AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Ara 13, part two
By Kathleen Bolton | February 27, 2009 | Comments Off on AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Ara 13, part two
His moniker is unusual, but his debut novel even more so. Ara 13‘s book DRAWERS AND BOOTHS is the first metafiction-genre novel I’d read, and it was wild. Genre switch-ups, characters that speak directly to the reader, deliberate authorial intrusions make Drawers and Booths both unsettling and exhilarating. It’s a slim novel, almost a novelette, but each page packs a punch.
(Missed part one of our interview with Ara 13? Click HERE)
We’re pleased to present part two of our interview with Ara 13.
Q: DRAWERS AND BOOTHS is as unorthodox a book as they come. How do you market the unboxed book?
Ara 13: Primarily, word of mouth will determine the marketing success of Drawers & Booths. I feel great about the product, as well as my next two books; and it is easy to speak with enthusiasm about work one genuinely loves. I can only hope my sincere desire to produce a great product will translate into book sales. But, I imagine any following to be akin to a grassroots endeavor. I would be startled to find myself mainstream, particularly because I am unimpressed with most forms of entertainment that is a mainstream phenomenon. This doesn’t mean I do not have respect for the general audience; I just know that commonality of taste tends toward the common. I will be content with any audience that is sincere; and I rely on happy readers passing my name on to their friends. I won’t produce work I don’t respect. I can only hope this attitude translates into sales.
Q: Where does independent literature fit into today’s publishing culture, especially when publishers are under pressure to produce more commercial work?
Ara 13: Because of the ease and comparative low cost of self-publishing, Indie Lit authors have not met the quality of work seen in areas such as Indie movies. But as Indie movies become less costly to produce, I imagine a time when we will say, “Remember when Indie movies were good?” I am glad more people are able to realize their dream of publication, but I fight the notion that this gives us carte blanche regarding quality of product. Luckily, because mainstream publishers appear to be less discriminating regarding quality as well, I do foresee a competent Indie group being able to carve out a profitable place in the market. Many terrific authors are without faith in agents; as the agents are focused on proven commercial successes and unwilling to chance upstarts. I do not begrudge those agents. It is their prerogative to stick to a proven game plan. But I know the market is wide open for great small presses.
Currently, the problem is not production, but distribution. Most chain bookstores do not have sections of award-winners, let alone Indie award winners. Good luck finding who won the Pulitzer, Man Booker, Penn-Faulkner, National Book Award, let alone the Indie stars who are competing against a wide field for the IPPY, Ben Franklin, or local awards. This shows me that commercial is not related to quality—even though it is debatable if the winners are the best. But there seems little attempt at steering the audience to quality of product. So, I see another great opening for Indie industries—Indie distribution. And this does not mean Indie Books Stores. They most often carry the same books as the chains. They are just independently owned. I have faith that as the market adjusts with the advent of buying online that competent Indie authors will find stasis with the mainstream. Quality will always have a place in a free market, even as the tides of trends wax and wane.
Q: Do you recommend that writers share their writing with critique groups? How can aspiring authors of metafiction process feedback of this unusual genre?
Ara 13: If writers are to share their work with a critique group, that group better be worth its salt. First and foremost, I recommend research. If the author doesn’t get his facts right, no one will believe his fiction. So reading about various cultures, histories, and sciences is essential. Reading other authors and dissecting their techniques is also a must. A critique is only worth the insight of the critic. Do they do such research? Of course, it is important to take note when several people are making the same observation about an unclear passage, but I think it the recipe for mediocrity to work by committee. Those authors that do so, lack a theme and know not where they intend to take the reader. Once you develop a purpose to your piece, very little group critique is required. Mainly, subject specific training is necessary—grammar, style, facts. I prefer to have competent editors review my work. My errors usually have to do with my delivery not my message. For others to get involved with relating my message would only muck up the works. Hence, those I seek out for an opinion, usually have strong editing backgrounds. If you are seeking out people to help direct plot, I don’t think you are ready to write. Let your theme be your guide.
Q: What sort of writing really grabs you? Why?
Ara 13: I am moved by thematic writing that is logical, humorous, insightful, peppered with terrific metaphors, turns of phrase, symbolism, and ultimately, a point. I am grabbed by the kind of book that keeps a smirk on my face and presents arguments that infiltrate my conversations with friends. I am never content merely learning that the butler did it.
Q: What’s next for you?
Ara 13: I am releasing Fiction in March, and my third novel in 2010. Currently, I travel to universities and to various groups to speak about Thematic Metafiction. If a group wants to schedule me for a lecture, please e-mail Publisher@CovingtonMoore.com or go to Ara13.com and look under Lectures.
Drawers & Booths is available on Amazon.com and can be ordered at most bookstores.
Kathleen Bolton is co-founder of Writer Unboxed. She writes under a variety of pseudonyms, including Ani Bolton.
She has written two novels as Cassidy Calloway: Confessions of a First Daughter, and Secrets of a First Daughter–both books in a YA series about the misadventures of the U.S. President’s teen-aged daughter, published by HarperCollins, and Tamara Blake, for the novel Slumber.
