JoeyPinkney.com 5 Minutes, 5 Questions With... Brian W. Smith, author of Differences

Conway Jackson is a wealthy man. He has six adult children – who can’t get along. He tries to bring them together while he’s alive, but fails miserably. When Conway dies, he stipulates in his will that each child would receive one hundred thousand dollars. But, there are “strings attached”. (read more) 

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the inspiration to write "Differences"?

Brian W. Smith: I got the idea to write "Differences" after watching the 1960′s movie, “It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World“. I thought it would be clever to mix the scavenger hunt concept with a little family
drama. (read more) 

JP: What sets "Differences" apart from other books in the same genre?

BWS: I believe originality is what sets all of my books apart from many of the novels on the market. This industry is truly lacking originality. Major publishing houses want guaranteed success. As a result, Literary Agents are more focused on manuscripts that are “comfortable” and “easy to pitch”. That attitude filters down to the mindset of many authors; subsequently, they stifle their creativity and go the lazy route by recycling story lines that have been beaten to death. (read more) 

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that led to "Differences" getting out to the public?

BWS: I read a lot of Business, Motivational, and Self-Help books. As a result, I firmly believe that the 80/20 rule is in full affect in this literary industry. Twenty percent of the authors out here will make eighty percent of the money and get eighty percent of the press and notoriety. The other eighty percent of the authors out here are just happy to have a book published and don’t have a clue about what it takes to build a “brand” – those authors won’t be around three years from now. (read more) 

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take you to start and finish "Differences"?

BWS: My writing process is very unorthodox. I may sit a manuscript to the side for a few days while I’m doing other things, and then return to the manuscript and knock out 20,000 words in three straight days. (read more) 

JP: What’s next for Brian W. Smith?

BWS: My next novel, "Amnesia", will be released on December 1, 2012. It’s about a successful, arrogant, wealthy author who gets caught on the highway during a tornado. He crashes his car and smacks his head so hard that he loses his memory. (read more)

Click here to read the entire JoeyPinkney.com interview with Brian W. Smith.