From Woman's World · Ed Gross · · 1m 40s
Dungeon Crawler Carl Fans Vote on Story Next
Readers vote to shape Matt Dinniman's unfinished fantasy series.
In brief
Readers vote to shape Matt Dinniman's unfinished fantasy series. Dungeon Crawler Carl author Matt Dinniman lets fans vote on plot developments for his series. Originally reported by Woman's World.
Fans shape Dungeon Crawler Carl
Matt Dinniman reveals readers can vote on what happens next in his unfinished fantasy series.
“You guys vote for how things go in my book”
Traditional publishing gatekeepers
Dinniman says readers helped bypass traditional publishing gatekeepers for Dungeon Crawler Carl.
“I would never in a million years be able to sell Dungeon Crawler Carl to a traditional publisher”
Brandon Sanderson's warning
Sanderson admits predicting trends in fantasy is impossible.
“Anytime you get sci-fi/fantasy authors together, we do like to talk about trends. But we always are, like, 'But I have no idea.'”
LitRPG growth
LitRPG has exploded into mainstream success after being dismissed by traditional publishers.
“We’re seeing more and more stuff like that becoming successful and people actually coming to it”
Self-publishing shift
Dinniman started with self-publishing to reach readers directly.
“I would never in a million years be able to sell Dungeon Crawler Carl to a traditional publisher if I hadn’t self-published at first”
Readers decide
Readers now choose what happens in stories before authors finish writing them.
“You guys vote for how things go in my book”
Fan voting in action
Fans voted to include the Anarchist Cookbook in Dungeon Crawler Carl's story.
“You voted for the Anarchist Cookbook, for example, to exist”
No chosen one
Dinniman wants stories where characters aren't secretly chosen by fate.
“They’re not a chosen one. They’re not secretly the king’s bastard child who was forgotten”
Mental health in fantasy
More fantasy stories include realistic mental health issues.
“PTSD is something that didn’t exist in a lot of fantasy and sci-fi novels for years”
Direct author-reader connection
Authors now know readers' preferences better than before.
“I would say that part of why my career took off is because I was one of the early authors that learned this is how things were going to be”
Fandom growth
Fans connect online to discuss stories and theories.
“You’re finding each other. You’re becoming fans with each other. You’re talking about theories”
BookTok influence
BookTok trends affect book marketing and popularity.
“They’re also asking a lot of people when they’re querying, 'How many followers do you have on TikTok?'”
Sanderson's book completion
Sanderson compares book completion to a living process.
“When you let go, it’s time to be done, the book goes out and then it fully comes alive”
Fan voting impact
Fan votes change the course of Dungeon Crawler Carl's story.
“You voted for the Anarchist Cookbook, for example, to exist. And if you’ve read my book, you know that completely changed the course of the series”
New gatekeepers
BookTok may create new publishing gatekeepers.
“They’re also asking a lot of people when they’re querying, 'How many followers do you have on TikTok?'”
Dungeon Crawler Carl's future
Dinniman's series continues to evolve with fan input.
“I have no plan whatsoever until I get that vote in because who knows if you’re going to vote for the giant two-headed dog or you’re going to vote for something else”
What to remember
Dungeon Crawler Carl author Matt Dinniman lets fans vote on plot developments for his series.
