An Interview From Another World: Michael A. Stackpole Talks About Second Life

Some of you may never have heard of Second Life, while others may believe that Linden Labs have brought into creation the gateway to the inevitable demise of mankind, but with over eleven million residents, it isn’t surprising that more and more people are viewing this computer generated world as a place to make some real cash.

From clothes designers to digital pimps, the economy in Second Life is thriving; astoundingly, over $1M US is changing hands every day, and now publishers and writers are taking advantage of the opportunities presented by the open marketplace to display and promote their wares in the hopes of reaching a massive audience at the click of a button. But just how easy is it to reach an audience in Second Life? And is it worth the time and energy? My newly created avatar and I went to find out, and during the course of our travels, we stumbled on NYT bestseller, Michael A. Stackpole. He very kindly agreed to take the time to explain a little about his view of the Second Life phenomenon.

First of all, lets go for the easy one, tell me about yourself.

Easy…okay, um…Well, you can hit the website for a full bio, but…I’m gonna hit fifty the end of this month, had my first novel come out in 1988. Prior to that, I worked in the game industry, first being published in 1977. I’ve long been taken with games and computers. I bought my first computer in 1981, an Osborne computer. It weighed 25 lbs, was considered portable (”luggable”) and had a whole 64 K ram. I bought it because it came with WordStar, which I wanted for writing. I also got a modem for it in 1982, and began exploring online life through bulletin boards, then online games and chatting. Finally I ended up here in Second Life.

What did you do in the game industry?

I was a game designer and editor. I have also written computer games. I’ve written comics, screenplays, novels, short stories, and games…pretty much whatever anyone will pay me for.

That’s pretty impressive. I believe you were also working on podcasts during their infancy?

Yeah, got into podcasting pretty early on. The Secrets, my writing podcast, won a Parsec award the first year they were handed out. And at GameTap.com, you can see my first produced script… it’s a short animated adventure featuring Lara Croft, Tomb Raider

Wow, so you’ve got a pretty impressive CV.

I’m an efficient mercenary. New stuff is fun to do, and I get bored easily

So, when did you first join Second Life?

I’d known of it for a couple years, but got in just about six weeks ago after Kat got roped in by a friend. She pointed out a lot of the potential. I took a look and agreed. I’ve known for a long time that having live chats with folks can draw people in and be a great experience. I’ve organized chats with Star Wars fan groups, for example, and reached folks I’d never have met otherwise.

Kat is your business partner in this new venture?

Yes, she is. She’ s very insightful and driven, as well as talented. She does great graphics, which is one of the keys to success here.

So you recognised the potential for promoting your work on here immediately then?

Sure. It’s all of a piece, like chats and podcasts and websites. The more places where your work can be seen, the greater the chances of it being seen. Second Life has millions of citizens. I don’t have millions of readers, yet. I have to assume that some of those folks would like my stuff if they were exposed to it.

Explain to me how you currently go about promoting/selling you work in Second Life.

This is a project that is undergoing constant revision as we learn more about the economics of Second Life and how things function, but the first step is to get exposure. So you create a product and then place it in locations where it can be purchased. After all, if you have nothing to promote, you have nothing. And if you have nothing to sell, you can’t possibly make money. Second, there are a lot of groups in SL that like SF/Fantasy and/or books. It’s critical to get in touch with them and offer to host a talk or do a reading —provide them value in return for exposure to their audience. The third step would be to create alliances with folks in SL for whom written work is compatible. For example, if there are guys who create swords, a book on swordsmanship might go well, and they might offer space in their stores provided you plug or stock their products.

That all sounds like a very sensible plan. Would you say that running a business in Second Life is all that different from real life?

Well, the trick in SL is to maximize the technology. Let me give you an example: Over on Book Island there are some shops where book covers are arranged in a beautiful display. But when you click on them, you don’t get a note card that tells about the product. Something as simple as telling folks the ISBN number would be useful, or providing a link to a website to buy it online.

How difficult/expensive is it to set up a shop there?

It’s not difficult to set up a shop. Nor is it expensive. You’re looking, roughly, at a dollar and a half a week to two dollars for a shop. Provided you have the graphics tools and are comfortable with some basic stuff in SL, putting a shop together shouldn’t be anything more than the work of two hours, but the results are hard to quantify.

I take it how rewarding it is comes down to how hard you are willing to work?

Will seeing a book cover in SL prompt someone to buy it in real life? I don’t know. Will doing an event or hearing a reading? Sure, that’s far more likely. Networking is critical.

There seems to be two approaches to promoting work in Second Life. One is to promote real life works by directing people to websites where they can buy the books, the other is to sell the work as an SL book. From your experience, which do you think is the more useful route to take, or do you think it’s too early to tell?

SL books are a bit more complicated, but the process is not that difficult. I find short stories, no more than 7K words, work best. They’re short enough to be manageable. I think you take both. Might as well have some return on investment, and short stories are a simple enough gamble for someone to take to sample your work. The toughest thing in SL right now is that few folks realize there are books available. That’s why we’re putting in Reading Rooms, where folks can come to read the books. Once they realize books exists, and they want something to do while waiting for folks, we’re set. Part of the deal is to set priorities. Promotion first, money second. The first will let you produce the latter, whereas it doesn’t always work the other way around.

Some readers on SL have commented on the cumbersome format of the books.

It can be a bother, but the reading rooms are to show that it doesn’t have to be. The toughest part is waiting for the pages to rez…which is like forgetting to put your glasses on.

So what do you think will be the key to success?

To turn out work folks will seek and enjoy, then to make work they can’t live without.

So, do you believe SL is the future for the promotion of writers and their work?

It’s a piece of the puzzle. It’s immediate, so if you’re willing to put the work in, it’ll be great. If not, the return will be horrible. Websites, podcasts, Second Life, E-books, all of that stuff is going to be really vital.

And what’s next for you?

I’m working on screenplays with my screenwriting partner, Brian Pulido. I’m also working on a novel called In Hero Years…I’m Dead. It’s a weird sort of superhero novel that I’m having great fun with.

And you’ll continue to promote your work by publishing short stories on SL in the meantime?

Sure. I have a bunch to run over, including some work that’s not been published before. It is fun learning how to market stuff here; one key is just learning pricing. I have a feeling that our current prices make the books as attractive as Cadillacs to peasants in Kirghizstan. This is why it’s promotion first, money second…

Well, I wish you all the very best; I’ll keep an eye on your progress with some interest. Thanks for your time.

You’re very welcome.