DRAGONIA: Tales Of The Golden Talon
The Trilogy
&
DRAGONS AMONG US
The Series
Welcome to the home of the trilogy of novels, DRAGONIA: Tales Of The Golden Talon and the three books of the DRAGONS AMONG US series: The Ghosts Of Walker Pines, The Lost City Of The Dead, and DRAGONS AMONG US: The Preliminary Outlines.
DRAGONOMICON is composed of two sections: 1) The Literary division and 2) The Dragallery (Gallery) division. This particular page is an introduction to both, which includes explanatory notes about self-publication and a general overview of all six of my dragon books. Well, fifteen if you include the coloring books.
DRAGONOMICON is composed of two sections: 1) The Literary division and 2) The Dragallery (Gallery) division. This particular page is an introduction to both, which includes explanatory notes about self-publication and a general overview of all six of my dragon books. Well, fifteen if you include the coloring books.
Fig. 1.
First Novels: A Personal Journey Through the Inferno.
The Cons of Self-Publication. And a Pro or Two.
First up is the DRAGONIA Trilogy which was originally completed and self-published in 1998 as a single (and lengthy) volume. After more than five years of writing and editing and illustrating, I was anxious to do a small print-run and get a feel for what all those loose pages would look like as an actual book. It was my intention to produce just enough books that, when sold to friends, family, and other victims, I could at least break even on the basic expenses incurred from self-publication.
In 1997-1998, the relatively new option to self-publish, made cheaper and easier since the advent of home computers, still posed an expensive proposition. One could pay $5,000 to $10,000 to have someone else do most of the work, or cut that price in half (or more) by doing almost everything oneself. I chose the latter. Doing so entailed the use of a laser printer to print both sides of the pages of a properly formatted manuscript. In this case using Microsoft Word as the program of choice. Once finished, the loose reams of printed (and collated) pages were taken to a local print-house for binding. As an artist (another cost-saving step), I chose to do the covers myself which still involved a separate, time-consuming process. Despite printing as few as 150 trilogies (450 books) the tasks required were, in hindsight, nothing short of herculean. Okay, that’s an exaggeration, but not by much.
Over the next few years, I repeated the process twice more for a total of three separate printings, including an initial (unofficial) single-volume edition. Official (more formal) first and second editions of the new-and-improved, fully reedited trilogy came next. All the while querying agents and seeking a publisher. A third, newly reedited edition had been prepared and was ready to print, when life took a welcome and unexpected turn. But that’s another story. One of the biggest reasons for the multiple printings, by the way, was due to self-publication’s nasty and very evil twin: self-editing. Despite three separate printings and scores of readings and rereadings, the tedium of self-editing is indeed endless and impossibly exasperating. Given the idea that a sentence may often be rewritten in a seemingly countless number of ways, the task of deciding upon just one can, at times, appear insurmountable. Successful writers rarely seek a perfect choice, but rather learn to use what looks to be a good enough fit -- and then move on.
On the other side of the inkwell is the hiring of a professional editor. Professional editing, probably a writer’s most valuable ally and considered virtually essential by both literary agents and publishers alike, is also the most costly expenditure confronting any new author. In many if not most cases, the process is a prohibitively expensive proposition. Especially for thicker books, let alone a trilogy. Even then, editors with a proven reputation who are known to agents and publishers, are almost mandatory by today’s standards and are, of course, even more pricey to hire. In my particular case, professional editing was never an affordable option. This is also an area of authorship that is prone to the most chicanery, meaning crooks who attempt to take advantage of naive new authors in every way possible. Talk about a proverbial Catch-22 situation; this is one for the books. Pun intended.
It should be no wonder then, how I eventually returned my focus of attention back to the original artworks I’d produced for the trilogy. To other art as well, that had also been scanned into the computer as tidy little digital files. The computer is a wonderful tool for quickly and easily manipulating and enhancing – and repairing – both photos and artwork. When dealing with photos of artworks, the results can be very satisfying in that an artist is presented with the ability to [cheaply] create multiple, high-quality, highly printable versions of their work. This was unheard-of not that long ago, again posing as an impossibly expensive dream for most. What used to cost tens of thousands only two decades ago, is now available for pennies on the dollar. A mere pittance by comparison and no mystery again, as to why I was drawn to working with older art pieces that, beyond hanging on a wall somewhere, would have otherwise never seen the light of paper or ink.
So in retrospect, how do I feel about self-publication as a viable option for new authors? I think it’s great if one knows what they’re getting into. Speaking for myself, maybe for others, one can never truly grasp an objective appreciation for what they’ve produced, until their stuff can be both viewed and read in a form and format similar to an actual book. This came as a big surprise to me when I first saw what had previously been typewritten pages only, graphically converted into a real, honest-to-goodness bookish kind of thing. It didn’t make the novel better, of course, but it did allow me to see it with a new set of eyes. And to better realize what was good about it and what was bad -- if not terrible. The latter being far more frequently the case. Another reason why the value of editing, first by the author initially, then by someone who really knows what they’re doing, cannot be overemphasized. The latter again, however, being something few first-time authors can afford. Ironically, most new writers can ill afford not to have their work professionally edited. If they want an agent or publisher, it’s pretty much a must today. Which leaves self-publication for the rest of us.
Among Amazon’s crowded Kindle offerings, for example, the truth of this observation is painfully obvious via the most cursory perusal of books self-published by first-time, relatively naive and unknown authors. To wit most of their books tend to be stiff, awkward, and aesthetically unattractive. In many instances, the writing is also amateurish, dull, and hard to follow. This is not necessarily the fault of the writer, however, nor should it be construed that the author lacks talent or imagination. Inadequate editing is typically the real culprit. A well, expertly edited bad book is likely superior in every way to a poorly executed great book. In addition, authors are notoriously so close to their own material that ,at some point, their ability to critique their own words becomes virtually impossible.
So what does all this say about self-publishing? Well, as they sing about in Disney’s The Lion King, “It’s a jungle out there.” But if you’re willing to fend off offers that sound too good to be true (or overly complimentary), be skeptical about much of what you’re told by others (including me), especially by companies or individuals who specialize in self-publishing -- many of which perform dubious, fee-based editing services. If you still remain undeterred by my overview, then by all means, gird yourself for battle and self-publish. Go as cheap as possible at first; that’s my best advice. See first what your book looks like as a book, minus all the frills and gilded pages, so to speak. Do as small a print-run as possible. Print-On-Demand is a nice option in this regard. Finally, expect to do another printing once you see how many errors (both old and new) continue to infest and terrorize your first edition.
Before leaving this topic for another day, the legacy aspect to self-publishing deserves brief mention. This is closely related to the natural and understandable egoistic drive that propels most would-be writers. A deep aspiration to leave something of themselves for posterity. A form of immortality, if you will. I readily admit that such a notion helps to keep me going. This aspect to the writing game is often something that can’t be measured in terms of dollars. The investment comes more from one’s soul than their bank account, and is consequently that much more vital, relevant, and necessary. An inner calling that is highly personal, and as is often the case, very private. For these folks, failure to self-publish is not an option and more power to them. Just be careful out there. That was the famous admonition from TV’s NYPD Blue, I believe. And it’s more true than ever. New writers are like sardines swimming among herds -- or shivers as they’re sometimes called -- of sharks, all eager to befriend their prey -- just before devouring them.
It doesn’t hurt to ask yourself the question: “Are you publishing something for the whole world to appreciate, even enjoy? Or is your book a closer-to-home adventure intended mainly for you, your family, friends, or grandkids? Personal memoirs are popular today among Baby Boomers. Formalized recollections, biographies, and accounts they want to leave as family mementos that will be around long after they’re gone. Others, like me, possess slightly more highfalutin desires and aspirations. Overblown notions of self-importance, perhaps. I think I just like the idea that someone, somewhere, fifty years from now, will view the remnants of this site (wherever they might end up) and agree with me that I was just getting started.
Be that as it may, are you having trouble finding a literary agent? Publishers aren’t interested? Then by all means, self-publish your heart out. Just be prepared to have it broken, but also filled with joy. It’s worth the journey if you don’t expect too much or set your sights too high. At least at first. And once you're ready, shoot for the moon.
This then sets the stage, so to speak, for what follows. Whether or not dragons are your creature of choice, the six books presented here were designed for non-readers by a writer who himself is largely a non-reader. At least of contemporary books. I have to admire those who can both paint art and read books, let alone write them as well? I hate all of you! I’m obviously not shy about my envy of anyone who routinely accomplishes the impossible.
I have a hard enough time with the doable, thank you.
In 1997-1998, the relatively new option to self-publish, made cheaper and easier since the advent of home computers, still posed an expensive proposition. One could pay $5,000 to $10,000 to have someone else do most of the work, or cut that price in half (or more) by doing almost everything oneself. I chose the latter. Doing so entailed the use of a laser printer to print both sides of the pages of a properly formatted manuscript. In this case using Microsoft Word as the program of choice. Once finished, the loose reams of printed (and collated) pages were taken to a local print-house for binding. As an artist (another cost-saving step), I chose to do the covers myself which still involved a separate, time-consuming process. Despite printing as few as 150 trilogies (450 books) the tasks required were, in hindsight, nothing short of herculean. Okay, that’s an exaggeration, but not by much.
Over the next few years, I repeated the process twice more for a total of three separate printings, including an initial (unofficial) single-volume edition. Official (more formal) first and second editions of the new-and-improved, fully reedited trilogy came next. All the while querying agents and seeking a publisher. A third, newly reedited edition had been prepared and was ready to print, when life took a welcome and unexpected turn. But that’s another story. One of the biggest reasons for the multiple printings, by the way, was due to self-publication’s nasty and very evil twin: self-editing. Despite three separate printings and scores of readings and rereadings, the tedium of self-editing is indeed endless and impossibly exasperating. Given the idea that a sentence may often be rewritten in a seemingly countless number of ways, the task of deciding upon just one can, at times, appear insurmountable. Successful writers rarely seek a perfect choice, but rather learn to use what looks to be a good enough fit -- and then move on.
On the other side of the inkwell is the hiring of a professional editor. Professional editing, probably a writer’s most valuable ally and considered virtually essential by both literary agents and publishers alike, is also the most costly expenditure confronting any new author. In many if not most cases, the process is a prohibitively expensive proposition. Especially for thicker books, let alone a trilogy. Even then, editors with a proven reputation who are known to agents and publishers, are almost mandatory by today’s standards and are, of course, even more pricey to hire. In my particular case, professional editing was never an affordable option. This is also an area of authorship that is prone to the most chicanery, meaning crooks who attempt to take advantage of naive new authors in every way possible. Talk about a proverbial Catch-22 situation; this is one for the books. Pun intended.
It should be no wonder then, how I eventually returned my focus of attention back to the original artworks I’d produced for the trilogy. To other art as well, that had also been scanned into the computer as tidy little digital files. The computer is a wonderful tool for quickly and easily manipulating and enhancing – and repairing – both photos and artwork. When dealing with photos of artworks, the results can be very satisfying in that an artist is presented with the ability to [cheaply] create multiple, high-quality, highly printable versions of their work. This was unheard-of not that long ago, again posing as an impossibly expensive dream for most. What used to cost tens of thousands only two decades ago, is now available for pennies on the dollar. A mere pittance by comparison and no mystery again, as to why I was drawn to working with older art pieces that, beyond hanging on a wall somewhere, would have otherwise never seen the light of paper or ink.
So in retrospect, how do I feel about self-publication as a viable option for new authors? I think it’s great if one knows what they’re getting into. Speaking for myself, maybe for others, one can never truly grasp an objective appreciation for what they’ve produced, until their stuff can be both viewed and read in a form and format similar to an actual book. This came as a big surprise to me when I first saw what had previously been typewritten pages only, graphically converted into a real, honest-to-goodness bookish kind of thing. It didn’t make the novel better, of course, but it did allow me to see it with a new set of eyes. And to better realize what was good about it and what was bad -- if not terrible. The latter being far more frequently the case. Another reason why the value of editing, first by the author initially, then by someone who really knows what they’re doing, cannot be overemphasized. The latter again, however, being something few first-time authors can afford. Ironically, most new writers can ill afford not to have their work professionally edited. If they want an agent or publisher, it’s pretty much a must today. Which leaves self-publication for the rest of us.
Among Amazon’s crowded Kindle offerings, for example, the truth of this observation is painfully obvious via the most cursory perusal of books self-published by first-time, relatively naive and unknown authors. To wit most of their books tend to be stiff, awkward, and aesthetically unattractive. In many instances, the writing is also amateurish, dull, and hard to follow. This is not necessarily the fault of the writer, however, nor should it be construed that the author lacks talent or imagination. Inadequate editing is typically the real culprit. A well, expertly edited bad book is likely superior in every way to a poorly executed great book. In addition, authors are notoriously so close to their own material that ,at some point, their ability to critique their own words becomes virtually impossible.
So what does all this say about self-publishing? Well, as they sing about in Disney’s The Lion King, “It’s a jungle out there.” But if you’re willing to fend off offers that sound too good to be true (or overly complimentary), be skeptical about much of what you’re told by others (including me), especially by companies or individuals who specialize in self-publishing -- many of which perform dubious, fee-based editing services. If you still remain undeterred by my overview, then by all means, gird yourself for battle and self-publish. Go as cheap as possible at first; that’s my best advice. See first what your book looks like as a book, minus all the frills and gilded pages, so to speak. Do as small a print-run as possible. Print-On-Demand is a nice option in this regard. Finally, expect to do another printing once you see how many errors (both old and new) continue to infest and terrorize your first edition.
Before leaving this topic for another day, the legacy aspect to self-publishing deserves brief mention. This is closely related to the natural and understandable egoistic drive that propels most would-be writers. A deep aspiration to leave something of themselves for posterity. A form of immortality, if you will. I readily admit that such a notion helps to keep me going. This aspect to the writing game is often something that can’t be measured in terms of dollars. The investment comes more from one’s soul than their bank account, and is consequently that much more vital, relevant, and necessary. An inner calling that is highly personal, and as is often the case, very private. For these folks, failure to self-publish is not an option and more power to them. Just be careful out there. That was the famous admonition from TV’s NYPD Blue, I believe. And it’s more true than ever. New writers are like sardines swimming among herds -- or shivers as they’re sometimes called -- of sharks, all eager to befriend their prey -- just before devouring them.
It doesn’t hurt to ask yourself the question: “Are you publishing something for the whole world to appreciate, even enjoy? Or is your book a closer-to-home adventure intended mainly for you, your family, friends, or grandkids? Personal memoirs are popular today among Baby Boomers. Formalized recollections, biographies, and accounts they want to leave as family mementos that will be around long after they’re gone. Others, like me, possess slightly more highfalutin desires and aspirations. Overblown notions of self-importance, perhaps. I think I just like the idea that someone, somewhere, fifty years from now, will view the remnants of this site (wherever they might end up) and agree with me that I was just getting started.
Be that as it may, are you having trouble finding a literary agent? Publishers aren’t interested? Then by all means, self-publish your heart out. Just be prepared to have it broken, but also filled with joy. It’s worth the journey if you don’t expect too much or set your sights too high. At least at first. And once you're ready, shoot for the moon.
This then sets the stage, so to speak, for what follows. Whether or not dragons are your creature of choice, the six books presented here were designed for non-readers by a writer who himself is largely a non-reader. At least of contemporary books. I have to admire those who can both paint art and read books, let alone write them as well? I hate all of you! I’m obviously not shy about my envy of anyone who routinely accomplishes the impossible.
I have a hard enough time with the doable, thank you.
Fig. 2.
You're currently on the main menu page of DRAGONOMICON.
Test
Click here to verify that my website is working correctly.
If it is, please return and continue as you were. Thanks.
