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Teasers

oldegrump ๐Ÿšซ

I just read a story by Switch Blade 'Last Kiss'. It was and is a teaser for Bookapy.

I have seen stories removed for being teasers. Bookapy should be no different. End of Rant

Keet ๐Ÿšซ

@oldegrump

I just read a story by Switch Blade 'Last Kiss'. It was and is a teaser for Bookapy.

It's up to Lazeez to decide what is and what is not.
For me it's not a teaser, it's an avoidance beacon. If the full story was here on SOL and I liked it there's a good chance I would have bought it from Bookapy. But now there's this avoidance beacon...

Ernest Bywater ๐Ÿšซ

@oldegrump

did you mark it for bringing it to Lazeez' attention?

Switch Blayde ๐Ÿšซ

@oldegrump

I just read a story by Switch Blade 'Last Kiss'. It was and is a teaser for Bookapy.

I wrote the short story years before the novel. It's not a teaser. The novel is similar, but quite different.

The short story was written for a writing contest on wattpad. It received an almost perfect score from the judges. But readers wanted more. My answer was simply, the story was complete.

So I decided to expand the idea to a full-length novel, which I did. The novel does not start where the short story ends. It's not even the same story. It's a similar story with the same main characters and same main premise.

The short story is a YA romance novel with a twist. The novel is a Mystery/Romance.

At the end of my short story "The Preacher's Wife" I have a reference to the novel "Sexual Awakening" on Bookapy. Different characters. Different story. But they have similar themes. What I say at the end of "The Preacher's Wife" is that the novel "Sexual Awakening" was inspired by it. I figure that someone who likes "The Preacher's Wife" would also like "Sexual Awakening." Is that a teaser?

Are all my short stories teasers because if you like them you might buy one of my novels?

A teaser is when the reader has to buy a story to complete it. To find out what happens. The "Last Kiss" short story is a complete story. The readers on wattpad wanted to know what happened to the main characters after the story ended. The novel doesn't go into that any more than the short story does.

I've been posting my novel "High School Massacre" on SOL a chapter or so a week. Those who don't want to wait for it all to be posted bought the novel. Is it a teaser? It would be if I don't post all the chapters, but I will.

Replies:   Keet  oldegrump
Keet ๐Ÿšซ

@Switch Blayde

You might consider not using the same story title. I think that is the main reason it is considered a teaser. Like "Read the short story and get an appetite for the novel, but you have to buy that". If they are different stories than don't use the same title because that smells like a teaser.

Switch Blayde ๐Ÿšซ

@Keet

You might consider not using the same story title.

The title is the song "Last Kiss." The contest had me write a short story based on a song. They assigned me the song "Last Kiss." So anyone reading the short story or novel are told it's based on the song with the same name.

Vincent Berg ๐Ÿšซ

@Keet

You might consider not using the same story title.

That's pretty much a no-brainer, dude! You NEVER write two stories with the same title, unless you clearly identify them as 'alternatives', otherwise no one will be able to find the story they're looking for, and it's normally difficult for readers to find an authors work to begin with. Making it confused is simply a dumb move!

oldegrump ๐Ÿšซ

@Switch Blayde

I accept the explanation. I must just be an Old Grump

Replies:   Vincent Berg
Vincent Berg ๐Ÿšซ

@oldegrump

I accept the explanation. I must just be an Old Grump

That standard in publishing is that anything other than typo corrections is handled by publishing the work under a new title, rather than trying to republish an older book.

Again, this is mostly for branding purposes, and it also gives you an opportunity to 'relaunch' a less-than-successful book with new graphics and either extra or fewer chapters. But the key is, if you change the title, you need a brand new ISBN.

Replies:   Switch Blayde
Switch Blayde ๐Ÿšซ

@Vincent Berg

That standard in publishing is that anything other than typo corrections is handled by publishing the work under a new title,

I didn't respond to your other post, the "no brainer" one, but one is a short story and one is a full-length novel. What you're saying is that the book "The Godfather" and the movie "The Godfather" should have different names because having the same name could confuse someone when they want to buy the novel or movie.

Replies:   Keet
Keet ๐Ÿšซ

@Switch Blayde

What you're saying is that the book "The Godfather" and the movie "The Godfather" should have different names because having the same name could confuse someone when they want to buy the novel or movie.

Book vs. movie, different media. Publishing a short story and a long story with the same title is confusing and bad practice, independent of the fact that it points to a song title in the story.

awnlee jawking ๐Ÿšซ

@Keet

And not identically authored, because the screenplay was co-authored by Francis Ford Coppola.

Were the book and movie ostensibly similar?

AJ

Replies:   Switch Blayde
Switch Blayde ๐Ÿšซ

@awnlee jawking

Were the book and movie ostensibly similar?

Very.

But there was one part in the book that wasn't in the movie that I was sorry was left out. When Michael got even at the end and had all those people killed, the movie left out one that Michael did himself in the book.

In the book, the guy in Italy who blew up the car that killed Michael's wife had a tattoo on his chest of a butterfly. When Michael was having all those people killed in the book, he personally went to a pizza place where the owner had a butterfly tattoo on his chest. He was the guy who killed Michael's wife. Michael killed him.

Replies:   Keet
Keet ๐Ÿšซ

@Switch Blayde

But there was one part in the book that wasn't in the movie that I was sorry was left out.

That happens with nearly all movies based on books. You can write a lot more in a single novel than you can show in a 90 minute movie. I was really disappointed that the Tom Bombadil scene was not in the The Lord of the Rings movies. A lot more was left out, even with multiple long movies although the general story line was followed correctly and the movies were well made.

Replies:   Switch Blayde
Switch Blayde ๐Ÿšซ
Updated:

@Keet

You can write a lot more in a single novel than you can show in a 90 minute movie

"The Godfather" is a three hour movie. But for someone who likes "get even" stories, that was a great "get even" scene in the book that was left out of the movie.

helmut_meukel ๐Ÿšซ

@Keet

What you're saying is that the book "The Godfather" and the movie "The Godfather" should have different names because having the same name could confuse someone when they want to buy the novel or movie.

Book vs. movie, different media.

Hmm, even for different media, I expected at least some similarity when I payed for the movie 'Starship Troopers' after I had read the book already three times.

HM.

Replies:   Keet  Dominions Son
Keet ๐Ÿšซ

@helmut_meukel

Hmm, even for different media, I expected at least some similarity when I payed for the movie 'Starship Troopers' after I had read the book already three times.

If the movie is based upon the book you should have something 'reasonably similar' to the book. Some movies do this quite well, others are a disaster and completely ruin the story. If they have the same title and claim to be based upon the book, the movie MUST be a good representation of the story otherwise I would call it a scam.

Dominions Son ๐Ÿšซ

@helmut_meukel

I expected at least some similarity when I payed for the movie 'Starship Troopers' after I had read the book already three times.

That's a different case.

The movie started as a screen play titled Bug Hunt at Outpost 9.

Someone involved in the production spoke up and said it might infringe the copyright for Starship Troopers.

So they went and got a license for Starship Troopers.

Then they changed directors and the new director turned the whole project into a mashup of Starship Troopers and Bug Hunt at Outpost 9

Vincent Berg ๐Ÿšซ

@Keet

Book vs. movie, different media. Publishing a short story and a long story with the same title is confusing and bad practice, independent of the fact that it points to a song title in the story.

I couldn't agree more, which was the basis for my original 'no brainer' comment.

Switch, as an alternative, just modify the existing title, say A Longer Last Kiss, possibly A Fleeting Last Kiss, or my favorite, A Fleeting, Lingering Last Kiss, as it provides a paradoxical oxymoron (fleeting in time, but lingering in one's memory).

However, the #1 rule of branding is "picking something unique", and "Last Kiss" is anything but, as there are probably hundreds of "Last Kiss" books, songs, movies, etc. This is where a little SEO (Search Engine Optimization) knowledge comes in handy.

Replies:   Switch Blayde
Switch Blayde ๐Ÿšซ

@Vincent Berg

However, the #1 rule of branding is "picking something unique", and "Last Kiss" is anything but, as there are probably hundreds of "Last Kiss" books, songs, movies, etc

I can't agree with that more. I learned that when I published "Last Kiss" and did a search on the title on Amazon after it was published. There are so many titles like it or almost like it.

But titles with "last kiss" in it also came up before mine even though that wasn't the exact title. For example, "The Kiss" currently shows before mine. As does "Just One More Kiss."

And even when you restrict the search to "books," something like "This One Last Palmer's Kiss" comes up near the top.

So it's not only choosing a unique title.

Switch Blayde ๐Ÿšซ

@Keet

Book vs. movie, different media

Short story vs. novel, different media. Short story on SOL; novel on Bookapy.

Replies:   awnlee jawking
awnlee jawking ๐Ÿšซ

@Switch Blayde

So you can still write a flash story, a novella and a saga of that title without confusing anyone ;-)

AJ

Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)
Updated:

@oldegrump

It's a different story. It's not a teaser. The part on SOL is complete and has been complete since 2013. That doesn't fit the definition of a teaser. A teaser is an incomplete story that compels the reader to find the end somewhere else.

Yes, it does have an ad to Bookapy at its end. That's an ad for a different story.

Being the owner of both Bookapy and SOL puts me in a conflict of interest in this situation, however, even with my conflict of interest, this doesn't fit the definition of a teaser.

In the promotion rules on SOL, stories posted on SOL must be completed within reasonable time even if they are being sold on Bookapy.

Book Sales: Any promotional links or text to sell your complete books are allowed only if they point to our book shop Bookapy.com. Progress must be made at least weekly until the work is complete on Storiesonline. You authorize WLPC to complete the posting on Storiesonline in case you are unable to do it yourself.

So if a book is on Bookapy, and promoted on SOL, the author must post the whole thing on SOL within reasonable time or we'll post it for him.

Replies:   CB  Dinsdale
CB ๐Ÿšซ

@Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

What about stories that became a series on SOL and then later episodes were only available on Bookapy or big Z? They are all episodic. I've read the early ones but can't read the follow on ones without paying. Are we just screwed?

Replies:   Grey Wolf  LOAnnie
Grey Wolf ๐Ÿšซ

@CB

I see this as always and inevitably a gray area. I've completed my first book on SoL, so that one's done. I'm currently posting my second book, and that one I need to complete here if I post it elsewhere (don't worry, it'll be completed).

But, at any point, I could declared that e.g. Book 3 and on will only be on service X. The previous stories are 'complete', so I can do that. But the story really isn't complete; those characters will keep on doing things, and that also makes Book 1 (and 2) 'teasers' if I were to put 3+ somewhere else, notwithstanding that I've met all of the rules.

While Book 1 clearly ends, no question, I could arbitrarily have ended it at any of a number of solid plot-based points before or after I did. I could also end Book 2 right about where it is now and claim 'well, that's the book, time for Book 3'. I might get a lot of negative feedback, but there's no rule against it.

Mind you, I have zero intention of doing this. Barring something major and unforeseen, the story in its entirety will be completed on SOL. But, yes, there are plenty of ways of using SOL as a teaser for a series, and there's no real fix for that. Lazeez could declare that any story within a series has to be posted on SOL, once any part of it is, but the practical effect would either be to keep some authors from posting at all, or trigger fights over what counts as a 'series'.

LOAnnie ๐Ÿšซ

@CB

Were the stories you read complete stories? I think that's the biggest thing, having complete stories. If someone wrote a story, then decided to sell the sequel it's not so much a teaser in that definition

Dinsdale ๐Ÿšซ

@Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

Yes, it does have an ad to Bookapy at its end. That's an ad for a different story.

So I looked at the story and the ad says

The full-length novel inspired by this short story. It's sort of the same, but quite different. A romance-mystery.

Now, I don't know if that is what the ad looked like three days ago but that would be clear enough for me.

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