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April 2, 2008

Personal Survival Stories: Saying “damn it all” and tuning out the “no” noise

ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 11:04 am

I met J.C. Hutchins at SxSW, but I’d heard of him weeks before that. His is a powerful story. So I was delighted to meet him and to have a chance to talk with him about how he made his success happen on his own.

J.C. choose a path that the big publishers said wouldn’t work. He took it anyway and won. I’ve asked him to tell his story. This is Part 1 in a two part series.

The power of survival stories, saying “damn it all” and tuning out the “no” noise

by J.C. Hutchins

Stories of survival capture our imaginations like no other.

We’re awestruck by the life-and-death struggles seen in man versus nature tales (such as “Into Thin Air”). We’re smitten by the stories of underdogs overcoming insurmountable odds (”Star Wars”). Equally captivating are tales of forbidden romances that thrive, despite the establishment’s protests (”Romeo and Juliet”). A great many of us are fascinated by nature documentaries, too: primal survival, right there on your TV screen.

Why do we love these stories? It makes for great drama, no doubt. But I have my own pet theory: Survival equals success. And in a world where the odds are often stacked against us in nearly every endeavor we pursue — be it in business, love, parenting or personal relationships — we hunger for that, for victories. (”To Do” lists rock for this very reason.) The world is programmed to tell us “no.” Every day, we scrap and scratch to make it say “yes.” Even with our creature comforts, we are all walking, talking tales of survival.

Since you’re a reader of this blog, you know that Liz regularly provides insights on how to transform your blog or business into a more successful one — how to turn little “yeses” into bigger ones. But I’d like to share a lesson I’ve learned during my two years as a podcaster and blogger. It’s the lesson of “Damn It All,” of tuning out the noise of “no,” and taking the greatest gamble in your personal tale of survival: making the leap of faith in yourself, and your work.

In 2005, I completed a thriller novel of epic length titled “7th Son.” It took me three years to write and edit the 1,300-page manuscript … and a year of hearing dozens of no’s from literary agents to realize that my novel, as clever as I thought it may be, wasn’t going to get published. It was too long. Its mashup of genres (present-day thriller, science-fiction, human cloning, government conspiracies) wasn’t marketable. My aspirations of being on bookshelves was DOA, baby. “7th Son” was deader than disco.

And yet, I’d seen podcasting blossom that year, and keenly observed the word of mouth success of three novelists (most notably Scott Sigler, http://scottsigler.com whose novel “Infected” will be in bookstores everywhere this April). These writers were releasing their independent books as free serialized audio podcasts. In 2006, I realized that if I couldn’t sell my novel, I could share it in a similar way. I’d let people — not the publishing establishment — decide if the work was a good read or not.

I wanted my book to survive.

Thanks to that decision and a great deal of zero-budget social media marketing, my free “7th Son” podcast audiobook now has nearly 40,000 listeners worldwide. Next year, the first book in the “7th Son” trilogy (I chopped my monstrously-long manuscript into thirds for podcast release) will be published by St. Martin’s Press. I’m currently writing the debut novel in a new thriller series, which will also debut next year from St. Martin’s Press.

I’m no braggart, and I don’t intend my story to be a shill-fest for my work. Rather, view it the recollection of a guy who got so sick of hearing the word “no” — and was so convinced that his work deserved a chance to be enjoyed — that he said Damn It All and did whatever he could so see it soar.

Which brings us to back to your personal tale of survival and success. What are your great ideas? I’d love to hear them in the comments.

——
Thanks, J.C.! Your story still inspires me. Tomorrow, in Part 2, “Your Personal Tale of Survival — and Success,” J.C. offers a few words on how to do what he did.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
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16 Comments to “Personal Survival Stories: Saying “damn it all” and tuning out the “no” noise”

  1. April 2nd, 2008 at 11:48 am
    joshua said

    wow, its amazing and interesting.

  2. April 2nd, 2008 at 11:51 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Yeah! J.C. is one amazing and interesting guy!

  3. April 2nd, 2008 at 12:08 pm
    Mary Ward said

    I have a few ideas from time to time, but not the time to see them through (yes, THAT old song and dance!), which I know is more of a prioritizatoin matter than reality. This year I’m working on striking more balance in my working hours so that I can focus on some projects that won’t pay any time soon but that I really want to be doing. I think this relates to what you did, J.C., because to do that you have to have a faith that it will pay off in one way or another one day to justify the sacrifice. I think few of us are as a brave as you, and few of us are secure eneough to know that we can make it happen the way you did.

    Opinions?

  4. April 2nd, 2008 at 3:28 pm
    Mike DeWitt said

    I must say; I’m inspired. Wow!

  5. April 2nd, 2008 at 5:15 pm
    Joanna Young said

    I’m glad this story has a ’success’ happy ending - but it’s the determination, the damn it all, the act of defiance (yes! I like alliteration!) that connects with me here.

    The believe in the power of your own words.

    And that belief can move mountains.

    Can’t wait for part 2!

    Joanna

  6. April 2nd, 2008 at 9:00 pm
    Ria Kennedy said

    I’m not comfortable getting into the details, but my success story is being alive and going for my dreams.

    I already have gotten one, my beloved husband and dog, and now I’m going for my writing dreams. I know I’ve already won because I didn’t quit (and there were so many reasons to) and I won’t give up now, so it’s just a matter of time.

  7. April 2nd, 2008 at 9:42 pm
    jiglenn said

    J.C. Hutchins is one of those guys that proves hard work and strong belief in your self brings success. Keep ‘em coming jc.

  8. April 2nd, 2008 at 10:26 pm
    jen knoedl said

    i haven’t decided if the best thing to do (once you find your purpose) is to keep quiet about it or SHOUT it from the rooftops!

    ps: jc- did you tell everyone what you were going to do or quietly do it with the help of a few close supporters?

  9. April 2nd, 2008 at 10:48 pm
    Stephen Hopson said

    J.C.:

    Liz’s teaser post about how most of us are drawn to tales of overcoming adversity, namely a chorus of “nos” definitely got my attention. I read this post with great interest because I know what it’s like to be told no so many times, chiefly in aviation and business.

    I am thrilled to hear of your success and I certainly did not interpret your story as “bragging.” Not in the least.

    Your journey reminds me of a Christian fiction book called “The Shack” which started out as a self-published book and went on to sell rather briskly because of word of mouth. Just the other day I found it in a Barnes and Noble book. I had read it before that and loved it. It was truly a fabulous read.

    I love stories like yours because there is that sweet feeling of being vindicated after hearing so many “nos.” I couldn’t help but feel a sense of glee when I saw “The Shack” in the bookstores, probably to the consternation of many who originally turned it down, citing “lack of interest in the marketplace” or “the crowded marketplace.”

    Congratulations on your success and I most definitely look forward to the next part!

    I’d love to learn how you did it with podcasting and why you think it struck a chord with so many people. I think that’d be an interesting tale to revel in!

  10. April 3rd, 2008 at 10:07 am
    Kevin said

    The signal-to-noise ratio in the published marketplace is depressingly low. There are an awful lot of books on the shelves that cause me to wonder what the editors were thinking.

    I like to think of podcast literature as “beta tested”. It’s been out to an audience (who is somewhat more technically savvy than most) and they’ve given feedback on what does and does not work. Once it’s a proven commodity, the broader market takes an interest.

    Does make me wonder what the future holds as more and more writers realize that they can connect with an audience directly…without needing the approval of some corporate body.

  11. April 3rd, 2008 at 2:08 pm
    Your Personal Tale of Survival — and Success - Liz Strauss at Successful Blog - Thinking, writing, business ideas . . . You’re only a stranger once. said

    […] J.C. Hutchins told his personal tale of survival. Today I asked him to say a few words how we might use his model in our own […]

  12. April 3rd, 2008 at 11:06 pm
    J.C. Hutchins said

    Wow, thanks so much for the wonderful comments about my guest post!

    @Jen: Excellent question. As I wrote my novel, I relied on the encouragement of three or four close friends throughout the process; their cheers were invaluable. When I launched the podcast, I did indeed shout it from the roof for as long as I could to anyone who’d listen. :)

    @Stephen: Thank you! The implementation of the podcast is a story worthy of a novel itself (or at least several thousand words)! Ultimately, I think oral (and aural) storytelling is an intimate, engaging experience for listeners … particularly when the author himself is reading the work. Combine that with episodes that end on thrilling “cliffhangers,” and you’ve created a product that people can’t get enough of.

    @Kevin: I agree with you. I believe mainstream publishing will come to see what I (and others) are doing as a talent pool for major release potential. And YES, the power creators now have to circumvent the establishment, and create their own rules and audiences is a game-changer. Authors and other artists are beginning to finally understand the potential here. It’ll be a fascinating next 10 years!

  13. April 3rd, 2008 at 11:14 pm
    J.C. Hutchins said

    @Mary: Thanks for that. One man’s act of bravery is another man’s pigheadedness. In my case, I was to danged stubborn to let my book sit in a drawer; I wrote it to entertain people, and by gum, I wanted it share it. :)

    Launching any creative project without upfront compensation (like writing a book) is risky, but it’s a labor of love. I believe that as long as we love what we’re doing and are willing to take that short-term “hit” (i.e. time/money investment) because we believe in the work, then we all come out winners in the end, whether our project is considered successful or not in mainstream eyes. It’s not just the friends we make along the way — it’s the lessons we learn, which improve us as creators and people.

  14. April 4th, 2008 at 8:11 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi J.C.,
    Certainly the quality of your work propelled it forward, but it was your belief and your zeal that made it happen. You were the key element in the success. You didn’t look for an answer outside of you. You did it yourself.

    Congratulations from deep in my heart.

  15. April 4th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
    Writers! Thumb Your Nose at Naysayers said

    […] Strauss over at Successful Blog has a two parter that demonstrates the point. The first, The power of survival stories, saying “damn it all” and tuning out the “no” noise by J.C. Hutchins is the story of how Hutchins turned his long, long science fiction novel into a […]

  16. July 28th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
    Read, realize, and practice. | Astral Audio Experience said

    […] Personal Survival Stories: Saying “damn it all” and tuning out the “no” nois… Share and Enjoy: […]

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