Sunday, February 24, 2013

MJ Schiller's Blog Tour--Stop One

M.J. Schiller, Rocking the World ~ One Reader at a Time

Hi, all! I’m MJ Schiller and Becky was kind enough to have me on her blog today to talk about my recent foray into self-publishing. Just a few weeks ago I put my romance, TRAPPED UNDER ICE on sale on Amazon, Smashwords, BN.com, and the I-book store (along with some smaller ebook retailers). It is the first in my Rocking Romance Collection, a set of stories which all include a rock star as a main character. Becky was curious about my decision to self-publish after being published by Crimson Romance, so I thought I’d share some thoughts on that.

I got a Kindle for Christmas and, I have to say, I love it! I was resistant to e-readers because I love books so much. I’m one of those geeky people whose heart beats a little faster when I enter a book store. I love the smell, the colorful covers, the very feel of books in my hand. One of my favorite Christmases— I think I was about ten — was the year my dad gave me four Nancy Drew books for Christmas. Four of my own! I didn’t have to borrow from my friend who had ALL of them. (That would have been around fifty-seven of them back then. There are a hundred and seventy-five now!) Just getting a peek of that yellow spine sent me into orbit! So how could an electronic device compare to that? But, much to my chagrin, the e-reader is really a bookworm’s dreams come true. I hold an entire library in my hands! If I finish a book, I need only click on another. It’s fantastic!

With the advent of the e-reader much of publishing now happens in cyberspace. The landscape of the publishing world is changing and the market has shifted. Since people are buying their books online, that is where the marketing is, too. No longer are publishers sending their authors out on book tours. We do blog tours, like my stopping by here today. Thus the majority of the marketing is done by the authors themselves. Since I’m doing the marketing myself, and I wrote the darn thing ( ; I feel I should get the lion’s share of the profits. When I work with a publisher they get seventy percent of the profits, I get thirty. Sure, being traditionally published gives your work some credence, and there are benefits with brand recognition, but I don’t feel those benefits weigh out to seventy percent. I may sell less books, but will it be over forty percent less? I guess I’ll just have to wait and see. The initial outlook is good. In the week TRAPPED UNDER ICE has been out on the market I have sold more books than in the four months my Crimson title has been out. But time will tell.

Now, without further ado, I’d like to introduce you to TRAPPED UNDER ICE. This one is the book of my heart. It’s the story of a three time platinum record-producing rock star, Chad Evans. Despite his success, Chad is still haunted by growing up in an abusive home. He tries to play his heart out on the stage, but can never quite seem to leave it there.  

Enter Beth Donovan, lunch lady/writer (just like moi. Coincidence? Not on your life.) Beth is attending a Trapped Under Ice concert though she still mourns her husband, whom she lost three years prior. After the concert, she and her daughter, Cassie are attacked by two men. Chad comes to the rescue and sparks begin to fly the likes of which his pyro crew has never seen!

Though drawn to each other, the pair has a lot of baggage to get through. And then there’s the fact that they come from two completely different backgrounds. Oh, and did I mention someone has been sending Chad death threats? You just have to check this one out.  ‘Cause, come on, what could be hotter than the love between a rock star and a lunch lady?

Thanks for joining us today. If you’re interested in hearing more about my self-publishing journey, I’ll be on Peggy Bird’s (http://www.peggybirdwrites.com/) blog tomorrow, continuing my conversation and explaining what I did after I made the decision to go it alone. I would be happy to answer, or attempt to answer, any questions you may have. ( ; Thanks again, Becky, for having me here today!

Here's a bit about MJ that you may not know:

I was born in the heart of Tornado Alley, and I’ve been a bit mixed up ever since. Not really, but I’ve always wanted to use that line. The medical community has established no solid connection between the place of my birth and my off-beat personality.

I grew up in St. Louis and graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a degree in English education. I left the workforce, however, when my kids were born. Unbelievably I now have an eighteen year old and sixteen-year-old triplets! Yes, I write to escape teenagerdom. Although I love them dearly. I also escape via rock concerts and karaoke. My first book, TAKEN BY STORM, was published by Crimson Romance last fall, and my next book, the second in the ROCKING ROMANCE COLLECTION, titled ABANDON ALL HOPE will be coming soon!

You can find me at www.mjschiller.blogspot.com , or MJ on FB, or Twitter.

You can find TRAPPED UNDER ICE at Amazon, BN.com, the I-book Store, and other e-book retailers.









20 comments:

  1. Becky thanks for having me on your lovely blog today! It's great being here with Chad and the boys from the band.

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  2. I should read this because I'm writing a girl band right now. I'd like to see how you approach the music biz in yours.

    I understand the thrill of Nancy Drew. I'd carefully remove that last page and mark the books I wanted next for my grandparents so they didn't buy me something I already had.

    I'll be watching your journey in self-publishing with interest.

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  3. Glad to be the guinea pig! (; Come to the dark side, Tara! It's been a thrilling ride. I forgot to mention another key benefit which is having control over your book. From what the title is, to what the book cover looks like, to what the inner format looks like, to how I price it and when. Great for a control freak like me! Thanks for taking the time to stop by and hope the rest of your weekend rocks! (;

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  4. What a great post! It reminded me I needed to purchase my copy from B&N (I have a Nook).

    Good to know about your sales. I'm on the fence myself about self-publishing.

    Congrats on your book. I'd wish you many sales, but it sounds like you're on your way. :-)

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  5. Thanks, Elke! Sales haven't slowed down, but I know they will eventually. It's fun while it lasts, though. A lot of it is luck, but I have learned a tremendous amount over the last five years, about writing, publishing, marketing, and I think I'm beginning to see the fruits of that hard work and the help and input of a lot of incredible people, including you, missy! I appreciate you stopping in and your generous support in purchasing the book and being my friend. Hope the rest of your weekend rocks! (;

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  6. sounds like a fun book--alas, i never managed to catch the eyes of mike reno (loverboy), bryan adams or ricky springfield during my younger years . so now i'm still just fantasizing about dating rock stars...
    good luck with the self pubbing.

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    1. It's best to sneak back stage, Nora. Oh. Did I just admit to something on a public forum? Oops!

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  7. The 3rd book I tried to write in my youth was about a rock band and a girl who falls in love with the lead guitarist. Your book evokes such fond memories. I'm a rocker at heart. Maybe I'll write that book some day. Good luck with your self-publishing venture. Sounds like it's working out so far!

    Erin

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    1. Thanks, Erin! My success is due, a lot, to the help of other writers, like yourself. Thanks for stopping by to again support me! (:

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  8. I loved Trapped Under Ice! Here's wishing you many sales, M.J.
    -R.T. Wolfe

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    1. Thanks, RT! And much luck to you and your latest book, FLYING IN SHADOWS. I heard it's "flying" off of the virtual book shelves. Get it? Flying? tee-hee

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  9. Thank you for a wonderful post, ladies! M.J., I will follow your journey with great interest, since I may decide to self-pub, too. Thanks for being in the vanguard. May you have many sales!

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  10. Thank you, Deborah, so much, for all of your support. It is a community effort and I've been luck to land in a group that looks out for one another. Much luck with your Roman Time Travel Series, LOVE, ETERNALLY, AFTER THE FALL, and RETURN TO ME.

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  11. Interesting post MJ. I am going to be self-pubbing a women's fiction book this summer so I am anxious to follow your posts and learn from your wisdom. :-)

    What made you decide to write a series on rock stars? Just curious. My hubby is in a rock band, always has been, and there's so much drama us wives always say we're going to start a reality TV show called Band Wives.

    Good luck with your series!

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    1. You totally should! I don't know why I wrote the series. It started with TRAPPED and then I just kept coming up with more stories with rock stars. One of them is a woman, with a sexy cop. *sigh* Writing's so much fun!

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  12. MJ I feel the same way about my new Kindle! Great post - Trapped Under Ice sounds fantastic. Very cool cover too! :-)

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    1. Thank you, Serena! Funny, I loved it from the start, but there was something bugging me for a while, and then my daughter finally figured it out. The font my name was in was too YA. Other than that, I went with what Stephen came up with for me, based on my description. He also redid a friend's covers and her sales rocketed immediately!

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  13. Congrats on the awesome sales, Mary! Hopefully they'll keep "rocking" God that was cheesy. Ignore that.

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  14. Thanks, girlfriend! Same with all of your releases. Miss seeing you at the meetings. Hope your schedule changes so that you can come back! Bet Olivia is growing like a weed.

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  15. Thanks for having me on today, Becky! It was fun!

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