Navigating the Stormy Seas of Publishing

Calcaterra '99

By Garrett Calcaterra '99

Last month I wrote a guest blog post for Diversion Books, the publisher of my debut fantasy novel, Dreamwielder, and I remarked on the odd publication path my book took: an initial launch in e-book format only, then audiobook format through Audible.com a few months later, and finally in trade paperback format almost a year after the initial release. 

It’s a big departure from the traditional book release process, but this is the reality of the book publishing world now. There is no tried and true route to publication success, and if you want to make it as an author, you have to navigate your own path.

The modern publishing world is a double-edged sword. On one hand, there are more opportunities than ever to reach readers directly thanks to e-books, self-publishing platforms like KDP and Smashwords, and Print-on-Demand services like CreateSpace and Lulu. On the other hand, these opportunities will do nothing for you if you fail to write quality books or if you don’t understand the business side of publishing. And the fact of the matter is, unless you already have a large following, publishers still offer you the best shot of getting your book in front of readers.

Sure, I could have self-published Dreamwielder, but I never would have procured a Barnes & Noble Nook First Look selection on my own. Audible.com never would have turned it into an audiobook. And before all that, Dreamwielder never would have gotten the great editorial attention it received with Diversion Books if I self-published. That’s something a lot of newbies to the writing world neglect to consider: publishers ensure that they only release a high-quality, polished product.

For me, what’s worked so far is handling each writing project on a case-by-case scenario, and I don’t do it alone. I am in regular contact with my literary agent, Elizabeth Kracht, and together we game plan what to do with each book project I have. For Dreamwielder we went with Diversion Books. Diversion Books turned me on to Wattapad, an e-book app and community that houses 40 million free e-books. 

There on Wattpad, I self-released a prequel story to Dreamwielder, and also an unrelated fantasy novelette, The Knight’s Dog, which got picked up as a featured Wattpad story. As the time of writing this blog post, the novelette has racked up almost 17 thousand reads in little over a week! That’s how volatile and crazy the e-book market is.

On the self-publishing front, I’ve self-released The Knight’s Dog as an 99 cent e-book for the Kindle and Nook, and I’ve also self-released two quirky humor titles, knowing traditional publisher wouldn’t be willing to take a risk on them. 

I also experimented with selling my previously published short stories as DRM-free e-book singles directly from my website. That was a complete and utter failure! Still, I’m glad I tried it. I learned a lot about self-publishing and the e-book marketplace with the experience, and that knowledge is invaluable.

In the meantime, I’m working on the sequel to Dreamwielder, which is already contracted with Diversion Books, and I’m keeping my eyes open for new opportunities. I know writing novels is how I’m going to turn my writing into a sustainable career. I need to have a new book every year, which my agent and I will find the best possible market for, and I’ll continue to try out homes for my shorter work. 

Those 17 thousand downloads on Wattpad don’t earn me a dime directly, but now 17 thousand new people have seen my name, and the next time they see it on front of a book online or in their bookstore, hopefully they’ll deem it worthy to spend their money on.

Calcaterra ’99 was an applied science major with a minor in creative writing at Pacific University. He teaches writing at Chapman University and the Orange County School of the Arts. His new novel, Dreamwielder, is available in e-book format at all major retailers, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble and iTunes.

Help a fellow Boxer

By Kaitlyn Gutierrez '13

You know that moment when you feel like destiny stepped in, tapped you on the shoulder, and said, “Here Kaitlyn, this is exactly what you need?” 

Well, apparently LinkedIn is Destiny’s new cover! 

I had just finished my afternoon run and thought I’d mosey on over to my laptop and check my messages. My mouse was meandering toward Shut Down when I decided to check my LinkedIn account; man oh man, I’m glad I did.

I happened to see a link to an article entitled ‘Is This the Best Job of All Time?’ I’m overly curious, so what could I do but click?

Curiosity turned to excitement, which turned into me nearly self-combusting as I kept reading - eyes growing bigger and bigger, grin growing wider and wider. “‘Help wanted: An "enthusiastic" traveler to fly around the globe for a year, all expenses paid, earning $100,000 salary for blogging about it – and for volunteering to leave each destination ‘a little better than when you found it.’” Cue my faux heart attack….

This couldn’t be real. I did a little digging into the company and loved what I saw. Jauntaroo, a vacation matchmaker, is more than a way to find your next vacation spot. Jauntaroo believes in leaving the world a better place and strives to take traveling to a new level. With Jauntaroo you can “Travel With A Cause,” as the company features and donates to organizations that promote ‘VolunTourism’.

Jauntaroo happens to be looking for a new Chief World Explorer. Requirements include: Always be ready for an adventure, be generous of spirit and help others, be eager to capture local cultures, foods and activities, and share your experiences with the world.

The job was MADE for me!

Volunteering is something I am passionate about, and doing it abroad is icing on the cake. Traveling and blogging about my experience, that is right up my alley; I knew my creative writing degree would come in handy!

Sometimes, if you’re lucky, you find yourself in the right place at the right time, and you know you have to throw your hat in the ring because the opportunity could change your life; this was one of those moments.

I’ve tossed in my hat and now I need help getting there. Please go to the link and like my video. Help me become a finalist by watching my video and liking it.

http://www.bestjobaroundtheworld.com/submissions/view/1442

Guiterrez '13 was a creative writing major at Pacific University and needs your help! Support a fellow Boxer and "like" her submission so she can have the job of her dreams. 

Sensible Career vs. Dream Career

Calcaterra '99

By Garrett Calcaterra '99 

When my creative writing instructors at Pacific University explained to me that making a successful career as a writer was extremely difficult, I happily disregarded their warnings. 

I took my minor in creative writing and went off to California to get my MFA in fiction writing where I heard more of the same from my new professors: it takes years, usually decades, of persistence and honing your craft to make it as a writer. No twenty year old wants to hear their dream could be decades away, so again, I happily ignored those warning and went about my business.

My instructors were all right, of course, but if I’d heeded their warnings and taken on a sensible career I don’t know that I would have had the heart to stick with writing for so long. As it was, I kept at it, working whatever jobs necessary to make ends meet and writing, writing, writing. 

There were a lot of small successes along the way—short stories, essays, and articles that got published here and there—but an author judges his or her success with books. The explosion of small independent publishers over the last several years gave me the opportunity to publish two books of novellas, but I was still hunting for that first publication of a full fledged novel.

Fourteen years after graduating from Pacific, it’s finally happened. Dreamwielder isn’t the first novel I’ve written, but it’s the first of mine to be published, and it’s my favorite. 

The soundest advice I received from my writing instructors was to write what you love to read, and so that’s what Dreamwielder is—high fantasy adventure, very much in the vein of Tolkien and Le Guin and contemporary fantasy writers like George R.R. Martin. 

It’s rooted in this fantasy tradition I grew up loving, but not derivative of it. Instead, I made a huge effort to make Dreamwielder very much an American fantasy novel and also challenge the stereotypical gender roles of popular fiction. Certainly, it’s a book I’m very proud of, and I hope it speaks to readers.

In the meantime, it’s more of the same for me. I’m writing like a maniac and have even taken on the role of a writing teacher. When young writers ask me what it takes to make it as a writer, I tell them the same thing my instructors told me: it takes years of hard work and honing your craft, and if you’re crazy enough to stick with it, then you have exactly what it takes to be an author. 

Calcaterra ’99 was an applied science major with a minor in creative writing at Pacific University. He teaches writing at Chapman University and the Orange County School of the Arts. His new novel, Dreamwielder, is available in e-book format at all major retailers, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble and iTunes.

Food and Thought

By Shane Henry Kwiatkowski '11

Kwiatkowski '11

Apple, Sausage and Brie Layer with Rosemary, Cinnamon, Sage and Garlic

Halloween 2011, Washington DC

Ingredients

1lb ground pork sausage

4 apples (tart variety)

1 onion

3 cloves of garlic

1 wheel brie cheese

large sprig fresh rosemary, or 3 tbsp. dried leaves

2 tbsp. powdered cinnamon

10 or so fresh sage leaves (fresh is better)

olive oil and/or butter

salt and pepper

1

Start by browning pork in pan with a little oil, salt and pepper over medium heat. You’re aiming to brown your meat a little crisp. If you’re not sure what kind of brown, imagine the rich brown wood of the tables and chairs at the Library of Congress twinged in cinnamon, or like dark hazel eyes.

2

As the meat browns, dice one apple and the onion together, minding the apple seeds; they’re bitter like October DC wind. Mix the apple and onion in a bowl with some olive oil and butter and half of each of the spices. The sage might smell bitter when you first tear the leaves, but it will mellow. Some things must have heat applied to remove bitterness, the gentle warmth of convection, conduction and intention stripping away whatever acrid thing may be held within. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

3

When the meat has crisped, toss the apple-onion mixture into the pan. Add a little oil or butter if any sticking occurs, though this will be unlikely. You will smell the warm fragrance of the spice and herbs as an offering to the Fall air. The sage will consecrate and invite life; the rosemary for memory; the cinnamon ushers in joy. Perfect for the souls of Samhain. I contemplate the dead as Kelly and Kenzie busy themselves cleaning the table, stringing lights, and readying maple cookies in the shapes of tender, small leaves. I toss the mixture so nothing will stick.

4

Cut the rest of the apples into slices 1/8-1/4” thick, and the brie into wedges. When the mixture is done crisping, remove pan from heat; drain pan of excess fat, leaving a little bit. Put a layer in of sausage then apples and brie in your casserole dish. When I baked mine I laid the slices of apple around the edge of the dish, the moon’s life of full and wane emblazoned in apple flesh on top in honor of passing days and those who have passed.

5

When finished layering, put aside the dish and take the garlic cloves, mash them out of their papery skins. Then put the pan back over low heat and place the garlic and the rest of the spices inside, swirling in a little butter and olive oil. When heated and fragrant, pour over the layer.

6

Cover and bake for 25min. Remove cover and bake for around 10min until the apples and brie are golden-brown and bubbly, respectively. Take out and take to table. Garnish with more sage leaves, cinnamon and rosemary if desired.

Earlier that day at the Holocaust Memorial, I had seen the name “Kwiatkowski” on a board displaying names of Polish lost during WWII, dioramas of great ovens, and thousands of shoes. I do not know how those lost souls spent their Halloweens, but I hope that they were as grateful for theirs as I’m for mine: lights in wine bottles casting soft glows, the radiant smells of warm food, the buzzing of wine, and a prayer to family, whoever or wherever they may be. We drink and eat to the night, and for what life gives and takes.

Kwiatkowski '11 majored in Creative Writing and Anthropology. He aspires to write, act, and travel the world to learn about its people of all kinds, its workings and its magic. Hobbies include thinking about the connectedness of things, cooking, singing and talking with people about nearly anything. Animism is his go-to philosophy, and seeks to honor the spirit of the world through creation and much-too-much laughter. He currently lives in Vancouver, Wash.

The Twisty Turny Journey of the Interdisciplinary Student

Tiffany A. Christian ‘99

When I transferred to Pacific in 1997, I had one goal: complete my BA in English literature. It didn’t take long for me to realize, though, that I could do more. 

I took on a second major in creative writing as well as two minors in history and music. I never thought that I was reaching in so many directions because I wasn’t satisfied with the idea of thinking about life, the universe, and everything from only one angle. I just loved too many subjects.

After Pacific, I decided to tackle grad school, and here’s where things get funky. I applied to New York University’s creative writing program, and I was roundly, wonderfully rejected. So it goes. 

However, an interdisciplinary program at New York University invited me to join their ranks. This was my first taste of anything beyond English as a focus, so I jumped at the opportunity.

My experience at NYU opened my eyes to a whole world of possibilities that didn’t include studying literature. I think that scared me, so I switched to an MFA in creative writing at Chapman University, which I completed in 2005. Then I started teaching, figuring I was finished with my academic pursuits.

That’s just funny.

I felt like I was falling down the rabbit hole, so for three years I tried to wangle my way into PhD programs in English. Three years of being rejected makes a girl think about things, and I wondered whether I was headed in the right direction. On a whim, I decided to take a cultural anthropology class. And that, as they say, is that.

Skip ahead to 2008, and I found myself entering yet another master’s program, this time in folklore. I wondered, why on earth would I go for another master’s instead of continuing the pursuit of the PhD? But during my three years at the University of Oregon, I discovered the art of film making. Don’t get me wrong, I love writing. I’m a bit of a nerd like that. But film making fulfills something in me that I didn’t even know I was lacking. And I might not have discovered my love of the art had I not decided I needed to make a move sideways instead of trying to push myself forward.

Thirteen years after getting my BA in literature, I find myself doing crazy things such as attending anthropology conferences as a folklorist filmmaker. It just goes to show that the journey doesn’t have to end with the BA. Really, it’s just the beginning.

Christian '99 graduated with a degree in creative writing from Pacific. She continued her education and received an MFA in creative writing from Chapman University in 2005.  She also earned a master's degree in folklore from the University of Oregon in 2011. Currently, she has been admitted to the Ph.D. program in American Studies at Washington State University.

Be Present, and Nothing More

Kim Mathie '95 

Before I left my last job, I wrote my signature in cement in the parking lot. I wasn’t expecting to find wet cement that day nor did I anticipate the pull to do something so typically rebellious to be so strong. I just grabbed my pencil (encouraged by my co-worker) and dug in. 

In hindsight, I can see now I wasn’t necessarily trying to be rebellious—it would be a small rebellion to be sure, but to make my mark, one that would stick around a while. Because the truth is, once you turn around and walk away from something—a job, a hometown, an old lover—they immediately do the same. We all leave holes that need to be filled in or covered over or hidden under dirty clothes. It’s just a fact, an ugly one, but a fact just the same.

That’s why when we return to that job, the hometown or the old lover, we inspect it, turn it over in our hands (or hearts), dig for the stories left behind, look under dressers and beds for scraps of paper, stray socks, or any hint that we were once there. Because if the past doesn’t exist in some tangible form, did it--and by consequence, me--ever exist?

Of course! Don’t be ridiculous.

It’s easy to get lost philosophizing over the past, asking existential questions that don’t provide much comfort no matter what conclusions you come to. So we can’t visit the past, touch it, smother it with kisses or slap it around for hurting you but it’s still there like a light (or a stone) in our hearts and memories.

Knowing this, however, I have to something to confess. For the past few weeks, I’ve been Facebook stalking my old employer. I’ve been poking around their website and peeking in on their conversations, maybe even contributing to one. I was trying to find out if you could tell. I was looking for clues. But I had to tell myself to get a grip. That the answers I was looking for weren’t there but in the emails from friends who missed me, Facebook posts on my own page that provided love and encouragement and actual letters I received in the mail. 

At my job, I created things and those things will change, for better, for worse, or for no reason at all, they will change. But the people I met are the true champions because they kept me with them in the right here, right now, in the present and they let me know about it.

So, that’s it. I’m done with it. The past is the past. It’s the present that really matters, what you do with it, how you care for it, and who lives in it. Eventually, all that will be past, too, anyway. It’s the cycle of life, right? It’s a ruthless bastard, to be sure, but something you can count on.

Mathie '95 describes herself as a "sassy, self-directed arts administrator." She is a writer, a blogger, a marketing developer and graphic designer in her spare time while she is the Marketing Coordinator for Sam Houston State University in Texas. Follow her blog: thedivasfree.wordpress.com

Old Stories, New Dreams

Tonya Macalino '96

As a novelist, I’ve always believed that integrating the folk stories of the past into our future-facing lives makes them richer, more meaningful—a glass of nuanced wine as opposed to a bottle of syrupy grape juice. As such, I am forever looking for patterns in the stories people tell me, looking for ways to intertwine them and create something new.

In the course of developing my writing career, I ran into a pattern in my own story.

The rejections grew kinder, the critiques less bloody every year. But on the submissions front, the speculative fiction agents and publishing houses grew fewer; the major bookstores teetered more violently with the passing of those same years. And the ereaders started showing up in the hands of Trimet commuters.

I saw the pattern, but what did it mean for my writing career?

So like any good researcher these days, I got on the Internet. More patterns: Amazon buys Createspace, the print-on-demand house; develops its own Kindle’s direct publishing platform. Barnes & Noble follows suit with its Nook direct publishing platform. But that was self-publishing! That was vanity press for suckers and the self-delusional! No, my life-long goal was the lofty validation of the industry powerhouses.

And then I saw the first established author jump ship, abandoning their publisher to go it alone. Others followed. Another pattern. Ebook sales had begun to overtake print. These authors asked questions that had already been whispering in my ear: Why earn twenty-five cents a book when you could be earning two dollars (or more)? Why relinquish creative control to a publisher? Why resign yourself to disappointing cover art? Between ebooks and print-on-demand, those questions grew in power.

But wait! I demanded. You people already have the audiences your publishers built for you. You’re cheating!

More pattern: Most first time authors handle all their own marketing. And many of these authors never make it past the first book, because of an outdated print-run model favored by the publishing industry. They never have the chance to develop the audience they may very well deserve.

It took time, but eventually I conceded that future technology had layered over the landscape on which I’d built my dreams. It had placed a new setting on an old story. It would call on me to bring to bear my old mythology of communications and events manager, project coordinator, and entrepreneur on a story that I had once thought would simply unfold before me, guided by hands greater than my own.

I guess I should have known better.

And I think I like it better this way.

Macalino '96 studied creative writing and philosophy at Pacific University. For all her upcoming readings and books you can reach her at www.facebook.com/TonyaMacalino and at www.tonyamacalino.com.

MFA Life

Maisha Johnson, MFA '14

I'm here in the adorable town of Forest Grove, Oregon for my MFA residency at Pacific University. It's my first residency, my first visit to Oregon. Actually, it's a lot of firsts for me, and it's every bit as exciting as I anticipated.

A few highlights of my reflections after the first few days:

The campus is lovely.

I just got back from a really great reading by Ann Hood, Dorianne Laux and Craig Lesley. I spent the first half listening with tears in my eyes, the second half laughing the tears away, and the walk back to my room thinking about how lucky I am to be studying with these insanely talented people.

Our spirit animal. The fierce Boxer.

Today I survived my first poetry workshop, and without any tears! Workshops continue over the next few days, though, so we'll see if that "no tears" thing holds. Just kidding - it's going to be fine, my workshop members and leaders are fabulous and we're all supporting each other through it.

I'm learning a lot from this guy.

I definitely feel like I made the right choice in the Poetry program. With faculty like Kwame Dawes, Dorianne Laux and Marvin Bell, how can I go wrong? My workshop leaders are Kwame and Ellen Bass, and I'm eagerly awaiting word about who my advisor will be for the semester. I'm also glad to be able to sit in on enlightening craft talks with the fiction and nonfiction faculty.

Everyone, including faculty, staff and returning students, has been wonderful about welcoming me and the other first semester students. Today I listened to two graduating students present their theses and describe their journey through the program, from the moment I'm experiencing now to this summer's final residency. It was all incredibly inspiring, and I have a whole lot to look forward to.

I'll have more soon, including reflections on what I'm learning and more photos of the beautiful campus. For now, I'm heading to bed early to rest up for another long day tomorrow. Whew!

Visit Johnson's blog at http://www.maishazjohnson.com/index.html and look for future posts about her experiences as a Pacific MFA student.

A Meaningful Life

Benson Medina '76

     In the fall of 1972, I met Eric Witt '76.  He was actually from my hometown of Kailua, but we went to different schools.  Eric was a hippie/surfer type, who had a very peaceful look on his face and a gentle nature.  He had a great smile and was always friendly to me. We both arrived at Pacific in the fall of 1972 and were neighbors on the first floor of Clark Hall.
       Eric played the guitar and I could hear him playing occasionally.  But he got everyone’s attention when he started to sing.  But not in a good way.   His voice was a cross between an animal caught in a leg snare and a mile long locomotive slamming it’s brakes on.  Condensing it down into one word: painful.
       But it didn’t seem to bother Eric, who kept right on singing despite the expletives being spewed in his direction from every corner of the dorm.  I ran into him in the hall one day and asked him the present day equivalent of,  “Dude, what’s up with the singing?
       He broke into a wide smile and said, “I love music and I love to sing.  It doesn’t matter if you can sing or not, what matters is that you do it for the love of it.”
       That encounter changed my life because it gave me the confidence (“If Eric can do it, I can do it”) to start playing the guitar and singing myself.  Almost 40 years later, I occasionally think of him whenever I pick up the guitar.   But beyond music, Eric knew the meaning of “living your passion” way back in the ‘70s, long before it became the buzzword for a meaningful life.
       In my four years in Forest Grove, I had many similar experiences that were life altering, though I didn’t know it at the time.
       At Pacific, I got around black people for the first time and saw how closely they stuck together and how they had such a strong sense of culture.  Though many people were put off by the arrogance of the “Black Power” movement, it made me understand the attitude it took to make social change a reality.  Several years later, when we were going through the “Hawaiian Renaissance” I was thankful for the important lessons I learned from my BSU (Black Student Union) buddies.
       I learned that I loved to write while I was at Pacific but I needed Mike Steele to help me hone my passion into a skill.  He taught me to get to the point quicker and to pay closer attention to the mechanics of writing.  He recognized my raw talent but wasn’t going to allow me to coast my way through his Advanced Writing course.  In my professional life, I’ve always gravitated toward a person like Mike Steele, an expert with high expectations, but a willingness to be helpful.
       Working in the cafeteria during the breakfast shift, I learned how to frost maple bars, a pastry I never saw until I got to Pacific. Since there were only a handful of us that could get up at 6 a.m. to work, I met a simple, yet beautiful co-worker from a small farming community in Nebraska.   She taught me to love and appreciate Oregon, a place I initially hated, but ended up spending 36 years of my life there.  Rhea became my wife and the mother of our son and stands today as one of my greatest teachers, even though our marriage ended years ago.
       As an academic institution, Pacific was a wonderful small environment that launched me into the working world with a coveted bachelor’s degree.  But more importantly, it was the “social petri dish” I needed to expose myself to new ideas and experiences, meet people who would have a lasting impact my life and provide a reference point where I can see how much I’ve changed and grown over the years.
       And what about Eric Witt?  He lives happily with his family on the Big Island, plays a mean guitar and still sings at the top of his lungs.

Medina '76  lives in Honolulu and writes a blog called Any Moment, where he chronicles thoughts on the enormous changes and challenges of human life. People die, lose jobs, get their property destroyed, get cancer, lose limbs, go to war and come back to a completely different scenario than what they left.  This blog looks at people who have had massive changes and examines how they have adjusted.