King's X was optioned this past April by Full Slate Media as a potential feature film. Since then I have been writing the screenplay, receiving notes, writing the screenplay, receiving notes, writing the screenplay... you get the idea.
Well, guess what. No more notes. We're done. The script is ready at last and, even if I do say so myself, it's pretty damn awesome. I'm a big believer that brains and heart are the secret ingredients to really good action movies, like the first 2 Terminator films and the first Matrix. And Full Slate pretty much gave me free rein to say and do everything I wanted in this script. I'm very proud and happy with the result.
The next step for Full Slate will be to sell the script and package the movie. You know... the "easy part" (ha, ha). So, my part in King's X: The Movie (no, that's not really the title) is largely done for the time being. We should know more about what the future holds in the next few weeks. Yes, I'm very excited about it.
In the meantime, it is time to move on with the next step for King's X. The full length novel has been published, is now available for Kindle and Nook, and will be coming very soon in paperback.
That means that it is time for the 8 month experiment with King's X as a serialized story to come to an end.* It was an interesting experiment and we learned a lot from it. The idea was to take full advantage of the fact that short (100 page) ebooks could be sold for the amazingly affordable price of 99 cents. This of course would be impossible with paperback books, which is the reason King's X has not yet been available in that format.
This seemed like an excellent idea, and certainly worth a try. King's X itself also seemed like a perfect candidate for serialization because within the larger story, virtually every chapter is a cliffhanger.
However, there are problems with the idea as well. Just yesterday, in fact, I saw a post on Kindle Boards where author Blake Crouch asked the group if they would be interested in the same concept - a thriller offered in 99 cent installments "like an episodic TV show." After 8 months of "research" the response on the boards did not surprise. People who love to read and read all the time just want the whole thing. They don't want to be enjoying something then stop in the middle and need to look for more somewhere else.
All totally understandable, and all reflected in my experience over the last 8 months with a book that evidence seems to indicate could draw a much larger audience. Case in point,
The four episodes of King's X garnered a combined 30 Reader Reviews on Amazon. The reviews broke down like this:
5 Stars: 27
4 Stars: 2
3 Stars: 1
And that's it. From these numbers, and the generally very insightful and even passionate comments in the reviews, one might conclude that people really love King's X, WHEN and IF they are willing to read it. It seems that, based on all the reasons mentioned on Kindle Boards, not enough people were willing to take a chance on the odd format to make it the success I was looking for. I don't blame them at all. Nor do I even disagree. It was just an experiment, seemed like a good idea at the time.
In the meantime, with the screenplay finally put to bed, I am returning to novels. I've got a lot up my sleeve and a lot more coming in the next few months, including a sequel to King's X and a top secret project I'm working on right now and hope to have out by (or around) New Years.
*For anyone who is in the middle of the serial version of King's X, don't worry. Episodes 2-4 will remain on sale so no one will be left in mid-stream. Or, if you prefer, you can now find the whole thing as one 424 page novel on Kindle, Nook, and soon in Paperback. Visit Kingsxbooks.com for more.
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| Here's another look at Danielle Eubank's gorgeous oil painting on the cover. |
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