This short fiction piece was inspired by the writing prompt “additional,” which was part of a writing prompt theme of marketing for self-published authors.
The prompt came with the reminder that sometimes the best way to market your books… is to write another one. I took that idea and ran full-speed into the absurd.
Dirk meant to steal a bestselling manuscript. Instead, he tripped over a simile, knocked over the speculative fiction display, and accidentally set the Memoir Wing on fire. Security gave chase—three interns in genre-specific armor: Romance wielded a bouquet of knives, Sci-Fi had a jetpack made of blurbs, and Mystery just vanished whenever Dirk looked at him. He escaped by disguising himself as a poorly formatted eBook and tumbling into the service elevator.
Empty-handed, slightly on fire, and covered in loose adverbs, Dirk assumed the mission was a bust. But by morning, a publisher had optioned the security footage. “Raw. Urgent. Postmodern Keystone Cops meets NaNoWriMo.” They called it performance lit. Gave him a three-book deal.
The contract came with one condition: an additional disaster, filmed quarterly.
Dirk hasn’t stopped falling since.
© 2025 Eric MontgomeryEnjoy the story?
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