Chapter 1: Fraser's First Success Was a Failure
He published his first book. It didn't sell. Now what?
Welcome to Fraser on Fiction, where I tell my true story of trying to become a successful self-published author. I write from a third-person point of view in the style of a serialized narrative nonfiction. New chapters are released 2-4 times a month.
The story: A middle-aged father of 3 starts writing stories for his children during the covid lockdowns and rediscovers his passion for storytelling. Determined to turn his hobby into a career, he braves the competitive world of self-publishing. But will he make it?
Fraser held the book in his hands:
His first self-published book Ben and His Elf Save Christmas turned out just the way he wanted. He had put a lot of time, effort, and love into it. He had used fiverr to contract cover art, developmental editing, and line editing. He was proud of it: the story, the themes, the writing, and the finished product. And, he had released it just in time for Christmas.
He hadn't written it to sell. He wrote it for his seven-year-old son, Ben. But he had still hoped it would sell. So he announced the book on Twitter, LinkedIn, and quickly set up an ad campaign on Amazon Advertising. Then, he waited.
A few weeks later, he refreshed the sales page for the hundredth time. It wasn't selling:
47 copies is more than zero, he thought. But 45 of those are probably people I know. And the ad campaigns had only yielded four sales.
I guess hope isn't a plan, Fraser thought. If I want this to be more than a hobby, I have work to do.
Over the next few days, he read Chris Fox's Write to Market. It was the fourth book he'd read on successful self-publishing. The books had a lot in common, and they were all lists of things Fraser hadn't done:
Pick a market (i.e. an audience and a genre) with high demand (hungry readers) and low supply (not enough books). He was writing for middle grade kids, roughly 8-12 years old, since that's about where Ben was. But he hadn't thought a lot about the specific genre he wanted to write in and hadn’t done any market research.
Research the tropes used in the genre by reading many books in the genre. While he loved storytelling and what makes a story great—especially character development—he hadn't done a lot of research into tropes. A trope is a recurring plot device or character type which is familiar to readers. He learned that using tropes helps a writer meet reader expectations in a genre. Like, Luke Skywalker as the farm boy who becomes a hero.
Figure out which books sell in the genre and why, using Amazon to analyze the sales rank and reviews of books.
Fraser's first reaction was tropes sounded predictable. But after some more thought, he recognized that his own favourite stories made heavy use of tropes:
Harry Potter and The Matrix use the chosen one: Harry Potter and Neo are destined for greatness right from the first act.
Die Hard uses one man army: John McClane is alone and up against an organized, heavily armed group of terrorists.
Pitch Perfect uses underdog: the Barden Bellas start out the story without a hope of beating the Treblemakers.
Edge of Tomorrow and Groundhog Day use time loop: William Cage and Phil are stuck repeating the same day over and over and must figure out how to escape.
The broad strokes of these stories weren't surprising, once you recognized the trope. They all ended just the way he expected them to. Of course Neo really is the chosen one. Of course the Barden Bellas beat the Treblemakers in the 2012 ICCA Regional Finals. But they were still great because of the execution and details of the stories.
Fraser's second reaction: this sounds like a lot of work. I want to write. I don't want to read a dozen books just to pick a genre for my next story. And I have kids and a job.
And, he'd already had a story he wanted to finish. He'd started it two years ago but had gotten stuck. He liked the premise: one of Ben's friends gets sucked into a Minecraft story on his kindle, and the kids have to figure out how to save him. But he'd reread his draft so far and realized he had an idea, but not a story.
There's got to be a faster way, he thought. Fraser had worked as a software developer for years, and he'd learned to be lazy: don't do work that a computer can do for you.
He pulled up ChatGPT on his computer, a chatbot recently released by OpenAI. He'd played with it a bit and had been shocked at the quality of the dialogue. Worth a shot, he shrugged.
He typed first question in:
What are common themes in middle grade books?
ChatGPT answered:
Common themes in middle grade books include friendship, teamwork, coming of age, and the exploration of new experiences. These books often focus on the challenges and adventures of young protagonists as they navigate the complexities of growing up and finding their place in the world. Other common themes include family, school, and self-discovery. Many middle grade books also deal with important social and emotional issues, such as bullying, fitting in, and dealing with difficult emotions.
Good start, he thought. Teamwork is a perfect theme to explore in this Minecraft story, since the kids will have to work together to rescue their friend.
That's great, thanks. What kind of tropes should I include in a story about teamwork?
ChatGPT answered:
Some common tropes associated with stories about teamwork include characters coming together to achieve a common goal, the development of strong bonds and friendships among the team members, and the overcoming of obstacles and challenges through the power of collaboration. Other tropes that are often associated with stories about teamwork include the mentorship of a more experienced character by a younger or less experienced one, the emergence of a natural leader among the team members, and the growth and development of each character as a result of their participation in the team.
This feels a bit generic, he thought. But maybe I can get it to go deeper:
Thanks, can you give a brief example of storylines that use each of those tropes?
ChatGPT obliged:
Sure, here are some brief examples of storylines that use each of the tropes you mentioned:
Characters coming together to achieve a common goal: In this storyline, a group of friends must work together to complete a project, win a competition, or save their community from a threat.
The development of strong bonds and friendships among team members: In this storyline, the characters start off as strangers or acquaintances, but as they work together, they learn to trust and rely on each other, forming deep and lasting friendships.
The overcoming of obstacles and challenges through the power of collaboration: In this storyline, the characters face a series of challenges, such as natural disasters, villains, or personal struggles, and they must work together to overcome these obstacles and achieve their goals.
The mentorship of a more experienced character by a younger or less experienced one: In this storyline, an older or more experienced character takes a younger or less experienced one under their wing, teaching them valuable skills and helping them grow and develop.
The emergence of a natural leader among the team members: In this storyline, the characters initially struggle to decide who will lead their group, but as they work together, one member emerges as a natural leader, guiding the team and helping them achieve their goals.
The growth and development of each character as a result of their participation in the team: In this storyline, each character begins the story with their own strengths and weaknesses, but as they work together, they learn from each other, develop new skills, and grow as individuals.
It wasn't groundbreaking. He knew a lot of this stuff, on some level. He'd watched enough teamwork movies like The Avengers and The Mighty Ducks. But having it laid out in a structured way helped him draw connections to the exact problem he was struggling with in his Minecraft story: the lack of a structured story. He'd tried to write it by the seat of his pants, but he was coming to the realization he was a planner through-and-through.
Fraser's mind started working: what are the strengths and weaknesses of each of his characters? How would they create conflict and tension? How would the story put them under greater and greater pressure until the only way to succeed was to work as a team?
He didn't have the answers, but he had the questions. That was a good start.
Bonus, he had some content for his first blog post. He drafted the post on a Monday morning and hit publish. But will anyone read it? he wondered as he pushed his chair from his desk. I guess I can always add "failed blogger" to my resumé.
To be continued...