Options by Eric Beetner

  Business - apart from print and ebooks, what other formats have you explored - such as audio books, foreign translations, film rights? Do you have advice for a newbie writer exploring additional income streams from the same book?

I certainly think having your work available in as many format options as possible is a good thing. I know readers who have abandoned print books entirely. I know people who prefer the audio version. I can’t say I have a whole of people in other countries clamoring for my work, but they certainly will never read it without a good translation.

Almost all my books are available in print and ebook format. A few older ones that have been reissued are ebook only as of now, and that is a sticking point with me. As a print reader, I want everything to be available in print. Hardcovers be damned, just so long as I can hold it in my hand.

I love audiobooks. Back when I used to commute to work, I listened to a ton of them. Not so much anymore since my commute these days is from my bedroom to my garage, but I still love a good audiobook and my wife listens to them all the time around the house.

I’ve had very few audio versions of my books and I wish I had more. The recent push for AI narrators makes audiobooks for small press and indie authors much more within reach, budget-wise, but that is a line I will not cross. I may not be able to afford a human narrator out of my own pocket, but I won’t contribute to the eradication of the human narrator profession by exploiting AI, which has been trained on the talents of human readers.

I know a few writers who are friends who are big sellers in France. Lord, I am so jealous. I think being popular in another language is the coolest damn thing. My agent has gone out with my new series to foreign rights, but so far no takers. Perhaps if I get lucky this weekend and win an ITW award, my fortunes will change. But for now, I appear only in English, but this is a major milestone goal for my writing career.

As for film, well, it’s my day job so really writing novels has always been my backdoor way into Hollywood. It’s also pretty much the only way to make any real money as a novelist these days. From the outside, it would seem easier for me since I work in the industry. Not so. I don’t yet have the “right” contacts or influence with studios or networks. I’ve had some interest, carried options on a few of my books, but nothing has made it to the screen yet. This is another major goal of mine that I am actively pursuing.

For a newbie, film is a far-away dream. Focus on print and ebooks. Try to sell audio and foreign right if you can. Don’t fall into the trap of easy promises made by the AI narrator industry. And when you write a great book that people talk about, Hollywood will notice. Be warned that they will notice about 500 other books that same week, but you can’t get plucked from obscurity if you’re not even on that slush pile. So keep writing, keep getting your words out in front of people. Spread you works far and wide, from the digital realm to foreign shores to the silver screen. We’re rooting for you.