Lost In SPACE (PEW PEW)

Stepping Back to Step Forward

Sometimes, things don't work out. So let's pull back the curtain, learn a few things about publishing, and look forward. This is a longer post my friends, so buckle up ...

First, some background. SPACE PEW PEW is near and dear to me, because it was the first story I put down after dealing with a years-long depression after my brother passed away. I needed something fun and funny to recapture the joy of putting down character and story after everything was SO heavy for so long. In a way, this book was my way of proving to myself that I could write again, that the dark and melancholic clouds were impermanent, and that the success I had with my debut novel, "The Caretaker" wasn't a fluke.

Now, my goals for writing have never been financial. Depending on the angle it’s quite possible to see my writing career as making me a little, or costing me a lot. The thing is, my view has always been that as long as I can become someone's favorite author, everything else will fall into place. Even if that search takes forever, I know the journey will be worth it in every way, and I'll find that tribe eventually.

The characters in SPACE PEW PEW feel like my family. Imperfect. Absurd. Frustrating, hilarious, and complex. It is a joy to write in the PEWNIVERSE, and I can't wait to write more.

So at a convention, nearly two years ago, I pitched SPP to an indy publisher (when I had only one chapter written, mind you), and I started a business relationship, and eventually had the work published, and launched this past November (last Black Friday, to be precise). Three Ravens Publishing was enthusiastic and gracious about this project, and had such faith that they offered a contract before reading the entire thing (I had published a short story with them prior, they were familiar with my storytelling ability, and that I turn in exceptionally clean manuscripts).

However, things changed.

I'm not going to fault the publisher - they are run by wonderful people and the owner has become a good friend. They publish fun stories, and have gone to great lengths to revive some old gaming IPs that I believe are sorely needed back in the publishing space and collective consciousness of nerdy readers everywhere. (Car Wars ftw!) It Came From The Trailer Park was a JOY to be involved with, and “The Ballad of Esmerelda Calhoun” remains my favorite short work to date.

Check it out here!

What became clear with SPACE PEW PEW, is that this author-publisher relationship wasn’t the right fit.

My friends, I have a lot of skills, developed over many years. Coding, graphic design, marketing, YouTube, podcasting as well as writing, editing, voice-work, narrating and networking. Skills like these are CRITICAL for authors trying to get their words out there and make their mark. You don't need them all, all at once, but you need to continue to grow, and that's where my focus has always been - be a little better today than I was yesterday.

My skills are also very difficult for an indy publisher to amplify.

When you self-publish, you have to wear all the hats. You have to be the marketing department, your own accountant, editor, author, social media strategist, graphic designer, networker and so much more. This is the reason it can be SUPER beneficial to hook up with an Indy press - because you can have a close relationship with the people in charge, learn a TON, and guide the project by sharing skills with each other.

I made the decision after riding through this project with my publisher for the better part of a year, to cut ties. I asked for the contract to be cancelled, and request that the IP be back in my hands.

To their great credit, they recognized that what they were able to provide as my publisher was not offering SPACE PEW PEW the biggest shot at success that it deserved, and that the best decision was to honor my request. We both came to the realization that the business relationship wasn't working. The split was amicable, the decision was mutual, and all of the obligations we had have been ironed out fairly, honestly, and quickly.

I am so very, very grateful for Three Ravens (and in fact will continue to work with them, as I'm currently working on an EPIC short story for one of their upcoming anthologies). Again, these are great people with a huge heart and an an incredible love of story. So much so that they recognized the best chance for SPACE PEW PEW to flourish was to be honest with the relationship we developed, and do the right thing for these characters, these words, and one of their authors.

So there are a few lessons for you here, author friends:

1) Develop abilities, and have faith: The more you are able to do, and do well, the better the chance your words have. Don't be scared to be online. Stop hating the sound of your own voice. Don't be afraid of putting yourself out there. You've come so far putting words down, the last thing you need to do is let yourself down by continually talking about yourself negatively. Will you get everything right trying new things? Nope. Does it matter and does anyone care? Also nope. So fail hard and fail fast. Learn, grow, and persevere. That's how you gain talents that will serve you in the long-term. Millions of people out there wish they could write a book and have never started. You are in rare air, my friend, plant that seed, water it, care for yourself and you will grow.

2) Honor the project: As I said, the characters in SPACE PEW PEW are like my family. I am responsible for those characters living on, and being seen by fresh eyes. I take that responsibility seriously, as should you with your own storytelling families. They are living incredible stories in my head every moment of every day. Their stories demand to be shared, and I alone am responsible for them living on and having the best chance of being seen.

3) Recognize when something doesn't work: This is going to sound like relationship advice, because it is. Realize that connecting with either an agent or publisher is a RELATIONSHIP. Understand and be realistic about what each of you brings to the table. If your skills mesh and amplify, wonderful! If it's not a good fit, be honest about it, beyond the simple energy of something new. Don't let the excitement of developing a new business relationship blind you to what's best for you, and the words. Be discerning and know your worth.

IN CLOSING: SPACE PEW PEW is on a brief hiatus. I have a ton of work to do. I've purchased the new ISBNs, I've got some editing to do on the final versions of the words which includes re-doing the cover, and getting everything connected and re-published appropriately on my own. I'm back to learning, fumbling my way through developing new skills.

There's considerable additional expense and I may lose the reviews I've gained so far (I’m actively trying to work that out with Amazon), but it was ultimately the right decision as an advocate for my characters, and this time learning is going to serve me very well in the future.

I don't see any of this as a negative.

I'm simply going through an upgrade, paying a small cost now for a huge return over time. I'm incredibly grateful to Three Ravens for helping bring this project to fruition, and I am saddened that the relationship didn't work, but there is no ill will or hard feelings - I'm excited to submit additional stories to them in a different capacity, and incredibly thankful they recognized that SPACE PEW PEW needed a different path to find the success it deserves.

The 3R authors are AMAZING fellow wordsmiths, and I have no doubt that even though this project wasn't a perfect fit, that there will be others. With so many scammers out there, it's great knowing there are still honest and forthright people - great people - in the industry, doing the hard work of making sure authors have a fair shot, sacrificing time, effort, and energy to make sure authors get seen.

SPACE PEW PEW is a special book, and a special story, and while this is certainly a step backward, I'm hopeful and confident that it will result in multiple steps forward as a result, and I couldn't do that without great people around me, a wonderful writing community on the socials, and people willing to give my words a chance.

I'm not going anywhere, and Alex, Toshiro, Andromeda, Leopold and Boom Boom will be back after a short break, and the story is going to grow into something bigger, better, badder and more hilarious than you can imagine.

If you need some advice, or a boost, or a kick in the ass, don't hesitate to reach out. I've been through it, folks, and I'm in your corner.