Author Interviews

Can you tell us what your book is about?

The Titanic meets The Perfect Storm but in an airplane.

Is it hard to publish a nonfiction book?

Getting any book published today is a difficult task. I used to think that if you wrote a good book, the offers would come flooding in. The truth is that it is all about the numbers. Before any publisher will take on a book, they must be convinced that sales of the book will exceed their expenses. Take a book like Forrest Gump by Winston Groom. I don’t think that book sold more than 5,000 copies before the film. If the marketing department can’t guarantee sales of at 50,000, the book has little chance of being published by a traditional publisher. There aren’t a lot of first-time authors who can generate those kinds of numbers. That’s why you see book deals going to people who have large social media numbers or individuals involved in the public eye.

Which author(s) do you admire?

Michael Lewis, Mark Bowden, Hampton Sides, Nathaniel Philbrick

What do you like the most about being an author?

There is nothing cooler than being the first person to tell a story that no one has ever heard before.

What kind of advice would you give other non-fiction authors?

Pick a subject that interests you. Writing a book is a long process. If you get bored, the reader will get bored also.

Welcome, Emilio!  Your nonfiction, 35 MILES FROM SHORE, sounds riveting! Can you tell us how you got interested in writing about this particular plane crash?

Emilio: I remember reading the book The Perfect Storm. It was an international best seller and later turned into a film. I thought a story about a commercial jetliner running out of fuel and having to ditch into a turbulent sea was an equally compelling idea. The fact that it was all true made it even more interesting.

Can you tell us a little about the ways you went about researching your subject?

Emilio: I had several advantages that made telling this story possible. First, this story involved a lot of different perspectives. I could tell you what a passenger was thinking as they were awaiting rescue in the water. But I also wanted to know what the rescue pilots and crewmen were thinking as they were performing the rescues. Then there are the stories of the flight crew and the cabin crew. It’s all the same event, but each individual had their own perspective. So, I knew that telling the story would involve tracking all these people down. That’s where the internet played an important role.

The accident occurred in 1970. There was no internet back then. All the individuals who took part in this story had dispersed within days of the incident. No reporter could have tracked them all down. Also, if some resourceful writer were able to track a few people down, it would have been too soon to get honest responses if they responded at all. I had the benefit of technology and time on my side.

I had one other advantage that few writers have. I am a pilot with free travel benefits. I was able to fly to numerous locations in the U.S. and Caribbean to conduct in person interviews.

Can you tell us a little about your conversation with Balsey DeWitt?

Emilio: The captain, Balsey DeWitt, was the very first person I was able to track down. I flew to New York to interview him. I stayed in his house. I recorded all my interviews. When I got back home, I started going through the hours of audio I had. I knew that this was a compelling story, but I also knew that it would require a lot of work. I didn’t know that it would take more than three years to get to a first draft. I still stay in contact with Balsey and his wife Edith.

What part of your book did you find the most exciting to write about?

Emilio: Everything involving the ditching and rescue was fun to write. From the moment the reader knows that things have taken a turn for the worse, the drama of the event is nonstop. There is no stopping to tell someone’s backstory. That was handled up front. Every chapter in this section ends with a cliff hanger that propels you forward to the next chapter. I can pick this book up today, having read it a dozen times or more, and I still am drawn into the drama of the life and death struggle.

How did it make you feel to write ‘The End’?

Emilio: It was an arduous process that didn’t end when I completed the first draft. But I did have the satisfaction of knowing that I had something that had the potential to be great.
 

Did you want to become a writer when you were a kid or did that come later?

Emilio: I started later in life. I was a regular contributor to an aviation periodical before this book.

Is there anything you’d like to tell your readers and fans?

Emilio: The incident described in the book occurred fifty years ago this May. There have been several other aircraft ditchings since then, most notably USAir Flight 1549. If you like stories of ordinary people caught in extraordinary circumstances, this book is for you.

Would you share with us how you came up with the idea for your book? 

I first learned of the story as a new hire pilot with TWA. The accident was covered as part of the emergency training that all airline crews receive. I was amazed to learn that no book had been written about the accident. It’s rare to find untold stories, especially ones with this much drama. The further I dug the more fascinating the story became.

Was it a light bulb moment or something that you thought about for a very long time?

Anyone who has written a book can tell you that it requires a great deal of time and effort. It’s not something you jump into without giving it a lot of thought. But once I started the research for the book it was impossible to walk away.

How did you come up with the title?

The working title I used during the first year or so was Flight 980. No subtitle. I liked it but it didn’t really say much about the book’s content. I then changed the title to Heaven and Sea: A True Story. I liked it but I was a minority. I changed the subtitle to The Rescue of ALM Flight 980. When I submitted the book for consideration into the small press program at IPG, it was accepted under the condition that I change the cover and title. Once I started communicating with IPG there were about a half dozen people offering title suggestions. One that I remember was In Case of a Water Landing. I rejected that title because it had a humorous slant which was not indicative of the book. I was the one who came up with 35 Miles From Shore: The Ditching and Rescue of ALM Flight 980. The title is a winner for a number of reasons: you get a sense of the book’s content just from the title, the title has several keywords that could come up in an internet search (ditching, ALM, flight 980, rescue), the title also makes for an easily remembered domain name www.35milesfromshore.com.

How did you find an agent and publisher?

I had two agents represent the book at different stages in the development process. Nonfiction books such as this are most always sold on the basis of a proposal. But the chances of an unknown/unproven writer being successful with just a proposal, is zero to none. I did, however, attract the attention of a New York agent. He suggested that I write the first 75 pages and then he would submit both the proposal and those first 75 pages. So I did just that. Problem was that it was too early in the process. I hadn’t fully developed the story. I hadn’t interviewed enough people. The end result was a weak first 75 pages. The proposal was quickly shot down by every major publisher and I was dropped by the agent, whom I never spoke to or communicated with directly during the entire six months or so that he represented me.

I still felt that I had a good story. So I decided to finish the book and try my luck with a finished manuscript. I submitted the proposal to a few publishers and received an offer from a European publisher. But I felt that they were asking for too much and offering too little. They basically wanted me to give them all of the rights to the book – hard cover, soft cover, world, foreign translation, electronic media – all for 1,500 pounds, which was worth about $2,800 at the time. They were unwilling to negotiate, so I turned down the offer.

Shortly after this I found another agent. Within two weeks he had an editor at a major publisher interested in the manuscript. Four months later the book was turned down by the editorial board. No reason was given. The agent dropped me. I wasted another two years submitting the manuscript to over a dozen publishers. During this time I wrote a screenplay adaptation of the book. I signed with the very first agency that I sent the screenplay to. Around that time the book was accepted into the small press program at IPG. I decided that the only way the book would get published was if I did it myself. I have not regretted that decision.

Who reads your work in progress?

I used several readers. Some who knew me and some who didn’t. It’s part of the process and should not be overlooked.

Who made a difference in the book’s quality?

The quality of this book is due to the expert work of the people at 1106 Design. I’m sure their work played a large role in the book being accepted by IPG.

How long did it take you to complete the first draft?

I spent a year-and-a-half researching the book and another year-and-a-half writing. I spent an additional year or so rewriting.

How long did it take from start to publication?

It was seven years from start to publication. At least three years of that time was wasted searching for a publisher.

Do you have any advice for new authors?

If you believe in your work, don’t give up on it because of rejection by agents and major publishers. There are other options. But do take the time to reflect on the work itself. Don’t go forward with something that is subpar. I have a novel that I spent five years writing. But even though I have a publishing company and could publish the book myself, it’s not good enough and no amount of rewriting can make it publishable in my mind.

Thank you, Emilio for stopping by Paperback Writer on your virtual book tour. I wish you continued success through the rest of you tour.

Welcome to The Writer’s Life, Emilio!  Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how long you’ve been writing?

I don’t have the typical background of most writers. I had never read a book for enjoyment until I was twenty-three. I was among the many people who looked upon reading as a chore that was to be avoided at all costs. It wasn’t until my wife, who is an avid reader, gave me the book The Shining by Steven King to read. I read it and liked it. So I decided to go to the bookstore and see if I could find something that would interest me. The book I picked out was 2001 A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke. It was the first time I had ever been transported to another place and time by a story. From that moment on I became an avid reader. Over the years my tastes have drifted towards nonfiction narratives, though I still enjoy reading fiction now and then. I didn’t try writing something myself until I was thirty. When I decided to start my own publishing company to publish 35 Miles From Shore, I named the company Odyssey Publishing. Odyssey was also the name of the command module on Apollo 13, another story that has played an important role in my life.

Can you please tell us about your book and why you wrote it?

I am a fan of nonfiction narratives. I love stories of ordinary people caught in extraordinary circumstances. The story of a commercial airliner ditching in the Caribbean Sea under the most horrendous conditions drew me in like a magnet. When I discovered the details of the individuals involved, I knew it was a story I wanted to tell. I also am uniquely qualified to tell the story. I have been a professional pilot for over thirty-five years. I also have several thousand hours in an aircraft similar to the one that ditched.

What kind of research was involved in writing “35 Miles from Shore”?

The process of writing this book involved gathering facts and details from numerous sources and then piecing it altogether to make a readable story. This involved interviews with the participants, both personally and by phone and e-mail; going over the transcripts from the public hearings; reviewing countless documents that a few of the crewmembers had kept from the investigation; and a review of whatever written material I could find such as newspaper articles. There were also a number of NTSB reports. Additionally, I had to contact the Coast Guard, Navy, and Marines for deck logs and other related documents. It was a time consuming and labor intensive process. I recorded 95% of all the interviews for accuracy.

How much input did you have into the design of your book cover?

I supplied the cover image, which I found online. I also supplied the cockpit image, which the designer cleverly used to simulate it being under water. I actually favored a cover that showed the tail of a plane as it was sinking, but I was overruled by my distributor.

Has it been a bumpy ride to becoming a published author or has it been pretty well smooth sailing?

The fact that I decided to publish the book myself pretty much answers that question.

For this particular book, how long did it take from the time you signed the contract to its release?

This question doesn’t apply in my situation, but I can say that it was nine months from the time I signed with my distributor.

Do you have an agent and, if so, would you mind sharing who he/is is?  If not, have you ever had an agent or do you even feel it’s necessary to have one?

I had two agents represent the book at different stages in the development process. Nonfiction books such as this are most always sold on the basis of a proposal. But the chances of an unknown/unproven writer being successful with just a proposal is zero to none. I did, however, attract the attention of a New York agent. He suggested that I write the first 75 pages and then he would submit both the proposal and those first 75 pages. So I did just that. Problem was that it was too early in the process. I hadn’t fully developed the story. I hadn’t interviewed enough people. The end result was a weak first 75 pages. The proposal was quickly shot down by every major publisher and I was dropped by the agent, whom I never spoke to or communicated with directly during the entire six months or so that he represented me.

I still felt that I had a good story. So I decided to finish the book and try my luck with a finished manuscript. I submitted the proposal to a few publishers and received an offer from a European publisher. But I felt they were asking for too much and offering too little. They basically wanted me to give them all rights to the book – hard cover, soft cover, world, foreign translation, electronic media – all for 1,500 pounds, which was worth about $2,800 at the time. They were unwilling to negotiate, so I turned down the offer.

Shortly after this I found another agent. Within two weeks he had an editor at a major publisher interested in the manuscript. Four months later the book was turned down by the editorial board. No reason was given. The agent dropped me. I wasted another two years submitting the manuscript to over a dozen publishers. During this time I wrote a screenplay adaptation of the book. I signed with the very first agency that I sent the screenplay to. Around that time the book was accepted into the small press program at IPG. I decided that the only way the book would get published was if I did it myself. I have not regretted that decision.

 Do you plan subsequent books?

Getting this book published has been such a frustrating experience that I would have to think very hard before I would tackle another book. It would have to be a heck of a story and one that hadn’t been told before. I have written another screenplay, which I’m excited about.

Are you a morning writer or a night writer?

I do most of my writing late at night when there are no interruptions.

If money was no object, what would be the first thing you would invest in to promote your book?

I would buy an ad in USA Today and probably pay for radio ads in major cities. People can’t get excited about your book if they’ve never heard of it.

How important do you think self-promotion is and in what ways have you been promoting your book offline and online?

The whole idea of promotion is to get the title out in front of as many people as possible. In my mind, there is no better promotion than a review. Reviews are how I learn about the books that I choose to read. Most of my efforts to this point have been in trying to garner reviews.

Part of getting the word out in a book is to leave a digital footprint on the web. I am doing this through two web sites and a blog. I am also doing a virtual book tour.

Offline I am setting up book signings in various cities with the hope of getting additional coverage in print, radio, and TV.

 Any final words of wisdom for those of us who would like to be published?

Times and perceptions are changing. The internet has made it possible for anyone to publish and market a book. We’ve all heard the terms independent filmmaker and independent music label. The term independently published is already here. Haven’t heard of it before? You have now.

Thank you for coming, Emilio!  Would you like to tell my readers where they can find you on the web and how everyone can buy your book?