The Good Audit By C.P. Aiden

11/23/2019

Multi-format author C.P. Aiden, introduces us to his insightful and very funny look (really, it’s very funny) at big-time accounting, “The Good Audit”:
The Good Audit – Everything goes wrong when you put eight accountants in the same room for too long.
The excitement begins when a top-notch team of over-achieving, excessively ambitious CPA’s at The Audit & Tax Firm is paired with a motley crew of highly incompetent finance professionals at Widget Maker. As expected, nothing goes as planned.
Frustration grows, pressure builds, and even the plumbing will not cooperate. Everything is swirling out of control until legal troubles unexpectedly land everyone on the same side of trouble. Will mutual animosity towards Widget Maker’s legal department be enough to bring everyone together to get the job done?
Laugh out loud through every comical twist and turn, let your jaw drop at the absurd nonsense that perhaps happens in today’s corporate world, and soak up the life lessons offered for those who pay attention as you fly through this business adventure!

MEET THE TEAMS - all character names reflect the resource aspect of Human Resources and are simply generic titles.

The Accounting Firm Team:
Intern – the sharp and spirited college student
Staff 1 – the overly enthusiastic first-year staff
Staff 2 – the highly ambitious and somewhat temperamental second-year staff
Backup Staff – the extra help who is a few fries short of a Happy Meal
Senior 1 – the professional mom
Senior 3 – the guy who gives everyone the benefit of the doubt
Manager – the family man and balancing force on the team
Senior Manager (SM) – the single workaholic
Partner – the arrogant and clueless one at the top

The Widget Maker Finance Team:
Senior Accountant – persistently absent
Assistant Controller – the awkward and quirky one who never makes any sense, married to Legal Assistant which also doesn’t make sense
Legal Assistant – the cranky, bossy one
Financial Reporting Manager (FRM) – the clueless one who doesn’t do anything
Inventory Manager – the conceited and egotistical jerk who hates auditors (and everyone else)
Finance Manager – the former auditor turned inept accountant
CFO – the fearless leader of the finance team and arch-nemesis of the legal department

I love this book! I laughed all the way through it. You don't have to be an accountant to enjoy this book. If you have ever worked in an office with more than one person you will understand what is going on. You can't go wrong choosing this book!
I think the best part of the story is all the instant messaging that is going on between different characters. It fills the story out quite nicely. The author’s comedic timing is wonderful and will give you many endorphin rushes from all the laughing.
The next best part is the names. There are no personal names, only position titles. It highlights how impersonal business can be. Yet, every part of the business is composed of people. What a mixed-up world we live in.
I award “The Good Audit” a score of 5.0 stars! So funny and so good!

You can buy this book:
https://smile.amazon.com/Good-Audit-C-P-Aiden-ebook
https://www.goodreads.com/-the-good-audit
Audio book: The Good Audit
You can follow the author:
https://twitter.com/CPAiden1
https://www.facebook.com/cp.aiden
https://www.instagram.com/cpaiden/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/c-p-aiden

Tags: Satire, comedy, fiction
Copyright © 2019 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction

48 Comments

CP Aide

11/24/2019 09:09:45 pm

I'm so glad you enjoyed reading the book as much as I enjoyed writing it! Thank you for the review!

Mark

11/25/2019 06:54:00 am

You are welcome. You made me laugh so much. Laughter is like good medicine.
First question.
Please, tell us more about yourself. Perhaps something a little bit beyond your bio.

C.P. Aiden

11/25/2019 07:11:51 am

I am a husband and a father. I've been married for 15 years and my wife and I have a 10 year old son. I work only to live and my family is my life. I live in the western United States. I love the outdoors and am regularly found hiking or fishing (or hiking to go fishing). I also love trading stocks. My brain is constantly in overdrive thinking about complex problems or making up stories.

11/25/2019 01:27:31 pm

Excellent! Hiking and fishing are a lot of fun. Day trading is quite an adventure.
New questions.
What inspired you to write this book?
Why did you choose this genre, or do you feel the genre chose you?
Who designed the cover of your book? Feel free to drop a link if appropriate.
What do the elements on the cover represent?

11/25/2019 02:57:23 pm

What inspired the book?

The book started as a joke, which is ironic given that it is an office comedy. I was with one of my teams at a client and a very terrible interaction between one of the team members and the client had just happened. The team member came back in almost in tears. We shut the door and tried to cheer that team member up. Someone commented that the way auditors are treated is quite comic. Someone else said, “You could write a book about it.” I jokingly said, “ok and then started a ‘pretend’ book. We laughed, and about a year later, I published. The book is fiction and does not represent actual events; however, I kept each event in the book realistic enough that the event was feasibly realistic.

11/25/2019 02:59:49 pm

The cover was my own creation. The book originally had a different cover that my wife and I made together. It was of an office building with a thought cloud coming out of it – the cloud had the book title. The initial feedback we got was that it looked like an “Introduction to Excel” book rather than an office comedy (somehow, Goodreads shows this old cover still on one version of the book). See next comment for more on the cover we ended up with.

11/25/2019 03:01:49 pm

Standard issue for every auditor at every big accounting firm: 1 laptop, 1 mouse, 1 10-key.

The accounting firms are too cheap to pay for cordless accessories, so they are always USB. The mouse and 10-key plug the auditor into the audit. The cords weave in and out of the picture, representing the twists and turns encountered during the audit. The cover is black and white because accounting is generally viewed that way (even though it isn't).

11/25/2019 02:58:27 pm

The genre and I align.

I was often told that I was the most laid-back auditor anyone had ever met. In fact, in a formal performance review, one audit partner said, “it is unclear whether he even has a 5th gear, yet the job surprisingly got done”. My attitude has always been that it is easier to laugh at things that go wrong than to cry, unless you laugh until you cry. I’ve always been the funny guy (in my own mind or otherwise, I’m not sure).

11/25/2019 05:55:15 pm

Good story! I love how this book was birthed. It is one of the more unusual stories.
Evert profession has tools of the trade. I worked in construction for over 20 years as a tinner, later as an HVAC technician. Lots of tools!
Accounting is very colorful, I have no doubt. Because the people in the business are colorful, if no other reason. Though the fact that money and finances are very emotional is a good one also.
That review from an audit partner is pretty good.
More questions.
Was it hard to come up with the title? What was the process?
Were the character names difficult to develop? How did you choose them?
Is this the first book you have written? Will you be writing more?

11/26/2019 07:26:45 am

The name was maybe too easy. Every time I've ever been involved in an audit, as the auditor or the audited, someone on the audit team always says, "this year is going to be a really good audit". This sentiment almost always fades away very quickly. I'm not sure any audit is ever truly "good" for those involved, which is why the subtitle is "and Other Oxymorons".

The unique thing about the character names in this book is that they aren't actually names - they are job titles (Manager, CFO, Assistant Controller, Staff 1, etc.). I originally started writing the book with character names, but I had trouble keeping track of them all. My wife suggested I just put in job titles to make it easier. I started to like the impersonal nature of the titles with how the corporate world treats people and decided to have my beta readers take a pass with just the titles. They all told me that the first chapter or two took some getting used to, but after that, the titles actually made the book funnier, so they stuck. The job titles reflect a typical structure at an accounting firm and finance department.

This is my first book. I never thought it would actually get finished. I work a full time accounting job, which keeps me very busy and I've been working on audiobook version of The Good Audit. However, I have the other two books in this series outlined. In book two, the team discovers Widget Maker made a huge blunder in The Good Audit and both teams have to go back and redo a large part of the work. As this was not planned, scheduling and logistics become a major issue to deal with and finger pointing is rampant.

All that said, I've also been writing a few children's books with my 10 year old son (to be published under a different name). The books are about kids and their favorite condiments. My son struggles with an autism spectrum disorder. Often, kids with such disorders are very picky eaters and have significant issues with certain food textures, and in his case this struggle is with sauces. These kids books have been a great way to spend time together and to help him try new sauces in a fun way. So, yes, the writing continues!

11/26/2019 07:58:25 am

Wives are so smart. Using job titles was a brilliant move. It didn't take me long to get accustomed to the idea.
I am glad to hear there is a follow up book, I will want to read that. I love to laugh.
I love the idea of the books you are writing with your son. A lot of kids are sensitive to foods for different reasons. The concept is very cute. One of my granddaughters is writing a fan fiction book in the Harry Potter world, it is very cute and actually pretty decent.
New questions.
Have you entered any writing contests?
Have you won awards of any kind for your writing?
Did you go through the query process or did you go straight to indie publishing or self-publishing, and why?

11/26/2019 12:04:51 pm

I sort of missed the boat on writing contests this year. I had no idea how valuable those can be to get the word out about a book. I recently submitted my book to fresh.ink, but I was a little late so do not think I will generate enough reading there before the end of the year to qualify for their contest.

Given no contests, I have received no official awards. I am hoping to change this in 2020 by entering several contests.

I did not go through the query process. I had a few people explain how to self-publish on Amazon and that process felt very intuitive to me. I would be open to traditional publishing. I simply haven’t taken the time to get familiar with the process.

11/26/2019 12:39:46 pm

There are many different kinds of contests. Some are great and some are a rip off. There is a good blog elsewhere on my website, "Highly Regarded Blogs". Do a search for bogus writing contests.
Amazon has turned the publishing industry on its head. The shakeout is still in progress. Many publishers of all sizes have disappeared. Many writers dream of getting a multi-book contract with a fat advance. But there are many downsides to that model. Some publishers will steal your intellectual property rights and never return them to you. Many legit publishers will sit on your book, perhaps change your cover and/or title; your book could be delayed from publication for a year or longer.
You have already proved you can do it yourself. You get to keep all the profits from your labor. There are many blogs about publishing on my website also.
New questions.
How do you think your book compares to a book published by a major publisher?
Do you have a favorite book by another author?
Did you have a favorite book as a child?

11/26/2019 04:01:37 pm

I’m very proud of my book regardless of whether or not it is ever published by a major publisher. My editing process was probably not quite as rigorous as a major publisher’s, at least from the standpoint of content. People haven’t complained about major typos or other issues – in large part thanks to your help, Mark.

There are too many great books to pick just one favorite. I’ve read a lot of C.S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien and Tom Clancy. Favorite series by far is Lord of the Rings.

As a child, I really liked Judith Viorst’s Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. I can’t tell if this was the beginnings of becoming an accountant or not.

11/26/2019 04:36:29 pm

There are so many great books to read. Your favorite authors are some of mine also.
Thanks to Amazon, a million books are published every year. That is a phenomenal amount. I am sad I won't be able to read them all.
New questions.
Does writing have a spiritual or healing component for you, does it energize you or make you feel tired?
Why is it important for writers to tap into the emotions of the characters?
Are you an under-writer or an over-writer? When the first draft is done, do you need to add more to it to flesh it out or do you have to cut material because there is too much there?

11/26/2019 06:13:13 pm

Something inside of me certainly prompted this book. There is a lot of good in our world today. There are also things that need to change. I feel that the employee in the corporate world is often seen and treated as little more than a cog in a machine (hence, the name Widget Maker for the company in my book). I was a cog during my time at large accounting firms. I lament that aspect of those years. I see humor as an effective way to instill change and to make people think. In the act of laughing at ourselves or our problems, we are actually forced to take a step back and examine things. Writing this book was extremely healing to me. I am in such a better place and have so much more balance in life now. My writing energizes me very much!

The emotions of the characters ARE the story. I think change happens from the inside out. Getting into the character's emotions is what evokes emotion in the reader.

I am a big-time over-writer. I cut full chapters. I found all sorts of redundant redundancies as I went through editing.

11/26/2019 06:33:36 pm

The whole cog-in-the-machine thing is a real detriment to good business. Business are composed of people, the customers are people also, even if the customer is another company. There is another review on my website, "Leaderology", written by a productivity expert. HIs thesis is that you grow your business by growing the people. It's a very good book, a paradigm changer.
I certainly agree with you about humor and laughter. Cute last comment.
New questions.
Have you ever used yourself or other acquaintances as a character for a starting point in a story? Would they recognize you or themselves in the story?
If you used a close friend or family member in a book, would you tell them or make sure that they wouldn't recognize themselves in the story?

11/27/2019 10:07:52 am

For starting, yes. In the end, I’m the only one left that should be truly recognizable (as Manager). This did get me in trouble the first go around. The Good Audit was originally a slightly different story and was published under a different name. The book still had the use of titles rather than names and followed a very similar storyline. I was pretty vocal in telling others I worked with at a large accounting firm that I’d written the book. Sales were going great and I couldn’t have been more thrilled with the launch. Shortly thereafter, however, everyone I knew was trying to figure out who they were in the book. People were drawing all kinds of lines and making up conclusions that didn’t exist. After a few weeks, word of this got back to the office managing partner of that firm. The firm threatened to take legal action against me because of what people were saying. I took the book down immediately – looking back, I should have just threatened to counter-sue based on my first amendment rights. I went back to work on the book and revised portions of it and made some things even more generic. Three months after the original book was taken down, I republished it as The Good Audit.

Based on this experience, I’ve not used anyone else directly in the story. Also, due to this happening, I have not been very vocal about The Good Audit in my local networks. The strategy on this was to grow it externally and within the literary community before specifically targeting people at large firms. Now that the book is established, I fully intend to begin targeting that group again.

11/27/2019 10:27:44 am

What a crisis! Wow, pretty amazing. Human nature is what it is. That is what people forget, there is always a person on the other end of that tweet or comment, whether in the name of a company or not. Good lesson learned, in one sense.
New questions.
These first two questions are vague on purpose.
Which is more fun to write, the protagonist or the antagonist, and why?
What is one thing you hate about your protagonist and one thing you love about the antagonist?
What is your writing routine when you sit down to write?

11/27/2019 12:21:35 pm

I enjoy both. Writing the protagonist is fun because people fall in love with that character (or they are supposed to). One antagonist, Legal Assistant, was very fun to write. Extremely testy and belligerent, she thinks way more highly of herself than she should.

The main protagonist is Manager. Sometimes I want to tell him to wake up and get mad about something, anything! He is totally chill no matter what happens to the team. This is a very stabilizing characteristic for the reader, but that made it so I couldn’t have him ever blow up.

The protagonist I mentioned above is just a total biznitch. There is plenty to hate about her. The condescending attitude and two-faced mentality are just a couple.

When I write, I am simply telling a story. I use outlines a lot. I draw out an outline a chapter at a time and then I sit down and just plow through getting it out. I come back several times after the fact for damage control.

11/27/2019 12:33:34 pm

Legal Assistant seemed to have it in for all the auditors, it was almost as if she thought they were a lower class of human.
You are a plotter as opposed to a pantser, when it comes to writing. I am not surprised. I would expect a person with the personality to thrive in accounting would be well organized.
New questions.
Now that your book is published, is there anything about it you would like to change?
How do you think your book relates to the world we live in today?
Do you write in a straight line or do you write whatever the muse provides for you at a given moment?

11/27/2019 01:27:58 pm

There are a couple chapters I would probably shorten. I went back and forth about whether the book should lead out with the audit planning meeting or the meeting the client. The one chapter I was most iffy about was the one called “Flexibility, What’s That?” The tone of that chapter is a little harsher and more preachy about issues in the corporate world than the fun and silly complaints in other chapters. In the end, I decided there was too much in that chapter that needed to be said to the world that I chose to leave it in. It also fueled other excitement later on in the book, so worked out.

My book is meant to be extremely contemporary. I think anyone who has worked in any type of corporate environment in the past 20 years will be able to relate to many aspects of the book. I purposely went light on accounting and heavier on people interactions within the various teams to call out issues I see in today’s corporate world. There truly are messages for anyone in today’s world within the book.

I am an outline writer – and you are right, that does fit my accountant personality. I try to stay in a straight line, but just like in this story, straight lines often have tangents. There were times when things that ended up several chapters away came to me in the moment (flashes of brilliance, or really humorous twists) and I had to at least summarize the thought before I could continue. The instant messaging within the book was also a common place to break the straight line. I didn’t want the reader to be jolted by the content of the instant messages completely contradicting the spoken conversation, but often those instant messages just came and I let them flow. During editing, I often found great places to insert more IM’s.

11/27/2019 01:41:18 pm

So much of the contemporary business world still operates like the business magnates and so-called robber barons of old. A hangover from when labor was plentiful and lives were cheap. There is much that needs to be corrected.
I think being a linear writer is great, until a person hits that wall known as writer's block. That is when the inner wild person needs to be released and write anywhere the muse dictates. Even a totally different story. I have heard of writers keeping at least two projects going at the same time for that reason.
I loved the instant messaging in the book.
New questions.
What software do you use to write and publish your books, and why do you use those?
How do you keep track of all the characters and events in your books?
Do you have a classics author you admire?
What popular modern authors have influenced you?

11/27/2019 02:22:38 pm

I used Microsoft Word to write in and then converted it to a Kindle Create file for Amazon. This was the path of least resistance.

Not only are all my characters job titles, they are job titles I am extremely familiar with. Since so much in the corporate world works based on seniority, it was very easy to figure out who needed to respond to what in any given situation. For example, Partner wasn’t going to be buddy-buddy with anyone below Manager, that just wouldn’t make sense. It absolutely made sense that CFO forgot Senior 1’s “name” even after some interaction. These team structures are so familiar to me after 14 years in it, they are almost second nature.

The life and story of Charles Dickens is fascinating to me. That guy had some incredible twists and turns in his life and he was a genius.

I’m a little embarrassed to say that I’m not very familiar with too many popular modern authors. I read and write almost nonstop…at work…to write technical accounting memos. There is a book called Zucked by Roger McNamee that has influenced my thinking about corporate espionage to some extent. Bad Blood by John Carrreyrou is another one that is quite intriguing if you’ve followed the fall of Elizabeth Holmes and her company, Theranos

11/27/2019 02:46:10 pm

MS Word is very popular. There are some interesting alternatives, designed specifically for writers. One is Scrivener, I have been told it's great for a person who is a plotter and it has a learning curve. It sounds quite powerful in the reviews I have read.
I admit I don't know anything about Charles Dickens. I was reading sci-fi and fantasy exclusively for the first half of my life.
Now, I am a fan of good writing in almost every genre.
New questions.
Have you ever had the experience of the story swerving in a different direction than planned, as if a character was driving it?
I know there are many ways to build the outline. Do you do it all on the computer or do you get analog at some point with post-its or note cards?
Do you have defined space for writing at home, or are you a coffee-shop writer?

11/27/2019 04:18:07 pm

This actually happened for the ending of my book. I won’t spoil it here for anyone, but I was going to have the ending be some massive panic attack followed by Manager saving the day and being the “hero”. Then I thought about who Manager is and what his end goal really is. He doesn’t want to be the hero. He’s really only at the job for one reason. Then, the ending just came. I was running around the house screaming as I made my way to my office to jump on my computer and get it out.

I do everything on my computer if I can. I do carry around a notepad for those moments I’m in a meeting at work and a thought just comes. I try to limit those moments. Post-it notes and tacks with yarn all over a wall just don’t mesh with my brain and the way I function.

I write best if I am in my office at home. I need close to absolute silence so, I typically write very late at night or very early in the morning, or both.

11/27/2019 08:50:24 pm

The ending was quite satisfying for me.
I like to listen to the radio when I am working most of the time. When it comes to proofreading the radio goes off.
New questions.
Action, dialogue, or narration; which is easiest to write?
Of the five senses which is the easiest to write and which is the hardest?
Have you ever participated in theater in some way?

11/29/2019 10:06:10 am

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Ours was great! Spent it with family, played in the fresh snow, and had an all around

I love writing dialogue. If I'm laughing at witty banter, then others will be too. In this book, I particularly enjoyed writing the instant message conversations that are an under-current to the rest of the story.

For me, it is extremely easy to write what people hear. Smell is much harder to me to write. Smell is such an intangible sense to me and I do much better with the tangible.

I've have participated in theater to a very small degree. I was in The Princess Bride when I was 14. When I was a senior in high school, a few of my friends and I needed one art credit to graduate, so 3 senior boys ended up in an "Intro to Theater" class full of sophomores (mostly girls). That was a fun class.

11/29/2019 10:31:29 am

We had a wonderful thanksgiving day, at our youngest daughter's house they live with her in-laws and they are our best friends.
We love the snow from a distance. We used to go play in it, not anymore.
Good dialogue makes a big difference in a book. The instant messaging worked so well in your book.
I think most authors struggle with the sense of smell.
That intro to theater class must have been lots of fun for all involved.
New questions.
Do you think your experience in theater helps you as a writer?
What kind of marketing are you doing or planning on doing for your book?
What kind of marketing has worked the best and the least for you?

11/29/2019 11:55:12 am

I do think the theater background helped a bit. I think it helps a writer get inside the minds of the characters. I wouldn't be surprised if many writers had a lot more experience than I did in theater.

I've tried a variety of marketing for my book. I've done a lot of Amazon target advertising with limited success. Twitter has been fairly good - just getting involved with the writing community there has done a ton. Giveaways have had some success.

I'd like to get on more blogs! I'm also planning to do a lot more with my 1800+ linkedin connections, who are all CPA's, once the audible version of the book is out (in the coming weeks).

That said, the worst thing to do for marketing a paperback or ebook is to announce to everyone that an audible is in the works. Everyone then waits for that instead of buying the book!

11/29/2019 12:10:46 pm

Many writers do have a background in theater, some are even playwrights and screenwriters.
A lot of people prefer audio books. That format is exploding worldwide. Many countries use English as their official language. For example, Nigeria has over 40 million people online. Most of them have only their phone. Audio books are an ideal medium for them. Get wide distribution of your audio book and you will be riding that wave.
New questions.
Have you ever thought of adding music to your books, like what the characters listen to or they went to a concert as a plot point?
How do you know when a book is finished?
How long does the research process take before you start to write a book or do you do the research as you write the book?

11/29/2019 03:38:13 pm

I didn't think much about music while writing this book. The one instance of music is when Partner blows off the rest of the team to buy "Teenage Female Singing Sensation" concert tickets (I will admit, I was picturing Hannah Montana on this particular one). The team, of course, takes a break to get the tickets and then they end up selling them online for a hefty bonus.

For me, the book just felt done. I don't know how else to describe it. Something inside myself just said, "you're done" and that was it. The ending came to me so clearly and totally out of the blue. It was awesome.

You could say my research was about 13 years of experience in accounting/finance/corporate world. However, there were a handful of things I needed to research along the way. For those I just did the research as I wrote.

These questions are great! Keep them coming!

11/29/2019 04:24:21 pm

The buying and selling of those tickets was hilarious! I figured you had someone in mind, Hannah Montana is a good choice.
Knowing that the book is done has to be a great feeling.
In your case, most of your research was done on the job and it worked so well.
New questions.
How much time passed from when you got the idea to write your book; then actually starting to write the book?
How long did it take you to write the first draft?
How many drafts did you go through to have a ready-to-publish manuscript?

11/29/2019 08:06:39 pm

As mentioned above, the book started as a joke. I wrote maybe a half a chapter just being funny and shared it around (what is currently parts of chapter 4). People said it was funny. I sat on it for another month or so and then started writing in earnest.

From that point to having a first draft was probably 7 or 8 months. I was working in public accounting still, and averaged around 55 hours a week, year round (including vacations). Finding time to fit it in was tough.

I think I went through it about 10 times - many of those times reading aloud and editing. It was way more work than I expected.

11/29/2019 08:23:19 pm

You did well, working that many hours and getting the first draft done. Self-editing is not easy, it requires a particular mental rigor. Reading aloud is one of my favorite hacks that I recommend to authors. Another is having the computer read it to you as you follow along.
Now that all seems pretty easy, most likely, if you have been doing very much marketing and promoting your book.
New questions.
Going back in time, did you do any kind of creative writing, even back in grade school?
How early was it that you realized how powerful words can be?

A lot of new authors struggle with finding beta readers. Because, after the first draft is done, fresh eyes and feedback become very important.
Do you have alpha-readers and/or beta-readers to help you smooth out a lot of wrinkles before publishing?
If you don’t, why?

11/29/2019 09:55:59 pm

Those are some very good points!

I did have some creative writing workshop exposure in Junior High and High School. Beyond that, nothing. Writing this book was a course of its own!

I think the first time I realized how powerful words were was in 1st grade when I used a word I didn't know the meaning of. All the adults around me knew the meaning and I absolutely grabbed the attention of the entire room, and then got my mouth washed out with soap. :)

My beta readers were mostly family and close friends. I had a couple people from work read through the book just to make sure I wasn't totally off base on what goes on at big firms. I didn't want the book to have so much accounting in it that it bored anyone else to death. The family and friends are not accountants and I got a lot of help from them in getting out of some accounting details that were a little much. Overall, the process was very helpful and I highly recommend it!

11/30/2019 08:55:10 am

I think most of us have had a similar experience of using words beyond our understanding.
Some authors have found family members to be very helpful as beta readers, others not so much. They found the family soft pedaled the less-than-positive criticism. You are fortunate indeed.
I have lists of people who provide various services to writers, on my Twitter home page, one of those lists is for beta readers.
New questions.
At what stage in your writing process do you bring in the readers?
Do you give them an e-version like a PDF or a hard copy you printed off?
What kind of questions did you ask them to get the feedback you wanted?

11/30/2019 11:16:49 am

You are right. I really lucked out on getting good beta readers!

For the most part, I brought in beta readers once I thought I had a solid draft. There were a few early readers who were getting a chapter at a time as I wrote.

I mostly gave out a locked pdf. Some wanted to listen to it with an e-reader so I did make a mobi versions for them. Very few got the Word version.

I split them up into groups and asked different questions to different groups - although many questions overlapped. I wanted to know if the business stuff was easily understood. I wanted to know where they laughed and where they were confused or surprised. Those things helped me refine the book quite a bit.

11/30/2019 11:36:23 am

That was a good plan and procedure. Many authors do have questions for their betas, but not all.
New questions.
Will you seek out new beta readers or work with the same ones as before?
Do you reward the beta readers in any way particular?
Do you have other writers you connect with, as in a critique group or support group?

11/30/2019 12:38:37 pm

Having beta readers will be great. Some will stay the same, others will probably need to change, as some family members have had changing circumstances and won't have time anymore. They all got free copies of the book when it was done.

I've also had to seek out new beta listeners for the audio-book. Those people will get a free version of the full Audible.

The writing community on Twitter is my author support group. On a subsequent book, a few of those people will likely be included in a tighter knit support/critique group as I think that is a great idea!

11/30/2019 01:49:08 pm

I think rewarding the beta readers is a good idea. Even more so if they are family. Having beta readers for the audio book is a great idea also.
The writing community is a great support! I eel so honored to be a part of it. I have no doubt that you will be able to find some talented critique partners there.
New questions.
Have you looked for writers in your home town?
What is the most important thing you learned from publishing your latest book?
What are three things, that you wish you knew before you wrote your first book?

11/30/2019 04:27:23 pm

With a pen name, I'm a bit of a closet writer. I know a few others who write. My brother-in-law has done very well with self-publishing some of his own books.

Not everyone has to like what you write for it to be good writing. I think that is something I learned that I wish I'd known.

The other two things I wish I'd known was how long the process is and how critical getting reviews is to the book's success.

11/30/2019 04:52:58 pm

A lot of writers use pen names, each for a different reason. All good reasons.
Many writers think the writing and editing is the hardest part. They are shocked to discover the truth. I just posted a link elsewhere on my website, Highly Regarded Blogs, How to survive this crazy business by Anne R. Allen. It's worth a read.
New questions.
What are common traps for beginning writers?
Do you think a strong ego is an asset or liability for a writer and why?
Can you describe the demographic of your ideal reader?
Who is the person most likely to buy your book?

11/30/2019 08:31:08 pm

I think your second question answers the first. Ego is a huge trap - either too much or too little. I think every author should have a healthy amount of confidence in their work. It is a huge achievement to finish a book.

I think a lesson that goes along with this is that most writers, especially indies, don't make tons of money off book sales. We are in this because we love it. The book reaches and influences one reader at a time. I truly hope my book finds it's way to those who need the messages within, to thise who will enjoy it and find it funny. Having confidence in your work without setting up huge expectations is key in balancing ego.

My ideal demographic, or target audience, is really anyone with experience in the corporate world. I think people with some accounting background may get a little more or relate a little more with the book. I mean, in some ways, it is like picture The Office and add a few more quirky people and instant messaging conversations and you've got my book.

12/1/2019 06:20:39 am

Ego is a big issue, as you ably point out. A writer needs that to get through the writing and publishing experience, a lot of grit and follow through is required. Getting a book out there is a great accomplishment.
As you write and publish more books, more readers will find your work. You will become the favorite author of many.
Last questions.
Do you struggle with writer's block, if so, how do you overcome it?
Do you see an advantage of writing under a pseudonym, why or why not?
What was the best money you ever spent as a writer to enhance your career?

12/2/2019 11:36:44 am

I am extremely lucky. The longest I’ve gone with writer’s block was about 10 minutes. My wife says I am a human space heater and I blame the production of all that heat on my brain for constantly being in overdrive. The couple times I got stuck, I simply went downstairs for food and had new ideas flowing by the time I went back up to my office.

In my case, writing under a pseudonym fit and was absolutely necessary. As mentioned above, the large accounting firm I left prior to publishing this book did not take very kindly to the original book being out there. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to retire from the proceeds of this book, so still need a day job. With the pen name, I was certainly able to say exactly what I wanted, without holding anything back. I thought that was a huge advantage. The disadvantage was missing out on a couple hundred people who perhaps would buy my book if they knew I was actually the one who wrote it.

I’ve spent a lot of good money enhancing my career as a writer (the accountant in me says a little much, perhaps). Some promotions have been better than others. The editing and word refining were worth it – thank you, Mark! However, I’m hoping the best money I spent as a writer is actually what I spent on a quality microphone. The audible version of the book was recently approved by ACX and is headed to retail. It should be out by Christmas – I’m hoping at least a week sooner. I’m amazed at how much of the market has switched to audiobooks. So many people listen while they commute and I’m hoping to capture that market.

Mark, I really appreciate you doing this interview. It has been so fun. I hope those reading this have enjoyed it and will leave comments with any additional questions they may have. Thanks again!

12/2/2019 12:17:49 pm

That has to be a record for dismissing writer's block! I love it!
I suppose those people who saw your first book will recognize your writing if you were to recommend the book to them in a casual way. Releasing the audio book will help. When your exclusive contract with Audible is up, you could go with another distributor and gain exposure in the rest of the world. Audio books are exploding worldwide.
Thank you, I count it an honor to help you polish and promote your book.
This chat has been a pleasure. I have another promotion beginning tomorrow for a book quite opposite yours, set in a future super prison in dystopian Seattle, Washington.

12/5/2019 09:36:36 am

Thank you Mark! This has been so much fun and you have been such a help to me in the process!

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The Good Audit By C.P. Aiden

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