I also wrote the short summary:
Heather Wild has enough experience with cowboys to know that she doesn't want another one. Ty Youngblood is set on changing her mind.I'm still working on the longer summary.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
SitRep Saturday: One Good Cowboy
So I didn't finish editing One Good Cowboy this week. Bad writer, no donut! I did make it through two pages, though, and those two pages saw some added backstory, some character development, and some voice development that the first and second draft were missing.
I also wrote the short summary:
I also wrote the short summary:
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Self-Publishing: On Sales
There are places to check out sales data from traditionally-published and self-published authors. I've read many times that romance and erotica are regularly bestselling genres. You can see what that means, numbers-wise, at websites like Erotic Romance: Sales Data. The RWA has a page featuring romantic literature statistics. Erotic Romance reports traditionally-published sales information and while the RWA numbers may include self-published numbers, from what I can gather, that's mostly traditionally-published information, too.
J. A. Konrath dedicated an entire post to discussing his sales figures. The post is a couple of years old, but it's not a bad place to start. Norah Wilson even has a special tag for sharing her sales data. That information is more recent.
Here's my data.
I started in August with one erotic short story collection priced at $0.99. I added romance novelettes in September and November, both priced at $0.99, bringing my total number of books available at the end of November to three. For roughly a week after the release of each book, I offered coupon codes for Smashwords to Twitter followers, blog readers, and my friends and family on Facebook and through email. (Most Smashwords "sales" in August, September, and November were free downloads.) All of my books were approved for premium distribution through Smashwords, but as you can see, the vast majority of my sales came from Amazon.com and the vast majority of those sales are of a single book. (The Cowboy Next Door specifically. I don't have any explanation for it, either.) I don't do too much in the way of promotion: occasionally I tweet about my books and every time someone visits my blog they see the book covers on the right of the page. Mostly I chalk up those numbers to luck and to decent enough writing to grab a reader's attention.
With all of that said, I find those numbers more than satisfying. Okay, frankly, I find them downright exciting. They're encouraging. They give me hope that this self-publishing thing is going to work out. I honestly hoped for slower, steadier growth over a much longer period of time to start seeing numbers like the ones I saw in November.
J. A. Konrath dedicated an entire post to discussing his sales figures. The post is a couple of years old, but it's not a bad place to start. Norah Wilson even has a special tag for sharing her sales data. That information is more recent.
Here's my data.
I started in August with one erotic short story collection priced at $0.99. I added romance novelettes in September and November, both priced at $0.99, bringing my total number of books available at the end of November to three. For roughly a week after the release of each book, I offered coupon codes for Smashwords to Twitter followers, blog readers, and my friends and family on Facebook and through email. (Most Smashwords "sales" in August, September, and November were free downloads.) All of my books were approved for premium distribution through Smashwords, but as you can see, the vast majority of my sales came from Amazon.com and the vast majority of those sales are of a single book. (The Cowboy Next Door specifically. I don't have any explanation for it, either.) I don't do too much in the way of promotion: occasionally I tweet about my books and every time someone visits my blog they see the book covers on the right of the page. Mostly I chalk up those numbers to luck and to decent enough writing to grab a reader's attention.
With all of that said, I find those numbers more than satisfying. Okay, frankly, I find them downright exciting. They're encouraging. They give me hope that this self-publishing thing is going to work out. I honestly hoped for slower, steadier growth over a much longer period of time to start seeing numbers like the ones I saw in November.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Resources: Publishing Part 3: Alternatives
I've shared resource links for traditional publishing and for self-publishing, but what if you don't want to write books? What if you want to be read in some other way? There are alternatives.
Magazines
Newspapers
Blogs
Freelance Work
- FreelanceWriting.com
- Top 3 Ways to Get Started
- How to Get Started as a Freelance Writer
- The Freelance Writing FAQ
- Freelance Writing Gigs
Magazines
Newspapers
- How to Get Started Writing With Your Weekly Newspaper
- How to Get Started Writing for Newspapers
- Writing a Newspaper Article: 5 Tips
Blogs
- How to Get Started Blogging
- 10 Getting Started Tips For Publishing a Successful Blog
- The Starter Blog: How to Really Get Started Blogging
- How to Make Money with a Blog
- A Reality Check About Blogging for Money
As with the other posts, these links are by no means exhaustive. But these are--or are very similar to--the links I used when I wanted to know about freelancing, writing for magazines and newspapers, and blogging.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Monday Miscellany: Covers, Holidays & Birthday Shopping
Over the weekend, I came across this photographer and fell in love with his photos. Especially this portfolio. There was one photo in particular that caught my eye, so I emailed Rob Lang to ask about his stock prices for ebook covers up to 10,000 or 500,000 copies (vocabulary I learned from Dreamstime). Unfortunately, he was a bit outside of my price range for now, so I have him bookmarked for later use. I have another cowboy novel in the planning stages and I think I just may spring for one of his photos to use as a cover later this year when it's ready to go. He was quick to respond to email and his prices, despite being out of my range, were actually very reasonable. If you're looking for a good cowboy photo, he might be your man.
Anyway, I ended up finding a really excellent photo to use over on Dreamstime and the cover for the new cowboy WIP is ready to go. I'll post it later on today.
We celebrate Christmas in this house and we had a nice holiday. My daughter's gifts were all a huge hit. I'm really proud of keeping the number of them under control, too. She's one of two grandchildren on my side of the family and an only child in her own home, so the potential for things to get out of hand is really there. The adults here--my sister, my husband, and myself--seemed pretty pleased with their presents, too. I know I am. Do you want to know how boring I am? I was given the new Betty Crocker cookbook and I spent most of yesterday planning meals for the next two weeks featuring main dishes from it.
Today, I think we're venturing out for a bit. My husband's birthday is next week and so I think it's time to get his shopping out of the way since my mother will be here to visit in a few days and the rest of the week is full of doctor's appointments, airport runs, 24-hour-duty shifts, the New Year, finishing editing the new WIP, and lots of reading.
Oh, yes, lots of reading. Starting Wednesday, I'm giving up writing for however long it takes me to finish Witch in Wolf's Clothing by A. M. Belrose, and Supertech and Morgan's Choice by Greta van der Rol. Reading I can do with a house full of people. Writing I can't. I'm just dying to read Ms. van der Rol's other two books, too. I've held off long enough. I'm not looking forward to the empty feeling when I've finished them, but I am looking forward to starting To Die a Dry Death afterward. (Yep, still a fangirl.)
Anyway, I ended up finding a really excellent photo to use over on Dreamstime and the cover for the new cowboy WIP is ready to go. I'll post it later on today.
We celebrate Christmas in this house and we had a nice holiday. My daughter's gifts were all a huge hit. I'm really proud of keeping the number of them under control, too. She's one of two grandchildren on my side of the family and an only child in her own home, so the potential for things to get out of hand is really there. The adults here--my sister, my husband, and myself--seemed pretty pleased with their presents, too. I know I am. Do you want to know how boring I am? I was given the new Betty Crocker cookbook and I spent most of yesterday planning meals for the next two weeks featuring main dishes from it.
Today, I think we're venturing out for a bit. My husband's birthday is next week and so I think it's time to get his shopping out of the way since my mother will be here to visit in a few days and the rest of the week is full of doctor's appointments, airport runs, 24-hour-duty shifts, the New Year, finishing editing the new WIP, and lots of reading.
Oh, yes, lots of reading. Starting Wednesday, I'm giving up writing for however long it takes me to finish Witch in Wolf's Clothing by A. M. Belrose, and Supertech and Morgan's Choice by Greta van der Rol. Reading I can do with a house full of people. Writing I can't. I'm just dying to read Ms. van der Rol's other two books, too. I've held off long enough. I'm not looking forward to the empty feeling when I've finished them, but I am looking forward to starting To Die a Dry Death afterward. (Yep, still a fangirl.)
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Blog Roundup: December 19 - 25, 2011
In the holiday spirit, Chuck Wendig posted 25 Ways for Writers to Help Other Writers. He also posted this thought-provoking article on branding.
I thought Greta van der Rol's post on the possibility of a "Star Wars-type" galaxy was pretty interesting.
This week, I discovered Roni Loren's Fiction Groupie blog.
Imran Siddiq wrote about character arcs needing change.
James Killick wrote about four ways to kill narrative drive.
Keystrokes and Word Counts has this great post on writing through your emotions.
I don't know how I missed this one. McQuestionable Musings has 10 tips for new bloggers.
Are you following Sierra Godfrey yet? I love her Google Reader Roundup.
Sirra posted about POV and how a writer can get it right.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
New E-Reader? Have some free books!
Until January 8, 2012 you can use the following coupon codes to download my books for FREE from Smashwords.com (where, by the way, there are thousands of other great books).
Better with You use code RC67V
Cass Gets Her Kicks use code QX84Y
The Cowboy Next Door use code MB63Y
Please, Sir use code XY84S
Looking for more bargain books? How about checking out my ebook posts Where To Buy Books For Your E-Reader and Free Books!
Better with You use code RC67V
Cass Gets Her Kicks use code QX84Y
The Cowboy Next Door use code MB63Y
Please, Sir use code XY84S
Looking for more bargain books? How about checking out my ebook posts Where To Buy Books For Your E-Reader and Free Books!
SitRep Saturday: One Good Cowboy
The new cowboy WIP has been drafted, the editing process has begun, and it now has a short title I'm very pleased with: One Good Cowboy. I have an email in to a professional photographer to ask about his stock photo rates because I think I found the perfect image for a book cover. If that doesn't work out, though, I'll find something else.
How about a sneak preview?
Justin Youngblood had a perfect ass.
Through darkness pierced by the glow of neon beer signs hung on the walls and the dance of colored light from the system set into the rafters over the dance floor, Heather Wild kept her eyes riveted on the curve of that perfect ass. Viewing it was a rare and special treat. She admired the shape of it under the slight sag of his designer jeans. Her eyes moved down the length of his thick, muscular thighs and then back up, over the nicely rounded contours of his buttocks and the fluid lines of his back as he bent over the edge of the pool table. His polo shirt rode up when he made his shot, exposing the pale skin and the dimples just above his low-riding belt. She sighed happily.
A skinny man in painted-on work jeans wandered through her line of sight. Heather wished for a dangerous, fleeting moment that Justin was more like the other men in the room. If he was a cowboy, he would wear the same Levi's or Wranglers as the rest of them. They would be skin tight. They would better show off that ass in all of its perfect glory.
And she wouldn't give a damn about it or him.
It was better that his jeans had come from an urban clothing store in the mall, that his shoes were clean sneakers and not dirty boots, and that his shirt was a textured cotton blend with a popped collar and three tiny open buttons that exposed the base of his throat. It made him different. She liked different. Different excited her.
Her eyes lingered on his biceps, where the snug sleeve only accentuated the bulge of gym-built muscle. Her fingers flexed. Justin was top-heavy, bulky from lifting weights; his strength was for show, not for work. He didn't rope cattle or bale hay or mend fences. He never had and his new MBA ensured that he never would.
She wanted him.
Justin Youngblood had a perfect ass.
Through darkness pierced by the glow of neon beer signs hung on the walls and the dance of colored light from the system set into the rafters over the dance floor, Heather Wild kept her eyes riveted on the curve of that perfect ass. Viewing it was a rare and special treat. She admired the shape of it under the slight sag of his designer jeans. Her eyes moved down the length of his thick, muscular thighs and then back up, over the nicely rounded contours of his buttocks and the fluid lines of his back as he bent over the edge of the pool table. His polo shirt rode up when he made his shot, exposing the pale skin and the dimples just above his low-riding belt. She sighed happily.
A skinny man in painted-on work jeans wandered through her line of sight. Heather wished for a dangerous, fleeting moment that Justin was more like the other men in the room. If he was a cowboy, he would wear the same Levi's or Wranglers as the rest of them. They would be skin tight. They would better show off that ass in all of its perfect glory.
And she wouldn't give a damn about it or him.
It was better that his jeans had come from an urban clothing store in the mall, that his shoes were clean sneakers and not dirty boots, and that his shirt was a textured cotton blend with a popped collar and three tiny open buttons that exposed the base of his throat. It made him different. She liked different. Different excited her.
Her eyes lingered on his biceps, where the snug sleeve only accentuated the bulge of gym-built muscle. Her fingers flexed. Justin was top-heavy, bulky from lifting weights; his strength was for show, not for work. He didn't rope cattle or bale hay or mend fences. He never had and his new MBA ensured that he never would.
She wanted him.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Resources: Publishing Part 2: Self-Publishing
Yesterday, we looked at traditional publishing and I pointed you in the direction of some resources you could use to learn about it. Even if you've already decided to self-publish, I strongly suggest learning everything you can about the traditional publishing industry. It affects self-publishing.
The Wildly Successful
The Nitty Gritty
Distribution
When I decided to self-publish, I read a lot. I read blogs and articles on and from traditional publishers and authors, and I read blogs and articles on and from self-published authors and independent presses. Just about everyone had something useful to share, some bit of information or advice I was able to add to what I'd already learned to deepen my understanding and better help me define my goals and set reasonable expectations.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: goals and reasonable expectations are musts if you go this route.
The Industry
- Self-Publishing Resources
- Cnet: Self-Publishing a Book: 25 Things You Need to Know
- The Shared Self-Publishing Experience
- Self-Publishing Review
- Writing.com: Self-Publishing Information and Links
- eHow: How to Self-Publish a Book
- Inc.com: How to Self-Publish Your Book
- Seeking the Write Life: Self Publishing IMO tag
- Terrible Minds: "self publishing" search results
- Writer's Helper: Pros and Cons of Self-Publishing
These links are by no means comprehensive (and neither is yesterday's list), but they're all good places to start.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Resources: Publishing Part 1: Traditional Publishing
Chances are that if you write--and especially if you've come to this blog by way of search engines or Twitter--you want to be read and that means being published. If you're anything like I was eight months ago, your understanding of the publishing industry goes something like "write, submit to publisher, profit." There are a lot more question marks than that.
Traditional publishing, it can be argued, offers the best quality control and the highest prestige. Whenever I think about traditional publishing, I think about the Big Six, big box bookstores, and well-known periodicals. I think about agents, editors, lawyers, public relations managers, bestsellers, movie options, and merchandising rights.
When I started doing research into the possibility of self-publishing, I first did all the research I could on traditional publishing. That meant reading up on the largest publishing houses, on agents, on query letters, on copyright laws, on everything I could think of. I read blogs, I read Writer's Market, I read through publishers' websites.
If you're thinking about (or ready to start thinking about) publishing, the following list of links is for you. It's not complete, not by any means, but for me, the links were good places to start.
The Life of a Book
The Industry
The Big Six
Agents
Query Letters
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