Andrew Seiple's Blog: Transmissions From the Teslaverse, page 10

Hugh Howey's thoughts on trade publishing

Have you read Hugh Howey's blog? No? Well, it's a good read. You can find it over at http://www.hughhowey.com/

Hugh Howey's a very successful self-published author. He wrote a book called Wool, that got snapped up by a publisher, but he was sitting on quite a successful career before he became a published author. His bio's on the site, it's worth a read if you've got a few minutes.

The man's good. He's also had mixed experience with his forays into trade publishing, and has been an outspoken proponent of self-publishing, ever since.

I bring it up because his September 6 blog post is all about the state of Trade Publishing, and it doesn't look too good to him.

http://www.hughhowey.com/a-peek-behin...

Now... he is a hell of a writer, but I'm not sure just how much of a perspective he's got on big publishing. So take his post with a grain of salt.

That said, I find myself in agreement with what he's saying. The big publishing companies, on the whole, seem to be dropping the ball with ebooks. Remember a few years back, when published ebook prices on Amazon rose inexplicably? That was due to a lawsuit put forward by a major publisher.

What was happening, was that Amazon was marking the prices on published ebooks down. "Aha!" you might think. "No wonder the publisher was upset! They were seeing smaller royalties!"

Funny thing was, they weren't. Amazon was cutting prices down, but they were paying publishers the full royalty amount for the uncut price.

Essentially, they were slashing their own profit margins, and taking a loss.

Why?

Simple. Other ebook vendors couldn't match their prices. Amazon gained market share hand over fist. And with more copies sold, publishing houses were making a hell of a lot of money from Amazon as well. Amazon had set up a win-win situation, for everyone but the other ebook vendors.

So... why the lawsuit?

That, my friends, is a very good question. Because what the lawsuit DID, was pretty much destroy the ebook sales for the major publishing houses. Amazon couldn't adjust the price, so the ebook prices rose to the jacked-up sums that publishing houses demand.

Trade publishing doesn't really seem to GET ebooks. With the exception of Baen, mind you, whose free library project has been a breath of awesome air.

The only explanation I can think of as to why trade publishing blew off their own toes, is that they are trying to limit Amazon's influence by any means possible.

But... well, it didn't work.

The first reason that it failed, was that Amazon had already gotten too much market share for a move like this to matter.

The second reason is because of people like ME.

I put out good quality ebooks for prices that are more of a match for the existing market. I'm just one guy, but I can put out a handful of books a year. And there are many, many people like me, or better than me. And now that the big name publishers are abandoning the field, we're filling the void.

The demand's still out there. Kindle Unlimited wouldn't exist if the demand wasn't there. And for now, at least, we're doing good business. And New York's not seeing a cent of it.

I don't share Hugh's certainty that publishing is going to collapse any time soon. But I am pretty certain that it's going to change. Heck, the grudging acceptance that self-publishing has achieved in six or seven short years is a sign of that, people acknowledging reality.

Hopefully the trade publishers can acknowledge reality, before it's too late. Much as I don't like some of their business practices, they're nice to have around. Besides, I haven't entirely given up my dream of being on bookstore shelves some day...

The plan for the near future

One book completed, and now work starts on the next. This is how it goes in the self-publishing industry, and honestly, I don't mind one bit. The more I write, the better I get. It's like any skill, practice makes perfect.

So what's on the release schedule? I'm glad you asked that, hypothetical reader!

Things will be quiet for a while. Expect a mailing list story at some point, probably the second part of Freeway's origin. After that, in November, I'm going to release an ebook boxed bundle deal of Dire's first three novels, for new readers.

Somewhere around Christmas or January, there may or may not be a new MG Fantasy book set in a new, original world. Working title is "Final Frost", and it's about kid dragons fighting evil and saving their friends.

If the muse is kind, also around that timeframe will be another Fantasy book, this one for more grown-up readers. Think Game of Thrones meets Terry Pratchett's Discworld. But no promises on this one! It might take a few more months to get it juuuuuuust right. We'll see.

And the next Dire book, tentative title "Dire:Wars" should drop around March or April. There will be two more Dire books after that in 2017, and maybe another Teslaverse book if I have time to get it done properly.

So. Yeah.

Gonna be busy for a while.

Y'know what?

I'm looking forward to it!

Writing the Hard Stuff

Without going into details... Dire:Time has some hard scenes in it. Rough things happen, and not everyone gets a happy ending.

This is as it should be.

It was as hard to write as it is to read, guys. But you have to tell the story as it is, even when it gets tragic. Especially then.

But I'm not done, and there are many more stories ahead. This one got heavy, but now... now we can move on to the next arc. A few side projects to clear my head. Fun stuff. No heaviness for a little while. Pinky swear.

And after that? Phase Two of the Teslaverse is a go!

It's out!

After much hard work, many revisions, and a thorough vetting by my A-team of awesome beta readers and editors... Dire:Time is out, and ready for your perusal.

Hope you like golden-age supervillain action, because this one is all about fighting the good fight against the Third Reich!

Well, "good" is a relative term, really, when Dire's involved. Still, I hope you enjoy her struggles against Nazi superscience, the twisted sorcery of the Society of Thule, and some seriously major secrets that will reveal the truth of Dire's past...

Gencon Time!

Ah, Gencon. There's nothing quite like it!

Gencon is the big summer convention in my neck of the woods. Like Origins, it's a gaming convention, but it is bigger and full of much more content than Origins.

Maybe too big, but I'll get to that later on in this post.

Gencon is pretty much North America's premiere industry show for the Roleplaying Game industry, and for no small amount of board game companies as well. Wizards of the Coast, Paizo, Mayfair, and many others strive to unveil new products at Gencon, announce major initiatives there, and go to wave the flag among the teeming hordes of gamer geeks that descend upon Indianapolis every summer to party like they rolled a critical ninety-nine.

I'm not exaggerating about the teeming hordes. The con's gotten huge over the years. Something like sixty thousand people attended last year, filling up the downtown hotels, pumping money into the economy hand over fist, and filling the streets around the convention center with a sea of happy faces. And therein lies the problem...

Gencon's a little too successful.

As big as Indy's downtown is, it's struggling to cope with the influx of people. Hotel rooms sell out years in advance, at inflated prices that people pay without batting an eye because they're worth it. The convention's online room lottery system is a joke that hasn't made it through a single opening day without crashing. And sweet Jesus, the crowds.

It's not undoable, mind you. Even crowded, it's still an awesome experience. But there's a lot of little tricks that you need to learn if you want to do Gencon without bleeding money or getting yourself in a pickle. Here, let me share some tips that I've learned over a decade or so of journeying to the big G.

LOGISTICS

1. Buy your badge ahead of time and get it mailed to you. This will save you having to stand in the will-call lines to pick it up later. Those lines get pretty big.

2. Downtown lodging is best but costly, and you'll need roommates to defray them. The advantage of being able to walk back and forth from the con to your room cannot be understated.

3. Hotels out near the beltway are much cheaper, but will require transportation back and forth. They've tried shuttles before with hit or miss effects, so I don't know if they'll do that again. So either plan to drive yourself or get an Uber or a bus or something.

5. Parking is a pain. A lot of Downtown Indy is devoted to parking, and most of it fills up stupid quick when Gencon starts rolling. Don't expect to get a close parking spot, and if you do, seriously consider leaving your car there through the convention. If you move it you'll probably lose the spot. Also expect to pay a lot for parking, $20-$40 per day at minimum depending on where you go.

6. Driving is also a pain. Indy is crowded even without Gencon. The streets aren't horrible, but August is right in the middle of roadwork season, so usually there's at least one or two locations shut down. Try to avoid driving as much as possible. Most of what you want is within walking distance, or Uber distance, or even by a bus if need be.

7. Go to Indy on Wednesday if you can. Assuming you can handle the expense, book your hotels for Wednesday night too, and get up bright and early on Thursday. Sure, the con proper doesn't start until Thursday, but there's actually a lot of fun stuff going on Wednesday, and even if it's not to your liking then you can always take in a zoo or a museum or a show. Turns out there's a lot of stuff to do in downtown Indy.

8. Most of Downtown Indy's pretty safe during Gencon, but as always, common sense rules for big cities apply. Travel in groups, or stay within sight of passers-by when possible, keep your wallet and valuables in a safe location, and don't loan anybody your phone unless you know them. Lots of bars around the convention center, so be prepared to give people a little leeway if they're drunk. Oh, and you'll run into homeless people. Indy's got a forgiving policy towards the homeless, so you'll usually see at least one person panhandling every couple of blocks. Don't be afraid of them, be polite and pleasant if they talk to you, and if you don't want to give them money tell them "sorry, I can't." By the city rules, they get one attempt to ask, and then they have to back off if you refuse.

At the same time, it's up to you if you want to spare a buck or two. I'm not gonna tell you how to live your life. And if you need directions to a landmark, these guys usually know the streets pretty well; a couple dollars worth of a tip is usually appreciated when they help you get un-lost.

9. Eating during Gencon isn't too hard, actually. For those on the cheap end, the Circle Center mall's just across the way, and the food court there is both inexpensive and fast. Going up the budget scale a bit, the convention center food isn't horrible, and it's right there by your events. There are lines, so try to go during off hours. Head out of the convention center after ten AM or so and you'll find an entire street worth of food trucks over in one corner of Downtown. Lots of good stuff, but again, plan to deal with lines and a bit of a wait. For those who have more time and a bit of a budget, there are lots of good sit-down restaurants throughout Downtown. Some of them are in the hotel complexes too, don't forget. If there's one weakness in the area I've found it's that there aren't too many good dedicated breakfast places, but any one of a myriad of Starbucks shops will be happy to throw something your way there.

On the high end, you've got solid four-star experiences like Fogo De Chao and the high-quality brewhouse and pub food goodness that is a visit to Scotty's. The Ram's also a favorite place, with generous portions and seriously good beer. Just look around, and try different things.

10. Shower. Sweet Jesus, love of god, SHOWER. It's the midwest in August, so it'll be hot, sticky, and you'll be walking all over creation to get to your events. One or two showers a day, minimum, please. Even if you're indoors most of the time there will be crowds, and it will get warm. Everyone will appreciate it, trust me on that.

THE CONVENTION ITSELF

1. You can try to register for the events you want in advance, but this is tricky with the more popular games. Buy about $12 of generic tokens per day you plan to be there, and use them to get into interesting things. True, that means that you may not get into some of the events if everyone who has a ticket shows up, but... well, 75% of the time, when I try to get into an event with generics, it usually works. And if it doesn't, then I'm out nothing but time. Before you leave the convention you can get unused tickets converted back into convention credit for next year, which'll knock dollars off your badge or events, so as long as you're planning to come back then you're not really out anything.

2. The exhibit hall is big. Stupid big, and stupid crowded. Don't plan to see it all in one trip, unless you've got strong legs. Also realize that anything you buy in there, you'll be carrying until you get a chance to get it back to your room or car or wherever. Plan your purchases. Plan your trips to drop stuff off. Don't be the guy hauling around a hundred and twenty pounds of books and games, and hating life. Or worse, the guy taking up the whole aisle with his backpack and bags or carryalls or whatever.

3. Stuff gets moved. Tables get shifted. Events get cancelled. Try to show up early for your planned events, because sometimes you'll have to go through unexpected hoops to get to them, or the GM will be a no-show, and you'll have to fall back to your secondary planned event.

4. Be cool. Everyone's there to have fun, so relax. You're on vacation! The more fun you're having, the more fun people around you will have.

5. Read the convention book, and build yourself a schedule. Then go through it again, and have fallback plans for most major timeslots. Then when you try to implement the schedule, expect to chuck most of it out the window. Don't forget to allow yourself time to eat and tour the exhibit hall, and get from place to place. Maybe some time in there to rest, too.

6. The closer you get to the center of the convention hall, the grosser and more crowded the bathrooms will be. If you can hold it, hop across one of the skyways to one of the downtown hotels. Their bathrooms are much cleaner, and much less crowded.

7. Pickup games are a thing! If you see some people playing something interesting in one of the lounges or in one of the hotel sitting areas, ask to join in! Odds are good they'll be happy for another player.

8. (This one might not apply to some of you) People are there to game, and usually not to flirt. Assume that everyone you meet has a boyfriend, girlfriend, or a spouse. Very few people go to Gencon looking specifically to hook-up. Now, that might not apply so much in the bars late at night or the nightclubs, but assume that anyone wearing a con badge probably ain't into you. If you find an exception, cool. Have fun.

9. Cosplay is both a frequent sight and freaking awesome. Always ask before you take pictures, and try to stand in a way that doesn't block the surrounding traffic. Be polite to all cosplayers, and if you see someone harassing them, go tell security. There's a zero-tolerance policy for that sort of thing.

10. Nothing will go exactly to plan. Maybe you'll find a game is more awesome than you thought, and shift plans to hit two more sessions of it. Maybe you'll try a demo of a board game, get hooked, and two hours will be gone before you know it. Maybe you end up with the bargain of a lifetime from the auction, and you have to spend a couple of hours getting it secured. Maybe a friend says "Hey, let's go have dinner!" and you miss a game to go have dinner at a place you've never been, with a friend you don't see often enough.

What I'm trying to say, is that you won't be able to do everything you want to do, but if you stay flexible and willing to try new things, then you'll probably have a good convention. Go in, have fun, relax and enjoy one of the best North American gaming conventions like the thousands of people all around you who are doing the same thing. Make friends, try stuff you wouldn't at home, and laugh long and loud when things are awesome.

Enjoy Gencon, friends. That's what it's there for.

Four's the Magic Number

Let's talk about beta readers!

Once you're done with your shiny new first draft, the next thing to do is put it in front of people who can be trusted to tell you if it sucks.

This usually means people who aren't afraid of hurting your feelings. So close friends and family are out. Distant friends, acquaintances, and people you've met over the internet tend to be your best bet. You want to run your by them, and see what they think of it.

This is known as beta reading. It's like beta testers, but for new books instead of new games.

I get most of my beta readers from the fanfiction boards I used to haunt. I still watch them, and when I run into someone who has insightful comments, or has written work as good or better than mine, I keep them in mind for my beta reader pool. They get an invite if there's a slot open, and if their free time is permissive enough to allow them to review my work.

It's quid pro quo. They get first chance at a story they've been waiting for, and I get comments and advice on refining it for the general public. I always remember that they're volunteering their time, and so I treat them with courtesy. He who pisses off his volunteers will soon find himself without volunteers.

So, ideally, after a few weeks they send me their comments or discuss their thoughts on the book, and I read them over thoroughly. I incorporate the ideas I agree with first. After that, I look at the ideas I disagree with. If it's only one person from the betas commenting on it, I'll probably leave the manuscript as-is in that area. If it's multiple betas commenting on the same thing, I'll sigh and revise it even if I'm not a hundred percent sold on the notion. If it's a REALLY unpalateable idea, I'll run it by my editor, then see what she thinks.

Hm? Oh yeah, I've got an editor. I pay her for her time and trouble. She's a hell of a friend, and knows I'm not gonna throw a tantrum if she tells me something's stupid. We've got trust going on. When you find a good freelance editor, you keep her by any means necessary, for as long as the gig works out to mutual benefit for all involved.

Anyway, I could probably get by with less beta readers, but this way gives me some wiggle room when real life comes up. Four betas means that if one of them has a flaming barbecue grill accident or has to move out of the country all of a sudden or just slacks off, then I still have three commentaries to draw upon. And once the changes are incorporated, the editor has final say on the finished product.

Typically I do about four or five drafts all told. I'm trying to refine that number downward, but it's a constant struggle.

So what's this mean?

All put together, it takes the time and effort of seven people (Counting the cover artist) to bring you one of my books.

I've had people tell me they're good quality, and I think I owe much of that to my betas and my editor. I don't think I'll be changing this process anytime soon... it seems to work.

Be well, and remember; no matter how good you are, much of life is easier if you have people helping you on your way.

Almost there!

First draft of the third Dire book is roughly 90% complete. I just have a few more chapters to go...

Unfortunately, this does mean that we won't see a July release for this one. Even feeding it to my editor piecemeal, chapter by chapter, it's still going to take time for her to work her magic.

And that's not even counting the beta readers... no, this is going to be an August release, and probably not before Gencon.

Sorry guys, I was trying to get it to you as early as possible, but real life's a pain at times. Hang in there, and we'll wrap up Dire's first trilogy with a bang!

In other news, it looks like I won't be stuck working the booth all the time I'm at Gencon. But if you'd like to know when I'm around, feel free to stop by the Mindworm Games booth and ask for me by name. The owner will be happy to tell you when I'm available, and happier to tell you all about Exiles, the RPG...

2016 has little mercy

This has not been a good year.

Even without counting all the celebrity deaths, you've got things like Britain deciding to shake up the entire European Union and guarantee more war down the road, black guys getting gunned down by cops, and now cops getting sniped in Dallas.

What the heck is it? Did somebody look at the civilization button and say "Hey, they've had it too easy for too long, so let's shake things up a notch."

People, we're all human at the end of it, and thanks to budget cuts in NASA we all have to live here for the near future at least. Can we maybe try to act like we're a species that doesn't hate and fear itself?

Domains and Ownership

It is a strange thing, purchasing your own name. Rather existential, when you think about it. The act of shouting "I exist!" into the wilderness of the net, and Godaddy or whoever counting your fee and smiling as they confirm "Yes. Yes you do."

Long story short, I attended a couple of self-publishing panels at Origins, and every writer on there was pretty adamant that having your own website was a necessity for long-term business.

I'm all about that long-term business, and really, this is something that I knew I'd have to do sooner or later. I plan to be writing the rest of my life, and this will help people keep up with me. Don't get me wrong, this blog's fun and all, but some things are better suited for websites. It's precisely BECAUSE I love you guys that I'm trying to expand the stuff out there that we can play with together.

Anyway, you're looking at the proud new owner of andrewseiple.com

Don't bother going out there, there's nothing there yet. I plan to fix that over the next three months or so, as other higher priority tasks get handled.

Lessons learned:

1. Getting an email tied to your domain name is easier than expected.

2. Once you purchase your domain, a whole lot of people in India who specialize in web design suddenly decide that you're their best friend. Thanks guys, really, but I already have plans there.

3. It's all right to take things in phases. You don't have to immediately have a website constructed and ready to go, you just need to grab your name before anyone else does.

4. When you're starting out it doesn't hurt you TOO much to wait on a website, if you have a decent online presence and the ability to check it daily.

Peace, and happy surfing!

Demiurge Therapy

Confession time:

I've been dealing with depression for most of my life. It comes and goes, and when it's upon me I see everything through a filter of bleakness. Small things seem much more important than they really are, and every setback is a tragedy of epic proportions, a negative reinforcement that yeah, the world is really as crappy as you think.

When it gets bad enough I just stop functioning entirely and withdraw, avoiding people. Eventually I get over it, but it takes time to recharge, and put my mind in order.

But there's a way to speed up the process.

If I use the time to create something, I lose myself in the details, forget about the way everything seems horrible right now, and just BUILD. And piece by piece, bit by bit, the depression seeps away, as my ever-busy, ever-critical mind is more concerned about the next bit, or where to put this really cool piece, or similar measures. And in the back of my mind I give the fearful part of my subconscious time to examine things and realize that hey, I'm not as boned as I thought.

And life goes on.

So yeah, caught in an online argument yesterday, the little things started piling up, and depression snuck up on me hard. I turned into THAT GUY, you know the one, and argued crappily. But when you do that, and you finally realize you're doing that, you make your apologies, kick pride in the arse, and shut the hell up until your head's in a better spot.

I've burned no bridges, thankfully.

And, depressed as hell yesterday, I spent a gainful two hours and got twenty-five-hundred words further into Dire:Time. My bad moods are your gain, people!

(I do well in good moods too, so please don't wish me ill in an effort to speed the next book. :D )

Anyhoo, Dire:Time's first draft is about 70% complete. I've already farmed out a few earlier bits for editing, in an effort to speed matters. I was shooting for late July for a release, but I'm a little behind schedule... No way to avoid that with Origins falling where it did. So it'll probably be August. I'll try to get'er out there before Gencon, but no promises.

Until then, I wish you all well! Keep on keeping on, and if you deal with depression, as I do... perhaps creating something will help.

And hell, if it doesn't, then what have you got to lose? If it doesn't cheer you up sure you'll be depressed but you'll still have a brand new thing to play with!