Elliott Turner's Blog - Posts Tagged "rant"
That Annoying Indie Author Email Spam
Remember that indie author who wrote that book and you signed up for his email and his emails only talked about his book? Remember that entire email dedicated to how his book was on iTunes and now you could give it a five star rating there?
Remember that other email dedicated to how his book was on Amazon AND Barnes & Noble and now you could potentially give it five stars at two entirely separate websites? Amazing!
I can understand the urge for self-promotion. I post links to my prior book at the end of blog posts and in guest articles. I've posted on my blog when it comes out on new ereaders. I also tweet about it from time to time. However, at some point, a content-creator like an author has to focus on writing the original content, not the marketing crap.
A blog post is less intrusive than an email. No need to unsubscribe. No spam filter box. You just click elsewhere. Thus, I'm glad I have GoodReads to keep people in the creative loop.
My writing process for books is incredibly boring. First, I get a general idea. Second, I do some research. Third, I sketch an introduction. I re-write the intro usually 2 or 3 times. If the intro can't grab me, then I say to hell with it.
In the case of my forthcoming book, the intro was fresh and the research showed a pretty big hole in the English language world on the Real Madrid & Barca rivalry. Julian Garcia Candau wrote a solid if winding Spanish language book, but English readers were excluded. Burns and Ball have good books looking at each club, but don't look at them both simultaneously.
I wrote an intro. It grabbed me.
Then, step four: I did (and do) an outline. This outline includes an approximation of the number of chapters, section divisions, and estimated length. Then I normally start to write as I research. I am a much better re-writer than writer. If you read my blog, you already know this.
Thus, I had sketched a portion of my second book before I realized: crap, I need some funds to get far away & out of print foreign books, pay Erik Ebeling to do some fantastic art, and also try to hire an editor or two. Hence, the successful Kickstarter campaign in May.
Right now, I'm close to finishing Chapter 8 [1970-1980]. This is the Cruyff arrives/Franco's death era of Spanish soccer. Keep in mind, this chapter and earlier chapters are only the first (very rough) draft of many. I prefer to complete a manuscript and then go back to revise content, re-work themes, unite split infinitives, tie together comma splices, unite even more split infinitives, and check on paragraphing.
I want to have a first manuscript done by the end of summer, and then have time to go back and tweak themes and sections. My thesis has already formed, and it's pretty solid and relies very little on armchair sociology (Spaniards run with bulls! Therefore, Real & Barca hate one another!). I also have exciting news about editors for the book. Who are they?
You'll just have to wait and see....
Remember that other email dedicated to how his book was on Amazon AND Barnes & Noble and now you could potentially give it five stars at two entirely separate websites? Amazing!
I can understand the urge for self-promotion. I post links to my prior book at the end of blog posts and in guest articles. I've posted on my blog when it comes out on new ereaders. I also tweet about it from time to time. However, at some point, a content-creator like an author has to focus on writing the original content, not the marketing crap.
A blog post is less intrusive than an email. No need to unsubscribe. No spam filter box. You just click elsewhere. Thus, I'm glad I have GoodReads to keep people in the creative loop.
My writing process for books is incredibly boring. First, I get a general idea. Second, I do some research. Third, I sketch an introduction. I re-write the intro usually 2 or 3 times. If the intro can't grab me, then I say to hell with it.
In the case of my forthcoming book, the intro was fresh and the research showed a pretty big hole in the English language world on the Real Madrid & Barca rivalry. Julian Garcia Candau wrote a solid if winding Spanish language book, but English readers were excluded. Burns and Ball have good books looking at each club, but don't look at them both simultaneously.
I wrote an intro. It grabbed me.
Then, step four: I did (and do) an outline. This outline includes an approximation of the number of chapters, section divisions, and estimated length. Then I normally start to write as I research. I am a much better re-writer than writer. If you read my blog, you already know this.
Thus, I had sketched a portion of my second book before I realized: crap, I need some funds to get far away & out of print foreign books, pay Erik Ebeling to do some fantastic art, and also try to hire an editor or two. Hence, the successful Kickstarter campaign in May.
Right now, I'm close to finishing Chapter 8 [1970-1980]. This is the Cruyff arrives/Franco's death era of Spanish soccer. Keep in mind, this chapter and earlier chapters are only the first (very rough) draft of many. I prefer to complete a manuscript and then go back to revise content, re-work themes, unite split infinitives, tie together comma splices, unite even more split infinitives, and check on paragraphing.
I want to have a first manuscript done by the end of summer, and then have time to go back and tweak themes and sections. My thesis has already formed, and it's pretty solid and relies very little on armchair sociology (Spaniards run with bulls! Therefore, Real & Barca hate one another!). I also have exciting news about editors for the book. Who are they?
You'll just have to wait and see....
Your Kickstarter Dollars At Sloth: Procrastination
Everybody knows that to become a respected writer, you must develop neurotic obsessions that cause you to procrastinate and blow deadlines. My book is due out next April, so I gave myself a good chunk of time to research and write. Nevertheless, I still have found (and find) ways to read novels & short stories instead of working on the book.
Here are the creative works I've been reading in lieu of writing my own creative work:
Drown by Junot Diaz.
The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen.
The Complete Short Stories of Flannery O'Connor.
Norwegian Wood by Huraki Murakami
Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz.
In addition to reading, I do promise that I've put your Kickstarter dollars to good use. For example, I've withdrawn all $1200 from an ATM in twenty dollar bills. Each night, I spend about 5 minutes forming stacks of $100 on my desk. Then, after making stacks of $100, I turn on a fan and blow around the bills. Then, I make stacks of $200. Then, I turn on a fan and blow around the bills. Then....
You get the picture. On occasion, my wife knocks at the door to the study and asks if there's a problem and why am I turning on and off the fan so much? To which I reply - "Just putting my backers' dollars to work and stack'in d'em billz."
But seriously, I've finished 8 chapters, have 2 left, and the artist Erik Ebeling has submitted some amazing sketches for the artwork. I'm starting to get excited and we're still 6 months away from sending out the backer rewards (and the book comes out in April for backers, in May for the rest of ye).
Here are the creative works I've been reading in lieu of writing my own creative work:
Drown by Junot Diaz.
The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen.
The Complete Short Stories of Flannery O'Connor.
Norwegian Wood by Huraki Murakami
Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz.
In addition to reading, I do promise that I've put your Kickstarter dollars to good use. For example, I've withdrawn all $1200 from an ATM in twenty dollar bills. Each night, I spend about 5 minutes forming stacks of $100 on my desk. Then, after making stacks of $100, I turn on a fan and blow around the bills. Then, I make stacks of $200. Then, I turn on a fan and blow around the bills. Then....
You get the picture. On occasion, my wife knocks at the door to the study and asks if there's a problem and why am I turning on and off the fan so much? To which I reply - "Just putting my backers' dollars to work and stack'in d'em billz."
But seriously, I've finished 8 chapters, have 2 left, and the artist Erik Ebeling has submitted some amazing sketches for the artwork. I'm starting to get excited and we're still 6 months away from sending out the backer rewards (and the book comes out in April for backers, in May for the rest of ye).
