Selling a book to a publisher is no easy task. Just ask the multitudes with that book they wrote once, gathering dust on a hard drive somewhere. Book publishing is facing tougher times than ever before with the e-book, the kindle, the ever dwindling independent bookstores, the fall of the mega-bookstores, etc., etc. For a regular joe breaking into the publishing world may be an unrealistic goal. Fortunately for him, there is another way.
Around about 2005, with the advent of the now popular podcast, novelists everywhere got pretty excited about a few intrepid podcasters. Among them were Scott Sigler and J.C. Hutchins, two authors with a plan for turning their books into smash hits. They created audio versions of their books in hour-long installments that they released weekly. Both of them write thrillers, and soon they had fans on the edge of their seats all week long for their weekly installments. They worked tirelessly while holding down full-time jobs to promote their work as widely as possible—from cross-promotion with other podcasters to more traditional venues. The trick was, their work was compelling, and people kept coming back for more.
Eventually the publishers began to take notice. While you might not have much luck approaching a publisher with your unknown memoir, a novel that already has an audience of thousands tends to get some attention. Both Sigler and Hutchins secured large publishing deals for their podcast novels, even though they had already released the books for free. And their fans took the bait, purchasing their books from brick-and-mortar stores even though they’d already listened to the authors reading them aloud.
Sigler and Hutchins started with simple websites and cheap media hosting. They invested very little money in the early days and saw huge returns. That is not to say their projects were easy or their successes unearned. Both men are intrepid self-promoters who never stop looking for opportunities to re-invent the medium. They incorporate each new technology as it arises, from Twitter to iPhones. They cultivate their fan base and jump on every interview opportunity they can find. Through their writing, their vocal performances and their supreme networking moxie, they have both continued to find success with book deals, television and Internet celebrity. They also continue to help emerging podcast novelists find a voice, by cross promoting for others as others did for them. Before Facebook, Sigler and Hutchins were creating their own social networks on their own sites, dedicated to the mythologies of their characters.
This model continues to work for authors with sufficiently compelling stories to tell, and sufficiently intrepid attitudes about self-promotion. It’s a tried and true model six years later, and one any thriller writer should consider. It is important to remember too, though, that simply podcasting the novel isn’t enough. Success in this model requires daily work updating blogs, interacting with fans and securing advertising. This continues to be a viable way to use new media to sell books. Perhaps because of the amount of individual work it entails, there is still space here for success. Good luck!
Podcast Novels
http://podiobooks.com
Scott Sigler
http://www.scottsigler.com/