Recently I was having lunch with a colleague who had a truckload
of questions about my books. Several
times he made reference to it as working ‘on the side’. Then he began to offer advice, such as how to
renegotiate my contracts with the publishers, how to demand more free copies, to
ask for a larger percentage of the royalties, have more input on the cover art
and final approval of all marketing materials. I let him ramble on until he ran
out of steam. While he understands some types of business, the publishing
industry is foreign to him.
“If I were selling as many books as Michael Connelly, John Sandford
or Stephen King, I would be able to use those tactics. But chances are, all
three of them have literary agents and business managers to take care of the details,”
I said.
“What about movies?” he asked. “Don’t you have input into
the movies?”
I shrugged. “It depends on the contract. If there is
interest from a production company to turn one of the novels into a movie, I’d
work with the publisher. This is a collaborative effort.”
He didn’t understand how I could venture into a business and
not to have greater control. I explained
that my control comes from the creative side. The novels are mine. The
storyline, characters, conflicts and twists are all part of my imagination. Weaving
the scenes together, developing an engaging story is all on me. It’s my part of
the business.
But to me, this is not ‘on the
side’. Writing is a passion. It’s
something I’ve been doing for several years. While fame and fortune would
certainly be a nice benefit, I’m driven to share my novels. Having an audience is
great. It’s my challenge to come up with a story that will capture your
imagination, make you curious about my characters and wonder what it would be
like to step up to the bar with them and have a drink or three.
But the bottom line is, I write for me. That’s
my goal. Is it ‘on the side’? That’s for you to decide. All I know is, I’m going to keep writing. I'm in it for the long run.
Since we’re into August, thoughts of sunshine, the beach and
a gentle breeze come to mind. Here’s an excerpt from “Stealing Haven” the short
story with Jamie Richmond that is part of “Once Upon A Summer”. In this scene, Jamie and Linda have just had
a relaxing lunch with a couple of local guys.
Randy stood. He focused his attention
on me. Did I have something in my teeth? I ran my tongue over my mouth. How
odd.
“So, drinks around seven thirty?” she
prompted.
“I know just the place.” From a
pocket he pulled out a business card. He scrawled something on the back and
passed me the card. “See you then. I’ve got to get back to the office.”
Linda reached over and snagged the
business card. “Really, it’s a wonder you ever get laid, Jamie. That guy was
practically drooling over you and you’re oblivious.”
“Why would he take a second look at
me when you’re here?”
She flicked a crumb from her plate at
me. “His eyes were only on you. I’m surprised he was able to eat his lunch.”
There were a couple of times when I
noticed his gaze on me, but thought he was trying to be polite. I said as much.
She laughed and pushed away from the table.
“You’re beautiful, Jamie.”
“Next to you, I look like a stick
figure.”
She put an arm around my shoulders.
“You’re hopeless. Let’s go back to the beach.”
While writing this segment, the Eagles were playing one of
their classics. Here it is. Enjoy!
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