October 31, 2014
Gone Blogging
I know I've been MIA...I'm feverishly working on a Christmas release that I hope will come to fruition (or else I'll hve to wait until next Christmas...not an appealing prospect).
In the meantime, I did an interview on Cheryl Holloway's blog,
talking about my writing career and my new release, Love Will
Grow...hope you'll stop by! Comments are always welcome...
Back to write some more!
September 10, 2014
For Keeps by Deatri King-Bey
---------------
You’re so welcome, Deatri! Sounds like my kinda book. I love stories where characters fall in love under unusual circumstances. Readers, you’re in for a treat!
For Keeps by Deatri King-Bey
Got the midweek blues? Dump the doldrums and get engrossed in Deatri King-Bey’s latest, For Keeps!
Here’s Deatri to tell you about it. Take it away, Deatri!
---------------
In my upcoming romantic
suspense, For Keeps, Gina Guy’s daughter has witnessed a murder and the murderer is
after the little girl. Child Protective Services is manipulated into the
picture, and Jarvis Martin, a manager within the agency, steps in to protect
the Guy’s rights. From the moment Gina meets Jarvis, she feels she can depend
on him, but life has proven to her that the only person she can count on is
Gina. Will they be able to stop the murderer? Can Jarvis earn her trust and
love?
Heavy topic for a romance,
huh? I’m known for taking non-conventional characters and topics and spinning
them into a romance. I like to create dialogue. The moment I released the For
Keeps blurb, people started asking me where the idea came from. I’ve often said
that I have voices in my head that tell me their stories, then I relay those
stories to you though my books. Basically, I put my psychosis to work.
Events usually wake those
voices in my head and cause them to start speaking to me. The voices from For Keeps
came about as the result of two incidents. A few years back, I noticed more
reports of children being murdered down here (Arizona) by abusive parents on
the news. This was a very noticeable increase. There was actually an event that
correlated to the increase in deaths and abuse. I can’t remember the number,
but there were like 2,500 reported cases of abuse that were never investigated
during that time period. Big time scandal. Lots of people fired over that.
In incident two, I know
someone who was reported to CPS by the hospital she delivered her baby in
because there were narcotics in the baby’s system. Actually, hospitals must
report when babies are born with drugs in their system. That sounds like a good
thing, right?
Well, the hospital neglected
to inform CPS that the mother had been a patient in the hospital and
administered the narcotic by the nurses. The mother didn’t even realize what
they were giving her was a narcotic until after CPS contacted her and told them
they’d be taking her child from her for him testing positive for
narcotics. This mother went into a
panic. She did everything her CPS case manager asked for, but CPS didn’t do
their part. Then the case manager’s boss came into the picture and took steps
to take this child away from the mother. It got really ugly.
To make a long story short,
the original case manager came back into the picture and stopped the insanity. Had
it not been for that case manager, this woman’s child would have been taken
from her even though the hospital had supplied the paperwork requested by CPS.
Sounds crazy, huh? Yeah, I couldn’t believe what was happening as it unfolded.
These incidents breathed
life into Gina and Jarvis. There are good parents caught up in the system every
day. There are bad parents that children need to be protected from. There are
bad case managers and there are good case managers.
I don’t know, this seemed
like the perfect backdrop for a romantic suspense. Next thing you know, Gina
and Jarvis were telling me their story. I hope you enjoy For Keeps. This title is now available in Print, Kindle, Nook and ePub (via Barnes & Noble) formats. You can read the first chapter here.
Bettye, thank you for
giving me the opportunity to share For Keeps. I appreciate it and you.
You’re so welcome, Deatri! Sounds like my kinda book. I love stories where characters fall in love under unusual circumstances. Readers, you’re in for a treat!
September 5, 2014
Cover Reveal and Excerpt
At long last, Love Will Grow is finally complete. It's being edited right now. I haven't assigned a release date yet, but it will probably be around the end of this month or perhaps early in October. If there's one thing I've learned since being an indie writer, it's not to be so quick to hit the Publish button; take your time and do it right.
First, the cover:
If this looks familiar, it's because this is part of my Love Will series. This is the final book; the earlier titles are Lost That Lovin' Feeling (a short prequel) and the novel Love Will Follow. For the convenience of those who might have missed any of these prior studies, I'll be offering a bundle with all three titles at a savings. For those of you who've read the other books, I'll be offering Love Will Grow on pre-order on Amazon for $2.99...the price will go up to $3.99 on the release date, so you'll save by pre-ordering. If you need a PDF or an EPUB, those will be available at my eStore at an even sweeter deal!
In the meantime, here's an excerpt for you. Enjoy!
-------------------
With a smile as bright as the rays from the fading sun, he said, “That you call me Marc.”
-------
Love Will Grow, Coming soon!
Cover Reveal and Excerpt
At long last, Love Will Grow is finally complete. It's being edited right now. I haven't assigned a release date yet, but it will probably be around the end of this month or perhaps early in October. If there's one thing I've learned since being an indie writer, it's not to be so quick to hit the Publish button; take your time and do it right.
First, the cover:
If this looks familiar, it's because this is part of my Love Will series. This is the final book; the earlier titles are Lost That Lovin' Feeling (a short prequel) and the novel Love Will Follow. For the convenience of those who might have missed any of these prior studies, I'll be offering a bundle with all three titles at a savings. For those of you who've read the other books, I'll be offering Love Will Grow on pre-order on Amazon for $2.99...the price will go up to $3.99 on the release date, so you'll save by pre-ordering. If you need a PDF or an EPUB, those will be available at my eStore at an even sweeter deal!
In the meantime, here's an excerpt for you. Enjoy!
-------------------
Nylah got out of the car, slammed the door shut, then
hurried inside the small post office branch on her route home. A small,
one-person post office, it closed at 5:30. It was now 5:24, but she still had
time to buy stamps, get the envelope containing her rebate date stamped, and
get to Dillon’s daycare by six.
She held the door of the post office open for a
slow-moving elderly gentleman, who thanked her profusely in a voice creaking
with age. When she went to pull the envelope out of her purse, she realized
she’d left it sitting on the passenger seat of the car. She cursed under her breath
as she rushed back outside to retrieve it. As she did, she noticed an old Ford
Taurus pull into the parking lot.
It only took a few seconds to get the envelope. She
rushed back toward the post office entrance.
“Hello, Ms. Taylor.”
Turning sharply at the sound of her name, Nylah found
herself looking dead into the eyes of Detective Marc Samuels. She felt her jaws
tighten, then forced herself to relax her expression. She’d been contacted by
his partner, Detective Sayegh, last week. They planned to charge the already
imprisoned woman with identity theft upon her release. Unfortunately but not
surprisingly, she had claimed innocence, and they were unable to get her to
confess having known anything at all about Dillon’s personal information, much
less giving or selling it to anyone. Detective Sayegh told Nylah that they
would try again when she was released from prison, offering to reduce the
charges against her in exchange for names of her clients and/or partners. He
told her that people’s memories often improved once they were arrested.
At least she knew who was responsible for what happened,
even if nothing ever became of it. That part of the nightmare was over, and the
detectives on the case, John Sayegh and Marc Samuels, had been the ones to
solve it. So what if Marc had been inconsiderate with his questions about
Dillon and had stepped into matters that shouldn’t concern him when suggesting
that she tell Dillon about his birth parents. His apology in the hospital
cafeteria had felt genuine. The least she could do was be civil to him.
“Detective,” she said with a curt nod. “You’ll have to
excuse me. They’re going to be closing at any moment.” Once more she rushed
toward the entrance.
He was behind her in an instant, reaching forward to open
the door for her. “Thank you,” she tossed over her shoulder.
“You’re welcome.” Marc inadvertently licked his lips.
Nylah Taylor was, in the words of a sexy jazz tune by Harry Connick Jr., one
fine thing. It still distressed him to have clashed with her, not once, but twice.
He’d like nothing more than to get another chance with her, especially now that
the perpetrator of Dillon’s identity theft was now in the hands of the justice
system, delayed as it would be. He didn’t often meet a woman who piqued his
interest in the way Nylah had. As he watched her make a purchase, then step
aside with her change in hand, he decided to go for it. He moved up to the
counter, barely a foot away from her as she put her change away. The clerk
gestured to him that he’d be with him in just a moment. That was even better.
He’d prefer not to have an audience, and the only other person present was an
elderly man who was handling some sort of paperwork at a rear counter. “Ms.
Taylor, do you think I could speak with you for just a moment?”
He was pleased when she actually smiled at him. “I’m
terribly sorry, but I have to pick up Dillon at his daycare by six o’clock at
the latest. I’m already in trouble with the management. They’re threatening to
terminate his enrollment because I’ve been late several times recently. So I’m
afraid I have to run.” She gathered her change purse and wallet and returned
them to her handbag, which she slid onto her shoulder. “Take care.”
Marc knew better than to ask if he could call her. He
wasn’t sure whether or not she was brushing him off, but he wanted to give her
the benefit of the doubt. She seemed sincere enough, and she’d even given him
one of her beautiful smiles. He imagined the two of them sitting over a
candlelit dinner in a romantic restaurant, a smile on her lips and a sparkle in
her eyes.
“A book of stamps, please,” he said to the clerk, who had
returned.
Nylah’s voice rang out, sounding more than a little
distressed. “Excuse me. Can you let me out, please? This door is locked.”
“That’s because it’s past five-thirty,” the clerk
replied. “Because I’m the only one here, I have to take care of the remaining
customers, and you’ll all have to leave at the same time.” He handed Marc his
change and receipt. “Thank you, sir.”
“But I have to be somewhere in a few minutes!”
One look at Nylah’s agitated expression, and Marc knew
she hadn’t been kidding about needing to pick up Dillon on time. Apparently
when the clerk excused himself, he’d gone to lock the door. He’d been so busy
talking to Nylah he hadn’t noticed.
Damn, he must really be taken with her. Rarely did he
find himself unaware of what was going on around him. In his profession such
inattentiveness could be dangerous.
“I’m sorry, ma’am,” the clerk said apologetically. “If I
let out each customer one at a time, I’d never get out of here. But there’s
only one customer left.”
Marc’s eyes immediately went to the elderly man who was
shuffling forward. Instinctively he knew the clerk’s final transaction of the
day would be no quick matter, as his and Nylah’s business had been.
He approached Nylah, who appeared to be hyperventilating
as she watched the old man pull out a list. “Oh, my God,” she whispered, though
not necessarily to him—he wasn’t sure she even saw him. “He’s getting money
orders. More than one, if those envelopes are all bills.” She looked as if she
was about to cry. “I’ll never get to Merrillville in time.”
Standing beside her, Marc decided to make his presence
known. “It looks like we’re stuck for the duration…like being in a traffic
jam.”
She looked at him as if noticing him for the first time.
The despair in her eyes turned into hope as she asked, “Can’t you do
something?”
“Me? What could I possibly do?”
“You’re a law enforcement officer. Flash your badge and
demand he let us out of here.”
He shook his head. “I’m afraid I can’t do that, Ms.
Taylor. I work for the city of Gary. The post office is a federal jurisdiction.
I’m not authorized to interfere in their business.”
“But you’d have to if it was an emergency.”
“Wrong again. I’m officially off-duty. That could easily
be proven, and I’d be in a heap of trouble.” Watching her shoulders slump in
defeat, it was all Marc could do not to pull her in his arms and comfort her.
“I’m sorry, Nylah,” he said, unconsciously addressing her by her first name. “I
hope you know I would help you if I could.”
She let out a vexed-sounding breath. “I guess the only
way you can help me now is to recommend the second-best daycare center in
Merrillville, since Dillon is about to be thrown out of the best one.”
“I’m afraid I can’t help you with that, either. I live in
Merrillville, too, but I don’t have any children.” He hoped she would find
those two points of personal information he’d purposely dropped about himself
interesting, even as he told himself she was much too preoccupied with her
current dilemma to take much notice.
Marc knew that if he could somehow get her to the daycare
before they closed, not only would he score big points with her, but she’d look
at him through new eyes…He’d actually be her hero, having saved the day. Using
his detective’s logic, an idea began to form. He’d make the most of this golden
opportunity. The police brass wouldn’t care for it much, but the more he
thought about it, the more he liked it.
“I don’t think it’s a lost cause,” he remarked. “At least
not yet.”
Once more Nylah’s eyes widened with hope. “What do you
mean?”
“I’m off-duty, but I usually bring my vehicle home with
me. It does have a siren.” He gave her a meaningful look.
Her eyes grew even wider. “You mean…”
Marc casually glanced at his watch. “If you’re willing to
ride with me, I’ll turn on the siren. That’ll get us there on time, and of
course after you get Dillon I’ll bring the two of you back here to get your
car.”
She relaxed visibly. “That’s awfully generous of you,
Detective. I accept.”
“I’ll do it on one condition.”
Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “And what’s that?”
With a smile as bright as the rays from the fading sun, he said, “That you call me Marc.”
-------
Love Will Grow, Coming soon!
August 25, 2014
So that's it!
I always felt uncomfortable calling payments from online retailers a royalty (I usually say "my cut" vs. "Amazon's cut," "Barnes & Noble's cut," etc. When it came to explaining why, I couldn't explain it, but something told me that the term "royalty" didn't fit.
While reading Hugh Howey's blog yesterday, I saw that he addressed this, and suddenly I knew why that term never felt right to me. This is what Hugh said:
"When they’re called royalties, the 70% seems exceedingly generous. Because publishers pay a lot less. But publishers provide other services, like editing and cover art. We are handing you a finished product. As a distribution fee, you taking 30% (plus more for delivery fees) sounds less crazy-generous. It seems downright reasonable, in fact."
For the rest of his blog entry, in which he makes some suggestions to Amazon, you can read it here.
Thanks, Hugh.
So that's it!
I always felt uncomfortable calling payments from online retailers a royalty (I usually say "my cut" vs. "Amazon's cut," "Barnes & Noble's cut," etc. When it came to explaining why, I couldn't explain it, but something told me that the term "royalty" didn't fit.
While reading Hugh Howey's blog yesterday, I saw that he addressed this, and suddenly I knew why that term never felt right to me. This is what Hugh said:
"When they’re called royalties, the 70% seems exceedingly generous. Because publishers pay a lot less. But publishers provide other services, like editing and cover art. We are handing you a finished product. As a distribution fee, you taking 30% (plus more for delivery fees) sounds less crazy-generous. It seems downright reasonable, in fact."
For the rest of his blog entry, in which he makes some suggestions to Amazon, you can read it here.
Thanks, Hugh.
August 15, 2014
Who's Got the Button?
Amazon Does...at Last
I have been writing to Amazon for over a year, asking them to allow indie authors to offer pre-orders on their books. I pointed out to them that requiring a manuscript upload ahead of time will eliminate the possibility of overeager authors promising and then not delivering...and I'm sure I wasn't the only one making that request. I'm delighted that Amazon announced yesterday that this feature is now available to everyone, not just a select few with very high to spectacularly high sales (including my friend, bestselling author Angie Daniels).
Surprisingly, there is no requirement to enroll the pre-ordered book in KDP Select (although I wouldn't be surprised if this changed later down the road...nothing to back this up; it's just a hunch).
There's quite a discussion going on over at the Kboards about this. Some authors who had the ability to do this in the past expressed unhappiness that their rankings on release day weren't as high as they would have been had they not had pre-order buttons. Apparently, Amazon doesn't count pre-orders when determining release day rank, only pre-release rank, something that I can't say concerns me...low rankings definitely look better than high ones, but at this point in my life as I look toward retirement, my biggest concern is what goes in my pocket, not appearances. For this reason I've always tried to steer readers toward my eStore since its inception (because I make more money from those sales).
At this point, I'm unsure how my eStore and its customers will fit into this, but I'm thrilled about being able to have an official sale date, which I feel is more professional than uploading when the book is ready (kind of a now-you-see-it approach) and then announcing its availability, or announcing a pub date ahead of time and having to upload 2 or 3 days earlier to make sure it's available...if the actual date of publication doesn't match the one announced, what's the point? (Yes, I know that bookstores often put books on sale prior to the official pub date, but eBooks are not downloadable until the sell date). Coming as I do from the traditional publishing world, I like the idea of setting a pub date for an eBook ahead of time and having it become available for download on that date, not earlier.
Amazon had my jaws tight when they would always backdate my requested publication date when uploading a new book. They could never give me a clear answer when I asked them why they persisted in doing this. At one point they did tell me that if I downloaded after midnight Pacific Time (where they're located) the dates would match. I tried this, and they still backdated it. Granted, this isn't really a big to-do in the grand scheme of things, but it irked me just the same. I felt as though this was their way of sticking it to indie authors. In the end, I simply went in after publication and fixed the pub date to what it was supposed to be, and I announced to my readers that guaranteed availability would be at my eStore, with Amazon coming "shortly."
(Barnes & Noble is a different story; I've found it usually takes 3 to 4 days of back-and-forth emails with them complaining about this or that--and many times this and that--to publish a single eBook with them. As a result, very few of my books are available at that retailer anymore...when I switched to an LLC business model at the beginning of this year they required me to take my books down and re-load them under the new account, and I haven't been able to carve out time to spend 3 to 4 days per book for 14 indie titles. I uploaded one book and was exhausted by the process. I don't neglect Nook owners or anyone else needing an EPUB format, though; they can get these at my eStore.)
The possibilities for fast writers who release books or novellas in rapid succession are especially bright. Writers like my friend Angelia Vernon Menchan, who writes serial fiction, have the option of timing their pub dates to allow pre-order buttons for the next book or segment. I'm neither fast nor write serials, but I've had success with releasing prequels, the strength of which has made many readers want to know what comes next, so they bought the main story. Being able to include a pre-order link should be very good for business. Pre-orders can be placed as far out as 90 days (since the final version must be uploaded 10 days before the chosen pub date, that would likely be the minimum). I'm leaning toward a 3- to 4-week window for my own prequel-to-full-book releases, with a longer timeframe for a full-length book following a related or series full-length book.
Since this option isn't handcuffed to being in Select, it's also handy for coordination purposes, since some authors already do pre-orders on Barnes & Noble and Apple via Smashwords and now can schedule release dates for the same day, depending on the vendor.
Some authors don't like the idea of waiting, not even 10 days, to make a book available if it's ready to be uploaded. I've long since thought of my books like movies, which are in the can long before they're released, certainly more than a few weeks. Trailers get shown in theaters a few months prior to the opening, and as opening day approaches, television commercials start to air. By the time the film opens, the actors, producers, director, and other personnel have moved on to their next movie...just as a writer can have their next book partially or completely written. Again, this is probably the traditional author in me, since books are submitted for the production process (editing, cover design, etc.) well before the publication date, by which I have often submitted the manuscript for my next book. There's not a right or wrong way to roll out a book, as long as the book isn't published before it's ready.
There are still some unanswered questions...like, is it possible to offer a lower price for pre-orders and then jump to the regular price on release day? I've long felt it made sense to initially offer a new book at a lower price, so if I choose to put it on sale a few months later I can do so without feeling my core readers--the ones who buy upon publication and get me on Top 100 lists--are being cheated.
Like anything else, it will be up to every individual writer to decide whether this will be beneficial for them. I would, however, encourage writers not to use this option unless their book is 75% ready for publication. While it is possible to change the pub date after enrolling in pre-order, this won't exactly endear you to readers. Neither will having the pre-order canceled (which is what Amazon will do to authors who are unable to deliver a final manuscript 10 days before the pub date).
It's all rather exciting, waiting to see how this will pan out. Happy Sales to You!
Who's Got the Button?
Amazon Does...at Last
I have been writing to Amazon for over a year, asking them to allow indie authors to offer pre-orders on their books. I pointed out to them that requiring a manuscript upload ahead of time will eliminate the possibility of overeager authors promising and then not delivering...and I'm sure I wasn't the only one making that request. I'm delighted that Amazon announced yesterday that this feature is now available to everyone, not just a select few with very high to spectacularly high sales (including my friend, bestselling author Angie Daniels).
Surprisingly, there is no requirement to enroll the pre-ordered book in KDP Select (although I wouldn't be surprised if this changed later down the road...nothing to back this up; it's just a hunch).
There's quite a discussion going on over at the Kboards about this. Some authors who had the ability to do this in the past expressed unhappiness that their rankings on release day weren't as high as they would have been had they not had pre-order buttons. Apparently, Amazon doesn't count pre-orders when determining release day rank, only pre-release rank, something that I can't say concerns me...low rankings definitely look better than high ones, but at this point in my life as I look toward retirement, my biggest concern is what goes in my pocket, not appearances. For this reason I've always tried to steer readers toward my eStore since its inception (because I make more money from those sales).
At this point, I'm unsure how my eStore and its customers will fit into this, but I'm thrilled about being able to have an official sale date, which I feel is more professional than uploading when the book is ready (kind of a now-you-see-it approach) and then announcing its availability, or announcing a pub date ahead of time and having to upload 2 or 3 days earlier to make sure it's available...if the actual date of publication doesn't match the one announced, what's the point? (Yes, I know that bookstores often put books on sale prior to the official pub date, but eBooks are not downloadable until the sell date). Coming as I do from the traditional publishing world, I like the idea of setting a pub date for an eBook ahead of time and having it become available for download on that date, not earlier.
Amazon had my jaws tight when they would always backdate my requested publication date when uploading a new book. They could never give me a clear answer when I asked them why they persisted in doing this. At one point they did tell me that if I downloaded after midnight Pacific Time (where they're located) the dates would match. I tried this, and they still backdated it. Granted, this isn't really a big to-do in the grand scheme of things, but it irked me just the same. I felt as though this was their way of sticking it to indie authors. In the end, I simply went in after publication and fixed the pub date to what it was supposed to be, and I announced to my readers that guaranteed availability would be at my eStore, with Amazon coming "shortly."
(Barnes & Noble is a different story; I've found it usually takes 3 to 4 days of back-and-forth emails with them complaining about this or that--and many times this and that--to publish a single eBook with them. As a result, very few of my books are available at that retailer anymore...when I switched to an LLC business model at the beginning of this year they required me to take my books down and re-load them under the new account, and I haven't been able to carve out time to spend 3 to 4 days per book for 14 indie titles. I uploaded one book and was exhausted by the process. I don't neglect Nook owners or anyone else needing an EPUB format, though; they can get these at my eStore.)
The possibilities for fast writers who release books or novellas in rapid succession are especially bright. Writers like my friend Angelia Vernon Menchan, who writes serial fiction, have the option of timing their pub dates to allow pre-order buttons for the next book or segment. I'm neither fast nor write serials, but I've had success with releasing prequels, the strength of which has made many readers want to know what comes next, so they bought the main story. Being able to include a pre-order link should be very good for business. Pre-orders can be placed as far out as 90 days (since the final version must be uploaded 10 days before the chosen pub date, that would likely be the minimum). I'm leaning toward a 3- to 4-week window for my own prequel-to-full-book releases, with a longer timeframe for a full-length book following a related or series full-length book.
Since this option isn't handcuffed to being in Select, it's also handy for coordination purposes, since some authors already do pre-orders on Barnes & Noble and Apple via Smashwords and now can schedule release dates for the same day, depending on the vendor.
Some authors don't like the idea of waiting, not even 10 days, to make a book available if it's ready to be uploaded. I've long since thought of my books like movies, which are in the can long before they're released, certainly more than a few weeks. Trailers get shown in theaters a few months prior to the opening, and as opening day approaches, television commercials start to air. By the time the film opens, the actors, producers, director, and other personnel have moved on to their next movie...just as a writer can have their next book partially or completely written. Again, this is probably the traditional author in me, since books are submitted for the production process (editing, cover design, etc.) well before the publication date, by which I have often submitted the manuscript for my next book. There's not a right or wrong way to roll out a book, as long as the book isn't published before it's ready.
There are still some unanswered questions...like, is it possible to offer a lower price for pre-orders and then jump to the regular price on release day? I've long felt it made sense to initially offer a new book at a lower price, so if I choose to put it on sale a few months later I can do so without feeling my core readers--the ones who buy upon publication and get me on Top 100 lists--are being cheated.
Like anything else, it will be up to every individual writer to decide whether this will be beneficial for them. I would, however, encourage writers not to use this option unless their book is 75% ready for publication. While it is possible to change the pub date after enrolling in pre-order, this won't exactly endear you to readers. Neither will having the pre-order canceled (which is what Amazon will do to authors who are unable to deliver a final manuscript 10 days before the pub date).
It's all rather exciting, waiting to see how this will pan out. Happy Sales to You!
July 23, 2014
Edit hell
When I wrote for traditional publishers, I had deadlines in order to comply with their production schedules. As an indie author, I try to do the same thing, although I do relax it a little...let's face it, the sky isn't going to fall if I don't have it done by X date when I'm my own publisher, but trying to adhere with a schedule helps keep me on track.
After I finish the basics of the story, I print it out and the "fun" starts (yes, I'm being sarcastic). By "fun," I mean doing pre-editor self-edits, which is more than just searching for typos. It's revising and polishing the story, which includes:
I call these "ruthless red pen edits," because I use a red pen to mark the manuscript and also add extra pages when necessary (I'm cheap, so I print on both sides of the paper, and since I format for eBook rather than traditional manuscript style, there's not a lot of extra space on the page). When I do all this, I guarantee that I'm submitting my best work to my editor, which in turn makes her job easier (and her fee less, since many editors charge based on the amount of work a manuscript needs)...but it's tedious work and often slow going. Nor will the manuscript be in perfect shape; my editor will still find plenty of things that need fixing (albeit small items like using the wrong character name--a particular weakness of mine that I can never seem to catch every time--or the wrong word or repairing my punctuation, not major plot holes). This is not being obsessive; these are the necessary steps to produce a book. Writing isn't always fun.
What do you do when you finish a manuscript? Do you do self-edits, do a quick read-through, or just submit it directly to your editor?
Edit hell
When I wrote for traditional publishers, I had deadlines in order to comply with their production schedules. As an indie author, I try to do the same thing, although I do relax it a little...let's face it, the sky isn't going to fall if I don't have it done by X date when I'm my own publisher, but trying to adhere with a schedule helps keep me on track.
After I finish the basics of the story, I print it out and the "fun" starts (yes, I'm being sarcastic). By "fun," I mean doing pre-editor self-edits, which is more than just searching for typos. It's revising and polishing the story, which includes:
- Eliminating any conflicting information, you know, when the heroine first has short hair and then long or when the hero first drives an SUV and later has a motorcycle.
- Adding in physical characteristics of the major characters so the readers can visualize them as they read.
- Making sure the story flows smoothly.
- Looking for any unexplained or out-of-character actions on the part of my characters. Readers should have a good understanding of what the characters' motivations are.
- Inserting a sense of setting. For sections beginning with a conversation, readers have to know where it's taking place...on the phone, at someone's house, at a restaurant, in a car, etc.
- Making sure character movements are smooth and natural. Ever read a book where the character is in one room and then mysteriously changes location to another room, in the same scene? I find myself still thinking about a scene I just edited, which was particularly tricky. The heroine wasn't fond of the hero, whom she regarded as insensitive because of the way they butted heads at their first two encounters (other than an annoying, continuous observation of how handsome he is) and then he does her a huge favor, at which time she started looking at him through new eyes. To thank him, she invites him to join her and her son for dinner at their home (because the hero is a police detective, she feels confident he's not a serial killer). It occurred to me that I didn't include enough about his appearance. As a detective, he would be wearing a suit and tie. I had him removing his coat while the heroine excuses herself to change clothes, but what about his suit jacket? What about the holster he undoubtedly carries? I'll be going back and showing him removing both when he offers to assist the heroine with food preparation, and while I'm at it I'll have him loosen his tie and unbutton his collar, because those are both natural actions for a man to take.
- Inserting all five senses. There's more to telling a story than visualizing it. Sounds, smells, textures, and tastes make the story come alive and should be mentioned.
- Eliminate the nonsensical. I usually do this when I'm outlining the story (you can't have a secret baby story set in a small town where no one suspects, even the baby daddy's own mother), but sometimes thing slip through that need complete rewriting.
- Timelines. I feel cheated whenever I read a book in which a timeline error renders the entire story impossible, or leads me down the wrong path if it's a mystery or suspense. I recently finished a novel in which friends of the heroine who are a few years her senior were in eighth grade in 2004. There's no way she, two or three years younger, could possibly be 29 years old in 2014, or that her friends could be in their early 30s in 2014. Remarkably, I seem to be the only one out of hundreds of reviewers who noticed this.
- Filling in the information I glossed over with a note to myself (which usually requires research I didn't want to stop writing to do).
- Word repetition. It's amazing how many times I can use a single word within the same sentence.
- Making sure loose ends are tied. All questions should be answered by the end of the book.
I call these "ruthless red pen edits," because I use a red pen to mark the manuscript and also add extra pages when necessary (I'm cheap, so I print on both sides of the paper, and since I format for eBook rather than traditional manuscript style, there's not a lot of extra space on the page). When I do all this, I guarantee that I'm submitting my best work to my editor, which in turn makes her job easier (and her fee less, since many editors charge based on the amount of work a manuscript needs)...but it's tedious work and often slow going. Nor will the manuscript be in perfect shape; my editor will still find plenty of things that need fixing (albeit small items like using the wrong character name--a particular weakness of mine that I can never seem to catch every time--or the wrong word or repairing my punctuation, not major plot holes). This is not being obsessive; these are the necessary steps to produce a book. Writing isn't always fun.
What do you do when you finish a manuscript? Do you do self-edits, do a quick read-through, or just submit it directly to your editor?
July 22, 2014
Kindle Unlimited: One Writer's Take
The writing world was thrown into an uproar last week with the announcement by Amazon of a new eBook subscription service called Kindle Unlimited. Social media lit up with thoughts from worried writers and both readers and writers asking each other, "Do you plan to enroll?"
Subscription plans are nothing new. Think Book-of-the-Month club or the about-to-be-dismantled Black Expressions (African-American titles in special hardcover editions will now be available strictly through its parent company, the Doubleday Book Club, where it first began). The same things existed for music, dating back to the days of the LP. The big difference is that Kindle Unlimited, for a monthly membership fee of $9.99, allows its members to borrow (it is my understanding that books will be returned after reading rather than remain on members' Kindles--which I've heard are the only devices accepted on this plan; no apps allowed) an unlimited number of books, hence its name.
There are two catches for authors that I see immediately. One, their book has to be enrolled in KDP Select, requiring it be sold only on Amazon and nowhere else. Indie authors with huge followings are given the option of enrolling in Kindle Unlimited without being on Select, obviously because of name value. Let's face it, no one back in the day would want tickets to a Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes concert if Teddy Pendergrass wasn't going to be performing with them, and the same concept holds true today. Amazon needs big names to draw in readers.
The other catch for indie authors is that they only get paid when/if 10% of their book is read. The amount paid to indies per borrow is the same as the amount received for books borrowed through the Prime plan (a discount plan on all types of merchandise Amazon sells, which includes the ability to borrow one book per month), which is currently in the $2 range. The effect of this new plan on the KDP Select Global Plan remains to be determined. Amazon has added an additional $800,000 to the fund, but if the plan catches on big, the possibility exists that the author's share of the pie can be significantly reduced unless Amazon substantially increases the funding.
I've heard it said (I haven't been able to substantiate this, but I feel I can trust Hugh Howey) that the payments differ for books published by traditional publishers, with each borrow being paid at the full 70% royalty, as if it had been purchased (I'm unsure whether or not there is a reader obligation to complete a portion of the book for the writer to be compensated). This strikes me as a back-of-the-bus type of attitude that frankly makes me uncomfortable. (In the interest of full disclosure, I see that three of my traditionally published titles are enrolled.)
I recently had one of my eBooks (Isn't She Lovely?) enrolled in Select to run a Countdown deal celebrating five years as an indie author. Unfortunately, I forgot to un-check the box to prevent automatic re-enrollment at the end of 90 days, and it rolled over for another 90-day term. I have since learned that Amazon is offering writers the option of removing their book(s) from Kindle Select, effective "right away." I don't know a) if this works, or b) if it is as quick as they claim, but I did submit a request form. Amazon simply asks writers to include the book's ASIN with your request. (Update: It took about 15 hours for this book to be removed. Once I confirmed its removal I added a lower-priced book, A Love of Her Own, to the program. That went into effect in just about 1 hour, so I presume there's somewhat of a backlog for removals.)
This action on my part might give you the impression that I'm against Kindle Unlimited, but that's not true. I just don't happen to feel that Isn't She Lovely? is the right title for the program. At over 100k words, it's (reasonably, in my opinion) priced at $4.99. I would be taking a loss on borrows that pay about $2. It makes more sense to me to enroll a book priced in the $2.99 range (or even less than that, since I don't believe Amazon has minimum word counts for participation, meaning that a 99-cent, 50-page tome can be enrolled and possibly earn the author double the cover price per borrow).
Everyone's experience as an author is different...some sell well on Amazon but not in other places, others sell well at Amazon and at other retailers as well, while still others sell better at Barnes & Noble than at other retailers. Because of this, everyone's experience with Kindle Unlimited will be different. There is no right or wrong; there is only what is right for you as an individual author.
That said, I've also noticed that these newfangled ideas regarding publishing have bred many a success story for those who get rolling with it right away...people whose careers got jump-started by enrolling books in Kindle Select upon its introduction...people who advertised on Bookbub in its early days who made five figures from a single ad...people who sold one of their books at 99 cents and made tons of money on their other titles before Amazon changed their algorithms. I'm not much for jumping on bandwagons, but nor do I see a need for prolonged hesitation. I feel that if it's not a lengthy commitment (each Select enrollment lasts for 90 days) and it isn't something illegal or underhanded, what can it hurt by giving it a try, preferably while other authors are sitting on the fence (or waiting for indie publishing guru Joe Konrath to weigh in)?
I've seen many authors objecting to taking their "books" (plural) off the cybershelves of other retailers to give Amazon exclusivity, but this is not an all-or-nothing deal. To date I have indie published 12 full-length novels and two short prequels, and I don't see the harm in taking one of those full-length novels and enrolling it in Select, and therefore in Unlimited, and leaving the others where they are. Yes, there are still unanswered questions, among the most pressing being what will happen to the program after all those 30-day trial periods people are currently signing up for expire...will it thrive, or will people decide not to continue past the trial; and also how this will work out financially for indie authors. The way I see it, the sooner I get in, the sooner I can get out if I decide it's not working for me.
That's my opinion. I'd love to hear yours!
Kindle Unlimited: One Writer's Take
The writing world was thrown into an uproar last week with the announcement by Amazon of a new eBook subscription service called Kindle Unlimited. Social media lit up with thoughts from worried writers and both readers and writers asking each other, "Do you plan to enroll?"
Subscription plans are nothing new. Think Book-of-the-Month club or the about-to-be-dismantled Black Expressions (African-American titles in special hardcover editions will now be available strictly through its parent company, the Doubleday Book Club, where it first began). The same things existed for music, dating back to the days of the LP. The big difference is that Kindle Unlimited, for a monthly membership fee of $9.99, allows its members to borrow (it is my understanding that books will be returned after reading rather than remain on members' Kindles--which I've heard are the only devices accepted on this plan; no apps allowed) an unlimited number of books, hence its name.
There are two catches for authors that I see immediately. One, their book has to be enrolled in KDP Select, requiring it be sold only on Amazon and nowhere else. Indie authors with huge followings are given the option of enrolling in Kindle Unlimited without being on Select, obviously because of name value. Let's face it, no one back in the day would want tickets to a Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes concert if Teddy Pendergrass wasn't going to be performing with them, and the same concept holds true today. Amazon needs big names to draw in readers.
The other catch for indie authors is that they only get paid when/if 10% of their book is read. The amount paid to indies per borrow is the same as the amount received for books borrowed through the Prime plan (a discount plan on all types of merchandise Amazon sells, which includes the ability to borrow one book per month), which is currently in the $2 range. The effect of this new plan on the KDP Select Global Plan remains to be determined. Amazon has added an additional $800,000 to the fund, but if the plan catches on big, the possibility exists that the author's share of the pie can be significantly reduced unless Amazon substantially increases the funding.
I've heard it said (I haven't been able to substantiate this, but I feel I can trust Hugh Howey) that the payments differ for books published by traditional publishers, with each borrow being paid at the full 70% royalty, as if it had been purchased (I'm unsure whether or not there is a reader obligation to complete a portion of the book for the writer to be compensated). This strikes me as a back-of-the-bus type of attitude that frankly makes me uncomfortable. (In the interest of full disclosure, I see that three of my traditionally published titles are enrolled.)
I recently had one of my eBooks (Isn't She Lovely?) enrolled in Select to run a Countdown deal celebrating five years as an indie author. Unfortunately, I forgot to un-check the box to prevent automatic re-enrollment at the end of 90 days, and it rolled over for another 90-day term. I have since learned that Amazon is offering writers the option of removing their book(s) from Kindle Select, effective "right away." I don't know a) if this works, or b) if it is as quick as they claim, but I did submit a request form. Amazon simply asks writers to include the book's ASIN with your request. (Update: It took about 15 hours for this book to be removed. Once I confirmed its removal I added a lower-priced book, A Love of Her Own, to the program. That went into effect in just about 1 hour, so I presume there's somewhat of a backlog for removals.)
This action on my part might give you the impression that I'm against Kindle Unlimited, but that's not true. I just don't happen to feel that Isn't She Lovely? is the right title for the program. At over 100k words, it's (reasonably, in my opinion) priced at $4.99. I would be taking a loss on borrows that pay about $2. It makes more sense to me to enroll a book priced in the $2.99 range (or even less than that, since I don't believe Amazon has minimum word counts for participation, meaning that a 99-cent, 50-page tome can be enrolled and possibly earn the author double the cover price per borrow).
Everyone's experience as an author is different...some sell well on Amazon but not in other places, others sell well at Amazon and at other retailers as well, while still others sell better at Barnes & Noble than at other retailers. Because of this, everyone's experience with Kindle Unlimited will be different. There is no right or wrong; there is only what is right for you as an individual author.
That said, I've also noticed that these newfangled ideas regarding publishing have bred many a success story for those who get rolling with it right away...people whose careers got jump-started by enrolling books in Kindle Select upon its introduction...people who advertised on Bookbub in its early days who made five figures from a single ad...people who sold one of their books at 99 cents and made tons of money on their other titles before Amazon changed their algorithms. I'm not much for jumping on bandwagons, but nor do I see a need for prolonged hesitation. I feel that if it's not a lengthy commitment (each Select enrollment lasts for 90 days) and it isn't something illegal or underhanded, what can it hurt by giving it a try, preferably while other authors are sitting on the fence (or waiting for indie publishing guru Joe Konrath to weigh in)?
I've seen many authors objecting to taking their "books" (plural) off the cybershelves of other retailers to give Amazon exclusivity, but this is not an all-or-nothing deal. To date I have indie published 12 full-length novels and two short prequels, and I don't see the harm in taking one of those full-length novels and enrolling it in Select, and therefore in Unlimited, and leaving the others where they are. Yes, there are still unanswered questions, among the most pressing being what will happen to the program after all those 30-day trial periods people are currently signing up for expire...will it thrive, or will people decide not to continue past the trial; and also how this will work out financially for indie authors. The way I see it, the sooner I get in, the sooner I can get out if I decide it's not working for me.
That's my opinion. I'd love to hear yours!
July 18, 2014
Speaking of movies...
Yesterday I talked about the Forgotten First Wife Syndrome, using The Godfather as an example. This morning, I caught the tail end of the Al Pacino remake of Scarface, and while my first thought was that it was a pure high keeping him standing during that hail of bullets, it occurred to me...shouldn't he have bled to death, considering how many bullets actually struck him?
Shutting down my writer's mind for a minute, I also saw a commercial for the new James Brown biopic. Chadwick Boseman nails James, right down to his speech pattern. Also in the cast are both Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer. August 1st, y'all!
Anybody else planning on seeing this one in the theaters?
Speaking of movies...
Yesterday I talked about the Forgotten First Wife Syndrome, using The Godfather as an example. This morning, I caught the tail end of the Al Pacino remake of Scarface, and while my first thought was that it was a pure high keeping him standing during that hail of bullets, it occurred to me...shouldn't he have bled to death, considering how many bullets actually struck him?
Shutting down my writer's mind for a minute, I also saw a commercial for the new James Brown biopic. Chadwick Boseman nails James, right down to his speech pattern. Also in the cast are both Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer. August 1st, y'all!
Anybody else planning on seeing this one in the theaters?
July 17, 2014
Forgotten First Wife Syndrome
As many of you know, I love movies, especially old ones. The first two movies in The Godfather trilogy are pretty close to perfection, in my opinion. The Godfather Part III wasn't a bad movie, but to me and many others, it's not anywhere near the almost flawless first two, although I still find the final scene (the death of Michael Corleone) haunting.
Last week I watched a documentary about the making of the three films in the series, and as always, I'm blown away by the subtly masterful reactions of Robert Duvall as Tom Hagen, and of Al Pacino's metamorphosis from personable World War II hero to the ruthless, trust-no-one head of the criminal organization founded by his father (played, of course, by Marlon Brando).
Sure, there are a few continuity errors in part I (Vito asking Michael if he was happy with his "wife and children," when they only have a son; Tom warning Sonny that "All the Five Families will come after you" when the Corleones are supposed to be one of those Five, and that is definitely not the George Washington Bridge they are crossing when Michael asks Sollozzo if they are going to New Jersey); and part II (Kay slides out of bed on her own in the scene where her and Michael's bedroom is shot up, but by the time Michael reaches her she's back up in bed and he pulls her down to safety; Tessio's declaration that "30,000 men enlisted this morning" when most of the country wouldn't have learned of the morning attack in Hawaii until the afternoon, due to Honolulu time being 3 and 6 hours behind the East and West Coasts (plus recruiting centers had to be manned and opened on a Sunday), but there was one glaring error. Hint: It's mentioned in the title of this post.
The murder of Michael's Sicilian wife, Apollonia, in a car bomb meant for Michael, was never avenged, at least not in the theatrical release. Anyone who saw the combination of the first two Godfather movies, marketed under the subtitle A Complete Novel for Television, will probably remember a scene inserted during Anthony Corleone's splashy first communion celebration (during which Michael took meetings) in which he was given a photograph of Fabrizio, his former bodyguard who betrayed him to one of the rival crime families. It was intimated that Michael had been searching for Fabrizio for years before finally finding him in Buffalo, of all places (no wonder it took so long to find him; they were probably searching the Sunbelt). In the next scene Fabrizio is shown locking up his pizza parlor and getting into his car, which blows up the moment it starts.
At 3 hours 20 minutes, The Godfather Part II ran about 30 minutes longer than the first movie, and this was one of the scenes cut before theatrical release, but unlike some of the other cut scenes (like Michael giving his blessing to his late brother Sonny's daughter and her fiancé), I believe this scene was necessary. Eliminating it put a hole in the story, but I'm not surprised that the producers decided to cut it.
In movies, and in books as well, deceased first wives (and husbands) are usually forgotten. In The Godfather, Michael's first marriage occurred after he had to leave the country without any word to Kay, his first, "true" love, with whom he later reunites and marries, with the dead wife relegated to a distant memory who isn't seen or mentioned again until Michael's life flashes before him as he dies in The Godfather Part III. That bomb turning Apollonia into a rag doll is all the more horrible because she was in the first trimester of pregnancy (a detail only mentioned in the book, not in the movie), yet it appears that Michael never even told Kay, his original love who he later married, about her. Yes, by the time Michael and Kay married, Michael was well on his way to shutting himself off, so there were quite a few things Kay didn't know, but shucks, a first wife is a pretty important detail. The feeling I got was that Michael wasn't just looking for some booty but genuinely loved Apollonia. Had she lived, Kay would have either married someone else or become a spinster. But Apollonia didn't live, and the producers most likely figured it wasn't important that anyone be made accountable for her murder, even when payback was sought for every other family victim, whether they survived or not.
This type of thing drives me nuts, as does its reverse, also often-used subplot in movies and books: The second spouse who is conveniently killed off (sometimes even sacrificing themselves or after saving the lives of the spouse and stepkids) so the formerly married husband and wife can rekindle their love for each other...which they usually do while the body is still at room temperature.
Do you have an opinion about this type of storytelling? Does it bother you, or have you not noticed it?
Forgotten First Wife Syndrome
As many of you know, I love movies, especially old ones. The first two movies in The Godfather trilogy are pretty close to perfection, in my opinion. The Godfather Part III wasn't a bad movie, but to me and many others, it's not anywhere near the almost flawless first two, although I still find the final scene (the death of Michael Corleone) haunting.
Last week I watched a documentary about the making of the three films in the series, and as always, I'm blown away by the subtly masterful reactions of Robert Duvall as Tom Hagen, and of Al Pacino's metamorphosis from personable World War II hero to the ruthless, trust-no-one head of the criminal organization founded by his father (played, of course, by Marlon Brando).
Sure, there are a few continuity errors in part I (Vito asking Michael if he was happy with his "wife and children," when they only have a son; Tom warning Sonny that "All the Five Families will come after you" when the Corleones are supposed to be one of those Five, and that is definitely not the George Washington Bridge they are crossing when Michael asks Sollozzo if they are going to New Jersey); and part II (Kay slides out of bed on her own in the scene where her and Michael's bedroom is shot up, but by the time Michael reaches her she's back up in bed and he pulls her down to safety; Tessio's declaration that "30,000 men enlisted this morning" when most of the country wouldn't have learned of the morning attack in Hawaii until the afternoon, due to Honolulu time being 3 and 6 hours behind the East and West Coasts (plus recruiting centers had to be manned and opened on a Sunday), but there was one glaring error. Hint: It's mentioned in the title of this post.
The murder of Michael's Sicilian wife, Apollonia, in a car bomb meant for Michael, was never avenged, at least not in the theatrical release. Anyone who saw the combination of the first two Godfather movies, marketed under the subtitle A Complete Novel for Television, will probably remember a scene inserted during Anthony Corleone's splashy first communion celebration (during which Michael took meetings) in which he was given a photograph of Fabrizio, his former bodyguard who betrayed him to one of the rival crime families. It was intimated that Michael had been searching for Fabrizio for years before finally finding him in Buffalo, of all places (no wonder it took so long to find him; they were probably searching the Sunbelt). In the next scene Fabrizio is shown locking up his pizza parlor and getting into his car, which blows up the moment it starts.
At 3 hours 20 minutes, The Godfather Part II ran about 30 minutes longer than the first movie, and this was one of the scenes cut before theatrical release, but unlike some of the other cut scenes (like Michael giving his blessing to his late brother Sonny's daughter and her fiancé), I believe this scene was necessary. Eliminating it put a hole in the story, but I'm not surprised that the producers decided to cut it.
In movies, and in books as well, deceased first wives (and husbands) are usually forgotten. In The Godfather, Michael's first marriage occurred after he had to leave the country without any word to Kay, his first, "true" love, with whom he later reunites and marries, with the dead wife relegated to a distant memory who isn't seen or mentioned again until Michael's life flashes before him as he dies in The Godfather Part III. That bomb turning Apollonia into a rag doll is all the more horrible because she was in the first trimester of pregnancy (a detail only mentioned in the book, not in the movie), yet it appears that Michael never even told Kay, his original love who he later married, about her. Yes, by the time Michael and Kay married, Michael was well on his way to shutting himself off, so there were quite a few things Kay didn't know, but shucks, a first wife is a pretty important detail. The feeling I got was that Michael wasn't just looking for some booty but genuinely loved Apollonia. Had she lived, Kay would have either married someone else or become a spinster. But Apollonia didn't live, and the producers most likely figured it wasn't important that anyone be made accountable for her murder, even when payback was sought for every other family victim, whether they survived or not.
This type of thing drives me nuts, as does its reverse, also often-used subplot in movies and books: The second spouse who is conveniently killed off (sometimes even sacrificing themselves or after saving the lives of the spouse and stepkids) so the formerly married husband and wife can rekindle their love for each other...which they usually do while the body is still at room temperature.
Do you have an opinion about this type of storytelling? Does it bother you, or have you not noticed it?
June 26, 2014
Celebrating 5 Years of Indie Publishing
Happy Anniversary to Me! (No, not that anniversary...I was one of the crazy people who got married in December (although at least it was in Florida).
On June 26, 2009, amid all the media coverage about the sudden death of Michael Jackson the day before, I published my first indie book, Save The Best For Last. I was taking a giant leap of faith and didn't half know what I was doing, but I did know that I had written a good story that deserved to be read (despite my hero having no money and the sex coming relatively late in the story), and that was good enough for me. Fortunately, most readers agreed, and the book was a success (it is now permafree on Amazon and Nook, at the latter under its original cover because Barnes & Noble has been very difficult to work with), and it's been followed by 7 more original titles and 4 backlist titles, with more to come!
To celebrate this milestone, 1 of those original titles and 3 of the backlist are on sale for the next few days...(with a special deal on another book available only to my newsletter subscribers)...The eBooks pictured below are all just 99 cents as of right now on Amazon.
I certainly don't want to leave out readers who have eReaders other than Kindles, and since as I mentioned, Barnes & Noble has been giving me grief all year, I've made most of these titles available for the 99-cent price at my eStore. This does not include Isn't She Lovely?, which is on a Kindle Countdown Deal and per the terms of that agreement cannot be sold anywhere else (the 99-cent price on this book is only effective through Friday, June 27th, after which the price will be increased in increments until it returns to its full price by July 1st).
The sale price for these three backlist titles will run only through Sunday, June 28th, so get yours today!
Please feel free to share this announcement with your reading friends, and as always, I wish you good reading!
Celebrating 5 Years of Indie Publishing
On June 26, 2009, amid all the media coverage about the sudden death of Michael Jackson the day before, I published my first indie book, Save The Best For Last. I was taking a giant leap of faith and didn't half know what I was doing, but I did know that I had written a good story that deserved to be read (despite my hero having no money and the sex coming relatively late in the story), and that was good enough for me. Fortunately, most readers agreed, and the book was a success (it is now permafree on Amazon and Nook, at the latter under its original cover because Barnes & Noble has been very difficult to work with), and it's been followed by 7 more original titles and 4 backlist titles, with more to come!
To celebrate this milestone, 1 of those original titles and 3 of the backlist are on sale for the next few days...(with a special deal on another book available only to my newsletter subscribers)...The eBooks pictured below are all just 99 cents as of right now on Amazon.
I certainly don't want to leave out readers who have eReaders other than Kindles, and since as I mentioned, Barnes & Noble has been giving me grief all year, I've made most of these titles available for the 99-cent price at my eStore. This does not include Isn't She Lovely?, which is on a Kindle Countdown Deal and per the terms of that agreement cannot be sold anywhere else (the 99-cent price on this book is only effective through Friday, June 27th, after which the price will be increased in increments until it returns to its full price by July 1st).
The sale price for these three backlist titles will run only through Sunday, June 28th, so get yours today!
Please feel free to share this announcement with your reading friends, and as always, I wish you good reading!
June 19, 2014
Thrifty Thursday Tip
That heading is actually deceptive, for there is no tip today. I just wanted to let followers of this know that I'm assembling my best thrifty tips, plus new ones, for publication as an eBook.
I've put a few other things ahead of my writing the first five months of this year, but I'm back at it with a vengeance. I can't give a specific date or even a title, although I'm leaning toward It's What You Keep: Money-Saving Tips From a (Not Quite) Starving Artist. I hope to publish this sometime this fall. It'll be my first nonfiction project.
I'd love to hear your thoughts about my plan and/or my proposed title!
Thrifty Thursday Tip
That heading is actually deceptive, for there is no tip today. I just wanted to let followers of this know that I'm assembling my best thrifty tips, plus new ones, for publication as an eBook.
I've put a few other things ahead of my writing the first five months of this year, but I'm back at it with a vengeance. I can't give a specific date or even a title, although I'm leaning toward It's What You Keep: Money-Saving Tips From a (Not Quite) Starving Artist. I hope to publish this sometime this fall. It'll be my first nonfiction project.
I'd love to hear your thoughts about my plan and/or my proposed title!
June 18, 2014
Presenting Chicki Brown's latest,
Till You Come Back To Me
(Book #2 of the Stafford Brothers Series)
Presenting Chicki Brown's latest,
Till You Come Back To Me
(Book #2 of the Stafford Brothers Series)
Chicki Brown has released the second book in her Stafford Brothers series (if you haven't read the first book, A Woman's Worth, by all means do so; it was a fabulous read!). Here's the 411 on the latest from this gifted writer:
Where to get it:
http://amzn.to/Snj9wb (Kindle
only for the first 90 days)
How to contact Chicki:
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/qcsiMD
About the book:
Atlanta plastic surgeon Charles Stafford is giving up his
successful practice to volunteer his services in Nigeria with a medical
organization. Even though he’s excited about this major career move, he has no
idea how much his life is about to change.
Nurse Adanna Okoro is one of the six medical professionals
working at a small village hospital thirty minutes outside of Lagos, Nigeria.
She loves her job and is devoted to the people she serves. When the hospital is
notified that it has been chosen to host a team of foreign doctors, Adanna
meets the man she has always dreamed of.
Excerpt:
Manny returned from the dance floor and
eased into the empty seat beside her. “Can I get you another beer?” he asked,
nonchalantly sliding his arm across the back of her chair.
“Yes, please. Thanks,” she said, hoping
her acceptance wouldn’t encourage his interest in her. Femi swore Manny had a
secret crush on her, but Adanna didn’t put too much stock in her claim. He
always told her she needed to be married and start a family rather than working
long hours, but he had never asked her out. She assumed he had come to the
realization that he just wasn’t her type. Manny worked in a bank in Lagos,
which was a decent job, but he never talked about what he wanted in the future.
He seemed quite content with his current position, and that was fine for him
but not for her. And he knew it.
He signaled the bartender and pointed
to the empty beer bottles on their table. “Femi told me things are getting
ready to step up at your hospital. What does that mean for you?” Manny took the
cold beers from the bartender when he approached and slipped a bill into his
hand.
“It means a lot more work, but it also
means I will get to observe some amazing surgeries. There is a plastic surgeon
on the team who will be doing reconstructive surgery on the children and
perhaps a few adults, depending on the severity of their conditions.”
“You’re very impressed with doctors, aren’t
you?”
Adanna didn’t appreciate the resentful
edge in his voice. “I’m impressed by what they can do with the knowledge they
have, Manny. Being a doctor means nothing if you aren’t using your skills and
training to alleviate suffering. These men and women have given their time and
regular incomes to come here and do this work at no charge. I’d say that’s
worthy of a little admiration.”
“I suppose,” he said with a dismissive
wave. “You’ll be working even longer hours once they arrive, won’t you?”
“Most likely, but I don’t mind. I want
to be there to help them handle as many patients as possible during their stay,
but until they get here, I just want to relax and enjoy myself.” She grabbed
him by both hands and pulled him up. “Come on, dance with me.”
They wriggled in among the moving
bodies in the center of the room and stayed on the floor for the next three
songs. Winded and thirsty, when Adanna stepped off of the shiny wooden dance
floor and headed for the bar, she stopped in her tracks at the sight of her
brother staring right at her.
She strode up to him with her arms
folded and asked, “What are you doing here, Emeka? Are you spying on me?”
He squinted and mimicked her stance.
“No, my dear sister. I am not spying on you. I just happened to stop in for a
drink. It is a public place.”
Already hot and sweaty, Adanna’s
temperature rose as if she were walking over hot coals. “Don’t tell me any
bloody lies, Emeka! You don’t even like nightclubs. I’m sick of you skulking
around to find out what I’m doing.” She shoved her hands onto her hips and
jutted her chin toward him. “Your time would be better spent trying to find a
wife instead of playing guardian to a grown woman.”
“I promised Dad I would watch over you,
and I will keep that promise until you have a husband to look after you.” His
patronizing smile only made her angrier.
“Don’t you understand that I can look
after myself? I’m not helpless. I’m not stupid, and this is not 1950, Emeka.”
He took her hand. “I know you’re not
stupid. I love you, and I’m going to protect you until you find a man who
will.”
“Please go away.” Determined to put a
stop to his interference for good, she pulled from his grasp. Adanna stormed
across the room in search of Femi as if her hair was on fire. She found her
friend standing at the bar talking to one of the men with whom she’d been
dancing earlier.
“Excuse me,” Adanna interrupted. “May I
speak to you for a minute, please?”
“What’s wrong?” She must have read her
furious expression. “Pardon me,” Femi said to the man as she hooked her arm
through Adanna’s. “I’ll be right back.”
Both women moved to an unoccupied table
nearby. “You’ll never believe this! My brother is here spying on me.”
“Why do you think that? Maybe he just
happened to drop by for a drink.”
“First of all, Emeka doesn’t do
nightclubs, Femi. And when I asked him what he was doing here, he all but
admitted it.” Adanna waved her arms in the air like a demented symphony
conductor. “He must’ve found out from Manny or Agu that we planned to come here
tonight. The nerve of him! This is crossing the line. I’m going home.”
“Breathe, girl.” Femi grabbed her by
the shoulders. “You can’t leave now. It’s late, and it’s not safe to be out
there alone. Why don’t you order yourself another beer and just ignore him? If
it were me, I’d show him I didn’t care whether he was here watching me or not.
I’d go on dancing and having a good time.”
After a few seconds, Adanna dragged in
a long breath to calm herself. “You’re right. He just gets me so upset.” She
took a napkin from the table and patted her brow. “I’m going to get another
drink. Sorry, I disturbed your conversation.”
“No big deal. He was boring as hell.”
Femi laughed. “I think I’ll look around for someone a little more interesting.”
She walked away, swishing her ample hips to the beat of the music.
Adanna took Femi’s advice and stayed on
the dance floor for the next hour. Even though she’d kept one eye on the crowd
the entire time, she hadn’t seen Emeka again. Either he had relocated to a less
conspicuous spot or he’d given up and gone home.
Actually, she had a good time once
she’d decided to stay with her friends and pushed Emeka’s interference to the
back of her mind. Regardless, something needed to be done about her brother.
--------------
Till You Come Back to Me, available now! Show Chicki some love by leaving a comment below for a chance to win a complimentary copy!
Posts
