Interview: Novelist James Scott Bell

Bestselling Author’s Tips 

On eBook Self-Publishing

By Mark Young

Bestselling novelist James Scott Bell likes to take chances. This year—after successfully writing novels for traditional publishers for two decades—Jim entered the relatively new era of eBook publishing with a bang. Since last February, he has released three eBooks under the Compendium Press banner. Here is the lineup:

Watch Your Back, a suspense novella and three short stories, released on February 9^th in Jim’s first self-publishing venture. This novella is a story about a brash IT guy who has it all—a secure job, a loving fiancée, and a financial future that looked very bright. Everything begins to change when he is attracted to a new woman at work. Casting everything aside, main character Cameron Cates jumps aboard a fast moving train wreck of lust and greed that ends in an unexpected manner.

After the novella, Jim added three short stories at part of the same eBook, just in case you did not get enough suspense. Fore Play is the story of a married golfer who likes to play on and off the gold course, a lifestyle that may change his game for good. In Rage Road, a young man takes his girl out for a ride and finds out the hard way why it is best to control ones anger. One thing just leads to another. Finally, in Heed The Wife,  married man Frank Dabney always listens to his wife in order to keep the peace and to make sure his wife sticks around. This time, however, listening to his wife might be the worst thing he could ever do.

Less than a month later, Jim released his latest nonfiction book on writing, titled Writing Fiction For All Your Worth. (Jim already has several writing books published through Writers Digest).The goal of this book is to help writers develop “strategies and techniques for getting your fiction to the next level.” The book contains the best of Jim’s articles and blog posts on writing.

Finally, Jim released a third eBook on May 4, a short story titled No Laughing Matter. The expression you’re killing me comes to mind as I read Jim’s short story about a comedian who is deadly serious about making it to the big time. He has one last gig that may send him to the top—or will it prove deadly?

Jim has dazzled suspense lovers over the years with a number of published novels, primarily legal thrillers set in his hometown of Los Angeles. Many tags can be pinned to Jim’s coattails—novelist, screenwriter, trial lawyer, writing mentor, and adjunct professor. And now, one more tag: a self-published eBook author.

MARK: It is always a pleasure to learn from a writer of your stature, Jim. Thanks for joining us here on Hook’em and Book’em once again. Let’s start with the most obvious question. Why did you decide to venture into the eBook business?

JIM: It's sort of like, why wouldn't you? Why wouldn't a writer who loves to write, has many stories to tell, has readers who ask for more stuff, and who now has the means to deliver it to them—why wouldn't he?

It's a great time to be a writer. If you can deliver the goods, I say deliver them.

This is especially true for short form fiction. There's really no print market for novellas and short stories. In the glory days of Chandler and Hammett, there was. Now, once again, it's possible for writer to turn out stories and get paid for them. I always wanted to be able to do that, so I am.

MARK:  What are some of the things you have learned about eBooks since you launch Watch Your Back last February?

JIM: I've learned that the fundamentals are very clear. First, you have a write a really good book. That doesn't change. Then you have to have it vetted by those who can be objective about your work. I use beta readers, take their feedback, and tweak. Then I need to hire a copy editor to catch the mistakes.

Good cover design is, of course, important. It also helps to have some copywriting skill and marketing sense. It's really like running a small business, which I've done. So if you are intentional and have a plan, and can write, you can actually do pretty well for yourself.

MARK: How did you go about putting together your first self-published eBook?

JIM: I was between print projects. To fill the gap I started writing a short story. I wanted to write it in the style of James M. Cain (The Postman Always Rings Twice) and it just took off. It soon became apparent it would be longer than a short story, probably novella length. At the same time I'd been writing short stories with twist endings. My wife got me a Kindle for Christmas, and that was the impetus to me to get this material out there.  Thus, Watch Your Back.

I also blog at The Kill Zone and write articles on the craft of fiction. I put together some of the best of those for Writing Fiction for All You're Worth.

Both books took only a few weeks to get ready and online. This is an amazing and wonderful thing.

MARK: Is Compendium Press an entity for only James Scott Bell books or are you open for new business from other writers?

JIM: Compendium Press publishes print law books. It's a small company I've run for over twenty years. It became the natural entity for publishing my e-books, too. I'm not looking to acquire books by other authors.

MARK: Stepping back and looking at the eBook industry as a whole, what do you see happening in this field as it pertains to both self-published authors and those within the traditional publishing industry?  What are some of the advantages and disadvantages for writers? For readers?

JIM: The industry is in such flux now. Especially for the last six months. Traditional publishers have been taking it on the chin. Some of them will evolve and survive and continue to serve authors and readers. Let's remember there still is a print world, and it is still the major part of the pie. That will probably change in the next several years, but traditional companies can get lean and mean and find a way to stick around.

For writers this is, as I said, a new golden era. Advantages abound if –– and I stress this above all –– the writer knows how to tell stories. Which leads to the primary disadvantage: it's so easy to put stuff out there. It doesn't do the writer any good to throw up junk. Readers may take an initial chance on you, but if you don't deliver you don't get repeat business. As Mickey Spillane put it, "Your first chapter sells your book. Your last chapter sells your next book."

At the same time, I don't go in for trashing the traditional publishing industry. It still does many things well. But right now it's all about the terms of the deal. Each writer will have to be wise and assess what's being offered to them (if indeed they get to that stage). And traditional publishers will have to be flexible like never before.

MARK: What advice would you give unpublished authors who has not yet found a niche for their works within traditional publishing? Are eBook or POD (Publishing On Demand) formats a viable option for these writers?

JIM: Let's face the fact that most writers are not ready to be published right out of the gate. It takes a long time to learn the craft. Amanda Hocking wrote five or six full length novels in one year, then studied the market and wrote more, better books. You still have to pay some dues in this game.

As for POD, I'm not sure that's going to be a great benefit for the writer. It is certainly becoming easier, as with Amazon's CreateSpace program. But the real gain is going to be in going into e-pubbing with stories that sell, or getting the right deal from a print publisher, or some combination of both.

MARK: I know you are a firm believer that a person can learn to be a bestselling author or screenwriter. On your web site, I noticed that you offer a two-day seminar that helps writers achieve these goals. Tell us a little more about this project and where they might be able attend these teaching seminars.

JIM: I've always loved helping writers. When I was trying to figure out how to write, I benefited from things like Lawrence Block's fiction column in Writer's Digest and excellent books, like Dwight Swain's. At the same time, I was doing my own trial and error. I'd get jazzed when I figured out ways to make my fiction work better, and I wanted to teach others what I'd learned. So I did. After over a decade of doing so, and seeing students go on to publication, I've pulled together the most powerful things I know for a two day intensive seminar. We held the first one in LA in June, and had a great group that included a #1 New York Times bestselling writer. The response was so good I am going to take it on the road in 2012. Plans are being made now, so watch my website for updates.

MARK: What surprises to you have in store for suspense readers like myself that are addicted to James Scott Bell stories?

JIM: Thanks, Mark. There are definitely surprises in store, and soon, but what kind of suspense writer would I be if I told? Suffice to say I am having more fun than ever as a writer and there is much more to come. I'll never stop.

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More information about Jim may be found at the James Scott Bell web site. Jim also is part of a group of suspense writers on the highly visited blog site The Kill  Zone, where writers learn more about the business of writing and publishing.

E-books: Love'em or hate'em?

Digital Revolution Hits Home 

Technology foisted itself on me for the first time many moons ago. It struck like a taser when I toiled as a sergeant in California in the early 1990s. 


My watch commander—several years my junior—sauntered up to my desk as I wrote out the night’s duty roster for swing shift. I felt him breathing hard as I diligently wrote down names and duties of those officers about to venture out into the night to protect and serve. Once I wrote this all down, I’d walk to the photocopy machine and make enough copies to rival LA’s phone book. Then, I trudged from office to office—or send my emissary—to make sure everyone got their copy. 


I looked up at my towering boss and wisely stifled my irritation. I looked closer. Was that flecks of fear dancing in my lieutenant’s eyes?

He coughed. “Mark, this is your last night.”

My eyes narrowed. Slowly I rose. “Last night? I've got another ten years before I pull the pin. What are you—?”

"—no, you got this wrong." The lieutenant cast a wary eye on my 40-caliber Smith and Wesson strapped to my waist. I saw him stare at my right leg with a worried look. He knew about my little 40-caliber Sig tucked in an ankle holster on my leg. . 


He was walking on dangerous ground.


I  still had not consumed my quota of coffee and I had a long, dreary night ahead. My in-basket looked like the tower of Babel before God created a need for bi-lingual education. Several days ago, this same boss ordered me to stay in the office until I got caught up on paper work. Another conversation where I narrowed my eyes like Dirty Harry. 



To his credit, he never caved in. Not then. Not now.

He thrust a finger at my roster, his new lieutenant's bars sparkling like chunks of gold under white-neon lights.  “No more paper and pen. Tomorrow ... use the computer. You can send it to everyone with one push of the button. Saves time and money.”

I glanced with contempt at the computer monitor some IT geek plopped on my desk a few months ago. “I don’t even know how to turn that ... thing on.” In fact, I wasn't sure whether they even plugged it in. Cob webs danced across the key board.

“I’ll get somebody to help you.” He turned to leave. "Everyone else is doing it, Mark. Time stops for no man. Law enforcement is changing."

I glared at him without saying a word. After all, he is  my boss and momma didn’t raise a fool. 

The next day I crossed over into the digital world silently kicking and fighting. No one seemed to care. They were too busy trying to get their own computers turned on.

And now I write a blog. I’m a writer and I spend a good chuck of each day navigating this new technology as I try to write the next great American novel, or least a crime mystery that will give Michael Connelly a run for his dinero.

This is a long, twisty way of getting to the issue at hand. E-books.

Last week, I took another major step and bought a Nook reader from a coat-less salesman hiding behind a display at Barnes and Noble. As I walked up to the salesman, I thought I may have seen fear in his eyes. He reminded me of that lieutenant, only this guy was much younger. And he didn't carry a gun. Didn't need to—he had a Nook.

Alfred—not his real name—came armed with a lot of information that sounded like Greek and which almost went over my head. I say almost because he uttered just enough common English to suggest we spoke the same language. He pointed toward a pink-backed Nook perched on the counter. I glanced at the machine with disdain..

Alfred took a big breath and started in about a reading screen with 600 by 800, reflective high resolution E Ink electronic paper display. He must have seen my eyes glaze over. I heard him sigh before saying, “It reads just like a book.”

“Oh. Wow.” That was about all I could utter, still struggling to figure out if there was some common word in all this I might be able to grab onto. My wife, Katie—who speaks Geek-eze—stepped  in and took over the conversation. They finished talking. I walked out with a Nook tucked under my arm.

One might ask why I—a low tech kind of guy—would cave in and buy an E-book reader?

Short answer: I may be a dinosaur, but I see the handwriting on the wall for writers and readers. Even cavemen could read cave drawings. E-books are changing the way we do business as writers.

No one likes to lug around a ton of books on vacation or pay a small fortune on a novel to find out whether they like the guy’s writing. They like to sit on an airplane and thumb to their favorite novels with a tap on the screen without suffering carpal tunnel injuries. They like getting their newspaper, magazine and latest news in seconds. They don't like to travel miles to enter a store or wait for snail mail to ship book orders.


In an online article yesterday by The Wall Street Journal, Amazon's CEO Jeff Bezos announced his company sold more e-books than hardbacks over the last three month. Publishers, however, say it is too early to determine whether e-book sales are impacting the paperback books trade, a significant slice of the publishing pie. Representatives for such digital readers as Barnes and Noble's Nook, Sony's e-reader, and Apple's iPad indicate sales of their  e-reading devises are climbing significantly--whatever that means. Bezo stated that Kindle sales have tripled since the company lowered it price to $189 from $259, although he did not mention whether B&E's earlier move to lower the Nook price to $149 had any impact on Amazon's decision.


Here is the point: E-books will change the face of traditional publishing.

I admit I'm still a dinosaur. I still yearn for the days when I could write out my duty roster with paper and pen. I miss the days when a dispatcher sent us out on the next call without the officer having to stop and read a computer screen. And I enjoy walking into my neighborhood book store, sniffing the print, and losing myself in a world of history, mystery and suspense. 


My pen-and-ink rosters are long gone. They're never coming back. Police work has changed in so many ways, and my hat is off to those younger cops out there fighting the good fight.


Time stops for no man.


I hope my bookstore days won’t disappear. But I see our culture changing. I see the younger generation thumbing and tapping their messages to friends on gadgets so small I have to breakout my reading glasses just to see what they are using. I see a publishing world trying to cope with these changes, and I see brick-and-mortar book stores fighting to stay in the game.

This is what I see as an aspiring novelist looking at the publishing world from the outside. This publishing industry has been turned upside down by economics, technology, and culture. In this vortex, aspiring authors feel like salmon fighting upstream searching for a beachhead, looking for someplace to plant one's self before launching further. (Okay, salmon might not be the best analogy since they swim upstream and die. But you get the point, right?)


I suspect published authors might have similar thoughts, trying to survive within a traditional publishing model while searching for ways to spread their wings in non-traditional ways—e-books, pod casts, webinars, trailers for new books, and whatever else the digital community offers.


This is change. And change can be exciting.  I see writers using their creativity to build  their own platform, their own readership, their own markets. I see some writers taking more and more control over what hits the market, when it hits, and how it hits. 


Let us not get caught like the dinosaurs in a new ice age of traditional thought and stagnation. Let us learn to adapt and change, while still clinging to that part of tradition worth holding on to.


We cops still use black and whites to get to calls. Detectives still interview suspect and witnesses. The tools have changed but the past blends with the future for a purpose. It is how we move forward. It is how things work. 

How about you? Ebooks—Love them or hate them?