Agile Novel Development

[loopy777]

In a previous journal entry, I described a model for selling a story idea that someone else could turn into a book or comic. I had hoped to refine it into a functional (theoretically functional, at least) sales method, but it seems that I was trying to build on a shaky foundation. Commenters took the position that most artists prefer to work as

Comments

[ljlee]

I love this idea! I like how the model provides ways to leverage people's strengths in complementary ways. I've been thinking recently about why I'm so drawn to fanfic, and reached the conclusion that I like being in a community and responding to others' ideas better than coming up with and working on something all alone. Not that I don't have ideas for original fiction--who doesn't?--but I don't have the energy, discipline, or time at this time in my life to do the requisite work to develop any of these ideas, all for very uncertain results. It occurs to me agile publishing could be a great way for more collaborative, less egotistic creative types who hold day jobs to bring their output to market. Of course it's still going to be a lot of work, but I suspect it'll be easier for certain types of artists than slogging it alone. And yes, creative types often need all the help they can get in the business department, lol

[loopy777]

One aspect of Agile I forgot to mention might mitigate disagreements. The two-or-three week working periods are called "sprints," and every project begins with a Sprint Zero where everything is planned together with the whole team, and that Sprint doesn't end until everyone "buys in." So if a detailed plot outline is constructed there, it should hopefully minimize creative differences that pop up later. And if someone desires changes later, that would call for another buy-in from everyone, along with a new period of planning to figure out everything that needs to be changed and what this means for the future work

[ljlee]

It looks like funding and the option to leave are interrelated issues. The salary model would be possible if there were some seed money or a backer/employer, but for those who just start this up garage-band style the bulk of any money outlays is going to be in the form of investments (say, a computer or office space), not cash flow. Which is going to make intractable differences very tricky indeed

[loopy777]

Hey, I'm an engineer. I definitely understand the necessity of pondering the worst-case. XD

The more I think about it, the more I wonder if the industry that hasn't already done the field-testing on this kind of thing isn't the music industry with bands. That's creative output, heavily monetized, with a long history of creative differences and breakups. The Beatles, for example, must have figured all of this out for us if they're still all (who are alive) making money ofc their 60's music. I'll have to do some research into that, though, as I can't even name the members of the Beatles, never mind talk about ownership and profit-sharing of their music.