{PROGRESS + ACCOUNTABILITY} LAURYN'S RECONSTRUCTION: GETTING TO 50 SHADES OF PAID

[Lauryn]

Love this site, I submitted to them once but they didn't pick me

Aww, don't fret. From the looks of it, after reading The Naked Truth About Self-Publishing, it seems that the key to success is not necessarily getting reviews, but to keep building a backlist. Moving and moving and publishing and publishing.

They're definitely not the only blog either - I was looking at potential advertising with them, but who is to say it's really worth paying for the space depending on the ads? That's not just with them, but with any media buy.

 

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[Lauryn]

It's been a very crazy month so far. I've been distracted by other peoples' stuff. Between working 2 jobs and writing, I don't really have time for it. Soooo today I forced myself to channel my frustration into a writing project.

As discussed, I think a prequel would be a great teaser to my novel. So I started piecing together a prequel. It's based on the history of my novel's main character before her "modern-day" activities in the novel itself.

I usually do not set word count goals for my writing, but I put 50k as a goal in Scrivener, and we'll see if I can get it there in the right amount of time.

I just started a few hours ago and I'm at 862 words as I post this. However, if I get the story out in less than 50k words, but it's sufficient and engaging, I'm not even about to sit here and trip. As long as it's at least 25k (which I can do) then I don't feel bad about publishing it.

I plan to make this PERMAFREE anyway. (Maybe.)

 

[COSenior]

It's been a very crazy month so far. I've been distracted by other peoples' stuff. Between working 2 jobs and writing, I don't really have time for it. Soooo today I forced myself to channel my frustration into a writing project.

As discussed, I think a prequel would be a great teaser to my novel. So I started piecing together a prequel. It's based on the history of my novel's main character before her "modern-day" activities in the novel itself.

I usually do not set word count goals for my writing, but I put 50k as a goal in Scrivener, and we'll see if I can get it there in the right amount of time.

I just started a few hours ago and I'm at 862 words as I post this. However, if I get the story out in less than 50k words, but it's sufficient and engaging, I'm not even about to sit here and trip. As long as it's at least 25k (which I can do) then I don't feel bad about publishing it.

I plan to make this PERMAFREE anyway. (Maybe.)

I totally agree with your strategy, but I have to say I think 50k is too much...too much for a prequel and too much to make permafree. Just my opinion, but if you're using it for a teaser/advertising ploy, I'd say half that is more than enough, if you can tell the story in that length. If it takes more, I'd just make it the first book in a series.

 

[Lauryn]

Thanks for the insight. I just got to just under 2k words and I don't see a need for it to even be THAT much. The more powerful the story in this section with the fewest words - the better.

I'm so working on it, but if I'm on it any longer than I am now, I wouldn't get any sleep! Goodnight...

 

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[Lauryn]

Happy Holidays!

I have been dealing with distractions like a mofo.
I realize a lot of them occurred because I allowed them to occur.

I've been writing on and off for 90 minutes.
The biggest block is coming from the "I've never done this before" mentality.

I'm doing what I can to avoid having to fail or mess up but this is part of the process.

However, my "FREE" prequel is well on its way. I believe I'm about 50 percent done. I am for it to be 20-30 pages, and I have approximately 10 pages completed so far. I was trying to write by word count, but the word count isn't important. The story itself is.

I'm not sure I'll be looking for an editor for this very small prequel, but I might. I'm also looking at a potential cover design also. I just feel it might be necessary. I'm okay with a few beta readers... but they have to be people I've interacted with, not lurkers.

The goal for this book is to have it completed or released on New Year's and the actual book itself to be dropped on or by Valentine's Day.

Unless I have paid clients, I don't see anything getting in my way. I'm even scaling back at my day job to put time and effort into this story.

But I'm feeling very happy. I feel like the prequel is going to set the stage and anticipation for what's about to be a very quick release of story. I'm scared, I'm terrified but I'm going to push forward... And then I'm going on vacation:

Now I'm going to take an amazing shower, and then meditate on the art of storytelling and creativity as I let this flow.

 

[Rainy_TX]

The goal for this book is to have it completed or released on New Year's and the actual book itself to be dropped on or by Valentine's Day.
Unless I have paid clients, I don't see anything getting in my way. I'm even scaling back at my day job to put time and effort into this story.
But I'm feeling very happy. I feel like the prequel is going to set the stage and anticipation for what's about to be a very quick release of story. I'm scared, I'm terrified but I'm going to push forward... And then I'm going on vacation

Scared and terrified... isn't it fantastic? Keep pushing on!

 

[Lauryn]

Some updates!

• My prequel is 50% finished. It's taken longer than expected because I've been working on creating an authentic series of events to build anticipation for the novel.

• My goal was 50k words. Then it became 30k words. Now it's actually somewhere around 15k words, but there's no hardcore goal for this. Whenever the story I need to tell is done, that's when it's done. I've seen books on sale that equate to "60 pages" on Amazon. That's cool. This first story is going to be a teaser that builds anticipation for the actual book. And I'm not sure whether or not it's going to be included in the first "full-length" book as well.

• I've been performing research on the conflict that surrounds the main character and her husband. Needless to say, it's not based on just things I've seen and heard about, but have read about according to counseling and psychology profiles. Reading the honest experiences of other people has helped me capture the conflict between the protagonist and her husband in a realistic light.

• I received a recommendation for a good editor by someone here on the forum. Thank you! They did a great trial edit and I saw the importance of editing in my work, no matter how long or short my story was. Reading the trial work they did EXCITED and PROPELLED me to continue writing. Leading me to my next point...

• Delegating responsibility has helped me quite a bit. On 12-4 I purchased covers from GoonWrite and it kickstarted my writing. Now that I have a draft in progress, I need another cover, but getting it to the editor and getting positive feedback has further motivated my development. As much as I like to control everything, trying to do it all myself only slowed the process down and frustrated me. By focusing on the story's development, I can let my focus remain solely on the art and craft of storytelling (which intimidated me) and let professionals ease the process by going behind me and making sure I look tight on all ends.

• In terms of copyrighting, I'm going to do that very soon, and I'll be grabbing ISBNs as well.

It's New Year's Eve and I just woke up from a nap. I'm quite alright with the fact that this is nothing but another day to me. No big plans, no worries. Just writing.

And my vacation is confirmed. Big things popping when everything gets rolling.

 

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[Rainy_TX]

So excited for you! Sounds like everything is going well!

It's New Year's Eve and I just woke up from a nap. I'm quite alright with the fact that this is nothing but another day to me. No big plans, no worries. Just writing.

You sound like me! Here's to a very happy 2014!

 

[Lauryn]

Scared and terrified... isn't it fantastic? Keep pushing on!

It's fuggin' fantastic! I love it! It's the coolest ever because I have a bad habit of letting perfectionism or fear of what others think intimidate me at times. The momentum I've gotten is amazing - especially after your recommendation's feedback!

 

[Rainy_TX]

I'm glad I could help! The first time I used him, I thought my writing was okay... but then I read his comments and realized, "Hey, he's right... this would be better this way..." A good editor is worth his or her weight in gold!

 

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[Lauryn]

It's 4:44 AM here in Dallas. On Jan 1 2014... and
I have successfully finished the first draft of my prequel.

It's currently 11,400 words. Much shorter than I initially thought it would be.
But it feels good. I left it in a strong place so that the story could stand on it's own if need be.

I think it creates an amazing backstory for the actual novel itself.

I need a few beta readers, but I'm sending this to the editor now and awaiting the notice for my deposit ASAP.

Superexcited!

Taking myself to sleep now...​

 

[COSenior]

I received a recommendation for a good editor by someone here on the forum. Thank you! They did a great trial edit and I saw the importance of editing in my work, no matter how long or short my story was. Reading the trial work they did EXCITED and PROPELLED me to continue writing. Leading me to my next point...
Delegating responsibility has helped me quite a bit. On 12-4 I purchased covers from GoonWrite and it kickstarted my writing. Now that I have a draft in progress, I need another cover, but getting it to the editor and getting positive feedback has further motivated my development. As much as I like to control everything, trying to do it all myself only slowed the process down and frustrated me. By focusing on the story's development, I can let my focus remain solely on the art and craft of storytelling (which intimidated me) and let professionals ease the process by going behind me and making sure I look tight on all ends.

It's observations like this that keep me coming back to this forum and its members over and over again. Also, the whole conversation that came after; it's all so valuable. Congratulations on not only your production, but on doing it right. I suffer from the same issues, and it's refreshing to know they can be overcome.

 

[Lauryn]

It's observations like this that keep me coming back to this forum and its members over and over again. Also, the whole conversation that came after; it's all so valuable. Congratulations on not only your production, but on doing it right. I suffer from the same issues, and it's refreshing to know they can be overcome

You're welcome! I paid to be part of another forum's "kindle" section and have learned nothing compared to what's here. I'm glad I can motivate you forward. My biggest challenge was overcoming the insecurity that came with perfectionism and having "never" done this before.

I'm rooting for you.

 

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[Lauryn]

Here's the book cover for the prequel...

 

[Lauryn]

No writing the past few days. Been involved in other projects.

My prequel's edit is finally finished. I'm waiting to read it tonight or over the weekend.

Working on playing with the book cover.

It's okay - I like what I've done, but it's not as impactful or eye catching as I would like.
Small tweaks will make the difference. I can feel it.

I've purchased some reference books to improve the emotional impact of my work.

Might have posted this here - if so I'll restate it:

I need the book to have an impressive emotional impact on the targeted reader. If I can stir your emotions in this short story, and the books to come, you'll be cussing, crying, laughing and feeling some kind of way when I'm done with you.

 

[Lauryn]

I'm on the fence.

My cover - DIY - is done.
My prequel - edited - is done.

My editor - referred by Rainy - did a great job, but he brought up a point or two -

My storytelling needs work. My character development was awesome, but he feels the story needs more rising action, and a hook. So now I'm here reading the story over and looking for a way to improve the story. I can see what he means. At the same time, part of me wants to see if the story is great -as is.

So I'm super on the fence. I'll read the story aloud to myself, and I've handed it off to a few people. Hopefully I'll get a decision soon for how to move the process.

In other news, I'm trying to determine a light content strategy for the story. This is the prequel, but it opens to a larger series of books under this storyline. So much to do... how to organize it is the key.

 

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[COSenior]

So I'm super on the fence

You paid for someone's expertise. If you agree with his points, you owe it to yourself to fix the book and put out the best product you can. It will pay off in future sales.

 

[Breaking Free]

If it's something that can improve the story, go for it. It also allowed you to see a gap in your ability, and by going back to fix it you'll better yourself as a writer.

 

[Lauryn]

Since my goal is to create a powerful storyline that leads into a great full-length story or stands alone on its own, I'm going through the novella and looking for ways to beef the material up.

One of the things I've come to learn regarding self-publishing is that the slow hare wins the race. The more thoroughly put together your work is from the characters to the plot and the writing style, the better it does in the long run.

Having an editor helps with substance and proofing. The way someone else's eyes can enhance material greatly improves the overall delivery of the story.

===

Goal for this book's release is January 21.

January 21 is my birthday. I'm planning to be in Vegas during this time, so I'm dropping the bomb of being in Vegas and being published on my Facebook and Twitter fam. Of course, if they're following me here, then they'll know already.

 

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[COSenior]

January 21 is my birthday.

An early happy birthday to you. I'll be finishing up a long weekend of celebrating my anniversary and my husband's birthday on Jan. 20. No, it wasn't a coincidence, he wanted it that way so he'd be able to remember the anniversary, lol. Anyway, won't be around the forum to say it then, so saying it now.

 

[Lauryn]

1. I'm in Vegas.
2. I pushed play on Ricochet and published it via Kindle.
3. I did it!

​

I'm a little nervous considering the amount of material I had to inject into the story. I'm not sure how my writing will be received. I'm not a horrible writer, but you know us writers are notoriously self-conscious of what we put out - especially when our names and faces are attached to the material.

Anyway, I'm exhausted and proud of myself, but the real work begins tomorrow: Mapping out the novel as it picks up from where the novella leaves off.

 

[Lauryn]

UPDATE: A couple of copies have sold on the book. I know this because people have been hitting me up and telling me that the story was awesome, but they had to put it down for a few minutes because it got "too real" and "hit close to home."

I'm so excited because this means I'm hitting the nerves I want and need to hit... and getting readers to have the desired reactions I want. Strong emotions trigger strong responses.

In a way, I might have to be careful not to make them too reactive.

 

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[Enki]

people have been hitting me up and telling me that the story was awesome, but they had to put it down for a few minutes because it got "too real" and "hit close to home."

That's pretty awesome. You're striking chords! I'm so pumped for you! Someone saying my writing was too real and hitting close to home is something that would keep me motivated to keep going for ever.

 

[Lauryn]

That's pretty awesome. You're striking chords! I'm so pumped for you! Someone saying my writing was too real and hitting close to home is something that would keep me motivated to keep going for ever.

You're so right... I have never been so motivated to continue pushing on than I have been when I read that comment. Real experiences are what strikes chords and I just didn't want something crazy and unrelatable. I am soooo excited!

 

[Lauryn]

UPDATE:

A while back I changed all my titles to 99 cents in hopes I would sell more copies of my work.
Backfired. I recently changed everything back to somewhere between $2.99-$3.99 and made the compilation series $4.99. The good thing is the price changes have had no effect on sales. They're about the same, so I've increased my financial ROI but I'm still at $70-$100 a month, or $1200/yr from Amazon. I am pretty sure the problem is two-fold:

1. Production, and
2. Amazon Adult Filter.

I still have books filtered by Amazon - all but one - and that book sells about 30 copies right now. The rest are pretty minute.

The adult filter stumps me because it's so damn arbitrary. Bigfoot porn can clearly break the bank with Amazon and not get filtered, but writing books on how to give better blowjobs is an evil, dangerous thing that shouldn't be shared with society! Don't get me wrong - I think it's cool an author tapped a crazy market and is experiencing success. I'm happy for her. I'm just explaining how odd it is that Amazon seems to pick and choose what's too much for their market and what isn't.

Traditionally published houses are having this issue also. I thought having a published book with a specific ISBN would get rid of this issue, but it doesn't. A renowned sexpert's marketing team approached me and asked if I figured out a way to get around the filter. They too have been having problems.

Clearly, as Held for Ransom and authors like Jasinda Wilder have said, self-publishing is a numbers game in terms of long-term success. Gone are the days of publishing books, getting $600 checks off of one book without marketing or a plan and keeping it moving.

You have to release consistent quality on a regular basis, market it on your own, and keep producing. To worry about Amazon's filter is useless. You simply need to focus on backlist production on a steady schedule.

====

Coming off my birthday, I'm motivated and excited by the release of Ricochet but sales have remained low. Considering this book is only 41 pages, I guess it could look like it's not a bargain if you're interested in a 99 cent loss leader.

Working on a definitive outline for The Playgirl Diaries now. I know I intend to make this a trilogy. I just don't know how to jump in and at which point do we begin following the character after what happens in the prequel. Lots of research being done as well.

But at some point, I need to stop researching and start writing, and then use the research to beef up the writing.

 

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[britnidanielle]

I'm glad I could help! The first time I used him, I thought my writing was okay... but then I read his comments and realized, "Hey, he's right... this would be better this way..." A good editor is worth his or her weight in gold!

Wait...who is this editor? I need names!

And Happy Belated Birthday & congrats on hitting publish!

 

[Lauryn]

Wait...who is this editor? I need names!
And Happy Belated Birthday & congrats on hitting publish!

Thank you!

His name is Weston Kincade... WAKE Editing. http://www.wakeediting.com/

 

[Lauryn]

At $100 in royalties for January 2014 for Amazon.
Made my AdSense payout also.

I have 2 major goals for February:

1. Rebranding + Retitling plus content marketing for Current Titles

Bottom line, these books were making money until the filter. I need to be responsible for the traffic being funneled directly to these books' pages now that they're filtered. I need nicer covers, better SEO and improved book descriptions.

2. 5 Chapters of Playgirl Diaries.

A lot of time has been spent outlining this trilogy, and I need to just write it. The initial release date of Valentine's Day will not be met without a miracle, so I'm going to instead focus on having the first 5 chapters done. Then I'll work a marketing strategy around this.

 

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[Lauryn]

I've reached a point in my current state where it's time to level up.
A lot of things have to go. Roomates. My second job. Bullshit in general.

This is not to say my roomates are an issue. We're not having problems. But I've outgrown the need for a roomate.

Can I "afford" to leave out on my own? F*ck nah, not by conventional methods.

But I need a blade against my throat to put pressure on me to perform. I've grown stagnant and even caught myself having a bitch fit about overtime being taken away and minimized at my day job.

I'm interviewing for a 2nd position that's work from home, challenging and flexible. I can work my way up to a modest salary if I do good - and actually get this position.

I'm looking for my own apartment right now. I want to move ASAP. And I may not have Internet or lights for a minute but my tax return will get me set up.

I'm sorry but this has come after someone I know and love slapped me with some common sense. After 2 graduate degrees (in fields I love), no employment in those fields, I have to use this experience for myself and my fastlane. I have to use it to make money while building my lane and to apply to marketing my products. But getting caught up in 60 hour work weeks and nothing to show after 6 months - but a hunger for more?

Yeah it's time to step it up.

Add to this my "holiday" job cut a shift I had at 5 in the morning without telling me. No apologies or anything when I showed up. When they call me to come in early, I come. When they call me to come in later, I come. When they call me to come in when I'm not scheduled I come. And apparently they can't call me to NOT come in?

F*ck you, you, you, you and YOU.

LOL

I'm sorry but I'm living in other peoples' realities. I realize this. Degrees mean nothing and I'm not entitled to anything simply because OF them, however earning them shows I have aspirations for myself - and now "textbook" knowledge - on how to accomplish these things for myself.

I'm ready to eat oranges and Ramen just to have 4 walls to myself in a decent neighborhood while I get on this lane.


ADD to that this morning someone bought Ricochet, told everyone about it, then commented publicly on how much they loved it and are looking forward to The Playgirl Diaries.

And automatic payments are only approved by Satan and Suze Orman.

GOD I get so F*cking fueled when I'm frustrated and pressured.

Let's bang.



*this vent sponsored by bottled water and fresh squeeze blood orange juice in this ergonomically crappy chair at my "keep a roof over my head cause i'm only just over broke" job*

 

[Lauryn]

PS I am grateful for my job and my experiences, but I'm just ready to shake everything and I'm not even afraid to be homeless anymore. Cause that was the biggest fear of all.

F*ck it let's do it.