Interview with Author John Blumenthal, (Continued...)

Describe your office space. Also, do you always write in your office?

Yes, I always write in my office, unless I have a great idea somewhere else, then I'll jot it down because my memory has become Swiss cheese. I have a fairly large office with northern and western views, a huge bookshelf and desk. On the walls are framed posters of my 2 movies, pictures of my wife and daughters and a framed autograph of Ulysses S. Grant.

Tell us a little about your new book, What's Wrong with Dorfman?

It's somewhat autobiographical. It's the story of a burned-out screenwriter with a wacky family. One morning he wakes up with a mysterious disease and thinks he is dying. His doctors tell him he's in perfect health, but he feels lousy every day and goes out on this wild adventure to find a cure.

John, you say it took you five months to complete your first draft. Describe a typical day during that time period.

Get up, shave, shower, pace, sharpen pencils, sit at computer, write a sentence, reshave, reshower...etc. No not really. Actually, I'm a pretty fast writer so I'm generally able to write about 1500 words a day, sometimes more if I'm on a roll. I never write unless I know beforehand what the story will be about, how it will begin and end. But I don't believe in strict outlines because I think writing is, in some ways, a discovery process. If you stick to an outline, where's the surprise -- both for you and the reader?

Why did you decide to self-publish? And what was that like?

I decided to self-publish after the book received 75 rejections. Many of the rejections were very complimentary--many raved about the book, some for up to two pages, and apologized for not being able to accept it. It was too quirky, they said, too midlist. Big publishers said it wasn't commercial enough, small literary presses said it was too commercial. I'd read about MJ Rose's success with self-publishing so I decided to give it a shot. I wouldn't have even considered doing it if there were no Internet or Amazon.com. It's definitely easier today to reach readers all over the world.

What marketing tactics did you find most effective for selling copies of your self-published book?

I sent it EVERYWHERE, hoping it would land in the right place and find a champion. Eventually it did. I also talked it up on the Internet ad nauseum. Somehow, the book got on BookSense76, then Book Magazine's "Recommended Reading List" and January Magazine named it as one of the "50 Best Books of the Year." Obviously all that helped a great deal. Plus, I managed to sell 4,000 copies.

How will your marketing tactics change now that you're working with St. Martin's Press?

I'll still be doing a lot of it myself, but they have the contacts to the major mainstream book critics and newspapers, so the weight of their recommendation might garner some good reviews. I had trouble cracking the newspaper critics when I was on my own because nobody had heard of my publishing house, Farmer Street Press. Sometimes I think I should have called myself Werner Books or Simon & Shooster" or "Houghton Mufflin."

What advice would you give to those who are considering the self-publishing route?

Be prepared to lose money. Don't bother with ebooks or POD's. The latter are too expensive, the former too unwieldy. Plus, you're better off self-pubbing nonfiction if it's got a good niche or hook. It's much tougher with novels. Most people aren't aware of this statistic, but apparently about 1000 books are published every week in America. And they're all fighting for attention. So it's hard to stand out.

What benefits did you reap by going the self-pub route?

My goal was always to sell to a mainstream publisher. That happened, so I accomplished my goal. I also grossed about $48,000, but the wholesalers kept half of that, so I ended up with about $24,000, all of which I put back into the business. I even took out small ads in the New York Times and LA Times Sunday Lit sections. That was a waste of money.

What advice would you give aspiring writers on both self-publishing and writing in general?

Keep writing. If you have real talent, you will improve with time and eventually make it. If you have no talent you're probably wasting your time. As for self-publishing -- my advice is hire a consultant. I hired Pete Masterson of Aeonix.com to shepherd me through the whole process. It costs money but it makes the process less of a hassle.

Look for What's Wrong with Dorfman in your local bookstore. You can also visit the author's web site to find out more about the book at www.WhatsWrongWithDorfman.com.

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Jen Minar is a Washington, D.C.-based freelance writer and the managing editor of Writer's Break. She can be contacted at jminar@writersbreak.com.