by Les Anderson

David David Katzman, Chicago artist and author of Death By Zamboni, conveys his unique sense of humor in his answers to to CP's standard author questions. Here, David shows he is not your standard author.

When did you decide to become a writer?

David David Katzman: I'm still becoming one. I don't think I can define myself as any one thing. Everyone selects their identity differently, and the label may vary depending on the context they answer the question-by their job, by their hobbies, by their role in a family, their religion or absence thereof, by their artistic endeavors, or they may try to step outside these boundaries. I think it's imprecise to define myself as a writer but more as a person who enjoys writing a great deal as well as painting and performing and aspires to improve my skill at achieving my creative visions. That's long-winded but closer to the truth. I've been obsessive about creating ever since high school when I co-founded our school's literary magazine.

Where do you get the ideas for your writing?

David David Katzman: It's changed over the years, but my first novel (Death by Zamboni) and the one I am working on currently were both developed organically. I tried very hard to avoid pre-planning or pre-conceived ideas and just allowed myself to write and write and write until I discovered what I was writing about. The ideas seem to have bubbled up from my unconscious. I spent years crafting the raw material afterwards.

Although it's considered taboo, are you ever tempted to create yourself in one of your characters?

David David Katzman: I don't know why this would be taboo. Many great authors have written works that had a highly autobiographical basis. Gilbert Sorrentino, Philip Roth and William T. Vollman come to mind. And I'm sure there are many that vary in the degree of self-representation. My first novel was completely absurdist so there was no attempt to create a realistic character, but I have certainly used elements of myself in short stories as well as my current novel. It's a matter of selecting traits, beliefs, ideas and/or a voice to bring forward which fit the piece.

As a creator of literary works, do you consider yourself an artist?

David David Katzman: I feel moderately pretentious saying I'm an artist. I am compelled to create what I hope is art, but I'd rather just enjoy the process than judge the final piece. Which is hard to avoid...

Did you acquire an agent to submit your work to a publisher?

David David Katzman: I tried and failed to acquire an agent, which may have had to do with the quirky, unidentifiable genre and non-commercial nature of my first book as well as my lack of awards or other writerly credentials. And the fact that even if you are brilliant, landing an agent is still a matter of great luck since agents receive so many submissions.

Did you make simultaneous submissions of your work?

David David Katzman: I sent query letters initially to twenty literary agents and then to twenty small presses.

How many rejection letters did you receive before a publisher accepted your work?

David David Katzman: I received one request from an agent to review several chapters, but he didn't feel it was a genre he could sell. And then as to the small presses...as I recall...I received three form rejection letters, and the remainder of the publishers most likely steamed the stamps off the enclosed SASE and reused said stamps to send in their cable bills or perhaps make a collage.

Obviously, the rejection letters did not deter you. How did you handle the rejections internally?

David David Katzman: I honestly don't recall, but I know that I felt it was a long-shot to begin with so I wasn't devastated. That's why I quickly went on to self-publish and had a great experience doing that.

Being self-published, you obviously weren't asked to change anything about your work as a condition of acceptance.

David David Katzman: I didn't make myself change a word! All right, I forced myself to remove the nude picture of my Uncle Sven from the back cover, but only because I figured it would likely limit the stores that would carry it.

Then you did not have to negotiate.

David David Katzman: I did, but I'm not a very good negotiator.

Once accepted, how much time elapsed until your book hit the shelves?

David David Katzman: It took me about one and a half years to self-publish.

Why did you choose to self-publish?

David David Katzman: I chose to self-publish because I wanted to get my creation out into the world. It was a hell of a lot of work, but it was also very rewarding. I spent about a year working with a designer to get the book to look exactly as I wanted it. I learned about the printing process and bid about 20 printers, examined the quality of their work, selected paper stock, and so on. Eventually I selected one, paid for the book, and a few months later received delivery of the order.

From there, I personally took the book around to bookstores in Chicago and asked them to carry it on consignment. After several months of leg work and hypnotism, most did. Some even began paying me in advance after it sold for a while.

I was fortunate to receive a generous recommendation (posted with the book for years) written by a book store employee at Barbara's Bookstore, which helped draw attention. I also landed Last Gasp Distribution as an international distributor and through them received orders from bookstores (as well as an art gallery and a tattoo parlor) around the world. My singular claim to fame is that Death by Zamboni is the best-selling novel ever carried at Chicago Comics.

Why did you prefer your publisher to the many available choices?

David David Katzman: I set up my own publishing company in order to publish the book.

Of all the things you didn't know, what was the biggest revelation to you about the publishing process?

David David Katzman: Except for a few independents, book stores are not well-setup to pay self-published authors.

What was your most pleasant surprise on the road to publication?

David David Katzman: Contacting the artist Shag (Josh Agle) and receiving permission to use one of his paintings as the cover art for my book.

What was your biggest setback?

David David Katzman: Getting paid by bookstores after they sold my book.

For the person hoping to be published, is there a single piece of advice you would like to pass on?

David David Katzman: Don't count on someone to notice you. Send it out, but if no one responds, do it yourself. Remember Van Gogh. Not the ear-cutting-off part. The never-supporting-himself-financially-from-his-art part. Always be focused on your craft, never the end goal.

What does the future hold for David David Katzman, the author?

David David Katzman: I'm currently working on the ninth draft of my second novel and hope to be done with it this year. I'm very excited about the piece and really enjoy working on it. It's radically different from my first book. I hope that a publishing company will bite, but if nothing turns up I won't be heartbroken. I'll self-publish again, which has its own rewards. In addition to the authoring biz, I have an improv team called Fire Good! here in Chicago; we're performing around town every couple of weeks.