Getting Noticed

From my observations, it has seemed that in order to create a buzz surrounding a book or to ensure a book a success, a debut author has to receive a huge sum of money as advance before publishing a book. But provided that the book has to be of really good quality.

This has happened to authors like Elizabeth Kostova, Diane Setterfield, Andrew Davidson, and more. The heavy publication has seems the only assured way to catapult the a debut author to the bestselling-author-dom.

A reader may have been appealed to such a book is beacuse it may seem that the success story of the author would also add to the story of the author's fiction. In this way, the reader can feel the excitement, the curiosity to read the story written by a successful author. It is as if the reader can also fantasize about being a successful author. This is turn creates another outlet for the reader to escape into.

The author may also be living a very lavish life or he/she may have experienced alot before writing a breakout fiction. This would enshroud the author's fiction more in mystery.

An unknown author from nowhere suddenly publishes to, huge advance, critical acclaim and good sales raises many question marks to a reader. The reader may have also wondered where the hell has the author come up with such a story?, who is this author?, where the hell is he from?, what is he doing right now? wirting another book? etc. etc. In other words, the author's life should be a mystery itself to us, the readers.. :)

A Portal To An Imaginary World

Can you guess it? What's a portal? A teleporting portal like in science fiction?

Well, I know that for people who are departing from this world, their souls would usually leave this world through a portal. A portal to a world of unknown to us. A world that belongs to the departed souls. The word "departed" is actually an Irish term that refers to someone who has passed away. I learned the meaning of this word from the movie "departed" itself. The movie is of course directed by Martin Scorsese. A Hollywood remake of Infernal Affairs movie of Lau & Mak's. Do you believe such a portal exists? This is why vision of ghosts is always sighted at places like cemetery. It is believed that these so-called portals are usually disposed at these places such as the cemetery, to make "departing" easy. Sounds just like teleporting.. haha..

Ok ok.. I think I should stop pondering about topics that are morbid. Well, actually I'm referring to books again. It is actually my opinion that, books, too, are portals. But they are of a different type of portal. They are called "Portal To An Imaginary World". Haha.. Actually this name I created myself. Haha.. Come to think of it, it is actually quite true. Let me hypothesize.

However, not all books are portals. Non fiction, I mean the academic or scholarly books definitely do not fall under portal books. It has to be fiction and some other non fiction like memoir, autobiography, semi-autobiography, and etc. Also, not all portal books are effective portals. A portal book is a book that lets your imgaination runs wild, as if you are transported to the imaginary world. A fictitious world imagined by our mind. A world outside of the reality. If the portal book is really that effective, the imaginary world can be even as if someone's parallel world. The words when being read have to be as if faded away from the pages. What is left is only the imagination of the imaginary world that exists on the boudary of fiction.

In order that the portal book can create an effective imginary world to a reader, the author must write the book in such a way that the story when being read, would let the reader be truly engrossed,and deeply immersed into the story. It is as if the story is written in a similar manner like a building is constructed. Or more precisely, the story itself is written such that a labyrinth can exist within the words, in which the reader has to unlock the portal in order to enter the realm of the imaginary. As such, it is heavily dependent on the craftmanship of the author to design the labyrinth.

The story should be captivating enough. The story should relate to the time we are in. The book should be on everybody's radar at the right time and at the right place. The author must write the book with a plot, a setting, a theme, characters and a prose/style that construct the labyrinth in which the reader would be completely enticed into reading it. As if the book is calling their names. In the sleep and in the dream. The story should be captivating enough. The story should relate to the time we are in. The book should be on the readers' radar at the right time and at the right place.

Besides that, it also depends on the reader's personal experiences. Some stories may appeal to certain readers and some may not that much. The essential elements of a story, i.e. the plot, the characterization, the prose, the settings, and the theme, must also fit with each other in order to create the perfect labyrinth. Lack of attention to any one of them can affect the story. The labyrinth may not be immersive as one desires.

To end this post, I wish you so that you can encounter your portal of the dream imaginary world, and stumble into the perfect labyrinth to escape this so-called harsh mundane brutal little real world of ours..