[ SECRET POST #2737 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #2737 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 041 secrets from Secret Submission Post #391.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Slightly off topic question: Does this self-publishing writer that you like publish her original stuff under her name as a fanfic author (a la Cassadra Claire) or use a second, completely different name?

...I may have been thinking about this earlier. For reasons.

[(Anonymous)]

I'm not the OP, just another author. (Anon above you, actually.) I found it helpful to start out fresh. I just wanted to break out of the mold I felt like I was in, stretch myself, and not have my work compared (positively or negatively) with my earlier work. Also I was pretty fed up with fandom at the time. :) However, it took longer to establish myself and have people find my work. Don't kid yourself, it won't be easy. When you find yourself feeling lucky to have person #5 sign up for your email list, you'll definitely doubt yourself and wonder if you should've used some fandom connections. But, you have to make the right choice for you, and in the end I'm happy with what I picked.

[(Anonymous)]

Thank you so much for responding!

I'm definitely struggling with the name thing. I'm not embarrassed by my fandom stuff, but I like the idea of stretching myself and seeing what I'd write for a new name. But if even a fraction of my fandom readers were willing to read my original stuff that would probably be a huge help...

But you've touched on something else I've been trying to figure out. Does having an author blog/twitter/e-mail list for the original stuff really help out that much?

[(Anonymous)]

Yes. You need a way to let your readers know your new story is out. It can be any way, including carrier pigeon, but having an email list or some other way to reach people who specifically want to find your story is pretty much essential these days. :)

The last thing you want is to release a book and have your fans who'd have liked to buy it only discover it a year later or something. Of course it's possible to over promote and irritate everyone. That's why an email list can be so good. It's only for people who've specifically asked to be informed.

I'd say if you can stand to let your fandom identify be connected with your new original work and bring some fans with you, you might have a good start right out the gate. :)

Best of luck, fellow writer!

[(Anonymous)]

Thanks! And thanks so much for answering my questions! It's so enormously helpful (and reassuring) to talk to someone else who has made the jump.

[(Anonymous)]

Not the OP, just another fic writer who made the jump to original work.

I ditched my fandom name. Ditched it hard. Because I didn't self-publish, I didn’t feel a need to use my fandom connections to build a fanbase. While I still needed to market myself, a lot of the work fell to my (quite awesome) publisher, who has done a great job.

And I didn’t want any fandom wank following me Cassie-Clare-style into my professional life. Starting fresh just felt safer.

Soooo, yeah. I guess it just depends on if you feel you need/want the ties to fandom. It can go either way.

[(Anonymous)]

Thanks!

First off: CONGRATULATIONS! You must have been so excited about the original novel!

I think if I got a publishing house contract, I'd definitely use my real name. But there's so much blather on both sides of the fence that I'm thinking about writing two books and trying to publish one via a publisher and the other via self-publishing for a compare/contrast sort of thing. So to be fair (and assuming that I actually do this despite getting exhausted at the mere idea of it), I'm trying to figure out what would be most advantageous for my self-publishing persona.

It's wonderful to hear that, should I be fortunate enough to join you in the publishing house ranks, the publisher handles most of your marketing. (Is there any way that I can ask who your publisher is? Most published authors don't seem to like their publishers very much.)

I have to admit, Cassandra Clare wank is the greatest argument anyone could make to me regarding the separation of the spheres. Speaking of CC, did you tell your publisher about your fandom connections? Or just quietly take down your fic? Or do you still have fic and also a book coming out?

[(Anonymous)]

Thanks! It’s been a lot of fun - and kind of a dream come true, if I want to sound all corny about it - getting published. Since this is anon, I’ll say that I’m with Hachette. I’ve been very lucky in that my publisher has been so supportive, I love my editor, and my whole marketing team is amazing. Also... my cover artist? A genius. I worship him. I know I got very lucky.

As for my fic, I took some of it down and left the rest in little places, tucked away with my old fandom name attached. But since there’s no connection between Real Name Me and Fandom Me, I felt fine leaving it there. Also, just deleting fic seems dickish to me. I wasn’t a big name fan or anything, but I had some moderately popular fics. I have stopped participating in those fandoms, not because of any conflict but simply because I moved on to other fandoms. Also, my writing time is limited now, so I spend most of it on my own original work. My publisher has no idea, and I like to keep it that way. Everything is nice and separate.

Seeing the crap that CC has gone through (and arguably brought upon herself) is the the main reason I wanted to separate the two. I’ve seen other authors try to balance fandom and original work and fail - Sarah Rees Brennan, anyone? So I devoted my energy to my novels and I haven’t regretted it.

Good luck with your writing! Self-publishing is ridiculously hard (and that’s the main reason I never attempted it) and I really respect those who go through with it. I wish you all the success.

[(Anonymous)]

I'm really glad to hear that it's all worked out so well for you!

Well, I'm persuaded. Separation of the spheres sounds like it's the key to a non-stressful life. (I had no idea that Sarah Reese Brennan was a fanfic writer until recently. And this is the first I've heard that she tried to balance fandom and original work (and failed.))

I've definitely done less fanfic writing since I started getting more serious about original stuff. It's good to know that's kind of the way it goes!

Thanks! (And good luck to you too!)

(Self-publishing even looks ridiculously hard to me. That's why I'm going to try the agent/publishing house route first. But I really do want to try to compare and contrast the two, if only so I can write the definitive fact/fiction article.)

And thank you so much for answering all of my questions! I really appreciate it!