Perseverance-Don't Give Up and Don't Sell Out

Although it can be applied to virtually any project, this advice certainly applies to the odyssey of writing a novel. Or more specifically, it directly applies to the arduous quest to get published. Every author I've met at the thriller writers' conventions has a war story about getting published, especially those who went the traditional route via a publisher as opposed to self-publishing. Except for the fortunate few, it can take years just to get a literary agent which many publishers require for submissions. Then, it can take a few more years to get a contract from a publisher. And then, it can take over a year negotiating your manuscript with the publisher's editors. I get it. It's a business. Their goal is to make money. They don't want to take risks on new, unproven authors. It's safer to stick with a successful formula.

False Flag went through about six rewrites. It started out in first person to emphasize its true nature and realism. It is inspired by true events. Several scenes are true. A couple literary agents I spoke to warned me the publishers wouldn't accept it. They were right. When I finally spoke with a rep from a top publisher, he said first person was a non-starter. So, I rewrote it in third person. Then, I was warned by agents and editors that publishers didn't want any material that contradicted their political views. The recommended edits turned False Flag into a different story than the one I wanted to tell. So, self-publishing won the day.

Although I have never read a novel that didn't have typos, including those on the best seller lists that went through professional editors and publishers, I apologize for the typos in False Flag. Several people read and reviewed it before publication; however, several typos evaded those stringent eyes. Thank you to all the readers who pointed them out. They have been corrected.