Advice From a First-Time Novelist

Entrepreneur

2 days ago

Whether it is a novel or a business book, anyone who has put in the enormous amount of time it takes to get to type the words "the end" faces the same question: now what?
Entrepreneur sat down with first-time novelist Colin Thompson to get his take on the work that needs to get done just when you think the hard work is over. Thompson wrote and directed three feature films — Loser's Crown, It's Us and Light Years — before writing his debut, THE SPOILS, a very funny, dark, and twisted story about a guy struggling to find success and happiness as a Hollywood screenwriter. At every turn, the main character deals with the kinds of self-loathing and bad decision-making that anyone on a quest to do something great experiences, and in the end...well, we won't spoil THE SPOILS. Just know that things end in a way that is just as much of a surprise to the reader as they are to the main character.
We asked Thompson to share his journey as a writer, and the important lessons he's learned about getting an idea out of your head and onto the page, and then, importantly, in front of your target audience.
What made you want to write this novel?
After living in Los Angeles and writing (primarily) scripts for a decade, I desperately needed to step outside the sterile box of screenwriting and the shackles of the FINAL DRAFT software. The story (which became THE SPOILS) I wanted to write did not fit snugly into a 90-110 page script. The knock on many of my scripts was that the "action" (the lines and language in between the dialogue) was too "flowery." So as a middle finger to every one of my scripts that never sold, or perhaps everyone who never bought them, I decided to write a novel, something I'd always wanted to do but was too scared and intimidated to try after I read Franzen's Freedom back in 2010. It only took thirteen years to get over it—the fear. Which, looking back, was perfect timing, because movies—spec scripts especially—were dying. So why not belly-flop into another impossible, dying medium—and a snobbier, more exclusive one at that! Put more succinctly: I'm stupid.
Can you discuss your writing process?
A friend of mine has a very nice place in the Adirondacks. For many years, it was Luddite-forward. No Wifi. Just a landline. I'd go there for a week or so at a time and write my butt off. And back in Brooklyn, I'd be in a better place to sit down and write for an hour wherever I could find it. Morning is when I'm probably at my best. But I try to be open to wincing at my computer screen at all hours. I don't outline, as Charlie Kaufman once said that outlining is for suckers and tends to hamstring where one's silly brain can take them. With most of my scripts (and with this novel), when I first sit down to write, I know how and where it ends. With THE SPOILS, I knew the final lines, frames, the feeling. So, while I don't outline, I always know where I'm headed. It might rain frogs along the way, but I always make sure to have proper footwear and a change of socks.
Do you look for feedback as you write?
Not really. My wife is my first read, and she knows what to say (or what not to say). Coming from Los Angeles, I learned that nobody knows anything and everybody has an opinion. I fucked up too many times in that town not trusting my gut. This literary world is obviously different, and I've met a few other writers in this process who I'd ask to read drafts in the future. But I think I'm a guy who likes to punch it into the endzone first and see if anyone wants to watch game tape with me before I (God willing) eek into the playoffs. Not 100% certain that football analogy works there, but I'm gonna stick with it.
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To be honest, I'm pretty good at knowing when I suck; when something rings hollow or just isn't working. Having edited three feature films, I've learned to be ruthless, editing room floor and all. I'm liberal with my scalpel.
What did it feel like to type "The End"?
I was alone in the Adirondacks when I typed THE END. So I stood up and was underwhelmed, looked around for someone to high five and maybe tried to "whoop!" Then I'm sure I tried to cry, started laughing, and made a drink. Like I said: I knew where it was headed, how it ended, so getting there was like finishing an Ironman, but with bed sores and atrophy.
What would you advise first-time novelists about going the traditional publishing route vs. self-publishing?
Get an agent. Get published traditionally. It's way more impressive. That being said, I didn't do either. I "hybrid" published, which basically meant that I paid a small publishing house to give me their logo/stamp to make it look official. Which was worth every penny (truly). They gave me direction throughout the process, but I got to design the cover (or had the idea, which my buddy brought to life), fonts, leading, et al. I take home the slim profit from each sale, I'm not looking at a meager advance that I'll probably never surpass. If the book takes off, in the far-off maybe that Emma Roberts or Natalie Portman puts it on their list, the money is mine, not the publisher's.
Marketing falls mainly on the author these days. What strategies have you used to get it out there?
I sent out an email to anyone I'd ever emailed. Probably went to SPAM. I'm pretty bad at social media. I swore I'd never put my daughter on Instagram (@loserscrown), but she draws views, metrics, and I figure she's where all the money goes, anyway, so she can earn her keep (and take). This is the part that sucks. I get winded after posting one Instagram Story. I use my Substack newsletter to push the book; I've posted a few chapters on there, as well as the book's soundtrack (I am riddled with sports and music references, it's how I make sense of the world and is something I cannot help).
We had a few readings up in Burlington, Vermont, which were amazing. I had two musician pals on stage with me and in between excerpt readings, we played tunes from the book. Mike Gordon, of Phish, was there. I've probably never felt cooler. But we didn't quite have the budget to go on tour, so after those two nights, the dopamine crash was a bummer. My biggest piece of advice is to get out there and talk to people, to "network" or whatever it's called. Truthfully, that's just the advice/pep-talk I'm trying to give myself at the moment, as I haven't spoken to an adult outside of my suburban cul-de-sac in a long, long time.
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Also, as much as it hurts, as much as it feels like a little piece of you dies every time you "post" something or hawk your wares on social media: get over it. Get better at it. It's 2025. (Again, a lot of this is a pep-talk to myself.)
You recorded the audiobook yourself. Is that something authors overlook in your opinion?
I think the audiobook is where dudes consume most of their literature, and I have no numbers to back that up. I only recently started listening to audiobooks, and I mainly listen to non-fiction or really popular books that I won't feel cool reading in public. (See: The Lincoln Highway.) Luckily, I have been doing a lot of voice-over work the past few years, so I have the gear (minus a ventilated booth). "I'll just knock this out," I thought. Which wasn't quite the case. It was a lot of (unventilated) work, and editing was, well, like editing a ten-hour movie, but I had to listen to myself the whole time. The thing about the audiobook, though, is that the narrator makes or breaks it. The narrator can ruin a great book.
You sing quite a bit in yours. And you have a great voice!
First: thank you. It was a funny decision, because I half-assed the singing in my first take(s) and listening back, I realized I needed to go all-in, needed to really sing. I needed to show the world my best Bobby (Dylan). So, thank you for saying that.
Books are a long, arduous process. Anything that has helped you push past the days when you're not feeling 100% psyched about writing/promoting?
I like being able to say that I have done something most people only talk about doing. It's why I made the first movie we made. I am wildly insecure and cocksure at the same time. Many people say they want to write a book. Very few do. That's why I did it. That helped get me through the dark days.
On those days when I'm not psyched about the writing, I just try to get at least one page down, forward momentum and all. When I'm not psyched about promoting, I stare angrily at my phone and wonder why I haven't been more successful.
My advice to first-time writers is not to get down if the rejections pile up. This whole bullshit endeavor is subjective and the agents all just have a licked finger in the idiot wind, trying to gauge the unpredictable weather of the "market." If you think your work is good, if you think your book great, it probably isn't, but nobody knows anything, so maybe it is? Does that help?
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