Debut Author Herm Groman

JW: Former colleague, and now fellow-author, Herm Groman is my special guest blogger today. Herm, we spent ten years together in the Detroit Division of the FBI, all of which helped cement the special bond we share today. Your first book, Pigeon Spring, debuts this month. Give our readers a thumbnail sketch about your background.

HG: What a great ten years it was too! I know this might sound a little weird, but Detroit was the most exciting city we could have been assigned to at the time. Being an FBI Agent there exposed us to the best criminal work that an FBI Agent could hope for. I got transferred to Detroit from the Pittsburgh office in 1982 and was first assigned to an organized crime squad, then to a drug squad, and finally to a public official corruption squad. During all three of those assignments, I was fortunate to work a lot of undercover operations and major cases. Then I went to the Las Vegas FBI office where once again I went undercover on several major organized crime and public official corruption cases. When I retired five years ago, I was on the Special Operations Team. This was post 9-11, so we did a lot of work related to terrorism all over the country.

JW: What prompted you to write a novel, it seems a rather ambitious beginning to a writing career? Why not start with a short story to get your feet wet?

HG: Good question John. The answer is I fell in love. I fell in love with rural Nevada, its people, the history, and the landscape. I already loved Las Vegas, but there really are two Nevadas. I wanted to tell a story about both of them. I guess it’s a lot like any large project. You think you know where you are going with it, and before you know it, it develops a life of its own. It was a labor of love.

JW: You’re Chief of Security at a major casino in Las Vegas, which had to play a huge role in your book. Tell us how that impacted your story.

HG: It does play a major role in the novel. As you know from having the good fortune to have served as an FBI Special Agent, we were exposed to an incredible number of real life situations and characters that serve as a basis for great stories. The casino business is the same target-rich environment for these wacky colorful stories. I couldn’t make up some of this stuff. My imagination isn’t that good. But it doesn’t have to be; real life is so much more entertaining.

JW: I know the excitement and emotion I felt when I saw the finished product for my first book. Share with us what your feelings when you opened the box and saw Pigeon Spring for the first time.

HG: The closest I can come to describing it is, it’s like Christmas morning and Santa just left the house. I still go to Amazon.com at least once a day and just stare at the book cover and shake my head. To say it’s exciting is an understatement. Today some guy came into my office at the casino with six books he purchased and asked me to sign them. It’s a blast!

JW: I know the book is a mystery, but without giving away too much of the story, tell us what Pigeon Spring is about.

HG: It’s largely set in rural Nevada, but the story takes the reader from the glitz, glamour, and scams of a Las Vegas casino to the serene beauty of the Sierra Nevada where retired FBI Agent Matt Steel encounters someone from his past. The story has a mystical twist to it as well. I like to think there is something for everyone in the book. There’s action, mystery, history and a surprise ending in which an ancient Native American artifact plays pivotal role.

JW: I suspect we may see some Herm Groman traits in your protagonist. With all of your undercover experience, does your book’s character get involved in that work as well?

HG: I couldn’t keep him out of it. The undercover work comes out in a big way, but Matt Steel isn’t the Hollywood stereotypical flawed protagonist. You know…the drunken divorced retired cop who drives like a maniac. I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of that guy. He’s predictable and boring. Matt is an honest straight forward guy with a sense of humor. You know he’s a good guy right away, but I think readers will find him to be an interesting character with a few tricks up his sleeve.

JW: Sounds fascinating, Herm. What are your plans after Pigeon Spring, perhaps a sequel?

HG: I’ve really learned a lot about the writing process this past year. I’m taking that experience and moving forward with a sequel. I feel like I’ve found a place for Matt and the characters he encounters at the casino and rural Nevada. Both places are a rich and diverse source of colorful stories and I enjoy blending them together. This next one starts off with the bribery of an unnamed politician, the murder of a prostitute, and centers around a nuclear waste repository in rural Nevada.

JW: Thanks for being a guest on my blog. For those of you interested in Herm’s work, you can go to his website: www.hermangroman.com/about/about.htm. I took a look at your site, Herm . . . you have plenty of signings and appearances lined up. For those who can’t make it to Vegas, I know your book is available online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-million, and of course through your publisher, TotalRecall Press. Good luck, my friend.

What Is A One-Word Sentence?

Can one word be a sentence? Can I use one word for emphasis? Find out here: A one-word sentence.

Your First Book Signing

Let me disabuse some of you of the notion that once you've been published, it's smooth sailing afterward. Take a look at this video and please leave comments: Signing In Walden Books

Don't Get Sidetracked

You're writing and things are moving along, your muse is alive and operating on all cylinders. And then it happens--you get to a point where you're not sure about something . . . an address, a date, something that needs to be researched a little. Do you stop and look it up?

Here's a practice that has worked for me: simply type, in all caps, the words MORE INFO after whatever it is that needs verifying, and then move on. You can return later and do whatever needs to be done, but don't stop the flow of ideas, particularly when they're running downstream like a twig in a strong current.

Rejection Letters

It's not easy to accept a rejection letter. Every writer feels the same, that they've done their best and polished their manuscript to the point of near perfection. To have your work rejected by publishers pains even the strongest of us. But all is not lost. Follow this link to discover that you are not the only one to suffer this indignity: Famous Rejections.

Strangely, it comforts me to know that an author such as John Grisham, had his novel, A Time to Kill, rejected by 16 publishers before finding an agent who eventually rejected him as well.

Do I Need A Literary Agent?

The short answer is: maybe. There are publishers who won't even give your query letter a look, if it hasn't been submitted by an agent. If you are a new author who doesn't know his way around the publishing industry, having an agent is probably a wise idea, and here are a few reasons why:

• they know which publishers to contact, which saves you from sending out useless inquiries
• they work to sell your book to a publisher, since they don't get paid unless your proposal is sold
• they ensure your proposal is solid and powerful, and will work with you if it's not

Where do I look for an agent? There are a number of publications in print: Writers Digest Guide to Literary Agents, Writer's Guide to Book Editors, Publishers, and Literary Agents, are two places to start. And there are numerous sites online, the best is the Association of Authors' Representatives (AAR). If your agent is not a member, continue your search.

Here's a link to an excellent article by Bobbi Linkemer, herself an author of 14 books, an editor, ghost writer, and book writing teacher: WHAT EVERY AUTHOR SHOULD KNOW ABOUT LITERARY AGENTS.

Character Development

If you're writing a novel that involves many characters, how do you keep track of them? What does each one look like, habits, dress, family history, etc., these are things which can slow you down, just when you get rolling on a chapter. One way to solve the problem is to maintain a character chart. Here's a link to a blog with a free downloadable chart: Character Chart.

It's quite a comprehensive one to be sure,and it's a bit too lengthy for my tastes. When I start a novel, I have a general idea of who the characters will be and their role. Then as I get into the story, I flesh them out, depending on what the story dictates. As I develop them, I write down new traits, or characteristics, idiosyncrasies, etc., and when I'm finished writing, I go into a Word document, named "Characters." I keep a bulleted list of each character, briefly describing them and their background. Whenever I need to add another dimension, I simply go to the document and add another bullet.

It works for me, but if you're having a problem with keeping your characters straight, particularly if you haven't worked on the piece for a while, reading your character chart is a quick way to refresh you memory.

What's An ISBN?

The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a 10-digit number that uniquely identifies books and book-like products published internationally. The number identifies a title, or an edition of one, and allows booksellers, libraries, and book wholesalers and distributors an efficient way to market books.

The ISBN consists of ten digits, divided into four parts, each separated by a hyphen. It is unique to the book to which it is assigned, identifying it as: large print, trade paper, hardcover, audio CD, downloadable audio, Kindle e-book, Sony e-reader, etc. Without an ISBN, book stores, especially online, would not know what the customer is actually ordering.

If your book has an ISBN, make sure you get it listed in BIP (Books In Print). R.R. Bowker runs the US ISBN Agency. It licenses BIPs to Barnes & Noble, Borders, libraries, and the top three search engines. Without an ISBN, your book will not automatically appear in searches like Google. Then you're left to your own devices, your own marketing expertise, to get your book out to the people.

ISBNs are a gateway to marketing; not having one is like knocking on a door and getting no answer.

Sometimes Smaller Is Better

Many writers would love to have the opportunity to choose between a large publisher and a small one, or an independent, as they're called. So which one is better? Each has their own unique capabilities and each will accomplish the same thing: get your book out to the reading public.

This year's Pulitzer Prize winner in fiction can tell you that bigger isn't always better. Here's his story: Is bigger always better? It's an interesting read, one that gives hope to those who are working with small, independent publishing houses (I'm one of them).

One of the the things that struck me while reading the insightful interview was how the author built his platform, something we've been discussing on my blog. Public appearances, book signings, Internet presence--they all add up to develop readers who are loyal to you and your work. Check out the link, it's good stuff.

Basic Mistakes

We all make them, mistakes that seem obvious . . . afterward. As the words are flowing and ideas are popping in our head like kernels of corn floating in hot grease, we fall into them, naturally. Writer's Digest came up with a short list of 8 Basic Writing Blunders. I could add to the list, but at the risk of embarrassing myself, I'll pass only these eight on to you. It's good stuff; a great reminder about how important it is to be concise and not over-state the obvious.

Ever Read A Publishing Contract?

I'm not a lawyer, I don't even play one on TV, but it almost takes one to decode some of the language in publishing contracts. If you're fortunate enough to be offered a contact, here's a good source to take a look at before you sign: Rachelle Gardner's Literary Agent website.

How Many Words For A Novel?

Writers are always wondering about the length of the book they are writing. Should they be counting pages or words? Most publishers will ask for a word count, rather than page count. The number will vary with each author, depending on style, and I've heard a lot of numbers thrown about. My best answer is this: anything under 50K is considered a novella, and over that number would be a novel. The average word count for a novel is generally between 80 - 120K. Of course the best answer is to continue to write until you've finished telling your story.

Free Books

Going shopping for books? Do it from home while sitting in your pajamas. You can shop for free eBooks right on your computer, download them, and begin to enjoy your new books in minutes. Just click on this link and get started: Top 20 Sites For Free eBooks.

The Query Letter

What separates published authors from those who are not? I submit that it's not talent, or a compelling story, no, more than likely it's the query letter. I ran across a great article about that topic here: The Query Letter, it's written by Garly Samailes, who has ten books in print by four separate publishers.

I urge you to read his blog. In it he shares his secret: the four paragraph approach to a query letter. It makes a lot of sense, and includes some of the things I've blogged about earlier, things like web presence via your own website, Twitter, FaceBook, and other social networks.

After you've read that entry, click on some of the other informative links on his site. It's a great blog to follow, which is another way to improve your chance of writing success.

Don't Be Invisible

Whether you've had your work published or not--a novel, book, poetry, or short stories--you need to get your name and your work out there. Think about it . . . who better to promote your work than yourself? There are a myriad of ways to market your wares, many of which can be done while sitting at your own comfortable desk. Here's a website that expands on marketing, how to build your platform, as it were: Author Marketing Experts.

The good news is the standard query letter has not gone away. Publishers continue to utilize this tried and true method of ferreting out manuscripts for publication. And you can increase your chances of success and being noticed through social networking via Facebook, Twitter, Squidoo, and blogging. Don't forget to build your own website, where you can link to other similar sites and people can link to you.

Make no mistake, this is the electronic age where ePublishing, eReaders, and virtual books are a burgeoning market and necessary tool. To ignore this simple fact diminishes your chance for success.

Kindle Makes A Move

Beginning next week, the Kindle reader, which was formerly sold only on Amazon's website, will be available at Target. This is a huge move, one that reflects the enormous growth of eReaders and ePublishing. (free Kindle software is already available as an iPhone app) It follows Best Buy's lead--they are selling the Barnes & Noble eReader, The Nook.

eBooks Are Here To Stay

Publishing is in the midst of an upheaval not seen for decades. While many of us long to see our work memorialized in something tangible--a hardcover book with a beautiful dust jacket--the fact is that more publishers are coming to terms with ePublishing. The fact that companies such as Google and Apple are aggressively seeking books to publish on their readers isn't bad for the industry. It means the market is more open than it's been in decades.

Rather than bemoan the fact that conventional publishing seems to be in a state of decline, revel in the burgeoning market of electronic publishing. At this moment it may not be as lucrative monetarily, but it is a vehicle for your work to reach thousands of readers.

The eBook Mall

Online Writing Courses

Writers need advice, critiquing, and interaction. One of the ways to get help with your writing is to simply take a course. Since many people's lives are busy: kids, school, work, etc., many of us cannot commit to signing up for a course at the local college. The answer: an online writing course.

Is it worth it? Probably, although a class in which there is human contact, real-time critiquing, is more valuable, an online course is the next best thing. Here's a link to an article that discusses the topic at length: Should I Take An OnlineWriting Course?

Some of the considerations to look at before signing up for a course can be found here: How To Choose an Online Writing Class. Now, go do your homework.

Marketing Your Work

You've written, edited, and sold your book to a publisher . . . you're done now, right? Not hardly, now comes the hard work--marketing. Here's a link for those of you who think you're finished once your book is published: WRITERS DIGEST. To give you hope about your future in the industry, here's a quote from the article: "The mediocre writer who can sell is usually more successful than the talented writer who cannot."

The article, Why Don't Publishers Market & Promote the books They Publish?, is an education for those of you who are new to the business of writing. The bottom line is money, it's just not available to all but a few proven writers, and even then the publisher is hoping the writer's reputation will suffice. Indeed, 70% of books don't even earn out their advance.

So if you think that all you have to do is write that novel and then sit back and wait for the royalty checks to roll in, think again. Pack you bags and get ready to hit the road.

Plot Ingredients

The following advice on building a successful plot comes from Frank Creed, The Finishers.Biz:

The most common problems in plot that I have encountered are:

•A slow beginning
•Any inclusion that does not advance the plot (secondary character, dialogue, subplots, narrative, etc.)
•Pacing of events that moves too fast
•Pacing of events that moves too slow
•Subplots that aren’t tied into the main plot at some point
•Protagonist not involved in all events, either directly or indirectly
•Weak conclusion

If these flaws are cleared up in a manuscript, further rewrites to improve plot will merely move information around, not improve quality. It is said an artist is never done with a story; there just comes a time when one must stop working on it.

Great advice, and I agree with his conclusion--"...there comes a time when one must stop working on it." The conundrum--deciding when it's time.