Web Strategies For Writers (Part 07)

Case Study J.C. Hutchins, Pod-Novel Overlord.

How apt that the author of 7th SON, J.C. Hutchins should share his writerly web strategy wisdom in part 07 of this series.  I didn't plan it that way. Swear.

No introduction can do J.C. justice compared to his amazing website I've linked to above. When you're done here, definitely go there and learn by example!

Q: Congrats on your book deal with St. Martins. Was it your goal from the beginning to land a book deal with a print publisher? Or was podcasting your work an end in and of itself?

The latter. I wrote 7S from 2002-2004 as one long mss., and attempted to find an agent for it in 2005. The 1,300-page book went nowhere, understandably. Convinced the project was DOA for print, I decided to "share it, since I couldn't sell it." The SMP deal in late 2007 was nothing short of a miracle in my mind. Lots of hard work paid off.

Q: You have an amazingly loyal fan base, and you seem to have mastered the art of building an online community eager to evangelize your work. Could you share your approach to turning listeners into rabid fans?

I treat 7th Son fans like I'd want to be treated. I don't talk down to them, I don't ego trip, I relentlessly thank them, brag about them, and remind them that *they're* the reason why 7S is successful. A story is only as powerful as its audience.

Q: For writers considering podcasting as a medium to share and/or promote their work, what's the most important thing you feel they should know before they get started?

I'll spare you the technical stuff (buy a good mic and mixer, remember that good sound quality is critical, etc), and say this instead: If you want to release a podiobook and do it right—with the intent to acquire the largest audience you can—it's a colossal time suck. You read the work, you edit the audio file, you relentlessly promote and network within the community. You breathe the thing, because you have to—because you're absolutely committed to finding new listeners, spreading the word and interacting with your audience. 

Q: Do you write your books before podcasting them? Fly by the seat of your pants? Something in between? What's your writing process like from initial idea to completed project?

I wrote and edited the 7S trilogy—and will write all future work that I release via podcast—long before I released it in the 'sphere. 

Q: How much time do you spend creating each episode of a podcast?

It takes me about 1.5 hours to read what will eventually become a 30 minute episode. (I'm a TERRIBLE reader.) Then another three hours to edit it. Another hour to assemble shownotes, upload and post. Thankfully, Shawn Bishop, my audio producer for Book Three, handled the editing for me for that novel. He was a life-saver.

Q: I'm fascinated by "network effects" present in the web. For example: the way in which the First Mover Advantage is amplified in online ventures. Along with writing and producing outstanding material, authors such as Scott Sigler, Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff, and yourself have enjoyed tremendous popularity at least in part because you were brave enough to pioneer an unproven medium. Do you think it's still possible for authors just starting out in podcasting to enjoy the same kind of success?

Of the people you mentioned in your question, only Scott is the true "canary in the coal mine" first mover. Back in 2005, he, Tee Morris and Mark Jeffrey released the first podiobooks in history. Between their debut and mine in early 2006, at least 40 podcast novelists released their work in the 'sphere, such as Jack Mangan, Matthew Wayne Selznick, etc. I believe Nemcoff's first podcast fiction project—Shadow Falls—came after 7S.

That said, I believe the market is still in that "first mover" phase. The market is not saturated. The thing that most differentiates Sigler, Nemcoff, Mur Lafferty, Tee Morris and me from many others is the public awareness of our work, which hails from our relentless promotion. The playing field is even, if an author is dedicated to marketing his/her work. It's the Wild West. We're all first movers right now.

Q: What's the biggest mistake you see writers making in their podcasts?

"Mistakes" is a harsh word. I think a lot of authors should focus on sound quality and performance. Nothing's worse than a lousy-sounding "flat" reading. I also think most authors forget the importance of actively marketing their work, if they want a large, engaged fan base for their novel.

Q: What was the growth of your audience like in the beginning? And how long did it take you to reach the number of listeners currently enjoying your work?

It was slow going at first; I can't recall exact numbers, but by the end of Book One, I had about 7,000 listeners—and that was after several months of weekly release and promotion. These days, my listenership is more than 30,000. We saw exponential growth during Book Two, mostly.

Q: You mentioned Matt Wallace in a recent UltraCreatives podcast as someone to watch in genre fiction and podcasting. Anyone else you admire in podcasting? What do you admire about them?

I'll pass on this question; I don't want to exclude anyone.

Q: If you could be the master of one skill related to writing podiobooks, what it would it be?

Well, remember—I don't write podiobooks. I write novels that are released as podcasts. I've never written anything explicitly for podcast release. I suppose I wish I could live the dream and not have to do the "day job" thing. That'd give me more time to write and market my fiction, which is my true passion.

Q: Should a writer finish a book before starting to podcast it in your opinion? Why? or why not?

Absolutely. I believe that fiction—novels in particular—need to ferment in a drawer for a few weeks after first drafts are concluded, so the editing process can happen with "fresh" eyes. The same thing should happen after the editing process—edit, shelve, re-examine a few weeks later, edit again. 7S went through four drafts before I sent it out to agents in 2005. There are nuances and dramatic opportunities that come only when editing and reading a completed work; I suspect "winging it" week to week would be a fascinating creative exercise, but I know of only two podcast novelists who've pulled it off successfully.

Q: Knowing what you know now as a writer and pod-novelist, what would you do differently if you were just starting out?

No. I studied what other trendsetters were doing, I aped them shamelessly, brought my own ideas into the mix and promoted like crazy. My only podcasting regret was not being able to engage my listeners with pre- and post-chapter "chatter" during the release of Book Three. I was writing a novel during that time on a very tight deadline, and something had to give. I missed "talking" to them, and they missed hearing that side of the experience.

Q: What are your thoughts on the differences between writing for the page, and writing for a podcast?

Since I don't write for a podcast, I'll skip this.

Q: Do you think listeners are more concerned with the frequency of episodes, or the "quality of writing" (whatever that loaded term means to you)?

The latter. Listeners can become vocal—even vociferously critical—if episodes roll out later than expected. But my reckoning is that they behave this way because, ultimately, you've engaged them with quality writing. The market speaks for itself: If your prose doesn't sing, you won't have an audience ... and if you don't have prose that sings, it doesn't matter how often you post your episodes. No one will be listening to complain.

Q: What are your reading habits like? How does your podiobook consumption compare to your reading of traditional paper books?

I read as often as I can; usually at night, before I sleep. I don't listen to as many podcasts and podiobooks as I used to, mostly due to the day gig and my nearly-constant online presence after work.

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Wow! Thank you so much, J.C.!

Alright folks. In the 8th and (probably) final installment of this web strategies for writers series, I'll post a list of the best resources for Creating, Sharing, Promoting, Interacting, and Giving Back, as these activities pertain to writers of fiction trying to leverage the web to help their career. No fluff, just links.