#IWSG for September 2018

The Insecure Writer's Support Group (IWSG) is the brilliant idea of Alex J. Cavanaugh. The purpose of the group is to share doubts and insecurities and to encourage one another. Please visit the other participants and share your support. A kind word goes a long way.

This month's awesome co-hosts are: Toi Thomas, T. Powell Coltrin, M.J. Fifield, and Tara Tyler!

This month's optional question: What publishing path are you considering/did you take, and why?

Years ago, I submitted to agents and publishers. That was the way to do it. But after two bad experiences with publishers, I gathered my nerve and decided to self-publish. Best decision ever. I love the control I have over my own career and the fact it's flexible. With health issues and stuff popping up, the only person I have to answer to is myself. Sometimes I'm okay with not making a deadline, and sometimes it's frustrating. I'm learning to be a kinder boss. Sure I have to do all my own marketing which stresses me out, but I still get the choice of what I want to do and when.

My insecurities: I need a new body. It's been a rough year health-wise, and it has immensely affected my writing and how much I can do at the computer. I feel guilty for being so far behind and not keeping up with all of you. I realize I must make a much better effort to take care of this old body. No more sitting in this chair for long periods of time. I need to move more and eat wiser. I have to do more than just waggle my finger at myself.

As a writer, how do you keep healthy? Any advice?

#IWSG for July 2018

The Insecure Writer's Support Group (IWSG) is the brilliant idea of Alex J. Cavanaugh. The purpose of the group is to share doubts and insecurities and to encourage one another. Please visit the other participants and share your support. A kind word goes a long way.

This month's awesome co-hosts are: Nicki Elson, Juneta Key, Tamara Narayan, and Patricia Lynne!

This month's optional question: What are your ultimate writing goals, and how have they changed over time (if at all)?

A long time ago, I wanted to be the next Stephen King. I wanted to be picked up by a big publisher and an agent, be an international best seller, make millions, and have movies made from my books. If that still happened, I'd be ecstatic, but I'm much more realistic now.

I no longer feel the desire for an agent, and I don't query publishers. I'm in control of my own destiny. Being an indie author wasn't an option when I was young, but these days, it is a wonderful choice. I'd love to be able to make enough money to equal my husband's salary which would make me a mid-lister. In our publishing world, that would be a marvelous achievement. And instead of movies, I would love an HBO show or series on a cable channel that follows my books as well as Game of Thrones followed Martin's.

I have no doubt my ultimate goals will change again in ten or twenty years. The industry might be a whole different beast then.

* * * * *

We're only sixteen days away from this month's IWSGPit! Click on the image for all the details. It's a fantastic opportunity for writers.

8:00 am - 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time

P.S. I'm lounging by the lake and reading this week. I'll get around to everyone's blogs later this month. Have a great week!

Word Witch Wednesday - a writer's ups and downs

All writers have them. Sometimes it's like we're manic. Extreme euphoria and then end of the world depression. There are a few authors who find a good balance.

But for me, it's been an Indiana Jones mine cart ride. Especially this year.

I'm back after being a week away from my writer's life. Tons of emails and stuff on social media to catch up on. It's so overwhelming, I feel like I'm going to drown. It's hard to concentrate.

I'm gone a week, and my muse is refreshed, eager to get going.

The end of the Totem series is near. A nine book series. What was I thinking? It's exciting to see the end of the long tunnel, to share the whole story with the world. Even more exciting to know I'll be able to start on something new once I'm done.

I'm writing the last book of the series, and I don't know what's going to happen. I have no idea how the heroes will defeat the villain. None. I'm so stressed out about it. Sometimes being a pantser sucks.

Being a pantser is wonderful. I love the surprise twists and how my stories evolve all on their own.

I have so many ideas for stories. What do I go with? Should I concentrate on what I love or what's marketable? How do I know if both of them converge? Trying to figure out this whole publishing thing is painful. It makes me feel like a failure.

Yes, marketing is hard, but I'm doing what I love. How many people get to say that?

Up, down, up, down, around, loop, up, down, corkscrew, and repeat.

And you know, no matter how rotten the downs can be, the journey is worth it in itself.

IWSG for June 2015

The Insecure Writer's Support Group (IWSG) is the brilliant idea of Alex J. Cavanaugh. The purpose of the group is to share doubts and insecurities and to encourage one another. Please visit the other participants and share your support. A kind word goes a long way.

The fantastic co-hosts this month are: M. Pax, Tracy Jo, Patricia Lynne, Rachna Chhabria, Feather Stone, and Randi Lee!

I received my first quarterly check from my publisher a few weeks ago. I held the envelope in my hands and did a happy jig. Then, like Wolverine, I tore it open and froze.

No, no. That can't be right. I had a dream. My dream told me I'd earn $4700. My subconscious clearly does not know where to place decimal points. I didn't even make triple digits.

The weight of the let-down flopped me into a chair. I could barely breathe. That lasted ten seconds until the panic of wondering whether taking the risk with this series was worth it had me madly pacing the room. This isn't my usual genre. Did I ruin myself by publishing these stories? Do readers think I'm crazy? Why oh why didn't I use a pen name?

ACK!

All that self doubt and anxiety crashed down on me. There wasn't enough ice cream in the world to help this one. Time to hide in a hole. Please ignore this silly geek over here.

Now that I've had some time to let things settle down, I'm okay with the fact I did take the risk. Even if I don't sell well, I've learned a lot from this experience. And I still do believe that the stories are great fun.

We all need to hide in a hole with a barrel bucket of ice cream now and then. The real challenge is to come out and keep pushing forward. Take risks and never give up.

Wicked Wednesday - oh those pretty, pretty covers

Book covers. This is where I like to have complete control. Maybe not do the actual design myself, but to puppet a talented artist to do it just the way I want it. I used to dream I'd have Michael Whelan as my own personal cover artist.

All the books I've self-published, I designed the covers and I'm immensely pleased with them. I bought the images from a host site (Dreamstime), and I manipulated them to suit the stories. I spent as much time on the font as the images themselves. It's tough work making a cover perfect. It takes a long time. Time I'd rather spend writing.

For my Dice & Debauchery books, I have very little input on the covers. I filled out a questionnaire and described my main characters, but that's all the say I get in it. I knew I wouldn't have any control in this when I signed the contract. I weighed it against the benefits of having a publisher for this series. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I at least kind of like the covers when I see them.

Next year, I'm self-publishing an urban fantasy novel. I'm going to hire a cover artist to do it for me. I'll have much more input than I do with my publisher, but not as much as I do if I did it myself. I tried finding images that would work for a cover, but nothing stood out for me. Nothing I wanted for this book. It has to be unique. It has to be made to suit it.

If you're published, did you design your own covers or did someone else? Do you like having control or are you much more easy-going about it than I am?

IWSG for October 2014

The Insecure Writer's Support Group (IWSG) is the brilliant idea of Alex J. Cavanaugh. The purpose of the group is to share doubts and insecurities and to encourage one another. Please visit the other participants and share your support. A kind word goes a long way.

The co-hosts for this month's group are: Kristin Smith, Elsie, Suzanne Furness, and Fundy Blue.

Congratulations to the IWSG website on its one year anniversary! It's an awesome site with a great bunch of writers. It has a lot of advice, tips, and encouragement. Cheers to all of you!

In celebration of the anniversary, IWSG is putting together an anthology - The IWSG Guide to Publishing and Beyond. Everyone can contribute. Entries must be between 200 and 1000 words. If it's less than 300, post it on your blog or FB, and then submit your link to the site HERE. If it's over 300 words, email it directly to the team at TheIWSG@gmail.com. 

The topics can include writing, publishing, and marketing. Give them your best and fresh tips. No recycled posts. The ebook will be out in December.

Here's my contribution about marketing. (250 words)

* * *

 

3 Marketing Tips For Those Who Would Rather Be Writing

I am a writer. I never wanted to be anything else. But as a self-published author, I also have to be my own agent, accountant, and promoter.

Marketing savvy is not something I possess. What's even worse is what works for one author doesn't necessarily work for another. So how do you foster interest in your books and boost sales when you have no clue what you're doing?

Here are three tips that have worked for me and can be done from your writing cave.

1) Know your genre and find your audience. Be honest with yourself and get the opinions of your critique group. Once you have it, you'll be able to brand yourself and promote your books on sites to readers that will love you.

2) Start a blog. This has been one of my most effective tools in reaching fans. Match it to your genre and don't be afraid to show a little of your personal life.

3) Giveaways. People love free stuff. Use big sites like Goodreads to get a lot of exposure. If you create your own giveaway, add something a little different along with your books. Silly trinkets or a cool item from your story. Giving away gift cards also attracts a lot of attention.

Marketing may never get easier, but once you become adept in a few key things, you can spend your time doing what you really want to do: writing.

(IWSG has my permission to use this post in the anthology.)

Wicked Wednesday - sign on the dotted line

Now that you know my awesome news, I can share with you my experiences being accepted by a publisher. It's incredibly different than self-publishing. One way it's different is the whole signing of a contract deal.

I had a few bumps in the road with it. With my publisher, the contracts department is separate from everything else. My editor was not allowed to be involved in anything to do with it. I filled out all the paperwork (general information, tax forms, book outlines), sent them to the editor, and she forwarded them on to contracts.

Then I waited.

And waited. And waited. And waited.

A month later, I still hadn't received anything.

I asked my editor about it, and she suggested I email contracts to see what was going on.

They had sent out the first copy of the contract, but I had never received it. I checked in all my folders, checked them dozens of times, but nothing. I assured them I didn't receive it, and three weeks later, they sent out  the file again.

I read through the contract carefully. It was 12 pages, but there was nothing I didn't understand. I filled it out, re-read it, and had my husband go over it. I signed it, copied it, and emailed it back.

One month later, I received the finalized contract.

I was moving along at a good speed with my editor, doing edits and filling out my cover requests, I even had a release date, but I couldn't announce it until the contract was complete.

I felt agonized with how slow it was going at times, but this is typical with a publisher. Self-publishing allows you to go as quickly as you want to, but  with a publisher, you can only move as fast as the business can move. Patience is key in signing with one.

If you have a publisher, what has your experience been involving contracts?

IWSG for August 2014

The Insecure Writer's Support Group (IWSG) is the brilliant idea of Alex J. Cavanaugh. The purpose of the group is to share doubts and insecurities and to encourage one another. Please visit the other participants and share your support. A kind word goes a long way.

This month I'm feeling frustrated that I can't share my big news yet. It's been almost two months since I've known, but the contract isn't signed and sealed.

One thing I love about self-publishing is that you can move at your own pace and shout out the news whenever you want. I wanted the experience of working with a publisher, and now I have it.

It's slow. Maybe the folks in the contracts department are on vacation or they're slower in the summer with the kids home. I can understand it, but it doesn't help my anxiety.

I'm taking a deep breath. It'll all work out.

What's the best thing to do while waiting? Write.

And check your inbox fifty times a day.

Wicked Wednesday - pen names

Do you write under your real name or a pseudonym? Or do you publish under both? I'm curious as to why you chose to do so, because I debated whether to use a pen name or not with my newest stories.

There are many good reasons to use a pen name: boring or hard to pronounce real name, real name already the same as a famous person, the desire for personal privacy, identity protection, writing in a different genre than you're known for, and giving yourself a second chance.

Many famous authors have used pseudonyms. It's not an unusual thing in this business. In fact, it could be a good marketing decision.

Some hide the fact they use a pen name while others let their readers know they've something published under a different name. Again, neither is out of the ordinary. We're in a world where it is acceptable for authors to use various identities. Use it to your advantage.

I've become known for writing The 13th Floor, a paranormal romance series. I'm now approaching a time in my career where I'm publishing something that is not in that genre. It is still contemporary and adult romance, but not supernatural. Who is Christine Rains without the otherworldly stuff?

I publish all my short stories under my name. They encompass a wide variety of genres. But that isn't the same as the world of novellas and novels.

I had to decide if Christine Rains was only a paranormal romance author or something more? Did I want a different name attached to my books in another genre? I waffled back and forth. I even tried to think of a great pen name. I was unsuccessful, but it didn't deter me from considering still using one.

In the end, I decided not to use a pseudonym. The new books may be a different genre and they may be completely different in style than the 13th Floor series, but they're still adult romances. I believe the majority of my readers will like the new books. I would also like to attract readers who pick up the new books first to read my paranormal romances next.

Wicked Wednesday - creating an author tagline

I once dedicated Wednesdays to topics dealing with paranormal romance. I've talked about various things that link to it too, but I wanted to keep my focus on that genre since I dubbed it part of my author brand.

Things change. I have a manuscript in consideration by one publisher and another accepted by a second press. Neither of the stories are paranormal romance. So lately, I've been working on changing my author brand. This includes changes to my blog, profile, and my website. (I finally have a new website design, and my husband is in the midst of programming it. Yay!)

One of the most important ways to establish your brand is to have an author tagline. What's this, you ask? An author tagline is a sentence or two (usually no more than 5 to 10 words) that describes who you and your books are. It must be short and attention-grabbing.

This is no easy task. I have enough trouble creating taglines for my books, but for me? Yikes. Where do I even begin?

Here are some tips to help you create your own author tagline:
- Who are you? What's important to you? Not your writing, but you.
- What is your writing like? The genre(s)? Are there any themes? What's your style?
- Focus on what makes you unique.
- Pick about a dozen words that describe you and your writing. (Or 50 like I did!)
- Ask for opinions from other writers, friends, and family. How do others see you and your writing?
- Narrow it down to a few words, play with them together, and come up with various phrases.
- Pick your favorite one, and remember, taglines aren't forever. You can change them, and you most likely will as life goes on.

What's important to me: Family, friends, creativity, and my geeky interests.
What's my writing like: supernatural, dark, witty, twisty, romantic.

I used a thesaurus to produce a bunch of words that I played around with. Here are some of my rejected taglines. Feel free to laugh all you want!
- Otherworldly flirts and courageous spooks.
- Heroes, haunts, and heart.
- Geeks, freaks, and EEKS!
- Flirting with what goes bump in the night.

Horrible, I know. And why was I so focused on alliteration? I had a lot like that.

I wasn't satisfied. So I went back to the drawing board. Or, rather, the crumpled and scribbled upon piece of paper. And I had a good brainstorming session with a fellow writer. (Thanks so much again, Graeme!) I had to accept I could not capture everything about me and my writing in one tagline. That was the hardest thing for me to accept.

What makes me unique: I'm add twists to whatever genre I'm writing, and I'm character driven.

Here is my final choice. Let me know what you think, please!

Paranormal intrigue with a twist.

No spoilers, sweetie

Shhhhhhh.....

I have book titles.

I have a series title.

I have a release date for the first book.

But I can't tell you yet.

Soon. Very soon.