How To Be More Awesome
As part of our occasional guest spot series bringing you the best advice from successful publishers, editors, agents and writers, today I'm delighted to talk to author Dennis Cass. Dennis is a (former) literary agent, journalist, adjunct college professor, book doctor, (former) television critic, and author. His work has appeared in the New York Times, GQ, Mother Jones, and the online journal Slate. His first book, HEAD CASE: How I Almost Lost My Mind Trying to Understand My Brain, was recently published in paperback by HarperCollins. I first heard about Dennis through his brilliant 'Book Launch' video - do check out Dennis Cass Wants You To Be More Awesome for more great advice and inspiration.
Q: BEGINNINGS Dennis, how did you get started writing? What helped you make the leap to writing professionally?
I was lucky because my big break came right away. I had been writing locally in Minneapolis, Minnesota (where I still live) for about a year. Then I wrote a scathing piece about the election-night victory party for professional-wrestler-turned-governor Jesse Ventura for Harper’s Magazine. (Sadly, the dinosaurs at Harper’s don’t allow free online access to their archives.) I dined out on that story for probably five years longer than I should have, but along the way it opened a lot of doors.
Q: YOUR WORK the self-effacing humour in Book Launch is something most writers can relate to. It's a case study in how to promote yourself beautifully with an ironic, light touch. Hard to pull off! Do you have any advice to pass on about how to overcome the writer's natural reserve about putting themselves centre stage? Gathering the confidence to get your work 'out there' is half the battle, which is what I love about your encouraging site. How do you psyche yourself to send the important email, make the call, face the meeting?
I don’t buy that idea that writer’s are naturally reserved. The way writers seek attention is more indirect than, say, an actor or a comedian does. But that desire to be heard is universal. So even though you work in solitude, being a writer is a public job. Your readers may be strangers scattered all over the globe, but taken together they are an audience, and you are in front of them.
When I say I want you to be more awesome, I mean that I want writer’s to step up and embrace the changes that technology and globalization have had on our culture. I believe all writers need to find a way to grow and evolve, which may mean embracing the Internet, or public speaking, or making YouTube videos. I want writers to compete.
Q: FUN most newbie writers dream of seeing their books on the shelves, imagine book launches, signings. Is it as much fun as we imagine? What experiences have you had - the best, the worst?
The strangest experience was when I sent off the manuscript. I worked as a literary agent and in the mid-90s and we still dealt entirely in paper. So when I sent in the final draft of my book I pictured it as a physical act. You know, boxing up all those pages and hauling them to the post office. Instead it was an attachment. To an e-mail. And at 60,000 words it wasn’t even a big enough file to slow down my laptop. So kind of anti-climactic.
That said, you can’t beat seeing your book in a bookstore. Or getting mail from readers. Your book doesn’t even have to make that big of an impact for you to have one of those impact moments. In other words, if you approach the promotion of your book as an opportunity to reach people (as opposed to a chore) then publishing can be pretty great.
Q: TECHNOLOGY how do you feel about all the current advances in technology - do you embrace self publishing through Blurb, Xlibris, Lulu etc? How do you feel about e-books, Kindle and so forth? Do you have books stacked all over the place, or do you look to the future?
When I started writing I would have said that self-publishing was off the table. Now it’s not. My first choice is still to go through New York, but I have a couple of projects I’m working on that may or may not be right for a mainstream publisher. If I did self-publish it would be part of a larger strategy that would involve Internet, performance, and so forth. I’d make that sucker an art project.
As for e-books, I haven’t seen the technology yet, so I can’t judge. But my main concern right now is not that e-books will poach from regular books, but that regular books are losing sight of what makes them unique. I don’t know how many times I’ve gone into a bookstore, picked up a book and thought, “This happens to be a book, but it doesn’t need to be a book.” No form can thrive if it doesn’t respect itself.
Q: PRESENCE everyone I've spoken to from agents to publishers emphasises how important it is to have a USP as an author. You've developed a great online presence through Youtube and blogging - do you have any advice for people just beginning to figure out who they are and where their work can be placed?
What’s both exciting and terrifying about making art and culture right now is that there is no path. What works for one artist might prove disastrous for another. That’s why I try to avoid tips and tricks and helpful hints in my talks and on my site. Instead I try to foster in people the confidence and the desire to figure it out for themselves. Remember that you’re the artist. You decide how to use the medium. Don’t let the medium use you.
TODAY'S PROMPT: Why not have a think about ways in which you can reach a larger audience with your work? Perhaps try your local papers and magazines for freelance work, or join your nearest writer's circle to gain confidence sharing your work with others. How do you feel about launching your work - is it agony? Or does the desire to be heard that Dennis talks about drive you forward?
Q: BEGINNINGS Dennis, how did you get started writing? What helped you make the leap to writing professionally?
I was lucky because my big break came right away. I had been writing locally in Minneapolis, Minnesota (where I still live) for about a year. Then I wrote a scathing piece about the election-night victory party for professional-wrestler-turned-governor Jesse Ventura for Harper’s Magazine. (Sadly, the dinosaurs at Harper’s don’t allow free online access to their archives.) I dined out on that story for probably five years longer than I should have, but along the way it opened a lot of doors.
Q: YOUR WORK the self-effacing humour in Book Launch is something most writers can relate to. It's a case study in how to promote yourself beautifully with an ironic, light touch. Hard to pull off! Do you have any advice to pass on about how to overcome the writer's natural reserve about putting themselves centre stage? Gathering the confidence to get your work 'out there' is half the battle, which is what I love about your encouraging site. How do you psyche yourself to send the important email, make the call, face the meeting?
I don’t buy that idea that writer’s are naturally reserved. The way writers seek attention is more indirect than, say, an actor or a comedian does. But that desire to be heard is universal. So even though you work in solitude, being a writer is a public job. Your readers may be strangers scattered all over the globe, but taken together they are an audience, and you are in front of them.
When I say I want you to be more awesome, I mean that I want writer’s to step up and embrace the changes that technology and globalization have had on our culture. I believe all writers need to find a way to grow and evolve, which may mean embracing the Internet, or public speaking, or making YouTube videos. I want writers to compete.
Q: FUN most newbie writers dream of seeing their books on the shelves, imagine book launches, signings. Is it as much fun as we imagine? What experiences have you had - the best, the worst?
The strangest experience was when I sent off the manuscript. I worked as a literary agent and in the mid-90s and we still dealt entirely in paper. So when I sent in the final draft of my book I pictured it as a physical act. You know, boxing up all those pages and hauling them to the post office. Instead it was an attachment. To an e-mail. And at 60,000 words it wasn’t even a big enough file to slow down my laptop. So kind of anti-climactic.
That said, you can’t beat seeing your book in a bookstore. Or getting mail from readers. Your book doesn’t even have to make that big of an impact for you to have one of those impact moments. In other words, if you approach the promotion of your book as an opportunity to reach people (as opposed to a chore) then publishing can be pretty great.
Q: TECHNOLOGY how do you feel about all the current advances in technology - do you embrace self publishing through Blurb, Xlibris, Lulu etc? How do you feel about e-books, Kindle and so forth? Do you have books stacked all over the place, or do you look to the future?
When I started writing I would have said that self-publishing was off the table. Now it’s not. My first choice is still to go through New York, but I have a couple of projects I’m working on that may or may not be right for a mainstream publisher. If I did self-publish it would be part of a larger strategy that would involve Internet, performance, and so forth. I’d make that sucker an art project.
As for e-books, I haven’t seen the technology yet, so I can’t judge. But my main concern right now is not that e-books will poach from regular books, but that regular books are losing sight of what makes them unique. I don’t know how many times I’ve gone into a bookstore, picked up a book and thought, “This happens to be a book, but it doesn’t need to be a book.” No form can thrive if it doesn’t respect itself.
Q: PRESENCE everyone I've spoken to from agents to publishers emphasises how important it is to have a USP as an author. You've developed a great online presence through Youtube and blogging - do you have any advice for people just beginning to figure out who they are and where their work can be placed?
What’s both exciting and terrifying about making art and culture right now is that there is no path. What works for one artist might prove disastrous for another. That’s why I try to avoid tips and tricks and helpful hints in my talks and on my site. Instead I try to foster in people the confidence and the desire to figure it out for themselves. Remember that you’re the artist. You decide how to use the medium. Don’t let the medium use you.
TODAY'S PROMPT: Why not have a think about ways in which you can reach a larger audience with your work? Perhaps try your local papers and magazines for freelance work, or join your nearest writer's circle to gain confidence sharing your work with others. How do you feel about launching your work - is it agony? Or does the desire to be heard that Dennis talks about drive you forward?
