Sports Fantasy Leagues: A Model For Publishing?

My brother-in-law loves to tell me about his baseball fantasy league, where he ‘drafts’ players from across the Major Leagues and forms his own team. He acts like a GM and can make trades with fellow participants. All of the guys in his league pay an entrance fee that is pooled together to pay off the winning teams at the end of the season. Everything is calibrated by player performance and is deeply based in individual statistical success. There are no real games being played by real teams, of course. I tell him this is all a waste of his time and in some way goes against him being a fan of the our favorite team, the New York Mets, because as a result of his league participation he has to root for players of opposing teams to do well or for Met players drafted by others to do poorly.

So what does this have to do with books and publishing? Everything and nothing.

My brother-in-law tells me 30 million Americans belong to a sports fantasy league. That is a lot of people. It is a hobby and it promotes sports, another hobby itself. No problem there. But it makes me wonder if the book publishing world can capitalize on this fervor. I don’t mean seeing more books published about sports and statistical analysis is needed, but about how fans of authors or books could form a league of their own.

What if fans of an author tried to take the past books of an author and did something with them where they play-acted being the publisher the way my bro-in-law thinks he is a GM. Maybe players can ‘draft’ an author and get points when that author’s sales go up. This can be tracked online. Perhaps players choose a stable of 20 or 30 authors, and by the end of the year you tabulate the total sales of books to see who ‘published’ the most successful group of writers.

Or, you can just read books – or watch baseball games – and enjoy them without spending time charting the success of others.

Interview With Fantasy Author Ahmad Amani

1.      What type of books do you write? Fantasy style is so important to me, and I like to write my story in this style. I think fantasy is a major influence on the people. In fantasy, you never have to point out or criticize anybody or any certain culture. I never like to point at a certain culture because all cultures have some strong points and some weak.  Therefore, through fantasy, we can challenge cultures to reach peace.

2.      What is your newest book about? "My Grandparents' Last War" is a book about woolly creatures who like to eat everything that they see on the earth.  The human have always fought for his(her) willing. The human could always be successful in wars because the human use your mind, but another creature do not have important thing. The human was possible that she(he) fail against other creature -Like a lion- if they do not have thinking, therefore we are not a best fighter! we are not king of the world! because the lions can become king of us if we have not thinking in our mind, like other animals! Every day we create so many opinions, books, films, like this: I am fighter or I would like to fight for my willing or I am warrior who want to fight for beloved person or things or...But I am not a warrior or fighter, I am a creature called human who like to live on the earth! "My Grandparents' Last War" is a book about it, but in new style and with illustration. The book is free on smashwords (https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/302822)

3.      What inspired you to write it? Militancy and egoism of human. Unfortunately, the egoism is so powerful in the third world. At least,  a modern human have many things which he(she) can take pride in offering the best service in the world. But, the human of third world do not has anything; but, he(she) glory his(her) last or her(his) culture. An old culture which do not has anything except egoism and militancy. The modern culture has egoism and military, too; but, a powerful critique is in the modern culture that this powerful critique continually criticize the egoism and militancy in its own inside. But, The culture of third world say that you can criticize me, but only that critique confirm me; this is helpful, constructive critique. Except this, you are a traitor.

4.      What is the writing process like for you? Like a dream, I like to sleep and see my dreams. Dream is so important and enjoyable to me. I could fly in my dreams. One, I flew in the sky of my city, I wanted to fly beyond my city up into the mountain, but I feared from getting lost my way to my home, and came back to my home, but next time... I have so many experience like this dream in my dreams. Writing a book is a process like my dreams; now, I think that I see a dream and speak with you. In fact, the real life is so hard and painful to me, and my real life is not never like my dreams, but my books try to show my real, painful life and my dreams.

5.      What did you do before you became an author? A peddler, A worker, dyer, Journalist and now an author who cannot speak and write about the painful life and sweet dreams in his country.  I am from the Middle East, the world of to be or not to be, where the third way -- at least, for now -- is not for mankind.

6.      How does it feel to be a published author? The feel is so sweet, like all of dreams in the world.

7.      Any advice for struggling writers? Only that you read and read and write. I hope that books make you think, while you enjoy it.

8.      Where do you see book publishing heading? I think that E-book is the biggest discovery in the 21th century. I cannot understand why we have still cut the trees for book and magazine or print works. That is so painful: for creating a better world with books, we have still destroy trees.

For more information, please consult: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Math-City/216691358364143?ref=hl

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer, the nation’s largest book promoter. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2013