Roger Eschbacher's Blog, page 14

Talking Heads - Once in a Lifetime (Official Video)

My favorite video of my favorite song by my favorite band. I first saw it back in the early 80s and my mind was blown. Enjoy.

Animation FAQ: Thoughts on How to Sell an Animated Series

Q: I am an aspiring writer/artist/musician with an animated show idea. I have character illustrations, a series synopsis, 12 plot treatments, and music samples that I have worked on extensively. I have a friend who creates and pitches TV shows for a living, but I am not sure about his degree of success in that field. He encouraged me to create the series in the first place. I have no idea how to get my idea in front of people besides my admittedly low-level connection. Do you have any suggestions?
A: Disclaimer: I've come close a couple of times, but have yet to sell a series. 
That said...it sounds like you have a lot of the components one would need to pitch an animated "Hodag of Horror"show. The fact that you're a musician who's able to provide show-related music samples might even give you an edge over most.

With regard to your friend, if he creates and pitches shows "for a living" (meaning he gets paid) he is without a doubt VERY successful in his field and not a "low level connection" at all. In fact, he's about as good a connection as you can get. Is he a professional writer? If so, that means he probably has a "literary" agent (an agent that exclusively handles TV, film, or animation writers). Ask him for a referral to his agent. 
I strongly recommend having a couple of writing samples (spec sitcoms, well-known animated shows in the same category as your series, even a spec feature script that shows off your style) in addition to your pitch. Write them, then begin the hunt. If your friend doesn't have an agent, once you get the samples, start the hunt yourself. Pursue any other connections you might have and go to the WGA site for a listing of Guild approved agents. Once you have that, start sending out query letters (try to get a name rather than sending out generic "Dear Agent" letters) explaining that you're interested in representation, have a project (don't go into too much detail), list your samples, and ask if they would be interested in taking a look at one (of the samples). If they say yes, you've got your foot in the door. 
You didn't mention where you lived, but it'd be helpful if it was in LA or NY. That's where most of the agencies and the production co./networks are located. It wouldn't be impossible to secure representation if you lived somewhere else, just a lot harder. An agency would be more likely to sign someone who's "in town" and available for the meetings they'd set up. The bottom line is that you need to secure an agent if you have any hope of having your project looked at by anyone who really counts. Good luck!
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If you have a question about writing for animation, send it to me via the CONTACT tab. If you have your own thoughts about this particular question, please leave them in the comments.

REVIEW: Your Name

I rolled my eyes when I first read the description for "Your Name" ("A teenage boy and girl embark on a quest to meet each other for the first time after they magically swap bodies."), but it turned out to be a mature, well-crafted film -- wistful, with gentle humor and lots of heart. The animation is some of the best I've seen...anywhere. Recommended.

Ghost Star: Limited Time Price Promotion

My pals at Kindle Press have decided now is a good time for special discount pricing on Ghost Star. To quote Annie Lennox, "Who am I to disagree?"

For a limited time (Thursday, 2/8/18 - Thursday, 2/15/18), my book will be on sale for $0.99! That's ninety-nine digital pennies for 50k words of action-packed digital adventure!

If you already own Ghost Star please pass along this little wallet-friendly nugget of news to friends and family who might enjoy saving a couple of bucks on a fun, fast-paced, space opera-y read.
Yes, I'm shamelessly asking you to please spread the word. Tell them it's like Star Wars without those annoying Ewoks or Porgs. They'll thank you for it and so will I.

CLICK HERE TO BUY NOW

Thank you!

PUBLICATION DAY! Undrastormur, Part 2: The Great Tree

The big day has arrived for the second part in my YA Viking fantasy, Undrastormur, Part 2: The Great Tree!

Here's the description: "When the roots of the Great Tree are attacked by a plague of monster slugs, Eirik and his companions must destroy the ravenous creatures before they release the Nidhoggr, a mountain-sized dragon bent on bringing death and destruction to all of the nine worlds."

Sound exciting? I think so and hope you'll agree.

This novella-length fantasy adventure is now available as a Kindle title on Amazon.

You can check it out HERE.

Thanks!

Looky What Just Showed Up

Woo hoo!


Available HERE.

GHOST STAR: Publication Day Has Arrived!

Just a quick post... Both editions of Ghost Star are now available on Amazon!

Kindle Edition ($2.99)

Paperback Edition ($11.95)

To everyone who helped me get my book over the finish line -- from my trusty beta readers/proofers and editor to those who nominated Ghost Star during its Kindle Scout campaign -- thank you! This is an amazing day for me and I am grateful!

If you received a free review copy of the book from Kindle Scout as a reward for nominating it, please use the above links to leave a review on Amazon. You can do this if you bought the book on your own, too. The more reviews the better (as far as Big A's marketing algorithms are concerned). In other words, reviews help authors sell books.

If you'd like, you can also leave a review on Goodreads.

If you're a book blogger or librarian and would like a review copy, feel free to CONTACT ME.

Again, thank you!

UNDRASTORMUR, Part 2: The Great Tree NOW AVAILABLE for Pre-Ordering

This announcement is a two-fer: a pre-order availability, er, announcement AND cover reveal.

Undrastormur, Part 2: The Great Tree is a novella length continuation of Eirik's adventures from the first book. Lots of fantasy adventuring going on in this one--monsters, an ego-maniacal Norse god, a fierce shieldmaiden, and, of course, our brave but reluctant hero, Eirik. The book is now available for pre-ordering. The actual date of publication is 01/30/18.

Here's my book's description...

When the roots of the Great Tree are attacked by a plague of monster slugs, Eirik and his companions must destroy the ravenous creatures before they release the Nidhoggr, a mountain-sized dragon bent on bringing death and destruction to all of the nine worlds.

And here's the cover designed by Keith Robinson. Give him a shout if you're an author looking for a cool cover from an easy-to-work-with designer.


Interested? Check out these links:

Amazon Pre-order link: http://amzn.to/2C1UTIr

Amazon Author page: http://amzn.to/2C5kdzv

Thanks!

POLL QUESTION: Ghost Star vs Undrastormur

Both the Kindle and paperback versions of Ghost Star are coming out on 01/09/18. The second Undrastormur book (Kindle) is ready to go now. Should I publish the Undrastormur book BEFORE or AFTER Ghost Star's release? 

I guess I'm concerned about the two books possibly getting in each other's way. Am I overthinking it? 

Feedback appreciated.

COVER UPDATE for UNDRASTORMUR: A Viking Fantasy Adventure

My original cover for Undrastormur has needed an update for quite some time. I designed it myself using an inexpensive stock image, an average font, and a basic cover design tool. It wasn't terribly eye-catching and, without the subtitle, could just as easily been a foreign language story about dangerous weather. All of this added up to a cover that looked okay but could've been better. 

After years of muttering to myself about my lack of design skills, I finally decided to do something about it. 

Enter talented cover designer Keith Robinson. He not only redesigned my tired original cover, but is designing brand new covers for Undrastormur, Part 2: The Great Tree (coming very soon), and Undrastormur, Part 3: The Revenge of the Giants (coming in early 2018).

Here's his new cover: 


Big improvement, eh? It features Eirik, the main character, and Hilde, a strong supporting character. Even without the subtitle, we can reasonably assume there's an adventure involved. Closer examination will hopefully lead potential readers to guess it's a sword and sorcery story since Eirik holds a wizard's staff and Hilde sports a serious-looking sword. 

I'm very pleased with this new cover and can't wait to reveal the next two. 

If you're in need of a cover, I heartily recommend contacting Keith by clicking on his highlighted name above. He's smart, intuitive, and easy to work with.

CLICK HERE to reach the Undrastormur Amazon page.