Bobby Nash's Blog, page 431

A LITTLE TEASE...

Here's a little tease of the story I’m working on at the moment (well, one of them anyway). Since the project has not been officially announced by the publisher yet, I’ve changed the character’s name for the purposes of this tease. His name is not Hanson. It is a pre-existing character for a media tie-in project and I look forward to sharing the official news here when it is released.

Until then, enjoy the tease.

Bobby

“You better have one whale of a good reason why you’re in my office at three in the morning,” Hanson said, glancing away long enough to check the clock.

“I have identification,” the stranger said. He motioned toward his inside jacket pocket. “If I may?”

“Slowly.”

“Agent Smith,” the man said as he pulled a wallet from his jacket pocket. He flipped it open so the author could see his government identification.

“Let me guess… first name: John?” Hanson asked.

“Very good, Mr. Hanson. I see you’ve played this game before.”

“Once or twice.”

BOBBY'S DRAGON CON PANEL SCHEDULE GROWS

Two new panels have been added to my Dragon Con schedule. These are discussions of a couple of TV Person of Interest and Arrow.
series that I'm really enjoying,

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Title: Person of Interest
Description: Discussion of the TV series Person of Interest.
Time: Sat 08:30 pm Location: M301-302 - Marriott Marquis level (Length: 1 Hour)
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Title: Arrow
Description: Discussion of the TV series Arrow.
Time: Sun 05:30 pm Location: M301-302 - Marriott Marquis level (Length: 1 Hour)
-------------------

My full Dragon Con schedule can be found under the Appearances tab above.

I will have books with me at all of the panels as well.

See you there.

Bobby

THIS MADE MY DAY

This might be the coolest thing I’ve read today. It was a Facebook status.

After reading Bobby Nash's wonderfully creepy galactic adventures in "Frontier," I crash landed back on Earth smack dab into the steamy jungles of "Cryptozoica" (by Mark Ellis w/art by Jeff Slemons).

Not only am I excited for the kind words about Frontier (Thank you, Christian Grasso), I'm over the moon to be in such good company as Mark Ellis. I actually have Cryptozoica on the tablet. I'm hoping to dive into it soon.
Frontier is still available. Learn more about it in the Short Stories/Novellas tab above or here.
Have a great weekend.
Bobby

AUTHORS TO WATCH INTERVIEWS BOBBY NASH

New Pulp Author Bobby Nash was interviewed at the Authors to Watch website.

Bobby and interviewer, Tricia chatted about the writing process as well as spent some time discussing Bobby’s Evil Ways novel from BEN Books and Moonstone Books’ The Spider: Extreme Prejudice anthology.

You can read the entire interview here.

NASH NEWS

I just sent out the August Nash News email newsletter to subscribers. What? You mean you aren’t a subscriber? Well, that's easily rectified. If you want to be added to the Nash News list, please email bobby@bobbynash.com with your name and email address and I'll add you to the list.

Also, keep sending your questions for the surprisingly popular Sometimes I Get Asked Stuff... feature. You can check out Sometimes I Get Asked Stuff Part 1 here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here, Part 4 here, and part 5 here.

Bobby

Earth Station One Episode 174 – The Satirical Work of “Weird Al” Yankovic

Can author Jonathan Maberry
survive The Geek Seat?On this episode, the ESO crew honors one of the truest geniuses of our time – the award-winning master musician, songwriter, producer, director, author, actor, humorist, podcaster, multi-media artist known as “Weird Al” Yankovic. Mike Faber, Mike Gordon, Jennifer Hartshorn, and the award-winning author Bobby Nash are joined by Phantom Troublemaker and Gary Mitchel compare one anther’s ultimate “Weird Al” playlists. We also are joined by New York Times Bestselling Author Jonathan Maberry and we show him our version of the “Extinction Machine” aka The Geek Seat! Plus, ESO remembers veteran character actor Michael Ansara. Not to mention the usual Rants, Raves, Khan Report, and Shout Outs!

Join us for yet another episode of The Earth Station One Podcast we like to call: The Satirical Work of www.esopodcast.com
Michael Ansara as Star Trek's Kang“Weird Al” Yankovic at
Direct link: http://erthstationone.wordpress.com/2013/08/07/earth-station-one-episode-174-the-satirical-work-of-weird-al-yankovic/

Table of Contents
0:00:00 Intro / Welcome
0:10:43 Rants & Raves
0:44:06 Interview & Geek Seat w/ New York Times Best Selling Author Jonathan Maberry
1:16:01 Weird Al Yankovic
Peter Capaldi: The 12th Doctor2:15:52 The ESO Khan Report
2:25:44 ESO Shout Outs and Show Close
2:33:56 The Weird Al Montage

Next on Earth Station One...

ESO gets burned!
Final Notice
Next week, the ESO crew sneaks a peek at the top-secret dossier of burned CIA agent, Michael Westen. How did this top operative find himself disavowed? Who are his friends? Who can he trust? And why is all this happening to him? Plus, we look ahead to the upcoming series finale with our predictions on how it all ends. You know, on most podcasts, that would be more than enough, but we’ll also have the usual Rants, Raves, Khan Report, Geek Seat, Shout Outs, and even a special guest or two. You get all this and more on the next exciting episode of Earth Station One.

ESO would love to hear from you. Share your favorite Burn Notice stories and memories with the ESO crew at esopodcast@gmail.com, www.esopodcast.com, Facebook, Twitter, or Google+. We love hearing from you. Who knows, we might just read yours on the show.

BOBBY’S PANEL SCHEDULE FOR THE 2013 GEORGIA LITERARY FESTIVAL RELEASED

Author Bobby Nash will be a guest at the 2013 Georgia Literary Festival, held the weekend of November 9th in Milledgeville, GA. You can learn more about the festival here and visit the Festival’s Facebook page here.

Bobby’s 2013 Georgia Literary Festival Panel Schedule:

“Blending Genres: The Hardboiled P.I. In Different Eras” on Saturday afternoon, November 9 at 1 pm (35-minute panel)“The Graphic World of Comic Books” on Saturday afternoon, November 9 at 3 pm (35-minute panel)“Georgia (and Murder) On My Mind” on Saturday afternoon, November 9 at 4 pm (35-minute panel)
Plus, Bobby will be available during the festival on Saturday to meet with attendees and sign books.

I’m looking forward to attending my first Georgia Literary Festival. Thanks to Barry Reese and his team for inviting me. It’ll be fun.

Bobby

NEW BOBBY NASH INTERVIEW AT NOCTURNE TRAVEL AGENCY

New Pulp Author Bobby Nash sits down with Nocturne Travel Agency host, Tom Deja for a rousing discussion of…well, all things Bobby Nash [his favorite topic, naturally ;)]. Bobby explains how he got into writing and the process he went through to get Evil Ways published. He blames Sean Taylor for the creation of Rick Ruby and The Ruby Files and Bobby and Tom talk at length about the Domino Lady and Honey West!

It's 50 minutes of pure writer-y goodness, don’t delay, press play!

You can listen to the second episode of the Nocturne Travel Agency podcast here.

Thanks for a great interview, Tom.That was fun.
Bobby

THE DEADLY ART OF EXPOSURE...

It's Super-Bob-- Writer Guy and his big bag 'o cash!
Where's my money, honey?I read an article on The Beat asking the question, Should Writers Pay Artists Upfront? You can read the full article here. Basically, the point being put forth is that writers write comic book scripts and try to get artists to draw them for free. This happens, believe me. I’ve worked with artists this way a time or two, usually on a project we both enjoy and weren’t expecting to make much money on anyway.

The argument is valid, but seems a little skewed toward the writer being the initial point of creation. Experience has taught me that this is not always the case. Sometimes artists have an idea and seek out a writer, usually asking the writer to work for free or “for exposure” which is a dreaded term in creative circles these days. We’ll talk about that a bit more in a minute. Granted, some creators have reached a point in their career that working for exposure is not in their best interest. Others, well, maybe if you’re new to the game, a little exposure couldn’t hurt. Of course, each individual creator has to make that decision for him or herself.

Below is my response to the topic, which basically tells how I try to handle this as a writer. It also partly emphasizes why I don’t write nearly as many comic books as I used to.

Show me the money.There are different ways to look at this. 

I generally offer co-ownership and splitting profits (with the artists getting a larger split of the profits) for creator-owned work. I don't just stockpile and pitch stories. We don't start working on a project until the artist and I agree that this is what we all want to do and we work up a loose plot or idea together. In addition to writing, I also handle the contacts, shopping it around, marketing, etc. Sadly, even with all parties agreed, this doesn't always work and I end up having spent time writing something that never gets finished. It is frustrating at times, which is part of the reason I write very few comics these days. Some of these have languished for years and may or may not ever be completed.

Too funny.It is important to note that not all project ideas are started by the writer. I have had artists come to me wanting me to write the story he or she wants to tell or just saying they would love to work with me. Every time, I have done this as a partnership, co-owning it as opposed to asking the artist to pay me to write it for them. Sometimes these projects never see the light of day because the art doesn't get finished. I spent time writing that I was then not paid for and have a script I cannot use elsewhere because I only co-own the property.

Funny aside (or not so funny, depending on your POV): I had an artist pitch me his idea and asked me to write his idea into a graphic novel script. The artist then told me his page rate so I could pay him to draw his idea because he thought paying for the book was the writer's responsibility. Suffice it to say, I declined the offer.

Two words I don't want to write.I can definitely sympathize with both sides. I like to form creative partnerships. Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't. Ah, comics.

That was from the comment section on The Beat.

Exposure is one of those tricky beasts. Writers, artists, colorists, actors, musicians, singers, performers, and on and on and on are constantly being peppered with requests for them to do some type of work “for exposure.” As I mentioned above, the term “for exposure” is not a popular one to hear, but it sure seems popular to use, especially by non-creative people.

But is working “for exposure” a bad thing?

This is totally how a writer makes money.It depends. The first question you should ask yourself is, “do I need exposure for my work?”

In my writing career, I have worked on many royalty-based pay projects. Most prose (novels, short stories, novellas) publishers pay royalties, as a matter of fact. Some publishers offer work for hire and pay a set fee for a story, but when it comes to novels, most of the time it’s royalty all the way. That means, if the book makes a profit then I will make money. If it doesn’t, well, then I won’t. A lot of “for exposure” offers are cloaked in the phrase, “if it makes money, you’ll make money.”

In my case, I have done “for exposure” work on a few occasions. My first professional comic book work was done “for exposure” because the publisher wanted to try me out so I scripted a story from a plot and artwork that was already completed. I knew up front that I would probably never see a dime from this, but it got my work in front of the publisher. My “for exposure” work got me the gig and a few other writing gigs, each of them paying. In this instance, working for exposure paid off for me.

Must be a writer. :)I wrote a draft of an episode of a web series “for exposure” because I knew it would be produced and I would have a screenwriting credit to my name. I did another for that same reason. One of those experiences worked out better than the other because I ended up not being credited for the work so the exposure I sought wasn’t there.

At the end of the day, working for exposure or not comes down to what you, as a creative person, want to gain from it. If you think the opportunity to expand your brand or move into a new type of creative endeavor is there and “for exposure” is the only way to get started, then you have a decision to make and no one else can make it for you.

I love being a writer, but let’s face it, at the end of the day it is pretty much a crapshoot whether you make a living or not. I’ve worked on royalty-based projects that have not put a single dime in my pocket, even though, in some cases, others were paid. In other cases, my “for exposure” project netted me a paying gig on another project.
This has happened to me.
The choice falls on the individual creators. You have to follow the path that feels right for you. You are in charge of your creative career and have to make those decisions. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t, but either way, you’re sure to gain some valuable knowledge from the experience.

Happy creating.

Bobby

FEEDBACK...

It's such a wonderful feeling when I get positive feedback on something I wrote. That never gets old. Makes the long hours totally worth it. 

Speaking of long hours, I'd better get back to it. But first...

I did have an addendum to my schedule for the upcoming Dragon Con convention on labor Day weekend in Atlanta, GA.
Title: Reading - John Hartness (Big Bad Anthology Launch Party)
Time: Fri 05:30 pm Location: Roswell - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)

You can see the rest of my Dragon Con schedule here.
Oh, and congratulations to Peter Capaldi, our next Doctor Who.
Bobby
PS: keep those questions coming for next week's Sometimes I Get Asked Stuff... column.