Welcome to Biting-Edge, a blog shared by authors and vampire experts, Mario Acevedo and Jeanne Stein. We’ll cover urban fantasy, vampires, pop culture, and all things Joss Whedon. Unlike other fantasy blogs, we don’t insist on body cavity searches (unless you ask politely). Snarkiness is most welcome...though we won't promise not to bite back!
Sunday, September 09, 2012
The marketing road to nowhere
Mario here:
Another Colorado Gold conference is in the rear view mirror. Gold conference number 30 to be exact. It was another welcome opportunity to reunite with writer friends and get all wonky about writing commercial fiction. The Saturday keynote speaker, NYT romance author Jodi Thomas, had us laughing as she spun her tale of going from rejected wannabe to making the "List." Sunday's farewell speaker, Debra Dixon, shared her stories of getting published, dealing with a rotten review, and making the transition from author to publisher.
And next:
Newly published novelist Rudy Ch. Garcia hosts his book launch signing at El Centro Su Teatro's Civic Theater, Sunday, Sept 16, 5pm. Go show him some love.
There's no doubt that the growing phenomenon of eBooks is changing the structure of the publishing industry. One concern among both writers and readers is the trend to rush a manuscript into epublication before the book is ready. The big question is: How can you tell? If you've been through the ordeal of submitting query letters and getting rejections, then it's tempting to avoid that heartache by publishing the work yourself. After all, there are plenty of writers who've done rather well self-publishing on Amazon and Nook. Hugh Howey, Elle Lothlorien, and Lynda Hilburn are three good examples.
With that thought, I was drawn to the blog by Penny C. Sansvieri addressing 7 Signs That You're Not Ready to Publish, thinking she'd shed much needed light on the topic. Sadly, no.
What most bothered me was this:
2. You haven't researched your market or genre: This is another biggie and oddly enough, very often overlooked. Do you know what's selling in your industry? Who else is writing about your topic? Have you bought or read their books? It's important to know what's trending in your market, what's selling and what isn't. It's always good to read other people's work because you really want to know how others are addressing the topic that you're going to be writing about. Not only that, but these could be great people to network with.
If you're a novelist, chasing trends will lead you nowhere. Writing a novel can take months or even years. Unless your book is gonna get fast-tracked by the publisher, expect at least a year between submitting the manuscript to your editor and seeing the book on the shelf. Remember the zombie mash-ups a few years back? The pipeline for the first of those books was greased before the initial word doc was created. But the market dried up in a hurry and I know of one author who got burned in the process. Right now we're in the middle of Fifty Shades mania and it'll be interesting to see how hot that market remains.
Years ago, we were told that Anne Rice had written everything the public wanted about vampires. The market for undead bloodsuckers was, well, dead. Then Twilight and True Blood kicked that idea in the ass.
I've attended a few How-To-Market-Your-Book-Using-Social-Media workshops and what was missing from every seminar was the most crucial aspect about writing a book. Which is: Write a Good Book. Nowhere in Sanvieri's blog does she mention the importance of writing a good book, or more simply, writing something worth reading. You could say that's an obvious assumption, but we writers know that there's a reason that writing is called opening a vein. Putting words together to make a coherent and compelling story is hard work. If it was as easy as pulling the marketing levers and getting your fiction onto the bestseller list, then every novel would be a winner.
Why do marketers harp so much on marketing your book? First of all, marketing is what they know best and that's the prism through which they see the world. Two, it's easy to set up a marketing plan and quantify your efforts. Do A. Then B. C. etc., and pretend you're doing something useful for your writing career. But no one has yet to quantify what makes a book "a good book" before it is written. Amanda Hocking is touted as a writer who marketed her way to success. But all her work wouldn't have mattered if her books hadn't resonated with her readers. You may go down the Write-A-Bestseller-Checklist and still end up with a turkey.
Remember what W. Somerset Maugham said about writing:
"There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are."
Don't let the marketing experts make you spin your wheels when your most important function as a writer is to write a good book. And forget that stupid 80/20 advice that you should spend 80 percent of your time marketing and 20 percent actually writing.
Does this mean you ignore marketing? Of course not. There's no point in publishing a book if no one hears about it.
But the best way to promote your current book is to write the next one.
So write and write well.
Don't forget, if you're in L.A. next weekend, catch me at ComiKaze Expo.
Another Colorado Gold conference is in the rear view mirror. Gold conference number 30 to be exact. It was another welcome opportunity to reunite with writer friends and get all wonky about writing commercial fiction. The Saturday keynote speaker, NYT romance author Jodi Thomas, had us laughing as she spun her tale of going from rejected wannabe to making the "List." Sunday's farewell speaker, Debra Dixon, shared her stories of getting published, dealing with a rotten review, and making the transition from author to publisher.
And next:
Newly published novelist Rudy Ch. Garcia hosts his book launch signing at El Centro Su Teatro's Civic Theater, Sunday, Sept 16, 5pm. Go show him some love.There's no doubt that the growing phenomenon of eBooks is changing the structure of the publishing industry. One concern among both writers and readers is the trend to rush a manuscript into epublication before the book is ready. The big question is: How can you tell? If you've been through the ordeal of submitting query letters and getting rejections, then it's tempting to avoid that heartache by publishing the work yourself. After all, there are plenty of writers who've done rather well self-publishing on Amazon and Nook. Hugh Howey, Elle Lothlorien, and Lynda Hilburn are three good examples.
With that thought, I was drawn to the blog by Penny C. Sansvieri addressing 7 Signs That You're Not Ready to Publish, thinking she'd shed much needed light on the topic. Sadly, no.
What most bothered me was this:
2. You haven't researched your market or genre: This is another biggie and oddly enough, very often overlooked. Do you know what's selling in your industry? Who else is writing about your topic? Have you bought or read their books? It's important to know what's trending in your market, what's selling and what isn't. It's always good to read other people's work because you really want to know how others are addressing the topic that you're going to be writing about. Not only that, but these could be great people to network with.
If you're a novelist, chasing trends will lead you nowhere. Writing a novel can take months or even years. Unless your book is gonna get fast-tracked by the publisher, expect at least a year between submitting the manuscript to your editor and seeing the book on the shelf. Remember the zombie mash-ups a few years back? The pipeline for the first of those books was greased before the initial word doc was created. But the market dried up in a hurry and I know of one author who got burned in the process. Right now we're in the middle of Fifty Shades mania and it'll be interesting to see how hot that market remains.
Years ago, we were told that Anne Rice had written everything the public wanted about vampires. The market for undead bloodsuckers was, well, dead. Then Twilight and True Blood kicked that idea in the ass.
I've attended a few How-To-Market-Your-Book-Using-Social-Media workshops and what was missing from every seminar was the most crucial aspect about writing a book. Which is: Write a Good Book. Nowhere in Sanvieri's blog does she mention the importance of writing a good book, or more simply, writing something worth reading. You could say that's an obvious assumption, but we writers know that there's a reason that writing is called opening a vein. Putting words together to make a coherent and compelling story is hard work. If it was as easy as pulling the marketing levers and getting your fiction onto the bestseller list, then every novel would be a winner.
Why do marketers harp so much on marketing your book? First of all, marketing is what they know best and that's the prism through which they see the world. Two, it's easy to set up a marketing plan and quantify your efforts. Do A. Then B. C. etc., and pretend you're doing something useful for your writing career. But no one has yet to quantify what makes a book "a good book" before it is written. Amanda Hocking is touted as a writer who marketed her way to success. But all her work wouldn't have mattered if her books hadn't resonated with her readers. You may go down the Write-A-Bestseller-Checklist and still end up with a turkey.
Remember what W. Somerset Maugham said about writing:
"There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are."
Does this mean you ignore marketing? Of course not. There's no point in publishing a book if no one hears about it.
But the best way to promote your current book is to write the next one.
So write and write well.
Don't forget, if you're in L.A. next weekend, catch me at ComiKaze Expo.
Labels: Colorado Gold, Rudy Ch. Garcia, Sansvieri. W. Somerset Maugham
¶ posted by Mario Acevedo @ 8:10 PM 11 comments
Sunday, September 02, 2012
Mood music and Comikaze Expo
Mario here:
One thing we writers strive to create in our stories is mood, especially in noir fiction. I like the murky ambiance surrounding sketchy characters with dubious motives. Musicians also like to create mood and if there is one singer who can conjure the type of shadowed emotions that I like to color my stories with, it would have to be Tom Waits. Listen to his songs and you can almost smell the discarded cigarettes, spilled beer, and desperation.
Another crooner who also does a great job striking the moody chord is Kathy Kosins.
When I listen to her croon "Don't Wait Up For Me" I want to lie back at night and ease my regrets with a glass of scotch (the plume from a lit cigarette catching the intermittent glow of a neon sign down the street would complete the romantic image but I don't smoke).
If you write, then you can't help but deal with bouts of melancholia, and when that happens, there is a remedy for you. Next week is Colorado Gold, the annual writers conference of the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, and catch Jeanne Stein, Warren Hammond, and me presenting the workshop, How to Keep Writing While the World is Kicking Your Ass. Believe me, all three of us have mighty big bruises on our trim little butts and yet we keep on writing.
The following week I'll be a guest at the ComiKaze-Comic, Anime, Gaming, Sci-Fi, Fanatsy and Horror Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Judging from the line-up, I seem to be a token novelist. (A book? Not a graphic novel? There are no pictures. Is it like a screenplay? What's with all the extra words?) The con will be packed with guest artists, graphic novel writers, screenwriters, animators, all schmoozing under the benevolent eye of the comic god hisself, Stan Lee. Zomie! Bam! Pow!
Still not impressed? Then check out this partial list of Featured Guests:
Elvira, Mistress of the Dark
Adam West
Burt Ward
Julie Newmar
Lou Ferrigno
Ron Glass
Linda Blair
Morgan Fairchild
One thing we writers strive to create in our stories is mood, especially in noir fiction. I like the murky ambiance surrounding sketchy characters with dubious motives. Musicians also like to create mood and if there is one singer who can conjure the type of shadowed emotions that I like to color my stories with, it would have to be Tom Waits. Listen to his songs and you can almost smell the discarded cigarettes, spilled beer, and desperation.
Another crooner who also does a great job striking the moody chord is Kathy Kosins.
When I listen to her croon "Don't Wait Up For Me" I want to lie back at night and ease my regrets with a glass of scotch (the plume from a lit cigarette catching the intermittent glow of a neon sign down the street would complete the romantic image but I don't smoke).
If you write, then you can't help but deal with bouts of melancholia, and when that happens, there is a remedy for you. Next week is Colorado Gold, the annual writers conference of the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, and catch Jeanne Stein, Warren Hammond, and me presenting the workshop, How to Keep Writing While the World is Kicking Your Ass. Believe me, all three of us have mighty big bruises on our trim little butts and yet we keep on writing.
Still not impressed? Then check out this partial list of Featured Guests:
Elvira, Mistress of the Dark
Adam West
Burt Ward
Julie Newmar
Lou Ferrigno
Ron Glass
Linda Blair
Morgan Fairchild
Labels: Colorado Gold, Comikaze, Elvira, Stan Lee
¶ posted by Mario Acevedo @ 8:44 PM 8 comments
Sunday, September 11, 2011
It was Gold!
Mario here:
Another Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Colorado Gold conference has come and gone. Like the rest of the US, we looked back at where we were ten years ago during 9/11. Our invited agents and editors were stuck in place as a result of the nation-wide lock down of the airlines. We had discussed canceling the conference but decided that the show must go on. It was understandably a subdued event, but those of us who managed to make the conference bonded for much needed camaraderie and laughs.
Fast-forward ten years~this conference was one of the best ever, a fabulous weekend crammed with workshops and festivities. Congratulations to the contest finalists and winners.
Besides reacquainting with old writing pals and making new friends, there were the wonderful panels as well as the copious consumption of alcohol. (Surprise!)
Two celebrations were the awarding of the much anticipated WOTY pins to our Writers Of The Year. And huzzah to Robin Owens for her second WOTY!
During the awards banquet, I was reading the program and wondering when and if I would ever be worthy of a Jasmine Award. Bestselling author Jasmine Creswell is one the the founders of RMFW and graciously set up the award to honor a member for Exemplary Leadership and Service to RMFW. So I was stunned to learn I was this year's recipient. May I remain worthy.
There was much to learn at the conference, and much to relearn: like people at breakfast are a lot more interesting when you're drinking mimosas.
Another Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Colorado Gold conference has come and gone. Like the rest of the US, we looked back at where we were ten years ago during 9/11. Our invited agents and editors were stuck in place as a result of the nation-wide lock down of the airlines. We had discussed canceling the conference but decided that the show must go on. It was understandably a subdued event, but those of us who managed to make the conference bonded for much needed camaraderie and laughs.
Fast-forward ten years~this conference was one of the best ever, a fabulous weekend crammed with workshops and festivities. Congratulations to the contest finalists and winners.
Besides reacquainting with old writing pals and making new friends, there were the wonderful panels as well as the copious consumption of alcohol. (Surprise!)
Two celebrations were the awarding of the much anticipated WOTY pins to our Writers Of The Year. And huzzah to Robin Owens for her second WOTY!
During the awards banquet, I was reading the program and wondering when and if I would ever be worthy of a Jasmine Award. Bestselling author Jasmine Creswell is one the the founders of RMFW and graciously set up the award to honor a member for Exemplary Leadership and Service to RMFW. So I was stunned to learn I was this year's recipient. May I remain worthy.
There was much to learn at the conference, and much to relearn: like people at breakfast are a lot more interesting when you're drinking mimosas.
See you next year!
Labels: Colorado Gold, Jasmine Creswell, WOTY
¶ posted by Mario Acevedo @ 3:46 PM 14 comments
Sunday, September 12, 2010
I love my junk
Mario here:
The Closing Speaker, the entertaining and irreverent (and multiple Hugo and Nebula-award winning) Connie Willis (R). Best bit of advice: Write a television screenplay so you can watch soap operas and it's research.
Mario here:
Big report on the 2010 Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Colorado Gold conference. But first:
The winner of the Hailey Lind drawing is Barbara E. Congratulations!
Another Colorado Gold conference has come and gone. This was my fourteenth. It was a great time to hook up with old friends like YA mystery writer pal, Bonnie Ramthun and hubby, Bill.
...and make new ones. We had a fantastic crop of newbie attendees like Mireyah Wolfe. She found the Gold conference via the League of Relunctant Adults blog.
Our 2010 Writer of the Year, Holt Medallion winner and Willa Finalist Pam Nowak, gave the Kickoff Speech.
The Keynote Speaker was NYT and USA Today bestseller Brenda Novak (L), who wowed us with her speech about the need to pace yourself and not give up in spite of the odds or the competition. That, and don't piss off a female mountain biker.
The Closing Speaker, the entertaining and irreverent (and multiple Hugo and Nebula-award winning) Connie Willis (R). Best bit of advice: Write a television screenplay so you can watch soap operas and it's research.Small world. Jeanne and I were singing the praises of a certain leaguer when long-time RMFWer Sharon Mignerey (L) said, "I know Nicole Peeler (R), she's my MFA professor at Seton Hill."
Jeanne and Laura Reeve signing at the book sale.
Seeing as this was a writers' conference, most of the action happened...where else? Around the booze. The hospitality suite party used to be more of a wine and beer schmooze. A few years back I suggested that we add Margaritas, which meant I was the designated operator of the blender. The next year we switched to Daiquiris, the following year, back to Margaritas. Last year we offered a full bar, and this year we had pretty much any kind of hootch with which to punish your liver. Most requested cocktail? The vintage and potent, Tequila Sunrise.
My work station where I served as the Ambassador of Happiness.
Not surprisingly the crowds have migrated from the hotel bar ($$$) to the hospitality suite (free likker) with the commensurate amount of ribaldry. Here's some of the drunken shenanigans in play before hotel security arrived to warn us about the noise. Damn writers!
The bar conversation of every con seems to circle a theme, in this case the discussion spiraled back to: I love my junk. You're free to guess the topic.
Labels: Brenda Novak, Colorado Gold, Connie Willis, Hailey Lind
¶ posted by Mario Acevedo @ 7:15 PM 8 comments
