A Fandom-Original Writer: Markers of Success

[scribblemyname]

A while back, Kristine Rusch wrote about markers of success, which are entirely dependent on goals. Recently, I exchanged some dialogue on beta readers with Elle Casey and came to the realization that our goals were quite different. Her goal is to build a readership; mine is to build a fanbase. She didn't really understand the difference.

I have a pen name, my most successful one, where the goal is to sell books. The way to reach that goal is simple: write and publish more stories fitting the brand. It works. It pays my utilities bill when I get the payout.

Her goal is to draw in many new readers with each successive book. This means she'll probably have more reviews and sales overall than I do and each book probably should go through a new to her reader, as she suggests, to see how it'll go over with new-to-her readers.

My goal with Liana Mir comes straight out of fandom: I want fans. I want to write what I love and what fascinates me and know others feel the same way. That means I don't need many new readers with each release; I need to hold onto the ones I have, to make them feel something. It means that my ideal beta reader is both active in fandom and someone who becomes invested in my storyworld and can react like a fan, pointing out problems as they arise, such as the failure to sufficiently characterize Pieter. Important stuff, this. One of my favorite TV shows ever, Awake, had a relatively small viewership, but it had a devoted fanbase. I'm perfectly content with that sort of result. In fact, that's what I want. I want fans, who may or may not ever review and may be small in number but are high in engagement.

That said, my markers of success are:

• Have readers who ask questions and want more.
• Have fanwork created for my worlds.
• See an in-depth review or piece of meta from someone I don't know.
• Have readers I don't know who ask questions and want more.
• Have fanwork created for my worlds by someone I don't know.

These are my personal goals and benchmarks. I've got number one with Kingdoms and Thorn and Faeology got interest and wanting more from strangers (though I've yet to deliver, having gotten sidetracked). Number two has happened for Vardin (fix-it fic) and I got that gift from my beta in Kingdoms and Thorn. The rest haven't happened yet, which is fine as I haven't actually gotten as much into the world yet. These stories are created for my fangirl side. I actually care about canon, so if it's not quite right, it doesn't get published.

I don't pretend everyone wants this, but it's what I want. To create something that rich and awesome that if it were authored by someone else, I would fangirl it.

What are your markers?

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Originally published at Liana Mir. You can comment here or there.

Comments

[thecatisacritic.livejournal.com]

I think what I like most is being able to discuss my stories with people who've read them and care about them. Yes, I'd like to make more money publishing them, but what matters most to me has always been that I told a good story and people enjoyed what they read. I guess I'd like everyone to love the stories as much as I do, which I know is impossible, but I'd rather have only a few readers who really liked what they read than hundreds of thousands who got done and said, "why did I waste two hours and ten dollars on that?" Or even just "I'm bored, so I may as well finish that book because I paid for it/or got it from the library." I want my books to be something people pick up because they enjoy reading it, not because it was cheap/gimmicky/there. I want the characters to matter.

I have no idea how one measures that, though.

[scribblemyname]

I kinda picked my measures by what lets me know I've reached that goal. You've been my "discusser" and that was exciting, I admit. :grins:

So those are my markers. What MARKS that this has happened?

I know I enjoy your stories. I finish them and go, "Where's the next one?"

[thecatisacritic.livejournal.com]

Discussing can be fun. :)

All I could think of was to have someone read my stuff and stick with it not because I was posting to lists somewhere and they wanted to exchange comments but because they saw something and followed it on their own.

Lol. You can have plenty more if you really want them. It's not like I don't have them. :P