Monday, May 17, 2010
I'm Officially Geriatric!
Old age has finally caught up to me in the form of picking up my reading glasses today. (Sigh).
Friday, May 7, 2010
Eamon Birdsley Is In Town!
My much anticipated children's novel is released by SynergEbooks.
Newest eBook Release - The Long and Short Adventures of Eamon Birdsley
by Alan J. Garner (Young Adults/Fantasy)
Eamon Birdsley is not your typical ten year-old boy. Cursed with a stammer, he also blessed with a vivid imagination that sends him on wild flights of fancy, often at the most inopportune moments. From the moldy old past to the far-flung future he jumps through time and space into alternate universes, then home again. His dizzying adventures include chasing a flying whale, racing for an alien crime boss, and blowing up a volcano!
Guessing her nephew’s secret, Great Aunt Madelia confides in him that his gift is a trait unique to the Birdsley family, but only manifests in those boys who are born special. However, Eamon’s troubles aren’t just confined to his whimsical imaginings. He must deal with the usual problems of bullies, schoolgirl crushes and falling out with his best friend.
Farfetched as his waking dreams seem, Eamon does learn lessons that he can apply to his everyday life. Except for his one wish - to be rid of his terrible speech impediment. But by outgrowing his stammer, will his daydreaming end too?
Purchase your copy today!
http://www.synergebooks.com/ebook_eamonbirdsley.html
Saturday, May 1, 2010
What Makes For A Bestseller?
That is the million-dollar question every author wants answered. Does a catchy title or striking cover art sell copies? Perhaps it’s the rip-roaring good yarn within the pages? Could it be you lucked out with the timing of the launch? Unfortunately, there is no hard and fast rule. This unpredictability rings true for films and albums too. Why do some movies become blockbusters and others bomb? What makes one song become a chart-topper while another sinks into musical obscurity?
Is the artist at fault for producing inferior work? Maybe that’s the case, maybe not. Let’s look at this from a publishing perspective. Any book that makes it into print has generally passed stringent vetting by an editor and, on paper - pardon the pun - is an acceptable read. (Vanity presses are an entirely different matter which I might cover in a later blog, so for the moment we’ll shelve that.)
Imagine you are the proud author of a published novel, hoping against hope that you have a potential bestseller on your hands. So what exactly makes a book popular enough to be included in current lists of top selling titles?
Marketing is a huge factor. Film studios can spend obscene amounts of money promoting the latest movies. Avatar is a prime example. Its estimated marketing budget of $150 million certainly boosted ticket and DVD sales. But for that to effectively work, the director must deliver the promised goods. And James Cameron did just that, producing a superb piece of science fantasy.
Books work on similar strategies. Bestselling novels, as with most other products, inherently benefit from a sizable ad campaign, backed up by the marketing efforts of agents, publishers, reviewers, and retailers. However, that does not guarantee literary success. Just because a book tops the New York Times Bestseller List doesn’t always equate to healthy sales. (But it does look good tacked on to a writer’s credentials!)
Basically, what it boils down to is personal taste: people will either love or hate it. Word of mouth remains the best form of advertising, never more so in this day and age of internet postings. Ultimately Joe Public decides what is hot and what’s not. Whether swayed by an aggressive marketing campaign or influenced by personal recommendations, the buzz generated by informed readers, viewers and listeners popularizes books, films and music.
Therefore, every author remains at the mercy of the reading public. Don’t fall into the trap of writing for whatever the market deems current. Trends change on a whim, so the zombie novel you’ve spent years slaving on frustratingly isn’t marketable because vampires are presently in vogue. That’s not to say you should bin it. Write the story that’s nearest and dearest to your heart. If it’s a decent enough read it’ll stand a chance of running the gauntlet of rejections to find a spot in the market place.
A wise woman recently told me that selling books is like a crap shoot – you don’t know the outcome until you roll the dice. Pen that novel you’ve been hankering to write for ages and take that gamble. And remember, whether the resulting effort is a bestseller is largely immaterial. If you have written a tale that you are happy with and can take great pride in, you are already a winner. Book sales are just the icing on the literary cake.
Is the artist at fault for producing inferior work? Maybe that’s the case, maybe not. Let’s look at this from a publishing perspective. Any book that makes it into print has generally passed stringent vetting by an editor and, on paper - pardon the pun - is an acceptable read. (Vanity presses are an entirely different matter which I might cover in a later blog, so for the moment we’ll shelve that.)
Imagine you are the proud author of a published novel, hoping against hope that you have a potential bestseller on your hands. So what exactly makes a book popular enough to be included in current lists of top selling titles?
Marketing is a huge factor. Film studios can spend obscene amounts of money promoting the latest movies. Avatar is a prime example. Its estimated marketing budget of $150 million certainly boosted ticket and DVD sales. But for that to effectively work, the director must deliver the promised goods. And James Cameron did just that, producing a superb piece of science fantasy.
Books work on similar strategies. Bestselling novels, as with most other products, inherently benefit from a sizable ad campaign, backed up by the marketing efforts of agents, publishers, reviewers, and retailers. However, that does not guarantee literary success. Just because a book tops the New York Times Bestseller List doesn’t always equate to healthy sales. (But it does look good tacked on to a writer’s credentials!)
Basically, what it boils down to is personal taste: people will either love or hate it. Word of mouth remains the best form of advertising, never more so in this day and age of internet postings. Ultimately Joe Public decides what is hot and what’s not. Whether swayed by an aggressive marketing campaign or influenced by personal recommendations, the buzz generated by informed readers, viewers and listeners popularizes books, films and music.
Therefore, every author remains at the mercy of the reading public. Don’t fall into the trap of writing for whatever the market deems current. Trends change on a whim, so the zombie novel you’ve spent years slaving on frustratingly isn’t marketable because vampires are presently in vogue. That’s not to say you should bin it. Write the story that’s nearest and dearest to your heart. If it’s a decent enough read it’ll stand a chance of running the gauntlet of rejections to find a spot in the market place.
A wise woman recently told me that selling books is like a crap shoot – you don’t know the outcome until you roll the dice. Pen that novel you’ve been hankering to write for ages and take that gamble. And remember, whether the resulting effort is a bestseller is largely immaterial. If you have written a tale that you are happy with and can take great pride in, you are already a winner. Book sales are just the icing on the literary cake.
World Building
An important element of fantasy writing is the constructed world. Your characters are housed in a fictional universe, so it must comes across as completely authentic. Authors like Tolkien started off by inventing languages, then the people who spoke them, before setting about creating Middle-earth. Others construct a world in which to set a role-playing game and later expand that base, in Raymond E. Feist’s case Midkemia, into novels. Still others begin by roughing out a map, using that as the springboard for the development of peoples, histories, and storylines. Grouped in the latter category, my own Terrath was mapped out long before I laid the ground work for Wizards’ Goal and Enemy Winter.
Whichever starting point you decide on, map making is an integral part of the process and should never be glossed over. Strange as it sounds, a believable fantasy world must incorporate a degree of realism. Readers do notice inconsistencies. Remember that terrain affects climate and vice versa. Desert areas form in regions where dry weather predominates - not necessarily a hot climate, as technically Antarctica is one of the driest places on Earth and is rightly considered a desert zone. Forests prefer conditions of higher rainfall. Take into account also that the effects of erosion and plate tectonics shape the landscape.
Let’s not forget that the constructed world should fit its inhabitants like a glove. Naming places appropriately is just as crucial as the processes which formed them and must reflect the principal lingo of that region. It does no good having what is plainly a Dwarven name plastered on Elvish holdings. Whether you take great lengths to create individual languages or choose to just make superficial use of dialects, the tongues your fantasy races speak must be recognizably distinct.
This leads to the all important back-story, the creation of which imparts a vital sense of racial depth. Everybody carts personal baggage around with them, and collectively a race is no different. Take the trouble to chronicle past events; the how, why, and when of a nation or tribe’s birth. No detail is too trivial, every event holds significance. In my comprehensive notes for Terrath I devised the entire history of the continent and its peoples before committing to telling specific tales. Bear in mind that this handbook is essentially solely for the author’s use and will likely never see the light of day. Think of it as the foundations of a building. Unseen to the casual observer, without that support a structure – whether built of brick and mortar or words - simply cannot stand.
Therefore, in order to build something fantastical a good grounding in reality is required. Characterization is just as critical to places as it is to people. So get busy building!
Whichever starting point you decide on, map making is an integral part of the process and should never be glossed over. Strange as it sounds, a believable fantasy world must incorporate a degree of realism. Readers do notice inconsistencies. Remember that terrain affects climate and vice versa. Desert areas form in regions where dry weather predominates - not necessarily a hot climate, as technically Antarctica is one of the driest places on Earth and is rightly considered a desert zone. Forests prefer conditions of higher rainfall. Take into account also that the effects of erosion and plate tectonics shape the landscape.
Let’s not forget that the constructed world should fit its inhabitants like a glove. Naming places appropriately is just as crucial as the processes which formed them and must reflect the principal lingo of that region. It does no good having what is plainly a Dwarven name plastered on Elvish holdings. Whether you take great lengths to create individual languages or choose to just make superficial use of dialects, the tongues your fantasy races speak must be recognizably distinct.
This leads to the all important back-story, the creation of which imparts a vital sense of racial depth. Everybody carts personal baggage around with them, and collectively a race is no different. Take the trouble to chronicle past events; the how, why, and when of a nation or tribe’s birth. No detail is too trivial, every event holds significance. In my comprehensive notes for Terrath I devised the entire history of the continent and its peoples before committing to telling specific tales. Bear in mind that this handbook is essentially solely for the author’s use and will likely never see the light of day. Think of it as the foundations of a building. Unseen to the casual observer, without that support a structure – whether built of brick and mortar or words - simply cannot stand.
Therefore, in order to build something fantastical a good grounding in reality is required. Characterization is just as critical to places as it is to people. So get busy building!
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