Thomas Shawver interview with David Alan Binder His bio from Good Reads: Thomas Shawver is a former marine officer, lawyer, and journalist with American City Business Journals. An avid rugby player and international traveler, Shawver owned Bloomsday Books, an antiquarian bookstore in Kansas City Website and Blog: www.bloomsdaybooks.com FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/ThomasShawverAuthor Book Bub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/thomas-shawver Good Reads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7383509.Thomas_Shawver Books available and wherever eBooks are sold, including:
1. How do you pronounce your name (only answer if appropriate)? “Shaw” with a “ver” tagged on.
2. Where are you currently living (at least the state or if outside US then Country)? Kansas City, Missouri.
3. What is the most important thing that you have learned in your writing experience, so far? Persistence. Also, knowing what to leave out.
4. Tell us your insights on self-publish or use a publisher? Get an agent then let them find the right publisher for you. Otherwise, you’re pissing in the wind.
a. Who is the name of your publisher and in what city are they? Alibi, the e-book imprint of Penguin Random House.
5. Any insights eBooks vs. print books and alternative vs. conventional publishing? EBooks represent a valid open door for authors. And they never go out of print.
6. Do you have any secret tips for writers on getting a book published? Get a New York City agent at a reputable house looking to make a name for her/himself.
7. How did you or would you suggest acquire an agent? Any tips for new writers on getting one? I suggest going to New York City for its annual ThrillerFest and pitch face-to-face to an assembly of agents during the PitchFest segment during the first part of the week. Well worth the money, but don’t try pitching if your manuscript isn’t in top shape.
8. Do you have any suggestions or helps for new writers (please be specific and informational as possible)? Find—and when necessary pay—an experienced, independent reader/editor to evaluate your work when you think you’ve got your manuscript in the best possible shape. Then find two more.
9. How many books have you written? Seven. Three published.
10. Do you have any tricks or tips to help others become a better writer (please be as specific and information as you possibly can)? When deciding on a subject for a novel, don’t try to write about something you know about; write about something you’d like to know about.
11. Do you have any suggestions for providing twists in a good story? Surprise yourself. A lot. 12. What makes your or any book stand out from the crowd? Not just my books, but all mystery/thrillers must be about something that goes wrong and then continues to escalate into something far worse going wrong. Intensify struggles, don’t just multiply them, and maintain that rising tension to the end.
13. What are some ways in which you promote your work? I have a website, blog and facebook page. I also attend conferences such as Bouchercon [Worl Mystery Convention] and ThrillerFest to promote my work with fans, to meet with my agent and editor, and to exchange ideas, i.e. party, with other writers.
14. What is the one thing you would do differently now (concerning writing or editing or publishing or illustrating) and why? Can’t think of anything I could have done differently. Writers write and I always carved out time to do write novel length manuscripts through my careers as a lawyer, newspaper publisher, and book store owner.
15. What saying or mantra do you live by? It’s from Samuel Beckett: “Fail. Fail again. Fail better.”
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