Monday, November 12, 2007

Novel Deviations 3

I've chosen the New Beginnings I feel are worthy of inclusion in Novel Deviations 3. Four of the opening authors declined to be included, but two had no objection to my editing their opening till it was unrecognizable as their work, so that I could use the continuation. One of them didn't like the continuation. The others are trying to sell their books, and seem to feel having 150 words of it published by EE would hurt their chances.

Allow me to ease the concerns any of you may have in this regard.

1. Virtually everyone who submits an opening is still trying to sell their work.

2. Excerpts from soon-to-be-published books appear in print all the time. Not just brief 150-word excerpts like you might see in a book review; also entire chapters. Chapter 1 of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire appeared in Newsweek. Apparently the publisher felt that this would help sales. They were right; it sold well. Short story anthologies consist mainly of stories that have previously been published in books and magazines. Not just brief excerpts, the entire stories!

3. I'll be printing 150 copies of Novel Deviations 3, and I expect to sell half that many, entirely to people who visit this blog. I doubt any publisher will be aware this obscure book exists. (Meanwhile, your opening sits on this blog which has had close to 800,000 visits. )

4. Chances are you changed your opening after getting feedback here anyway. Or should have.

5. No reason you can't use ND3 as a publication credit.

6. If your book does get published, and the opening appeared here, we will trumpet your success (as has happened several times), and readers of this blog may go out and buy your book. Your publisher will be pleased that you have done something to increase sales.

16 comments:

Chris Eldin said...

I'll be on the first page, of course.

After that, what system are you using for ordering the openings?

Thanks.

Evil Editor said...

First I rate each available NB on a 5-point scale (1, 2, 3, 3+, 4), mainly based on the quality of the continuation. The 1s and 2s are out. I draw up a chart with sections of ten NBs. I distribute the 4s so that each section has the same number. Leftovers I put in the first couple sections. Then I do the same with the 3+s. The idea is to make sure the level of quality doesn't drop much as the book progresses. Then I fill in the empty spaces with 3s, leaving out the ones that suddenly seem like 2+s.

Someday when the idea has run its course I should put together a hardback with only the very very best ones, a signed, limited-edition leather-bound gift book (with clip art galore) that will be cherished forever by the few who can afford it.

Dave Fragments said...

REALLY? You use something that complex?

I find it interesting that you rank 1,2,3,3+,4
and not 1,2,3,4,5.

Or that you don't use the mutton chop guide 1,2,3, 3-1/2 and 4 muttonchops.

Another possibility is Werdingo kidneys - one lifted leg, two lifted legs, three lifted legs, four lifted legs, and a half a lifted leg (which is a water spot or in weredingo, a sniffer-drop).

none said...

EE, are you going to run some kind of multibook deal whereby I can buy them all for less than the price of buying them all? Every time I go to buy one of these books I find I have no money. I worry you'll run out!

I don't even know what of mine you put in the last book, lol.

Evil Editor said...

Well, I do sell them from this site below the cover price (which was determined by the amount I would need to charge to give Amazon their 55% and still make a profit). And there's no extra charge for postage if you order several books.

On the other hand, it is common practice for publishers to unload excess copies of books that haven't sold a well as expected, and I did print too many of the first ND. I'll think it over.

Precie said...

Are these seriously available on Amazon too?

Holy crap! They are!

Well, why didn't you say so before? I would have hawked them from my blog! :)

Chris Eldin said...

EE is really Dave F. and now my head hurts.

WouldBe said...

Consider PODs, like Lulu, for ND 2-4 Even if you don't have any stock of 2-3, you can still sell packages. You don't have to guess quantities.

Robin S. said...

Hi buffy-

Email me your address - I'll order extras and bring some over and mail them to you one of the 3 times I'll be across the pond between now and June. No problem at all. It'll just depend on when this edition is published.

I'm absolutely up for the signed hardback, or any back, really.

Anonymous said...

How far back in the archives should I look if I want to own up to my anonymous droppings?

Evil Editor said...

Most of what'll be in this book was posted since last April, though I believe a few earlier ones will be in there too.

JL Carr said...

Lynn and Lynn Hall are indeed the same person. I'm just trying to figure out how I got on there under both names. I've only done one NB.

Evil Editor said...

The list includes authors who've contributed continuations as well as openings. You have done a few of those, right? Do you want to be Lynn or Lynn Hall in the book?

Anonymous said...

Can you tell us how the pub credit should read?

Evil Editor said...

If you have several credits, this one goes last, i.e. My work has appeared in The Year's Best Horror, GUD, and Novel Deviations, volumes 2 and 3.

If this is your only credit: This is my first novel, but I had a short piece published in the anthology Novel Deviations. Please don't hold that against me.

Anonymous said...

There should be some version of Godwin's Law for writing blogs: as discussion continues, the probability of someone citing Harry Potter approaches 1. Godric's Law?