Fiction Unboxed

How Two Authors Wrote and Published a Book in 30 Days, from Scratch, in Front of the World, The Smarter Artist 2

By: Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt

Narrated by: Simon Whistler

Part hero’s journey, part crash course in storytelling by the modern mavericks of indie publishing, and the bestselling authors of Write. Publish. Repeat., Fiction Unboxed offers something that’s never been offered before: a naked look into two writer’s process, as they wrote and published a book in 30 days, from scratch, in front of the world.

In 2013 Sean Platt & Johnny B. Truant wrote and published 1.5 million words (a Harry Potter series and a half worth of fiction). The next year they showed the world how they did it.

In May 2014, Johnny and Sean, along with their third partner David Wright, launched a Kickstarter campaign to see if their fans wanted to see how they wrote behind closed doors. They promised to start their newest project without knowing their story, characters, or even their genre, and publish the final draft before their 30 days were up. They promised to capture every email, every story meeting, and every word from every draft. They promised to show every molecule of their process, warts and all.

They had 30 days for their fans to green light the campaign. It fully funded in 11 hours. Fiction Unboxed is as revealing as it is inspiring, empowering readers and writers as much as it will entertain them. With actionable advice that will benefit any writer, this book is a true gem for anyone who loves a well told story.

©2014 Johnny B. Truant and Sean Platt (P)2014 Johnny B. Truant and Sean Platt

A peek behind the curtain of an insane undertaking

What made the experience of listening to Fiction Unboxed the most enjoyable?

The narration was easy to listen to, and even though he wasn't the one who wrote the book, I felt the personality of the writers come through. And obviously, the story. Though I backed this kickstarter and followed a long day to day with the videos and draft pages, I still got a lot out of the book. Reflections, anecdotes and advice that wasn't present during the initial experience.

Who was your favorite character and why?

There weren't any "characters," but Johnny's delivery was entertaining.

What does Simon Whistler bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

A British accent. Hah! But in all seriousness, he's easy to listen to and read in a very conversational tone that allowed Johnny's "voice" to seep through.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

Really enjoyed it. And for those who participated in the kickstarter and think there is nothing to be gained by listening or reading this, you'd be wrong.

Yup. That's how it all went down!

This narrative of the events that happens during fiction unboxed in the summer of 2014 was great! It was full of perspective and explanation, but not too much filler, which was fantastic. Johnny was entertaining as always, even in an autobiographical sense, and Simon Whistler brought it to life beautifully. Highly recommended!

An interesting case study, but a bit pretentious

Would you listen to Fiction Unboxed again? Why?

No. I feel like there was very little useful information in this book and that what little there was I already gleaned. Another listen is not warranted.

Would you be willing to try another book from Johnny B. Truant and Sean Platt ? Why or why not?

This is the second book of theirs I've listened to. The other one (Write. Publish. Repeat. was better).

What about Simon Whistler’s performance did you like?

His accent.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I would NEVER make this into a film.

Any additional comments?

DO NOT buy this book if you are looking for writing advice. This is a case study of a very specific set of circumstances. The authors never really present information that might be helpful to an individual writer (possibly for a team of three writers, like they are, but I wouldn't know.)

Frankly, they have enjoyed some success and it has turned their writing voice into that of total jerks. A little humility would go a long way with this pretentious team.

It was a little on the long winded side, but...

It was a little on the long winded side, but in the end I got out of it everything I had hoped to... Well, we'll know for sure if I ever publish a book. Good stuff, helps me feel I have a chance and has rebooted my enthusiasm.

Interesting and somewhat Enlightening

It is interesting to here about the book that was written and things they had to overcome. But what came through for me was the plod. Plod through your book. Start it and finish it with tons of imperfection because that is how you finish a book. I tend to edit as I write and I think I will fore go any editing until I am done. There is a lot more that I learned as well but that was my big take away.

Surprisngly Entertaining Tale About Writing a Book

Any additional comments?

I was a member of the Fiction Unboxed program when it was launched on Kickstarter in May 2014 and watched the entire process unfold throughout that following June. I was expecting this book to be a basic rundown of what went down (it was originally slated to just be a book full of transcripts) but Johnny and Sean always outdo themselves and instead wrote a narrative that retold the story in a much more satisfying way.

At it's nutshell, this book is about two guys writing a book together. Somehow, the actual story told is much more exciting than you would think from the description. They open with the history of the project and what led to its inception, running a Kickstarter campaign, finding a nugget on which they could base their novel, writing said novel and producing a finished product (from conception to completion) in 30 days, and then meeting with members of the community to more fully flesh out their story world at a summit a few months later.

There is intrigue, backstabbing (sort of...if you really bend the meaning behind the word...), even cliffhangers galore from chapter to chapter. Even knowing the story (since I was there for the entire thing) they had me on the edge of my seat.

Simon Whistler did an excellent job of narrating the book, even if it does seem odd to hear his voice instead of Johnny's, from whose point of view the book is told and who I am used to listening to multiple times per week. Simon's cool voice and strong accent are very easy to listen to, and his production quality leaves very few errors to distract you from the book. (In fact, in this book, I didn't notice any at all.)

This is a quick listen at just over 5 hours.

A Good Book for Authors

What did you like best about Fiction Unboxed? What did you like least?

It had that quintessential Sean Platt/Johnny B Truant tone. I was part of Fiction Unboxed for the Kickstarter and it was interesting to hear their experiences put into a book.

The narrator threw me off, though. I'm used to hearing the guys on the podcast, and they are definitely not English. Every time I stopped and started listening again, it took me a few minutes to get back into it and remember who I was listening to.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Dave, of course.

What aspect of Simon Whistler’s performance would you have changed?

Honestly, I would have picked another narrator. Simon didn't do a bad job, but the accent was a bit out of character for these guys' books.

Did Fiction Unboxed inspire you to do anything?

Of course. The Sterling & Stone gents are always inspiring and I came away with some great quotes and tidbits of information.

Informative, Engaging, and Entertaining

I have to admit a bit of prejudice. I participated in Fiction Unboxed in 2014. I enjoyed the event, but I must admit it was a bit of a blur. This book helped sharpen the experience.

Simon's reading is top notch, even if he pronounces 'taco' like the Brit that he is. Johnny's words are frequently hilarious and Simon's delivery makes them even funnier. When the book gets serious, Simon does an excellent job of conveying that, too.

At the time Sterling and Stone announced this book, all I could think was that they had lost their minds, but I was grateful for the chance to peek inside said madhouse minds. What were they thinking during the insane process of writing a book in a month, live, in front of an audience?

The book is probably longer than it needs to be, and I expect that from Platt and Truant. I'd be disappointed if they got straight to the point. All the fun meandering would be lost. They aren't just giving a deadpan delivery. Fiction Unboxed is a story told like a story.

There are a lot of good take-aways from the book and Truant gives a nice summary at the end of each chapter. If you're a writer and you want to know what goes on in the head of a more successful writer, this is a great book to read. Truant is extremely candid about how thing almost went off the rails for them. Several times. The missteps and recoveries come with lessons any writer can learn from.

There are plenty of things about craft and mindset that rock, too. Johnny playfully skewers some of the sacred maxims that keep writers from writing. You can apply these lessons to most anything in life, btw.

If you are a reader and want to know what goes on for a writer while creating a story, Fiction Unboxed is a great insight. Also, the story helped me appreciate the resulting book, The Dream Engine, even more.

One criticism I've read about the book is that it is mostly a come-on to get people to buy the Fiction Unboxed program. No, it isn't. You absolutely do not need to buy the program to get rewards from the book. The only 'sales pitch' is "Hey, if you want more info on that, you can go to sterlingandstone-dot-net-slash-fiction-unboxed. I think there were two mentions of the sign up page in several hours of book. If you like the story of Fiction Unboxed, you might do well to invest in the experience.

Top notch. Good job, guys.

A fantastic book.

This book is full of useful information and good tips. Platt and Truant show what can be done when you're willing to do the work. Simon Whistler does a wonderful narration, I will definitely listen to this again.

Funny, Sage Advice on the Writing Process

If you could sum up Fiction Unboxed in three words, what would they be?

Smart, Witty, No Bullshit

What was one of the most memorable moments of Fiction Unboxed?

I liked the narrative about the process of the Dream Machine, and how even with Sean's digressions, the team was able to pull it back on the tracks and work the problem out in the 30 day timeframe.

What about Simon Whistler’s performance did you like?

He is clear, laconic, crackingly British and wonderfully understandable. Excellent.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Get the boxcutter boys, Fiction has just been de-mystified.

Any additional comments?

Very nice craft from a fresh team of voices. Workman-like, these guys really show the process of creativity from soup-to-nutz. But as any profitable, working artist will tell you, creativity is a discipline, thrives within limitations and shows up just when you're working hard at the business of art. Well done.