12.18.16 - Sunday Smatterings

Hello, chickens! How was your week? Are you making lists and checking them twice? Holiday prep is winding down at Chez Ellison. The last of my Christmas cards and gifts went out this week. The decorations have gone up. Neither of the cats has eaten said decorations yet. Things are getting a bit calmer, and I'm ready to settle into a quieter week. I don't think I've ever been done with Christmas this early before. It feels VERY nice. 

Here's what happened on the Internets this week:

Do you ever wish you had Hermione's Time Turner so that you could go back and revisit the Christmases of your childhood? I do. Sometimes I miss the magic of Christmas, because I get caught up in the checklists, to-do lists, the calendar of social events, trying to make the holidays happen. My wonderful A WORD ON WORDS cohost, Mary Laura Philpott, gave voice to that ennui this week in the New York Times, in a piece called "Wishing Away the Wishlist." Give it a read, especially if you need to catch your breath trying to make all the things happen.

This is what the holidays are all about: a couple paid off $30,000 layaway charges at a Walmart in Memphis. Pay it forward, y'all.

This time of year, Iceland stays dark for a good portion of the day. So what do Icelanders do to pass the time? Read, of course! This is where they find their books.

Looking for wine to pair with the holiday meal? Vivino's compiled a list for almost anything you're serving. Mmm!

We talk a lot about Parnassus Books here, but there's another wholly independent bookstore in Nashville, and it only features Tennessee writers and artists. Get thee to East Side Story for a fun afternoon with proprietor Chuck Beard. You'll love it, and what a great place to buy Christmas gifts for your Nashville-loving friends!

And closer to home:

Y'all. 'Tis the season for gift giving... but sometimes, you need to give one to yourself, too! Case and point: THE FIRST DECADE ebook is on sale for only $3.99. Includes THE OMEN DAYS, a romantic Christmas ghost story* perfect for this time of year!

*Yes. I said "romantic Christmas ghost story." 👻 💕
 

If you're stuck on a unique gift for your nerdy loved one or writer friend, check out my gift guide. Three sections, ten books, lots of programs and stocking stuffers and fun things you can still pick up!

Oh, and you need this five-minute peanut butter fudge in your life. Just sayin'.

That's all I have this week. Y'all be good, do nice things for strangers, hang your stockings by the chimney with care, and we'll talk again soon!

xo,
J.T.

12.15.16 - I Have an Idea...

First, thanks so much to Amy for her great piece on the Barnes & Noble Concept Store. Don’t know about you, but I vote for more Amy blogs here, don’t you?

Okay, onward.

One of the questions I get most often is, “JT, where do you get your ideas?”

I answer the same way every time — where don’t I get my ideas?

Ideas are everywhere. They’re the easiest part of being a writer. The world, nay, the universe, is brimming with concepts and inspirations. I can’t walk down the street without coming up with four or five solid concepts.

The question that you should be asking is: “How do you decide which idea to write next?”

This is the tricker of the two questions, mainly because oftentimes, there are deadlines and reader expectations and contractual obligations for stories, especially when you write a series. It would stand to reason that, for the sake of your career, you find a great idea and funnel it directly into your next series book. 

My problem is, I write three series, all slightly different but firmly entrenched in the thriller genre. I also write standalone novels. And I write a couple of short stories every year, too. How do I decide what goes where, and in what order to proceed?

The logical answer is: I focus on deadlines, and try to channel all my energy into the book that’s due next. But sometimes, this is wishful thinking. Sometimes, an idea sparks, and you have to decide whether to abandon your current project to follow that fire.

It’s a tricky business, ideas. I often warn about finishing the story you’re working on lest the trail of half-eaten sandwiches start taking over your house. 

Less disciplined (AKA new) writers often see that shiny new object and pursue it, and end up with multiple unfinished stories. You gotta finish. Rule #1 for a successful writing career.

Because writing is hard. It is. That’s no lie. One of the biggest challenges is sticking with a story to the end when you haven’t done it multiple times and you’re being assailed by cool new ideas.

Personally, I have an Evernote folder for every book, current and upcoming. When I see a cool, shiny new idea, I clip it to Evernote, open a Scrivener file with the concept laid out (I call these “treatments”) and move on with my current story. This works 90% of the time.

But every once in a while, an idea is too good to pass up, and I all-stop on a project to write it. NO ONE KNOWS is a good example of that. So is THE OMEN DAYS. And it’s just happened again. I’ve been working on a new standalone, but something’s been holding me back — an idea that bloomed fully-formed in my head back in August. I wrote it all down, gave it a Scrivener file and an Evernote notebook, but it’s been eating at me. I finally stopped the standalone and indulged this new idea. 50 pages later, I have a super weird, surreal horror story finished, and now, at last, I can return to the standalone unencumbered.

For me, it’s a fine balance between controlling (though corralling is perhaps the better term) the new ideas (Shiny! Exciting! Happy!) and finishing the current work in progress (WIP = long hard slog). It gets easier with practice. And as Stephen King says, when an idea is so great that you don’t need to write it down, you know it’s a keeper. I still write everything down, just in case, but I’d amend King’s concept to this: the idea that won’t leave you alone is the one you need to write next.

Just make sure you FINISH!!!

12.13.16 - A Trip to the New Barnes & Noble Concept Store

Hey, guys. Amy here, otherwise known as “Assistant Amy” or “The Kerr.” I answer to both. 

As you know, the way we read and obtain our reading material has changed dramatically over the past ten years. The advent of ebooks has made sitting down with your favorite stories easier than ever before—and it’s certainly changed the way we shop, if at all, at brick-and-mortar stores. Every week, I read about another neighborhood bookstore forced to shut its doors, and the small mom-and-pop shops aren’t alone. Some of the bigger box stores that foisted neighborhood bookstores out of the picture 20 years ago (you saw You’ve Got Mail, right?) are now being foisted out themselves, all thanks to the mighty ebook.

One of the biggest brick-and-mortar players left is Barnes & Noble. They’ve felt the ebook pinch over the past few years, in both their retail stores and online ventures (I’m looking at you, Nook), not to mention they’ve had significant CEO turnover in the past five years. In what seems like a last-ditch effort to keep up with the zeitgeist, Barnes & Noble has begun rolling out a new concept for their bookstores. Last week, I got to visit one of these new concept stores in Edina, Minnesota, a tony suburb of Minneapolis.

Turns out, B&N really has transformed their space—and, along with it, a new vision for their bookstores in the 21st century. And this vision is actually a surprising throwback.

A few takeaways from my visit:

(Warning: this is about to get super publishing geeky)

1. The Layout

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So open! So airy! Who's breathing deeper? *raises hand*

The biggest change I see in the new concept is in the store’s layout. It’s open and airy, designed to circulate traffic throughout the entire store. Guests enter the store and dive headfirst into a sea of co-op tables positioned in the middle of the store, then circulate the perimeter to fiction, nonfiction, then music and gifts in the corners. 

I could do cartwheels down these aisles—note the clean displays of merchandise

If you’re looking for a particular sub-genre, they’re much easier to find in the new concept store. Fiction and Nonfiction sections are clearly marked and along the perimeters, and sub-genres reside in floating displays according to their parent group.
 

 

 

 

2. The Books

There seem to be fewer books displayed on the B&N floor (remember: open and airy layout), and a significantly higher portion of books are on display face-out. I think this has everything to do with Amazon, both online and their brick-and-mortar stores, which displays their entire stock face-out. Think about the last time you went through shelves at a bookstore looking at the spines—not looking for a particular item, but just browsing for something to catch your eye. It doesn’t happen that often, does it? With the advent of online stores, we’ve become so accustomed to seeing the entire front cover and, ergo, literally judge our books by their covers in order to make an informed purchase. I’m curious to see what this positioning does to sales.

Also, this may or may not be the case, but I detected fewer book discounts than in the old concept stores.
 

3. The Co-Ops

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Perhaps the only discounted books I saw.

Good news, authors: if your book is displayed on a co-op table, the new concept store ensures your book will get more eyeballs on it than ever before, thanks to the open layout. The co-op tables are the first thing you see when you walk in the store, taking up significant square footage and prime real estate. The tables are on wheels, making the displays easily mobile. A few copies of books grace the top of the display, while larger stacks of stock are placed under the table, for easier browsing for customers and easier restocking for employees. 

Another thing: there seems to be more endcaps at the new concept store. And I’m not talking about the small, outside-of-the-bookshelf endcaps. I’m taking about entire wall displays—sometimes with one author in particular, but sometimes displays with themes. Not sure if these are paid-for promotions or if the store assembled these themes themselves, but it’s definitely noteworthy.
 

4. The Restaurant

The token coffee bar
(the restaurant is tucked away behind it)

Now the fun part: the most head-scratching part (to me) of B&N’s new concept announcement was probably the full-service restaurant portion. The restaurant, Barnes & Noble Kitchen, serves beer and wine along with a selection of entrees, in addition to a coffee bar placed at the front of the restaurant a la the Starbucks of old. 

I must say: the food quality and service at this restaurant were excellent. My dining partner and I sampled some guacamole, meatballs and polenta (spectacular, especially in cold weather), a lovely kale salad, cappuccino and tea. Everything was perfect, though the price point surprised me—the entrees range from $14–$26, a little higher than I’d expect for a bookstore café.
 

I like the new concept. I’m just not quite sure what to do with it.

Is the store a destination spot, a gathering place for special occasions and book groups looking to splurge on a night out? The restaurant fare and prices make it seem that way. Or is the new B&N positioned to entice a reader who’s looking for a particular book or a short browse, followed by a quick cup of coffee to-go?

Yes and yes, I think. B&N is trying to play both sides of this coin, becoming multiple things to multiple buyers. It’ll be interesting to see how the restaurant acts as a sales driver for the store, both in food and book revenue.
 

Verdict: ultimately, I think B&N is creating a store highly targeted to a certain kind of buyer.

From the higher priced entrees to the lack of book discounts to its location in a tony metropolitan suburb, I’d wager B&N is looking to appeal to a very particular kind of customer: an upper-middle-class buyer who doesn’t care as much about price point as they do about the quality of their book buying experience—and they want that book-buying experience to be a traditional one. It will be telling to see where, exactly, B&N places the rest of these new concept stores, if the company converts their traditional stores to the new concept, and if they want (or are able) to keep their traditional concept stores at all.

In an age where price seems to trump the book buying experience, I wonder if B&N’s Great Big Experiment will pan out. I guess the only thing to do is get a cup of coffee and a book, and wait it out.

P.S. – Guys: this morning, B&N's head of restaurant development "resigned." 

Now I'm even more curious about B&N's future...aren't you?

12.11.16 - Sunday Smatterings

Hello, chickens! How was your week? I'm safe and snug by a warm fire, resting after a fun week with my partner in crime, the brilliant Catherine Coulter, in California. We ate lots, went to the Apple campus, signed what felt like a million tip-in sheets for THE DEVIL'S TRIANGLE (you can enjoy the fruits of our labor and pre-order a signed copy), had an author Christmas party with some of my favorite people (and boy did we party—Catherine knows how to do Christmas, y'all). Oh, and we might have talked about some upcoming Nick & Mike books.

It was lovely, whirlwind trip... but it's always good to come home to kitties and a kind hubby.

Here's what happened on the Internets this week:
 

Around the Christmas season, we typically buy things we don't normally need. This is why—and what we can do about it. (this article is utterly fascinating)

2016 was tough for many reasons, and especially when you consider some of the brilliant minds we lost. Book Riot curated this Reading In Memoriam of sorts that can help us learn about and honor the legacy of these fine humans.

Fellow writers: these are four traits of a master writer, and how we can develop them. Good stuff, right here.

 

And closer to home:
 

Stumped on what to get your bookish loved ones? I curated a list of my 10 favorite books of 2016, plus a few other gifts for the nerd in your life.

It's almost time for my favorite time of year: Annual Review time! As a numbers geek and productivity nerd, this is one of my favorite exercises. If you're ready to look ahead to 2017, jump on my bandwagon and follow my handy guide that lays out how I do my plan every year.

That's it from me! Wrap those presents, take a few minutes to breathe in the blessings of the season, and we'll talk again soon.

xoxo,
J.T.

12.08.16 - How to Conduct An Annual Review

Ever the overachiever, I have already started putting together my annual review.

I absolutely love this process. It is so much fun to pull out my trusty notebook, look at my goals for the year, see what was important to me 12 months ago, what I accomplished according to plan, and what went right and wrong. My reviews are elaborate, with spreadsheets and out-year planning and metrics, but remember, I did do a stint as a financial analyst, so these things come naturally to me. 

If you’d like to do an annual review, but don’t know exactly where to start, nor want to delve into metrics, here are some ideas.

I break mine into the following categories:

• Summary of the Year
• What Went Right
• What Went Wrong
• Nerdology (where I extrapolate on numbers and goals)
• The Year Ahead
• Actual spreadsheet 

How to pull it all together

Here’s how I do it. Your mileage may vary.

Every year gets a word, essentially its own theme. In the past years, it’s been things like The Year of Lent, The Year of No, The Year of Making Do, The Year of the Pencil, The Year of Depth, The Year of Evolution. You get the idea. (*Note to self, interesting pattern there, JT)

Once I’ve picked my word of the year, I then write a short summary of what I want from the year ahead. This is not the place for details, it’s simply your mission statement for your upcoming 12 months. 

Then, I go into detail on what went right. I start with my career/business, then move to personal. This can be as top line or as detailed as you’d like. I do mine in bullet points, and leave room at the end because I always find a few things I’ve forgotten. And when I do this, everything positive over the past year goes in. It’s a celebration.

Next, it time for the sad part — what went wrong. I don’t like this section, but it’s a necessary evil. With the good comes the bad, and vice versa. I use it as a tool to make sure I don’t repeat mistakes, so I can learn and grow from my foibles. 

Now it’s time for the fun part.

I break my goal setting into several parts: work, home, personal, health, financial, spiritual, education. Again, pick which categories work for you. I set about five goals per category, though sometimes, if I’m planning a life change, I use this section to map out what I want my life to look like at the end of 12 months. e.g.: One year, I wanted to make sure I had at least one night a week that was quiet, no TV, to read books by the fire. It seems like a silly goal, but when I started including it in my weekly plan, man, did my contentment levels soar.

That’s a word to think about when you’re doing this: contentment.

Goal setting should NOT stress you out. Instead, it should give you confidence, clarity, and contentment. The three Cs.

Once all my goals are set, it times to turn to the numbers. 

How to track your metrics

My word counts are the easiest, because I’ve been using these awesome word trackers for years. In 2016, I wised up and started two spreadsheets, one for fiction, one for non-fiction, which will make life easier in a couple of weeks. 

Once I get those numbers in place, I start the breakdown. Fiction speaks for itself, that’s my novels and short stories. Non-Fiction is trickier, that includes everything else, from blogs and essays to email and social media. Those last few aren’t ever completely accurate, but I’ve found an average that I use based on previous years experience. In the chart below, you can see how I do this. For example, I wrote 14 Tao of JT blogs in 2015, and they were approximately 1000 words each. 

My actual spreadsheets are much messier than this, because I’m pulling metrics from previous years for averages and medians, but you get the idea. Here's my 2015 final chart.

And that’s it. Simple, right?

For more ideas and insight into how and why I got into this, please see Chris Guillebeau’s wonderful Annual Review on his blog, The Art of Non-Conformity. I’ve adapted his system, and he’s the genius behind all of this. 

Good luck, and let me know if you end up giving this a try!