Author/writer. Retired Teacher/FB coach. Author of: Confessions of a High School Football Coach, Flavius Fettotempi, and Falling Leaves. IHSFCA-HOF Class of ‘22
Tennessee, USA
Joined June 2012
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Writers, here's one for you when you get all those emails asking to work with you to get your great book out there, to fix your branding, and all that other stuff.
I get them all the time and simply chuck them into the bottomless bin. I decided to respond to one in hopes that maybe, just maybe, this one might be different.
Alas, my hopes were dashed as the AI written response was similar to all of the other ones, the ones that tell me how they're going to market my work, increase my visibility, etc, all for the low, low price of $1200.
Look, everyone has the right to offer services and make money--I have zero problem with that. Actually, I encourage that. However, this time, when I turned it down and got the expected response that they understood and followed it up with "what price would work for you as I can adjust my services" I decided to try and break the paradigm.
I said, "Let's draw up a contract, and make it incentive based. We'll agree on a percentage for each book sold and if you're as good as you claim, and I hope you are, we'll not only sell a lot of books, but you'll make bank. I'd go as high as 40%. As far as I know, this model has not been offered. Let's break new ground."
Again, mind you, I'm all for people charging and making money for services rendered--that's great and should be encouraged. But, there should also be ROI as well, and for those in the writing world, it's always a crap shoot.
Well, I'll just say the crickets are loud this time of year.
Happy writing!
Living in East Tennessee, sitting on my back “sippin” porch and watching the sunset while crickets chirp, a glass of single barrel whiskey I chose as company… Yep. Life is pretty good.
It’s not the setting, although the setting itself is important… After all, it is historical fiction. But, to my mind, it’s the characters and their inner and outer lives that should matter most. Sometimes writers of historical fiction become so bogged down in the minutiae of the time period, the characters and their interactions are secondary—and then the story becomes secondary. I try to reverse that, making the period secondary and the characters’ lives and interactions paramount. That’s my version of historical fiction writing; readable and relatable for the reader.
Just got the iPhone Air today, coming from an iPhone 16 Pro Max. Yeah, it was exactly the right decision. Light and solid battery life. Form factor is fantastic. FYI.
Rome. The crisis of the 3rd century. Beaten and left for dead, Jaquell has to find the answers. A senator with a plan of his own after being wronged by Maximinus Thrax, an emperor in absentia. My latest novel: Playthings of the Gods. Available on Amazon.
Nick and J's Café in Knoxville was the destination for Booths and Backroads. Check it out.
Nick and J’s Café boothsandbackroads.substack.…
How ‘bout those White Sox? Been a fan since 1968…lots of down years but this team, like 2005, are just fun to watch!
If you're in East Tennessee, this is a place you need to visit. Subscribe to Booths and Backroads for other places to read about as well. It's free!
Dirty Hippie Kitchen and Mercantile boothsandbackroads.substack.…
AJ’s Diner in Crossville, TN. What a great place! Read about it at: boothsandbackroads.substack.…
Today’s diner…AJ’s diner in Crossville, TN. Sherri was awesome and the food was excellent. Article and ride description coming this week at: boothsandbackroads.substack.…
For those of us of a certain age (and, of course, everyone else), this might be one of the first "must see" films in a long time! youtube.com/watch?v=H-43VeYG…
Come ride with me to the Tellico Junction Café! Subscribe to Booths and Backroads...it's free! boothsandbackroads.substack.…
At the Lamp Post Restaurant in Madisonville, TN. Part of my “ride to and write about diners in East TN” project. So much fun. Head over to Boothsandbackroads.substack.… to follow along and discover some great places you’ve not heard about.
Tom Thumb Diner featured in Booths and Backroads. A hidden gem in East Tennessee.
boothsandbackroads.substack.…