Sunday, October 20, 2019
Uncommon Author - An Interview with Eliot Peper
Uncommon Author - An Interview with Eliot Peper Uncommon Author - An Interview with Eliot Peper ââ¬Å"For someone who loves a book, would make their day? What would make them happy or make them think of it again or think that itââ¬â¢s cool? And Iââ¬â¢m always struggling with that.â⬠Update! We interview Eliot again for the release of the sequel to Uncommon Stock - come check it out!Eliot Peper is the nicest man in the world. At least, thatââ¬â¢s how we felt coming away from our interview. His first novel, ââ¬ËUncommon Stock,ââ¬â¢ a startup thriller, is both an indie success story and the debut book from Coloradoââ¬â¢s FG Press. Eliotââ¬â¢s background is in venture capital and consulting for the tech industry, including spells running his own startups. We met to talk about what it was like transitioning from entrepreneur to authorpreneur, and what it was like working with the newly-minted FG Press.Edit: As of 2016, FG Press has closed its doors. Eliot Peper is now a full-time indie author.- -REEDSYYour first novel is about startups. Youââ¬â¢ve had pl enty of experiences in the business world, but had you written much before?ELIOT PEPERI hadnââ¬â¢t written fiction since high school, but I had experience with storytelling. My background was in startupsââ¬Å - ââ¬Å I was a founder, then an early employee at a couple of different startups, and then an entrepreneur-in-residence at a VC fund. As you guys Iââ¬â¢m sure know yourselves, the fuzzy front-end of building a business, most of itââ¬â¢s storytelling. Youââ¬â¢re trying to pitch investors, youââ¬â¢re trying to bring in talent, youââ¬â¢re trying to tell people about the problem youââ¬â¢re trying to address; youââ¬â¢re always telling stories whether itââ¬â¢s to customers, investors, partners, team membersââ¬Å - ââ¬Å thatââ¬â¢s a lot of what you do on a day-to-day basis. So Iââ¬â¢d been doing a ton of that, but Iââ¬â¢d not been doing anything like writing a novel.REEDSYI thought it was interesting how widely your book was picked up by the b usiness community. A lot of business writing is generally non-fiction, right?ELIOT PEPERNon-fiction is interesting for obvious reasons. Most non-fiction is ââ¬Å"Here are the lessons I learned doing something,â⬠or with biographies ââ¬Å"What did this person learn through living their life?â⬠For business, I find fiction particularly interesting because it gives you this secret window inside the characterââ¬â¢s head.Thereââ¬â¢s a boatload of non-fiction out there about businessââ¬Å - ââ¬Å ââ¬Å"I built GM, or I was the CEO of X company, so here are the things you should think about when starting a company or in your daily life.â⬠But it doesnââ¬â¢t show you that, as Iââ¬â¢m sure you guys are experiencing right now, when youââ¬â¢re building a business itââ¬â¢s a human experience, right? Especially for founders who are struggling through their first company or their first couple of companies. Itââ¬â¢s a crazy emotional roller coaster. The hum an side of startups doesnââ¬â¢t get a lot of exposure because everyone wants to talk about advice and best practices. Few people want to talk about how it destroyed their relationship with their wife; or how they were sleeping with their co-founder; or how for their series B round they were about to get a ten-x valuation bump on the first round until lead investor had a heart attack the night before and it fucked up their entire company. That stuff happens all the time. Iââ¬â¢ve been shocked by the shit that goes down in Silicon Valley.People donââ¬â¢t talk about that stuff publicly in a non-fiction contextââ¬Å - ââ¬Å they donââ¬â¢t want to make that their sort of public life. The beauty of fiction is that you can experience that alongside the character. You can give people a window into what itââ¬â¢s like to be the startup or to be in business. And I think for people interested in learning about entrepreneurship thatââ¬â¢s really special because thereââ¬â¢s a lot more to it that just lean product development.REEDSYYeah, like you donââ¬â¢t need to have abstracted a principle for a story to be useful to someoneELIOT PEPERIââ¬â¢m sure you guys are experiencing this if you have advisors or mentors that youââ¬â¢re going to for advice. Youââ¬â¢ll talk to one guy and heââ¬â¢ll say ââ¬Å"Well, in my last business we did this, and we learned that you have to do X.â⬠Then you talk to someone else and theyââ¬â¢ll give you the exact opposite advice based on a totally different anecdote.A lot of business non-fiction is like thatââ¬Å - ââ¬Å itââ¬â¢s a lot of anecdotes, and itââ¬â¢s really easy to mythologise people. So you look at the big names like Steve Jobs or whatever, and once theyââ¬â¢ve achieved success it always feels like you can retroactively go back and say why they achieved success in the past. Thatââ¬â¢s a really weird thing to do. From a scientific process perspective thatââ¬â¢s really bad, b ut that essentially covers all narrative non-fiction. You have to have that ââ¬Å"What did you learn at the end of the fable?â⬠ending, and I think fiction gives you a lot more freedom in that sense. Youââ¬â¢re exploring just how humans wrestle with and overcome obstacles. Those obstacles could be killing Gilgamesh, or it could be taking a company public.REEDSYItââ¬â¢s like parables, basically, or Aristotleââ¬â¢s version of Ethics. He doesnââ¬â¢t try to say what bravery is, he just says ââ¬Å"Bravery is Achilles.â⬠ELIOT PEPERI think the human mind is wired to understand complex problems through stories. Itââ¬â¢s boring to read a complex problem that isnââ¬â¢t part of narrative.REEDSYHow have you applied your startup background to the daily routine of writing? I feel like a lot of startup advice is of the ââ¬Ëwork smarter, not harderââ¬â¢ variety. Can you apply that to writing?ELIOT PEPERI think the process of writing is very grinding, in terms of the actual drafting of the manuscript. I donââ¬â¢t even know how you would go about doing that smarter. I donââ¬â¢t really outline, I just spend time brainstorming constantly. On a walk Iââ¬â¢ll think about where the characters are, where things are heading, what the next scene should be, what the final scene should be. I feel like Iââ¬â¢m in good shape if I know the next scene Iââ¬â¢m gonna write, and some kind of North Star that the climax will be. If I have more than that planned out it usually gets stale or I donââ¬â¢t stick to it anyway. I have to spend time immersed in the world psychologically, then I sit down, start writing, and thereââ¬â¢s very little I can do aside from forcing myself to make the time, sit in front of Word, and not go on twitter. A lot of it is knowing how to be diligent and how to have discipline.That corresponds to business. Itââ¬â¢s way too prevalent with my friends in tech and the startup world who are like ââ¬Å"Oh my God I wa s up until 4am finishing this last release!â⬠To me thatââ¬â¢s like saying ââ¬Å"Oh my God, Iââ¬â¢m terrible at managing my time!â⬠You know, thatââ¬â¢s basically what youââ¬â¢re saying. It was less that I tried to take the lesson ââ¬Ëwork hard at all costs,ââ¬â¢ and instead take the lesson ââ¬Ëonly do what matters.ââ¬â¢ Thatââ¬â¢s really difficult to do.As an author itââ¬â¢s so easy to spend all my time blogging and emailing and pitching journalists or influencers to try and get more coverage for the book, to do events, to do signings, to just be on Twitter and Facebook or whatever promotional tools youââ¬â¢re using. You can let that suck away all your time. But at the end of the day the people who read my books, my actual readers, they just want the next bookââ¬Å - ââ¬Å they donââ¬â¢t give a shit what I post on Twitter. To an extent, me having a public face, at least they can feel like theyââ¬â¢re getting to know me.But you rea lly have to look back and say ââ¬Å"I need to be spending at least the majority of my time doing what actually matters.â⬠In business itââ¬â¢s just as difficult. Itââ¬â¢s very easy to spend your time just being external facing when the only reason people are going to be interested in you is to improve their lives by solving a problem. If youââ¬â¢re not solving that problem in what youââ¬â¢re doing every day, thatââ¬â¢s a problem.I think thatââ¬â¢s probably the one lesson I took from business. The ââ¬Ëwork smarter, not harderââ¬â¢ sideââ¬â¢s more relevant in the PR side of things and how you connect with readers. Weââ¬â¢re trying to experiment with that. I have a twitter account for the protagonist of ââ¬ËUncommon Stock.ââ¬â¢ We built a real website for the fictional startup in the book. We got Foundry Group, the VC firm, to announce an investment in them on April Fools day. Thatââ¬â¢s sort of fun. My dearest hope is that if I do something that delights my readers, that when theyââ¬â¢re at happy hour tonight and theyââ¬â¢re quaffing a beer, theyââ¬â¢ll say to their friend ââ¬Å"OK, they actually did this.â⬠If that happens thatââ¬â¢s one more word-of-mouth referral. Anything I can do to inspire or delight my readers, thatââ¬â¢s what Iââ¬â¢m going for.REEDSYIt seems like delighting a reader is much healthier than growth hacking.ELIOT PEPERYeah. If you look at the public discourse about how to get readers, the majority of it is the growth hacking kind of stuff. Itââ¬â¢s all about how can you engineer your own success and manipulate people into liking you, and I donââ¬â¢t knowââ¬Å - ââ¬Å I donââ¬â¢t really like to be manipulated as a reader, so I donââ¬â¢t really want to do that as a writer.REEDSYDo you have any role-models in the self-publishing space?ELIOT PEPERI like Hugh Howey. Heââ¬â¢s the wà ¼nderkind, right? But heââ¬â¢s also really personal and personable. He shares what he does, and it feels real. Or, you know Neal Stephenson? Heââ¬â¢s a prototypical Big 5 author; heââ¬â¢s been a best-selling author for decades, he has a huge audience, in that sense heââ¬â¢s very mainstream. But he writes on Slashdot and other random forums all the time. The people writing for the New York Times Book Review would never have heard of these places. Heââ¬â¢s interesting because if you go to his website, itââ¬â¢s pretty minimal. Itââ¬â¢s sort of lame. But heââ¬â¢s also on Slashdot and all these random place, writing super in-depth, honest answers to forum questions from trolls. I find that compelling because itââ¬â¢s like ââ¬Å"Thatââ¬â¢s pretty cool, youââ¬â¢re just being real, thatââ¬â¢s who you are, youââ¬â¢re a sort of goofy nerdy guy, you read Slashdot so you started writing there too.â⬠Itââ¬â¢s been very popular. His forum posts turn into memes that people share around writing blogsââ¬Å - ââ¬Å I think thatâ â¬â¢s fun.You donââ¬â¢t even have to stick to publishing. Macklemore self-published his first albums, was never signed by a major label, and was able to build a fan-base because his songs are awesome and he made funny videos for them. Now heââ¬â¢s turned that into having some of the top-listed songs over the past couple of years. Thatââ¬â¢s pretty cool, thatââ¬â¢s pretty fun. With the writers I admire most the biggest thing is they write really good stuff, but the other part is in the rest of their lives they come across as really genuine.REEDSYWhat sort of relationship are you building between yourself and your readers?ELIOT PEPERI try to think of writing as literally storytelling. I donââ¬â¢t just hand over the manuscript and thatââ¬â¢s that. I try to think of it like Iââ¬â¢m literally sitting at a campfire talking to people. If youââ¬â¢re sitting at a campfire with your friends, you donââ¬â¢t want to be awkward, right? Itââ¬â¢s better to tell a sto ry they want to hear. And afterwards youââ¬â¢re still their friend. Itââ¬â¢s not like the relationship is overââ¬Å - ââ¬Å youââ¬â¢re going to roast marshmallows over the fire and have a conversation about it. Thatââ¬â¢s how I look at being a writer. I can connect with my readers in a new way or share something with them they might not otherwise know. Like on my blog I write about business because some of my readers are interested in startups and thatââ¬â¢s part of why they read my stuff, but I also share personal stuff because if they like my book they might want to know more about me.Do you know Joss Whedon? I find him really interesting. Iââ¬â¢m not very sophisticated about films, but what heââ¬â¢s famous for is that while many of the shows heââ¬â¢s made havenââ¬â¢t been that popular in terms of ratings, the people who did watch it were obsessed with it. Heââ¬â¢s had the highest aftermarket sales of anyone. The prototypical guy for this is George Lucas. He turned a weird 70s sci-fi movie into the underlying mythology of America, and represents some enormous amount of toy sales and other crazy external licensing sales.The guys who are now doing all these superhero movies are obsessed with Joss Whedon because theyââ¬â¢re trying to do the same with these comic book franchises. So theyââ¬â¢re trying to take X-Men and turn it into these multiple blockbuster movies but also have video-games and all these other ways fans can experience the story. Joss says he has one question in mind that I think applies to every authors, and thatââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"What can you do that would really delight your fans?â⬠For people who really like your story, how can you double down and give them extra stuff that they would just want more and more of if they really love that story? Thereââ¬â¢s a really wonderful essay on this, thatââ¬â¢s also relevant for early-stage entrepreneurs, called ââ¬Ë1000 True Fansââ¬â¢.Iââ¬â¢m still figuring that out. If people read Uncommon Stock, what more would they want? I know theyââ¬â¢d want the sequel because theyââ¬â¢re all asking for it, so thatââ¬â¢s goodââ¬Å - ââ¬Å Iââ¬â¢m working on that. But beyond that what are other things that, for someone who loves a book, would make their day? What would make them happy or make them think of it again or think that itââ¬â¢s cool? And Iââ¬â¢m always struggling with that.If I was constantly thinking about how I could sell more books, I wouldnââ¬â¢t enjoy the experience of being a writer much. If I want to look at the world cynically, my experience becomes cynical.REEDSYItââ¬â¢s a bad filter on the creative process.ELIOTYouââ¬â¢re going to have a filter no matter what. If your filter is ââ¬Ëhow can I create something that people will love,ââ¬â¢ thatââ¬â¢s a fun filter to have. If your filter is ââ¬Ëhow can I create something that people will buy, not only is that less fun from the creativ e perspective, but itââ¬â¢s also very difficult to ascertain. Itââ¬â¢s not obvious what people will buy. If youââ¬â¢re trying to select for that, it doesnââ¬â¢t mean youââ¬â¢re going to have any higher chance of success than someone whoââ¬â¢s just trying to create something that people will love, and theyââ¬â¢re going to have a much better time doing it.REEDSYYou worked with FG Press on ââ¬ËUncommon Stockââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬Å - ââ¬Å what was that like? Did it free you from the commercial pressures traditionally published authors work with, like having to earn out an advance?ELIOTFirst of all, FG Press gives no advances. You have a 50/50 split on all royalties. A typical big-5 contract gives the author about 15%ââ¬Å - ââ¬Å thatââ¬â¢s fancy math, but thatââ¬â¢s more or less what it breaks down to. FG Press is giving a much larger cut on royalties and theyââ¬â¢re giving no advance, and I wanted it that way. I think the advance system sets up the wrong in centive. Then the author is writing a book and selling it to a publisher, rather than selling it to a reader. The people who are important to me are my readers. My publisher is important to the extent that they help me either produce something better or do something that makes my readers more happy. I would self-publish in a heartbeat if FG Press was not providing those things for me.The commercial pressures are tied to advances, but the reason that authors are subject to those pressures is because they want the advance. Thatââ¬â¢s where things can get messy, and thatââ¬â¢s part of what FG Press set out to try to do differently. Does that create different challenges? Of course. If youââ¬â¢re not giving advances, the writer has to support themselves until book sales start coming inââ¬Å - ââ¬Å if they do. Thatââ¬â¢s not a universally good decisionââ¬Å - ââ¬Å you need to choose which risk factors you want to take on to produce the kind of content you want to make. T hatââ¬â¢s what theyââ¬â¢re doing, thatââ¬â¢s their model, and thatââ¬â¢s why itââ¬â¢s different. Theyââ¬â¢re betting that authors who publish through them willingly want to build a readership and want to earn money based on how popular the damn book is, regardless of whether a high-level editor thinks you have potential.REEDSYWhat is FG Press offering their authors in exchange for the initial 50%?ELIOT PEPERFirst of all theyââ¬â¢re writing the checks for the initial production costs. Itââ¬â¢s true, they take that financial risk, so thatââ¬â¢s great for authors who canââ¬â¢t write the checks to take the risks for editing and production. Thatââ¬â¢s useful and it shows that theyââ¬â¢re committed to the title. It just doesnââ¬â¢t cost that much to produce a book. The part where they really add value is through helping to establish a community of readers. As aââ¬Å - ââ¬Å very personalââ¬Å - ââ¬Å example I was sharing my book with Brad becaus e I thought he would like it, and heââ¬â¢s a well-known guy among people who might also like it. If he likes it and writes a review of it, it could be really useful for helping me connect with new readers.When I wrote the book and we released it, that was super useful. Not only did he post about it but he talked to TechStars. TechStars bought ââ¬ËUncommon Stockââ¬â¢ on a license for all of TechStarsââ¬Å - ââ¬Å present and future founders. So every TechStars person now gets sent a digital copy of Uncommon Stock. Iââ¬â¢d have never been able to achieve that on my own because I donââ¬â¢t have those relationships and I donââ¬â¢t know those people. But working with FG Press it was really cool to be able to do things like that. Or as another example, Foundry Group issued a fake investment. Would they have done that if I was a random self-published author? Probably not, right? So there have been many opportunities working with them for serendipity in terms of working with them that have definitely benefitted me hugely and that I really appreciate that I think also benefit readers. That was a cute stunt, and I wouldnââ¬â¢t have been able to do that for readers.Honestly, the way that I see it at the end of the day and the way that I think FG press is trying to build themselves and the philosophy they take to the table is that they want to just create a publishing model that makes common sense for authors and book production, and then they want to treat everyone like a friend. Iââ¬â¢m doing a panel at a tech event. I called FG Press and said ââ¬Å"Guys, I have this opportunity with this big panelââ¬Å - ââ¬Å wouldnââ¬â¢t it be fun if we could like get excerpts of the book to everyone going?â⬠So weââ¬â¢re creating this co-branded landing page where everyone can go pick them up if they want to. Then FG Press said ââ¬Å"If youââ¬â¢re looking for people for the panel, here are a couple of CEOs in the Foundry portfolio that cou ld be a good fit.â⬠So thatââ¬â¢s awesome, it makes the panel even better. And so I get to meet a bunch of CEOs who give me good material for my sequel. Itââ¬â¢s an all-around everybody-wins.REEDSYHow important was it working with an editor?ELIOT PEPERFirst of all, I need an editor, and I think anyone who thinks they donââ¬â¢t is crazy. If you want to produce something thatââ¬â¢s really fun to read, it needs to be edited by someone who knows what theyââ¬â¢re doing.I had a couple of different stages. I shared the drafts with Brad but he wasnââ¬â¢t providing on-going feedback and I didnââ¬â¢t want him to. When Iââ¬â¢m working on my first rough draft feedback slows me down, it doesnââ¬â¢t speed me up. I need to basically vomit onto the page, and then take that sack of shit in Word format and try to make it better. My first filtration process to try to make it slightly better was sending it to a couple of beta readers who Iââ¬â¢d been really selective with. These were people who I had to trust would both be super honestââ¬Å - ââ¬Å not just say it was nice or whatever. I had to know that theyââ¬â¢d give me lot of constructive negative feedback.They also each had a specific perspective they could add. One of them for example was probably the top Angel investor in San Diego, and he also studied Literature at Stanford. And so he has this dual perspective of knowing a lot about the English language and loving books, but also being very involved in tech and early-stage startups. I had a friend from grad school, who ended up being my developmental editor, who used to be an editorial exec in Hollywood. She had the whole movie perspective on how those structured plot elements. Movies are incredibly structured stories, and I donââ¬â¢t know that stuff. Having her perspective to help inform where the story could be improved was really useful. They sent back feedback in different forms. Some sent an email with high-level thoughts, s ome people sent me page references. I thought it through, took it on balance, incorporated it.Then I wanted to do a more in-depth, structural look at it because, as I said, I donââ¬â¢t really outline. Thatââ¬â¢s how I feel comfortable in the creative process but it means more work at the end because you end up having things that donââ¬â¢t work or donââ¬â¢t make sense or arenââ¬â¢t tight enough in terms of plot and character development. So I did three rounds of developmental editing with my friend from grad school. We made a lot of notes, had a couple of phone conversations, and then I would go through and address the problems I thought were important. We did three of those, and each got more gritty. The first one, she didnââ¬â¢t even make notes. She read it, wrote down thoughts, talked through some of the high-level issues. The next one was more scene-oriented, and the final one was more paragraph-by-paragraph.Once we were done with that, I did one more round of b eta readers, different people, got different feedback, incorporate itâ⬠¦ and thatââ¬â¢s when Brad was giving a lot of detailed feedback. Finally, once we were satisfied with the content we moved onto language. So I did a round of copyediting, then two rounds of proofreading before formatting it for Kindle and print and all that.REEDSYThanks for your time Eliot.
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