Doing it Right: Ian Scofield and “The Orphan”

Alert readers may have noticed that I spend a lot of time talking about how writing and publishing has changed in our New Pulp Era. Book deals are harder to get. Publishers are harder to impress. On the other hand, it’s easier and cheaper than ever for authors to go public without the help of a major house.

Ian Scofield, a novice but talented writer, is using a model I’ve mentioned in the past. He’s blogging the rough drafts of his fantasy novel to get feedback, build community and attract attention.

This is a great idea. I won’t go into too much detail about the book — you should instead follow this link  and see for yourself. But look at how much awesome Ian is bringing to the table with this plan…

  • He gets an audience who tells him, in real time, what works and what doesn’t.
  • He’s made promises to his readers about productivity…a sure-fire way to beat writer’s block.
  • Readers and subscribers give him numbers he can show to an agent or publisher, exponentially increasing his chances of a book deal.
  • He’s even hitting up readers for ideas with a page for suggestions as to what happens at crux points.

A great idea and well executed. If you like fantasy, I recommend checking it out for the book. If not, you should still nip over and see what Ian is doing. It’s a good model for success.

In a week or two, I hope to interview Ian in detail about the project, his thinking and his sources for ideas. Stay tuned.

Thanks for listening.

4 thoughts on “Doing it Right: Ian Scofield and “The Orphan”

  1. Pingback: Brick Comma Jason and His Review of My Blogging Idea « The Orphan

  2. Pingback: Review of the Orphan’s Blog « Ian Scofield

  3. Pingback: Interview With Ian Scofield (Part One) |

  4. Pingback: Wednesday Writing Prompt »

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