Jumping on the bandwagon

[COSenior]

Quick update...I'm now 83% finished with the first book in my new pen name. I should be finished...haven't written anything for it in three days due to various reasons, some of which make me mad at myself. I fear there's going to be significant revision required to bring it up to my own reading standards, but I hope to have it out no later than the end of this month. I may go back to do that before finishing it, so the last 15k doesn't have to be done twice.

However, thanks to a forum friend, I now have a brand image for that pen name, actual images for the Facebook page, email sign-up form and an e-book cover. I'm not sure whether he'd like my naming him or not, but I invite him to step forward and take credit any time he wishes. He did an amazing job, in a very short period of time, and I'm thrilled with the results.

I haven't decided whether to reveal the new pen name here, but I have made some decisions regarding where I'm going to put my writing energy and time. I'm enjoying the collaboration with @mossie, and we've worked out a deal that will no doubt keep me writing for and with him as long as we have readers. For now, that's accounting for half of my time on a daily basis.

I'm going to stay independent for the new pen name. I've learned a ton, both about what to do and what not to do (at least for me) in marketing. The main reason is for control. I want to control my own list and I want to make my own decisions on marketing. I realize that this means I'll either sink or swim on my own, too, but at least I won't be upset at my publisher, who's just trying to do his best, for the disappointing results he's getting. Unfortunately, I haven't figured out how to sever the relationship with my publisher amicably yet. And I'm still wavering about doing one more book for him. He's given me a story concept that sounds like fun to write, but I won't feel right about doing it if I don't let him publish it. So, for now, I'm procrastinating starting it.

I have a question for the more experienced writers and those who have done serious research out there. Would you ever combine New Adult novels and contemporary romance novels under a single pen name? If so, would you stick to one genre until you got traction in it before putting out the other? Or do you think the readership overlaps?

 

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[ChickenHawk]

Would you ever combine New Adult novels and contemporary romance novels under a single pen name?

I would, assuming the voice, storylines, and ages of the main characters are similar enough.

My current project trends much closer toward romantic suspense compared to my first two books, and that's how I may classify it, if only to gain new readers. This may be risky, but I think there's something to be said for making sure that readers who enjoy your work can still find you.

I think there's a pretty strong overlap between new adult and contemporary romance. Now, if your new book were a military spy saga...

 

[COSenior]

I think there's a pretty strong overlap between new adult and contemporary romance. Now, if your new book were a military spy saga...

Hahaha. No, that's a different pen name, lol.

 

[COSenior]

A while back there was a discussion about how to handle getting a PO box for your pen name. The issue is that you must have two forms of ID in the name under which you rent a box, and it must be your own name. Since all private PO box providers must also follow USPS rules, there was no way to get around that real name issue.

Today I rented a PO box for the purpose of complying with CAN-SPAM for my email service provider, and on the back of the form I was able to put my pen name as 'someone' who would also be receiving mail at that box. I was informed that I couldn't remove a name, but could add as many as I wanted. Minor inconvenience at worst.

I realize that's a point of potential privacy leaks, if that's the issue you're concerned about, but I consider the danger low. My friend who manages a UPS store says that according to post office rules, they cannot confirm that they manage a PO box for a specific person, nor discuss anything else about it. I'd assume the US Post Office employees would be under the same constraints. (If there's a subpoena from a court, all bets are off.) So, it can be done. I rented the smallest box available, assuming that there's little likelihood of receiving actual mail in it. At less than $5.50 a month, it's a manageable cost of doing business.

Hope this helps anyone who's confused about it.

 

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[COSenior]

So, finished one book and started another today. The first is my first NA novel under a new pen name, and though I finished the first draft, there's quite a bit of work to do before I'll be ready to publish. I intend to sit down and make a to-do list so I won't be overwhelmed. This will be the first book I've published independently in eight or nine months. I'm rusty.

The one I started was actually started yesterday, the new thriller (the 4th) with my writing partner @mossie. However, I had a misunderstanding about the prologue, which is what I wrote yesterday, so I pretty much started over today. Made good progress, though, over 2000 words to add to the 3500 I wrote to finish the romance.

I'm not trying to hit 10k a day any more. I can do it if I have to, but it's better for my hands not to. One of these days, I should probably go back to dictating through Dragon Naturally Speaking, but typing feels more organic. Now that I'm into the new thriller, should pick up speed at about 4-5k a day. Don't know why I'm obsessed with word counts. I had occasion to add up what I've written since the first of the year: over half a million words. Hope that isn't creating a shortage for anyone else.


That's all, just wanted to post a little update.

 

[Lex DeVille]

10k words a day... I think my brain would explode!

I do like word counting though. It helps create a goal that ensures you don't slide on your output.

In my experience this sliding can lead to complete de-motivation that eventually ends in the book never being published.

I think you're doing great, and 4-5k a day is still plenty!

 

[COSenior]

Wow, what great news to wake up to! Yesterday evening, @mossie alerted me that our second book, http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K8LRTLE/?tag=tff-amazonparser-20, had hit #1 on the Hot New Releases for our category. As we chatted, it was sitting at #2527 paid in Amazon. Thought I'd check this morning and it's at #394!

We'll see how it fares when the countdown deal is done. We have one that will be ready to release I think by the end of next week, which will coincide with my release of my first romance in a new category and under a new, independent pen name (going bareback--no publisher this time.) Exciting times!

We already know the cover for Ninth Cycle Antarctica needs to be changed, and that's in the works, but this is the best ranking for a paid book that he or I or both of us together have ever achieved. Feeling grateful to HfR this morning.

 

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[COSenior]

Delays, delays. Both books, the thriller and the romance, are still in final edit. I'm terrified that the past tense I'm used to writing in has crept into the present tense romance, and that I won't see it as I'm editing. There are places where it's appropriate, but most of the book it isn't. Hard enough to write in a new way like that, without writing two books at a time, which I almost always do, one in present and the other in past; and editing both at the same time too. Also worried about formatting, especially since the romance will be my first foray into CreateSpace publishing. The closer I get, the more I drag my feet. WTF? Now looking at this weekend earliest. Not sure I can get it done by then. Anybody know where I can buy some extra hours?

 

[Lex DeVille]

Delays, delays. Both books, the thriller and the romance, are still in final edit. I'm terrified that the past tense I'm used to writing in has crept into the present tense romance, and that I won't see it as I'm editing. There are places where it's appropriate, but most of the book it isn't. Hard enough to write in a new way like that, without writing two books at a time, which I almost always do, one in present and the other in past; and editing both at the same time too. Also worried about formatting, especially since the romance will be my first foray into CreateSpace publishing. The closer I get, the more I drag my feet. WTF? Now looking at this weekend earliest. Not sure I can get it done by then. Anybody know where I can buy some extra hours?

Would you say first person or third person is the easiest for you so far?

I've noticed dragging my feet as well toward the end of a book.

It's the strangest thing since this is the time when the most needs to be done!

You might be able to buy a few extra hours on Fiverr.

I'm certain there are gigs specifically for formatting for createspace.

 

[COSenior]

Would you say first person or third person is the easiest for you so far?

I've noticed dragging my feet as well toward the end of a book.

It's the strangest thing since this is the time when the most needs to be done!

You might be able to buy a few extra hours on Fiverr.

I'm certain there are gigs specifically for formatting for createspace.

I think first is the easiest now, since it allows me to avoid the dreaded 'head-hopping' that plagues newer writers of third-person. I do write in alternating POVs, just the two main characters, so the reader can know what each is thinking without revealing it to the other character, or having the characters know too much about what's going on in the other's head.

I have ordered a couple of fiverr gigs, one for a caricature to serve as my profile picture on Amazon and another for development of my author website. Something came up that required that to happen more quickly than I'd anticipated, but I'm quite excited about it. As soon as I've finished some other tasks, I'll order a trailer and a gig that promises to disseminate the sales page to a large following. The latter has quite a few positive reviews, so I'm hopeful it will get some notice. I never thought of that specifically as buying extra hours, but of course you're right! I'm technologically competent to do some of that stuff, but it's so much better to delegate.

I did manage to finish the edit, crossing my fingers I haven't missed any past-tense areas that should be present, and will tackle the formatting tomorrow. This I need to do for myself, because I'm a control freak, and the appearance on Kindle and its various apps is one of the most important things for me. I've downloaded a template from CreateSpace, and it just remains to stop worrying about it and do it.

 

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[COSenior]

Clicked on Publish for Kindle just after midnight this morning; status now reads Publishing, so I guess it's made it through review. Time to get back to writing the fourth thriller.

It's live. Whew...it's been awhile since I did this myself.

 

[COSenior]

Update: The new book is limping along, selling one to five a day, and apparently Amazon is lumping borrows from KU that meet the royalty qualification in with sales. I say that because for a day when I had 2 sales and 3 borrows, I have a line on the spreadsheet report that says I have 5 standard sales. I don't know what else to make of that.

Rank has mostly hovered in the 27k to as much as 50k except for the first day, when it took a hopeful jump from its opener at 60k all the way to 12k. 30-40k are the most frequent numbers I see. Encouragingly, it only takes a sale or two to raise it 20k.

This result of course is a bit of a disappointment, although not unexpected, since it is a new pen name. A couple of friends from the forum tell me it could still peak later, so I haven't given up.

I did do a couple of promotional things that may have been a bit off the wall, and I paid way too much for one of them, but you live and learn. I have an awesome guy from fiverr creating a website for this pen name and am very happy with the progress and what it looks like. He's following on with the branding concepts that yet another friend from the forum, who wishes to remain nameless, created for me. When he's done with mine, I'll be happy to refer anyone who PMs me to him. What he's doing is worth far, far more than he's charging me.

I'm so grateful to the wonderful friends I've made here, including (especially) @ChickenHawk and @Held for Ransom for coaching me through this journey, just over a year long now and still going strong. Royalties from all sources/pen names are pretty steady just into four figures, half of what the books are actually earning. That is encouraging.

 

[COSenior]

The newest book is still limping along. I'm looking for a handful more reviews, so I can run an ereadernews campaign. Which brings me to my real reason for posting today.

Today I've been doing a little research, admittedly unfocused, on how to get more eyes on the book in a buying venue, as well as a related item - how to get more, and more legitimate reviews. It's one thing if your same friends buy, love and review your books, but if other readers are like me, they notice. And I believe they probably discount the value of reviews when it's the same people over and over again, even if the reviews are quite legitimate.

And, it's a Catch 22. If no one buys the books, who's going to review them? If you don't have reviews, you can't use effective advertising venues like BookBub and ereadernews, so no one sees your books in the crowd and no one buys. Catch-22. That has led to the unfortunate practice of buying reviews, a practice that is costly for writers and devalues the whole review system.

The good news, is there's plenty of information out there on what to do about it, if you just take the time to ask Google, or your favorite search engine, the question. It just occurred to me that I should probably put this information in the Gold thread for resources, and I probably will. But, since I started this post and it has some opinion in it, might as well finish it.

So, I found a list of lists - active bloggers who review books. Those I checked out are http://bookbloggerdirectory.wordpress.com/, http://bookbloggerlist.com/, http://www.mandyboles.com/2012/01/directory-of-book-bloggers-on-pinterest/, and http://www.theindieview.com/indie-reviewers/

All are live and have varying criteria for including bloggers in their lists. The caveat is, you MUST establish a relationship with these bloggers before you approach them with a review request. You'll have better luck and probably get a better review as well.

Thank them for reviewing no matter how many stars they give you. In my experience, most will refrain from posting truly bad reviews, but instead will communicate with the author about the review and why they won't post it. Bloggers depend on good relationships with authors, so they aren't out to trash your book. If a blogger can't give you a good review, you should value the reasons they give you. Maybe your book doesn't fit within their readership's preferences. Maybe you haven't edited carefully. Maybe your book isn't as good as you think it is. Respect their reasons, take their commentary under advisement and try again. An honest 4 or 5-star review is, IMHO, worth lots more than a bought one. I don't care if Konrath did start that way. Just say no! Okay, if you've got the wherewithal to buy reviews from fiverrs that say they don't guarantee a good one, go ahead. But don't say I didn't warn you.

 

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[Lex DeVille]

I've thought a lot about approaching bloggers and building relationships for this exact purpose. The one thing that holds me back is a feeling that my books aren't good enough yet to bother with their time. This is probably just a silly insecurity with no rational basis, but it's what has stopped me so far. It's definitely a good idea for getting books in front of people though, and seems like a great way to offer social proof. "My favorite blogger xxxxx said to read this so I picked it up." I see this all the time with the Doctor Oz. Show. People eat that stuff up because the Dr. said so.

 

[COSenior]

a feeling that my books aren't good enough yet to bother with their time. This is probably just a silly insecurity with no rational basis,

Definitely. Let me tell you something. There's an indie published book that's been #1 for days in its genre, which I was researching for my new pen name. I borrowed it on KU, my first shiny new borrow. I read 75 pages hoping it would get better, and then gave up in disgust. Absolutely unreadable, and I've read through some awful stuff. You know that bloggers are pushing that. Any blogger that's smart is using their affiliate code on their buy link. They're getting something out of it too, so if you believe in your book, get it out there, brother.

 

[COSenior]

Amazon July Sales and Royalty report is out! Thanks to KU, royalties for my new pen name are three times what I expected. I'd call that a win, at least for now. True, the royalty per book isn't as high for a borrow as for a sale for my price level. But two and a half times as many people borrowed as bought. I have to assume those people wouldn't have bought the book anyway, and I'm grateful for new eyes on my book in any case. We'll see how it plays out in future, but for now, I'm happy.

 

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[Selfy]

Amazon July Sales and Royalty report is out! Thanks to KU, royalties for my new pen name are three times what I expected. I'd call that a win, at least for now. True, the royalty per book isn't as high for a borrow as for a sale for my price level. But two and a half times as many people borrowed as bought. I have to assume those people wouldn't have bought the book anyway, and I'm grateful for new eyes on my book in any case. We'll see how it plays out in future, but for now, I'm happy.

I'll celebrate this with you COSenior! Cheers!

 

[COSenior]

My first Natasha Stories book on sale at Amazon for 99 cents, in conjunction with today's Bookbub ad. http://www.amazon.com/Rustled-Natasha-Stories-ebook/dp/B00HXR4Y5U

 

[Lex DeVille]

Ordered.

 

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[COSenior]

Ordered.

Thank you!

 

[ChickenHawk]

Go, Rustled, go!!!

• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: [HASHTAG]#281[/HASHTAG] Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #4 in Books > Romance > Western
  • #4 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Romance > Westerns
  • #18 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Women's Fiction > Romance
  
  

 

[COSenior]

One more time with BookBub. Just got word from my publisher under the Natasha Stories pen name that he has finally got Stray accepted, to the Erotic Romance section, for Oct. 11. He didn't tell me whether it's for a free or discounted sale. Crossing my fingers that the coveted 'Amazon Best Seller' designation comes to one of my pen names. Too bad it doesn't cross to the others, even if I get it.

 

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[COSenior]

Update: this one is for a discounted sale, so we'll actually make some money. I hope.

Of course, Mossie is keeping the thrillers averaging 50 sales a day with another 15 or so borrows, so they'll make money whether those old romances do or not.

 

[COSenior]

Sorry I haven't been very active on the forum lately. I'm a little bit swamped, but since hubby's on vacation and I'm therefore giving myself a little break, I'll post an update real quick.

The latest thriller in the series I'm writing with @mossie is due to go live on Saturday. We have over 600 pre-orders for it, which makes me nervous, lol. I've just finished reading a trilogy in the same genre that's got a huge following, and I hate to say it but the story deteriorated in the second and third books. Hope our readers don't feel the same. We didn't start with a series in mind, so we made a bunch of rookie errors that can only be corrected by bringing this one to an end and starting a new one. That said, we have a good group of readers who apparently like them anyway.

The new pen name is languishing because I haven't published the next book yet. I had to fall back and re-group when I decided to take a writing course to improve my editing process and ended up realizing I needed another course first, for series development. I'm revising the first book in my new series, and hope to be well on the way with that process when I start the second as my NaNoWriMo entry for this year. Hope to publish those two early next year and then take a minute to revise the first book under that pen name, which is a stand-alone. After that, I'll be back in momentum mode, assuming my hands hold out.

Mossie and I have been tossing back and forth the idea of taking two more books to wind up our series, or ending it now, since the last book ended on a high note. We're also working on some non-fiction that we're just getting started on, so can't reveal more than that.

I started to list my schedule here, but it made me tired just thinking about it, so I'm going to go watch TV and eat bonbons now, and hope everything gets done in due time.

 

[britnidanielle]

The latest thriller in the series I'm writing with @mossie is due to go live on Saturday. We have over 600 pre-orders for it, which makes me nervous, lol.

WOW! Congrats!!

 

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[COSenior]

I just realized that the reply I posted to a thread I watch probably should have been posted to my own thread instead. Since it was in fact a reply to something the thread owner said, though, I'll just post a reference to it here, and those who are interested can read it there, along with the post that inspired it. Out of a Funk - a Newbie's Journey In Self Publishing

 

[COSenior]

Making progress in my revision course from Holly Lisle. This writing business was so much easier when I was going for quantity over quality. I have pages and pages of notes about inconsistencies, places where the story doesn't work at all, where it falls flat and scenes that came out of nowhere, probably as a result of my linear, to the beat sheet word-count approach to the first draft. Have eliminated two big scenes already. This is the first time I've ever taken much of a critical look at my own writing, and it makes me cringe for what I've already published. Lucky I'm working in a brand new pen name. Only a sympathetic few will ever know how bad my first efforts were. And you guys, of course.

 

[COSenior]

Figured it was time for an update, since I'm up to my old hijinks again. Was so disappointed not to be able to participate in NaNoWriMo last year, that I made sure I could this year. While still revising the first book in my new pen name's series, I'm writing the second during this month. And the third. Yes, I'm crazy.

Anyone who's been following this thread from the beginning knows that I'm blessed to be able to write fast, and full-time. Now that I know what it takes to fix what I break by doing so, I'm happy to report that I've still got it. Averaging over 8k words per day for the first two days of NaNo. I'll make my goal a few days before the end of the month with an average of 6800 words per day, which should be easy unless life gets in the way, but then it always does, right?

My birthday is this month, and I'm taking time off to pamper myself on the day. A week later is Thanksgiving, another day I probably won't write. Next Saturday I'll be at the local meeting of the Romance Writers of America most of the day, so a few things will interfere, but I took them into account when I calculated the average I need. What I didn't take into account was today's two-hour power outage. Hopefully, there's enough cushion to deal with stuff like that.

For anyone who is a writer or an aspiring writer, I can't recommend this experience highly enough. There's still time to get in on it, we're only on day two. Here's the link: http://nanowrimo.org/ I'm using the same user name there, so add me as a writing buddy if you're doing NaNo too, and I'll add you back.

 

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[COSenior]

Just met my 7-day goal to get the first 50k words down. My progress bar on the NaNoWriMo site turned green, signifying that I've 'won'. Next week will see my first novel for the month finished and I'll take time to plan a bit for the second. This one went in a slightly different direction than I'd planned. Need a new antagonist for the last third of the novel. Oh, well.

BTW, this is some of the best fun I've had writing. Something about joining tens of thousands of other crazy people for similar goals just makes me happy.

 

[ChickenHawk]

Just met my 7-day goal to get the first 50k words down.

Holy crap!!!