Jon Samsel

Submitting your new book for consideration to a publishing house is every writer’s goal, second only to the aspiration of actually seeing your book in print. Perhaps a better phrase for the manuscript submission process is the numbers game. Practically all publishers these days state flat out that they absolutely want to be queried first. The numbers game is thus played with queries, proposals, or a partial to complete manuscript. Some authors claim they got a go ahead from at least a few publishers after sending 20 inquiries. Your results may vary from a few positive responses to none on query letters. This might improve somewhat by offering to send a proposal, but there is no assurance of this.

Author Aliske Webb tried to place her novel with 150 publishers and was rejected by all of them. Still, she refused to give up. “We went the usual route, sending the book to all 150 publishers.” Rejected but still game, Webb and her husband sold their home, self-published the book, and made a tour of quilt shows all over America. Some 2 1/2 years later and 25,000 copies sold, Webb signed with a small publisher in Pennsylvania.

By this time, some major publishers in New York finally realized the large untapped market for Webb’s book. Webb was soon offered a four-book contract for a substantial amount.

Author Darryl Wimberley offers his thoughts on submitting manuscripts: “You have to submit every place, all the time. Keep track of your submissions and never stop! Because you cannot know in advance which avenue, if any, will get your book placed.”

An author’s determination and faith in your work can make all the difference in success or failure. You can never give up but just live with hope, and the numbers game, that one day you will hit. Give up on the other hand, and you’re down for the count.

Let us assume that you have come up with a new book idea. You like it and believe it would sell. How do you present your idea to publishers? Here are some choices open to you:

1. Describe your idea briefly in a letter consisting of anywhere from a few paragraphs to a full page.
2. Describe your idea in an email to a dozen publishers and offer to follow up with an outline and sample chapter. This is the multiple submission method. Numerous authors report good results from using it. You can send multiple query letters and also multiple outlines and chapters to a dozen or more publishers.
3. Hit the editor you write or phone with a working title. This can help keep the book idea better fixed in the editor’s mind.
4. Simply state that you want to write a book on a given subject and tell why you believe it might be right for that publisher. Do this for each company you contact.
5. Ask the editor if there is current interest in new book projects. Name the categories that include your book ideas, such as self-help, how-to, childrens books, adventure novels, romances, or whatever. Most people in the industry think of romances, westerns, mysteries (and certain other types) as genre books.

This last method is really just a request for an editor’s okay to send some new book projects. It sometimes works if your timing is right. An editor may well be looking for some new titles in certain categories, like health or popular psychology, for example, so you might get a green light to send what you have in those categories.

Now that you have aroused the interest of a publisher enough for them to offer you a book deal, you need to establish clear and definitive deal parameters that are in your best interests. When the publisher and author come together (usually via telephone) to work out the fine print of a deal, the process is referred to as a negotiation. Both sides state what they want and expect from the other side, an agreement is reached, and the deal is done.

It’s a good idea to have an experienced agent or attorney negotiate a deal on your behalf. Experienced negotiators can often times get you more money and perks than you could have negotiated on your own. They also serve as a buffer between you and the publisher––so that the artist/publisher relationship never deteriorates over money conflicts. Obviously, any book deal should be written down, examined with a fine-tooth comb by your legal expert, and signed by all involved parties.

Here are some major issues authors should address during negotiations:

• Establish realistic development time schedules with some back-up plans for delays
• Establish realistic payment schedules
• Set reasonable credit requirements (where and how will your name appear on the book?)
• Set a realistic approval process (comment period) that doesn’t delay development yet ensures a quality product
• Establish reasonable boundaries for future content revisions (if necessary)
• Create a Drop Dead Clause (what happens if the publisher decides to terminate you from the project or terminate the project completely? Is the terminating party required to pay the other party some form of compensation?)
• Agree to Goodies Clauses (complimentary copies of the product, travel expenses, per diem, royalties)
• Provide for a resolution process in the event of disagreement (a mutually trusted third-party or arbitrator)

Here are some general tips for improving the quality of your negotiations:

• Formulate an agenda in advance of negotiations (what you need out of the deal vs. what you’d like)
• Find some common ground with the person you are negotiating with. Do they like sports? Do they have kids? Light conversation prior to negotiating allows each side to be more forthcoming
• Never lie. Unethical behavior is rarely rewarded. If you must bend the truth, do it sparingly
• Try not to negotiate your own deal. Tough negotiations can sometimes resemble a bitter divorce. It sours the client / artist relationship
• Listen calmly to the publisher’s requests and arguments. There will be plenty of time to present your counter offer later
• Never swear, be demanding, or hang up on the publisher (it only makes you look childish)
• Never concede a deal point unless you receive a comparable deal point in return. You must be willing to walk away from a deal if you are being forced to concede a point you are passionate about
• Be careful what you ask for in a deal. You may actually get it!
• Take rigorous notes and follow up all meetings with a memo outlining all agreed-upon terms
• Don’t gossip about the points in the final deal or tell stories about the opposing negotiator. The opposing side will most surely remember your big mouth if you ever have to negotiate with them again

At the conclusion of the deal, take your opponent to lunch or send over a gift basket. A simple act of kindness heals all egos.

Authors sometimes voice their frustration in trying to find the right publisher for their manuscript. Even experienced authors with track records are sometimes uncertain which publisher is right for certain books.

Published author Darryl Wimberley offers this blunt advice for writers looking to land a publishing contract: “If you’re a writer, you need to hunt with a shotgun, not a rifle.”

How to Find the Right Publisher

One of the best ways to get a handle on this quest is to request the latest catalogs from the publishers you are considering. You can order these by mail or view them online by visiting the publisher’s website. After studying them, pick the companies you believe would do the best job on your type of book. Be sure your choices are those publishers actually specializing in your genre.

An indispensable guide is the 88 year-old Writer’s Market, an annual book which contains listing on thousands of publishers across the country. The Deluxe edition includes online access to more than 6,000 market listings and daily updates. WritersMarket.com offers submission tracking tools, daily publishing news, and an archive of helpful articles for writers.

Another way authors find the right publisher is via an agent. A key reason authors sign with agents is the fact that any good agent worth his or her salt knows which publisher is best for a given book. Agents are so close to the business and deal with all the major publishers that they become good at matching books with publishers.

Another possible way to find the right publisher is expensive, but it has worked for a number of authors. You simply pack your bags and visit New York, where most of the top publishers are located. You visit different publishing offices in hopes of getting a lead on the right one for your book. It’s best to write, email or call them before arriving in New York to save your time. Some will not see you, but others may be willing to see what you have, providing you have written specific editors first and requested an appointment.

Editors are so pressed for time these days that this method of going to New York could fail completely. The test will be to write editors first and see if any reply and actually grant you an appointment. If your manuscript is completed, you can either let them know that fact or not. Can’t secure an official appointment? You could try socializing around hotspots where editors and publishers are known to frequent in hopes of rubbing shoulders with the right people. This is a long shot–but funnier things can happen.

How to Evaluate a Publishing Company

Studying a publisher’s catalog will give you a feel for the type of books they seem to like. Visiting a publisher’s office can also help you evaluate them. Most publishers display their current books in their lobby areas near the receptionist. In some publishing offices, you will get a cold, unresponsive reaction. Others are completely polite and professional. Asking other authors what they think of this publisher over that publisher is another sure-fire method for getting the inside skinny on a publisher’s booklist and reputation.

You are more likely to be treated kindly and courteously by publishers than by agents. Many agents won’t give you the time of day unless you’re a big time, mega name author. Again, if you plan to contact agents, too, while visiting New York, be sure to call or email them first for an appointment. If any agree to see you, consider yourself fortunate.

One of the biggest mistakes new authors make is to send novels to publishers who don’t want fiction or nonfiction proposals to publishers mainly interested in novels. Basically, it’s never a good idea to send unsolicited material to any publisher. Only send what you are asked to send. Follow this simple rule and you will save time, money, and much aggravation.

Reading the trade journals of publishing can give you clues about different publishers, and that would help you to evaluate various ones.

Going online and visiting the Web sites of various publishing houses it a great way to get to know a publisher. You can learn about their corporate policies, key officers and/or editors, submission policies, front list titles, back list titles, and almost anything you need to know about them. Best of all, you can access this information 24 hours a day at your convenience.

Social media sites are emerging as publishing resources as well. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and the like are all electronic networks that can be navigated and harvested for personal and professional gain. If you’re not a frequent visitor of social network websites, it’s not too late to lend your voice, commentary, questions, content, advice and insights to this bold new interconnected world!

As I have stated in previous blog posts, a story is made up of a series of paragraphs and the paragraph is the means by which a story is structured. A paragraph consists of a deliberate series of well-phrased sentences having to do with a single topic. Whether a story’s two hundred words long or several hundred thousand, the most important passage in your book, article or blog post is the opening paragraph.

Transitions are bridges that move the reader out of one paragraph to another. The better your transitions, the smoother your article will read.

Here are some popular kinds of transitions:

• Start the next paragraph with a quotation.
• Start the new paragraph with a question followed by the answer. As each paragraph takes up a new thought or related aspect of the subject, a question is often a good way to move into a fresh paragraph. A word of caution. Don’t overdo the question-and-answer technique.
• Find a phrase or word at the end of the last paragraph you have written and repeat it or use something similar. This often makes for a smooth transition.

Examples of Paragraph Transitions

In an article titled, “New Success Secrets,” which was to be published years ago in Salesman’s Opportunity magazine, writer L.P. Wilbur needed to show the reader how to strengthen his or her selling personality in order to become more successful. Here is an example of the transition used:

“Secrets for more success then are actually tied in with your personality. By improving your weak personality factors and putting more firepower behind your strong qualities, your selling personality can continually grow into a dynamic and powerfully attractive force.”

Next came the transition sentence leading into the third paragraph of the article:

“Think of your selling personality as a magnet.”

The technique used here to continue into the next paragraph is a specific step the reader could take to improve his or her sales personality; to think of it as a magnet.

In an article titled, “The Self-Employment Picture” notice the transition between the first and second paragraphs:

“The world of self-employment is wide open and offers you a variety of opportunities. A few of the many possibilities include a resume writing service, house cleaning, investment services, child care services, and virtually any kind of business you offer for a fair price. You really have quite a choice.”

Here is the transition sentence leading into the second paragraph:

“The Small Business Administration says that there is one chance in five that a new business will still be operating and actually run by the same owner after a 10 year period.”

The transition technique used was a paraphrase of a quotation from the Small Business Administration. This statement led naturally into the second paragraph and also let the reader know the odds against a new business during the first ten years.

Now that you have a sense of what a single paragraph encompasses, let’s look at how these entities build, one upon the other, to form a completed article.

• The first paragraph sets the stage and seeks to interest the reader.
• The second paragraph often expands the first, clarifies the direction, attracts the interest of the reader, or makes clear the intent or purpose of the article. A good second paragraph should get the reader to want to read on in the article, tell why the reader will benefit from the article, offer a preview of what is to come, or establish a mood for the material.
• Each additional paragraph builds on the previous one until the pattern of the beginning of the article has been established. Some articles’ beginning sections use only one or two paragraphs. Others take several paragraphs to set the beginning.
• The closing paragraphs of an article often repeat the key points made.

Even if you have never written an article before, here are two important points to keep in mind: First, once you learn how to write a clear and simple sentence (and this comes with experience), you can most certainly write a paragraph; second, if you can write a paragraph, you can definitely complete articles of all kinds and sell them for money.

Building paragraphs into a solid article can indeed often be fun once you understand the process and gain some confidence. Keep the following pointers in mind when you construct your paragraphs:

• See how many different ways you can build a paragraph. It’s entirely possible to plan or outline a paragraph. Decide what you want each sentence in a paragraph to accomplish.
• When one or more paragraphs do not measure up, start over again.
• View the completion of each paragraph as a challenge to your writing ability.

Ah, paragraphs, that’s what brings articles to life. Paragraphs are the building blocks of articles. Create well-written paragraphs and that will usually lead to a well-written article. Without paragraphs, an article is dead in the water.

Each time you start a new article, realize that it’s the combined paragraphs that comprise the piece. If you think too much about the article as a whole (or the total amount of work necessary to complete it), it may put you off. Try to keep in mind that enough well-ordered paragraphs will eventually bring you to a logical ending. A great many articles will almost write themselves if the writer focuses on one paragraph at a time. Create a solid paragraph and you’re usually on your way.

The Paragraph: Content and Structure

An article is a series of paragraphs and the paragraph is the means by which your article is structured. Imagine how crude and illogical it would be if an article had no paragraphs at all from beginning to end. Wouldn’t it be difficult to read one long block of words? You bet it would.

Paragraphs are like a string of pearls. The string is the subject or theme being highlighted or presented. The paragraphs are the pearls whose combination produces the finished article with its resulting impact and effect.

What is an effective paragraph? At first glance, an paragraph does seem to merely be a number of sentences strung together. On a deeper level, a paragraph consists of a deliberate series of well-phrased sentences.

Northwestern University professor John H. Barber, Ph.D. describes good writing as: “Effective writing is a language-based interaction between writer and reader that promotes a sense of “reality,” believableness, or involvement.” It may be obvious that the way to build good, solid paragraphs is to write effective sentences.

Most Paragraphs Are Structured Using These Guidelines

• A strong opening sentence makes clear what the paragraph will be about. The first paragraph sets the stage and seeks to interest the reader
• The paragraph’s midsection supports the opening statement
• The last lines of a paragraph wraps up all loose ends and ends the thought process with a  satisfactory conclusion

Five Sample Paragraphs

1. Ken Orton didn’t set out to revolutionize the e-commerce travel market. In fact, what he initially set out to do was transform a TV-based travel programming company into a networked online travel business. What Orton and team managed to do in the process is shake up the $101 billion US travel agency market––growing their company, Preview Travel, into one of the most comprehensive, easy-to-use, and enjoyable travel destinations on the Internet.
2. High school days are wonderful times, but they go by faster than most people realize. If you haven’t already done so, now is the time to be zeroing in on what you honestly feel is the right vocation for you.
3. According to marriage expert Dr. Leland Glover, many people “spend more time and effort deciding which college to attend, which car to buy, or where to vacation, than they do in choosing their life marriage partner.
4. Bill Gates has never been accused of missing an opportunity to make a buck. So a lot of people got excited when Gates launched his Microsoft Network, dedicated to harnessing the Internet’s awesome potential for delivering product to bring entertainment in a myriad, interactive forms to a computer screen near you. Didn’t work out. MSN is already a distant memory in the nanosecond attention span of the digital world. Bill’s folded his tent and gone home. A lot of investors who have tried to profit from Web-based entertainment were not surprised that the effort failed, though most everyone was unnerved at how quickly Gates decided to jump ship on the effort.
5. We’ve all heard that ageless expression: “Practice makes perfect.” But does it really? If so, why do some drummers practice almost endlessly, only to achieve limited results, while others practice a minimum amount of time and advance rapidly?

There are two types of promotion––what your publisher can do for the book, and what you can accomplish yourself. Anything you can do for each of your books will help. In fact, publishers and book distributors expect today’s authors to step up to the plate and contribute to the marketing of a new book.

The following promotions have worked for many authors:

1. Do all in your power to get on local radio and television programs. You can email the station, one or more specific talk show personalities, or even go to the station in person. Ask for an appointment with the radio personality, program director, program producer, or public relations director.

Nothing pushes book sales up like radio-television author interviews, and the better known or popular the program is, the more sales it can mean. Most publishers will not line up such interviews for you unless you’re a mega name or well-known author. That means it’s up to you. Listen or watch these programs and try to come up with a reason tied in with your book why they should interview you.

It goes without saying that if there is any way you could get yourself on “Today,” “Good Morning, America,” or “Oprah,” go for it. Your book sales could go soaring through the stratosphere.

2. Many newspapers have book columns, or entertainment section news that could feature your book. Visit the online versions of these newspapers and try to get to know the columnists or department editors who interview authors.

Look for some angle that a magazine-newspaper editor could use to publicize your book. Will your book help the reader in some way, perhaps get a better job, save time, become healthier, more fit, learn a business concept, or whatever?

3. If you know how to write an article, consider the idea of writing a feature about your own book. It is possible that a national, regional, or local magazine or newspaper might use it. If your book is on a timely subject, chances are even stronger that your article will be used.

4. Contact any and all trade journals and publications about your book. Many subject fields have their own trade magazines so check that out.

5. Tell everyone about your book that you feel could help promote and publicize it. Are you on Facebook, LinkedIn, or other social media websites? Update your profile to include notice of your new book being published!

6. Suggest to the larger bookstores, both the chains and independents, that you could do autograph sessions and sign copies of your new book. Offer to speak at bookstores because they sometimes have author guests do this and answer questions about their book topic.

7. Many authors don’t keep after their publishers to promote their books. Whether it results in anything or not, it’s worth encouraging your publisher to get behind your book more. Offer to tour for your book or suggest at least a mini tour.

A number of sharp authors have traveled across America visiting bookstores, radio-television stations, and newspapers to promote their books. In many cases, it made the difference between just another book and a bestseller.

There are simply too many books being published each year (60,000 and counting) to do nothing for your book once it is published. If you, the author, don’t promote it, nobody else will (and unfortunately this can also include your publisher).

8. Tap the huge marketing opportunity via the Internet. Authors who are Internet savvy have a competitive advantage over their computer-weary counterparts. Launch your own web site for promoting your book or books. Offer a free chapter of your book on your blog and link to your publisher’s website where people can order a copy of your book.

9. Write a direct sales email in which you tell about yourself and your book. Send the note to a list of radio and television program directors, producers, and talk show personalities who may be receptive to having you as a guest author. Send your sales email to a wide variety of stations. In fact, send your sales note to anyone you think might help promote your book.

10. Consider “self-syndicating” a feature article or review about your book. You can get the names of a great most newspaper editors online—just Google it!

11. Work up an oral presentation in which you talk about your book; for example, discuss why you wrote it. Prepare a professional-looking pamphlet highlighting the features of your talk and telling something about your background. Have a number of copies printed and then send them to anyone and everyone who might book you on a program as a speaker. A number of authors do very nicely working as speakers in-between their writing projects, or even while they are writing.

12. Arrange a book release party for your new book. Invite friends, business associates, key book industry professionals, and perhaps even the general public. This is a fun way to announce the release of your new book and it starts the word-of-mouth process.

13. Contact your local library and let them know that an author in their area just had a book published. Many libraries will invite authors to speak on your subject of expertise or host a reading of a book chapter. Again, this is another way to “spread the word” about your new book.

14. Frequent online chat rooms and newsgroups and offer your expert advice. The online world is a great environment for spreading awareness for your book and/or professional services. Be careful not to blatantly pitch your wares, as the online world has strict rules of etiquette––no unsolicited advertising or promotions are allowed. Authors who ignore the Internet’s professional protocol risk being spammed. Authors who visit chat rooms or newsgroups and contribute meaningful information and advice (and casually mention that the reason they are an authority on the subject is because they are the author of book on the subject) are likely to increase awareness for their book.

15. Create a YouTube channel around the key chapters of your book. All you need is a video camera and some editing software to shoot some footage of you talking about your book or reading a few sample chapters aloud. Publish these free educational videos on YouTube, MetaCafe, and other video content websites which can possibly expose your work to millions. Be sure to include an ever-present URL to your website on your videos to help direct possible book buyers to your website.

The incredible thing about a great author, Margaret Mitchell, was that she never thought or even considered the possibility of publication for the novel she worked on for years. During the late 1920s, she had to stay in bed several years for health reasons. To amuse herself, she wrote about Atlanta, the Civil War, and lost herself creating characters like Scarlett O’Hara, Rhett Butler, and others.
 
Margaret worked on her manuscript for one reason––her own interest and amusement. It was years later, after a Macmillan editor heard about her work and came to Atlanta, that Gone With the Wind was published (in 1936).

Margaret Mitchell is a strong example of an author who never thought about the marketplace while writing her novel about the old south. She didn’t think it was any good. What a far cry that is compared with today’s aggressive authors who pull out all the stops in marketing their books. Some authors of today even plan strategic campaigns to place their manuscripts.
 
The first thing an author of today should be aware of is that it’s a buyer’s market. Everyone and his brother’s cousin is writing, and that means most of the better publishers have a much wider choice. Publishers today no doubt reach for the rejection forms or “thank you but it’s not right for our list” reply much quicker. After all, they have stacks and stacks of other manuscripts and proposals sitting on most editorial desks.
 
One of the best strategies for approaching the marketplace is simply to let a worthy and capable agent do it for you. This allows the author to focus on writing and not have to think about marketing. Effective agents know which publishers are the right ones for a given book, so you don’t waste valuable time sending work to the wrong companies. And the agent can get you a decision a great deal sooner, whereas if you try one publisher at a time, on your own, it could take years to get even a handful of decisions.
 
But for most new authors, getting a quality agent is about twenty times harder than finding a publisher. So that puts the newcomer author back at square one and means you give up or market your work yourself as best you can.
 
A strange but very true fact about today’s publishing industry is that authors with up to fifty published books, including several or more bestsellers, cannot get an agent to represent them. It’s a paradox and proves that the so-called importance of a track record of published works does not really count for much anymore. Many of the top publishers and editors simply won’t consider anything unless it comes in from a powerhouse agent with clout. Powerful agents have to a large extent taken over the industry. They have become the gatekeepers today instead of editors.
 
Other leading editors focus their time on big name authors and proven commodities. It’s a catch-22 that frustrates a lot of authors, driving many of them out of publishing. Every now and then, however, a newcomer manages to slip in with good timing, a great proposal or manuscript, and lots of luck.
 
Another strategy is to already know someone in publishing or have a friend or relative who does. Networking may get your foot in the door.
 
Some patient authors have even obtained positions in publishing, in publicity, advertising, marketing, rights, or general office work, and then proceeded to show their work to contacts already made.
 
It’s helpful to read the trade journals and to attend publishing conferences and conventions. All of this together helps to keep you well-informed on what is going on in the industry, what the current trends are, types of books being bought and published, and contact names at various publishing houses.
 
A number of authors believe attending conferences for authors is a waste of time. Others claim they have made some contacts this way and actually later sold one or more books to editors and agents who attend the better author conferences.
 
Remember, too, that you can always pick up the telephone and call an editor, publisher or agent, whether it irritates them or not. You can send a letter, email, fax them, or try some unusual stunt to get their attention. A combination of these methods applied persistently should bring you some success or, at the very least, more knowledge about the way the business works.
 
Authors in the New York area have been known to eat at the same restaurants editors frequent in hopes of meeting one or more.
 
If and when one of your books goes over the top, and hits the blockbuster level, assuming there is enough publicity about it, editors and agents may come after you. Nothing gets their attention, makes them sit up and take notice, like a new author who just turned out a blockbuster. They will then find you.

People who have never put a pen to paper, for any long work, think they can turn out a work of fiction. You meet them at parties and banquets and hear them say, “I’m thinking of starting a novel over the weekend.”

F. Scott Fitzgerald said it well: “A novel takes time.” Any book does. It also takes advance thinking, planning, research, and years of investigation. Robert Benchley, the famous and beloved humorist, once remarked on the time needed to develop writing ability: “It took me fifteen years to discover I had no talent for writing, but I couldn’t give it up because by that time I was too famous.”

Whatever type of book you’re thinking of writing, consistent daily work is a must. Most authors have daily goals of so many words or pages to be written, and they are very serious about it.

Writing for a living also means plenty of revision, bouncing ideas off editors, planning, writing, and selling new proposals (or outlines and chapters), promoting your books after they are published, getting publicity for them, hopefully media attention via radio and television interviews, and going to bat for your books in every way possible.

Discipline is important because a writer must be able to continually coordinate all the above activities and provide time for them.

Three-time Academy Award winning songwriter, the late Paul Francis Webster, once said that two of the most creative places he had experienced were “on a train from Los Angeles to New York and at the top of the highest hill in Hong Kong.” It is very true that certain places stimulate the creative juices more than others.
 
Creative people ask questions. What if I switched things around? How about an overseas setting for this story or book? Could a key element from one work be shifted to another?
 
The creative process thrives on experimentation, first trying one thing and then another. Thomas Edison, creative genius that he was on inventions, was never despondent throughout the 10,000 attempts to find something that would work for the electric light. Edison’s reaction was direct and simple: “We know this idea won’t work so that means we’re just one step closer to finding what will work.” Eventually, he found a filament that became the solution for the electric light.

Terry Borst is a terrific writer of new media and motion picture screenplays. I met Terry in the mid-1990’s when I was working as a multimedia publisher. With a college major in English and an impressive resume of writing credits to his name, I thought it would be fun to touch base with Terry again after so many years to see what he’s been up to. If you’re a fan of interactive stories, Hollywood movies, or educational simulations, you’ll enjoy what Terry had to share. Read on!

Q: What types of writing projects are you working on these days?

A: Books!  I’m currently co-writing my second book for Focal Press, on the topic of serious game and simulation development and production (from an independent game/low budget perspective).  The book will probably be published in late 2009 or early 2010, and follows up on my earlier co-written book, Story and Simulations for Serious Games.  (See the Amazon listing, or go to my LinkedIn page or terryborst.com to find out more).

The 2 books derive from several of the projects I’ve worked on the last few years:  scripting videogame simulations for the military and first responders.  These are pretty exciting because, as a writer, you get to enter new worlds and then see if you can build a convincing enough replica for professionals to test out tactical and strategic decision-making.  You’re quite involved with the design of the experience from the ground up, which is very creatively satisfying.

Q: Tell us about some of your previous projects.

A: For 20+ years, I’ve worked as a professional screenwriter and scriptwriter.  I co-wrote a sequel to the feature film MIDNIGHT RUN, and for years wrote episodes of a BBC action-adventure series syndicated in dozens of countries (which I still receive royalties for).  I scripted other independent and TV films, and got paid to write a lot of feature screenplays and pilot scripts that didn’t get produced.  And more than a decade ago, I got hired to co-write scripts for one of the most popular videogames in the ’90s:  WING COMMANDER.  I’ve written scripts for other entertainment videogames since then, before the recent migration to the simulations mentioned previously.  (You can find out much more about these titles on my website).

Q: What inspires you as an artist?

A: I think it’s impossible to answer this without lapsing into gauzy sorts of cliches.  Life inspires me; great art inspires me; all those moments when “a terrible beauty is born” (to quote Yeats).

Q: What creative mediums do you prefer to work in–and why?

A: While I may aspire to art, I pride myself on being a professional writer – and so I prefer to work in creative mediums where I get paid!  That said, there’s nothing like executing a feature screenplay really well:  creating a great story arc within a contained world is an incredible challenge.  I believe in art that takes us on a journey and provides closure:  a great painting or sculpture or piece of music can do this, and a feature screenplay is a kind of sculpture through time and space.

Q: Briefly describe your creative process–how do you get your ideas…how to you develop that idea…what steps do you take to bring that idea to lifeﾅwhat tools do you use?

A: Ideas are everywhere:  the trick (for new, original work) is to find the ones you’re willing to obsess about.  If I’ve got an obsession, then I keep thinking about it, and start to think about the kind of journey that can be taken within this obsession.  If necessary, I’ll do research, and I’ll start writing down ideas about scenes, parts of scenes, and characters.  You build something like this over time, and eventually you try to find some dramatic structure for the story that’s been accreting.

I’ve been fortunate that most of the work I’ve been doing the last 15 years has been work for hire.  So the initial concept for the project might not start with me.  Still, I have to brainstorm how to get into and get out of a scene.  Or, I might know that I want a videogame player to undertake a new mission.  But what’s the setup for the mission?  And what obstacles will confront the player on the mission?  Ideas are then frequently found by 1) figuring out the obvious way to reach my goal in a scene or sequence, and 2) then throwing out the obvious way and looking for the surprising way to reach my goal.

As to tools: At a very early stage, I still use 3×5 index cards to capture story beats, scenes, moments, etc.  But I’ve also used StoryView to construct outlines, and I’ll use Word for other outlines.  Then it’s on to Final Draft or Movie Magic Screenwriter, or sometimes other tools for more interactive projects.  These days, you could use a tool like Google Notes and use your cellphone to outline acts or missions or scenes.

Q: Do stories really need to be told interactively? What’s the advantage of this medium?

A: Interactive storytelling offers us (as creators) a new way to engage the “receiver”.  We can create new kinds of immersive narratives, and entertain and teach in ways we never could before.  WORLD OF WARCRAFT, BIOSHOCK and GUITAR HERO all create unique and even profound experiences for players, just as The Canterbury Tales, Dream of the Red Chamber, Middlemarch, Waiting for Godot and 2001: A Space Odyssey created unforgettable experiences for earlier generations.

Q: Looking back on all that you have accomplished throughout your career, what are you most proud of working on? Would you do anything differently if you could? What was your greatest lesson learned?

A: Most proud of working on: 1) The WING COMMANDER series, because we really did break some new ground; 2) a screenplay for a historical novel called The War Train, which sadly went unproduced to a regime change at Paramount.

Would I do anything differently? Probably lots, but all of this is about career management decisions, and hindsight is always 20-20.

Greatest lesson(s) learned:  1) You can’t write too much.  2) Plan for a career:  always consider where you want to go, and what can get you there.  3) Be entrepreneurial.

Q: Any advice you’d like to provide to people hoping to find work as a digital storyteller?

A: I think you have to find your own work.  The tools are within everyone’s reach now.  You should know how to shoot video, edit media, and work in Flash.  If you’re a good enough creator, you can launch your own YouTube channel and wind up making money.  If you’re just starting out, you need to wear multiple hats to succeed.

Q: Do you know of any useful online resources for budding digital storytellers?

A: Interestingly, my wife (Carolyn Handler Miller) actually wrote the book (literally!) on digital storytelling, titling it Digital Storytelling.  You’ll find a lot of references to it online.  That might be a start.

Game Developer magazine has most of its content online; gamestudies.org gets into the more esoteric side of videogame theory.

Assuming we’re really talking about interactive storytelling, then the novice creator needs to immerse him- or herself in interactive experiences.  Play games, spend time in Second Life, study webisodics.  You should discover what’s unique about interactivity when married to narrative (whether structured or post-hoc).

As a college English major, I always knew that reading the Cliff’s Notes was no substitute for reading the book.  Get in the game! as the console advertisement used to go.

Links:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/tborst
http://www.terryborst.com