I'm heading to Bubonicon 41 this weekend to see my good friend Ian Tregillis and hang out with a bunch of fun sci-fi authors.  Let's hope I don't end too many sentences with prepositions.  But what will I be doing there?  Hopefully, telling stories.

A few years ago Ian asked if I wanted to help him with his website.  The project was such a rush that I decided that sci-fi was going to be one of my specialties and I was going to do everything I could to get another hit into that sweet creative vein.  Design is very addictive when you're exposed to the unleashed creativity of sci-fi authors.  These are people who tell stories for a living, so who better to understand marketing and design?  That's all storytelling as well.

Surprisingly, not all creative types understand that good marketing means telling a story.  It's not always as simple as telling people you have a great product; you have to show them.  The only way to show them the superiority of your product is to tell a story.  Authors and photographers should know this instinctively, but perhaps I was spoiled by Ian--a lot of what I do at these conventions is explain to authors and artists that their work is a product like any other, and while it may be a great product, no one will know unless you show them what it is.  Don't just tell them, show them.  Tell a story.

Unfortunately the link is gone now, but Ian once found a small web forum (unconnected to either of us) asking about cool Flash sites.  His site was used as an example and people on the forum visited and said how cool they thought it was.  One person said, "The book isn't out yet, but I can't wait to read it."  On the strength of the website alone.

I was stunned.  Of course, I knew the whole point of doing the website was to get people excited about the book and to tell a story about Ian and what an awesome storyteller he is, but here was direct evidence that it had worked.  Without having read a single word of the book and having just a short description of it, his website showed them what the book was going to be like and now they wanted to read the book.

Normally the evidence of web success isn't as obvious.  Every web site should have one or more measurable goals (to attract readers, to sell a product, to increase awareness of a brand, etc.), but usually the way you measure success is by reading between the lines.  Is the site getting attention?  Are sales tied to the site going up? Are people coming back to the site?  

When I saw that forum discussion, I knew we had gotten it exactly right.  I understood in a real way the impact of a good story in selling a product.  Why do books have art on the covers?  Because the art tells the story of the book, and provides a window into the experience.  It shows people in a direct way what they can expect, and why this book is better for them than the other books on the shelf.  A blank cover might work for The Beatles, a single logo might work for Nike, but for the rest of us we need to show why our product is awesome.  Web sites are no different from book or album covers, but you've got a lot more space to tell your story.  With interactivity, your viewers can become a part of the story, and you can engage with them on a more personal level.

So what's your story?