My Book Trailers

Back in the day when I was really pushing to promote my books out of my own pocket--since publishers rarely do that anymore--I cobbled three book trailers together. One was for THE FLOCK from Tor Books, and the other two were for books published by Severed Press: HISSMELINA, and THE LIVING END.

Now, I never claimed to be much of a salesman, nor am I a graphics artist. I can do either of these things if I'm forced to, but neither are in my area of expertise or skill. I pretty much just wing it.

I think I did okay in producing this trio of book trailers, but it would have been nice to have something of truly professional caliber to push the books. 

Still, I may do one or two in the future to see if I can improve on my video production skills.

THE LIVING END book trailer.

THE LIVING END.

THE FLOCK book trailer.

THE FLOCK.

HISSMELINA book trailer.

HISSMELINA.

How Many Novels?

After spending many years writing short stories I was always trying to learn to write novels. And it took me some time to construct a novel that I was able to sell. It was a long, strange struggle for me.

Since the sale of that novel (THE FLOCK), I have written very few short stories. Part of this is due to the fact that there are so few markets for short stories these days. Even when I was actively writing them, the markets were not so many and the competition extremely fierce for open slots. These days the anthologies and the magazines that I used to try to crack are mainly gone. Now there is the self-publishing world of crap and muck and I refuse to take part in that hideous and noxious game.

Two days ago I finished my latest novel, THE NEW ECOLOGY OF DEATH. It's based on a story that I wrote when I was a very young man

and which failed to sell in text form. I did, however, sell it in comic script format to Stephen R Bissette's legendary comic book anthology, TABOO. The story was a song of praise and admiration for the zombie mythos created by George A. Romero and to a specific B-class horror movie that influenced me as a kid: "Fiend Without a Face". I combined images conjured by those two influences and came up with THE NEW ECOLOGY OF DEATH. In a way, I was writing zombie yarns long before the current wave of zombie fiction. I just hadn't sold any of it until "The New Ecology of Death" saw print in TABOO.

And now I have completed transforming those ideas from that story into a novel. Someone recently asked me how many novels I've sold. I had to admit that I didn't know. For some reason--compared to most other writers I encounter--I don't actually have the ego of a writer. Just about every other writer I have known walk about thumping their chests and going on and on about their work. It's probably why I can't stand the company of other writers and stopped attending science-fiction conventions. But I was actually flummoxed. I hadn't sat down to count the novels I'd sold, just as I long ago stopped counting the number of short stories I have sold.

So. How many is it? I've sold THE FLOCK, THE CLAN (sequel to THE FLOCK), THE COALITION Series (three novellas making up one novel), HISSMELINA (my favorite of my novels, but my poorest selling), THE LIVING END, WITHERING, and THE NEW ECOLOGY OF DEATH. So...seven novels. That's not bad, I reckon.

A few years back I even optioned the movie rights to my first novel to Warner Brothers via Don Murphy and John Wells. I'm still waiting to hear that it has received the green light to make its way to the screen. But one of my old writer friends told me that even if that day never comes, I at least got farther in that direction than he did, and he'd sold more than thirty novels.

And how many short stories have I sold? I honestly cannot say. When I was younger I would keep a tally of my sales to various small press magazines, slick professional mags, and anthologies. But then I actually got tired of that. I stopped counting. All I can say with any degree of confidence is that I've sold somewhere between sixty-something and seventy-something stories. What can I say?

(I'd like to post images for the covers of THE NEW ECOLOGY OF DEATH and THE CLAN, but neither of those has seen print yet. They're coming...I just don't have the images for them.)

"AT LAST! A ZOMBIE NOVEL WITH BRAINS AS WELL AS GUTS!" THE LIVING END.

"Often the monster is just a misunderstood anti-hero. But sometimes it's murdering, blood-thirsty asshole!" WITHERING.

Kelenken guillermoi.

Kelenken guillermoi, fairly recent terror bird discovery. Easily has the largest bird skull known from the fossil record.

THE FLOCK by James Robert Smith.

Buy My Books!

Current novels. Buy one or as many as you like! Great stuff, I must say! Most are available in ebook and paperback formats.

THE LIVING END: A Zombie Novel.

 

THE COALITION (Zombie Series) Part I

THE COALITION (Zombie Series) Part II

THE FLOCK

HISSMELINA: A Horror Novel

WITHERING: A Horror Novel

Covers to My Current Novels

 My current novels:

THE FLOCK from Tor-Forge.

THE LIVING END from Severed Press.

HISSMELINA

THE COALITION PART I

THE COALITION PART II

WITHERING

Upcoming titles:

THE COALITION Part III, THE NEW ECOLOGY OF DEATH (Severed Press), THE CLAN (Sequel to THE FLOCK, from Tor-Forge), A CONFEDERACY OF HORORS (Hippocampus Press)

Touchstones

One reason I really enjoy looking at Ebay from time to time is that I'll find something really cool. I tried to land a copy of this some time back when I was working on writing THE FLOCK, but I couldn't find one. But last month I just happened upon one in a random search. It was very cheap, so I nabbed it.

Bulletin of the Florida Museum of Natural History.

I really do wish I'd had access to this when I was working on the manuscript--it wouldn't have made any real difference in the plot or construction of the novel, but it would have been nice to be able to look at the contents of this issue as I wrote. It would have served as a kind of touchstone, I reckon.

So now I have a copy. And although the book is long since published and a sequel will see print in 2013, I'll keep this slim bulletin by the computer. Who knows what dreams it will inspire?

The wing bone of Titanis walleri.

Conventions and Poor Souls

I'm at the ConCarolina today through Saturday evening.

My agent has informed me that Tor Books has finally scheduled THE CLAN. The sequel to THE FLOCK will be appearing in September of 2013. It'll be good to see it in print.

Once again I was reminded of the self-publishing world while checking in at the convention this morning. I met some self-published writers. One had quit his day job because he was making so much money from the self-published ebooks. Now his sales have slumped and he's worried about paying bills.

Another one I met today seems to be doing fine. He publishes a short story per month, selling them for .99 cents each. Then when he has four of them published he rolls them into a mini-anthology and sells that for $2.99. He says it's working for him enough that he quit his day job. Oy.

So many seem to be doing this right now. The flood of shit is overwhelming, though. I hate to think I'll be reduced to following suit as a self-publisher. It could happen, I suppose.

"I quit m' day job. 'Cause I was a-makin' so much from self-publishin'. Now I cain't pay m' bills! Whut happened?"

My First Novel

"Alfred Hitchcock's THE BIRDS meets Stephen Spielberg's JAWS!"

James Robert Smith's THE FLOCK! From Tor Books. Movie optioned to Warner Brothers through Don Murphy and John Wells.

Buy your copy today!

The book's sequel, THE CLAN, should be forthcoming this year.

Art by Mark Masztal.

Eye

The actual eye of one of the world's largest birds. Much as I imagine the eyes of Titanis walleri to have looked in my novel, THE FLOCK.

My agent tells me that I'll probably get edit notes on the sequel THE CLAN very soon. It'll be good to see the book make its way toward publication.

Galleys

The Uncorrected Proofs arrived at my house for the Tor Books version of my novel, THE FLOCK (pre-order your copy now!).


Because the book already appeared in hardcover (and is now out of print), I've been through this to some extent. However, the part that excited me was when I cracked the covers. There it was : "Books by James Robert Smith". Plural. True, the sequel won't hit the market until 2011 (or 2012 depending on scheduling), but there it was. Evidence of my second novel sale. This was very important to me and is the biggest milestone of my writing career (so far). This was part of a deal negotiated by my agent, Robert L. Fleck, so my hat's off to him.

On Writing a Sequel

I'm trying to have the new book completed before Carole and I leave for Yellowstone in mid-August. So I've been working hard to get the manuscript done. Worst case it'll be finished around September 1st, which was my initial (self-imposed) deadline.

It feels both strange and exciting to revisit old characters. Normally when I finish a novel or short story, I don't want to revisit the folk I dreamed up for the initial tale. But when I got the chance to write a sequel to THE FLOCK I was happy to rejoin the people from that first novel and see what kind of mischief they were up to.

I have a third book proposal for my publishers, but that will depend of course on sales. It would be nice to generate a series, though. That's something that I'd hoped to be able to achieve as a professional writer. And recently I wrote a note to my agent that I had the idea for a fourth novel for continuing the adventures. I never would have supposed the possibility!

Where I need to return for rest and relaxation and meditation. (After descending and climbing several thousand feet!)

Motivators

There are lots of motivators in life. Some people claim sex is the great motivator. Others think that a good beating is a proper motivator. Many feel that a guilt trip does the job. When I was in junior high and high school, I found that returning violence in a greater sum than received was was the way to get it done.

The thing is, there are all kinds of motivators for each situation.

I've found that poverty and fear of poverty were always the motivator that kept me working, or kept me busy looking for work. And, of course, I always had my dreams. A dream can serve that purpose, as long as you don't allow anyone to crush it. There are people who--just as Frank Sinatra said in one of his famous tunes--get a kick out stompin' on a dream. I've always done a fair job of keeping other people from stomping on my particular dreams. Mainly, that meant keeping those people out of my life. I never hesitated to shed unwanted company, no matter who they were.

My biggest dreams were always kind of selfish, I have to admit. These dreams involved my writing and the goals that I had for that side of my artwork. From the first time I wrote a short story at the age of eight I wanted to be good enough to make money creating fiction. From time to time I've done that. Never enough to make it my livelihood, but always enough to keep the dreams fed. Sometimes it was enough for them to have a cookie, and sometimes it was room and board for several months. Enough to keep 'em alive and kickin'.

Today I signed the contracts for a two-book deal with a major New York publisher, Tor Books. This was seeing one of my dreams become reality. I had the help of an excellent agent (Robert Fleck), and the eye of a good editor (Jim Frenkel). They've helped give my dream life.

If that ain't a motivator, I don't know what is.

Signing the Tor Books contracts and doing my best to behave.

THE FLOCK from Tor/Forge

Tor Books now has the first of their paperback versions of the novel officially on the schedule. You can see the initial bits of it coming to retail life here.

And here's a graphic I found recently of a newly discovered terror bird from South America. Kelenkin guillermoi is so far the largest predatory bird ever found. It's quite an amazing animal when you look at its size and symmetry. It was closing in on the size of some of the larger theropod predators:



Lost some writing time today due to the fact that I was very sick. It's probably partially allergies, but I think I got some kind of bug, too. my body fluctuated all day from being feverish to cold and clammy. It was all very miserable.


One of my favorite modern writers is Walter Mosley. I discovered him when I read that he was one of Bill Clinton's favorite writers. Clinton was right about this guy--he's brilliant, and I learned a lot about writing by reading his work and listening to his advice on creating fiction. I was pleased to read a very cool article on CNN's website by Mr. Mosley. You can read it here.

Busy, Busy

Still busy with the 7 til 3:30 job. Plus working on the novel. So I'll post some old photos until the work eases up a bit.

This is a stitched composite I made from photos taken at a really unusual waterfall in Tennessee when Carole and I were there a couple of years ago. It was in the midst of a drought, so the water volume was rather low. When water is normal, this is an even more impressive waterfall.

Questionnaire

Over the past few days I've begun working with my editor at Tor Books. This has been a bit different, so far, to my experience with Five Star. I filled out a relatively detailed questionnaire for the folk in the promotions department. Now I have to send a photo. I'm pretty sure I know which one I'm going to send them...it's one that Carole took of me when we were in Key West.

Got the desktop up and working so that I can do the scans for the post I've wanted to do for two days.

More tomorrow...

This has nothing to do with the subjects on my mind. But I just stumbled across this photo I took when Carole and I were on a hike in Beartown State Park in West Virginia. It was the first bear we've ever encountered while hiking.

Know Your Rights

These are the things:

Love.

A warm, dry place to live.

Food.

Freedom.

Companionship.

Time to enjoy these things.

I am reminded of the song by The Clash, "Know Your Rights", about imposed limitations.

These are things I think of when I stop to review my life until now.

The only real path to freedom in the western world is through money. It opens the doors and allows you access to the road without having to worry about freezing to death, starving to death, or being arrested for being poor.

I was pondering my writing life.

I started writing fiction when I was eight years old. I was spurred into this by my third-grade buddy, Billy Bridges. We would write Godzilla stories and exchange them. But I quickly grew bored with Godzilla and moved on to writing stuff about my own inventions.

When I was in my mid-20s I started trying to sell my work. It was time to get serious about it. At first, I managed to place short works in magazines that paid in copies. Later, I sold tales to small press publications that paid anywhere from 1/2 cent per word to 3 cents per word.

All the time I was at this work, I would wonder what it would be like to:

sell my first story...(it was nice)...

sell my first comic script...(a great achievement for me)...

appear in a hardback anthology...(that one was electric)...

appear in a mass market paperback anthology...(I loved seeing it on the shelves in the bookstores)...

have a story in a widely circulated newsstand magazine...(Hey...almost famous!)...

edit an anthology...(a special kind of satisfaction)...

sell a novel (that was indeed a rush).

I kept thinking that each of these goals would electrify me and fill me with contentment and satisfaction. But as I reached each goal, I just kept wanting to hit the next mark, climb the next peak, see over the following ridge.

The novel sale to Five Star and seeing it in hardback in 2006 was truly a thrill. But I still wanted to keep moving. I wanted to sell another novel, of course, but more than that I wanted to move out of the smaller publishers and into the realm of one of the big, New York publishing firms.

Now I've done that. It feels really good to achieve that goal. I've been chipping away at this slab of marble for almost thirty years. It's taking shape, at long last. Eventually, I'll reach my next publishing goal. I won't say here what it is, but I've got a feeling I'll reach it.

I'm single-minded that way.

Writing Announcement

The original cover to the first edition of the novel from Five Star Books. Art is by Thorsten Grambow. The editions from Five Star are now out of print.


My agent for all-things FLOCK related (Robert L. Fleck) sold the mass market rights to my novel THE FLOCK. He'd been busy moving those rights for several months and he locked up a deal that's been in the works since September.

Tor Books will be producing the paperback, and have also purchased rights to the sequel, THE CLAN. I'm looking forward to working with Tor in the coming months.

The ultra-cool artwork by my pal Mark Masztal done as a test cover for a proposed comic book series for THE FLOCK.