tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post4765111231781251615..comments2024-03-28T10:41:26.999-06:00Comments on Blood-Red Pencil: Craig Lancaster Guests - Part 2Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-42907179883571875532009-10-29T22:27:00.887-06:002009-10-29T22:27:00.887-06:00That was fascinating. Nice to know that the self-p...That was fascinating. Nice to know that the self-publishing step turned out to be a valid first step. And it's nice to have the chance to learn from your lessons. Thank you.Sheila Deethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13465615546936319164noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-67191947257570717732009-10-29T20:12:11.999-06:002009-10-29T20:12:11.999-06:00Very interesting. I love the way you kept working ...Very interesting. I love the way you kept working to improve the book as you tried to find alternate ways of getting it published.Helen Gingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09794759602654727110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-77662610955632250412009-10-29T17:27:32.570-06:002009-10-29T17:27:32.570-06:00Craig, you wrote a fine novel. Many excellent writ...Craig, you wrote a fine novel. Many excellent writers have to break in first by self-publishing their work for a variety of reasons, primarily because they don't have the Next Big Thing that publishers are looking for. Great novels can be overlooked; the publishing world is rife with stories of publishers who thought writers would never sell. (Agatha Christie, for one.) In the old days, "vanity" publishing was frowned on, but the world is so crowded now that we can publish our work ourselves and let readers sell it to publishers. Which they will do if it's a good book.<br /><br />I'm delighted that has happened to you. You and "Edward" both deserve all the success you achieve.Carol Buchanan (CarolBMTbooks)https://www.blogger.com/profile/18166210376325162839noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-91557604866286689162009-10-29T16:53:52.105-06:002009-10-29T16:53:52.105-06:00Hi Craig. I enjoyed your post and I visited your w...Hi Craig. I enjoyed your post and I visited your website. Fresh and welcoming. Persistence and patience gets the job done. Seee you sometime, Simon.Simon Hayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09384384882217609761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-42889160260367017132009-10-29T16:05:20.131-06:002009-10-29T16:05:20.131-06:00@ Patricia: I think haphazard editing is probably ...@ Patricia: I think haphazard editing is probably the No. 1 thing holding back most self-published books. A friend of mine, Carol Buchanan (author of the fantastic "God's Thunderbolt: The Vigilantes of Montana"), reviews self-pubbed work and laments this all the time.<br /><br />@ Shannon: The best piece of writing wisdom I ever received, hands down, was this, from a well-respected author friend: "I've never heard of a success story that didn't involve persistence."Craig Lancasterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02178937857893372747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-52260860662643217062009-10-29T15:56:01.491-06:002009-10-29T15:56:01.491-06:00I'm enjoying your posts and am heartened by yo...I'm enjoying your posts and am heartened by your perseverance and willingness to learn from mistakes. Fear of failure has stunted more than one writing career, I'm sure. Yours seems to be successful and heading up.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-2804947523898690252009-10-29T15:25:21.621-06:002009-10-29T15:25:21.621-06:00Your story is an interesting one, Craig. Thanks fo...Your story is an interesting one, Craig. Thanks for mentioning one of the critical elements of self-publishing--top-notch editing. The quality of the editing can make or break a self-published work.Patricia Stolteyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17192369425956406122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-47385730711311836172009-10-29T14:00:34.496-06:002009-10-29T14:00:34.496-06:00Thanks, Linda.
Believe me, I'd rather have no...Thanks, Linda.<br /><br />Believe me, I'd rather have no agent than an agent who's not right for me. The fact that I haven't found him/her tells me simply that the right fit hasn't come along. I lose no sleep over it.<br /><br />And I'm glad I went the indie route, if only because I now know how to do it. (And if I were to do it again, I know many of the pitfalls to avoid.) But I do think that in general, your acquaintance and other success stories aside, fiction doesn't lend itself as well to self-publishing as non-fiction does. But the world is changing, and rapidly. I'll keep a keen eye on things and adjust my thinking as necessary. Amid all the uncertainty, one thing is certain: Inflexibility is not a winning strategy.Craig Lancasterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02178937857893372747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-4528514390078895772009-10-29T13:18:36.345-06:002009-10-29T13:18:36.345-06:00The misadventures of the self-published -- ah, yes...The misadventures of the self-published -- ah, yes, many of us have been there, done that. You journal your trip well, Craig, and with humble honesty. Great post! <br /><br />I take exception to only one small point: As a writer I have neither desire for an agent nor wish to be published by a house other than my own. Perhaps that makes me a bit contrary (or a control freak), but I personally know self-published writers who have sold over a million copies of their books (one a fiction writer and the other nonfiction). However, I must admit they are the exception rather than the rule. <br /><br />I wish you much success in reaching your goals, and I look forward to your next installment.<br /><br />:-)<br />LindaLinda Lanenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-9100378291786639102009-10-29T12:59:57.782-06:002009-10-29T12:59:57.782-06:00Craig is offering a valuable parable here, but tru...Craig is offering a valuable parable here, but trust me ... the original book wasn't bad at all. I forgot all about the presentation once I sunk into the story. And you will too. <br /><br />OK, so it WAS an ugly cover. :)Jim Thomsenhttp://jimthomsen1.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-7164699878133069422009-10-29T11:22:12.763-06:002009-10-29T11:22:12.763-06:00Hey, if I don't laugh at myself, who will?
Er...Hey, if I don't laugh at myself, who will?<br /><br />Er ...Craig Lancasterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02178937857893372747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-78505543448924185972009-10-29T11:04:34.508-06:002009-10-29T11:04:34.508-06:00Craig, you're hysterical! It's good to be ...Craig, you're hysterical! It's good to be able to chuckle about embarassing pasts, isn't it? <br /><br />DaniDanihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-46822269409172411692009-10-29T10:41:23.453-06:002009-10-29T10:41:23.453-06:00True enough.
I'm traveling with the book to m...True enough.<br /><br />I'm traveling with the book to my hometown, Fort Worth, Texas, in November, and I've had great success in finding high school and middle school classes willing to host me. The one I'm looking forward to most: a seventh-grade class taught by the woman who was my third-grade teacher. A nice bit of circle completion there.Craig Lancasterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02178937857893372747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-89586771274677362852009-10-29T10:29:10.093-06:002009-10-29T10:29:10.093-06:00I'm really enjoying the saga of your publishin...I'm really enjoying the saga of your publishing experience, Craig. It just proves that perseverance pays off.<br /><br />Ginger, did you ask to speak to the English classes? The schools I have gone to don't have creative writing classes, but the English Departments were happy to have me speak.Maryannwriteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09479027709233807149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-92124690134266722202009-10-29T10:24:39.186-06:002009-10-29T10:24:39.186-06:00Craig, I enjoyed your post. I offered to speak to...Craig, I enjoyed your post. I offered to speak to a High School creative writing class here in my home town in Tennessee and discovered they don't have one. That was depressing.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09683064637626718318noreply@blogger.com