On business plans and self-publishing books

I’ve been thinking some more about business plans and writers.

You know, I really think most writers (and maybe this is also true of other artistic people) hope that if we have something important to say, that’s really all that matters.

And for writers whose overall desire is to help others rather than to get rich and famous, we assume God will take our good intentions and see that it all comes out right.

I wish that was true. But it rarely is.

One prime example is in the area of publishing books. Over the years, I’ve talked to lot of people who have written and self-published a book without any idea of how the publishing business works. And many of them are offended when you ask them if they’ve studied the business of writing and been published elsewhere and so forth. Some of them have told me they didn’t even want to have an editor touch their words because the words are precious - either it’s their story and can’t be changed, or the words/thoughts came from God and should not be altered.

The problem is, this attitude is both unrealistic and self-defeating.

There are three problems with 90% of the books I’ve seen from these authors.

1. Although the work may be okay in the sense of having few spelling or grammatical errors, the writing is usually of poor quality, often lacking in direction.
2. The product itself is not usually comparable to what is on bookstore shelves. In other words, it “looks” self-published to the objective eye.
3. Usually, there is no marketing plan, and little work has been done towards actually selling the book before it is in print.

What’s that saying, “Three strikes and you’re out?”

I do understand. In their minds, what really matters is the idea they are trying to pass on to others.

I wish it was easier to get that idea across.

But the reality is that most people will never read past the first few pages.

The packaging has to be there. Every day, people judge books by their cover and by the words on the first page.

From my experience, those writers who succeed are generally the ones who are able to balance the art, craft, business, and ministry of their work and not get bogged down too heavily into any one of the areas.

A business plan template for writers

I’ve always been good at coming up with goals and steps to take to achieve those goals. Okay, the truth is, I’m one of those people who can easily go overboard and come up a million intricate little steps - 1, 2, 3… a,b,c… - and then get busy and forget all about half of them. In other words, the planning is more fun for me than the doing.

 

 

But when Linda Wegner posted a blog about how writers and editors need to have a business plan, I had to sit up. I’m a freelance writer; but because I’ve never had to support myself by my writing, I had never really thought of it in quite that way. Plan? Yes. Business? Not really.

 

 

And yet… it made sense. Most of us would like to at least break even, if not earn some income doing this.

 

 

Since I did have goals for 2007, and since I do think of writing as my career path, I decided to do the business plan thing. There were a few difficulties. It was hard to find a template that gave me the categories I needed to use. And it’s hard to say what will happen in something as tentative as writing. You can do all the right things and not make a sale. Or you can do one little thing and come up big.

 

 

But anyway, I forged ahead. And because I have this inborn need to share whatever I learn, I came up with some basic questions a writer could use to begin putting together a business plan.

 

 

1. What is my overall long-term goal (strategic plan)? (Write a book, become a full-time journalist, earn x amount of money per year through writing, develop a ministry using my writing skills…)

 

 

2. What do I need to do this year to move closer to achieving my long-term goals (tactical plan)?

 

 

3. What resources do I already have that will help me learn the skills I need and keep me motivated? (books I’ve bought but need to read; yahoo groups I’m on; organizations I belong to; friendships with other writers, etc.) What can I do to make better use of these resources? (read the books, get more involved with the organization, start/join a critique group, etc.)

 

 

4. How much money can I invest in buying books, getting the equipment I need, taking classes, membership in writers’ organizations, attending conferences, doing research, etc.?

 

 

5. How much time can I invest in writing? (an hour a day, one day a week, two months out of the year?

 

 

 

6. When will I write? (first thing in the morning, from 9 to 12 PM, Saturdays…

 

7. When do I need to begin earning money, and how much do I need to earn to make this viable for me?

 

 

8. Are there any writing-related ways I can earn money that are less open to chance (editing, critiquing, speaking, etc.)

 

I think answering these questions will give you a good start. Please leave a comment or suggestion if I’ve missed something!

 

 

Some suggestions for people just starting out:

 

 

1. Think in terms of five years. Where do I want to be in five years? What do I need to do this year to get myself closer to where I want to be?

 

 

2. Think in terms of building a resume. Start with small tasks, local or denominational markets, and then when you have learned the basics, look for bigger challenges.

 

 

3. Look for things you are good at and leverage the skills you already have before worrying about learning new skills. (eg. if you are a nurse, consider starting by writing articles about nursing and related things rather than jumping into a whole new area you don’t know much about.)

 

 

4. The kinds of writing more likely to earn you income: technical writing, journalism, fillers, business writing

 

 

5. The kinds of writing least likely to earn you income: poetry, fiction, memoir, personal opinion

Character descriptions I love - Shalako

I’m going to be teaching a workshop in Winnipeg this Saturday on “Creating characters that live on.”

 

 

In my notes, I have a long list of character descriptions I love. Instead of just printing off reams of information (which I tend to do for workshops), I decided it makes sense to post some of them here. So here goes.

 

The first is a description of Shalako from the Louis L’Amour book of the same name. Louis was a great writer in many way, not the least of which was his ability to draw you in and make you care about his characters.

 

“Lean as a famine wolf but wide and thick in the shoulder, the man called Shalako was a brooding man, a wary man, a man who trusted to no fate, no predicted destiny, nor to any luck. He trusted to nothing but his weapons, his horses, and the caution with which he rode. His hard-boned face was tanned to saddle leather under the beat-up, black, felt-crowned hat. He wore fringed shotgun chaps, a faded red shirt, a black handkerchief knotted about his throat, and a dozen scars of knife and bullet.”

 

Louis L’Amour, Shalako

Walking the fiction tightrope: writing with faith and honesty

I was writing a scene around Paul Manziuk, my police officer in Shaded Light, and suddenly he decided to swear.

I told him he couldn’t. I don’t swear myself. Why would I swear when writing?

 

He said he wasn’t me.

 

 

True.

 

 

He said that he was hot, tired, and frustrated, and he really needed to say one mild swear word.

 

 

I agreed that under those circumstances I might feel the same way.

 

 

Paul said, “So?”

 

 

I reminded him that I’m a Christian, although I think the real reason I don’t swear is that I find the words offensive.

 

 

Paul reminded me that although he attends church with his wife now and then, he doesn’t feel any restrictions for religious reasons. Plus he doesn’t swear much. What’s the harm in one little word?

 

 

I explained that Christian publishers don’t want any swear words in their books.

 

 

He countered by saying, “If you want me to be me, you should let me use the word.”

 

 

I gave in. Later, my publisher, a Christian who was not actually publishing for the Christian market, asked me to take it out. I removed the offensive word, but I felt dishonest.

 

 

Much later, I decided that my integrity is more important to me than having a book in print. In future, I would write the book that is inside me wanting to get out, being true to the character and situations that I need to write about, and I would not worry about getting published.

 

 

Every writer is unique. And every author will have a different book burning inside. Someone raised in an evangelical Christian home may find it quite easy to write a book that will fit into most Christian publishing houses. But I wasn’t raised in that kind of home. So I can write for a different audience; one that, like Paul Manziuk, might use a swear word now and then.

 

 

But Paul was a small stretch: Shane Donahue, my main character in In Time of Trouble, was something else. A troubled 18-year old from a non-Christian home, in real life, Shane would get drunk, take drugs, have illicit sex, swear, etc.

 

 

Why would a nice Christian lady who doesn’t do any of those things, who has four well-adjusted, terrific sons, choose to write about a character like this? No idea, except I had to. God placed him in my heart.

 

 

How could I portray him without being dishonest? I had to show him drinking, hanging out with the wrong crowd, swearing, alienating his parents, making poor choices…

 

 

Because my real goal was to show what happens to someone like Shane who allows God into his life, I strove for balance, to give just enough images of his life without wallowing in them. I wanted the reader to understand what it was like for Shane so that he or she would look at flesh and blood young people with compassion instead of anger.

 

 

We ended up forming a publishing company to publish the book. It was far too “Christian” for a secular publisher, but we knew it would never fit the guidelines of the Christian publishers.

 

 

And the reviews, mostly from Christian sources, have praised the book for being “real.”

 

 

How odd. Jesus said he was the Truth. He told the story of the prodigal son and forgave the women caught in adultery. Should we as Christians not be the ones leading the “reality” charge?

 

 

Yet many Christians seem to prefer books that are safe. “Our customers trust us, and certain shelves need to provide the safety our customers expect,” says Margo Smith of Hull’s family Bookstore in Winnipeg.

 

 

But Margo also thinks we can have shelves for the other books written by Christians that perhaps aren’t quite so safe. Not all Christians want to be protected.

 

 

The reality is that less than half of the people who call themselves Christian even go inside Christian bookstores. What books do they read? Grisham, perhaps. Stephen King. Who knows?

 

 

For years, I have read very little “Christian fiction” because I couldn’t find much I wanted to read. I wanted books I could identify with, stories that helped me deal with the realities of my life.

 

 

There is a huge difference between glorifying bad language and allowing a character to swear so you can see the character as he or she is.

 

 

There is a huge difference between pretending that Christians only have little problems that are easily resolved and showing what might happen when a Christian commits adultery or drinks too much or gets divorced or has an abortion.

 

 

“Christian fiction writers and indeed their readers,” says Margo Smith, “are often much more comfortable when the ugly side of life is portrayed as life outside of Christ. [But] the best Christian writers effectively weave in the theme of ordinary people committing evil, which is much more interesting, applicable and even helpful to those of us who are trying to come to grips with a complex world.”

Every writer will struggle with the external boundaries for characters and plot lines, but above all else, we must be honest with ourselves, and trust the God who made us to help us write the book we have inside.

Copyright N. J. Lindquist. Not to be reused in any way without permission.
This article was first published in Exchange newsletter in July 2003.

The dilemma of being a Christian who writes fiction

 

 

 

 

Writing fiction would be easier if I wasn’t a Christian. I’d just sit down and write whatever I wanted. No problem.

But I am a Christian. And it has been a problem.

When I began writing 30 years ago, I had a BA in English along with the English medal for my graduating class. And I had a very strong faith in God. It seemed natural to me to combine the two aspects in my writing.

I found, however, that not all fiction written by Christians was for me. Some books, like the Narnia series, delighted me. A few, like In His Steps, challenged me. But many of the others seemed trite and unrealistic. How could I write in a genre that I couldn’t whole-heartedly endorse? (Of course I didn’t like a lot of the secular books either!)

As a Christian, did I need to write for the Christian market? Or should I just try to write great fiction, regardless of content or theme? Over the years, I tried various things. Some worked and some didn’t. Eventually, I realized it wasn’t simply a Christian/secular issue, but a far more complex one. I had to understand the various kinds of fiction, determine whether I was going to write for the market or for myself, and strive to achieve excellence in my work.

 

To begin with, I sorted the possible fiction markets into four categories and I decided I would not limit what I write but simply determine which ideas fit best in each category and write accordingly.

 

 

Category A: That which is commonly known as Christian fiction—stories that are comfortable and safe for evangelical Christians to read—no overt sex or violence or swearing, solid hope-filled themes, Christian characters another Christian can relate to, plotlines which teach something good for a person who is already a Christian. Likely to be found primarily in Christian bookstores.

 

 

Many Christian writers, including myself, still sometimes find writing for category A frustrating. The restrictions can be stifling. Sometimes a character really needs to swear. Sometimes there can be no happy ending.

 

 

A number of Christian writers I have talked to say they don’t read a lot of Christian fiction because in the past so many of these stories have placed the message above the character and plot. These writers say they care more about well-written stories than stories with a Christian message. But the same authors who may not read much Christian fiction may still be writing for that market. Perhaps the hope is that the level of quality will be raised, and perhaps that is indeed happening.

 

 

Category B: Stories where the main theme or themes fit with Christianity—redemption, salvation, etc.—but the story may have elements that some evangelical Christians would be uncomfortable reading. Some will be close to category A (eg. the Narnia books, the Mitford series), but others will have swearing or other unacceptable things in them. While some will be found in Christian bookstores, more will be found in secular bookstores or public libraries. (Eg. Susan Howatch.) These may be published by Christian companies, secular companies, or companies that have divisions in both areas.

 

 

Category C: Stories written by Christians but not specifically dealing with any Christian issues or themes. May be light or heavy. Likely to be found in only secular bookstores. (Eg. Dorothy Sayers, P. D. James). They are normally published by secular companies.

 

 

 

Category D: Stories with at least one character who comes to have a faith in God. The evangelistic overtones can be overt or subtle. The goal is normally to have the reader make a similar decision. These stories are normally quite difficult to get published, especially if they are overtly evangelical. They are not really targeted for Christians and therefore may not interest Christian publishers, yet may be too Christian for a secular publisher/bookstore.

 

While many Christian writers veer toward this type of book, few publishers are looking for this kind of story.

 

 

As I struggled over the years to decide which of these categories is the best one, I finally realized that none of them is any better or more sacred than the others. In other words, God calls Christians to write in every one of these categories. Some of us will stick to a single category; others will write in two or even three categories; a few of us will write in all four. But (and this is an important discovery) every Christian doesn’t have to write Christian fiction, and it isn’t mandatory to have the gospel message in every book we write. If we seek God’s direction, strive for excellence, and ask him to use not only our writing but every part of our lives, we will be fulfilling his call to be fiction writers.

 

 

Copyright N. J. Lindquist 2002. The contents of this blog were first published in Exchange magazine. Not to be reprinted without permission.