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!

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!

You know I was just beginning to think that Spring was really here. Near my house there is a wetland area and every year I wait to hear the chorus of tree frogs start up. That’s a sure sign Spring is just around the corner. Well the frogs have been singing. Loudly.

Then I saw the crocus coming up and even had a few early daffodils bloom. That’s a irrefutable sign Spring is here.

And we even had the Spring Equinox so it isn’t getting dark before 5 p.m. anymore.

But then it happened. Today, April 1, April Fool’s Day. Apparently Mother Nature is in on gags today too, because it’s snowing! I can’t even begin to tell you how wrong that is. We live in an area that gets decorative snow maybe once a year. You know the kind that falls, is there for a day to make snowmen, then melts away?

Sigh. Just when I thought it was Spring…

I guess it’s Mother Nature’s way of saying Spring Break is for writing, go back to your keyboard!

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!

While Edward is a vampire, and that just brings in a whole slew of readers right there, he’s also got the whole bad-boy-who’s-still-safe thing going for him. He’s older (though not in physical years, if you aren’t counting not aging the nearly 100 years he’s been changed), he’s smart, he’s got money, he’s got a dangerous edge about him with his supernatural strength. But he’s also not going to initiate anything physical with Bella (in order to protect her). What’s not for a girl to fantasize about?

The thematic that love is sacrifice only adds to the whole deal.

Reader will excuse Bella’s whining, her fit of utter morose depression, her near cultish following of the Cullens, because dammit, it’s for love. And love is worth any price (see references to Romeo and Juliet between the pages of Meyer’s books for further explanation.)

But what really struck me was how completely wrapped up my tween and a fifty-year-old family guy friend could be in the same set of books. Meyer’s (and I am NOT saying this because our names are so similar) excells at bringing people to the base level of their emotions that can cut across gender, age, ethinicity and class. Beyond fear, anger and love (as basic as you get) there is guilt, sorrow, pain, trust, devotion and hope.

As writer’s we really get into what makes readers experience the book like we see it in our heads. As readers, well hell, we just get into the story and appreciate one that makes people start talking.

What are your thoughts on what makes the Twilight series so popular?

The same thing is happening just as innocently (or not) at a site called esnips.com which has allowed the posting of entire copyrighted books for free download.

Here’s the problem with it:
1) The author NEVER gets paid for this. Author doesn’t get paid, author can’t write more books for audience, even if said audience loves his or her work. How would you like someone else taking home your paycheck no matter how many hours you put in at work?

2) You make think that you’re only “one” person downloading a book, music or copying a movie, but you’re not. Millions of people do it and when they do, they bankrupt the industry that is providing them entertainment. (Which refers back to point number one, you want new material, you have to make sure the writer can make a living producing new material. Which, by the way is minimal for most authors anyway—something like 40 cents per paperback book when it’s bought at full price.)

3) Posting copyrighted material is a crime. It is punishable by law…and frankly I wouldn’t want to tangle with some of the attorneys for authors that esnips currently has circulating in their cyber-space (ie Nora Roberts…among others).

So don’t be lured by those ruby slippers, people. I have a feeling the big bad witch of publishing is about to go postal on said site, and like the whole Napster thing, you don’t want to be caught with your computer harboring dirty laundry.

The funny thing is that for most writers, we’ll do anything but write. (Witness the rage in blogging, which doesn’t actually count toward the word count of your book going up.) We’ll do housework, we’ll do bills, we’ll even do taxes rather than plunk our butts in a chair and actually write.

Why?

The reasons are as different and individual as the writer. For me, it’s a matter of not wanting to get interrupted. Well, partially. Once I ‘m in the story, I don’t want someone yanking me back out. It’s like going to a movie and then having your kids tell you 2/3 of the way into the movie they’ve gotta go pee. You know you’re going to miss something big by leaving.

The same thing happens when I write. My brian is just getting rolling, the movie of my book is playing in my head and I’m writing it down as fast as I can to keep up. Then, BAM! Everything grinds to a hault because she hit me, he won’t stop bugging me, the cat ate my bird and dinner’s burning on the stove. Getting back into the frenzied heart-pumping action of a fight scene or the sensual buzz of a love scene is a lot harder when you’ve got to get into it again.

The other thing I guess that keeps me away is the fear of failure. Down deep I tell myself that If I finish this book, then I have to send it in. If they don’t take it (which, judging by the thickness I’ve developed in my rejection file is more often than not) then I’ve wasted those months and years of my life I spent writing it. Which isn’t true! Once a story is on the page, it is forever out of my head and available to share. It has power to speak to people and change ideas. If it remains stuck in the recesses of my mind, it ends when I do.

*sigh*

OK, enough pep talk. Now I’ve got to get back to work!

This year’s ATIII finalists are:

Kim Howe – ONE SHOT, TWO KILLS
Meretta Pater – RISING SIN
Jenny Gardiner – SLEEPING WITH WARD CLEAVER
Judi Fennell – BEAUTY AND THE BEST
Sally Stotter – DARE YOU
Raz Steel – PASS THE KRYPTONITE
Linda Thomas-Sundstrom – BARBIE AND THE BEAST
Cathy Pegau – HAUNTED
Lindsey Brookes – OPERATION: DATE ESCAPE
Big congratulations ladies! You’ve made the first major hurdle!

Now for the rest of the race…

Best Advice:
1. Don’t neglect your writing. It’ll be tempting to say you can’t think straight or you need a Xanax for your stomach, but keep writing anyway. Even if it’s only a page a day. Don’t stop. It can be a major writing block if you do.

2. Keep yourself organized. This is going to be a long trip, ladies, so keep yourself sane by knowing where you put everything. You’ve already experienced the ASAP deadlines. Those don’t stop!

3. Take a breather. When you can, relax and take time to be just a normal person with NON Writer friends. People who support you but have no idea why or how you are doing this. Competition is grueling work.

4. Enjoy the ride. It’ll be over soon enough, so for now enjoy being a finalist! You made it. You are one of TEN in the NATION! That’s huge! Go use it for what it’s worth with agents and in pitching your other books starting now. Don’t wait until this is all over. You are a star right now!

Voting begins on Oct. 15-29th at www.romantictimes.com. But if you can’t wait and want a preview…go to the Title Wave blog starting this Friday and see the exclusive pre-voting interviews with all the ATIII finalists!