Doug Sloan, who
has worked on more than 200 episodes of the mega-franchise Mighty Morphin’
Power Rangers, as well as Dreamworks highly popular series
Dragons: Riders of Berk, has a new book out. Here’s his interview about The Siren
Chronicles: Book 1
1.
What really inspired you to write your
book, to force you from taking an idea or experience and conveying it into a book?
I have always been a lover of the ocean. As a SCUBA diver most of my
life, it has been my great fortune to have experienced that amazing world
under the surface that most people never get to see up close. I wanted
to do something to help young readers understand ocean conservation and maybe
motivate them to help clean up and save our oceans. Also, coming from a
family of brilliant and strong women, it has always been my desire to write a
story with powerful female leads. I thought that Mermaids might be the
perfect way to do that.
2.
What is it about and whom do you believe
is your targeted reader? The Siren Chronicles is a book series that
follows three Mermaids, the smartest and strongest of their colony as they
make their way to land to uncover the plot to pollute their ocean home and
ultimately destroy the sirens. When I write, I generally try not to
think to hard about who the audience will be. I write a story that I think
will be enjoyable for anyone who reads it. It seems as though with The
Siren Chronicles, the Younger teens and teens have really gravitated towards
it, which is great! I have spent my entire career trying to entertain
this exact demographic. So, it comes as no surprise that this is where
my first novel landed.
3.
What do you hope will be the everlasting thoughts
for readers who finish your book? What should remain with them long after
putting it down? My hope is that whoever reads this book is not only
entertained, but perhaps feels compelled to explore ways to help in saving
our precious marine resources. In the next two books, I will be
concentrating more on this theme, which was set up in the first.
4.
What advice or words of wisdom do you
have for fellow writers? I feel as though I am just starting to get my
bearings in this new and very different world. My career has been in
television for more than 25 years and I could give a person all the advice
they could ever want with regards to succeeding in Hollywood. As a
novelist, I haven’t obtained the wisdom to offer anyone yet. What I
will say, is that if you are just getting started, be prepared, because it is
NOT easy. There are so many brilliant authors out there. To get
your book recognized and to generate sales is a really difficult thing to
achieve. I’m hoping to keep getting better at it with each one I
write.
5.
What trends in the book world do you see
and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading? I think
that self-publishing is going to continue to grow as more and more writers
find their voice and need a way to get it out there. It’s basically the
same thing that happened with the music industry. It has become possible
to record albums in your bedroom and as a result, the amount of music that is
out there is astonishing. Same for books. The challenge will be
getting reviewed and ultimately making sales. I also think that the TV
and movie industry will play a much larger part in the publishing
world. Studios are desperate for content and the book world is the
first place they look. If a piece of material catches on and sells, you
can expect that there will be calls made to see if the rights are available
to turn that book into a movie or TV series.
6.
What great challenges did you have in
writing your book? I think self-discipline is important. It’s not
easy forcing yourself to get up every day and sit at your computer, churning
out pages, keeping the story straight in your head. It’s like a big
jigsaw puzzle. Fortunately, I have been blessed with a long career in
television which has provided me with the work ethic I think it takes to be
an author,
7.
If people can only buy one book
this month, why should it be yours? The biggest reason, is that I am
donating proceeds from the book to a Marine Conservation society. This
will help them stop illegal fishing, pollution and other problems our oceans
are facing. I really urge people to order the book online. It’s
for a great cause, and it’s probably not like anything they are used
to. That’s another great reason to read The Siren Chronicles. I
received a review the other day in which the writer described the journey of the
three sirens, who get separated, and spends time with each one until the
moment they are reunited. This reviewer loved the fact that the book
bounces back and forth between the three girls and their incredible stories
and the way that they found each other in a really funny crazy way. The
reviewer could not remember reading anything with a similar style. It is a
different way to tell a story. But if you let yourself get drawn in, and just
go with it, it’s fun and funny and unpredictable.
For more information, please see: http://www.douglasjsloan.com/
DON't
MISS!
Could the media
think your pitch about your book is bullshit?
How do authors
generate article ideas to promote their books?
What does it really take to land on a best-seller list?
Can you sell 10 copies of your book every day?
Great book PR lessons from kids, clergy, women, contractors
& sportscasters
How do authors get on TV?
Here’s the 2017 Author Book PR & Marketing Toolkit
Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this
blog are his alone and not that of his employer. 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 2017©. Born and raised in Brooklyn, now resides in
Westchester. Named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book
|
Saturday, October 7, 2017
Interview With World-Renowned TV and Film Writer Doug Sloan On His New Book
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.