books

When Destiny Isn’t Enough

Posted on May 21, 2013 by Tricia Drammeh

I’ve been reading lots of YA Paranormal and Urban Fantasy lately. The current trend in these sub-genres is the celebration of the bad-ass, kick-butt heroine. When the bad-ass heroine was first introduced, everyone was really excited. It was about time women stepped up, took the lead, and learned to fight. It was great to see female characters who saved themselves (and their families, friends, and love-interests) instead of hiding in a tower and waiting for their prince to save them. Am I the only one who thinks this trend is getting old?

I have nothing against a courageous female character. I have no problem with women taking a leading role. I don’t want to see my favorite bad-ass heroines trade in their daggers for a pair of knitting needles. I don’t want to see my heroines forgo a demon-slaying for shopping with the girls. Nor do I want to see them replace courageous missions to save the world with makeovers and pedicures. I don’t want to see ‘girly’ heroines. What I do want to see are likable and believable heroines.

Here’s what I’ve been reading lately. Let me know if this sounds familiar…

Character A is a shape-shifting Demon Slayer. She goes to high school by day, but by night, she relentlessly slays demons. Before breakfast, she blithely yanks a dagger from her shoulder while studying for her mid-term in Biology. Why does she forgo sleep and endure brutal stabbings? It’s her destiny.

Character B is ass-kicking spy. Her parents were spies. Her grandparents were spies. So she’s a spy too. She spends all her time spying, kicking ass, and hurting people. Why? It’s her destiny.

Character C is the chosen one. She was born with a mark on her back which symbolizes her destiny as an ass-kicking warrior. From the time she was a little girl, she’s learned the sacred art of ass-kicking. When her path crosses with a cute, smart, courageous hero, they fall in love. Why? I have no idea.

These are pretty decent premises for a fast-paced, action-packed novels, right? In the hands of a good author, these characters have serious potential. So, what’s the problem?

Destiny isn’t enough.

Destiny isn’t enough to make me fall in love with a one-dimensional character. Destiny isn’t a motivation. Destiny can be a starting point, but unless the heroine questions her fate, doubts her own abilities, or tries to fight her destiny, I’m not going to be invested in the story. I need more conflict than just an endless stream of fight scenes–I’d like to see some internal conflict too. I’d like to see the heroine succumb to self doubt. To mourn the loss of a friend–not just vow vengeance as she sharpens her dagger. I’d like to see the heroine make really bad decisions that make her situation worse–not move through the story, killing without breaking a sweat. I want to see real, multi-dimensional people.

When Character A isn’t slaying demons, what else does she do? Does she often think about ignoring her destiny and becoming a doctor instead?

Does Character B have friends at school? Does she often have to leave in the middle of soccer practice to go on special-ops missions? Does she struggle to keep her identity as a spy secret from her friends and her crush at school?

Why does the cute, smart hero fall in love with Character C? Why does she fall in love with him? Is he able to look past her stoic, ass-kicking demeanor to discover hidden vulnerabilities?

These are things I want to know. But, in some of the books I’ve read lately, I’m left wondering. But, I don’t wonder enough to want to read the next book in the series because I’m not invested in any of these characters. They’re wooden. One-dimensional. Unlikable. There’s tons of external conflict as the heroine moves from fight scene to fight scene, kicking ass and making rude comments as she goes, but there’s no insight into who she is as a human being. Therefore, I’m not invested. Therefore, I can’t care what happens to her.

Lately, I’ve learned there’s a fine line between being a skilled demon-slayer and a sociopath. Some of the characters I’ve been introduced to cross that line. If a character’s primary emotion is blind rage, it’s really hard to me to like them–whether that character is male or female.

Give me characters who are ordinary people in extraordinary situations. Characters who rise up to meet their challenges. Heroes and heroines who can be courageous, while still displaying human emotion. Characters who have a destiny, but do not let destiny define them.

Readers, what do you look for in a hero or heroine? Authors, how do you make your characters multi-dimensional?

 

Categories: Advice for New Authors, authors, books, character development, heroes, heroines, writing | Tags: , , , | 14 Comments

Fear of Formatting

Posted on May 18, 2013 by Tricia Drammeh

babe ruth

“Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game” ~ Babe Ruth

If you’re a baseball fan, you’ve read this quote. If you’ve ever seen A Cinderella Story staring Hillary Duff you will remember this quote from the movie. It’s a great quote–and we’re going to use a variation of this for today’s post.

Never let the fear of formatting keep you from publishing your book.

Any author who has considered self-publishing has suffered from the fear of having to do a whole bunch of stuff they’re not accustomed to doing–marketing, editing, commissioning a cover, formatting. For some authors, this fear propels them to do crazy things–like sign with a small publisher with an unproven track record. I understand this fear. It was this fear that prompted me to sign over my YA series to a small publisher. Some authors let these fears prevent them from ever publishing at all. When fear is in the driver’s seat, you’re going to make bad decisions.

Let’s expel some of our self-publishing fears:

Marketing: This is a normal fear, but unless your name is Stephenie Meyer, James Patterson, J.K. Rowling, or Nora Roberts, prepare to do lots of your own marketing. If you can write a book, you can tell other people about it. That’s all marketing really is–telling other people about your book.

Editing: You’ll need to outsource. You can hire someone, but if you can’t afford to do so, enlist some trusted beta readers to help you out.

Cover Art: You’ll have to have a  cover. Your book will look silly without one. Commissioning a cover isn’t as scary as it sounds. It doesn’t have to be super expensive. A good cover artist will help you come up with a concept, and once you’re caught up in the excitement of your cover art, the scary feelings will go away.

Formatting: This is by far the easiest part of your publishing journey. Seriously, if you can write a whole book, you can do this. There are free guides available to help you through this. Formatting and uploading to Kindle and Createspace is free. If you can afford to do so, you can hire someone to format for you, but it really is something you can do for yourself–for free. When I self-published The Fifth Circle, I had a deep-seated fear of formatting. Of course, after my publishing experiences with The Claiming Words, my fear of small presses was even greater than my fear of formatting, so I decided to take the plunge and self-publish my book.

Here are some formatting tips and tricks I hope will help you:

  • Give yourself a day. Find a kid-free, cat-free zone and prepare to spend lots of time formatting. If you try to format thirty-minutes before you have to rush out to pick up kids from school, you’ll end up frustrated and angry. Plan a day. Brew a pot of coffee (or send the hubby out for Starbucks). Prepare for several hours in front of the computer. Formatting is way less frustrating if you aren’t dashing out to pick up kids from school or extracting attention-seeking cats from your keyboard.
  • Format directly from Microsoft Word if possible. For a standard novel without lots of pictures, there’s no reason to invest in a complicated program for Kindle formatting. KDP is very user friendly. So is Createspace. These programs are designed for self-publishing authors just like you and me.
  • Don’t get frustrated if your first try doesn’t work. On Kindle, you have an option to view your file before publishing. On KDP, you have the option to view your book on the screen using different Kindle versions. You also have the option to download a mobi file which you can upload to your Kindle. I highly recommend doing this because it’s very helpful to look over your book on your own Kindle. And, you’ll have a mobi file you can send to reviewers later on. My first Kindle attempt wasn’t entirely successful. I didn’t like the way the Chapter headings looked. So, I made a few adjustments to my Word doc, re-uploaded to KDP, and all was right with the world.
  • Createspace templates are your friends. Createspace has templates for the interior and exterior for your book. Use them. My Microsoft Word skills aren’t the best. I get upset and frustrated over margins and tabs and such. I used the pre-formatted template and I’m glad I did.
  • Order the proof. Createspace lets you order a proof. A real live book to hold in your hand! It’s very inexpensive. With shipping, I paid about seven dollars for my proof. You can even order more than one! Though you can preview your book online, I recommend ordering the hard-copy proof to have and to hold. After all, don’t you want to be the first to hold your printed book in your hands?
  • Consider letting Createspace do all the dirty work. If you publish with Createspace, you have the option to let them format your Kindle file and upload to KDP. I didn’t use this option, but I know people who have.
  • Ask for help. KDP and Createspace both have forums where you can ask questions. It’s likely those who came before you have already asked the same questions, so you can read those threads and find the answer you’re looking for. Self-published authors are notoriously helpful people. Ask your author friends. They’ll be happy to help you.
  • Kindle and Createspace aren’t the only games in town. I’ve signed up for KDP Select, which means I can’t publish in any other ebook format for ninety days. For some people, KDP Select is the way to go. With the option to have five free promotional days per ninety-day period, KDP Select can be a great marketing tool. I’ve decided to publish on Nook, Kobo, and Smashwords after my ninety-days have expired. Whether or not you decide to sign up for KDP Select is a decision only you can make. If you don’t want to use Createspace, you can consider other companies such as Lulu. I have friends who have been very happy with Lulu. Consider all your options before publishing. Many of the same options available to publishers are also available to self-publishers.

We all must choose our own paths on our publishing journeys. Self-publishing isn’t the right path for everyone. If you’re seriously considering self-publishing, don’t let the fear of formatting hold you back. If fear is the only thing standing between you and your dream, read on…

“What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?” ~ Vincent van Gogh

“It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt

“I honestly think it is better to be a failure at something you love than to be a success at something you hate.” ~ George Burns

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” ~ Confucius

“I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.” ~ Michael Jordan

Categories: About Publishing, Advice for New Authors, amazon, author, books, createspace, kdp select, kindle, marketing, publishers, publishing, publishing on kindle, self publishing, tricia drammeh, writing & publishing tips | Tags: , , , , , | 12 Comments

In Defense of Indie Publishers

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Tricia Drammeh

It probably seems like I spend a huge amount of time beating up on small publishers. And, I do, but only because I want authors to know the difference between a reputable small publisher and an inexperienced one that will drag your career into the abyss. Today, I’d like to focus on the benefits of signing with an independent publisher.

The Benefits of Indie Publishers

Editing: Self-published authors must secure the services of an experienced editor, and this isn’t cheap. If you choose to sign with a publisher, editing and proofreading services are provided free of charge. Most publishers will go through multiple rounds of editing with an eye toward making your book as marketable as possible. After all, they have a vested interest in making your book a bestseller.

Formatting: If you’re one of those writers who really hates the technical aspects of the business, working with an indie publisher might be a huge benefit for you. You don’t have to worry about converting your manuscript into Kindle and Nook files, or setting it up for paperback, or making sure you give the cover artist the right dimensions. Some authors think formatting is a breeze; others don’t have the time or inclination to mess with it. Yes, you can hire a formatting specialist to do this for you if you still want to self-publish. But, if formatting isn’t your only hold-up, read on…

Distribution: Anyone can get their book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. Anyone can make your book available via Baker & Taylor or Ingram. You can do this yourself through CreateSpace. But, if your small publisher is willing to beat the pavement (or make phone calls) to get your book on local bookshelves, this is definitely an advantage. Book stores get calls from self-published authors every day, but when a publisher calls, they’re more apt to listen. Perhaps this isn’t fair, but this is often the case.

Marketing: Let’s face it–all authors must spend some time marketing our books. If you’re self-published or your publisher doesn’t provide any marketing support (like mine), marketing can be a huge time sucker. And, it can get costly as well. If you’ve never published a book, you’ll be shocked (not in a good way) at how much time you’ll spend marketing once your book is released. It seriously cuts into your writing time. But, if your publisher promises to promote your book (and this promise is either contractual or you can verify their claims by checking with other authors), then you have stumbled on pure gold, my friend. Some small presses give their new authors a list of reviewers. Some pay for blog tours. Some will set up book signings and pay for your participation in book fairs. Find out if your publisher will send out press releases or at the very least, maintain social media sites to help showcase your work. Every Tweet helps. Every Facebook post helps. The more your publisher does to market your book, the more time you have to write, and this is a win-win for both you AND your publisher.

One-stop-shop: If you’re an author who works a full-time job, coaches your son’s football team, leads a Boy Scout troop, works at a soup kitchen every weekend, etc, etc… you might not have time to format, market, and shop for a cover artist. Your publisher will still need your input, but the publishing process is much more streamlined. And, when you can trust your publisher to handle the details, there’s a slimmer chance things will fall through the cracks. Many authors choose to work with a small publisher because they simply do not have the time to publish AND write. Having someone else coordinate all the little things necessary to bring your book to life is a definite benefit–and a load off your shoulders.

Upfront Costs: This was my biggest reason for signing with a small publisher on my YA series. Not only was I frightened by formatting and clueless about the industry, I was broke. I didn’t have the money to outsource formatting, or to hire an editor, or to commission a cover artist. The idea of letting someone else bear the brunt of the upfront costs was very appealing.

Legitimacy: When searching for reviewers, I’ve found several sites who refuse to review self-published books. There is a still a stigma to self-publishing. Since anyone can publish, there are lots of poorly produced books out there that drag the rest of us self-publishers down. It isn’t fair, but it’s the way things are. Having a publisher’s name on a book does not guarantee quality, but we aren’t always dealing with reality–we’re dealing with the perception of others. While most readers won’t look to see who published your books, some reviewers will. And it isn’t just reviewers. Like I mentioned before, book shops might be more willing to listen to a publisher’s pitch. Book fairs, trade shows, multi-author signings… a publisher might be able to open some doors that are otherwise closed to self-published authors.

Community: There are some (not all) independent publishers out there who try to foster a close relationship between their authors. This, of course, is a huge advantage to the publisher who knows if their authors are happy and committed to each other, they’ll be more committed to the company and less likely to query elsewhere with future books. This is also a huge advantage to the newbie author who benefits from the guidance and encouragement from other authors who have been in their shoes. They swap tips, advice, pictures of their pets–they form close and enduring friendships. If you’ve spent the past two years locked away in your apartment working on your book, finding an instant author family might be a huge benefit for you.

If you’ve decided to seek out a small press, please search carefully. Every publisher is different. Not all will offer marketing assistance or a sense of community with other authors. Not all small presses will produce a quality product. You still have to do your homework. But, remember there are good small presses out there. Ask other authors. Research. Trust your intuition. And, most importantly, make the best decision for YOU.

Did I forget anything? Do you have anything you’d like to add or experiences you’d like to share? I’d love to hear from you… please leave a comment!

 

 

Categories: About Publishing, Advice for New Authors, author, authors, books, independent publishers, publishers, publishing, self publishing, small publishers, writing & publishing tips | Tags: , , , , | 13 Comments

Free Promotion

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Tricia Drammeh

promo poster

 

Thank you, Victoria Barrow, for the promo poster!

 

 

Categories: book promotion, books, free, kindle, promotion | Tags: , , | 2 Comments

It’s Nothing Personal

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Tricia Drammeh

I’m not sure how many of you are aware of this, but there’s a war going on. Waged on the battlefields of Goodreads and Amazon, it’s a war between readers and authors. Well, actually, it isn’t quite that simple. Authors seem to be split–some side with the readers, some side with the authors crying ‘bully,’ and others choose to stay out of it altogether.

You see, there’s a group of authors out there (many who happen to be self-published) who have a very difficult time handling unfavorable reviews. That’s putting it mildly. Let’s be honest–there are authors out there who throw full-blown tempter tantrums when they receive a bad review. They’ve commented on the review, hurling insults and obscenities. They’ve even tracked down the reviewer’s email address or blog and pursued them on Facebook. In an extreme case, a few of the authors got together and started a website aimed toward outing the real identities of these ‘bullies.’ (True story)

Now, these authors will claim the reviewers are the real stalkers. They claim other authors one-star their books in order to knock out the competition. There are accusations of sock-puppetry on both sides. To sum it up, it’s a hot mess.

As authors, what can we do to keep from becoming embroiled in such a battle? What can we do to ensure we won’t end up on an Amazon or Goodreads Authors Behaving Badly List? Well, here are a few tips…

  1. Don’t freak out over bad reviews. Every author will receive at least one bad review. It’s inevitable. Don’t argue with the reviewer. Don’t defend yourself. Don’t comment on the review and try to explain where you were coming from. You’ll just sound like a whiny baby. Accept bad reviews with grace.
  2. Don’t argue with readers or reviewers over anything else. A forum post about how badly your book sucks. An accusation that all your five-star reviews came from sock puppets. “But, Tricia, I didn’t do anything. I don’t know why they’re targeting me.” Maybe someone took offence at a review you posted on another book. Maybe someone saw you were a Goodreads-friend with someone they hated and they decided to extend their hatred to you. Maybe someone just hated your profile pic. Whatever. Sometimes bad things happen to good people. I know an author who ended up on a Badly Behaving Authors list because he tagged books in a way some readers didn’t approve of. There was an Amazon forum post…and before he knew it, there was a whole, big, huge issue–all over something he didn’t realize was wrong. Did he argue? No. He stayed out of it and it all blew over pretty quickly.
  3. Don’t treat your writing like a hobby. (Well, unless it is a hobby.) Here’s the deal–the moment you decide to publish your work, you have entered the professional arena and your book will be judged alongside the works of other authors who are writing as a career. “But, I’m just writing because I love it. I don’t care about grammar, and besides, I’m too poor to hire a professional editor. And, I need new glasses. And, I’m tired because I work full-time.” As a poor, tired author who needs new glasses, I can totally sympathize with all those excuses and more. But, guess what? The reader doesn’t care about your excuses. Whether they paid ten dollars or one dollar or uploaded your book for free, it doesn’t matter. You made the choice to place your book in a professional arena and the reader has every right to critique your book accordingly.
  4. Don’t be an author if you want to live a quiet, private life where no one ever criticizes you or talks about you on the internet. Being an author involves an emotional risk. You’re putting your book–and yourself–in front of the world to be judged. Prepare for people to say things about you and your book (good and bad). It’s nothing personal–it’s just comes with the territory of being an author.
Categories: Advice for New Authors, amazon, authors, books, readers, reviews, tantrums, tricia drammeh, writers, writing, writing & publishing tips | Tags: , , , , | 19 Comments

Bracing for the Worst

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Tricia Drammeh

Now that The Fifth Circle has been released, I’m bracing myself for the inevitable bad reviews. I’m pretty sure I know what the negative reviewers will say: the characters are too  unlikable, it’s too preachy, the plot doesn’t move quickly enough, it’s depressing. Bad reviews always hurt, but it’s one of the risks you take when publishing a book. I’ve received a bit of criticism on The Claiming Words, but I haven’t taken it personally. I’m afraid I won’t be as emotionally detached when the inevitable unfavorable reviews come rolling in on The Fifth Circle.

It’s not that I like The Fifth Circle more than my first book. I love The Claiming Words and I want everyone else to love it too. But with The Fifth Circle, I really want readers to understand where I’m coming from. Even if people hate the characters, I want them to walk away from the book with a renewed compassion for those suffering from mental illness or abuse. I want people to view the world around them a little differently. I want people to think about the defining moments in their lives. When I wrote the book, I didn’t set out to lecture or to impose my values on anyone else, but I still hope people think about the story after they read the final page.

Isn’t that something all authors hope for? Isn’t that the point of writing a book? All writers hope to make an impression. We want the reader to laugh, or cry, or think. We want someone to read what we’ve written, even if the reader leaves a scathing review in response. As authors, we have to take the good with the bad, even if that means reading a review that rips our book apart. We hope for the best, but brace for the worst.

 

Categories: author, books, reviews, tricia drammeh, writing | Tags: , , , | 6 Comments

The Costs of Self-Publishing

Posted on April 3, 2013 by Tricia Drammeh

Today, I’m going to leave small presses alone for a bit while I pick on a different sector of the publishing industry. As my good friend, Will, pointed out in a comment on my Plague of Independent Publishers post, there are self-publishing services out there that can help–and harm–authors. With small presses, what you see is not necessarily what you get. Don’t get me wrong–there are some great small presses out there. I review books for some very respected small presses. Heck, I even published The Claiming Words with a small press. So, for anyone who thinks I’m a small press hater, that isn’t so. Here’s what I hate: people who misrepresent themselves. And, for those of you considering self-publishing, there are publishing services you need to watch out for.

Editors: Hiring an editor is one of the first things you’ll need to do once you decide to publish. You can do some of the work yourself and save money by making your manuscript as clean as possible. Enlist beta readers to find plot holes and inconsistencies. Ask ruthless friends to have a hack at it. But, before publishing, you’ll have to have at least one professional set of peepers have a peek at your manuscript. When searching for an editor, you’ll find a wide range of services and prices. So many choices! What type of editor are you looking for? Do you need someone to shift commas and fix misused words? Or, does your manuscript need a substantial amount of work before you can even consider punctuation? Different editors offer different services, so you need to know what you’re looking for. You need to be clear about your expectations. And, you need to make sure you are hiring the right editor for the job. Has your editor ever tackled a five-hundred page epic fantasy novel, or is yours the first? Does your editor even like fantasy, or are her eyes going to glaze over five pages in to your book? Is the editor a retired nun who is going to red-line all the sex scenes in your erotic romance novel? Is your editor qualified to edit anything at all? Anyone can set up a website and offer editing services. Make sure you get a referral. Read something the editor has worked on–is it well-edited, or did you find errors on the first page? Be careful what you’re paying for.

Formatting Services: If you’ve ever cruised around the KDP Select Forums, you’ve heard horror stories about formatting. There are some great free resources out there that will walk you through the formatting process. Kindle can be formatted right from a Word doc. CreateSpace has downloadable templates. There are books and websites out there. You probably have friends who have formatted and will be happy to give you some tips. But, if you abhor technology or don’t have the time to do it yourself, you can pay someone else to do it for you. Again, you’ll want to make sure the company you choose is an experienced, honest, established entity before you send your manuscript to them. Prices may vary, usually depending on how many formats you need and how long the manuscript is. A friend of mine paid under one-hundred dollars for Kindle and CreateSpace formatting. This seems reasonable compared with others I’ve seen. Always use caution when sending your manuscript to a stranger on the internet. Do some research before you hit that send button.

Cover Art: This is one of the most important marketing tools for your novel. An eye-catching cover is super-mega important. They range from about thirty dollars for a pre-made e-book cover to astronomical amounts that will make your head spin. Shop around, pick a budget, and go from there. It is possible to find an affordable cover, but be careful. Don’t try to make your own cover unless you have some serious skills. Don’t let your six-year-old make your cover with the Microsoft Paint program. And, don’t be tempted to snatch images from Google to create your own cover. If you’re skilled enough to make your own cover, be prepared to spend money on stock images (double-check licensing agreements before using). If you pay an artist who uses photo-manipulation, make sure they have the rights to use the images they are using. Ask questions before hiring an artist.

Marketing and Promotion: There are some great tools out there, many of which are free (Facebook, Twitter, telling your mom to buy your book). Marketing a book is hard work. You can pay for Google ads, Facebook ads, or Goodreads ads, but this can get expensive. Start with a small budget and see what works. There are services out there that claim to help self-published authors. I’ve never used one, but I’ve had a few contact me on my Authors to Watch site. They always approach me on behalf of ‘clients.’ I never respond. It’s infuriating because these ‘clients’ are paying thousands of dollars to be featured on promotional blogs like mine–free blogs that are always happy to help new authors. I never charge for a spot on my site. Most blogs don’t. I have paid for a blog tour. A blog tour is a great way to get a dozen reviews, interviews, and book features over the course of a week for two. I’m happy to pay a nominal fee (forty dollars or so) for someone else to organize this. I am NOT willing to pay hundreds of dollars for someone to do the very same thing. If an online service wants to charge you hundreds of dollars for what is essentially a blog tour and a couple of spots on blog-talk online radio show, run! If someone offers to get your book noticed by millions of readers, they’re probably full of crap.

Self-Publishing Supermarkets: There are lots of services out there that offer to help you self-publish your book for a low, low fee of several thousand dollars. They make it look so easy–they do all the editing, formatting, cover art, and even offer marketing and promotion! What more can you ask for? How about a second mortgage on your home? I’m all for streamlining and making life easier. Hey, no one is lazier than I am. But, I’m also cheap. And, I know if I break down all these services offered in “premium platinum packages” I’m paying way more than I have to. What are these services really offering? Can you do some of these things yourself for free? Will you have to sell your first born child to pay for their packages? Be super careful with these services.

Book Review Services: Okay, here’s where it gets tricky. It’s okay to pay for a blog tour that sets up potential reviews as long as the reviewers aren’t being paid. Let me rephrase–it’s okay to pay for organizational services, but it is not okay to pay for a review. There are services out there that pay reviewers to give five star reviews on books. No, really! I saw an advertisement on Craigs List when I was job hunting. Here’s how it works–the author pays a service to get them some good reviews. Some of these services charge four-hundred dollars for one review!!! The service that was advertising on Craigs List pays reviewers twenty-five dollars per review. Hmm. Someone is making lots of money. (It isn’t me, by the way.) If you decide to use one of these services, please don’t tell me about it because I don’t want to know. I’ll be very disappointed. Very.

Well, that about it sums it up. The moral of this post (and all my posts like this one) is this: Be careful out there. You worked hard on your book–you should be working just as hard to make sure you have a polished finished product. Don’t throw away all that hard work by publishing a poorly editing, badly covered book. And, don’t part with your hard earned money unless you know what you’re getting in return.

I’m sure there’s lots of stuff I either didn’t think of or forgot about, so please feel free to add to the conversation.

Categories: About Publishing, Advice for New Authors, author, book covers, book promotion, books, edits, independent publishers, marketing, promotion, publishers, publishing, self publishing, small publishers, tricia drammeh, vanity publishers, writing | Tags: , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

The Plague of Independent Publishers

Posted on March 30, 2013 by Tricia Drammeh

I thought long and hard about posting this, shelved it for a while, and eventually decided the issue is too important to ignore. If this post forces one author–just one–to look a little more closely into his or her publishing options, I’ll feel like some of my experiences had a purpose.

Now, in order to avoid being sued or hurting any feelings, I want to stress the fact that this post isn’t about my publisher, your publisher, or any specific publisher. This isn’t a call for folks to name names or ‘out’ unscrupulous publishing companies. It isn’t a place to shame authors who have made uninformed choices. This is a  place to share our collective knowledge about the publishing industry and to help our friends make their own choices by providing as much information as possible.

We’re going to talk about the plague of independent publishers. There are more small presses than any of us could possibly count. They pop up seemingly overnight, publish ten or two-hundred books or so, and then vanish, often leaving bewildered authors to pick up the pieces of their publishing careers. Though there are vanity presses and scammers intent on defrauding authors, there are many small publishers who started their company with the very best of intentions.

I’d like to believe that most small presses set up shop with the intent to help authors and perhaps make a bit of money in the process. I’d like to hope these well-meaning entrepreneurs have a solid business plan, a proven marketing model, and good financial backing before they undertake such a venture. I’d like to hope the publishing company and their authors will thrive, eventually growing the business and becoming successful, respected players in the industry.

That’s what I’d like to believe.

Sadly, the majority of these overnight indie publishers burst into the industry, believing their ambition and passion will overcome their lack of experience. Or, they believe a couple of years editing their college newspaper and a degree in English Literature is enough experience. They think it will be easy. They might be passionate, they might have years of editing experience, they might even be successful authors–but, do they know what it takes to run a publishing company?

Many of these small publishers are the nicest people you’d ever want to meet. They’re honest, reliable, and, smart. The twelve-year-old who mows your lawn is nice, honest, and smart too, but would you trust him to edit the book you’ve worked years to write? Would you trust the helpful teller at the bank to market your book? Would you ask the friendly waiter at your favorite restaurant to take over all aspects of publishing your book? How about your doctor? Your hairdresser?

The fact is, anyone can claim to be a publisher. All they need is a website and a few willing authors. They don’t need a business license. They don’t have to pass a State test for certification. They don’t even have to know what the hell they’re doing, because if they can convince you they know more than you do, chances are you’ll sign with them. In many cases, the publisher doesn’t know any more about editing than the author. The guy who sets up shop as a publisher today, might have been a bank teller, waiter, hairdresser, or doctor yesterday. They might not have any experience in publishing at all!

If you’re lucky, the newbie publisher will outsource formatting and cover art to professionals. If you’re NOT lucky, they’ll use their amateur skills to perform these tasks themselves, often with bad results. They’ll use print on demand services in order to produce paperback books. They’ll list your book on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The rest is up to you.

Guess what? Any author can hire an editor, commission cover art, and outsource formatting. We all have access to print on demand services, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. So why do we need a publisher?

We don’t.

Why give up control of your book and a percentage of royalties to someone who doesn’t have any more clout in the industry than you do? For some of us, we might think any publisher is better than no publisher. We find the prospect of self-publishing daunting. Before you shake your head and mutter about the naivety of newbie authors, remember this: We were all newbie authors at some point and we’ve all made mistakes.

If you’ve made a mistake and you’ve signed with a nice, but inexperienced publisher, all hope is not lost. You might have lost out on some book sales, maybe lost a bit of money, maybe learned a few hard lessons…but, you’ll be stronger and wiser going forward. If your publisher is an honest businessperson, there should be a way to terminate your contract. An honest publisher won’t want to hold on to an unhappy author and will work with you to find an amicable resolution. I know several authors who have been able to terminate an unfavorable relationship with a publisher and are now happily self-publishing.

So what happens when your starry-eyed publisher realizes setting up shop as a publisher isn’t as easy as he thought? What happens when he isn’t able to turn a profit after a couple of years and decides to close down his business? Or worse–what  happens if your publisher stops putting forth the effort to do his job, but refuses to close up shop? Some small press owners quickly tire of ‘playing publisher,’ but aren’t quite ready to close up shop, leaving your poorly edited and unmarketed book languishing in Amazon cyber-hell. After all, it doesn’t make any difference to them if your book is selling. It doesn’t cost them anything to hold on to your book–the burden of selling the book is on you. And, who knows? Maybe it’ll start selling some time in the future. They don’t want to miss out on the big bucks if your book suddenly hits the bestseller list.

So, what’s worse? A dishonest publisher, or an inexperienced small press? Which is worse in terms of your reputation as an author: A well-edited self-published book, or a poorly produced book with a small press’ logo slapped on the back cover?

For those of you (like me) who chose to take a chance with a small press, I wish you the best of luck. We all make decisions based on a number of factors. I’m not telling authors to avoid small publishers, nor am I telling anyone they made a mistake. I just want to make certain up-and-coming authors look more closely at their publishing options. Self-publishing, vanity, small presses, or traditional publishing–they all come with risks and benefits. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer for every book.

So, here’s my advice for new authors: Ask questions, do your research, go with your gut, and do what’s best for you and your book.

Categories: About Publishing, Advice for New Authors, author, books, contracts, independent publishers, publishers, publishing, self publishing, small publishers, tricia drammeh, vanity publishers, writers, writing | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 39 Comments

The Rise of New Adult Fiction

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Tricia Drammeh

There’s a problem in Teen and Young Adult Fiction, and if you’re a parent of a teen or an author who writes YA, you know what I’m talking about. The age group gravitating toward Young Adult fiction seems to get younger and younger every year. YA appeals to readers of many ages. I love it. Heck, my mom loves it too! There seems to be no limit to the ages YA fiction appeals to–and this has caused quite a problem. Children as young as eleven are plucking YA books off the shelf, and as any parent of teens can tell you, a book that is appropriate for a seventeen-year-old may not be suitable for a younger teen or preteen.

This puts authors and parents in a tough position. For parents sifting through the ever-expanding YA section in the bookstore, it isn’t readily apparent which books have strong language or sexual content. YA authors risk facing the wrath of parents who become angry over edgy content–or risk losing their older YA audience because a book isn’t edgy enough.

It’s tough for publishers too. If a book features teenage characters, does it automatically fall under the YA heading? Should an editor advise his or her YA author to eliminate obscenities to suit younger readers? Do we cater to preteens who seem to find the YA shelf irresistible or do we write fiction for the older teens and young adults?

New Adult enters the scene…

New Adult is a fairly new category, rarely claiming a spot on bookstore shelves. These books appeal to older teens and young adults–readers who are old enough to drive and vote. New Adult novels have the widespread appeal of Young Adult fiction and encompasses a broad range of genres, but language and sexual content are geared toward the more mature reader. From vampires to romance to literary fiction, New Adult novels are sure to snag a huge audience, primarily those older YA lovers who enjoy reading about characters ranging from older teen to mid-twenties. And, I would predict we’ll see more and more ‘crossover’ novels that begin in high school (YA) and follow characters into adulthood. As the teenage characters graduate and grow up, so will the audience.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m super excited about the rise of NA fiction. As a YA author, I see this as an opportunity to expand my horizons. As a YA reader, I look forward to reading more books with vibrant characters, snappy dialogue, and fast-paced action generally found in YA, but with steamier romance and more colorful language. It’s not that I love curse words (okay, yes I do), it’s that sometimes a well-used obscenity adds authenticity to certain characters. As for the steamier romance, well, that’s for another post.

As New Adult fiction rise, so does the NA indie author. Let me introduce you to a couple of my favorites…

Siren Snow (Book One of the Redhaven Saga) by Victoria Barrow – This book would fall somewhere under the paranormal/ urban fantasy heading, but is so unique, I hate to categorize it at all. Lucy is a Witch–a really cool witch who can do real magic and has real (adult) responsibilities. She’s young enough to be totally adorable (in my opinion), but mature enough to be out on her own, saving magical creatures, and making decisions that affect the people under her care. She’s got a firecracker personality I absolutely love. Besides a few choice words and the occasional steamy thought, this book would be fine for YA, but it’s those few choice words and steamy thoughts (oh, please let them become steamy moments in future books. Yum!) that make Lucy who she is. I wouldn’t change a single thing about the book. And this, ladies and gents, is why NA is so awesome. We have YA charm with a bit of maturity and a whole lot of great writing.

Celine (Book One of The Night Touched Chronicles) by Maegan Provan- This fast-paced urban fantasy would appeal to lovers of NA or adult fiction. If you’re looking for vegetarian high school vampires, you won’t find them here. Provan’s vampires are young adults who struggle with complicated romance and high-society expectations. They’re independent, curfew-free, and are not restrained by YA standards. While Celine could easily nestle into the wide world of adult novels, I would recommend it to NA readers. The characters are very appealing and twenty-somethings will be able to identify with them, while older teens will want to be like them. There’s language and violence inappropriate for teens younger than seventeen, but it’s absolutely perfect for New Adult fans. The vamps who were so popular with teens five years ago may not appeal to those readers who have grown up and are looking for something more. Well, guess what? The vampires have grown up in Celine and I predict grown-up Twi-fans will flock to The Night Touched Chronicles.

The Chrysalis Series by Michel Prince – Remember when I mentioned ‘crossover’ books? Well, Prince’s series is a prime example. With the first book, Chrysalis, we find ourselves in the high school hallways, following the journey of Ellie and Oscar. This book is so steamy, it scarcely falls under the YA heading at all. There are some very intimate scenes and some very strong language. As the parent of an older teen, I happen to know some of the situations described in this book are very realistic for a certain segment of older teens. I’m okay with this. I would let my older teen read this book because I think there are some very good messages within the pages–and it’s a hell of a good story. But, for the eleven and twelve-year-olds perusing the YA section of the library… nope. Not for them. Chrysalis is just on the very edge of what’s acceptable for YA. With the second book–The Beam–we are definitely jumping over that edge into the NA pool. As teenagers tend to grow and change, so does the Chrysalis series. Prince does a wonderful job guiding her characters from teen to adulthood. As such, I highly recommend this for older teens and for young adults looking for a book with magic, romance, and substance.

 

Categories: authors, books, celine, chrysalis, maegan provan, michel prince, new adult, paranormal, readers, redhaven, teens, urban fantasy, victoria barrow, writing, young adult | Tags: , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

It’s Time

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Tricia Drammeh

As some of you already know, I’ve been working on edits on The Fifth Circle. I’ve been kicking around the idea of self-publishing the book and recently considered querying agents. My publisher (for The Claiming Words) had a look at the book and expressed very mild interest, but I’ve decided for various reasons it might be best try my hand at self-publishing. The book has been edited – several times. My last beta found a few editing thingies I missed, so it looks like I’ll need to give it another edit before publishing. And, I need to commission a book cover, work on formatting, and a whole bunch of other stuff I didn’t have to worry about with The Claiming Words. It’s scary just thinking about doing this on my own. If the formatting is messed up, I can only blame myself. If the editing isn’t up to par, it’ll totally be my fault.

Just thinking about publishing this book induces almost crippling anxiety, but it’s time. It’s time to stop messing around. It’s time to get the book out there. It’s time to put my fear aside and take a risk. It’s time to have a little faith in myself.

I’d love to hear from other self-published authors. What have been your greatest challenges? Was it worth the risk?

 

Categories: author, books, edits, publishing, self publishing, the fifth circle | Tags: , , , , , | 16 Comments

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