Author Interview with Paul Levinson!

1. Hello, and welcome to my blog! To start off, what made you decide to take the plunge into the world of publishing?

For me, the act of writing strongly implies the act of publishing.  After all, why write in the first place if you don't want as many people as possible to read what you wrote?  For most of my career as an author, I've been traditionally published by major houses like Pearson and Routledge for my scholarly nonfiction, and Tor for my science fiction.  But, in 2012, I started working with a small press for my science fiction - JoSara MeDia.   Sooner or later I'll definitely self-publish as well.  It's all part of the writing process.  And my philosophy as a writer is, if it works, do it - whatever it takes to get your works to more readers and receive decent compensation.   One problem with traditional publishers is that the compensation won't make you rich, unless you're a best-selling author.  Small presses and self-publishing will give much more money per sale.

2. Tell me about your book.

Well, I have 15 books published - nine nonfiction, on the history and future of media, and six science fiction, including my Phil D'Amato series about an NYPD forensic detective with a knack for getting into strange cases, and my Sierra Waters time travel series.   I'm also writing more than one book at the same time - sometimes nonfiction and science fiction.  Critics of my media theory have said it read likes science fiction - I take that as a compliment, because I love science fiction.

3. Who/what inspired you to write?

Isaac Asimov, more than any other writer, inspired me to write science fiction and nonfiction - Asimov wrote both, and did in a riveting way.  He was a master of words, with a lean, effective style that appealed to me the instant I read it, when I was about 12 years old.  As for the what - I love the feeling of being able to create worlds that didn't quite exist before - or, in the case of my nonfiction, of being able to explain something complex in a clear way.   Some of my nonfiction books are used as text books - like New New Media - and that makes me very happy.

4. I see one of your series involves time travel back to the time of Socrates. Very interesting concept. Did this require a lot of research?

The Plot to Save Socrates took a huge amount of research.  Part of it was done over the years, since I was a student in college in a philosophy class, and became interested in why Socrates insisted on drinking the hemlock when he had been given a chance to escape by his friend Crito.   But as I was writing the novel, and began including real characters, I spent days in libraries  doing research - lots of material about ancient philosophers, when I was writing the novel in 2004-5, wasn't yet online.  But the research was fun!

5. What sci-fi writers would you say have most influenced your writing?

Well, I already mentioned Asimov.  Others would be Robert Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke, James Blish, and Alfred Bester -  and of course H. G. Wells and Jules Verne - I've loved the masters of science fiction.

6. What do you do when you're not writing?

I'm a Professor of Communication and Media Studies at Fordham University, so I do a lot of talking when I'm not writing.  I'm also interviewed a lot on television and radio - here's a YouTube page with a lot of my interviews - https://www.youtube.com/user/PLev20062006 And, for fun and relaxation, I swim about 20 laps a day, garden, and have a goldfish. And family is the most important of my life.

7. Any books we should be expecting from you soon?

I just finished writing Chronica - the third novel in the Sierra Waters series.  It should be published in about a month, and available for pre-order on Amazon sooner than that.  I just need to give it one more read-through.   I'm also writing a 4th Phil D'Amato novel.

Off-beat questions

1. You have written about time travel. If you could travel through time, what time period would you travel to, and why?

Today I would say the 1890s, because that's where a lot of Chronica takes place.  But tomorrow I might say someplace else.   Any place in the past would be fabulously interesting to me.  And, then, we have future ...

2. You also have written non-fiction about the digital age. What do you find the be the most interesting aspect of the digital age, and where do you think it will lead us?

As I explain in New New Media, the most revolutionary aspect of the digital age is that every consumer can become a producer - that's what Kindle publishing is all about, where any reader can become a published author; that's what Wikipedia is all about, where the articles can be written by anyone;  that's what YouTube is about, where people put up home videos all the time.  For the first time in human history, writers and speakers and photographers don't need to get anyone's permission to get their work out to the world.  That's a great step forward for humanity.

Tips on Time Management

I've always been the person who takes on a million projects at once.

I can't explain why this is. I suppose it's just in my nature. I have a lot of grand ideas, and these ideas turn into goals. I'm a dreamer. But as great as it is to have big dreams, some days all of my projects choose the same day to gang up on me, and I find myself surrounded by mountains I'm unsure I can climb.

Yet, somehow, the projects get done.

Right now I'm finding my plate full with a full-time job, moving, publishing my novel, writing two books at once, updating my websites, reading to stay knowledgable on all things writing, as well as keeping up with my other commitments.

Oh yeah, and then there's my social life.

Having a lifetime of experience with being a dreamer, I thought I would share the tips I've learned to make a chaotic schedule feel less stressful.

Tip #1: TIME MANAGEMENT

Can I stress this enough? Time management is SO important when having a busy schedule. Everyone thinks they have good time management skills until all their committments sneak up on them. The way manage your time successfully, is something that spontaneous people find exceedingly dull:

-Daily to-do lists
-Weekly/Monthly schedules

I don't know where I would be without a to-do list. These are seriously a life saver, especially on busy days. Forgot that thing someone asked you to do earlier, and you feel like it might have been important? Write it on your to-do list the moment they ask you. And always, ALWAYS refer back to it before the day is done.
Remember that email that you probably should have sent last month, but forgot to do until it was too late? Or how about that appointment you forgot to write down?
Weekly/Monthly schedules are vital if you have long term commitments. They keep your goals on track and heading in the right direction. Writers need this for book deadlines and marketing schedules.


Tip #2: TAKE YOU TIME

This must be done if you are to handle a busy schedule, especially one that is long-term. Sometimes, I feel like I'm such a roll with what I'm doing, that I try to accomplish more and more. By the end of the day, I'm so burnt out that I don't feel like doing anything the next day. That's a whole day wasted! Designate some time for you, and only you to recooperate. You'll thank yourself later.

Tip #3: KNOW WHEN TO SAY NO

I've learned this one the hard way. If you're a multi-talented person, people recognize that. Before you know it, you're getting bombared with requests, whether it's to host your friend's going away party, tutor your classmate in writing, or anything that you would be doing solely as a favor.

And like goal-oriented person you are, you say, of course! I can totally handle that.

Before you say yes to requests like this, you HAVE to refer to your current schedule. Look at everything you have on your plate and ask yourself: When and how often would I be needing to work on this? Could this take away from my prior commitments?
If your answer is "yes" on the second question, you've got to take a deep breath and say no. Even if the person is offended, you're doing the right thing by staying loyal to the commitments you've already made. You might be awesome, but no one is Superman.


These are the three main things that have kept me from pulling my hair out my whole life. With a little planning and determination, there is no limit to what a person can do :) Have a great day!