Out of Touch: From Writer To Author
Out of Touch was released on Nov. 19th, 2008, through a vanity press.
A vanity press, for all intents and purposes, is a major dark mark on an author. It typically means that you shopped your shit all over town and were universally rejected. It means that your work was so horribly bad that you had to fork over your own money to see it in print. And you shall from this juncture be referred to as a “pretend author” with a “pretend book” by people, at which point, you start your slow, painful descent into literary obscurity.
I was completely aware of these stigmas, but I was also aware that the transgressive fiction, by traditional industry standards, “doesn’t sell,” (Chuck being the one big exception) so I was in a “fucked either way” sort of position.
I could have spent the next few months or years writing query letters to agents, blindly hoping that they’d look past my lack of credentials and the niche genre I was targeting, and take a chance on me. Or, I could release it myself and try to beat all the vanity press stigmas that come with the territory.
It was a decision between potentially wasting my time or potentially wasting my money.
I chose the latter on the basis that I had been “a writer” for six years at that point and was ready to get paid for it, no matter the amount. I wanted to give it the “old college try,” and if I failed, then it would be on me and not an agent. But the plan was simple: sell books, and if you sell enough of them, you can’t be ignored anymore.
So I signed my “contract” and went through the painful process of working with these “editors” and “consultants.” It was a long, drawn-out, awful affair that I optimistically termed as “paying my dues.” Nothing was really getting done as fast or efficiently as I was led to expect, and I often found myself compromising. Release day comes and I’m half excited/half convinced I’ve already failed.
The first 50 or so are always easy: you sell to your friends, your family, your co-workers. You dig through your old email contacts and past acquaintances. The first paycheck is decent, but that well goes dry pretty fast.
The new reality is you have to find readers who don’t know you, so you market the shit out of this thing on every social networking site you can get your hands on. This sells a few more, but it’s never enough and horribly time-consuming.
The publisher gave me 50 copies of the book as part of my contract. In theory, you’re supposed to sell these at a book event or a reading…thing is, when you’re through a vanity press, you’re not allowed to have events or readings. I found this out the hard way when I approached Barnes & Noble about it. My thinking was they sell the book on their website, so I should be allowed to read there. The lady told me in no uncertain terms that they don’t allow self-published “authors” to do that…nor would any other respectable bookstore. Same goes for getting reviewed in the paper.
This is where most people come to a dead end. I got creative.
If I couldn’t have an event at a bookstore, then I was going to do it on my own terms. That was the singular advantage that I had: if I’m not a “real author,” then I don’t have any rules. If I don’t have rules to play by or a label to impress, then I can do whatever I want.
March 13th, 2009: I have an “official release party” at Blonde on The Country Club Plaza called: Club Fashion Vogue and a Socialite Rogue.
Given the nature of the novel and its take on socialites and nightlife, it actually made more sense to me than a bookstore event. This is the point—as they say, that I started thinking “outside the box.” I started to view the book as a product like a handbag or a piece of designer clothing, and if I could make it fashionable, then I could sell it.
I booked three tables at the trendy club right in the dead center of traffic. The models and the socialites came and had bottle service. A photographer covered it. The club pimped the event out with me behind a bombshell using my keyboard as a bra.
It was utterly vainglorious but a “necessary evil,” as they say. Sex sells. Books sold. I walk out of the place exhausted and drunk with women I don’t know wanting to afterparty in my hotel room across the street. It almost feels like being my character.
And not long after I hear it said for the first time: “rock star author” and “playboy writer.”
Because this is Kansas City. Our athletes are pathetic. We barely have a music and art scene. There are no celebrities here. So when people see a young guy actually doing something, or in my case, doing something differently…they pay attention.
Things go steady for a while. People do photos. Some do reviews. Buzz spreads and books sell, but like all things, it tapers out. The “playboy writer” is a persona, but not a reality. I’m still a working writer through a vanity press with a day job. The game needs to be taken up a notch for it to continue.
May, 2009: I see an advertisement on Chuck Palahniuk’s MySpace about an anthology contest. I join The Cult. I join Writer’s Workshop.
At this point, I had never worked with other writers or talked with other writers, and I definitely had never critiqued someone else’s work. My last official English course was back in 2003. I am, for the most part, self-taught, so I had no clue what was about to happen. Whether I liked it not, I was about to find out how I measured up to everyone else.
June, 2009: I submit an excerpt from a book I’m working on called Typhoid Larry. It’s nominated.
July, 2009: I write my first short story in six years about crash dieting, aptly named, “Dietary.” It’s nominated.
August, 2009: I write another short about Robert Pattinson shopping for conflict diamonds. I make finalist.
I’m convinced that the writing is there, but more importantly to me, so are others. Even with the vanity label on my forehead, that experience made me feel more like a “real author” than I ever had before.
I really don’t know how I can continue on without plugging workshop. That was the big turn. It’s where I went from writer to an author. I probably learned more in six months than I had in six years. That’s how effective it was. If you actively participate and do the work, you WILL get better…this, I can promise. I’ve seen it happen and continue to see it happen.
The Cult will breed great authors in litters…mark my words.
But that was pretty much the ebb and flow: I wrote my ass off, critiqued plenty, read more, tried new things, learned a few tricks, said the things that needed to be said, gave opinions when it was appropriate, made contacts, made friends, and I’m not exactly sure how it happened, but one day in November Kabol gets a hold of me to see if I want to help moderate workshop. I accept. Things keep moving along. I sell some books, get some reviews. I’m sleeping about four hours a night because I’m trying to submit as much as possible. Some new label called Otherworld pops up on my radar, but I’m too busy in anthology-mode to pay attention to it. Richard Thomas ends up signing with them. I’m asked to interview Richard, and during that process, that’s when I got some answers about the house. I make my pitch with some helpful words from Richard…a few weeks later I’m getting a contract offer.
Those months were pretty much a fever dream.
But the end result (or maybe the start of something else) is that I beat the vanity curse. I’ll be a real author (no quotations this time), and it’s not because of one particular thing I did, but a series of little ones. This story has been told in fragments to certain people at certain times, but never in one big chronological recollection. Looking back on it, I still can’t believe it.
99.999% of the time, the vanity press route leads to failure. I just want something out there to let people know that there’s an exception to the rule. And when people ask me how I went from point A to point B, this is ultimately easier than trying to recall everything.
On to the new:
Out of Touch will be re-released in a revamped second edition in January of 2011 (with a pre-order around November), following Nik Korpon’s novel, Stay God.
When I say “revamped,” that does not mean I’ll be slapping a new cover on this thing and calling it a day.
For the next month I’ll be fixing all the things that need to be fixed, applying everything I’ve learned in workshop and from other authors, making it more timeless, razor-fucking-sharp, and professionally polished. When this thing drops, it should be in its most perfect form.
The cover art should be stellar. We’ve got a beautiful model playing the part of Dana and a photographer/graphic designer who is a goddamn genius with Photoshop…the same one who did my “Signs” shoot, actually. We kicked around some ideas the other night over coffee and we’re scheduled to shoot May 8th.
My Culting is going to be rather light, as you’d probably expect. I’m wrapping up an author interview and holding a mini intensive for WS, but that’s going to be it for a while until I finish my rewrites and edits.
Like Richard, I’m going to have the 100 signed/limited editions, and I will be doing my damndest to make those as rare/special/non-replicable/coveted/awesome as possible, so for the many that have been meaning to get it but haven’t yet—just wait until later this year when I can give you the best product I can with all the extras.
That’s all for now. I’ll be using this thread for any and all updates, pictures, etc., so stay tuned. Despite the length of this thing, I actually have a few bits of info I’m withholding for the time being.
Cheers to The Cult,
-BT
Show your support by joining the Facebook fan page. I have been known to give away things on there...just ask Tony and Frank.
Brandon Tietz
Promote Your Page Too
The hustle and grind of a writer, beautiful. I still want a signed copy... and will pay for it. I'm glad things are going well for you. I can tell you have put in the time and beyond tedious work. Your review to my ws submission taught me so much about writing; you used some of the terms I've heard before, but made them so accessible. Good luck with everything.
"There’s no use in denying it: this has been a bad week. I’ve started drinking my own urine." -Patrick Bateman
As a writer, this whole story is fascinating. What a gutsy call to try and beat the stigma of not being a "real author". This whole post has been educational for me--I literally know nothing about the book publishing world. It's also fascinating to me the way you handled being turned down for book readings.
If I couldn’t have an event at a bookstore, then I was going to do it on my own terms. That was the singular advantage that I had: if I’m not a “real author,” then I don’t have any rules. If I don’t have rules to play by or a label to impress, then I can do whatever I want.
I've come to recognize you as an author after all of this has taken place, so your ingenuity doesn't surprise me at all. However I can't help but think the tremor this must've sent through the publishing world. "NOT REAL AUTHOR" USES NIGHTCLUB AND ROCK-N-ROLL LIFESTYLE TO PROMOTE NEW BOOK.
As a fan, you're one of the best authors I've read in quite some time, so the fact that you had trouble shopping Out of Touch kind of surprised me (insert ignorance about publishing biz as mentioned earlier). The whole story leaves me star-struck like a rock and roll groupie. I mean really, a release party with scantily clad models in the middle of one of KC's most exclusive nightclubs? Who thinks of this kind of shit? Brilliant!
Mostly, I am happy for you that you've made it past the label of "pseudo-author". I'm also happy for your fans, present and future, because readers everywhere deserve a copy of Out of Touch.
The bottom line: This is great! Also, I think it's worth emphasizing how awesome the WS really is. Of course, I already know this to be true for beginning writers. This story is proof of how much it can help authors that are (in my eyes) already amazing.
The Cult will breed great authors in litters…mark my words.
Sorry for such a lengthy comment. I am very happy for you, Brandon.
"Plus, if I go too long without writing I start to turn into a real asshole." -misterwoe
"She'll like what she's told to like." -Mo'Don
Wow Brandon. When I read this amazing origin story just now I was amazed with what you managed to do but not surprised. I've read some of your work (Thank you Lobster Cult) and you really have a lot of talent.
I'm glad I held off getting your book if there's going to be a better 2nd edition. I can't wait for it.
I'm going to buy your book, because I am a fan.
Congratulations on all of your success. You really deserve it.
Now I really want to join the Workshop.
Im so happy for you Brandon, youre a great guy not just because of your book but your posts are a pleasure to read too.
Anything I can do to help you on your way let me know, whoring out and candy included!
Good Luck
Derek
In actuality, I never actually shopped it. I think the most I did was back in late 2007 or so when I sent a weak-ass query to an agent by email, but that was it. Most agents take anywhere from two to six months to get back to you. I really didn't like the whole "wait and see" factor about it. I had waited enough IMO.
@ Everyone: Thanks, guys...I really do appreciate it. I've already gotten plenty of emails and PMs about the process of things, so I'm glad I made this thread so I can keep everyone updated...especially the writers on here who don't know much about the world of publishing (I'm fairly new to it, too). This can serve as the step-by-step guide as well as a newsreel of sorts.
Thanks again,
-BT
This is exactly what I needed to keep working on my own novel. Thanks, Brandon.
And my copy of the old vanity edition arrived yesterday!
Congratulations!
www.saccharinstate.com
Build the website and the book will come.
Congratulations, Brandon. Very cool.
yeah. congrats, mate.
you should get this thread published as a memoir. totes.
you should get this thread published as a memoir. totes.
Vanity press story in the Vanity anthology??
Way ahead of you.
Congrats Brandon. We talked about this already - so it wasn't a surprise. But from your advice and posts here, I knew it was a long time coming and you deserved it!
Yesterday, Jen Trenchard of Trigger Photo got over 700 images of our model. From those 700, she narrowed it down to 40 and posted those for me to review. Here are the four the I really like. Keep in mind, that these are completely raw images. No Photoshop or any kind of editing has been done yet. The idea is that Emily (the model) will take up two-thirds of cover space with the remaining third indicating some sort of nightlife aspect. Feel free to vote on which one you like the best.
Thanks,
-BT
1st one. Def.
"Tuffy, you're a Dalek, but only because you're only being kept alive by metal, science and hatred." - ScubaSteve1729
Yeah, I agree. Though I really love the fourth one with her hair bisecting her eyeglass.
Although all of them are awesome, I think I'll have to agree that the first one wins.
"Plus, if I go too long without writing I start to turn into a real asshole." -misterwoe
"She'll like what she's told to like." -Mo'Don
Second one is my favorite because of the dramatic lighting, which seems to indicate night life more. Then the first one. Her hair is too messy on the other ones, I think.
I like the way her mouth is in the second one better than the first--the lighting is actually what made me choose the first.
"Plus, if I go too long without writing I start to turn into a real asshole." -misterwoe
"She'll like what she's told to like." -Mo'Don
Yeah, without being edited, probably the second. Hair is way too messy in the last two and the first one has a bit of a deer-in-the-headlights thing going on or something. Heaps of glare on the glasses, but I'm guessing that comes out in the edit. I know very little about such things.
2nd one.
I would say the third bc I'm a sucker for a hot chick with the hair-in-face look although that one isn't so great. I like the first best out of the other three.
Congrats on all the work, man. I didn't know you worked so hard to get as far as you are now. I'd buy the second edition signed, but I already have the first if you remember me talking to you about it a few months back. I'm kind of a book collector with multiple copies of A LOT of books. Besides cover art and a signature, what exactly is the difference between each editions?
So I just showed my sister the pics to choose from and she also chooses the third.
First off, yes, I do remember you getting it. Thank you for that.
Here's what's going on: I'm in my editing stage, and I'm doing that, yeah, but after sitting on this thing for over a year and a half, there were some areas of opportunity that I identified. What that means is that I've already added two completely new chapters and I've heavily rewritten others, and there's more of that to come. I learned so much in workshop and have spotted so many places that I know can be further polished or rewritten in a way that's more effective--and now I'm applying that. Also, I'm working on the "timelessness" factor. Like I said before, I'm not going to slap new art on this thing and call it a day. I would say to expect the book to be about 25 pages longer than the original, give or take, and a whole hell of a lot sharper.
Also, yes, this would be an easy way to get an autograph, but I'm toying with some ideas that involve more than just ink in that regard.
Finally, special edition should be just that: special. I've come up with a list of potential things, and I'm not going to name any right now, but it ultimately comes down to making them as rare as possible while including some cool stuff along with it. That's vague, I know, but all I can offer for now.
And I appreciate the thoughts on the pics, guys. Really...it's helping me out more than you know. Photo editing starts this weekend so maybe I'll have some new images soon.
-BT
I think it's badass how you're giving Culties the oppertunity to voice thier opinions on the cover art. Pretty cool of you, man.
"Plus, if I go too long without writing I start to turn into a real asshole." -misterwoe
"She'll like what she's told to like." -Mo'Don
Culties tend to have good taste. MySpace...not so much. I'm not even going to bother.
I agree with Austin. Feels kind of nice being a part of the decision behind the image of a book that's actually out there, but I've never really taken part in anything like this before so this might sound sad haha. That's something I admire about The Cult. Most of these people are experienced intellectuals who aren't afraid to voice their opinion and have a sense of realism that most adults I know seem to bullshit others about. It's sad, but at least I found a place where people actually have a thought more complex than a not-so-clever pun.
You're welcome. It sounds like you really worked your ass on this to make sure it reached its full potential which is really cool. I'm definitely buying the second edition to see for myself the differences. I have to be honest though. I haven't had the chance to read Out of Touch yet when I have a pile of Chuck Palahniuk books to finish with both of Craig Clevengers on top of school, work, and my short stories. I wish you could tell us more about this special edition bc it sounds like I'm going to have to buy a third copy. Not like I care or anything. I'm a book junkie.
2nd one. Also, forward me her telephone number. I've never had a thing for red-heads, up until now.
So what you're saying is that I made a good choice in cover model. I'll pass that along.
The second one, for sure!
With all these different opinions, I hope you are able to decide! On that note, I have to go with the third, the one with the hair in her face. I can see the convergence of beauty and messiness in that picture; that might tie into the theme of your book. Maybe not the theme... but it deals with night life right? I don't know, the third picture is my favorite either way, I just enjoyed the collaboration of a stunning model with imperfect hair. It seems so real. Okay, I've officially taken this too far....
Good luck!
"There’s no use in denying it: this has been a bad week. I’ve started drinking my own urine." -Patrick Bateman
3rd one.
No way Frank. I've always loved redheads. So much prettier and interesting than other hair colors. But don't worry lsdies, I love you all too.
Normally I wouldn't say anything about this, but there's good messy hair and bad messy hair, and photo 3 falls into the bad camp. It's just one long shank of hair bisecting her face like she's the nightclub Jerry Only. Not glamorous, not model quality. It just looks like a mess, especially since the rest of her hair is also just kind of mushed around. Seeing that on the cover of a book would not entice me to purchase.
If hair is in the face, it should be in the sexy Veronica Lake/Jessica Rabbit style. Windblown hair should generally be moving up or back. There are probably exceptions to the rule, but not many.
(close, but flyaways are too stringy)
(better, hair is framing face)
(messy but visually interesting)
(this is a winner)
All of which is to say, the cover model shots where her hair is under control work much better. She looks exotic, enticing, and more importantly, put together. That seems like an important part of the book's theme, that veneer, the club life, etc. So those picture tell me something about what's inside. #3 says Sunday picnic in the park in a stiff breeze.
Yeah, the red hair really pops. She's got a really unique face, too. The character she's emulating is blind so we're going to incorporate some Braille on the cover.
Always prefer lips parted to achieve that "vacant" look, so #1. Though when it gets designed, some aggressive cropping (like #2 but maybe even more) would be cool.
I don't know. After looking at all the pics again and seeing the one you had in the initial post, I don't understand why you didn't place that as one of the options. It's a pretty good pic in my opinion.
I like it, too. Something about how if we tried to make that into a cover, it would look pixelated because of the actual size. Also, that image is way dark. You don't want to work with a base image that is that dark. At least with these we've got some options.
Not to worry, though. Jen is a genius with Photoshop. We'll make it happen.
You can't change the brightness on it to make it lighter or is it that her hair on the left and the flower on her shoulder remains too dark anyway? I just saved it and edited the brightness, but it doesn't change too much for the flower or hair.
That's what I mean. Start off with a dark image and there's certain things you can't change so easily.
And again, size. It'd look shitty and pixelated.
Hmm, lame. I hate that about photo editing.
That second one I'm having trouble imagining bc I've probably seen one or two pics actually get pixelated from being made smaller. It's usually the other way around. If all the pics are about the same size if not actually the same size, wouldn't they all face that problem?
Don't know the answer to that. My photographer/graphic designer is doing all this for me. I'm just the guy telling her what I generally want.
Oh, true. Do you actually photo edit though like with Paint and Windows Picture Manager? I don't use Photoshop.
I'm not sure the exact program she uses. It's on her Powerbook. All I know is that if I had a suggestion, she usually had three things better than my idea.
That makes me think my photo editing skills might be shit then since I use basic programs, but I get a lot done with such things.
This can happen not because of the scaling itself (though I suppose it's possible if an app has lame algorithms), but because of the compression applied to that image to hit a target file size. So if you save your Cult avatar at say 10 KB, all other things being equal, it'll probably look a lot better than the same-sized image at only 3 KB.
Photographers shoot images at very high resolutions, and what you're seeing online is probably only like 5% of the original size. We also tend to shoot "flat" (very little overexposed areas or totally-black shadows), which gives us more flexibility later to turn the knobs both up and/or down to taste.
I assure you I understood nothing of what you just said haha. I got the general idea though of how these pics are very small considered to the actual size.
Your stunt to get started, the night club, in order to get your name out when the conventional literary world shot you down is priceless. That in itself sold me the book.
Thanks, brother. I appreciate it.
brother brandon,
what a fantastic tale. the grit of the grinding hustle seemed to have bit hard and you kept at it. you've reinvented yourself and your writing approach in less than a years time in favor of re-approaching the literary world like it was again your first time. my philosophy is: if it doesnt work, fix it. if you cant fix it, figure out how to. if you cant figure out how to fix it, figure it out. et cetera. that's certainly what you did. the workshop only works well if you work hard. you are clearly driven. congratulations. but, really.. it was only a matter of time 
__________________________________
play hard, like it's work to be done.
Thats the shit! some times ya gotta believe in yourself when no one else will give ya the time. Keep slinging the ink buddy, I'm now where you once were, self published my first novel and have just started sending qiery's and synop's. I think when all is said and done it's the writing that matters. and getting in the hands of the reader, no matter what!
Sebastian Cross is now available at Amazon books or https://www.createspace.com/3532911
Kevin, I hope you don't spell 'query' with an 'I' when you end them out. That might be why you're not geting a look in.
Congrats, again, Brandon. Good luck, although with what you've done to get here, I know you won't have much to worry about in continuing on your trek.
Yeah, not only did he send me a free book, he sent me a second one (signed) when I received the the first packagee opened and empty. He did not hesitate to send me a second one.