When It's No Longer Fan Fiction

I’m often asked how what I do—writing media tie-in fiction—differs from writing “fan fiction.” There’s been a slight increase in this sort of thing in the wake of Simon & Schuster’s announcement that they’re reviving their Star Trek: Strange New Worlds writing contest, which was an annual competition for a decade beginning in 1997. At least a few of you may recall that my so-called writing career was launched thanks to this contest, way back when.

Some news sites and individuals have incorrectly described this as a “fan fiction contest,” and I have to respectfully disagree with that labeling. I’m not trying to diminish fan fiction, or make any sort of judgment toward anyone who writes it. Instead, I simply feel the need to distinguish between fan fiction and writing for a licensed property such as Star Trek, Star Wars, or any other film, television, gaming, or other media entity you’d care to name.

“But aren’t those novels just approved fan fiction?” someone might ask, and I suppose it’s true to a certain extent. After all, I’m a huge Star Trek fan (read: “nerd”) and I write a lot of Star Trek fiction, so sure, one level what I do could be considered fan fiction.

'However, the way I see it, the main differences between fan fiction and licensed fiction boil down to two questions: 1) are you paid to write it; and/or 2) is it subject to oversight by a property owner, such as a film or TV studio, game company, and so on. Fan fiction doesn’t have to worry about meeting either of these criteria, and licensed fiction does.

That’s it. Neither of these measures is intended as a value judgment so far as the quality of a story, be it fan fiction or licensed material. After all, there's a lot of great fan fiction out there, some of the best stories date back decades. Will writing fan fiction lead to an opportunity to write a licensed novel or other product for a tie-in property? Most likely not, but “never” is a word I tend to use with great caution, particularly in this business.

Also, those interested in writing for licensed properties aren’t entirely without options. Amazon has taken an interesting lead in this department, with their “Kindle Worlds” concept, which offers several media and author-owned properties to which authors can contribute stories. Ever want to write a G.I. Joe, Pretty Little Liars, Vampire Diaries, or Veronica Mars tale? Now you can, and get paid while doing it, and there are dozens of other “worlds” which also are available, covering a broad spectrum of genres. Again, as with the larger entities like Star Trek, Star Wars, Disney, Marvel, and so on, the writer gets paid, and these stories are managed and approved by an editor and the owner of the property in question.

So, if you’re itching to play in someone else’s literary sandbox, this might be a way to do it. There certainly are worse ways to have a bit of fun and maybe get paid to do it, after all.

Cover Art

On behalf of BookYear Mysteries (a wholly-owned subsidiary of me), I am pleased to announce the publication of the fourth Henry Grave Mystery: Aleutian Grave.  

For tax reasons, specifically my intention to write off cruises as work-related activities, I had intended to finish this project in December.  But it didn't work out that way.  The first draft was deeply flawed.  Also, it was lacking in plot, tempo, character development, verbs, and font consideration.  So I spent four more months pounding it into shape.  And I'm pleased with the results.  

When it came time to thinking about the cover, I knew it had to have a cruise ship on it, but I'd already done that a few times, and I wanted to try something different.  Finally, I went with an old Russian stamp that I found online.  I bought the rights from a European image service, and then I went to work on it.  Below is the whole cover - wrapping around the spine.

Aleutian Grave explores crime in the Bering Sea. Henry Grave returns as an investigator for the Association of Cruising Vessel Operators. A World War II P.O.W., Henry is as cunning as he is charming, and at 85 years of age, he fits right in with his fellow passengers. The arctic exploration ship Nikolai Gorodish is cruising the Aleutian islands when a cabaret dancer named Rose DeSilva is found stabbed to death. More deaths will follow. But that’s only the beginning. Is there an an arctic demon on board the ship? Or is someone else cannibalizing the bodies of the dead? With the help of a horror film star, a Russian heiress, and an apprentice shaman, Henry draws on skills honed in a Nazi prison camp to track down a killer who might have his own reasons for taking this particular cruise, reasons unrelated to the sumptuous meals, delightful shipboard activities, and arctic ports of call. 

12 million people take a cruise each year.
Most have fun.
Some die.
Henry Grave investigates.

I had intended to have the Kindle version out today, but it didn't happen.  One of the chapters got buggy, as Kindle chapters do, but if you'd like to have a look at the relatively inexpensive print version, here's the link.  

I'll be doing a Kindle freebie promo shortly on the last book in the series - Grave Indulgence - in an effort to attract readers, that being the most effective way I know.  Any thoughts and advice on how to appeal to a wider audience would be welcome.

Indefinite Timelines

Four years into my journey through independent publishing, I’ve learned some valuable lessons.  Among them: 1) selling books is really hard; 2) a diversified platform consisting of webpages, blogs, twitter, blogging, Facebook, and more blogging might help some; 3) it’s always a good idea to use sunscreen; and 4) seriously, selling books is really hard.

Having worked with small and smaller publishers, and having published my own books, I’m a huge fan of independent publishing.  But I won’t lie - if one of the biggies waves a sack of euros in my face, I’ll sell out fast.  Until that happens, however, I’m going to extol the virtues of going it alone.  

Here’s why: I’m the boss.  I can publish when I want to publish.  No more waiting - I can design covers or pay someone to do that.  I can do my own layouts on InDesign, and I can upload my projects to LightingSource or CreateSpace myself.  And as long as I’m willing to ignore my children, I can do this pretty quickly.

But the biggest advantage to going it alone is that it allows for an infinite timeline.  My books are never going to go out of print, and I’m never going to stop talking about them.  I published my first mystery novel Grave Passage five years ago.  And I’m still pushing it and still getting reviews.

Furthermore, I control the promos.  The promos generate reviews and the reviews generate sales.  Without question, the single most effective marketing strategy I have come across is the Kindle KDP select promotional option that allows you to give away your book free for five days every few months.  I’ve had a lot of success with this, so I’m going to give it another try today.

One year ago this month I published my archaeological mystery - The Mummies of Blogspace9.  It’s one of my favorite things that I’ve done.  So I’m giving away free copies today.  So if you haven’t picked up a copy yet, please consider downloading copies for the whole family.  Don’t delay; supplies are limited!  Click this BUTTON.  Go ahead, click it.  You can click on any letter.  Just click.  You can even click on this word.

“None of us knew what was at stake. And that’s the thing about archaeology - you never know what you’ll find when you start digging into an ancient pyramid. Maybe some burials, mummies even. But surely not a five hundred year-old secret worth killing for. 

Had I known at the onset that seven weeks later most of my friends would be dead, I would have left Peru in a heartbeat. But of course I didn’t know that. 

I didn’t know that a demonically-possessed Spanish Grand Inquisitor would haunt the crap out of us, or that a pair of undead conquistador knights would help us find the secret to putting down walking mummies. 

And surely, I wouldn’t have just sat around had I known that something was watching from inside that pyramid, some malevolent force that could animate the dead. 

But it’s all true, as you’ll come to realize.

My name is Leon Samples.  I am twenty-eight years old, and I am damned.” 

The Mummies of Blogspace9 is a taut, high-stakes thriller about a team of archaeologists who inadvertently dig up more than they bargained for. Demons of antiquity are not easily amused, nor are those who’ve sold their souls to protect them. 

Dealing with Rejection

Today it is my pleasure to host author and screenwriter Bob Bernstein who is going to discuss dealing with rejection or “Thank You for Completely Trashing My Work You No-Nothing Piece of...”

Bob Bernstein is a former executive fundraiser turned professional boat captain. He has worked as a commercial fisherman, charter boat skipper, captain-for-hire, camera boat operator, and boat wrangler for Hollywood. His technical marine articles, columns, short stories and features have appeared in magazines and books since 1987. The novellas, Beneath Cold Seas and Mother Lode - first serialized in Offshore Magazine in 1992 - are available at Amazon's Kindle Store, as is Bernstein's memoir, What They Don't Tell You About Alzheimer's, an informative story about taking care of a mother with Alzheimer's Disease. What They Don't Tell You About Alzheimer's held the top two spots on Amazon's Top 100 Kindle Books on Aging for over seven weeks and rose to the top 25 on Amazon's Top Ten 100 Memoirs.

Stowaway, the sequel to Bernstein's debut mystery novel, Calamity, is due out in late 2014, as is his science fiction thriller, The Ring Shepherd.

Are We Sinking Or Are My Legs Getting Shorter is a "light read" collection of instructional articles and anecdotes for new and novice boat enthusiasts, while the experienced vessel or fleet owner will find a more thorough examination of boat systems, equipment, and gear in Boat Tech.

Bernstein continues to work on the waters of Penobscot Bay, Maine. He writes from his home in Tenants Harbor. For more information visit him at www.amazon.com/author/rgbernstein.

•••••••

Ninety-nine percent of all critiques or rejections have the word “but” in the very first sentence. I got one once from the Scott Meredith Agency. It was beautiful. Five pages long. The opening was something like, “This impressive, ambitious work moves like a runaway freight train, catapults the reader into a phantasmagorical world of outlandish visions and scenery, but is ultimately flawed and will never go anywhere.”

Another rejection letter started out: “Your manuscript was exactly what I was looking for, and I argued strongly for it to be added to our book list, but my editorial staff thought otherwise.”

My favorite came from Tom DeFalco, at the time, Editor-in Chief of Marvel Comics. It was on his personalized business stationary, the one with Spider Man web-slinging up the left side. Typical letter. Dear Mr. Bernstein, and then under that the word Huh in quotes. Hand signed, Tom DeFalco.

I love that letter, even though it doesn’t have the word “but” in it, and I will cherish it as long as I live. Granted, it lacks a certain detail. But consider the refined brevity. The nuance. The pure, unadulterated passion. Obviously, I had really hit a nerve.

These days, with self- and indy publishing, the rejection letter isn’t as commonplace, unless you send one to yourself.

Dear Mr. Bernstein,

Your recent manuscript reads like a cross between Sons and Lovers and Honey I Shrunk the Kids. All of us here at Bernstein and Bernstein Publishing loved it. BUT, unfortunately, we just accepted a similar book titled, Honey, I Shrunk Tolstoy. So, sorry. Good luck placing your work elsewhere.

Signed,

Bob Bernstein

Publisher

Oh, well. Back to the drawing board.

••••••

Also, just in time for St. Patrick's Day, you can pick up your free copy of The Cannibals of Madison County by clicking HERE.  Hope you enjoy!

Headhunting and Short-Story Writing: Two Nearly-Lost Arts

As an anthropologist who spends a great deal of time thinking about culture, I’m always on the lookout for professions that appear to be vanishing from our world.  Alchemists are few and far between.  Shamans are having a hard time making a living.  Conjurers, shape-shifters, taxidermists, and jesters have all been hit hard by recent economic downturns. 

But nobody is currently experiencing more economic and social woe than the headhunter and the short-story writer.  Vilified, feared, and loved by none, the short-story writer lurks at the edge of polite society, practicing dark unsavory arts, choosing words carefully, willfully ignoring the lack of audience.  The tribal headhunter, though somewhat more respected and appreciated, must also become something of an outcast in order to thrive.  The market for shrunken heads, about as robust as the market for short stories, gives constant reminder that these labors are no longer appreciated.

So I decided to write a short story about headhunters.  I began with Robert James Waller’s masterful tome “The Bridges of Madison County.”  Weighing in at a whopping 38,000 words, this book was a massive hit, inspiring a movie and scores of action figures.  I enjoyed the book, but found it lacking.  Waller had the perfect set-up for headhunting, and every time I turned the page, I thought it was coming.  But it never did.   I had to do something about that.

My short-story “The Cannibals of Madison County” is a cannibal-laden homage to Waller’s vision.  And being a short story, it has no home in the modern world unless one can be crafted. 

I put the story up as a Kindle short story, because let’s face it, there’s nowhere else to publish these days except Highlights for Children, and they’re cagey when it comes to headhunting.  I intend this as an experiment.  The story is only 18 pages long, and you can download it free today.  If you get a moment, you could help out by reading the story and then, if you like it, give a short review.  If I can get 15 good reviews, I can blast the story on all the sharing pages and get thousands of readers.

In any case, this has been a fun project, and I plan to keep you posted as to the results.  Thanks for reading.

Get your free copy today by clicking HERE

A Modest Marketing Success

In June, my family and I set off for a nine-week European vacation.  The highlight for me was visiting Svalbard, an island north of mainland Norway.  I have always wanted to see polar bears in the wild, and they apparently have polar bears up in Svalbard.  Ultimately we didn’t see any (though I did see a jellyfish), but we had a lot of fun.

And because I was worried about doing nothing in terms of book marketing for nine weeks, I did a giveaway of one of my Kindle books just before we left.  I wrote about this on June 9, but I wanted to follow up, because I think I was onto something here. 

My three Henry Grave mysteries had been just sitting there for months.  You know what I mean – they sell some copies here and there, and then they flatline, and then they sell a few more.  And my last promo was kind of a disaster.  But Grave Passage had one thing going for it.  It had eighteen good reviews.  Reviews are the key to getting picked up by the freebie websites.  And the freebie websites are essential to giving away books.  And yes, that is the goal here – giving away free books, because that's what makes money.

Without access to the freebie websites, the best you can do is promote your Kindle promo on your platform, but that probably isn’t going to get you far because there are only so many people paying attention to your blog and your website, and many of them have hopefully already read your book.  And the freebie sites – check out ebookbooster.com for 45 of them - don’t cost anything.  But you do need reviews or they won’t touch you.

In three days, I gave away just over 14,000 copies of Grave Passage.  Since then, I’ve gone from 18 reviews to 55.  Not only that, but I’m getting more reviews for the other two books Mediterranean Grave and Grave Indulgence.  All three books are listed for $2.99 each, and I’ve sold hundreds of all three.  Here’s my latest paystub from Amazon.

Payment made to:	WILLIAM DOONAN
Our Supplier No.:	XXXXXX
Supplier site name:	XXX_USD
Paid to bank:	Hidden for security
Paid to account:	Hidden for security
Payment number:	XXXXXX
Payment date:	30-AUG-2013
Payment currency:	USD
Payment amount:	636.01

That’s a not shabby $636.01 for one month of Kindle sales.  For sure, I'd like to do better.  But I've had a lot of months where I didn't come close.  And that’s not even counting the paper books, which are selling too.  Why?  Hopefully word of mouth gets around to folks who don’t have Kindles, so they buy the paper copies.  Kindle might be its own self-governed ecosystem, but it definitely interacts with other publishing ecosystems.

Amazon has also recently launched a new sales component called Matchbook, which I’ve already signed on to.  It allows buyers of your paper books to pick up the Kindle version for 99 cents extra.  It’s free money.

So here’s what I’m taking away from this – the Kindle KDP Select free-giveaway component is by far the best marketing tool I have ever seen.  It costs nothing and has a built-in audience of millions of Kindle owners who want content.  But you’re never going to connect with them unless your title shows up on their radar.  That’s why you need the freebie sites.  They’re free, and they will put your title in e-mails that will reach hundreds of thousands of readers.

And the key to it all (aside from having a great book and a great cover) is reviews.  So maybe the best thing that any writing community can do for it members is to help them get Amazon reviews.  So how about it, let’s start reviewing books with some renewed commitment.  It should be honest and sincere – if you don’t like what you’re reading, then don’t leave a review, just move on to the next book. 

As I make strides this Fall to finish my fourth Henry Grave book, I’m also working on a renewed marketing initiative for The Mummies of Blogspace9 (which may require a new title).  So, to get the ball rolling,  if anyone would like to help with Step 1 – leaving a review on Amazon, I’d be most appreciative.

Buy Mummies now for just 99 cents by clicking this handy link!

Indiscretion -- here at last

It is here!

A few months ago I went out on a limb and tried something I had never tried before: commissioned fan fiction.  To be honest, before I got the email from Amazon publishing, I had never even heard about fan fiction.  Fan fiction was something that fans did without remuneration out of love for their favorite characters. They wrote in established universes either based on popular books, television series, movies or video games, for which they got no reward except for the joy of seeing their words published for others to see.

But Amazon Publishing has found a way to make fan fiction lucrative, not only for them but for the rights holders and the authors of fan fiction.  It’s the Amazon Kindle Worlds platform.  Amazon obtained the licenses of several popular fiction and authors, both professional and amateur, can write and publish stories based on the characters and themes.  The stories are made available and sold through Kindle worlds.  Amazon.com, the license holders, and the authors each get a third of the profits.  It’s a win-win situation.

So how did I get involved in commissioned fan fiction?  For the launch of Amazon Kindle Worlds, several published authors were invited to submit stories in established universes for which rights were obtained.  I was one of the authors who accepted. At first I was skeptical as I always am about new things.  But once I got into it I became excited about the prospect of writing in a different genre, using characters not of my own creation and appealing to a whole different audience. 

I wrote in the Pretty Little Liars universe.  And now at last it is available for purchase.  My story, “Indiscretion” by Jewel Amethyst is available at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00COUQXMS.
The best thing about Kindle Worlds is that you can write and publish in your favorite universe and sell your work.  Other worlds include Gossip Girl, Vampire Diaries, Foreworld Saga, Bloodshot, X-O Manowar, Archer & Armstrong, Harbinger, and Shadowman.  In the short time since the launch Amazon Kindle Worlds has added more universes and will continue to expand and grow.



At last, Alison DiLaurentis’s murderer has been apprehended and Rosewood is braced for the trial of the century. But even with Ali’s partially decomposed body discovered and her alleged killer, Toby Cavanaugh safely behind bars, pretty little liars Spencer, Hanna, Emily and Aria aren’t happy. Nor do they feel particularly safe. For one thing, the girls think Toby has been framed. Complicating matters, the mysterious “A,” who has been haunting them since Ali’s disappearance, continues to pester the girls with cruelly taunting texts. The girls believe they have discovered the identity of the real killer and will be able to clear Toby when they happen upon Ali’s diary. But before the sleuths can make it to the authorities, the diary disappears. And that’s just the start of all their trouble – one of the girls is attacked and all are implicated in a fiendish blackmail scheme. Public humiliation and physical danger follow the girls everywhere. At one point, they’re locked in a house and showered with poison gas. The girls still don’t know A’s identity, or who killed Ali, but one thing is for certain: Someone is determined to keep them from finding the truth at all costs.

Promotions, Promotions, Promotions

Lately, I’ve been reading and writing a lot about book promotions.  Most lines of evidence lead me to two conclusions: more books = more exposure; and free promotions = more exposure.

Several weeks ago I did a particularly disastrous promotion for my new eBook, The Mummies of Blogspace9.  I could barely give away a few hundred copies, and I wasn’t sure why.  Now I think I know why.

There appears to be a giant correlation between the number of good reviews and the number of people who will read your book.  And it makes sense when you think about it.  There have never been more books out there, and there have never been more free books out there.  

I download free books regularly, as well as books I buy.  But like most people, I have no interest in cluttering up my life or Kindle with titles I don’t intend to read.  So I'm choosy.  I don’t care whether I’m paying for the books or not - I have a limited amount of time to read, so I’m going to be looking for a great cover, a great blurb, and some great reviews.

And perhaps because of the relationship between reviews and readers, most of the free book sites won’t even touch your listing unless you have 18-20 great reviews.  And I didn’t yet have that for The Mummies of Blogspace9 (which in fact, you can help remedy by reading and reviewing this fine tome).

But I did have 18 great reviews for my first novel - Grave Passage.

Grave Passage explores crime on the high seas, and introduces a valiant and original protagonist. Henry Grave is an investigator for the Association of Cruising Vessel Operators. A former P.O.W., Henry is as cunning as he is charming, and at 84 years of age, he fits right in with his fellow passengers.

When retired FBI profiler Robert Samson is murdered onboard the cruise liner Contessa Voyager, Henry Grave is sent to investigate. Samson was giving a series of lectures on cold case crimes he felt he could crack. But he got cracked first. Henry has just five days before Voyager reaches Miami. There, the FBI will question the passengers, but the case will have grown cold and the killer will walk free unless Henry can find him first. With the help of a television actress, a cosmonaut, and a Venezuelan general fighting extradition, Henry draws on skills honed in a Nazi prison camp to track down a couple of passengers who might have their own reasons for taking this particular cruise, reasons unrelated to the sumptuous meals, delightful shipboard activities, and exciting ports of call.

12 million people take a cruise each year.

Most have fun.

Some die.

Henry Grave investigates.

So I decided to try another giveaway.  I started planning two weeks in advance, and I planted listings on twenty-six free book sites and five Facebook sites.  I didn’t pay a dime.  My promo would run from June 7-9, offering a free download.

THIS MEANS THAT THE PROMO IS STILL LIVE (get your copy today)

And I know what you’re thinking - it’s hard to make money when you’ve giving something away for free.  Initially I hoped I would make up for that in volume, but I can see now that this was just folly.  On the other hand, I have six titles on Kindle, eleven total on Amazon, and I have sold more copies for actual money in the last two days than I have in the last month.

I’m writing this on the morning of June 8, nearly a day and a half into my promo, and so far, I’ve given away over 9,000 copies of Grave Passage.

If even some of those lucky readers leave a review, and maybe pick up one of my other titles, I’ll figure this has been a great success.  And even if they don’t, it has nonetheless been an interesting learning experience.

Cross-Pollination

Many a sage has opined on the value of cross-pollination as a marketing tool, so I decided to try it out.  I’ve been reading Joe Konrath’s blog for more than a year, as well as about twenty other blogs on a daily basis.  And one bit of wisdom I’ve encountered again and again is that the best marketing device for your current book is probably your next book.

In my recent posts, I’ve been discussing my ebook The Mummies of Blogspace9, and my frustrations with finding readers.  Since then, Mummies hasn’t exactly taken off, but when I look at my sales numbers, I can definitely see that I’ve sold more copies of my other titles.  I have ten titles on Amazon now, which can be viewed on my Author Central page.  And as the ball gets moving (it's barely budging), I hope the synergy will propel sales.

Why?  I don’t know.  Maybe its because once people start paying a little bit of attention to you, they start paying more attention to you.  Maybe too, it’s because I’ve aggressively promoted my books in each new book.  The Mummies of Blogspace9 has twenty hotlinks that will take you to my Amazon author page, my blog, my website, and directly to my Amazon Author Central page.  You cannot get through Mummies without learning about American Caliphate.  

So I got to thinking -- one other frequent bit of blog wisdom I’ve come across is that nonfiction is a much easier sell than fiction.  And that never did much for me because I’m a mystery writer at heart, and I don’t want to start writing nonfiction.  BUT, I have been working on a little back-burner project for about three years, and I thought maybe it was time to bring it to the front burner, or maybe even microwave it into fruition.  So I did.

I’ve been a college professor for fourteen years now, and I’ve learned a lot about college, so I’ve been feeling it was high time to write a book about college.  Well, here it is.  If you have any loved ones about to take that trip to college, please consider picking up a copy of How to Do College Right.

And just in case you’re wondering - no, you won’t be able to read through it without hearing about my mystery novels.  And the hotlinks will take you directly to my webpage.  You could have yourself a copy of Grave Indulgence or American Caliphate in no time.

Will this experiment in cross-pollination work?  You can guess I’ll keep you posted.  And if you keep reading, I’ll tell you a little bit about How to Do College Right.

The secrets of college success have been passed down from professor to professor for many centuries. Now, for the first time, these secrets are revealed!

How to Do College Right is a guidebook, providing essential insights on how to navigate the foreign land of college. Without a guidebook, a traveler might wander around for a long time, missing out on some important landmarks, or wasting money by focusing on the wrong things. A student can just as easily wander through a couple years of college without accomplishing much. And that can prove costly. 

Other than the purchase of a home, a college education is the biggest expense that most American families have. With tuition at some colleges approaching $50,000 per year, a four-year education can cost $200,000. Most people don’t think twice about consulting a realtor or a lending consultant before buying a house. They want to be sure that their investment is sound. But those same people will shell out a great deal of money for college tuition without making sure it’s well spent. 

How to Do College Right can help you make the most of your college experience by laying bare some of the expectations that guide professors in educating and evaluating students. College is hard; it’s meant to be. And it’s easy to screw up. I’m a professor. I know what it takes to succeed in college, to make the most of it, and to graduate fully prepared to take the next steps in life. 

And I’ve seen too many students who don’t make it, students who have the ability to succeed but fail anyway, or otherwise waste their time. College is a program of expectations, and you would be wise to learn the rules that underlie those expectations. It doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor, or if you’re headed to the Ivy League or to the local community college. This is an important stage of your life, and you have to treat it as such. 

The secrets revealed in this book can help you make the most of your college experience.

For more information, please visit www.williamdoonan.com