Fiction Unboxed Audiobook By Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt cover art

Fiction Unboxed

How Two Authors Wrote and Published a Book in 30 Days, from Scratch, in Front of the World, The Smarter Artist 2

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Fiction Unboxed

By: Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt
Narrated by: Simon Whistler
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About this listen

Part hero’s journey, part crash course in storytelling by the modern mavericks of indie publishing, and the bestselling authors of Write. Publish. Repeat., Fiction Unboxed offers something that’s never been offered before: a naked look into two writer’s process, as they wrote and published a book in 30 days, from scratch, in front of the world.

In 2013 Sean Platt & Johnny B. Truant wrote and published 1.5 million words (a Harry Potter series and a half worth of fiction). The next year they showed the world how they did it.

In May 2014, Johnny and Sean, along with their third partner David Wright, launched a Kickstarter campaign to see if their fans wanted to see how they wrote behind closed doors. They promised to start their newest project without knowing their story, characters, or even their genre, and publish the final draft before their 30 days were up. They promised to capture every email, every story meeting, and every word from every draft. They promised to show every molecule of their process, warts and all.

They had 30 days for their fans to green light the campaign. It fully funded in 11 hours. Fiction Unboxed is as revealing as it is inspiring, empowering readers and writers as much as it will entertain them. With actionable advice that will benefit any writer, this book is a true gem for anyone who loves a well told story.

©2014 Johnny B. Truant and Sean Platt (P)2014 Johnny B. Truant and Sean Platt
Creativity Inspiring Fiction Storytelling
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What listeners say about Fiction Unboxed

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A peek behind the curtain of an insane undertaking

What made the experience of listening to Fiction Unboxed the most enjoyable?

The narration was easy to listen to, and even though he wasn't the one who wrote the book, I felt the personality of the writers come through. And obviously, the story. Though I backed this kickstarter and followed a long day to day with the videos and draft pages, I still got a lot out of the book. Reflections, anecdotes and advice that wasn't present during the initial experience.

Who was your favorite character and why?

There weren't any "characters," but Johnny's delivery was entertaining.

What does Simon Whistler bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

A British accent. Hah! But in all seriousness, he's easy to listen to and read in a very conversational tone that allowed Johnny's "voice" to seep through.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

Really enjoyed it. And for those who participated in the kickstarter and think there is nothing to be gained by listening or reading this, you'd be wrong.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Yup. That's how it all went down!

This narrative of the events that happens during fiction unboxed in the summer of 2014 was great! It was full of perspective and explanation, but not too much filler, which was fantastic. Johnny was entertaining as always, even in an autobiographical sense, and Simon Whistler brought it to life beautifully. Highly recommended!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

An interesting case study, but a bit pretentious

Would you listen to Fiction Unboxed again? Why?

No. I feel like there was very little useful information in this book and that what little there was I already gleaned. Another listen is not warranted.

Would you be willing to try another book from Johnny B. Truant and Sean Platt ? Why or why not?

This is the second book of theirs I've listened to. The other one (Write. Publish. Repeat. was better).

What about Simon Whistler’s performance did you like?

His accent.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I would NEVER make this into a film.

Any additional comments?

DO NOT buy this book if you are looking for writing advice. This is a case study of a very specific set of circumstances. The authors never really present information that might be helpful to an individual writer (possibly for a team of three writers, like they are, but I wouldn't know.)

Frankly, they have enjoyed some success and it has turned their writing voice into that of total jerks. A little humility would go a long way with this pretentious team.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

It was a little on the long winded side, but...

It was a little on the long winded side, but in the end I got out of it everything I had hoped to... Well, we'll know for sure if I ever publish a book. Good stuff, helps me feel I have a chance and has rebooted my enthusiasm.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting and somewhat Enlightening

It is interesting to here about the book that was written and things they had to overcome. But what came through for me was the plod. Plod through your book. Start it and finish it with tons of imperfection because that is how you finish a book. I tend to edit as I write and I think I will fore go any editing until I am done. There is a lot more that I learned as well but that was my big take away.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Surprisngly Entertaining Tale About Writing a Book

Any additional comments?

I was a member of the Fiction Unboxed program when it was launched on Kickstarter in May 2014 and watched the entire process unfold throughout that following June. I was expecting this book to be a basic rundown of what went down (it was originally slated to just be a book full of transcripts) but Johnny and Sean always outdo themselves and instead wrote a narrative that retold the story in a much more satisfying way.

At it's nutshell, this book is about two guys writing a book together. Somehow, the actual story told is much more exciting than you would think from the description. They open with the history of the project and what led to its inception, running a Kickstarter campaign, finding a nugget on which they could base their novel, writing said novel and producing a finished product (from conception to completion) in 30 days, and then meeting with members of the community to more fully flesh out their story world at a summit a few months later.

There is intrigue, backstabbing (sort of...if you really bend the meaning behind the word...), even cliffhangers galore from chapter to chapter. Even knowing the story (since I was there for the entire thing) they had me on the edge of my seat.

Simon Whistler did an excellent job of narrating the book, even if it does seem odd to hear his voice instead of Johnny's, from whose point of view the book is told and who I am used to listening to multiple times per week. Simon's cool voice and strong accent are very easy to listen to, and his production quality leaves very few errors to distract you from the book. (In fact, in this book, I didn't notice any at all.)

This is a quick listen at just over 5 hours.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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A Good Book for Authors

What did you like best about Fiction Unboxed? What did you like least?

It had that quintessential Sean Platt/Johnny B Truant tone. I was part of Fiction Unboxed for the Kickstarter and it was interesting to hear their experiences put into a book.

The narrator threw me off, though. I'm used to hearing the guys on the podcast, and they are definitely not English. Every time I stopped and started listening again, it took me a few minutes to get back into it and remember who I was listening to.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Dave, of course.

What aspect of Simon Whistler’s performance would you have changed?

Honestly, I would have picked another narrator. Simon didn't do a bad job, but the accent was a bit out of character for these guys' books.

Did Fiction Unboxed inspire you to do anything?

Of course. The Sterling & Stone gents are always inspiring and I came away with some great quotes and tidbits of information.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A must read for every 1st time Author

Full disclosure: I was a participant in the Fiction Unboxed, the kickstarter a project that the book is based on. I love the book and Simon Whistler's narration.

The true message of this book for me was hammered home in Chapter 9. You can screw everything up in the planning stage and in the rough draft stage and still come out with a commercially viable fun to read book. (If you want to see the final result lookup The Dream Engine by Sean Platt and Johnny B. Truant)

Fiction Unboxed was this crazy, spontaneous frenetic thing bursting with energy. It was a project that has one question. Can you conceive a story idea, write, edit and polish, and publish an idea in 30 days? The answer is a resounding yes!

This book is basically an after action report. It takes the lessons learned in Fiction Unboxed and presents them in a linear fashion with exercises to reinforce them. We all know how to tell stories. We all know when a story is good or bad. If you're willing to write a bad story and other patience to work with it, it's just possible that you will be able to uncover the gem underneath.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Delightful narration of a terrific writing guide!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Simon Whistler's brilliant narration really helps bring to life the inspirational story of the Fiction Unboxed Kickstarter, and the terrific lessons the authors learned while writing the book that eventually became "The Dream Engine."

What did you like best about this story?

Johnny B. Truant and Sean Platt are excellent writing instructors, and they use real-world, repeatable examples to show how the reader/listener can follow in their footsteps. They preach hard work, rather than the silly "get rich quick" mentalities that so many lesser authors prescribe.

What about Simon Whistler’s performance did you like?

Simon Whistler is an erudite narrator, and the counterpoint between his excellent British cadence and the occasionally silly Americanisms that the authors use is absolutely delightful.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Solid narration, good story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I'd recommend this book to someone interested in writing process who also wants story. it has the tone of SPP with the focus of Write Publish Repeat. The accent was really annoying at first, but it kinda grew on me. The narrator did a great job on interpreting the 'script' in a way that sounded authentic to the voice of the authors.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Dave is always my favorite character.

Which character – as performed by Simon Whistler – was your favorite?

Dave is always my favorite character.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I found the part where the guys talked about overcoming writers block towards the end fascinating. It really shows that writing is active work that sometimes you have to just muscle through. Also, that there are no excuses. This book, along with Write Publish Repeat, inspired me to sit down and standardize my production practice.

Any additional comments?

I received a free copy of this audio book in exchange for an honest review.

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