The Fabulist Flash

Issue 116

with Photography by Gregory A. Kompes

2007 Wall Calendar

In This Issue:

1. This Week
2. The Brass Ring - Or The Bottom Rung?
3. Your Write to Deduct
4. Dennis N. Griffin takes the 18Q
5. About The Fabulist Flash

1. This Week

I mixed up a batch of potato salad to go along with all those turkey sandwiches this past week. I had a reflective moment: Life is like potato salad. At least that's how I'm seeing mine at the moment. Any balanced mixture takes a little of this and a little of that. And, everyone mixes it differently--whether the "it" is a food dish or life.

As we finished off the leftovers, I realized I'd forgotten to add the celery. I'd noticed something was missing, but didn't know what. Based on the empty bowl going into the dishwasher, everyone enjoyed the dish. Whether they noticed or not, no one mentioned the missing vegetable.

I spoke to a musician friend this week. He recently played a series of orchestra concerts as a guest artist. He wanted to be hired again and while trying to impress the conductor botched a solo. He told me no one probably noticed the mistake, no one but him. Even with that knowledge, he's grown a little obsessed about the mistake.

While we strive for perfection, there will be times we forget something, leave something out, or don't perform up to our own high standards. So many times, we become fixated on something. It might be something we have or something we're missing, but the fixation is about the same. The interesting thing, we're often the only ones who notice the missing elements.

We all mix our lives differently. We're all unique writers with our own voices. While we strive for perfection, it's never really obtainable. We always have the option of reviewing our experiences and being positive or critical. Critical introspection is important, but so is moving on, learning from our mistakes and enjoying our successes. In the end, all we can do is mix up the best, balanced live we're capable of at any given moment.

Keep Your Dates Straight in 2007 with this Holiday Promotion: 20% Off all my Calendars and FREE Ground Shipping with purchases of $50 or more! Discount is automatically applied when you purchase Calendars featuring my photography. Promotion ends on December 3, 2006, at 11:59 p.m. (PST).

This week's issue takes a look at the downsides of POD publishing with Dee Power's The Brass Ring - or The Bottom Rung? and preparing for tax time with Your Write to Deduct by James Kavanagh. Plus, Dennis N. Griffin takes the 18Q.

Until next week,

Gregory

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Gregory A. Kompes (www.kompes.com) is a writer, manuscript consultant and author of the bestseller 50 Fabulous Gay-Friendly Places to Live, The Endorsement Quest, The Everyday Gay Activist and Turning Your Writing Hobby into a Writing Career.

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Preview 9 essential books for writers on The Writer's Bookshelf

2. The Brass Ring - Or The Bottom Rung?

The Brass Ring - Or The Bottom Rung?
by Dee Power

24 million adults in the United States consider themselves creative writers but less than 5% have ever been published anywhere. 172,000 titles were released in 2005. It has been estimated that at any one time there are between 5 to 6 million manuscripts looking for a publishing home. Many writers are turning toward publish-on-demand (POD) houses like iUniverse, AuthorHouse and Publish America to get their books into readers' hands. About 25,000 titles will be released by POD houses in 2006. Does a publish-on-demand book, sometimes called vanity or subsidy publisher, help a previously unpublished writer get closer to the brass ring of a commercial publishing contract? Or does it bump them down a rung on their climb up the publishing ladder?

Writers often comment that a publish-on-demand book will at least "get their name out there" or that a POD book will show that they are capable of writing a 50,000 to 100,000 word manuscript. But does a POD book really help get a writer commercially published? That question was asked of nearly 60 successful literary agents in the Hill and Power 2006 Survey of Literary Agents.

These agents' collective opinion is that a publish-on-demand book seriously hurt an author's chance at being commercially published. Agents were asked to rate their response from 1 - significantly hurt, to 5 - significantly helped. The average rating was 2. 28% declared a POD title to be neutral (a rating of 3) but half of those specified that a POD title would only help if the sales reached a significant level, from 5,000 to 10,000 copies. Just a handful of publish-on-demand titles have reached that level of sales. The average number of copies sold for a POD title is around 100.

The book publishing industry has never been easy to break into and these same literary agents see the environment getting a bit more challenging in the next year or so for unpublished writers. Combine that with the significantly increased number of unsolicited submissions agents say they're receiving and writers need every boost they can get toward agency representation and the ultimate goal of commercial publication.

Unfortunately, contrary to what quite a few writers think, that boost isn't going to come from a publish-on-demand book.

About the Author
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Dee Power is the co-author of "The Making of a Bestseller: Success Stories From Authors and the Editors, Agents and Booksellers Behind Them" Find out more about her at http://www.BrianHillAndDeePower.com. If you would like to comment on these findings go to Dee's Blog.

3. Your Write to Deduct

Your Write to Deduct
by James Kavanagh

Being an aspiring and even a published author is not nearly as lucrative as you had hoped. It takes time and investment, mostly yours, to build a fan base and promote your name and your work. While you are busy planning, promoting and writing, you may have overlooked one very important money making opportunity. Every year, people throw millions away because they just don't know any better. And who are they paying? Uncle Sam. That's right, knowing the tax rules and how to take advantage them can save you a bundle of money. And that is money that you can re-invest to jump start that writing career of yours! What should you be doing to save everything possible each year related to your writing activities? I'm glad you asked.

Business or hobby

Is your writing a business or a hobby? That is the first question that you need to answer. If you are like many people who are aspiring to write for a living, you have a full-time or part-time job that must be maintained until the money begins to roll in from writing. Your writing activities produce little income, but the expense side of the ledger is often full of entries. The result is that your writing activities are costing you money, sometimes lots of money. Is there any way to make that red ink work for you? There certainly is, and here's the key: If you are actively pursuing your writing as a business and expect (eventually) to make a profit, then the net of all that red ink can be used to reduce the money that you earn from your day job. For example, if you earn $40,000 from your "regular" job and you spend a net of $3,000 promoting and pursuing your writing activities, then you would be able to net the two amounts and pay taxes on only $37,000. In effect, you can fund your writing activities with before-tax dollars, reducing your overall tax bill to Uncle Sam. You don't need to itemize your deductions to take advantage of this opportunity. This reduces your income before you get to your itemized deductions. The key is that you are engaging in a business with the intent to make a profit. Actually making a profit is not required.

If you are writing on a more casual basis, for enjoyment and fulfillment, and you do not expect to earn a profit, the IRS will view your writing activities as a hobby. In that case the losses that you suffer from your writing activities (the net red ink) can not be deducted against other items on your tax return.

Business expenses are deductible against other income you make, hobby costs are deductible only to the extent of the income you make from the activity.

So, you know that you are pursuing your writing dream with every intention that one day you will be a successful and money-making author. How do you show the IRS?

About the Author
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James Kavanagh is a CPA and an associate writer for eWritingToday, a site focusing on the writing community and helping writers and authors promote their work. Mr. Kavanagh is also an editor at Seven Sisters Publishing, a small press that focuses on unique ways to support its authors' marketing efforts. If you have a completed manuscript that you would like to submit to a press active in supporting you after publication, go to Seven Sisters Publishing . Mr. Kavanagh may be reached at Jkavanagh@7sisterspublishing.com.

4. Dennis N. Griffin takes the 18Q

Dennis N. Griffin

Biography:
Dennis N. Griffin retired in 1994 after a twenty-year career in investigations and law enforcement in New York State, and moved to Las Vegas, Nevada later that year. In 1996 he wrote his first novel, The Morgue, based on an actual case he investigated. He currently has six mystery/thriller books in print.

In 2002, Dennis turned his attention to non-fiction. Policing Las Vegas (Huntington Press, April 2005) follows the evolution of law enforcement in Las Vegas and Clark County from 1905 thru 2005. That successful debut was followed by The Battle for Las Vegas – The Law vs the Mob (Huntington Press, April 2006). This latest book tells the inside story of Chicago Outfit enforcer Tony Spilotro's reign in Vegas, and the war law enforcement waged to remove him. The Hollywood version of that era was reflected in the 1995 movie Casino, in which actor Joe Pesci played a character based on Spilotro.

Mr. Griffin is an active member of the Henderson Writers Group, Wizards Of Words, and the Public Safety Writers Association.

Bibliography:
Killer In Pair-A-Dice
The Morgue
The Battle for Las Vegas - The Law vs the Mob
Policing Las Vegas - A History of Law Enforcement in Southern Nevada
Pension
One-Armed Bandit
Blood Money
Red Gold

URL:
http://www.authorsden.com/dennisngriffin

1. Did you choose the writing profession or did it choose you?
I believe it chose me.

2. What is your background? (education, work, etc.)
Some college. Twenty-year career in law enforcement and investigations.

3. When did you 'know' you were a writer?
I actually learned first that I was a storyteller after my first book in 1996. I think I'm still learning to be a writer.

4. How would you describe your style of writing?
I write about serious subjects, but try to insert humor whenever appropriate.

5. What is your writing process?
When I find something I think I'd like to write about I begin with research. What has already been written? Will I be able to produce something fresh? What information is available to me and how will I be able to get it? If I believe I can write an interesting and entertaining with new information I prepare an outline of what I want to include and then start a manuscript.

6. What was your path to publication?
I went down the road of seemingly endless query letters, submissions and subsequent rejections. I ended up self-publishing my first three books. Three other books were through a "traditional" publisher that uses print on demand (POD) technology. My last two books have been with a traditional small press.

7. What is your favorite self-marketing idea?
Appearances at libraries, literary and reader groups.

8. What are the biggest surprises you've encountered as a writer?
The number of scams involved in trying to find an agent, editor or publisher.

9. How do you inspire yourself? What are your sources of creativity?
I find a subject that really interests me and in which I believe others will share my enthusiasm.

10. What is your proudest writer moment?
The acceptance of my first nonfiction manuscript by a traditional publisher.

11. What's the best advice you were given about writing?
Don't give up. Accept that rejections are a part of the business and keep writing.

12. What is your most embarrassing writer moment?
In one of my early self-published fictions, I found that in one scene I used the name of the actual person who had been involved in the incident I was describing. I had a lot of explaining to do over that one.

13. What business challenges have you faced as a writer?
Marketing, marketing, and marketing. I'm convinced that this aspect of the business is just as important and probably more difficult than writing the manuscript.

14. What is your writer life philosophy?
If I do adequate research for my story, write it in a quality manner and believe in the work wholeheartedly, good things will happen.

15. When you're not writing what do you do for fun?
I enjoy reading, casino gaming and travel.

16. Who do you like to read?
Clive Cussler and Tom Clancy are among my favorites.

17. What's your advice for new writers?
Learn all you can about the writing business before you put pen to paper. Explore publishing options and find out what an unknown author can expect to go through in the way of getting book out to the public. I failed to do that and experienced a rude awakening early in my career.

18. What are you currently working on?
The biography of a former mob hit man-turned government witness.

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Are you a published writer? Take the 18Q today!

To read all the 18Q responses or take the 18Q visit EighteenQuestions.com

5. About The Fabulist Flash

ISSN: 1554-0804

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