One Author's Reasons For Choosing to Publish with a Small Press + Win a Book

Usually I reserve Mondays for guests and I know I've been having a lot of visitors lately, but I promise I'll be back in full blogging capacity soon with tales from my first book release, blog tours, promo, and working under a deadline during all of it. (As soon as I catch my breath, lol.)

But today, I have the lovely Stephanie Haefner stopping by to chat with us about her publishing journey. AND she's holding a contest to win a copy of her book Soap Dreams!


BLOG TOUR ALERT: Find out what made me strip in public in today's interview over at Romance with Attitude.



Indie Vs Self-Publishing and My Choice
by Stephanie Haefner
These days there are endless ways to get your words and stories out there for the world to enjoy. Every author has their preference and their own reasons for pursuing their publishing dreams the way they have. But for newbies just starting out, those who have just finished their book and polished it, it's sometimes really hard to know what is best.

After a couple years trying to break into publishing the old fashioned way, by querying an agent, my books were still on my hard drive, unpublished. I adored them...especially my second, I just did not want to give up. Deep down I knew it was good, but I was out of ideas. I'd been told it was well-written. I think it was a case of the market being over what I had written (Dare I say the dirty word...chick lit!). But I knew people still loved reading the kinds of stories I liked to write...and read.

At that point self-publishing was starting to get big. And I did consider it. I even got a quote from a website that other writers I knew had used. For a couple hundred dollars, my book would be available for sale on a print on demand status and I would have a copy to hold in my hands. But I just couldn't do it. I would've had no support. I couldn't afford to pay an editor to help me. I knew nothing about cover art design. And for me, probably the biggest part, I needed someone to tell me my book was good. I knew it in my heart, but I really needed that outside unbiased opinion. I needed a professional in this industry to validate my talent...that I was right to give up my prior career to pursue this dream that only a couple years earlier I didn't even know I had.

Then I came across a listing online of small independent digital publishers. I wasn't completely sold on it for my career. Was a small unknown company really the best way to get my book in readers hands? And I'd wanted to see my book on a bookstore shelf. But then I shook myself and said "What the hell?" and submitted my book to a couple of the digital publishers who'd accepted women's fiction. It might not have been my ideal, but it was a start. Two weeks later there was a contract in my inbox and I'd stared at that email in shock.

And now I sit two and a half years since that day, and have never been more thankful I sent that submission. The support of my publisher, Lyrical Press, Inc, has been completely amazing. I don't know if I've ever met anyone more organized or on top of their business. And so so personal! They seem to do more for their authors than other small presses I've come across. I have the best editor on the planet who has taught me so much. The cover art is fantastic! They have given me so much that I know I would have never been able to get on my own had I chosen to self publish.Each writer needs to find their own way. And my journey is not the ideal journey for others. But I honestly have zero regrets.

Thank you for having me Roni! And I'd love to give away a digital copy of my second chance romance called Soap Dreams. Just leave a comment!



And you can visit Stephanie over at her blog The Writer's Cocoon.

Why I Went Traditional and 7 Reasons Why You Should (or Shouldn't)

I'm a guest over at Anne R. Allen's fabulous blog today talking about my reasons for pursuing traditional publication. Would love for y'all to stop by and say hi! : )

Coming Soon!


"★★★★ After reading Loren’s book of bondage and love, readers will race out for their own handcuffs and whips." -RT Book Reviews magazine

CRASH INTO YOU is now available for pre-order!
Read an excerpt here.


All content copyright of the author. Please ask permission before re-printing or re-posting. Fair use quotations and links do no require prior consent of the author. ©Roni Loren 2009-2011 |Copyright Statement|

Fill-Me-In Friday

 


It's time for Fill-Me-In-Friday where I share my favorite links of the week. Hope you enjoy!
On Writing/Publishing:
The Dark Side of Metrics by Kristen Lamb
Get in Late, Get Out Early - A Writing Tip by Bryan Thomas Schmidt
Google Now Alerts for Books by The Digital Shift
QR Codes, The New Sexy by Jenny Hansen
Do Writers Need to Think About SEO? by Erin MacPherson (via Rachelle Gardner's blog)
How To Make Your Own Book Trailer by Jungle Red Writers
Just For Fun:
Yoga, Jersey Style by JM Randolph
Wendigisms compiled by Todd Moody 
What You May Have Missed Here:

by Sierra Godfrey
by Mina Khan
What You Missed on my Author Blog:

 
(even if you're an 80s purist like me)

Favorites from Tumblr this Week:
(for bigger pic, click here)
(for bigger pic, click here)
(for bigger, click here)
Alright, so those are my favorite links of the week, what were some of yours? 

Hope everyone has a fantastic Halloween!

 

 


 

 

"Hot and romantic, with an edge of suspense that will keep you entertained.” --Shayla Black, New York Times Bestselling author of SURRENDER TO ME

 

 

CRASH INTO YOU is now available for pre-order!

Read an excerpt here.


 


All content copyright of the author. Please ask permission before re-printing or re-posting. Fair use quotations and links do no require prior consent of the author. ©Roni Loren 2009-2011 |Copyright Statement|

 

Fill-Me-In Friday

 

I've been visiting family in New Orleans this week and haven't gotten very much computer time so today's links list will be short but still awesome.
Master the Craft of Writing by Rachelle Gardner
and on the same topic...Numbers Are Our Friends and the Wild World of Metrics by Kristen Lamb
What You Missed on the Author Blog:

 

What You May Have Missed Here:

 
by Suzanne Johnson
Favorite Tumblr of the Week:
VIDEO: Joe Manganiello accepts an award, remembers to thank the author, and GROWLS. 

Alright, that's what I loved this week. What great links did I miss while I was out of town? Fill me in via the comments. :) Have a great weekend!



"Hot and romantic, with an edge of suspense that will keep you entertained.” --Shayla Black, New York Times Bestselling author of SURRENDER TO ME

 

 

CRASH INTO YOU is now available for pre-order!

Read an excerpt here.



All content copyright of the author. Please ask permission before re-printing or re-posting. Fair use quotations and links do no require prior consent of the author. ©Roni Loren 2009-2011 |Copyright Statement|

 

Fill-Me-In Friday

 

Woo-hoo, it's Friday! Time for a round-up of the most fantabulous writing (and just for fun) links of the week!
On Blogging:
First, everyone (including me) was abuzz about blogging these last two weeks, so here's a sampling of those posts:
I Am Tired of Blogging by Natalie Whipple
Now a few others related to blogging...
On Group Blogging by Elizabeth S. Craig
Is Blog Fatigue on the Rise? by Nathan Bransford
How to Use StumbleUpon by Lorie Huston
On Writing and Publishing:
A Time to Kill...Your Novel by Marcus Brotherton on Rachelle Gardner's blog
Tips of Marketing Your Novel at Adventures in Agentland
Standing on My Skyscraper Eating Some Crow by Roxanne St. Clair (her experience using Candace Havens' fast draft method.)
Type Hard, Type Fast by James Scott Bell  (This and the previous two links above are really convincing me that I need to give this fast draft thing a try.)
For Gits and Shiggles:
Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Dip (Food P0rn at its best. Someone try this and tell me if it's as delicious as it looks.)
Wedding Photos + Zombies via Badass Digest (These are great, dorky in the best way.)

 

 


What You May Have Missed Here:

 

 

What You May Have Missed on the Author Blog:

Favorite Tumblr Pics of the Week:
for larger pic click here
for bigger pic, click here
AND WINNER OF JODY'S BOOK FROM MONDAY'S CONTEST IS...Leona Bushman! Congrats

 

Alright, those are my picks for the week, what are some of your faves this week? And I'd love to hear feedback on this feature. I know it's not a comment-inducing post, so it's hard for me to judge if you like this round up each week or not. So let me know in the comments (or by clicking the like thumbs up/down button in the top left corner of the comments section.) Just want to know if y'all find this helpful or not. :)

Have a great weekend! 


 

 

 


"Hot and romantic, with an edge of suspense that will keep you entertained.” --Shayla Black, New York Times Bestselling author of SURRENDER TO ME

 

 

 

CRASH INTO YOU is now available for pre-order!

Read an excerpt here.



All content copyright of the author. Please ask permission before re-printing or re-posting. Fair use quotations and links do no require prior consent of the author. ©Roni Loren 2009-2011 |Copyright Statement|

 

Why Self-Promotion Shouldn't Be a Dirty Word

Okay, so today I'm talking about something that I've touched on briefly before on my author blog, but after reading this post by the lovely and talented Lydia Sharp (who you should all follow on Twitter because she tweets some of the best stuff for writers), I thought I would expand on it here.

Lydia's post is about how we'll always need blogs for writers, which I agree with. I don't know where I'd be if I hadn't found blogs when I started querying two years ago. Bloggers were my writing saviors. But one of the things Lydia talks about in her post is authors promoting their books on their blogs.

Here are her thoughts:

"I do not blog about writing as a way to sell my books. I bet a lot of you didn't even know I have books out there available to purchase. I do. But that's not what this blog is about. This isn't my 'author blog', this is my writing blog -- a blog for writers. It's about writing and reading and publishing and how all of those go hand in hand.And just between you and me, it kind of annoys me when I see 'buy my book' pimpage in my Google Reader. I'm not following those blogs because I want to buy the author's book. If I want to buy your book, I'll find your book on my own, I'm not stupid, I know how to click on a link in your sidebar and how to use an Amazon search box..."

This part of her post inspired me to write today's post because I think this idea that authors shouldn't promote their own work on their own blog is a little extreme. When Nathan Bransford did a tongue and cheek post promoting his book, people jumped his case and I didn't understand all the ire. (I blogged about that here.)

I totally get that we don't want to be beat over the head with advertisements and book spam. God knows there are people out there who do it all day long on Twitter and such. And my guess is that those types of self-promoters are who many people are frustrated with. Obviously, that is the wrong way to go. Social networking and blogging are about building relationships and community. However, I also think swinging so far in the other direction in that promoting your own work at all is some sort of insult to your followers is a bit ludicrous.

I am a service-minded person. I genuinely write this blog hoping that my posts provide you guys with solid information or something to think about or tips or whatever it is that day. I take a lot of time to (hopefully) provide you with quality content. And I have kept my writing blog a writing blog and started a separate author blog because I didn't want to bait and switch you by changing the focus once I needed more of a broad online presence.

I enjoy the blogging process. I enjoy talking with everyone and hearing people's feedback on different topics. I love the blogging and social networking community.

BUT I also hope to sell books so that I can continue to follow my passion and do what I love for a living. And  if I told my agent or editor that I wasn't going to promote my book on my writing blog that I've spent two years building, they would look at me like I had grown a third head.

And I understand the thought of--you don't need to talk about your book because if I want to see if you have a book, I'll go look for it. But really, that's not the case in a lot of ways. If it's not obvious, I'm not going to go hunt down to see if a blogger I like has a book out. I don't  have that much time on my hands and there are hundreds of books I want to buy at any given moment. So if I have to "work" to find out if there is a book, I'm probably not going to.

I WANT bloggers I like to tell me about their book. No, I don't need a weekly post about it and a thousand "check out this latest review" tweets. (One of my personal goals is that once my book comes out, I don't turn into someone who only talks about things having to do with my book. I've seen that happen to many a blogger who transitioned from pre-pubbed to post-pubbed.) But mentioning your book and talking about it on occasion are good. Having a book link in your sidebar and even at the bottom of your posts (like I do below because you can't see sidebars in google reader) is a good way to advertise your book without smacking people in the face with it.

If someone stops by my blog for the very first time, I want it to be glaringly obvious that I have a book if they are interested. They shouldn't have to hunt the info down.

And I refuse to feel ashamed or apologetic about promoting my own book on my own blog. Blogging is a give and take relationship. I expect when I go to someone's blog that I am taking away something (information, a laugh, whatever) and in exchange I'm giving that blogger my attention to their platform/their book/whatever it is they may be promoting. It doesn't mean that I have to buy their book, but it means that I have to expect to be exposed to it.

So what are some things you can do to make sure you don't become one of THOSE people who give self-promotion a bad name?

6 Ways to Promote That Won't Make People Want To Punch You in the Face

 

1. Make sure your online content offers something to your reader. 

You are writing these posts for them. It is not about your own agenda. This is why posts in which the blogger whines about something never work. You're not offering the reader anything, you're looking for someone to soothe you--not a good blog post.

2. Be a cheerleader for others.

Like Lydia suggests in her post, promote other people's stuff if you've enjoyed it whether that be a book or a blog post or whatever.

3. Once you are published, do not contract "published author disease."

This disease is characterized by only posting about YOUR book ALL THE TIME and linking to review after review, awards, contests giving away your book, and what magazines you've made it into, etc. Some of that is fine because you're excited and want to a share. But make sure that kind of stuff is no more than 10-15% of the content/tweets/etc. you're putting out there.

4. Expand your online presence in a way that doesn't alienate your original readers and followers.

I knew I needed more of a reader-focused blog once my book was getting closer to publication. I needed a place where non-writing readers would want to visit and hopefully hang out. Had I kept this blog more broad in its focus, I could've just expanded that here. (Ah, hindsight.) But I hadn't. This was a writing blog. So instead of pulling the rug out from under that, I started a separate author blog on my website and kept this one the same. That way people could choose which kind of content they wanted.

5. Promote your books in a way that is very visible but still subtle.

I don't blatantly blog about my book unless I'm revealing a cover or blurb or something. I will, however, have a big fat glaring post the day it releases, just warning ya. ;) But in general, having a clickable cover in the sidebar, a book page with buy links, and a link at the bottom of each post (so that people who only read you in a reader can click) are all unobtrusive but effective ways to go about it.

6. Be genuine, friendly, and helpful.

Of all the things above, this is the most important. Social networking is about building genuine relationships. We can all spot a faker a hundred yards away.

So how do you guys feel about self-promotion? Do you get annoyed if a blogger talks about their book or are you fine with the give-and-take relationship? What are some self-promotion methods that you think are effective and non-annoying? What makes you want to punch someone in the face? :)

Five Ways To Guard Your Brand

So last week I got a lovely invitation from a friend of a friend to join Triberr (called the reach multiplier). Basically what happens with this service is you get invited to join a tribe of other bloggers (it's by invite only right now). If you accept, then what you agree to is that anytime one of your tribesmates blogs, a link to their blog is automatically tweeted by all member of the tribe. In return, you get the same treatment, you blog and your link autotweets from every one in your tribe's twitter accounts. The idea behind it is that you get exposed to lots more people and your reach is thereby amplified.

Sounds cool, right? And it is. But as I dug into exactly what it all meant, my control freak side took over. Did I really want to auto-tweet twenty-something different peoples blog links without really knowing them? What if they didn't blog content that I liked or that was relevant to those who follow me on Twitter?

I put out the question on Twitter to see if anyone had experience with Triberr and guess who tweets me back? One of the founders of Triberr (oh, the power of following keywords on Twitter). But guess what he told me? That I shouldn't use Triberr. He also sent a link to this post: Why You Shouldn't Be on Triberr

It seemed a little odd that the owner would try to talk me out of joining, but I realized why. One of his reasons the service may not be for you is: Your Twitter Stream Is Your Brand

Well, bingo. That's exactly why I was hesitant.

Everything I put out on the internet (whether I intend it or not) is part of my "brand."

The things I retweet on Twitter aren't haphazard.

I'm tweeting it because I: a) read it b) enjoyed it or found it informative and c) think my followers would appreciate it.

I do that because I want the people who follow me to trust that I am going to give them good content. (Well, in between my ramblings.) They (hopefully) know if I tweet or retweet a link that it has a high chance of being something worth clicking on.

Your brand is the promise you make to those that follow you

--whether that be on your blog, facebook, twitter, and your books for that matter. For instance, I know if Elizabeth Craig retweets something, it's often going to be something I find useful because she's proven to me that her content is consistently great. If she started tweeting random posts that weren't worth my time, she'd lose some of my "trust." I know if erotica author Tiffany Reisz tweets a link, there's a sixty percent chance it will involve nudity, lol. So of course I always click on hers. ;)

So don't be afraid to be protective of your brand. Sometimes it can feel like you're being snobby or something, but it's vital to keep your arms around it. For instance, I get many requests from people to read their book and feature it or them on the blog. For the record, I don't do reviews anymore anyway. But I've had to learn to say no a lot, which goes against my nature. I want to help people out. But if I don't know you or your writing (and don't have time to read it), I'm not going to feature you on my blog and let it look like an endorsement.

See it sounds stuck-up, doesn't it? But it's the promise I've made to you. If a book or author is featured here, it means that I either have read the book and loved it. Or I know the author and am familiar with the quality of their writing and their guest posts, etc. That's why I handpicked the Monday genre guests. I knew those ladies rocked at blogging, so I felt comfortable (and honored) to have them be a part of my blog.

So here are some suggestions...

Five Ways to Protect Your Brand

1. Don't accept every offer people give you to guest blog on your site.

Make sure you like their blog and know that they can provide something your readers will enjoy.

2. Don't accept every "free book" offered to you in exchange for featuring that author on your blog.

With the onslaught of self-publishing, there are a lot of people looking for places to be guests. They will offer you a free book in exchange for the promotion. That's cool. But what happens if you don't like the book or don't have time to read it? Vet it before you promote it to your readers.

3. Don't give 5-star reviews to all your friends on Goodreads and Amazon simply because they are your friend. 

If you really love the book, then great. But just agreeing to give a perfect review just because you're BFFs will teach people not to trust your reviews. (If you do reviews.)

4. Don't auto-tweet things you haven't looked at first and don't only tweet your friends posts just to be nice.

I don't expect my friends to retweet me just because we're buddies. I only want to be retweeted if the post is worth it.

5. Be very careful with group blogs.

There are many awesome group blogs out there. But be careful when deciding to join or start one. You need to know absolutely that the people you are blogging with are going to be a fit with what you want associated with you. This is why my group Tumblr blog lasted about, oh, five seconds before I went on my own. (Kristen Lamb would also argue that group blogs aren't effective because no one remembers the individual bloggers' names.)

So what do you think? Do you feel there is an inherent "brand" trust between people and their followers? How do you feel about services like Triberr? Has any blogger/tweeter ever lost your "follower trust"? Have you found yourself saying yes to feature people or books that may not fit on your blog?

Tweet

Fill-Me-In Friday

 

It's that time of the week again to round-up my favorite links of the week! But first I want to direct you to a guest post I'm doing today over at the fabulous Writers in the Storm. I'd love if you could stop by and leave a comment! 

 

My Guest Post:

 

Okay, now on to the links...

On Writing:
Heartbreaking Borders Photo via GalleyCat -- This gave me the sads.
Twenty Obsolete Words That Should Make a Comeback by Matador Network. <--These are full of awesome.
When the Going Gets Tough at Writer Unboxed 
So How Am I Doing? (the difficulty of tracking your book sales and how Amazon rank doesn't mean much) by Books and Such Literary Agency
The New Facebook Subscribe Button at Mashable -- great explanation on who should use it and how
Happy Endings by Sierra Godfrey
What You May Have Missed 'Round These Here Parts:
(And even if you're not into the pics, the post is worth reading for my husband's comment and answer to this question at the bottom of the post.)
September 12 - 16, 2011



So those are my favorites of the week--what were some of your favorite links out there? It's your turn to fill me in. :) Hope everyone has a great weekend!

 

 


“...a sexy, sizzling tale that is sure to have readers begging for more!" –Jo Davis, author of I SPY A DARK OBSESSION

 

 

CRASH INTO YOU is now available for pre-order!

Read an excerpt here.


All content copyright of the author. Please ask permission before re-printing or re-posting. Fair use quotations and links do no require prior consent of the author. ©Roni Loren 2009-2011 |Copyright Statement|

 

Standing Out in A Crowded Publishing Market by Jenn LeBlanc

Today I have a special treat for you guys--Author Jenn LeBlanc. We're all told that we're supposed to stand out, to think outside the box, and to provide the "same but different" in order to make it in the world of publishing. And Jenn has taken that advice and has run with it. I can't wait for you to read about what she's doing. And don't forget to leave a comment on today's post with your email because Jenn is generously offering up a copy of THE RAKE AND THE RECLUSE as a prize!

Take it away, Jenn...



When I started writing The Rake And The Recluse, I never thought to finish it. When I did, I never really thought to publish it. When I started working on that, I realized I really needed a good hook to get people to pay attention. I thought it was a great story, as did my editors and beta readers, but convincing a stranger of that was pretty important. 

Romance is the number one selling genre last time I checked. That means there are a lot of books, and a lot of readers, and as a new author I really needed to stand out in order to survive. 

I decided to put together a package for my queries. Something that would set me apart from the crowd. I thought, as a photographer, shooting a great cover for my novel might do it. (What can I say, as a newb it sounded like a good idea.) Besides, I could always use it on my writers blog and try to get some buzz going. 

I started casting for a cover model, and found Derek Hutchins and we set up a photo shoot. It didn’t take long once we started shooting to realize there was something special happening. I called him in for a second shoot and started playing with some other scenes from the book. This was about a month before the release of the first iPad. As the shoot became more involved my brain kicked into overdrive and I wondered about shooting illustrations for the entire novel. I talked to Derek and he was game so I started doing page layouts and, well the rest is history. 


I queried my idea but most of what I got in response was ‘we love your voice, but we don’t know what to do with this.’ By then I already had the book, and the images. I was not turning back so I learned how to layout and export to ePub on my own. I designed five versions of the book so it could be read on any reader, and I self published it. 

It’s a fully illustrated romance novel. I suppose you could call it a cover on steroids. Romance covers are such an iconic 20th century thing, and it’s time to move on with the possibilities of the digital age of books. This book in print is expensive. The full color volume, of which there are exactly four copies so far, is about $140 retail. The trade paperback, with images, is $21.95. It’s beautiful, but if you want the true experience, it’s in the ebook. That is what it was made for. 

I have always tried to think outside the proverbial box, always wanted to have something different. That carried over into my book project. I wanted something new, something more, something eye-catching, an experience and not just a really good read. I wanted to utilize the new media to its fullest potential. 

My novel can be read on any reader--video and flash are not part of the book. The images are embedded in the text, so it flows properly and you don’t need special plugins or video to read it--that was important to me. I’ve seen the vooks and thought that the video might pull the reader from the story, particularly on readers where they would have to move to a computer or something else with video capability. 



I actually loved every minute of this project and as it gains momentum I’m having even more fun sharing it. I think it’s worth it just for the pictures or the story independently, but together you get a more lush and involved reading experience. 

I have done all my own marketing and promotion, and managed to catch the eye of the editors at Avon. We are still talking, but I’m not entirely sure I want to go that route now that I have done all the work myself. I truly appreciate the big publishers, and what they can offer to a writer, especially a first time author like myself, and weighing the benefits of a big publishing house, including their editors and experts and reach, against my own hard work and expectations has been monumentally difficult. It comes down to numbers and how much they would get from all of my hard work, considering it is complete, and would only need minor edits and modifications for them to publish it.

I think it’s fantastic, and it makes me feel great to be told the writing is on, and they would love to be involved, particularly since a year ago I couldn’t convince anyone to look at it. It’s a bit like my own personal Marilyn in the ice cream shop experience. 

In the meantime I’m working on restructuring the book to its original format, a six part serial novel. Something else nobody was interested in. I’m finishing edits on the second book, and preparing to shoot that in September or October for a February release. 

I’m also doing illustrations for other wonderful authors, and a few covers as well. I have found this great community that I love being a part of, and my own little niche to rest in- not that I get any rest. 

Standing out in the publishing market is difficult. There are very few people who can do what I have done. I happen to be a professional photographer, and that really helps. That is what gave my my niche, and what makes me who I am in the writing industry. You have to find yours as well. It isn’t easy. I did not plan this. I fell into it a bit backward, but here I am and I plan to keep going because this is quite honestly the most fun I have had in my entire life. Learning everything I can from other authors, both new and seasoned, has helped immensely. Now that I’ve done all the work the next one will be simple for me to get done.

Now it’s just a matter of staying on top of the new media curve. I have a few short stories coming out soon, and some free reads going on my website to help promote. Actually there is a hidden scene on my website, and you have to play around to find it. It’s pretty randy so fair warning. :) It’s an outtake from The Rake And The Recluse.



My book is available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, All Romance eBooks and on iBooks from your iThingy. 

If you read it please track me down on Twitter, Facebook, or my blog to let me know what you think! I LOVE LOVE LOVE to hear from readers, both the good and the bad. That way my next book will only get better.

Thanks, Jenn! So what do y'all think? An illustrated romance novel, sign me up. :) What ideas have you had that you were afraid were too outside the box? How do you think your book will stand out? 


CONTEST: And don't forget to leave a comment with your email addy to enter the contest to WIN a copy of THE RAKE AND THE RECLUSE!


All content copyright of the author. Please ask permission before re-printing or re-posting. Fair use quotations and links do no require prior consent of the author. ©Roni Loren 2009-2011 |Copyright Statement|

Fill-Me-In Friday

 


It's time again for our new feature where I try to find some of the best links of the week you may have missed and pass them along to you.

 

On the Web...

The Trials and Tribulations of the Modern Day Writer by Chuck Wendig including such advice as "Write More, Word Slave" and why writers needs to be like Great White Honeysharks. (See, don't you want to know what that is now?)

Ten Suggestions For Authors on Twitter from the perspective of a reader by May over at Smexy Books - Love to hear what readers hope to see from authors on Twitter

Writers and Doubt (and why it's a good thing) by James Scott Bell at The Kill Zone

The Importance of Knowing and Writing for our Target Readers by Jody Hedlund

What Readers Won't Miss About Corporate Publishers by Anne R. Allen - Now, I'm not one who thinks the big publishers are just going to collapse into oblivion anytime soon. I think the whole industry is changing and with that comes some good things and some bad things. But what I like about Anne's post is the point that with the boom in self-publishing, genres that are considered "out of style" will have a chance again. Anne selects the top genres she looks forward to seeing making a comeback.

Ellora's Cave (one of the biggest digital-first publishers of erotic romance) is planning to launch a line for men. This is super fascinating to me because I'm always so interested in how the male and female minds work differently. The comments from guys on the post were pretty insightful too. I'll be interested to see if this line is successful and will definitely pick up a few of the books once they come out to see how they differ from the female-centric stories.

Creative Kryptonite and the Death of Productivity by Jonathan Fields - What all this multi-tasking, tweeting, facebooking, emailing is doing to our brains and how it can hurt our ability to create.

What You Missed on the Author Blog...

 

(my response to a comment on my post on Wednesday about writing fast to build a career)
*and then in response to THAT post, Geoffrey Young Haney responded in his own post

So thoughts on any of these? And it's your turn to fill ME in, what are some of your favorite links from the week? Have a great weekend!

 


  All content copyright of the author. Please ask permission before re-printing or re-posting. Fair use quotations and links do no require prior consent of the author. ©Roni Loren 2009-2011 |Copyright Statement|

How Fast Do You Have To Write to Build a Successful Career?

So I've talked before about how I'm a perfectionist. I always have been. I'm the girl who got a grade on my final trigonometry test that would bring down my final average to a B+ instead of an A  and went to my teacher to go problem by problem until we found a place where he took off too many points for a simple mistake. I got my A, kept my perfect 4.0. Yes, I'm that annoying girl.

So when it comes to my writing, this perfection monkey sits solidly on my back squawking and whining as I try to draft my book. It's frustrating and it slows me down. On average it takes me about 6-7 months to write and revise a 90k-100k book. Six months of that is drafting. Six months of drafting.

In previous decades in publishing, expecting an author to write one book a year was pretty standard. And for the most part, it still is if you're writing literary fiction or if you're an already established author. But if you're a new author, the situation is different, especially with the advent of ebooks and self-publishing. Readers are expecting your next work pretty quickly. You don't want them to forget about you (or if you're writing a series, your characters.) You need to stay top of mind.

And if you want to make money, you'll hear it over and over again--backlist is king. To earn a sustainable living as a writer, you need backlist. One book (unless you're part of the Oprah book club or Stephanie Meyer) is not going to set you up for life. One book isn't going to allow you to quit your day job. You want readers to pick up one of your books, love it, and then have a whole slew of other books by you that they can click the "buy" button on.

But the caveat of write, write, write, get a backlist out there is that you also have to make sure you maintain the quality of your work. One horrible book can send your readers running for the hill and for all the other reading choices they have bombarding them from everywhere.

And I know it can be done--writing fast and producing quality books. Maya Banks stated in her Dear Author interview that she writes 8-10 books a year. (!!!) Some of those are novellas but still, my jaw dropped onto my space bar. She also says she usually is done and sends it to her editor when she finishes the first draft.

And I can tell you, I read Maya. Her books are fabulous. She's one of my favorite romance authors. She's also hit the New York Times list and this year, had a book nominated for a RITA (the Oscars of romance writing). So clearly her quality is not suffering. And last year, she said that she made 600k for income. And this year, she's on track to hit 900k. Yes, people, she gave out her numbers. And if you don't read erotic romance, this is not an author many of you have probably even heard of. There is clearly money to be made if you put out quality work in good volume.

Now, I know I will never be able to pen 8-10 books a year. I have a three year old and a husband who would like to see me sometimes. And I'm a new author, so all this getting my name out there and social networking stuff is a time eater. But I KNOW I have got to be able to write more than 1-2 books a year.

So I am going to challenge myself with these next books to write faster and edit less. Here are some of the things I am going to be putting on post-it notes to remind myself courtesy of author Candace Havens, who gives Fast Draft workshops on her online forum.

1. It is okay to write a sh*tty first draft.

I like revising. Why am I so dead set on getting it perfect the first time?

2. I will write a basic synopsis before I start writing.

I'm a pantser so the story will change and I will not outline every point, but to have a general overview will help me. (Plus, I'm going to have to do this if I want to sell on proposal.)

3. I will know the basics about my book before starting--mainly the Goal, Motivation, and Conflict of my main characters.

4. I will not get hung up for five minutes trying to find the perfect word. I'll change it when I revise.

5. I will refuse to believe in writer's block and will keep writing even if I feel like I'm not sure where I'm going.

And though this doesn't have to do with writing faster, I will also learn to write shorter stuff in addition to my full-length novels. I think the successful author of the future is going to know how to write in varying lengths and is going to utilize multiple avenues to get their work out there (traditional publishers, e-pubs, self-publishing, etc.)

So what kind of writer are you? Are you a fast drafter or a slow and steady one like me? How many books do you think you could legitimately write in a year? What do you think the future of publishing is going to look like?

UPDATE: I did a follow up post in response to the discussion in the comments - The Beauty of Books: Why the Literary vs. Genre Debate Isn't Necessary

 

Going Digital with Author Stephanie Haefner

Soap Dreams

Today I'm happy to have the lovely Stephanie Haefner here to talk to us about her experience with digital-first publishing. With all the talk and excitement going on with self-publishing sometimes it's easy to forget that there is another great option that falls somewhere between NY Publishing and self/indie publishing. I'm a big fan of digital-first publishers and have discovered a lot of great new authors that way, especially in the romance genre, so I'm excited to hear what Stephanie has to say about her experiences with an e-publisher.

Take it away Stephanie...


Going Digital!

I'll admit, digital publishing was not my first choice. But once I signed that contract and started the journey to publication, I really felt like I was getting in on something fabulous!

Technology moves so fast and consumers seem to always want what's new and cool and better than what is already out there. And digital book readers were another new gadget to have. Things have changed a lot since I signed my first digital contract, but only for the better! I think people are reading more than ever and partly it's because of digital media. People can read books on their iPhones and other Smartphones. EReaders make it convenient to take a book anywhere. And many libraries are even jumping on board, offering members free downloadable books on their websites!

There is lots to love about digital publishing! Here are my reasons why being published by a primarily digital house is awesome:

     - No need for an agent. Most digital publishers are rather small and accept unagented submissions. (Though my publisher says they are starting to receive a lot of submissions from agented authors.) But this by no means implies that the quality is less. Yeah, they may have to sift through more junk, but they are just as picky. The Editor in Chief fills us in monthly on how many contracts they've offered....which isn't many. The majority are established authors within their house, with only a few newbies. But bottom line, I don't have to share my earnings with anyone!! Well, maybe my hubby! I treat him to a nice dinner every once in a while...it's the least I can do! ;)

     - Prices are great! Digital book prices by primarily digital houses are far lower than print publishers, even those who offer their titles in digital. But that doesn't mean I make less! Oh no! Royalties on digital books are waaaaaay higher than print books! :) I make 40% on every digital copy (net sales). And if my math is correct, 40% of $5.50 is a good amount more than 10% of a paperback that costs $14.95.

     - There is a home for short pieces! Not every story can be written in novel-length. But what do you do with a 30,000 word story? For a newbie, it's nearly impossible to get into a print anthology. And those are far and few between anyway. But digital publishers, they do publish short works. My newest release, Soap Dreams, is the perfect length to read on a smartphone while carpooling to work, waiting at the doctor's office, or while you kid's at practice!

     - Readers who use the Nook and Kindle can buy my books instantly. If they finish one of my books, and love it, they can buy another of my other titles immediately!

And there are some drawbacks too, unfortunately.

     - Primarily digital houses are small and most do not offer an advance on royalties.

     - Books are not on bookstore shelves for people who love to just browse bookstores.

     - You can't really do book signings.

     - Some, but not all, digitally published books are made available for print. My debut was, but there's no guarantee anything else I publish digitally will be.

     - Readers who do not have an eReader are unlikely to buy my book.

A huge thank you to Roni for having me!! All commenters will be entered into a drawing for a digital copy of my newest release, Soap Dreams! And all commenters from every post on my blog tour will be entered in a fabulous grand prize drawing for a signed copy of A Bitch Named Karma and digital copies of both Paradise Cove and Soap Dreams!! Please leave your email address!

Paradise Cove

Paradise Cove is now available at Lyrical Press and Amazon.
www.stephaniehaefnerthewriter.com


Guest Post: Previously Published Authors & Their Decision to Self-Pub


Today I have the pleasure of introducing you to Christine Bell/Chloe Cole, Dee Carney, Cari Quinn, and Dee Tenorio here at Fiction Groupie. These lovely authors are going to talk to us about their decision to venture out into the self-publishing world AND they have been kind enough to offer a big ol' contest along with it! So yay!

And before I turn it over to them, I just want to let everyone know that you should tune in to this blog on Friday because guess what? I'M GOING TO REVEAL MY COVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (**if I'm allowed, still checking on that.) I got it today and am SO EXCITED to share it with everyone. So don't miss that.

Now take it away, Christine...

The Decision to Self-Publish

Thanks so much Roni, for allowing us to take over your fabulous blog today! To celebrate the upcoming release of our erotic romance anthology, Undercover Lovers, Dee Carney, Cari Quinn, Dee Tenorio and I are going to talk about our decision to self-publish and give some insight into how we went about it. We’re also running a mega-contest and will be giving away an ARC of Undercover Lovers to TWENTY random commenters!

Dee Tenorio and I have been friends for a while and have talked endlessly about the recent shift in publishing, the phenomenon that is e-pub and the really great (varying, and often confusing) opportunities out there for authors right now. Self-publishing came up time and time again in these discussions. Not so much as an alternative to working with our current publishers, but as a way of increasing our visibility, offering a product that was entirely within our creative control (SO much fun!) and selling more books. Never one to let the grass grow beneath my feet, after several of these discussions, I said “Okay, I’m doing it. I’m writing a novella and by June 1st, I’m going to self-pub it. You want in?” and she said “Absolutely.”

I’d love to tell you that we had it all worked out from the get go. We didn’t. But we did have the basics. Dee is a tekkie (thank God) and volunteered to handle the formatting and cover design. I researched some tax laws and contracts, wrote up a two page contract and volunteered to handle the finances (as most retailers will not pay to more than one person for a single work*). We also settled on the parameters of the book. We wanted a four story anthology and we wanted it to have a unified theme. Dee suggested Undercover Lovers and I thought it was a brilliant theme. All the stories would be around 20k words, and would feature either a hero or heroine who was hiding their true identity from the other.

Now that we had our ducks in a row, it was time to find two more authors. After bouncing some names around, we settled on our choices and sent a professional email, letting them know that what we were looking to do, citing our publishing credits and asking Dee Carney and Cari Quinn if they would like to join us. They both said yes and we were thrilled! They came in with vigor and ideas and suggestions to streamline the contract and the process and we were off and running.

Because one of the biggest benefits to self-publishing is the ability to write and see your work on virtual shelves very quickly, we wanted to take advantage of that. We set up a tight deadline, allowing about five weeks for writing then another five for editing, formatting and cover art. Due to our collective experience, we felt we could edit for one another in a sort of round-robin fashion. This allowed us to each receive three passes of edits before doing one final pass for ourselves. It worked out really well because each of us has a particular strength in this area. Where one of us might be weaker in grammar, they would catch any timeline issues or plot problems. We had a lot of laughs during the process and aside from jitters (we all wanted to impress one another!) it was as painless as any editing experience I’ve ever had.

Now I’m going to turn it over to my writing partners so you can get an idea of why each of them made the decision to self-publish this time.

Q: Okay chicas, what made you decide to sign on and self-publish this book when it’s very likely that all of you could have sold them to one of your many publishers?

Dee Carney – Honestly, although friends have had great successes with self-publishing, I’ve been on the fence. Although I have one title that’s self-published, the experience wasn’t a great success. I work full-time as a nurse and honestly, don’t feel I have the time needed to dedicate to the marketing, editing, promotion, etc. that is necessary. However, when approached about this anthology--and the opportunity to share that burden--a smile lit my face. Not only was I asked to join a fabulous group of authors, I knew with our combined experience, we have the talent to make this seriously rock. So far, my prediction has come true!

Cari Quinn – I've been interested in self-publishing for a while, but it's not something you can jump into without doing some research. When Dee and Christine approached me, the timing was perfect. I felt confident that they had investigated a lot of the ins and outs and I knew what I was getting into. Best of all, I'd be able to test the self-publishing waters in an anthology with three other incredible authors and we'd be able to cheer each other on to write high-quality stories that worked well with the others. I think (hope!) we accomplished what we set out to do. Plus it was a ton of fun! I loved that we set the timeline and we were our own editorial directors. I wouldn't hesitate to do it again, especially with these talented ladies. All three are now on my TBR.

Dee Tenorio- Well, to be honest, as much as I love my publishers, I wanted to have something out a bit earlier than the slots they could offer. Currently, you're looking at a book out—at the earliest, six months after submission and you're competing with the other 4-6 titles released that week. Self-pubbing is a really exciting arena right now and the time was ripe for experimenting. You're competing only with yourself... You know, yourself and the other thousands of books that are out there, lol. But I try not to let odds like that bring me down. It's a new challenge, which, honestly, is why I started with epublishing in the first place. I'm a ground floor kind of girl. :) Getting to write with friends just put it over the top and I dove right in. Plus, well, I had this really great idea about a wounded hero and a woman risking everything to love him… Really now, who can turn down something like that?

Now for our contest! Undercover Lovers is out now, and we’re hoping to get some ratings and reviews cooking on Goodreads, Amazon etc. Today we’ll be giving away TWENTY ARCs of our anthology Undercover Lovers today here on Fiction Groupie! To enter, just comment and leave your email address and preferred format (pdf, epub or mobi) and you’re in. We would love it if, after reading, you would consider taking a minute to give it an honest star rating or review if you have the time (no obligation).

Thanks so much for having us Roni!

*I won’t bore you with contract details, but if anyone has any specific questions regarding that process, maybe pitfalls and things to make sure you include, feel free to ask questions via comments, or email me directly at rcbell64@yahoo.com. I don’t profess to be an expert by any stretch, but I think we all felt good about the end result. 

Thanks so much, ladies, for visiting! And now everyone go enter the contest! :) --Roni

Traditional or Self-Publishing: Defining Your Dream

 

"dream wheel"
Photo by H.T. Yu

So I planned on blogging on something else this morning and then agent Rachelle Gardner tweeted this post by Phil Cooke on How Much Did It Take To Buy You Away From Your Dream? Go read it. It's not publishing specific, but really can be applied to anything.

 

He sites the line in the movie Up In the Air where George Clooney's character asks someone he's firing that question: How much did it take to buy you away from your dream? (Because the guy at one time wanted to be a chef and went into whatever he business he was getting fired from instead.)

We all at some point probably give up on or modify our dreams. I know I wanted to be a writer when I was in high school--even started college with a double major in English and Psychology. But then as time went on, I decided I needed to be more "practical" and focus on the psychology so I could have a stable, decent-paying job. I absolutely DON'T regret that decision. I loved what I learned and enjoyed my masters program in social work. The jobs and experiences I had were invaluable. I wouldn't have been able to write CRASH INTO YOU without it. So I got to my dream, albeit via a convoluted path.

But once you've decided you're going to pursue that dream of being a writer, you now have a couple of different versions of "the dream" to choose from. Once, not too long ago, you had one option--get an agent, pursue traditional publishing. But now you have traditional publishing, small press, digital-first publishers, vanity publishing, and of course, the hot topic of the last few months--self-publishing.

So what's the right path for you? Obviously there are success stories in each venue. And one method isn't mutually exclusive of the other. You may pursue digital publishing first with the intent to eventually move to a more traditional publisher. Lots of people have used digital (especially in my genre) as a stepping stone to a NY contract.

How do you figure out which to pursue? And here's what I think--you need to define your dream.

What is it you are seeking from being a writer? When you let your mind wander, which parts get you all giddy inside? Big readership? Big paychecks? NYT Bestseller lists? Getting fan mail? Holding your book in your hands? Seeing it on a shelf?

And then consider which method of publishing feeds the core of your dream.

Here's what my dream consists of:

 

  • The chance to share my stories with others and (hopefully) entertain them.
  • The ability to at least make a similar salary writing books as I was making as a  management recruiter (The job I had before I had my son.)
  • Validation from professionals that my writing is good and marketable.
  • To hold my book in my hands and see it on the shelves of bookstores.
  • Okay, and having some fans and a big readership wouldn't suck.


So when you analyze the main components of my dream, you can probably see why self-publishing an ebook wouldn't have been the total fulfillment of my dream. I could have accomplished some of these, but not all of them. And some people may scoff at the validation piece, but I wanted to prove to myself that I could land an agent and a big publisher. Maybe it's bad to look to others to measure if I'm "good enough" but that's how I'm built when it comes to my writing.

 

Now if you don't need that validation and your main goal is to get your stories out there in whatever format you can so that you can get in front of readers, then putting your book up on Amazon may be a great option. It may fill your personal dream well to the brim. Or maybe you want that validation, but holding the book in your hands isn't that big a deal--then maybe an digital publisher is the best option.

The key is figuring out what is going to fulfill you. If traditional publishing is where you've hung your hope, then fight for it. Don't query a few agents, get a few rejections, then throw your hands up and say "Oh I'm going to self-publish this as an ebook.  Some people are making all kinds of money doing that. Screw New York!" Because then what will you be able to say if someone were to ask you that question in a few years: How much did it take to buy you away from your dream?

Did you sell your dream for instant gratification or lack of patience? Did you sell it so you wouldn't have to tuck away a book and start something new and keep working to get better? Maybe, maybe not. Maybe you've gone on to be an ebook millionaire. I don't know. But it is something to think about.

I don't think there is anything wrong with alternatives to traditional publishing. Obviously, it's going to be a huge part of the future of publishing. But I think it's important to know what's going to feed your writer's soul and work as hard as you can to accomplish whatever your personal dream is.

So what do you think? What are the essential components of your dream? Which method of publishing do you think is the best fit for you?


WINNER: Thanks to all of you who asked me questions and entered the contest last Friday. The winner of the 5-page critique is Strickland! Congrats!