So, Mac has this great idea, she wants to write a modern version of the Great Gatsby 2.0.
Turns out, she's studied Fitzgerald in school, sees a lot of similarities in our current cultures, and has a sort of premonition type outlook considering we're headed toward a major economic depression.
It also turns out that The Great Gatsby itself goes into Public Domain on January 1st '21, which I would assume will be a feeding grounds for novelists, television show producers, and perhaps @macchiata.
Painting by Alberto Vargas 1920.
*Note: I would suggest investigating if Vargas works are in the Public Domain, and then using a derivative image for the Gatsby 2.0 Cover and Promotional Art.
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This is the second entry of #bootstrapper - A newsletter where I give unsolicited advice in the form of accomplish-able challenges to specific people, for specific projects.
Mac -
We're going to play a short game here:
Pretend you want to make some money on a timeline.
- 1/1/2021 you want to release The Great Gatsby 2.0. on Kindle Unlimited.
This means we have 7 months.
You've already come up with a story idea, and you've done author research, and you've got a pre-existing target audiences:
- People who like these Gatsby Projects.
- People who like Alberto Vargas
- People who like Fitzgerald Works
Lastly, I would encourage you to pick one additional genre to place this story within. It will obviously be a romance, but it can also be something else. For further publishing information and assistance in the process of selecting a genre to place your work within, You can also read through this genre fiction post.
Much of that information will apply, though this is a uniquely advantageous project because of its Public Domain Focus.
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[Back to the Timeline:]
7 Months.
Let's assume 1000 words a day // 30,000 words a month.
Target for First Novel: Rough Draft Completed by August 1st.
1000 word chapters.
60 Chapters total.
Each chapter posted in rough draft format on HIVE.
First book is one of these:
- Flappers and Philosophers 2.0
- The Beautiful and the Damned 2.0
- This Side of Paradise 2.0
Your objective, is to write a series of explorations of these works, in novel format, for release on Kindle Unlimited, while you maintain accountability by posting a chapter a day on HIVE of your rough draft.
Feel free to #POSH your work, by sharing a link of your draft for that day on social media, or on a Fitzgerald Fanclub / subreddit / goodreads / etc.
When you #POSH, you will be attracting an insiders group of audience members who will aggregate around your Homebase / Project Blog.
These people will be able to follow / comment on your work, and provide you with some vital firsthand responses to your work. Like a secret club, just for your books, where people can see what goes into them, and even try to catch your ear with a suggestion.
RULES:
- Do not be a perfectionist.
- Get your first book rough draft done by the deadline [August 1st]
- Do not break pace or procrastinate -- 1000 words a day. One Chapter a Day.
- Give yourself until June 1st to come up with an outline with a proper Character / Story ARC -- some romantic tensions / sexuality, some Dramatic Trials and Tribulations - and a Happily For Now Ending. Explicit Sex Scenes are acceptable -- No non-con.
- Do not waste a bunch of time doing excessive #POSH outreach, a steady production schedule will be more valuable.
- All of your blogs must use a code name for the project, and indicate that it is a "Rough Draft / Work In Progress, and that the Final Edited Version will Only Be Available on Kindle Unlimited."
- Your Cover on Kindle Must look like it belongs with the others in the category you selected, and must not have nudity.
- Your book must be both genre specific -- as in it must belong in the top 100 of whatever genre category you write it for -- and it must be Fitzgerald Public Domain Inspired -- apart from that you have creative freedom.
It turns out Kindle Unlimited is a very profitable way to publish ebooks, but they are picky about their exclusivity. This is why you go rough and collaborative and sloppy on HIVE, and if people want to read the final they can do so on Kindle Unlimited - Amazon.
TOOLS:
The trial lasts 30 days, and the cost is $50.
REWARDS:
I will give you $50 worth of HIVE if you have 30,000 words of rough draft completed by July 1st.
I will make you a cover for publishing if you complete the 60,000 word rough draft by August 1st.
I will give you a follow up publish and release plan blog if you have a Final Draft ready to publish on KDP by August 15th.
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When the 60k rough draft has completed on Aug 1st, you will have no more than 2 weeks to edit the project, and 2 weeks to publish your final draft on Kindle and promote your work in its release format.
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In order to accept this challenge you need to make a project announcement with the tag #bootstrapper, and a plot structure + elevator pitch + project synopsis, and link this blog post.
You also need to tag five people you look up to on HIVE, and state your intention to reach your Final Draft Milestone of 60k Edited, ready to Publish by August 15th. -- Ask them for a HIVE reward if you make your goal. Let them decide what they will offer you if you succeed.
Once you have met your milestones, you will repeat the process until you have written and published your very own Tetralogy:
- Flappers and Philosophers 2.0 [Published By Aug 30th '20]
- The Beautiful and the Damned 2.0 [Published By Nov 30th '20]
- This Side of Paradise 2.0 [Published by Feb 28th '21]
- The Great Gatsby 2.0 [Published by May 30th '21]
If you want to re-order them so you have the Great Gatsby to release on Jan 1st, you can do that one second. There will be some slight online hulabaloo about the Great Gatsby around that time, and you might capitalize off of it.
Maybe do The Great Gatsby 3rd, but arrange the timing so you have a 60 day Kickstarter Launch on Jan 1st, where you find a way to write the book in a way that is inclusive of your audience members, and bring them onto HIVE for that process.
Then you can finish it by the schedule listed above, and just deduct the Kickstarter project organization from your marketing time for that project.
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This way your self-publishing business goals align your financial incentives on HIVE and with HIVE's onboarding incentives -- improving the value of HIVE, and also your own personal wealth by your participation within these project cycles.
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Monetization:
Kindle Unlimited Royalties - USD
HIVE Upvotes and Support Pledges for hitting your milestones - HIVE
Kickstarter Backers - USD
NFT Covers - ETH [Artist Split 50/50]
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For Bonus Community Leadership Points -- @macchiata can lead this challenge for others in The Ink Well Community, participants can have a small co-op cluster / accountability circle.
This will help bring in and share audiences, and help fortify the Ink Well Community with audiences, HIVE votes, and external monetization.