Word Witch Wednesday - pen name vs. real name

I've been meaning to do this for a while, but I've fallen behind with my writing schedule. Where has this year gone? I had hoped to have two books out for my pen name and two for me, but I've only gotten one out for each. So this comparison will be based just on this year.

I decided to write under a pen name with a specific audience in mind hoping it would be easier to market. And it was.

Pen name: reverse harem fantasy romance (RHFR)

Me: paranormal romance and urban fantasy (short stories of every genre)

It is easier to market a very specific genre if you know where to find your audience. I knew exactly where the RHFR audience was and what they liked.

It is so much more difficult to market yourself as an author if you write multiple genres.

Romance is one of the easiest genres to promote, because the readers aren't so discerning and eat up books fast. Urban fantasy and speculative fiction are difficult, because readers are very discerning and take their time with books.

Pen name: markets primarily on Facebook and with a newsletter

Me: Facebook, Twitter, a blog, and a newsletter

The RHFR audience is found mainly on Facebook. There are lots of groups with huge followings, and they spread their favorite reads by word of mouth like lightning. Promotion takes very little time each day. (Ten minutes usually.)

I spend way too long every weekday promoting myself. Usually it takes my entire morning. (Three hours.) I tell myself to cut back to an hour, but I feel guilty when I do. I also feel much of what I do does not make a difference, and I'm only nurturing the audience I already have. Which is important, but finding new readers is just as vital, and I don't seem to be having much luck in that area. I'm struggling with finding a way to do so.

Pen name: story is fun, light, full of tropes, and doesn't involve much thinking

Me: story is dark, snarky, twisting tropes, and full of thoughtful things

Readers love my pen name's debut novel. It has a strong heroine and involves a mix of myths. I purposely wrote it with popular romance tropes laid on thick. It was exactly what readers wanted.

My books, well, strong heroines and myths, but I try to twist around tropes. Is that why I have very little success?

Pen name: I had fun writing the book. It was easy and quick.

Me: I have fun writing my own books too. None are easy and only a few were quick.

While I did enjoy writing romance filled with tropes, it wasn't as fulfilling in the way writing my own books is. Writing my dark urban fantasy, every story challenges me. I believe with each book, I become a better writer because I push myself through these challenges.

I have considered just writing for my pen name as she has enjoyed more financial success, but I'm concerned that doing so would not help me grow as a writer. I have known some authors who started writing under pen names, and when they achieved success with them, they abandoned their own names. They also abandoned writing what they love. The quality of their stories has not gotten better, and in a few cases, it has gotten worse.

Lessons learned:

- writing and marketing toward a very specific audience is a good strategy.

- readers want the popular tropes. Don't be afraid to use them.

- some promotion is needed to the genre specific audience. (I have to cut back on the time I spend on it.)

- write what you love, even if it's not making you a best seller.

I will continue to write for my pen name. It's a nice change between the darker stuff I write for me. Yet it won't be my main focus. I still want to go the dark urban fantasy route. I know I've chosen the more difficult road. And I don't know where it will go, or if I will even get close to the dreams I have for myself, but the journey so far has been wonderful. I can't wait to see what else it has in store for me.

I'm curious about other writers' experiences with writing under two different names. Please share in the comments below.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends and family. I'll be back in December for the IWSG!

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)

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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 - adult vs. young adult

I write paranormal romances for adults. I sometimes read YA books, but most of the time, I don't relate to the teen voices. I didn't relate to them even when I was a teen. I just have a different mindset. There have been YA books that I've loved. Yet there have also been adult books I've read that should have been YA with the immaturity of the protagonist.

It's vital to know your audience. YA books are geared toward 12 to 18 year olds, and the protagonists in the books are typically between 16 and 24. Just because you're writing about someone in their early twenties doesn't automatically make the book an adult one. Sometimes adult books have young protagonists too, but the difference between the two is important to recognize.

Both YA and adult paranormal romances:

Supernatural elements. (Obvious!)

A conflict that might require the protagonist to save the world or a piece of it.

Growth in character. (The protagonist has to learn from her mistakes and become better for it.)

A romance central to the plot.

YA paranormal romances:

They're typically written in first person. (Teen readers like to get inside the protagonist's head. The world of a teen is all-consuming for them. They are the central characters.)

Though the central conflict might be to save the world, the secondary conflicts revolve around school, popularity/fitting in, pop culture, friends, and family. (Typical teen day-to-day dramas.)

They usually involve the "coming of age" story. (The protagonist doesn't have a solid identity at the beginning of the book and learns who she is. Most of the conflicts are internal.)

Romance is most often awkward and embarrassing as they fumble through the motions, and just a kiss can be a major event. (YA romance does not need to end in sexual gratification and typically does not.)

Adult paranormal romances:

They're typically written in the third person. (Adult readers tend to like a wider view of the world.)

The secondary conflicts revolve around work, finances, politics, friends, relationships, and stuff from the past coming back to haunt them. (The protagonists have a better idea of who they are and thus their identities are more inflexible. More of the conflicts are external.)

Romance covers all types. (The protagonists can be inexperienced or very experienced. Yet usually her love interest is experienced. Adult romance does not have to end in sexual gratification, but it typically does.)

What other elements are key to YA paranormal romances? To adult paranormal romances?

You have one more day to enter my Learn Your Craft Giveaway!

One down

I finished the first draft of my first short story of the year last night. I cheered myself and hugged my muse. I was exhausted after taking care of my husband and son, but I pushed myself to get the story finished. It's those times when you really work that you feel the best about having finished something.

I didn't know how the story would end, but it all made sense when I finally got there. Ooh, that's what happened! Now I have to go through and add in the subtle clues, hints for the reader and my protagonist. I hope the twist is as surprising for my readers as it was for me. I always worry about plot twists. Am I clever as my muse? I hope I'm doing her justice.

I have two days to revise it and send it in to be critiqued at my next writers' group meeting on the 14th. The anthology I want to send it to doesn't have a deadline, but I have to take my chances that it doesn't fill up within the next few weeks while I polish it up.

I have discovered that since I posted my goals for the world to see, I push myself more. I have an audience and I don't like to disappoint. I think I'll create a gadget for the sidebar that keeps a tally of what I've written, submitted, revised, and queried this year. Just a little extra kick for me to get everything done. Do you push yourself harder knowing you have people watching your progress?