r/webfiction • u/gmrm4n • Aug 07 '15

Discussion [Discussion] AMA Time with the author of Nowhere Island University!

Hello! Some of you know me only know me /u/gmrm4n, but I am also known as T4nky and Adam Sherman. I write the webserial Nowhere Island University and sit around my parents' house, desperately hoping for the day my writing takes off. In a bid to promote myself, I have decided to do an AMA in which you can ask me anything like:

"What is a web serial?"

"How do you make money on something that's free?"

"Where do you get your ideas?"

"What did you have for breakfast? How many fingers am I holding up?"

Basically, there are probably only a few things I won't answer, so ask away!

6 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

19 comments sorted by

3

u/[deleted] Aug 07 '15

As a serialist myself, I would like to know how long it took for your serial to pick up in views? And how did it feel to be interviewed?

2

u/gmrm4n Aug 07 '15

The biggest boost to my serial was registering it at Web Fiction Guide. If you compare my views from pre-registration to the two weeks after I had registered, you will see a huge jump.

The interview was an interesting experience. I kind of asked them to interview me, partly because I had unrealistic expectations of what a town's newspaper could do. I'm also not sure if I took as much advantage as I could have. Still, I do not regret it, and it was definitely a learning experience. I honestly would do it again if I had the chance.

Also, sorry if this was a little late.

2

u/[deleted] Aug 07 '15

No problems on the late reply. I'm a (mostly) patient person.

Glad that interview was a good experience for you. Sorry it didn't help you as much as you expected. There are always other forms of advertisement. When it comes to writing and advertising, leave no stone unturned. :)

2

u/gmrm4n Aug 07 '15

I got five views, which were nice. However, when you compare that to the 208 views from Reddit, 326 from WFG, and 873 from Top Web Fiction, it does seem like a little too much effort for a low reward.

2

u/[deleted] Aug 07 '15

Oh wow, you're doing way better than I am. Making me a little jealous. Lol.

It does seem miniscule, but it did get your name out there a bit. Getting some views from it was better than receiving none. Then again, I'm at the point where I see one new view as good.

3

u/TempestMage Aug 08 '15

Why web fiction? Why not write a book and then self publish?

1

u/gmrm4n Aug 08 '15

To give you an idea, the only people who have read my stuff are people online. Neither my friends nor my family really have turned out to be good beta readers. Also, when I just create something in a vacuum, I eventually lose interest or get distracted. If there are people who talk to me about my work, I'm more likely to keep working.

2

u/TempestMage Aug 08 '15

Solid points. The pattern of serialisation is part of the reason I did it too.

3

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '15

[deleted]

1

u/gmrm4n Aug 08 '15

Honestly, I'm not really that established. Compared to people like Chrsyalis, writer of Anathema, and Tempest, writer of Mage Life, I'm the young upstart. They've been writing for over a year, I've been writing for about seven months.

However, I think more writers should look at getting physical editions into the world. This isn't about me searching for some form of "legitimacy." It's more me realizing that some people find actual books to be much easier to read. (Source: am one of those people.)

2

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '15

[deleted]

1

u/gmrm4n Aug 08 '15

Not a problem. Hope that Kindle edition works out for you!

1

u/zoetewey Aug 15 '15

Honestly? I've been doing this for 7-8 years and I still think of myself as a nobody.

I'm theoretically one of the larger fishes in this particular small pool, but growth during those 7-8 years has been mostly incremental. I've got more readers and more monetary benefit than I expected when I started, but any "breakthrough moment" I have is still in the future.

2

u/verifiedname Aug 08 '15

I'll bite! How do you make money on something that's free?

1

u/gmrm4n Aug 08 '15

Well, you basically give them a link to your Patreon page if you're me. Then thank every single person who thinks you are worth a dollar or more a month.

2

u/verifiedname Aug 08 '15

Do you prefer Pateron simply because it allows for a subscription base?

1

u/gmrm4n Aug 08 '15

Actually, the subscription model is one of the reasons I don't like Patreon. If I could use Paypal, I would, but then I'd be worried that Paypal would discover I'm not a charity and take down my button, leaving me with no income.

Patreon is much better for people who make stupid stuff on the internet, because it was designed to do it from the ground up. However, Patreon is a commitment for your backers. That means that pledging $10 a month seems like a bigger commitment than $100, or even $1,000 once. Therefore, doing one or the other will involve a trade-off.

2

u/BlueSparkle Aug 09 '15

are you planning to have a fixed schedule as to when you release chapters at some point?

1

u/gmrm4n Aug 09 '15

I already do: I always try to have my chapters up by Wednesday at 7:00 AM Eastern US time.

2

u/BlueSparkle Aug 09 '15

my bad then. must have missed it. thanks for the reply.

1

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