Erika Mitchell,
better known as E.L. James, has had remarkable success with her self-published
novel, 50 Shades of Grey. Most of
my clients and social media friends know I don’t promote erotica, however,
there are many lessons that her success offers. While I have researched this
book as a publishing case study, I didn’t read the book, nor do I endorse it.
The top five
things that 50 Shades teaches indie authors are:
1.
Use
familiar characters. 50 Shades started out as a fan fiction
series, Master of the Universe. Mitchell refined it and created an
original novel. Her characters are based
on very successful characters from Twilight, most notably Bella and
Edward reworked as Anastasia and Christian, with other hints of Bella’s mother
and Jacob thrown into the mix through other characters. I am not suggesting stealing characters
directly from other works. Identify what people like about the character archetypes
in successful novels; use what works about them, leave out what doesn’t, and
add your own signature touch through new characteristics.
Characters
can drive reader interest even more so than plot, therefore analyzing what the
public likes about iconic characters can be a great way to come up with
characters that work for you. If you
decide to create a series the way that J.K. Rowling, E.L. James, Suzanne
Collins, and Stephenie Meyer did, you have to start with great characters. The plot will change and the characters will
develop throughout the duration of the series, and following the characters is
often what motivates readers to purchase the next installment.
2.
Use
passion and fantasy. Whether it is the dismal economy or a certain
dissatisfaction with modern life, fantasy sells. Harry Potter, Twilight, 50
Shades, and The Hunger Games all incorporate some kind of fantasy
and offer a departure from reality for readers, which is, after all, the point
of fiction. This is not to say that you
can’t make money with a book that is not in the fantasy genre; 50 Shades is
only fantasy insofar as it explores sexual fantasies. Bring passion, fantasy, and imagination to
everyday, ordinary scenes and people, whether it’s in the form of an
over-the-top character, a character with the kind of quick wit that only exists
in fiction, or a character who does extraordinary things, even if he/she is
just an average mortal.
3.
Push the
envelope. Don’t include gratuitous sex and violence in
your stories to capitalize on sensationalism, but consider what edgy content
would be appropriate for your story. A
portion of the success of 50 Shades can be attributed to the curiosity
factor. If you’re concerned that people
might be offended by the content of your book, you can hold yourself back from
succeeding by giving readers a product that insults their intelligence by
watering down incidents, dialogue, and subcultures.
4.
Don’t let
your day job or your age hold you back. E.L. James is a 49-year-old woman who leads a
modest life as a wife and a mother. As a
former television executive, her background is not one that is related to
books, literature, or writing. No one is
more surprised by the success of the novel than James herself, who typed 50
Shades on her Blackberry during her commute to work.
Although
you shouldn’t break driving laws to write your book, James’ story shows that no
matter how busy you are, there is time that could be spent writing your
book. She also shows that starting late
in life after leading a fairly normal, less-than-notable lifestyle in an ordinary
job does not disqualify you from becoming an author. There is no reason to allow your age, job,
background, or time schedule to hold you back from writing the next bestseller.
5.
Get
involved with your research. James’ husband, Niall Leonard, has famously
complained about growing tired of the “experimentalism” that she used for her
research. Although James’ research is
far different from the kind of research that you might do for your own book,
she proved one thing without a doubt: no amount of reading and fact-finding can
compare to first-hand research. James’
book resonates with readers because she lived her book and what her characters
would have gone through, enabling her to write 50 Shades in a
compelling, realistic, relatable, and accessible manner.
If
you’re writing a book about someone on safari, go on a safari yourself, rather
than reading about people who did. If
you’re writing a book about New York high society, visit the famed watering
holes and restaurants yourself so that you can describe the ambience and total
sensory experience in exact detail, rather than relying on the Zagat guide for
insight into the world in which your characters exist.
James is not the
first self-published author to experience tremendous success, nor will she be
the last. By analyzing what made James a
success and how to make it work for you, your book may be the next
international sensation.
