Chris Matney of Trapdoor Books tells us why new writers must practise their craft to succeed
Chris Matney
In the sixth of our interviews with publishing houses, we talk to Chris Matney, the founder and publisher of Trapdoor Books, an emerging small press in Colorado. The publishing house specialises in geek fiction, a genre that weaves challenging research elements in with a rollicking plot and three-dimensional characters. Chris explains how crucial the compulsion to write is if you want to perfect your skill.
What inspired you to set up Trapdoor Books?
I am an avid reader. Over the past thirty years, I have found it increasingly difficult to find well-written, original fiction.
Two trends seem to be working against authors and readers. First, good authors are being driven into formulaic approaches to their craft - writing sequels and series of books that are almost indistinguishable from each other.
Second, the level of intelligence and creativity in fiction is being driven down by the need to have all books appeal to all audiences - a gross commercialisation of writing.
Just like the movie industry, the book industry is chasing blockbusters. While, I understand how the publishing industry works, it seems that small, niche publishers, such as Trapdoor Books, can establish an audience who is looking for something different, challenging and more on the cutting edge of fiction.
We might not challenge Random House for volume, but our loyal readers love us - and we hope to provide a catalyst for a renaissance of good fiction.
Did you receive any formal training?
I have a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Rice University, and I have published over one hundred technical articles and books in my twenty years in IT.
I started an IT consulting company in 1994, growing it to $4M in revenues before selling the company in 2004. So, I am well versed in startups, technology and business. Trapdoor Books is my first foray into publishing fiction.
What makes Trapdoor Books different to other publishing houses?
Our biggest differentiators are discovery and community. Discovery is looking for new (or lightly published) authors who write with a fresh voice - especially those who are turned down by the major publishers because their works don’t fall into the neatly categorised fiction labels such as science fiction, mysteries, thrillers, horror and fantasy.
Community focuses on establishing a group of like-minded “geeks” who stop by the website to chat about books, gadgets, movies…
We have over 400 folks in our community so far, and with the upcoming launch of our commercial site, we expect several times that number will stop by during their morning trawl over the internet to share a cup of coffee and their thoughts with us.
All of our authors will be blogging on the site, so we want to engage our readers and authors.
What kind of books does Trapdoor Books publish?
Technology, intellectual promiscuity, and scientific thought are becoming increasingly appealing to a wider audience of sophisticated, socially connected readers. These readers have higher-than-average IQs, advanced educations, and are looking for intellectual challenges and extraordinary entertainment well beyond the “lowest common denominator” content that is so often provided through mass media outlets.
We publish well-crafted fiction that transcends traditional genre boundaries, providing both literary character development and an interesting plot.
Geek fiction, in our minds, breaks the boundaries of formulaic writing. It introduces intellectual acumen - anything from Assyrian history to plasma physics, and provides a thoughtful, entertaining diversion for the reader. While the settings can be niche - mysteries, thrillers, fantasy, gothic/horror, science fiction - the best geek fiction challenges readers and surprises them with well-paced, well-researched and compelling stories.
What happens to a submission once it reaches your office?
All submissions are electronic and they all receive an email confirmation of receipt. If they meet our initial requirements (full manuscripts and so on), files are uploaded to our internal website, where Trapdoor Readers are able to checkout and review the manuscripts.
We collect comments, again in an internal community forum, and these are passed onto the author along with next step recommendations from the editors.
What do you look for in a submission?
We ask six questions of all manuscripts:
1. Does the book challenge me and stir my curiosity?
2. Does the book surprise me? Is it unpredictable?
3. Does the clock keep ticking? Are tension, momentum and pace balanced in the plot?
4. Are the facts in the book straight?
5. Do I care about the characters? Are they multi-dimensional, do they grow?
6. And finally, is it a good story? Story trumps facts, by the way.
How can a new author get past the slush pile?
We are working to automate the process of updating authors on how long reviews are taking for new manuscripts - to set reasonable expectations on this.
In talking with authors, many believe the submission process at most publishers is like jettisoning their work into a black hole. We want to change this perception by making the process more transparent.
The shift to electronic submission and a web-based manuscript handling system will allow us to be much more responsive than traditional publishers.
Once you have accepted a manuscript for publication, how do you prepare it for publication?
We have a full staff of editors and artists that will take care of everything from book jacket artwork to copy editing to production of electronic and paper books.
Some authors will opt to take a more involved role in the production of their books by providing artwork and so on, and others will be hands-off. Both approaches are fine with us. Off-set printing is outsourced to a company in Michigan.
What is your favourite part of this process?
It’s great working with writers who are excited about their craft. After working in IT consulting where many of my clients were unmotivated or simply ground down because of the bureaucracy of life in large IT organisations, it is refreshing to talk with artists who are passionate about their work.
Personally, it feels good making the world a better place with new stories told well.
What is the most challenging part of it?
So far, the most challenging aspect of the business is harnessing all the technology that is out there for building social networks. It is a constant shifting landscape, and Trapdoor Books is committed to being on the cutting edge.
It’s exciting, but adopting new technology on a daily or weekly basis is no short order.
Whose writing has excited you recently?
My blog is filled with reviews, but Daemon by Daniel Suarez opened my eyes to how a bright, motivated author can put together a great book and become successful without bowing to pressures of the traditional publishing model.
The story is wonderful, filled with intellectual challenges - a technology thriller written by, gasp, a technologist. Daemon definitely meets our six criteria above.
What would you say the main challenges are for an aspiring author?
Patience. First, it takes time to perfect the writing craft - to become an accomplished writer and storyteller. All the writers I talk to want to do their craft full-time, but it takes years to build the skills.
Second, writing is not a get-rich scheme. $100K+ signing bonuses are like winning the lottery - they happen, but don’t bet your future on it.
It takes time to build up a relationship with a publishing house, but the chances of becoming a career writer are much better if you take a long-term approach from both a business and artistic standpoint.
Third, publishing companies are notoriously slow at getting books through the system. It is one of our goals to massively streamline the process. However, patience is still a good thing to have.
What advice would you offer an aspiring writer?
Write every day whether you feel like it or not. Most great authors have a compulsion to write. If you don’t, cultivate one. The biggest stumbling block that I’ve seen is procrastination.
Even if you’re not cranking out something that will sell, you are still perfecting your craft
For further details visit trapdoorbooks.com
Other publishing houses interviewed for this series include Parthian Books, Tonto Books, Dedalus Books, Alcemi Books, Gomer Press and Seren Books, The Friday Project, Chicken House and Wild Wolf Publishing
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