Advertising Hype

I attended a writer's conference this weekend. It had been billed as an A to Z of self-publishing, and since I'd just regained the rights to two of my books, I thought it a timely discussion. So, despite the prediction of rain all day, off I went, on a 3-hour round trip in the pouring rain to have the speaker impart her words of wisdom. Come hell or high water, I wasn't about to miss this talk.

When I arrived at my location, it wasn't just raining–it was pouring. Sheets of rain slammed down on the hood of my car.

My in-car umbrella decided to play hide and seek with me, so I sat for a few minutes in the downpour, hoping for a break–which didn't happen. I wasn't about to sit in the parking lot and miss the meeting, so I took off at a brisk walk toward the door.

Brisk pace or not, by the time I got inside the building I was drenched. My t-shirt clung to my back in a cold, icy grip and I could feel my muscles begin to seize up. My shoes made little squishy noises as I walked across the marble floor. My hair, never known for putting on a good show, gave up completely and dribbled onto my cheeks. A quick check in the ladies' room proved what I'd already guessed. I looked like something the cat had drug in, after she tossed me in a few puddles.

I wiped the mascara off my face, propped my wet locks behind my ears, and proceeded to the meeting. I am nothing if not motivated and persistent. But, alas, here's where the problem began. (I  know what you're thinking...)

Either I'd read the wrong meeting blurb or the speaker had, but the talk wasn't about self-publishing at all. Rather, it was how to write and market a book. The speaker had come prepared with a slide show and handouts. Which she then proceeded to read.

This type of speaker has always bothered me. I'm a writer, as is everyone else in this meeting. Which means we know how to read. Words are our business. I don't need someone to read for me what I can read on the screen myself. I want embellishment on the points being flashed on the screen. So I got grumpy. Not only was I not getting the talk I'd driven here for, it was being read from a screen to me, as if I couldn't make out the words on my own.

Or maybe I was just cold and damp. The puddle under my seat kept growing.

After spending most of my professional life in the advertising business, you'd think I'd have learned not to trust the advertising hype. I sat quietly, damp and cold, and kicked myself for not double checking the agenda. Then, the speaker told me something new. Something I'd never thought of before. Eureka!

As I drove home, I realized hell hadn't come to North Carolina, but some of the rivers were running out of their banks. And while I didn't learn anything about self-publishing, I learned something. Time well spent.

On Being a Hybrid Author

By the end of this month, I will be able to retrieve the rights to the last remaining books held by Simon & Schuster. It has taken over a year to dissolve my relationship with them, and right now, I'm still represented by three different publishers. I'm considering what to do with these last two books. Should I try self-publishing again? My first trip down that road was a failure, but I learned a lot.

A hybrid author, for those reading this blog who are readers rather than authors, is one who has a toe in both traditional publishing and self publishing. There are benefits and drawbacks to each type of publishing, and it is refreshing for an author to finally have a choice in the matter, rather than to wait anxiously for word from a traditional house that they want, or reject, your work.

But as much as the freedom to be your own boss is with self publishing, there's something to be said for belonging to a traditional house as well. In addition to the marketing support you get, which in most cases is marginal, you become part of a sisterhood that can extend far past your contract with the publisher. Your universe of like-minded people grows with each publishing house and the benefits are great. Fellow authors are a great support system, and the more ways you can grow that list, the better.

I recently finished a manuscript and sent it off to a new-to-me publisher in hopes they'll consider it. Why would I consider adding a fourth house? To meet new people, to expand my reader base, to not place all my eggs in one basket. Take your pick of reasons. As for the two books reverting back to me? They may become my next attempts at self-publishing. Time will tell.

Hurry Up And Wait

If I needed any reminder of what this publishing business is all about, I got it in the past few weeks. You Hurry Up and finish your WIP, only to set it aside for a few weeks to simmer before you polish it up and send it off into the world, in whatever avenue of publishing you choose. That's the first Hurry Up And Wait moment. If you enter it into a contest you Hurry Up and submit before the deadline and then Wait impatiently until the finalists are announced.

I recently attended an event at my local library on self-publishing. The main gripe about traditional publishing is the lag time between when you sign a contract and when the book is released. With the advent of small press publishers, the lag time isn't nearly so great as it used to be–my first book was contracted for in March and released in May, giving me barely enough time to set up my website and this blog. So that argument against using a traditional publisher doesn't hold much water anymore. There are still pluses and drawbacks and it's a very personal choice. But at least now, in this day and age, we authors have many paths to publication.

But say you do want to go the self-publishing route. There's still a Hurry Up And Wait aspect to it. You want to spend time, and unless you have a Fine Arts background, money, on a decent cover and a good editor–preferably two editors. These people, if they're good (and good's what you want) have many other authors as clients, so you need to be worked into their rotations. There can be months of lag time between when a manuscript is submitted to an editor and when the final product goes live on Amazon and other outlets.

If you go the traditional route with a small press, the lag time can be quick or tedious. I mentioned my first book only took two months. My most recent one has taken me since January, when I turned it in, and still there's no release date in sight. I keep telling myself it will happen, I didn't have to find and pay for an editor, a cover, or a formatter, so I'm good with it, but it's been a struggle.

And a Big 5 publisher? One of my favorite small press publishers got bought up by a Big 5 last year, and they've done a fabulous job of promoting my backlist. I want to work with this publishing house again, now since they're part of a Big 5, so I submitted a manuscript to them. It's Book One of a new series, and I've had my fingers crossed for months now. I guess I should spend the Wait time working on the second book in the series, but I find it hard to work with my fingers crossed and holding my breath. Maybe I'll hear something this week...

How about you? Would you like to work with a Big 5 or do you want complete control? Or both? In any scenario, there will be many Hurry Up And Wait moments.

Bones & Joints

Most of you who follow along with this blog are aware I've had some health issues of late. Mostly dealing with my joints. I seem to have great bones, but lousy joints. It's always been an issue, but as I get older, it seems to come into play more and more. So far, the count is 2 elbows, 3 hips and a shoulder.

A writing buddy of mine commented recently that she had to go back and redo the opening scene of her WIP, since it was disjointed. Which led me to an analogy. Your work can have great bones, but without being able to join all those scenes together into a cohesive unit, you just have a pile of bones. And a lot of pain.

I've been working lately on a little Christmas novella. One would think it'd be easy to write, since it's only going to be about 20,000 words and it is about Christmas. Easy-peasy, right? Never have I been so wrong.

I started out writing this two years ago. I had the bones of a good story, since it was about an actual event from my childhood and I folded in my time working retail in a Hallmark store, following the advice given to all authors–write what you know. But for some reason, I couldn't connect the scenes into something that made sense. I had way too many holes in my plot. I put it on the back burner, thought about how to fix the holes, and have recently devoted time to it again. I was able to take about 8,000 words from my first attempt and transfer them into the new, improved story. Those are the bones. But what I have this time are the joints, making it a story that can stand on its own with nary a crutch in sight.

I'm at the point where it's ready to send off into the big world of publishing, and hope to find a home with a traditional publisher. But, if not, I may bite the bullet and enter the unknown world of self-publishing later on this year. Either way, it's an exciting time in my professional life. Can't wait to see what happens next.

To Self-Pub or Not? That Is The Question.

Like most authors today, I've considered self-publication. The control of the entire process, from editing to cover design, to price, to placement, has a certain appeal. And the increased royalties and accounting from Amazon certainly have an appeal. All my friends who have already taken the plunge assure me that, although it involves multiple steps, it's not hard to do. A piece of cake.

Yet, each time I seriously consider it, something always happens. As is the case with a lot of us aging boomers, computers are a friend and a foe. Just when I think things are going along fine, and that I can take on the challenge of self-publication, I have a day like yesterday.

I needed to print out, sign and scan a document, which I was to email back to complete my transaction. My computer and printer have worked together fine for the last six months, so I thought my simple task would be quick and easy. A piece of cake. Yet when it came time for my printer and computer to relate, they refused to talk to each other. It was as if they were two little school kids, pointing fingers at each other.

"It's the computer's fault!" yelled my printer, flashing lights and refusing to scan.

"No, it's not! The computer's fine. It's the printer who doesn't want to work!" The computer showed me a screen with a grin, evidence it was hooked up properly to the printer.

I could get nowhere, so I decided to just put the document in the mail instead. The old-fashioned way. The way I'm used to dealing with things.

So, if I were to take on the challenge of self-pubbing, what would happen to my book if, once again, my computer and printer act like spoiled children in the school yard? I don't know. But I don't think I can mail it in.

And the not knowing is what scares me into once again resisting the urge to take the next step. If anyone has any ideas on how to get beyond this, I'd love to hear them.

The Other Side Of The Coin

Last week, on a guest blog, I wrote about why I am (for now, anyway) choosing to stay with a small press. So, to show my flexibility, I invited USA Today best-selling author Ava Miles to my blog today, to discuss why she chose to go the independent route. Her debut novel, Nora Roberts Land, hit the USA Today bestseller list, so she's obviously doing some things right, and I think we can all learn a thing or two. My chapter mates and I came up with a list of questions for Ava, and she was gracious enough to respond to them. So, without further ado, here's Ava! 

Hi all! I’m Ava Miles, a new contemporary romance writer who launched her debut novel, NORA ROBERTS LAND, last summer after receiving Nora Robert’s blessing to use her name in the premise and the title. Since then, I’ve released six books, four single titles, one novella, and one anthology. Whew! Even writing that is making me tired. Thanks to Becky for having me on today to talk about being an Indy publisher. I like that word so much better since my brother’s nickname for me is Indy from Indiana Jones since I used to travel to some pretty exotic places before quitting that career (also last summer) and going all in being my own CEO and full-time writer.

What path did you take to self-publication? Were you first with a traditional publisher and then branched out?

No, I started out straight Indy. I pursued the traditional route first. I had the most wonderful agent, Jennifer Schober from Spencerhill. Both she and I were convinced that NORA ROBERTS LAND would be well received. But New York didn’t seem to know what to do with it. Some passed outright, not liking the Nora angle, wondering if it would alienate non-Nora readers. Others said they loved my voice, but since they didn’t publish Nora… And Nora’s publisher thought it was a conflict of interest. And then there were still others who didn’t know what to do with it. I have a pretty big voice, and well, with the Nora angle, I didn’t fit into a category. So, right as Jenn and I were coming to realize that maybe we just needed to put this in the hands of readers since we believed they would love it, she up and left the business for personal reasons. Well, if that wasn’t confirmation, I don’t know what was. I had written the next two books in the series while waiting on submission, so decided to…ah, quit my old career of rebuilding warzones in places like The Congo and launch myself big-time. That means releasing the first three books in the Dare Valley series six weeks apart. It was intense.

But here’s the lesson I want everyone to take away from my journey: you voice is precious and has an audience. Don’t allow someone else to make you think otherwise, not even the “experts.” You have the power. You have choices. Thank God, we now live in an age where the stories from our hearts can reach readers despite what the gatekeepers say. That is powerful. You are powerful. Believe that. Believe in yourself. And nothing can stop you, not even the little dips in the road as you grow and learn your craft and your career.

Was Nora Roberts Land your first book?

I’d been writing since I was young and was learning my craft over time. I learn by doing. So, I had some unfinished manuscripts, but then I had a breakthrough and delved in big time. That’s when I completed a story and from then on, writing changed my life.

Did you have a reader base when you began?

No, I had zip. Zero. Nada. Because of the other career’s security issues, I wasn’t even on Facebook (I mean my parents were even on FB LOL). So, that was another reason the launch was so intense. All of the sudden, I was on FB, Twitter, Goodreads, etc. It was a steep learning curve, and I’m still learning and building.

What is one of the most important steps a self-published author must do?

I’ve learned you always need to have a strategy and point your compass there. I’m continuing to revise mine since my knowledge expands and well…the interfaces we work with change (all that algorithm stuff). I also think you need to have a lot of product ready to go and a way to keep feeding the systems. Right now, your rankings drop if you don’t upload something every 30 days on Amazon. Think of that! Every thirty days. I realized that even the big boys are playing the system when I saw James Patterson upload a sample of all of his first chapters. That’s James “freaking” Patterson, folks. So, you have to make some decisions about how to do that if you’re going to play. And if you can’t, you have to make peace with it. One of the first things I noticed among the top Indy authors was them saying it’s hard work (true) and that they were exhausted (I understand). I don’t believe that I have to work harder than a traditionally published author just starting out. She’s having to do her own PR the same as I am. I just happen to have more control than she does about when I go on sale or changing my key words on the major retailers. The other things you need to do, of course, are find an incredible editor, make sure you have a kick-butt cover, and that you’re getting enough reviews to make your product desirable to your intended audience.

And then act like your own CEO. You are NOT only a writer. You are an executive. It’s a huge difference. I know how to write books, I feel like now. Will my craft continue to improve with frequency? Sure. But I am still learning how to be a CEO. The good thing is that I managed a whole lot of people in my old career, set strategies, and created and executed budgets. I am learning how to transfer those skills to Ava Miles Inc. to support my publishing house. If you really want to succeed, I think that’s the special area we all need to continue to concentrate on.

No author is an island - this can be especially hard for indie authors -

who do you have on your 'team' to help you produce and promote your novels?

Well, as I mentioned, I’ve been experiencing with the types of employees that best suit my needs. I have the best editor in the world and a fantastic copy editor. They’ve worked with me from the beginning and know my voice. Continuity has been key. I’ve recently made a change with my eformatting. I don’t format my manuscripts myself. I think I would go bonkers. J I have an author assistant who manages anything from mailings to blog tours. And I’ve decided to bring my covers in-house since I have access to an excellent graphical artist and wanted more creative control. I’ve worked with publicists before and am not convinced they are worth the investment yet, but I continue to experiment. The important thing is to not get into a rut. Companies grow through innovation and trying new things. That’s why I keep experimenting. I plan to release a songbook that includes the songs that I wrote for my current release, COUNTRY HEAVEN, as a free book with an excerpt. Then I’ll see how it goes from there. Trying out different price points is essential since every reader has one.

What have you been able to 'tackle' yourself on this self-pub journey and what did you decide you needed outside expertise with?

Well, I feel pretty confident when it comes to social media now. I loved Twitter in the beginning and felt very comfortable there. But then I read Marie Force’s self-publishing survey. Her findings indicated readers are on Facebook and not Twitter (that could be changing, but I find it’s mostly true yet). So, I delved into Facebook and now spend most of my time there. Otherwise, I’ve talked a lot about the resources I’ve needed above.

You are one fish in a very large ocean of indie authors. What do you think accounts for your success?

I have to admit, I am still surprised when people call me “successful.” I have other writer friends who tell me that, but I also know what my goals are. I have met some, including making USA Today. That was an awesome moment! Others are still outstanding, and I’m pursuing them. I’ll tell you what I’ve been told frequently makes me successful since I’m a pretty humble gal: having a great title for my first book in the series (the journey to receive Nora’s blessing was special) and being professional. I’ve been told by a lot of readers and writers that they don’t know I’m Indy published. It doesn’t even cross their mind until they go into a bookstore and can’t find my book. That to me is the greatest compliment EVER.

What has been the best part of this self-pub journey? What has been the most challenging?

The best part has been the writing, of course, and the ability to put out books when I have them finished. I don’t know what I would do if I was told I could only write two books a year. Or that I had to wait 18-24 months for it to be published. I guess I could go to Bali or something.

I LOVE to write. It makes me deliriously happy, and doing it full-time…well, it’s bliss.

Now, the most challenging part has been learning the “system,” which I am still doing big-time. The algorithm, metadata, rankings stuff. That’s the part that has made me want to beat my head against the door. It’s critical to our success, it changes often, and it’s complex. But the good news for me is that I rebuilt complex systems overseas, so on days when I doubt myself (I have them like we all do), I remind myself that I can do this too.

You released a number of novels in a very short time frame, was that part of your marketing strategy? Did you have a strategy before you began?

I think I covered this point above. I LOVE strategy, and yes, it’s critical to success. I think you might be able to wing it with one or two books, but again, what CEO doesn’t have a strategy?

For a limited time, Nora Roberts Land is on sale for $2.99. Here's a bit about Ava's debut novel:

Journalist Meredith Hale's ex-husband claimed her Nora Roberts addiction gave her unrealistic expectations about marriage, and she believed him. All dreams of happily ever after--or Nora Roberts Land as her mother calls it--went up in smoke. But when her family asks her to temporarily help their Dare Valley, Colorado newspaper, she decides it's time to change her life and prove her ex wrong. She's determined to find her own small-town Nora Roberts hero, prove that true love exists, and publish a story about her quest.

War correspondent Tanner McBride has just returned stateside to work for a major newspaper, and the last thing he expects is blackmail. Yet, before he can even unpack, he's headed to Colorado. His assignment? Make his boss's ex-wife fall for him and then break her heart. Her article about discovering love à la Nora might air dirty laundry about her marriage to the media mogul, threatening his senate run. The mogul wants Meredith stopped, and he makes sure Tanner has no choice in the matter.

When the two meet, the sparks between them are undeniable. Meredith, who vowed never to date another journalist, begins to succumb. Could Tanner be her Nora Roberts hero? As they work together to uncover the truth behind a suspicious death, the depth of their feelings unfolds and both realize they've kept their secrets for far too long. But before the truth can be revealed, their investigation takes a deadly turn, one that might make Meredith's personal Nora Roberts Land go up in flames.


AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY: USA Today Bestselling Author Ava Miles burst onto the contemporary romance scene after receiving Nora Roberts' blessing for her use of Ms. Roberts' name in her debut novel, the #1 National Bestseller NORA ROBERTS LAND, which kicked off her small town series, Dare Valley. Ava has also released a connected series called Dare River, set outside the country music capital of Nashville. She's fast becoming a favorite author in light contemporary romance (Tome Tender).