AUTHOR SUCCESS INSIDER WITH MIKE NEMETH
Mike Nemeth is the author of five novels – A Tissue Full of Lies, Defiled, The Undiscovered Country, The Two Lives of Eddie Kovacs, and Parker’s Choice– which have won awards for Southern Fiction, Romantic Mystery/Suspense, and Diverse and Multicultural Mystery/Suspense. The Undiscovered Country inspired songwriter Mark Currey to compose the song Who I Am. His articles and stories have appeared in The New York Times, Georgia Magazine, Augusta Magazine, Southern Writers’ Magazine, Deep South Magazine, Writers’ Voices anthology. Creative Loafing named him Atlanta’s Best Local Author for 2018.
ON BIG BLEND RADIO: Award-winning novelist and non-fiction author Mike Nemeth shares insights on writing, ethics, and success. Watch here in the YouTube player or download the episode on Podbean.
The recurring theme in Mike’s novel is that morality and legality are two different things, and classic morality has been supplanted by secularism.
In addition to his novels, Mike has published two nonfiction works about sports: 128 Billion to 1, why no one can predict the outcome of the NCAA Basketball Tournament; and Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics, why the selection committee always chooses the wrong teams to play in the college football playoffs. He also wrote The Missing Ingredient, an article published in The New York Times that explained why college football rankings are always wrong.
Mike was born and raised in Appleton, Wisconsin, and attended the University of Wisconsin. He is still a die-hard Badger and Green Bay Packers fan. A Vietnam Army veteran and former software executive, Mike lived in Texas, Colorado, Florida, Tennessee, and London, before settling in suburban Atlanta with his wife, Angie, and their rescue dog, Scout (yes, that Scout). He holds a private pilot’s license, once coached a Georgia state champion AAU basketball team, and is a golf and trout fishing enthusiast.
So, what does it take to be successful as an author? Check out Mike Nemeth’s answers to our 10 Author Insider Questions about his writing career:
What led you to a career as an author?
Initially, it was hero worship. I admired the people who wrote the works that had an effect on me. I wanted to be like them in the same way that kids want to grow up to be Lebron James. Later I realized that through my fictional characters I could communicate my feelings about the human experience and see if they resonate with anyone else.
What attributes do you have that make you a good fit for the lifestyle as an author?
In my professional career, before writing became my avocation, I was a large system software developer which required long tail projects to bring the systems to market. So, I know how to spend months to a year writing a new book. I appreciate the incremental progress and have a tolerance for long hours staring at a computer screen. And, lastly, the act of making a plot hang together across thousands of words is very much like making all the pieces of a software system fit properly.
Who or what inspires you?
What gets me started on a project is a quote from Kathryn Stockett, the woman who wrote The Help. “Write about what disturbs you, particularly if it bothers no one else.” So, I always start with a theme: what do I want to say about society or the world around us? Then I concoct an exciting story that will make the point naturally. It’s what nonfiction writers do. Then they find real people through whom they tell the story, but I invent fictional characters to tell their story.
Describe your ideal reader.
Someone who wants more than thrills or affirmation from the stories they read. Someone who is happy to be challenged, to find new ways of thinking, to reflect after reading the story.
What is your pet peeve regarding the publishing/writing industry?
Our basic problem is that we have too many books and not enough readers so it’s too difficult for an author to connect with their specific subset of readers. It’s like a fisherman going out on the ocean to find a specific fish. Lots of people to blame for this. The big five publishers and their agents look first for books that can make money and rarely publish a book because it’s good and has a long-term value. Secondly, I blame our education system for not instilling a reading habit and love of books in elementary and secondary students. We’ve allowed students to drift to TikTok and YouTube videos. And lastly, I blame Amazon because its book search algorithm is rudimentary. In large categories like Mystery, Thrillers & Suspense you are offered their best moneymakers over and over again and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
What personal changes have you had to make to build your career as an author?
How I look and dress!! At my very first signing event, I showed up in business casual, clean-shaven, neat haircut. My usual business career look. An elderly couple came to my table and the woman bent to take a good look at me. “I thought a man who wrote thrillers would look like Indiana Jones,” she said. Her husband elbowed her in the ribs and said, “No, dear, the hero looks like Indy, the author should look like Indy’s father.” So, I grew a beard and bought some Bohemian clothes. Readers expect writers to look like writers.
What do you consider your biggest challenge?
Describing a book in a single sentence at signing events. Authors would love to have a discussion about a book, but time and attention spans don’t allow for that luxury.
If you could invite any three people (alive or passed on) for a dinner party, who would they be?
Elmore Leonard (from whom I’ve adopted my writing style), William Goldman (from whom I’ve stolen writing devices), and Michael Lewis, my favorite nonfiction writer. The normal people at the table would be bored to death.
If you could switch careers for a day (just to learn something new), what would you choose?
Politician. I’d love to learn what goes on in those smoke-filled back rooms.
What is the most important tip you would pass on to someone just getting started in the world of being a writer?
Wow. There are so many things I’ve learned in the last thirteen years that would have made the journey easier had I known them sooner. But I’ll give you two tips. If you are compelled to write, you are a writer. Wear the badge proudly and write the stories that please you whether they please anyone else or not. And secondly, don’t expect praise or sales or monetary reward. Be grateful for each and every person who reads your work.
Learn more about Mike Nemeth and his books at https://mikenemethauthor.com/
