Saturday, November 17, 2012

An Interview with writer Bob Schwartz

Is there any special method to your writing?  When I'm writing a humorous essay for the books, I will obviously first think of the topic and then write a completely stream of consciousness piece, which will wind up having very little humor.  It's almost embarrassing how brutally bad that first run through is and I go back and work through things word by word and cultivate the humor throughout.  Sometimes it's painfully difficult to create the humor but, as with anything, some days you are flowing and some days you're stuck in mud.  You've just got to keep plugging away.

How many hours a day do you spend reading/writing?  When I'm in the throes of writing a book, I will write anywhere from 4-8 hours per day.  Given my genre of essay writing, most of my reading is in that area.

What inspires you to continue being a writer?  As with running, writing is simply something that brings me much joy and satisfactions.  There are certain abilities that come naturally to each of us and there's plenty of things I have zero aptitude for but I was blessed to have some ability with running and writing.  I enjoy it immensely from a personal standpoint, just the act of creating, but I also enjoy the ability to bring some laughs to others who read my essays and books. 

Do you think you will ever change audiences?  Good question.  The short answer is yes.  I think that with my humorous running books, having two of them out now and including over 500 pages combined, that I've literally "run" the course with those books. I presently have many ideas in different genres.  This includes children books as well as an inside look at the private foundation my wife Robin and I operate called the Here to Help Foundation.  The Foundation assists those who have hit an economic hurdle and need some help moving forward.  After our assistance they will have the ability to be self-sufficient. The inspirational stories that have emerged from the Foundation work are simply amazing.

What advice would you give anyone who wants to become a published author?  As with anything, persistence is the key.  It's not an easy thing in this day and age to become an author with a reputable publishing company.  Sometimes you have to be a bit lucky, as I was, in creating a niche market (humorous running essays).  Having a "platform" is what I kept hearing when I was pitching my initial humorous running book and I worked hard for many years in creating that platform via regional running magazines to national magazines etc.  Eventually my publisher was willing to take a chance and it's worked out very well for both of us.

And do you have a list of favorite running books/authors?  I enjoy the books of running philosopher of the late George Sheehan, anything by the exceptionally talented writer and former Olympic marathon runner Kenny Moore as well as the news and magazine writings of Scott Douglas. 

An Interview with runner Bob Schwartz

Why do you run, when did you start? I began running way back when I was 11 years old at summer camp where I'd run 5-8 miles with the counselors who ran.  It then became part of my daily life and has been for over 40 years now.  People do what they want to do and that's why I run.  It works for me. There's an almost endless list of reasons that I run, including the euphoric/physical feeling it brings and because it's something that I can completely control from the when, the where, the how fast, how long etc.  The main reason I run is simply because it's my passion to enjoy that time outside with my thoughts, feeling fully engaged and immersed in the moment.

How much do you run? Do you do straight mileage or any speed work? I run in the range of 60-70 miles per week.  I try to vary what I do on my daily run from a few days that are easy distance to one day of fartlek, to a day including a tempo run etc.  It brings me greater enjoyment to bring some variety to my daily run.
Where is your favorite run anywhere in the world, and why?  I'm lived in some beautiful spots in the country from Boulder, CO to Eugene, OR but I'm partial to those handful of times that I've been in northern Michigan during the height of the leaves changing their color in autumn.  To experience a trail run through a kaleidoscope of colors is simply gorgeous and a wonderful experience.
Do you work out writing ideas while running? How does running affect your writing? I work out everything during my runs from writing to other work related issues, to family etc.  It's clearly a time to be alone with your thoughts and problem solve without interruption. Most of my writing related ideas will emerge on a run; the key being to try and remember them by the time I return home.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

An Interview with Michele DeFilippo

Michele DeFilippo Author Photo

Is there any special method that you applied to writing your first book?
Actually, I'm a designer, not a writer, so I followed the advice I give all my clients and hired experts. My editor combed through my blog posts and masterfully distilled them into this short book.
How many hours a day do you spend reading, writing or working with authors? All day long, and sometimes nights and weekends, too. Our business is to work with authors in the editing and design of their books. This is fortunate, because I love books, and I spend most of my off-work hours reading great books, too.
What inspires you to continue to work in publishing?
My love of books. The library was my favorite place as a child. My parents didn't have a lot of money, so reading opened up all kinds of possibilities for me that would not otherwise have been available.
If you could have been the author of any novel, which title would it be and why? Ah, The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone for sure. This book was probably the first title I fell in love with, with its detailed account of the life of Michelangelo. It may even have set me on the path to becoming a designer, something my poor father, who wanted me to become a lab technician, never did understand.

Do you think you will ever change audiences? Or is your goal to help only self-published authors? I'll probably continue to write for self-published authors. There's a wealth of information to convey, and we see the important issues day in and day out in our work.
What advice would you give anyone who wants to become a published author? Oh, that's easy. How many days do you have? Over and over again, we speak to authors who say they can't afford to produce a quality book. This is the number one mistake self-publishers make, hands down. In their understandable haste to "get published" after working for months or years on the manuscript, many authors then fall prey to ruthless "self-publishing companies"  who are perfectly willing to lie and tell them it is possible to succeed in publishing with no budget.

So, why would any company do this? I think it's a monumental failure of integrity and an example of big business at its worst. These companies don't care if the author sells one book. Their real goal is to sell the novice author high-priced but worthless marketing packages. Their bait-and-switch tactics have victimized tens of thousands of authors who find out much later that they made the wrong choices.

Here's the truth: crafting a quality book cannot be done by someone who has no experience. Every author needs an editor, a cover designer, an interior designer, and sometimes an indexer. Marketing a book is hard work, and money spend on marketing a poorly crafted book is simply wasted. Think of our own behavior when we buy. We rightly expect value for our money. So do book buyers. They understand quality and will retaliate with bad reviews on Amazon when they don't get it.
And do you have a list of favorite books/authors?
I love to read books by David Baldacci, John Grisham, Dean Koontz and Stephen King. Recently, I've enjoyed Bill O'Reilly's two blockbusters, Killing Lincoln and Killing Kennedy, both of which present little-known details our history teachers glossed over. I read a lot of business books, too.

An Interview with Jeff Ingber

Is there any special method to your writing?
First I outline the chapters, although I'm quite flexible and often change the structure and flow of the book over time.  Then I begin the research, an extensive process that never ends until the book is finished.   When I feel I've done a sufficient amount of research, the writing starts.  For me, writing is predominately a process of continuous editing of what I initially put down on paper.  
How many hours a day do you spend reading/writing? 
Because I work full time, I now only have the time to write on weekends and holidays.  On a free day when I have nothing else going on, I'll spend 5-6 hours or more researching, writing, and editing.  I look forward to retirement, when I'll be able to write every day!
What inspires you to continue being a writer? The enormous satisfaction that comes from having written a quality book that entertains and educates readers and also preserves a meaningful slice of history.  Resurrecting the Street recounts an important aspect of the overall 9/11 narrative (the devastating impact on the financial markets) that has been completely overlooked to date.  Because my book is largely based on over 100 interviews. It also preserves a story that largely would have been lost to history.
If you could have been the author of any novel, which title would it be and why? 
There are thousands of books that I would be proud to have authored.  One that comes to mind is The Power Broker by Robert Caro.  It's a compelling, insightful  portrait of an important and complex man, Robert Moses, as well as a brilliant and thorough recounting of the development of the New York City area, where I've lived my whole life.
Do you think you will ever change audiences? 
Absolutely.  I'm currently working on a family memoir based on my parents, who were Holocaust survivors.  It will require a different style of writing and much more character development and self-revelation, and have a very different audience than my first book.
What advice would you give anyone who wants to become a published author? 
Researching and writing a book is an enormous undertaking and commitment.  
Only do it if you're passionate about what you're writing about.

And do you have a list of favorite books/authors?
Like the music on my Ipod, my literary tastes are vast and quite varied.  My favorite categories of books are biographies and histories, particularly of anything or anyone related to World War 2.

Tom Wolfe’s latest novel, "Back to Blood"

Alexia Nader: Literary Miami

7 Tales That Will Transport You to Another Time and Place

Since Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast, so many of my friends and family have turned to books to make the time go by faster and less painless. Here is a list of books that can help take you to another time and place.

To visit a new time and place, all you need are these transporting tales.

Kennedy asked if Frost planned to recite a new poem. If not, could he recite "The Gift Outright," a poem Frost has called "a history of the United States in a dozen [actually, sixteen] lines of blank verse."

The Best First Lines from New Novels


Meeting a new book is like meeting a new person—those initial few seconds can entrance you for the rest of your life. This summer’s hottest books came with some unforgettable opening moments. By Leigh Newman

10 Novels to Replace ‘Catcher In The Rye’ as the Perfect Teen Book


“The perfect teenage book should feel like it’s being passed around secretly, its message too raw and powerful for adults to understand,” Jessica Roake over at Slate explains.