Booklife

Strategies and Survival Tips for the 21st-Century Writer

Jeff VanderMeer

• Publisher: Tachyon Publications
• Year: 2009
• ISBN:
  9781892391742

The world has changed, and with it the craft of writing. In addition to the difficulties of putting pen to paper, authors must now contend with a slew of new media. This has forever altered the relationship between writers and their readers, their publishers, and their work. In an era when authors are expected to do more and more to promote their own work, Booklife steers readers through the bewildering options: -What should authors avoid doing on the Internet? -How does the new paradigm affect authors, readers, and the fundamentals of book publication? -What's the difference between letting Internet tools use you and having a strategic plan? -How do authors protect their creativity while still advancing their careers? -How do you filter out white noise and find the peace of mind to do good work?Award-winning author, editor, and Web-entrepreneur Jeff VanderMeer shares his twenty-five years of experience to reveal how writers can go about: -Using new media: blogs, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, podcasts, and IM -Effectively networking in the modern era (why it's not all about you) -Understanding the lifecycle of a book and your role in the publication process -Finding balance between your public and private lives and personas -Creating a brand and identity tied to your strengths and your writing -Working with your publisher: editors, publicists, marketing, and sales -Taking the long view: establishing short- and long-term professional goals -Getting through rejection and understanding the importance of persistence -Enjoying and enhancing your creative process and more

“One of the things that sets VanderMeer apart is his embrace of technology and media. His online presence is considerable and includes a number of web sites, frequent blogging, a short film adaptation of his novel Shriek (including collaboration with pop rock band The Church), his Alien Baby photo project and even a project involving animation via Sony PlayStation.” —Wired.com

“Jeff VanderMeer has written a fascinating book on managing a writing career, including promotion, use of new media, career paths, resources, networking, conventions, and — not incidentally! — balancing all of this with actual writing. Recommended for anyone who writes, wants to write, or has written and now wonders what to do next.”
—Nancy Kress, bestselling author of Write Great Fiction

“A brilliant writer!” —New York Times bestselling author Peter Straub

“Many books tell us how to write, but Jeff VanderMeer’s Booklife tells us how to be an Author…. VanderMeer made me think, question my own path, and make plans for a more focused move forward.”

—Mur Lafferty, host and creator of the podcasts Geek Fu Action Grip and I Should Be Writing

“Who better than VanderMeer, master of the blogosphere and online innovator, to guide us through the burgeoning, oft breathtaking realm of new media…. Jeff helps you hunt down the vast advantages provided by social networks, blogs, podcasts, and the like. And the best part is the silly pith helmet is optional. If you’re a writer who knows how to use a computer, then this book is for you.”

—Joseph Mallozzi, Executive Producer, Stargate SG-1

“Jeff VanderMeer’s Booklife is a frank, revealing, riveting manual by a writer for writers, not simply on how to be a better wordsmith, but on how to be a better human being. I’ll be recommending it to all my writing students. I don’t know how to praise a book more sincerely than that.” —Minister Faust, the BRO-Log

“VanderMeer has struck a new sort of balance with the Internet: charming his dedicated fan base on the web, creating multimedia promotional tools for his books, and actively seeking out new readers like me in the digital crowds. One of my favorite writers.”

—The Publishing Spot

“VanderMeer may be creating the dominant literature of the 21st century.”

—The Guardian

“JeffVanderMeer’s book will rock your writer’s socks off! I’ve long marveled at Jeff’s mad alchemist-like techniques of creation, promotion, and artistic survival through his artful navigation of brambly networks of writers, artists, musicians, historians, hatmakers, bloggers, booksellers, reviewers, and fans. To steal a line from an Eddie Izzard stand-up act, ‘No one can live at that speed…’ VanderMeer lives at that speed and makes it look effortless — and fun!” —Leslie Ann Henkel, publicist, Abrams Books

“Jeff VanderMeer has written a smart practical jungle-guidebook for the wilds of 21st century publishing — its incredible pressures, joys, poisons, and, most importantly, the dangers of a false sense of control…. Floaty creative types — prepare to be taken to task.” —Julianna Baggott, author of Girl Talk

“One of the most literary fantasy writers or fantastic literary writers we’ve got working these days, take your pick.”

—Ron Hogan, Mediabistro’s GalleyCat

Booklife is to authors in today’s publishing climate what Writer’s Market was fifteen years ago: essential. A well-organized, lucid guide to social networking, blogging, and the art of being an author in the age of Twitter. Jeff VanderMeer’s advice on maintaining one’s focus in an era of unfettered public access to the artist’s private life comes from his own hard-won experience; he’s been a writer at-home-on-the-web since before most of us had websites. With excellent additions by Matt Staggs and others, Booklife is a worthwhile addition to any writer’s bookshelf.

—Michelle Richmond, NYT Bestselling author of The Year of Fog

“Jeff VanderMeer is everywhere. He’s in your house, frightening your cat. He’s on your lawn, and even John McCain can’t get him to leave. He’s applying the poisonous glands of his tongue to the paint of your vintage Chevy. He’s scaling the side of the New York Times building (they’ll arrest them when he comes down, but HE’LL NEVER COME DOWN!). He’s engorged in the Grand Canyon, entombed in Grant’s Tomb, and impaled on the Space Needle. He’s in the middle of the world’s largest ball of twine. He’s a roving mercenary who kills to earn his living (and to help out the Congolese). He put the bang in Bangkok and the joy in New Joysey. John Waters wanted to make a film about him, but was too disgusted. Harriet Klausner has never had anything good to say about him. Osama bin Laden considered endorsing him, but said even he didn’t hate Western culture that much.

And now you’re taking him home with you.”

—Matthew Cheney, the Mumpsimus

OTHER BOOKS BY JEFF VANDERMEER

Dradin, In Love
The Book of Lost Places
The Exchange
Veniss Underground
City of Saints & Madmen
Secret Life
Why Should I Cut Your Throat?
Shriek: An Afterword
The Situation
Secret Lives
Predator: South China Sea
Finch

ANTHOLOGIES

Leviathan 1 (with Luke O’Grady)
Leviathan 2 (with Rose Secrest)
Leviathan 3 (with Forrest Aguirre)
Album Zutique
The Thackery T. Lambshead Pocket Guide to
Eccentric & Discredited Diseases (with Mark Roberts)
Best American Fantasy #1 (with Ann VanderMeer and Matthew Cheney)
Best American Fantasy #2 (with Ann VanderMeer and Matthew Cheney)
The New Weird (with Ann VanderMeer)
Steampunk (with Ann VanderMeer)
Fast Ships, Black Sails (with Ann VanderMeer)
The Leonardo Variations (with Ann VanderMeer)
Last Drink Bird Head (with Ann VanderMeer)

BOOKLIFE: STRATEGIES AND SURVIVAL TIPS FOR THE 21ST-CENTURY WRITER
COPYRIGHT © 2009 BY JEFF VANDERMEER

PUBLICATION HISTORY: THE CORE OF some sections included in Booklife FIRST appeared in radically different form on the author’s blog, www.jeffvandermeer.com. ALL QUOTES FROM WRITERS NOT OTHERWISE ATTRIBUTED ORIGINATED FROM COMMENTS MADE ON THE AUTHOR’S BLOG AND ARE PUBLISHED HEREIN WITH PERMISSION. QUOTES FROM Shriek: An Afterword (2006), COPYRIGHT TOR BOOKS, REPRINTED WITH THEIR KIND PERMISSION. PARAPHRASED TEXT AND STRUCTURE IN THE SECTION ON “SUPPORT from YOUR PARTNER” taken with permission FROM BRUCE HOLLAND ROGERS’ Word Work (INVISIBLE CITIES PRESS, 2002). ALL QUOTES FROM FOREIGN LANGUAGE CLASSICS HAVE BEEN TAKEN FROM PUBLIC DOMAIN TRANSLATIONS. ALL OTHER QUOTES FROM TEXTS CONSTITUTE fair use.

TACHYON PUBLICATIONS
1459 18TH STREET #139
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107
[phone]
www.tachyonpublications.com
[email protected]

INTERIOR DESIGN & COMPOSITION
BY JOHN COULTHART
COVER ART AND DESIGN
BY JOHN COULTHART

SERIES EDITOR: JACOB WEISMAN
EDITOR: JILL ROBERTS
DEVELOPMENTAL EDITOR: JULIET ULMAN

ISBN 13: 978-1-892391-90-2
ISBN 10:1-892391-90-2

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA BY WORZALLA
FIRST EDITION: 2009

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

For Ann,
who rewrote sections, suggested additions/deletions,
and contributed significantly to the book’s final shape and structure

INTRODUCTION

ARE YOU READY TO EMBRACE A BOOKLIFE?

How TO USE THIS BOOK

• SAMPLING IT

• FOLLOWING THE STRUCTURE

• RE-IMAGINING THE BOOK

WHAT THIS BOOK IS NOT

FURTHER RESOURCES: BOOKLIFENOW.COM AND BOOKLIFE.COM

I. PUBLIC BOOKLIFE

CHAPTER 1: BUILDING YOUR BOOKLIFE

THE PILLARS OF YOUR PUBLIC BOOKLIFE

CREATING AND MANAGING GOALS

• MAPPING YOUR FUTURE: THINK STRATEGICALLY NOT TACTICALLY

• APPROACHES TO PLANNING

• CHANGE MANAGEMENT

• MISSION STATEMENTS

• BENEFITS

• “How AM I POSSIBLY GOING TO KEEP UP WITH ALL OF THIS?!”

THE DISCOVERY PROCESS

• BEING YOURSELF

• EXPLORING YOUR STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

• IMPROVING YOUR ABILITIES

CHOOSING YOUR PLATFORMS

• FACEBOOK

• MYSPACE

• TWITTER

• YOUTUBE

• OTHER PLATFORMS

PUBLIC PLATFORM EXAMPLE: THE BLOG

• CREATING A BLOG

• TEMPERAMENT: SHOULD YOU RELEASE YOUR INNER EVIL MONKEY?

• THE TENSION BETWEEN EGO AND INFORMATION

• MODELING AND CONTENT DEVELOPMENT

• EFFECTIVE APPROACHES

• INEFFECTIVE APPROACHES

• ENHANCEMENTS

MANAGING YOUR INVOLVEMENT

• LEVELS OF INVOLVEMENT

• FOLLOW THROUGH = PERSONAL INTEGRITY

• A PERSONAL SPACE THE SIZE OF A POSTAGE STAMP?

CHAPTER 2: COMMUNICATING YOUR BOOKLIFE

NETWORKING

• How Do You NETWORK?

• RULES FOR COMMUNICATION

• OVERCOMING FEAR OF CONTACT

• MANAGING CONTACTS

DEALING WITH EDITORS AND PUBLICISTS

• A COVENANT OF MUTUAL RESPECT

• WHEN THINGS GO WRONG

• MAKING ASSUMPTIONS, AND WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT

UNDERSTANDING CREATIVE PR

• UNIVERSAL ELEMENTS

• THE LIFECYCLE OF A BOOK

• RULES OF ENGAGEMENT

PR OPPORTUNITIES

• BLURBS

• CONFERENCES AND CONVENTIONS

• READINGS

• GUEST BLOGGING

• INTERVIEWS

• REVIEWS

• WRITING YOUR BACKSTORY

PR TOOLS

• ARTIFACTS

• INFORMATION RETRIEVAL

• OBJECTS

• SAMPLES

LEVERAGING YOUR IDEAS

• LOST IN THE CROWD?

• SUCCESSFUL EXAMPLE: “THE SITUATION”

CREATING A PR PLAN

• YOUR HIGH-LEVEL PLAN

• YOUR DETAILED PLAN

FIVE MINIMUM ELEMENTS FOR SUCCESS

CHAPTER 3: MAINTAINING YOUR BOOKLIFE

TRANSPARENCY

BRANDING

• PERSONAL

• PUBLIC

• MANAGING PERCEPTION

THE IMPORTANCE OF PERSISTENCE

PAYING IT FORWARD/COMMUNITY

AGAINST TRENDS

POSITIVE SURVIVAL STRATEGIES

• MULTI-PURPOSING THE PUBLIC FOR THE PRIVATE

• USING PERSONIFICATION

BOOKLIFE GUT-CHECK: TOWARD PEACE OF MIND

THE SEARCH FOR BALANCE

YOUR HEALTH

• POSITIVE CHOICES

• AVOIDING THE NEGATIVE

MULTITASKING AND FRAGMENTATION

• WHITE NOISE AND DARK

• MANAGING OPEN CHANNELS

• TOLERANCE FOR CHANNELS

II. PRIVATE BOOKLIFE

CHAPTER 1: LIVING YOUR BOOKLIFE

THE PILLARS OF YOUR PRIVATE BOOKLIFE

REASONS TO WRITE

ATTITUDE AND CREATIVITY

FINDING INSPIRATION

• ACKNOWLEDGING THE PASSION

• STRATEGIES

BEING RECEPTIVE

• THE SUBJECTIVITY OF TASTE

• MASTERY AS UNCERTAINTY

• THE TACTICS OF PROSE

ROOM TO THINK

• RECOGNIZING THE NATURE OF DISTRACTION

• THE OTHER YOU

RELINQUISHING ALL FETISHES

WRITING AND REVISION

• TESTING YOUR WORK

• POKING THE STRUCTURE WITH A STICK

• INTERROGATING YOUR CHARACTERS

• RESOURCES

WORK SCHEDULE

• FOR PART-TIME WRITERS

• FOR FULL-TIME WRITERS (BOWING TO REALITY)

HABIT VERSUS PROCESS

• DO YOU KNOW THE DIFFERENCE?

• A NOVEL EXAMPLE

PERMISSION TO FAIL

CHAPTER 2: PROTECTING YOUR BOOKLIFE

ADDICTION

REJECTION

• FROM OTHER WRITERS

• FROM EDITORS

• FROM REVIEWERS

ENVY

• THE MANY FACES OF ENVY

• DIFFICULT SOLUTIONS

DESPAIR

REVITALIZING CREATIVITY

SUCCESS

SUPPORT FROM YOUR PARTNER

THE LONG VIEW

APPENDICES

A NOTE ON THE APPENDICES

APPENDIX A: ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON RELEVANT ROLES

AGENTS

BOOKSELLERS BY JAMES CROSSLEY

EDITORS BY JILL ROBERTS

MARKETING VERSUS PUBLICITY BY COLLEEN LINDSAY

PUBLICISTS BY COLLEEN LINDSAY

APPENDIX B: CONTENT-RELATED

MARKETING/PR CAMPAIGN SUMMARY (EXAMPLE)

PODCASTS

PR PLAN (FIRST DRAFT EXAMPLE)

PRESS RELEASES (EXAMPLE)

BOOK REVIEWS

APPENDIX C: ADDITIONAL NOTES ON NEW MEDIA BY MATT STAGGS

NODES AND INFLUENCERS

REPUTATION MANAGEMENT: TELLING YOUR STORY BEFORE SOMEONE ELSE DOES

SIPPING FROM THE FIRE HOSE: ONLINE SEARCH TOOLS

APPENDIX D: NURTURING CREATIVITY

CHASING EXPERIENCE BY NATHAN BALLINGRUD

LUCK’S CHILD BY MARLY YOUMANS

WORKSHOPS BY CAT RAMBO

SACRIFICE: WITHOUT HOPE, WITHOUT DESPAIR BY MATTHEW CHENEY

APPENDIX E: HOW TO WRITE A NOVEL IN TWO MONTHS

SUPPORT

WRITING-RELATED

CONCLUSIONS

APPENDIX F: EVIL MONKEY’S GUIDE TO CREATIVE WRITING

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

...