Ruth Kaufman's Blog, page 6
August 1, 2015
Medieval Madness: participate in our multi-author blog hop to win prizes!
Hello! Welcome to the Medieval Madness Multi-Author Hop!
My featured book is FOLLOW YOUR HEART. She's a stained glass painter struggling to save her workshop from ruin. He's on a quest to restore his family estate. Passion makes their marriage of convenience inconvenient. Here's how you can participate in Medieval Madness:
ENTER TO WIN A KINDLE FIRE H6: Visit all of our sites! See the banner to the right for instructions.
ENTER MY CONTEST: Leave a comment on this post about why you love to read medievals. Three commenters will receive Castles, Knights and Chivalry. This boxed set of 4 medievals that released 8/1 features At His Command by me and books by Laurel O'Donnell, Elizabeth Rose and Kathryn Loch.
ENJOY OUR RECIPES: Here's mine! I thought about including a medieval recipe from one of the great books I have about medieval food, but decided on this one instead.Love chocolate? These easy cookies may not be the most attractive in the box, but they taste amazing. Let me know what you think!
Chocolate Nut Drop Cookies (Selma Weiss)
Melt in double boiler (my mom figured out you can microwave in a glass bowl):
1 can Eagle milk (I figured out you can use low fat or fat free)
1 1/2 c. chocolate chips
2 T butter
Mix in well:
1 C sifted all-purpose flour
1 1/2 C chopped nuts (I prefer walnuts)
Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 12 minutes. Watch closely so bottoms don't burn. Makes appx. 60 cookies.
FOR MORE INFO: Check out all of these medieval authors' sites to learn about them and their books:
1) Elizabeth Rose 2) Laurel O’Donnell 3) Kathryn Le Veque 4) Tanya Anne Crosby 5) April Holthaus 6) Emma Prince 7) Suzan Tisdale 8) Keira Montclair 9) Eliza Knight 10) Ruth Kaufman 11) Lana Williams
Thanks to Elizabeth Rose for arranging this event.
July 30, 2015
The .99 boxed set: trends in e-book pricing
Several months ago, the prolific Laurel O'Donnell reached out via e-mail to invite me to join in a boxed set with her and two others, Elizabeth Rose and Kathryn Loch. The offer was quite flattering...they've all released many more books than I have (so far), and are bestsellers. I'm not...yet? Also, Laurel's The Angel and the Prince is on my keeper shelf, so I was honored that she wanted one of my books sold with hers.The process of putting the set together was easier than I'd expected. Fortunately her talented husband did all of the formatting, so the only expense was the set's cover.
We needed to decide on the title, pricing and release date. And how much promotion we were willing to pay for. After tossing around some ideas, we agreed on Castles, Knights and Chivalry.
I struggled a bit with pricing. Many, many boxed sets are priced at .99 these days, and usually range from three to 10 full-length books. Amazon gives 35% royalties for .99 books, or approximately .09 per author per sale. Recently I saw a set with 11 books...for free!
I see both sides of the issue. On the one hand, it's easier for readers to give unfamiliar or newer authors a chance if they're part of a low priced boxed set. Then, perhaps, they'll go on to buy the author's other books. On the other, what's happening to the value of books? My contribution, At His Command , currently sells at $2.99, and has only been available since January. Would joining the box cannibalize individual book sales? The other three books have been available longer. Do e-books have limited shelf lives (pun intended) at a regular price (already significantly lower than their print counterparts) nowadays because so many new releases? As of this writing, Amazon show over 10,000 new romance releases...in the past 30 days, including just over 800 historical romances.
CK&C has been on preorder and officially releases August 1st. I'm thrilled to say it's been climbing the Amazon's Hot New Releases charts, currently #2 in Ancient World, #7 in Medieval, and #54 in all Historical Romance. Out of the top 100 Historical Romance Hot New Releases at the moment, only seven are boxed sets. In terms of sales, we're at
#5 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Romance > Historical Romance > Ancient World #11 in Books > Romance > Historical > Ancient World #44 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Romance > Historical Romance > Medieval We'll be doing a small amount of promotion in addition to Facebook and Twitter. How will the set do? Many have become bestsellers, so there's that dream....Stay tuned!
July 23, 2015
Best intentions vs. pushing yourself
Yes, I really want to finish revisions on book #3 so I can release it. And I want to move on to my next trilogy (or series) and perhaps contemporaries, too. Despite my best intentions, I've been getting "must" tasks done, and simply running out of brain space for "really want" tasks. Or should I push myself harder to get more done faster?
This has been a feast week as far as acting is concerned (for which I'm grateful, owing to recent weeks of relative famine). I drove to Grand Rapids (3+ hours) and back on Saturday for a role in the indie feature, WIND. I had an on-camera audition Sunday, two at different casting agencies on Monday, plus several VO auditions throughout the week. I don't do much extra work any more, but I'd heard that a great director was filming another movie here...and I was able to work on that Tuesday. I'm getting coaching for a play audition next week and needed to start learning those lines. Plus I'm taking a class and have two scripts to prepare..and a casting director will be attending our "audition." And I got the proofs of my new headshots, some of which needed to be disseminated to my agents and casting sites.
Meanwhile, I needed to spend a bit of time promoting my current books, because Follow Your Heart received a great Publishers Weekly review, and Castles, Knights & Chivalry, the boxed set At His Command is in, is doing well on the Hot New Releases lists. And I've received several projects from a new freelance writing client, and must meet those deadlines.
All of this elucidates a key difference between an indie and a traditionally published author. If I had a contract and an editor (and agent, perhaps) expecting my next book, I'd have to find a way to fit in more fiction writing, no matter how tired I was, how much other work I had to do or how much I wanted to take a night off for a social event. On the one hand, there's no external pressure to produce. On the other, it's all on me to make new books a priority.
Maybe I should go on a writer's retreat!
This has been a feast week as far as acting is concerned (for which I'm grateful, owing to recent weeks of relative famine). I drove to Grand Rapids (3+ hours) and back on Saturday for a role in the indie feature, WIND. I had an on-camera audition Sunday, two at different casting agencies on Monday, plus several VO auditions throughout the week. I don't do much extra work any more, but I'd heard that a great director was filming another movie here...and I was able to work on that Tuesday. I'm getting coaching for a play audition next week and needed to start learning those lines. Plus I'm taking a class and have two scripts to prepare..and a casting director will be attending our "audition." And I got the proofs of my new headshots, some of which needed to be disseminated to my agents and casting sites.
Meanwhile, I needed to spend a bit of time promoting my current books, because Follow Your Heart received a great Publishers Weekly review, and Castles, Knights & Chivalry, the boxed set At His Command is in, is doing well on the Hot New Releases lists. And I've received several projects from a new freelance writing client, and must meet those deadlines.
All of this elucidates a key difference between an indie and a traditionally published author. If I had a contract and an editor (and agent, perhaps) expecting my next book, I'd have to find a way to fit in more fiction writing, no matter how tired I was, how much other work I had to do or how much I wanted to take a night off for a social event. On the one hand, there's no external pressure to produce. On the other, it's all on me to make new books a priority.
Maybe I should go on a writer's retreat!
July 16, 2015
Book promotion -- what works, what doesn't?
Since releasing AT HIS COMMAND in January and FOLLOW YOUR HEART in April, I confess to a-throw-spaghetti-at-the-wall-to-see-what-sticks-like effort at promotion and marketing. I'd guest blog here, submit for a review there, take out a listing in what my research said was one of the best book promotion email/websites, buy an ad, submit for a review.
I may work with a PR/marketing firm in the future, but because of cost and things I've heard I haven't yet. Such as: some don't take self-published authors, many require monthly retainers, others promise results that don't sound or weren't attainable (based on friends' reports). I also didn't want to make the time to research recommendations, in part because, as with a lot of promo, what works for one author may not work for another.
My time and energy has value, too. So before I release medieval #3 in the fall, I wanted to assess what has worked for me so far.
1) Goodreads giveaways, like the one I'm running now. Hundreds sign up during the month (it went live last night and already 140 people have registered, I select the number of winners of a paperback book. For a month of visibility in the giveaways, all it costs is the purchase and mailing cost of the books. I know that hundreds of readers are now at least aware of my book. I may also gain new adds to "To Read," readers, reviews and even sales in the process.
Goodreads GiveawayPassion makes their marriage of convenience inconvenient....
Follow Your Heart
by Ruth Kaufman
Giveaway ends August 14, 2015.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
Enter Giveaway
2) A Kindle Countdown Deal. Lower your price while retaining royalty rates and have a countdown on your book page. It took some doing to set up the KDC and coordinate listings with promo tools such as Ereader News Today (known as ENT) and several others. My goal was to earn back what I spent. And I did.
3) Facebook. Not Facebook ads or "boost this post,"...though I got sucked in to trying a few. No visible results and very few clicks.
What hasn't worked as well as I'd thought it would:
1) Twitter. I've been fortunate to have blog posts and all kinds of things retweeted many times, including one blog post with a potential reach of over 200,000, but I haven't been able to discern any sales increase. Perhaps the tweets could have had fewer hashtags and more content. Were those who saw them uninterested in my genre?
Of course, we can't measure the cumulative effect is of getting our books, reviews, and info about ourselves out there. I believe everything helps in the long run, but managing time and money spent on effective marketing/promo is more important.
2) My first Amazon Giveaway. I reviewed the process and settings and read a couple of articles. I decided to offer 1 printed copy of FYH to the 100th, 200th and 300th person who signed up. And assumed it'd be out there at least a week. Nope. Within a few hours, the books were gone, at a cost of around $50. So, yes, more than 300 people now know of my book. Three will receive a copy. But a few hours, IMO, wasn't enough exposure. I'd set the parameters much higher if I did another.
What works/doesn't for you as a reader? As an author?
I may work with a PR/marketing firm in the future, but because of cost and things I've heard I haven't yet. Such as: some don't take self-published authors, many require monthly retainers, others promise results that don't sound or weren't attainable (based on friends' reports). I also didn't want to make the time to research recommendations, in part because, as with a lot of promo, what works for one author may not work for another.
My time and energy has value, too. So before I release medieval #3 in the fall, I wanted to assess what has worked for me so far.
1) Goodreads giveaways, like the one I'm running now. Hundreds sign up during the month (it went live last night and already 140 people have registered, I select the number of winners of a paperback book. For a month of visibility in the giveaways, all it costs is the purchase and mailing cost of the books. I know that hundreds of readers are now at least aware of my book. I may also gain new adds to "To Read," readers, reviews and even sales in the process.
Goodreads GiveawayPassion makes their marriage of convenience inconvenient....
Follow Your Heart
by Ruth Kaufman
Giveaway ends August 14, 2015.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
Enter Giveaway
2) A Kindle Countdown Deal. Lower your price while retaining royalty rates and have a countdown on your book page. It took some doing to set up the KDC and coordinate listings with promo tools such as Ereader News Today (known as ENT) and several others. My goal was to earn back what I spent. And I did.
3) Facebook. Not Facebook ads or "boost this post,"...though I got sucked in to trying a few. No visible results and very few clicks.
What hasn't worked as well as I'd thought it would:
1) Twitter. I've been fortunate to have blog posts and all kinds of things retweeted many times, including one blog post with a potential reach of over 200,000, but I haven't been able to discern any sales increase. Perhaps the tweets could have had fewer hashtags and more content. Were those who saw them uninterested in my genre?
Of course, we can't measure the cumulative effect is of getting our books, reviews, and info about ourselves out there. I believe everything helps in the long run, but managing time and money spent on effective marketing/promo is more important.
2) My first Amazon Giveaway. I reviewed the process and settings and read a couple of articles. I decided to offer 1 printed copy of FYH to the 100th, 200th and 300th person who signed up. And assumed it'd be out there at least a week. Nope. Within a few hours, the books were gone, at a cost of around $50. So, yes, more than 300 people now know of my book. Three will receive a copy. But a few hours, IMO, wasn't enough exposure. I'd set the parameters much higher if I did another.
What works/doesn't for you as a reader? As an author?
July 10, 2015
10 Feelancer Motivation Tips
(No, feelancer isn't a typo. The word freelancer, IMO, implies that the Gainfully Unemployed are willing to work without recompense. So I prefer feelancer.)
Some days being a feelancer is the most enjoyable career. I work the hours I want. There's no boss breathing down my neck. On the other hand, there may not be a structure to my day. It's all on me to get revisions done, complete the information form for my next book cover, write that article and submit for and/or record auditions. etc. So there are times when my motivation lags. Perhaps I've been super busy, or have a bunch of random things to do and feel scattered. Perhaps I feel the efforts I'm making are floating in the ether, with no responses or incoming opportunities. So why do more?
This morning was one of those times. I'm creating a list of motivation tips I hope will help me in the future, and you, too.
1) Increase your discipline. Sometimes you have to talk to yourself and remind yourself why you need to work.
2) Conversely, maybe you need to decrease the pressure you put on yourself for a bit. Accept that you're simply unmotivated right this minute instead of trying to force better feelings. Maybe you need to take a walk among the flowers, as a Facebook friend suggested. And you may need to refill the well, even during prime work hours.
3) List every task you need to do, by when and prioritize. Then, as Nike says, Just Do It. Taking the first steps and getting started on something can be the catalyst to continue.
4) Get a pep talk. I asked Facebook friends to share how they maintain a positive attitude. And two close friends saw my post and called.
5) Focus on what you can do in the present moment. Don't let things that didn't work out in the past weigh you down.
6) Read or review The Artist's Way, or other books/articles that enhance your perspective.
7) Keep your eye on the prize, as they say. What will be your reward: the satisfaction of completing a project or checking something off your list, or an actual reward?
8) Work with a friend so you both stay on task and have a sounding board. I've done this with several friends
9) Change your environment. Working from a coffee shop or anywhere that's not my desk at home, even for a few hours, can freshen the process.
10) Instead of getting nothing done, take a short break. Run an errand or two, walk around the block. Sometimes the best ideas pop into your head when you're not trying so hard.
Any other ideas? Which sounds best to you?
Some days being a feelancer is the most enjoyable career. I work the hours I want. There's no boss breathing down my neck. On the other hand, there may not be a structure to my day. It's all on me to get revisions done, complete the information form for my next book cover, write that article and submit for and/or record auditions. etc. So there are times when my motivation lags. Perhaps I've been super busy, or have a bunch of random things to do and feel scattered. Perhaps I feel the efforts I'm making are floating in the ether, with no responses or incoming opportunities. So why do more?
This morning was one of those times. I'm creating a list of motivation tips I hope will help me in the future, and you, too.
1) Increase your discipline. Sometimes you have to talk to yourself and remind yourself why you need to work.
2) Conversely, maybe you need to decrease the pressure you put on yourself for a bit. Accept that you're simply unmotivated right this minute instead of trying to force better feelings. Maybe you need to take a walk among the flowers, as a Facebook friend suggested. And you may need to refill the well, even during prime work hours.
3) List every task you need to do, by when and prioritize. Then, as Nike says, Just Do It. Taking the first steps and getting started on something can be the catalyst to continue.
4) Get a pep talk. I asked Facebook friends to share how they maintain a positive attitude. And two close friends saw my post and called.
5) Focus on what you can do in the present moment. Don't let things that didn't work out in the past weigh you down.
6) Read or review The Artist's Way, or other books/articles that enhance your perspective.
7) Keep your eye on the prize, as they say. What will be your reward: the satisfaction of completing a project or checking something off your list, or an actual reward?
8) Work with a friend so you both stay on task and have a sounding board. I've done this with several friends
9) Change your environment. Working from a coffee shop or anywhere that's not my desk at home, even for a few hours, can freshen the process.
10) Instead of getting nothing done, take a short break. Run an errand or two, walk around the block. Sometimes the best ideas pop into your head when you're not trying so hard.
Any other ideas? Which sounds best to you?
July 2, 2015
Castles, Knights and Chivalry box set is live!
I was pleasantly surprised and honored when Amazon best-selling author Laurel O'Donnell invited me to be part of a box set with her and two more best-sellers, Kathryn Loch and Elizabeth Rose. Thus, Castles, Knights and Chivalry was born!
Why was I honored? Because a) they're all best-sellers, and I'm not...yet? b) so far I've released the fewest books by far (#3 should be available before the end of summer...I'm adding another scene dealing with the subplot, which both of the editors I sent it to suggested). The other three authors have been much more prolific.
My first medieval At His Command (set in 1453 England) joins Laurel's The Lady and the Falconer (1373 England), Elizabeth's Lady of the Mist (1330 England), and Kathryn's Demon Laird (1286 Scotland). The set went live last night on Amazon for preorder at just .99.
Given the popularity of TV series based on books, such as The White Queen, which begins in 1464 England, and Game of Thrones, which incorporates many medieval elements, I hope our box set gives medieval readers the opportunity to enjoy four books set in an era they love, and that the .99 price entices those who haven't read medievals to give the subgenre a try.
What's not to like about castles, knights and chivalry?
Why was I honored? Because a) they're all best-sellers, and I'm not...yet? b) so far I've released the fewest books by far (#3 should be available before the end of summer...I'm adding another scene dealing with the subplot, which both of the editors I sent it to suggested). The other three authors have been much more prolific.My first medieval At His Command (set in 1453 England) joins Laurel's The Lady and the Falconer (1373 England), Elizabeth's Lady of the Mist (1330 England), and Kathryn's Demon Laird (1286 Scotland). The set went live last night on Amazon for preorder at just .99.
Given the popularity of TV series based on books, such as The White Queen, which begins in 1464 England, and Game of Thrones, which incorporates many medieval elements, I hope our box set gives medieval readers the opportunity to enjoy four books set in an era they love, and that the .99 price entices those who haven't read medievals to give the subgenre a try.
What's not to like about castles, knights and chivalry?
June 25, 2015
What will you pay for books?
As an author, I'm always trying to grow my readership, and hope new readers of one book will buy the other and look forward to my next release. But as a newer author currently writing in perhaps not the most popular sub-genre, medievals, getting my books out there can be time consuming and costly.
What do you think the average self-published author earns a year (across all genres, not just romance)? Digital Book World says the median is $500-999 per year. Other sites, such as The Write Life, take a rosier view...but you have to pay attention to the source of the statistics and which books are included...in this case, 200,000 best-sellers.
I'm very fortunate to have exceeded $999 since my first book released January 14, 2015 (my second released April 14). However, despite my love of writing, I'm debating whether the time and effort are worth the rewards. Given the expenses of self-publishing (such as great editor(s), competitive cover(s), and any promotion or marketing), even earning back what you spent can be a challenge. And the sad reality is that many--probably most--authors will never get compensated for the hours they invested in creating each book.
Why? In my opinion, there are two key reasons:
1) The proliferation of online self-published books of all levels of quality plus many authors' large backlists.
As of this writing, how many romances do you think are available for Kindle? 288,798. And 30,710 of those were released in the last 9 days.
2) The recent market devaluation of the cost of books in general.
Remember the days when you had to travel to an actual bookstore and shell out anywhere from $5.99 to $7.99 plus tax for a paperback? Now you can hop online and instantly download e-books...for free, a mere $.99, or from $1.99-4.99.
One site, k-lytics.com, reports that in April, 2015,
What do you think the average self-published author earns a year (across all genres, not just romance)? Digital Book World says the median is $500-999 per year. Other sites, such as The Write Life, take a rosier view...but you have to pay attention to the source of the statistics and which books are included...in this case, 200,000 best-sellers.
I'm very fortunate to have exceeded $999 since my first book released January 14, 2015 (my second released April 14). However, despite my love of writing, I'm debating whether the time and effort are worth the rewards. Given the expenses of self-publishing (such as great editor(s), competitive cover(s), and any promotion or marketing), even earning back what you spent can be a challenge. And the sad reality is that many--probably most--authors will never get compensated for the hours they invested in creating each book.
Why? In my opinion, there are two key reasons:
1) The proliferation of online self-published books of all levels of quality plus many authors' large backlists.
As of this writing, how many romances do you think are available for Kindle? 288,798. And 30,710 of those were released in the last 9 days.
2) The recent market devaluation of the cost of books in general.
Remember the days when you had to travel to an actual bookstore and shell out anywhere from $5.99 to $7.99 plus tax for a paperback? Now you can hop online and instantly download e-books...for free, a mere $.99, or from $1.99-4.99.
One site, k-lytics.com, reports that in April, 2015,
June 18, 2015
Do you accept advice?
When you're trying to make an important decision, do you go it alone or solicit advice? Who do you trust to guide you? Are you willing to accept help...do you think it means you're weak/less capable, or, as platitudes say, that doing so shows you're strong?
Authors often have critique groups and/or beta readers to offer feedback. They may have an agent and/or an editor, or hire an editor who requests revisions.
Most actors also have agents, and many work with coaches and/or take classes. We often receive direction during auditions and while on set, and of course would be remiss not to follow that. The key is being able to adapt on the spot and do as advised. I've had the opportunity to sit on some auditions, and have been surprised when actors couldn't or didn't employ a simple correction in their next take, such as "smile more." Once I took classes I'd heard from many reliable sources were beneficial, but I ended up more confused than when I began, and it took some time to unlearn that approach and move forward with trusting my choices.
Some might ignore great advice to their peril, or accept some that either wasn't good or doesn't turn out as well as they hope it will. Others are fortunate to have someone in their life with a great track record of providing helpful advice.
Writing decisions: I had two editors take different approaches with my next book. When both suggest the same change, such as adding another scene to enhance the subplot, I'm more inclined to follow it. When only one suggests something, I might do it if I agree. Yet there's a nagging doubt if I pass on something else. What if she's right, and I need to do that, too?
Acting decisions: I recently took new headshots, and am receiving feedback on which to use for my commercial and TV/film pictures. If I change my mind, of course I can use different pictures or get more taken at a later date, but what I choose to post on casting sites and have my agent submit can impact future auditions and work. I'm also taking an on-camera class and some private coaching, and am assimilating everything.
What's challenging is trusting myself to know which advice to follow. And believe I can do it well, so I can keep learning and improving.
Authors often have critique groups and/or beta readers to offer feedback. They may have an agent and/or an editor, or hire an editor who requests revisions.
Most actors also have agents, and many work with coaches and/or take classes. We often receive direction during auditions and while on set, and of course would be remiss not to follow that. The key is being able to adapt on the spot and do as advised. I've had the opportunity to sit on some auditions, and have been surprised when actors couldn't or didn't employ a simple correction in their next take, such as "smile more." Once I took classes I'd heard from many reliable sources were beneficial, but I ended up more confused than when I began, and it took some time to unlearn that approach and move forward with trusting my choices.
Some might ignore great advice to their peril, or accept some that either wasn't good or doesn't turn out as well as they hope it will. Others are fortunate to have someone in their life with a great track record of providing helpful advice.
Writing decisions: I had two editors take different approaches with my next book. When both suggest the same change, such as adding another scene to enhance the subplot, I'm more inclined to follow it. When only one suggests something, I might do it if I agree. Yet there's a nagging doubt if I pass on something else. What if she's right, and I need to do that, too?
Acting decisions: I recently took new headshots, and am receiving feedback on which to use for my commercial and TV/film pictures. If I change my mind, of course I can use different pictures or get more taken at a later date, but what I choose to post on casting sites and have my agent submit can impact future auditions and work. I'm also taking an on-camera class and some private coaching, and am assimilating everything.
What's challenging is trusting myself to know which advice to follow. And believe I can do it well, so I can keep learning and improving.
June 11, 2015
100 Amazon Gift Cards & Kindle Countdown Deal
I'm always seeking new opportunities to introduce my books to and connect with readers. To that end, I'm one of the sponsors of the "Find Your Next Great Read Scavenger Hunt" at Night Owl Reviews with my standalone April release, Follow Your Heart: She's a glass-painter trying to save her workshop from ruin. He's on a quest to redeem his family name and estate. When unforeseen passion makes their marriage of convenience inconvenient, will his dangerous secrets tear them apart?
USATODAY.com says, "Kaufman can certainly write an entertaining suspenseful romance and brings us a happy sigh-worthy story." And Amazon.com reviewers say, "As with book one, this was wonderfully written," "I loved this book," and, "Couldn't put it down till I was finished with it."
Starting tomorrow (June 12th) through July 3rd, you can enter to win one of 100 Amazon Gift Cards at NOR's scavenger hunt. The grand prize: a $250 Amazon Gift Card. There's also a Rafflecopter giveaway.
Enter at: https://www.nightowlreviews.com/v5/Blog/Articles/Find-Your-Next-Great-Read-Scavenger-Hunt-June-2015. You can join the conversation at #FindYourNextGreatReadHunt.
And who doesn't like a good sale? From June 14th through the 20th, Follow Your Heart will be a Kindle Countdown Deal...available for $.99 instead of $2.99. I hope a lot of readers take advantage of that.
Finally, an announcement is coming soon about a July opportunity.
Thank you for stopping by and for your interest in my books.
June 4, 2015
What makes you laugh?
I'll be participating in this event!You know the feeling when you're in a movie theatre or at a show or even a meeting at work, something makes the entire audience laugh out loud? What is it that sparks a group of strangers to burst into laughter...dialogue, the actor's interpretation, physical action, or some synergistic combination of the above? Colleagues have a larger shared frame of reference, and so would be more likely to be amused by the same thing. How do directors, writers and performers capitalize on what audiences know and share to make them laugh?
One of the first things I learned when I took improv was not to try to be funny. Humor develops from the situation, the characters, and being in the moment. If you're trying to think of something funny to say or do, you're not fully listening to your scene partner or participating in the scene. IMO, improv can be even funnier than other forms of comedic performance because it's created on the spot.
With standup, sketch comedy and writing, the creators have time to rehearse or rewrite. So if the result isn't funny, what went wrong?
And how much is too much? When does funny cross over into silly or slapstick?
I've performed in shows where something gets a huge laugh one night, but not the next. What makes one audience laugh at something, but not another? Last week I was in a video for The Onion's ClickHole (I'll post a link when it's available). One line seemed particularly funny to me, but I wasn't sure how I'd say it to get the most out of it. I rehearsed it several different ways. When the time came, I said the line. When I finished, everyone present burst into laughter. The director then asked me to try a couple of different things on the next takes. One involved more physical action. Did that make it funnier, or detract from the humor inherent in the words? Which was the funniest, to whose eyes and ears? Which will they use? The audience is the ultimate judge.
What makes you laugh in general? What sparks you to laughter when you're reading a book?
