Part 1: Q & A with William Sirls, Author of The Reason

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Q & A with William Sirls – Part 1

I understand that The Reason is your first novel. Would you mind telling us when and how you got the idea for the story and how it was developed over time?

I was inspired to write this story in early 2004, which on the surface was a pretty difficult time in my life. I had just gone through a divorce and was in the middle of activities that were hurting a lot of good people. Those activities would ultimately lead me to federal prison. 

I clearly remember walking down a hallway at a hospital in Detroit, to visit my oldest daughter who had just been diagnosed with type one diabetes. It is safe to say that I was drowning in my own pity party when I came across a young couple, probably in their late twenties, pulling their son in a little red wagon.  The little boy was probably around three years old, hairless, frail, and he had a gray and ashen look that suggested the end was probably near.  For me, it was one of those rare moments in life when you realize that your problems aren’t as bad as you think, and while I was trying to fathom the amount of stress this family was going through, this little boy looked up and smiled at his parents and they smiled back. It was one of the most beautiful exchanges I had ever seen, and something inside of me wanted to find a way to make those smiles last, because in so many cases, particularly in cases like that, they don’t.

Over the next couple of years, as I continued to head down the wrong road in life, and continued to hurt everyone around me, I somehow, in the middle of all that destruction, wrote a manuscript about a magical character who appeared at a hospital and made smiles last. 

At the end of 2007, I entered federal prison and the story got scrapped.  Prison is one of those experiences I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy, but at the same time, there are few things for which I would trade the experience, because from a spiritual standpoint, it gave me the opportunity to slow down and realize what is important. As my faith grew, I became increasingly anxious to share some of the things I learned. I then rewrote my manuscript in a way that was a lot less magical and a lot more spiritual.

Being your first book, how did you get started? Did you take writing classes? Join a writers group? Use critique partners? Go to writers' conferences?

I haven’t taken any writing classes, gone to conferences or worked with writers groups,  but I do have a group of reader friends I show my work to that I trust to tell me what I need to hear, instead of what I want to hear. I’m sure most writers have heard this several times, but I believe the greatest thing you can do to improve your writing is to read a lot, and I will read two to four books a week. Beyond that, I have been blessed to have The Reason edited by Natalie Hanemann and Lisa Bergren, two very talented ladies.

Read part 2 to the interview tomorrow.

Read the Review here: http://christianbookmobile.blogspot.com/2012/10/book-review-reason-by-william-sirls.html

American Christian Fiction Writers Annual Conference

Friday, September 21, 2012—Dallas Texas


Today I met with an agent to give a pitch for my new book. I had 15 minutes to tell him enough about the book so he could see if it is something he could find a publisher for. I had a one-page synopsis to leave with him, but he didn't take it. He did seem interested in the story and asked a few questions. At the end of the time, he gave me a company brochure and asked me to send a proposal by email. He said his readers would check it over, including the first three chapters, and they would let him know if he should read it.

The class with Davis Bunn was informative. It'll be continued tomorrow. He talked about various ways to plot a book. I learned he has completed a new Marc Royce book and I look forward to reading it.

I also attended a session on events. One instructor talked about bookstore signings and the other covered virtual events. I learned a few new techniques to try.

American Christian Fiction Writers Annual Conference

Thursday, September 20, 2012—Dallas Texas


I implied yesterday that next year I would not go so early. However, I've enjoyed the time to write without interruptions from my regular routine. This morning, for example, I didn't turn on the TV news first thing after making coffee the way I do at home. Instead, I woke up early and went to the computer to write.

I'm editing a new book tentatively called, Love Lives On. The story is about what happens when Karen learns marriage to her college sweetheart isn't enough to give her the happiness she has wanted all her life. God presents her with another opportunity to help someone and she soon learns she is the only one in the world who can help this person. She also learns there are people who hate her or envy her and who are obsessed with harming her.

What does this have to do with the conference? Well I'm preparing to pitch my latest story to two agents and one publisher in meetings Friday and Saturday. I have 15 minutes with each of the two agents and the one publisher's representative. I'll let you know more about these meetings later.

Today I went to the first-time attendees' orientation. Sue Brower of Zondervan talked about meeting with agents and editors to pitch our books. She said to give them our one-page synopsis but don't expect them to read it. Use the fifteen minutes to tell them about your book. It doesn't have to be in the same order of the book. Start with, "this is a book about…" and make eye contact. Your book must be finished. If not, let the agent/editor know up front. If they ask for more, get it to them in two weeks or less.

Next, was the opening session with Brandilyn Collins as emcee. This was fun and uplifting.

The keynote speaker followed. Michael Hyatt, former CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, gave an excellent talk about his experience in publishing and now as a writer. He said, "now is the best time ever to be an author." And he gave the following five reasons he feels this is true:

1. It is easier than ever to do the writing.
a. Conferences
b. Writing books
c. Writing courses
d. Writing specific software
e. Research is easier
f. Tweet questions to help with research
g. Support groups
h. Critique partners

2. It is easier than ever to do market research.
a. Platform
b. Blog surveys
c. Vote for favorite covers

3. It is easier than ever to get into print
a. Traditional publishing is no longer the only choice
b. Self-publishing is a viable option
c. Author groups helping each other
d. EBooks

4. It is easier than ever to build a tribe (i.e. a reader base)
a. Direct access to readers
b. Instant feedback
c. Encouragement
d. Chance to improve

5. It is easier than ever to build a business
a. Publishing
b. Speaking
c. Blogs
d. Social Networking

Next was a worship service. We sang praise songs with a praise band and vocalist. The words were projected on the screens and I felt the presence of the Lord.

After dinner I went to the B&H Publisher highlight. They are part of Lifeway and follow the tenets of the Baptist faith. The representative said they are doing more movie novelizations. Unconditional by Eva Marie Everson is an example. Davis Bunn just wrote one for them.

They have identified books to be published up to fall 2013 which means anything submitted now will probably published in 2014 or 2015. Romantic suspense is popular now. Their customers are older women who are using eReaders more now.

Lifeway.com will soon be selling ebooks with links to information built in.

They publish 18-19 books a year and hope to up that to 28 in the next five years. They receive about ten submissions per week from agents. If they get down to selecting between several equal works, they'll look at the writer's platform and see if they blog twice a week and can help market the book.

They like books about 90,000 words long.

American Christian Fiction Writers Annual Conference

September 19, 2012—Dallas Texas


When the call went out asking for local ACFW members to come early and help set up for the conference, I volunteered. Although not strictly local, I was able to drive from Georgetown in about three hours and help out. It was 6:00 a.m. when I picked up my Georgetown friend Ann Bell who was riding with me to the conference. I planned to be to the hotel by 9:00 a.m. for me to help stuff bags for attendees. Bing and Google maps, plus the GPS in the car said we'd be there in plenty of time. What the computers didn't foresee was the rush hour traffic and construction. It was 9:20 when we got to the hotel and 9:45 before I got to the room designated for bag-stuffing volunteers.

I love the simple jobs. Having been "in charge" for so many years of my working life, I now enjoy the routine assignments. What we did was grab a bag, then put in a folder, a conference program, an ad for the bookstore, and a name tag holder. The filled bag was then placed in a box. Most of us walked around in a circle doing that while others hauled off the boxes of filled bags. The boss, Cheryl Wyatt, said we were faster than last year. I enjoyed hearing people talk about their books, their agents and their publishers. When I was asked about my books, I showed them my ad on page 48 of the conference program.

Next, I went to the bookstore to help setup. It wasn't nearly as much fun. My job was to inventory books on various tables. With a partner, we counted books and compared the results to an invoice. We then made notes of any discrepancies. Everything seemed confusing to me and I never felt I was doing much good. I left rather than ask again what I could do to help. Those in charge seemed too busy doing and not spending enough time managing, but that opinion is based on a very short time on the job. I have to admit that when I went back to the bookstore after it opened for business, it looked great and appeared to be well organized.

I ate breakfast so late I wasn't hungry when it became time for lunch. I worked in my room until registration began at 4:00 p.m. When I got my bag, I checked to make sure it had everything in it.

I ran into Ann Bell and we had a coke in the bar while we waited for the restaurant to open. The buffet included pork tenderloin, salad, vegetables and several other choices. Everything was great, including the pecan pie and cherry pie I had for desert. After dinner, I watched TV and reviewed the conference schedule.

Based on my experience today, I think next time I won't arrive so early. I got here around 9:00 a.m. Wednesday and the first activity is at 3:00 p.m. Thursday.

God Works in Mysterious Ways--Again

I told you about going to the Writers' League of Texas Agents Conference last month. At one of the sessions I heard about how bloggers can get free books from publishers in return for reviews. One publisher mentioned in particular was Thomas Nelson. I knew this company published Christian books so I contacted them and was approved to do reviews.

When asked, I specified Christian Fiction because that would fit best with The Christian Bookmobile. However, when I checked in to request a book, the only one available to me was Fearless by Max Lucado, a non-fiction book.

While waiting for the book to be delivered, I read the sample chapters provided online (Chapters 1 and 9) and, based on what I read, found a solution to a problem I was experiencing in my life. I didn't think until later that perhaps this was another example of how God helps us in mysterious ways.

I have much to be thankful for in my life, but two recent negative incidents, both out of my control, completely overshadowed the positives. As I read Fearless, I realized I was feeling fear. Lucado writes, "...fear is unwilling to share the heart with happiness. Happiness complies and leaves." Aha, that was what was happening to me.

Continuing to read, I found the solution. "What if faith, not fear was your default reaction to threats?" Then, I understood. At that moment, my fear and feelings of being out of control went away.

Book Promotion in the Digital Age: Dos and Don'ts From the Media

--From the Writers' League of Texas 2010 Agents Conference.

The moderator was Rusty Shelton of Phenix and Phenix Literary Publicists. The panelists were: Book editors Kimberley Jones of the Austin Chronicle and Jody Seaborn of the Austin American-Statesman, and Ed Nawotka of Publishing Perspectives.

The book editors stressed the need to emphasize how the book would be interesting to their readers. A local connection is a plus. They both said they get many books to review and currently have hundreds unread. Neither accepts self-published books as a way of cutting back on the number of books to be considered. Jody said he knows they will eventually need to take a look at self-published books, but he's not sure when that will happen. Press releases from self publishers are filtered and not read. They mentioned Lulu and iUniverse in particular.

They said a local bookstore (BookPeople, in Austin) stocks and pushes self-published books that have a local connection.

Kimberley suggested trying to get reviewed on blogs instead of newspapers since the review will be available much longer in the blog than in the paper.

In addition to the many books they receive, they get about 200 digital galleys each day. However, neither one of them reads anything unless it is printed so that they can easily make notes in the margins.

They also talked about the need to be timely, since they write for newspapers. However, if the book has been out for awhile, they may use an event date such as a book signing as a reason to write about the book. Events may help you get reviewed, or at least listed in the newspaper.

Jody said a book with an Austin or Texas back story has a better chance of mention in the paper. This was encouraging to me since Where Love Once Lived is set in Austin. However, it is self-published, so it probably won't be listed for that reason.

If you have a book to sell, let me know if any of these suggestions from the panelists help.

Social Media: How to Make It Work for You -- Rather Than You Working for It

--From the Writers' League of Texas 2010 Agents Conference.

The moderator was Shennandoah Diaz of Greenleaf Book Group. The panelists were: Scott Allen of BookRix, author Lynn Reardon, Jennifer Hill Robenalt of Robin Hill Media, and Rusty Shelton of Phenix & Phenix Literary Publicists.

Rusty said that an author should act like a media outlet and a resource for others to use. When doing so, don't try to sell books. Provide content that others can use and you'll get your name out there. Jennifer agreed and said to talk about yourself the way you would at a party. Be real, knowledgeable, not superficial.

Be consistent about who you are and get the most out of the content you put out. Develop a following. The more followers you have, the better chance you have to get an agent. Use content in your blog that causes readers to keep reading and recommend your blog to others.

Include book reviews of books similar to yours in you blog. Review best sellers so that your reviews have a better chance of reaching more people. Most authors will want to link to you after a favorable review. Also, the author's agent and publisher will take note of you. They probably have Google Alerts set to find any information that mentions their client and their client's books.

Jennifer said to request an interview with an author for your blog. This will give you access to their publicity. Usually, all you have to do is send them questions and they'll send the answers for you to publish.

Scott said he found interviews generate more traffic than book reviews. Also, interviews take up more pages and there's more for the search engines to pick up. In addition, interviews last longer than reviews since interviews are about the author and reviews are about the book.

Rusty said to use Google Alerts to help find timely subjects for a blog. If you don't have time to do everything, the top priority is a blog and a website. After that comes Twitter followed by Facebook.

Scott said the fastest and cheapest way to get to the top of the Google search page is to have a video. Jennifer mentioned using http://animoto.com/ to help prepare a video.

See Paulo Coelho on Facebook for an example of using social media to advertise yourself and your books.

Lynn said she started using social media six months before her book came out. She calls it an accidental bestseller.

Jennifer mention virtual book tours with like-minded authors. Scott said he didn't do face-to-face tours and now regrets it. He recommends doing as many book signings and speeches as possible.

Rusty said you should publish your book for e-Readers and add links at the end to get to your website and/or blog.

Scott said to look for ways to link to a charity in your blog. This generates a wider audience while doing some good for the charity.

Lynn suggested sharing a dilemma with your readers. Get them involved. Readers want to know your writing process.

One of the panelists suggested http://www.mediabistro.com/ to learn more about using the media.

With Where Love Once Lived, I need to look for Christian Fiction groups in and around Austin for face-to-face meeting. I could offer to talk about my experience with CreateSpace, writing the book, and using social media for publicity.

If you have a book to sell, let me know if any of these suggestions from the panelists help.

Why It's Never Too Early to Start Thinking About PR & Marketing

--From the Writers' League of Texas 2010 Agents Conference.

The moderator was Shennandoah Diaz of Greenleaf Book Group. The panelists were: Marilyn Carter of Marilyn Carter Marketing and Communications, Lisa Lawrence of LL PR Media and Public Relations, and Jennifer Hill Robenalt of Robin Hill Media.

The panelists suggested getting ideas from other writers and publishers, especially those with books in your genre, by using Google Alerts. I use Google Alerts to see what's being said about my books, but I hadn't considered using it to get information about other, similar books. It's easy to use. Go to Google.com and click on more and then even more. From there, select Alerts and it'll be easy to figure out the rest.

Another idea I got in the session was to set up an author Facebook page. The panelists disagreed on whether to have one for each book or one for all books. After they discussed it, I decided it was best to have one for all books. This gives you a chance to sell yourself more and you don't have to get fans all over again when a new book comes out. I haven't set mine up yet, but when I do, I'll tell you more about it.

The panelists talked about the importance of videos to help sell your books. If you don't have the software to do it yourself, you may want to check out http://animoto.com/. I haven't tried it yet, but I looked it over and it looks promising. The use public domain photos and music so there are no royalty payments. There is a free version and a paid version.

Another suggestion was to look for blogs in your book category and add meaningful comments on as many as possible. Keep your comments to the subject and don't try to sell yourself. The benefit will come when other readers (and the blog authors) see your name and comments and decide to check you out. I've picked up several blog followers using this technique.

Publishers still use press releases, but they are seen by the panelists as necessary evils that don't do much to increase sales. Most of the people who receive them disregard them because they know the same message was sent to many other outlets. It would be better to send a unique message and pitch to each place you want some free advertising.

Many bloggers are looking for content. You can write your own questions and answers to send them. Make each one special. Look for blogs that do virtual book tours.

If you're doing a non-fiction book, and are an expert in some field, a good place to go is http://www.helpareporter.com/. You can sign up to receive queries from writers looking for expert information. You may then be quoted in a high-distribution publication along with the title of your book. I'm not sure it will be useful for fiction, but I signed up anyway.

The Benefits of Manuscript Contests

I told you yesterday about attending the Writers' League of Texas 2010 Agents Conference. What I didn't mention were the thoughts that went through my head as the winners of the manuscript contest were announced at the conference luncheon.

Every winner was there and went to the podium to accept the award, pausing to pose for a photo. Then, after all received there awards, there was a group photo.

I sat there thinking about how I missed this when Where Love Once Lived won first place in the Romance category in 2007. Did anyone wonder why I wasn't there? They mailed the certificate to me. I could have been there, but I was home in Georgetown preparing to leave the next day for a trip to China. Had I known I had won, I would have gone just for the luncheon and presentation.

I don't know how many people were there this year, but there had to be hundreds. Everyone I talked to was working on something, fiction or non-fiction, and all were encouraging and helpful.

I attended three breakout sessions, primarily of book marketing techniques:

• Why It's Never Too Early to Start Thinking About PR & Marketing

• Social Media: How to Make It Work for You--Rather Than You Working for It

• Book Promotion in the Digital Age: Dos and Don'ts From the Media

If you get a chance to go to a conference for writers, please do. If nothing else, you'll feel the positive vibes from the other attendees.

In addition to conferences, enter every writing contest you can. I learned more from some contest judges than I did from many others who have read my work.

Distracted Agents

I attended the Writers' League of Texas (WLT) 2010 Agents Conference June 25-27. All attendees had an opportunity to meet with an agent for ten minutes. Well, I say all, but I'm sure there was a limit and some people who waited until the last minute to register may not have had an agent conference. We were allowed to prioritize our choice of agents and I was lucky enough to get my second choice. As it turned out, I may have liked my third, fourth, or fifth choice better.

I practiced my pitch for Vengeance Is Mine while driving from Georgetown to Austin and it took about 30 minutes. So, while giving the pitch to the agent I cut a lot out to make it fit the time allowed. What I said didn't seem to matter. The whole time I was talking, he was looking over my shoulder to what was happening behind me. I wanted to turn around to see if there was some good looking gal back there, but I looked at him as if he was paying attention. It took self control to continue.

I told him about winning first place with Where Love Once Lived in the manuscript contest in the WLT 2007 Agents Conference and how I was publishing it with CreateSpace. He said that was good and he suggested CreateSpace might be good for the novel I was pitching. I took that as a signal my time was over, and, besides, he was still more interested in someone behind me than me. As I was about to leave, he said I could send him a query once I am pleased with Vengeance Is Mine and have had positive feedback from several critique partners. I doubt if I'll send him anything.