When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? Is there a particular reason you chose to write about music, singers, etc?
I didnât actually, lol. Iâm a songwriter/producer first, I grew up playing and writing music but always wrote as a way to kind of get through school because I was terrible at math, sciences, tests, etc. I think thereâs alot of people in the music business who started out like that. It kind of happened accidentally, I was working for a record label right out of college and started writing copy for their catalog titles, press releases, etc and it just expanded from there.  I met a literary agent through that who suggested I try to write a book, and we sold the Suge Knight memoir to Amber Books, who gave me my start. Another big early foot in the door moment was when I had the opportunity to write books with Ann and Nancy Wilson & Heart in 2007 and in 2009 with Lemmy Kilmister and Motorhead. Then the book nearly 10 years into my career that really kind of made me appreciate this career was the opportunity to work with legendary guitar player Joe Satriani on Strange Beautiful Music: A Musical Memoir. Iâd also started specializing in anthology-style books that feature LOTS of exclusive interviews in one book in chapter profiles so you could tell a bunch of peopleâs live stories at once, including the BEHIND THE BOARDS series, which began 10 years ago as a Rock & Roll producersâ series, the aforementioned In the Studio series with Heart, Motorhead, and others, and then finally about 10 years into living in Nashville I began working on the NASHVILLE SONGWRITER book series and most recently the BEHIND THE BOARDS: NASHVILLE book. SO: the long answer to that question is, because I love telling the behind-the-scenes stories of both the hits and those who make them, be it songwriters or producers or drummers in the case of the BEYOND THE BEATS rock drummers series, or Hip Hop producers with the DOCTORS OF RHYTHM audiobook and upcoming physical version in 2021. Iâve also been fortunate to write memoirs with some interesting characters like Kenny Aronoff, country rapper Big Smo and upcoming Freddy Powers The Spree of â83 book which features Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson. So it's been an interesting run.
How long does it take you to write a book?
I work on several at once usually, thatâs kind of my process, half day on one, a day on another, but for BEHIND THE BOARDS: NASHVILLE, I spent 4 straight months day in and out writing this book exclusively as it was over 600 pages. I was reading the audiobook for Blackstone as I was writing it too, which was the first time Iâve ever done that. Usually the audiobook is read after the book is completed. Then itâs about a month of editing before its handed into the publisher. So this was a real push, but it was worth it because of the feedback Iâm getting first from the producers I worked quite extensively in many cases with on their individual chapters, and collectively in the book being a first of its kind for country music fans where they can read about how their favorite hits by countryâs biggest stars were made while listening along on Spotify, iTunes, Tidal, etc.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
Oh, I donât know... I write every book thinking from the outset before Iâve even started putting words down to paper thinking about how that book will be marketed and promoted upon release. Thereâs no point in writing something no one is going to read because when you get to the finish line you donât have a gameplan on how to make readers aware of it. Publishers, to be honest, can only do so much in that arena, every publisherâs publicist is usually like a social worker with 30 cases on their desk, so yours can only get so much attention. So for instance, I always recommend to a writer to hire a great publicist and know that while thatâs a considerable expense, it may be the best money you spend in getting the word out about your book because that publicist is working for YOU, not for 30 authors at once. It's just a fact of the business that I think should get more light shed on it because youâre competing with that number I mentioned above of 60,000+ books a YEAR coming out. I also negotiate the right to press my own promo runs of 100 if needed because if not, youâll wind up with a paltry 10 copies from the publisher, who for their own budgetary reasons, might not for instance be able to service all the physical review copies youâll have to give away during the bookâs promotion, whether to a disc jockey interviewing you on the air or the listener he or she is giving away a free copy to during that broadcast, as just one example. If you donât plan ahead for that, youâll wind up paying that publisher $6 or $7 per promotional copy, which is something Iâm SURE some of my own publishers would hate for me to pull the curtain back on, but its true. Writers are paid LAST usually in the royalty chain, especially early on, but you move up in that order as you build a value into your name as a writer, which only comes with people hearing about you and your book. So again, HIRE A PUBLICIST, HIRE A PUBLICIST, HIRE A PUBLICIST! Your agent can be helpful too, but its typically up to you as an author to maintain your own social media presence and look for every available avenue to spread the word about your book so it has a chance to be read. This is equally important for newer or more established writers, because thereâs always a new generation of equally-as-talented new wordsmiths knocking on those publishersâ same doors...Â
What do you like to do when you're not writing?
In a studio making music or writing books for the various publishers I work for, or recording audiobooks for Blackstone Audio, so itâs pretty time-consuming. I did just sign a worldwide music publishing deal for my songwriting catalog with Streets Music and David Gresham Company. So Iâm lucky to stay busy, to be honest, you have to too make a living in the entertainment business. I have a wife and a dog too, so I spend what time I have left with them. âșÂ
Your 50th book is coming out June 23rd, âBehind The Boards: Nashvilleâ. Can you give us insight on what it will be about?Â
First, I exhale deeply every time I get asked that because it's finally DONE! I spent 2 years collecting extensive, first-hand â many for the first time in a book â interviews with 30 of country musicâs biggest producers, and in some cases, that meant waiting for a break in their busy studio schedules to talk, in others it meant multiple conversations over a couple years as we wanted to make sure we had all their current hits as they kept banging them out, and in other cases, because of the sheer volume of their catalog â some of these guys have been in the business since the early 70s â it took that long to chronicle it all. Thatâs just the interview process too, then I had to write it and I write everything in one shot vs. a chapter here and there. Its to me like staying in character as an actor throughout an entire performance, and when youâre writing a book like this, youâre in a headspace that never lets you sleep because creative narrative is CONSTANTLY hitting you about specific hits, and thereâs over 300 # 1s in this book. Additionally, thereâs an EXHAUSTIVE amount of research I do to source out certain critical quotes of praise, for instance, from way back in the 80s, 90s, early 00s, etc from magazines that arenât even in print anymore, as well as supporting quotes from the actual superstars these producers work with in the studio, which also takes a great deal of time. So after all of that prep, once you begin writing, thereâs another 3-4 months before the manuscript comes to life as a finished product.
As a result of that, country music fans here are given arguably the MOST definitive to date book chronicling the stories behind the making of their favorite hits in the studio, again how those artists specifically and uniquely work at their craft â i.e. does George Strait sing each hit over 3 or 4 vocals or 25 or 30 takes, etc â as well as how specific # 1s within those individual catalogs of Greatest Hits were created in the studio. Then from the other side of the boards, so to speak, you get the producerâs first-hand recollections of their own personal journeys from the time they could first crawl and walk and started discovering music to their teenage bands and first tape-recorder or 2-inch reel to reel or 4-track or laptop home recording sessions all the way up through their rise to become the biggest names in the business working in country music today. Â
Collectively, BEHIND THE BOARDS: NASHVILLE features Dann Huff, James Stroud, Jim Ed Norman, Dave Cobb, Justin Neibank, Ross Copperman, Zach Crowell, Chris Destefano, Jesse Frasure, Norbert Putnam, Josh Osborne, Luke Laird, Clint Black, Frank Liddell, Shane McAnally, Jimmy Robbins, Josh Leo, Nathan Chapman, Paul Worley, Jeff Stevens, Jody Stevens, Bobby Braddock, Michael Knox, Don Cook, Frank Rogers, Joey Moi, Ray Baker, and Buddy Cannon, who did the Foreword, which was a TRUE honor. Frankly, it was an honor to have every one of these legends speak to fans so candidly and openly about both their personal and professional lives in the music business. Their stories are inspiring, ear-and-eye-opening, exciting, insightful, and hopefully educational for those kids growing up on their records now hoping to break into the same business. So hopefully, thereâs something for everyone who opens the book.
What were the methods you used to get âtheâ interview with all the big names youâve written about?
When youâve been around this long, fortunately you can get in touch with just about anybody, whether they say yes or not to the interview is another story! (laughs) But Iâve been pretty lucky, especially for instance with my NASHVILLE SONGWRITER book series, which has TWO volumes and 50 of the biggest songwriters in country music in the first two volumes, and a THIRD volume with another 30 legendary songwriters coming out at the end of 2021, and especially with BEHIND THE BOARDS: NASHVILLE, which has 30 of the most legendary record producers in country over the past 50 years, guys like Norbert Putnam, who ran Quad and produced Jimmy Buffetâs âMargaritaville,â Jim Ed Norman, who produced Hank Williams Jrâs Born to Boogie album, Ray Baker, who produced that whole 70s Honkytonk soundtrack including Moe Bandy, Whitey Shafer, and Merle Haggard and Freddy Powers among others. Then you have the Millennial generationâs biggest names like Joey Moi, Dave Cobb, Dann Huff, Jesse Frasure, Ross Copperman, Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne, Ray Riddle, and on and on. Â
What do you think makes a good story?
Well, for this book, the most common thread woven throughout many of the chapters/live stories of these producers were the long-term working relationships theyâve maintained with many of country musicâs biggest stars throughout their entire careers or the majority, for instance, Jeff Stevens and Luke Bryan, Byron Gallimore and Tim McGraw, Buddy Cannon and Kenny Chesney, Michael Knox and Tony Brown, Frank Rogers and Brad Paisley, Miranda Lambert and Frank Liddell, the list goes on and on as long as the Greatest Hits track listings do. Equally as importantly for a book like this, is the fact it takes the reader quite literally inside the studio and pulls back the curtain on how their favorite country music stars record their biggest hits, and almost literally re-creates their recording from behind the boards by the producers interviewed. Then on a totally separate front, from the academic side, its a 600-page book full of tips about how the recording process works from all sides, points of views, approaches, ages, and technologies, old and new, from analog to digital and the hybrid of both in the âin the boxâ generation of record making. Hopefully, weâve covered all sides of the process, that was the aim anyway so readers get a 3-D look, so to speak, at how the recording business really works. Â
How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?
I sold my first book to my first publisher, Amber Books, in 2001 and Tony Rose gave me my start in the business and I wrote for them almost exclusively for the first 5 years and 10 books of my career from 2002 to 2007. So having a stable and still exciting publisher willing to take chances on you and equally-as-importantly, the kinds of books you might approach them with, is KEY for any new writer because writers must remember EVERY time a publisher takes a chance on their book, theyâre putting real money behind it before they ever see a dime back. It's a big leap of faith, and carries with it alot of obligations for the author, where it doesnât just end with handing the book in, but also helping promote it and building a brand for your name so it can become more and more reliable for both readers and new publishers, as any writerâs goal should be to eventually build a catalog where they write for as many publishers as possible throughout their career. But be prepared to start out writing for one, or anyone for that matter, who you can verify has a good track record as a publisher, or if theyâre new to the game, doesnât just want to put out an e-book, which anyone can do without a publisher, and is willing to commit to a physical pressing, and promotion of that pressing. I wouldnât go looking for advances on your first or even necessarily second book out, but start asking for them as soon as possible as its an important piece of the income stream for any working author, as much as royalties are later on down the road. An advance lets an author know a publisher first can afford to put money into their book, and values them, vs. Alot of these starter deals that promise big back-end but nothing up front. You have to be able to afford to take that hit once or twice out of the gate, but its not a career model any writer should plan on if they want to make a living as a working author. The other reason I mention all this is because being a working writer is not just about the creative side of the process, but the entrepreneurial one too, because you have to be a self-promoter, and not be shy to doing interviews or promotion on social media, etc, as youâre competing with a THOUSAND new titles a week minimum these days between all the digital e-books and print books out there. I think the statistic was to be something like 60,000 books published in 2018 alone, so that tells you the competition youâre up against to even get a book sold to a publisher, let alone compete on bookstore shelves for the reader dollar.
Whatâs your favorite under-appreciated novel?
Of my own books, I wouldnât say any are underappreciated, Iâm grateful for the fact that people still read my books after 20 years and 2 or 3 generations of teenagers (which are a primary part of my reading audience) still buy my stuff. I try to give them consistently interesting reading subjects, either in the personalities I co-write with â like country rapper SMO, whose memoir My Life in a Jar: The Book of Smo, was released in 2019, or the Freddy Powers Spree of â83 memoir, which is presently in film development and that I co-wrote a screenplay for with Catherine Powers last year, that was also something different, and say something like legendary R&B producer/artist Teddy Rileyâs forthcoming memoir Remember the Times, which weâve been working on for the past 6 years off and on and is looking like it might be heading to Teddyâs fansâ hands in the next year. One key thing I tell new writers when asked for input into starting a career in the current climate for our business is be prepared to commit as much time to a book as the artist needs, its similar to an album â if the publisher wants it on a deadline, be prepare to deliver, but getting an artist to open up in depth about their life takes time, both to build trust and to physically take the time to do the interviews not only with them in principle but also with the huge list of supporting cast members between peers in the band and business and family members and friends, record executives, peers, etc that usually wind up on those lists. It's a process you should NEVER RUSH yourself, only move at the rhythm of the people you work with and for, and youâll wind up working alot longer in the business than those who are in a hurry. Â
How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?
Haha, I actually have a folder called âProjects That Probably Wonât Happenâ and its filled with all kinds of âfamousâ bands/musicians books that just never got off the ground for one reason or another, but theyâre all under contractual deals where I canât talk about them in case they want to put a book out in the future, and I hope they all do. Sometimes you encounter someone who is thinking about writing a book but is really 10 years before theyâre ready to, or they arenât really committed yet past the concept, so you do some sample chapter interviews but it never gets past that starting line. Iâve thankfully left on good terms with the majority of those names, but with 50 published books in my catalog, most of what I have committed my time to has thankfully made it to store shelves. Thatâs important for any new writer to remember, because with every new book project you take on, youâre committing a year to two years of their life to that process from the start of interviews through the completion, handing it into the publisher, editing, etc. Anyone in a rush usually isnât going to get anywhere is what Iâve found, it takes time, even if your mind is moving a million miles a minute, and your ambition even faster, pace yourself and youâll last a lot longer in the race Iâve found anyway (cheesy sports metaphor aside âș). Â
Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?
Haha, Iâve had some good and bad experiences there over the years. I have NO problem with a consumer buying my book and then reviewing it one way or the other on say Amazon or Audible, etc, because thatâs part of the business, but as far as book reviews from other writers, I just have to hope they like it and write fairly about it as it does matter impressionistically what readers then think of it as a potential product to buy and read themselves. Sometimes, in walking the fine line I have to be between the technical and the creative in a series like this or Nashville Songwriter or say my In the Studio series, which has over 10 books in it alone, so you never know. Its something I donât pay alot of attention to as well because by the time a review comes out, the book has been out a couple months usually and weâre on the back-end of a promotional push, so if its a good review, it's a nice 4th quarter boost of coverage, and if it's not, then it's pretty buried vs. hurting the bookâs launch on the front end. Iâm just being honest, sorry, but book reviews play a very MINIMAL role in most booksâ launches if theyâre properly promoted via author interviews, premier placements as weâve done with American Songwriter, CMT, SoundsLikeNashville.com and others coming up, and for any newer writer, accept ahead of time that youâre GOING to get a bad review here or there, it's just part of the subjective review process, and doesnât speak for your larger reading audience. Â
Do you believe in writerâs block?
Not when you write for a living. It's not a luxury I think any of the writers I know who work professionally writing books can afford, thatâs why you have to follow the simple rule of A.B.W. (Always Be Writing) âș.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Probably doing the same thing, writing is how I make a living, so it's will be with me until arthiritis setâs in, but Iâve got 2 screenplays in development and hope to have at had at least one of them produced into a film. Iâm not unrealistic to think that it will go to theatres, but Iâd be happy to see a streaming service selection with my name on it as a screenwriter, thereâs 3 or 4 of my books fortunately in that cycle right now so weâll hope one or two of them make it that far. Beyond that, Iâm in the studio every week as I have been the past 20 years making music and will continue doing that, hopefully to a greater degree with these new publishing deals Iâve signed as I have over 200 released songs in my own catalog, none in Country lol, but I just try to keep putting out new creative product across multiple mediums at as prolific a pace as the muse allows without the quality of the end-product being compromised. Thatâs the point at which Iâd stop I guess, if the quality of the writing lessens to where people donât want to read my stuff anymore. Thankfully, I have built up a pretty loyal reading and retail-buying audience over the past 2 decades, and hope to keep putting out books that help music listeners understand how hard and still rewarding a business the record business is. It's an amazing world to wake up working in every day, and I love helping musicians tell their stories on paper, so weâll just have to see. I hope to have hit 60 books by then, although my ultimate goal is another 50 over the next 10 years! (laughs) Thanks again for your time and support of this latest project!  Â
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