Bill Bodden's Blog - Posts Tagged "publishing"
Do Awards Really Matter?
So the question I would pose to readers is this: Do you buy a book or game, or have a greater degree of interest in it because it won an award?
A perfect example would be the American film industry's Academy Awards. Regularly, film buffs are given a second chance to see the films once the nominations are announced, as film distributors and theaters often bring some nominated films back into theaters to help drive buzz surrounding those films. Giving a film greater exposure than it would ordinarily have had is priceless promotion, and can mean the difference between success and failure, financially speaking.
This is the heart of what awards are really for: Marketing. Most awards claim they intend to honor exceptional quality using whatever metric is deemed appropriate, but my take is that in actual practice, awards are about trying to convince people to buy something.
Another question, this one directed at all of you out there who've won awards for projects with which you've been involved, is do the awards help sales directly? Is there perhaps an intangible push after the fact, where people remember that you won an award and look for future releases from you?
My personal experience in the gaming industry is that the awards don't really create new customers. Perhaps they convince someone who was on the fence, but they don't inspire anyone to check out your work sight unseen. Does this jibe with your experiences too?
As a writer, I can honestly say that awards are an important boost to the ego. For the most part writers labor in solitude, and most rarely hear feedback about their work. Winning an award not only says someone noticed your work, but also that they appreciate it, and feel it was of sufficient caliber to be recognized publicly. Sometimes it seems like there are too many awards out there, or that they don't reward anything other than mediocrity, but just raising awareness of who and what is out there strikes me as reason enough for awards to happen.
A perfect example would be the American film industry's Academy Awards. Regularly, film buffs are given a second chance to see the films once the nominations are announced, as film distributors and theaters often bring some nominated films back into theaters to help drive buzz surrounding those films. Giving a film greater exposure than it would ordinarily have had is priceless promotion, and can mean the difference between success and failure, financially speaking.
This is the heart of what awards are really for: Marketing. Most awards claim they intend to honor exceptional quality using whatever metric is deemed appropriate, but my take is that in actual practice, awards are about trying to convince people to buy something.
Another question, this one directed at all of you out there who've won awards for projects with which you've been involved, is do the awards help sales directly? Is there perhaps an intangible push after the fact, where people remember that you won an award and look for future releases from you?
My personal experience in the gaming industry is that the awards don't really create new customers. Perhaps they convince someone who was on the fence, but they don't inspire anyone to check out your work sight unseen. Does this jibe with your experiences too?
As a writer, I can honestly say that awards are an important boost to the ego. For the most part writers labor in solitude, and most rarely hear feedback about their work. Winning an award not only says someone noticed your work, but also that they appreciate it, and feel it was of sufficient caliber to be recognized publicly. Sometimes it seems like there are too many awards out there, or that they don't reward anything other than mediocrity, but just raising awareness of who and what is out there strikes me as reason enough for awards to happen.
Sad News
Nothing lasts forever.
I just received word very recently that the publisher of an anthology I'm in will cease publication entirely, closing up shop for good. I hate to say it, but this news isn't particularly surprising. The publisher has had a number of major personal issues crop up in his life over the last couple of years. I don't feel comfortable relating what little I know about the situation: first, it isn't my story to tell, and second, I don't know all the details, so it seems grossly unfair to just fling what I know out there without context or even the full story. The end result is, Alliteration, Ink is closing its doors, so Sidekicks! and my story, "In the Shadow of His Glory," will need to find a new home, or, more likely, the book will simply...
To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2019/05/06/sad-...
I just received word very recently that the publisher of an anthology I'm in will cease publication entirely, closing up shop for good. I hate to say it, but this news isn't particularly surprising. The publisher has had a number of major personal issues crop up in his life over the last couple of years. I don't feel comfortable relating what little I know about the situation: first, it isn't my story to tell, and second, I don't know all the details, so it seems grossly unfair to just fling what I know out there without context or even the full story. The end result is, Alliteration, Ink is closing its doors, so Sidekicks! and my story, "In the Shadow of His Glory," will need to find a new home, or, more likely, the book will simply...
To read the rest of this post, please visit: http://billbodden.com/2019/05/06/sad-...
Exciting Start to the Year!
The exciting news I have to share is that Pugmire: Tales of Good Dogs is finally available. I have a story in this anthology, "Hidden Within,", and it's been three years since I wrote it. The road to this point has been a long and frustrating one, but I'm delighted the book is finally out. The book can be ordered either as an e-book, or in paperback (print on demand). Here's the link to buy your copy: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/294913/Tales-of-Good-Dogs?term=Tales+of+Good+Dogs
Pugmire is an interesting setting: It's a world populated by dogs, cats, lizards, badgers and all manner of creatures, many of whom are descendants of animals that were uplifted - genetically modified to be better servants for humans - at a time when humans had reached the pinnacle of their technological advancement. Then something happened, and the humans went away. At the point in time in which the action of Pugmire takes place, it's been so long now that no one remembers what happened to the humans or why they disappeared. The animals moved on with their lives as best they could. The setting is highly reminiscent of one of my favorite novels: A Canticle for Liebowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.
http://billbodden.com/2020/01/06/exci...
DON'T Steal This Book!*
* With no apologies to Abbie Hoffman.
Reading for Haunted: Eleven Tales of Ghostly Horror, Room of One's Own bookstore, October 2011. L to R: Georgia Beaverson, Monica Valentinelli, Jason Blair, Alex Bledsoe, Bill Bodden. Reading was well attended.
Occasionally, memes go by on Facebook or Twitter regarding ways to support authors. This does not necessarily mean every and all authors, mind you -- just ones whose work you enjoy. It has never been more important to do so now; with conventions cancelling and postposing their events because of conrona virus fears-- events that many authors were counting on as a source of income as a guest by or selling their books -- it's possibly more important than ever to help spread the word so your favorite authors can continue to eat and pay rent.
Let's start with some basic things (I'll recap in a numbered list a the end.) First: Buy their books, of course, but also READ them. We're losing reading for pleasure as a thing people want to do, and the negative feelings toward reading are reinforced by all the dreck we're forced to read in school by people who think those paper implements of torture are Important Books. Buying books isn't always possible due to financial issues; everyone's comfort level with their disposable income is different. If you can't buy books, request them from your local public library. They buy books too, and their purchases help just as much, plus...
To read the rest of this post, please visit:
http://billbodden.com/2020/03/09/dont...
Reading for Haunted: Eleven Tales of Ghostly Horror, Room of One's Own bookstore, October 2011. L to R: Georgia Beaverson, Monica Valentinelli, Jason Blair, Alex Bledsoe, Bill Bodden. Reading was well attended.
Occasionally, memes go by on Facebook or Twitter regarding ways to support authors. This does not necessarily mean every and all authors, mind you -- just ones whose work you enjoy. It has never been more important to do so now; with conventions cancelling and postposing their events because of conrona virus fears-- events that many authors were counting on as a source of income as a guest by or selling their books -- it's possibly more important than ever to help spread the word so your favorite authors can continue to eat and pay rent.
Let's start with some basic things (I'll recap in a numbered list a the end.) First: Buy their books, of course, but also READ them. We're losing reading for pleasure as a thing people want to do, and the negative feelings toward reading are reinforced by all the dreck we're forced to read in school by people who think those paper implements of torture are Important Books. Buying books isn't always possible due to financial issues; everyone's comfort level with their disposable income is different. If you can't buy books, request them from your local public library. They buy books too, and their purchases help just as much, plus...
To read the rest of this post, please visit:
http://billbodden.com/2020/03/09/dont...
