Reality Show Ideas For Writers

Today's post is one where I let my guard down and have fun. It's more of a whimsical, fun post than one of instruction or industry-related news. So, to give you fair warning, feel free to pass on reading this one and come back tomorrow if you're looking for good, solid book marketing advice. We have a top book marketer on tap as our guest tomorrow.

Before we get started, I invite you to visit our two books highlighted this week in our Sunday Kindle Book Giveaway. Read about Faithful Deceptions By Melissa Ohnoutka and Children of Dreams By Lorilyn Roberts. When you're done, leave a comment to be in the running for the drawing to receive a free Kindle copy of the book from the author.

Now, on to some ideas for reality shows featuring writers...

I love reality shows. I don't know why, or whether that drops me down a notch or two in your mind, but I do. These ideas are more for fun, and even to make fun of the genre, so take them with a grain of salt. I put the inspiration for the show in parenthesis. Here we go:

1. Worst Writers In America (Worst Cooks In America)- Two teams of some of the worst writers are chosen by two award winning authors. Their job: whip these literary hopefuls into an author who will garner a great review by nationally renown book reviewers. Each week, contestants are given a literary challenge and one poor writer is eliminated from competition. In the finale, two authors will square off with the one who has the most stars from a panel of reviewers walking away the winner and have his or her piece published in a top magazine.

2. Gold Rush: Magazine (Gold Rush: Alaska)- In this challenge, a team of writers join forces to create a magazine and find enough subscribers to walk away with a profit. We'll follow the progress from the decisions of which equipments to invest in and which services to outsource. Will they be able to choose a format that appeals to the public and will they be able to do it at a price that pays for their investment? The drama will heat up and tempers will flair as people will have their input voted down until it culminates in the final launch of the magazine. In the end, cash flow will determine if this group of writers strike gold.

3. Manuscript Hunters (Auction Hunters)- In this reality show, two agents team up to travel the internet to discover new talent. Each week, they bid to acquire unpublished or self-published manuscripts with the hope of finding the diamond in the rough. In the end, we see if their investment is covered by the price they can get from publishers for the pieces they bid on.

4. Rejection Games (Repo Games)- In this show, writers who had their manuscripts rejected for publication are approached by an editor. If they can answer 3 of the 5 literary trivia questions, the editor will publish their work. If not, the rejection stands.

5. Publishing's Most Wanted (America's Most Wanted)- In this show, an industry watchdog profiles publishing companies, PODs, and agents who scam writers out of their money. Rewards are offered for cases that lead to the conviction of these literary predators.

Well, that's it for these literary reality show ideas. They were offered tongue-in-cheek while paying homage to some of the shows that I really do like to watch. I hope the post brought a smile to your face. Tomorrow, we'll get back to the serious side of Marketing Tips For Authors.



  













--------
Tony Eldridge is the author of The Samson Effect, an action/adventure novel that Clive Cussler calls a "first rate thriller brimming with intrigue and adventure." He is also the author of the Twitter marketing book, Conducting Effective Twitter Contests. His new novel, The Lottery Ticket, was just recently released on Kindle.