Publishing
FAKE ID in stores NOW
It’s been a long time coming, folks. My novel, FAKE ID, is now available all over. Click HERE to purchase a copy from your preferred bookseller.
Many of you have asked how you can show your support, and I want to thank you for that. Below, you’ll find a few things you can do to help the book (and me) succeed:
1) Buy a copy of FAKE ID (http://www.harpercollins.com/books/Fake-Id-Lamar-Giles/?isbn=9780062121844): This is the best way you can help. Good sales numbers prove to my publisher that I am a good investment, so they will continue to invest. Awesome sales numbers open up the possibility for bestseller lists, which increases visibility, which…well, it goes back to the return on investment thing. Sales keep writers employed.
2) Encourage a friend to buy a copy of FAKE ID: See point 1…
3) Post a review of FAKE ID: FAKE ID has a page on Amazon, B&N.com, Goodreads, or wherever books are sold or reviewed. More reviews increase visibility on those sites. More visibility leads to more sales.
4) Come out to a FAKE ID event: For those in the DMV (D.C., Maryland, Virginia) area, I’ll be doing several events over the next few weeks. Come out and say hi. The first event will be Saturday, Jan. 25th from Noon to 3 at the Greenbrier Barnes & Noble (1212 Greenbrier Pkwy, Chesapeake, VA 23320). The second event will be on Saturday, Feb. 1st from 2PM – 4PM at the Hopewell branch of the Appomattox Regional Library (209 E. Cawson Street, Hopewell, VA 23320). Books will be on sale at the events, so if you’d like to wait and purchase your book on those days, me and the booksellers would greatly appreciate it.
5) Promote Literacy: When I was growing up, I often heard the term “RIF”—Reading is Fundamental. It was true then, it’s still true now. Let’s make sure no one forgets.
Thanks everyone. I’m going for the win in 2014 and I hope you join the team. I will see you on the other side of this crazy and exciting season! Take care.
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FAKE ID, HarperCollins, L.R. Giles, On Sale, publishingClimbing Out of the Hole (my new book)
From The Dark Knight Rises, Warner Bros.
I know I’ve been MIA for roughly a thousand years, but for good reason. I sold another book (cue airhorns, confetti, balloon drop). Thing is, I sold this book on proposal, meaning my publisher (HarperCollins, again) only saw a summary, and some sample chapters before ponying up some cash. Also meaning I had to produce an entire manuscript based on that summary and sample chapters. In six months. While working a brutally demanding day job. And preparing for the 1/21/2014 release of FAKE ID.
These are what we call “good” problems, I suppose. But, boy, did I have to hustle.
So, yeah, I descended into the WriterCave for many moons. Had to climb out. When I did, I emerged with…
The New Book
It’s called ENDANGERED (for now, titles change and I’m almost positive this one will, too). The short description goes like this: Lauren “Panda” Daniels wants to photograph wildlife for National Geographic someday. In the meantime she settles for snapping shots of her cruel classmates in compromising positions and posting them anonymously on the web. When Panda receives a photo of herself—caught red-handed in her voyeuristic revenge act—she expects the mystery photographer to bust her. Instead, she receives a series of dangerous photos from the shutterbug she dubs “The Admirer,” and along with the photos, a dare: top the death-defying snapshots. Panda meets every challenge, until the little game turns deadly. Now Panda must save the classmates she once exposed—their lives, and hers, are at stake.
That’s my latest baby, delivered to my editor at 12:22 PM yesterday. There’s still plenty of work to do here, but it’s a heck of a relief anytime you can call Draft 1 (or, if this was an Apple product, iDraft 1.04) done.
What’s Next?
Now, I must switch gears, as FAKE ID’s release is right around the corner. I’m busy talking to folks about the book (librarians, booksellers, journalists), attempting to make arrangements for a book release party, and generally getting comfortable with the idea of being the front man for a roadshow starting early next year. Is it scary? Hell yeah! In the best way possible? You know it.
In coming posts, I’ll let you know how the lead up is going. My very next post will be about some of the lessons I’ve learned as a pre-debut author. I think you’ll find it interesting and eye-opening if you have any illusions that a writer’s work is glamorous in any way. Getting a book deal is just one of many hurdles, folks. Come back and I’ll tell you about it.
I’d Appreciate Your Help
Book sales matter, particularly the sales in the first few weeks of a book’s release. It would mean a lot if you would either pre-order FAKE ID from your preferred bookseller, or make plans to order it on the release day, 1/21/2014. I’d like to keep doing this for a long time, but ultimately, it’s you who makes that decision.
Every little bit helps, and I appreciate you supporting my work. Thanks.
‘Til next time…
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Endangered, FAKE ID, HarperCollins, Lamar Giles, publishing, thriller, Young AdultExtreme Homepage Makeover
Hey gang…how do you like my new web digs?
In anticipation of the upcoming release of FAKE ID, I decided to give the site a makeover. I want to thank Tessa Elwood of Pop Color Web Design for hooking it up. If you’re in the market for a great site and stellar customer service experience, you’ll want to reach out to her.
Also, if you saw the landing page, you probably noticed the placeholder for the FAKE ID cover. The real thing is coming soon (VERY SOON). Stay tuned, because I may be giving you guys a little bonus once I reveal the cover. Can’t say too much about it, yet, though.
Have a great week. More in a bit.
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2 commentsReaders, why I haven’t been very good to you…
May
11, 2012 |Filed in:
eBooks,eReader,HarperCollins,Indie Spotlight,Kindle,Nook,Publishing,YA Novels
Hey, there. I know it’s been awhile. But look, I bought you flowers.
Now, listen. I know I haven’t been around much, I understand if you don’t want to take my gift, and you’re tired of my disappearing acts. Just…just give me a chance to explain.
See, first, the good news: I’ve been in my cave, producing a bunch of new stuff. Now, the bad news: I can’t really show you any of it yet.
Here’s the sitch: I used to be an independent author. Solely. That meant I could write as fast as possible, publish just as fast, and, generally, keep $*&# moving. That was fun, and kept me in close contact with you. But, the downside involved me being a one-man band. Writer/Cover Designer/Marketer/Editor (well, editorial isn’t necessarily a strong suit, so I did farm that out when I could, but I had to make corrections based on feedback myself, which has resulted in the thing all indie authors fear the most…typos).
As you know, I signed a publishing contract with HarperCollins, one of the largest publishers in America, last August. Harpers will publish my debut YA mystery novel sometime soon (the dates aren’t nailed down). This is something I’ve been working for my whole life, and I’m looking forward to being in bookstores all over the country. BUT, seeing this lifelong dream fulfilled doesn’t come without hiccups.
Harpers is huge, and I’m not even a small cog in their machine. I’m more like lubricant (slosh that around in your head for a minute). I’ll have to work my butt off to be even a low priority there. I’m not complaining, I just want to explain why you, the loyal readers who have supported LIVE AGAIN, THE DARKNESS KEPT, and THE SHADOWS GALLERY, haven’t seen a new book from me in over a year.
There are new books. I’ve finished drafts of 2 novels that aren’t contracted to Harpers. And, though not in their final states, the books are kick-ass. My band has expanded, though. I now have really good beta-readers (for those unfamiliar with the lingo, these are people who aren’t necessarily editors, but who give pro-level critiques) to help make the books better than I ever could on my own. I’ve got two agents (lit and film) who want to see clean versions of the books before anyone else. Then, finally, I’ve got my editor at Harpers, who took a chance on me, and deserves first dibs on these books if she decides they’d fit her list. Bottom line: for those books, I no longer have the ability to hand them directly to you, to be read on your Kindles or Nooks the way I used to. I’m sorry about that.
I don’t mean to neglect you. I should never have neglected you. I’ve come up with something that might help.
I just released a new suspense story, “When Scary People Know Your Name“, to Kindle (A Nook version is coming in a few days). It’s only .99 cents and I think you’ll like it.
I’ll continue to release short, inexpensive stories. Maybe as often as once a month. For you.
Also, since my representatives are focused on my Young Adult work, I’m going to brainstorm something outside of that realm–something longer than a short story–that will please you, too.
See, I haven’t forgotten you, or where I came from.
Please forgive me. Take the flowers. Check out the new story. And be on the lookout for other gifts, coming soon.
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books, ebooks, eReader, Kindle, NookBroken Promises/My Cave
I started the year telling you I was going to update this blog weekly. Didn’t happen. I know you don’t appreciate it, but I hope you can understand my reasoning. I’ve been in my cave. Not hibernating. Writing. A lot. Two-novels-and-a-short-story worth of writing.
Because I’m CIA-like in my distribution of information, here’s how we’ll refer to my current batch of works-in-progress (WIPs):
WIP #1 – WHISPERTOWN. You already know about this one. It’s currently in its 5th (or 6th, who’s counting?) draft and as soon as I receive editorial notes from HarperCollins, I’ll be revising again. Remember, writing is rewriting.
WIP #2 – Untitled Fantasy-Action Hybrid. Currently on Draft #2, starting Draft #3 this week.
WIP#3 – Untitled Horror-Action Hybrid. I completed Draft #1 yesterday. Letting this sit for awhile.
I tell you all that so you know I’m not sitting on my ass playing Call of Duty (well, that does happen sometimes). Still, you deserve an explanation if you’ve been a long time follower.
I will try to do better here. In the meantime, for more immediate updates and musings, I recommend liking my Facebook Fan Page or following me on Twitter. With current time constraints, I’m able to send updates through those tools more frequently.
Thanks for hanging in there. Big news soon folks.
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publishing, revisionsWhat’s it worth to you?
My friend Aimee Salter recently posted a year-by-year breakdown of what it took for me to score a book deal with HarperCollins. It’s a lengthy piece, though, and I’m often contacted by people who are looking for more condensed answers. I’m going to tackle a few of the questions I’ve received lately (look for some of this to make it to the FAQ section of this site), and I’ll continue to do the these brief Q&As as I get more diversified questions. Here we go:
What does it take to be successful in publishing?
I can’t say for sure yet. I’ve been selling fiction for a little over ten years, I’ve been an independent publisher for less than a year, and since my YA Thriller Whispertown won’t debut until 2013, I won’t know how that’s going to measure on the success scale for awhile. Also, the term ‘success’ is relative. I won’t feel like I’m successful until I’m generating full-time income from fiction. I’ve got a long way to go. However, some writers are happy to see just 1 of their stories in print. There’s nothing wrong with that. Just understand that you first need to define success before you can achieve it. Anything else is a dart game in a pitch black room.
What do I have to do to write a book?
The most obvious answer is ‘write a book’. But, that’s a smart ass response and more than a little condescending. I bring that up because I remember being a teenaged newbie and having the opportunity to ask a respected writer about the mysteries of being a novelist. The guy was a total jerk. He actually called me a stupid college kid who asks silly questions which were a waste of his time. He’s still respected among his peers, but I never bought another of his books (I didn’t like his writing that much anyway). My point: I will never treat you this way, Dear Reader. You’re not stupid and there’s no such thing as a silly question. If you ask, I will try to answer. Please note, if you ask me a question that I get a lot I may refer you to the FAQ…it’s just a matter of logistics; I’m not blowing you off. Now, about writing that book…
There’s no concrete method. It takes persistence and consistency, and much like success, you have to define what that means to you. When I’m in the middle of a project with no deadline I shoot for 1,500 – 2,000 words a day, written in the morning under the influence of 1 cup of coffee until it’s done. Once I have a 1st draft I print it, revise on paper, then key in changes until I have a clean 2nd draft. I send the 2nd draft to a handful of trusted readers, wait for their notes, then make more changes. I keep at this until I’m satisfied. I speed it up and write in the evenings if a deadline is pressing. Your mileage may vary.
I have trouble finishing the writing projects I start, do you have any advice?
This is one of those questions where the answer seems so simple to me that I have to be careful how I answer it because I may SOUND like the jerk I described above without meaning to. The problem I have here is that everyone sees the world through a slightly different lens, and it’s easy to fall into a trap of thinking your lens is better than the next guy’s when nothing can be further from the truth. There’s no better or worse…there’s just ‘is’. So, when I hear writers say they have trouble finishing projects, I see the problem through my lens, and from that view the answer reads like this: You don’t want to finish.
It’s not fair to tell others what they want or don’t want, for only they truly know that, but I do believe action is a better indicator of a person’s desires than what they say. In this regard, I’ll speak about my own actions, and the times in my life when I had trouble finishing projects.
When I was in high school I was more concerned with my clothes, shoes, and girls to spend time fully fleshing out a project. In college I had to study and maintain my GPA. After college I had a job and that bit into my time. Through all that, I kept saying to myself and others that I really wanted to write a book. I’ve got good ideas. I’ve started stories. I have the tools, but…I’m just so busy.
I wasn’t too busy to become the best NBA Live player in my college apartment. Wasn’t too busy to catch a movie at the cineplex every weekend, or buy (and watch) the hottest DVD release every Tuesday. I made sure I caught all of my favorite TV shows. And I was always well-rested, 8 to 10 hours of sleep every night.
Underneath all those distractions was the core of the problem. I was afraid that I’d spend years and years toiling away on writing (and I did) only to fail (which is still a risk based on my definition of success), so I avoided the fear with manufactured tasks and too much leisure at the expense of my writing time. I didn’t really want to finish because I might then come face-to-face with my own inadequacies. At some point I had to ask what’s worth more to me? My prowess as a gamer, being up to date on the latest film and TV, or achieving my lifelong dream of being a professional writer (meaning I actually wrote things to completion then sold them)? Once I understood that the potential reward outweighed the risks, I had no problem finishing projects. That’s not to say I didn’t have slow days (or years), but I got over the first stumbling block of simply not writing enough, and once I started I quickly got over the second stumbling block of thinking I’m not good enough. Newsflash: there will always be someone who thinks you suck. Take constructive feedback from these people when it’s there, otherwise focus on those who like your work.
Once I flipped that switch in my head, I was on my way. It started with a question: what is my writing worth to me?
If you’re having trouble finishing projects, I ask you the same. What’s it worth to you?
Ongoing
Like I said, I’ll probably condense these and get them into the FAQ at some point. I hope you found some of this helpful. Feel free to send more questions to lrgileswriter [at] gmail [dot] com, or hit me up on Twitter. Later, gang.
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Advice, L.R. Giles, publishing, Q&AMe + HarperCollins = A HOT Summer 2013
I’ve been waiting a lot of years to say this.
It’s official! Summer 2013…look for my debut Young Adult Thriller (working title: WHISPERTOWN) in bookstores nationwide courtesy of my new publishing family, HarperCollins. It took 3 months to finalize everything and it’s been AGONIZING to not speak publicly about it all. But, I’ve just been given the green light and speak I will.
I’d like to give a special shout out to my incomparable super agent Jamie Weiss Chilton for all her hard work brokering this deal, and I’d like to say thank you to my new editor Phoebe Yeh who I can’t wait to work with. There are a ton of others I owe thanks to because this has been a long, long road, but I’m going to save all that for the acknowledgements page. 😉
Look for more news soon. In the meantime, here’s a little taste of what’s coming…
Nick Pearson is pretending to be someone he isn’t. Not high school pretending. Witness Protection pretending. And the #1 rule is “stay low-key”. But, when his sole friend Eli dies in the school’s journalism room under mysterious circumstances, and Nick stumbles upon the conspiracy Eli planned on exposing, staying low-key takes a backseat to staying alive.
Newspaper Nerd Eli had a secret, an in-the-works story codenamed “Whispertown”. And it’s got a lot of folks interested. Like corrupt cops, the town’s shady mayor, and certain high-ranking government officials. Teaming with Eli’s estranged (and gorgeous) sister, Nick sets out to unravel the mystery and still maintain his cover. He’ll have to use all the deviant skills he’s gained from his racketeering dad, assassin godfather, and their Serbian gangster boss to find the truth. However, each clue brings him closer to answers he may not want. Whispertown is bigger than he could have ever imagined, and in its shadow stands a killer…a killer Nick fears may be his own father.
I’m off to celebrate…later, gang!
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Debut, HarperCollins, L.R. Giles, publishing, Summer 2013, Whispertown, YA ThrillerCalifornia here I come…
I will be in LA for the rest of the week attending the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) 40th Anniversary Summer Conference. It’s my first trip to the West Coast and I couldn’t be more excited.
I’ll be posting pictures throughout the weekend to my Facebook Fan Page. “Like” me and tell your friends to “Like” me, too. You can see what sort of silliness I get into over the next few days.
Also, follow me on Twitter (@LRGiles) and keep an eye on the official conference hashtag for a lot of cool stuff from the numerous writers in attendance: #LA11SCBWI
I may blog a bit while I’m there, otherwise I’ll catch you when I’m back in my timezone…
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books, ePublishing, eReader, Fun, Hollywood, L.R. Giles, publishing, SCBWI, TwitterType A Lamar and the Business Card Debacle…
It’s rare that a post can be random and relevant, but that’s kind of what this is. The relevant part involves the trip I’ll be taking later this week to attend the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) 40th Anniversary conference in Los Angeles. I’ll get to rub elbows with some industry folks and attend cool and informative workshops, which is always a plus. But, more importantly, I’ll get to meet my very good writer friend Jennifer Bosworth and my Super Agent Jamie Weiss Chilton in person for the very first time (this alone is worth the price of the plane ticket).
Confession: I rarely get excited. It’s like my brain secrets Prozac, I’m so even keel. However, this trip excites me. It’ll be my first time on the west coast, and I can’t wait to see LA for myself. I’m from Virginia and the farthest west I’ve been is Texas…all I know about LA comes from ENTOURAGE and KEEPING UP WITH THE KARDASHIANS. My only regret is that my wife can’t make this trip with me, but she’s demanded that I bring her back something “decidedly LA”. I’m thinking a jar of smog.
That was your dose for relevant, time for the random…
I’m a Type A all the way, an obsessive PLANNER. So, uncharacteristically, I made a misstep in my conference prep. See, it’s good protocol to have business cards with you when you attend these things because you meet so many people there’s no way to keep everyone straight in your head. And I have A METRIC TON of business cards already. The problem: the cards are specific to my Indie Pubbed adult paranormal novel LIVE AGAIN, which maybe doesn’t matter too much, but it’s not the impression I necessarily want to make at conference centered around books for children and young adults. This didn’t occur to me until Thursday night, exactly 1 week before I get on a westbound plane.
The Type A in me panicked. While all of my relevant contact info was on the LIVE AGAIN business cards, I’d simply be MORTIFIED to hand those out at SCBWI…it’d be like, I don’t know, wearing white after Labor Day. I needed something representative of my young adult work. Since graphic design is a hobby I’ve dabbled in for the last two years, I got the bright idea that I would DESIGN A NEW BUSINESS CARD IN ONE HOUR, so I could make a rush order with Vista Print and get new cards before I leave.
If you’re a planner, too, you probably already see what’s wrong here…
It was close to midnight when I started my ambitious design project. I’d been up since 5 AM. I discovered SLEEP-DEPRIVED DESIGNING is kind of like DRUNK DIALING YOUR EX…you wake up the next day with one thing and one thing only on your mind, “What the hell did I do?”
I completed my design, all with a snazzy, unique color palette (not the problem), and this cool little ink-in-water accent along the bottom left to highlight all my social media logos (not the problem). I even added a custom logo (problem).
The logo I’d been working on was meant to represent a character I’d created for a YA project. It’s essentially the silhouette of a guy wearing these big ’80’s style headphones because the character was really into music. I got the basic logo from istockphoto and planned to tweak it (which I never got around to) so I could throw it on some promotional stuff. Really, there’s nothing wrong with the idea on paper. The problem comes in when you consider the following (something my sleep addled mind was not able to do…at the time it seemed like the best idea ever, freaking award-worthy):
1) The character changed, and music isn’t as big a part of his makeup as it used to be. The headphones are insignificant now.
2) I can’t say too much about this project yet. And I can’t say WHY I can’t say much about this project yet.
3) Since the character changed, and I’m not supposed to discuss him too much, the logo is meaningless. It’s like painting a Pepsi logo on a prehistoric rock for the dinosaurs to stare out.
4) This is the worst part – It’s a kid wearing BIG ASS HEADPHONES. That doesn’t exactly scream WRITER. It screams DJ!!!!!
And I paid fifty bucks to get my new DJ business cards in time for my WRITER’S conference. <Insert Joke Here>.
So if you happen to be at SCBWI next week and you’re looking for me, I’ll be the guy saying, “Hi, I’m Lamar. I’m a writer…but I also do weddings.”
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business cards, conferences, DJ, L.R. Giles, SCBWI, Type A, Writer, Young AdultGo On Girl! Book of the Month – LIVE AGAIN
The Go On Girl! Book Club has selected LIVE AGAIN as their Book of the Month selection for July.
I spent time with the ladies of GoG! in May at their annual conference and it was incredible. Not only did they give me total red carpet treatment, but they honored and humbled me by showing so much love for my book.
Thanks Go On Girl! I hope you all enjoy reading Live Again as much as I enjoyed writing it.
If anyone out there cares to read along with the ladies of GoG! this month, you can purchase paperback copies of Live Again from Mahogany Books (GoG’s official bookseller), or you can get digital copies for you preferred eReader by following the links on this site.