The Journal of Spartan_Warrior

Where are you and where are you going?
Post Reply
User avatar
jennypenny
Posts: 6851
Joined: Sun Jul 03, 2011 2:20 pm

Re: The Journal of Spartan_Warrior

Post by jennypenny »

Spartan_Warrior wrote:I'm glad the discussion has turned back to the Book 1 cover, because I've pretty much decided I'm "re-releasing" Book 1, primarily to change the cover (and to make exactly two small typographical/typesetting corrections that bother me when I read the paperback). I think CreateSpace will allow me to do this without a whole new ISBN, but we'll see. Either way, the eBook now features the new cover (see below).
...
My one concession toward making it less "offensive" was to make the woman's image more of a silhouette. Going for something reminiscent of a James Bond movie intro. (Though the lack of contrast now makes me concerned about the clarity of the image in thumbnail. It's always something.)

I wouldn't have used that concept if I didn't think it's appropriate for the story (I mean--spoiler alert--the scene is pretty much pulled from the book). I also think it's mostly inoffensive to the intended audience*, but the fact is I don't know. I haven't gotten substantive feedback on the cover. No one has actually told me that it's offensive, nor has anyone told me that it's amazing or swayed their decision to buy. IMO, when an author has conflicting input on something (or no input), the tie should go to the author--and I do it the way I like it.
You don't have to change anything. That wasn't the point I was trying to make. You just have to accept that if you write anything provocative at all (or use provocative artwork or marketing), you will inevitably get some negative feedback. You can't please everyone. I just think authors shouldn't try to have it both ways. An author can either tone down the work to appeal to as many readers as possible (trying not to offend anyone), or they can write with conviction and accept that their work won't appeal to everyone.

I can't find the clip, but I remember a great interview with Quentin Tarantino where he talks about this. He said he's always surprised that people are offended by his work because he only makes violent movies that are designed to offend. Why do people expect something different?


@jacob--Would you be happier if Amazon referred to them as "comments" instead of "reviews"?

I don't get what you mean by "whatever motivation suits their fancy." Reviews are subjective, not objective. We all see things through our own lens based upon personal experience. Why are some motivations legitimate and others not, assuming they read the book? I chose not to mention your language choices because my motivation at the time was to promote your ideas and the book. If I didn't have a personal interest, I would definitely have pointed out the language in my review as a caveat to women who are easily offended by such language. Would you really consider that trolling? Isn't it better if women who would be turned off by terms like "renaissance man" didn't buy the book?

We should stop. We're derailing Spartan's journal and we've been down this road before.

Spartan_Warrior
Posts: 1659
Joined: Fri Dec 02, 2011 1:24 am

Re: The Journal of Spartan_Warrior

Post by Spartan_Warrior »

.
Last edited by Spartan_Warrior on Thu Aug 17, 2017 4:40 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Spartan_Warrior
Posts: 1659
Joined: Fri Dec 02, 2011 1:24 am

Re: The Journal of Spartan_Warrior

Post by Spartan_Warrior »

.
Last edited by Spartan_Warrior on Thu Aug 17, 2017 4:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.

llorona
Posts: 444
Joined: Sun Sep 23, 2012 11:44 pm
Location: SF Bay Area

Re: The Journal of Spartan_Warrior

Post by llorona »

I'm not sure if this will make you feel better or worse, but that's virtually the same plot for every single Lifetime Television for Women movie.

Regardless, good for you for pursuing your dream.

Spartan_Warrior
Posts: 1659
Joined: Fri Dec 02, 2011 1:24 am

Re: The Journal of Spartan_Warrior

Post by Spartan_Warrior »

.
Last edited by Spartan_Warrior on Thu Aug 17, 2017 4:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Spartan_Warrior
Posts: 1659
Joined: Fri Dec 02, 2011 1:24 am

Re: The Journal of Spartan_Warrior

Post by Spartan_Warrior »

.
Last edited by Spartan_Warrior on Thu Aug 17, 2017 4:40 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Spartan_Warrior
Posts: 1659
Joined: Fri Dec 02, 2011 1:24 am

Re: The Journal of Spartan_Warrior

Post by Spartan_Warrior »

.
Last edited by Spartan_Warrior on Thu Aug 17, 2017 4:40 pm, edited 2 times in total.

steveo73
Posts: 1733
Joined: Sat Jul 06, 2013 6:52 pm

Re: The Journal of Spartan_Warrior

Post by steveo73 »

Pushing out the book that quick is impressive. Well done.

Spartan_Warrior
Posts: 1659
Joined: Fri Dec 02, 2011 1:24 am

Re: The Journal of Spartan_Warrior

Post by Spartan_Warrior »

.
Last edited by Spartan_Warrior on Thu Aug 17, 2017 4:40 pm, edited 2 times in total.

spoonman
Posts: 695
Joined: Thu Mar 28, 2013 4:15 am

Re: The Journal of Spartan_Warrior

Post by spoonman »

SW, I very much envy you for having the writing knack. One day I'll give writing a try, but I fear the words will come out painfully like kidney stones.

I should note that I've had 15 years of experience writing scientific papers and lengthy technical reports. But that's very different from writing an engaging science fiction story.

steveo73
Posts: 1733
Joined: Sat Jul 06, 2013 6:52 pm

Re: The Journal of Spartan_Warrior

Post by steveo73 »

Spartan_Warrior wrote:Back to the grind.
I like this comment. I think that these types of beliefs keep me on track.

Spartan_Warrior
Posts: 1659
Joined: Fri Dec 02, 2011 1:24 am

Re: The Journal of Spartan_Warrior

Post by Spartan_Warrior »

.
Last edited by Spartan_Warrior on Thu Aug 17, 2017 4:41 pm, edited 2 times in total.

User avatar
Ego
Posts: 6359
Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2011 12:42 am

Re: The Journal of Spartan_Warrior

Post by Ego »

I want to read a book about a frustrated government employee who gets pissed off when his girlfriend's review of his book gets deleted from Amazon so he researches all the ways someone might game Amazon's system, then ghost-writes a book with Amazon manipulation by a government employee as its main theme.

The government employee is a fraud investigator and the members of his departmental book club - whom he loathes - become unwitting accomplices and scapegoats. Thanks to Amazon manipulation, the ghost-written book is a huge success but the money appears to pass through accounts controlled by his evil supervisor who also happens to be an aspiring author and the organizer of the book-club. The frustrated government employee quietly retires to write while evil-supervisor takes the blame.

Spartan with the Dragon Tattoo.

jacob
Site Admin
Posts: 15907
Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 8:38 pm
Location: USA, Zone 5b, Koppen Dfa, Elev. 620ft, Walkscore 77
Contact:

Re: The Journal of Spartan_Warrior

Post by jacob »

5-10/day is pretty good as is holding #15 in some niche area. Getting discovered takes time (years!!) as this can attest to: http://www.amazon.com/Kurt-Vonnegut-Let ... 0385343752

While it's cool to have reviews, be very very careful about soliciting them lest you trigger some crude algo. Don't count on the human drones setting things straight once triggered. Let reviews come organically. In my (and other's) experience, about 1% of people leave reviews on amazon, so if you have 5 reviews, it means some 500 people actually read your book. Seeing that it's now possible to add stars without adding words, I can also say that people who hate your book will nearly always write a reviews whereas only half of the people who love your book will do so. Hence, things are often better than they look. Overall, I suggest doing better than me when it comes to paying attention to reviews. I suspect it's better if you mostly ignore them much like you've come to ignore your net worth as the "solution" to "salvation". Writing because you're internally driven to do so is the best state to be in by far. Let sales and reviews be a side-effect. Easy to say.---I find it hard to do.

Suggestion: I find that my best reviews---best in the qualitative sense in terms of "getting it" as well as in the quantitative sense in terms of eyeballs---come from fellow bloggers. Have you considered a campaign like that? Reaching out to similar writers with a "free book for a review" strategy?

PS: I can certainly provide some kind of platform for ERE/fight-the-system themed books like Happiness.

Tyler9000
Posts: 1758
Joined: Fri Jun 01, 2012 11:45 pm

Re: The Journal of Spartan_Warrior

Post by Tyler9000 »

Spartan_Warrior wrote: My answer to "What are you going to do about it?" has gone from "early retirement" to "support myself as a writer". Being FI through investments has taken a backseat, little more than a safety net.

On the whole, I think this is a healthier mindset. Writing is a much easier goal to literally work toward, if nothing else. On the other hand, there are days when it's even more disheartening.
I wholeheartedly agree that shifting happiness away from investing is a positive thing. But supporting yourself as a writer is still market based. It's just the fiction market vs the financial market. Because success is not wholly in your control, the fear and frustration is natural.

Are there any activities that you'd happily do for free and are uncoupled entirely from the actions of others? I'd personally recommend mixing in a few of those every once in a while as an alternative stress reliever. I'd hate for you to wear out your fun new activity too quickly by putting too much pressure on yourself. You're doing great. Enjoy it!

Spartan_Warrior
Posts: 1659
Joined: Fri Dec 02, 2011 1:24 am

Re: The Journal of Spartan_Warrior

Post by Spartan_Warrior »

.
Last edited by Spartan_Warrior on Thu Aug 17, 2017 4:41 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Tyler9000
Posts: 1758
Joined: Fri Jun 01, 2012 11:45 pm

Re: The Journal of Spartan_Warrior

Post by Tyler9000 »

Spartan_Warrior wrote:Maybe editing will save it. Maybe I just need another pen name where I can toss anything I'm not overly proud of. "T.L. Diddenreed" has a nice ring to it.
LOL! I'd read something by that author any day.

I admire your passion. I'm working on rediscovering my own.

Spartan_Warrior
Posts: 1659
Joined: Fri Dec 02, 2011 1:24 am

Re: The Journal of Spartan_Warrior

Post by Spartan_Warrior »

.
Last edited by Spartan_Warrior on Thu Aug 17, 2017 4:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Tyler9000
Posts: 1758
Joined: Fri Jun 01, 2012 11:45 pm

Re: The Journal of Spartan_Warrior

Post by Tyler9000 »

Wow.

I'd be interested in knowing if the cubicle police lifted your monitor and removed the books using proper ergonomic lifting procedure. It would be a shame if they used an unsafe lifting method that risked throwing out a back. I mean, that could cause a lot of paperwork. Maybe even some mandatory training. Come to think of it, did they contract the proper union to move said monitor? There may be serious labor violations involved.

Corporate bureaucracy sucks.

jacob
Site Admin
Posts: 15907
Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 8:38 pm
Location: USA, Zone 5b, Koppen Dfa, Elev. 620ft, Walkscore 77
Contact:

Re: The Journal of Spartan_Warrior

Post by jacob »

@SW - I can't tell whether it's a good thing or a bad thing you work for the government. If this was a private company, you'd have been terminated long ago already. If it was academia ... well, I used to prop up my desk using old lead bricks I borrowed from [nuclear] accelerator shielding 8-)

@Tyler9000 - More likely, they outsourced the job to a private contractor at $400/hour. They then had to bring in a special crane to lift the table (since it was heavier than 20 pounds) which was then billed at $150000 and otherwise kept in a storage room until it was sold to a school for $30. Nah, I kid, I kid.

Post Reply