I read this rant from author extraordinaire Harry Connolly today about the era of the social artist and I was inspired to let loose the floodgates of my own angst. I’ve been wanting to say this for a while — namely, to talk about why I’ve stopped giving advice and totally dropped the writer’s platform and blah, blah, blah.

The reality of being an author is that you have to focus not only on words, but numbers. Where is your money coming from? If you have a steady job like I do, then you can afford to take risks, because you’re not relying on every word to pay or every book to sell. The number of Twitter followers you have does not pay you in dollars; that may have an intrinsic or extrinsic value, but you don’t *have* to be popular on social media to make money. In fact, there are many popular places online that solely survive on venture capital. Internet zeitgeist is (to be blunt) WRONG on many things. It’s a pretty dream, but the reality is that people can lose their shirts if they waste time on things that don’t pay.

Authors don’t have the luxury of venture capital anymore. Oh wait… That’s wrong… Why, yes there is a model in place to give authors some money to live while they write their next book. (This is what the publisher’s “advance” was intended to be. But even that’s changing.) So, to make money, what is an author supposed to do? Market while writing their book? Or market their book after the fact? Or both? Obviously, that depends on the writer and the publisher, but marketing is its own form of work.

The biggest problem a lot of folks have right now is that everyone is so focused on the immediate gain they are completely missing the long-term picture. We’re throwing the marketing onus on authors to reach readers, but the average reader doesn’t care about an author’s blog. It comes back to that beautiful lovely book they want to buy about “X.” Or does it? WITHOUT PROPER DATA IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO KNOW WHAT SELLS BOOKS. Who has that data? You? Me?

*shakes head* No, the publishers do after a fashion and the eCommerce sites/retailers do because that’s what they specialize in. Even then, though, there’s long form data and immediate that comes from web analytics on a large, large scale. So the methodology or business model for the rest of us is “Let’s throw everything at the audience and see what sticks, because the internet is popular.” Yes, you can get anecdotal data, but you need direct numbers. I see these in almost every aspect of what I do and the conversion numbers would shock you. Every bit does help, but you need a lot of bits for them to matter!

A vocal minority of book lovers do absolutely love and benefit from all the effort and energy that is being dumped on them from author and publisher websites. And yes, I believe absolutely that these readers need to be nurtured, rewarded, and loved. (Yes, this is where some of these demands on an author’s time come from. Also, this is where a lot of the: “But you can do Kickstarter, this, that, etc. and you’ll be just fine!” beliefs originate from, too.) That doesn’t mean, however, that the general public or masses give a crap about your blog or your articles. Popularity can have an effect provided that persona has long-term sustainability and reach. Internet trends come and go very, very quickly once a particular topic or persona reaches an apex. It could take months of beating down blogs or sites to get a link on a popular site but guess what? That traffic isn’t always sustainable. These aren’t regular readers. These are people who are enamored by the topic of that one post. If you don’t have a good book then you don’t have ANYTHING. The work *has* to feed your platform and vice versa.

The uncertainty of the publishing industry, moreso than any other reason, is what is causing people to freak out and make demands. Sometimes, the people doing that are agents. Other times? Fans or authors or editors or family members (who don’t read) or whoever. But when your zeitgeist is based on confusion and not strong, supportive analysis then the acts you take can really and truly mess you up — even publishers!

Take me, for example. You want to know why I’m not pushing the marketing of self? Because I do not have the novels (plural) out there for readers to pick up. That’s why. Someone says: “What do you write? How can I support your work?” So far, in fiction I have published short stories, game material, and two novellas that I deeply and truly love — but it’s not like hooking a reader onto “a” book or “a” series. The short stories are my marketing tools, a sample of the range and depth and breadth of what I can do, but they aren’t a good way for me to support myself as an author. They’re just not as lucrative as novels.

Every writer has to make their own decisions about what is going to work for them. Same goes for every editor and every publisher, too. Do I believe the industry is evil? NO. Do I believe some publishers (and authors, too!) are having a hard time incorporating new technology and navigating the fluctuating changes? YES. Does any of this have an affect on my work? NO. Will it change what I do business-wise? DEPENDS.

Really, all this means is that I have to write more (and keep writing). Do I have a plan? YES. Will it require the sacrifice of neighborhood children and the summoning of an Elder God? Erm… Let me get back to you on that.

Everything else — including the zeitgeist’s demands on my time — is secondary.

Mood: Studious with a tough of magic.
Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: The bull is red. THE BULL IS RED.
Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Short walk.
In My Ears: The dryer.
Game Last Played: Star Wars Battlefront
Movie Last Viewed: Harry Potter as part of a marathon
Latest Artistic Project: Cross-stitch
Latest Release: “Don’t Ignore Your Dead” included in Don’t Read This Book for the Don’t Rest Your Head RPG

There are a lot of e-readers out on the market, but I am still not satisfied with the reading experience. I feel like the goal of e-readers now, is to get as many into the hands of people as possible, to get readers used to skimming through page after page in that particular format. Then, we’ll eventually see the format wars. As a friend of mine aptly pointed out, it’s just like what happened back in the days of Beta versus VHS.

The problem for me is not the format of the book, but the device itself. I feel there’s a huge component missing — the cover. Now, word of mouth advertising relies on interfacing with other readers online, but not in person. It’s easy to show someone a physical copy of a book when someone says “Hey, what are you reading?” Doesn’t work like that when you’re out in the wild. In fact, I’m less inclined to strike up that conversation now that the answer requires the person to stop reading and tell me what the book is. Since I spot books by their cover, it’s hard for me to remember names all the time — unless I specifically go out looking for one.

What I want, is an eReader that has a screen on the opposite side to display the book cover you’re reading by default. I picture this as a flexible image where you can add your own “book paper” when you’re not reading something. Imagine what that one image could do. No, I don’t want it to be full of advertising (ew!) but a picture can really add something to help boost a book’s visibility and facilitate conversation, too.

I feel that covers are very important and will become increasingly moreso as time goes on. Yes, this is one cover that is (usually) judged. So why not highlight all the great ones that are out there? Certainly, it would make the digital experience all that sweeter for me.

Mood: I’m a cliche.
Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Going to drink my way through a barrel of coffee and then pass out into sweet oblivion.
Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: None due to a stupid, clutzy move.
In My Ears: Star Wars
Game Last Played: Star Wars Battlefront
Movie Last Viewed: Drive
Latest Artistic Project: Cross-stitch
Latest Release: “Don’t Ignore Your Dead” included in Don’t Read This Book for the Don’t Rest Your Head RPG

Today’s post is brought to you by our sponsor — angst. Or rather, the diminishing returns of said emotion.

On with the show…

Every once in a great while there are specific peeves that bug the living bejeezus out of me. And sadly — those tend to fester for months because I do try to be professional as I possibly can. I am rooted in the idea that you just never know what’s going to happen and you shouldn’t treat people like crap. WHICH IS WHY…

The number one thing that pisses me off? Publicly making fun of other authors.

Yeah, I know it’s hard to make a name for yourself out there. But building a “platform” based on your ability to bully other writers — whether they be named or unnamed — is not only cheap, it’s incredibly bad form. Besides being foul to your fellow scribe, let’s see… Oh, could it be that other authors are also readers who could buy your books? Not anymore! Maybe, just maybe, this wouldn’t be such a tough business if we could be a little sweeter and a little nicer to folks who may be going through some tough times. Instead, we have to be negative about what other folks are doing? Sheesh. We’re all in this together. Sink or swim. Do or die. So tell me again why we have to publicly author bash? Could it be, you’re setting a crappy example and you’re opening the door for readers to do it right back to you, too?

For the record: the reality is that NO ONE has the authority to demand where you write, when you write, what you write, or what you claim to write or how — because we ALL know that your career is on YOUR shoulders. No one can MAKE your career happen EXCEPT for YOU. There are folks I never, not even in a million years, would have thought: “Hey, this author can’t possibly make it…” Yet, they did and the reverse is also true!

Yes, there are some things that are a fact — like how talking about writing isn’t getting the words written. Guess what, though… only YOU can determine whether or not that’s true. If you need to boost yourself up by sitting in the middle of a coffee shop or talk yourself up a million times, then good on you! There are a million different paths in publishing and more on the way!

Am I saying that you shouldn’t speak your mind? Have opinions? No, absolutely not. What I’m saying, is that if you want your work to be treated with the respect it deserves, then maybe you should do the same to others, too. We were ALL new writers at some point or another. Forget that, and you turn a blind eye to your own past.

Or, in other words, don’t TEAR DOWN if you want to be BUILT UP.

Mood: Arrrrggghh, it’d be Monday. A blasted day if I ever saw one.
Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Something black, as dark and deep as you ever saw, moreso than my twisted soul.
Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Scrubbing the decks, matey.
In My Ears: Nothing remarkable, to be sure. When the sun sets, I’ll be belting out a good sea shanty with me fine man and a bottle o’ rum. This day can die a terrible death.
Game Last Played: Star Wars Battlefront
Movie Last Viewed: Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
Latest Artistic Project: Cross-stitch
Latest Release: “Don’t Ignore Your Dead” included in Don’t Read This Book for the Don’t Rest Your Head RPG

AHEM. Standing up on my self-promotion soap box today, because The Creepy Cottontail, which is a hybrid fiction/game aide FR Press has been experimenting with, is on sale for less than a gallon of gas. You can see what else you can get for a discount if you visit the DriveThruRPG Sale page.

Now, I’ve talked about this particularly scary rodent in a design essay titled: Inside the New Antagonist, Creepy Cottontail.

What is this antagonist about? Well, think failed ritual plus a pissed off god. Yep, it’s that dry and that sarcastic. I know I find it high-larious, but what can I say? I’ve heard from people directly that they enjoyed the concept and the easter egg located at the end — especially when it first came out!

(As an aside: reviews are always that hard, hard thing to ask for. . . You liked my stuff enough to buy it! Now sell your first-born child and leave a review!)

Anyhoo, thought I might give you a taste of Nyarlathotep. This aide includes a very strange story and I spent longer than usual establishing his character. It includes poetry-as-art text formed in a specific construction on the page. Well, and he’s not a happy god… To be sure…

The Curse of the Yellow Rabbit Excerpt

Iridescent trapezoids twisted high above the Tower of Nyarlathotep in a blistering pink cloud. The geometric shapes moved too quickly for his liking. Was it a sign? Were the Elder Gods angry with him?

Nyarlathotep’s watchful eye traced the fine stitching of the soft floor beneath his feet. Woven from the blackened tongues of traitors and con artists, the Tower reeked of guilt. The stench sickened him. It was time to start building a new temple, a sturdier one. Made of feet, perhaps? Or ribs?

By his calculations, it had been eighty years since the Dark Messenger’s last manifestation on Earth. During his absence, the dreams of mortals twisted away from the slithering darkness, toward soccer balls, annoying television shows and pictures of cats.

Amassing body parts on Earth in the modern age could be troublesome. Over the years, Nyarlathotep gleaned many things from his dream-walks. Wood, ox and stone had been replaced with metal, glass and plastic. Humanity thrived, its population tripled. That fact didn’t worry Nyarlathotep as much as it should have. His concern was simple: his followers were dwindling and he was not sure why.

Even though Nyarlathotep had bent many minds to his will during his last visit, only a handful still called his name. For whatever reason, Earth’s denizens were not as weak as they once were. They were bold and brave and resolute, as if they were gods themselves. By the Old Ones, they even fell in love with monsters — star vampires, mostly — instead of running for their lives.

The Dark Messenger couldn’t help but laugh. The frailty and punishment of mortals was the one thing all gods and creatures agreed upon. Ironic, since they could never figure out what form of torture would work best, just that it needed to be done.

Fortunately, there was one thing all mortals were vulnerable to, one power their minds could not ignore. The Word of Nyarlathotep held sway over their meat-filled minds, provided he took human form.

Find the rest of the story and more about this peculiar antagonist in The Creepy Cottontail.