Comments on: Writing Excuses Season 2 Episode 20: Marketing 101 for Creators

By: Writing Excuses and Other Podcastery | Robison Wells

Writing Excuses and Other Podcastery | Robison Wells — Sat, 29 May 2010 19:11:36 +0000

[...] been on the show a few times in the past, talking twice about marketing (here and here), once about fight scenes, and one other time that I can’t remember what we talked [...]

By: Peter Ahlstrom

Peter Ahlstrom — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 19:02:23 +0000

Ah, Brandon’s head is in the wrong place. Figures.

By: Nik

Nik — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 16:19:14 +0000

I am grateful to Rob and others for the thoughtful comments. And while I agree with you guys in principle, I still wonder, whether many great classical works of sci fi and fantasy would have ever been published if those strict laws of the market were applied to them. Anything original and breakthrough is hard to place into a category, and as such, hard to market. It seems many odd and quirky books that later gained a cult status don’t fall into any category at all. This may present a problem not only for an original writer, but also for a reader who likes unconventional stuff.

By: Howard Tayler

Howard Tayler — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 04:21:24 +0000

Sorry about the partial sentence there at the end. I’m pretty sure that was a cut/paste artifact that had scrolled below where I could see it.

Re: Brandon’s levels… Brandon doesn’t have very good mic technique, and Jordan doesn’t ride faders or run compression. IT IS THE PERFECT STORM.

By: admin

admin — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 00:54:21 +0000

it’s not his mic it’s his head, he’s talking away from the mic so you can’t hear him sometimes.

By: Peter Ahlstrom

Peter Ahlstrom — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 02:32:10 +0000

Is it just me, or have other people noticed that for like the last 5 podcasts, the audio balance is great for everyone involved except Brandon is really quiet? (Though sometimes he gets louder; maybe his mic is moving around?)

By: WEKM

WEKM — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 12:46:38 +0000

Judging by the abrupt ending, either there was a kid crisis, or we have exactly what is left in the comic buffer before we are all thoroughly disappointed and have to start the morning process.

By: Raethe

Raethe — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 08:13:54 +0000

Howard sure knows how to leave us wanting more.

By: Howard Tayler

Howard Tayler — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 04:38:38 +0000

@Eliyanna: Your question cuts to the very heart of this discussion, and is the single most important thing anybody can ask when creating a blurb, or a pitch, or whatever.

Dan’s example is great. Here’s a nice rule of thumb:

The elevator pitch to an agent or editor needs to communicate the following:
1) You can make money off of this book.
2) I am easy to work with

The query letter needs to communicate some of the same things as the pitch to the agent or editor, but it will have to be more refined and more targeted. I’d add…
3) This work is like X and Y which you have already published, but is different because of Z.

The blurb on the back just says this
1) You want to read this book.
2) Right now. You can’t wait to get it home.

Those messages are very high-level. Obviously you’re going to refine them as you drill down into your genre, or get specific with a particular agent or editor. Ultimately, though, the difference is that the agent and editor are being told they can SELL the book, while the reader is being told s/he wants to BUY the book.

The pitch to

By: Dan Wells

Dan Wells — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 16:27:34 +0000

I’m actually much more of a poet than he is. He writes romantic comedy thrillers, though, and you have to admire the guts behind that.

Eliyanna, every audience requires different things. For example:

When I pitch my book to someone, usually potential readers, I say: “It’s about a teenage sociopath who thinks he’s turning into a serial killer, so he sets strict rules for himself to help him stay good. Then a demon comes to town and starts killing people, and he has to let his dark side out in order to stop it.” That’s more than 25 words, but it gives a very quick, very clear picture of what the book is about and why it’s cool and why you want to buy it.

When my UK editor pitched the book to her bosses and her marketing team, she simply said: “Teenage Dexter meets the X-Files.” In five short words she told them exactly what the book was like, how to position it, who to position it for, and why it’s a good bet in the current market. It’s probably too mercenary to work well on a reader, because they don’t usually like to think in those terms, but for a marketer who just needs to catch the vision, it said everything they needed to say.