An Interview With Dennis Lid
Tell us a bit about yourself. What would you like us to know about you?
Dennis W. Lid served in the U.S. Army Infantry, Airborne and Special Forces worldwide during peace and war for over 20 years. Major Lid retired in 1980. He then worked abroad for the U.S. Department of Defense Civil Service for 19 years as a Management Analyst, a Military Plans Specialist and as an Exercise Plans Specialist. Freelance writing, reading and motorcycling have been the favorite passions of his life. He is previously published in several online and offline publications around the world.
What are you doing now? (Career? Married? Single? Children? Pets?)
Mr. Lid's final PCS before retirement was to Fort McPherson, Georgia on 3 January 1999 as a Military Plans Specialist for the U.S. Army Reserve Command, G1, Personnel Division.
Civil service retirement occurred on 30 September 1999, after which the Lid family moved to Southern California. Mr. Lid is actually semi-retired. He works part-time at College of the Desert, Eastern Valley Academic Skills Center as an Instructional Support Assistant in the writing, reading, language, math and computer laboratory. His website URL is www.dennislid.com , and the email address is dennislid@dennislid.com.
What is your favourite food?
Hot turkey open-faced sandwich with mashed potatoes and gravy...
What is your favourite colour?
Blue!
What is your favourite sound?
The sound of silence...
Who is your favourite person?
Jesus Christ...
What is your favourite place?
Home.
What is your favourite memory?
The courtship of my wife...
What is your favourite article of clothing?
My black leather Wellington boots...
What is your favourite word?
Love!
What is your favourite writers' quote and why?
“For where thy treasure is, there also will thy heart be.” (Matt VI. 21.)
Why?
Because this quote and the response to it are the sum total of one's character...
What is your most favourite quality about yourself?
Trustworthyness or honesty...with compassion...
Beware the Ying and the Yang or the double-edged
sword.
What is the least favourite quality about yourself?
I'll keep that to myself, but you can answer the question by asking my enemies or good friends who know me well - if you can find them.
Some might say that I'm too trustworthy or honest with too much compassion.
Ah, the double edged sword again...
If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would it be and why?
Home...my safe haven...
What inspires you to write and why?
An idea and the emotion that goes with it inspires me to write with passion to seek or express the truth and attempt to do good.
What is your favourite book and why?
I've got a few as follows:
Once an Eagle by Anton Myrer
The Devil's Advocate by Morris L. West
Red October - Tom Clancy
The New and Old Testaments of the Holy Bible by various Evangelists and Authors inspired by the Holy Spirit.
Why?
All address the issue of the battle between good and evil; all seek the Holy Grail - the truth. And they all do it with certitude, determination and passion that inflame the heart and illuminate the mind.
What is your favourite genre and why?
Non-fiction or fiction Adventure/Romance...
List your three favourite authors (any genre) and why?
Anton Myrer - Military, historical, adventure/romance that seeks the truth...the quest for the Holy Grail in action...
Morris L. West - Epic battle between good and evil with a passionate rationale in favor of Christianity over communism. The ultimate in persistent zeal. A war of wills for the capture of the soul of man.
What do you think makes a writer successful?
"Blood Sweat and Tears," along with determination,
effort, passion and perseverance...Oh, yes, and being a proficient writer helps, too...
Whta is it that makes you successful as a writer?
The same as the above and the will to succeed.
What are your goals as a writer?
To write another book and keep on writing magazine articles that others find interesting enough to read...
What is the best tip you can give to fellow writers?
Follow your dream and never give up. Write!
Seek the truth and do good.
What do you hope to provide your readers with through your writing?
Truth, honesty and that which is good to help them grow in faith, hope and love...
List your three favourite online writer-resource sites and why (include URLS).
Writers Weekly www.writersweekly.com
Writers Gazette www.writersgazette.com
Authors Den www.authorsden.com
They carry good articles regarding all aspects of writing, and they provide tips and requests for article submissions from magazines.
Authors Den carries some of my articles and poems for additional exposure.
If you have published a book, tell us about your publishing success (title, publishing date and company, where it is available to purcahse).
Title: First to Last - The Tale of a Biker by Dennis W. Lid
E-Book published by Digital Pulp Publishing (DPP) of Palm Springs, California, in 2006. (Purchase from DPP Book Store.)
Print Book published by CCB Publishing of Vancouver, B.C. in 2007. (Purchase from Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble.com, Borders and your local book store or through Lid's Lair web site at www.dennislid.com and click on the book covers or banners.)
How long did it take you to write your book(s)?
About three months...
What would you do differently if you could repeat the same publishing experience?
I would look into getting an agent to do the leg work of finding a traditional publisher.
What have you learned about the publishing world?
It's big business with all the pros and cons involved. I've learned a lot in the process of getting my book published.
This is your chance to 'Talk Back' to your readers. What would you like to say to them?
The Publication of First to Last (The Tale of a Biker)
First to Last (The Tale of a Biker) is a new motorcycle enthusiasts book that may be of interest to you, but the story behind its publication is just as interesting and, until recently, was still a work in progress.
One way of advertising and promoting the book would be to use a "canned" ad or publications flyer, like the one shown in the sample that follows:
Writers Manual Readers
Dear Writers Manual Readers,
Have a “look see” at website www.dennislid.com. It’s about a book that answers the question - Where does your treasure lie? It’s about that quest . . . a military man . . . his motorcycle adventures — all weaved into a life’s sojourn of war and peace that culminates in the answer to his lifelong search, and, perhaps, yours as well.
Book title: First to Last (The Tale of a Biker)
Publisher: Print version (Release date 12 Dec. 06) is (Name Deleted) Publishing;
eBook version is Digital Pulp Publishing (already released).
Author: Dennis W. Lid
Go to website: www.dennislid.com/ and click on the book cover for instructions to get the book.
Where does your treasure lie?
Take care,
Dennis Lid LidDennis@aol.com
The above ad is one way of plugging a good book. Perhaps a better way to instill interest is to tell the story of the book's publication. So, here goes.
All of the foregoing preceded word that my print book publisher had gone “belly-up” and was out of business. This news left the print publisher’s stable of authors in a bind. It meant that we had to seek release from our publishing contract, retrieve our materials such as manuscripts, book cover designs, photographs, maps and diagrams, captions and biographies from the defunct publisher, and search for a new and reputable, traditional print publisher.
There were other problems that the defunct publisher had to handle such as payback for books purchased in advance of publication, copyright and ISBN corrections, cancellation of book listings, etc. The entire process can be very time consuming.
I’ve been a bit busy since receiving the news that my print book publisher went out of business. I have revised my website, and the ads, flyers and news releases for advertising purposes. I've also retrieved the materials mentioned previously, especially the manuscript and photographs, which have been developed and collected through a lifetime. The next step is to search for a new print publisher for the print version of First to Last (The Tale of a Biker), then go through the whole publishing process all over again. Life is full of new beginnings.
All is not lost, however. I am forever thankful that my eBook publisher, Digital Pulp Publishing (DPP) of Palm Springs, California and their ByteIt Press Imprint, has already published my book as an electronic book. It is available for download onto an eBook Reader or your computer right now. Just go to DPP or to my website at www.dennislid.com/ and click on the book cover or the DPP logo on the links page.
It is astounding to think that all of this motorcycle memoir book business started a couple of years ago when I wrote a magazine article. I took a careful look at the article after getting it published with one time rights, and decided to expand and elaborate on it to create a book.
I proposed the idea to a publisher in Florida who was starting up a new motorcycle book division. He encouraged me to write the book and expressed an interest in considering it, when completed, for possible publication. So, I wrote the book, submitted it for his perusal a year later, and after several months received a rejection letter. It wasn’t the story or the way it was written, he noted. It was that his editors felt that the book would appeal to only a niche market rather than a broad market of buyers. Of course, as the author, I disagree with his editors. My story is a good one, well told, with a broad target audience of adventurers, romanticists, sportsmen, military and motorcycle enthusiasts, hobbyists, realists and dreamers alike. Good grief! What more could they want?
I went to work finding a publisher to prove my point. I found Digital Pulp Publishing (DPP) first. They are an eBook publisher, but they do not publish printed books that you can see on the shelf of a book store or library and hold in your hand. The contract was signed and they published my eBooK. Meanwhile, I continued my search for a print publisher and found one. Unfortunately, after negotiations and modifications of the print publisher contract to exclude all electronic rights so as not to infringe on the DPP Contract, the printed book version contract was signed. A release date of 12 December 2006 was set, and the print book was being prepared for publication on that date. Then it happened. The print book publishing company went out of business four months later - one week prior to the book’s release date.
As I said, a good story well written appeals to a very broad audience and market. It appeals to a niche market, too. Yet, this remains a mute point that is in the process of being proven. The publication of my book is one-half realized in the form of an eBook; the other half, publication as a print book, is still a work in progress. That’s the story of the publication of one good motorcycle book. I’d sure like to know what my readers think. The only way that will happen is if folks buy my book, read it and tell me what they think on my website guestbook at www.dennislid.com/, or by email at LidDennis@aol.com. Only time will tell. Meanwhile, I wish you all well.
Dennis Lid
ADDENDUM: On 23 April 2007, an agreement was signed with CCB Publishing of Vancouver, B.C., Canada to publish the print book during July 2007. The printed version of First to Last - The Tale of a Biker is now available on Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble.com, Borders.com and at a book store near you. The work in progress is now a fait accompli.
What's the one thing that you want them to know about your writing?
Dear Readers,
Enjoy the read and get the message of each book or magazine manuscript. There is something personally worthwhile for every one of you. It's worth the pleasure, cost and effort. My writing will help you seek the truth and do good, even if you disagree with what I have written.
Take care,
Dennis Lid
|
