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I Don’t Care What They Say About Me, Just Make Sure They Spell My Name Right!

By Joshua Unruh on Thursday, February 7, 2013

Ladies and Gentlemen, please direct your attention to the CENTER RING!Josh-1

What’s up, party people? I’m Joshua Unruh, novelist and Czar of Marketing for Consortium Books. Here’s why you should care what I think.

Crimes and Misdemeanors

I’ve had a lot of jobs in my life. That’s pretty normal for everybody. But I’ve also had a lot of careers and that tends to be a little more rare. So, working backward in time, here are the high points of my working life.

Marketing Czar

Finishing a novel is the first thing I did to get Aaron Pogue’s attention. The second thing I did was “know a guy” every time we discussed something we wanted to try for the Consortium. But the third thing I did was write promotional copy for a couple of his and Courtney Cantrell’s books. But it wasn’t just promotional copy, it was damned good promotional copy. It was, I think, so good that Aaron and Courtney didn’t realize they’d been writing bad promo copy.

But I’m supposed to be justifying my position, so I’ll talk more about this at the bottom of the post.

Stay-At-Home Dad

Through a twist of timing and hormones, I volunteered to stay home with my son. That was five years ago, and I’ve never regretted it. One reason amongst many is that it afforded me the opportunity to do something I’d always wanted to do but convinced myself I didn’t have time for: writing stories.

I’ve been an avid reader all my life and nearly as avid a player of tabletop roleplaying games, so I was no stranger to stories and their telling. As you’ll see in my job history, I was no stranger to writing things either. But I had never made a real effort to tell my own stories from start to finish.

Private Investigator

Before that I was a private investigator. This is probably my favorite gig other than novelist and is my official “cool guy” job. For about three years I operated as a private investigator and did all kinds of cases.

  • I helped a family declare a man incompetent so he could get the help he needed.
  • I aided the local police in some drug busts; I busted a couple bail jumpers and hauled them back into custody
  • Of course, I did my fair share of catching cheaters.
  • I also had to outrun and almost shoot a dog.
  • Some county deputies illegally searched me and then ran me off a case.
  • And I had a couple guns pointed at me by some city cops in a positively wild misunderstanding.

These were good, fun-filled years.

El CircoMarketing/Advertising/Sales

I lump this time all together because, while the skills were very different, they all worked very well together. Right out of college, I worked on both the public relations and advertising side of one of Oklahoma City’s larger agencies. I’d received a degree in PR with a minor in marketing, so these jobs were more or less what I wanted to do.

Or so I thought. The deeper I got into the business, the more I realized I liked being a suit okay, but what I really wanted to do was write some copy and get more involved in the creative side of things. Still, I got to put a lot of my basic marketing knowledge to work and, even more importantly, figured out which bits of my education were outmoded or just plain junk.

From there I went into advertising sales. The money was a lot better and I got to talk with a lot more people. Also, my marketing skill set allowed me to be more of a consultant to my clients (when they’d let me). Here is where I developed my utter lack of fear when it comes to talking to people — even people who are probably going to yell “NO!” at me and slam doors in my face.

I Didn’t Land on Consortium Rock, Consortium Rock Landed on Me

When I met Aaron, it was mainly in my mind that I needed both some help with and an outlet for my creative writing. I think Aaron was just excited to have another writer on tap.

But once he figured out I had a background in marketing and advertising and a total disregard for the terror talking to strangers engenders in some people, he put me to work.

But what do I actually DO?

  • I look for strategic opportunities to leverage the Consortium brand in ways that will be visible to the people most likely to care.
  • Our budget is not large right now, but I’ve already started laying the groundwork for when we want to do more ambitious advertising. For instance, I’ve spotted some likely ad venues and lined up some talent to put the ads together should we want to.
  • I look for ways to get our books in front of more people inexpensively and effectively, such as reviewers, blog book tours, or convention appearances.
  • I write copy for any of our services, explanatory brochures, web pages, and novels.

Covering Your Backside

I got the job of writing back cover — that is, promotional — copy mainly because I’m better at it than anyone else at the Consortium. That’s not ego and it isn’t natural talent alone. There are two very good reasons I’m currently better at it.

  1. More practice thinking and writing in terms of ad copy. I have spent more years than any other member thinking about copy that will grab you immediately, that will tell you the most information in the least space, and that will get you excited about the product. PRACTICE MAKES BETTER. (Sound like familiar advice?)
  2. The other reason I write better back cover copy is because of the types of books I write.

But we’ll talk about my kind of novels and why they make my back cover copy awesome next week. See you then!

Joshua Unruh is the Marketing Czar for the Consortium and author of the grim fantasy Saga of the Myth Reaver: Downfall. Every Thursday he shares an article about marketing, sales, and product promotion in the new book market.

Find out more about Joshua Unruh at his author website, and check out his newest book, Saga of the Myth Reaver: Downfall, in stores now!

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Introduction

By Thomas Beard on Wednesday, February 6, 2013

thomas_beardMy name is Thomas Beard, and I know writing.

See that up there? That’s my thesis statement. In the next 478 words, I’m going to develop it, flesh it out, then restate it in my conclusion. Then do you know what I’m going to do? I’m going to reread it. At least three times.

On my first time through, I’m going to check my overall flow and make sure I’m making my argument effectively. The second time, I’m going to double-check my spelling and make sure that the only bad grammar I have is intentional and emphatic (like where I made “At least three times” its own sentence).

Then I’m going to read it once more from the point of view of potential readers as an extra check of clarity and style. If I find any other changes that need to be made, it might necessitate a fourth or fifth read-through.

I’m not shy. That’s how the greats succeed in this business.

What, you didn’t think that Stephen King just hammered out a novel at his prodigious 10,000 words per day, then sat back, cackled, and called it good, did you? Oh, no. The true professionals, the household names, they’re the ones who reread and rewrite their material more than anyone.

They understand that “rough draft” is an understatement, that you can’t emphasize the right plot points and themes and character traits nearly as well the first time as you can the third or fifth or tenth.

Think of a bestselling author. In most cases, they’ll have spent much more time rewriting their work than they spent writing it the first time. The others? Hacks.

I should know this. Not all that long ago, I was a book editor, and a good one. Print publishing being what it is, when my job security was in question, I moved on. I now get paid to write training materials for the professional development of state employees. I use my own advice. I rewrite my material. As an editor, this was the second piece of advice I gave my authors (right after, “Please, for the love of God, read at every possible moment!”). And I would give them no peace until they demonstrated that they were actively reworking their material.

In my experience of writing my own work and editing that of others, I’ve discovered two immutable laws of human nature. First, no matter how good your book is on the first draft, it is always better on the third. Second, those authors who aren’t willing to rewrite their material are always the ones whose material isn’t very good in the first place. I have found no exceptions to these two laws.

You do yourself and your readers a disservice by being satisfied with your first draft. Your work can always improve, be it poetry or science fiction or applied mathematics. I and the other editors on this site can show you how.

My name is Thomas Beard, and this article required five read-throughs.

Thomas Beard is a writer and editor with the Consortium. Every Wednesday he shares an article about revision, rewriting, and story structure.

Find out more about Thomas Beard at his author website, and watch for his debut epic fantasy, The Orphan Queen.

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Writing for Visual Purposes

By Rachel Giles on Tuesday, February 5, 2013

headshotHi. Name’s Rachel. Let’s start off with a confession: I googled “how to write your first blog post.” Why? Because, unlike the rest of the lovely people on this blog, I haven’t written in the traditional, professional sense. The most fitting description of my writing career is “dabbler.” The most I’ve written for a novel was a 20,000 word run for NaNoWriMo. I’ve never published anything I have written. I didn’t graduate with a degree in any field remotely related to writing. I only update my twitter sporadically.

Needless to say, writing on a blog with writers and about writing intimidates me a little.

So why am I here, on a writing and publishing blog? I’m here because of what I do for a living–graphic design and illustration. And I’m here to teach you what makes a great book cover and how you can kick your book cover design up a notch or three.

In this age of fierce e-book competition, I don’t think I need to tell you about how crucial a good cover is. It’s more than just “that last thing” before finishing your book. You might have written the next Harry Potter, but without a cover to reflect those amazing words, you might as well have tucked your hard work in the back of a warehouse. Word of mouth only can start if you entice someone to pick up your book in the first place.

“But, Rachel,” you may be thinking, “the last time I did anything visually artistic was twenty years ago on my parent’s living room wall. I know nothing about those fancy design programs. I don’t have the money to hire a professional. My teenage cousin did a cover for me, and I didn’t have the guts to tell him it was horrible.”

Have no fear. My goal for this column is to nudge you toward thinking like a designer. I’d still very much recommend that you hire the right professional to design your cover, but I acknowledge that’s not always possible. In which case, I want to help you avoid something like this:

badcover

(My eyes! They burn!*)

I’ll provide perspective and tips on good cover design and all that is related to it. So then you can take what applies and use it to spruce up your cover (or the cover that your designer is doing for you). You’ve already poured your heart and effort into writing your masterpiece. Don’t you want to give it the cover it deserves?

Thanks to the people at Unstressed Syllables for allowing me the opportunity to help authors. Now let’s get this show on the road.

*Please note that this is not an actual book cover, just a mash-up of several bad choices I’ve seen on ebook covers. Unfortunately, I’ve seen covers worse than this one.

Rachel Giles is a professional graphic designer who graciously donates her time to the Consortium. Every Tuesday she shares an article about quality cover design.

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Dragons, and Something to Blow Your Nose On

By Courtney Cantrell on Monday, February 4, 2013

frenchheadshot2

Author with Penchants

Greetings, fellow writerly one! I’m Courtney Cantrell. You might know me from the column I used to write here at Unstressed Syllables, What I Learned About Writing This Week. Or you might have followed me over here from my own site, Court Can Write.

In either case, you already know that I’m a writer. You might even know that I’m the author of five published novels. Perhaps you’ve even followed me long enough to know that I have penchants, a bangerang switch, and vorpal unicorn morphing powers.

And if you’re a new reader, at least you now know a few things about me already. ; )

They’re Taking the Hobbit to Erebor

For the next few weeks, possibly months, I’ll be telling you about a thing called “Prewriting.” As for the details on what it is, why it’s great, and how you can beat it into submission and make it your slave, those are all subjects we’ll cover in later posts. For now, I’d like to share with you some of my experiences with it.

Or without it, rather.

Once upon a time, I didn’t do any prep at all before diving into writing a new story. I’d sit down, open up my notebook (either a paper one or a computerish one), and just start scribbling (or typing, as it were). The words would flow and the sweat would fly. Brilliance poured forth. Epiphanies and revelations abounded. And after about 12,000 words, the entire thing would grind to a clanking, heart-breaking halt. Cue weeping and gnashing of teeth.

I don’t let that happen anymore.

To date, I’ve completed ten novels in five genres. Of those ten, five are published. Of those five, two have had the benefit of prewriting. Comparing these two to the other three, I can say without a doubt that just finishing the darn novel is way easier and faster when I do the prewriting.

I don’t get stuck. The story doesn’t stall out. I always know what my characters need to say or do. Whatever plot point I need next, it’s there. So-called “writer’s block” is a thing of the distant past.

Have you read J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit? Or seen either the 1977 cartoon or the 2012 live-action film? Brief plot descrip: Bilbo the hobbit and a band of dwarves go on a quest to Erebor, the Lonely Mountain, intending to recover stolen treasure from the dragon Smaug. Key point: They have a map that shows them how to get to Erebor and how to get in.

Without the map, Bilbo and the dwarves would’ve ended up only so much short-legged barbeque on Smaug’s fiery doorstep.

Writing a novel without pre-writing is like heading to a showdown with Smaug without a map. You’re gonna end up flame-broiled.

Packing Your Pocket-Handkerchief

When Bilbo bolts out of his hobbit hole hellbent on catching up with the dwarves, he forgets his pocket-handkerchief. The dwarves have their map and their dreams and their vengeful determination. Bilbo has his enthusiasm and little else — not even the comfort and practicality of a pocket-handkerchief. He throws himself into his adventure and has to rely on fate, luck, and the generosity of others to provide him with the little things he needs along the way.

Writing a novel is your adventure.
Finishing your novel is your dragon.
Pre-writing is your map.

I’d like for this series of articles on pre-writing to be your pocket-handkerchief.

So get your reading caps on, folks. Throw yourself into the adventure of writing your novel, by all means. But don’t end up fried and sizzling on the threshold of finishing your story. Take along your map so the dragon won’t get you. And if you’ll come back next week, I’ll make sure you even tuck away your pocket-handkerchief.

Courtney Cantrell is Head of the School of Writing for the Consortium and author of the epic fantasy Rethana’s Surrender. Every Monday she shares an article about storytelling technique.

Find out more about Courtney Cantrell at her author website.

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Why Choose Draft2Digital?

By Aaron Pogue on Monday, September 24, 2012

Unstressed Syllables has been on something of an unannounced summer hiatus. I’ve been unremarkably busy, and our Contributing Editor has just gone and had herself a baby.

But don’t think I’m done with Unstressed Syllables. In fact, we’ve got grand plans for the site that we intend to roll out this fall. We’re hoping Unstressed Syllables will become the go-to site for writing and publishing advice.

In the meantime, I’m hard at work helping develop the new go-to site for self-publishing. I’m the Director of User Experience for Draft2Digital, a new ebook publishing platform, and among other things I’m contributing to their promotional copy.

So today, I’d like to share my most recently finished copy, and get your take as interested parties. I beg of you your feedback.

Why Choose Draft2Digital?

The last few years have seen an ebook revolution that massively changed the publishing industry. Thanks to digital distribution, it is easier than ever to bring your book to an audience that’s always hungry for more.

“Easier than ever” doesn’t necessarily mean “easy enough.” To get the most out of this opportunity, you need to convert a manuscript (usually a Microsoft Word document) into an ebook format like epub, set up user accounts at multiple sales channels, learn the quirks of each platform, and then duplicate the book’s sales information across all those outlets. Every time you make a change to your book, you’ll have to make those changes everywhere your book is listed.

Many authors have learned to use the self-publishing tools available at sites like Kindle Direct Publishing, Barnes & Noble’s PubIt!, and Kobo’s Writing Life. While some publishers love that level of control, we know there are some authors out there who want to participate in this new market but who don’t have the technical skills to format an ebook or the time to manage all those different accounts.

That’s why we created Draft2Digital. This site provides a single, simple process to turn your story into a professionally-formatted ebook and release it through all the industry’s most powerful sales channels. We’ll give you one place to publish your projects, to manage any changes, and to track your performance across all vendors.

And the market is still growing! As new sales channels appear, we’ll be at the front of the pack, learning to manage each new platform so you won’t have to. If that sounds like a useful service, try us out today. You can publish a book at no cost and no commitment and see how convenient Draft2Digital really is.

What works? What’s missing? Does it sound like a service you would like to use? (If it does,  you can sign up for an email notification when the service goes live.)

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How to Write a Helpful Book Review

By Aaron Pogue on Thursday, July 5, 2012

I’ve been talking recently about ways to support your favorite writer. Last week, I encouraged you first and foremost to write book reviews.

But that suggestion inevitably elicits the same response:

How?

It’s a fair question. Readers aren’t necessarily writers, and maybe you haven’t tried to do something like this since that book report you wrote in fifth grade.

The goods news is, it’s really not hard to write a helpful review. It’s not even as hard as a fifth-grade book report.

A customer review doesn’t need to be an essay. It doesn’t need to be pages long or strongly argued. All it needs to do is communicate your experience with the product.

The Critique

From the author’s perspective, there are two ways to write a “helpful” review: You can provide a critique, telling the author what he did wrong to help him improve his craft; or you can provide a recommendation, encouraging other readers to buy the book (and telling them why).

Now…I’m a writer and a businessman. My family’s financial situation depends entirely on the number of books I sell. That does bias my opinion here, but there’s an easier way to keep the conversation in perspective.

I’m not trying to describe the perfect book review technique. I’m focusing specifically on ways you can support a writer (in this case, with a book review).

So! With that established, I hope you’ll allow me to say that a public critique is far less useful than a recommendation. I’m unlikely to make significant changes to a book that’s already published, though, even if you provide a detailed and compelling list of plot problems in the customer comments. (And if Idid make those changes, your published critique would become out-of-date and confusing.)

So publishing a critique can’t help the book you’re commenting on. It can only hurt sales. That’s not so say you should keep all your meany-pants opinions to yourself!

I’m also a writing coach and student, and I always want to see writers improving their craft. But these days, it’s remarkably easy to get in touch with writers directly. If you want to provide literary critique of my style, I would love a comment at my author website or a message through my contact form.

As an author, I take all critiques seriously (even the offhand comments in a 4- or 5-star review). In fact, it’s often the critiques buried in recommendations that impact me most.

And as a final caveat (in case I haven’t been clear enough), I’m not claiming negative reviews are useless. If you post saying everything that’s wrong with a book, you should be doing that to help other readers (buyers) avoid making a purchase they’ll regret.

That’s a legitimate service. But it doesn’t help the writer at all. It only hurts his paycheck.

Recommendations

I’ve spent more time on that topic than I wanted to, but maybe it’s for the best. This is what you’re here for–how to write a positive review–and the main thing I want to convey on this topic is that it’s easy.

Here’s the whole guide:

  1. Tell the world what you enjoyed about reading this book.

That’s all. That’s how to write a helpful review.

If the story was exciting, say it was exciting. If you got lost in the narrative and missed out on a night’s sleep (or a day’s productivity at work), say so. If you loved getting to know the characters and you kinda miss spending time with them now that the book’s over, mention it!

You don’t have to summarize the plot. You don’t have to break down the elements of story or convince an English teacher you really understood the symbolism and themes. Just say what you liked, and you’ll be helping other readers judge whether this book features the things that are important to them.

Was the story fast-paced and short, so you could finish it and move on to another book? Was it immersive and deeply developed, so you felt like you spent years of your life in this place?

Either comment can be far more useful than “It was pretty long,” or “It was kinda short,” and either comment can be seen as a pro or a con depending on the buyer. If you focus on saying what you liked about the experience, you’ll automatically provide the most useful information within the most useful context.

And in the process you can let your favorite writers know what you want to see more of. That might end up helping you out, too.

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Book Reviewers Wanted!

By Aaron Pogue on Thursday, June 28, 2012

I’ve posted recently concerning the importance of fans in the success of a new writer’s career. More specifically, I gave a laundry list of ways to support your favorite writer.

Near the top of the list (and repeated more than once before the list was done) is the simple act of recommending the book to other readers. That might seem like a painfully obvious suggestion, but authors (and publishers, large or small) live or die by readers’ word-of-mouth.

The humble book review represents one of the most powerful promotional tools available to a writer, and it’s one that’s (almost) entirely out of the writer’s hands. We depend upon our readers.

Professional Reviews

Back in the good old days of legacy publishing, those reviews came from gatekeepers nearly as powerful as the publishers themselves: professional reviewers for national and industry newspapers. It used to take a positive mention in the New York Times or Kirkus to land a book on the bestseller list or get it into libraries and book clubs.

Professional reviewers knew they had that power, so they could afford to be selective. In fact, they were in such high demand that they had to be selective, so most books published never graced the columns of a major paper.

That hasn’t changed. It’s a lot easier to break into writing these days, but until you sign a deal with one of the big New York publishing houses, you won’t have a shot at those reviewers. But the good news is, those elite professional reviewers matter less with every passing day.

Customer Comments

The last few decades have seen a radical shift not only in our technology, but in our attitude toward authority. As a society, we show less and less respect for the opinions of an enlightened few; we prefer to get our data from our peers.

And technology supports that. You can see it in action at Wikipedia, and you can see it even more clearly at the Internet’s favorite place to shop: Amazon.com. Amazon built its empire on two utterly interdependent things:

  1. An overwhelmingly large selection of consumer goods and
  2. Convenient tools for finding what you want within the sea of stuff

Recommendations and “Also Bought”s are cornerstones of that process, but the most popular feature among buyers is the customer comment list. You can read what other shoppers found when they took a chance on a new product, or see what they might recommend as an alternative to the brand you know and loathe.

Customer comments at sites like Amazon are powerful tools for selling books. A single customer review, good or bad, might mean an immediate  30% shift in sales. I’ve seen that firsthand with Taming Fire.

So if you like a book, please tell the world. It’s as good as putting money in the author’s pocket.

Reviews across the Web

Of course, there is a middle ground between professional reviews and customer comments. There is a rising class of serious reviewers on the web.

Many of them have their own sites dedicated to their book reviews, but others simply post at Amazon or Barnes and Noble, at Goodreads or Shelfari. The best post everywhere.

These hybrids, these book review blogs, are rising now to the prestigious role the major papers used to fill. And the reviewers are discovering the benefits that come to those who can reliably write good reviews. It’s not just the thrill of sharing your opinion with the world.

Anyone who makes a habit of recommending books in public will soon find books pouring in for free. And not just free, but often early! Advance Reading Copies might show up weeks or months before the book becomes available to the public.

Publishers are making deals with book review bloggers (even my tiny indie publishing house, Consortium Books), and savvy authors are submitting their own books to get some buzz.

That’s all happening because we understand how much we need the fans. A finished book is only half a work of art. Without an audience, it’s just a bunch of letters.

So spread the word. Get the message out wherever you have a voice. Recommend the books you love, and the world will be a better place. That’s what happens whenever you make art.

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Five Ways to Support Your Favorite Writer

By Aaron Pogue on Thursday, June 14, 2012

I’m an indie writer. You might have heard of me. Thanks to Amazon’s recommendation engines, the first two books in my epic fantasy series, The Dragonprince Trilogy, have sold more than 100,000 copies in less than a year.

That self-publishing success has allowed me to quit my day job, found a publishing company, and offer advice and insight to the indie writer community.

I’ve accomplished all that without spending a dime on any kind of advertising. I’ve done it without much in the way of a social media presence. I’ve done it with a good story, some good sales copy…and good friends. Now I’d like to share a brief overview of the many ways my fans have contributed to my success.

A Marketing Team

I have to give credit where it’s due. I have the assistance of a fellow writer with professional experience in PR and marketing who helps with sales text on every book I release. He is my official Marketing Team.

But I’ve got an unofficial team, too. That’s my friends and family. It’s my fans. It’s everyone who took a chance on this indie writer, decided they liked my style, and recommended me to the world.

Today, I want to talk to the fans out there. Not just my fans; any fans. I want to tell you how you can support the writers you love.

Every writer will benefit from these things, but none more than the indie writers still trying to break in.

A Checklist: How to Support Your Favorite Writers…

All these things could benefit from additional explanation, and I’ll get to that in time. Many of these things require some initial work by the author or publisher. Trust me, I’m advising all the writers to get that going, too.

But for now, in brief, here are the things you can do to support your favorite writers:

1. With Your Appreciation

  • Recommend their books to your friends. (This is the easiest, most obvious, and by far the most powerful thing you can do.)
  • Write reviews of the stories you’ve read. (This is probably the second most powerful, thanks to the internet.) You can share your reviews:
  • Write fanmail! Tell your favorite writers that they’re your favorite writers, and I guarantee you’ll make their day.
  • Request Advance Reading Copies! I’ve just completed a limited offer of ARCs of The Dragonprince’s Heir at my author page, but if you’re willing to promise a public review, many writers will be happy to provide an ARC just for asking.

2. With Your Internet Presence

3. With Your Talents

  • If you find you enjoy writing reviews, start a book review blog. Make a hobby of it.
  • Create and share fan art. If you really want to support a writer, you might even let him use your fan art for promotional purposes.
  • Share promotional text. Writers always have a hard time coming up with good sales copy for their own work. If you’ve got the knack, write sales pitches for the books you like best. Again, if you’re feeling extra generous, you might even let the writer use your sales pitch on the book’s product page.

4. With Your Money

  • Buy the books. Buy the short stories. Download free editions. Every sale counts, both in royalties and in visibility.
  • Gift the books. Print books have always been a popular gift items, but most e-book stores also make it easy to send a gift copy with just an email address. These count as sales and recommendations!
  • Buy the swag, if it’s available. Bumper stickers and t-shirts and high-rez, poster-sized maps of the story worlds are yours for the asking!
  • Leave a tip! Some writers have donation links on their websites. It’s a good way to keep them writing.
  • If your favorite writer runs any kind of charity drive or donation campaign, get involved.
  • Support the publisher. Many indie writers work within small publishing groups, and you can really help your favorite author by buying other books from within that group. (You might find some great new writers, too.)
  • In the same sense, support the books your favorite writer recommends.

5. With Your Time

  • Add their books to lists (Best Indie Writers, Books that Make You Go, “Wow!”, Most Interesting Magic System, etc). Some popular sites that feature these kinds of lists:
  • Tag their books at Amazon with relevant search terms.

If you’re not sure how to do some of these things, focus on the ones you already know. If you don’t have time to do it all, do the things you’re best at or the ones that sound most fun–or just focus on the quickest and easiest. Every item on that list is worthwhile and supportive.

And to all the authors reading this: If your fans can’t do some of these things, help them out! Make it as easy as possible, and they’ll make you a bestselling author.

What Did I Miss?

I know that’s not a complete list. I’m hoping to find time to expand on these topics in dedicated posts soon, but if you help me expand them first, those posts will be even more valuable.

Share your favorite grassroots marketing techniques in the comments below. I’d love to get them all in one place.

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Some Simple Advice for the Novice Storyteller

By Aaron Pogue on Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Part of my job these days–my actual job, for which I get paid–is being a writing coach. Obviously that’s most of the motivation for this site, too. And now that I’m finding some success as an indie writer, I even have fans contacting me to ask for tips on getting started as a storyteller.

I received one such question this morning on Facebook, and I answered him on the spot. If you want to get started writing, here’s the easiest way to do it:

  1. Start with a hero (your protagonist), then figure out something your hero really desperately wants. Make it absolutely clear to the reader that the hero would do anything to get this thing, then keep him from getting it until the end of the story.
  2. Give yourself a villain. It’s like giving yourself a Christmas present. Storytelling is so much easier with a definite antagonist. Put someone in the story who desperately wants to make sure the hero doesn’t get the goal you described in item 1. Introduce the antagonist often, and keep him in the story throughout.
  3. Write in simple past tense. Write in third-person, and stick close to a single character’s point of view for the whole story (third-person limited). Tell the story in order from start to finish, and tell each scene in order from start to finish.

Now…I’m not trying to provide the absolute definition of a “good story.” There are brilliant stories told in first-person present tense with reverse chronology, where the protagonist’s goal shifts from scene to scene, and the antagonist is a wide array of interchangeable villains but, deep down, the real antagonist is the hero himself. And, y’know, I made my fortune on a first-person narrative.

So these rules aren’t meant to reveal the right way to write a story. This is the easy way. Once you’re a master storyteller, you can experiment with variations, but following these rules lets you focus on the story. (Otherwise, you’ll get distracted with the telling.)

But if you commit to following these rules, then writing gets a lot easier. From a completely blank page, you dive right into describing the things in item 1 (introduce your protagonist, and introduce his goal), and as soon as possible you threaten him with the introduction of the antagonist. After that, the story should just roll from conflict to conflict until the protagonist finally gets what he wants.

Then you write “The End” on a line by itself, and you’re done. Voila! You’re a storyteller.

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My Books and the Public Domain

By Aaron Pogue on Monday, June 4, 2012

I’ve been kinda silent here for a while, mainly because I’ve been so busy finishing up my Master’s degree and then planning a KickStarter campaign to change the world.

Is this the first time I’ve mentioned the KickStarter campaign around here? Well, hang on to something, because I’m about to blow your mind.

You might remember that last December I ran a campaign asking fans to contribute to the production costs of releasing The Dragonswarm, but this time I’m far more ambitious. This time I’m asking supporters to help the Consortium acquire all rights to the final book in the trilogy, so we can release it into the public domain from day one. I’m trying to demonstrate the noble consequences of patronage in action.

We’re putting everything we’ve got into that KickStarter campaign. We drafted a press release and sent it out to hundreds of local and internet media sites. I’m sending emails to everyone I know and talking about it constantly on Twitter and Facebook. Today I even rebuilt all my published fantasy stories with a little promo in the back exhorting readers to check out the KickStarter site.

And last Friday we got our first hit on the press releases. Passive Voice Blog, one of my favorite sources for indie publishing news, ran an excerpt early Friday morning under the headline, “Digital Revolution Renders Copyright Obsolete.”

Saying that to a crowd of writers really ruffled some feathers. I spent all day Friday fielding comments and ended up responding a couple more times over the weekend. All told, the post remained one of the most popular posts at Passive Voice Blog all weekend (and is even now), and it drew nearly 100 comments.

I didn’t find a friendly crowd there, but I did find a phenomenal opportunity to refine my message. I probably heard every objection I’m likely to hear from an artist-type (over and over again, and expressed with surprising vehemence at times), and it was encouraging that every objection they brought was something I’d considered. Nothing any of them said really rattled me.

It was an exciting debate. Several people have told me that it made for some entertaining and enlightening reading, so if you’re at all interested in the role of copyright and the arts, go check it out.

Digital Revolution Renders Copyright Obsolete

Oh! And swing by my KickStarter campaign, too. Donate a buck or two, and spread the word to everyone you know. This is all about the message.

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