Today, Norm Goldman, Editor and Publisher of Bookpleasures.com is excited to have as our guest, Erik Quisling, author of Fables from the Mud which is about to be released. Erik previously authored Straight Whisky: A Living History of Sex, Drugs, and Rock'n'Roll on the Sunset Strip (Bonus Books, August, 2003) and The Angry Clam (Warner Books, 1998).
Norm:
When did your passion for writing begin? Was there anyone who really influenced you to become a writer? What keeps you going?
Erik:
Since I was a small child, I have often been struck with bouts of inspiration – usually for poetry or just new ideas I thought were cool – and I would write them down. I probably have hundreds of little phrases and ideas written on random pieces of paper. Probably my biggest influence as a writer is the late great Kurt Vonnegut. His humorous, minimalist style really resonated with me. Also, his doodling style was something I could relate to as well.
What keeps me going as a writer is that to me it is fun and a challenge – each story is like a journey I begin on and I never know where it will end up. I learn a lot about myself from what I write. A lot of the messages that emerge in the stories I write were purely by accident – I’ll read the stories and just go “wow, that kind of makes sense!"
Norm:
Could you share with us a little about your recent book Fables from the Mud?
Erik:
Fables from the Mud is a collection of 3 allegorical stories that look at 3 small creatures attempting to figure out their place in the world. The Angry Clam, the first fable, was originally published by Warner Books as a solo work in 1998. The ideas for the other 2 fables – Grant’s Tomb and Adventures of Glen in My Stone Garden – are ideas I have had for many years but only recently polished for others to read.
Norm:
Is there any underlying message in Fables from the Mud?
Erik::
I believe an underlying message in all 3 of the fables is really the absurdity of taking life too seriously. But to be more metaphysically technical about the book, the main characters in each story are all wallowing in the misery of the duality caused by ego. However, once they are freed from their ego they find bliss.
Norm:
Did you approach writing Fables from the Mud any differently than your other book, Straight Whisky: A Living History of Sex, Drugs, and Rock'n'Roll on the Sunset Strip?
Erik:
Well, I didn’t have to interview Ozzy Osbourne or Ron Jeremy to write Fables from the Mud as I did for Straight Whisky. Fables was written through many bouts of late night inspiration and doodling. Straight Whisky was a much more technical exercise and I had a partner for it – Austin Williams (who is also the author of the acclaimed new horror thriller Crimson Orgy.)
Norm:
Do you feel that writers, regardless of genre owe something to readers, if not, why not, if so, why and what would that be?
Erik:
No, because writing is a pure form of self-expression. If a writer sets out to write something to please someone else, the self-expression is apt to be contrived and the output will probably not be that great – this goes for any art form. The artist has to tap into the expression yearning to come out from their soul. If another person relates to the art and enjoys it, that is great, but it should not matter to the artist in the act of creating.
Norm:
I noticed you were born on July 8th 1971 (incidentally the same day I was born, however, many moons before you), to a father, who was a psychiatrist, and a mother, a psychiatric nurse.
Did your parents’ occupations influence you any way on the topics your write about and the characters you create.
Erik:
Wow, a fellow cancer on this Earth (I always hated the name of my Zodiac sign!) Coming from a family that makes its living on people’s mental health (or lack thereof) I have definitely been exposed to the constant misery that people put themselves in by thinking about things too much. Thus, the absurdity of taking life too seriously seems to emerge as an ever-present theme in what I create.
Norm:
As a follow up, I also noticed you graduated from the National Bartender's School. Have your experiences working as a bartender influenced your writing?
Erik:
I think everyone should be a professional bartender at some point in their life – people really open up to you when you are a bartender. I tended bar to pay the bills for a little while after I graduated from UCLA and it was probably the best job I ever had.
Norm:
Do you have a local writing community or fellow writers that you look to for support and advice?
Erik:
Yes, I have a few close friends who are writers whose opinions I trust implicitly. I usually will bounce rough drafts of my stuff off of them before I put it out there for public consumption.
Norm:
How do you come up with ideas for what you write?
Erik:
Only God knows – something will just strike me as funny or interesting and it will trigger something in my imagination. A lot of times I will come up with the title of a story first and then build the story from that.
Norm:
What challenges or obstacles did you encounter while writing your books? How did you overcome these challenges?
Erik:
Finding the energy to finish the stories and then go back and edit them in the face of everything else you have going on in your daily life – like real work that pays the bills, for example. But that energy just comes from the love of creating something new. Then of course, you have to put your stuff out there for the critics to get hold of and you have to market your work in the face of not everyone always loving everything you do. To overcome this I just do what I can to stay focused – I meditate and have books and friends that inspire me.
Norm:
What's your advice to achieve success as a writer?
Erik:
Write as much and as often as you can because you will just keep getting better. Writers don’t talk about writing, they write. Also, you have to play the game of marketing yourself full out like your hair is on fire. Do not rely on anyone else to get the word out about your work. If someone else (a publisher or publicist) helps you that’s great, but do not rely on anyone else. It is your vision and passion for what you write that is going to make it reach the most people.
Norm:
Can you tell us how you found representation for your books? Did you pitch it to an agent, or query publishers who would most likely publish this type of book? Any rejections? Did you self-publish?
Erik:
I wrote a short story about how I first got The Angry Clam published - I will copy it for you below:
A Secret to Getting Published
by Erik Quisling
When Warner Books, one of the world's largest publishing companies, published my first book, The Angry Clam, back in 1998, the most common question I was asked was, "What were you smoking when you wrote this book?" This was quickly followed by the second most common question, "How in the world did a 40-page, hand-written book with bad drawings of a clam get published?"
The answer to the first question was easy - pure Turkish Hashish - just kidding. (Actually, I awoke in the middle of the night with the idea of a ticked off clam running through my head, then feverishly spent the wee hours putting a frantic pencil to paper.) The answer to the second question takes a little bit more explaining but I believe it contains one of the essential keys (and secrets) to getting published.
The story of how I got The Angry Clam published is a brief one so I will share it with you now:
After I awoke from my long morning nap after having spent the previous night beginning and completing my first ever attempt at literature, I reviewed what I wrote, kind of liked it, and then decided to show it to a few friends. To my amazement, they all thought it was hysterically funny - but in a good way. (They were actually laughing WITH the book not at it!)
Inspired by this, I purchased the supplies necessary to create a more presentable copy of the book - like giving it a cover and hand-writing and drawing each page in pen - and then went to my local Kinko's to get 50 copies printed up. The following day, with my 50 copies in hand, I decided to go to the owner of a neighborhood bookstore to see if he would be interested in selling The Angry Clam on consignment. To my delight, he looked at the book, laughed, and then said sure, why not, he would take 5 copies. (I believe he was half taking pity on me.) Unbelievably, within 24 hours, I received a call from the owner asking me for 10 more copies. He then explained how the staff of the bookstore had bought the books and they were now passing them around for everyone to read. I brought over the 10 copies and they were immediately placed in the "Staff Favorite" section near the front register. Incredibly, I began receiving weekly orders for the books.
Encouraged by this, I then went to the owner of another neighborhood bookstore, described the tale of what was happening down the street, and he too agreed to take a few copies. Astonishingly, a very similar phenomenon happened. So this was great - I now had 2 local bookstores consistently selling and promoting The Angry Clam. It was at this point that I stumbled upon the very simple idea that would eventually get big New York literary agents and then several major publishing houses to pay The Angry Clam notice.
Placing a call to the owners of the 2 bookstores, I very politely asked them if they would each write a brief letter describing the "phenomenon" of the The Angry Clam at their store. Thankfully, they both agreed and within a day I had my two letters.
Armed with these testaments of The Angry Clam's selling prowess, I was ready to see just how far my little book could go. So I purchased a copy of the Writer's Guide to Literary Agents, picked about a dozen agents, and then mailed out a copy of the book and the 2 letters to each one of them.
What happened next has made me a legend in my own mind. Within 2 weeks I received calls from 5 of the agents - each wanting to represent The Angry Clam. After carefully selecting one of them, it took less than a month to get my first of several publishing offers.
What happened after the book was bought by Warner Books is a tale for another day. (The Angry Clam eventually hit the shelves of bookstores all over the United States and even rose into the Hot 100 on Amazon.com.)
But the moral of The Angry Clam story is this - in the publishing world, a book's perceived ability to sell is king. Prove to the publishing companies that your books can sell on a small scale and they just might take a chance that your books will sell on a large scale. What have they got to lose? Unknown authors rarely get more than a tiny advance and the cost to print up the first 2,000 books is nothing to a large company.
After all, Publishing is just a business.
Norm:
How have you used the Internet to boost your writing career?
Erik:
The internet is the greatest way to target the exact audience for your book and spread the word about your book the fastest. I employ many guerrilla techniques when it comes to the internet and most of them are free. At one point I was able to get The Angry Clam into the Hot 100 on Amazon.
Norm:
Is there anything else you wish to add that we have not covered and what is next for Erik Quisling?
Erik:
Thank you, Norm, for all of the wonderful things you do to help writers and readers. What is next for me? I am working on a couple of new ideas right now – and Fables from the Mud was just optioned by an animation company in Los Angeles to bring the stories to life. Other than that, I’ll go wherever my path leads me and try not to take it all too seriously!
Norm:
Thanks once again and good luck with all of your future endeavors.
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