Rich Samuels's Blog, page 14

Storytelling, Twitter Style - The Results

I've completed my first experiment in "Twitter Storytelling," @NoWedgiesForMe, consisting of forty-one tweets between December 12th and 20th in the voice of Alexander, the protagonist in my book, "My Life at the Bottom of the Food Chain."

In concept, I find the idea fascinating: telling a story in "real time," through the intimate perspective of a fictional character and the 140-character brevity of a tweet. Minimal description, combined with what is essentially a stream-of-consciousness illusion could create an engaging story.

In practice, I enjoyed the creation of forty one tweets, which told a uniquely "Alexander" story, in which his wildly active imagination led him to the conclusion that he would be the victim of a horrible prank on the last day before school was out for the holidays. His panic builds until the last hours of the last day, when he's not the recipient of a horrible prank, but a mysterious wrapped gift from his supposed enemies, and a request "not to open before Christmas." With that cliffhanger, I concluded the test.

This wasn't a wide test - @NoWedgiesForMe has only seven followers - but putting the concept into practice left with with several questions to consider:

How might this concept best be applied? Is this Twitter account an opportunity to tell an entirely new, ongoing story - or should it reflect the existing (and future) book more directly? What is the ultimate objective? Is this simply added-value content?Should Alexander's story exist across several platforms that cross-promote - Twitter, and a blog, for example? Instagram and other platforms might also be part of Alexander's world - but naturally require a much larger investment in time and resources to create a photo record of Alexander's fictional life.How can I make sure that people actually see these tweets? While the real time concept is intriguing - a Twitter feed is constantly moving. The "authenticity" of Alexander tweeting in real time probably translates into the fact that most followers would never see his tweets. Most Twitter users don't search back in their timeline too far.  Will anyone really see what Alexander tweets at 7:30 or 10 am? Gary Vaynerchuk, one of the most well-respected experts on the use social media (Crush It, among other titles), recently posted a opinion in favor of tweeting the same message multiple times - to make certain that users in different time zones might see the same message (i.e. a 9am tweet on the east coast is likely to be missed by someone on the west coast, so that same tweet might be repeated at 9 am Pacific time).  This would make sense in the case of @NoWedgiesForMe, but a second phase of this experiment would need to explore a new methodology in order to maintain Alexander's voice.  After all, he wouldn't have typically retweeted most of the 41 existing tweets.
I'm considering the lessons of the small, first attempt, and in the new year I'll adjust the concept and try again - stay tuned!
Have you seen a similar concept in practice?  Let me know!

Previous blogs on this topic:
Getting Real: My Protagonist Tweets!
Alexander's Tweets @NoWedgiesForMe (Update)

Alexander's Tweets @NoWedgiesForMe (Update)

Almost a week ago, I began an experiment in, for the lack of a better term, Twitter Storytelling. I've created a Twitter account [@NoWedgiesForMe] for Alexander, the central protagonist in my novel, "My Life at the Bottom of the Food Chain." I know that there are numerous experiments going on that are along these lines, and I liked the idea of creating a supplementary "reality" for the universe by the book and it's upcoming follow-up. 


The big question - will people actually see these tweets? I don't usually search back on your earlier tweets - I'll read what you tweet now. Do I need to make Alexander a habitual repeat tweeter, so that people will actually see these?  Or, do I simply use the Twitter account as a basis to create updates elsewhere (here, or on the Facebook page, for example).  If a reader is more interested, then they can follow on Twitter directly.  What do you think?


The Story So Far: As winter vacation looms, Alexander gets nervous that bullies might plan something on the last school day before the holidays...

Getting Real: My Protagonist Tweets!

One of the greatest challenges I have as an independent author is continuing to build word of mouth for my book.  For the first few months, the book is new and that, in itself, can be considered newsworthy.  As of this writing, it’s been nine months since the book first appeared in ebook form, and seven months since it was available in paperback. I’m currently writing a follow-up volume to “My Life at the Bottom of the Food Chain,” but that won’t be ready for several months.
As we approach the end of the year, I’ll be initiating several new efforts to keep the book alive in the minds of readers - and, perhaps, reach new readers in the process.
The first step in that effort begins today, with the launch of a new Twitter account, @NoWedgiesForMe - tweeting in the voice of Alexander, the central character in the “Food Chain” books.  He’ll tweet about his day-to-day life, as many people do, but followers will also be able to follow an entirely new story as it unfolds day to day in “real time.” If followers choose, they can also interact with Alexander, and he’ll respond.  Alexander’s quirky personality and skewed observations of the world around him are a central highlight of the novel, and I believe he’s nicely suited for a life on Twitter. While related to the world portrayed in the novel, Alexander’s experiences on that platform will be original and independent of the original and upcoming novels.
I’m excited about experimenting with this new form of storytelling, and, like the entire process of writing and releasing a self-published book, I’ll be curious about how this approach might engage readers, and, perhaps, help build an audience.

I invite and hope for your involvement - follow Alexander @NoWedgiesForMe

Who's the Puppet NOW?

Currently, I'm working on the follow-up to "My Life at the Bottom of the Food Chain" (which I'm calling Book Two at the moment).  The new volume will continue the story of Alexander and his friends from about where the first book left off. Like any thirteen year old, Alexander is a work in progress, and I've been interested in exploring just where his life and his quirky personality will lead him.

I wrote a fairly detailed outline of almost the entire book. I had an idea of how Alexander would react to the events in the first book, and aspects of his friendships and his relationship with his parents that I wanted to explore. I've also been reading and listening to readers, and I'm taking into account those characters and situations in which they've shown particular interest.

I had it all planned out...

Then came Alexander.

The moment i sat down and began to work on the first chapter, all of my initial plans dissolved.  In the original book I was creating a cast of characters.  In this book, they already were established.  They have likes, dislikes, good and bad habits and histories (some of which I haven't yet revealed).  I couldn't adjust character traits to suit the story; I had to discover the story through their established personalities.

Alexander is a tricky character. He's at once sympathetic and annoying. He can be both compassionate and selfish. At his heart, though, he's a good kid nearly overwhelmed with the challenges of growing up, and is struggling, like most kids, to figure out the world around him.

The great challenge in telling Alexander's story is to keep that precarious balance. He tends to over-react to events in his life, but with a motivation and intimate logic that makes perfect sense - to him. What seemed to work in the outline seemed completely implausible the moment I tried to translate outline into story.

It’s almost as if Alexander is peering over my shoulder, watching my every word and making darn sure I don’t disrespect him.

Don't let anyone tell you that characters in a story are the author's puppets.

It's the other way around.

(Currently I'm about almost a third of the way through the first draft; if Alexander doesn't interfere, Book Two might be ready by spring!)

Finding Creative Energy

When I was in fourth grade and about ten years old, I wrote a short, Star Trek-inspired play called "The Crash" ("It was the year 1999 and ship 666 was on it's way to Saturn."). With the encouragement of my teacher, Mrs. Hahn, my friends and I performed it for our class. We then went "on tour" to many of the lower grades.  We had simple props (paper masks for the aliens, and command badges for the crew members, and toy ray guns) and adjusted our simple staging for each classroom.
"The Crash" was my first experience in leadership and creating for an audience. Though I didn't understand it at the time, it was also an early lesson in the power of Creative Energy - setting an idea in motion and watching it take on a life of its own.  What once was just a concept in my head became an adventure shared by my friends.
In the following few years, I'd create other projects. Some would become super-8 films, and others short screenplays.  In Elementary and Junior High School, I would conceive television series ideas, and my friends would join in with episode outlines, set designs and character backgrounds.  We rarely put any of these concepts on film, but it didn’t really matter  - it was all about the the adventure of thinking and creating together. 
Creative expression - and interacting with other creative kids - proved to me thatCreative Energy - and interacting with other creative kids - was a motivating factor throughout my childhood.
If you reach only a few people - then through those people, you reach the world.
For a child, what concept could be more powerful?

Kirkus Book Review Sneak Peak: "My Life at the Bottom of the Food Chain"

Kirkus, one of the oldest and most trusted book review sources (for over eighty years) recently reviewed "My Life at the Bottom of the Food Chain."  Here's a sneak peak at their review, soon to be published on the Kirkus site (I'll link it here when it is!):

In Samuels’ droll debut YA novel, a 13-year-old obsessed with bullies becomes entangled in compromising situations.
Alexander, a shorter-than-average middle school student, has never been pantsed, wedgied or swirlied by bullies. He credits this achievement to his prodigious strategic planning and research, which he’s synthesized in his magnum opus: a smartphone app called BullyTrack. Its motto, which has also become Alexander’s credo, is “Stay Invisible. Stay Safe.” The app maximizes bully avoidance by informing users of specific bullies’ locations and habits and providing essential information about bullies in general. “Timing is everything,” the app advises, and that’s why it’s critical to reach the school gates at specific times, move swiftly from class to class, and never enter a locker room alone. Alexander also recommends eating lunch away from the cafeteria so that bullies can’t take empty seats and commandeer control of the table. One should also always bring one’s own lunch, free of messy, drippy items that might end up dumped on one’s head. “Condiments are not your friends,” Alexander says. He has three close friends who are bemused by his obsession with bullies and loyal to him—up to a point. But when a classroom discussion of a Franklin D. Roosevelt line (“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”) unleashes Alexander’s paranoid delusions and results in his complete humiliation, it tests his friends’ willingness to excuse him. One of the less believable aspects of this otherwise entertaining novel is the idea that Alexander has any friends at all, but the book will ring true for many middle schoolers. The author does an exemplary job of detailing the ways that the powerful prey on the weak; however, he risks making Alexander unsympathetic by pushing his behavior from that of a risible obsessive to that of an outright psychotic. Readers might also have benefited from more insight into Alexander’s strange relationship with his parents and his frequentneurological lapses or “trances.”

A witty, if uneven, YA novel, and a valuable addition to topical literature about bullying.
What do you think?  I'm pretty happy with the review, although I don't tend to think of Alexander as psychotic!  Or is he....

Rich and the Niche: Marketing My Book

One of my ongoing beliefs about social media and internet commerce in general is that it should be possible, theoretically at least, to reach your perfect niche audience.  Whether you’re a musician, filmmaker, writer, or simple have the ideal invention, you have access to that special group that would like exactly what you have to offer.








My Appearance on "Connie Martinson Talks Books"






Of course, that doesn’t mean that the task of reaching that niche is a simple one.




“My Life at the Bottom of the Food Chain” has given me a tangible product - something that I can offer to the world at large. It’s not a proposed project, a partially completed project, or a concept.  It’s a book that available now through the tradtional channels.  Nearly anyone in the world can read my book in ebook or paperback formats, thanks to online retail sites.




The challenge, as a first time author, has been to generate awareness, and I’ve had some moderate success in that area since I released the book earlier this year.




As of this writing, I’ve enjoyed six reviews on Amazon, and five on Goodreads - along with a total of eleven ratings on Goodreads, as well.  I’d like to see more.  I also enjoyed a couple of good YouTube reviews, too.




I was interviewed on “Connie Martinson Talks Books,” a longtime book review and interview program that is available both on cable and on YouTube.  The opportunity to appear on a program that has also featured some of the most noted writers of the last thirty years is a great morale-booster.  




I’ve generated online press releases related to the book, which primarily has served to generate an increased web presence.  I haven’t actually detected many new stories that have evolved from these releases, however.




Sales have been steady, though nothing close to potential. 




What do I need to do?




I haven’t, by any means, exhausted all of the various tools and avenues that indie authors follow; as a first time author, I’m learning these skills as I forge ahead.  I’m only now exploring certain concepts, such as the “blog tour,” which allows authors to appear as “guests” on other blogs (either as writer or interviewee).  I’d like to explore the possibility of taking part in a reading of my book.





I’m looking for tie-in possibilities.   Though the book is a comedy, it’s offers a fresh take on the very current topic of bullying.  Alexander’s fear of bullying almost leads him to become a bully himself.  I’m looking for opportunities to build on that concept.  Some mental illness professionals and teachers have also indicated interest in the book’s message of tolerance.






Finally I need to keep writing. Establishing a presence as an author, and building interest in what I do, requires that I forge ahead.  Unbiased reaction to “Food Chain” has been good, and I’’m encouraged.  I’m already at work at the second book in this series, and have another, separate concept in the works after that.  This is a life-long ambition, and I remain excited to see how far I can carry it.
















Your suggestions, as always, are appreciated.

New Interview!

I was recently interviewed on "Connie Martinson Talks Books," a longtime program that 's featured both prominent and up-and-coming authors. Enjoy!
http://youtu.be/seE2n8cRLS4

Climbing Up From the Bottom of the Food Chain

[Update:  Within ninety minutes of posting this blog, I received a response from an inquiry I had made a couple of months back.  In September, I'll be interviewed on the most high profile book review program here in Los Angeles - this is an incredible opportunity. Wait until you hear who has been on this show! More later!]



In April, the e-book of “My Life at the Bottom of the Food
Chain” (my official website here)  became available on the major sites. 
In June, the paperback edition was released, and is now available on
most on-line sites.  How has the
“roll-out” of my book progressed so far?




A few facts:




1              
I have had six five-star reviews so far on
Amazon.com.  Some were offered by those
who received review copies, others from individuals I don’t know personally.

2              
On Goodreads.com, a social site for those who
enjoy reading, I have had eleven ratings and five reviews, with an average of
4.18 stars out of five. Most of those reviews were offered by those who
received the book as winners of a Goodreads.com-managed giveaway of ten copies
of the paperback.

3              
I have received two YouTube reviews of my book
(from KeeperoftheMountain and ToadenK). KeeperoftheMountain also recorded a second video reading from my book.




A number of readers have shared photos of themselves with
the book, and, and as fun way of keeping in contact with my readers, I have
shared photographs of my book in locations as varied as Morro Bay, California and
London, England.








My greatest challenge remains getting the word out.  All
of the public reviews and ratings are helping to build a good base for the book
moving forward, providing some legitimacy as people search for the title…




But…




People have to search
for it first. 




I need to generate publicity.  I need to build on the themes addressed in
the book.  Reviews have been enormously
helpful in developing a wider idea of just how people perceive the story and
Alexander, the main character – and how this book contributes to wider
discussions.  One on Goodreads, for
example, indicated that the book “could potentially show kids how to be a good friend to someone who isn't exactly easy to be friends with.”




I need to encourage more reviews across various platforms –
blogs, book sites, YouTube, podcasts. 
These all those up in title searches, and help build awareness.  At this early stage, when the volume of
readers isn’t very high, that can sometimes be a tough challenge.  Most people (including myself) don’t
regularly write reviews – even if they like a book or product.   For an
independent author like myself, however, those reviews are golden.  I’d also like to identify and encourage young YouTubers (as well other content creators) who might be interested in creating reviews or other videos.  (Contact me via this page if any of this interests you)




I’m also hoping to for feature stories and interviews related
to the story behind the story – and the issues the book addresses.  Without an agent to handle publicity, it’s a
bit tricky to conceptualize and promote press opportunities for myself, but
it’s critical to my goal of connecting the book to as wide an audience as I
believe it can reach.  




One of the most positive messages I’m getting from reviews
and other reactions is the fact that most readers express their personal feelings about Alexander.  He’s generated a wide range of emotions, from
understanding to frustration to anger. Some have expressed a fondness for
Alexander, while others have said that he was so frustrating, “I’d love to slap
him.”  These all feel like authentic
feelings and responses to a person, rather than a character.   Generating an emotional response is a great
reward.




I need to write more on the themes discussed in the book, on
blogs and other sites, to further develop my credentials and awareness moving
forward.  My intention has always been to
move forward with my writing pursuits. 
“My Life at the Bottom of the Food Chain” was never attended to be a
“one-off,” speaking both of the characters and of my writing pursuits.




There are hundreds of thousands of authors pushing their
wares across the internet. I recognize that I’m just one of many and I have my
work cut out for me.  I’m fascinated with
the challenge, and I see it as an ongoing part of a process I’ve been pursing
of embracing the challenge of creating and marketing online media. 










































































I’ve written blogs, created hundreds of YouTube videos and
experimented with social media – only to find myself, as a direct result of the experience, embracing my earliest
ambition.



Your feedback and suggestions are always welcome!

Goodreads Winners: The Book Is On The Way!

For those who won the Giveaway for "My Life at the Bottom of the Food Chain," I'm happy to announce that all copies are in the mail as of this week! Be on the lookout for your copy!

Thanks for your support!