The Fabulist Flash

Issue 152

by Gregory A. Kompes

In This Issue:

1. This Week
2. Internet Authors Free the Genie
3. Operating a Successful Business
4. Nina Wright takes the 18Q
5. About The Fabulist Flash

1. This Week

Our new house has gone from a plot of empty ground, to a concrete slab, to a framed reality. What we'd only tried to imagine a few months ago, is taking shape, it's becoming real. In a few months we'll be moving in and I know, shortly after that, it'll seem it's always existed.

I realized that this new house mimics my writing career. A few years ago I wanted to be a writer. I imagined it, dreamed it. I took a few classes, read some books, and started writing every day. This built a foundation. I got a few articles published, just like building a framework. Now, I'm a published, bestselling author. Of course, the new house is coming together much faster than my career.

While driving home from a new client meeting, I made the decision to turn down the gig. It was difficult to walk away from the money (we'll soon have a mortgage after all!), but I wasn't willing to make the time commitment. I like working for myself. I like choosing my own path. Working for someone else in a long-term capacity doesn't feel like the right choice. With the decision made, I took notice of the scenery and my surroundings. A new book idea hit me. I pulled off the road and captured the concept on paper.

Back in my home office, I started with a bit of Internet research and sent a few emails. Within a week, my snail mailbox started to fill with materials and the phone was ringing with callback interviews. There's a concept developing for how I'll write the book. An expert with a respected name is interested in writing the forward.

While the new house may be going up faster than my career, there's no limit to how big my writing life can grow. Can't say that about the house.

Hope you're writing up a storm!

Gregory

Upcoming Events

September 4, 2007: Writerpreneur(tm) Course: Internet Tech: Building Your ACE Internet Self-Platform Platform with Gregory A. Kompes -- learn how build, brand, and expand your writing career using Internet Technology during this 10 week, interactive, online course. Registration Closed.

September 15, 2007: Writerpreneur(tm) Workshop: Write Your Book in 20 Minutes with Eva Shaw. Las Vegas, NV.

October 8, 2007: Writerpreneur(tm) Course: Internet ACE: Building Your Online Self-Platform Platform with Gregory A. Kompes -- learn how build, brand, and expand your writing career using Internet Technology during this 10 week, interactive, online course. Registration Closed.

October 20, 2007: Internet Tech: Building Your ACE Internet Self-Promotion Platform with Gregory A. Kompes -- learn how build, brand, and expand your writing career using Internet Technology during this three hour seminar sponsored by NSA-Las Vegas.

If you'll be in Las Vegas on a Wednesday night, socialize with the local writers at the Writer's Pen & Grill(TM). Open to all writers!

2. Internet Authors Free the Genie

Internet Authors Free the Genie
by Mike Scantlebury

There's the old fairy tale about the young man who unwisely opened the bottle and, inadvertently, set free the genie. The problem then – for him and everyone else – is to get the thing back in the bottle before it does any damage. It's not usually easy. In fact, in most versions of this ancient story, there's often a lot of time, effort and energy put into finding a way to trick the genie into getting back into the bottle of its own accord. Because, quite frankly, once the genie is out of the bottle, then often, that's the end. That's it. It's out, for ever, and there's no going back.

In the case of internet publishing 'the genie' is an idea. It's this. 'Maybe', the internet author says haltingly to themselves, 'I can make a future for myself as an author right here, on the internet. Maybe I don't need Traditional Publishers at all'.

That's a shattering idea. It's world-changing. Of course, for most people, the concept doesn't even occur to them. For many, the idea of getting your book published by some kind of internet-based publishers is very much a 'stop gap', something to put up with temporarily, while you're waiting for the deal to come through from a 'real' publisher. You know, one of those firms with an existing reputation and big offices in the city, and lots of staff, and advertising departments and unlimited budgets. After all, Traditional Publishers are what we in the web-world call 'bricks and mortar' businesses, i.e. they have a physical presence out there in the real world, not just in the virtual life of computers.

Certainly that's the way that Traditional Publishers see themselves. For years and years – and as far back as anybody now ensconced at a desk can remember - they've been the only game in town. If someone writes a book, then, sooner or later, the aspiring author will come knocking at the door of the publishing firm, looking for an offer. That's the way it's been and, as far as people with a limited vision and no imagination are concerned, that's possibly the way it will always be.

Unfortunately, for those already in the business, authors are exactly the sort of human beings who are blessed with vision and imagination. They are the people who look into the future and see a different place. They can see themselves in twenty years time looking back at a successful publishing career and imagining how they got there. It could be 'straight down the line' of Traditional Publishing or, well, it might not. It might have come about through a completely different route. And, just to make matters worse for traditionalists, writers are precisely the sort of dreamers who might have read the life stories of other writers during their young and formative years. That means they know – yes, know, with certainty – that the fairy story of publishing success is very rarely true. Established writers come into the business through all sorts of different paths, using contacts, friends and neighbors to find a way through the obstacles and over the hurdles. Knowing that, new authors are primed to be looking for 'another way', since the reality of writers' lives is actually so very different from the primrose path outlined by the self-serving publicists of the established publishing world.

And then there is harsh reality. That's when hopeful creative writers send off their first manuscripts to Traditional Publishers and have to face the daunting slap in the face of their first rejection letter. And their second. And their third. Even if they were a bit unsure at first, this is the time when putting a book up on the web starts to seem like not a half-bad idea. You discover a site like Lulu, read how easy it is to upload your story and get it into print, and for nothing like the investment that you'd been misled into believing by well-meaning but misguided 'advisors'. You try it, the outcome is pleasing, so you go there again. Now you have a book in your hands – written by your good self – and still you're getting rejection letters from that other outlet. That's when the genie puts his head out the bottle and whispers, 'Maybe this is all you need'.

Here's a prediction. In the future, i.e. very shortly indeed, the number of people going down the road of Internet Publishing will rise and rise. Concurrently, the number of authors bothering their pretty heads about the punishing route of Traditional Publishing will start to slide. After a few years the decline will become a landslide. At some point, maybe later, someone will stick their head out of the bunker and realize that the world has changed, for ever. That's when the world of Traditional Publishing, as we know it, will start to disappear, slowly at first, but gathering pace.

For writers and publishers it will be a whole New World. The reason it will work, of course, is that, at the end of the day, neither of that group matters much. The people who really matter are Readers, people who buy books and enjoy them. For that lucky group there won't be much difference. They will be able to go to on-line bookstores and browse for the sort of story they like – just as they do now. They will be able to buy what they want and have the books delivered to their door, just as they do now. They won't care that a revolution has happened in publishing. No, the only people who will worry are the highly trained and bureaucratic people who are left to search for new jobs, now that Traditional Publishing isn't the gravy train it once was. And authors, the hundreds and hundreds of new writers who previously were ignored and sidelined, who will then be benefiting from having their work in print for the first time , via the magic of the internet.

About the Author
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Mike Scantlebury is one cool dude who has found a place on the web as a first class Internet Author. He has posted novels, stories and educational material, and can be found on YouTube, FreeIQ and Lulu. He also has a number of web sites of his own. Try a visit to Manchester, England, and see - http://www.mikescantlebury.com.

3. Operating a Successful Business

3 Essential Elements of Operating a Successful Business
by Michael (Mike) Brassil

Have you ever imagined what it would be like to live your dream? A good place to start would be to recognize that there are three elements, and only three elements, that separate success from failure. If you exercise one of the elements, you might just be successful. Two and you will probably succeed. Three, and you can practically guarantee your success.

What are they? They are deceptively simple, and deep down inside you know what they are. But to purposefully write them down and use them as guides in selecting your dream business will make all the difference in the world. As you go through this exercise, you will dramatically build on your chances of success. Nowhere will it count more than right here, deciding how many of the three essential elements will qualify you to realize your dream.

1. Find a need!

Is there a market niche for your particular product or service? Does the world, or even your community, need what you have to offer? Only by sampling and testing will you be able to determine this with any degree of certainty, but we will be covering this as we go along in greater detail. The most important aspect would be to determine a Unique Selling Proposition for your product or service. Too many business owners are just trying to be me-too companies. You cannot be just like the next guy and expect to prosper in this volatile economy.

One of the most important things I learned from my Dad was, there are really only two things to consider, and next to them everything else is minor. Those two things are: (1) What do you really want? And just as, and perhaps even more important, (2) Are you willing to do whatever it takes to achieve it?

What do you really, really want from this endeavor? What is your ultimate goal? Are you willing to do whatever it takes to achieve this goal? Instead of looking for a business based on how much money you can earn up-front, select a business based on your love for that endeavor. The most successful and fulfilled people are individuals who are following a dream or vision of their own.

They are not just out trying to make a buck. What opportunities can you act upon? Woolworth saw a need for small inexpensive items and opened the chain of stores that grossed billions. Wrigley started giving gum away as a bonus, and seized the chance to expand worldwide.

You must create a uniqueness to your product or service. What can you offer that no one else can offer? Is it a better warranty, improved customer service, more technical support, faster shipping, or lower price? Think of something that will set you apart from your competitors and describe in detail exactly what it is.

2. Be good at what you do.

Are you as good as, or better than, the next guy when it comes to producing/marketing your product or service? This element requires an honest self-assessment. “What are my abilities?” To determine your abilities you must take an honest inventory of yourself. Examine every possibility and be sure to include strengths and weaknesses. Will your strong points be able to let you overcome your deficits?

3. Have true passion for the business.

If there is one element you absolutely cannot do without, it is passion. Passion is an irresistible attitudinal energy that generates power. Do you have a passion for working with your particular product or service? Notice, I didn’t say “do you like what you want to do?” There are too many competitors out there who are ready, willing and able to “eat your lunch” when it comes to competing with you. They may have found the same niche that you have found. They may like what they do as much as you do. But what separates the winners from the losers is passion.

What are you really passionate about? If your answer is, “I’m passionate about making a lot of money.” That is not the right answer. Making a lot of money is consequence of engaging in a successful activity where you remain motivated long enough to be successful. The key to creating passion is to find and do what it is that you truly love. Passion is the laser-like focusing of our creative life force. We do not create passion. (Don’t confuse passion with being a workaholic. Workaholism devours while passion amplifies.)

So there they are, the three key elements to having a successful small business.

About the Author
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Michael (Mike) Brassil is author of “The Only Business Start-Up Guide You Will Ever Need.” Download two chapters - Starting a New Business and The Home Working Revolution - at: www.ImpactGuide.com.

4. Nina Wright takes the 18Q

Nina Wright, author of the Whiskey Series, takes the 18Q.

1. Did you choose the writing profession or did it choose you?
I had no choice in the matter; once I learned to talk, I couldn’t stop telling stories.

2. What is your background? (education, work, etc.)
I have an undergraduate degree in Theatre and two master’s degrees, one in Teaching ESL, the other in English Lit. I’ve worked as an actor, teacher, writer and assorted other short-lived careers, including home renovation.

3. When did you 'know' you were a writer?
I’ve known it since I was a little kid. I didn't always admit it, though, because my family urged me to pick a conventional career. Can you blame them?

4. How would you describe your style of writing?
Although I can write in whatever style the job demands, my “natural” voice as a writer is breezy and irreverent and easy to read.

5. What is your writing process?
Get it down, then get it right.

6. What was your path to publication?
I started out writing business newsletters, press releases, instructions, catalog copy, and speeches. Then I moved on to plays and novels.

7. What is your favorite self-marketing idea?
Going to the National Afghan Hound Club show to promote my Whiskey Mattimoe mystery series starring Abra the Afghan hound.

8. What are the biggest surprises you've encountered as a writer?
The single biggest shock was discovering how hard it is to keep books on bookstore shelves.

9. How do you inspire yourself?
I ride my bike, go for long walks, listen to National Public Radio, or drive along a scenic back road with my favorite music playing. What are your sources of creativity? There’s only one, and it is beyond my understanding: God.

10. What is your proudest writer moment?
I don’t think I’ve had it yet! In other words, I believe great things are coming. So far, though, I was probably most thrilled the first time I saw one of my books on an end-cap display at Barnes and Noble.

11. What's the best advice you were given about writing?
Don’t give up.

12. What is your most embarrassing writer moment?
Driving an hour for a book-signing event and having only two people show up, one of whom was related to me.

13. What business challenges have you faced as a writer?
Making a profit!

14. What is your writer life philosophy?
Know the world of your novel and render it truthfully. Let your characters live, love, hate, fall down, and get back up. Or not. Get close to them, but stay out of their way.

15. When you're not writing what do you do for fun?
Swim, work out at the gym, bicycle, read, walk on beaches, see movies, play with the four-leggers in my life, laugh with friends.

16. Who do you like to read?
Lots of teen fiction, especially edgy, literary stuff. In terms of adult fiction, I like almost anything by James Lee Burke, P.D. James, Ruth Rendell, Nevada Barr, and Sharyn McCrumb. I also admire Elmore Leonard.

17. What's your advice for new writers?
If you really, really, REALLY want to be a writer, you will write all your life, and you will not let anyone or anything stop you. If you can live without writing, you’re not a writer.

18. What are you currently working on?
I’m revisiting a mystery that I started writing in Florida during hurricane season 2004. And I’m pondering notions for new teen fiction.

Take the 18Q Today!
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Selected a Writer's Digest "101 Best Website" for 2007, the 18Q is a collection of writers sharing their experiences.

If you're a published author, take the 18Q Today!

5. About The Fabulist Flash

ISSN: 1554-0804

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