Planning or Something Close To It

“If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans.” Woody Allen

For a very long time I didn’t have plans, not for my books or my writing career.
I didn’t outline for a long time. Chapter by chapter detailed outlines just didn’t work for me. I figured if I’m going to do all that work, I would rather just start the book.  I soon learned it killed my muse after a few hours of misery.
I didn’t have plans for my career because…hmmm, I was clueless. I was first traditionally published. So except for doing book signings, handing out bookmarks, and doing speaking engagements I didn’t worry about much else except meeting deadlines. .
I started indie publishing in 2010. Again, no plan at first. Then I thought up a few steps to take:

1. Write two original titles
2. Send letters to publishers requesting publishing rights be reverted
3. Re-design my author website

I didn’t see this as a formal plan, and it wasn’t written down. Still this was way more planning than I’d ever done before. I also had a few marketing ideas. Not all that sophisticated, but I had them. In my head.
Slowly I learned more as I networked via Novelists, Inc. and a Yahoo group for authors jumping into indie publishing their backlist. Soon the authors turned to indie publishing original titles. I kept hearing about setting goals, crafting a marketing plan, a production plan,  etc. There was that word again- “Plan”.
I’m almost allergic to plans. I don’t know why, but it could be because very little in my life has gone according to my plans. I realize I’m not in control, and my plans either go awry or get changed completely in a snap by something unexpected. And it’s not always a bad thing.
I imagine my past “plans” were like God’s favorite sitcom. I can see him clearing his schedule so he could listen for entertainment. He’d say to the angels, “Okay, now I don’t want to be disturbed. My show is about to come on. Lynn has a new plan!”
So I gave up on “plans”. I went to a writers conference with no plan but ended up meeting the editor who bought my first book. I didn’t plan to have back to back contracts for the next ten years. I didn’t plan to have one of my books made into a movie.
Okay, fast forward to 2011. I decided on being more grown-up and professional and… create plans. Here’s what I’ve done:

1. I have two series started. (I’ve never done connected books before, on-going characters)
2. I added doing an audiobook to my plan. A Darker Shade of Midnight is now on sale at Audible.com! Yaaay!!
3. I’ve re-branded my website and built an author Facebook page
4. I now have a marketing plan for 2013 (better late than never!).
5. I’m reaching out to the global community via Facebook. Not sure it will increase sales, but I had this idea to try way back in 2010.

I’m proud just because I’m planning. Right, it would be more exciting if I could add, “And I’m rich, famous and own a vacation home in Costa Rico!!!!.” Hmmm, no. But my sales have increased, and my Facebook author page went from just over 900 page likes to over 1,500 and counting.
I’ve reached objectives and completed steps. I’m being more methodical, though I still tend to spontaneously change. Yes, I turn on a dime! Therefore I can endorse planning and flying by the seat of your pants- at the same time!

Visit me at:
www.lynnemery.com
http://www.facebook.com/lynn.emery.author

del.icio.us Tags: writing business,planning,writing plan,writers,publishing

2013!

del.icio.us Tags: writing business,authors,books,writing

Woo-hoo, we’re into a new year! 2013, dang it’s hard to believe. And what do we typically do at the end of the year and the start of a new one? We examine the past twelve months, and set goals/resolutions for the next twelve months. So I’ll start and you can jump in. Well, don’t jump too hard in case you partied a bit too intensely. In fact, I’ll understand if you don’t answer for days.

Looking Back:

• Met goals to launch promotions using ads and Facebook
• Finished and published two more original indie titles
• Formatted and released four backlist titles with new covers
• Read more great books
• Took time to enjoy myself with movies and TV shows (Fringe and Game of Thrones, love!!!)
• Started production of my first ever audio book (via ACX). This is exciting! The voice talent I hired nailed the tone and accent, much to my immense relief.
• Set up Authorgraph, a way for readers to request a personalized autograph for their eBooks.

I ended up doing more marketing and hanging out on social media than I had planned, but that’s okay. I had fun doing that stuff. I joined three fabulous Facebook groups for readers and writers. I may have gotten carried away with Facebook ads, so I’m going to cut back (those low prices sucked me right in). I didn’t see a big bump in sales. On the other hand I did see an increase. Also it could pay off as Apple and Kobo move deeper to foreign markets. For some reason a lot of folks in Asia and Latin America dropped by my Facebook author page. Which I love because going more global is a long term goal of mine. Also, though I’m not sure, I think Amazon is one retailer who may have taken note of my efforts. They’re sending out emails periodically recommending my books.
Looking Forward:

• Release my first audio book- A Darker Shade of Midnight
• Do the math on releasing a second one, Between Dusk and Dawn, and decide if it makes business sense
• Write two more original indie titles, one will be the third in a trilogy. The second book is another holiday theme romance.
• Begin the second book in another series (Triple Trouble cozy mystery series planned)
• Write more than I spend time promoting
• Will attend Romance Slam Jam and moderate a panel discussion on indie publishing (author’s POV)
• Promote smarter (set it and forget it types of things like in 2012)
• Get my passport and plan a visit to either Belize or Costa Rica
• Keep reading great books

One thing I also did in 2012 was to finally get off the pot and decide on a device: eReader vs tablet. I bought an iPad. The Kindle app magically filled up with books (0kay, okay. I went a little nuts buying books). Between my iPad and iPhone I’ve been able to take care of my writing business on breaks from my day job. How much do I love tech toys! But of course they’re not toys. I could see cover drafts clearly, get emails about my marketing projects, etc..
Honestly I wasn’t thinking of all that when I bought it. I just wanted the cool tablet!
I’ve seen growth in sales and I did  lot of growing up myself as a professional writer. I developed and implemented plans. Adjusted and changed along the way when it made sense (or just seemed more fun).This is huge because I haven’t been a big planner. I’m looking forward to 2013.
Lynn

How Times Have Changed

Only a few short years ago I bought children’s books as Christmas gifts. Last  last year I gave my niece a Nook, and those same nephews V-tech Readers. This is an indication of how things have changed.  I no longer look for books to buy. Instead I look for ways they can load content on the devices they use to read.

The same is true for me as a reader. I was an early cheerleader of that new tech toy called the Kindle back before it was on sale. I saw the first version at a writers conference. It was love at first sight (they had me at “wireless download with no contract”). Yet I’ve never owned a Kindle. It was only last year that I even had a smartphone, much less the Kindle app. I scoffed that I would read books on my phone anyway. Then I gave in to the siren call of Apple at last. Within a week of downloading the Kindle app I was loading up on books and reading like a crazed book junkie.

So it’s Christmas again. I would welcome any suggestions for books that I might gift (Nook please) for a  thirteen year old girl (who is addicted to all things Twilight, sigh), and for content for the V-tech Readers. Please and thank you.  Parents of youngsters, help out us aunts, uncles, godparents, grandparents!  Think of it as your holiday good deed.

Which brings me to us writers. We’re the content creators. Content is king. Great time to be a writer.

What are some great gift ideas for writer and readers? I’d love a service to organize and clean my home office as a gift J

Technorati Tags: readers,books,gift books,ereaders,ebooks,writers,holidays

Inspiration

 

Two days ago my thirteen year old niece told me she was writing a book. She asked me to take a look at it, and of course I agreed. She’s writing it on one of those websites geared toward young writers like her. Miss Literati is a fun place for teens who love to read and want to write. So I went to read her story. I somehow skipped her profile, but today I read it and she mentioned me as one of her inspirations. I was touched, and so proud of her. She’s written five chapters of her vampire teenager story. Ahem, Stephanie Meyer is actually her biggest inspiration. I know this because a few weeks ago she held her breath after asking me, “Have you met Stephanie Meyer?” Sadly of course I to tell her that I hadn’t. She accepted the disappointment that I couldn’t provide an intro with grace.

I like to think I played a small part in her wonderful creativity and inspiration first; even though Stephanie Meyer has eclipsed Aunt Lynn. I bought her a beautiful poetry book when she was three. By age four her parents thought she could read. You see  they read it to her at bedtime every night for months (she insisted because she loved it so). Then she began reading along, or so they thought. Actually she had memorized the poems, all of them. As they turned each page she recognize the pictures and recited the appropriate poem. I called her Baby Einstein from then on. Now she wants to be a writer, lawyer and chef (she cooks very well). My books have adult content, so Jasmine is still too young to read any of them. Yet she told me at age eight, “I hope to follow in your footsteps”.

Reading and books changes lives. What we do as authors matters more than we know. So if you have the chance to talk to kids about books and writing, take it. You may plant seeds that give them big dreams. If you give to charities, choose a literacy program for adults and one that puts books into the hands of kids. I’ll bet each of us can cite at least one instance in which someone said, “You inspired me!” If you haven’t, don’t assume you haven’t because sometimes we plant seeds but never see the mighty oaks that result.

Here is one wonderful effort to put books in the hands of African children: Worldreader

Lynn
www.facebook.com/lynn.emery.author

Technorati Tags: writing,young writers,inspiration,authors,books,YA fiction

Like Me. Friend Me!

I find it so funny that a few short months ago Facebook was not my friend. Not at all. I definitely didn’t “like” FB. When I first created a profile it sat there. I rarely posted. I mean for months. Sometimes I’d go on and make a brief comment on a post by one of my “friends”. I didn’t get FB, and using it confused me. Months would go by and I wouldn’t event visit FB.

Fast forward a couple of years and FB is now my friend. I talked about my use of FB as an author. Now I’m having great fun as a reader. I joined several FB groups. Two are readers groups that invited me (and other authors). Two are authors groups networking and sharing information. The other group is a hybrid of sorts. Reading In Black was started by author Deatri King-Bey. But the group is also for readers. Of course we authors are major readers/book geeks as well. The over arching goal of the group is to discuss mystery, thriller, horror, Sci-Fi, fantasy and paranormal novels written by and about POC (people of color).



I’ve discovered a long list of authors writing books I didn’t know existed. One example Steampunk written by and featuring POC. I didn’t know! I also have fallen in love with a genre called Sword and Soul – epic fantasy based on African traditions, culture and history. My first taste Griots, an anthology. I’m in love (huge Game of Thrones fanatic).

Since Fringe and Person of Interest debuted their fall season first episodes 9/28, those of us who are fans geeked out to discuss the story lines, actors, scripts and more. I’ve also been buying thrillers, mystery and paranormal novels. We discuss movies, so it’s not just about books. Though there is a lot of book talk. Saturday night (9/29) someone posted that Lake Placid, The Final Chapter would be on the SyFy channel. Spontaneously several of us started posting hilarious comments on FB while watching (silly dialogue, too stupid to live characters, who gets eaten first, etc.)

So I invite readers of the genres we read and write to stop by and consider joining up. We’re not just having a blast, but you’ll be able learn about wonderful books.
I’m writing a book I want to be on sale for the holidays. Now I have to make myself stay away from FB. 360 degree change. Seriously.

Go Boldly Where No Writer Has Gone Before

Okay, so a lot of writers are going forth into the “Indie Frontier”, but my message is still the same as the title of this post. Be bold, and be smart. Notice the Enterprise crew had loads of specialists and did their homework before they went boldly. Like I said, smart.

You know how we always say, “Just when I thought I’d heard it all”? Well, I read a blog post by Dean W. Smith about authors actually giving cover artists 15% of their sales forever in exchange for a cover. Picture me slapping my forehead and crying out, “Huh? A cover artist???” Seriously folks, there is no need to give anyone a cut of your indie sales. No. Reason.  If you don’t know where to start ask me. I only bite on Mondays.

Maybe I should have titled this post “Fear”. That’s a common theme I hear from traditionally published authors when I talk about indie publishing. Fear of technology; fear of having to learn a new set of skills; even fear of talking to other writers and looking stupid because of what they don’t about this new publishing landscape.

I understand to some extent. Traditionally published authors are used to writing the book, handing it to a publisher and everything is done (cover, blurbs, proofreading,etc.) One writer who wants to sell her first book said, “I want to get a traditional deal, because I don’t want to mess with all that stuff. I just want to write.”

Even if writers only want to go the traditional route, please know you must handle your business. Especially learn about contract clauses and what they mean, and how to read royalty statements. Otherwise you’re saying, “I’m closing my eyes and signing because I trust you guys.” As I told one writer, that’s like handing a stranger a set of keys to your house, your credit cards and check card and saying, “Here you go; handle all this for me. I just want to write.” Would you do that?

 People are standing by to profit from this fear of indie publishing. I’ve heard of writers spending thousands to pay for things you can do for free; paying big bucks for cover designs. I paid $40 for my first indie cover. Does it look professional?

Network with writers who are indie publishing. Be like Captain Kirk and crew; be bold, but do your homework. So far I’ve indie published thirteen books and two boxed sets. I had zero clues when I started – had to ask “What’s a mobi? Epub, what’s that?”

What are your fears about indie publishing? I’ll be glad to share what I know.

Balancing Act

Writers enjoy, or at least can tolerate, hours of being alone with their thoughts. I’ve met many people who talk about writing a book but never do it. I can predict the ones who won’t ever “find the time”. They’re outgoing and always have full social calendars. In other words, people who need people - a lot. Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve found writing and a full social calendar to be mutually exclusive. My friends who are way more outgoing than I would be miserable sitting in  a room alone for hours and hours writing. And hours. More hours. I can hear their agonized screams.
Which brings me back to the subject of career writers making social media and promotion work for us. Frequent discussions among writers about jumping into social media, mingling at conferences, and self promotion have familiar subtexts. They are:

• “Oh God. Do I have to?”
• “No, no. Don’t make me!”
• “If I have to, I will.”
• “Is there another way?”
• “Okay. Fine. I’ll do something.”< insert long sigh>

Those who shudder at the “get out there” advice are just being normal writers. Translation - hermits. There are two schools of thought.

1. Yes, you have to promote yourself and your books. No one will buy your book if they don’t know about it. Blog! Do blog tours! You don’t have a Facebook page! Are you insane? Get one! Like yesterday!
2. Write book. Release book. Repeat. Yes, put up a nice looking website that lists your books. But do it and get back to writing. Fast.The best promotion of your writing is to write more books and stories.

Yes, I know you’ll get advice to promote. For all the writers whose sales spike, an equal number who don’t see a big change. But here are some tips based on my l-o-o-oong experience:

• A static website with updates really is a standard these days. If your site includes a blog and people get on your nerves, turn off comments.  :-)  Blog about subjects related to your books such as historical facts, info about the setting of book or series, etc. You know; stuff that interests you. People who read your books will also be interested.
• If you can, take your time and find SOMETHING to enjoy about Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, blogging, etc. No rush. Pick one. Sometimes you just have to give it a chance. Took me a good two years to “like” Facebook.
• Promotion and marketing does work - trouble is nobody can predict when or if it will work for you. Manage your expectations. I’ve found that one ad or effort rarely leads to blockbuster results. That’s like winning the lottery. It happens, but... A cumulative effect is the reality for most authors. I’ve been doing various things since 1995. Yeah, that long.
• Spend most of your time writing.

Here is my super simple Facebook page. No bells, no whistles.
www.facebook.com/lynn.emery.author Tip: I have a different personal profile (different e-mail addy) . When I blundered into Facebook two years ago I made the mistake of just putting up a page. Soon I had writing related “friends” I hardly knew mixed in with family. My brother, nephew, cousins, old buddies shared pics and information really on suitable for my personal circle. Some of my peeps fell into the TMI trap. Thanks to a VA (virtual assistant), my first personal profile was switched to a “page”. I set up a new profile and re-invited family and “almost family” friends to “friend” me again. Much better.
Now your turn. Share promo tips and what has worked for you so we can help each other.
Lynn Emery

Surprise!

 

Happy July 4th and the rest of the month to everyone!

Publishing news has been mighty interesting lately. Here are just a few items with my .02:

Amazon Makes A Bid For Dorchester – This could be great news for authors who were burned. Amazon is contacting authors now. To have that kind of muscle on their side? OMG x ten.

State Funding to Louisiana Libraries Eliminated – This is the trend all over the country. Bad news for readers and writers. In our state, libraries used state funds to buy new books. Libraries have traditionally bought a lot of books. Our books. Yeah. Let that sink in for a minute.

eBook Retailers Keep An Eye on Customers – This has a creep factor to it, that they’re keeping tabs on us (cue Sting singing I’ll Be Watching You). Still this is something writers for the big publishers have been saying for a long time. The publishers know very little about the end users of their product, readers. Publishers are used to thinking of bookstores as their customers, and mostly the big chain bricks & mortar stores. This is how Amazon ate their lunch, and they didn’t even see it coming. Barnes and Noble’s Pubit is playing catch-up, because they’ve got to get out of the old way; thinking like a physical retailer instead of an e-tailer.

News Corp. Will Split Off the Publishing Biz – Some articles said News Corp. wants to separate the “less profitable” publishing division from the entertainment side. Because I had six books published by HarperCollins I found this interesting.

Authors Guild Is Hating on the DoJ Deal – Okay, so maybe I’m missing something, but this got me so ticked I didn’t renew membership in the AG. Plus their elitist attitude toward genre authors has rubbed me the wrong way for a long time. Amazon is not the enemy. They just out played the players. Like I said, Amazon figured out fast that knowing what people wanted and giving it to them is gold. Where books are concerned, at first it was readers. Then with KDP it was writers. Big publishing treated authors badly for the most part, and ignored readers. Amazon isn’t the black hat in this scenario. The AG is run by old school authors who benefited from traditional publishing, so yeah, they don’t want things to change. I remember back in the 90s, older writers going on and on about computers taking the joy and humanity out of writing. Oh. Give. Me. A. Break.

Finally, my news. I have the publishing rights back to four more books. I have one of those on sale already. I’m working on covers and formatting for the other three. To learn more visit my website www.lynnemery.com. Come hang out with me on Facebook www.facebook.com/lynn.emery.author

I highly recommend indie authors get an author page at Amazon via Author Central. I confess to not spending much time on Facebook. In the last week I spruced up my author page and was quite surprised how many folks dropped by. Like it or not (I haven’t been a FB fan), a lot of people are on FB. Boomers, Gen X and Gen Y have really taken to FB. And they look for news from authors.

Share your news and views, as a reader and writer!

Working It

Several months back I alluded to my publishing career plans. So I’ve been busy thinking, collecting ideas and thinking some more. Oh, and networking with fellow authors (which I highly recommend). I began to take the advice I’ve shared in previous posts.

• I finished the second in a paranormal mystery/thriller series. Between Dusk and Dawn is now on sale. the eBook version contains a promo of the first book in the series, and a jpg of the book cover (front and back matter). I also updated the eBook version of A Darker Shade of Midnight to include promo of Between Dusk and Dawn. I enrolled A Darker Shade of Midnight in the KDP Select program. This was going to be a three book series to start. I’m working on the cover for Only By Moonlight now.
• I got a lovely surprise, like a bolt out of the blue. Harlequin reverted publishing rights back on my very first novel Night Magic. In this book I first created the fictional small town of Beau Chene, Louisiana, and introduced LaShaun Rousselle, the heroine of the above new paranormal  trilogy. So instead of starting on the next book, Only By Moonlight, I’ve detoured into getting this title done as an eBook and print version with a new cover. I may have a boxed set of four instead of the trilogy I had planned. Quick pivot in a new direction!
• I had new covers designed for three books already released, including a “boxed set” cover. A Time To Love, One Love, and After All are now part of the Louisiana Love Series. They are priced at $3.99 each, and the boxed set (when I get it finished) will be sold for $9.99). I’ve also changed the contents to include promos of the other books in this first series. Got a second Louisiana Love Series on the way because…
• HarperCollins sent another nice surprise, rights reversion to three romances I wrote for them (that did very well). So that’s going to be my next Louisiana Love Series (Vol. 2). Once I finish working on Night Magic, I’ll start working to get those books formatted and have new covers designed.
• I have a new look for my website (see new header above), but I’m still working on updating the entire website. Only so many hands and hours to spare. But with new books covers and series linked by a common theme, I need to change how the book pages will look. I plan on pages for each series instead of “Romance” and “Mystery” pages that I have now.

I’m doing all this because in indie publishing readers love linked books. I was at a loss for a while because I had romances, but now I’m writing mystery. Discussions with my writing pals helped me realize that my backlist romances all have themes of Louisiana culture, family secrets and of course love. Thus the Louisiana Love Series were born.


So now I have a new set of goals, benchmarks and a new strategy that makes more sense than just getting books written or rights reverted and throwing them up.


Speaking of valued writing friends, I lost one last month. Only a couple of weeks ago in fact. My dear friend, romance author Monica Jackson died suddenly due to complications of surgery. Monica had a razor sharp sense of humor, a fiery passion for fighting injustice, and enthusiasm for starting new ventures. If you love super hot & sexy romance, suspense and laugh out loud scenes thrown in, treat yourself to her novels.


Please pray for her teenage daughter, Amethyst, and the rest of her family. I miss our daily e-mails about life and writing more than I can express.

Books vs Movies

As an author I sometimes go missing - from the virtual world. So please don’t be offended because I haven’t commented on articles here at NS. It’s nothing personal, nor is it a commentary on your post. I was finishing a book. Need I say more?


Now that I’m coming up for air, I’m doing what I normally do when celebrating another book finished. Feeding my addiction for movies and great television. Sadly the only series that has me scheduling my writing and social life around it is Fringe. The last time I was this hooked, I was watching Torchwood. I've also been bingeing on Netflix movies. And all that got to me thinking about the movies that lived up to or were better than the books, and those that fell flat with me.


Here is my list and score card (not by any means a complete list of all I’ve seen):

• The Godfather – I couldn’t put the book down . I was delighted that movie was just as riveting. (The movie sequels were hit and miss).
• The Exorcist – I was up all night reading this book. Seriously, I would not go to bed. Then I was scared out of my mind for a week. The movie was awful. I laughed like it was a comedy. Please don’t judge this book based on the movie. Please.
• A Gathering of Old Men – How I loved this book. The movie wasn’t bad, but it definitely wasn’t as good as the book in terms of pacing, sly humor and compelling characters.
• The Women of Brewster’s Place – Okay, so this was a television series but the same holds. The book is fabulous. The series episodes no less. Each episode left me wanting more.
• Waiting To Exhale – movie was just “okay”, not a keeper by any means. The book caused me to hurt myself howling with laughter and screaming, “Girl, yes! I’ve thought that, too!”
• The Green Mile – The books blew me away. I waited until they were all published as one big compilation. The movie was stunningly good. I had a pile of soggy tissues in my lap at the end.
• There Eyes Were Watching God – Put the book down at the end and went, “Wow.” I disagree with a lot of critics. Halle was stunning, the movie was fab.u.lous.
• The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo – I read all three books in a week. Need I say more? I just watched the movie finally. If I hadn’t read the book, the movie would have confused the heck out of me. Overall it was “okay”. But the actress that played Lisbeth was scary good. Daniel Craig just has to show up and I’m happy. Okay, call me superficial.

The challenge of turning a book into a movie is that books have such an advantage. So much more can go into the book that has to be left out of movies (unless they do a miniseries, but even then they have to cut). So I empathize when a movie just doesn’t pack the same punch. I’m even more loud in my praise when it does, because that takes wonderful writing and directing (and acting of course). I learn so much watching shows like Lost Girl, Fringe, Torchwood and great movies. I think it has improved my writing. Some of those scriptwriters/directors create episodes that leave me speechless, and while the credits rolls I bow and say, “Your Highness!” LOL


So what books-to-movies have blown you away? Which have made you say, “You should have left it alone, dude!”? Do you think your writing has been changed after seeing a good, or bad, movie/series?


(P.S. I didn’t mention After All, my book made into a movie of the same name. I thought the movie was okay, but I thought of all kinds of ways it could have been done with more “oomph”. But hey, it has 4 1/2 stars on Amazon!)


Lynn

It's 2012 & I'm Back In Stride Again

Happy New Year!

Well here we are in 2012! Most of us think about the past year and set goals for the coming one. I've only briefly done my "Writer's Wrap-up", but here is how 2011 stacked up for me. 

• Finished two original indie novels
• I went from frozen with fear at the thought of indie publishing to putting on my big girl pants and getting it done. Two new mystery books plus four back list romance titles are now on sale (hint -hint)
• Learned new POVs of traditional publishing that helped me make wiser decisions about what I want in the future
• Participated in a cooperative promotion effort that had positive results

For the 2012 I will:

• Finish the second and third novels in my paranormal thriller triology. A Darker Shade of Midnight is now on sale at Amazon , B&N and Smashwords
• Take part in more cooperative promotions if I can find the right partnters
• Start the second in my cozy mystery series. Best Enemies is now on sale.

What do I mean by "cooperative promotion"? Two author friends happened to have holiday themed romance novellas that they were getting ready to release as indie titles, eBooks of course. Angela Benson came up with a great idea. She suggested we do a group e-blast promotion through Shades of Romance Magazine (SORMAG). She also suggested we put blurbs and links to each other's titles at the end of our novellas. Monica Jackson threw in with us and we were off! We saw our sales rankings drop on the Wednesdays the e-blasts went out (last three in November). We scheduled those dates to fall in line with readers getting into the holiday spirit and shopping mode with all those eReaders being bought or gifted. Of course we tweeted and did Facebook wall posts. This was 3 holiday romances x 3 authors getting the word out = increased sales.  Fellow authors, I recommend this kind of effort for sure.

As a reader I fought with the writer side of me and made time to read more. I was rewarded with delightful hours that reminded me why I decided to be a writer at eleven years old. So readers, I'm not leaving you out. Here are wonderful books I read in 2011:

• Kwanzaa Homecoming by Monica Jackson
• Friend and Lover by Angela Benson
• The Dead Detective Agency by Peg Herring
• In Her Name (entire triology) by Michael R. Hicks
• Cannibal Nights by Kiana Davenport
• Darkness and the Devil Behind Me by Persia Walker
• Sweet Liberia, Lessons from the Coal Pot by Susan Peters
• New Orleans Confidential by O'Neil De Noux
• Coyote Ugly by Pati Nagle
• Dark Bayou by Nancy K. Duplechain
• Sanctuary by Niambi Brown Davis
• The Hungar Games (still reading) by Suzanne Collins
• Dying on the Edge by Francine Craft
• Black Water Rising by Attica Locke

Whoa, that's some list. I hadn't actually looked at it before writing this post. In fact, I believe I've left off a title or two. As you may notice my reading is all over the map: romance, mystery, sci-fi, memoirs, short story collections, literary, cereal boxes, etc.

In 2011 I did something else I'd scoffed at before, read all but the last two books on my IPhone. Yes, I bought a Nook Color for my twelve year old niece, two VTech readers for my five and six year old nephews;  but Aunt Lynn doesn't own a dedicated eReader device. Because I love reading books on my phone. I mean, this thing goes everywhere with me. That means I can whip it out and be into a great book at a moment's notice. Where I used to grind my teeth and mutter cuss words while waiting in lines, at the doctor's office, etc., I'm now serene. Time whizzes by while I catch up on news or even better, read a book.

Have a great 2012 writing and reading!

Lynn Emery
Amazon Store
Nook Books 
Smashwords

Being In Control

"The profession of book writing makes horse racing seem like a solid, stable business." John Steinbeck



This month the theme is "Guide to Publishing for the First Time". I keep hearing Sade singing, "Never As Good As The First Time" for some reason. That's because remembering the first everything connected to Night Magic still makes me smile. There was the first time I listened to the voice of an editor from NYC on my answering machine saying a publisher wanted to buy my book. Then there was the first time I told someone "I sold my novel". The first time I saw a copy of what would become my first cover. Ah, memories can be lovely.

Writers who have just sold a book have a different world from the one I stepped into back then. For one thing publishing can mean selling to a traditional publisher or being an indie author. Two very different sets of advice I think. There are some similarities. Like knowing that you should do some promotion of your own, and having a well designed website is essential. Indie authors don't really need an agent I think, but once they get an offer from a traditional publisher a good IP attorney would be smart. Traditional authors can decide whether they want an agent based on a variety of factors. There is so much more, but all of that stuff you can find on the web with a search. So I'm going to go all psycho on you instead, psychological that is. Being a clinical social worker I tend to think about such things.

My biggest advice is this: don't put someone else in charge of your happiness. What does that mean? Develop your career goals based on what you can control, and be realistic about you control. For example, you can set a goal to sell 100 books at your next book signing. I hate to tell you this, but you can't control how many books sell. The weather might turn nasty and no one shows. People might not be interested for a variety of reasons. The manager might decide to only order twenty of your books because in his view you're not "famous". Yeah, this happened to me. Sold all of the books in the first forty minutes of my two hour signing. The manager apologized, and was horribly embarrassed. The day before your signing a store employee might accidentally strip half the books ordered  for the event before the assistant manager goes in the back and screams, "Stop!" Yeah, this also happened to me.

The same thing goes for selling X number of books on the Kindle store, etc. Readers decide if they're going to buy. Now you can do things to make your book more attractive, or put in the effort to locate your target audience and get the word out to them. Those things increase your chances of selling. But if anyone knows of even one action you can take that guarantees a certain number of books will sell please tell me. Other than buying the books yourself that is. I will pay good money for that info!

You don't control what kind of reviews you might get. Sure, you should write the best book you can every time. But reading is subjective. I have yet to meet a writer who set out to write a bad book. So we all have stories of a nasty reviewer, or a reader who took time to tell us we need serious writing lessons.  

If you pin your happiness on these kinds of things you might as well expect to check into the Heartbreak Hotel on a regular basis. Instead set your goals on things you can control: how many books you will finish; making your website up-to-date and visitor friendly; reading more non-fiction writing books to work on your weak spots like description or dialog; join a professional writers group for networking and even more learning opportunities; perform at least two marketing activities per day to spread the word, etc. Notice these things are all dependent on what YOU do.

Finally, love what you do, and do what you love. Write the stories that seduce you so much you have no choice but to write them. Make designing and updating your website a fun exercise. Promote in ways that you enjoy. Life is too short to do things with your teeth clenched, not to mention that's bad for your poor teeth.

I had to learn the hard way. You'll hear lots of "musts", you must write this way. You must do this promotion activity. Be wary any time you hear advice that insists there is only one way to write, promote, etc. I can probably easily come up with a half dozen examples of authors who didn't follow that "rule" and did just fine.

Okay, I'll finish with a funny story. I learned the hard way that book signings are definitely in the "results may vary" category. Once I took part in a multi author book signing at this large store in the New Orleans area. Being a new author the other more veteran authors invited me as a wonderful gesture. I smiled a lot, but didn't sell many books. The more established author sitting next to me felt bad, so she tried to help me out. One woman approached and picked up Night Magic from the stack in front of me. Looking at the cover she asked what it was about. I said it was a romance novel set in Louisiana. The lady didn't look impressed so my fellow author  enthused, "Her book is a romantic suspense novel, and it has voodoo!" The woman dropped Night Magic like it was a snake and backed away from me. Her eyes were big as saucers as she said, "I don't fool with that stuff!" I thought she was going to whip out a crucifix and and shove it at me like I was Countess Dracula.

If we ever meet at a writers conference, and you buy me a drink or two I might tell more stories.  Yeah, I can be bribed. :) 

Lynn Emery

http://www.lynnemery.com/

My Amazon Store

My Nook Books

Daughter of The Help

In Tribute to Mildred Emery, Died 7/4/2011 
(Music video so adjust your  speakers)

Relax; I’m not going to critique The Help, not the book or the movie. No musings on Katheryn Stockett’s right to tell the story of a group of Black working-class women. Still the spirited debates and differing opinions got me to thinking. I’ve been part of the scathing comments, but recently I sat quietly and listened to praises. From Black folks.

First, at the beauty shop on a Friday afternoon and the next day, Saturday morning, from ladies at a prayer breakfast at church. No one was offended by the dialect, or that these accomplished Black actresses were cast as maids. What they saw, and I’m really inserting my opinion here, was a tribute to their mothers, aunts, grandmothers, great-grandmothers and other women they knew and loved.

To be honest my initial reaction to the book and the movie was WTH???!!!?? (Lord, forgive the slip!) However, my opinion on the entire subject has evolved as I listened to all sides.

You see I’m a daughter of The Help in a very real sense. My mother, Mildred Emery, was a maid- or a popular joke back in the day was to substitute the title Household Technician (From Florence on The Jeffersons). She worked for years doing exactly what the ladies in The Help did, cleaned up after, waited on and cooked for an “old money” southern white family. Most of her female friends were The Help. These women were funny, resilient, sassy, mean, irascible, stubborn, honest, and on and on. In short the women (and men) I grew up watching gave me some of the best material any budding child author could hope to have.

Which brings me to my mother: a larger than life character who starred in my life for decades (Thank you, God!). One of my earliest memories was of her in our tiny kitchen cooking, and at the same time dancing and singing to a Bobby Blue Bland vinyl record blasting, Turn On Your Love Light, Baby, Let It Shine On Me. She taught me to turn housework into a jam session!

Across the busy street that divided our world from the world of her wealthy white employers, mama was The Help. Yet in our world mama was a leader in her church and neighborhood. She was a member of at least four women’s clubs as I recall. She got dressed up and attended banquets, led groups and did a host of things that I’m sure her employers never knew about. The same is true of her friends. I’m sure their employers would have been astonished at the lives their help led.

So in a way I’m glad that a popular book and movie tells one part of their story. I hope Octavia Spencer and Viola Davis get Oscar nods. I think mama would have enjoyed the movie. I know some of her elderly friends have had a good laugh, and feel like the actresses did them proud. But I also know that any book or movie can only tell one part of the story. I’m happy to know the other parts, and to be a member of the generation that is the sequel to The Help. We're the women fed, clothed and educated on money earned by maids. Our mothers, grandmothers and aunts said, "Yes'm" and put up with a lot so we could run after dreams of being writers, actresses, doctors, lawyers, pilots and more.

Which brings me to a subject related to writers, how readers make our stories their own. We carefully plot stories and craft characters, and we have our own idea of what we’ve created. Once we release those stories they are no longer just ours. Readers can, and often do, interpret our creations in very different ways. They bring their own life experiences and emotions to our stories. Stockett wrote Skeeter’s story for some. Emma Stone is listed as “the star” of the movie. In mama’s world the stars are named Aibileen and Minny.

Now excuse me while I dance to some more Bobby Blue Bland.

Lynn Emery

http://www.lynnemery.com/

www.lynnemery.com/romance

www.lynnemery.com/mystery

Mythology - Control

When I was first traditionally published (print pubs in NYC), I learned a lot of "dos and don'ts" for published authors. I have a  monthly forum here at Novel Spaces to ramble on, I mean share my knowledge. The next few posts will deal with some "rules" that I'm happy are getting stomped on by the rise of indie publishing. First up, lack of control.

I was told numerous times to just accept a basic fact, authors only have control over one thing: the quality of their writing. Everything else is in the hands of your publisher. Cover art, distribution, marketing on a national level, even the title of my books would be out of my hands. Not only that, but I couldn't do those things as well as my publisher anyway. Authors could give input on cover art and cover blurbs, but 99.9% of us had no veto power. Distribution and marketing were such that even if an author tried, they couldn't take a hand in those two. Agents told us, editors told us, publishing sales people told us, other established authors told us. Everybody was pushing the Kool-aid. Since I didn't know as much as them, I drank right up.

Six months ago I started on the indie publishing journey, and learned a whole new set of rules. On example: cover art. I was leery of taking a stab at designing covers, because I really believed the old rule. After all I wasn't an artist or graphic designer. Now I didn't do the actually layout and Photoshop, but I designed these covers by selecting the cover art, describing the layout I wanted and writing the cover copy. I think they're fab (bow to Pati Nagle of Mandala Design)

I enjoy having control and breaking the old rules. Or proving that in this new world the old rules are obsolete. Authors can get control of distribution. Enter Create Space, Smashwords, Lightening Source. Oh, and marketing? Most publishers did one or two ads (for romance authors it was typically Romantic Times Magazine back in the day), but that was it. Authors had to do most of the promotion and marketing themselves in reality. So doing my own marketing isn't actually a big change.

I still, of course, control the quality of my writing. But I love writing books I want to write. I'm not writing with someone looking over my shoulder shaking her head. I like the freedom. Ah, control. What a wonderful word.

Next month: Mythology: Writers Walking on Eggshells

Lynn Emery

Writing books with the kind of women we all want to be, and men want to get. Smart is the new sexy!

www.lynnemery.com/books

Buy my books at the Kindle Store, Nook Books, and Smashwords

Guest author Lynn Emery: Never Say Never

Lynn Emery sold her first novel in 1995 to Kensington publishing for their groundbreaking Arabesque line. Night Magic went on to be recognized for Excellence in Romance Fiction for 1995 by Romantic Times Magazine. Her third novel, After All, became a movie produced by BET and aired on December 3, 1999. In 2004 Lynn won three coveted Emma Awards. She was chosen Author of the Year and her novel Kiss Lonely Goodbye won Best Novel and Favorite Hero. Good Woman Blues (August 2005, HarperCollins) was nominated by Romantic Times Magazine for Best Multicultural Mainstream novel of 2005. A Darker Shade of Midnight is Lynn’s latest novel of magic and murder.

Once upon a time in a galaxy far, far away this reader and writer vowed she would never do two things.

1. Self-publish fiction
2. Read e-books

You see, my crystal ball was in the shop. I couldn’t imagine that those quaint e-readers or e-books would catch on; too many barriers like pricing, formats and accessibility. Or that self-publishing would ever be more than a money and energy drain on writers.

My, my, my. The world has changed. Readers are having a ball. I said, “Read a book on my phone? You kidding me? No way!” Ahem, enter my IPhone. I’ve read five books on this thing. I love the ease of getting a book in minutes, seconds in most cases. Instant reader gratification. Score! I will be buying more. Believe it. I might even finally buy an e-reader. I just can’t decide which one. No prob. While I ponder the choices, prices keep dropping and the features get better. Score again!

As an author I’ve learned to format my own original titles and publish them. Easy, inexpensive, and doesn’t take long. No piles of books stacked up in my extra bedroom. No huge amounts of time or money spent getting them published. Score! What’s more, in this new indie publishing world, promotion is seen as a time suck that doesn’t lead to sales. Writing more books leads to sales. Writers can get back to writing sooner rather than later. Score again!

Indie publishing has a long list of advantages that the old self-publishing model never had. If you’re a traditionally published author I suggest you read articles about this new long tail of publishing. Even more important, beware of some new clauses being added to traditional publishing contracts. I could write so much more on what I’ve learned about “net sales”, promotion, the old “conventional” wisdom about agents and publishers, etc. But I don’t want to test the patience of my hosts here at Novel Spaces.

Now if you’re ready to enter this new world, I’ll take you there (cue old school song from The Staple Singers).

A Darker Shade of Midnight and Best Enemies are available at the Kindle Store, Nook Books and Smashwords.com.

—Lynn Emery

Guest author Lynn Emery: A Shift in POV

Lynn Emery is the author of fourteen novels written for five major publishers. Her second novel, AFTER ALL, released originally in 1996, was made into a BET television movie in 2000.






I sold my first book in July 1993. Night Magic was released in September 1995. You read that right. Thus began my schooling in being a published author. Let me make this short and sweet- no control over most of what happens to your book during the traditional publishing process. See? I didn’t need an entire blog post to school new and aspiring authors. Ring da bell, as they say. School’s out.

Okay, so maybe you would appreciate more than a paragraph. If you’re published you know the list of things you have no control over. Covers, distribution, release date just to name a few. The only thing you truly control is the quality of your writing.

Still as a new author so long ago I accepted certain assumptions. Like self-promotion had to be tireless. You need an agent for a number of reasons, among them to help develop your writing career. There’s more, but I only have so much space. Now fast forward to 2010. Imagine my shock when I read a series of blog posts that blow all those “truisms” about agents, promotion, etc. right out of the water. Bam! I blinked and then realized that Dean Wesley Smith’s posts on Killing the Sacred Cows of Publishing made a lot of sense. In fact, my gut had been telling me some of this stuff for more than a few years. I recommend you read his POV. You may or may not agree, but it will make you think. Smith covers way too much for me to delve into here. So I’ll just take one for instance.

Years ago I stopped doing certain self-promotion givens that as a new romance author I accepted were just things you had to do. If you didn’t do certain things your career would be a non-starter, end of story. Guess what? I stopped doing book signings. I stopped traveling on my own dime to events longer away than 75 miles to speak or take part in book signings. I finally stopped paying for bookmarks, simple or fancy. I stopped doing a few other “must do” things, too. And that was before I found Smith’s site. Read Smith’s common sense on self-promotion.

Another big topic – agents. My approach was all wrong. Okay, I’m talking about for me. My gut had been telling me some of the same things Smith says (those “snarky” agent blogs became a pet peeve, btw). Yet the “conventional wisdom” kept me thinking the same old way, and chained to doing things the same way.

Will changing lead to publisher success and big bucks? Sure, I’ll be out shopping for my second home on the French Riviera. Please. There are no guarantees. But at least I won’t keep doing things that in my gut just don’t seem right somehow.

You really need to read at least some of Dean’s posts to see what I mean. I’ll just cite one example of what made me read them all. In one post Dean says write the book you’re passionate about, and then worry about trying to sell it. So much for spending endless hours reading those “what’s selling” articles. Already I have a lot more time to write the best book I can; the book I’m passionate about. See paragraph two above. I have a new POV and a new attitude. Read the posts and tell us what you think.

Happy writing!

—Lynn Emery
As I Was Saying...
Be Encouraged
A Darker Shade of Midnight- A Cool Murder Mystery in Hot Louisiana