Jeno Marz

Boxed Sets and Writing Across Genres

Posted on March 18, 2015 by Jeno Marz / 2 Comments

I’ve been through a crazy week here. Mom is now recovering from her flu/asthmatic bronchitis and I have my writing/reading time back piece by piece. It’s been a week of cooking, cleaning, dog-walking, and brief internet time.

I’m having a terrible allergy to bright sunlight. My eyes are swollen, teary and my nose is running. I must stay indoors to avoid bright places.

My depression is back and with each sunny day it grows stronger, turning bright spring colors into a rich tapestry that just sits there — it registers, but it brings no emotional response, its stimuli make no sense. I want to hate it, but even that is not possible in this case. Nothing is fun, nothing is interesting, nothing matters. Much. A bit, yes. If Godzilla would be destroying my town this very moment in an epic battle with the Army guys and pieces of torn flesh and human body parts were scattered all over my front yard, I’d be like, oh, ok, nice.

Sometimes I want to play lotto or Bingo. I'm guessing it would be therapeutic. — This is not my brain pictured, but sometimes I want to play lotto or Bingo. I’m guessing it would be therapeutic.

I managed to sneak my new story to my beta-readers prior to this mess, but I still haven’t had any results from there, which is not quite as I had planned it to happen. It won’t delay my edits or release, but I’m not a happy camper either. Next time I won’t ask my friends to beta-read for me. I’d go for random folk on Goodreads instead.

I’m back on track with writing my blog posts for April A-Z (my theme is Worldbuilding in SF and all stuff related to that). I’ve done three so far. Not fast enough, I know. But with my depressed brain I’m actually terrified to write anything and not bore people to death, because engaging is not what I would call myself right now. (Though I’d love to have that superpower.)

And hey, I had no back pains and headaches for two whole days. A bonus!

Meanwhile I’ve been thinking about how weird it feels being a hybrid genre author and what to do with multiple-genre box sets. Multi-genre and multi-author boxed sets allow readers to experience the whole array of new worlds all in one package. Should I try that? Should I drop the idea?

In my writing I don’t stick to a particular genre, though science fiction is my main field. I’m not alone and I’m not the only one who’s been thinking about if it’s a good idea not sticking to a single genre. I mix various fun things like hard science fiction, space opera, adventure, humor, and add a dash of PG-rated love story or even going full-scale erotic romance, depending on my protagonists’ ages. More importantly, I like reading similar stuff. I need smart and spicy in the same pack — just not ‘formula spice’ — and I’m certainly not alone among 7 billion and counting people who enjoy bold writing in all its glory. If you don’t cringe at non-flowery body-part names and physics/math games, we can be friends. Really.

I was looking into boxed sets for a while now, and I made a decision that I certainly do not want to try multi-author ones yet. But what about stuffing polarized works into a single set? How would hard SF and erotic romance fit together, even if they belong to a single series? There are readers who like that kind of dynamic and embrace both kinds of stories. There are those who would love the first, mild part and think that the second, raunchy part is too much to take (the opposite won’t happen since these stories are a sequence, not stand-alone.)

I would certainly want to try making a boxed set, but as an ebook only (basically, a single file with a full serial of 206 000 words.) It seems like having both options — books sold separately and as a boxed set — would be a good strategy, either for a limited period of time or permanently. Both options should exist as there are people who won’t risk getting a bunch of books they don’t know if they will like.

I currently have two completed novels and a box set can help cross-promote them (and showcase my handling of the genres I play with.) Pros would be that people will get the whole serial and probably read my whole work. It will be cheaper for them than to buy the books one by one. Cons are that I will get a lot less money than with two books (because nobody would buy a boxed set if it’s cheaper to buy the books one by one), and I can alienate someone with sex scenes in the second book.

Oh well.

How writing in multiple genres been working out for you? So, what do you think are PROS and CONS of multi-genre boxed sets, single-author or multi-author? Do you have experience with boxed sets?

Writer's Blog

To Trilogy or Not to Trilogy

Posted on March 4, 2015 by Jeno Marz / 2 Comments

I’m finally at the point to make plans and decisions about my next big thing: Rjg.

Pronounced /ɹɨːjɡ̈/.

I’m currently playing with the outline for this epic and a certain pattern emerges. Again.
The pattern has a name: a trilogy. A three-part structure, centering on the life of a certain man, a powerful historical figure in my alien universe.

My goal is to write 255 000 words (Falaha’s series was ~206 000 words long). The two following years seem like a plausible time frame to get the job done, so I’ll probably be ready by late autumn 2017. (Smaller works shall be produced midway as well, if something worthy strikes my imagination.)

I had been starting this novel once before. I ended up writing a completely different series, of course. But I discovered one important thing during that slip of the hand: my real protagonist for this giant book.

Now, one of my concerns is whether I should release the story as a trilogy or as one complete book. (Honestly, that’s a behemoth-sized book!) I’m aiming to have fully resolved smaller arcs in these three parts, with one big resolution at the end. And having a series is certainly a viable commercial model — not in releasing them one by one, but in selling three books instead of one. The win is in the quantity of sales, while offering appealing prices.

I’m in favor of the huge one so far. Fewer covers to design, fewer files to keep track of. But I’m not sure it will appeal to readers at such size. Time is precious, some prefer smaller installments. Especially if they are full-novel sized (85k per chunk.) And later just pack them as boxed set, job done.

If I’d go for three books, the output would be this:

Blood Threads (Rjg #1)
Adventurous Tide (Rjg #2)
Godslayer (Rjg #3)

Certainly an issue to think about.

The other thing that is going to happen — a complete change of initial plot. I have extensive notes from my earlier attempt and I figured that I shall be remodeling the whole thing anew (certainly better that fully rewriting the draft afterwards!). Now that I am an experienced writer, I can work much faster and more precise on the stories. Yay. 😉

So this summer I’ll be busy with certain things, blogging about them as I go. Those include but not limited to: planetary system including the map, planetary maps (detailed), cultures’ snapshots (belief systems, customs, languages, calendars, etc.) and timelines (development, achievements, etc.), characters & plot, the world ecosystems, atmosphere/ocean model with wind & ocean current maps. All this even after I had almost finished all these jobs once.

The difference now is that I’m no longer afraid to write the big book. 🙂

P.S. Stay tuned for the new release (The Man in a Box and complete Falaha’s Book 3.5) somewhere April/May, and for April’s blogging challenge (I have to admit I’m still in the process of thinking about what to write for this one. Haha.)

P.P.S. Maybe I should buy Scrivener. If there’s time to get and learn how to use one, it’s between books!

Writer's Blog

WriterSpace, WriterDrop, Aftercare

Posted on February 27, 2015 by Jeno Marz / 0 Comment

After such a profound experience — writing a short novel — and enjoying every bit of writer’s all-powerful head space, I’m slowly falling back to Earth. If I could describe my feelings now, they are akin to topdrop, just without effects of adrenaline rush (well, maybe a little — while writing action scenes) etc, etc.

In short, I am sad and empty.

But I’m also feeling partially accomplished. Partially, because I know that there’s this good story I just finished and even slightly revised. It needs polishing in places, and I’m not in the right mood for adding sensuality it requires at those rough edges. In the month ahead I’ll be fixing this issue.

My hub tries to stuff me with chocolate. I appreciate his caring side.

My dominant nature is relentless in having the job done fast and my inner writer is curled up in a deep, dark corner, needing a restorative nap. I want to get into that story again, I crave it, but without my writer side it’s pointless. I would be an elephant in a glass store.

*Powers down*

I guess it’s time for tea, coffee, wine, good food, long walks, and doing anything but writing.

If you are a writer, how do you cope with the downtime (and/or sadness) after manuscript completion? Do you even share similar experience? Tell me!

Writer's Blog

Cover Reveal: Falaha’s Journey Book 3.5

Posted on February 3, 2015 by Jeno Marz / 3 Comments

I remember telling you in December that I’d be trying my hand at the cover reveal thingie sometime at the beginning of this year. And here it is, the cover for the last book in Falaha’s series.

This is not a major, separate work and it’s absolutely NOT for everyone, unlike the Trilogy. The characters have grown into adulthood and here be plenty of hot fun for adults who like it wild. The stories don’t shy away from graphic sex (and some mild BDSM in there eventually), which sometimes comes together with humor in the same scene. Nope, it’s not dark and serious; at the heart of Book 3.5 is polyamorous romance and family relationships, with the focus on further character development since Falaha’s Journey. Most of the sci-fi stuff goes quietly on the background, but it’s still there. If you haven’t read the main volume (Books 1-3), it wouldn’t make much sense to you as it is intended as a direct continuation of the serial.

And since it is not a typical romance, I’m not sure it would appeal to romance readers. So I treat it as an addon to the main book.

It is also available as separate stories (the third is in WIP stage, will be done and out somewhere this spring), with these covers here:

The parts can be read separately, yet they are interconnected and paint a better picture as a sequence. Once the whole set is combined into a single volume, it takes the shape of a serial novel:

Prologue: Welcome to Adulthood (Episode #1)
Part One: This Lonely, Lonely Spaceman (Episode #2)
Part Two: The Man in a Box (Episode #3)

I’ve been playing with some cover design today and made a few versions to choose from.

I asked a couple of friends for their opinion and we all came to conclusion that the one on the right does the job pretty well, though it needs some tweaks. (No one liked that gag-ball-looking huge pink dot. I forgive them. I might even forgive myself for making that one.)

The tweak I’m talking about was to make a hard choice of which shade of grey (It’s a damned pun already!) to use.

Again, after a mild discussion we all agreed on the cooler grey tone (right image), though our reasons for choosing that one varied.

So I’m guessing I’m settled here then. Just some precise text aligning left to do. 🙂

What do you guys think about this one? The other ones?

P.S. And thanks, Mom, for sponsoring the acquisition of the stock photo. I think I will never move out of your basement, even while living in my own home now. 🙂

P.P.S. Now, onto that tough draft!

P.P.P.S. I will never quit writing tiny trilogies and stuff known as “story in a story in a story”. 😛

P.P.P.P.S. If you like what I do with my covers, I can make a cover, banners and whatever for you. I’m Photoshop/Illustartor literate. Ask me about it.