Sandpoint authors find own way into print

SANDPOINT — Here in the midst of the perennial Christmas quandary — what to give and what to receive — three local authors have come up with an answer. They have given themselves books.

Not just any old title off the shelf, but books they have written and published themselves. For each, the writing process was a voyage of discovery. And part of the discovery involved the realization that almost everyone feels like they’ve got a book inside of them, waiting to make it to the page.

So, in the spirit of the season, we share some hard-won tips from these writers in hopes that their experience will inspire others to follow their lead.

Bill Collier has the distinction of having published his second book, titled “CIA Super Pilot Spills the Beans: Flying Helicopters in Laos for Air America.” It’s a kind of sequel to his first book, published three years ago under the name, “The Adventures of a Helicopter Pilot Flying the H-34 in Vietnam for the Marine Corps,” and the second book in what will become a trilogy.

Tim Martin released “On Death and Flying” this past summer, rounding up the characters who had been interacting in his head for some time and giving them voice on the written page.

And Ken Eyer penned a self-published memoir called “The Heart: Pathway to the Soul — A Cardiologist’s Quest for Truth,” that chronicles the journey of a skeptical medical professional who finds himself traveling a spiritual path.

Though the genres are different — military intrigue and action; a thriller with a page-turner momentum; and a thoughtful exploration of the meaning of truth — the three authors share a lot in terms of the process that led to publication. To be sure, this trio of writers is hardly alone on the local scene, as Collier found out when he was tasked with using his office as past-president of the local chapter of the Idaho Writers League to pull together examples of writing from the immediate area.

“I was amazed when the library had a fundraiser and asked me to put together a basket of books by local authors,” he said. “I think I came up with 36 of them — and I’m sure I didn’t get them all.”

Time was when an aspiring author had few options for getting a story into print. Once the manuscript was ready, they had to engage in writing query letters to publishers and book agents, hoping against hope that someone would find merit in the work. More often than not, their efforts were met with a series of rejection letters and their dreams were dashed.

Technology has leveled the playing field, as writers now have the opportunity to print books on their own with “on-demand” service that lets them order as many or as few books as they want at one time.

Martin reached that juncture after banging his head against the brick wall of the publishing industry for about a year.

“It was the most frustrating thing I’ve ever done,” he said. “Agents are inundated with as many as 600-700 query letters a month and I sent out hundreds and hundreds of query letters.”

He also attended writer’s conferences where attendees were herded into the equivalent of literary speed-dating sessions and given a total of three minutes to make their pitch before being shuttled on to the next agent. Eventually, he decided to do the book on his own.

Eyer followed a similar course, but went directly to the self-publishing model once his book was written. The writing, too, went smoothly for him and didn’t take years of his life to complete.

“It didn’t take any time at all,” he said. “I think it’s different when you write about your own life. The facts are pretty straight-forward and it’s the thing you know the most about.”

For Eyer, that involved chronicling his story of how scientifically minded skepticism led him to become a spiritual seeker and the tale of what he called “an unusual sequence of events” flowed easily.

In Collier’s case, putting down the details of his own life was more of an uphill slog. Writing his first book proved so painful that — at about the mid-point — he actually set it aside for an extended period.

“It dredged up so many bad memories that I put it down for a year,” he said. “But when I finished the book, it felt like the fever broke, because I got all of that junk out of me and on paper.”

Martin, meanwhile, had the advantage of having spent a career in the writing field — first in advertising and later in corporate communications.

“I’d been a writer forever, but I always wanted to write fiction,” he said. “I didn’t set out to write the Great American Novel, I just wanted to see if I could do it.”

Calling the interrelated acts of writing and sharing the final work “a huge risk,” Martin discovered as much on a personal level as he did professionally.

“It’s been a really good learning experience,” he said. “You can fool yourself about a lot of things, but not about writing.”

Isolated by their art during the creative phase, writers find themselves forced into the harsh light of self-promotion once that work is done. Some cringe at the prospect, but Collier finds talking about his books more fun than writing them.

“It doesn’t bother me,” he said. “It’s probably my favorite part. When I travel, I always have books with me — I’ve sold books to a seatmate on a plane before.”

It must be working, as he’s bucking the trends when it comes to success as a self-publisher.

“The statistics say that selling 300 books is a good result,” he said. “I’m approaching 2,700 books sold on the first title and almost 200 on the second book — and I only got that one in my hands about a week ago.”

Martin has been involved with hands-on selling of his print books, but has found even more response online.

“The largest amount of readership has been the e-books,” he said, noting that he now has more than 3,000 downloads from sites such as Good Reads and Amazon.

Whether on the physical page or on a device, all of these writers have benefited from the ease of self-publishing in the on-demand age.

“It was really quite painless,” said Eyer, whose son helped him with layout and design. “It was all done through Amazon — we just handed them the finished product and they printed it.”

Eyer made an initial order of 100 books, most of which have sold through word of mouth. Martin orders his books at a rate of about 20 or 30 at a time, partly because e-books have been such a popular option with his readers. Collier, whose print copies have been the mainstay of his promotional efforts, weighs in a little heavier when he makes an on-demand print order. But not so much that he’s ever got more inventory than orders.

“I never have more than 100 books in my possession, so when I get down to 20 or 30 copies, I order another 100,” he said. “That way, I don’t have a garage full of books.”

When these authors meet would-be writers who find out they’ve not only written a book but also taken it to print, the response is almost universally the same. I have an idea for a book, people tell them — and someday I’ll get around to writing it.

With that in mind, they share these tips for writers who have not yet written.

Collier: “Just write — even if it’s garbage at first. Just write. And read a lot.”

Eyer: “Be motivated to tell your own story — hopefully it’s one that will be of interest to people.”

Martin: “You have to practice and hone your skills. And then you have to do it.”

Bill Collier’s books are available at Vanderford’s, Sandpoint Super Drug, Fiddlin’ Red’s Music, Santosha, Home Sweet Home, DiLuna’s and the Army Surplus store, as well as online at Amazon and Kindle.

Tim Martin’s book can be found locally at Vanderford’s and Sandpoint Super Drug, at the Well-Read Moose in Coeur d’Alene and online at Amazon and Good Reads.

Ken Eyer’s book is available at Evergreen Realty by calling Kathy Robinson at 208-255-9690.