BashCrandiboot's recent activity
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Comment on Recipes for chicken thighs in ~food
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Comment on How do I fix my (stupid) use of excessive punctuation? in ~humanities.languages
BashCrandiboot Link ParentThank you for the wisdom drop. I'm more of an exclamation mark guy anyway; I did marry one after all!Thank you for the wisdom drop. I'm more of an exclamation mark guy anyway; I did marry one after all!
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Comment on How do I fix my (stupid) use of excessive punctuation? in ~humanities.languages
BashCrandiboot Link ParentThe semi-colon is the punctuation equivalent of a having a huge crush but you know they're way out of your league so you never shoot your shot.The semi-colon is the punctuation equivalent of a having a huge crush but you know they're way out of your league so you never shoot your shot.
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Comment on NFL draft pool shrinks as NIL money entices more players to stay in school in ~sports.american_football
BashCrandiboot Link ParentMy wife and were just discussing a similar topic. She cited how Kaitlyn Clark just signed with a team for like $300k, but then inked a deal with Nike for something in the realm of $5mil. I agree...My wife and were just discussing a similar topic. She cited how Kaitlyn Clark just signed with a team for like $300k, but then inked a deal with Nike for something in the realm of $5mil.
I agree with your point that there will be diminished returns with these deals. A player can only capitalize on them for as long as they are relevant to the zeitgeist. I think players have a better chance of prolonging that period by moving up to the professional leagues. And the powers inking these deals have a greater vested interest in finding the next deal, not maximizing the length of their current ones.
Of course that also depends on how much they appeal to the broader national sports audience. How much of a college player's audience is made up of their peers (college-age viewers) compared to the national audience? How well will their image "mature" along with their marketability? These are rhetorical questions, I definitely do not know the answers.
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Comment on NFL draft pool shrinks as NIL money entices more players to stay in school in ~sports.american_football
BashCrandiboot (edited )LinkThis is pretty interesting. I don't think the NFL should feel obligated to raise their base salary based on things like this, but maybe there is a way they can re-work the way players' likenesses...This is pretty interesting. I don't think the NFL should feel obligated to raise their base salary based on things like this, but maybe there is a way they can re-work the way players' likenesses are used to market the NFL and how they are compensated for that. I seem to remember one the the top receivers in this year's draft holding off on signing an NFL contract that allows the league to use the players' likeness in their marketing, but j can't remember the player or what came of that.
Kevin O'Connell's quote on adversity and the transfer portal was also interesting. Him and Kwesi also have some pre-draft quotes regarding how valuable a player becomes as they approach "the 10,000 hour mark" (the number of hours required to become an expert on something). This was in regard to their signing of Sam Darnold, a former 3rd overall pick a few years ago. I wonder if that was just PR speak or if that impacts their approach for drafting older players. I have to think a year in the NFL is more valuable than another year in college, but I'm no expert.
I think players are entitled to do what is best for them, and that any systemic issue regarding how players get paid is more of a league problem, not anything for the audience to worry about.
I have noticed an influx of undrafted players going on to have very successful rookie years. Maybe all this NIL money will give players outside of the limelight more opportunities to prove themselves at the highest level, and rethink how teams approach the NFL draft.
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Comment on Is there an intuitive (but powerful) music thingie? in ~music
BashCrandiboot LinkThat thing is some A+ product design. I'm not musicly inclined, but talk about a great curiosity to have on a shelf.That thing is some A+ product design. I'm not musicly inclined, but talk about a great curiosity to have on a shelf.
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Comment on What creative projects have you been working on? in ~creative
BashCrandiboot LinkOh, I've also been wanting to start journaling on my typewriter instead of writing by hand (my hand cramps easily). The problem is, I like using smaller paper/margins, and once I get ripping, it...Oh, I've also been wanting to start journaling on my typewriter instead of writing by hand (my hand cramps easily). The problem is, I like using smaller paper/margins, and once I get ripping, it gets really annoying to have to swap out paper constantly. It really interrupts my flow and introduces a lot of friction that I find annoying.
The solution? I bought a 18inch roll of craft paper and used my bandsaw to cut it into thirds. It was non-trivial finding the width I wanted in roll form that WASN'T thermal paper (the stuff used in kitchen printers and stuff, it fades really quick). So I ended up buying a roll of paper directly from some industrial printing supply company. Can't remember which one, but I bought a fuck ton so that I'll never have to buy more again.
The fun result is that as my journal entries stack up, it starts to look like some sort of sacred scroll. I like to think my kids and grandkids of the future will have a lot of fun pouring through my sacred texts (see: ramblings), but they'll have a hell of a time trying to digitize it, that's for sure!
So I basically have a roll of paper mounted on a dowel that hangs from the wall behind the typewriter. As I type, the action of the typewriter automatically pulls on the roll to feed the paper through. The output goes up and wraps around another dowel mounted on the wall. Eventually I'll set up some sort of spring or tension system that automatically wraps the output (right now I have to twist it up every few "pages"). The problem with a spring system is that I don't want it to interfere with the existing outfeed action of the typewriter. For now, I'm fine with wrapping it by hand if the alternative if swapping in a single sheet at a time!
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Comment on Self published authors, how do you market your books? Nothing I've tried has had any success. in ~creative
BashCrandiboot Link ParentFunny you ask, I quit my job and started freelancing earlier this year. Part of my plan was to market myself with a blog or a content series, but I haven't pulled the trigger. I have a document...Funny you ask, I quit my job and started freelancing earlier this year. Part of my plan was to market myself with a blog or a content series, but I haven't pulled the trigger. I have a document with about 40-50 different topics and maybe four or five drafts, I just haven't published anything yet.
I feel like I'm still finding my voice. Sure, there's probably some toxic perfectionism and insecurity nestled in there too, but I'm a strategist at heart, and I want to make sure my writings all ladder up to the same core principles. I've also been lucky enough that I've been pretty busy with work opportunities, so the blog has kind of gone on the backburner. Then again, maybe that's just a copout.
I will say, this thread has me feeling motivated to pick it back up again. Maybe I'll look through my drafts and do some rewrites and post straight to tildes. That can be a nice middle ground between refining my writing style while still putting my stuff out into the aether.
Anyways, thanks for you kind words and for giving me something to chew on over the weekend!
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Comment on Self published authors, how do you market your books? Nothing I've tried has had any success. in ~creative
BashCrandiboot Link ParentYour last sentiment really resonates with me. Besides all of the -gestures broadly and social media-, I started to notice it was really hampering my ability to enjoy things. Specifically movies,...Your last sentiment really resonates with me. Besides all of the -gestures broadly and social media-, I started to notice it was really hampering my ability to enjoy things. Specifically movies, TV, and video games.
Firstly, because when anything new comes out you get a megaphone nonstop blasting in your face about it (compounded by algorithms thinking you want to see more of it because you watched a single trailer). And secondly, massive community discussions tend to diminish my enjoyment of it. Especially for video games. There's a quote somewhere that goes something like "leave it to gamers to optimize the fun out of a game." Similar sentiment can be said for movies and TV.
I've really started to find the value of findings things I enjoy, and then keeping it mostly to myself. It can still feel lonely at times, because I wouldn't mind discussing fan theories or whatever in a more intimate setting, but my friends don't have the same relationship with social media as me. So if I bring something up, they'll immediately bombard me with everything I would have seen on reddit or whatever anyway. Its a weird problem to have, and one I don't really have a solution to, because of course their entitled to enjoy things they way they want to, its just at odds with the way I want to enjoy things.
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Comment on What creative projects have you been working on? in ~creative
BashCrandiboot Link ParentIts the kind if tune that makes me want to hunker down with my dogs and a coffee on a cold winter day. Nice work!Its the kind if tune that makes me want to hunker down with my dogs and a coffee on a cold winter day. Nice work!
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Comment on What creative projects have you been working on? in ~creative
BashCrandiboot LinkI sat down on Monday and wrote a 10-page screenplay for an short film idea that's been rolling around in my head. I don't remember the last time I actually finished writing something that wasn't...I sat down on Monday and wrote a 10-page screenplay for an short film idea that's been rolling around in my head. I don't remember the last time I actually finished writing something that wasn't for work. Felt great. I printed it out and everything.
I've had filmmaking on my mind a lot lately. Trying to pivot from advertising because film is originally what I went to school for. Its a difficult (and expensive) pivot.
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Comment on What creative projects have you been working on? in ~creative
BashCrandiboot Link ParentThis is cool! It gives me Stardew Valley vibes, if you don't mind me saying. I mean that as a compliment!This is cool! It gives me Stardew Valley vibes, if you don't mind me saying. I mean that as a compliment!
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Comment on Self published authors, how do you market your books? Nothing I've tried has had any success. in ~creative
BashCrandiboot (edited )Link ParentPreface: Okay, I feel like I got rambly again. So rambly in fact, that I made it expandable so people don't have to scroll through my bullshit. Secondly, I want to make it clear that I'm just some...Preface: Okay, I feel like I got rambly again. So rambly in fact, that I made it expandable so people don't have to scroll through my bullshit.
Secondly, I want to make it clear that I'm just some jack-ass on the internet. There aren't enough stakes involved to warrant a disclaimer a la "This is not legal/financial/medical advice" but still. Take this all with a grain of salt, and reject anything that offends your sensibilities.
See? Even I'm scared enough of rejection that I can't even anonymously post in a thread without repeatedly apologizing and trying to discredit myself.
TL;DR: Commerce sucks sometimes, especially when selling things personal to you. But you can do it if you can stay confident, be vulnerable, and dab on the haters. But that only works if you do the thing.
Click for full text.
Good questions. I've got bad (maybe good?) news for you, marketing IS cringey. But imo, that has more to do with the way society's relationship with social media has developed than it does with marketing as a concept. There's this constant pressure to look like we've got all the answers, like we're the best, like we can do no wrong. Fuck that noise.
I think being genuine and vulnerable is making a comeback. For some, it never left, they just kept it to themselves. Here's marketing's dirty little secret (and many marketers would slap me for saying this): Marketing isn't a skill, it's a tool.
At it's core, marketing is just communication. Drill down far enough and you'll see that all of marketing's foundational aspects are really just the things you should do when setting up any business or product. What do I have to offer? Do people want this? How does it compare to competitors? Okay cool, now how do we get it in front of them?
And that last part is really the essence of it all. Marketing doesn't make the sale. It doesn't do anything but present information. The consumer pulls the trigger. They decide if that information is enough to warrant a purchase. THAT'S marketing. The ingredients label on your toothpaste? Marketing. The price tag? Marketing Newsletter? Marketing. Commercials? Marketing. A press release? Marketing. Marketing is literally just the presentation of information.
Well, okay, emotion has a lot to do with it too, it's not like we're all out here making purely logical purchase decisions, but that's a conversation for another time.
Alright I promise I'm going to actually answer your questions, but I hope you're alright starting to see the point I'm trying to make.
Marketing yourself feels cringey because you feel like you're being disingenuous. The solution? Be genuine. Be vulnerable. Write your blog and share it. The people closest to you will support you, the people who don't really care will move on. I'm sure plenty of people read the first sentence or two of my first comment in this thread and thought "Hm, this guy's a tool" and moved on. That's just how it goes.
What's the polite way to say you don't like something? "It's not for me." Now turn that around. The people that don't want what you have to offer? Well, that's fine because it's not for them, it's for these people over here. You can't just put it in front of the people you want, you have to throw it out for the whole world to see. That's what a blog is for, to find the people who enjoy the Turtle42 vibes. When you frame it that way in your mind, rejection will start to feel like success.
I want to address the art aspect as well. You're an artist. I bet all sort of conflicting emotions swell up when you think about selling your art, and I wouldn't blame you. Creativity is a super personal experience, so of course you fear rejection. Thing is, everything you've created up until now has been for you. That's totally okay, but if you want people to buy your art, you have to shift that paradigm.
Are you able to look at your art and say "this isn't for me anymore, it's for them." Are you willing to set aside your artistic integrity and make art that you might not like, but others will?
If you're a photographer, do you want people to buy prints of your work, even if you probably won't make much money that way? What if a frame manufacturer comes to you and says "we want to license your photo so we can sell it in our frames." Would you be okay with that, knowing 99% of the people will buy the frame and throw your photo in the trash and they'll never know you stayed up all night waiting for that damn barn owl to poke its head out of its nest?
When I say consumers don't give a fuck, this is the brutal side of it. I think if you want to sell your art, it's important to ask yourself what you're in it for, and to what end, and what you're willing to compromise to achieve that.
Alright, I feel like I strayed a bit. I hope I didn't come off as too insensitive. Remember, I'm just some schmo on the internet. Follow your gut, and your heart. Be honest with yourself, and if something's not working- change it! You have all the power in the world.
As a creative myself, working in an industry that chews up and spits out creatives, I'll leave you with an axiom that keeps me going:
Goodby and Silverstein, the advertisers who came up with the "got milk?" campaign in the 90's say that advertising is "Art serving capitalism." Selling your art is the same thing. It's in service of commerce. But guess what? It works the other way too, and if you're willing to make some compromises, capitalism can serve your art.
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Comment on What if we discover the answers of the Universe, eliminate cancer, halt aging. What's next? in ~humanities
BashCrandiboot Link ParentI gotchu, you're thinking of Moore's Law.I gotchu, you're thinking of Moore's Law.
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Comment on What if we discover the answers of the Universe, eliminate cancer, halt aging. What's next? in ~humanities
BashCrandiboot Link ParentI can't argue with that logic.I can't argue with that logic.
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Comment on What if we discover the answers of the Universe, eliminate cancer, halt aging. What's next? in ~humanities
BashCrandiboot Link ParentYou know this probably isn't that far off. After all, there is a number so large that if you could conceive of it, your brain would collapse into a black hole. Or, to look at it from another...You know this probably isn't that far off. After all, there is a number so large that if you could conceive of it, your brain would collapse into a black hole.
Or, to look at it from another angle. In an infinitely big universe with infinitely many possibilities, there would exist a race, species, or entity that are so far evolved and advanced that they're capable of simulating entire universes. In fact, the computing power required to do this is so immense, that for an entity capable of achieving it, it would be quite trivial to run infinitely many of these simulations.
For that reason, its much more likely that our universe is a simulation than vice versa. And if we were ever able to figure that out and prove it, I imagine that would be the purpose of the simulation to begin with, rendering it complete, and therefore there'd no more reason to continue it.
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Comment on Self published authors, how do you market your books? Nothing I've tried has had any success. in ~creative
BashCrandiboot Link ParentNo problem, happy to help. Seems like you've got your head on straight so I've got no doubt that you'll figure it out! In my line of work, I don't get as many opportunities to flex my philosophies...No problem, happy to help. Seems like you've got your head on straight so I've got no doubt that you'll figure it out! In my line of work, I don't get as many opportunities to flex my philosophies as I'd like. So I appreciate you giving me the opportunity to do so. Keep fighting the good fight!
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Comment on The beautiful dissociation of the Japanese language in ~humanities.languages
BashCrandiboot LinkMan, I wish I could put the entire world on pause for a few years so I could just dive in and teach myself Japanese. It's such a beautiful language, and I would love to further immerse myself in...Man, I wish I could put the entire world on pause for a few years so I could just dive in and teach myself Japanese. It's such a beautiful language, and I would love to further immerse myself in their culture and media. As a film buff, to be able to watch old Japanese flicks without subtitles would be an absolute dream. I just don't have the bandwidth or resources to learn it properly.
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Comment on Self published authors, how do you market your books? Nothing I've tried has had any success. in ~creative
BashCrandiboot (edited )LinkNot an author, but a marketer. Full disclosure: I've never marketed a book before. Disclaimer: I should be working so I'm going to ramble this in one go, and probably won't come back to proofread...- Exemplary
Not an author, but a marketer. Full disclosure: I've never marketed a book before.
Disclaimer: I should be working so I'm going to ramble this in one go, and probably won't come back to proofread and make it more concise. Your mileage may vary.
I think one thing to keep in mind is that your book is going to exist and be owned by you forever. This is a huge advantage. But you're running into, what I imagine, is the most common problem for self-published authors.
I understand the pressure you feel. You wrote a book and you're proud of it. You want other people to love it and appreciate it. Who wouldn't? But, as a Type A personality, I'm going to drop two of my least favorite words in the world on you: Patience and expectations.
You're self-published, you don't have the reach nor the resources that an agent would have were you to publish your book that way, so you're not going to see immediate results. Granted, as demonstrated by your instincts and the actions you've taken already, you DO have way more resources at your disposal than authors in decades past. That means you're not lost in the water yet.
There's two opposing forces at work here: Your reach, that is, your ability to spread your message to the amount of people you want to spread it to, and consumer apathy, that is, the consumer's general tendency to not give a shit about anything anyone is peddling, even you. But SOME people might give a shit SOMEDAY. That's where your reach comes into play. But your audience is at what we call the "tip of the funnel" -> Awareness. The audience you're trying to reach doesn't even know who you are, let alone why they would or should read your book.
We look at influencers and content creators and we think their success came overnight. So if we pay for some ads, guarantee some exposure, it should be easy, right? Unfortunately, no. Because everyone and their mother hates ads. It's double hard for a book, because your audience won't even know what they're getting until they buy. They won't even know if they like it until the buy it. That's a lot different than a t-shirt that says "Big Booty" on it in cursive writing. That's something someone can impulse buy, because they know what they're getting.
I want to make it clear that there is nothing wrong with you or your book. Your instincts are right. Someone out there will love it. It's a numbers game. But that also points out one of the problems you're having: what audience are you targeting? Spend some time thinking about that. Think about the one person in the entire world that would LOVE this book the most. No, not love, they're OBSESSED with it. How old are they? Where do they live? What do they do? What are their sensibilities? You may find you have a lot in common with this person, you wrote the book after all.
Use this information to refine your book's listing on Amazon. Use keywords and tags or whatever Amazon's algorithm prioritizes. This isn't going to get you results innately, but this is super important if you want to get the most out of the rest of your tactics.
Next, stop spending money. Seriously. Maybe you can buy some ads later, but for now, stick with organic reach. Nix all the different social platforms too. We will pick one or two for you to plant your flag on, but not yet. First we need to talk about your blog.
Turn that "semi-regularly" into "regularly." Doesn't matter if you post once a week, once a month, once a quarter, whatever. Just establish a cadence and a schedule. And make sure every topic allows you to end the post with "By the way, if you're interested in this, I wrote a book similar to this topic that you can find here. Fuck it, here's 10% for being a reader on my blog." Maybe save that last part for once you've gotten your posting schedule locked down.
Now that you've got your blog cadence established, you can pick a social platform. Sounds like FB and insta are where you're most established already. I don't really know how FB works anymore, but insta seems like it would be much better for improving your reach. So promote your blog on insta using tags and descriptions (copy these from other writers accounts. In fact, steal pretty much anything you can from other insta authors). The most important thing, though, is that you post every time you have a new blog post go up. EVERY TIME.
If one of your blog posts performs particularly well, throw it on Medium or a similar platform. Be sure to use whatever tags or other bullshit those platforms use as part of their algorithm too.
If I had a book, I'd be banging that drum night and day until my family and friends hated me. That's where FB comes in. If you don't feel like you're annoying everyone you know, you're not trying hard enough. "By the way, did I mention I wrote a book?" Every chance you get. Every. Chance.
To quote the baboon from Bojack Horseman: "It gets easier. You have to do it every day, that's the hard part, but it gets easier."
Now, you don't need to post every day. Just regularly. Whatever regularly means to you, do that. Take it slow. Don't burn yourself out. Don't try to do all these things at once. Get your blog cooking, when you feel like you can take on more, refine your insta strategy. Once that process is humming, start thinking about promoted posts or whatever. The important thing is consistency, above all else. If you can find a way to ignore and hide all your engagement metrics from yourself for say, 12 months, then do it. Because the important thing is not viewer engagement. It's consistency. The rest will follow.
Remember when we refined your amazon listing? As you funnel more and more people to that listing from your blog or instagram or wherever, Amazon is going to take notice. They're going to use cookies and all other kinds of tracking shit to see what demographic is visiting your listing, and they're going to organically show that to other amazon users that they think its relevant to. Amazon is a retailer, they WANT your book to sell because that's how they make money too.
None of this is a guarantee that your book will become wildly successful. What I can guarantee is that these efforts WILL compound and you will see some results EVENTUALLY. But you have to be patient, and you have to properly set your expectations. There's nothing wrong with your book. There's nothing wrong with you. Consumers. do not. give. a fuck.
But someday they might!
Hope this helps. Sorry if its obnoxious. Good luck with your book! You got this!
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Comment on US Federal Trade Commission bans new noncompete agreements in ~life
BashCrandiboot LinkAs someone who quit their job and started a business earlier this year, this is absolutely huge for me. Does anyone know when I can expect this to hit the FTC Register so I can start the 120 day...As someone who quit their job and started a business earlier this year, this is absolutely huge for me. Does anyone know when I can expect this to hit the FTC Register so I can start the 120 day countdown?
For tacos: Can't go wrong with marinading in chipotle adobo, cooking, and then slicing/cubing your desired size. We do this probably once a month and eat burrito bowls all week long.
If you're worried about texture, throw 'em in a slow cooker. Then you can make pulled chicken sandwiches, tacos, or whatever. Hell, throw 'em in a soup or stew.
One time we marinaded in ginger and oyster sauce and sliced them real thin and made chicken banh mi. That was delicious.
I think that's all I've got.