choices of direction gave my agent ulcers but ultimately I write the kinds of books that I like to read.  In the end, I write books that I would enjoy reading – I don’t pander to the fans or try to out-think them in terms of what they want to see.  Besides, no matter what, you can’t satisfy everyone. 

While I acknowledge that some people may read books from only one genre; I also believe that many readers are like me – and read a wide range of books depending on their interests and tastes.  I don’t want to lock myself into one genre because I have good ideas for books that are beyond that narrow focus. 

There are risks with this approach.  I have regular readers in each genre, so how do I get them compelled to read the books outside of that area?  The short answer is, I don’t.  I let my different fan communities know that I have new books out and they make the choice.  In my opinion most loyal readers are not lemmings that mindlessly follow an author, blindly buying every book they crank out.  Don’t get me wrong, it used to be that way.  The publishing industry is changing though and fans now can explore a wide range of books.  Amazon.com’s linking of books other people have purchased to the book you are reviewing is a classic example.  I have found a few new books out there because of these linked suggestions.  I believe that the influence of the internet, on the long term, broadens what people read. 

The publishing industry and agents try to force you, as a writer, into a niche.  They have a 1950’s view of readers that does not match how book purchasing, reading, and publishing are changing.  This is why the publishing industry is reeling so heavily under the influence of Amazon.com.  Trust me, in three years, the industry is going to be a very different place…and better as a result. 

For me, I can be at my creative best when I write what I feel like writing.  If that means I want to do some short stories for Battlecorps.com or for Leviathans, I do them.  I don’t need to worry if I am isolating my fan community.  Those fans that like my books who are interested in the new genres, will buy the books.  Those that don’t will wait for me to crank out another BattleTech/MechWarrior novel. 

Do I have plans to branch out into other genres?  Of course.   I have a Steampunk idea that I really love that I think will be a great set of novels, for example.  I have a neat Fantasy series I’ve been mulling around for years too.  For the most part, my next few books will simply enlarge my fan bases out there in the genres I already write for.  

So, if you are an author out there, don’t hesitate to write what you want to.  Don’t buy the hype from the “publishing experts.”  Do what you feel best.  For you fans out there, what are your thoughts?  Post your comments up on this blog and let me know.   Do you read more than one genre?  Do you automatically purchase books from one author no matter what? 

Two Exciting New/Old Projects

I am currently writing multiple books – that’s the nature of being an author.  I’m going to go to Washington and Lee University this week to do some research on my Bert Hall biography.  I’m also doing some research on my next true crime book project on the murder of Daisy Zick.  I find the diversity of projects and their various stages in the lifecycle of a book being written gives me the flexibility I love about being a writer. 

Two of my projects are coming to the surface in the next month or so and both are incredibly neat.  That’s the focus of this week’s blog. 

First is Virginia Creeper.  This project was started by me years ago.  It is a horror/paranormal story – a new genre’ for me.  The story is set in Fauquier and Culpeper Virginia where I live and is written, for the most part, first person.   There’s a reason I chose to write the book this way…one that becomes clear as you read it. 

I’m publishing Virginia Creeper with Hydra Publishing.  My agent shopped this book around about 10 years ago.  We got some serious nibbles from some major publishers, so I kept working on it.  Usually I don’t keep working on a book until I have a contract in-hand but the nibbles we got were very promising.  They all fizzled though and with time and eventually my agent gave up.  Every year or two I would dust off the manuscript, revisit the story, write a little more, and see if there was any interest out there.  I discovered Hydra Publishing through a friend and they were excited about the prospects of doing Creeper.  From what I saw of their offerings and plans, the more I was looking forward to working with them.  They are the kind of start-up publisher that I think is going to go places in the next few years.  (I will write at some time about how the publishing industry is in complete upheaval.)   

For me this project was strange because I already had 78,000 words done by the time I had a publisher lined up.  So over this Christmas holiday I will be wrapping up the conclusion to the book and putting some polish on the older chapters.  It is a little strange to leap back into this book so close to the end.  I am also a little surprised at how my writing style has evolved over time.  I have worked on a lot of novels and books over the years and this project is very different.  A friend of mine read the first three chapters and told me he was nervous taking his trash out in the dark.   I think I hit the mark on this one.  Creeper is scary, frightening, and will be available this summer from Hydra Publishing. 

The second project that I am working on is Business Rules:  The Cynics Guidebook to the Corporate Overlords.  Yes, I am returning to business book writing and in a big way. 

Back in 1998 I wrote Cubicle Warfare and the book was a big hit.  I was on national TV and radio (Bill O’Reilly, Good Day New York, NPR, MSNBC, etc..) quite a bit talking about corporate culture and office politics.  I was even interviewed and featured in Fast Company magazine.   I always wanted to write a business book that would follow-up on Cubicle Warfare, but I never found the right venue. 

Business Rules is a book that will redefine business books.  It has taken me years to compile this work.  It is written to do something that most dry business books don’t do – entertain.  Oh, I know the trend in the last few years for academics to tell little stories in their leadership and management books to make the information palatable.  I sometimes find these insulting.  Business Rules is going to be written in a different format and approach.   It is written as a book that you can pick up and open to any page and start reading – or you can read it from beginning to end. 

The best part about Business Rules is that it is done.  I still need to do some editing on it, but the heavy-lifting in terms of the writing is complete.  I will put more in my blog on this book as it comes closer to a publishing date.   This book is going to generate a lot of buzz, so stay tuned! 

Horror – business – wow, this is going to be a Christmas to remember!