The Lost Testament?

It's official.

After some prayer and careful consideration, I have come to the conclusion that renaming "The Last Testament" to "The Lost Testament" is the right thing to do.

Another fiction work recently released called "The Last Testament" has a "Da Vinci Code"-style plot and, according to the synopsis on Amazon.com, very little in common with my novel, except the archetype of a hidden scripture authored by Christ. "The Book of Love" is close too; same archetypal hidden scripture and action packed.

And, there is actually "The Lost Testament," written about 14 years ago with, you guessed it, a plot surrounding a hidden scripture by Christ.

It happens. Someone comes up with a hot plot, genre, or topic and everyone jumps on it. Perhaps, if I had stayed the course, you'd be reading my Last Testament years ago instead of "The Lost Testament" this summer.

I believe it had to happen this way. Only a few people saw the early drafts of this book, and trust me, they were not good. One of my good friends and former co-workers Bob Yost said the original version was detestable and, he being a former minister at the time, called me onto the carpet as a Christian for writing such filth. I've always carried that with me, Bob, as a motivating tool to write a book free of much of the garbage in books today.

Besides, none of those books are Christ-centered or African-American, which I believe will prove to be the difference. I believe some Christians are tired of reading how Christ supposedly didn't rise from the dead and that the church is some large, multi-media, secret society-laden conglomerate bent on controlling the world through intimidation and secrecy. This "Lost Testament" is evidence Christ did rise. . .and while there's no explicit secret society involvement, it leads one to wonder: what REALLY happened to Violet October and who did it?

I'm a little nervous, as I replaced a character with another villain, upped his villainy, and added the interesting-to-write character of Violet October. But hey, isn't that what editors are for? See you soon.

Countdown to publication

FINALLY! The rewrite is finally done. I think it adds a degree of greater depth to all of the characters. The only people to notice the difference would be me and my wife, who has read all of The Last Testament's previous incarnations -- including the one no one should ever have to read.

Now, onto self-publication. I've found a company that I like, but, more than likely, I'll have to look for a marketing company independently -- or do the marketing myself. When you get down to the basics, you can make decisions based on a number of variables. How much do you want to spend? How much you spend will help dictate how much you sell. What kind of money do you want to make? Most places offer about 35% or so in royalties, which isn't bad. . .until you realize large trade publishers deduct between 40%-55% of the retail price and that DOES NOT include the printing cost. For my novel, it'll probably go for about $15 or so less the $6 it takes to print. As much as I'd like to see you buy my book from one of those places (I love seeing my name in print; it's my own personal hubris), I'd rather have it happen from a direct website.

Decisions. . .decisions

So, going shopping for a self-publishing company is a lot like buying a new car. You've got to kick the tires on them. Of course, you could always do it on your own, soup to nuts. It's less desirable and a la carte the entire way, but you own EVERYTHING. That's a plus.

I'm thinking of cover art ideas. Typically, aesthetics are the last things I think about. Ability to function and then bells and whistles are the priorities and, of course, cost. Problem is, anything I can think of would totally look homemade. That's why there are professionals, but that's also why they charge what they charge.

I'm not looking for something that sits in my basement and I give away as stocking stuffers or a book that ends up being an impromptu coffee cup coaster. I don't believe that's what I've been called to do. Any ideas, shoot me an e-mail on how the process goes.

Self-Publishing Myths and Legends

So, I decided to pick up this book, "The Fine Art of Self-Publishing: The Contracts and Services of 45 Self-Publishing Companies Analyzed, Ranked and Exposed." Seriously, if you ever have or are considering self-publishing, you should definitely read this book.

I have several self-published books, some of which are very good. I also have a few that have very noticeable typographical errors that would alert your inner English teacher too. Don't pretend you haven't ever read something where a period or a comma is out of place and it didn't secretly bug you. OK, maybe I AM the only one.

Yet, I digress.

I'm not into slamming the businesses of others, but from what I've read so far, the more advertised self-publishing places are also the ones more than likely to rip you off. You get what you pay for, and sometimes, you don't even get that. I applied to a self-publishing outfit that said for a modest investment of around $4K, they would put up to $20K worth of promotion, publishing, and marketing into my book.

The introductory letter itself set off an alarm. The acquisition editor made a typographical error in the letter. Who does that? And would I want someone who makes a simple spelling mistake in a letter supposed to be professional publish my book?

Secondly, the $20K made little sense to me, especially the stipulation that while they claimed they would spend that much, they didn't/wouldn't account for it. I could write you a check for $20K and tell you it's good, but would you take my just word for it in a business relationship ?

Exactly. I tore up the contract. If anything is worth doing, it's worth doing right the first time.

Introduction

Welcome to my blog for The Last Testament, the period Christian fiction novel I am currently in the process of refining and self-publishing.

For a long time, I thought of the self-publishing world like that of the street mixtape industry -- it has merit in certain arenas, but by and large, goes unrecognized by the majority of society.

The message of redemption and fulifilling a call of God is too important to only reach my warm market of friends, family, and former students, so I shunned the idea of self-publishing for a LONG time until I spoke personally with Stephanie Perry-Moore.

Perry-Moore, for anyone who does not know, has written more than a couple dozen Christian fiction books targeted toward the teen audience, including the Skky series. She advised me to "cast a wide net" by self-publishing with a target of 2,000 copies and then query more agents with a proven audience.

I believe in the vision God has given me for more than just 2,000 copies. Will you? Time will tell.