In this episode, I talk about the difference between a great TV show and a very ordinary possibly insipid TV show, the difference between the incredible Game of Thrones and the very ordinary House of the Dragon.As I recently streamed The Game of Thrones, a remarkable and popular HBO show from several years ago, I fell in love with at least a dozen characters. I speculated about which ones would survive the slaughter that accompanies any game of thrones. Most of my favorite characters did survive until the end of the current game. Only two of my favorites did not survive.The show had detailed story lines, a cast of wonderful characters, and a satisfying ending.On the other hand, the plot of House of the Dragon first season was intensely boring. The characters were boring and so similar that few stood out. The main character of the first season was the king, who was so insipid and low energy that I hoped he would die in the second episode. Alas, he didn’t. He held on until the tenth episode.The only interesting character was the daughter of the king. As a young teen in the first few episodes, she was interesting. I wanted her to succeed. But then a different actress took over, and she was not a character I cared about.The difference between the two shows (by the same writers and showrunners) shows how important it is to create great stories and interesting characters—not just for novels, but also for any stories you tell in your nonfiction books. Stories are important. They matter. Make sure you tell stories and create characters that people want to root for or, at least, care enough about to keep reading.Don’t forget to send in your questions for Friday’s Book Marketing Q&A session. Even if you cannot attend live, you can listen in on the replay and get answers to your book publishing and book marketing questions. Email: [email protected] with the subject line: Book Marketing question for JohnJoin me for this session live on Friday, December 16th, at 4:00 p.m. Eastern, 1:00 p.m. Pacific at https://meetn.com/bookmarketingsuccess. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bookmarketing.substack.com/subscribe

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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