Orson Scott Card On Building An Audience
We share advice from American novelist, Orson Scott Card on building an audience.
Orson Scott Card (born 24 August 1951) is an American author, critic, essayist, columnist, and public speaker.
He is best known for his science fiction, particularly Ender’s Game, and its sequel, Speaker for the Dead. Both novels won the Hugo and Nebula Awards. His other work includes the young adult Pathfinder series and the fantasy Mither Mages series.
Card has also written two popular books on creative writing, Characters & Viewpoint, and How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy. He has taught English at Southern Virginia University and is known for offering practical, accessible advice to writers.
We found a useful interview with Card in Writer’s Digest and wanted to share his advice on how writers can build an audience.
Orson Scott Card On Building An Audience
‘Write stories you care about and believe in. Chances are that there are other people who believe in and care about the same kinds of stories — as long as you’re writing them clearly enough that they realise that’s what they’re getting.
Word of mouth is still the only effective means of spreading the word, but having the right cover displayed prominently in the bookstores can also give your book a readership jolt.
But the truth is, the only way to build an audience is to keep writing books and getting them published. Book 1 is not a career, it’s not even the start of a career, it’s just the first foot in the door. If your writing is good, and you’re telling good stories, each book builds on the success of the previous ones and your audience grows across time.
Encourage your readers to lend your books any chance they get. I’ve heard of writers who actually get angry at people who borrow books instead of buying them, but those writers are boneheads. A lent book can bring you a lifelong reader. They may not have bought that copy of your book, but if they like what you write, they’ll buy later ones!’
Read the full interview here: Writer’s Digest
by Amanda Patterson
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