Coming soon, exclusively in ebook format, to online retailers near you. 
I might redesign the covers before they hit the marketplace, but I think these are final.
–J.C.
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Podcast: StoryForward, Episode 001 - Jan Libby and Snow Town [ 15:46 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
Podcast: ARGNetcast, Episode 128 - Interview with Thomas Dolby [ 50:20 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
Podcast: StoryForward, Episode 001 – Jan Libby and Snow Town
In this special episode of StoryForward, co-host J.C. Hutchins chats with transmedia storyteller Jan Libby about her creative career, and her latest project, Snow Town.
Links from this show:
Jan Libby on Twitter
Snow Town’s Kickstarter Page
Lonely Girl 15
Sameees
Tell us what you think of the show by giving co-host Steve Peters and I a shout at info at storyworldpodcast dot com!
Podcast: StoryForward, Episode 001 - Jan Libby and Snow Town [ 15:46 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadPodcast: ARGNetcast, Episode 128 – Interview with Thomas Dolby
Hey, everybody! After a long hiatus from regular podcasting, I’m back to the digital airwaves as co-host of the ARGNetcast, a show that covers the transmedia storytelling space. I’ll be posting episodes of that show here in my podcast feed (unless folks pipe up and tell me not to). Tell me what you think of the show by giving co-host Steve Peters and I a shout at info at storyworldpodcast dot com!
Now, on to the episode’s show notes!
On this show, singer/songwriter Thomas Dolby joins hosts Steve Peters and JC Hutchins, as they discuss Science, pushing creativity forward through technology, and the unique game project he co-created for his latest album, The Map of the Floating City.
Links from this show:
- Metacortechs
- Thomas Dolby
- A Map of the Floating City (game and website)
- A Map of the Floating City (iTunes album link)
- Thomas Dolby Time Capsule Press Release
- Thomas Dolby Tour Page
- Storycode
- Transmedia LA
- StoryWorld Conference
- ARGFest
- Mouth Taped Shut
- Robot Heart Stories
- Zombies, Run!
- Phonopath
- ARGNet
- StoryForward Podcast
Podcast: ARGNetcast, Episode 128 - Interview with Thomas Dolby [ 50:20 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadCreator Spotlight: Novelist Jonathan Maberry & “Dead of Night”
Few writers have captured my imagination the way Jonathan Maberry has. His Joe Ledger novel series — which chronicles the adventures of the “Department of Military Sciences,” a secret government rapid response team that handles horrific technology-created terrors — has entertained and inspired me in countless ways.
Maberry’s horror fiction always bets big, the stakes are always high, and the payoffs always rock your socks. This dude can write.
When Maberry recently gave me a shout, eager to tell me (and you!) about his latest novel Dead of Night, I leaned in and listened good. I’ve never been much of a zombie fiction guy, but Maberry’s zombie fiction is smarter, meatier — and sometimes, just plain meaner — than most zombie stories out there. Maberry delivered the goods in his 2009 novel Patient Zero … and he’s done it again with Dead of Night.
This is a helluva good read — so good, in fact, that I asked Maberry if I might share an excerpt of it here via my blog. Maberry did me one better: He not only hooked us up with an excerpt; he agreed to an author Q&A, and tossed in access to seven Dead of Night bonus scenes. Hot damn, it’s Christmas all over again!
Maberry has been one of my favorite storytellers for years now, and Dead of Night didn’t disappoint. Let’s dig into my Q&A with Maberry, and afterward, I’ll provide links to that PDF excerpt of Dead of Night and a link to bonus material! Continue Reading…
In Which I Introduce Myself
It is my earnest hope that a mutual friend’s tweet or Facebook post brought you here. I appreciate your curiosity for clicking that link — and since I also appreciate your time, I’ll be quick.
I’m J.C. Hutchins. I’m a freelance storyteller. I’d like to work with you.
I write transmedia experiences, novels, screenplays and more, all for hire. My trilogy of technothriller novels, 7th Son, was optioned by Warner Bros in 2009. A book I co-wrote, Personal Effects: Dark Art, is now in development as a Starz TV series.
My original stories have been enjoyed by tens of thousands of people in more than a dozen countries. My for-hire work has connected with hundreds of thousands. I continue to develop original IP, work with creators to expand new IP, and collaborate with agencies to enhance existing IP.
I also help craft multimedia marketing campaigns that create memorable connections between people and products. Most of these products were my own. Others were more high profile, such as toys (Nanovor) and television series (Discovery Channel’s The Colony).
I’ve worked with pioneers in the transmedia storytelling space such as Jordan Weisman, and agencies that innovate branded storytelling experiences such as Campfire. I live to collaborate, rev it to the creative red-line when needed, and consider deadlines immovable objects.
Do you need a fleet-footed creator to help your company or client achieve its business goals? I might be able to help. Download my creative resume to see what I’ve been up to recently. If my skills and accomplishments ring your bell, toss my name in your Rolodex.
And please, introduce yourself. I’d love to learn more about you, and answer any questions you might have about me or my work.
Thanks again for your curiosity and consideration. I hope to hear from you soon.
Make Friends. It’s Good For Business.
Note: This post originally appeared on the website WriterUnboxed. This is the one of several WU guest posts I’ll reprint here on my site.
There comes a point in the life of your Work In Progress when — hot dog! — it’s no longer a Work In Progress. The sucker’s done, you did it … heck, you frickin’ nailed it, and the time has come to query agents, or present it to your agent or editor, or self-publish. The rest of this essay assumes that your work will resonate with the appropriate gatekeepers, and soon soar beyond your grasp, off into the world, to be consumed by an audience.
This distribution could come in the form of a big-name publisher, an indie press, DIY-fueled print on demand, self-recorded audio podcast, home-brewed blog serialization … whatever. Point is, it’ll be out there. But unless you’re blessed with an existing audience (fancy-pants publishers call this a “platform,” though I prefer the term “wicked awesome fans”), few people are going to know about it. Your brilliant tale is bobbing in a sea of other brilliant tales. Your signal is lost in all that noise.
To leave the success of your work completely in the hands of a publisher publicist is foolish; that professional may be talented, but he’s pimping at least 20 other books this month, and is spread so thin, he gives Silly Putty a run for its money. To believe that random word of mouth alone will differentiate your stuff from other novelists’ is equally wrongheaded; how can people gab about something they don’t know exists? You’re a writer, which means you’re probably broke, so self-funded ads are out of the question. And doggone it, Oprah isn’t returning your calls.
There’s a dozen-dozen ways to combat the great enemy Obscurity — but I recommend making friends. It’s good for business.
Cranking out that novel (or other creative work) was a solitary act: It was just you and the words. Now that it’s in the wild, you’re personally, ethically obligated to give it every chance to succeed. Reaching out to published peers and influencers can help. By contacting fellow players in the industry, you can earn the attention of colleagues, share your content across multiple fan-bases, and increase awareness for your work.
Now remember, making friends is good for business. And business is what you should be most concerned about, now that you’re staring down the howitzer barrel of earning out that advance. Make-believe time is over. You’re no longer a wordsmith; you’re a businessperson. It’s time to strategize. You gotta move books, man.
So make friends. Do some research. Find online-savvy authors in your genre — or compatible genres — who like to blog, are on Facebook or Twitter, or release content in other interesting ways (like podcasting). Examine what they’re talking about in these spaces, especially if they’re talking about other authors. This is a good thing, particularly if you’re already a fan of their work. This is an opportunity to make friends. Continue Reading…
On the Horizon: THUNDERTAKER
I can’t rightly say if it’ll be a full-on novel, novella, straight read or transmedia experience (like Personal Effects: Dark Art). Hell, it could jump over into screenplay territory by the time it’s said and done. All I know is that I’ve wanted to write a Western for years, I’ve got a title, and I can hear the low-frequency rumble of a spiffy idea growling in my gut.
Oh, and a cover. Because the stock photo was free at iStockphoto.com, and I had two hours to kill.
On May 1, I’ll start working on THUNDERTAKER, the first story set in the universe I’ve created for The 33. The 33 is a cross-media project that I’d originally intended to release as a free fiction podcast last year. The world of The 33 will now likely be first seen in a series of ebooks. That’s what THUNDERTAKER will probably become.
Truth is, I don’t fully know what THUNDERTAKER will be by May’s end, save for the fact that it’ll be gruff, gritty and as nasty as razor wire. And for me, there’s something delightful in not knowing what unholy mayhem will soon unfold.
I’ll probably keep you in the loop as the story develops. Stay tuned … and watch the horizon.
–J.C.
Why You Won’t Find My eBooks In the Bargain Basement
Since every other windbag author has blown a few thousand words on this topic, I reckon I oughta chime in about ebooks, pricing and value.
To be clear: Right now, I don’t have much skin in the ebook game. My thriller, 7th Son: Descent, was released in e-formats by St. Martin’s Griffin back in 2009. I’m a couple thousand bucks away from earning out my low five-figure advance. Ebook sales have made a positive and meaningful impact on 7th Son’s bottom line.
Thanks mostly to the Kindle’s debut back in 2007, the ebook marketplace has exploded in popularity, and swelled with content. Particularly empowering is the unfolding revolution in which creators can now become entrepreneurs by self-publishing their works in e-formats. They can even set the price for these ebooks.
I absolutely support this empowerment. My five-year history as an independent / freelance creator, and my consistent vociferous and monetary support of my indie colleagues should eliminate any doubt of this.
That said, I’ve become increasingly concerned about authors selling their ebooks at rock-bottom prices. I’m not concerned about the widely-discussed (and, according to critics, destructive and unsustainable) “race to the bottom” pricing trend; ebooks for a buck set bad precedents, pundits say. I’m also unconcerned about indies moving aggressively into marketplaces once traditionally dominated by mega-corps. Stick it to the The Man, I say. Hell, stick it in and break it off. The Man has it comin’.
No, my concern is philosophical. Authors who sell their novels at ultra-low prices (such as 99 cents) use this pricing as a differentiator to attract new customers with a nigh-zero-risk proposition. 99 cents is practically free, after all. I spent years offering similar nigh-zero-risk propositions to consumers by releasing my content as Free online audiobooks.
I admire the at-a-glance savvy of the 99-cent strategy, but fear these creators wildly undervalue the worth of their work — and the ultra-low price undervalues the work’s worth in the eyes of the consumer.
He falls for the Facebook. He is killed by ad.
I occasionally post a peculiar message on Twitter and Facebook — “He falls for the booty. He is killed by knife.” — because it’s an undeniably weird frickin’ thing to say, and because its strange backstory amuses me.
But I got my own dose of strangeness when I posted the message to Facebook today. Behold, why I both loathe and begrudgingly admire Facebook’s user profiling technology:
As one of my pals on Facebook reported, “Only 824 people like the booty? This surprises me!”
–J.C.
The Ebook Will Evolve. So Should Authors.
Note: This post originally appeared on the website E2BU. E2BU, aka the Enhanced Ebook University, educates authors and publishers on the creative and business potential of enhanced ebooks — electronic books that transcend traditional reading experiences by incorporating video, online links and other multimedia elements into the narrative.
Enhanced ebooks are an emerging storytelling form. I’ve yet to see an enhanced ebook that captures my vision for the platform’s incredible narrative potential. I hope this post, which was originally written for authors and publishers, gets readers and creators thinking about the platform’s potential.
Here’s some enhanced e-book wisdom for my author colleagues: It all starts with you.
I’m approaching this from a fiction writer’s perspective, though non-fiction writers can benefit from this advice. Prepare your work’s enhanced ebook experience from the very beginning, as you conceive your book. As you plot and write, always remember that you’re now armed with countless opportunities to push your narrative beyond words. Take advantage of that, and the many emotionally-resonant strengths other media have over text.
Presently, enhanced content is often an afterthought, tacked on at the end of a production process as a blingy differentiator. We are now in an age of storytelling where that model is practically insulting to a reader. These days, there are few good reasons for creators to ignore the potential of integrating resonant multimedia elements into their stories.
From my perspective as an online- and transmedia-savvy creator, “enhanced” content should make a meaningful narrative contribution to the main story. Consider the narrative impact of experiencing fictional family photo albums, sci-fi computer dossiers, fake newspaper clippings, video blogs from your characters, etc. Every genre can benefit from this story-centric approach, and can move readers in new ways.
