About William Wright:
A resident of Colorado Springs, William “Bill” Wright, MD earned his medical degree at the University of Michigan. After working as an ear surgeon for thirty years, Bill spent eight years practicing correctional medicine with the Colorado Department of Corrections. He has published over fifty medical journal articles. Maximum Insecurity is the light-hearted adventure of Wright’s career practicing medicine in a supermax correctional facility.
A commercial artist and private pilot, Bill has three black belts and is a certified instructor of Aikido and Tae Kwan Do. He is married, with four children and six grandchildren.
What inspires you to write?
Working in a maximum-security prison was the weirdest thing I’d ever done. I started a journal, and it got completely out of hand. I had no idea about the things people really do and say to survive in a prison environment, so witnessing it firsthand was an irresistible experience I had to share.
Tell us about your writing process.
I always wanted to be an outliner, but I just can’t do it. Every time I start an outline I start writing about the things I’m trying to outline. I seem to assemble my books like a jigsaw, writing on one subject at a time and assembling them later. I’m sure it causes me more grief than if I was more organized, but it works.
What advice would you give other writers?
Just write. There’s no substitute for putting words on paper (or a screen). Even if you’ve got nothing to say, just start writing about something and the blocks fall away. Don’t worry if its good or not. I’ve thrown away lots more words than I’ve published.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I started with pitch sessions at writing conferences and sending query letters to agents. It took loads of time away from writing what I wanted to write. Rejection letters from people who had glanced at a paragraph of my work didn’t sit well. Too much effort for no results.
When self-publishing came into quasi-mainstream I looked at the royalty rates. 70% versus a fraction of 15% for traditional publishing. In traditional publishing authors have about 6 weeks after the book hits the shelves to make it or not. No second chances.
With self-publishing I could take the time to develop a reader base, adjust the price, run promotions, control how my books look from the cover to the typeface, be able to edit or update a book that’s already published, and never have to worry about going hat-in-hand to agents who are too busy to pay attention to a new author.
I have my own writing/publishing business that I can control myself.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
Agents will become facilitators of self-publishing authors. Traditional publishing will still trade on the mega-sellers, but they’ll find their darlings from self-published authors who have hit it big independently. Self-publishing is becoming easier and more affordable all the time, and there’s less and less incentive to waste time, effort and money assaulting the closed bastions of traditional publishing.
What do you use?: Professional Editor, Professional Cover Designer
What genres do you write?: Non-fiction. Memoir
What formats are your books in?: eBook, Print, Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
William Wright Home Page Link
