Eldon Farrell's Blog: The Writer's Craft, page 2
October 27, 2016
Free Promotion
Just a quick note to all my followers that my debut novel Stillness will be free on Amazon starting tomorrow for three days to celebrate it being the Book of the Month for November in the Goodreads group A Good Thriller.
Start at the beginning!!
Some secrets won’t stay buried…
When people start to succumb to a virulent strain of plague in the seemingly idyllic hamlet of Stillness, the CDC is called in to investigate. Pulled from her training with the Epidemic Intelligence Service, Dr. Lynne Bosworth is tapped to head the investigation.
Many questions surround the outbreak, not the least of which is how did plague find its way to the heartland of America? Determined to find the answers and her own way out of the long shadow cast by her father, Lynne embarks for Iowa. Unable to isolate an index case of bubonic plague, patient zero is traced to Nikolai Markov; an old Russian bio warfare scientist.
Rumors of a bioterror attack are rampant.
Under examination, the bacteria present Lynne with many anomalies but few answers. The antibiotic resistance noted in the field is absent in the lab, while a synthetic gene is found that seemingly has no purpose. For her superiors it’s enough to deem the outbreak a biological attack, a conclusion that Lynne does not share. For her, something about the whole incident remains…elusive.
In search of evidence to either prove or disprove the bioterror claim, she crosses paths with FBI Special Agent Caleb Fine. Together, they come to believe that something other than a biological attack is going on in Stillness, and that the answer to what may lie in solving the fifteen year old murders of Bobby and Maggie Sullivan.
As the body count rises and the pressure mounts, they delve deeper into the shadowy past of this quiet town; in the process exposing secrets long thought forgotten until finally uncovering the shocking truth behind the cause of the outbreak.
Start at the beginning!!
Some secrets won’t stay buried…
When people start to succumb to a virulent strain of plague in the seemingly idyllic hamlet of Stillness, the CDC is called in to investigate. Pulled from her training with the Epidemic Intelligence Service, Dr. Lynne Bosworth is tapped to head the investigation.
Many questions surround the outbreak, not the least of which is how did plague find its way to the heartland of America? Determined to find the answers and her own way out of the long shadow cast by her father, Lynne embarks for Iowa. Unable to isolate an index case of bubonic plague, patient zero is traced to Nikolai Markov; an old Russian bio warfare scientist.
Rumors of a bioterror attack are rampant.
Under examination, the bacteria present Lynne with many anomalies but few answers. The antibiotic resistance noted in the field is absent in the lab, while a synthetic gene is found that seemingly has no purpose. For her superiors it’s enough to deem the outbreak a biological attack, a conclusion that Lynne does not share. For her, something about the whole incident remains…elusive.
In search of evidence to either prove or disprove the bioterror claim, she crosses paths with FBI Special Agent Caleb Fine. Together, they come to believe that something other than a biological attack is going on in Stillness, and that the answer to what may lie in solving the fifteen year old murders of Bobby and Maggie Sullivan.
As the body count rises and the pressure mounts, they delve deeper into the shadowy past of this quiet town; in the process exposing secrets long thought forgotten until finally uncovering the shocking truth behind the cause of the outbreak.
October 22, 2016
What is a reader owed?
One of the books that I’m currently reading is The Bestseller Code by Jodie Archer and Matthew L. Jockers.
In it, the authors explicitly state that when a reader purchases a book they do so with certain expectations. They expect to be entertained regardless of the genre, but with genre specific books they have more specific expectations.
For example, a romance reader expects to read a story that details the ups and downs of love and relationships and preferably ends happily. A thriller reader expects to read about dead bodies in one capacity or another along with edge of your seat action. In this way it’s posited that an author enters into an informal contract with their readers; with expectations on both sides.
This got me to thinking about just what the reader is owed? Is there an unwritten contract between an author and their readers?
As an author, when I put out a new book it's fair to say that I expect people to read and enjoy it. Not many of us publish works that we expect people to hate reading right? Going further, it could be said that we also expect them to rate or review our book and thereby share their experience with more potential readers. This point is hazy of course as by no means are readers required to do this, but as authors we do tend to hope.
So that forms our side of the "contract". What about the reader? Certainly when someone spends their hard earned dollars on a book they do so with the expectation of enjoying it. No surprises there.
But to say all they expect is to enjoy it is too vague for me. How will they enjoy it? What would cause them not to enjoy it...thus breaking the contract. I think every author can agree that unpolished work published for reader consumption is a bad idea. Certainly if you purchase a book and feel as if every page requires grammar and editing work, you're going to be disappointed. In that case, the contract has been broken.
But again, that's simple and obvious. Of course readers expect professional results from us; as well they should! If we delve deeper though, what are some other ways that readers may be disappointed with our work? Let's say for instance that you're Stephen King. You're known and loved the world over for your thrilling horror novels. Readers buy your work with the expectation of being scared. Now what if you decide your next book will be a romance novel?
It will assuredly be professional in terms of grammar and editing. The story (assuming you can write romance, and let's say you can) will be entertaining. On the surface there is nothing wrong with the book. But have you broken your contract to your loyal readers? Remember, they expect to be scared not read about love. As authors do we owe it to the reader to write the genre they want us to write? Is it okay for us to experiment?
You see it's not as simple as it might've first appeared to be.
What about endings? Is the reader owed a specific type of ending based upon the genre you write? If your ending is unhappy or a cliff-hanger have you broken that contract with the reader who expected everything to end neat and tidy?
The problem as I see it is that it's virtually impossible to please everyone. If you end it happy, some readers will love it and some will hate it. If your manuscript is drenched in violence some will say it's too much but if it's not there some will bemoan its absence.
This is why the concept of a contract doesn't hold for me. Not that I don't owe the reader something because I do. If you buy my books I owe you a story; the one you hold in your hands. I hope you enjoy it. I hope it makes you feel something. And I hope you share that feeling with others.
Would I call that a contract? No. I look at it more as a shared experience.
How about you?
In it, the authors explicitly state that when a reader purchases a book they do so with certain expectations. They expect to be entertained regardless of the genre, but with genre specific books they have more specific expectations.
For example, a romance reader expects to read a story that details the ups and downs of love and relationships and preferably ends happily. A thriller reader expects to read about dead bodies in one capacity or another along with edge of your seat action. In this way it’s posited that an author enters into an informal contract with their readers; with expectations on both sides.
This got me to thinking about just what the reader is owed? Is there an unwritten contract between an author and their readers?
As an author, when I put out a new book it's fair to say that I expect people to read and enjoy it. Not many of us publish works that we expect people to hate reading right? Going further, it could be said that we also expect them to rate or review our book and thereby share their experience with more potential readers. This point is hazy of course as by no means are readers required to do this, but as authors we do tend to hope.
So that forms our side of the "contract". What about the reader? Certainly when someone spends their hard earned dollars on a book they do so with the expectation of enjoying it. No surprises there.
But to say all they expect is to enjoy it is too vague for me. How will they enjoy it? What would cause them not to enjoy it...thus breaking the contract. I think every author can agree that unpolished work published for reader consumption is a bad idea. Certainly if you purchase a book and feel as if every page requires grammar and editing work, you're going to be disappointed. In that case, the contract has been broken.
But again, that's simple and obvious. Of course readers expect professional results from us; as well they should! If we delve deeper though, what are some other ways that readers may be disappointed with our work? Let's say for instance that you're Stephen King. You're known and loved the world over for your thrilling horror novels. Readers buy your work with the expectation of being scared. Now what if you decide your next book will be a romance novel?
It will assuredly be professional in terms of grammar and editing. The story (assuming you can write romance, and let's say you can) will be entertaining. On the surface there is nothing wrong with the book. But have you broken your contract to your loyal readers? Remember, they expect to be scared not read about love. As authors do we owe it to the reader to write the genre they want us to write? Is it okay for us to experiment?
You see it's not as simple as it might've first appeared to be.
What about endings? Is the reader owed a specific type of ending based upon the genre you write? If your ending is unhappy or a cliff-hanger have you broken that contract with the reader who expected everything to end neat and tidy?
The problem as I see it is that it's virtually impossible to please everyone. If you end it happy, some readers will love it and some will hate it. If your manuscript is drenched in violence some will say it's too much but if it's not there some will bemoan its absence.
This is why the concept of a contract doesn't hold for me. Not that I don't owe the reader something because I do. If you buy my books I owe you a story; the one you hold in your hands. I hope you enjoy it. I hope it makes you feel something. And I hope you share that feeling with others.
Would I call that a contract? No. I look at it more as a shared experience.
How about you?
October 15, 2016
The Price is Right?
Among the list of important decisions that every indie author has to make is the economic decision of price. At what price will we sell our wares? What is the right price?
This is a more complex question than it might appear at first blush. After all it is one of the most important drivers of sales. Price your book too high or too low and sales will simply not happen for you. So yes, time and care must be taken when deciding upon a price.
But how do you decide? Certainly one of the methods would be to search out other books in your genre and see what they're selling for. Examine the bestseller list (it is where you wish to be right?) and copy their pricing. The only problem here being that when you start out you're not a bestselling author and readers may not be willing to pay the bestseller premium for your book.
Let's look at some numbers here for a moment. As of right now on Amazon.com these are the top ten bestsellers in the Mystery, Thriller & Suspense category:
1. The Atlantis Gene - $3.99
2. The Butterfly Garden - $4.99
3. Evelyn, After - $4.99
4. The Girl on the Train - $9.99
5. My Sister's Grave - $4.99
6. When I'm Gone - $1.99
7. The Body Reader - $4.99
8. Order To Kill - $14.99
9. And Then She Was GONE - $0.99
10. Before You Leap - $4.99
The price ranges from $0.99 to $14.99 with an average price of $5.69 leading me to question whether or not there is a premium on bestsellers?
If we work with the average price here and assume that on average it takes a reader 2 minutes to read a page and the average book length is 350 pages, then it follows that it will take about 12 hours to finish a book. So for the investment of $5.69 the reader gets 12 hours of entertainment (we hope!) at a cost of roughly $0.47 per hour!
Going to the movies and buying a drink and popcorn will run you at least $20 for 2 hours of entertainment; making that night out worth $10 an hour to you. The theatre if we assume a ticket price of $60 (it could be more or less depending) and an evening length of 3 hours will cost you $20 per hour of entertainment.
By far; a bestselling novel is a runaway bargain or grossly undervalued. I'm thinking it may be the latter.
Amazon has done wonders for authors in terms of providing a platform and a market for our work. But...the digital revolution also brought about a decline in the price of novels. The fantastic deals available to the consumer on Amazon have the effect of readers scoffing at a book priced at $9.99, regarding it as overpriced!
Look at the list again; only 2 books sell for more than five dollars. The runaway success from Paula Hawkins and another bestseller from Vince Flynn. As an indie author, can we really expect to compete with these two? If we price our book higher than $4.99 are we courting failure? Is it really overpriced to ask the reader to spend more than $0.42 per hour?
Personally my books are priced at $3.99 and $2.99 on Amazon. Are they overpriced? I don't think so. Are they undervalued? As with a lot of books I think the answer is yes. But this is the price of business in this market. Consumers have been conditioned to believe that $1.99-$4.99 is the price point of a book and if it's less than that it's cheap and not worth their time. If it's more than that...well you'd better be well known.
To my fellow indie authors, I invite you to share the logic behind your own pricing in the comments section.
Looking forward to an engaging discussion!!
This is a more complex question than it might appear at first blush. After all it is one of the most important drivers of sales. Price your book too high or too low and sales will simply not happen for you. So yes, time and care must be taken when deciding upon a price.
But how do you decide? Certainly one of the methods would be to search out other books in your genre and see what they're selling for. Examine the bestseller list (it is where you wish to be right?) and copy their pricing. The only problem here being that when you start out you're not a bestselling author and readers may not be willing to pay the bestseller premium for your book.
Let's look at some numbers here for a moment. As of right now on Amazon.com these are the top ten bestsellers in the Mystery, Thriller & Suspense category:
1. The Atlantis Gene - $3.99
2. The Butterfly Garden - $4.99
3. Evelyn, After - $4.99
4. The Girl on the Train - $9.99
5. My Sister's Grave - $4.99
6. When I'm Gone - $1.99
7. The Body Reader - $4.99
8. Order To Kill - $14.99
9. And Then She Was GONE - $0.99
10. Before You Leap - $4.99
The price ranges from $0.99 to $14.99 with an average price of $5.69 leading me to question whether or not there is a premium on bestsellers?
If we work with the average price here and assume that on average it takes a reader 2 minutes to read a page and the average book length is 350 pages, then it follows that it will take about 12 hours to finish a book. So for the investment of $5.69 the reader gets 12 hours of entertainment (we hope!) at a cost of roughly $0.47 per hour!
Going to the movies and buying a drink and popcorn will run you at least $20 for 2 hours of entertainment; making that night out worth $10 an hour to you. The theatre if we assume a ticket price of $60 (it could be more or less depending) and an evening length of 3 hours will cost you $20 per hour of entertainment.
By far; a bestselling novel is a runaway bargain or grossly undervalued. I'm thinking it may be the latter.
Amazon has done wonders for authors in terms of providing a platform and a market for our work. But...the digital revolution also brought about a decline in the price of novels. The fantastic deals available to the consumer on Amazon have the effect of readers scoffing at a book priced at $9.99, regarding it as overpriced!
Look at the list again; only 2 books sell for more than five dollars. The runaway success from Paula Hawkins and another bestseller from Vince Flynn. As an indie author, can we really expect to compete with these two? If we price our book higher than $4.99 are we courting failure? Is it really overpriced to ask the reader to spend more than $0.42 per hour?
Personally my books are priced at $3.99 and $2.99 on Amazon. Are they overpriced? I don't think so. Are they undervalued? As with a lot of books I think the answer is yes. But this is the price of business in this market. Consumers have been conditioned to believe that $1.99-$4.99 is the price point of a book and if it's less than that it's cheap and not worth their time. If it's more than that...well you'd better be well known.
To my fellow indie authors, I invite you to share the logic behind your own pricing in the comments section.
Looking forward to an engaging discussion!!
October 8, 2016
Is it really reviews we want?
So this past summer I participated in my first "review round" in a group to which I belong here on Goodreads. It was...an experience. While I wouldn't say that I'll never do another one I likewise wouldn't say that it's on the top of my to do list.
To put it politely, it was an eye opening experience that revealed to me why so many authors avoid review rounds all together.
A little background here for those who may not be familiar with the process. Essentially what a review round consists of is a group of people (10 in my case) who agree to review a set number of books (4 in my case) in exchange for an equal number of reviews of their book. This avoids the non-reciprocal rules of Amazon by virtue of the fact that whoever you review is barred from reviewing you. Simple right?
To a young author the prospect of quickly boosting their review numbers can be enticing; I'd be lying if I said the thought hadn't crossed my mind before signing up.
But today, after going through the entire process, I'd like to caution my fellow authors against using review rounds. Why? Through my own experience I've come to realize that what they offer is not what we should pursue.
Now hold on a minute, how can I advocate against collecting reviews? Every new author is told repeatedly from every source imaginable that gaining reviews is the path to success. We'll come back to this in a minute.
Let's look at what a review round delivers to you. Using my example for demonstration, upon completion I have 4 new reviews for my book. What's wrong with that right?
For starters, these reviews are not by readers. By definition in order to be in the round you need to be an author. So these are reviews by fellow authors. Nothing wrong with that so long as they chose to read your book. But wait...they didn't. Your book was randomly assigned to them. They were told to read in exchange for reviews of their own.
This type of a setup invariably leads to people who otherwise would never read your book, reading your book. The rules tell all reviewers to essentially remove emotion from the equation and review each book clinically based on merit and execution. A nice ideal to strive for but a little unrealistic on the face of it.
We're all emotional and tend to review books based on enjoyment of them. If you would otherwise not enjoy reading a particular type of book; being told to do so isn't going to help the enjoyment much.
Remember that path to success? It may be paved with reviews but those are reviews by fans. The real key to success is not gaining reviews so much as it is gaining fans.
What I've come to learn is that, as a newbie author I shouldn't be chasing after reviews; I should be searching out fans. Readers who will love my words and always come back for more.
Reviews do not equal sales. But for every genuine fan you make...you've earned future sales for every new book you publish.
Despite the importance they place upon themselves, this is what review rounds cannot give you. They can deliver you reviews but not fans. You might get lucky and find a fan. I truly enjoyed 1 of the books I read and look forward to the next release from the author. He gained a fan in me. But the time and effort spent reading books that are not enjoyable to you may not be worth it to "maybe" gain a fan.
I won't say the review rounds are to be completely avoided. If it's the path you choose there's nothing wrong with it. Your experience using them may be completely different from my own.
Just do yourself a favour and know the difference between what you want and what they'll provide.
To put it politely, it was an eye opening experience that revealed to me why so many authors avoid review rounds all together.
A little background here for those who may not be familiar with the process. Essentially what a review round consists of is a group of people (10 in my case) who agree to review a set number of books (4 in my case) in exchange for an equal number of reviews of their book. This avoids the non-reciprocal rules of Amazon by virtue of the fact that whoever you review is barred from reviewing you. Simple right?
To a young author the prospect of quickly boosting their review numbers can be enticing; I'd be lying if I said the thought hadn't crossed my mind before signing up.
But today, after going through the entire process, I'd like to caution my fellow authors against using review rounds. Why? Through my own experience I've come to realize that what they offer is not what we should pursue.
Now hold on a minute, how can I advocate against collecting reviews? Every new author is told repeatedly from every source imaginable that gaining reviews is the path to success. We'll come back to this in a minute.
Let's look at what a review round delivers to you. Using my example for demonstration, upon completion I have 4 new reviews for my book. What's wrong with that right?
For starters, these reviews are not by readers. By definition in order to be in the round you need to be an author. So these are reviews by fellow authors. Nothing wrong with that so long as they chose to read your book. But wait...they didn't. Your book was randomly assigned to them. They were told to read in exchange for reviews of their own.
This type of a setup invariably leads to people who otherwise would never read your book, reading your book. The rules tell all reviewers to essentially remove emotion from the equation and review each book clinically based on merit and execution. A nice ideal to strive for but a little unrealistic on the face of it.
We're all emotional and tend to review books based on enjoyment of them. If you would otherwise not enjoy reading a particular type of book; being told to do so isn't going to help the enjoyment much.
Remember that path to success? It may be paved with reviews but those are reviews by fans. The real key to success is not gaining reviews so much as it is gaining fans.
What I've come to learn is that, as a newbie author I shouldn't be chasing after reviews; I should be searching out fans. Readers who will love my words and always come back for more.
Reviews do not equal sales. But for every genuine fan you make...you've earned future sales for every new book you publish.
Despite the importance they place upon themselves, this is what review rounds cannot give you. They can deliver you reviews but not fans. You might get lucky and find a fan. I truly enjoyed 1 of the books I read and look forward to the next release from the author. He gained a fan in me. But the time and effort spent reading books that are not enjoyable to you may not be worth it to "maybe" gain a fan.
I won't say the review rounds are to be completely avoided. If it's the path you choose there's nothing wrong with it. Your experience using them may be completely different from my own.
Just do yourself a favour and know the difference between what you want and what they'll provide.
September 29, 2016
Now That We're Adults
Now That We're Adults by Lynn AlmengorMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Where do I begin?
When I read the blurb for this book a few months ago I had the feeling that this would be one of those unputdownable reads; the kind of book that stays with you long after the last page is turned.
I began reading with the highest of expectations and Now That We’re Adults did not disappoint!! I love every aspect of this book so there will be nothing negative in this review. The characters in this book were sweet, lovable, fallible and entirely human. They were real. The dialogue was authentic; close your eyes and you can imagine any number of people you know saying the same things in the same situations. Everything about this cast of characters is relatable. All of us know people just like Wade or Ian or Kat or Eleanor and that’s why this book works; it’s like reading about old friends.
And the core of this book is an examination of the friendships that sustain us all. Why do they work? Why do they not? Through any number of situations within these pages (I won’t spoil any of them here) it’s the dynamic of the various relationships that propels the narrative and keeps the reader furiously turning those pages. This is that moment in time right after college when we all ask ourselves “Now what?”
This is life in all of its nuanced beauty. Lynn Almengor shows us the multitude of emotions involved without ever having to resort to telling us about them. This is an artist at the height of their craft. In my opinion, Lynn Almengor has written a masterpiece of fiction with this novel. The fact that this is her debut novel is astounding—writers are not supposed to be this good the first time out.
Like the greatest of fiction, Now That We’re Adults will make you run the gamut of emotions from start to finish and leave you thinking long after you’re done. Superlatives fail to adequately capture the impact of this book. The writing is amazing. The story is phenomenal. The characters are incredible. This is a MUST READ.
Definitely one of the best books I’ve read all year. Buy it and you won’t be disappointed as you will hold in your hands the promise of what writing can be.
5 stars because it won’t let me give it 10 stars.
View all my reviews
September 26, 2016
Shout Out!!
Had to put up a short note of congratulations tonight for a fellow indie author and a very fine GR friend, Marie Silk.
Today, Marie attained #1 Amazon best seller status with her book Davenport House for the first time ever!! Amazon today...New York Times and beyond tomorrow :)
Please join with me in congratulating a wonderful person on her well deserved and hard earned success!!
You give the rest of us hope Marie!!!
All the best for continued success :)
Today, Marie attained #1 Amazon best seller status with her book Davenport House for the first time ever!! Amazon today...New York Times and beyond tomorrow :)
Please join with me in congratulating a wonderful person on her well deserved and hard earned success!!
You give the rest of us hope Marie!!!
All the best for continued success :)
September 24, 2016
Part 2 - Where have all the superheroes gone?
So last week I posed the question as to where all the superheroes have gone? I would like to thank everyone who participated in the comments section and put forth their own very fine theories as to why we do not see any new superheroes being created. With this week's post I shall detail my own theories for this reality.
The first theory is the result of numerous discussions I've had with many comic book enthusiasts who claim that the level of talent in the industry is just less than what it was 50 odd years ago at the height of the Silver Age. And as a result we see less innovation today.
With such legends as Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Gil Kane, Steve Buscema, John Romita Sr., Neal Adams, Gardner Fox, and Steve Ditko to name just a few working during this time, it's persuasive to believe that the talent pool was deeper back then.
To me though, that seems unfair to the talent that is working in the industry today. There are still many talented writers and artists creating fantastic stories. I'm not alone in loving the works of Geoff Johns, Scott Snyder, Dan Slott, Jim Lee, Jason Fabok, Humberto Ramos, and Grant Morrison among others.
And while none of these professionals would compare themselves to the icons that have come before them, their own talents should not be so easily dismissed. For me this first theory just doesn't hold water.
Next up we examine the business model and whether or not it's responsible for the decline in new heroes. For those unaware of how it works, Marvel and DC control about 80% of the market combined and when you work at either of these companies anything you create belongs to them. That's right; you create it and they own it.
And if you don't think they're serious about this; just look at the case of Gary Friedrich; a co-creater of Ghost Rider for Marvel Comics back in the '70s. Friedrich attempted to sue Marvel, amongst others, in 2007 alleging his copyright to the property had been exploited. He lost because the judge ruled that he relinquished any ownership when he signed the checks Marvel paid him. His signed 1978 agreement with Marvel also held sway with her.
And as if this wasn't devastating enough to the then 65 year old Friedrich, Marvel countersued him. The suit was settled with Friedrich paying $17k in damages to Marvel, ceasing to sell Ghost Rider merchandise of his own creation and ceasing to promote himself as the creator of Ghost Rider.
So yeah...they're serious. Let's be honest, Ghost Rider isn't exactly their top property. What would they do to protect Spider-man?
So back to point, can it be argued that this draconian business model is what is stifling new creativity? Certainly I think it plays a role in why we see nothing new coming from the Big 2. As an artist why would you give away your creation when you don't have to?
Friedrich's story is by no means unique in the industry. Both companies have a history of treating their talent poorly. Just look at how Siegel and Shuster lived in poverty after having given the world Superman.
But alone, even this doesn't fully explain the dearth of superheroes because there are alternatives to the Big 2. Starting back in the '90s, Image Comics came to fruition as the brainchild of artists and writers who wanted to maintain creative control. If it was just the ownership practices at play then why don't we see exciting new superheroes being published by Image?
Something else is at play here and that bring us to my third theory...economics.
At the height of the Silver Age, DC and Marvel were independent companies in the business of comic books. They answered only to themselves and existed in a thriving market. The market itself has long since fragmented with the introduction of video games, home movies, phone apps, and many other avenues for consumers discretionary dollars.
Translation...the market is smaller. Back in the '90s X-Men #1 topped the market at over 1 million copies sold. The top of the mark today is 100k copies on a very good day.
With the contraction of the market both companies now answer to conglomerate owners (Marvel to Disney, DC to Time Warner). Neither of which cares about creativity or comic books. They care about profits.
Image may not have the corporate overlord, but they're subject to the same constraints of the smaller market. Each company, every quarter, needs to make the numbers. If they don't, they could very well find themselves out of work. In this environment creativity and innovation are not prized.
You have to make the numbers so you naturally go with what works. This is why comic readers are subjected to a seemingly endless stream of reboots, #1 issues, and big events. The numbers are king and these gimmicks sell. We don't see new heroes, even at a time of staggering popularity for the genre, because the companies can't afford to take the chance of them failing.
It's sad really...but all too true.
And there's a lesson here for us burgeoning indie writers as well. The very same forces at play in the comic world are at play in the publishing world as well. Traditional publishers also have numbers to make and so routinely pass on innovative but unproven new talent. Cost is the reason that even if they do publish a new author, they want the book no longer than 250 pages.
Numbers; as an accountant I understand them but as a writer I loathe them. They stifle creativity and deprive readers of new and wonderful talent.
So in the end, where have all the superheroes gone? Nowhere; they're left uncreated in the minds of writers and artists who can't find a home for them. Maybe someday we'll see a true rebirth of creativity; one where ideas are valued more than numbers on the bottom line.
That's my hope anyway...how about you?
The first theory is the result of numerous discussions I've had with many comic book enthusiasts who claim that the level of talent in the industry is just less than what it was 50 odd years ago at the height of the Silver Age. And as a result we see less innovation today.
With such legends as Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Gil Kane, Steve Buscema, John Romita Sr., Neal Adams, Gardner Fox, and Steve Ditko to name just a few working during this time, it's persuasive to believe that the talent pool was deeper back then.
To me though, that seems unfair to the talent that is working in the industry today. There are still many talented writers and artists creating fantastic stories. I'm not alone in loving the works of Geoff Johns, Scott Snyder, Dan Slott, Jim Lee, Jason Fabok, Humberto Ramos, and Grant Morrison among others.
And while none of these professionals would compare themselves to the icons that have come before them, their own talents should not be so easily dismissed. For me this first theory just doesn't hold water.
Next up we examine the business model and whether or not it's responsible for the decline in new heroes. For those unaware of how it works, Marvel and DC control about 80% of the market combined and when you work at either of these companies anything you create belongs to them. That's right; you create it and they own it.
And if you don't think they're serious about this; just look at the case of Gary Friedrich; a co-creater of Ghost Rider for Marvel Comics back in the '70s. Friedrich attempted to sue Marvel, amongst others, in 2007 alleging his copyright to the property had been exploited. He lost because the judge ruled that he relinquished any ownership when he signed the checks Marvel paid him. His signed 1978 agreement with Marvel also held sway with her.
And as if this wasn't devastating enough to the then 65 year old Friedrich, Marvel countersued him. The suit was settled with Friedrich paying $17k in damages to Marvel, ceasing to sell Ghost Rider merchandise of his own creation and ceasing to promote himself as the creator of Ghost Rider.
So yeah...they're serious. Let's be honest, Ghost Rider isn't exactly their top property. What would they do to protect Spider-man?
So back to point, can it be argued that this draconian business model is what is stifling new creativity? Certainly I think it plays a role in why we see nothing new coming from the Big 2. As an artist why would you give away your creation when you don't have to?
Friedrich's story is by no means unique in the industry. Both companies have a history of treating their talent poorly. Just look at how Siegel and Shuster lived in poverty after having given the world Superman.
But alone, even this doesn't fully explain the dearth of superheroes because there are alternatives to the Big 2. Starting back in the '90s, Image Comics came to fruition as the brainchild of artists and writers who wanted to maintain creative control. If it was just the ownership practices at play then why don't we see exciting new superheroes being published by Image?
Something else is at play here and that bring us to my third theory...economics.
At the height of the Silver Age, DC and Marvel were independent companies in the business of comic books. They answered only to themselves and existed in a thriving market. The market itself has long since fragmented with the introduction of video games, home movies, phone apps, and many other avenues for consumers discretionary dollars.
Translation...the market is smaller. Back in the '90s X-Men #1 topped the market at over 1 million copies sold. The top of the mark today is 100k copies on a very good day.
With the contraction of the market both companies now answer to conglomerate owners (Marvel to Disney, DC to Time Warner). Neither of which cares about creativity or comic books. They care about profits.
Image may not have the corporate overlord, but they're subject to the same constraints of the smaller market. Each company, every quarter, needs to make the numbers. If they don't, they could very well find themselves out of work. In this environment creativity and innovation are not prized.
You have to make the numbers so you naturally go with what works. This is why comic readers are subjected to a seemingly endless stream of reboots, #1 issues, and big events. The numbers are king and these gimmicks sell. We don't see new heroes, even at a time of staggering popularity for the genre, because the companies can't afford to take the chance of them failing.
It's sad really...but all too true.
And there's a lesson here for us burgeoning indie writers as well. The very same forces at play in the comic world are at play in the publishing world as well. Traditional publishers also have numbers to make and so routinely pass on innovative but unproven new talent. Cost is the reason that even if they do publish a new author, they want the book no longer than 250 pages.
Numbers; as an accountant I understand them but as a writer I loathe them. They stifle creativity and deprive readers of new and wonderful talent.
So in the end, where have all the superheroes gone? Nowhere; they're left uncreated in the minds of writers and artists who can't find a home for them. Maybe someday we'll see a true rebirth of creativity; one where ideas are valued more than numbers on the bottom line.
That's my hope anyway...how about you?
September 18, 2016
Where have all the superheroes gone?
A few weeks ago now I attended the 2016 Fan Expo in Toronto along with roughly 140k other enthusiastic fans. As it is every year, it's an experience being shoulder to shoulder with so many people that share common interests.
It got me to thinking though, as I looked around at all the cosplayers decked out in their finest representations of their favourite superheroes, where have all the superheroes gone?
If that seems an odd question to pose at a time when comic characters are enjoying their greatest ever popularity in movies and television and merchandise, I assure you it's not.
If you think about the characters that are enjoying this popularity and when they were created you see a disturbing statistic.
Of course it all began with Superman way back in 1938; the creation of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Much is owed to these pioneers of an entire genre.
Batman swiftly followed in 1939 from the creative minds of Bob Kane and Bill Finger. Then with the onset of the war Joe Simon and the King, Jack Kirby, gave us Captain America (later to be revived by Marvel Comics in 1964). William Moulton Marston would give us Wonder Woman in 1942; the first female superhero.
And for awhile there was nothing until the silver age ushered in a cornucopia of new and renewed heroes alike. This creative age spanned roughly 14 years between 1956 and 1970 and gave the world such popular heroes as The Flash (Barry Allen), Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Thor, Spider-Man, Daredevil, X-Men, Fantastic Four, and the Justice League among others. The great minds of Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Julius Schwartz, Gardner Fox, and Steve Ditko among so many others made this age what it was.
But look at that list and you can see the statistic. Almost every popular character was created more than 40 years ago! Even Wolverine who has attained enormous popularity over the years was "born" in 1974. Deadpool, he of the hit movie, was created in 1991 and that is still 25 years ago!
So at a time of such enormous popularity where have all the superheroes gone? Why do we not see any new characters being created? I have three theories on the subject which I will share with you all next week in part two of this blog.
Until then feel free to post any thoughts you might have in the comments below.
Before I go though, on the subject of fantasy, I'd like to take a moment to correct an oversight on my part. A few weeks back I posted some promotion for authors with new or upcoming releases and forgot to mention the very talented Alexa Whitewolf and her new release Avalon Dreams
For anyone with an interest in the Arthurian legends I'd recommend picking up this book for its fresh and innovative take on the endearing legends of yore. It's a longer read but the reviews so far indicate it's definitely worth your time!
Excelsior!
It got me to thinking though, as I looked around at all the cosplayers decked out in their finest representations of their favourite superheroes, where have all the superheroes gone?
If that seems an odd question to pose at a time when comic characters are enjoying their greatest ever popularity in movies and television and merchandise, I assure you it's not.
If you think about the characters that are enjoying this popularity and when they were created you see a disturbing statistic.
Of course it all began with Superman way back in 1938; the creation of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Much is owed to these pioneers of an entire genre.
Batman swiftly followed in 1939 from the creative minds of Bob Kane and Bill Finger. Then with the onset of the war Joe Simon and the King, Jack Kirby, gave us Captain America (later to be revived by Marvel Comics in 1964). William Moulton Marston would give us Wonder Woman in 1942; the first female superhero.
And for awhile there was nothing until the silver age ushered in a cornucopia of new and renewed heroes alike. This creative age spanned roughly 14 years between 1956 and 1970 and gave the world such popular heroes as The Flash (Barry Allen), Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Thor, Spider-Man, Daredevil, X-Men, Fantastic Four, and the Justice League among others. The great minds of Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Julius Schwartz, Gardner Fox, and Steve Ditko among so many others made this age what it was.
But look at that list and you can see the statistic. Almost every popular character was created more than 40 years ago! Even Wolverine who has attained enormous popularity over the years was "born" in 1974. Deadpool, he of the hit movie, was created in 1991 and that is still 25 years ago!
So at a time of such enormous popularity where have all the superheroes gone? Why do we not see any new characters being created? I have three theories on the subject which I will share with you all next week in part two of this blog.
Until then feel free to post any thoughts you might have in the comments below.
Before I go though, on the subject of fantasy, I'd like to take a moment to correct an oversight on my part. A few weeks back I posted some promotion for authors with new or upcoming releases and forgot to mention the very talented Alexa Whitewolf and her new release Avalon Dreams
For anyone with an interest in the Arthurian legends I'd recommend picking up this book for its fresh and innovative take on the endearing legends of yore. It's a longer read but the reviews so far indicate it's definitely worth your time!
Excelsior!
September 10, 2016
Review Time
How I Sold 30,000 eBooks on Amazon's Kindle: An Easy-To-Follow Self-Publishing Guidebook by Martin CrosbieMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
So many of these type of "self help" books are crammed full of anecdotes of how if you do "this" then "that" will happen for you. I find they're written from a preachy place of superiority and as a general rule avoid them like the plague. I'm happy to report that Martin Crosbie's book is the exception to that.
This informative book is well worth the price and an amazing read chock full of facts and helpful tips. Did you know Amazon has a top reviewers listing? I didn't. Did you know there existed sites out there to promote your promotions? I didn't. Did you know about Indies Unlimited and all their wonderful articles about writing? Once again, I didn't until I read this book.
I couldn't possibly list all of the advice and tips here (even if I wanted to) but the best testament I can give to this book is that I have already begun to implement some of the suggestions within its pages.
If you're contemplating publishing a book yourself or are already in the game, you need to read this book. Yes, it's that good. And the fact that you'll be able to stay abreast of new developments through updated versions of the book for free, is just the cherry on top of the sundae!!
Check this one out and pay particular attention to the index of contacts and information at the back of the book.
This one's a gold mine!!
View all my reviews
September 2, 2016
Hodge Podge
So as the title indicates, this week is all about a little bit of everything because there’s a lot going on! Let’s begin with…
Promotion
You know I feel like I spend so much time on here promoting and discussing my own work that I thought it would be nice to give something back this week and promote the work of others. And as luck (or fate if you prefer) would have it there is a bumper crop of new releases to go over beginning with...
The saga of Davenport House continues with the latest installment from Marie Silk. Do yourself a favour and snatch this one up so you can say you read her before she graced the New York Times bestseller list!
Up next we have...
Book 2 of the Dark Moon Trilogy; don't wait until Book 3 to dig into this one. It has a place on my kindle and should on yours as well. If you like history this wonderful author has you covered.
Also released recently...
Amazon bestselling author Susan May has given us another reason to skip going to bed with her latest supernatural thriller. Fans of Dean Koontz should love this one!
And if you dig historical fiction with a bit of romance and fantasy how about...
Another second in a series book so why not start with the first before diving into this one? And how's this for a tagline "You know Plato's account of Atlantis...Now find out what really happened."
This brings us to...
The debut novel to be released shortly that I've been anxiously awaiting for months. We all know that feeling you get when you just know a book is going to be great. I have that feeling here. This one is going to be BIG!
And of course I'd be remiss if I didn't make mention of the anthology of short fiction just released by a bunch of talented authors including Mehreen Ahmed, Denise Baer, Alexander Engel-Hodgkinson, myself, and many more.
If I’ve forgotten to mention any others feel free to add a comment below for some free publicity!
Best Laid Plans…
September 1st has come and gone, and as that was my target for the release of 2 novels concurrently you can imagine it’s been a stressful week. And of course if I’m writing here you just know something went awry. For whatever reason there was a technical glitch (we’ll call it) at Amazon that resulted in the oddity of Realm of Shadows (my third book) being available for sale for one day before Taken (my second book) went live. This despite the fact that I submitted Taken for final review 24 hours before Realm of Shadows. It’s never dull in the publishing world.
So…we have a series
Also this week I petitioned the overlords of Goodreads (aka the librarians) to have my 3 novels collected into a series and I would just like to formally thank them for their prompt response. Kudos!
Of course any series needs a name right? I settled on Descent and yes…there is meaning behind that moniker. For me the overall story running through the 3 books is, if taken on the whole, all about the journey that one specific character takes from a place of moral certainty down to one of ambiguity and uncertainty.
Best left unsaid?
I make it a practice to never comment on the reviews for my books, good or bad. I find that it just opens a can of worms and can lead to nowhere good. At most, if I feel I know the reviewer I will send them a message of thanks for their time.
Having said that though, I have received a number of reviews for Stillness now that comment upon the fact that during the height of the outbreak the town was not quarantined. Without addressing any specific review I’d like to comment upon this common suggestion here.
As a writer I greatly respect the intelligence of my readers. What that means is that I don’t feel the need to spoon feed them, to explain every single aspect of the story to them. I believe they’re wholly capable of taking certain deductive leaps on their own. The issue of quarantine, rightly or wrongly on my part, is one of these instances. It’s true that I never make mention anywhere in the book of any quarantine just as it’s also true that I make no mention of a mass media presence covering the story. But does that mean that neither thing happened? It’s also true that I make no mention of anyone leaving the town. If there was no quarantine—why wouldn’t they leave?
At the end of the day my style has always veered more towards allowing the reader to imagine aspects of the story for themselves as opposed to detailing everything for them. Just a personal choice.
Calling all authors
In the vein of giving back and free promotion (who doesn’t like that right?) I’ve been kicking around the notion this week of conducting author interviews once a month depending upon interest. Before I take the time to create a whole list of questions though I’d like to gauge interest. If any authors following me or reading this are interested in participating in a written interview feel free to say so below in the comments section.
Hope to hear from you!
Promotion
You know I feel like I spend so much time on here promoting and discussing my own work that I thought it would be nice to give something back this week and promote the work of others. And as luck (or fate if you prefer) would have it there is a bumper crop of new releases to go over beginning with...
The saga of Davenport House continues with the latest installment from Marie Silk. Do yourself a favour and snatch this one up so you can say you read her before she graced the New York Times bestseller list!
Up next we have...
Book 2 of the Dark Moon Trilogy; don't wait until Book 3 to dig into this one. It has a place on my kindle and should on yours as well. If you like history this wonderful author has you covered.
Also released recently...
Amazon bestselling author Susan May has given us another reason to skip going to bed with her latest supernatural thriller. Fans of Dean Koontz should love this one!
And if you dig historical fiction with a bit of romance and fantasy how about...
Another second in a series book so why not start with the first before diving into this one? And how's this for a tagline "You know Plato's account of Atlantis...Now find out what really happened."
This brings us to...
The debut novel to be released shortly that I've been anxiously awaiting for months. We all know that feeling you get when you just know a book is going to be great. I have that feeling here. This one is going to be BIG!
And of course I'd be remiss if I didn't make mention of the anthology of short fiction just released by a bunch of talented authors including Mehreen Ahmed, Denise Baer, Alexander Engel-Hodgkinson, myself, and many more.
If I’ve forgotten to mention any others feel free to add a comment below for some free publicity!
Best Laid Plans…
September 1st has come and gone, and as that was my target for the release of 2 novels concurrently you can imagine it’s been a stressful week. And of course if I’m writing here you just know something went awry. For whatever reason there was a technical glitch (we’ll call it) at Amazon that resulted in the oddity of Realm of Shadows (my third book) being available for sale for one day before Taken (my second book) went live. This despite the fact that I submitted Taken for final review 24 hours before Realm of Shadows. It’s never dull in the publishing world.
So…we have a series
Also this week I petitioned the overlords of Goodreads (aka the librarians) to have my 3 novels collected into a series and I would just like to formally thank them for their prompt response. Kudos!
Of course any series needs a name right? I settled on Descent and yes…there is meaning behind that moniker. For me the overall story running through the 3 books is, if taken on the whole, all about the journey that one specific character takes from a place of moral certainty down to one of ambiguity and uncertainty.
Best left unsaid?
I make it a practice to never comment on the reviews for my books, good or bad. I find that it just opens a can of worms and can lead to nowhere good. At most, if I feel I know the reviewer I will send them a message of thanks for their time.
Having said that though, I have received a number of reviews for Stillness now that comment upon the fact that during the height of the outbreak the town was not quarantined. Without addressing any specific review I’d like to comment upon this common suggestion here.
As a writer I greatly respect the intelligence of my readers. What that means is that I don’t feel the need to spoon feed them, to explain every single aspect of the story to them. I believe they’re wholly capable of taking certain deductive leaps on their own. The issue of quarantine, rightly or wrongly on my part, is one of these instances. It’s true that I never make mention anywhere in the book of any quarantine just as it’s also true that I make no mention of a mass media presence covering the story. But does that mean that neither thing happened? It’s also true that I make no mention of anyone leaving the town. If there was no quarantine—why wouldn’t they leave?
At the end of the day my style has always veered more towards allowing the reader to imagine aspects of the story for themselves as opposed to detailing everything for them. Just a personal choice.
Calling all authors
In the vein of giving back and free promotion (who doesn’t like that right?) I’ve been kicking around the notion this week of conducting author interviews once a month depending upon interest. Before I take the time to create a whole list of questions though I’d like to gauge interest. If any authors following me or reading this are interested in participating in a written interview feel free to say so below in the comments section.
Hope to hear from you!
