Chat with Jeff Strand

Erik Williams: Jeff Strand writes screenplays, short stories and novels with a twisted bent. His latest release is technically a re-release – PRESSURE, published by Leisure. He currently holds the unofficial record of longest writer bio in the history of the written word (cuz their were so many writer bios before this) posted on his website, Gleefully Macabre at www.jeffstrand.com. He has facial hair. Welcome, Jeff

Jeff Strand: Thanks!

Sam W. Anderson: From reading your work, it’s obvious to me that you take the craft of writing very seriously. On the other hand, you’re known for, and seem to cultivate the image, of having humor play a very large part in your work. Do you think the use of humor to the extent you utilize it has had any detrimental effects on how your work is perceived? How do you think it’s benefited you to this point in your career?

Jeff Strand: I don’t think it’s really had any detrimental effect on how my work is perceived, although I’m shielded from a lot of that feedback, because the people who would hate something like SINGLE WHITE PSYCHOPATH SEEKS SAME probably aren’t going to read the book in the first place. The benefit is that, within the horror crowd, it’s given me a niche, so people know me as the “funny horror guy” instead of just the “horror guy.”

Kurt Dinan: I enjoyed the heck out of Pressure, especially the dialogue. Your inclination towards humor shows up a good deal in your dialogue, and I’m wondering if that was done intentionally to give the reader some moments to breathe, or if that humor is so ingrained in you it just came out naturally? Do you find yourself having to taper back the humor in stories at times when you’re trying to be “serious”?

Jeff Strand: Both–PRESSURE is so dark that it =needed= the humor to keep the book from simply being depressing. But the humor comes naturally, and it’s a good way to build empathy for the characters rather quickly.

Yeah, I do have to taper back the humor sometimes, and Paul Miller (who originally published the hardcover edition of PRESSURE) caught a couple of moments in the manuscript where I was a bit too jokey.

My newest book, KUTTER, was a writing challenge–I wanted to take a silly premise and treat it in a completely straight-faced manner, to write a dark comedy WITHOUT the humorous dialogue I’m known for.

Petra Miller: Is this the only writing challenge you had with writing a serial killer for KUTTER? That you were used to using humor and couldn’t this time? Or didn’t want to, I should say…

Jeff Strand: No, every book is filled with writing challenges. Another big challenge in this book was to take a thoroughly despicable, unredeemable character, and make the reader root for him by the end. And to write a book where a dog is a major character. Dogs don’t talk!

Kurt Dinan: Dogs do talk, Son of Sam told me they do.

Jeff Strand: Only Dobermans.

John Mantooth: I’m curious about your early attempts to write a novel. How many tries before you managed to get one published? Did you find an agent or bypass them altogether? Also, did you begin by writing short fiction, and if so, was it a difficult transition to the longer form? Finally, any tips for those of us trying to make the same transition?

Jeff Strand: Officially, I only have two “trunk novels,” but that’s because I so rarely finished what I started, so I literally wrote thousands of pages (and I mean “literally” in the dictionary sense of “literally,” meaning that actual thousands of pages of unpublished work were written, and not the lame “literally” meaning “figuratively” that people use these days) before I finished one that was publishable.

I’ve had five agents. The first four consisted of one complete scam, one semi scam, one newbie, and one newbie with a major agency, none of whom sold anything for me. Now I’m with a much better agent, who I got after Leisure made the offer on PRESSURE.

I started by writing screenplays, and didn’t really find it that tough to make the transition to novels. These days I’m pretty comfortable with both novels and shorter works.

Kurt Dinan: Forgive me for not knowing this, but do you write fulltime, or do you have a day job? If the former, how does your daily writing schedule work? If the latter, how in the hell do you manage to get so much written with a wife, cats, and job? And, more seriously, you sell books and stories all over the place, but I curious to know if you ever wonder about the marketability of a novel – i.e. The Severed Nose.

Jeff Strand: I’ve got a 40-hour-a-week day job. I don’t really have a daily writing schedule, but I have a compressed workweek, which gives me Friday through Sunday off. That’s when I get most of my writing done, but the amount of writing I do increases exponentially based on the proximity to the deadline. For example, my next book is due on August 31st, so I’m writing a LOT these days. The cats don’t really hog up too much of my writing time. My wife is also a writer, so she’s cool with me locking myself in my office when the scary deadlines approach.

Stuff like THE SEVERED NOSE and BENJAMIN’S PARASITE (and even KUTTER) come from being successful enough in the very tiny pool of small press horror that I can get contracts with places like Delirium, Bloodletting, and Cargo Cult Press without having to explain the marketability of what I’m writing.

For the mass market stuff, I definitely think of the marketability. That doesn’t mean I write anything marketable, but I THINK about it!

Sam W. Anderson: You published quite extensively in the specialty press before Leisure picked up PRESSURE. Now that you’re at work on your second mass-market release, what have you found to be the differences between working with small-press publishers and a publisher that can get you in the brick-and-mortar book stores?

Jeff Strand: PRESSURE was indeed an attempt to write something more “mainstream.” Though most of the mainstream publishers said it was too dark. The biggest difference is simply in the end product. PRESSURE costs $7.99. THE SINISTER MR. CORPSE cost $50. I’m obviously dealing with two very different audiences here. And despite the success of Amazon, a lot of readers still want to wander into their local bookstore and find your novel on the shelf, so it’s great to have a book out there without the hurdles of price or distribution.

The actual “working with” process wasn’t that much different. I’ve had publishers who allow me an insane amount of input on stuff like the cover, and publishers who say “Here’s your cover. Enjoy.” Leisure was right in the middle…they did ask for and use my suggestions.

Erik Williams: Since we’re talking about Leisure a lot right now, I’m curious, how did you land with Leisure? Was it the success of PRESSURE? And how does it feel to make the leap to mass market? Scary? Are you feeling the pressure? (zing)

Jeff Strand: Oh, man, the Leisure thing is a long, convoluted story. The simple(r) version is that, yes, Don was aware of PRESSURE and the success of the Earthling edition, but he hadn’t read it. Sarah Pinborough, who wrote several Leisure books including the awesome FEEDING GROUND, read PRESSURE and e-mailed Don and strongly recommended that he contract the mass market edition. A few plot twists later, he read it, liked it, had an opening in the schedule, and offered me a contract.

It feels great to make the leap to mass market. No downside so far…although I have no idea how many copies were returned, so that could suck, I suppose…

I’ll be feeling the pressure more with DWELLER! PRESSURE was a reprint and so I’d already had a ton of great feedback. I have no idea what people will think of DWELLER. What if they hate it? What if my career is over??? HUH??? WHAT IF MY CAREER IS OVER??????

Erik Williams: You’ve always got the small press

Sam W. Anderson: I’m sure the $850 million you plan on making on the movie from PRESSUE will sustain you.

Jeff Strand: Actually, DWELLER is awesome and everybody is going to say nice things on message boards.

(I should probably finish the book before making statements like that.)

Kurt Dinan: I am going to start a DWELLER fanclub right now

Erik Williams: SNUTCH LOVE DWELLER!!!!!!!!!!!

Jeff Strand: Oh, sure, let’s discuss trading blurbs right here in a chat with a transcript that will be made available to the public. Real smooth! No wonder we’re not millionaires!

Erik Williams: It’s called editing the transcript. Relax.

Kurt Dinan: After reading it, I went back through to look at how you put PRESSURE together, and wondered about the prologue. Was this something you started with, or did you go back when you were finished and include it so you’d have a more compelling attention grabber at the start? And any major changes the book went through from first draft to final draft?

Jeff Strand: I started with the prologue, and then tweaked it just a bit when I got to the part of the book where it fits chronologically. I made huge changes to my original concept for the book while I was writing it (it was meant to be a big, thick, subplot-laden extravaganza) but once I’d finished the first draft I didn’t change that much except for a bit of polish. I tend to rewrite a lot as I go, so I don’t really do “first draft, second draft,” etc.

Erik Williams: Any changes for the Leisure edition?

Jeff Strand: VERY minor things that nobody will ever notice unless they compare the two books line-by-line. No plot or character changes…just a couple of continuity errors and a tiny little bit here or there. If you disliked the Earthling edition you will dislike the Leisure edition just as much.

Sam W. Anderson: On your website’s bio, on about page three-hundred, you talk about how you discovered electronic publishing. Can you talk a little about your experience with it and what pitfalls and advantages that route has?

Jeff Strand: Well, electronic publishing has changed a LOT since I started. Delirium just announced that they’re focusing almost entirely on e-books in the future. You’re no longer a complete total loser for going that route.

Honestly, right now I think it needs to be a CHOICE. Having something that’s just in print, you lose the people who’ve fallen in love with their Kindle and won’t read any other way. Having something that’s just a digital download, you lose the people who like to smell their books. Right now, in 2009, I think you still need the print edition to be taken seriously, but that’s going to continue to change. Not as quickly as a lot of people are predicting, but it’ll change.

(A choice for the reader, I mean.)

John Mantooth: How much planning do you do before starting the actual writing of a novel?

Jeff Strand: It varies in a huge way from book to book. DWELLER has a chapter-by-chapter outline, because that’s what Leisure wanted. I usually like to have an idea where it ends, and a few cool moments, but I don’t typically do a formal outline. With THE SEVERED NOSE I made it all up as I went along.

John Mantooth: Interesting about Leisure. Is that standard for them?

Jeff Strand: I’m not sure. PRESSURE was sold to them as a completed, already published book, and I’d never worked with Don D’Auria before that, and they were giving DWELLER a publication spot (and a cover!) before it was written, so I think he wanted to make sure I wasn’t going to screw it up.

Sam W. Anderson: Jeff, can you take the next five minutes to two hours pimping what you got going on right now? (told you I’d get that in)

Jeff Strand: I find the act of self-promoting one’s writing to be crass. But you’re a crass person, so I’ll do it just to fit in. PRESSURE! Available now at your local bookstore, unless they’ve torn off the cover and sent it back for credit! THE SEVERED NOSE, an insane tale from Morning Star (Bloodletting Press), so new that I don’t even have my author copies yet, though paying customers are reporting it showing up in their mailboxes. KUTTER goes up for pre-order literally any minute now. Maybe even while I’m in here, distracted by this chat! A (very) limited edition hardcover from Cargo Cult Press. DWELLER, April 2010 at your local bookstore. The epic tale of a boy and his monster. And a whole bunch of older books, that you can learn all about at www.jeffstrand.com, which also contains the bio that Sam keeps making fun of.

Erik Williams: Is the exclamation point part of the title? PRESSURE! If so, should have been PRESSURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jeff Strand: The original title was PRESSURE??????????

Erik Williams: Well, we should let Jeff go. He’s got a BIG SCARY DEADLINE he’s facing. Everyone thank him and say goodnight

Jeff Strand: Can I do this like an encore where I leave the room and then come back and answer a couple more questions?

So I’ll leave the room, and all of you are all like “Jeff! Jeff! Jeff!” and then I’ll come back to wild applause.

John Mantooth: Jeff, Jeff, Jeff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jeff Strand: Not yet, I’m not gone yet.

Erik Williams: After he leaves, John

John Mantooth: Oh, sorry

Kurt Dinan: Sooo embarrassing

*** Jeff Strand quit the room

Erik Williams: What a loser.

John Mantooth: Asshole

Kurt Dinan: Will he come back?

*** Jeff Strand has returned!!!!!!!!!!

Erik Williams: JEFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kurt Dinan: Yes! Play “Born to Run”!!!!

Sam W. Anderson: FREEBIRDDDD!!!!

Jeff Strand: Thanks, everyone! I’ve got time for a couple more!

Erik Williams: But we ran out.

Jeff Strand: Dammit!

KurtDinan: Ever made a joke at the Stokers that someone called you on afterward? Someone who couldn’t take a joke? And if you don’t want to answer that, “Stairway to Heaven”!

Jeff Strand: Nope. I might have offended somebody, but my hulking physical presence made them too intimidated to say anything.

Erik Williams: And the steely gaze

John Mantooth: And the beard…err facial hair.

Erik Williams: More of a patch, isn’t it?

Jeff Strand: Actually, I’m very careful with the Stokers (and the EPPIES, which I hosted 9 years in a row) not to say anything that would actually be offensive. I poke fun at the genre and the awards, but not in a mean-spirited way or in any way that would demean the awards or the finalists.

Patch? WTF?

John Mantooth: Jeff, these days, is there any hope for one hoping to publish a collection of stories? Cause I’m hoping to do that. Or am I just wasting my time?

Jeff Strand: Well, I’d say that your chances of selling a short story collection to a big NY publisher are….minimal. Delirium published my short story collection GLEEFULLY MACABRE TALES, so the standards aren’t THAT high in the small press.

Sam W. Anderson: In reading your inspiring and all-too-brief bio, it’s apparent you’ve made probably every possible mistake in finding your way through the publishing jungle. What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned from this unconventional path to success? Besides the internet’s a great place to meet chicks

Jeff Strand: A bad agent is worse than no agent.

Sam W. Anderson: I was hoping for something more inspiring.

Jeff Strand: Reach for the stars.

Dream it and you can achieve it.

Love conquers all.

Erik Williams: How’s it working with an agent now that you found a good one.

Jeff Strand: It’s great! Although I came to her with the PRESSURE contract, which led to the DWELLER contract, and so I really haven’t sent her anything to go out and SELL yet. Once I get her an unpublished book we’ll SEE if she’s worthy of being my agent!!!

Seeya! Thanks for tolerating me!