Earning money as a writer: selling of a characater

[Sesselja]

Jason Johnson is opening an auction where the highest bidder get to be a character in his next novel: www.beinmybook.co.uk

It's also mentioned in the Guardian's book section: books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,,1885033,00.html

[ChaosTitan]

Some of the better known Star Trek tie-in novel authors have done this, auctioning off a bit role in their next book. Of course, the money they earned for it went to SFWA.

[Gillhoughly]

One of my co-writers and I did that.

We auctioned the chance to have characters in our next book to be named after the high bidders.

Five people won and we raised a nice chunk of change for a major charity, not our own poor selves.

Earning enough money to live on while writing is why one keeps that pesky day job.

Believe me, I thought of doing such an auction to get some much needed gelt, but it left a bad taste in my mind.

By the time I'd finished the webpage it was to go on I imagined how my friends might react, factoring in just how little traffic actually comes to my website in a month. If you're a best selling writer you probably don't need the money, and if you're not, then you won't raise enough money to cover expenses.

The whole scheme would have been a terrible embarrassment. It's wonderful that readers shell out their hard earned money to just buy my books. I'm grateful. How could I ask them to send me more of their own hard-earned cash just because I use my WIP as an excuse not to get a job?

Once I deleted the page I felt better and the gods eventually favored me with a day job that I actually like.

I still auction stuff, but it ALWAYS goes to a charity.

[Elektra]

Sophie Kinsella did something like this on her website--it was just a raffle, no money involved, and the winner gets a boutique named after them in the next Shopaholic book.

[Gillhoughly]

Ugh. After reading that I'd NEVER want to be in any book he wrote. He seems to have a fine contempt for his readers, but I'll give the benefit of a doubt that the reporter might have slanted things in that direction.

On the other hand, maybe he IS a lazy git.

"Financial security???" What a bloody larf!

[Lyra Jean]

Didn't King do this in his book "The Cell?" He also said that if you are or wanted a female character then she would die.

[beezle]

I'd make a pretty bloody boring character. I think I'll just hang onto my money for now.

[badducky]

I do think it would be interesting to construct a novel based solely around volunteers who sit down and talk with you and tell you about their lives.

Then, you as a writer can weave them into some kind of thriller...

Of course, that's also called "having friends and family", and we usually change names to keep our friends and family.

[emeraldcite]

Didn't King do this in his book "The Cell?" He also said that if you are or wanted a female character then she would die.

Yes. He and a bunch of other well-known writers did this for charity. I think it's the First Amendment Project (or something similarly named) and they are doing it again with a number of authors...

[PeeDee]

And because it's for an astonishingly good cause, you should go do it. (http://www.thefirstamendment.org/auction-06.html)

I wanted to; you could be character in Cell, or a cruise ship in Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys (the Squeak Attack) or something in a Lemony Snicket book.

Did I mention it's for a good cause? The best cause, right up there with the CBLDF? G'wan. Do it.