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It's October 27th, and that means it's the paperback launch of JC Hutchin's novel 7th Son: Descent! As a special treat, I've invited Hutch by to answer a few questions...
Hey Val! Let's dive right in, shall we?
1. 7th Son: Descent comes out today, October 27th, but you've already released this book once, as a free podcast novel. Is this a path you'd suggest to new novelists? Why or why not?
I certainly suggest that storytellers embrace the Web, and create a website, as well as Facebook and Twitter accounts. I also suggest that they release some free content on their sites -- excerpts of their work, a few short stories, etc.
But I'm reluctant to tell novelists to release the full manuscripts of their work online (in text or audio form) unless they've thoroughly analyzed their goals and circumstances. If you're questing to simply share your tale, by all means share it. However, if your goal is print publication, carefully consider pursuing the "traditional" route of querying agents before you release the work online.
Creating a podcast novel is an extraordinary amount of work -- no newcomer can fully anticipate the workload, particularly if you wish to effectively promote the work as well -- and it provides no guarantee of publication. I released 7th Son in podcast form because the book had been rejected by dozens of industry pros in 2005, and I felt I'd exhausted my options. If I couldn't sell it, I'd share it.
2. Tell me more about 7th Son: Descent. Why should I buy this book?
Descent is a high-tech thriller set in present day. I think the book's jacket copy does a great job of encapsulating the book's concepts and plot. (And since I wrote the jacket copy, it's coming right from the horse's mouth!)
"As America reels from the bizarre presidential assassination committed by a child, seven men are abducted from their normal lives and delivered to a secret government facility. Each man has his own career, his own specialty. All are identical in appearance. The seven strangers were grown -- unwitting human clones -- as part of a project called 7th Son.
"The government now wants something from these "John Michael Smiths." They share the flesh and implanted memories of the psychopath responsible for the president's murder. The killer has bigger plans, and only these seven have the unique qualifications to track and stop him.
"But when their progenitor makes the battle personal, it becomes clear he knows the seven better than they know themselves..."
3. 7th Son: Descent is very different from your last novel that came out, Personal Effects: Dark Arts, which was more of a supernatural thriller. Which genre do you prefer and why?
I love both supernatural thrillers -- which is a fancy way of saying "horror" -- and technothrillers, and love writing in both sub-genres. I grew up reading lots of King and Crichton. I'd love to blur the two in a future work.
4. What was the best lesson that writing 7th Son: Descent taught you?
To persevere. 7th Son was my novel-length work of fiction, and I encountered all of the classic hardships all new authors face: self-consicousness, fear, self-perpetuated writer's block, procrastination, the works. I eventually realized that paying attention to those destructive elements didn't get the book any closer to being completed.
If it ain't moving the needle, it ain't worth your time.
5. What writing rituals do you have?
Very few. I like to write alone, with some music played low. That's about it.
6. You Twitter a lot - do you find that helps or hurts your writing? How about your promoting?
I don't see how it could possibly hurt my writing. It certainly is a key ingredient in my online outreach and promotion.
7. Nowadays, writers are expected to do a lot to promote their books, and you seem to be the king of promotions. How do you come up with ideas? Is there anything you draw the line at?
My ideas hail from watching what's happening in the space, and deducing what promotions work and don't, and then taking those good ideas and bending them into something innovative ... something I think would be fun to do. For me, it all starts with "wouldn't it be cool if...?", and if the idea sticks with me for more than five minutes, I begin to analyze the angles. How much will it cost in money, effort or time? Is it easy to manage? What's the benefit? Etc.
8. How do you plan a series?
I wouldn't know from experience, actually! The 7th Son trilogy as we know it was originally written as one long manuscript. It was an epic-length novel. Only when I chose to podcast it, did I chop the manuscript into thirds.
However, I'm certain that planning and writing a series is a lot like writing any other work of fiction: You plan it out, you plant the narrative seeds, you pay it off.
9. What's next for you?
I'll be promoting 7th Son until the end of the year. After that, I'll start cooking on some new fiction projects. One of them is a podcast fiction series called "The 33" that promises to be a lot of fun. I also have a few high-tech and supernatural thriller novel ideas to work on in 2010, as well.
Thanks for stopping by, Hutch! And as for me, I've already ordered my copy of 7th Son: Descent from Amazon. I highly recommend you do as well!
Hey Val! Let's dive right in, shall we?
1. 7th Son: Descent comes out today, October 27th, but you've already released this book once, as a free podcast novel. Is this a path you'd suggest to new novelists? Why or why not?
I certainly suggest that storytellers embrace the Web, and create a website, as well as Facebook and Twitter accounts. I also suggest that they release some free content on their sites -- excerpts of their work, a few short stories, etc.
But I'm reluctant to tell novelists to release the full manuscripts of their work online (in text or audio form) unless they've thoroughly analyzed their goals and circumstances. If you're questing to simply share your tale, by all means share it. However, if your goal is print publication, carefully consider pursuing the "traditional" route of querying agents before you release the work online.
Creating a podcast novel is an extraordinary amount of work -- no newcomer can fully anticipate the workload, particularly if you wish to effectively promote the work as well -- and it provides no guarantee of publication. I released 7th Son in podcast form because the book had been rejected by dozens of industry pros in 2005, and I felt I'd exhausted my options. If I couldn't sell it, I'd share it.
2. Tell me more about 7th Son: Descent. Why should I buy this book?
Descent is a high-tech thriller set in present day. I think the book's jacket copy does a great job of encapsulating the book's concepts and plot. (And since I wrote the jacket copy, it's coming right from the horse's mouth!)
"As America reels from the bizarre presidential assassination committed by a child, seven men are abducted from their normal lives and delivered to a secret government facility. Each man has his own career, his own specialty. All are identical in appearance. The seven strangers were grown -- unwitting human clones -- as part of a project called 7th Son.
"The government now wants something from these "John Michael Smiths." They share the flesh and implanted memories of the psychopath responsible for the president's murder. The killer has bigger plans, and only these seven have the unique qualifications to track and stop him.
"But when their progenitor makes the battle personal, it becomes clear he knows the seven better than they know themselves..."
3. 7th Son: Descent is very different from your last novel that came out, Personal Effects: Dark Arts, which was more of a supernatural thriller. Which genre do you prefer and why?
I love both supernatural thrillers -- which is a fancy way of saying "horror" -- and technothrillers, and love writing in both sub-genres. I grew up reading lots of King and Crichton. I'd love to blur the two in a future work.
4. What was the best lesson that writing 7th Son: Descent taught you?
To persevere. 7th Son was my novel-length work of fiction, and I encountered all of the classic hardships all new authors face: self-consicousness, fear, self-perpetuated writer's block, procrastination, the works. I eventually realized that paying attention to those destructive elements didn't get the book any closer to being completed.
If it ain't moving the needle, it ain't worth your time.
5. What writing rituals do you have?
Very few. I like to write alone, with some music played low. That's about it.
6. You Twitter a lot - do you find that helps or hurts your writing? How about your promoting?
I don't see how it could possibly hurt my writing. It certainly is a key ingredient in my online outreach and promotion.
7. Nowadays, writers are expected to do a lot to promote their books, and you seem to be the king of promotions. How do you come up with ideas? Is there anything you draw the line at?
My ideas hail from watching what's happening in the space, and deducing what promotions work and don't, and then taking those good ideas and bending them into something innovative ... something I think would be fun to do. For me, it all starts with "wouldn't it be cool if...?", and if the idea sticks with me for more than five minutes, I begin to analyze the angles. How much will it cost in money, effort or time? Is it easy to manage? What's the benefit? Etc.
8. How do you plan a series?
I wouldn't know from experience, actually! The 7th Son trilogy as we know it was originally written as one long manuscript. It was an epic-length novel. Only when I chose to podcast it, did I chop the manuscript into thirds.
However, I'm certain that planning and writing a series is a lot like writing any other work of fiction: You plan it out, you plant the narrative seeds, you pay it off.
9. What's next for you?
I'll be promoting 7th Son until the end of the year. After that, I'll start cooking on some new fiction projects. One of them is a podcast fiction series called "The 33" that promises to be a lot of fun. I also have a few high-tech and supernatural thriller novel ideas to work on in 2010, as well.
Thanks for stopping by, Hutch! And as for me, I've already ordered my copy of 7th Son: Descent from Amazon. I highly recommend you do as well!
