Old and New Realities: Self-Publishing Gets a Nod From the Media

"Saying you were a self-published author used to be like saying you were a self-taught brain surgeon." Lev Grossman, in "Books Unbound: The Forces of a New Century are Shaping a New Kind of Literature. It's Fast, Cheap and Out of Control," in the February 2 issue of Time, reminds us, and he gives some grudging respect to beleagured self-published authors. Some of their books have gone on to best-seller status.

I've written before about the agonies and perils of the traditional publishing process: the long and often futile search for agent and publisher, the shrinking advance, the slight chance of seeing a book actually published, the quick trip to the remainder bin if a book doesn't sell well.

The traditional publishing industry is suffering, but people are still reading. What's happening? "Old publishing is stately, quality-controlled and relatively expensive. New publishing is cheap, promiscuous and unconstrained by paper, money or institutional taste." Publishing as a whole is expanding in new forms.

According to Grossman, this is "neither good nor bad; it just is." Once, novels were considered vulgar and immoral, but "they shocked and seduced people into new ways of thinking." The very idea of self-publishing anything, fiction or non-fiction, still seems undignified or contemptible to many. Still, self-published books give everyone a chance at self-expression and are likely to seduce us into new ways of thinking. This is, indeed, a brave new literary world.

Copyright 2009 by Marlys Marshall Styne

My Just-For-Fun New Year's Wishes

I'll get to my serious wishes and resolutions eventually, but here are my only-in-my-dreams requests:

I'd like to win millions in the Illinois lottery. I've had a yearly computerized ticket for years, and my occasional winnings have usually been in the $9 range. Isn't it time for something bigger? Just asking.

I'd like my three books to become best sellers. If most of the senior citizens in the country would buy Reinventing Myself: Memoirs of a Retired Professor, Seniorwriting, and Elder Expectations, my financial difficulties would end. Of course the chances of such a thing happening are slim and none. Actually, I wrote those books for fun, not profit, but some profits would be nice. Oh, well.

I'd like to take up long-distance walking again. My knee replacements are supposed to get me walking again, but it's taking a long time. Perhaps with patience, this wish will come true. Hope springs eternal!

How about sharing your new year's wishes, serious or fantastic?

Books: the Perfect Gifts for Seniors (and Others)

During the past year, I have written quite a number of book reviews, both here and in "Never too Late!" From new to older, from fact to fiction, from serious to humorous, these books have in common only their connections with aging and its problems. Many of these books are little known. For the most part, I don't review best-sellers, but try to encourage people to buy books that may be overlooked, but are well worth your attention. You may find some good last-minute Christmas gifts here, for others or for yourself. All these books are available at Amazon.com. They may be difficult or impossible to find in book stores.

Here are seven favorites from among the books I reviewed this year--and forgive me for recommending my own books as well. Links are to my on-line reviews (and for my books, reviews by others).

1. Measure of the Heart: a Father's Alzheimers, a Daughter's Return, by Mary Ellen Geist (Springboard, 2008). http://seniorwriter.blogspot.com/2008/09/realities-of-alzheimers-book-review.html

2. Leisure Daze, by Mike Mihalek (Heartland, 2008) (Fiction/humor) http://seniorwriter.blogspot.com/2008/09/high-life-in-florida-book-review.html

3 Where River Turns to Sky, by Greg Kleiner (Perennial, 2002). (Fiction) http://seniorwriter.blogspot.com/2008/08/aging-life-and-death-book-review.html-

4. As We Are Now, by May Sarton (Norton, 1973) (Fiction) http://seniorwriter.blogspot.com/2008/08/elder-disintegration-and-nursing-home.html

5. In the Arms of Elders: a Parable of Wise Leadership and Community Building, by William H. Thomas, M.D. (VanderWyk and Burnham, 2006) (Fiction/fantasy) http://seniorwriter.blogspot.com/2008/08/fighting-three-plagues-of-elders-book.html

6. One Last Dance, by Mardo Williams (Calliope, 2005) (Fiction/senior romance) http://seniorwriter.blogspot.com/2008/03/senior-romance-yes-book-review.html

7. The Fiction Class, by Susan Breen (Plume, 2008) (Fiction) http://seniormemoirs.blogspot.com/2008/03/life-and-fiction-collide-book-review.html

8. Reinventing Myself: Memoirs of a Retired Professor, by Marlys Marshall Styne (Infiniuty, 2006) http://seniormemoirs.blogspot.com/2008/08/gracious-words-of-praise-for-one-of-my.html

9. Seniorwriting: A Brief Guide for Seniors who Want to Write, by Marlys Marshall Styne (Infinity, 2007). http://www.readerviews.com/ReviewStyneSeniorWriting.html

10. Elder Expectations: My Life in Rictameters, by Marlys Marshall Styne (Lulu, 2008) (Poetry) http://www.readerviews.com/ReviewStyneElderExpectations.html

Another Testimonial to the Importance of Writing

I am always elated to find experrt references to the power of writing. I just discovered another that I would like to share:

In the November/December 2008 issue of AARP magazine, Dan Buettner's article "Find Purpose, Live Longer" discusses ways to get, or stay, connected with life at any age. "Finding that 'something more' in your life can mean a big health boost." Suggestions include "Keep Working," "Find your Flow," "Explore Religion," and "Volunteer," but of most interest to me was "Take Stock of Yourself." How? One important way is to keep a journal.

According to Gregory A. Plotnikoff, M.D. of Abbott Northwestern's Institute for Health and Healing in Minneapolis, writing in a journal can be a big help, especially after a major life change. "When a spouse dies, you retire, or your kids leave home, you interrupt your personal story. If you can figure out how this episode fits into the plot of your life, you'll be one step closer to seeing its purpose--and yours." Plotnikoff suggests writing at least thirty minutes per day. Write about crucial events in your life and how they made you feel. "Discovering purpose is like uncovering patterns. If you understand the first chapters of your life, you're in a better position to write the next chapters. We all need to be part of a bigger story."

Thanks, Mr. Buettner and Dr. Plotnikoff, for another reminder of the importance and power of personal writing. I've tried it, and it works.

Copyright 2008 by Marlys Marshall Styne

Seniorwriter is Discovered and Quoted!

Imagine my surprise when Deb Nicklay of the Mason City, Iowa, Globe Gazette discovered my blogs and asked for my comments on memoir writing! Of course I couldn't resist answering. I don't consider myself a true expert, but I'm always willing and eager to "share my wisdom."

Nicklay's article appeared today. I am quoted, along with a California blogger and memoir writer. The only minor error is that I am said to live near, rather than in, Chicago. Perhaps the citizens of Mason City think everyone lives in the suburbs. Anyway, it's a good article. I'm pleased the see more attention given to the interest in and importance of writing: journal, memoir, autobiography: call it what you will. Just try it.

The article headline is "Memoirs are a permanent and personal way to share your story."

Check it out on line at http://www.globegazette.com/articles/2008/09/07/news/feature/doc48c34ee86d1ea893207915.txt

Begin a New Career as a Writer? A Book Review

A review of The Writer Within You: A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing and Publishing in Your Retirement Years, by Charles Jacobs (Caros Books 2007).

In The Writer Within You, Charles Jacobs provides a basic guide to writing and publishing anything from a novel, memoir, or nonfiction book to magazine articles, travel stories, or business writing. His target audience seems to be the educated, entrepreneurial retiree eager to start a new career as a writer.

This book covers a lot of territory in its 300-plus pages, with an index and an appendix of sources for more in-depth information. It covers the writing process, the various ways to publish, and the business aspects of writing, with both instructional and inspirational purposes: "It is designed to be an activist book that propels you to make the leap from thinking to actually doing."

This is a serious, scholarly, well-written, informative book for anyone, retired or not, who is in the early stages of considering writing as a new career. On the other hand, for the more reluctant, perhaps older retiree just thinking about writing as a possible way to discover, heal, reinvent, share, or enjoy, the person just considering writing down family stories, it may seem intimidating.

For them, my own book, Seniorwriting: A Brief Guide for Seniors Who Want to Write may provide an easier start. Its 81 pages just might encourage some to go on to try full-fledged writing careers, and The Writer Within You would be a logical next step.

Copyright 2008 by Marlys Marshall Styne

Encouraging Unknown Authors

Melissa Hart, in the October Writer's Digest, quotes some of Maryland psychologist Dr. Rochna D. Jain's advice to writers: "Make a 'success notebook' of positive things people have said about [your] writing, and read it when [you're] down."

The purpose of Hart's article "Surviving the Spite" is to advise authors about handling negative criticism. Although this has not been a problem for me, the above statement by Dr. Jain got me thinking about "positive things people have said." While I don't have a success notebook, I occasionally mention positive reviews and quote comments made about my various books, stories, blog posts, and columns here and on "Never too Late!" Jain's statement seems to justify and support my request for responses to my writing and that of others.

As I've said before, when you appreciate a book, story, or blog post by a virtually unknown author, please comment. It's a good way to encourage more writing that you'll enjoy.

Prejudices, Choices, and Opportunities: In Defense of Self-publishing, Part I

I am quite aware that my use of self- and print-on-demand publishing for all of my books makes them suspect. In my former academic mileau, authors got no respect unless their books were published and promoted by big-name publishing companies. There seemed to be a belief that published authors received huge cash advances and made tons of money. I suspect that those attitudes are still fairly common.

For some famous authors and celebrities (think Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, Barbara Walters, etc.) all that is true. But for the lesser-known, the picture is quite different. I've heard and read sad tales of multi-year, sometimes multi-decade struggles to find agents and/or publishers. I applaud eventual success, but it doesn't seem to happen very often. More often, the struggling author just relegates his or her manuscript(s) to a file cabinet or trash bin and gives up.

You may say that failure to find an agent or publisher means that the writer and/or the book is no good. That's certainly true of some, but I've read and reviewed enough virtually unknown books to realize that some self-published books are wonderful. It's mostly about money. Agents and publishers may love a book, but if it lacks commercial potential, they won't touch it.

As a true believer in the non-monetary rewards of writing (not that I'd mind selling a few more books), I welcome the opportunities brought by computers and the expanding self-publishing industry. Today, anyone with computer skills or the means to hire someone who has them can produce and publish a book quickly and inexpensively. The choices are many, and the costs vary widely.

I'll present more details later, but in the meantime, try to rethink your prejudices about self-publishing. For the record, I never tried to find an agent or a publisher for my books. I am a practical and realistic person. To quote fellow Chicago-area author Helen Gallagher in her book Release Your Writing, “Attract a publisher if you can, but if not, don’t wait your life away . . . Self-publishing is not settling for second best. It’s the right choice if your book won’t likely capture the attention of a large publisher and you don’t want to spend years waiting to see your book in print.”

Copyright 2008 by Marlys Marshall Styne
Photo: Cover design and publishing by Infinity

Gracious Words of Praise for One of My Books!

I received a day-brightening email from my blogging friend Lydia, of Writerquake (http://www.writerquake.blogspot.com/), today. I was elated that she had read Reinventing Myself and taken the time to write me about it. There's a message here: When you are impressed by a book, especially one by an unknown writer, contact the writer and let him or her know! Everyone appreciates recognition.

I assure you that Lydia is not a relative, nor have I ever met her in person, so I believe in her sincerity. Here is what she wrote:

"Dear Marlys,

"I finished Reinventing Myself in the early morning hours last Thursday. What an enjoyable book! It makes me sad that you say it hasn’t been widely read because people are missing out on reading an exciting travel adventure, a real love story, a condensed but highly interesting autobiography, the wisdom of a professor, a frank discussion of aging – especially concerning a woman alone – and a frank but vulnerable glance from a breast cancer survivor. They are missing out on picturesque descriptions of condos and classrooms, a neighborhood bar and long thoughtful walks, quirky cats and the value of poetry and writing, tours on every continent, and the expectations for a final residence, where, any careful reader would assume, a framed needlepoint picture of Anne Hathaway’s Cottage will make it home.

"Can you tell that I was touched by your dear book? I hope so. I’ve written about it to my blogging friend, Francessa, who is a teacher in Vienna and with whom I regularly email. She is intrigued and mentioned that she thinks she will buy Reinventing Myself. (She’s in my blogroll under Francessa’s Thinking) She now refers to “when you visit me…” in her messages, and, honestly, I would have in the past completely pooh-poohed the idea. However, where I’ve only visited Mexico and Canada outside of the U.S., and travel simply is not in the budget right now, I read her words with a different feeling after having read your book! I think to myself: it is possible, not impossible. Who knows? I must thank you for my newfound optimism in this regard.

"I’m so glad you decided to write your memoirs.

"Kind wishes.

Lydia"

Interesting Things from Other Blogs

1. Barbara Davis, of "The Serenity Room," has posted "Why Do I Blog?" If you've been considering blogging, you'll find some good reasons to do so here:

http://theserenityroom.blogspot.com/2008/07/why-do-i-blog.html

2. Sharon Lippincott, of "The Heart and Craft of Lifestory Writing," offers an interesting writing challenge for International Happiness Day (it was July 10). Give it a try.

http://heartandcraft.blogspot.com/2008/07/international-happiness-day.html

3. Check out and comment on a new blog by an 83-year-old who lives in Arizona. It's "Darlene's Hodgepodge."

http://darleneshodgepodge.blogspot.com/

What Bothers You? Write About It

Without being tagged, I've discovered another meme, thanks to Grandad at http://www.headrambles.com/. It's the "Getting your Goat" meme.

The idea is to list two things that irritate you for a reason (and list the reasons) and two irrational annoyances that you can't quite explain. Why not try it yourself? Here is my list:

Things that Irritate me for a Reason:

1. Buildings with long flights of stairs and no elevators or escalators.

Anyone else with bad knees and/or other walking difficulties will appreciate this one. "Handicapped Access" is improving here in Chicago and in the US in general, but 'taint so in many foreign countries. I've probably missed a lot of interesting things by remaining on the first floor.

2. Forwarded e-mails, especially "jokes" and religious musings.

I usually don't think the jokes are funny, and while I respect everyone's religion or lack thereof, you can't convert me to anything.

Irrational Annoyances:

1. TV "teaser" ads.

These are the frequently repeated ads toting coming news bits or features. The idea is to get me so interested that I'll avoid switching channels, but I just get impatient. If it sounds interesting, I may not wait, and if it doesn't, I'm gone.

2. Cell Phones.

They're everywhere (but I don't even know where mine is). I know your life may revolve around or depend on your cell phone, but is it really necessary to walk down the street clutching it to your ear? And don't you know that driving while talking on a hand-held phone is illegal in Chicago, not to mention dangerous?

See the original at http://www.skillett.com/index.php/557/getting-your-goat-meme

More Senior Poems: A Book Review

I've recently added another relatively unknown book to my Amazon.com Listmania list "Poems for and by Seniors Citizens." It's Poetic Musings of an Old, Fat Man by Harry E. Gilleland, Jr. (Lulu, 2008).

While it wouldn't be classified as great literature, this book illustrates my point that seniors should consider expressing their lives and their thoughts in poetic form. This book provides an interesting tour through the author's mind.

In categories including "Rhyming Poems and Storoems (Story Poems)," "Two Limericks," "Acrostic Poems," and "Free Verse Poems," Gilleland writes on many subjects serious and humorous.

"Women Just Don't Get It!" ends with these lines: "Most women simply fail to understand how deep / a man's passion runs. They just don't get it at all. / If they had any inkling, then they wouldn't keep / saying, 'Why get so excited? It's only football.'"

Senior experiences are reflected: "I stand looking wistfully / back at them, my yesterdays . . . / knowing now my yesterdays outnumber my tomorrows." In "What War Is," Gilleland sees war as "Mankind's brutality unleashed," "Failure of reason," "An abomination for all mankind," although he admits that war is sometimes unavoidable.

The final poem, "Ghetto Dweller," is written in the voice of a young man who experienced typical ghetto life: gangs, drugs, prison. "I wasn't 'fraid of nothing or nobody. / And nobody talked down to me." The young man's fate was to be gunned down in the street at age twenty-two. "What you gonna do? / 'Aint no way to break the ghetto cycle. / Just 'aint no way." Gilleland's observations about life in this and most of his other poems ring true.

Copyright 2008 by Marlys Marshall Styne

A Poll for Boomers and Seniors

Do you usually get your books from on-line stores like Amazon.com, from brick-and-mortar book stores, from other retail stores, or from the library?

Yesterday I posted a poll asking that question, but I've discovered that the poll format does not work. Please keep on adding your comments here. I'm still anxious to learn about where you get most of your books.

The results so far have been mixed, as I expected.

More Senior Poetry

See my other blog, "Never too Late!" for a review of Real Poetry for Seniors, by Ed L Dorsey.

The Power of Writing

"Hungry Minds: Tales from a Chelsea soup kitchen" is an article in the May 26, 2008, issue of The New Yorker by Ian Frazier. This is a fascinating story about "the largest soup kitchen" in New York City, at The Church of the Holy Apostles at Twenty-eighth Street and Ninth Avenue in Manhattan.

For fourteen springs, Frazier and others have conducted a weekly writers' workshop there after lunch. In those fourteen years, about four hundred soup kitchen guests have participated. Using optional topics such as "How I Came to New York," "The Other Me," and "My Best Mistake," workshop participants write for about forty-five minutes and then read their pieces aloud: standard writing workshop precedure in a non-standard setting. The groups held public readings each year for audiences of seventy-five to one hundred.

Frazier relates the substance of some memorable workshop writings, including one man's most important moment: his attempting suicide by jumping into the East River. A former backup dancer wrote a song about the soup kitchen.

This article is not only about the writers' workshop. It is also about the history of The Church of the Holy Apostles, its leaders, and its struggles to survive, as well as a history of a Manhattan neighborhood. While Frazier's article is well worth reading for those interested in any of those topics, the part that interested me most included this line:

"Somehow, writing even a few lines makes the person who does it more substantial and real." Their writing makes the soup kitchen guests memorable, and on a mild late May evening, when the church doors are open, "For a moment, the whole city seems to flow in with the air." What a marvelous way to express the power of diversity and compassion--and of writing.

A Book Based on Grocery Lists?

Hillary Carlip's a la Cart: The Secret Lives of Grocery Shoppers, according to Chicago Tribune reporter Patrick T. Reardon (April 8, 2008), is a "gloriously idiosyncratic project that taps into the deeply human pastime of daydreaming about the lives of others."

Carlip gathered 26 grocery lists (for example, "Coors, Oreos" written on the back of a matchbook cover), imagined what each writer was like, and then dressed up in that role for a photograph at a supermarket. She later wrote back stories about the shoppers and their shopping trips.

The idea apparently came from Hillary Carlip's teenage discovery of a discarded list in a supermarket cart. Since then, she's collected some 2,000 to 3,000 lists.

This idea fascinates me, at least the writing part. Carlip is also an actor and performance artist, which led to the photos and assumed personas. I have not read this book, but reading about it reinforced my beliefs that we reveal a lot about ourselves through our writing, and that almost anything can be a worthy topic.

What would my list reveal about me? That I'm no cook, am concerned about my weight, live alone, and am not poor, since I waste a lot of money on prepared foods: cooked, sliced chicken breast; packaged salad greens; lo-cal frozen dinners; sugar-free Jello.

I like idiosyncratic writing projects (see my coming rictameter collection). However, perhaps those of you especially concerned about your privacy need to shred your grocery lists along with your credit card statements.

Copyright 2008 by Marlys Marshall Styne

Finally! Someone Reviewed my Short Stories

I've never claimed to be a fiction
writer, but I've experimented anyway; two of my stories were accepted by Amazon Shorts. Like my other works, they have not been best sellers, and I learned long ago that writing would not pay in monetary terms. Still, I was pleased to notice that each of my stories, "Marie's Story" and "Volunteer," has received a four-star review from a reader. Update: each has received a five-star review as well! Update 2: "Marie's Story" has now received a second 5-star review!

Check out the reviews. If you have a credit card and an extra 49 cents, download a story, read it, and write a review yourself. It won't make me rich, but I'll appreciate it. Tell me what you think. Be honest. And you can read the current reviews without buying.

Click on one of the Amazon icons on this page, or on this link:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/103-1435355-6091001?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Marlys%20Marshall%20Styne

Poem-a-Day: Book Reviewing

Book Reviewing

Review:

I write reviews

Of many books I read,

Mainly "Elder Lit," although there's

No such thing, I guess. Perhaps there should be.

In these books I find the lives of

Brave survivors who share

Ideas worth

Review.

Copyright 2008 by Marlys Marshall Styne

Life and Fiction Collide: A Book Review

Susan Breen's novel The Fiction Class (Plume, 2008) is a book that kept my attention from beginning to end. This book interweaves the challenges of writing and teaching writing with the challenges of life itself.

Arabella Hicks, named for the heroine of her mother's favorite romance novel, balances copy editing jobs and weekly visits to her argumentative, hostile mother in a nursing home with teaching fiction writing to a varied adult ed class.

Arabella is 38, single, isolated, unsure of herself, and still grieving for her father, who died after many depressing years in a wheelchair as the result of Multiple Schlerosis. Her mother has advanced Parkinson's Disease.

A further depressing fact is Arabella's inability to conclude the novel she's been working on for seven years, Courting Disaster.

Her Wednesdays form a pattern: teach the class, then visit her mother, Vera Hicks, bringing coveted fast food that may or may not be appreciated. Vera's condition and mood swings are impossible to predict, so Arabella approaches the visits with dread.

Like many writing teachers, Arabella seems to rely on her students' written work to get to know them. Ironically, when her talk about the class inspires Vera to write a story of her own, Arabella learns about her mother as well.

The newly-awakened Arabella learns, in a sense, to believe in miracles as she finally begins to understand her students and her mother and to open her heart to love. and as that happens, she can begin a new novel.

The connections between real life and fiction have always fascinated me. My experiences as a reader, writer, teacher and visitor of my own mother in a nursing home make The Fiction Class ring amazingly true to me. The book also supports my belief in the power of writing for all, something that Arabella and Vera and most of the writing class students seem to discover as well.

Postscript, 3/22: Author Susan Breen has an interesting web site. Visit to find out more about her, and enter her writing exercise contest to win a free copy of The Fiction Class.

http://www.susanjbreen.com/writingexercises.htm

Copyright 2008 by Marlys Marshall Styne

Poem-a-Day: Emily Dickinson's Chariot

Emily Dickinson's Chariot


Reading:

Door to all of

Life, learning, joy, wonder.

A book can open minds and hearts

To all the world of knowledge, love, hate, fear.

Frigate, frugal chariot to

Take us lands away: a

Fine transporter,

Reading.

Copyright 2008 by Marlys Marshall Styne