It's amazing how much compartmentalization occurs between the business and the creation sides. From the outset I considered my novel an entertainment product.
Maybe that makes me bloodthirsty, but I write because I want people to read my work. To do that I have to sell.
Also: yesterday I rendered my final verdict on fall. 🤮🤮🤮🤮
Oct 29, 2022·edited Oct 29, 2022Liked by Catherine Baab
As always...thoughtful and entertaining! And I must confess I used your suggestion that Sex, Money or Death will catch a reader's attention to update the log line of my screenplay. Thank you Cat!
Oct 30, 2022·edited Oct 30, 2022Liked by Catherine Baab
Loved reading this! I’ve heard this about music classics before that while beloved, they may not have charted high upon release. The other side is I’m always happy to hear even after a hit, people still write and perform. It’s not in the cards for everyone, though.
It’s hard to know how to take advantage of the more modern autonomy of the writer to drive their own sales. I’m looking forward to hearing more about what to do.
Thanks for reading, Chevanne! Just signed up for your Substack, too. Agreed, the modern autonomy is a beast - and a big topic, too. Looking forward to diving in, choppy as these waters are. :)
Speaking of spooky-distance and all that Metaphysical Jazz, I was just trying (unsuccessfully) to search articles on "progressed Saturn transits natal Jupiter" (it's BIG on in my chart). As it's 3rd house in my case it concerns both publishing and floundering local infrastructure that I will soon be abandoning. Performance is the REAL selling end of publishing. Ask Paul McCartney or Arthur C. Clarke!
It’s hard to plan for timing with trad pub because the time between getting an agent and hitting bookshelves is insanely long and unpredictable. How do you propose one deal with this in queries?
Charlotte, you're totally right that that bit of timing is very tricky. I'll take up the point in the timing post, but one way I might approach it is arguing that your project and the viewpoint you're advancing are "long overdue." I said in my book proposal that the real wonder of the idea was that no one had executed on it before, at least not in English. Maybe that argument could work for your thing too? It's a good q and I'll be mulling it. Not sure if you saw my earlier post about querying specifically but that's here: https://poecansaveyourlife.substack.com/p/the-query-letter-that-got-me-four
“Herman Melville died in obscurity” is a surprisingly good pep talk; it certainly made me feel better about my writing skills 😂
Also! I don’t know if it just takes the systems a while to update, but when I clicked on the Poe for Your Problems ebook link, it still listed the regular price on KIndle. It did the same at Barnes & Noble, too.
Glad it was a good pep talk! I find it oddly cheering too - not because I'm glad he suffered, but because of what it says about the nature of the writing life, the perspective it offers. Even the greats do not have it easy, and there's some consolation there. Anyway, you're right about the promotional price. There's some bug and I'm trying to track it down. Bummed about it.
Hey Linda, thanks for asking. It's only taken several years, but nowadays I have a solid answer - solid enough that I'm turning the idea into a book proposal. It's highly specific to the idea and to do with TV viewing patterns during lockdown in combination with people beginning to travel for leisure again. Only wish I'd had a better answer then!
It's amazing how much compartmentalization occurs between the business and the creation sides. From the outset I considered my novel an entertainment product.
Maybe that makes me bloodthirsty, but I write because I want people to read my work. To do that I have to sell.
Also: yesterday I rendered my final verdict on fall. 🤮🤮🤮🤮
Co-signing, Amran, though I do love fall. :)
As always...thoughtful and entertaining! And I must confess I used your suggestion that Sex, Money or Death will catch a reader's attention to update the log line of my screenplay. Thank you Cat!
Sounds like a winning move, Denise. Love it. 😀
Loved reading this! I’ve heard this about music classics before that while beloved, they may not have charted high upon release. The other side is I’m always happy to hear even after a hit, people still write and perform. It’s not in the cards for everyone, though.
It’s hard to know how to take advantage of the more modern autonomy of the writer to drive their own sales. I’m looking forward to hearing more about what to do.
Thanks for reading, Chevanne! Just signed up for your Substack, too. Agreed, the modern autonomy is a beast - and a big topic, too. Looking forward to diving in, choppy as these waters are. :)
Speaking of spooky-distance and all that Metaphysical Jazz, I was just trying (unsuccessfully) to search articles on "progressed Saturn transits natal Jupiter" (it's BIG on in my chart). As it's 3rd house in my case it concerns both publishing and floundering local infrastructure that I will soon be abandoning. Performance is the REAL selling end of publishing. Ask Paul McCartney or Arthur C. Clarke!
Love this, Vallin. You're dead right!
It’s hard to plan for timing with trad pub because the time between getting an agent and hitting bookshelves is insanely long and unpredictable. How do you propose one deal with this in queries?
Charlotte, you're totally right that that bit of timing is very tricky. I'll take up the point in the timing post, but one way I might approach it is arguing that your project and the viewpoint you're advancing are "long overdue." I said in my book proposal that the real wonder of the idea was that no one had executed on it before, at least not in English. Maybe that argument could work for your thing too? It's a good q and I'll be mulling it. Not sure if you saw my earlier post about querying specifically but that's here: https://poecansaveyourlife.substack.com/p/the-query-letter-that-got-me-four
Oooh I like that. “Long overdue.” Very smart.
“Herman Melville died in obscurity” is a surprisingly good pep talk; it certainly made me feel better about my writing skills 😂
Also! I don’t know if it just takes the systems a while to update, but when I clicked on the Poe for Your Problems ebook link, it still listed the regular price on KIndle. It did the same at Barnes & Noble, too.
Glad it was a good pep talk! I find it oddly cheering too - not because I'm glad he suffered, but because of what it says about the nature of the writing life, the perspective it offers. Even the greats do not have it easy, and there's some consolation there. Anyway, you're right about the promotional price. There's some bug and I'm trying to track it down. Bummed about it.
And now the promo is working again - $2.99 on Amazon, B&N etc. Not sure why it's changed yet again but at least it's up!
How would you answer the "why now" question today?
Hey Linda, thanks for asking. It's only taken several years, but nowadays I have a solid answer - solid enough that I'm turning the idea into a book proposal. It's highly specific to the idea and to do with TV viewing patterns during lockdown in combination with people beginning to travel for leisure again. Only wish I'd had a better answer then!