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Author Beth Crawford on Her Books, Writing, In this interview, Beth Crawford, author of "Silent Storm"
and "Silent Rage," shares why she chose non-traditional publishing,
and discusses both the pros and cons of becoming a small publisher. WB: Please tell me a little about "Silent Storm" & "Silent Rage." Beth:
SILENT
STORM takes place in Chicago where high-ranking Mafia leaders
have become targets for unidentified assassins. Caught in the In
SILENT RAGE, a vigilante killer embarks on a killing spree in
the Beth: I started SILENT STORM in 1992 and worked on it until publication in 2002. I rewrote, rewrote, and rewrote it so many times I couldn't even count! When I worked with my agent for four years ('98-'02), he really helped turn the manuscript into a publishable product. I started SILENT RAGE somewhere in the last five years. I wrote one version and completely tossed it aside because I didn't like the way it was going. I like the new version much better--obviously! I recently finished my third book that I wrote in the past year. I think a year is about the time-frame I will normally work in to write and complete a book in the future. I hope! SILENT SHADOWS will release November 1st. I have my fourth book outlined and ready to start probably around Christmas for a fall 2004 release. SILENT SECRETS is the tentative title.
Beth:
Crazy ideas that pop into my head! Usually, it's "I wonder
what would happen if..." I've had some weird life experiences
that send me down that road quite often to wonder what would have
happened in certain situations. I have a high level of anxiety
so there's always a boogey-man out there somewhere! I try to find
an angle that hasn't been done to death, or a way to work in a
storyline that may seem common and put a unique twist on it. Every
story has been done before, but it's how a writer handles the
idea and the characters in the book that make each story unique
and exciting. Beth: I took those quotes directly from ‘rejection letters’ I received from editors. There were no negative comments in their letters, but I think the fact that I was unpublished kept them from offering a contract. I didn’t know it at the time, but there are many factors that decide whether or not a publisher accepts a book. Even if it is the best book ever written, if the marketing people don’t think they can market it well, or the guys with the checkbook are uncertain about the writer’s ability to market themselves, they may pass. Or there could be another similar book they are about to publish, or they just aren’t interested in publishing that type of book at the time. For the big publishers to sink $20,000 into the production of a book, all the elements have to be there--strong writer credentials, great marketing opportunities and strong material. Or you have to be a celebrity.
Beth: I went in and asked them! I don’t sell in a lot of stores, but the few I do sell in were either local (so they were interested in carrying my books), or contacts I made doing book signings. I put the books in the stores on consignment and they pay me when the books sell and have me bring more. At this point, I still sell better face-to-face. Chain book stores are really set up for the bigger publishers who purchase ‘space’ for their books. Every shelf and table and display rack is ‘bought’ with publisher dollars. Independent authors can’t do that, so we don’t get very good exposure in a store. Our books would most likely end up back on the shelf in alphabetical order where someone would have to be looking for us to find our books. I don’t focus on the biggies much. They won’t order from us unless we’re carried by the big distributors (which is prohibitive for self-published authors because of the expense). Independent book stores do more for self-published writers, but a lot of legwork has to be done to get your name in front of the public before anyone will go out of their way to any bookstore to look for your book. There could be millions of my books on bookstore shelves all over the country, but if no one knows who I am, they won’t go looking for me. Exposure is the key, and it takes at least three times of someone seeing your name/book info to get them to take action and go buy it.
Beth: Creating a program to present at libraries and writers’ group meetings has helped me get exposure through press releases about the event, as well as the people attending who buy books. I learned as much as possible about all aspects of publishing so I can share that information with people at writers’ workshops I present. Libraries like having a free program, and I do all the promo work--posters, flyers and press releases. Libraries are where the readers are, so they are the best place to advertise! Plus they have a newsletter that usually goes out to hundreds of people with the workshop information. I was too scared to do a program by myself when I first started, so I asked another author to do them with me. I demonstrated my book binding technique and talked a little about writing, and she discussed how to write a memoir since she had written one for a local minister. We pulled people in who had a variety of interests, whether it was writing or working on a memoir or wanting to see the book binding technique. Then after several months, I decided to go out on my own because I had learned so much about publishing that I wanted to have a full writers’ program. It was scary at first, but people were so eager to learn what I knew that I felt I was really giving them important information. That gave me confidence to approach even more speaking venues. Librarians have also recommended me as a speaker to event coordinators for more signing opportunities. Networking is very important, but it takes a while to start seeing results. You have to keep plugging away.
Beth: Don’t give up no matter what! One day I was running on the treadmill and crying because I’d received yet another rejection letter after years and years of working at it. I was whining to God and asking Him why no one wanted to read my book. I felt Him say, ‘Don’t worry. Not everyone wants to read my book either.’ That stuck with me. I’ve read Pulitzer prize-winning books that had typos and sentences or story lines I would have done differently. No written work is perfect. But the job of a suspense novel is to entertain, not change the world. And if my book keeps someone awake at night to find out what happens next, I’ve done my job. The first time someone told me they didn’t sleep until four in the morning because they couldn’t put my book down, THAT made all the years of work worth it. So work very hard to polish your writing and master the craft. Follow all the recommended avenues to get an agent and publisher, and be as knowledgeable as possible about the business so you aren’t taken advantage of. And consider self-publishing as a stepping-stone if you don’t find a publisher interested in taking you on. Sometimes that is just a matter of economics for them, but if you can show them your material is marketable (by selling it yourself and creating a readership) and you are willing to work very hard to market the book, they will be more willing to take you on. The only other thing I would say to aspiring writers is to ‘make it happen.’ I hit a wall when I had been working on my novel and trying to get published for twelve years-- four of those with a very good agent. When he said ‘put the book on a shelf and try again with your second book’, I had to decide if I was going to sink or swim. I was broke, and didn’t have a computer that would even hold a publishing program. I decided I had to find a way to make my own books and use the Word program to publish. Using an idea I found on the internet after HOURS of looking at every self-publishing site, I created a method of perfect-binding to produce my own paperback books. While they don’t look like machine-made paperbacks, most people say they wouldn’t have known the difference if I hadn’t told them. And now I find that I enjoy the process of physically putting every book together and holding it in my hands before it goes to its new owner. In spite of several people telling me I couldn’t perfect-bind books without an expensive machine, and feeling like self-publishing was looked down on, I made it happen. I always have been a bit of a rebel--especially when someone tells me it can’t be done! A year later, self-publishing is an explosive area of publishing that has gained tremendous respect for authors. I’m very optimistic about the future in publishing. Beth A. Crawford is the author of 'Silent Storm' and
'Silent Rage'. Did you enjoy this interview? If so, please let us know at mailto:editor@writersbreak.com! If you would like to republish this interview, please email mailto:editor@writersbreak.com with your request.
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