Indie Life - It's All About Taking A Chance

I'm very excited to be part of The Indelibles Indie Life series. These posts run on the second Wednesday of every month and include ideas and articles from a wide variety of indie authors. Check out the links below to learn more about INDIE LIFE.

If you'd like to look up my prior posts, just look for Indie Life - It's All About...

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I've decided that this is going to be a great year for me.

I know we can't guarantee anything. Life is brilliant at throwing curve balls, some that are really hard to recover from, but... in spite of those unpredictable risks, I've decided to go for it this year and take every chance and opportunity that comes my way.

I know I've been published for over two years now, but I still consider this the early stage of my career. Because of this, I have been really careful with how I spend my money. It makes sense not to overextend myself, but the one disadvantage to that is I haven't always gotten the same exposure and opportunities that I wanted. So at the end of last year, I stretched my budget a little and have found that I've actually benefitted greatly.

One thing I did was hire a PA, who has been worth her weight in gold. She's amazing and I love working with her. She's so helpful and eager and I can't speak highly enough of her work. She's been away for the last month and I can't WAIT for her to get back. I didn't realize just how much she was doing for me!

Another thing I did was shelling out for a couple of Bookbub ads and they have paid back hugely!

This year, I'm doing a couple things that I never would have tried before.

One  - I'm heading to UtopYA Con in Nashville (June 2014). This is huge for me. A massive expense that I think will be worth every penny. I've been invited to speak on a panel and my first reaction was hesitation, but then I thought, "No. I have to take this opportunity." So I am leaving my babies with Daddy for just over a week and I'm flying from Shanghai to Nashville. After the conference I'm taking a few extra days to stop off in Vegas and LA for a little research and the chance to meet my publisher. Financially it's massive, but it's such a huge chance. Even just the opportunity to meet my PA face to face, not to mention some of the other authors I'm in constant contact with online. Who knows what else might surface from this experience? Who knows what connections I might make?

As I said, there are no guarantees. I might make no new connections. I might not sell one extra book, but it's a chance...a really good one and I'm so excited to take it.

Two - I've decided to ask one of my favorite cover designers if she'll work with me. I've been watching her stuff surface all over the place and I really love her covers. She's always been out of my price range, but I've decided once again to take a risk. I have a new series that I'm writing, it's branching away from YA. It's my little dabble in NA Contemporary Romance (although it will still be clean enough for YAs to enjoy). Because I don't want to create a pen name, I've decided to go for a fresh, new look for The Song Bird Series and I've asked Mae I Design if they'll work with me on this. I'm so excited. Once again, it's a risk. I might spend all this money on a book that doesn't sell (doubtful, because Mae I Design covers are amazing!)...but still, it's a risk and a chance - I'm taking it.

The thing with chances is they involve an element of faith. I've just got to believe that I'm doing what I'm meant to be doing with my life and all these risk will pay off.

So be bold this year...take a chance and see where if leads you.

Indie Life - It's All About The Editing

I'm very excited to be part of The Indelibles Indie Life series. These posts run on the second Wednesday of every month and include ideas and articles from a wide variety of indie authors. Check out the links below to learn more about INDIE LIFE.

When people say editing, I know many writers who groan. I used to be one of them, but the more projects I work on...the more books I write, I realize that I actually love editing. It's now become my favourite phase.

Maybe it's because I've learned to refine the process, to figure out a way that works well for me. I thought I'd share the way I work in the hopes of helping some and maybe getting tips and advice from others.

Okay - so I suffer from First Draft Blues Syndrome. When I'm writing my first draft, it sucks. My book is crap. No one will like it. However, once it's done, once I can step back and take a breath, I start to see that there is potential in my work.

A few months ago, I read a really excellent book written by Rachel Aaron.
2k to 10k: Writing Faster, Writing Better, and Writing More of What You Love. The reason I loved it so much is because she works in a very similar way to me. We both thoroughly plan, then write, then edit. Our processes are efficient. One tip I picked up from her that I found so spectacular was the idea of Story Mapping.

Once my first draft is down, I go through the manuscript - just skimming - and jot down what's happening in each chapter. Just bullet points. I then add any notes. For example in Ch 1 of my current project, I've noted down that I need to make the mother's reaction stronger to the situation she finds her daughter in. Chapter 2, I've made the comment that the guy the MC has a crush on drives a Jeep not a car and that I need to ask my California friends for a specific location to set the next scene in. Further down in the story I need to add a scene and I've also figured out that shifting one scene from Ch 13 down to Ch 17 will have a bigger impact and show my character's growth in a more realistic way.

Tomorrow I am going to start going through each chapter and following through on my notes. Once that's done, I will do a full read through to check on flow before sending it off to my 5 critique readers who will tell me what works and what doesn't. 

Once I get their feedback, I go through with my rewrites and changes then start the tweaking edits. You know the read through where you refine your writing, changing little words here and there for greater impact. One thing I'm planning on doing this time as well, is reading through Self-Editing For Fiction Writers by Browne and King. I've read it a couple of times already. I have a paperback copy that is looking well loved. It's so brilliant and I want to have it fresh in my brain before I tackle my book for the tweaking round. 

Once I've finished that, I will then send it on to my copy editor. A professional who will hopefully find very little wrong with the manuscript :D

So what's your editing process like? 

How do you go about making your manuscript worthy of reading?

Indie Life - It's All About The Blog Tour

I'm very excited to be part of The Indelibles Indie Life series. These posts run on the second Wednesday of every month and include ideas and articles from a wide variety of indie authors. Check out the links below to learn more about INDIE LIFE.

I am really interested to hear people's opinions on blog tours. I have one coming up on Sept 16th to feature my latest trilogy - The Elements Trilogy. (It's being run by A Tale of Many Reviews - the are awesome to work with - reliable and always have a big list of bloggers to draw from.)

Now, I personally think they are a necessary part of writing life. You need someone to help you spread the word about your books, you need to build up reviews...what better way to do this than organise, or have someone else organise, a blog tour.

I have done at least three blog tours since publishing my first book and I have enjoyed being a part of all of them...but they have very rarely resulted into huge sales for me. My books have been added to many reading lists because of them and yes I have gained reviews and exposure. They are good...I just wish they resulted in more sales. I don't mean to sound money hungry - that's not what writing is about, but I do think it's important to consider how much you're spending on a tour and if you'll make your money back. Or is that not important? Is it actually worth spending that money just to get some buzz happening around your books?

Another thing to consider is how to use tours as an effective way to gain new readers. In the past I have always used the same people to do tours for me and I had an epiphany a few weeks back when I suddenly realized that I was advertising to the same readers over and over again. So I do think it's worth looking into using different people to help you spread the word. But it's also important to choose people that are reliable. I have worked with brilliant people in the past - A Tale Of Many Reviews being my favourite - but I'm branching out now and look forward to reporting back on other publicity companies I have used to run tours for me.

So I guess my final conclusion is that blog tours are worth it. They are a great way to make connections, find new fans and gain yourself some decent exposure.

What are your thoughts?
Does every book you release need to be accompanied by a tour? Or is it better to save up tours for later on in a books life - a way of reviving it perhaps?

Indie Life - It's All About the Sequel

I'm very excited to be part of The Indelibles Indie Life series. These posts run on the second Wednesday of every month and include ideas and articles from a wide variety of indie authors. Check out the links below to learn more about INDIE LIFE.

I have been published since 2011 and it has not taken me long to figure out that in this game, writing series and sequels is the way to go. I have seven books published now with another one due for release in August and looking back over my stats, my trilogy is the strongest seller by far.

It makes sense though, doesn't it? Readers invest their time in these characters, get to know them, fall in love with them. Of course they are more likely to buy another book involving these people. It's a great way to develop a lasting readership or build a fan base. Speaking as a reader, I don't like saying goodbye to characters I fall in love with and it's fun watching them grow throughout a series.

From a writers viewpoint, it's great business. You can put the first book on sale, or free, and this leads to subsequent sales for the rest of the series. I have found this to be hugely successful for me, which is why I decided to go for rapid fire releases with my second trilogy. The first two books are already out - Unknown in June and Unseen in July. The 3rd book - Unleashed - is due out in August. I am then going to spend my marketing budget in September. That's when I'll run some sales, pay for some advertising, do a blog tour, etc. Once the readers can access all three books quickly. I have never done this before and am really interested to analyze it all at the end and see how it's paid off.

If you're anything like me, you have a million stories in your database and new ideas constantly popping into your head. Writing series takes staying power. I am always tempted to keep releasing new stuff, stand alone stories, but I am curbing that desire for now. Sure, I'll still do the odd stand alone, but from the results I've seen in my own writing, they will never take off as well as my series.

Indie Life - It's All About The Release

I'm very excited to be part of The Indelibles Indie Life series. These posts run on the second Wednesday of every month and include ideas and articles from a wide variety of indie authors. Check out the links below to learn more about INDIE LIFE.

I have talked about a variety of things over the past five months - from attitude about writing to getting the exposure we need in order to make our writing a success.

Following along that line, I want to talk about "The Release." That moment you work so hard to obtain. Weeks and months of hard work have been poured into your book, it looks fabulous, it reads well, your beta readers love it and now it's time to share it with the world.

I have always struggled with this moment in my book's life. It's nice to let it go and pass it on to the world, but I also find it really challenging. How do I get the world as excited as me and then how do I turn that excitement into actual sales?

I have read articles that say it's all about the pre-buzz. Getting people so excited about the book that when you do finally release it, they're so desperate they buy it straight away. I have done this a little, not much. I probably should have started months earlier and maybe I will with my next book. For now, let's focus on the actual day of release.

I am learning as I go and there are plenty of things you can do with the release of a book:
- Facebook release parties
- Blog Tours
- Giveaways
- Paid advertising
- Asking people to spread the word for you
- Book signings

These seem to be the most popular that I know of, but which are the most effective and what can you afford to do? You have no doubt spent money on editing and cover design, how much is left to throw at marketing?

Because my funds are tight and I want to produce quality, I tend to put most of my money towards editing and cover design, but I have quickly learned that spending money on marketing is just as important. In an attempt to use my funds wisely, I have decided, with the release of my trilogy, to save up most of my funds and spend it once the third book is released.

Unknown - Book 1 - came out yesterday. So far I have asked people to spread the word and have gathered up a few reviews. I'm also running a giveaway on my blog. All very low cost things. I will be doing the same for Unseen - Book 2 - when it comes out in July.

However in August, when Unleashed - Book 3 - comes out, I will be pulling out all the stops. I have an FB event planned for shortly after the release. I have a blog tour running in September and shortly after that I will be paying for advertising on the first book. I'm really hoping that combining the marketing funds for all three books will help me gain the trilogy some decent momentum. I will hopefully see a flow on effect from sales, because all three books will be available at once.

It will be interesting to see and I can't wait to come back in October and let you know how I got on.

So what do you do when releasing a book? How do you turn your enthusiasm into book sales?

Indie Life - It's All About Exposure

I'm very excited to be part of The Indelibles Indie Life series. These posts run on the second Wednesday of every month and include ideas and articles from a wide variety of indie authors. Check out the links below to learn more about INDIE LIFE.

I am doing a bit of a series with these posts. I've talked about balance, quality and attitude.

Today I want to talk about the importance of exposure.

There is no point writing all these amazing books if no one can find out about them. For me, marketing is the hardest part of this job, but I am learning as I go and here are a few things I've discovered that work really well for me.

These are all cases of: "You have to give a little to get a little."

- Giving out copies for review. I know this kind of goes without saying, but it's really important to get a bunch of solid reviews behind your book before you start really pushing the advertising. This is just my opinion, others may disagree here, but I think reviews give your book credit. Plus book bloggers rock - like mega rock - and if they like your stuff, will help you spread the word far and wide. Be nice to bloggers and they'll be nice to you ;-)

- Doing a freebie. I put my first novel, Golden Blood, online for free. It was the best decision I ever made. I have subsequently sold hundreds of copies of the other two books in my series, something I never would have done if it hadn't been for me being willing to lose the money on the sale of my first book.

- Paid advertising. I have paid for advertising twice so far and both times it has been worth every penny. I have made my money back really quickly and it's led to higher rankings, more exposure and continuing sales for the few weeks after. I have used Bookbub.com for my advertising so far, but I know there are plenty of sites out there.

- Group sales. If you can be a part of a group sale, this is a really great way to get your book some exposure. You want to open yourself up to as many readers as possible, so if you are part of a group sale, all the cross promotion can only do you a favour.

- It's the same with giveaways. What better way to score your fan page some likes, gain some more followers and generally get your name out there. It costs you nothing more than a few e-books. Better yet, if you go in with a group of authors, you can put together better prize packs for really low cost. I have an example going on at my YAlicious blog if you'd like to check it out.
Indie Inked Mother's Day Giveaway.

I know there are plenty of other ways to gain exposure for your work. I am learning new things all the time, but the ones above have been my most successful.

What have you done to gain yourself readers?

Indie Life - It's All About Attitude

I'm very excited to be part of The Indelibles Indie Life series. These posts run on the second Wednesday of every month and include ideas and articles from a wide variety of indie authors. Check out the links below to learn more about INDIE LIFE.

I have only been doing this a couple of months. So far I have touched on the aspects of balance and quality.

Today I want to talk about attitude.

Being an author, you need a really tough skin. Your work of fiction is a part of you. It's born in the heart and grows over the days and weeks as you put the story together. Finally you have this baby that you want to share with the world...and that's when you're the most vulnerable.

Readers are honest and they have every right to be. You have put yourself out there and they are free to respond to your work as they see fit. Unfortunately that can be a really painful experience. Getting those five star reviews puts you on cloud nine. You feel elated that someone out there thinks your work rocks. You have given them an escape from reality and they have enjoyed it. But then come the one and two star reviews and these sting. Your work is torn to shreds as readers find every mistake and reason not to like it. Ouch! It really hurts.

It's in moments like these that you have to decide what attitude you'll take. As a child I always loathed criticism. I didn't fight it or try to justify it, I just believed it. This whole writing experience has taught me that I don't have to do that anymore.

Reading is subjective. I don't like every piece of fiction I read, so why should everyone like my stuff. I know some authors say you shouldn't read reviews at all, but I feel that if someone has taken the time to write a review for me, then I should take the time to read it...even the bad ones. Yes, they sting, but sometimes I have learned things that I can tuck away for future projects. I have to remind myself that it is just someone's opinion. Sometimes I want to respond, to write to the reviewer and explain why I did something the way I did, but I don't feel like that will get my anywhere. If anything, it'll just make me look desperate for approval. I don't need their approval. I have it from various other places. I wouldn't have even published the book in the first place if my beta readers hadn't told me it was worth it. No matter what, I have to brush off the biting words and focus on the five star reviews. And then I keep writing. I keep working on my craft and I make sure to never let my attitude slump into a place that will stop me from doing what I love.

Writing is a tough job. It can be lonely, frustrating and it takes a lot of work, but if you love it enough, you'll stick with it.

How do you cope with negative reviews?

Indie Life - It's About Quality

I'm very excited to be part of The Indelibles Indie Life series. These posts run on the second Wednesday of every month and include ideas and articles from a wide variety of indie authors. Check out the links below to learn more about INDIE LIFE.

Last month I spoke about balance.

This month, I want to talk about quality.

When I first jumped on the indie band wagon, I decided that I wanted to be seen as a professional. Whether we like it or not, there seems to be a stigma when it comes to self-published authors. Because our work hasn't been vetted by a traditional publishing house, people question whether our work is good enough. Heck, I even question myself sometimes, but that's a whole other blog post ;-)

The point is, if we want to lose the stigma, we have to act like professional authors. One way of doing that, is to produce quality work. Writing is not something every person can do and it only comes 100% naturally to a few. If you love writing as much as I do and you really want to make a career out of it, then I highly suggest you take the time to study the craft. I thought I could write before, but after taking a two-year writing course and reading many books on how to write well, I realized how many mistakes I was making. I'm not saying I am the world's best writer, but I have come a long way and I now feel confident that I am producing quality work. Work that deserves to be published.

So other than trying to master the craft of writing, what else can you do to strive for quality?

- Use critique partners and beta readers. These guys are worth gold to you. Honest feedback on your first drafts are key to ironing out the creases in your story.

- Pay a professional editor. I know they cost, but can you really afford not to? I did with my first books because I had no money, but I've always regretted it. I now refuse to publish a book until it has been professionally edited.

- Make sure your cover looks as though it belongs on a bookstore shelf. Don't settle for a homemade job when graphic design is not your skill. Covers do not break the bank, but they can break or make book sales.

Aiming to produce quality takes time and a little money, but you will never regret spending a few pennies to make your mark in the reading world. Act like a professional author and you will become one.

That's my theory :-)
What do you think?

Indie Life - It's All About Balance

I'm not sure where I spotted this, but when I clicked on The Indelibles link, I knew I had to be a part of Indie Life. This is a monthly series where indie authors can post about life as an indie. At the bottom of this post you will see the links for the other authors involved. This is a great opportunity to learn a little more about life in the indie world. I really encourage you to check out this series. You may discover some fantastic tid bits that you can store away for your writing craft and career.

This month, I want to talk about balance.

Most of the writers I know are passionate about the craft. I am. Writing makes me so incredibly happy and I would do it all day, every day, if I could.

My ultimate dream is to be a full time writer, something I am working hard towards achieving. At the moment I am at home with the kids, watching them grow, wiping up their tears, teaching one that throwing food all over the floor is inappropriate behaviour and teaching the other that kamikaze jumping from his top bunk bed, with a plastic sword in hand, is how bones get broken. My full time job at the moment is basically making sure my kids are feeling completely adored by their mother.

It's when my little one sleeps that I dive into my office and swim in the ocean of my imagination. It is my favourite time of the day and I always feel just a little sad when junior wakes up from his nap. My little bubble pops and it's back to playing mommy again.

I sometimes find this really frustrating and desperately wish to retire into my writing cave. But life is about balance. Stepping away from the computer to look after family, work another job, exercise, cook, eat, play, relax... is vital to becoming a quality writer. Your brain and eyes can only take so much screen time. It's amazing how often a storyline will come clear or a character will develop another layer as I'm going about my other tasks.

It's also important to find balance in your writing.
You need to find time to research, study (there's always room to improve your writing skills), write, edit and market.

Fitting everything in can be a mission. That's why I get up an hour before everyone else. The time difference works in my favour, so I spend that time marketing and working on social media stuff. During nap times, I work on my writing and on the weekends I do a little of both.

I'm not going to lie, I do get very excited about the idea of my youngest starting morning kindy next year - 3 mornings a week!!! That's like 6 hours of writing time. I am very much looking forward to seeing what I can achieve.

What do you think about having a balanced writing life? How do you fit everything in?

Good Stuff To Know - January 2013

Hey everyone. Yay, my first "Good Stuff To Know" post of the year. How completely cool.
I have a nice little list for you today. I hope you can find something useful within it.

Jodie Renner Editing put together a great post listing a bunch of excellent resources for writers. There is a long list of helpful books here plus a couple of "must read" articles for aspiring authors.

Once again, The Bookshelf Muse (I love these guys!) has put out another great post. This one is called, What Makes A Strong Author's Visit - A Teacher's Perspective. Being a teacher myself, I found it really interesting and I thought there were some great points here. If you do have the opportunity to ever do author visits or public speaking, this article is worth a read.

The lovely, Suzy Turner, led me to this post - The Ultimate Complete Final Social Media Sizing Cheat Sheet. It gives you dimensions for all the different social media sites. An excellent resource for you to refer to.

I stumbled across this blog post through Indies Unlimited and I wanted to share it, because I thought it was really interesting. Aaron Patterson shared his publishing predictions for 2013. His message at the end - "Just keep writing" is why I wanted to share this post. He's got a really good point.

I've decided to sign up to be part of The Indelibles: Indie Life monthly blog hop. I missed the January one, but come February I will share my first post (the 2nd Wednesday of every month). At this stage there are 30 blogs involved and I think it's a great way to share information and learn from each other.

Indie Book Bargains is a UK site that I subscribe to. I get daily emails with current bargains and I find it really interesting to skim through and see what's out there. They have just completed their 2012 Book Awards. I thought there might be a title or two in there that interests you. Oh yeah - and Betwixt won Best YA!!! Sorry - just had to share. Super excited!

That's me for this month. I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for more helpful links and resources to share in February. If you have any you'd like to add in the comments section, please feel free.