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Feb 17, 2023

The Laterpress Tournament of Tropes: Meet the Contestants

Learn more about the first Laterpress community event of 2023.

The Laterpress Tournament of Tropes will be starting soon! Inspired by “March Madness” our first community event of 2023 features 20 books representing 40 different tropes, each vying for the championship as reader’s favorites.

‍Here’s how it works:

The tournament begins on Monday, February 20th, at 1pm Eastern time. At that time, we will have an article posted at www.laterpress.com/blog/tropes-round-one (that address will not work until that time) showcasing each match-up, with information about the tropes and the books representing them. Readers are voting for the trope, not necessarily the book or author. The polls for voting will be embedded in the article (see below for an example).

There are two rounds of voting each week. The first round will run from Monday at 1pm Eastern, to Friday, 11am Eastern. The next round will run from Friday, 1pm Eastern until the following Monday, 11am Eastern. (The gap allows for time to update the bracket and prepare for the next round of voting.)

You can view the tournament bracket here. During the event, I will also post images of the bracket showing the matches that are up for voting. Challonge allows users to submit bracket predictions before the tournament start, so feel free to do so! This is all for fun, bragging rights, and group promotion - there are no prizes.

Example matchup:

Multiverses vs. Breaking the Fourth Wall

Multiverses - the idea that there are multiple universes, and it is possible to travel between them. Sometimes these universes are very similar, with slight variations in history. Other times, they might be radically different.

If you like Multiverses, check out Welcome to the Nexus, by Nate Gillick

A pyromancer, a dryad, and an elven warrior join forces on an epic quest across the multiverse to eliminate an ancient evil.

Breaking the Fourth Wall means the story is self-aware enough to know it is a story, and either makes fun of itself or addresses the audience directly. Some cinematic examples of this would be Deadpool or She Hulk.

If you like Fourth Wall breaking meta humor, check out 1001 Episodes to Literary Godhood, by Eldritch Thundergod.

I thought I'd be king of the world on the fiction platform Zella, but when my magnum opus about a telepathic cuttlefish and his pet human flopped, I was desperate for a way to climb the ranks. When I bought a magic lamp at a garage sale and the djinn offered me a wish, I thought I was set. But magic comes with a price, and the $10 I paid didn't count. To ascend to literary godhood, I must write 1,001 episodes with features dictated by authors and readers... while using this stupid pen name.

Let’s Meet Our Challengers

More information on each of these books will be provided when the time comes for them to do battle, but for now, feel free to check them out yourself!

‍Representing Reluctant Heroes, and Animal Companions

The Adventurer’s Guide To Shopkeeping and Sidequests, by Elle Wilson

Representing Murphy’s Law, and “Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better”

The Night Rangers, by J. R. Froemling

Representing The End of the World, and Family Secrets

The Beginning of the End, by Emily S Hurricane

Representing PTSD and Questionable Morals

Joy, by Emily S Hurricane

Representing Science Wizards and Robot Girls

The Magician and the Mechanical Doll, by Gaius J. Augustus

Representing Heists, and Dreamwalking

The Office Job, by Edward Eidolon

Representing Mysterious Benefactors, and being Pawns to Cosmic Powers

Anti-Villains: One Night in Harlem, by Andrea Stanet

Representing Small Town Romance, and Motorcycle Clubs

Covered, by E.A. West

Representing Star-Crossed Lovers, and Royal Palace Intrigue

The Stars & Green Magics, by Novae Caelum

Representing Chosen Ones, and Never Ending Quests

My Celtic Luna, by J. R. Froemling

Representing Faster-Than-Light Travel, and First Contact

Target 10: A Space Adventure, by C.P. Night

Representing Alien Artifacts, and Galactic Empires

On the Outward Edge, by C.P. Night

Representing Age Gaps, and Immortal Love Interests

Good King Lyr, by Novae Caelum

Representing Scrappy Underdogs, and Found Family

Sigils & Sushi, by Nia Quinn

Representing Secret Worlds, and Sentient Buildings

‍A Wreck of Witches, by Nia Quinn

Representing Multiverses and “Fish out of Water”

Welcome to the Nexus, by Nate Gillick

Representing Magitek, and Arranged Marriages

Ocean of Dreams, by Rebecca Ehrick

Representing Damsel in Distress, and Lost Knowledge

Thomas and the Girl from Another World, by E.R. Zanes

Representing Rescue Missions, and Dangerous Magic

Dead Lands Rescue, by E.R. Zanes

Representing Fourth Wall Breaking, and Genies / Djinn

1001 Episodes to Literary Godhood, by Nate Gillick (writing as Eldritch Thundergod)

The Final Countdown Begins!

Voting begins Monday, 1pm Eastern! Good luck everyone, and let's have some fun! I'd encourage everyone to share news of the event with your readers, friends, and social media platforms of choice. When more people see the fine work of authors using Laterpress, everyone involved in this event wins!

Additional Note: All links used in this event are direct links to the book, not affiliate links. This means all proceeds from any sales go to the author of the book, less Stripe's payment processing fees. Laterpress is not taking commissions from sales on this event.