Addendum

Should the separate games be kept to separate decks or mixed together? Asking that is to ask whether one has a coward's heart or one that beats with courage.

The Future of Trading Card Games

A trading card game that's a crossover of all trading card games so that every trading card game is an advertisement for every other trading card game, multiplying the audience of trading card games outrageously.

Borrowing Successful Ideas

Nowadays all the Youtubers put up a video with one title and thumbnail then change it later to trick more people into watching. This has been done also with the Wheel of Time. Isn't it time for this technique to propagate across the sequential-word industry?

On the Reveal of Total War: Warhammer 40k

"In the grim dark future, there is total war." Fellas, it was right there and you didn't say it. You just left it on the ground like a dropped paintbrush.

Culture's Finite Advance

"Why doesn't anyone visit my museum ships?" The man paced around the room, a significant undertaking given its size.
"They're stupid," someone remarked from a couch.
"Why doesn't anyone visit my museum ships? They are an everlasting archive of human achievement. The entire internet year by year preserved in a series of annual superfreighters stationed beyond orbit so that they can also be reached without being touched by any contaminating updates. My private platform offers a free shuttle service, so it can't be the cost, which is what it usually comes down to. Why doesn't anyone visit my museum ships?"
The earlier speaker shrugged. His analysis had not changed, and his employer did not require flattery, obsequiousness, or false hopes.
Therefore it was in all sincerity that another in the room offered a suggestion. "Advertise more?"
"I put it all over every journal of note, every journal not of note, every public libraryr, university, college, community college . . . You did see to that, didn't you?" A thumb rose above the couch. "There, you see?"
"Maybe more, um, popularly oriented advertising? With logos and taglines and celebrities. 'In space, you finally can has cheezburger.' That sort of thing."
"We can try," the pacer allowed.
Within a month, half the population of Earth had migrated to space colonies to shorten the trip to the museum fleet while half the contemporary internet's pages became abandoned for lack of interest.
Finis

But Once a Year

"Gentlemen! Our unprecedented new advertising campaign." The executive pressed a button on the table. An image appeared behind him of an orbital platform which, even as they watched, began ejecting payloads. "Within one hour, we will have delivered a complimentary bar of soap and a coupon to every household on the planet."
Amid the clapping, one junior executive said, "Now that's what I call a merry Christmas!"
"How so?"
"Well, because it's almost Christmas and we're delivering presents like Santa."
"You mean this has already been done? Why didn't anyone tell me? This is a debacle! Stop the launches!"
It was too late. Christmas had already come.
Finis

Psychology and Cover Design

If your book's cover shows a bunch of people reading your book, everyone else will want to read it too. Think about it.

We Need Dramatic Fantasy

I don't know what that means, but I don't know what it meant when Super Robot Wars was advertised as a Dramatic Simulation either. I think it's that characters talk during the stage sometimes.

About a Magic: The Gathering TV Show

They should make one, but those cowards would have it take place within the Magic fiction like losers instead of making it be about people playing Magic.

Addendum

"Lord CHUMPSANY is at the bookstore again to buy an elf book . . . He doesn't know about [YOURBOOK]!!!" The lady at the counter looks bored and has a thought balloon saying, "I hope that guy who bought [YOURBOOK] comes back next month." Meanwhile, there's a swirly arrow pointing toward the guy's crotch and in crayon there's a message: "Looks like these tights aren't hiding much!"

Everyone Knows This but Nobody Does Anything About It

Novels won't become truly popular until they have a bunch of magazine ads that insult the reader and have people wearing sunglasses. Other authors and publishers must also be assaulted. The clumsier the innuendo the better.

An Unrelated Note

I just finished A Link Between Worlds for the first time, and I didn't get the best armor or all the heart containers. Ask me anything. Wait, don't bother. I am prepared to confirm at this time I've been down with Zelda from the very start, but I do not in fact have the smarts to play the part.

Addendum

Maybe you should just do porn instead. Probably pays better.

Success in Marketing

Don't forget to have a bunch of porn made of your series before you publish it. And memes. And a wiki.

Big Decisions

Suppose I'm going to grab stuff straight out of mythology. Do I change the names or not? Familiarity might increase interest, but maybe it will seem old and creaky like Star Wars. One option is to compromise by making their middle names the same, but having Benjamin Orpheus McFadden explain that his parents were a musician and a Greek language professor will not come off as being as clever as the writer would hope.

A Little Shutdown Humor

"I thought you said Crossing Noid!"

The Problem With Fantasy Today

Are those personality quizzes like what house you would be in or what element you would be still around? Those were great advertising.

Marketing Corner

Bad title: Triangle Strategy
Better title: Final Fantasy Tactics: Scales of Conviction
Best title: Final Fantasy: My Life as a Feudal Lord

Worldbuilding Tips

The first thing everybody wants to know about a futuristic milieu is what kind of ads they have. Celebrity endorsements? Regular people like you and me? A guy in a lab coat explaining the scientific properties that make one product the best? Don't try to tell us there aren't ads. Don't try it.

Adaptation Q&A

Q. Why did you leave out important scenes from the source material?
A. Time constraints demand that we make cuts. You don't expect us to cram the whole thing in, do you?
Q. Why did you introduce subplots not in the source material?
A. We had to have something happen, since we cut all that stuff.
Q. Why did you change dialogue to something that takes the same amount of time to say?
A. We received a lot of feedback from people who as far as you know are fans just like you even though they insult fans every chance they get that their wives or girlfriends who don't read fantasy, which they all have for some reason, prefer the new version despite having no familiarity with the old version by their own admission.
Q. I've seen that and a couple other arguments so often, I'm starting to think maybe your marketing department paid people to say them.
A. Moderators! Ban this rabble-rouser.