Keeping it Secret

How can an upcoming newbie of an author divulge information about their upcoming works without giving away genre, character, plot, or whether or not a series will follow?  As a newbie myself this has been a challenge.  The first thing I did was to provide my audience with the less intense writing.  This provided them with a hint of my writing style, taste, grammar and the ability to hold their interest.

An audience needs to be made privy to some degree about who the authors writing influences are in an ongoing effort to build a fan base.  In other words, ‘…show me the money’… or I’m walking.  Too much secrecy is just as damaging as spilling the beans.  Writing is like a romance.  Audiences like to be dazzled with cliff-hangers, moments of intensity, and the element of surprise.

One keyword that can be used to safeguard ones work is ‘untitled.’  Untitled allows for an author to present their works to the public via writing contests, etc. under the guise of anonymity while registering said work with an actual title at the U.S. copyright office.  Copyrighting provides the author leeway for making revisions within a 30 day window of the initial submission date before the window of opportunity is closed.

“Copyright” literally means the right to copy.  Copyright is a form of protection given to the authors of “original works of authorship,” including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other works.  This protection is available “automatically” to both published and unpublished works” (Literary Work).

So now that we’ve gotten the legalities out of the way, what if fans want to know the genre?  I would only answer this by stating that if you’re a writer who is a fanatic about certain types of genre’s it would be safe to hint to one’s audience that there might be a ‘surprise’ on the horizon of your up and coming works.  Kill them with kindness and never ignore their concerns.  But do not let them break you.  Hold your ground.  You, the author, will be thankful later on that you did.

Literary Work. U.S. Legal, n.d. Web. 20 July 2012. <http://copyright.uslegal.com/enumerated-categories-of-copyrightable-works/copyright-for-literary-work/>.