Non-fiction
Reality tales
Kerry's' first published book was his techy memoir FoxTales. It offers a unique coming-of-age story set within the early world of the software industry. It was while crafting that book that Kerry learned the art of portraying memorable characters and presenting a page-turning narrative.
His most recent non-fiction release, Start Early, You Might Get Published Before You Die, charts his journey to being a published author. In the process, he shares the lessons he learned along the way and insight into the craft.
Much has been written about the battles that rage between software companies over market share. FoxTales is the story of one such battle, told from the perspective of a foot soldier. My perspective. When I started with Fox Software, it was a company of barely thirty people. It shared space in a small bank building on the edge of Ohio’s farm country. It was a quaint, family run business, and its product, FoxBASE+, was a niche player. The next four years brought many surprises: lawsuits, buyouts, off-the-wall management, and even a flying book or two. Things no college course could prepare you for. And to think, I could’ve been a farmer.
Forty-seven multi-published Christian writers share what happened to the first novel they attempted to write . . . and why some of those books never made their way to bookstore shelves. Read these stories and be encouraged-- everyone starts with a blank page or computer screen!
The center of God’s plan often places us at the rim of our comfort zone and on the edge of defeat. The middle is safe and secure with little need for faith and belief. God, however, sends us to the margins of life and ourselves, so we can learn to trust Him. The margins are rimmed with ups and downs—laughter and tears—but it is there, on the cusp of a breakthrough or breakdown, that God’s supernatural power is made perfect in our lives (2 Corinthians 12:9). The edge is lined with God’s promises, and it is on the uneven ground of the unknown that we learn to walk confidently by faith, not sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Each of our writers has a love of Jesus that creates an outpouring of His goodness and grace to those around them. They permeate the Presence of God in their words, and we are honored to have their collective voices united in our devotional anthology.
What does it take to become an author? For Kerry Nietz, the road to publication begins with a blunt piece of advice on an airplane and winds through software companies, rejection letters, unlikely opportunities, strange deadlines, creative risks, and a few genuine surprises. Part memoir and part encouragement for writers, Start Early, You Might Get Published Before You Die offers an honest, humorous look at the long, unpredictable path from aspiring storyteller to published novelist. Along the way, Nietz shares hard-earned lessons about perseverance, criticism, faith, collaboration, marketing, and the stubborn hope required to keep writing. For anyone wondering whether the writing life is worth the trouble, this book offers a simple answer: Start early. Keep going.