by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Most people aren’t 100% good or 100%
bad.  There are bits of goodness and
badness in all of us…including villains. 

Flat villains with no dimension to them
are just as uninteresting as Pollyanna protagonists. As a reader, my interest
is always piqued when I get to see another side of a bad guy…if he does
something unexpectedly kind, for example. 
I usually wonder if there’s an ulterior motive—and wondering is good for
readers. It helps keep them engaged in the story.  Even if there isn’t
an ulterior motive, it’s interesting because it offers another side to the
character.

In mysteries, this is especially
important because we don’t know who the bad guy is until the end of the
book….or we shouldn’t, if it’s a traditional mystery (thrillers operate under
different rules.)  

In one of my books for Penguin, I’d
turned in the manuscript for editing.  My
editor emailed me back and told me that this time she’d been able to figure out
who’d done it.  She pointed out that the
murderer was also the most unpleasant character—that it was too obvious for
readers…that they’d want that person
to be the murderer, anyway, and the element of surprise would be gone.  My choices were to make the killer more
likeable or to change the murderer altogether.

I decided to make the murderer more
likeable (although I frequently do change the killer for my editor…in fact, I’d
already changed the killer once for that very book.)  This was easier than it might sound.  I changed dialogue where the killer came off
sounding snarky and made the statements sound more genuine.  I showed the killer being a good citizen. I
showed the murderer helping the sleuth. 
I made the killer reluctant to gossip about the other suspects. I nice-d
the killer up.  Reader response later
indicated that the murderer’s identity remained a secret until the end (well,
some readers always guess the right suspect. Sigh.)

For non-mystery writers, showing your
villain’s good side has other advantages—mainly to add complexity to the
character and make them more believable. 
And keeping the reader…and your protagonist…guessing is also a nice side
effect.  Maybe it even gives your
protagonist second thoughts about the bad guy. 
It could also make the protagonist trust the antagonist again…which
could make the protagonist’s life more complicated.  Confusing the protagonist could be another
strategy to throw a bit of conflict in there.

Do you have any favorite multidimensional villains?  How do you
like to display other sides of your antagonist?

 by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I recently received an email from someone
asking what angle he should take in promoting an older release.  It was one of those situations where he’d
sold the first book to a big publisher and a year later, sales were
lagging…right as he was wanting to pitch
books two and three to the publisher.

Unfortunately, this is a drawback with
traditional publishing—if the sales aren’t great, then they’re not going to be
keen on buying book two and launching it. 
Even though…launching book two can bring book one back to life
again. 

What do
you do if they don’t buy book two (you’ve probably got a “right of
refusal” clause in your contract that will tell you how long it will be before
they make that decision.)  You have,
actually, a couple of options to get your other books in front of readers.

You could pitch another traditional
publisher with book two.  This pitch
would probably be more successful with a bump in sales for book one (and I’ll
touch on promo ideas below).

You could ask for the rights to your
characters back and then self-publish the remaining books in your series.  Incidentally, this has been my approach and
the sales for the first book in the series have remained strong for a year
now.  This, as a matter of fact, might be
the better option (i.e…this is what I would do.)

Let’s say that you’ve chosen one of those
two options above.  Exactly how do you promote an older book? 

Don’t even
mention that it’s not a recent launch.  As
far as I can tell…it just doesn’t matter. 
Back before digital books, shelf space at bookstores was fairly
ephemeral. You needed to promote your
book directly after it released…otherwise, they’d send the books back to the
publisher (the dreaded ‘returns’) and free up shelf space for other, newer
titles.  Now the books stay up on a
retail cloud as long as you want them to. 
Why not promote them a year or
two years later?  I see older releases
promoted every day.  Yeah, your title
might not be as exciting for book bloggers as the hottest new release, but it
shouldn’t ultimately matter.  A good book
is a good book.  If it’s undiscovered,
it’s not old news. Consider a blog tour or a Goodreads giveaway.  A spike in sales and reviews for the title is
never a bad thing.

Write more
books in the series (if you have the rights and if you’re choosing the self-pub
option).  This results in higher
visibility for your name and your titles on retailers like Amazon.  Then your previous title comes along for the
ride.

Create a
platform where you interact in readers without being strident.  Learn which are your favorite social
media sites…are you more of a Twitter person or a Facebook person?  What about Pinterest?  Would you enjoy blogging?  You don’t have to go crazy with it…just have
some sort of consistent online presence in a form that doesn’t drive you
nuts.  Interact with others, share things
your followers have shared, make friends, and build a name for yourself.

My favorite?  Definitely continuing a series by
self-publishing it.  You have more
control and have the opportunity to have Amazon’s “customers who bought this,
also bought this” algorithm to work in your favor.  It’s all a matter of visibility in a very
crowded virtual bookstore.

How about
a much older book? 
What about a book that came out in the 70s or 80s?  If you’ve got the rights to those books, they
might as well be available for sale…they have the potential to bring in additional
income.  You’ll need some new, updated
cover art (usually the cover art doesn’t revert to the author anyway…at least,
it didn’t in my case for my 2009 book.) You’ll need to hire someone to format
the book for digital release and/or print on demand (unless you want to learn
how to do it yourself…I didn’t.) 
Hopefully, the editing was good the first time around at your
traditional publisher.  You have the
option of updating the book’s text—or not. 
It could be a charming snapshot of life in a different decade.  Or you could tweak it to make it appear to
have been set in the modern day.  As
author and publisher—it’s all up to you. 
You’ve got total creative control.

Have you had any success re-launching an
older book?

By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

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Getting Reviews as a Self-Published
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#BEA13 “positions authors primarily
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How to write a novel in three years or
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Amazon execs meet with writers and those
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The 4 Best
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No, E-book Sales Are Not Declining: http://bit.ly/12UBnWs @nathanbransford

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Manage Your Writing Connections with
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Writing Epic Action Scenes: http://bit.ly/11lDlRI @MBTPonderers

A writer’s group for creative nonfiction:
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Having a goal when entering contests and
what it takes to final: http://bit.ly/12UClCi
@jamigold

How Do We Write What We DON’T Know? http://bit.ly/11lDN2f @shewritesdotcom

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Why and how you should backup your
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Questions to ask CPs, Betas, and
(Friendly) Reviewers: http://bit.ly/18ufNdO

Writing Close Point of View: http://bit.ly/18ufTSD @StacyGreen26
@janice_hardy

5 Ways to Spring Clean your Manuscript: http://bit.ly/18ufY8W @pj_hoover

You’ve got an offer of representation.
Now what? http://bit.ly/19gZous @mollykh

How Much Attention Should You Pay to Book
Design? http://bit.ly/18ugdAW @jfbookman
@janefriedman

How Do You Keep Your Book Sales Momentum
Going? http://bit.ly/19gZuSU @goblinwriter

Who Inherits Your Copyrights? http://bit.ly/19gZBxH @susanspann

Did you write a second book first? http://bit.ly/18ugKCM

1 writer reclaims her first drafts: http://bit.ly/18ugVxY  @YAConfidential @a_shostak

How to write in your sleep: http://bit.ly/19h0cj0

The Problem With “Revealing”
Information That’s Already in the Cover Copy: http://bit.ly/18uhaZO
@janice_hardy

What’s the Right Tone for a Query Letter?
http://bit.ly/18uhvvH @Dear_Editor

4 Types of Gerunds and Gerund Phrases: http://bit.ly/1100lje @writing_tips

Being a good literary citizen: http://bit.ly/ZqIHLr @GillianMarchenk

Anne Lyle and Historical Sexuality: http://bit.ly/ZqIPui @HaralambiMarkov

Marketing is Destroying the Science
Fiction Genre: http://bit.ly/1100Vxt

Revisions: Knowing When You’ve Got It
Right. http://bit.ly/11011Fm @YAHighway

7 ways to build your writing routine: http://bit.ly/1101mI3 @philjourdan

Creating a catastrophe plan for our
writing: http://bit.ly/ZqJFat @bob_mayer

Tips for revising: http://bit.ly/1101Y0r @moonbridgebooks

The Top 8 Free Online File Storage Sites:
http://bit.ly/ZqJWKB @socialtimes

Different types of self-publishing: http://bit.ly/ZqK6kV @amazingstories0
@author_sullivan

Motivation Too Weak? Don’t Multiply
It—Simplify It: http://bit.ly/1102n2X
@cockeyedcaravan

3 Keys to Writing Memorable Fiction: http://bit.ly/1102wU2 @ruthharrisbooks

Does your picture book premise have
power?  A checklist: http://bit.ly/ZqKwI5 @jeanreidy

Writing cliffhangers: http://bit.ly/11034Jq @woodwardkaren

The Psychology of Story Physics: http://bit.ly/ZqKJes @storyfix

Digital Book Signings: A Range Of
Technologies And Services: http://bit.ly/1103gZg
@digibookworld

10 Reasons Not to Be A Writer: http://bit.ly/19lvXaJ @Booktrust

What NOT to Do When Beginning Your Novel:
http://bit.ly/1ayhrdl @RayRhamey

Follow submissions guidelines:  http://bit.ly/19lxP3a
@HookedOnNoir

How an e-book is like a treadmill at the
gym: http://bit.ly/1ayhSV5 @bufocalvin

Juicing Emotion: http://bit.ly/1ayi5aJ @kid_lit

Screenwriting software review:  Persona Character Development Software: http://bit.ly/19ly923 @scriptmag

Chart the Time You Spend Checking Email,
Twitter & Facebook: http://bit.ly/1ayiqu2
@galleycat

5 things to do before accepting a guest
post: http://bit.ly/19lygdI @problogger

YA Lit Really Screws Over Parents: http://bit.ly/1ayiERS @chihuahuazero

Writing and Researching a Time Travel
Novel: http://bit.ly/19lytOb
@passivevoiceblg

Craft Chat about Fake Places: http://bit.ly/1ayj1fo @swkehoe

Things To Consider When Planning Your
Protagonist’s Death: http://huff.to/12LRc1P
@writersrelief

Thesaurus of Physical Attributes Entry:
Neck: http://bit.ly/16EYbOJ @beccapuglisi

“The Lie Most Frequently Told In
Hollywood”: http://bit.ly/10Z6SQO
@gointothestory @goodinaroom

The end game: http://bit.ly/14c1ety @JoeMoore_writer

Writers Write – Seeing the Cliché Through
New Eyes: http://bit.ly/10yhznE
@matty_gibbon

Rags to Riches plots: http://bit.ly/10Korjb @write_practice

Handling Scene Transitions With Multiple
POVs: http://bit.ly/11CYx5H @Janice_hardy

12 Most Successful Ways for Writers to
Win with Pinterest: http://bit.ly/10KoICK
@12Most @pegfitzpatrick

Screenwriting Tip: Know who you’re
writing for: http://bit.ly/10Kphwi
@gointothestory

How the ebook evolution might get started
in other places: http://bit.ly/11CZFWZ
@mikeshatzkin

Examples of modern farce: http://bit.ly/10KpNdH @the_millions

Handwritten Manuscript Pages From Classic
Novels: http://bit.ly/11D0sr5 @flavorwire

A Kobo director’s thoughts on
self-publishing: http://bit.ly/10Kq6VL
@authorterryo

The Immobilized Man in Noir Fiction: http://bit.ly/11D0YFt @write_practice

Oxymorons for writers: http://bit.ly/10KqtzJ @LShirtliffe

Time Management Tips for Writers: http://bit.ly/11D1yTw @DIYMFA

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Some creative philosophies are universal:
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Freelancers–why you shouldn’t create
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Character clinic–making a character
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@jeanniecampbell

Uncertainty: The Normal Writing Process: http://bit.ly/15lbfVS @fictionnotes

How to Use “Help a Reporter
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Checklist questions for your manuscript: http://bit.ly/Zz8fWN @artzicarol

Creating Multi-Dimensional
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@kristenlambtx

The 4 Best Strategies for Savvy
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@jfbookman

Stuffing too much into one sentence: http://bit.ly/15ld4lA @JordanMcCollum

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@ms_articulate

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The thin-skinned writer: http://bit.ly/17fLhqg @booktrust

Improving Book Publicity in the 21st
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Using Anchor Text In Your Posts: http://bit.ly/17fLKIU @karencv

Don’t look a gift writer in the mouth: http://bit.ly/10Ripxh @flawritersconf

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@IndieReader

Script To Screen: “Scream”: http://bit.ly/10Riwsu @gointothestory

Copyright, the Double-Edged Sword: http://bit.ly/10RiBfN

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@99u

Should You Write Nonfiction or Fiction? http://bit.ly/17fMRbE @joebunting

4 Questions to Define Your Social Media
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The importance of habits to working
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@kristinerusch

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with them: http://bit.ly/17fNfqt
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What Novelists Should Know About Short
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Why Your Novel May Not Be Historical
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Writers’ Neuroses: http://bit.ly/1aRgEo8

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How to Market a Book and Strengthen Your
Author Platform with Goodreads: http://bit.ly/17fWjf9
@writerplatform

3 Reasons Critiquing Will Improve Your
Writing: http://bit.ly/1aRiDZA
@write_practice

KDP Select Giveaway, a Case Study: http://bit.ly/1aRj8D2 @loriculwell

Creating Characters with Character: http://bit.ly/1aRjvgF @GPChing

When to Nudge Agents, Hiring Editors: http://bit.ly/1aRjRE9 @litreactor @breeogden

Respecting your dreams: http://bit.ly/1aRk7TH @ajackwriting

“How’s the Book Doing?”  http://bit.ly/17fXfjB
@andrewkarre

Scene interruptions: http://bit.ly/1aRkBcg @kid_lit

Plot Generators, What-If Tools, 37
Dramatic Situations, and Getting Past Writers Block : http://bit.ly/1aRkUUD @EnchantedInkpot

Lessons Learned From Bestselling Indie
Authors On Writing And Book Marketing: http://bit.ly/17fXUSd
@thecreativepenn

Stress and writers: http://bit.ly/17fY107 @jennybent

7 steps to the perfect story
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1 writer’s problems with self-publishing:
http://bit.ly/14nABzt @salon @TedHeller

Bold Storytelling Statements That Are
Almost Always True: http://bit.ly/16D7yPi
@storyfix

Book vs. Film: Jurassic Park: http://bit.ly/14nAS5d @litreactor
@chris_shultz81

5 Ways To Get More Traffic From
Pinterest: http://bit.ly/16D7IGw
@MelonieDodaro

Writing a Book Proposal: http://bit.ly/16D7LC4 @behlerpublish

Query Critiques: More Important Than You
Think: http://bit.ly/14nB8kP @ava_jae

The Secret Recipe for Writing a Perfect
Pitch: http://bit.ly/16D7PSj @kristenlambtx

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

In my post
on Monday, I took a look at the phenomenon of binge-viewing or marathon consumption in entertainment.  As I mentioned in the post, Netflix is
enjoying some success with its experiment with its original series, House of Cards, in which it released the
entire season of thirteen episodes on the same day for viewers to watch at
their own pace.

I think there are some real possibilities
and perhaps a glimpse at how reader consumption might operate in the
future.  I’ve noticed that readers will
frequently email me or ask me via Facebook when my next traditionally-published
book will release (often asking me why I can’t write faster.) :)  Production for traditionally-published books
takes a year.  They don’t ask me that question for
my Myrtle Clover series, which is now self-published.   

I think there are both pros and cons to rapid book release (and, also, studying data to help us plan books or series…I touched a bit on algorithms in my Monday post). 

Pros:

New life
to old series.  Arrested
Development, which developed a cult following, was canceled by the
Fox network and picked up by Netflix. This delighted fans, who’d missed the
show.  Netflix, again, is providing the
entire new season at once.

For us, this could mean that an old
series, rejected sequels, or our backlist could enjoy new life and attract new readers with its
instant, in-full, availability. 
Naturally, we can also write new books in a discontinued series (even without
this rapid release method)…I’ve done that with my Myrtle Clover series which
Midnight Ink pulled the plug on in 2010.

It’s not
as necessary to artificially insert cliffhangers: writers can integrate a more
natural storyline:  

Jace Lacob in his article for The Daily Beast, “House of Cards—Should You Binge Watch Netflix’s
Political Drama?”:

“Not
reliant on cliffhangers at the end of each episode to compel the viewer to
return the following week, these episodes end when the internal logic of the
narrative dictates they do, rather than through traditional patterns of
serialized storytelling that hark back to Charles Dickens. Shocking moments are
scattered throughout individual episodes, rather than being reliant on a
build-up of tension in the final minutes.”

Or…alternatively, in publishing…we can stick in huge cliffhangers at the end of
our books without worry about reader irritation…because the next book is
already available for purchase.  Common
knowledge has previously been that writers run the risk of upsetting readers by
putting cliffhangers at the ends of books, knowing that they’ll have to wait
upwards of a year for the next installment of a continuing-storyline series.

In some
ways, books are better-suited to marathon consumption than television
is…because of the manner in which books are shared with friends.  In a Gwen
Ifill interview
for PBS Newshour, Ifill brings up the fact that television used to be more of a
shared/water cooler-type experience for viewers.  She asks Brian Grazer, chairman of Imagine
Entertainment (which produces Arrested
Development):  “When you’re binge-watching, Brian, you don’t have a
chance to say, did you see what happened last night? Is isn’t that a risk for
the way we communicate as a people at the water cooler the next day?”  His answer: “…I
think excitement, curiosity and the explosive nature of how conversations work
can still be applied, because you can say, I just saw five episodes of
Arrested Development. You might not be doing it
on the water cooler the next day. You’re going to be doing it on all your
social media.”

Books, obviously, aren’t shared with our
friends the same way…not as frequently in real time (although, who knows—with
the advent of social media, we could host book clubs inside of digital books in ongoing open forums.)  Yes, we do read books simultaneously with our
friends sometimes—book clubs and some Goodreads boards come to mind.  But I think just as much
excitement/word-of-mouth could be built by telling a friend that you’ve just
finished an entire series in a marathon reading session.

Downsides: 

There are some potential downsides to
both quick production/release and studying data to make creative decisions.

Jace Lacob outlined
in his article:

“By offering all 13 episodes at the same time,
Netflix risks undermining its own strategy. Few will acknowledge the time
necessary to launch the second season of House of Cards, or another go-around
of Arrested Development episodes, and
may instead express the same frustration that plagues weekly serialized dramas,
that plaintive cry of the unfulfilled when faced with the lack of instant
gratification: “Why do I have to wait so long?”

Although:

“… But one of Netflix’s greatest assets are its proprietary algorithms—which suggest, based on precise ratings and viewing
history, what else you might want to watch—and that may be just the thing to
tide over the hungry.”

Retailers like Amazon also offer the avid
reader similar alternatives to our books. 

What if
your quickly-released series is a dud?  Arrested
Development was a good bet for Netflix. 
It was a show that became a cult hit, but it was canceled by a
network.  Your formerly-successful
backlist might be considered a sure thing. 
But what if the original Netflix series, House
of Cards, hadn’t been a hit? 
Think of how much time and energy and money was invested in it.  What if you write four or five books, release
them in rapid fire or even simultaneously, and the books don’t resonate with
readers?  Do you tweak what you can (book
description, cover…even title and story) and see what happens?  Do you move on?  It’s a large investment of time. In
publishing your backlist, there’s less of a time investment to lose (although
you’ll still have the investment in covers, formatting, etc…the books had
previously been well-edited with many books that have been
traditionally-published.)

Quality
control.  If you turn off readers
with one book, they’re unlikely to keep buying the next in the series.  Quality control—attention to detail in
editing…but really in all aspects of the book from cover design to interior
formatting—is always important. But it’s even more so if you’re trying to lure
readers to read the other three or four books in your series.

Stress and
working with tough self-imposed deadlines. The need for real discipline.  Deadlines are tough enough when we get them
from a publisher.  We have to really have
some discipline and focus when we’re meeting our own deadlines and trying to
write a string of books…whether we’re releasing them in rapid succession or
not.

How
calculating and how completely bottom-line-focused can we be and retain a
creative edge (and enjoyment in our process and writing)?  Writers, clearly, have got to think
like small business owners in the digital age. 
But at what point are we sacrificing our own need for creative
originality if we’re studying algorithms/data/sales, and writing/producing for
a demanding consumer market?

What are your thoughts on this
marathon-style consumption and what it might mean for books and other forms of
entertainment in the future?  Do you see
it catching on in publishing (traditionally a very slow-paced industry?)