Scott Waxman, Co-President Diversion Books

Welcome, Scott. Diversion is a brand new e-publisher, but you’ve been around the publishing industry for quite awhile, first as an editor with HarperCollins and then in launching the Waxman Literary Agency in 1997. Why did you decide to start an e-publisher?

SW: I like the opportunity the eBook format presents to the author. There’s a sense of being able to control your own destiny for projects that the big houses don’ t want to bother with. I’ve been at this long enough to trust my own instincts on a book. So, just because a publisher says it’s “too small”, we can now attempt to prove them wrong and still make a go of it. I also think there’s an excitement to the early days of epublishing that inspires new ideas and creativity. I look forward to being a part of this landscape and to helping authors navigate through it.

How is the vision of Diversion different from other e-publishing houses?

SW: I think because it emanates from my literary agency it gives us a unique perspective on what the authors need and want. Because we understand editorial development, rights, various genres and the everyday life of an author I believe it will provide a comfort level for writers. We also have a strong focus on original content whereas it seems that the majority of epublishers are looking for out of print or classic eBook rights. Again, this is in keeping with our day jobs as agents which is primarily to sell new material so the two should work hand in hand very well.

What do you see as your role as in developing the career of the whole author?

SW: In terms of Diversion, we see ourselves and an author’s partner, working closely to publish their eBook successfully.

Where do you seen digital books going in the near future?

SW: There will be a lot of experimenting with formats, genres, enhancements. For the time being, as with all of publishing, brand name books originating in print will sell the vast majority of copies. But eBook bestsellers, meaning books that started as eBooks are coming and I wouldn’t be surprised if we have an eBook sell over 100,000 copies, at a reasonable price within the next 12-18 months.

And, of course, I have to ask this because everyone will want to know, what are you looking for?

SW: Besides being open to all genres, we are looking for authors who either have an existing online audience that we can tap into as well as an understanding of social networking on the web. This will be crucial as we attempt to sell eBooks into what is quickly becoming an extremely crowded marketplace.

Congratulations on your launch of Diversion Books!

OK, so I’m starting a new book. (Well, let’s be truly honest, I’ve got three of them going right now.) The point is this new book is a little more difficult for me to start than most I’ve worked on.

And it’s because of the characters.

It’s one thing when they step on stage and demand a staring role in your head and start spouting of dialog faster than you can type it. It’s another thing when you’ve got an alpha male who’s a lost soul and wants to be left the hell alone…by everyone…including me.

Trying to get him to open up enough that I can figure him and out write him down is like trying to ply a vegetarian with a steak. It isn’t working. Not interested is not interested.

So as a writer, what am I supposed to do? Well, I’m going to fall back on the good only journalism interview and hope he gives more than one word answers (which I’m not counting on.) If that fails I might interview the secondary characters around him and see if I can dig up some dirt.

And if that fails…well then I’m going to start the story with the heroine and he’ll get dragged into it at some point.

*sigh* And my husband wonders why I can’t remember to pick up drywall screws…I have way too much in my head.

But I’ve found that dwelling on the negative doesn’t help your career. Far more positive and powerful is a thankful heart.

It comes from the idea of what you focus on is what you draw to you.

So I’m thankful for my contracts with Harlequin, that my writing is going to be in books in the hands of readers in 2011 (I know it seems like a long time but in the publishing world it’s not.)

I’m thankful for both my writing and non-writing friends who keep me sane in different ways – the writers because they understand how crazy a business publishing really is, and the non-writers because they don’t care about the business at all.

I’m thankful for the chance to be able to write the stories out of my head – because really, my therapy bills would be astronomical if I had to pay to talk them all out.

I’m thankful that there are readers out there who love romance. Thank you for reading what we write!

I’m thankful that my computer has kept up this far with me and continues to chug along.
I’m thankful for my husband and my kids who encourage me and make me want to be a better writer.

I’m thankful for RWA and the published members who’ve offered support and education over the years that helped me get to where I am.

And of course I’m thankful for you. Because I may not know exactly who you are at this moment, but you are still reading this. And that makes me smile.

May your holidays be full of love, light, and joy.

Cheers,
Theresa

But why is it that some people are this amazing bust out phenomenon and other people, are well, just plugging along?

I may not know everything, but what I have learned is this: becoming great is a marriage of many levels. It’s a marriage of mind meets efforts. It’s a marriage of desire meets inspiration. And it’s a marriage of determination meets dreams.

The Right Dream
Part of the reason people fail to become great is because they’re chasing the wrong dream. It’s not that their dream isn’t worthy. It is. But it maybe that the person is chasing something that really isn’t in his or her own personal best interest. It’s not what he or she was specifically made for. In other words, it’s not their life work calling. They want that dream because they want the money. But maybe the real reason they want the money is because they want other people to appreciate or look up to them. Or maybe they want security. They may want the dream because they’ve been told by the parents, or friends, or society that they should want it. They may be holing on to a misplaced dream because they are scared to try their real life’s work and fail.

Finding out what the REAL thing you want is the start to finding out what your life’s work is meant to be. Want to know the shortcut? Ask yourself what you’d be doing if you had all the money, time and resources at hand to do anything you wished. What did you dream of being when you were between nine and twelve years old? What would you get up every morning and do just for the sheer love of doing it?

That’s the direction of your true life’s work.

And don’t give me, but I don’t have the education/experience/contacts/financing/whatever. If you want it badly enough, you’ll find a way. “It’s not what you have but what you do with what you have that will determine your success or failure. Abraham Maslow, the great psychologist said that the story of the human race is the story of people selling themselves short. He said people have a tendency to settle for far less from life than they are truly capable of.” ~ Brian Tracy

The Right Model
Once you discover your true life’s work, find the people who are the best at it in the world. Look at what they do. Analyze how they do it. Copy them instead of reinventing the wheel. Because, your wheel will look different anyway once it’s complete, but you might as well take the short cut in understanding the physics and mechanics of it by looking at something that works.

The Right Ethic
Now you work. I mean seriously work.

“I will NOT be outworked. Period… You might have more talent than me, you might be smarter than me, you might be sexier than me, you might be all of those things. You got it on me in nine categories. But if we get on the treadmill together, there’s two things:  Either you’re getting off first, or I’m gonna die. It’s really that simple.”

~Will Smith, on his work ethic

“If you want to reach the stars in your career, you have to become excellent at what you do. You have to pay any price, go any distance, spend any amount of time necessary to “be the best.” Extraordinary rewards only go for extraordinary performance; average rewards for average performance; below average rewards, insecurity and failure for below average performance. And here’s a vital key, you are being paid today exactly what you’re worth – no more, no less. If you want to earn more, you must increase your worth, your value to others.” ~ Brian Tracy

The Right Attitude
Which, from the platitudes of Dr. Phil, we all now know that if you don’t first value yourself, then you can’t expect others to value you. You have to believe that you are worth investing the time, energy and money into yourself to chase that dream.

So what’s that all mean? It means that today, right now, you can choose to become great. Even the biggest star in Hollywood, the richest man on earth, the best surgeon in the world, the smartest scientist alive, the most-well-known writer in the world started at the beginning. They did it, which means it can be done. There are no limits, except those you impose on yourself.

Start simply: First, set high standards for yourself. Don’t just accept that what you are currently doing is your best. You can do more. You can be more. You can be great.

Second, select one key skill area that is important in your job or personal life and resolve to become the best in that area. Just one thing. Maybe your the person who’s most on time. Maybe you spell everything correctly. Maybe you’re the most creative person at your job. Whatever it is, determine that you are going to focus and become the best at that one thing. Then, when you are pick another thing. I guarantee you’ll be better off than you are now.

What it takes to become great are two simple ingredients: You and your determination to succeed.

Not all writers parade around in bunny slippers, dashing off a book in a weekend between watching reruns of Supernatural. And writers usually don’t make an astounding amount of money. Not even those that hit the golden hallowed ground of New York Times Bestseller.

See what I mean – a first-hand account with actual royalty statement, compliments of Lynn Viehl at GenReality. Out of a $50k advance (only two-thirds you get before the book comes out, 15% percent of which goes to pay the agent) she netted less than half. Of the $40k+ royalty for a top 20 NYT bestselling book. She got zero in her paycheck (because she has to pay back the advance).

Writers don’t write for the money. Most of us write to keep our sanity, because we really do have other people’s voices (our characters) talking incessantly in our heads.

So how long, exactly do you need to work at this before you start making anything at all? It depends. That’s the straight up truth.

Read this and you’ll understand: How do You Know When to Quit over at Murderati.  You stop when you can’t go anymore, and for most writers, the process is far more invovled that the end result you see on a bookstore shelf.  We spend months, sometimes years, of our lives on stuff you read in a week or less. 

The truth about writing is this, and I’m only telling you because I know a lot of people want to write the Great American Novel someday: Writing is a lot of work. Hard work. The majority of time you are rejected. Persistence is key. Talent is important. Learning and improving your craft a constant given. But timing, opportunity, just like the singer Susan Boyle in the link you’ll find in the Murderati link, that is the critical element that makes it all come together.

The two winners are: Kim Giardna who’ll be getting both a $20 gift certificate to Wicked Wines Online (where she can indulge in either red Vampire Vodka or other Vampire Winery offerings) and a copy of Salvation of the Damned.

MelJPrincess, you’ve won those snazzy customizable chrome fangs and a copy of Salvation of the Damned.

Congratulations to you both!

The truth is if you pick up pen and put it to paper or type on your keyboard and create a story or an article, you are in fact a writer. But here’s the thing: if you want to get paid for that writing, you have to write what you can sell.

Case in point – as much as I love my dark fae stories, they are going to have to wait. Why? Because I’ve been asked to send in more vampire story proposals. It’s more likely those stories will sell, since that is what is being requested. Is it a guarantee? Absolutlely not.  But as much as you love writing “the book inside you” or “the book of your heart” a working writer writes with the guideline of writing to sell. If there’s an opportunity in a market, then you see what you can do about it.

I’m not saying that writers should blindly follow trends. You have to write what you are able to write (for example don’t ditch the historical and write an erotic romance if you really feel that it is totally unlike you). At the same time you have to be willing to stretch yourself. For a long time (from about the mid 90s until two years ago) historical writers were faced with a downturn in the market for historical romances. Many of them started writing contemporary romances or paranormals or even romantic suspense. Some of them have recently begun writing historicals again.

Being flexible doesn’t mean that you’re selling out. It means that no matter where your readers might be, you’re going to work to reach them.

So how to you decide what to write? Start with what moves you as a reader. What stories capture your imagination most? What do you like to read most? Do you have an idea that you can see fitting into the current market – in other words, if you went into a bookstore would you be able to figure out where it would be stocked on the shelf?

Start there. Then do your homework. Pick up those books you love and find out who the publisher is. Find out who agents that author (the Internet is amazing for this, but you can usually find clues in the dedication or thank you section in the beginning of a book too.)

Then sit down and write the book, the whole book, not just a few chapters. If you don’t have a critique group, then consider joining a writer’s group. There’s one out there for just about everything, Mystery Writers of America, Romance Writers of America, Thriller Writers, Pacific Northwest Writers Association. Google and you’ll find something close to you. Go to a meeting and start asking questions. You might be amazed what you learn.

And last, even if the book isn’t selling right now, don’t be afraid to put it aside. It might sell another time. For if there is one thing that is consistent about publishing, it is that everything changes.

Go forth and write!

But I am excited! Twice now I’ve come so close (those of you who still ask me when The Spellbound Bride is coming out, I’m working on it and waiting on publishers). But the third time is the charm! 

I hope you’ll hop over to the Harlequin site and take a look. If you’d like to read an excerpt, check out the books section on my site and you’ll find it.

In the meantime, I’ll be hopping around several blogs this month talking vampires, paranormal romances and what not. Google, you’ll find them. Leave a comment on any of them (or here!) and I’ll include you in a contest where you can win either a pair of customizable chrome fangs (perfect for those of you thinking of going to the Romantic Times Convention’s annual vampire ball) or a gift certificate to Wicked  Wines Online where you can find Vampyre Vodka (that’s red!), Dracula Syrah, Chateau Du Vampire Bordeaux and Dark Vampire Chocolate, among other goodies. Winner to be announced April 1, 2009 (and no, I’m not joking).

And now, I’m off to celebrate!  Hey my first book just came out!

The other thing is I often wonder why people even bother to blog. Unless you’ve got a group (like we do at www.titlewave.blogspot.com) you don’t get a lot of action on a single author blog.

But no matter, I shall be a better blogger.

I’ll be making some changes to this site because, let’s face it, every few years you need a little refreshing. And as much as I love this site, it’s a little too pink and perky for what I’ve been writing lately. Take my latest book out March 1 – Salvation of the Damned. Pretty much the hero needs to kill the heroine to save all his kind (aka vampires). See what I mean?

Here’s the whole gist of the book:
Every thousand years, a plague ravages the vampire population, bringing them to near extinction. In forty-eight hours, a virus will turn all vampires into their true chronological age and kill them all, unless the right woman is sacrificed. It is a ritual that vampire Raphael has made before. Every millennium, he finds the perfect woman and seduces her so thoroughly that she willing gives her own life and soul to save his kind. But only once in six thousand years has he fallen in love with his victim…

Then he sees Evaline St. Croix at a Mardi Gras costume party and feels the same raw need he felt for Isabeau. Eva feels an instant connection to Raphael, too, as if they’ve known each other forever. His voice and touch bring strange memories to her mind…and an explosive desire to her body.

Could Eva be the reincarnation of Raphael’s lost love? And if she is, has he found her again only to lose her once more?

So this year, better blogging, a new book (yea!) and a new site (cool!). Hopefully 2009 is good for you too!

What I want to know is this: what do you look for in a blog that keeps you interested?