Political Correctness has become a major problem in the world thanks to college students and that generation who are offended by almost anything that comes out of a comedian, politician, actor and an author's mouth. From a tweet that was trending today: 71% think political correctness is a problem in America but don't call them idiots for their opinions cuz that's not nice. Comedians Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock and Larry The Cable Guy are among those who avoid doing college campuses these days. Jerry Seinfeld says colleges are too politically correct. Bill Maher, comedian and host of Real Time with Bill Maher, has made a career out of making fun of political correctness.
Here's my two cents: Lighten up people! It's a joke. Now most of us are getting a kick listening to Donald Trump campaign. If there was anybody out there that needs to learn the concept of political correctness, it's him. How does this affect writing? We want as many people reading our work without offending them. If someone is offended by something you've written, most likely, they will not read anything else you have or will write in the future. Years ago, I had a cartoon series on goanimate.com called Stuck In Indiana. Like Family Guy, I was very politically incorrect which offended a lot of people. I got a lot of you can't say and do that emails. I was called a racist, anti-American, homophobe and several other things I can't name here. Not once in the cartoon did I say anything racist, anti-American or anything anti-gay. The whole point of my cartoon was making fun of political correctness. I have a few gay, black and Native American friends who thought the show was funny, because I highlighted the way people are and treat them. Most of the situations in the grocery scenes were based on actual things customers said and did at the store. When I write my horror fiction, I do push the boundaries of political correctness as far as I can to get my political views across. My stories promote strong female characters. I make fun of Democrats and Republicans alike. I point out problems with the world today like racism, global warming, dangers of messing with nature and more. My editor makes me take out what she feels would offend too many people. Like the comic book code of ethics of the days past, I have a list of topics I won't deal with and situations I will never write about. I try to avoid religious views as best as I can, because that is a very sensitive topic among many of my readers. When I first started writing professionally back in nineties, I was able to write what I wanted without having to worry about how people would react to it. Now, I have to think through each sentence, each paragraph and each page to make sure what I write doesn't cause people to go on a Twitter outrage and start a social media tirade against my writer career. I just hope I didn't offend anyone with this blog Derek Ailes Derek Ailes is the author of four anthologies: "Zombie Command: A Horror Anthology", "Journey Into the Unknown: Deluxe Horror Edition", "Catfurnado, Zombies and One Killer Doll" and "Musings From A Demented Mind". He lives in South Haven, Indiana. He is currently working on first fantasy novel "Beast Within". 
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 They won’t buy your book. I proved them wrong.
The horror genre is one of the hardest to sell. To make matters worse, my three novels are short story horror anthologies which are the hardest to sell in the horror genre. I could have become an overnight sensation by going into erotic romance, but I want to entertain people not make myself sick. It took about a year of promoting and constant social media, without becoming one of those spammers, before the sales of my Zombie Command: A Horror Anthology took off. You won’t get Amazon reviews. I proved them wrong. For the first several months, I was only able to get one review for my first anthology. Within the past couple months, I’ve received multiple 5 Star Reviews. It took promoting Zombie Command in the right Goodreads author and reading groups. People were willing to give my work a try and were glad that they did. Newspapers won’t do an article on you. I proved them wrong. One of the hardest thing for an author is getting a newspaper to do an article on you. With so many people self-publishing and more authors adding themselves to the mix every day, to a newspaper it’s no longer newsworthy. Back in 2009, the Times gladly did an interview with my brother, Mark Cusco Ailes. My brother approached them a couple months back, and he was told they had zero interest in doing an article about a self-published author. When he explained to them that he wrote horror fiction with his brother, me, they changed their mind since we had a brand, an angle, which most authors don’t have. We are the Ailes Brothers of Terror. Two days after we were interviewed, a reporter for the Post Tribune was at a local author book fair and interviewed us. We had an article in two different papers within the same week. You will never have a book signing at Barnes & Noble. I proved them wrong. Another hard thing to do for a self-published author is to get invited to do an autograph signing at Barnes & Noble. Two nights ago, my brother and I were two of six local authors at the Valparaiso Barnes & Noble for a book signing event. Normally, they seldom do events for self-published authors, but last year at a writing convention, my brother approached the Barnes & Noble booth and convinced them to have a local author event. Nine months later, it took place. Never let anyone tell you that you can’t do something as a self-published author. Use their doubts as motivation to further your career. You will never make the New York Times Best Sellers List. Or will you? Derek Ailes is the author of three anthologies: Zombie Command: A Horror Anthology, Journey Into the Unknown: Deluxe Horror Edition, and Second Journey Into the Unknown. He lives in South Haven, Indiana. He is currently working on his new anthology: Musings From A Demented Mind. 
“Nobody reads my stuff. Why should I even bother writing?”
I’ve heard this a lot from frustrated authors over the past several months. One of the hardest things a writer faces these days when self-publishing can be done at the cost of next to nothing, is visibility. You can write the best novel ever, but still fail to find an audience willing to give your work a chance. Should you give up and call it quits? No. Let me talk about how I threw away almost twenty years of writing. In 1996, my brother Mark Cusco Ailes, and I wrote a novel together “Power Command”. We sent it off to several agents and had zero interest in it. My brother kept on writing, eventually getting his first novel published over a decade later. I, on the other hand like an idiot, walked away from writing to pursue other ventures. Do I regret that decision? Yes, every day of my life. If I would have kept at it, I would have been published several years sooner. My first anthology: “Journey Into the Unknown” written with Mark Cusco Ailes was originally published in 2013. Imagine if I could have done it back in 2009 when using Facebook as an advertising tool, because when you posted something all of your followers saw it. My brother sold over 60 copies of his first novel at a local business at his first book signing and the store kept his books in stock for a few years later. He would post something about his novels and had hundreds of comments and likes within the first few hours. Imagine how I could have thrived with social media then since I’m one of the authors who embrace the power of it. People are beginning to give my work a chance and our loving it. Positive feedback and Amazon reviews are instant validation for all of us authors. I love interacting with the fans and entertaining them at the same time with my stories and my persona as one half of the Ailes Brothers of Terror. The best way for your books to be discovered is to write another one and another, etc. I have three horror anthologies published so far, a fourth one on the way, and my first fantasy novel coming out sometime next year. My brother and I have plans for another horror anthology for next year. My brother has eleven published books with two more on their way. I got involved with writing groups, goodreads groups, and any other place where an author can interact with fellow authors or readers. I found forums filled with people with similar interest to my genre and interact with them. I try to learn as many tricks as I can from fellow authors on promoting their work and improving their craft. Every piece of advice helps. When you feel like giving up, remember that all of us have been to that point where we want to give up. You will regret it if you do. Derek Ailes is the author of three anthologies: Zombie Command: A Horror Anthology, Journey Into the Unknown: Deluxe Horror Edition, and Second Journey Into the Unknown. He lives in South Haven, Indiana. He is currently working on his new anthology: Musings From A Demented Mind. 
AUTHORS MARK CUSCO AILES & DEREK AILES AT THE INDIANA WRITERS' CONSORTIUM LOCAL AUTHOR BOOK FAIR 6-13-2015
My brother, Mark Cusco Ailes, and I had another great book signing yesterday. We were with several authors at the Indiana Writers’ Consortium Open House Local Author’s Book Fair as part of the 2015 Hammond Art Walk. We have been members of the IWC for two years now. The IWC is a growing organization for Indiana writers (published & non-published) with several programs for helping authors improve their craft and learn some of the necessary skills needed for the self-publishing, small-time presses and even the big time publishing houses. Most of the states have these type of writing groups. If you are serious about writing, then I would suggest finding one in your local area and joining them. There are so many functions they serve. The IWC puts on several events per year including book fairs, literary readings, classes taught by some of the members and the big conference in October which draws several hundred writers along with the biggest one of their book fairs. Growing up as a child, yes – let’s jump back to my childhood, the only supporters I had with my writing was my friends and family. I wasn’t involved with any writing groups. I had to learn everything about the writing industry the hard way: trial and error. I began writing not long after I saw “Return Of the Jedi” for the first time at the theater. I’m not talking about the Special Editions from the 1990s. I’m talking about the 1980s where the Ewok still sang the “Yub Nub. Yub nub, eee chop yub nub” celebration song. In 1996, my brother and I finished writing a novel together “Power Command” and couldn’t get an agent interested in it. If I had the resources of a Critique Group or was part of any group consisting of fellow writers, I would have known the manuscript was nowhere near ready. My brother and I made many mistakes, more than I will openly admit to, on our journey to being published authors. I just wish I knew groups like this existed back then. After having several fellow authors critique one of my fantasy stories for an upcoming anthology, I learned a better way of writing my sentences to relay more information and how to improve the story. I feel it is one of the best I’ve written now thanks to everyone’s help. I’ve made many friends and contacts through the IWC. Bob Moulesong, also a member, invited me to be a contributor on Shortfictionbreak.com. SFB is where several different authors from around the world post their short stories for anybody to read for free. There are three IWC members contributing on SFB, Bob, Michelle McGill Vargas, and I. The IWC has opened several doors for me on my writing journey. It was Janine Harrison, from the IWC, who dubbed my brother and I as the Ailes Brothers of Terror which is now what we are official know as in Northwest, Indiana. The Ailes Brothers of Terror has become a household name, our brand. We have a reputation for being very outspoken and scary at the same time. I’m looking forward to getting more involved with the IWC and hoping a Critique Group as I become a more established author and can step away from my 9 to 5 retail job. The benefit of these groups are endless. http://www.indianawritersconsortium.org Derek Ailes is the author of three anthologies: Zombie Command: A Horror Anthology, Journey Into the Unknown: Deluxe Horror Edition, and Second Journey Into the Unknown. He lives in South Haven, Indiana. He is currently working on his new anthology: Musings From A Demented Mind. |
Author Derek Ailes is the author of three anthologies: Zombie Command: A Horror Anthology, Journey Into the Unknown: Deluxe Horror Edition, and Second Journey Into the Unknown. He lives in South Haven, Indiana. He is currently working on his new anthology: Musings From A Demented Mind. ArchivesCategories |
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