Posts by J.C. Hutchins
Last month, I explained the circuitous route my thriller novel, 7th Son: Descent, took to finally getting in print . . . and then outlined the ambitious online promotional campaign I’d crafted for the book’s debut. The post was so danged long, Writer Unboxed had to break it into two parts!
Find part one here. Find part two here.
We’re a month into the book’s life out in the wild. I’d like to share some results, and some conclusions I’ve made so far.
In case you didn’t read those two posts linked above, here’s the super-quick recap: In 2005, I realized the 1,200-page thriller I’d spent three years writing and editing didn’t have the proverbial snowball’s chance of being published. Convinced the story had value, I rebranded the book as a trilogy, turned to the Internet, and released the first act as “Book One: Descent” as a free serialized audiobook. Tens of thousands of folks showed up, enjoyed it, and cheered me on. I released the second and third acts the same way. Eventually, I got on the radar at St. Martin’s Press, inked a deal for the series’ first novel, and here we are.
7th Son: Descent is a trade paperback original. I’m not a competitive person by nature, but I knew I’d be squaring off against other original trades, as well as books that were once in hardcover, now “ported” to trade paperback. This eliminated Bestseller opportunities. I also knew that my publisher wasn’t putting forth money for co-op (valuable placement on the front tables / displays in bookstores), and would publicize 7th Son: Descent as much — if not more than — a typical fiction newcomer.
My personal promotion for the print release was pretty ambitious:
• A free prequel short story anthology, released as serialized audio
• Free music “written and performed” by a character in the book
• A completely re-recorded, free serialized audiobook of the print manuscript, released at my site and three others
• Free fan updates with “street team” missions and prizes
• Free serialized PDFs of the book, released at my site and one other
• A free serialized “blog text” version of the book at BoingBoing.net
• A 10-chapter PDF excerpt released on 20 sites
• A program that rewarded fans for multiple book purchases
• Mucho pitches to blogs, podcasts and mainstream media
As we roll into December, only one aspect of my promotion and outreach has yet to be realized: the mainstream media outreach. That begins today, actually. But the rest of the machine has been chugging along for more than a month. Before I get to what I can share about sales results, I’ll provide the results of the outreach itself:
Read MoreKath here. Yesterday, valued contributor and master innovator JC Hutchins blogged about unboxed, low budget and downright brilliant ways for writers to promote their books. We split the post into two parts because there were too many goodies in just one and the post, erm, broke our blog a little bit. ;)
His post today picks up from yesterday’s. Enjoy and be awestruck.
Novel content
I’m fortunate to be working with some cool folks at St. Martin’s Press, who are granting me great latitude with my promotion. They permitted me to release the full text of the novel in weekly serialized podcast and PDF formats at my site. Fans who enjoy audiobooks now receive free weekly doses of the novel (and in-podcast encouragement to support the book’s release). The PDFs resonate with folks who prefer to read their fiction (each PDF features links to online retailers, my website, and even a printable order form that they can present to their favorite brick-and-mortar bookseller). The content has high value from an entertainment standpoint, and provides avenues for book sales.
Fan-powered content
I’m also releasing weekly “fan update” podcasts. These are audio reports that feature timely updates on the status of my book . More important, they feature feedback from my fans. Using a free Google Voice account, I created the “Clone Line,” a voicemail system that permits fans to leave phone messages, which I play on these episodes. My peeps are empowered with an opportunity to connect with me and the community, and I get to gush about their support. Toss in weekly evangelical “street team” missions with signed books as prizes, and you’ve got some killer entertainment.
Let me tell you what I’m doing right now. It ain’t pretty, but it’s the truth — and we writers quest to be honest with ourselves, the worlds we create, and the words we use.
It’s butterfly-kissing midnight. I’ve lit my umpteenth cigarette of the day. I’m guzzling a bottle of Diet Coke. I’m working on four hours of sleep (as I have, each day, for the past month). I’m into my fourteenth hour of working non-stop. I could scrub pans with the stubble I’m sporting. My attention span has been reduced to that of a hummingbird’s.
And I stink. Man … do I stink.
As I write this, I am one week away from my book launch. I wrote a novel about seven human clones. It took me seven years to get here. And now, it’s seven days away. I’d ponder the lovely symmetry of that, had I the time.
But I don’t. I’m working it. Shakin’ it. Just as I believe I was put on this planet to tell tall tales, I believe I’m ethically obligated to do everything I can to make my book a success. I swung for the bleachers when I wrote the sonuvagun; I owe it the same level of dedication when it’s out in the wild. Your work does, too.
Revving yourself to the red line isn’t sustainable, but more important, it’s wrongheaded if the promotional campaign you have in place isn’t well-conceived. Your time, energy and money are precious commodities; how and where you spend them largely determines the fate of your work’s success.
Read MorePlease welcome J.C. to Writer Unboxed! This is his first official post with us as a monthly contributor, and we are thrilled to have him.
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There comes a point in the life of your Work In Progress when — hot dog! — it’s no longer a Work In Progress. The sucker’s done, you did it … heck, you frickin’ nailed it, and the time has come to query agents, or present it to your agent or editor, or self-publish. The rest of this essay assumes that your work will resonate with the appropriate gatekeepers, and soon soar beyond your grasp, off into the world, to be consumed by an audience.
This distribution could come in the form of a big-name publisher, an indie press, DIY-fueled print on demand, self-recorded audio podcast, home-brewed blog serialization … whatever. Point is, it’ll be out there. But unless you’re blessed with an existing audience (fancy-pants publishers call this a “platform,” though I prefer the term “wicked awesome fans”), few people are going to know about it. Your brilliant tale is bobbing in a sea of other brilliant tales. Your signal is lost in all that noise.
To leave the success of your work completely in the hands of a publisher publicist is foolish; that professional may be talented, but he’s pimping at least twenty other books this month, and is spread so thin, he gives Laffy Taffy a run for its money. To believe that random word of mouth alone will differentiate your stuff from other novelists’ is equally wrongheaded; how can people gab about something they don’t know exists? You’re a writer, which means you’re probably broke, so self-funded ads are out of the question. And doggone it, Oprah isn’t returning your calls.
There’s a dozen-dozen ways to combat the great enemy Obscurity — but this month, I recommend making friends. It’s good for business.
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