Sex doesn't always sell...

Know your audience.  Know who you are writing for. 

Sound advice.  Too bad I didn't take it.

I started out writing "Fame, Love" as a story about first love that also happened to be sexual---because quite honestly, when you are 19 and in love for the first time, sex is a very big part of the relationship.  However, the sexuality meant I couldn't classify my book as Young Adult.  I've read enough publishers guidelines to know that even though my protagonist is of age, and other books have college-age characters, YA is geared towards the younger readers in the 13-19 age spectrum.  OK, fair enough. 

But I didn't want to write "erotica", either.  The sex was neither gratiutous nor titallating, and quite frankly not that graphic.  Again, it was part of the story, but not the reason for telling the story.

So onto Romance.  The only problem was, this book doesn't really read like a Romance in the traditional sense.  Generally, virgins in Romance are firmly placed in the Edwardian era.  Virgins in modern times fall into two categories:  Young Adult, as in "Twilight", or Erotica, as in "Fifty Shades"...my book was neither, so around and around I went. 

I wrote the story I wanted, and only came across these issues when it was time to answer the all important question of which category this book would fall under.  I'm not sure I would have changed anything.  I MAY have made it less explicit to fall into the Young Adult category because these titles are so commercial.  But if I had, would I regret it now because Romance is such a consistent best seller?

What did happen is that my book has jumped from one category to another in it's short life.  Initially, I think I classified it as a Contemporary Romance, where it promptly fell into the black hole of all the Sex and the City-like books out there.  My character was not an urban, jaded, sexually adventurous woman in her late twenties on a quest to get married.  She was an innocent young woman in a committed relationship with someone who was just as crazy in love with her.  Clearly, this was a different story.  Because if the overarching conflict of most contemporary Romances is overcoming baggage from past relationships and learning to love someone, and if the question was whether the characters would wind up together, then...my book wasn't quite it.  As a Romance reader myself, I know there are specific elements I look for and I didn't want to annoy people because my book didn't deliver those elements.

Onto Fiction/Drama.  Initially, I felt better about this category because I liked focusing in on the "drama" of the story (celebrity culture destroying a sound relationship), rather than the will-they-get-together part.   However, I noticed that the book was getting returns, which didn't happen before.  Was this book was failing to meet expectations; or were the descriptions of sex were a problem?  I couldn't fix someone just not liking the book, but I could fix expectations.  When a reviewer addressed this by saying that the books was not for young readers, my suspicions were confirmed.  I had avoided any "teen" labels, stated "sexual awakening" in the description, and placed it in an adult category.  But without the Romance designation, was the book confusing people?   Again, for those who haven't read the book, this story is about two young people who are perfect for each other in every way, but because of their successes, are having a hard time staying together.  I kept the romantic and emotional elements in---but I certainly didn't use euphemisms when describing what happened between them. 

Now the final (or should I just say current) iteration of the book is that it is in the Sports Fiction category, and the very first line of the description states that it is sexually explicit, so the "Adult" designation is made clear.  The male character IS an NBA player, and the problems in their relationship are caused by the fame that this brings.  If found in a Chick Lit, Young Adult or Contemporary Romance category, readers may be disappointed at the role sports plays in the story (god forbid, I don't get into stats or anything, but if you "hate" sports, then it's probably too much).  Alternatively, women browsing the "Sports Fiction" category are probably women who like reading about the challenges that pro athletes face (fans of Basketball Wives?)  will find this book to be just what they are looking for.  Which is exactly who my audience is.

I may not agree with changing elements of a story to fit into a category, especially if done for marketing purposes.  But once the book is finished, I do see the importance of knowing who will love your book, who will hate it, who will be offended by it...and THEN market accordingly.

Choosing a cover

The changes continue...
I changed my book cover from this:

 



to this:

 

 

 



The dimensions are supposed to be 300 DPI and a 1:6 ratio.  Mine is 72 DPI because that's what it turned into after I shrunk it down to 625x950.  I'm not really sure what all that means; it's just what I was able to glean from researching.

Anyway, I did everything myself---can you tell??!  My Pinterest addiction notwithstanding,  I am not a visual person.  I don't know how to Photoshop anything, and I barely know enough to create a collage.  So when I first thought about design covers I wanted something simple; something that would convey youth, and would let someone browsing the book know that this wasn't a chick-lit, YA, kind of read.  In what was a completely unoriginal, derivative process, I came up with the idea of using denim to represent a story about college students.  Hmm, kinda like using a tie to represent a bondage loving billionaire...

I also looked through several book illustrations in my genre and realized that you could always spot the book written by a newbie by the proverbial cover.  Usually, they included some kind of vector graphic, or an illustration that shouted "public domain!".  Or worse, hand drawn artwork by someone who clearly was not an artist.

In contrast, I saw how good covers were rich and multilayered.  Titles weren't in just one color, font, or size.  Pictures weren't static, but enhanced and cropped with other images, then layered with the text.  I tried to create this effect myself, but to no avail.  So, like someone who decides to go with a Little Black Dress when in doubt about what to wear, I went with a minimalist cover.  I would be invisible and forgettable, but at least I wouldn't be inappropriate.  The result was clearly amateur, but at least it didn't have some sketch of a crying girl looking out of a window.  Or a dude with a gun.

Cover finished, I moved on to the editing (!), the preparation to get it to CreateSpace, the marketing, and the obsessive checking of rank.  Every now and then I'd even start to think about the next book. 

But in the back of my mind, I kept wondering if the cover itself, rather than being the plain, neutral but non-offensive cover I wanted it to be, was causing me to lose sales.  Because, really, that cover said nothing about the plot, and it didn't even say anything about what kind of book it was.  Then one day, when I was lucky enough to have it be in the Top 100, I scrolled through the list, and there was "Fame", drab and stark, looking very out of place.

That was it.  I HAD to make a change.  First on my list:  a cover with at least one person on it.   I noticed that I always looked at a cover with a picture on it, and especially if there were actually people in the picture.  I think this is just one of those reflexes---we're curious about other people's photos.  It didn't even matter if  liked the cover or not; like a speed bump, I slowed down for a closer look.  So, I downloaded a photo of a blonde woman at a crossroads.  The story's conflict is not solely about the dilemma Jamie faces between two men, but ultimately, it was the best of what was available.   More importantly, this picture was of a young blonde woman like Jaime, so that was a bg plus.  I also liked that you couldn't see a face on the cover.  Better, I think, for the reader to project their own idea of what the character looked like than to have them think, "that's not what I imagined she  would look like at all!"   I spent a few days on Picassa, and mostly through trial and error, I came up with a cover that is eye catching and hopefully gives the reader a sense of what is inside.

The fact that the cover developed organically is the true lesson for me.  The picture, the colors, the fonts are very different from my sensibilities.  Surprisingly, though, it suits the book better than anything I could have envisioned before I started working on it, and that's how I know the cover has captured the essence of the story.

"C" is for Controversy

Well.  Anyone with an interest in writing will probably be fascinated, as I was, with the latest controversy regarding self published authors.  (Read the article, here.)  The uproar started when best selling author Sue Grafton referred to SPA's as lazy and unwilling to do hard work.  What's even more interesting is reading the comments section at the end of these articles.  It's given me a chance to address my own feelings about the legitimacy of self publishing by seeing how vigorously and articulately it was defended.

Obviously, Sue Grafton is entitled to her own opinion, but that is not what people are reacting to.  "50 Shades of Grey is overhyped" is an opinion.   But this?   "Don't self publish.  That's as good as admitting you're too lazy to do the hard work."  Or, " Self-publishing is a short cut and I don’t believe in short cuts when it comes to the arts. I compare self-publishing to a student managing to conquer Five Easy Pieces on the piano and then wondering if s/he’s ready to be booked into Carnegie Hall" .

Those aren't opinions, they're judgements, and it's petty coming from an author with the success that Sue Grafton has achieved.

I understand her point about the flood of bad books out there; I said myself that anyone with access to a computer can now be published.  Yes, when there are no barriers to entry, a surge of unqualified people come into the market, and this dilutes/demeans/devalues the craft.  But this is true for any endeavor.  American Idol, America's Next Top Model, America's Got Talent, to name just a few, are wildly successful precisely because we see just how ordinary everyone else is.  Especially during the auditions.  But then, through hard work and "coaching", we watch as a handful of people with genuine talent emerge and are recognized---voted for---by the public.  Not the experts, not the gate keepers.  But the public.  It's fair, it's fun;  it works in entertainment, and apparently it works in writing, too.   

Now Sue Grafton has come along to tell us that we are not only ordinary but delusional, to boot.

Why would she even care?  I mean, I don't think Jennifer Lopez sees people who take polite applause at the Karaoke bar as evidence of their singing chops, an insult to her "art".   Does Simon Cowell consider the only road worthy of a platinum album one that involves years of singing in nearly-empty clubs?   My guess is that they don't spend too much time worrying about whether or not someone has paid their dues.  They recognize that things are different now and they use that difference to build new and more successful careers for themselves.

I am aware of the thousands of poorly written, poorly edited and aggressively marketed books out there because that is my competition.  If I resent anything, it's that the presence of these tens of thousands of bad books make it that much harder for other people to take a chance on my book.  But so what?   A quick preview, reader ratings, book rank---these give more than enough information about whether to proceed---for the reader AND the writer.  The market decides quickly, and the effect on me (if I've produced a book that people want) is minimal in the long run. 

Maybe I can be philosophical about this because I've already gone through this weeding out process in the course of establishing my blog.  After two years of writing and refining, I now have a small but solid following.  In the meantime, I've seen a few blogs do really well, but those blogs reflected the care and passion of their creators.  Some of the blogs that started at the same time as I did, the ones whose creators manically flooded every blog hop in an attempt to raise their Goodle reader count, but then promptly unfollowed everyone who followed them:  I've lasted long enough to see those blogs become abandoned.  At best, they are limping along with a post once or twice a month, their creators dreams of Internet riches through ad revenue or sponsorships sinking fast.  Again, the quality of the product and the market decides.

I also understand the entrepreneurial impulse to create and build something with your own (figurative) hands.  The economy is in tatters, millions of people are unemployed, and many women with kids are trying to find a way to earn an income while staying home.  It's an admirable and natural instinct to try a variety of different things.  I know I did, and I failed at a few of them myself (online customer service rep, anyone?)  I'm just a little more determined when it comes to writing, I think, because I've been doing it without pay for so long I've convinced myself that this is something that makes me happy. Writing, that is.  Not working without pay. 

Anyway, when a successful, established author criticizes "us" for being lazy, for taking shortcuts and worst of all, for being poor writers (!!) then it's no wonder she triggers a strong reaction.  Especially when most of the writers who are serious about being independent authors HAVE had to take rejection.  Years and years worth, actually.  And oh yes, we HAVE spent years refining plot, structure, character development and all the myriad other things that result in good writing. 

Worse, Grafton's is such an…ungenerous, uninformed and again, judgemental position to take.  Sure, there are now thousands of "wannabe" writers, but thousands (millions?) of new readers have been created as well, in the form of electronic readers, tablets and even mobile phones.  Perhaps Sue should move beyond thinking of herself as a master craftsman, toiling in a "salon" with a few apprentices at her feet, and into the 21st century where reading is neither as leisurely nor literary as it once was.

Books are no longer the discrete objects they once were.  Without the restrictions of space, weight and cost, books have become goods.  Not too long ago, a person who owned thousands of books had to have both space to store them and money to buy them.  Now, you can hold thousands of books in the clutch of your hand, and with free books being offered every single day, those books could be acquired without spending a penny.   Today, people own titles, not books.  They are acquired at a faster rate than ever before, and the explosion of sub genres like fanfic or steampunk means more people are reading because they have found something they can relate to.

Wouldn't it make more sense, then, to accept that whether people are reading books or simply acquiring them, the old paradigms have shifted?  And that perhaps, in this brave new world of online publishing, there is more than one way to be a legitimate author?

Here's the follow-up interview:

http://louisvilleky.com/2012/08/more-from-sue-grafton-on-publishing-indie-writers/

As well as a timely Forbes article about independent publishing:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidvinjamuri/2012/08/15/publishing-is-broken-were-drowning-in-indie-books-and-thats-a-good-thing/

Newbies

In an earlier post, I wrote about groups and communities I had joined in order to promote my book, and of how I would have to do more than just throw a link up with a smiley face to "read my book"!  Now that I've finally finished setting up accounts on AuthorMarketingClub, Shelfari, LibraryThing and Goodreads, and created my author pages on Amazon and Facebook, it's time to double back and start contributing.  Because what I've realized, and what every book promoter emphasizes, is that you have to give something back.  Whether it's just to comment on a post, or to participate in tag exchanges, it can't just be all about you.

Anyone who believes otherwise should look at how "self promoters" are either ignored, or attacked on forums.  As a writer with a book to promote, I understand how single minded you can get.  You read about how writers like Colleen Hoover and John Locke marketed themselves and their books to the top of the book seller lists, and it's easy to follow their steps as if it were a checklist:  Twitter, Facebook, Community Boards.  Twitter, Facebook, Community Boards.  Repeat until successful. 

The only problem is, the people receiving those tweets have to actually know and like you.  Even if it's in the most superficial, online sort of way.  Which is why participating, contributing, giving is important.  Otherwise, those are strangers on the other end of that keyboard, and they'll be the first to tell you that they did NOT log in today just to be of service to you by reading your book.  Despite your fifty posts imploring them to do so.   Worse, you've probably just lost some readers.   

Not that I'm an expert, but I think the best thing for a new writer to do is tread lightly.  To that end, I'm participating in Tag Exchanges where I list my book (like this one from Author Marketing Club).  As it's name makes clear, the purpose of the site is for author's to market their books so no one gets annoyed by people, umm, self promoting.   I'm also helping my book become more visible to readers who may be searching for books in my category.  Another bonus?  I'm getting to "know" other indie writers like me.

Gratitude

So yesterday I decided to put a link to my book from this site.   I had a link before but took it down because of the Amazon KDP Terms and Conditions clause:  "When you choose KDP Select for a book, you're committing to make the digital format of that book available exclusively through KDP. During the period of exclusivity, you cannot distribute your book digitally anywhere else, including on your website, blogs, etc. However, you can continue to distribute your book in physical format, or in any format other than digital."

I was pretty sure that providing a link TO Amazon from my blog could not be considered "distributing" my book somewhere else, but I didn't want any reason to get booted from the program so I took it down.  However, after doing some more reading on the Community boards, I came to the conclusion that distributing meant I couldn't sell the book through Barnes and Noble or some other channels.

I could be wrong on this.

Anyway, I decided I was giving up a way to market the book, and so went back to put up the links.  Where I discovered:

Which meant that the CreateSpace paperback was up there, it just wasn't linked to the Kindle edition.  Which meant that the reviews, tags and likes (as hard earned as they were) weren't helping sell the paperback.  I also wondered why the paperback version was designated as Volume 1, but that's something else I'm going to have to sort out.

I'm tempted to complain about what a huge hassle all this is, but I have to keep everything in perspective.  Three months ago I was an unpublished writer who had spent most of her adult life trying to get a contract, deal---hell, a call back---from anyone in the publishing industry. 

Today, my book is on Amazon (!), it's in the hands of thousands of readers, and now it's in print form.  And yes, it was all free.  Oh, and I have the ability to check sales on an hourly basis.  Which even authors like John Grisham couldn't do ten (five?) years ago.

A little bit of gratitude for the technology and opportunity is in order; I realize that. 

Maybe this will help me focus on how, in a very small way, I was able to manifest my dream of becoming a published writer.  Yes, the sales are small, and I'm floundering in the six digit rankings, but would that have been different if I had been published by a traditional publishing company?  I mean, is every book sold at Barnes and Noble a blockbuster? 

Instead, I bypassed celebrating and sending out a silent "thank you" and good karma to every single person who spent their money on my words and jumped directly into not-good-enough. 

I wonder---is life like this, in general?  I have dreamed for so long of seeing my name in print, yet when it happened, the moment passed as if it were just another item crossed off my to-do list.  When I saw the number of downloads ranking up during the free promo,  when I see actual (paid!) sales, I don't stop and savor what a frikkin miracle that is.  Why?

If someone had told me ten years ago when life was pretty bleak and I was tempted to give up: "keep writing, because in 2012 you are going to be published, and your book is going to briefly hit #1 on an Amazon chart"  I would have been delirious with joy.   Yet today, all I can think about is why the book isn't #1 on a REAL Amazon bestseller list, and all the crap I still have to do.
I think a silent moment to look back and see how far I've come will go a long way in changing my mindset.

Changes

I've changed several things since I last posted.

The first is I made my book available through CreateSpace.  I approved the proofs, and now I'm waiting for the book to show up on Amazon.  It's supposed to take 5-10 business days.  I'm on Day 4, and nothing yet.

I also sent a request to Kindle that previous buyers of my book be able to update their copy with a newer version.  I thought about this a lot.  On the one hand, it should be obvious: of course I would want everyone to have the newest version possible.  On the other hand, am I just highlighting my indie author status by doing this???  As in, hey, look at me, I couldn't get the book right the first time???

I was leaning towards NO notifications, but then I realized that with 7500 downloads out there, there are a lot of people who probably haven't read the book yet.  How would I feel if some of those people gave the book bad reviews because of typos, knowing that this time, I had a chance to correct it? 

So, I sent an email to Kindle Support.  Still waiting for that, too.

In the meantime, I'm realizing that I'm incapable of multi-tasking, at least when it comes to writing.  When there's a problem with my kids; even if they're just home with the flu---I find it hard to concentrate on anything else.  Well!  It feels like "Fame, Love and other Lessons" is one child that's sick, and I'm having a hard time trying to do anything else when all my focus is on trying to make sure this book gets "better". 

Which is a long way of saying I have done nothing with my next project.

No excuses on my part, but how does anyone else do it?  I'm trying to get a paperback version available, waiting to hear about updates, tracking sales, and trying to participate in the community.  I'm starting to feel overwhelmed…

Oh, and the other thing I've changed:  I moved the book from Fiction/Drama to Fiction/Contemporary Romance.  I know this runs counter to what I said earlier, but after looking at the books on the Drama best seller list last week, I just couldn't keep the book there anymore.  It seemed so out of place.  The biggest thing, though, is that this book has explicit sexual content.  Nothing on the level of erotica, but I thought that if I put it in Romance, there would be no suprises.  I mean, the book is not on the YA list, and I've been very careful to avoid any kind of YA designation for precisely that reason, but one reviewer said they wouldn't recommend it to anyone under 16.  Which leads me to believe that I hadn't been clear enough.

I continue to wait…

Free Fallin'

I have dropped out of the Amazon Top 100 in my category.  Urgh.  How could I have gone from a high of #17 (paid) to god-knows-what in ten days??

I'm trying to fight an impulse to deny what's happening:  there HAS to be a mistake.  Immediately after my book became "available" on CreateSpace, but before it's been posted on Amazon, my sales started dropping…to nothing.  Coincidence?  Hmm, I think not.

Maybe it's the Olympics!

Or maybe it's this blog!

Or maybe it's all this social marketing stuff having an adverse effect!

Or maybe I should just face facts and accept that my book is D-O-N-E.

Inside, I'm doing the equivalent of dropping to my knees, shaking a fist to the sky and screaming, "Why, God, Why??  Why don't they like my book?!"

But on the outside, I'm just sitting here trying to figure out what to do next.  And blogging about it.

The most productive thing is to:

1.  Be patient.

2.  Work on my next project.

3.  Try to figure out other ways to market the book.

Let's go through this one at a time. 

Be patient.  On the one hand, there's a lot going on.  Supposedly, Amazon is going through some system changes.  At least that's what someone posted on the Community boards, so the shit MUST be true.  And, again, I don't know what effect offering my book in paperback and Kindle version is going to have.  So, I should be patient.  It's not like I have a choice or anything.

Work on my next project.  This makes the most sense in a Buddhist/therapist-advice kind of way.  Instead of trying to give myself the appearance of control over this process by constantly checking my ranking and reports, I should focus on doing the thing that I actually, really, do have control over, and that's creating. 

Other ways to market the book.  Well, I guess this can't hurt.  Also, I should take advantage of this "lull" in sales and upload yet another, edited version of the book.

I'm exhausted from worry.  And now I'm worried that there's something wrong with me because I'm seeing some obsessive tendencies surfacing.  I mean, really, I need to check my stats every hour??  Do all authors go through this?  Or just me?

Job description

I've taken several career aptitude tests in my life, and ironically, "Writer" never shows up in the top three of recommended jobs.  Instead, I am apparently meant for a career as an "Actuary" or "Accountant".  No offense to either field, especially since the only accountant-types I know are pretty successful, but nothing could be further from who I am.  I've been writing all my life, and am happiest when I'm being creative.  (Honestly, if "Teacher" and "Researcher" didn't up on the list, I would think the program was too lazy to move beyond the A's, and completely disregard the recommendations.)

I also can't chalk up the results to inexperience or youth.  The last test I took was about ten years ago when my children were starting school, and I wanted to get back into the workforce.  So even as an adult with a career behind me, the best justification I could muster to being a writer was a lukewarm "Technical Writer" suggestion somewhere in my Top Ten.   I helped write technical manuals years ago, and that has about as much in common with writing a novel as working at a fast food restaurant does to being a chef.

I'm thinking about this now because I feel as if some of the skills I was identified as having:  analytical, communication, and technical---are what I'm using the most of now as an independent author.

The analytical part is necessary for editing (well, this aptitude is apparently trumped by impatience in my case).  But the communication and technical skills go hand in hand with marketing yourself, i.e., your "brand" through social media.

For the past few weeks, I've worked full-time to set up author pages on Facebook and Amazon, set up accounts on Goodreads, Author Marketing Club and others, joined groups, lists and boards, combed through dozens of online resources, and of course, started this blog.  And this is just the beginning.  I actually have to/want to contribute to these groups.  Which I will do as soon as I get through the rest of my marketing to-do list.

Way back in the 20th century, I thought being a Writer meant spending most of your time…writing.  It still does, I suppose.  Except now you're writing blogs, status updates, About Me pages, and posts. 

I guess I've become a Technical Writer, after all.