Management Alternatives

The History

" and now for the rest of the story"

O'Neal began writing fiction professionally in 1994 when he conceptualized The Dying Game.  While still in the planning stages, he realized the finished work would approach 800 pages.  Not wishing to do a first novel of that size, he searched and evaluated the alternatives. The twists and turns of the original concept had two plot twists where the story changed directions. That's when the idea of a trilogy was born.  The rest has become history.

After several months of planning, the writing for What Goes Around began.  Nine weeks later, the first draft was completed.  He was pretty excited and began contacting friends who would give feedback about how the story read.  With one or two exceptions, everyone loved it.  During the next year and a half, the book went through five rewrites.

His excitement to begin work on The Pact with Bruno grew daily, but it was delayed while he tried harder to get the first one published.  He attended writer conferences and practiced writing effective query letters.  Sadly, no one expressed interest in publishing his first novel.

In mid-1996, he received a letter from Commonwealth Publications, a Canadian publisher in Edmonton, AB, offering to publish his book, if he subsidized part of the publication costs.  His share was to be $3,850. 

After paying half of the money, he soon realized he had made a mistake.  By then, Internet forums were filled with messages from authors around the world, complaining that although they had paid, their books were never published.  He hired a Canadian attorney who successfully recovered his literary rights.  A year later that less-than-honorable publisher was out of business from the weight of pending lawsuits.

Eventually, he did find a publisher and the contract was signed in 1997, three years after he had began writing.  What Goes Around was released just seven months later in March of 1998.  Part two of the trilogy, The Pact with Bruno, was released in October of the same year.  At the time of publication, Book I was in its eighth rewrite and Book II was in its third rewrite.  No small efforts, but Mr. O'Neal still felt he could do better.

His publisher, Pacific Coast Press, arranged an extended book tour to start the day after the release of his second book.  He was to begin a two-month book tour beginning in mid-October with 55 book signings scheduled across the US through 27 different states.  He drove his full-size Chevy pickup and towed a 20' travel trailer around the country for 8,350 miles. 

During that trip he faced snow, heavy rain and freezing weather, but he also autographed over 1,500 copies of each book.  Returning home in time for Christmas, he was elated with the results but exhausted from the demands of the trip.