Lindsay - December 26, 2019This week, we interviewed prolific New York Times and USA Today bestselling mystery and science fiction author Dean Wesley Smith.
Some of the franchises he’s written novels for include Star Trek, X-Men, Smallville, Aliens, Men in Black, and Spider-Man. His most-known mystery series is Cold Poker Gang. He and his wife, author Kristine Kathryn Rusch, teach multiple workshops and courses through their company, WMG Publishing.
Here are some of the questions we asked Dean:
- You’ve been writing and publishing for a long time and are a big inspiration for many authors. What was your big break when it came to publishing? How did it help prepare you for a lifetime of writing?
- What made you transition away from traditional publishing and start to publish on your own?
- Was having a significant traditional career an asset or a liability when it came to getting started as an indie?
- What was involved with starting WMG Publishing and is there anything authors thinking of transitioning from self-publisher to publishing company should know?
- What kinds of workshops do you and Kris put on?
- For authors thinking of doing online courses or workshops to learn the craft side better, do you have any suggestions for vetting the offerings? What makes a good workshop?
- When it comes to workshops focused on business versus craft, which do you feel is most important for an aspiring indie author?
- You have strong feelings about traditional publishing (unless we’re talking about short stories) not being the best route for most authors right now — why?
- You write into the dark (AKA a “pantser”). What advice do you have for authors who prefer not to outline? Can this help with or would it hinder productivity?
- Could you talk about some of the dangers or pitfalls in revising and revising your work?
- If you’re writing into the dark, what do you do when you run into a dead end? For pantser, is the skill learning how to sculpt a story that doesn’t run into a dead end, or learning how to blow a hole in the wall and continue regardless?
- You’ve been incredibly prolific over the years, but you’ve also dealt with some not-so-fun burn-out phases. How have you handled them? What advice do you have for authors who are dealing with burnout, and how do you avoid it now?
- You’ve seen a lot of changes in the industry over the years, and I’m sure you’ve seen some authors disappear. Probably a lot of authors. What has allowed you to adapt and keep rolling along and doing this for your day job?
- There are tons of things that can cause a dip in a career. Sometimes it’s something in the wider publishing world, sometimes it’s something more personal. How do we identify the reason for a downturn in earnings, and are internal vs. external reasons handled differently?
- You offer a lot of service to authors through online and in-person workshops, your blog, and interviews you give. Basically, you keep yourself incredibly busy. What are the biggest tips you have for authors dealing with crazy schedules who still want to be prolific writers?
Dean recommended Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five for an example of going in and out of the timeline.
To find out more about the workshops Kris and Dean put on (craft and business), you can get updates on Dean’s blog: https://www.deanwesleysmith.com/
That’s it for this week’s show. If you want to join us on Facebook, we have a new group there. Search for “Six Figure Authors” or follow this link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/504063143655523/
Brilliant interview with a true genius. I’ve been following Dean’s “Writing into the dark” technique for most of my author career and it is the reason I’m still writing today.
It’s so refreshing to hear an alternative point of view to the prevailing wisdom in so many areas including pantsing/plotting and promoting/not promoting as well as wide/KU and short fiction/long.
Thanks so much for this episode.
I got in my 8 point 7 miles this morning with the 6FA podcast episode featuring DWS. He has some interesting perspectives on writing and the biz. Surprisingly, not quite what I expected. I do think it’s interesting that he changed his perspective, demonstrating that one should never stop learning. I agree with this concept tho I came to this same conclusion by a different route. I remember reading most of the ST novels in the 80’s and 90’s but eventually there were so many I couldn’t keep up. For me, it’s one of those “they don’t write ’em like they used to” sort of feeling with respect to all the various ST and SW novel series. I really like the long form episodes, an hour plus is very suitable to my long weekend runs so I appreciate that. Anyway… a cold shower and breakfast, now to writing.
This is me just talking out loud, rambling, considering my options.
Near the end you guys started talking about Dean’s magazine, “Smith’s Monthly”.
The issues are available on Amazon.
– “Look Inside!” the first issue and read the introduction. He talks about what he’s doing and how.
Buy a paper copy of the first issue and get a feel of what it’s like to actually do a magazine, filling every issue with your own work.
BTW, I like the magazine format in paper. You can do small font, double column, and put more words on the page, while making it more readable.
– Realize that this is POD. That the issues are always in print, unlike traditional magazines. It does not have to be “subscription” like he talks about.
Click on the “Book 1 of 37 in the Smith’s Monthly Series” link and see all of the covers. Realize that it did not cost thousands to produce each and still have a good cover.
Look at the Kindle version of the first few issues and download the “sample” to read the introductions. Then do the sample for issue #12 and read the introduction where he talks about completing the first year. Then issue #36 to read the introduction where he talks about reprinting his first novel.
– Notice that the Kindle version is linear not two column like the paper magazine. That’s interesting.
Realize that you can do the same. It doesn’t have to be a “monthly”. You can do an issue every two months, or quarterly, or not be on a regular schedule. It’s a way of setting yourself goals for writing and publishing the stories. That way you can play with stuff, see if you enjoy different stories, series, etc…, then publish the novels separately, the short stories separately, create bundles, etc…
Think about that. You write a trilogy over years, and people won’t touch it until the third book is finished, but if you publish the books in the magazine, as you finish them, no one will complain. Then publish the complete trilogy when you are ready.
Doing a “magazine” is a way of shattering the limits that you thought that you were working under. The idea is deeply subversive. I need to think of this further.
Thanks for letting me ramble.