My husband and I both enter to win the HGTV dream home every day. It’s ridiculous—most of them are in places I would never want to live and all of them are designed in vehement opposition to my taste—but the whole thing started with a house in Tahoe which, of course, would be very dreamy and very unobtainable otherwise.
Just curious: what did you tell Hamish McKenzie about how Substack could better support fiction writers? And thanks for all the work you're doing over on Discord. I really look forward to collaborating with folks and doing some cross promotions as you are doing with Classifieds.
With 500 million users you may have the breakthrough for a sound income model. I wonder though would you prefer to have read all those books in serial format in your reading list ? But if you love literature it would not matter I guess , the tension to wait for the next chapter maybe is to much to disengage. You maybe onto something here Elle.
I mean, this might be wishful thinking, but to me it looks like: Gen Z is to Wattpad/serial fiction as Millennials are to Kindle/Reece's Book Club as Boomers are to Barnes&Noble and Oprah's Book Club.
i have to say...i dunno. some say millenials don't read. but along come the NEO-gothic game of thrones. huhm...a chore you ask me. ugh. no stop. andonthe other hand, cmoe stieg larssen, [sp. chk] kinda DOA. his GF finally got covered.
and then Hunger Games, the all time topseller in american lit. OK, YA, but still made 55 million take home before taxes for Ms Collins who worrked as a TV producer (don't get excited) before her evident disappearance now.
i hear she wote a children's book and her agent has quit adult life also, Ms Stimola closed for weeks, and then put up a shingle asking only for children's books. everyone wants childrens' books. mommies do daddies too. rhymes will do.
i got one which i should wind up to sell again. had one agent, but her 1st choice failed her so she gave it back to me. no duh.
I gotta say Utahis thepretiest state ever. Toobad about it tho. themultiple wife thing and lost souls recovery system and the taberknuckles. don't ask imarreid one. called herself a Jack M. and i said why not Jill. as she snorted another line.
and i thought i was a wilding hippie!
pretty tho. we got roots there. i guess. sorta. you could do a grapes of wrath on Utah. the scenic part juxta the precision of religion.
my next one will be anti-religion. i can't stand religious wars no mo'.
maybe my next one will be for babies. they might be god on the planet until we take that away from them. i really do not know. any baby smiles at you and you seen god on Earth. woman. write us a love letter to babies and how they should fit in to our penchant for war.
or how capitalism makes for oligarchy, er, plutocracy, and Simon & Schuzter being bot by some rich House of Publishing thugs, knocking the. big 6 down to 4 now.
still there are 3,000 agents out there. i ain't depressed as long as i can speak, i write. and i don't like to give it away. my doctor won't tell me how much? never does. he don't know. she just sits there smiling and i get better. Moderna went from $10 buck to $187 in about the same time as covid 19 has been.
how come life ain't free?
answer that one. i promise you a best seller of all time.
What is life without dreams? We must have them, for they embody hope. Have many dreams. Big and small. In my experience, many will come true. I view writing as a creative outlet (hobby), yet I still dream of my novel becoming a bestseller. How could I not?
I will share one more thought. Chasing a dream is often more fulfilling and fun then the reality of the dream once achieved. The chase is where most of your memories will be made. Enjoy the chase. It sounds like your are. Well done.
YES! The chase is fun! I don't know why people assume that dreaming will make you not enjoy your current life. On the contrary, I once dreamed up the life I have now, and I'm very grateful I did that. Because now I'm living it!!!!
I don’t know if you’ve thought about it this way, but it occurs to me that what you’re doing, how you’re approaching this is pretty brilliant — you have the story you’ll start publishing in April, and then the story of the story, which you’re publishing now. And each reinforces the other, getting us as readers invested in your success. I’m wondering how both will turn out! Again, no idea if it this is by design, but it’s really interesting 👍
Well, it's interesting because I'm not sure that the audience for my newsletter is the same audience that would like a strange little gothic novel. I often wonder if I would be better off talking about gothic literature in the 19th century! But then I see people like Victoria Aveyard who has this cult following for her books and she almost never talks about her characters or her books. Her readers always want to know how she wrote them, her daily writing routine, how she found success, etc. And it's true! I'm a big fan of Anne Rice but I wouldn't want to hear her talk about Interview with a Vampire, I've already read it! But I would completely geek out listening to her talk about moving to New Orleans, how she researched the books, how much time she spent writing every day, how she sold her first book, etc. And I think this is because a lot of the most avid readers are also writers and we want to learn from the writers we love. This is a very long way of saying that I do have a strategy with my content, but that strategy is: Write about the things I would want to learn from my favorite authors.
Just read your research on publishing and the stats do not bode well for new authors. I can't see new creator platforms challenging and stealing business from the Big 4 who have the size and resources and strength ( from recent consolidation). The Big 4 will always cherry pick outliers and then use the traditional route to establish their new author success. I would not read too much into the data for an experimental try - at the end of day no one has found way to predict the success of movie, song or paperback - it is silly to model human behavior likes and dislikes. The weight of data as you mention weighs heavily against any non established author. I admire your courage and optimism and the right to challenge the status quo though. Thank you Elle for the excellent analysis.
Thank you! I also don't see creator platforms stealing business from the Big Four (at least not anytime soon). But I do see creators experimenting with models that, if they work, could disrupt Big Publishing eventually. For example: say by some miracle my little experiment works. Well then maybe big authors start doing it too! Pretty soon, readers become used to receiving content from their favorite authors on a weekly basis instead of on a bi-decade basis. Then we can have a platform where readers can follow all their favorite authors and books for one monthly fee (the infamous "Netflix of books" or even the "Spotify of books" where we are paid royalties on reads, not purchases). THAT could disrupt publishing (and I think WILL once authors are willing to publish their books there instead of with the Big Four). Kindle Unlimited is already working on it and, now that they have a large enough reader base, they are able to attract authors to publish KU exclusives before they go with the Big Four.
Hi Elle, it sounds like nirvana and your ideas are very original -- perhaps you are right as the way things are trending . I understand the the frustrations of authors having to wait to for book to be released and the technology of these new platforms are alluring for the new authors to try - it is impressive, however we are thinking from the authors point of view and their desires for favorable outcome. I am not so sure though, and I stand to be corrected. It is what the reader wants: will they be happy to pay for serialized content ? how will they consume it ? with small screen real estate of their smart phones or tablets or even desktops. I think you can't beat reading your favorite book at the cafe , beach, train ride or in the park. The readers will decide if they are prepared for content to be delivered this new way - and this is the unknown. I see lots of issues to overcome including resolving worthwhile payment models for the authors for the platforms to succeed. Also a high proportion of technology startups fail because of focus on whiz-bang new technology and no thought or consideration given to generating sales. So not at the moment, I can't see it happening; its a can of worms.
Well, I absolutely agree with you here. It remains to be seen how people will read books in the future (and how they will pay for them). But I do think that Wattpad is a solid early indicator of the market (on the reader side), especially since it has such a large Generation Z audience (500 million users as of 2020).
Just curious: what did you tell Hamish McKenzie about how Substack could better support fiction writers? And thanks for all the work you're doing over on Discord. I really look forward to collaborating with folks and doing some cross promotions as you are doing with Classifieds.
We meet this week! But I'll definitely keep everyone posted in the discord!
With 500 million users you may have the breakthrough for a sound income model. I wonder though would you prefer to have read all those books in serial format in your reading list ? But if you love literature it would not matter I guess , the tension to wait for the next chapter maybe is to much to disengage. You maybe onto something here Elle.
I mean, this might be wishful thinking, but to me it looks like: Gen Z is to Wattpad/serial fiction as Millennials are to Kindle/Reece's Book Club as Boomers are to Barnes&Noble and Oprah's Book Club.
i have to say...i dunno. some say millenials don't read. but along come the NEO-gothic game of thrones. huhm...a chore you ask me. ugh. no stop. andonthe other hand, cmoe stieg larssen, [sp. chk] kinda DOA. his GF finally got covered.
and then Hunger Games, the all time topseller in american lit. OK, YA, but still made 55 million take home before taxes for Ms Collins who worrked as a TV producer (don't get excited) before her evident disappearance now.
i hear she wote a children's book and her agent has quit adult life also, Ms Stimola closed for weeks, and then put up a shingle asking only for children's books. everyone wants childrens' books. mommies do daddies too. rhymes will do.
i got one which i should wind up to sell again. had one agent, but her 1st choice failed her so she gave it back to me. no duh.
I gotta say Utahis thepretiest state ever. Toobad about it tho. themultiple wife thing and lost souls recovery system and the taberknuckles. don't ask imarreid one. called herself a Jack M. and i said why not Jill. as she snorted another line.
and i thought i was a wilding hippie!
pretty tho. we got roots there. i guess. sorta. you could do a grapes of wrath on Utah. the scenic part juxta the precision of religion.
my next one will be anti-religion. i can't stand religious wars no mo'.
maybe my next one will be for babies. they might be god on the planet until we take that away from them. i really do not know. any baby smiles at you and you seen god on Earth. woman. write us a love letter to babies and how they should fit in to our penchant for war.
or how capitalism makes for oligarchy, er, plutocracy, and Simon & Schuzter being bot by some rich House of Publishing thugs, knocking the. big 6 down to 4 now.
still there are 3,000 agents out there. i ain't depressed as long as i can speak, i write. and i don't like to give it away. my doctor won't tell me how much? never does. he don't know. she just sits there smiling and i get better. Moderna went from $10 buck to $187 in about the same time as covid 19 has been.
how come life ain't free?
answer that one. i promise you a best seller of all time.
i. jimmy
Lovely piece as always, and congratulations on your recent success. Very impressive and well deserved, Elle.
What is life without dreams? We must have them, for they embody hope. Have many dreams. Big and small. In my experience, many will come true. I view writing as a creative outlet (hobby), yet I still dream of my novel becoming a bestseller. How could I not?
I will share one more thought. Chasing a dream is often more fulfilling and fun then the reality of the dream once achieved. The chase is where most of your memories will be made. Enjoy the chase. It sounds like your are. Well done.
YES! The chase is fun! I don't know why people assume that dreaming will make you not enjoy your current life. On the contrary, I once dreamed up the life I have now, and I'm very grateful I did that. Because now I'm living it!!!!
Exactly. And many of my best friends and memories came from having a dream that didn't come true. Keep dreaming!
!!!!!
I don’t know if you’ve thought about it this way, but it occurs to me that what you’re doing, how you’re approaching this is pretty brilliant — you have the story you’ll start publishing in April, and then the story of the story, which you’re publishing now. And each reinforces the other, getting us as readers invested in your success. I’m wondering how both will turn out! Again, no idea if it this is by design, but it’s really interesting 👍
Well, it's interesting because I'm not sure that the audience for my newsletter is the same audience that would like a strange little gothic novel. I often wonder if I would be better off talking about gothic literature in the 19th century! But then I see people like Victoria Aveyard who has this cult following for her books and she almost never talks about her characters or her books. Her readers always want to know how she wrote them, her daily writing routine, how she found success, etc. And it's true! I'm a big fan of Anne Rice but I wouldn't want to hear her talk about Interview with a Vampire, I've already read it! But I would completely geek out listening to her talk about moving to New Orleans, how she researched the books, how much time she spent writing every day, how she sold her first book, etc. And I think this is because a lot of the most avid readers are also writers and we want to learn from the writers we love. This is a very long way of saying that I do have a strategy with my content, but that strategy is: Write about the things I would want to learn from my favorite authors.
Just read your research on publishing and the stats do not bode well for new authors. I can't see new creator platforms challenging and stealing business from the Big 4 who have the size and resources and strength ( from recent consolidation). The Big 4 will always cherry pick outliers and then use the traditional route to establish their new author success. I would not read too much into the data for an experimental try - at the end of day no one has found way to predict the success of movie, song or paperback - it is silly to model human behavior likes and dislikes. The weight of data as you mention weighs heavily against any non established author. I admire your courage and optimism and the right to challenge the status quo though. Thank you Elle for the excellent analysis.
Thank you! I also don't see creator platforms stealing business from the Big Four (at least not anytime soon). But I do see creators experimenting with models that, if they work, could disrupt Big Publishing eventually. For example: say by some miracle my little experiment works. Well then maybe big authors start doing it too! Pretty soon, readers become used to receiving content from their favorite authors on a weekly basis instead of on a bi-decade basis. Then we can have a platform where readers can follow all their favorite authors and books for one monthly fee (the infamous "Netflix of books" or even the "Spotify of books" where we are paid royalties on reads, not purchases). THAT could disrupt publishing (and I think WILL once authors are willing to publish their books there instead of with the Big Four). Kindle Unlimited is already working on it and, now that they have a large enough reader base, they are able to attract authors to publish KU exclusives before they go with the Big Four.
Hi Elle, it sounds like nirvana and your ideas are very original -- perhaps you are right as the way things are trending . I understand the the frustrations of authors having to wait to for book to be released and the technology of these new platforms are alluring for the new authors to try - it is impressive, however we are thinking from the authors point of view and their desires for favorable outcome. I am not so sure though, and I stand to be corrected. It is what the reader wants: will they be happy to pay for serialized content ? how will they consume it ? with small screen real estate of their smart phones or tablets or even desktops. I think you can't beat reading your favorite book at the cafe , beach, train ride or in the park. The readers will decide if they are prepared for content to be delivered this new way - and this is the unknown. I see lots of issues to overcome including resolving worthwhile payment models for the authors for the platforms to succeed. Also a high proportion of technology startups fail because of focus on whiz-bang new technology and no thought or consideration given to generating sales. So not at the moment, I can't see it happening; its a can of worms.
Well, I absolutely agree with you here. It remains to be seen how people will read books in the future (and how they will pay for them). But I do think that Wattpad is a solid early indicator of the market (on the reader side), especially since it has such a large Generation Z audience (500 million users as of 2020).
Great way to think about it!