At the very beginning...

[ctcrompton]

Today has been a good day so far. Just wanted to check in and say I now have additional inspiration from writer Delilah Fawkes. I understand she might be one of us Fastlaners? Regardless, I did some research on her and found she's been selling VERY well with only short stories, which are my passion. I have many ideas but they come easier to me in short story form. I always thought this was me wanting instant gratification, and it might be, but I see someone else with short stories that has gone the fastlane route, so I'm following that road. I like short stories, as opposed to writing full novels, so I'm going to simply churn them out.

I now have a plan with some milestones for the next six months, highlighting specific goals I want to accomplish and the rewards that will go along with it. I'm also in discussions with some freelancers on outsourcing a book.

Exciting!

 

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[ctcrompton]

Official fiction book 1 is completed. Working on cover and description. I published a non-fiction book last week, enrolled it in KDP Select and started a free promotion. 88 units downloaded for free so far.

For those that have experience with writing a series of books, do you find they work better when published at once or staggering the release dates?

 

[COSenior]

Also, I'd love to know if anyone else experiences this issue I'm having. Okay, so it's not an issue really, but it's something I'm noticing and it has an impact on my writing. Throughout my writing, the character description I have in my head one night tends to change slightly over the course of a few days while writing. I thought a character would be this power figure, but after writing a day or two, I wrote a scene that depicts her not having so much power over a particular person, even though initially I thought she should. I'm worried that I might have conflicting details in my story as I continue writing and changing slight things in my mind.
Anybody else experience this?

Characters get a mind of their own and misbehave all the time. Try going with the flow...sometimes it turns out to be a better story.

 

[COSenior]

For those that have experience with writing a series of books, do you find they work better when published at once or staggering the release dates?

Sorry, didn't see this question before. I'd like to see some other people respond to this too, because I'm torn. I've seen lots of reviews that are just livid about the book being a cliffhanger or the story not being finished. It sometimes gets me frustrated, too. Also, I've seen people talk about waiting, especially for a new writer, until the series has several books in it. So for all those reasons, you might think that publishing them together or only a few days apart would be better.

However, that requires them all to be written. And you could be getting sales on the first one while you write the second, etc. For everyone who writes a review that says they hate serials and cliffhangers, you've got several people that are buying it anyway. I finally decided I'd publish as soon as a story was ready, and just write as fast as I could to get the next one out without too much delay.

 

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[joanna]

I'd say - post straight away once it's ready (edited, formatted, etc.). What you might want to hold off on is a massive promo if you just have one book out. There's always a chance people will buy the book and happily wait for the next one. At the end of the day even the cliffhanger haters must have liked your book enough to finish AND post online about there being a cliffhanger.

 

[Enki]

I'm two books into a serial. I haven't published either of them. I plan on completing the serial in a total of six books (Basically just a decent sized novel), before I release any of it. I plan on releasing the first for free (I'm going to get amazon to price match), waiting a week and releasing the second for .99. Then I'm going to wait another week and release the last 4 all at once for 2.99 a piece. I expect readers to lash out, But I figure that this will give my audience an expectation of weekly releases that I plan on delivering anyways.

 

[NNR]

Heck, just last week I corresponded with an author who is in the upper half of the Top 100 in Contemporary Romance. THAT is making some coin, folks. She *regularly* has 20,000+ word DAYS. Her best was 32,000+. I mean, wow. Basically, she outlines to a tee and types anywhere from 2,000 to 3,000 WPM with astonishing accuracy.


@ctcrompton.

Sorry but what's outlining? I'm not a writer, just curious.

2000-3000 WPM, I'm sorry but I call bollocks on that one. Unless there's something I don't understand here.

 

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[Enki]

Sorry but what's outlining

Basically plotting every aspect of the story before you even write. Character profiles & Arc, Story Arc etc. Some people Outline & some people just write by the seat of their pants hence Plotters & Pansters.

 

[COSenior]

Sorry but what's outlining? I'm not a writer, just curious.

2000-3000 WPM, I'm sorry but I call bollocks on that one. Unless there's something I don't understand here.

I think he probably meant per hour. I've done 2500 per hour myself, so that seems more reasonable.

 

[ctcrompton]

Good to see a nice little discussion going here. For those that might be following along, and more importantly for me to see and document my own progress, I've been taking action!

Here's what I've got going for me, all that I've done.

1. Published a non-fiction book that I wrote three years ago. Signed it up for KDP Select, and even though it's formatted HORRIBLY, it's still got just over 100 free downloads.

2. Published my first ever fiction book and enrolled it in KDP Select. It's got, as of earlier today, more than 50 free downloads due to a promotion.

3. I have been heeding advice from other successful authors and experimented with outsourcing this weekend. I'm now working with two different ghost-writers on two short stories (5000 words each), paying $25 each, and will see how this pans out. If nothing else I'll have two more short stories, and my goal is to have published 5 books by March 1, so with two out, one ready to go, a third being written and two more outsourced, I'm well on my way. Wrote up an NDA and, even though I thought the writers would run at the sight of it, they happily signed it and we're working through character development and plot lines. It's fun!

So I'm glad to say I'm taking action, seeing results, and although I've had no sales yet, I'm happy with my progress and it's been fun learning and improving my writing skill-set.


Oh, and regarding marketing, I'm using GiroudJD's routine of signing new books up to KDP Select, using the free promotional period, and then after the 90 days, publishing them to SmashReads for other distributors.

 

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[ctcrompton]

I read through a best-selling short story on Amazon earlier this week and it greatly inspired me, as well as helped me find a consistent voice. I now feel like I've written enough that I'm starting to settle into something routine.

The actual word amounts vary each day, but the tone and descriptions of each story and scene and character are becoming rhythmic, which I think is good, at least for now. In the future as I get better I'll surely try to spread out and experiment, but I feel like right now it's best to continue honing my craft.

I've now got a domain, an email list (albeit empty) and have finished a third short story, which will be the start to a longer series.

Working on a second short story to my first series and have begun to add links at the back of each book.

On the out-sourcing front, I'm finishing up one book with one writer and hope to hear back soon for another writer. My initial goal of 5 short stories/books published by March 1 is looking like it will be ahead of schedule....

 

[ctcrompton]

FIRST SALE happened today!

And my two outsourced short stories were completed today. One was sub-par . The other was awesome. Looking forward to seeing progress with the freelancer that fits well with my goals.

As @IceCreamKid says in his golden thread, I'm trying to give some people some ice cream.

 

[IceCreamKid]

FIRST SALE happened today!

And my two outsourced short stories were completed today. One was sub-par . The other was awesome. Looking forward to seeing progress with the freelancer that fits well with my goals.

As @IceCreamKid says in his golden thread, I'm trying to give some people some ice cream.

Bro it's Saturday. Get drunk...and get the ice cream.

 

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[COSenior]

FIRST SALE happened today!

Congratulations! Only the first thrill of many, I'm sure.

 

[Dave C]

FIRST SALE happened today!

And my two outsourced short stories were completed today. One was sub-par . The other was awesome. Looking forward to seeing progress with the freelancer that fits well with my goals.

As @IceCreamKid says in his golden thread, I'm trying to give some people some ice cream.

It only gets better from here! Congrats!!

 

[ctcrompton]

Similar to @Dave C 's thread I'm following a fun route so far. Four fiction short stories published so far, 2 are free right now, and the other two started to make a few sales. I've set them to $0.99 only because I find it hard to justify $2.99 for my first books ever, considering the quality isn't the best and the word count is low.

But despite this, I've had 7 sales from one and 1 sale from the other, so that's awesome.

And now I've got two freelancers. One is working on the second story, the other is working on a new series. I'm keeping track of rankings and sales, and I've now got a release schedule for the rest of February. Releasing a short story on Mondays-Wednesdays-Fridays. As funds start to accumulate, I hope to expand to novellas. I just find it hard to stay focused for that long. I find it easier to write a bunch of connected shorts and then I can hopefully compile them into a full-length novel.

Highest rank I have achieved so far on the eBook paid store was #77,710 I think. But that book has since slipped further down.

All of this motivates me to keep pushing forward.

 

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[ctcrompton]

Does anyone know how to view all sales made total, including the US, British, German, French and other online stores? I can see reports in the KDP dashboard for royalties made for the last six weeks, but that is still broken down by each store. Thoughts?

I'm just realizing now that if I include those sales from other stores, I've actually made more than I thought!

 

[COSenior]

Does anyone know how to view all sales made total, including the US, British, German, French and other online stores? I can see reports in the KDP dashboard for royalties made for the last six weeks, but that is still broken down by each store. Thoughts?

I'm just realizing now that if I include those sales from other stores, I've actually made more than I thought!

On the 15th of each month, you'll get a sales report that includes all sales for the previous month. However, you won't get the money until the end of the second month after you've earned the royalties. I.e., end of this month pays for December sales.

Prior Six Weeks Royalty reports will also show all royalties, but I find it confusing and difficult to read.

I don't know of any other way to view the royalties for all stores at once, but the MTD Sales report will show total numbers of sales for this month, without royalties. It can be deceiving, because not all countries' stores will pay 70% royalty. So, it depends on whether you want the numbers or the earnings.

Everyone does it when they're new, but try not to focus too much on sales right now. Your time is better spent writing.

 

[ctcrompton]

@COSenior Thanks for the quick reply. I've been focusing on finding quality freelancers, and now I'm beginning to embark on my first novella, as opposed to strictly short stories. It's encouraging to see positive reinforcement in the form of sales, and I want to keep track of everything I can, so that I can eventually test different theories to see what helps improve or reduce sales.

That being said, I've sold a handful of copies of my short stories, two of which were outsourced. Total earnings, including global stores, are approx. $18! That's nothing compared to others, but it's $18 of my own money that I earned on my own, and it's $18 more than before.

 

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[COSenior]

Outstanding! Yes, good idea to track, just a bad idea to obsess. People here on this thread have been down this road before you, and I think you can trust their results, at least those whose success is visible and verifiable. It's pretty much a universal conclusion that sales come from writing what your genre's market wants, preferably with few editing errors.

Everything else is marketing. That includes good cover, good blurb, appropriate length and pricing for the genre, getting some reviews and whatever else you can do to increase visibility, including getting a decent number of titles in your catalog. If you read the progress threads of the most active members of this community, you'll quickly find more information about each of those factors. Most are willing to answer questions, as well. Pay special attention to @Held for Ransom, @AubreyRose, and @ChickenHawk. Someone with a very methodical approach that you may also appreciate is @Thriftypreneur. There are others, and I hope I don't offend any of them by not mentioning them specifically.

In the end, you'll do what you want to do. Hope this helps.

 

[lleone]

Great progress in such a short time. I'm feeling like a slacker!
How many words are your averaging a day? @COSenior is my hero kicking out an average of 10K a day. Hope to get there some day.

Funny I just got off the phone with my mother,
She asked how much did I think Stephen king wrote per day.

If you haven't read Stephen King's book On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, I'd recommend it. Inspiring, especially based on what he's accomplished.

 

[ctcrompton]

Lleone,

@COSenior is my hero kicking out an average of 10K a day.

Many people on this forum are inspiring me, including CoSenior. Just absolutely awesome watching everyone's progress. I've been seeing some awesome books hit the charts on Amazon's store and I'm wondering if I know any of the authors.

How many words are your averaging a day?

Not as many words as most, although I don't mind. I'm trying to focus more on accomplishing specific goals like finishing a plot idea, writing the opening scene, etc., rather than a strict 1k or 5k words a day. Also, I'm outsourcing heavily for just starting out and that takes up time too.

If you haven't read Stephen King's book On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, I'd recommend it. Inspiring, especially based on what he's accomplished.

Thanks for this suggestion! I'll look into buying it this week.

 

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[ctcrompton]

I just finished brainstorming and planning my first short novella. I've been writing and re-writing plot guidelines in order to better comprehend and understand an ideal/typical story line. Today I'm finally starting to write the actual book.

But, for the possible benefit of others, I wanted to share my simplistic version of a plot line. I've found the worksheets from Jami Gold's blog are very helpful, but I'm still trying to wrap my head around pinch points and other story changes and situations. So in an effort to really understand plots like the back of my hand, I wrote the following plot outline. Hopefully it helps someone here.

• Part 1
  • Opening scene
    • sets tone, mood and scope of story
    • introduce backstory, if any
    • Introduce main character
      • introduce external goal
      • Create relatability
  • Hook Moment
    • keeps reader interested
  • Introduce Lover
    • main character and lover should meet
    • introduce inner identity and desire for lover
  • Reaction
    • MC tries to deal with longing/need for lover
  • Inciting Moment
    • Totally Optional
    • situation where MC realizes the goals, both external and longing/need
  • Plot Point One
    • No turning back from this point forward
    • MC commits to external goal
      • MC understands obstacles and stakes
    • MC commits to lover and longing/need
      • MC understands obstacles and stakes
• Part 2
  • First Pinch Point
    • MC understands more about goal
      • sees the stakes clearly
    • MC understands more about longing/need
      • gets glimpse of essence
    • MC takes emotional risk to get closer to lover, but fails
      • can’t get past identity
      • the wound/belief/fear keeps MC in identity
  • Mid Point
    • MC works toward external goal
      • devotes fully and sees what’s needed to move past obstacles
    • MC works toward longing/need
      • MC and lover see glimpse of their essences
      • MC devotes fully to essence and lover
• Part 3
  • Second Pinch Point
    • MC realizes more about inner struggle
      • Better understands wounds/fears/beliefs
  • Lull Before Crisis
    • Totally Optional
    • slower-paced moment where MC realizes all hope is lost
  • Crisis
    • Something happens where MC takes large step backward
      • progress toward external goal stops
      • MC and lover fall back to identities, stop moving toward their essences
      • last bit of new information
• Part 4
  • Rebound
    • both MC and lover work toward essence again
    • Success!
  • Climax
    • final turning point
    • shows all internal and external conflict
  • Resolution
    • MC and lover are finally in their essence, their changed state where they are finally compatible.

If anyone has any suggestions or sees flaws in this outline, please jump in and add insight!

 

[ctcrompton]

Updates on the writing business:

Total January 2014 Earnings: $4.23.
MTD (2/15) February Earnings: $26.44
Total Earnings (as of 2/15): $30.67

I'm seeing momentum begin to ramp up, and as long as I can continue to push out good content, I should be able to meet my milestones. Here are my past and future business objectives that will help me meet my intermediate and long-term goals.

Completed:
1. Publish 5 short stories by March 1, 2014.
2. Set up email list and website.
3. Find a consistent freelancer.

To-Do:
1. Publish 10 short stories
2. Earn $100 in total sales.
3. Earn $1000 in a month.
4. Publish 25 stories.

My writing is becoming more formulaic, and I'm finding that although I wish I was a "pantser", I work better in the middle. I'm a "plotter" during the idea and plot stages, and then a "pantser" during the actual writing.

 

[lleone]

Awesome progress...keep it up!
How many stories do you have up at this point?

 

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[COSenior]

I just finished brainstorming and planning my first short novella. I've been writing and re-writing plot guidelines in order to better comprehend and understand an ideal/typical story line. Today I'm finally starting to write the actual book.

But, for the possible benefit of others, I wanted to share my simplistic version of a plot line. I've found the worksheets from Jami Gold's blog are very helpful, but I'm still trying to wrap my head around pinch points and other story changes and situations. So in an effort to really understand plots like the back of my hand, I wrote the following plot outline. Hopefully it helps someone here.

If anyone has any suggestions or sees flaws in this outline, please jump in and add insight!

It's fascinating to me how people relate to information and the form it takes. Your outline follows the beat sheet I use to the T, with only a few different words for the same thing.

The only argument I'd have with it is that the inciting moment, in my opinion, is not at all optional. If nothing else, there has to be a point at which the MC realizes he/she is missing something; in the case of a romance novel, well, romance. It introduces the conflict, external or internal, without which you might as well follow ordinary people around and write down what they do for a few months and call it a novel. Hmmm, maybe I just invented the reality novel.

Anyway, brilliant job otherwise of putting it in outline form for people whose minds prefer that kind of order.

 

[ctcrompton]

Awesome progress...keep it up!
How many stories do you have up at this point?

I have seven or eight, but they're all short stories.

1. One non-fiction, but it only sold one copy.
2. Seven short stories, including one compilation of my first finished series.

 

[Dave C]

Great progress, you've made more than me this month for sure. At this rate you'll break the $100 barrier in no time!

 

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[ctcrompton]

Two freelancers finished their stories for me yesterday, and the one that I've read so far is spectacular. I was completely roped into the plot, which is awesome. Now to create a cover and publish it.

Also, yesterday I got my FIRST email subscriber! Good stuff!

 

[Dave C]

Two freelancers finished their stories for me yesterday, and the one that I've read so far is spectacular. I was completely roped into the plot, which is awesome. Now to create a cover and publish it.

Also, yesterday I got my FIRST email subscriber! Good stuff!

Nice! I got exactly One subscriber also. It feels strangely good doesn't it?