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Buy my Plot (Social Experiment)
So, today I came up with an idea for a novel. The idea itself isn't important or relevant; I come up with an idea everyday for a book, including one notable departure from fiction for a tabletop picture-heavy hardcover about potato chip culture in America. However, what I did with the idea (the one from today, not the potato chip book) is what's interesting.
I did nothing with it. I'm not going to write it.
But it occurred to me that it's a good idea, and maybe someone would want to buy it from me.
But how would I sell it?
So, this is my experiment with selling an idea. I don't really expect anyone to want to buy it, but I was curious if the model I came up for the salesmanship would work. I invite you to pretend that you're an interested buyer, and tell me whether my pitch works, or if there's more information you would want to know before you make a decision and/or offer.
I'm not going to be sharing the idea for the novel itself, as that would be giving away my product for free, but I'm going to use it for this experiment so that we have a solid foundation. Ideally, we'll develop a model we can all use to sell ideas online, maybe even create an Idea Industry, and then we can all sit around on our computers all day touting our mystery "pleasure food" idea and then reveal "pizza wrapped in ham" after we've been paid by some dumb patsy. (Naturally, we'd have to worry about inflation and brand devaluation.) It's not that I dislike my day job, otherwise I might actually try writing this novel, but trading a real job for a not-real job without loss of income is the Great American Dream. (And all foreigners love American stuff, so I'm sure everyone else digs it, too.)
The Pitch
Characters: Main characters are one man and one woman. Both will be reusable at the end of the novel. An extended supporting cast can fit into the story easily, including rivals for both the man the woman, although the final adversary must arrive from outside the main setting. As many of the supporting characters as desired can be reused, and they all have spin-off potential.
Setting(s): Single location, of an age-old type that can work in any genre or world. It can be fitted to various cultures and geographic locations, and can scale to accommodate casts of widely varying sizes. It should be reusable at the end of the novel, and can serve as the common element in a series of otherwise unrelated novels.
Genre(s): A mix of Romance, Social Examination, and Western. Depending on the preference of the writer, each of these can be maximized or minimized to suit any taste. I, for example, would play up the Western aspect, but plenty of great stories could be told without it.
Length: This story can be told in one novel, but is too long for a short story. It could be broken up into a series of short stories, but is mainly designed for a single narrative. Sequels are a possibility for the main characters and world, but not in the same setting. Alternatively, a sequel could be told in the same setting with a new cast.
Themes: Prejudices, racial and/or cultural; Fish out of water; Learning to love; Strength from friendship; Overcoming social and/or economic adversity; Surviving being an outcast; Uniting to form a community; Sexual maturity/exploration (optional);
Audience (generalities based on market studies): Given the characters and general storyline, I can see this appealing heavily to female romantic fans who like exploring new cultures with a bit of action at the plot's climax. Depending how much of the Western aspect is incorporated, there's a strong possibility to hook in a heavy male audience, but in that case the Sexual theme would have to be downplayed, as erotic fiction does not sell well with men. Even without the Sexual theme, I do not see this working well for teen audiences, due to certain necessities of the setting; while teenagers are curious about sex, moral guardians would probably clamp down just based on the premise.
And so, my "customers," are you ready to bid, or do you need more info? Play along, now, no real money required.
I did nothing with it. I'm not going to write it.
But it occurred to me that it's a good idea, and maybe someone would want to buy it from me.
But how would I sell it?
So, this is my experiment with selling an idea. I don't really expect anyone to want to buy it, but I was curious if the model I came up for the salesmanship would work. I invite you to pretend that you're an interested buyer, and tell me whether my pitch works, or if there's more information you would want to know before you make a decision and/or offer.
I'm not going to be sharing the idea for the novel itself, as that would be giving away my product for free, but I'm going to use it for this experiment so that we have a solid foundation. Ideally, we'll develop a model we can all use to sell ideas online, maybe even create an Idea Industry, and then we can all sit around on our computers all day touting our mystery "pleasure food" idea and then reveal "pizza wrapped in ham" after we've been paid by some dumb patsy. (Naturally, we'd have to worry about inflation and brand devaluation.) It's not that I dislike my day job, otherwise I might actually try writing this novel, but trading a real job for a not-real job without loss of income is the Great American Dream. (And all foreigners love American stuff, so I'm sure everyone else digs it, too.)
The Pitch
Characters: Main characters are one man and one woman. Both will be reusable at the end of the novel. An extended supporting cast can fit into the story easily, including rivals for both the man the woman, although the final adversary must arrive from outside the main setting. As many of the supporting characters as desired can be reused, and they all have spin-off potential.
Setting(s): Single location, of an age-old type that can work in any genre or world. It can be fitted to various cultures and geographic locations, and can scale to accommodate casts of widely varying sizes. It should be reusable at the end of the novel, and can serve as the common element in a series of otherwise unrelated novels.
Genre(s): A mix of Romance, Social Examination, and Western. Depending on the preference of the writer, each of these can be maximized or minimized to suit any taste. I, for example, would play up the Western aspect, but plenty of great stories could be told without it.
Length: This story can be told in one novel, but is too long for a short story. It could be broken up into a series of short stories, but is mainly designed for a single narrative. Sequels are a possibility for the main characters and world, but not in the same setting. Alternatively, a sequel could be told in the same setting with a new cast.
Themes: Prejudices, racial and/or cultural; Fish out of water; Learning to love; Strength from friendship; Overcoming social and/or economic adversity; Surviving being an outcast; Uniting to form a community; Sexual maturity/exploration (optional);
Audience (generalities based on market studies): Given the characters and general storyline, I can see this appealing heavily to female romantic fans who like exploring new cultures with a bit of action at the plot's climax. Depending how much of the Western aspect is incorporated, there's a strong possibility to hook in a heavy male audience, but in that case the Sexual theme would have to be downplayed, as erotic fiction does not sell well with men. Even without the Sexual theme, I do not see this working well for teen audiences, due to certain necessities of the setting; while teenagers are curious about sex, moral guardians would probably clamp down just based on the premise.
And so, my "customers," are you ready to bid, or do you need more info? Play along, now, no real money required.
no subject
I believe there is a difference between a good story and a story I should write. All stories that I should write are good, or else I shouldn't write them, but there are stories that I should just leave to others who will write them better and put more of themselves in. This is because there is more to a story than the things you describe offering to sell. There are often deep themes exploring important aspects of the world or the human condition. I don't want to buy your themes; I know my own, or will discover them. I don't know whether it's possible to make my themes work with your plot. I don't know whether I would like to write the themes you would put in. I do know that I could come up with as much of an idea as you describe on my own, and that coming up with the idea would be less than one percent of the work on a novel of average length. It might be some single-digit percentage of the work on a short story. Only in the very shortest lengths, such as drabbles, are ideas so much of the work that I can imagine anyone paying for one.
no subject
That's why in my pitch, I described the Mechanics of the story rather than the story itself. If the themes I listed appeal to the prospective buyer- speak to something they've been wanting to express but haven't found a way yet- then I think they'd be interested in buying my idea. Take me for example. I'm not artist, I'm just a computer programmer who likes to write as a hobby. I write fanfic, which is already using someone else's characters and world, and I've even accepted ideas from other writers; my current ongoing fanfic, "Retroactive," is based on an idea I got from someone else, and I'm having a blast with it.
So yes, I agree with you that an Artist would have no interest in this market. But the world of creators is much larger than the world of artists.
I appreciate the feedback, though. Overstepping the market and presenting this as something it's not could demonize the whole system.
no subject
Here's a thought that might or might not be analogous: I sometimes draw, and I sometimes play Paint-by-Numbers puzzles (nonograms (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonogram)), and my reasons are completely different. It might be fun to challenge myself to write within the constraints of a premade plot, but I've never tried that.
The thing that I'm thinking about now, though, is that there's already a situation where one person comes up with the plot, themes and character dynamics and another does the writing, and in that situation, money changes hands the other way, from the Idea Person to the writer.
I'd be interested to see how it goes if you try this.
no subject
I'd love to come up with a way to market the idea without such secrecy, but I just don't trust people enough. It could be that I'm overly paranoid, though.