In the year and a half since The Elder Staves hit the market, it has consistently surprised industry watchers with its continued success, despite a reading audience reluctant to trust work from self-published authors. Since becoming available on Amazon.com in August of 2005, The Elder Staves has constantly found its way onto Amazon's Top 100 Bestseller List for Fantasy, breaking many barriers for self-published works. The book has been the topic of much debate, especially among publishing circles, precisely because self-publishing isn't supposed to work.
It almost didn't. When the book debuted, it was met with the same response most other self-published novels receive - once family and friends all have a copy, things quiet down fast. After some initial disappointments, Oliverez decided that he didn't want his book fading into obscurity and searched for a way to bring a simple message to the public - that his book was worth reading.
The self-published fantasy author turned to the new super-power in marketing - the online community. By offering readers a personal glimpse into the day-to-day life of a novelist, as well as short stories only available to viewers of his blog, Oliverez quickly built a following of devoted readers, who in turn promoted his writings in their communities. Soon stacks of bookmarks depicting the cover of The Elder Staves began appearing in coffee houses and bookstores across the country, courtesy of dedicated readers.
"This was really something where the readers were more important to the success of the book than I was. I didn't have a marketing budget, and there was no large publishing company behind me with press connections - [the readers really did it all."
He was also able to network with book reviewers, journalists, and even movie producers who found their way to his writings.
"I've been interviewed by local and national press - even international - I've been contacted by people as far away as Australia to do interviews. From where I started, this has been an amazing journey."
Oliverez's short stories have become as popular as his novel, with thousands of readers viewing his MySpace blog whenever he makes a new story available. It's also been an outlet for him to help other burgeoning authors.
"I've had a lot of people interested in self-publishing contact me. My advice is always the same - exhaust all your other options first. It's a tough route to take, and definitely not for everyone, but if they still want to go with it I point them in the right direction."
Now the subject of several articles and even books about the new digital age of marketing, Oliverez plays down the role of his own marketing in his successes. "What has helped more than anything is readers actually enjoying the book."
And then came the day that Steven Oliverez decided to call it quits.
From selling, anyway.
Fans visiting his site were surprised to find that The Elder Staves, in its entirety, was posted on Steven Oliverez's website (StevenOliverez.com), as well as his popular MySpace blog (blog.myspace.com/Oliverez). A brief note on the blog gave an explanation. The author was done marketing the book, and wanted to give everyone a chance to read it - for free.
"A lot of people found me through my MySpace profile. Myspace is unique in that, unlike other venues, you'll come across people from all walks of life. I've had many people tell me they loved reading my short stories, but they didn't have the money to buy books.
"There came a point when I decided I'd rather have a reader than a sale. There's absolutely nothing wrong with writers wanting to be paid for their work, especially since a book can represent a year or more of work. But for me, it was a personal decision."
With his short stories remaining free to all the readers of his blog, this decision meant that all of Steven Oliverez's work was available at no cost to anyone with an internet connection. The free e-book version of The Elder Staves can be found at StevenOliverez.com, which also has a healthy amount of fantasy art, all based on the book, courtesy of many reader submissions.
"I enjoy the reader interaction. Whenever people send me artwork or reviews, I try to get them up there."
As for what he's working on next as far as writing, he says he gets the question a lot but still enjoys it.
"It means people are interested. At the moment, I'm focusing on putting out a few more short stories, but I do hope to set aside some time to work on another book."
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