The Beauty of a Break

Ghost Notes the Audio Book is now available! You can order it here.

As you might imagine, I spend a lot of time thinking about the publishing industry. It's undergoing change, just like every form of business--certainly every form of the entertainment business. Music, movies, books, TV--as disparate as they seem at times--they're all just forms of entertainment, ways for people to while away a little time.

I'm in the final stages of writing my third novel, Badge, or Good Night to the Rock 'n' Roll Era, and it's better than anything I've written. It's longer than anything I've written. It's deeper than anything I've written. It's the novel that I couldn't even imagine writing 12 years ago when I started seriously pursuing the novel form. That's what working on your craft for a decade or so gets you: somewhere you wouldn't have been able to imagine getting to otherwise.

Naturally, I'm excited to get the show on the road, to get this thing out to agents and editors as soon as possible. After all, my previous attempts at getting published haven't gone so well. This novel feels special, like it might be the one that will push me over the edge and into the traditional publishing realm.

But I'm reminded of what happened with my first two novels. With similar excitement, I got my queries together and got the novels out there for the industry to see. This process involves a great deal of waiting, so while I waited to hear from prospective agents I edited the manuscript again. Annoyingly, in both cases, I found elements of the novel that really needed changing--which meant agents and editors were seeing a less-than-perfect version of my work.

And neither novel got published traditionally.

Couple this with an industry that seems to be in complete flux, and an industry that seems to accept less and less non-genre fiction all the time, and putting a less-than-perfect version of this thing in an agent's hands doesn't strike me as the wisest move I would ever make. These people are inundated with queries from people who want what I want, and they're looking for any excuse to say no. I can't afford to hand them one on a silver platter.

Ergo, I think I'm going to wait.

The current draft of Badge, or Good Night to the Rock 'n' Roll Era will be finished in September. At that point, I think I'm going to put the thing away for a month or two, do what I can to forget it exists, get away, do some traveling, move on to some other projects. Then, in December maybe, I'll give the whole thing one last read and see what pops out. If it's anything like my last two, there will be something--and I'm not talking a word here or there, something substantial, like the ending--that I would want to alter before anyone sees it.

There's nothing like a little break to make you see a thing more clearly.

Yours in laying down the law,

Art

Buy Ghost Notes, the novel or brand new audio book.



Buy Songs from Memory, the album


Buy Stuck Outside of Phoenix, the novel

What's up for me in 2009 Part Deux

Ghost Notes the Audio Book is now available! You can order it here.

So, the first half of 2009 is coming to a close, and I can't help but look forward to what's coming next.

In a nutshell, I will write, write, write.

I will finish my work-in-progress, Badge, or Good Night to the Rock 'n' Roll Era, by the end of the year. Barring no setbacks, the current draft will be done in September, and I can't imagine more will need to be done after that. This novel is coming in a lot longer than Stuck Outside of Phoenix and Ghost Notes. Actually, it's close to being the length of those two put together. It gets away from Hote, the main character of my first two novels, but still it's a sequel.

I will continue to promote Ghost Notes, which between the paperback and audio book version will see at least two more reviews. (Funny, but something about releasing the audio book has prompted reviewers to request the paperback. Whatever. I'll take it.)

I'm anxious to get a non-fiction book proposal out into the world. I can't give away the title yet, but it's a topic I know intimately. I'll be writing more on it at this blog later in the year.

I will write and polish three or four short stories that have been begging for attention. Hote is not gone forever.

Last, I will be turning Ghost Notes into a screenplay. This was prompted by a friend of mine with some movie connections who believes my second novel would make a great movie. Both of my novels would adapt fairly easily to the format, so I'm making a point to get them down in screenplay form in case someone is interested. Maybe Hote will come to a theater near you someday.

None of this should prevent me from posting here every week. It's what I do. I hope you're cool with that.

Yours in laying down the law,

Art

Buy Ghost Notes, the novel or brand new audio book.



Buy Songs from Memory, the album


Buy Stuck Outside of Phoenix, the novel

New Ghost Notes Audio Book Sample!!!

Ghost Notes the Audio Book is now available! You can order it here.

It's great to have a new product out. I grew up in that time when a new CD or book or whatever by a favorite artist meant a great deal. There were a few who I'd make a point to go and buy the day their works came out. I remember buying REM's Out of Time and Kurt Vonnegut's Timequake on the day of their releases. I still manage to buy Dylan's latest, if not on the day of release, close to it. How about you? Are there new releases you drop everything for?

Anyway, I hope that every year I'm able to get something out for you to dig. It feels healthy and right to me somehow. I've been lucky to release no less than four products in the last 16 months. I doubt I'll be able to keep up that pace, but one a year shouldn't kill me.

I've posted a new sample of the audio book at my audio page. This one is an example of music interweaved with the text of the novel. I wanted you to hear it to get a sense of how the music and text work together in parts of the audio book.

If you're like me, listening to audio books can rank about one notch above boredom. I listen to them a lot in the truck on long trips. It's just something to do to keep me from focusing too much on things like how far I have to go and how tired and grumpy I'm getting. It's a nice diversion in a situation where you're lucky to get anything on the radio but Pat Benetar.



Nothing wrong with Pat Benetar, by the way.

But audio books--at least my audio book--brings together two crafts I've spent a great deal of time working on, and it seems to hint at a way audio books can become more compelling to the listener, like a radio play or an all-audio movie. I hope to take this type of interplay much further in the future. I'm already scheming on how to do that.

Until then, enjoy Ghost Notes the Audio Book. It's better than five hours of Pat Benetar.

Or Huey Lewis.



Nothing wrong with Huey Lewis, either.

Yours in laying down the law,

Art

Buy Ghost Notes, the novel or brand new audio book.



Buy Songs from Memory, the album


Buy Stuck Outside of Phoenix, the novel

Ghost Notes the Audio Book Now Available!!!

The day has arrived.



You can now buy Ghost Notes the Audio Book at my website.



If you order the audio book--and I hope you do--it will arrive as five burned disks in less than a week, and it will be exactly the same version you'll be able to download from CDBaby and other places in the coming weeks. If you want it now, I want you to have it now. Take a listen to the sample to get some idea of what you're in for.

Until recently, I thought I'd have music in only one or two chapters, but it found its way into six! Anyone who remembers the "musical rendering" performances I did with Stuck Outside of Phoenix knows how much I love to combine the two genres.

This burned edition of the audio book is available for $10, and I suspect that's the minimum of what the online vendors will charge for the download (they all run their own shows, so I can't dictate what they charge).

The same shipping charges apply for all Defunct merchandise, which is $5 for any order under $20. You can avoid the shipping charge by pairing your audio book order with one of my other products. In other words, for $5 more, you can have a real world copy of Ghost Notes, or Stuck Outside of Phoenix, or Songs from Memory. If you already have them, keep an extra copy around to give as a gift. You will not find a better deal anywhere!

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the people who made the audio book happen:

James Lorenz. Thank you for your stellar voice talent, your flexibility, and your follow-through. Your great work pushed me to make this better than I probably would have on my own. I am in your debt.

Bret Hartley. Thank you for taking my panicky recording, mixing and mastering calls. No one has been more instrumental in helping me fulfill my producing and engineering potential than you. I'm in your debt (again).

Tim Anthonise and Jim Gerke. Thank you for allowing me to include portions of "Nickel" in the audio book. I am in your debt (again).

So, buy Ghost Notes the Audio Book for that long summer trip, or for your commute to work, or for your iPod, or for your home or home-studio enjoyment. I'd love to know what you think of it. Don't be shy with your comments.

Yours in laying down the law,

Art

Buy Ghost Notes, the novel or brand new audio book.



Buy Songs from Memory, the album


Buy Stuck Outside of Phoenix, the novel

Hey, I've got a Gig this Friday!

Get ready for Ghost Notes in Audio Book!!! It's coming your way June 15th!!!

Despite my hectic audio book schedule, the gig is still on! I wouldn't miss it for the world.



It's at a great little coffee shop in the Sellwood neighborhood of Portland called Twin Paradox. Entry is free. I'll play two sets, which will include any and all of my original material, and you can bet I'll play your favorites. Drop by and see me for free before your normal Friday night craziness.

You'll be glad to know I'm finished editing the Ghost Notes the Audio Book. I'm incorporating as much music as possible, which has turned out to be one of the fun parts of putting this thing together. I've never heard anything quite like it, which is always the litmus test I put my work through. (If it's derivative, why bother?) There's probably a pretty good reason why people don't incorporate more music into their audio books, but I'm just green enough not to care!

And you've heard the sample, right?

So, all that's left to do is to give the entire book one last listen, break it down into segments, master it, and get it to you. Again, I'll be selling CD versions of it from my Web site next week, and the digital download version will be available through CDBaby before the summer's gone.

So get ready for the gig this Friday, and get ready for Ghost Notes in audio book form in just SEVEN DAYS!

Yours in laying down the law,

Art

Buy Ghost Notes



Buy Songs from Memory


Buy Stuck Outside of Phoenix

Ghost Notes the Audio Book Sample Up!

Get ready for Ghost Notes in Audio Book!!! It's coming your way June 15th!!!

In case there was any doubt 80s music kicks ass:



Somebody get me that drummer's number.

Finally, I have some Ghost Notes audio for you.

After four months, I'm starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel. All of the words have been recorded and most of the chapters have been edited. Now all I have to do is finish editing, get the files mastered--which involves applying some compression, which, thank God, Mr. Hartley knows something about--chop the files up into 3-4 minute segments, and get the files to CDBaby, who will run the show from there. I'll be so glad when it's done and you can hear the whole thing.

But you don't have to wait to get a sample!

I've posted a snippet from the first chapter of Ghost Notes for your listening pleasure at my MySpace Audio page. Come on over and take a listen!

As you might imagine, it's a pleasure, and a bit surreal, to have your characters come to life in this way. I'm thrilled with the results, but I'd be curious to know what you think, especially if you've read Ghost Notes. Does it sound the way you thought it would? How does it compare to other audio books you've heard?

You are my core readers--yes, you--and I'd like to know your thoughts. So don't be shy. Leave a comment or shoot me an email/message.

Also, this sample is supposed to be available as a free download, but MySpace made a change recently to their layout and damned if I can figure out how to download. If you download it, please let me know.

And get ready for Ghost Notes the Audio Book, unabridged, in TWO WEEKS!

Yours in laying down the law,

Art

Buy Ghost Notes



Buy Songs from Memory


Buy Stuck Outside of Phoenix

Ghost Notes the Audio Book will be Available Through...

Get ready for Ghost Notes in Audio Book!!! It's coming your way June 15th!!!

I've made a decision.

I've decided what company will distribute my audio book.

And the winner is....

CDBaby

I had a few other options, Snocap being the leader for much of the time, but I came to my senses this week.

You see, Snocap charges 20 cents per track per download, which means, if I were to track the book the way I want (3-4 minutes per track), they would charge me something like $12 per sale. That doesn't sound right to me.

So, I went with CDBaby, the Portland-based company that will allow me to track my book the right way.

But there is some downside to going with CDBaby.

With Snocap, I could have the tracks up and available to you within 24 hours of finishing them. CDBaby's process is a lot longer. It could take up to two months for them to get my audio book ready for you to download it. Considering I won't be finished with the project until right before its launch date of June 15th, that would push my launch date into August.

So, what does this mean? Is the audio book going to be late?

No.

The digital download version won't come out for a couple of months after the release date, BUT I will be selling copies of the finished product at my Web site starting on June 15.

This will work just like buying a normal book from me. You'll place the order through Paypal, and I'll burn and mail you the discs. This way, you can still get Ghost Notes the Audio Book in time for that long trip this summer.

Doing it this way is really the best of both worlds for me. I get to arrange the audio book tracking the way I want, I get the best deal (which means I can pass the savings on to you), I can stay true to my launch date, and I can eventually have the audio book available at places like iTunes, which CDBaby administers as part of its digital package.

But we all have to wait a while for the digital download. You can bet I'll let you know when it's up.

And we can watch this in the meantime!



Yours in laying down the law,

Art

Buy Ghost Notes



Buy Songs from Memory


Buy Stuck Outside of Phoenix