In this episode of Sonitotum with Matthew Wayne Selznick, I reveal the details of a recent survey of my community of friends and fans -- the first one in seven years -- and evaluate what the results say about my creative brand, my audience, and the direction and intention behind my creative endeavors.

Anyone depending upon others for the success of their art (in other words, all creators) will benefit from the insights I acquired in this exercise. Give it a listen!

Links and Topics Mentioned In This Episode

The Shaper's World Cycle includes last year's LIGHT OF THE OUTSIDER, the novelette "The Perfumed Air at Kwaanantag Bay" released in April of 2021, and the forthcoming work in progress, my next novel, SHADOW OF THE OUTSIDER.

Garrett Morris created the fictional baseball character Chico Escuela and his catchphrase "Baseball... been berry berry goot to me..." Here's Garrett talking about the origin of the Saturday Night Live character.

Along with myself, a number of authors are listed as those survey respondents "always buy." Some, you've heard of. Some, you have not. You should check 'em out:

Scott Sigler

Chuck Wendig

Nathan Lowell

Paul E. Cooley

Chuck Palahniuk

David Sedaris

Patrick Rothfuss

Kevin Kelly's "1000 True Fans" essay is often quoted by indie creators, with good reason.

Scribtotum is my blog, where you'll find periodic, often-long form, in-depth articles and essays on living a healthy and successful creative writing life.

Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights: "How It All Got Started" is my free serial fiction offering to subscribers of my mailing list.

Here's the Big Plan.

What Did You Think About This Episode?

What are your thoughts?  Let's hear from you in the comments!