Open-source authors expose their book-writing process

Let me start out by explaining that this post would have been more relevant in May 2014, since the Fiction Unboxed project is already over. However, I want to talk about it anyway, and you can still join and have the full experience, just not live. The general premise behind Fiction Unboxed is simple: watch two authors write a book from start to finish in 30 days, literally. They shared everything with their viewers, every story meeting, every email, every draft and every edit – the full process.

I have been a big fan of the three guys behind Fiction Unboxed for years – Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt and David Wright (although David is not directly involved in Fiction Unboxed, he does attend many of the meetings.) Before the project started, I knew nothing about the process of writing a book, and have little interest in writing one of my own. However, I am a huge supporter of open-information, so I jumped at the opportunity to join them on this journey.

There is so much to learn by sharing information! We have all become so paranoid that someone will steal our ideas, that we hang a shroud of secrecy on meetings, emails and discussions, but is it necessary? Here are two authors who want to build an ecosystem where other authors can join their world, write their own stories, and share in the marketing success. I think it is safe to say that most authors would cringe at the thought of posting a day-by-day draft of their book online – what if someone steals it?

Even though the project has ended, whether it was successful or not won’t be known until more of the world gets built by other authors, and if a community forms. However, we know already that their Kickstarter project alone raised nearly $70k, which sounds like success to me. I look forward to future updates from the Fiction Unboxed team about the project’s success, and hope this idea catches on with other indie authors.

Think about what you could share with your community about your day-to-day operations. Your customers would have a greater appreciation for your hard work; prospects could look into your mind before pulling the trigger on a new project; future employees would flock to your innovation. Does it all need to be kept so secret?