In the meantime, be sure to read the latest story, by Brady Russell, at
www.americanpoplit.blogspot.com
It's called "Ezra Meets Esther."
Get your story "Top of the Pop"!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Monday, March 8, 2010
Chess Strategy
ROUGH OUTLINE OF A NEW PLAN
I was up all night recently designing a new chess strategy for the lit game. My purpose here: to see if a team concept is possible.
Key Points:
1.) Three posts are upcoming here re the ULA. Not to knock it, but to give the thinking behind the ULA. Some of the same thinking will go into my new plan.
2.) My Pop blog is a preliminary, "pawn" move designed to set up other moves.
3.) In chess, you want to a.) Establish a position on the board. b.) Have that position create openings in other locations.
4.) The plan will need a.) New literary art. b.) Intellectual justification for that art. c.) Artistic cachet.
5.) Roles. There will be enough key roles to fill. You could say, very roughly, Coach, Quarterback, star Running Back and Receiver among them.
6.) I hope not to be front man. GM, more like.
7.) Flexibility. I'd need writers with some flexibility regarding roles and their writing. More on this soon. (It's interesting the number of writers with no flexibility whatsoever.)
8.) The trick is not to be at the curve, stylistically, artistically, culturally, but half-a-step ahead of the curve.
9.) The Plan would be designed to go all the way. Touchdown. Checkmate. Even if we fall short we'll make waves.
10.) We'll be good guys not bad guys.
11.) There'll be room for minor supporting roles, but they'll have no authority. (A project can't be run from half-a-country or half-a-world away.)
12.) The ULA was a test run-- a Model T compared to a Lamborghini.
13.) The Internet will play an important but secondary role. Kind of like the air force for an invasion fleet.
14.) Time and place. Very key. More on this upcoming.
15.) Key Chess Pieces. Without these, the Plan may not work. More on this upcoming.
**********************
Numbers 4, 8, 14, and 15 are what it's about. With those going, we'll revolutionize the literary scene. We'll be bigger than the Beats.
Watch future posts for more explanation!
I was up all night recently designing a new chess strategy for the lit game. My purpose here: to see if a team concept is possible.
Key Points:
1.) Three posts are upcoming here re the ULA. Not to knock it, but to give the thinking behind the ULA. Some of the same thinking will go into my new plan.
2.) My Pop blog is a preliminary, "pawn" move designed to set up other moves.
3.) In chess, you want to a.) Establish a position on the board. b.) Have that position create openings in other locations.
4.) The plan will need a.) New literary art. b.) Intellectual justification for that art. c.) Artistic cachet.
5.) Roles. There will be enough key roles to fill. You could say, very roughly, Coach, Quarterback, star Running Back and Receiver among them.
6.) I hope not to be front man. GM, more like.
7.) Flexibility. I'd need writers with some flexibility regarding roles and their writing. More on this soon. (It's interesting the number of writers with no flexibility whatsoever.)
8.) The trick is not to be at the curve, stylistically, artistically, culturally, but half-a-step ahead of the curve.
9.) The Plan would be designed to go all the way. Touchdown. Checkmate. Even if we fall short we'll make waves.
10.) We'll be good guys not bad guys.
11.) There'll be room for minor supporting roles, but they'll have no authority. (A project can't be run from half-a-country or half-a-world away.)
12.) The ULA was a test run-- a Model T compared to a Lamborghini.
13.) The Internet will play an important but secondary role. Kind of like the air force for an invasion fleet.
14.) Time and place. Very key. More on this upcoming.
15.) Key Chess Pieces. Without these, the Plan may not work. More on this upcoming.
**********************
Numbers 4, 8, 14, and 15 are what it's about. With those going, we'll revolutionize the literary scene. We'll be bigger than the Beats.
Watch future posts for more explanation!
Saturday, March 6, 2010
How to Win
Writers need to realize that the congloms themselves, with all their resources, do little to promote the art. Because they lack imagination, it's possible to outdo them
One example: Philadelphia, one of the top four lit cities, has not one weekly radio or TV show, to my knowledge, devoted solely to writers and books. Even golf trumps that.
It's not just that you do it, but HOW you do it. It couldn't be a NPR snoozefest. I'd make such show part of a presentation of new literature. New art, look, packaging, tone, product, with emphasis on excitement and drama. Newness across the board.
One example: Philadelphia, one of the top four lit cities, has not one weekly radio or TV show, to my knowledge, devoted solely to writers and books. Even golf trumps that.
It's not just that you do it, but HOW you do it. It couldn't be a NPR snoozefest. I'd make such show part of a presentation of new literature. New art, look, packaging, tone, product, with emphasis on excitement and drama. Newness across the board.
Changing the Art
This is the necessary first step. Right now writers don't need any other commitment than that. But it has to be done or there's nothing else. We start with the short story because it's the easiest to reinvent.
www.americanpoplit.blogspot.com
www.americanpoplit.blogspot.com
Friday, March 5, 2010
The Trade-Off
With the right plan we could achieve amazing things. Not a doubt in my mind. BUT, to do so means going full-bore all the way. It's why I'm presenting the commitment angle up front. This would in no way be easy.
*******************
(It's likely I won't find the right pieces for a new strategy. No biggie. I concede that with the ULA, despite great early success, I ultimately failed. This causes hesitation.
As fallback I have a go-it-alone plan ready.)
*******************
(It's likely I won't find the right pieces for a new strategy. No biggie. I concede that with the ULA, despite great early success, I ultimately failed. This causes hesitation.
As fallback I have a go-it-alone plan ready.)
Thursday, March 4, 2010
About this Blog
I want this blog, unlike some of my others, to be uncontentious, strictly business-- with emphasis on ideas and problem-solving, discussion more-or-less limited to the subject at hand: marketing writers; marketing literature.
Back to Basics
WHY HAVE A PLAN?
The first thing is to question everything you're doing-- to ask yourself why you're doing it.
WHY PUBLISH A BOOK?
Or-- what's your goal with it?
For most writers, publishing a book is an end in itself. They have no unique plan to sell the book. Most publishers today, even the big boys, give little promo support, unless you're wired to the establishment.
THE GOAL
You have to know where you want to go. Visualize a map or a chessboard. How far along the board do you want to travel? All the way to fame and fortune? Or a more modest target?
Whatever it is, this is your Goal.
Now you have to know what objectives to hit to reach the Goal. You need to know if the Goal is attainable, and how. You have to see the road in front of you.
OPTIONS
1.) Go it alone. Odds of success: 0.01%.
2.) Be part of a big, "Super ULA" campaign with all the trimmings. Odds of success: 10%. (Higher IF you can put and keep said campaign together-- the hard part.)
3.) Organize a smaller, tighter, more focused team. Odds of success: 33%.
WHY ORGANIZE?
How tight or loose the structure?
What's the goal?
The ULA's goal at the outset (2000) was insanely ambitious. Like the German army invading Russia. We made it to the gates of Moscow before being destroyed in the snow.
Outsider Writers goal was to be the anti-ULA. They wanted to build a huge membership, and feel good about doing so. They achieved this-- but haven't thought past it.
The nature of how they grew left them with
a.) a low level of commitment from their writers.
b.) lack of focus.
Also, their brand is unfocused. If everybody's an outsider, nobody is.
SELLING
You also have to know what you're selling, and where.
What's the product? A book? Or YOU?
Where are you selling the product? CAN you stand out?
********************
There's no alternative to having a plan. Or cooperating in some way on a plan. Otherwise it's Everybody Doing their Own Thing. It's micro-micro-marketing, which ultimately means everyone selling to five people.
The first thing is to question everything you're doing-- to ask yourself why you're doing it.
WHY PUBLISH A BOOK?
Or-- what's your goal with it?
For most writers, publishing a book is an end in itself. They have no unique plan to sell the book. Most publishers today, even the big boys, give little promo support, unless you're wired to the establishment.
THE GOAL
You have to know where you want to go. Visualize a map or a chessboard. How far along the board do you want to travel? All the way to fame and fortune? Or a more modest target?
Whatever it is, this is your Goal.
Now you have to know what objectives to hit to reach the Goal. You need to know if the Goal is attainable, and how. You have to see the road in front of you.
OPTIONS
1.) Go it alone. Odds of success: 0.01%.
2.) Be part of a big, "Super ULA" campaign with all the trimmings. Odds of success: 10%. (Higher IF you can put and keep said campaign together-- the hard part.)
3.) Organize a smaller, tighter, more focused team. Odds of success: 33%.
WHY ORGANIZE?
How tight or loose the structure?
What's the goal?
The ULA's goal at the outset (2000) was insanely ambitious. Like the German army invading Russia. We made it to the gates of Moscow before being destroyed in the snow.
Outsider Writers goal was to be the anti-ULA. They wanted to build a huge membership, and feel good about doing so. They achieved this-- but haven't thought past it.
The nature of how they grew left them with
a.) a low level of commitment from their writers.
b.) lack of focus.
Also, their brand is unfocused. If everybody's an outsider, nobody is.
SELLING
You also have to know what you're selling, and where.
What's the product? A book? Or YOU?
Where are you selling the product? CAN you stand out?
********************
There's no alternative to having a plan. Or cooperating in some way on a plan. Otherwise it's Everybody Doing their Own Thing. It's micro-micro-marketing, which ultimately means everyone selling to five people.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
