I’ve devoted a good chunk of my year to writing an ultimate guide to reporting about geeky topics for aspiring journalists.
But if you’re interested in becoming a professional video games journalist, that guide already exists. It’s called Up Up Down Down Left WRITE, it’s written by Nathan Meunier, and my only regret is that I just found out about it a few weeks ago!
I bought it as a Kindle eBook on Amazon and at nearly 250 pages, it was worth every penny of the $8.99 it cost me. I was so inspired—as a geek, as a journalist, and as a person writing a journalism guide—that I reached out to Nathan for an interview.
I asked Nathan about everything from games journalism to running a successful crowdfunding project. For some of these (like the self-publishing one) it’s pretty obvious that I’m asking for myself as much as for my readers! Check it out:
Q: Why did you decide to put your freelancing expertise into a book?
A: I’ve always wanted to write books, and I love non-fiction. There’s something so cool about reading a book and picking up new skills that I was only curious about previously, then testing them out on my own. Back when I first started freelancing, there weren’t really any books or published resources specifically geared towards covering the video game industry. I had to learn a lot of things by trial-and-error, asking colleagues questions, and just diving in to see what worked. I would have killed to get my hands on a book that answered many of the questions I had back then.
But as I worked my way into bigger outlets, and established myself more as a freelancer in the gaming industry, I found that more and more fellow writer folks would get in touch with their own questions—questions I actually had answers to. It got the point where I spent so much time answering emails and offering advice over the years that it eventually dawned on me: I could be doing something more with this. The gears got to turning, and I began building the early foundation for Up Up Down Down Left WRITE.
To fully answer your question, being able to write a book (multiple books, actually) on a subject I love while also helping other folks out is super rewarding. It also gives me something fresh and fun to focus on as I continue to branch out to new and exciting writing endeavors.
Q: You write about a pretty diverse group of topics, from time management to relocation. How did you choose which topics to cover in the book?
A: I wanted Up Up Down Down Left WRITE to cover a fairly broad spectrum of information while focusing specifically on the freelance angle. Since freelancing itself involves so many different moving parts beyond just pitching, writing, and getting paid, it made sense to include as much useful advice and info in there as I could muster. I drew on heavily from own experiences as a freelancer to decide what to focus on, but I also looked at the kinds of common questions colleagues were asking and tried to touch on subjects that also weren’t covered elsewhere. While many of the chapters also apply to general freelancing outside of this industry, I felt it was important to touch heavily on topics that were relevant and specific to writing in the gaming world.
The book has a natural flow to it that shifts across its four main sections. Early on, it focuses on explaining the freelance life and how it works before moving into the nuts-and-bolts of how to get started and how to juggle the many tasks that come with being a professional freelancer. Then it digs into the craft of pitching, improving your work, working with editors, and fine-tuning your skills to move up in the industry. The last group of chapters focuses more heavily on game industry-specific topics and troubleshooting. There’s a ton of ground covered between all of that, but I think readers will find a lot of useful tidbits woven throughout the book, as well as plenty of nerdy humor.
Q: So this is the result of a Kickstarter… can you tell me about that process?
A: Indeed, I chipped away at UUDDLW under-the-radar for a long time, but having a busy freelancing schedule made it challenging to complete it without taking a big hit in terms of time and finances. I also really wanted to try to get the funds together I needed to finish writing it, have it properly edited, and get some great cover art together. Doing a book Kickstarter seemed like a good way to tackle that and also gauge the level of interest and support for publishing a book on the subject.
Running a Kickstarter—much less a successful one—is crazy business. It’s a very involved process, but in my case it worked out. There was a ton of pre-planning, a lot of hustling on social media, and plenty of nail biting. In the end, I hit my goal at the very last minute thanks to some really excellent and vocal folks in the industry offering their support. It was a rollercoaster. I don’t know that I’d ever do it again, but I’m really glad I gave it a go. It was worth the chaos.
Q: What’s your advice to people who are also interested in self publishing?
A: DIY is the way to go these days. You have more control over the end product and more freedom. It’s faster, there’s less risk, and you get a much better royalty rate than with traditional publishers. The self-publishing landscape has changed so much in the past decade, and it’s becoming a much bigger piece of the landscape than it once was.
For folks looking to publish their own books, I do have a few core recommendations.
1) Take the time to establish a platform and reader base BEFORE you hit the shiny red button. Build a website, generate interesting content that gets traffic, get on social media and build your follower base, and do whatever you can to establish yourself as an expert in the field you’re writing about. It’ll make it easier for you to promote your book after-the-fact.
2) Make sure your book is well-written and interesting. If you can make it helpful, then even better! Get Beta reader feedback, take the time to do multiple drafts, and be willing to make changes to improve it before you throw it out into the world. Word of mouth is powerful, and if your book is good, it’ll help you propel yourself upwards in sales.
3) Commission a great cover. An awesome cover can really sell a book. Conversely, a crappy one can really turn readers off. Make sure it looks good both up close (for print) and in tiny format (for web), since you want it to standout in online stores too.
4) Give your book a killer title. Pick something that’s fun, clever, bold, etc. Make it jump out in all the right ways. And with self-publishing non-fiction in the ebook world, it’s even more important to pick a title that has a keyword relevant to your niche. Be sure to add descriptive subtitle, too, for non-fiction works.
5) Get your book professionally edited. It’s worth it. It’s not always cheap, but there are affordable options out there. Find someone you trust who has experience both editing and editing books on the subject you’re writing about. It’ll make a big difference in your finished product.
Q: What do you think is the most surprising fact about games journalism that readers will learn from your book?
That it’s a lot harder and more complicated than it might first seem. A lot of people think that we spend all day playing games and throwing our opinions around for money. Freelancing in the game industry has a lot of moving parts and different facets to focus on. I think that’s what makes it both challenging AND interesting. I never get bored, that’s for sure. Writing about games, geek culture, tech, and other favorite subjects is a lot of fun and incredibly rewarding, but it’s also challenging. You have to love writing as much as you love the subjects you’re eager to write about.
The good news is that UUDDLW demystifies much of the process, digs into the challenges and how to overcome them, offers up a lot of advice based on years of experience, and answers a lot of the burning questions that pop-up along the way. I hope folks will check it out, whether they’re curious about writing about games for a living or any other geeky passions they have. It’s all pretty relevant.
Also, stay tuned…I’m working on a broad range of other related book projects too! My next book Interview Fu: The Game Journo Guide To Conducting Killer Interviews should be out in the next few months, and there’s even more coming beyond that!
Stay tuned for more from Nathan soon. He’s agreed to write a guest post and I can’t wait to see it here. Want more now? You can always buy his book.
(Top illustration from Up Up Down Down Left WRITE.)