Interview With Scott Sigler, Author of Earthcore
Scott Sigler is a writer of novels, short stories, screenplays and newspaper articles with degrees in Journalism and Marketing. To quote directly from his own bio, his work “revolves around modern science’s dichotomy of simultaneously producing good and evil.” He is currently producing and narrating the worlds first podcast novel, EarthCore, which he originally wrote.
Scott has been actively promoting his podcast of EarthCore and was generous enough to answer a few questions for me about EarthCore and his writing in general:
Q) Why podcast EarthCore for free rather than doing a deal with someone like Audible or Fictionwise to sell the the audio version?
A) It’s a trade-off between income and exposure. Right now I have 6,000 people listening to EarthCore — I wouldn’t have those kind of numbers if I was on Fictionwise. Once the podcast is finished, I may approach Fictionwise to carry the book. However, Podiobooks.com is developing a business plan, and you will probably see EarthCore there. Audible.com charges too much, in my
opinion.
Q) What equipment and software are you using to record each episode of EarthCore?
A) Equipment is the bane of my existence right now. I use a AKG 1000S microphone, and I think it’s a fantastic piece of equipment. However, I’m running that into a Alesis Multimix 8 USB mixer, which came with Cubase LE. Cubase LE is a piece of shit software suite, stay away from it at all costs. I’ve had endless trials recording at home, and do most of my recording at work on ProTools on an old PowerMac running OS 9.1. Thing works like a charm.
Q) Do you have any plans to podcast other novels or is this a one off
experiment?
A) We’ll see how it goes, but I’m really enjoying this format and want to keep doing it. I’m not making any money, true, but I’m entertaining thousands of people, and that’s a fantastic feeling.
Q) Did pacing cause a problem in serializing an existing novel for a weekly podcast?
A) No serializing fit perfectly. As a writer, I really strive to finish chapters in a way that makes it difficult to put the book down — if you just HAVE to know what happens next, I’ve done my job right. With a serialized podcast, you just have to wait till the following Sunday. It really cranks up the suspense.
Q) You are looking for a print publisher for EarthCore. Print publishers are traditionally slow to “get” or accept new mediums for selling or publishing books. Do you think this podcast will help or hurt that search?
A) Traditional publishers don’t get Podcasting yet, and that’s just for the ones who know what Podcasting is. Fiction publishers are not very business savvy in my opinion — non-fiction editors will jump on things quickly, but fiction editors move in slow motion. I have interest from one publisher, and I can’t mention anything yet — I’m trying to make EarthCore available in
print, at least as a pre-order, before the podcast is finished.
Q) I mentioned in my review of the first few podcasts that EarthCore reminded me of a tv movie. To be more specific, it has that monster movie feel to it (a genre I’m rather fond of). I notice that your other two novels have a similar type of storyline. Do you have a particular affinity for monster stories?
A) I love monster movies. My dad took me to see King Kong when I was a kid and I’ve been hooked ever since. The formula never grows old for me. I even watch those horrible original movies they put on the Sci-Fi channel — I know they are bad, but I watch them anyway, and I love watching the monsters tear their way through whatever unfortunate small town happens to be in their way that week. My goal is to create a monster that joins the Pantheon of Greats — Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolfman, The Mummy, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, Predator and Alien. These are monsters that have surpassed their individual story and have taken on a cultural personality all their own. I want to create something that actually “outlives” me.
Q) EarthCore features geology and metallurgy quite prominently, do you do a lot of research before writing or do you write based on what you already have knowledge of?
a) I researched the hell out of this thing. My stories tend to take hard science and give it just a little push. That way the story is believable, yet I can take it somewhere new. If the reader thinks, “yeah, I can see that happening, that’s plausible,” then I’m right on track. If I can get you to believe the science, and believe the plot, then really get sucked in when the monsters show up, because they are rooted in reality. That’s why I don’t do supernatural stories — they are too easy. Anyone can do time travel, or magic, or whip up some mythological system. There’s no “rules” in that kind of writing, you can write your way out of any corner, you can give your
protagonist super powers if they drink this potion, recover that relic, or get in touch with so-an-so ancestor. I think that kind of writing cheats the reader. Hence, my writing is well-researched and firmly grounded in hard reality.
I talked to several mining engineers and geologists. In addition, I spent three days in the Mammoth Caves of Kentucky, crawling through some seriously narrow shit in order to properly write this book.
Q) EarthCore was originally released as an e-book, do you see internet distribution, be it e-books or podcasts, as the future for book publishing or just a way to establish a track record before moving into print?
A) I think it’s a way to establish a track record. There’s just something special about a book, something that electronics can never replicate. People bond with their books, really immerse themselves into the pages. I hate to throw books away, even if I’m never going to read them again. I believe that books are one thing that technology simply will never replace.
Q) Okay, here’s your chance. If someone isn’t currently listening to EarthCore, why should they start?
A) They should start because the story kicks ass and they will be entertained. They should start because I’m a blue-collar writer, I sweat the details, I put in the time to make sure the plot points line up, that the characters are believable, and that everything flows together. I don’t waste a reader’s time. If you’re familiar with Stephen King’s “Needful Things,” you could say that they should start reading EarthCore because I don’t have any cans of peanut brittle that suddenly change into a magic talisman that defeats Satan.
Q) What other projects are you currently working on?
A) I’m working on another screenplay, and I’ve got two books being shopped to traditional publishers.
So there you have it. If this has peaked your interest a little about either EarthCore or Scott himself, why not pop on over to his site and find out more?
Visit Scott Sigler’s Author Site or Subscribe to the EarthCore podcast
Eoghann Irving is amongst other things the creator and Editor of Solar Flare. He has a life long interest in all forms of science fiction and fantasy and a pressing need to share this interest with anyone who will listen. Find out more at his personal website eoghann.com..
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