Jeremy McLean's Blog
September 25, 2015
I Need a New Computer
I don't need one right away, but it would be nice.
Rendering animation and video almost requires an excellent computer because it takes up so much processing power to do. It took my computer over 5 hours to make a 45 minute video file, and it was the only thing it could do while it was working on it as well. I got by with minor tasks in between, but basically my work was halted during this time. I'm thinking it's better to just do it overnight instead.
I have to wonder if it was always like this, because my computer is not that bad, and video editing hasn't changed that much over the years. Is the process so taxing that back in the day you had to wait a whole day to make a short video, or is it similar to how things that just grown with the times and the need is greater like inflation?
I don't really know, but I want a new computer. It would make things a lot easier.
Rendering animation and video almost requires an excellent computer because it takes up so much processing power to do. It took my computer over 5 hours to make a 45 minute video file, and it was the only thing it could do while it was working on it as well. I got by with minor tasks in between, but basically my work was halted during this time. I'm thinking it's better to just do it overnight instead.
I have to wonder if it was always like this, because my computer is not that bad, and video editing hasn't changed that much over the years. Is the process so taxing that back in the day you had to wait a whole day to make a short video, or is it similar to how things that just grown with the times and the need is greater like inflation?
I don't really know, but I want a new computer. It would make things a lot easier.
September 23, 2015
Creating An Audience Instead of Waiting For One.
Today I set up a P.O. Box
The reason for this was because I need one for what I'm planning. I'm setting up an email mailing list for my novels so that I can do direct marketing to fans. Part of anti-spam regulations in the U.S. means I'm required to show my address in the email. I don't really feel like people having my real address, so everything is going to point to my P.O. Box instead.
The first step is building that list though. What prompted this was a set of videos from another struggling author just trying to make a living off his books. One of the things he did was create a mailing list for his fans, which is ingenious.
If you don't provide a direct line to your audience, who will? If you don't tell your fans that a new book is out, how will they find out?
You can't wait for your fans to make forum posts and talk about your book, you need to build that audience and make it grow yourself. You can't rely on other people to do this for you.
The reason for this was because I need one for what I'm planning. I'm setting up an email mailing list for my novels so that I can do direct marketing to fans. Part of anti-spam regulations in the U.S. means I'm required to show my address in the email. I don't really feel like people having my real address, so everything is going to point to my P.O. Box instead.
The first step is building that list though. What prompted this was a set of videos from another struggling author just trying to make a living off his books. One of the things he did was create a mailing list for his fans, which is ingenious.
If you don't provide a direct line to your audience, who will? If you don't tell your fans that a new book is out, how will they find out?
You can't wait for your fans to make forum posts and talk about your book, you need to build that audience and make it grow yourself. You can't rely on other people to do this for you.
September 22, 2015
Being a Court Stenographer Must Be Insane
I recently did a recording of a podcast with my editor Ethan over skype which will be posted online next month. One part of the process which I read online is a good thing to have is a transcription of the podcast because it can be useful for search engines.
Transcribing sucks.
I have voice to text software and that sucks too.
So, I've had to go through and listen to the audio at half speed and type out everything by hand, and even at half speed I can't keep up. It's not fun.
As the title says, I imagine being a stenographer is a pretty intense and stressful job. Not to mention that you can't let yourself be inattentive for even a moment. Nowadays there's probably really good software that can be used to minimize a stenographer's need to be there, but there is still a need.
Certain specialty jobs will never die as long as there are people to enjoy them. It's probably because on one side, machines just aren't capable of making something of the same quality yet, and we have a longing for the way things used to be. Tailors will never go out of business, calligraphy will always stand the test of time, and there will always be books on paper.
How much of those are left in 10, 50, or 100 years depends on how much we care for them. It's up to us to keep up that legacy.
Transcribing sucks.
I have voice to text software and that sucks too.
So, I've had to go through and listen to the audio at half speed and type out everything by hand, and even at half speed I can't keep up. It's not fun.
As the title says, I imagine being a stenographer is a pretty intense and stressful job. Not to mention that you can't let yourself be inattentive for even a moment. Nowadays there's probably really good software that can be used to minimize a stenographer's need to be there, but there is still a need.
Certain specialty jobs will never die as long as there are people to enjoy them. It's probably because on one side, machines just aren't capable of making something of the same quality yet, and we have a longing for the way things used to be. Tailors will never go out of business, calligraphy will always stand the test of time, and there will always be books on paper.
How much of those are left in 10, 50, or 100 years depends on how much we care for them. It's up to us to keep up that legacy.
September 21, 2015
I Forgot to Blog Yesterday! :O Here's Why.
I missed yesterday's daily blog, but I have a very good reason. I just had my mind blown clear away.
I've written two novels and one novella which I've all released on Amazon, and I've been with Amazon since 2012, but I only just recently was explained how a feature of Amazon works in a way I understand and that is what's blown my mind.
Amazon is really like a search engine, and it should be treated as such. I've heard it a million times, and I've read about choosing keywords for my books for users to be able to find it, but I've never really been shown it in a way that made sense. I've always put in very broad keywords relating to specific categories so that I would be placed in that category because I always thought that was how it worked, but that's not it at all.
The keywords do point to specific categories, but they are also used when someone is searching for a book or a type of book. So, for instance, I had a keyword of Caribbean, because my book is set in the Caribbean. This is the way to go right? Wrong. When someone searches for Caribbean, they see over 11 thousand results, which means that they would never find my book because it's buried under so many other Caribbean vacation books. What I needed to do was expand Caribbean to something more relevant to my book that had low results, but was still popular enough that people would find it, meaning that books in that search phrase sell well.
I managed to find a keyword that had an average monthly revenue of $1400 for the top 20 results and only 725 books showed up in the results. That means when someone searches for that key phrase I'm competing with only 725 books instead of over 11 thousand.
Much more manageable.
I was so blown away by this it was insane. It was like a moment of clarity for me, as I had read things about keywords before, and everyone was explaining the same thing, but in a very confusing way which I never understood.
Another thing that helped was a program called KindleSpy, or KDSpy. It takes all the data of the keyword phrase you're searching and gives it to you immediately, instead of you having to manually go in and check each book yourself to see if it sells will in that search term.
I've had KDSpy for a week now, but it wasn't until someone explained how amazon worked that I was able to use it effectively. I'm an affiliate with KDSpy now because it's such a great product. What that means is that if you use the link I'm providing you'll get a discount but if you purchase it I'll also get a small commission.
I wouldn't promote a product I wouldn't use myself, and I was debating whether to do so until yesterday because I finally used it properly and recognized it's true potential. It also has a money back guarantee, so no need to be shy about trying it out at least.
If you're an author with Amazon, you owe it to yourself to try out KDSpy here: http://jvz1.com/c/414145/111047
I've written two novels and one novella which I've all released on Amazon, and I've been with Amazon since 2012, but I only just recently was explained how a feature of Amazon works in a way I understand and that is what's blown my mind.
Amazon is really like a search engine, and it should be treated as such. I've heard it a million times, and I've read about choosing keywords for my books for users to be able to find it, but I've never really been shown it in a way that made sense. I've always put in very broad keywords relating to specific categories so that I would be placed in that category because I always thought that was how it worked, but that's not it at all.
The keywords do point to specific categories, but they are also used when someone is searching for a book or a type of book. So, for instance, I had a keyword of Caribbean, because my book is set in the Caribbean. This is the way to go right? Wrong. When someone searches for Caribbean, they see over 11 thousand results, which means that they would never find my book because it's buried under so many other Caribbean vacation books. What I needed to do was expand Caribbean to something more relevant to my book that had low results, but was still popular enough that people would find it, meaning that books in that search phrase sell well.
I managed to find a keyword that had an average monthly revenue of $1400 for the top 20 results and only 725 books showed up in the results. That means when someone searches for that key phrase I'm competing with only 725 books instead of over 11 thousand.
Much more manageable.
I was so blown away by this it was insane. It was like a moment of clarity for me, as I had read things about keywords before, and everyone was explaining the same thing, but in a very confusing way which I never understood.
Another thing that helped was a program called KindleSpy, or KDSpy. It takes all the data of the keyword phrase you're searching and gives it to you immediately, instead of you having to manually go in and check each book yourself to see if it sells will in that search term.
I've had KDSpy for a week now, but it wasn't until someone explained how amazon worked that I was able to use it effectively. I'm an affiliate with KDSpy now because it's such a great product. What that means is that if you use the link I'm providing you'll get a discount but if you purchase it I'll also get a small commission.
I wouldn't promote a product I wouldn't use myself, and I was debating whether to do so until yesterday because I finally used it properly and recognized it's true potential. It also has a money back guarantee, so no need to be shy about trying it out at least.
If you're an author with Amazon, you owe it to yourself to try out KDSpy here: http://jvz1.com/c/414145/111047
September 19, 2015
User-Generated or Curated Content, Which is Better?
Just to clarify, when I say user generated content, I mean content that is self-published, be it books, independent movies, youtube videos, etc. When I say curated content, I mean content that was chosen by a publisher to be published.
I'm going to get right to it and give my opinion on the matter right away. I feel that there are merits to both types of content, and it just comes down to the individual quality of each instead of where it came from.
Pros of curated content - When something is chosen for publication by a publisher, generally it's gone through a rigorous vetting process, so only the best will be chosen. If, say, it's a movie, then it will have a set budget, potentially a big name director with work under his or her belt to manage that budget and still build a quality product. Since it can be underneath a big brand, you can generally trust curated content moreso than something unknown. You can generally tell what you're going to get with a product like Apple.
Cons of curated content - Sometimes, the curators get it wrong. I know I've been having a major complex with it lately, but The Martian was passed up by publishers, and look where it is now. On the other end, even if it's chosen it may not be a good product in the end, look at any movie even with a big budget and name behind it that flopped (Fantastic Four).
Pros of user-generated content - Anyone can create something. There's something for everyone. If you want something, chances are someone else has filled that niche for you. User-generated content can be of the same quality as curated content. I know that my books aren't on par with the bestsellers, but I've had them edited heavily, and at great personal cost, to ensure the quality was good. Originality is no longer a stifling block. This kind of goes in with the first point, but if a publisher has no say in what is published, there's going to be more variety, whereas if something becomes a hit publishers want to find the next most similar product to cash in on it (Twilight and Paranormal Romance derivatives.)
Cons of user-generated content - Anyone can create something. Just because someone wants to write a novel or produce a movie doesn't mean they can. Quality isn't a precursor to user-generated content, and most of the time you can't tell something is bad by looking at it. There's also a lot of this type of content, too much sometimes. It's hard to find what you want and to find something of decent quality.
These are by no means completed lists, it was just all I could come up with on the top of my head.
As I stated at the beginning, I feel that ultimately it comes down to individual quality of the product. If you took 5 great self-published novels and 5 great professionally produced novels you probably couldn't tell the difference between them.
All in all, it's a nice time to be a consumer because there's more choice than even, and more quality content than you could ever read in a lifetime.
I'm going to get right to it and give my opinion on the matter right away. I feel that there are merits to both types of content, and it just comes down to the individual quality of each instead of where it came from.
Pros of curated content - When something is chosen for publication by a publisher, generally it's gone through a rigorous vetting process, so only the best will be chosen. If, say, it's a movie, then it will have a set budget, potentially a big name director with work under his or her belt to manage that budget and still build a quality product. Since it can be underneath a big brand, you can generally trust curated content moreso than something unknown. You can generally tell what you're going to get with a product like Apple.
Cons of curated content - Sometimes, the curators get it wrong. I know I've been having a major complex with it lately, but The Martian was passed up by publishers, and look where it is now. On the other end, even if it's chosen it may not be a good product in the end, look at any movie even with a big budget and name behind it that flopped (Fantastic Four).
Pros of user-generated content - Anyone can create something. There's something for everyone. If you want something, chances are someone else has filled that niche for you. User-generated content can be of the same quality as curated content. I know that my books aren't on par with the bestsellers, but I've had them edited heavily, and at great personal cost, to ensure the quality was good. Originality is no longer a stifling block. This kind of goes in with the first point, but if a publisher has no say in what is published, there's going to be more variety, whereas if something becomes a hit publishers want to find the next most similar product to cash in on it (Twilight and Paranormal Romance derivatives.)
Cons of user-generated content - Anyone can create something. Just because someone wants to write a novel or produce a movie doesn't mean they can. Quality isn't a precursor to user-generated content, and most of the time you can't tell something is bad by looking at it. There's also a lot of this type of content, too much sometimes. It's hard to find what you want and to find something of decent quality.
These are by no means completed lists, it was just all I could come up with on the top of my head.
As I stated at the beginning, I feel that ultimately it comes down to individual quality of the product. If you took 5 great self-published novels and 5 great professionally produced novels you probably couldn't tell the difference between them.
All in all, it's a nice time to be a consumer because there's more choice than even, and more quality content than you could ever read in a lifetime.
September 18, 2015
Making Creativity Easier Breeds Creativity
Recently, Nintendo released a game called Super Mario Maker. If you haven't played a Mario Bros game before then there's something wrong with you. Mario is an iconic hero in video games, and even people who aren't familiar with video games are able to recognize him. He's basically the Mickey of Video Games.
With Super Mario Maker, you can create your own mario levels using objects and enemies across a multitude of games in the series, as well as choosing the look of the level itself. You can make it look like the classic original Mario Bros, Mario 3, Super Mario World, or even New Super Mario Bros (the latest and most graphical game, for a 2d side scroller).
The best part has to be how you can actually upload the stages you create for others to play and enjoy, and of course you can also play levels other people have created.
It's only been out for a week, and already over a million levels have been uploaded. It's easy to create and upload a level you've made, so of course people who love mario would flock to the game.
There are levels that range from really easy, to really hard, and even funny and clever ones like these: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B35YzIVo6Oo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSm1Rn7Prcs
I started thinking about how I've often heard people say that they couldn't write a book, of talking about artistic friends and how they could never draw that well, or other similar statements.
If you make something more accessible to the general masses, you're opening things up to people who would have previously made the statements above. Super Mario Maker is fun and easy to work with, and people who've never thought about game design, or designing a mario level are playing it.
It feels the same to me as Kindle and Amazon's self-publishing as well as other things that opened up options for creative people. It's so easy to get your book out there on Amazon or other digital marketplaces and have your voice be heard. iTunes (I believe) makes it easy to upload an app or a mobile game or even a song for people to enjoy. There are tons of sites for blogging and uploading images of photography or art. And of course there's sites like Kickstarter and Patreon where people can get funding to create what they want.
Because of the ease of all these sites we're seeing a lot more of everything. More books, more apps, more mobile games, more music, again: more everything.
Of course not everything is world class, just as with the mario maker levels, some are better than others, but the fact that so many are coming out of the woodwork to use these programs means that they've wanted to do this all along, but never had the outlet. Maybe their book was rejected by publishers, maybe they couldn't find a record label for their music, maybe no one would buy their art because it was a niche style or subject.
If you make creating and sharing something easy, more people will want to try it, and I feel right now is the best time to be a creative person. You don't have an excuse anymore, it simply comes down to drive.
With Super Mario Maker, you can create your own mario levels using objects and enemies across a multitude of games in the series, as well as choosing the look of the level itself. You can make it look like the classic original Mario Bros, Mario 3, Super Mario World, or even New Super Mario Bros (the latest and most graphical game, for a 2d side scroller).
The best part has to be how you can actually upload the stages you create for others to play and enjoy, and of course you can also play levels other people have created.
It's only been out for a week, and already over a million levels have been uploaded. It's easy to create and upload a level you've made, so of course people who love mario would flock to the game.
There are levels that range from really easy, to really hard, and even funny and clever ones like these: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B35YzIVo6Oo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSm1Rn7Prcs
I started thinking about how I've often heard people say that they couldn't write a book, of talking about artistic friends and how they could never draw that well, or other similar statements.
If you make something more accessible to the general masses, you're opening things up to people who would have previously made the statements above. Super Mario Maker is fun and easy to work with, and people who've never thought about game design, or designing a mario level are playing it.
It feels the same to me as Kindle and Amazon's self-publishing as well as other things that opened up options for creative people. It's so easy to get your book out there on Amazon or other digital marketplaces and have your voice be heard. iTunes (I believe) makes it easy to upload an app or a mobile game or even a song for people to enjoy. There are tons of sites for blogging and uploading images of photography or art. And of course there's sites like Kickstarter and Patreon where people can get funding to create what they want.
Because of the ease of all these sites we're seeing a lot more of everything. More books, more apps, more mobile games, more music, again: more everything.
Of course not everything is world class, just as with the mario maker levels, some are better than others, but the fact that so many are coming out of the woodwork to use these programs means that they've wanted to do this all along, but never had the outlet. Maybe their book was rejected by publishers, maybe they couldn't find a record label for their music, maybe no one would buy their art because it was a niche style or subject.
If you make creating and sharing something easy, more people will want to try it, and I feel right now is the best time to be a creative person. You don't have an excuse anymore, it simply comes down to drive.
September 17, 2015
Slow Blog Day
Blogging daily is hard, so I'm just going to talk about nonsense.
I'm finding it hard to balance work and play. I like to watch too many youtube videos. Don't get me wrong, I'm working quite hard. I'm working on some tutorial videos for youtube which will compile information about self-publishing I've learned over the years. This is for the Patreon project I have on the go which you can see more about here: https://www.patreon.com/jmclean
From research to writing a script to actually shooting then editing a video is a long process. Longer than I thought initially. I'm enjoying doing it however, and hopefully it will be something I'm proud to show off. A few weeks ago I actually shot a few of the videos, it wasn't working, so I reshot them after making that makeshift teleprompter I mentioned in this blog plot on Sept 5th: http://jeremymab.blogspot.ca/2015/09/do-it-yourself-because-no-one-else-will.html
... And then I just reshot them again as I felt I could do better. I also trimmed my beard and thought I looked more professional, so there was a whole host of reasons to redo them.
And to top it off I'm also trying to blog more regularly. I would talk more about things like this, everyday things, but I'm a rather boring person. when it comes down to it.
Oh well, another day, another blog, another shuffle of trying to produce something I know nothing about.
I'm finding it hard to balance work and play. I like to watch too many youtube videos. Don't get me wrong, I'm working quite hard. I'm working on some tutorial videos for youtube which will compile information about self-publishing I've learned over the years. This is for the Patreon project I have on the go which you can see more about here: https://www.patreon.com/jmclean
From research to writing a script to actually shooting then editing a video is a long process. Longer than I thought initially. I'm enjoying doing it however, and hopefully it will be something I'm proud to show off. A few weeks ago I actually shot a few of the videos, it wasn't working, so I reshot them after making that makeshift teleprompter I mentioned in this blog plot on Sept 5th: http://jeremymab.blogspot.ca/2015/09/do-it-yourself-because-no-one-else-will.html
... And then I just reshot them again as I felt I could do better. I also trimmed my beard and thought I looked more professional, so there was a whole host of reasons to redo them.
And to top it off I'm also trying to blog more regularly. I would talk more about things like this, everyday things, but I'm a rather boring person. when it comes down to it.
Oh well, another day, another blog, another shuffle of trying to produce something I know nothing about.
September 16, 2015
Can People Take Copyright Claims Too Far?
No. The answer is no.
I kid. I believe the answer to the question posed in the title is "sometimes." Sometimes people can take copyright issues too far, and to the detriment of their own brand.
The main thing that comes to mind right now is issues with Youtube copyright claims. It may be a minor thing in the grand scheme, but I watch quite a few gaming related things which often talk about getting hit with either false copyright claims, or ones that fall into a grey area because of "fair use."
The main thing that occurs is that a person will use video game footage in their video while either reviewing the game or playing it and commentating over it. The term fair use I'm sure has a big long definition, but the gist that I've been told by quite a few youtube videos is that fair use is mainly for transformative works, things that are changed by what it's paired with. In the case of a review, the game footage is transformed by the audio review placed over it, either by it showcasing the game elements it's talking about, or, like with commentating while playing, just by virtue of a discussion being had over the game while it is being played in the background. It's transformed by the added audio or effects and not the same as it once was.
This can be very broad and also vague. What constitutes a true transformation? It's not really defined.
This has become an issue because certain companies have made strikes against accounts that are doing the same thing as everyone else, for seemingly no reason other than out of spite because the review might be negative.
This has caused repercussions for the companies that have done it, and a general bad will directed towards them. They're seen as taking things too far for all the wrong reasons, and may have harmed business (this is a hard thing to quantify).
It's not necessarily bad that the company is protecting their brand, and if something defamatory or slanderous is said in a video that just isn't true it's their right to try and take it down. But the ones that are just playing their game or giving an honest review? Those are getting taken down too, sometimes by automation, and sometimes on purpose.
It's harmful because these reviews and playthroughs are basically free advertising for the companies that produce the games, and when they take this particular stance, other people who play those same games won't want to go through that headache, and all that advertising will vanish as soon as it came in, and that will cause harm to the business. (Not a hard thing to quantify, as there are numerous examples of these types of videos helping sales)
It might be changing times, but business need to make sure of what they are doing when they issue these copyright claims, and understand the repercussions. Most of the time these people are fans, and they quickly will not be fans any longer if they are mistreated. And just like a person experiencing poor customer service, those with thousands upon thousands of online followers will tell their audience of their experience.
You wouldn't want that to happen if you were a restaurant, would you? Someone with a bad experience telling how horrible the restaurant is in front of an audience of potentially hundreds of thousands of their own fans? The same applies here. Treat your customers with respect, but if someone comes in trying to steal food by all means call the cops on them because they deserve it. Make sure that is what's happening though, otherwise you may be getting more than you bargained for.
I kid. I believe the answer to the question posed in the title is "sometimes." Sometimes people can take copyright issues too far, and to the detriment of their own brand.
The main thing that comes to mind right now is issues with Youtube copyright claims. It may be a minor thing in the grand scheme, but I watch quite a few gaming related things which often talk about getting hit with either false copyright claims, or ones that fall into a grey area because of "fair use."
The main thing that occurs is that a person will use video game footage in their video while either reviewing the game or playing it and commentating over it. The term fair use I'm sure has a big long definition, but the gist that I've been told by quite a few youtube videos is that fair use is mainly for transformative works, things that are changed by what it's paired with. In the case of a review, the game footage is transformed by the audio review placed over it, either by it showcasing the game elements it's talking about, or, like with commentating while playing, just by virtue of a discussion being had over the game while it is being played in the background. It's transformed by the added audio or effects and not the same as it once was.
This can be very broad and also vague. What constitutes a true transformation? It's not really defined.
This has become an issue because certain companies have made strikes against accounts that are doing the same thing as everyone else, for seemingly no reason other than out of spite because the review might be negative.
This has caused repercussions for the companies that have done it, and a general bad will directed towards them. They're seen as taking things too far for all the wrong reasons, and may have harmed business (this is a hard thing to quantify).
It's not necessarily bad that the company is protecting their brand, and if something defamatory or slanderous is said in a video that just isn't true it's their right to try and take it down. But the ones that are just playing their game or giving an honest review? Those are getting taken down too, sometimes by automation, and sometimes on purpose.
It's harmful because these reviews and playthroughs are basically free advertising for the companies that produce the games, and when they take this particular stance, other people who play those same games won't want to go through that headache, and all that advertising will vanish as soon as it came in, and that will cause harm to the business. (Not a hard thing to quantify, as there are numerous examples of these types of videos helping sales)
It might be changing times, but business need to make sure of what they are doing when they issue these copyright claims, and understand the repercussions. Most of the time these people are fans, and they quickly will not be fans any longer if they are mistreated. And just like a person experiencing poor customer service, those with thousands upon thousands of online followers will tell their audience of their experience.
You wouldn't want that to happen if you were a restaurant, would you? Someone with a bad experience telling how horrible the restaurant is in front of an audience of potentially hundreds of thousands of their own fans? The same applies here. Treat your customers with respect, but if someone comes in trying to steal food by all means call the cops on them because they deserve it. Make sure that is what's happening though, otherwise you may be getting more than you bargained for.
September 15, 2015
Innovation vs Nostalgia
What's the best option when trying to attract an audience? Innovation or nostalgia?
Wait, what? I'm supposed to answer that? Ah, damn. I'm not qualified for this, so here's my opinion on it instead of something backed by facts.
Both strategies are relevant and work, but in different ways.
Innovation will mainly attract a new crowd, while nostalgia will mainly attract an old crowd. There's always some overlap, like the picture of the two circles and the part in the middle which overlaps being a group made of both things.
Making something new is always fun, but so is appealing to where we've come from. That's why there's so many twists on the old formula to try and appeal to both new and old alike.
Look at all the movie remakes these days. Look at Jurassic World. It knew what it was doing, it was appealing to those who saw the original film, but using the new technology to attract a new audience for the inevitable sequels.
It's the same for video games too, there's tons of remakes with new polish for those who might have missed it the first time who don't have the old consoles to play it on, or don't like the graphics. There's also a new game called Super Mario Maker, which is just like the classic games, but this time you get to make levels and share them with other people on the internet. It's got the feel of the old game, but the technology of the new games, and a twist to attract all types of people.
It's damn fun too.
The biggest thing is to create a great product first and foremost. Hopefully, if you make a great product, the rest will fall into place, regardless of how you try to market it.
Wait, what? I'm supposed to answer that? Ah, damn. I'm not qualified for this, so here's my opinion on it instead of something backed by facts.
Both strategies are relevant and work, but in different ways.
Innovation will mainly attract a new crowd, while nostalgia will mainly attract an old crowd. There's always some overlap, like the picture of the two circles and the part in the middle which overlaps being a group made of both things.
Making something new is always fun, but so is appealing to where we've come from. That's why there's so many twists on the old formula to try and appeal to both new and old alike.
Look at all the movie remakes these days. Look at Jurassic World. It knew what it was doing, it was appealing to those who saw the original film, but using the new technology to attract a new audience for the inevitable sequels.
It's the same for video games too, there's tons of remakes with new polish for those who might have missed it the first time who don't have the old consoles to play it on, or don't like the graphics. There's also a new game called Super Mario Maker, which is just like the classic games, but this time you get to make levels and share them with other people on the internet. It's got the feel of the old game, but the technology of the new games, and a twist to attract all types of people.
It's damn fun too.
The biggest thing is to create a great product first and foremost. Hopefully, if you make a great product, the rest will fall into place, regardless of how you try to market it.
September 14, 2015
The Abhorrence of Luck
It's a strange thing with creative and business types when it comes to luck. Everywhere else, luck is seen as a good thing, embraced and talked about in reverence, but not everyone feels the same.
I find that creative people and business people hate the term luck, at least when it's applied to their success. The reasoning behind it is easy to see: saying that someone got to where they were because they're lucky is like saying that a pro basketball player is lucky... all the time.
Sure, that pro basketball player might get a lucky shot now and again, but if you said that the whole reason they were a pro and why they were so good was due to luck, they'd be mad. They train every day, practice every day, and make sure that they don't get complacent. To say they got there from luck is an insult.
The same with those who are CEOs or bestselling authors. Saying they're lucky diminishes their accomplishments and hard work they put in day in and day out to succeed.
But luck was still a factor.
If I were to assign it an arbitrary number, let's say it's 10% luck, 90% hard work.
Just because you have a great idea for a business, and you run it decently, doesn't mean you'll succeed. You may make a good profit, but it also might not reach the same status that another, similar, business might attain. Luck does factor in because there are things that you can't account for, like say if a blogger or critic randomly decides to enter a restaurant and raves about it. That's random, that's chance, that's lucky.
It's the same with books, you could write the next great american novel, play everything right, and still not become a bestseller. I hear about debut authors whose novel magically rises to the top of the bestseller lists. The books are well written, thoroughly researched, and loved, but who could have said that it would take off, especially with an unknown author? The Martian comes to mind. It was initially self-published in 2011 and sold over 35000 copies in 3 months. It had a winning combination, and the luck to drive it into the spotlight.
Sure, you might be able to quantify some of the success, like saying the blogger or the critic was the factor that brought you the foot traffic, or that the market was ripe for a thriller like the martian which drove sales, but you can't account for all of it.
That's luck. There's no shame in denying it either. There is shame in people thinking or saying it's only luck or that the person in question is lucky. A lot of work goes into creating something, so the next time you want to tell someone creative and successful that they're lucky, don't. Say that it must have been a lot of hard work to get there.
Maybe they'll reply back that they're just lucky.
I find that creative people and business people hate the term luck, at least when it's applied to their success. The reasoning behind it is easy to see: saying that someone got to where they were because they're lucky is like saying that a pro basketball player is lucky... all the time.
Sure, that pro basketball player might get a lucky shot now and again, but if you said that the whole reason they were a pro and why they were so good was due to luck, they'd be mad. They train every day, practice every day, and make sure that they don't get complacent. To say they got there from luck is an insult.
The same with those who are CEOs or bestselling authors. Saying they're lucky diminishes their accomplishments and hard work they put in day in and day out to succeed.
But luck was still a factor.
If I were to assign it an arbitrary number, let's say it's 10% luck, 90% hard work.
Just because you have a great idea for a business, and you run it decently, doesn't mean you'll succeed. You may make a good profit, but it also might not reach the same status that another, similar, business might attain. Luck does factor in because there are things that you can't account for, like say if a blogger or critic randomly decides to enter a restaurant and raves about it. That's random, that's chance, that's lucky.
It's the same with books, you could write the next great american novel, play everything right, and still not become a bestseller. I hear about debut authors whose novel magically rises to the top of the bestseller lists. The books are well written, thoroughly researched, and loved, but who could have said that it would take off, especially with an unknown author? The Martian comes to mind. It was initially self-published in 2011 and sold over 35000 copies in 3 months. It had a winning combination, and the luck to drive it into the spotlight.
Sure, you might be able to quantify some of the success, like saying the blogger or the critic was the factor that brought you the foot traffic, or that the market was ripe for a thriller like the martian which drove sales, but you can't account for all of it.
That's luck. There's no shame in denying it either. There is shame in people thinking or saying it's only luck or that the person in question is lucky. A lot of work goes into creating something, so the next time you want to tell someone creative and successful that they're lucky, don't. Say that it must have been a lot of hard work to get there.
Maybe they'll reply back that they're just lucky.
