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In 2004, a few years after retiring from AT&T, I had an idea for a novel. I imagined myself as a young boy walking
down a dusty country road in Tennessee (as I often did), when two strangers stopped and gave me a ride. Then, minutes later,
after being stopped by a deputy, one of the strangers pulled out a gun and killed him. To make things more complicated, I
imagined what if the strangers were black and the deputy was white? Thus the beginning of False Witness, a John Grisham style
mystery/suspense novel was born. As I worked on the story
for the next year, I also studied how to best get it published. I thought of pursuing the traditional route of sending it
to major publishing companies, but since I was unknown and had not killed anyone or been involved in a major scandal, I decided
the probability of someone even looking at my manuscript was small. I also considered the new print-on-demand technology but
decided that was too expensive and limiting. And I looked at Vanity Presses—those companies who publish virtually anyone's
book but charge a premium to do so and deliver little in return. Finally, after considering all options, I decided to publish
my book myself. I chose this course for two reasons. I could retain ownership of my books forever rather than sign them over
to a publisher. And I knew the books would still be on the market even if it took a few years to make them a success (books
from traditional publishers have a short shelf life in which to become successful before they are pulled). So, after hiring
an editor to proofread my story, and a graphic designer to format the text and design the cover, I was set. I began my own
publishing company, New Virginia Publications, and False Witness was on the market a little over a year after I began writing.
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Since that time I have published two more novels—parts two
and three of the False Witness trilogy entitled Honor Thy Sister and The Third Generation—and a book of short stories.
Currently I am working on a collection of humorous stories and anecdotes called Humor in the Classroom.
While I have received very positive feedback on my books, I've learned that the thing most critical for success in the
literary field is publicity. While I've been the subject of numerous newspaper interviews and articles and a few radio
interviews, I still have a ways to go. The good news is that I will be on two TV programs in the next few weeks and hopefully
other interviews will come from those.
Since I have had some success, I've
received many requests from other writers to publish their books. Unfortunately at this time I do not have the time or financial
resources to do so. However, I am always available to share what little information I've acquired. My limited knowledge
on a subject has never prevented me from giving my opinion. Larry Buttram
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