Time O' Change/ Butterflies are Free (Final Blog Entry)

Over the past two plus years we have journeyed to new lands together. Lands of which I had never seen before, or only in my dreams.  Our journey is nearing its end.  I have detailed the process, both ups and downs--what it took to self-publish a 600+ page novel released in four individual stages over the course of a year.  Come Saturday, February, 2nd 2013 our journey shall be over.  This blog will be shut down.

I have new endeavors to strive for.  No longer do I feel there is a need to share that process.  My efforts were laid out here in detail for anyone and everyone who had an interest in how things were progressing, through the ups and downs during that time.  Did I make mistakes along the way?  You bet your ass I did.

My only desire was to generate a response, a reaction from those who would read stage for stage the book of Ginger Reed and her journey toward middle age.  It has been a journey much like my own.  Much like Ginger, I have had tribulations to face and overcome before I could be satisfied with my pre-forty accomplishments.  Monarch was the last tribulation, and I fulfilled a promise to myself that I made nearly a decade ago--to deliver Cipher by 12/21/2012.  Cipher being the story Ginger reads in Monarch, which I first wrote as a screenplay over a decade ago.  I had hoped it would be a movie back then, but things changed and I changed along with them.

Did the release of Monarch satisfy my vision I had before I started writing it?   For the most part, yes, it did satisfy my vision, though it surely isn't perfect. I poured my heart and soul into the story, and a fair amount of blood, sweat and tears.  There will be a second edition released at some point, though I do not know when.  I have been a slave to time the past decade and I do not intend to be so again any time soon, if I can help it, or I change my mind, which I am always liable to do. So, no, I cannot tell you when it will be available.  

It's time I took a step back from this, whatever this is.  The sacrifices I made, I would gladly make again.  But it is now time for me to no longer be bound to give update after update of "The Process."  The process is over and I am both saddened and thrilled to be moving on.

Has this blog and my online presence served me well?  I suppose it has in some ways.  I did enjoy sharing the process, even though I probably shared too much at times.

If you're just joining the conversation, welcome.  You better read quickly, because all of these posts here on my blog will be gone by 2/2/2013 and unavailable from henceforth, or until I make them into an eBook.

To my readers, I thank you for your time and feedback.  It has been my pleasure to share my thoughts and feelings on a wide range of topics over the past few years.  My only hope during this whole time was that someone else might be able to take something positive away from what I have written about over the past few years.  I have enjoyed describing the process and my passions, but our time together is now at its end.

Fare Thee Well

-Aaron Pitters
1/28/2013


P.S.

If you haven't done so already, see how the four-staged Monarch resolves by reading the final stage.  Grab it for free from today through Ginger's 40th Birthday this Friday only on Amazon.http://www.amazon.com/Monarch-Butterfly-ebook/dp/B00A4SVTLC/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_4/182-9735446-0466936 

Butterflies are free and should never be caged

Lessons from the Self-Publishing Trenches

First lesson learned, it's hell out there.  No one is going to give you credit that you don't deserve.  And even if you do deserve it, because you are "self-publishing," most people will dismiss your hard work.

Yes, it is unfair.  Even though the publishing world has changed since the beginning of the eBook revolution several years ago, the marketplace is over saturated with self-published work.  Anyone with a computer can self-publish on Amazon, or any of the other online retailers.  While I am proud of my accomplishment with Monarch and I feel it is something that everyone could benefit from reading, I surely didn't expect to become a bestseller by self-publishing it.

The second lesson I learned is that most self-published work is less than quality work.  I was fortunate to have a wonderful editor in  SB (SaraBeth Huntley).  Her guiding hand saved me from myself.  Most self-publishing writers don't have their own SB, and it is to the detriment of all self-published writers that they release unedited material.  A reader may likely find a mistake or three even in the best edited work.  To release anything with your name attached without someone first looking over your work hurts your reputation as well as ours, because we wrongly all get piled into the same "self-published" trash bin of opinion.  It can take years or decades to build a reputation, but it only takes a few sentences to destroy one.  

When I decided that I was going to self-publish, I debated releasing a short story first -- to test the process.  It was 2011 and the first draft of Monarch was complete.

Time constraints changed my mind, but in my research I began to notice the prevalence of extremely short self-published work out there.  The further I delved into the work of others I noticed that these self-published works were often 5-20 pages in length.  People were just trying to make a buck.

It became evident that people were self-publishing everything, but mainly short stories.  My 700-page novel was being sold alongside a three page recounting of a family vacation.   It was frustrating to be thrown into the same pool with writers who spent days or weeks on their eBook, while it took over three years of work to bring Monarch to life. Ugh!

Now, I don't want anyone to pity the Pitters.  I knew what I was getting into.  My goal was to give people a chance to read my book.  Check.  That goal was accomplished.  What I missed on was creating the zeal I hoped to create about Monarch by releasing it in four individual stages.  Re-writing time constraints and personal issues crippled my ability to properly promote my first novel in 2012.  Promoting is probably the most difficult aspect of self-publishing.  The "Who are You?" complex, as I like to call it.

I remember just a few weeks ago, I was at a writer's meeting.  My spirits were high.  I had just released the final stage of Monarch and the paperback for the entire novel had just been made available. I encountered a young gentleman in the parking lot who was lost and looking for the writer's meeting.  As a member of the group, I knew where the meeting was being held.  So I walked with him to the meeting.  Turns out the guy was a reporter.  He said he was there to interview one of the speakers.  We talked about our writing as we walked.  To make a long story short, I will say that this young man dismissed my novel simply because it was self-published.  I never even had a chance to tell him what it was about.

I've suffered all kinds of pain in my life, but that pain cut deep.  To me, I had just summited Everest.  I can only speculate what he thought.  Needless to say it only reiterated the first lesson I learned about self-publishing.  Know this - nobody will care about your work until they've read it, and people are less likely to read something that is self-published and that none of their friends have already read.

The good thing about self-publishing my first book is that there is no paparazzi hounding me like the author in my book.  I am free to move onto my next story, while James Ruth is still answering questions about a book he wrote a decade prior.

The third lesson I learned about self-publishing is that if you put your mind to something, anything is possible. I made a decision in my early twenties that has shaped my life since.  I chose the life of an artist and left college to do so.  The old saying goes that an artist must suffer for their work.  While it has been tough at times since I left college, there is no way I could have written Monarch without enduring certain hardships and having experienced perspectives that I wouldn't have otherwise since that time.

In one regard, I chose to live two different work lives.  One, is of the artist, who sacrifices to create.  The other, is of hardworking employee.  I have, as of yet, been unable to merge the two.  But it is the hardworking employee who has allowed me to see things differently.  Finishing school might have helped ease some of the trials and tribulations that I have faced, but I wouldn't have the vast amount of work stockpiled and awaiting publication as I do now.

The self-publishing stigma is something I will have to live with for the time being.  I made a goal for myself back in 2010 to release my first novel prior to 2013, and I proudly did so.  Releasing Monarch was never the destination.  No, it was merely a step along the journey of this writer.  

-aap

2012: The Beginning of the End (An honest look back)

I must mention at the beginning of this post that all can not be revealed here.  With more eyes on what I put on the web these days, I will be unable to totally rehash 2012 in full.  It breaks my heart to have to hold back on the truth, but that is the way things are.  Should I ever become a self-made billionaire writer who answers only to himself, then I can fully disclose all the obstacles I had to overcome to deliver Monarch this year.

The most disheartening thing to me right now is the fact that there are still errors in the story.  They are mostly small errors that should have been fixed prior to the release of the paperback.  I own up to my mistakes and can blame no one but myself.  

Had time not been so sensitive with this story I might not have self-published.  In truth, I was editing up until after midnight on December 8th.  Could all four stages have used a last Quality Control run through?  Absolutely!  As writer and publisher it is my responsibility to deliver the best product possible.  Had certain things, which I am not at liberty to discuss until I put them in my memoirs some time from now, happened differently over the past three years, those errors likely would not be there.  But they are for now.  What you see in the pages of Monarch was what I could do with the time restrictions I placed upon myself.  And again, it is my responsibility to go back and fix any and all errors after the new year.  

I would like to be able to lie to you and tell you that all these other great moments took place this year.  That would just not be true.  This year has been a battle for me.  While I am glad to say that I survived, I cannot say that I am better off than I was this time last year.  I would elaborate, but again I am obligated to not go into detail at this time.  

You can see my frustration.  How do I properly paint a picture of the year that was, if I cannot disclose all that took place.  The truth is I am unable to go in depth into 2012.  You will have to accept that some of what I am unable to mention involves others and I do not want to hurt them or myself by speaking truths that might affect the future for them or myself.  Such is life, no?

One reason I felt the need to publish Monarch was because of Cipher, the story my main character, Ginger, reads in Monarch.  I wrote Cipher back in 2000 as a screenplay but did nothing with it, other than make a short film trailer.  As the past decade unfolded I always had Cipher in the back of my mind.

It wasn't until 2005 that I began to notice similarities in the story as was taking place in the real world.  Sounded crazy to me, so I let it go as coincidence and as my love for Cipher potentially making something out of nothing. Years later, as I was working on the 1st draft of Monarch I implemented my perceived coincidences as those of the readers of Cipher.

Monarch has not even been out in its entirety for even a month and I have found a not-so-happy coincidence with Monarch and our present reality.  In just over 12 hours our country will be going over the fiscal cliff.  Whether we can prevent it or not, no one knows just yet.  However, there are two moments in Monarch that seem eerily similar to what may potentially take place at midnight to our economy.  I don't want to ruin the story, but if you read Monarch I hope you'll take a moment to think about the big picture when that not-so-happy coincidence takes place.

If I were not a self-publishing author, I would let someone else point such a thing out. It would surely sound better coming from someone else, but there is no one else lining up to point these things out.  So here I am.  These so-called coincidences are evident even in many of the books that I read.  My mother even mentioned a book she was reading that had a reference to something in current events. We look for relevance in all that we consume.  Hopefully our country and the world won't go over the fiscal cliff tonight.  God knows I need my tax refund just as much as anyone else.  But if we do flip the page to a new year and no agreement has been made, I will not smile and say I told you so, because I never actually did.  Symbolism and metaphors are not the same as what will be happening to my wallet.  They aren't, no matter how similar the images. While it is true my main character is a metaphor for something larger than herself, what happens to her is her journey and not the journey of all of us.

This year has been an absolute whirlwind and I am thrilled that it has come to an end.  My hopes are high for 2013.  I am no longer on the clock in regard to a writing project.  Can't even begin to tell you what a burden that was.

For those that are interested, I have two stories that I hope to do something with next year. One is a screenplay follow-up to Monarch.  The story is about James Ruth and is better suited for the screen than the page.  The other is entitled Psykosis.  It is much shorter than Monarch but touches on some of the same issues as my first novel.  These three stories make up my Psychological Apocalypse trilogy.  I find the human mind fascinating and I believe it is the frontier of the near future.  These three stories mark the old world of the human mind and memory, the pitfalls if you will.

Hope you are as excited about the new year as I am.  I look forward to discussing things in greater detail on the other side.  Hopefully, it's not as we are plummeting toward another great depression.  Take a deep breath and embrace whatever comes next. We'll face it together.

Happy New Year!

-aap

One Week Until The Release Of Monarch: Egg

Seven days and counting until the first of four stages in my novel Monarch is released upon the world.  Holy Christmas! am I excited about this.  This is hardly a finish line, but it is a first step.

For those of you who read this and have not purchased either Monarch: Egg or Monarch (all four stages, which will be updated upon the release of each subsequent stage), no sweat.  Amazon is running them both at discounted prices.  Egg is available for FREE through tomorrow, and all four stages are available for only $0.99 for a limited time.

Believe it or not I have had my fair share of doubts along the way. As an actor out in Los Angeles that "choice" role eluded me.  As a screenwriter I wrote stories that contained the type of roles I had always dreamed of portraying, and finally had the opportunity to do so in the handful of short films I wrote, produced, directed, edited and starred in.  Talk about stress, try wearing all those hats.  That was all GREAT experience, but proved too time consuming and fruitless to continue.

The dawn of the eBook opened my eyes, and the inevitable next step was writing Fiction. All of my previous experience has helped shape the way I work in crafting short stories and now with Monarch.  But it was undoubtedly the writing of screenplays with multiple stories around a central story that best prepared me for writing this novel.

Last night, over a cup of coffee, I was taking account of all my written work over the past twenty years.  I realized that over half of the screenplays that I have written are multi-storied like Pulp Fiction or Crash.  Ironically enough, it was the writing of all those stories that best prepared me for releasing Monarch in four stages.  While there are those who are diehard paper-bound book readers, I love eBooks.   It is because of the eBook format that I wrote Monarch.

My next book will also start off as an eBook.  I don't want to talk about it too much before Monarch is even out, but I will say that it is my favorite screenplay I have ever written and it has multiple stories that will be released in several parts.  But first things first.  In seven days you can start the journey with Ginger Reed and the rest of humanity as we count down the hours to 12/21/2012.

-aap

Finally!

Finally!  All those who purchased a copy of Monarch before Thanksgiving should have now received an email from Amazon.  Just respond "yes" and within two hours all of your Kindle devices or applications should have the "Chapter Preview" update.  Sorry for the delay. I hope you enjoy it.

For those of you who are curious to read the "Chapter Preview," but unsure whether or not you want to shell out any cheese to do so, I got your back.  Click the link below and get a sneak peak at Monarch:Egg.    Only three more weeks until its release.  If you like what you read, I hope you'll consider purchasing a year’s worth of entertainment for just $2.99 and join Ginger Reed in anticipation of December 21, 2012.

-aap

A Halloween Treat

I am posting today to wish you all a Happy and Safe Halloween.  Also, I want to inform you about the Sneak Preview of Monarch:Egg.  Several months ago, I contemplated giving people who purchased Monarch early a collectible item.  My choosing to publish through Amazon seemed to eliminate that option.  I thought about giving away t-shirts with the Monarch logo and had several other ideas in mind.  Oh well.

While I can no longer give away t-shirts or other gifts of appreciation, I can reward those who purchase my book early in one way through Amazon.  For anyone who purchases either Monarch: Egg or Monarch before 11/13/11...ish, I will give you a Sneak Peek at Monarch.

How will I do this?

Well, the Sneak Peek will not be available immediately.  First, I have to attend the 11/11-11/12 Atlanta Writers Conference and see what comes of that.  At some point after that weekend, and before the 12/22/2011 release date, I will make the preview available.  Amazon will send an email informing you that an update has been made to the book.  By clicking on a link in the email it will allow you to replace the message with the Sneak Preview of the book on your Kindle or Kindle application.

I am choosing to do the Sneak Preview for two reasons.  1) It is a way for me to apologize for having to change the Release Date because of the Conference.  2) It is a way for me to thank you for purchasing Monarch before it is even available.  And I appreciate that very much.

Happy Halloween!
Aaron Pitters

Monarch‏ available for Preorder

Today begins the Preorder for my first novel.  Two months and eleven days from today I will not only be releasing Stage One: Egg, but I will also be meeting with a literary agent.  That is one of the reasons I have decided to do a Presale.  If I have crafted a good enough story to go along with good sales over the next couple of months, they may be more open to representing Monarch; thus, increasing the chances that there will be a paperback and hardcover version next summer.  My second reason for doing an early sale is to give my friends, family and those who are keen on the story a break on the pricing of the book(s) before I raise them in November.

It has been over a year since I started on Monarch.  Actually, work began over a decade ago when I wrote a screenplay called Cipher.  Some of you have likely seen the movie trailer that I and others made years ago.  I did little to promote the story and soon moved on to other endeavors, chalking it up to experience, but I never forgot it.  Ten years later, in January of 2010, I was contemplating what artistic undertakings to try to tackle for the year, as I do every year around that time.  That was when it occurred to me: I might attempt something new, while incorporating something over a decade old. 

The much-maligned day of December 21, 2012 was right around the corner; and having witnessed the hysteria back in 1999 over Y2K, I began to construct a plan.  The plan was to bring back the decade-old story of Cipher, and incorporate it into another story.  So, after a year and a half of work, Monarch is almost ready.  She's warming up in the wings, nervously awaiting her chance upon the stage. 

My plan for Monarch is to release it in four separate stages - named after the four stages of the Monarch Butterfly life cycle.  This allows me to do the story like the old serials of yesteryear, a perfect fit for the eBook format that I shall be using with Amazon.  Now I know some of you may be saying, "Well, I don't have a Kindle."  Neither do I, but the beautiful thing is the Kindle is also a FREE downloadable application for multiple devices: Windows PC, MAC, Blackberry, iphone, ipad, Android, Windows Phone 7.  Once you have downloaded the App you must then register it.  As long as you have an account with Amazon, you can now go ahead and purchase kindle e-books.  

If you have the Kindle App on several devices, you can also switch between them.  You can start reading on your PC and then get in a few minutes at lunch with your smart phone.  Pretty Awesome!  We truly are living in a digital age.  Oh, almost forgot Amazon's newest gizmo, you can even use the Amazon Cloud Reader, which allows you to read a book while online.  And then on November 11th you can start reading Monarch. 


This is very important.  Just so you know, when you purchase Monarch online there will be a document sent to your device.  It is not the story.  THAT DOCUMENT WILL NOT AUTOMATICALLY BE REPLACED ON NOVEMBER 11th.  You will receive an email from Amazon, probably a few days prior to the eleventh, which will ask you to click a link to replace files.  Click it and Monarch: Egg will supplant the other document.  I will keep you posted on my blog. 

To find out more about the story or to place an order you can either go through my website at monarchthenovel.com, which will send you to Amazon, or go to my Amazon page. 

Thank you for the support.

-aap

Monarch Preorder Update

For about two months, I have been consternating how I might effectively do a Presale of my first Novel.  I am by no means a well-known writer; so, I thought Amazon might be out of the picture, because they don't allow unknown writers to do "official" preorders.  Then I thought about Paypal, which would have given me a chance to send out a collectible item via the web or through the mail.  If I were to go with Paypal, I would have to figure out a way to get a digital version of the book to customers.  No biggie, right?  Except, I intended to release the book through Amazon Kindle.  This creates a potential messy financial situation that might very well throw a wrench into the whole process.   

Earlier this week, I did a test on Amazon to see whether I could do an "unofficial" Preorder for Monarch through their site; low and behold, the results seem promising.  One problem solved.  The only bad part is I will be unable to provide a collectible with the purchase of an electronic copy of my book.  Time is running short and I am afraid that the collectible may have to wait.  If my sales are good enough, I would like to release a hardcover version.  That may be the point to do a collectible.  If any of you have any ideas how I might still go about providing the collectible with the e-book, please let me know.  I am open to ideas.

monarchthenovel.com

-aap