Today we’re feaÂturÂing a piece by Seth HarÂwood, an innoÂvÂaÂtive crime ficÂtion writer who has used the tools of Web 2.0 to launch his writÂing career. Below, he gives you an inside look at how he went from podÂcastÂing his books to landÂing a book deal with RanÂdom House. If you want to learn more about how writÂers will increasÂingÂly build their careers, be sure to give this a read. Take it away Seth…
Before it ever hit print, my debut novÂel JACK WAKES UP was a free seriÂalÂized audioÂbook. And givÂing my crime ficÂtion away for free turned out to be the key to becomÂing a pubÂlished author—that last piece of the puzÂzle that eludes so many aspirÂing writÂers.
How did it work? Well, I got my MFA from a presÂtiÂgious writÂers’ workÂshop. I got a dozen stoÂries placed in litÂerÂary jourÂnals. In short, I was doing all the things “they” (the litÂerÂary estabÂlishÂment) tell you you have to do in order to become a sucÂcessÂful author. And it wasn’t workÂing. Agents were sayÂing nice things about my crime ficÂtion, but weren’t willÂing to take me on as a client. EvenÂtuÂalÂly I startÂed lookÂing for anothÂer way to driÂve my own career and put my work in front of peoÂple. HavÂing had a litÂtle sucÂcess with a pubÂlished stoÂry online—my friends could read it and I was hearÂing from strangers who liked it, two things that had nevÂer hapÂpened with the dozen stoÂries I’d slaved to pubÂlish in litÂerÂary journals—I could see that the web was the way to do this. But I couldn’t imagÂine anyÂone readÂing a novÂel online, or even on his or her comÂputÂer. I did have an iPod though, and didn’t I lisÂten to it all the time in the car and at the gym? Wasn’t I takÂing out books on CD from my local library for my driÂve to work? Sure I was. So when a friend showed me how he’d been using his iPod and a thing called podÂcastÂing to get free audioÂbooks from an unknown author named Scott Sigler, I knew I had to figÂure out how this was done.
Turns out that makÂing MP3 files costs nothÂing. DisÂtribÂutÂing them costs me less than $10 a month, no matÂter how many episodes go out. Each week, I release a free episode—usually a couÂple of chapters—to thouÂsands of subÂscribers. You can think of this as a throwÂback to two old forms of crime disÂtriÂbÂuÂtion: either the pulp magÂaÂzines or the old-time radio plays that introÂduced detecÂtive advenÂtures to earÂly lisÂtenÂers on the radio. (more…)