Buy One of My Books, Help A Struggling Writer Make A Buck

Yesterday I received a call from a young (sounding) fellow representing Westbow Press where I had one of my books printed. The book was The Wine Red Road, a mystery tale of which I am quite proud.

The young fellow asked me how my book sales were going. I stifled a snicker then merely said, “Not so well.” He, of course, wanted to know why not. What could I say?

I said, “I really haven’t really pursued sales too much because I prefer to write books not market them.”

The young man said he understood (he didn’t), but maybe I could use a few helpful suggestions, to which I replied, “I’ve spent several thousand dollars on marketing plans and so far they haven’t produced one (I wanted to say lousy) sale.”

The young man asked me what the marketing plans I had paid for included. I mentioned press releases. He said I couldn’t just send press releases to newspapers, TV and radio shows, it would work better if I contacted people at those venues personally. I said I sent follow-up letters and NADA. He asked me what else I was doing. I said I would be doing an author signing at the county fair next week and that I had sort of been planning a West Coast signing tour.

The young man encouraged me to keep on trying and said he would check back with me in a couple of weeks to see how I was doing. But I probably won’t answer my phone next time the guy calls. I appreciate encouragement, but I’m pretty sure Westbow - a “vanity” press for “Indie” publishers like myself, is more interested in me selling more books so they can sell me more books. I mentioned to my young caller that I’d probably publish my next book on Create Space where I only pay $2.50 or so for a hard copy as opposed to the $7+ I pay Westbow for a hard copy. I can’t afford prime rib, only hamburger.

But here’s how I feel about my writing and publishing process. I’m going to continue writing, because that’s what I want to do, whether anybody buys my books or not. And I’m going to continue Indie publishing because I have been unable to interest either agents or publishers to take me on. My latest book, Death in the Gallatin Valley, a mystery set in Montana, is about two-thirds to three-quarters done and I hope to have it out in time for the Christmas-buying season. So, buy one of my books, dang it! Besides The Wine Red Road and Death in the Gallatin Valley, I also have written The Red Jacket and Where Once Was Peace. Maybe my books aren’t bestsellers, but I’m quite proud of them and I think they are pretty good yarns.

That young guy from Westbow Press would have made me feel a lot better if he had said to me, “I’ve read your book and I liked it a lot. I think if you hang in there it’s eventually going to take off.” But he didn’t say that. Two bags of poop on him.

YOU can buy any or all of my books by going to my blog site: greatfictionbyjimperkins.blogspot.com or by contacting me on Facebook or by emailing me directly at: moonhowler66@gmail.com. Sure would like to see your check (or credit card order) for $13.95 per book. I pay the shipping and sales tax and I give discounts if you buy five or more books.

You'd Read My Books, Right?

I relate big time to Rodney Dangerfield’s line, “I don’t get no respect.”

I’ve given several people a free copy of my book, The Red Jacket, hoping of course that they’ll read it, tell me how terrific it is, and recommend it to others.

But that doesn’t seem to be happening. I’m not sure I could even get Sam to read my book, he’s so independent. A couple of people have read my book and a couple have even bought an e-version of it to read (thank you Cindy). But many people are typical of my own daughter who told me she started reading my book then set it aside when a friend gave her a copy of Hunger Games. She said Hunger Games was so exciting she couldn’t put it down.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Who sang that? Tina Turner? It’s a tough thing to come by, especially from people who know you.

But is it really necessary to have the respect of others if you respect yourself? In theory no. It’s that ego thing Freud talked about that keeps getting in the way. I try to tell myself it doesn’t matter what others think of me and my book. What’s important is how I feel and I feel pretty darned good.

I spent parts of the last 30 years writing The Red Jacket. It changed a lot during that time. I had to keep asking myself, “What is it you really want to say?” I even took a year off work and nearly learned the true meaning of starving artist, to finish the first version of it. I nearly got thrown out of my house because I couldn’t pay the rent (this was before I married Kathleen and got a real job). That was years ago and I chipped away and chipped away on honing my writing to come up with the recently published version of The Red Jacket. The last couple of years sitting down to my home computer to write after sitting at a computer all day at work to create legal real estate documents was tough, but I did it.

I’m happy with The Red Jacket. I finally learned that I had this compulsion to write about the relationships of sons with their fathers or stepfathers. I grew up with a stepfather, never knew my real father until I met him at the age of 40 and only got to spend a couple of hours with him shortly before he died. I have known a lot of young men in the same situation and I know that some of them handled that well, but many who didn’t are in prison as a result. That’s just too sad.

My next book, The Wine Red Road, coming out hopefully by the end of this month, portrays a good father/son relationship - about a young man who helps his journalist father solve a crime. Once The Wine Red Road is out, I plan to finish North Star Mountain - about a young man who goes deer hunting with his stepfather and winds up accidentally killing another deer hunter to protect his stepfather. Then, I’m also working on a book titled The Ditch Rider - about a young Montana man who rides irrigation canals with his father and the two of them discover a body in one of the canals. A book I have planned but haven’t worked on much yet is The Marble King - about a young neighborhood marble champion and his relationship with his stepfather.

If I don’t get no respect at least I can leave a written legacy that hopefully will speak to a problem I think isn’t talked about nearly enough. Maybe it will help. Who knows?

Until you read my book though, a bag of poop on ya’. I know that’s bad. It’s my ego speaking, you know?