OLD POST ALERT! This is an older post and although you might find some useful tips, any technical or publishing information is likely to be out of date. Please click on Start Here on the menu bar above to find links to my most useful articles, videos and podcast. Thanks and happy writing! – Joanna Penn
Many authors I have interviewed lately have said how fantastic Scott Sigler is so I have been interested to get into some of his work.
Scott writes sci-fi horror novels , one of his idols is Stephen King and he definitely fits in that genre. He was one of the first podcasters, releasing EarthCore in 2005 and continuing to release podcast novels as fast as he writes them. He is incredibly prolific, having now published 5 books with 4 more in progress. He is a NY Times best-selling author and ‘Infected' is in production for a movie.
His books are not for the faint-hearted! Having just listened to the wonderful “Chasing the Bard” by Pip Ballantine, I was off in fey realms of beauty and magic. To listen to Sigler is to be thrust into violence, gore and lots of blood. So I found the first couple of episodes hard to take! But by the second session, I was hooked. I have just finished “Infected” and wanted to share my lessons learnt from Scott, both from his story and the book itself.
- Write with fast forward, never ending, keep the reader hooked pace. Wow! This book moves fast and even in a podcast version, the momentum was incredible. In terms of writing style, this is a fantastic example of action-movie-style writing. It was evocative and mind-bending in places. I actually had to fast forward some sections because the violence was a little much, but I still returned to the story. If you want to write popular fiction, Sigler has to be a great model. It works for Stephen King, it works for Sigler – maybe it can work for more of us! (that's if you want to be pop fiction and not literary fiction!)
- A podcast can create a fan. I have to be honest, I am not a horror fan. I can't even watch scary cartoons and rarely read horror books. The only Stephen King I own is “On Writing” (fantastic book, but not horror fiction!). I would not have bought a Scott Sigler book before the podcast. But I have just bought the audiobook of the sequel! I am officially a fan and now I am interested in the other books. Amazing! This demonstrates the power of the podcast in the same way as it has been demonstrated by JC Hutchins, Pip Ballantine, Tee Morris and Seth Harwood (amongst many others, but I interviewed these guys!)
- If you have 2 books, podcast the first one. After I finished Infected, I immediately wanted the next book. I need to know what happens next. I find the next book, Contagious, on Audible.com so I have purchased it and it starts tomorrow! (All Scott's books available from his store)
- Be committed and continue to ‘feed' your fans. Sigler built his success on podcasting and continues to deliver to his fans weekly, despite the fact he is now a NY Times best-selling author. How many other authors are as available as this? This is a model authors need to follow now to keep readers engaged. Fans rely on getting their dose of Sigler and he delivers. Amazing stamina! Now that is why he is such a success!
I would definitely recommend you check out Scott Sigler's podcasts and books, but be warned, it is pretty violent stuff! You can try him out at Podiobooks.com and also his website.
Thank you for such a glowing write-up! Most important, I’m thrilled you enjoyed the story, because at the end of the day that’s what it’s all about.
They say some people have a face for radio – in my case I don’t even have a voice for radio, so this probably wouldn’t work for me, much as I wouldn’t mind trying.
I think I’ll have to stick to the old fashioned way of regularly releasing short stories and other written snippets to generate interest and, hopefully, an audience.
Andrew–if you don’t want to do the audio yourself, there are always plenty of amateur actors about who are looking for a way to get some exposure or just have some fun with acting. Recruit one to do your audio for you.
“Amateur actors”, now that is a good tip. My accent would not add to the listeners pleasure but if I chat with my local am-dram group…
However before I or anyone else runs for the telephone book, I would suggest reading it out and recording it yourself and listening to it. Best to spot the blemishes before you expose yourself to anyone. You will also learn how you want sections delivered.