Mr. Baker has worked on film and TV projects for Warner Brothers, Tristar, New Line, Fox, CBS, NBC, ABC, Lifetime, USA Network, Syfy Network, Fox Television, The Family Channel, as well as working on staff on the FX Network series, DIRT starring Courteney Cox.
Presently, Mr. Baker has two projects in development, HONEYMOON WITH HARRY a feature film based on Bart’s debut novel of the same name at New Line with Bradley Cooper attached to star. Mr. Baker has also completed his second novel, IMMEDIATE FAMILY.
Mr. Baker also has eight produced theatrical plays under his belt. An avid fitness buff and political junkie, Bart enjoys spending his free time with his family and friends, and enjoys teaching film/television writing classes at Webster University. Writing is his passion and he feels blessed that he’s been able to make a living doing what he loves and for all the interesting people and events that he’s been exposed to through his work.
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Thanks for letting us interrogate interview you! Can you give us a go-for-the-gut answer as to why you wanted to be an author?
The glamour. Oh wait…I work in cut off shorts and a t-shirt, that can’t be it. The money. Oh wait...there isn’t much. The renown. Oh wait…
Tell us (we won’t tell promise!) is it all it’s cracked up to be? I mean what are the perks and what are the demands?
Look, we all wish our books were on the best seller lists, or that we were getting huge advances and movie deals, but if you’re realistic about what the demands are and what to expect, it’s all good. And as far as perks…as I said above, I get to work in shorts and a t-shirt. That’s a big win as far as I’m concerned.
Which route did you take – traditional or self-published – and can you give us the nitty gritty low down on what’s that like?
I chose, after dealing with multiple agents and publishers on my first novel, HONEYMOON WITH HARRY, and talking to my author friends who had book deals, to self-publish.
Self-publishing is work. Writing the book is easy. Most authors love to write. But it’s the promotion and everything that goes with selling the books that’s difficult. You have to be just as creative and clever on that end of the business as you do with the writing. I think I did a good job of it with HONEYMOON WITH HARRY, but less so with WHAT REMAINS, my second novel. With this new book, AFTER OZZ, my first foray into the YA market, I have to find a way to get the book into the hands of younger readers as well as my fans. It is a lot of hours. Hours I often don’t have.
Tell us for real what your family feels about you spending so much time getting your book written, polished, edited, formatted, published, what have you?
My family is very supportive. They sort of get my moods when I’m writing, how pressed I am to have time to write and the machinations of everything that goes along with that. I have younger children and they don’t always understand that “Daddy has to work,” but I am also blessed to work at home where I can be close to them even when I am doing something other than playing with them.
Do your pets actually get their food on time or do they have to wait until you type just one more word?
Wisely, I feed the dogs before I start work. But in the afternoons when they are supposed to get their second meal, yeah, the time on that varies depending on what I’m working on and how deeply engrossed in it I am. But they love me regardless.
In writing your book, how did you deal with the phone ringing, your family needing dinner or your boss calling you saying you’re late?
All the time. I am a master at blocking everything out. I know there will be noise and chaos all around me most of the time and my office opens to the kitchen, the heart of the house, so I have created this mental wall that allows me to live in the world on the page rather than my own, actual world. It’s taken me a long time but I’m quite good at blocking out everything else around me and buckling down.
What was the craziest or insane thing that happened to you in the book publishing process?
After I finished my first novel, HONEYMOON WITH HARRY – I had no agent, no publisher but I did have managers handling my film work. After the read it and they flipped out over it, very quickly the movie rights sold to New Line and there was immediate reaction from agents and publishers. I was a rock star. For like five minutes. But once they realized it would take a lot longer for the movie version to get to the screen than originally thought, the roaches disappeared back into the wood work. I imagine when things heat up again on the movie version of HARRY that I will be contacted again. But I self-published the book and do not regret that decision for a moment.
How about the social networks? Which ones do you believe help and which ones do you wish you could avoid?
I wish I was better at social media. I am on Facebook and it’s a great way for me to stay in touch with a lot of people. I’m also on Twitter, DaddyBB, and am trying to grow my followers. I enjoy it. But all of these things take time away from writing. I’m still trying to find the balance between working social media and focusing on actually putting words on the page.
What is one thing you’d like to jump on the rooftop and scream about?
How proud I am of my children.
Okay, too much sugar for you today! Here’s a nice cup of Chamomile tea and come on over and sit under the cabana and watch the waves roll in. Now…can you tell us what you love about being a published author and how all those things above doesn’t matter because it’s all part of the whole scheme of things and you wouldn’t have it any other way?
Other than the tea…serve me strong coffee, dammit, you pretty much nailed it. I’m blessed. I’ve been writing professionally for over 30 years. It’s how I make my livelihood. I work at home most of the time. In sweats and a t-shirt. I can pretty much live anywhere in the world. And I get to be with my sons a lot more than most parents. All in all, it ain’t a bad life.
The glamour. Oh wait…I work in cut off shorts and a t-shirt, that can’t be it. The money. Oh wait...there isn’t much. The renown. Oh wait…
Tell us (we won’t tell promise!) is it all it’s cracked up to be? I mean what are the perks and what are the demands?
Look, we all wish our books were on the best seller lists, or that we were getting huge advances and movie deals, but if you’re realistic about what the demands are and what to expect, it’s all good. And as far as perks…as I said above, I get to work in shorts and a t-shirt. That’s a big win as far as I’m concerned.
Which route did you take – traditional or self-published – and can you give us the nitty gritty low down on what’s that like?
I chose, after dealing with multiple agents and publishers on my first novel, HONEYMOON WITH HARRY, and talking to my author friends who had book deals, to self-publish.
Self-publishing is work. Writing the book is easy. Most authors love to write. But it’s the promotion and everything that goes with selling the books that’s difficult. You have to be just as creative and clever on that end of the business as you do with the writing. I think I did a good job of it with HONEYMOON WITH HARRY, but less so with WHAT REMAINS, my second novel. With this new book, AFTER OZZ, my first foray into the YA market, I have to find a way to get the book into the hands of younger readers as well as my fans. It is a lot of hours. Hours I often don’t have.
Tell us for real what your family feels about you spending so much time getting your book written, polished, edited, formatted, published, what have you?
My family is very supportive. They sort of get my moods when I’m writing, how pressed I am to have time to write and the machinations of everything that goes along with that. I have younger children and they don’t always understand that “Daddy has to work,” but I am also blessed to work at home where I can be close to them even when I am doing something other than playing with them.
Do your pets actually get their food on time or do they have to wait until you type just one more word?
Wisely, I feed the dogs before I start work. But in the afternoons when they are supposed to get their second meal, yeah, the time on that varies depending on what I’m working on and how deeply engrossed in it I am. But they love me regardless.
In writing your book, how did you deal with the phone ringing, your family needing dinner or your boss calling you saying you’re late?
All the time. I am a master at blocking everything out. I know there will be noise and chaos all around me most of the time and my office opens to the kitchen, the heart of the house, so I have created this mental wall that allows me to live in the world on the page rather than my own, actual world. It’s taken me a long time but I’m quite good at blocking out everything else around me and buckling down.
What was the craziest or insane thing that happened to you in the book publishing process?
After I finished my first novel, HONEYMOON WITH HARRY – I had no agent, no publisher but I did have managers handling my film work. After the read it and they flipped out over it, very quickly the movie rights sold to New Line and there was immediate reaction from agents and publishers. I was a rock star. For like five minutes. But once they realized it would take a lot longer for the movie version to get to the screen than originally thought, the roaches disappeared back into the wood work. I imagine when things heat up again on the movie version of HARRY that I will be contacted again. But I self-published the book and do not regret that decision for a moment.
How about the social networks? Which ones do you believe help and which ones do you wish you could avoid?
I wish I was better at social media. I am on Facebook and it’s a great way for me to stay in touch with a lot of people. I’m also on Twitter, DaddyBB, and am trying to grow my followers. I enjoy it. But all of these things take time away from writing. I’m still trying to find the balance between working social media and focusing on actually putting words on the page.
What is one thing you’d like to jump on the rooftop and scream about?
How proud I am of my children.
Okay, too much sugar for you today! Here’s a nice cup of Chamomile tea and come on over and sit under the cabana and watch the waves roll in. Now…can you tell us what you love about being a published author and how all those things above doesn’t matter because it’s all part of the whole scheme of things and you wouldn’t have it any other way?
Other than the tea…serve me strong coffee, dammit, you pretty much nailed it. I’m blessed. I’ve been writing professionally for over 30 years. It’s how I make my livelihood. I work at home most of the time. In sweats and a t-shirt. I can pretty much live anywhere in the world. And I get to be with my sons a lot more than most parents. All in all, it ain’t a bad life.
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