shopify analytics ecommerce tracking
Walsh and Bolton Twitter Unconference Advertise Facebook Book Zazzle Search

About J.C. Hutchins

J.C. Hutchins crafts award-winning transmedia narratives, screenplays and novels for companies such as 20th Century Fox, A&E, Cinemax, Discovery, FOX Broadcasting, Infiniti and Macmillan Publishers. His latest creative endeavor is The 33, a monthly episodic ebook series.

Recent Posts by this author:

  • Ebooks promise great monetization opportunities for authors, right? Maybe not.
  • Improve Your Authorial Voice Not By Writing, But By Watching
  • Debrief: A month into my novel’s lifecycle
  • Book launches, red-lining it, and new ways to shake it, part 2
  • Book launches, red-lining it, and new ways to shake it, part 1
  • Make friends! It’s good for business.

    • Ebooks promise great monetization opportunities for authors, right? Maybe not.

    By

    The publishing blogosphere has lately been ablaze with posts about ebooks and ebook pricing. A contingent of ebook consumers are crowing that, in light of the recent Amazon/Macmillan standoff and pricing precedent that was set, ebook prices will shoot through the roof. They recently attempted character assassination using a deplorable 1-star Amazon review campaign on at least one author after he spoke out in support of this “agency model.” The backlash continues, on- and offline.

    Folks on the other side of the fence — publishers and authors, mostly — are pleased by the flexible pricing model. It ensures increased revenue opportunities, which they believe will benefit their livelihoods. Outspoken proponents believe the market will easily bear “beyond $9.99” pricing. Some authors suspect this new climate will empower them to influence their ebooks’ pricing; still others in the DIY self-publishing culture view this as an opportunity to better-control their financial fates. We’ll make a living at this writing thing, after all. Our future’s so bright, we gotta wear shades.

    Regardless of the pro and con positions, both camps seem to agree that a substantial stake of The Future Of Publishing hinges on ebooks, and that these cantankerous days represent an embryonic Wild West of a new stage in publishing’s evolution. Everything’s in flux. We’ll find our way.

    Yet I believe that the fate of ebooks, if they are indeed the Future Of Publishing, has already been sealed — which particularly impacts authors hungry to make a living wage from their works. [Read more…]

    Improve Your Authorial Voice Not By Writing, But By Watching

    By

    Since Writer Unboxed is focusing on voice this month, I thought I'd add an unconventional riff to the awesome contributions already put forth. I love reading prose fiction -- but in my heart of hearts, I'm a movie junkie. It's a brilliant way to economically tell stories, and I enjoy the creative constraints the medium has: running time, MPAA ratings, budget. The mission? To cram as much narrative -- both spoken and unspoken -- into the frame as possible. Notice that I said "unspoken." … [Read more...]

    Debrief: A month into my novel’s lifecycle

    By

    Last month, I explained the circuitous route my thriller novel, 7th Son: Descent, took to finally getting in print . . . and then outlined the ambitious online promotional campaign I'd crafted for the book's debut. The post was so danged long, Writer Unboxed had to break it into two parts! Find part one here. Find part two here. We're a month into the book's life out in the wild. I'd like to share some results, and some conclusions I've made so far. In case you didn't read those two … [Read more...]

    Book launches, red-lining it, and new ways to shake it, part 2

    By

    Kath here. Yesterday, valued contributor and master innovator JC Hutchins blogged about unboxed, low budget and downright brilliant ways for writers to promote their books. We split the post into two parts because there were too many goodies in just one and the post, erm, broke our blog a little bit. ;) His post today picks up from yesterday's. Enjoy and be awestruck. Novel content I'm fortunate to be working with some cool folks at St. Martin's Press, who are granting me great latitude … [Read more...]

    Book launches, red-lining it, and new ways to shake it, part 1

    By

    Let me tell you what I'm doing right now. It ain't pretty, but it's the truth -- and we writers quest to be honest with ourselves, the worlds we create, and the words we use. It's butterfly-kissing midnight. I've lit my umpteenth cigarette of the day. I'm guzzling a bottle of Diet Coke. I'm working on four hours of sleep (as I have, each day, for the past month). I'm into my fourteenth hour of working non-stop. I could scrub pans with the stubble I'm sporting. My attention span has been … [Read more...]

    Make friends! It’s good for business.

    By

    Please welcome J.C. to Writer Unboxed! This is his first official post with us as a monthly contributor, and we are thrilled to have him. -- 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 … [Read more...]