Fiction Unboxed

How Two Authors Wrote and Published a Book in 30 Days, from Scratch, in Front of the World, The Smarter Artist 2

De: Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt

Narrado por: Simon Whistler

Part hero’s journey, part crash course in storytelling by the modern mavericks of indie publishing, and the bestselling authors of Write. Publish. Repeat., Fiction Unboxed offers something that’s never been offered before: a naked look into two writer’s process, as they wrote and published a book in 30 days, from scratch, in front of the world.

In 2013 Sean Platt & Johnny B. Truant wrote and published 1.5 million words (a Harry Potter series and a half worth of fiction). The next year they showed the world how they did it.

In May 2014, Johnny and Sean, along with their third partner David Wright, launched a Kickstarter campaign to see if their fans wanted to see how they wrote behind closed doors. They promised to start their newest project without knowing their story, characters, or even their genre, and publish the final draft before their 30 days were up. They promised to capture every email, every story meeting, and every word from every draft. They promised to show every molecule of their process, warts and all.

They had 30 days for their fans to green light the campaign. It fully funded in 11 hours. Fiction Unboxed is as revealing as it is inspiring, empowering readers and writers as much as it will entertain them. With actionable advice that will benefit any writer, this book is a true gem for anyone who loves a well told story.

©2014 Johnny B. Truant and Sean Platt (P)2014 Johnny B. Truant and Sean Platt

A peek behind the curtain of an insane undertaking

What made the experience of listening to Fiction Unboxed the most enjoyable?

The narration was easy to listen to, and even though he wasn't the one who wrote the book, I felt the personality of the writers come through. And obviously, the story. Though I backed this kickstarter and followed a long day to day with the videos and draft pages, I still got a lot out of the book. Reflections, anecdotes and advice that wasn't present during the initial experience.

Who was your favorite character and why?

There weren't any "characters," but Johnny's delivery was entertaining.

What does Simon Whistler bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

A British accent. Hah! But in all seriousness, he's easy to listen to and read in a very conversational tone that allowed Johnny's "voice" to seep through.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

Really enjoyed it. And for those who participated in the kickstarter and think there is nothing to be gained by listening or reading this, you'd be wrong.

Yup. That's how it all went down!

This narrative of the events that happens during fiction unboxed in the summer of 2014 was great! It was full of perspective and explanation, but not too much filler, which was fantastic. Johnny was entertaining as always, even in an autobiographical sense, and Simon Whistler brought it to life beautifully. Highly recommended!

An interesting case study, but a bit pretentious

Would you listen to Fiction Unboxed again? Why?

No. I feel like there was very little useful information in this book and that what little there was I already gleaned. Another listen is not warranted.

Would you be willing to try another book from Johnny B. Truant and Sean Platt ? Why or why not?

This is the second book of theirs I've listened to. The other one (Write. Publish. Repeat. was better).

What about Simon Whistler’s performance did you like?

His accent.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I would NEVER make this into a film.

Any additional comments?

DO NOT buy this book if you are looking for writing advice. This is a case study of a very specific set of circumstances. The authors never really present information that might be helpful to an individual writer (possibly for a team of three writers, like they are, but I wouldn't know.)

Frankly, they have enjoyed some success and it has turned their writing voice into that of total jerks. A little humility would go a long way with this pretentious team.

It was a little on the long winded side, but...

It was a little on the long winded side, but in the end I got out of it everything I had hoped to... Well, we'll know for sure if I ever publish a book. Good stuff, helps me feel I have a chance and has rebooted my enthusiasm.

Interesting and somewhat Enlightening

It is interesting to here about the book that was written and things they had to overcome. But what came through for me was the plod. Plod through your book. Start it and finish it with tons of imperfection because that is how you finish a book. I tend to edit as I write and I think I will fore go any editing until I am done. There is a lot more that I learned as well but that was my big take away.