Clayton Bye In The Blog-Spotlight

What genre do you categorize your books in? Several authors tend to blur the lines when they write books, and I myself cannot seem to stay true to one genre.

I write in many genres. I have published 4 self-help books, 1 anthology of inspirational articles, 1 business text book and 1 dark fantasy novel. I also write fiction and non-fiction short stories, poetry and book/author reviews. The articles blur the lines because they focus on my 10 years of travel throughout Canada. So does the fantasy novel; it has aspects of adventure, romance, even religion. Do you have a new book out, if so we’d love to hear about it.I have a new fantasy novel in the works. It’s called TechnoMage and is a sequel to my previous novel, The Sorcerer’s Key. Approximately 10,000 words of the first draft of TechnoMage have been posted at http://www.authonomy.com/ViewBook.aspx?bookid=9175. This is a Harper Collins competition site. Anyone can read the excerpt and comment on it.

Congratulations on your success as an author. How many books do you have in print now? Which is your favorite?

Thank you. Of the 7 books I have in print, my favourite is The Sorcerer’s Key.

What do you love about your editor (or publisher)?

Um, I break all the rules. I’m my own editor and publisher. Have been since 1994. There’s just myself and the printer I contract. I tried hiring editors and proof readers but they couldn’t keep up with my publishing schedule.

Speaking of schedules...What does your writing schedule look like? Are you a morning writer? A night owl?

I’ve always written whenever I’m not working or spending time with my family. That used to be in the evenings and on weekends. Now, since I’ve been retired by a disability, it’s whenever my condition allows - usually small pieces of time throughout the day and evening.

Do you have a writer’s cave?

I used to have a writer’s cave. My wife now owns it. She’s not here to say yea or nay. I can’t sit in a chair anymore; my legs need to be stretched out. I write on my laptop computer on whatever couch or bed is available in the house.

In reading your bio, I saw that you are a man of many hats. How do you balance it all?

Balance? That’s a good one. I live and breathe writing and entrepreneurship. They’re the only things that keep me going. I have severe Rheumatoid Arthritis (can’t walk more than a block) and unstable Bipolar Disorder.On a more useful line of discourse, I’ve always followed a simple philosophy. You make a list of things you want or need to accomplish in a day, beginning with the most difficult and most urgent, then continue on until the day is done. Anything left is put aside until the next day - without thought or remorse. You won’t get more done using any other method, and this one allows you to go to bed satisfied with what you did accomplish. It also allows for balance, as long as you build family and recreational goals into the list. I never complete my list, by the way. There’s more work to do than my lifetime will allow.

That philosophy is a wonderful way to appraoch life in general. What is your next project?

I have six:

1. I’m working on a North American email campaign to contact every bookstore, library, university, high school and book club.

2. I devote part of each day to internet networking.

3. I’ve just hired on as Horror Editor at http://www.thedeepening.com/horror

4. I write reviews for http://tjbook-list.blogspot.com/

5. I want to put together a book of short stories

6. I also want to write a book of poetry

Do you have any writing rituals? I find myself in a John Mayer and 80's music mode (yes, they are not good bed mates and make for a very odd mixture of music). Do you have a go to song of the moment to help keep the momentum going when you work, or a particular quirk?

Nope. If my concentration is good, I have a mixture of several hundred songs on my laptop that I set to play randomly. On days where concentration is lacking, I write in as much silence as I can find. I particularly like Louis L’Amour’s writing comment... “I could sit in the middle of Sunset Boulevard and write with my typewriter on my knees; temperamental I am not.” That’s what I strive for.

Today, writers need not only write great books, but be great promoters of their books, and their name as a brand too. What kinds of things do you do?

I used to talk books to every person I came into contact with. Now that I’m confined to my home most of the time, I do the same thing on the internet. I’ve been running my internet campaign for about 6 weeks now, and I already have over 50 sites that I actively promote myself on. These include blogs, online stores, my own website(s), even places like twitter. I also send out a couple of hundred promotional emails every week. I’ve submitted my main website to a few thousand search engines, have begun to post reviews on places like Amazon and Chapters. And I always use my own name and/or mention at least one of my books or websites in any kind of communication. Oh yeah, I constantly prompt people for testimonials. I know this industry is big on reviews, but I believe whole heartedly in comments from people who have spent money to read my work.

What else would you like to tell us?

The most useful thing I can tell any writer is to never forget that writing is writing and business is business. They’re two different things that you must do equally well.

As for your readers?

Buy my books. You won’t be disappointed. http://www.claytonbye.com/

Thanks to Clayton Bye and don't forget to visit his site!