Thomas White began his career as an actor. Several years later he found himself as an Artistic Director for a theatre in Los Angeles and the winner of several Drama-Logue and Critics awards for directing. As Tom’s career grew, he directed and co-produced the world tour of “The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Coming Out Of Their Shells”. The show toured for over two years, was translated into seven different languages and seen by close to a million children. Tom served as President and Creative Director for Maiden Lane Entertainment for 24 years and worked on many large-scale corporate event productions that included Harley Davidson, Microsoft, Medtronic Diabetes, and dozens of others. The Edison Enigma is Tom’s third novel following up Justice Rules which was nominated as a finalist in the Pacific Northwest Writers Association 2010 Literary contest, and The Siren’s Scream.
Author Links
Website | X (Twitter) | Facebook 1 | Facebook 2 | Goodreads
Q: Welcome to Beyond the Books, Thomas. Can we start out by telling us whether you are published for the first time or are you multi-published?
Hello all and it’s good to be back at Beyond The Books. Obviously, since I’ve done this tour before this is not my first publication. I am proud to say that I have published 3 novels up to this point. Justice Rules, The Siren’s scream, and now The Edison Enigma. All available on Amazon! (Shameless plug)
Q: When you were published for the first time, which route did you go – mainstream, small press, vanity published or self-published and why or how did you choose this route?
For Justice Rules, I tried to go the traditional route. I sent out queries, received about 100 rejection letters and finally decided to self-publish. It went well, although it was 12 years ago and a very different game. I sold about 3,000 copies and for an unknown author’s first book, I was pretty pleased. I then decided to go back to the traditional route once again and received comments like, “If you had sold 10,000 then we’d be interested. It made me laugh, If I was selling 10,000 copies on my own, why would I need them? With The Siren’s Scream and The Edison Enigma I went directly to self-publishing. There was a 12 year gap between Justice Rules and The Siren’s Scream ( I can’t be accused of cranking them out) and the game changed a lot. I didn’t do nearly as well as far as sales. The Edison Enigma has just been released so time will tell.
Q: How long did it take you to get published once you signed the contract?
I never signed a contract.
Q: How did it make you feel to become published for the first time and how did you celebrate?
My goal, at least deep in my heart, was to see my book on the shelf of a bookstore. I accomplished that with Justice Rules. A small chain in Spokane WA sold it on commission. I did a reading and signing and had a pretty great time.
Q: What has surprised or amazed you about the publishing industry as a whole?
The most surprising is what a closed shop it is. Getting your stuff to a person who can say ‘yes’ is nearly impossible. I hate the idea that some hourly paid person is skimming your work and deciding whether to pass it on or not.
Q: What is the most rewarding thing about being a published author?
I have a creative soul. I’ve been in the theatre my whole life, mostly as a director, and creating is what I do. I am constantly thinking of innovative ways to produce entertainment. Currently, it is writing. I get a lot of satisfaction from producing a novel, seeing it on Amazon etc, and knowing that I created it. I get even more satisfaction when someone reads it and likes it.
Q: Any final words for writers who dream of being published one day?
It’s right out there, all you have to do is grab it. My words of wisdom are simple, write all the time, re-write when you need to, and before you publish hire an editor to help you. It will increase the quality of your work ten-fold. Self-publishing is great because so many authors who deserve to be published , can be. But it also means that anyone who writes sixty pages about their summer vacation can also publish. Your work must stand out of that crowd and be able to stand next to any publishing house product.
Thanks for taking the time to read this. I wish the best for all of you!
Beyond the Books 