Writers in the Storm

We're so excited here at WITS. The amazing teacher and writer, Shannon Donnelly, has agreed to be a monthly contributor! Read on - you're going to be excited too! Here's Shannon:

The great thing about ebooks is you can keep changing the cover. The bad thing about ebooks is you can keep changing the cover. It becomes a lot like putting on a new outfit--you're not really sure if the new one is a favorite because it's great, or just because it's new. I'm hoping this evolution for my book, Paths of Desire is heading forward.

The first cover was very much an experiment in making something from other things. I love the pose and the sunset, but while I also love silhouettes, these didn't "read" well to readers. The ship is also a touch out of period, and that bugged me.

The dress is also a little out of period. While it's not all that obvious, the waistline is low, meaning this reads as more of a Georgian era, which doesn't work for a book set from 1813 to 1817.

The fonts, here, too, were used to copy those on my other Regency romances. While the fonts read as "romance" I'm not sure they really gave me as much polish to the cover as I wanted. There's a whole art to fonts, and there's also a style--certain things come in and out of fashion. As with any other fashion, you can get too trendy and end up dating your cover (just look back at covers from the 1980's...or the 1960's!) You can also get too fancy. When in doubt, go with readable.

But you also need something that really sells the book. This wasn't it.

So it was on to the next draft.

For version number two, some elements stayed, some changed. Mostly it was about changing the couple. Again, silhouette was used--I had the idea that the suggestion of the couple would be cool. And, yes, it's nice, but still not as eye catching as I wanted.

Notice the pose is different--this is what I call the almost kiss. The dress is now period for the woman. And I really liked that moment before the kiss--that's what I think is always the best moment...the anticipation.

I'd call this a good cover, but it wasn't quite as slick as I wanted. It was low cost, so that let me get the book for sale so the book could actually finance how things went.

The silhouettes, however, while they were something I liked, did not really catch the eye. There's nothing here to really pop out. I also think the ship sent the wrong idea--it's a little too "piratey". I wanted the sense of a journey (as in paths, as in the story is about two folks and their journey into a relationship), but the ship is just too much Captain Jack (yes, Disney influences us all.)

And, yes, it was time to go onto the next version.

For the next cover, I went hunting and found Della Jacobs, who does great covers, as well as writing great books. The goal here was to get a stronger pose for the couple. I also wanted to keep the path/journey theme going on the cover, since that was the heart of the book. So this cover was born:

The outline on the lettering helped the text stand out, and the two different fonts also add a little more style. We still have that moment before the kiss on the cover. So I really liked this. But there was one problem.

When this cover is very, very small, the faded out couple tends not to read well (not a great thing for an ebook). It still looks good here, but on a page with a lot of other colors and art and text, the cover does tend to get lost. Sometimes understatement is great for your personal style, but not for a book cover.

What matters with an ebook is the sales numbers, and while the trend was upward, this cover wasn't giving me the numbers I wanted. So back on the hunt.

Searches led me to Hot Damn Designs. I browsed the covers and the stocks. And I liked the covers. The cost was within budget, too (always a consideration.) So I sent them information and selected some stock that I liked.

Kim, the main designer, sent back two options, and both were great.

The red automatically appealed to me the most--but then I like to wear red a lot, too. However, the pillows and the background had kind of a Belle Epoch feeling, which wasn't quite the historical tone I wanted. The hint of red hair also did not suit the dark haired heroine. So version 3B it was.

This also added in the tag line (not something you can see in the small version, but it's hinted at enough that someone might click to see a larger version of the cover. We still have, too, the anticipation of the kiss.

I also thought this gave the idea that the book is a hotter Regency historical. Since I've written shorter, lighter Regencies, some folks may expect that and may not like the sex in the book. But it's vital to the story and the characters, and so it's there. The cover had to say that.

It's too early to tell, yet, if the cover will do great. It's already doing better than the other two covers. But is it too much in fashion? We've lost the path feeling, so is that bad?  Does this now look like too many other book covers? Does it do enough to tell the reader what the book is about (other than two folks in bed?)

Covers have limited space, and an author always wants more--can you put in the travel, and the couple, and oh, yes, there should be a London stage (she's an actress,) and he's an explorer, so a map or compass would be cool. And with that you now have a cover with so much going on that it's impossible to see anything. But does this need more?

Time will tell. And maybe another cover will appear in a few months.

Shannon Donnelly's writing has won numerous awards, including a RITA nomination for Best Regency, the Grand Prize in the "Minute Maid Sensational Romance Writer" contest, judged by Nora Roberts, RWA's Golden Heart, and others. Her writing has repeatedly earned 4½ Star Top Pick reviews from Romantic Times magazine, as well as praise from Booklist and other reviewers, who note: "simply superb"..."wonderfully uplifting"....and "beautifully written."

Her latest Regency Historical Romance, Paths of Desire, can be found as an ebooks on Kindle, Nook and at Smashwords, along with her Regency romances, and her free novella, Cats Cradle. She has had novellas published in several anthologies, has had young adult horror stories published, and is the author of several computer games.

She lives in New Mexico with two horses, two donkeys, two dogs, and the one love of her life. Shannon can be found online at sd-writer.com, facebook.com/sdwriter, and twitter/@sdwriter.

By Susan Squires

What a crazy, confusing and possibly wonderful world publishing is today. The traditional publishing world is under duress and their business model depends more and more on writers who are already selling a zillion books. While they may still be looking for the next big thing, just like in other mediums, the next big thing must hit quickly or it’s discarded. The continuing niche for a mid-list writer with respectable sales is disappearing. Many traditional publishers are getting into digital publishing to compete with the e-publishers who established themselves while New York wasn’t looking. And it has become really easy to publish yourself. The number of self-published titles is growing exponentially, but many of those books are not of professional quality. Readers are becoming wary of spending money on what I’ve heard one reader call “books only the author could love.”

What all this means is a lot of choices for an author, which should be a good thing. But since when has having a lot of choices made things easier?  In the recent Romance Writers Report, there was an excellent piece by Marliss Melton on the pros and cons of self-publishing. Everyone writer should read it. But I thought I’d put a personal spin on those pros and cons, because just recently I had to make that choice.

I was at an interesting time in my life. I was burned out on writing because I’d had both a hefty day job and deadlines from my publisher for almost twelve years. After seventeen novels, frankly, I wasn’t sure I wanted to write anymore. But I did have an idea I liked for a series (The Children of Merlin) so I sent it in to my lovely editor at St. Martin’s Press. I knew something had to change though. I did the numbers, and found that I could finally retire from the day job.

Here’s where it gets tricky. St. Martin’s passed on my series. My agent thought he could sell it elsewhere, but I told him to hold sending it out. I had to find out whether I still wanted to write. It took a while, but the joy came back. I completed the first novel in the series, DO YOU BELIEVE IN MAGIC? I gave my agent the go ahead to try and sell the series.

But the changes in publishing were becoming more evident. I had writer friend who was doing very well publishing herself, and loved the fact that she could choose her own covers, write her own copy and set her own deadlines. She was producing lots of quirky cozy mysteries that sold well. She encouraged me to strike out on my own. Choose your cover? Write your copy? I found that intimidating. (If you want to check her out, her name is Melanie Jackson and her newest series is Miss Henry Mysteries)

As my proposal ran through the levels at some print houses, and digital first presses expressed immediate interest, I felt like a deer in the headlights. What did I want to do?

The moment of clarity for me came when Angela James, editor at Carina Press, Harlequin’s digital division, spoke at the Orange County Romance Writers of America meeting. She did a great job answering the question, “Why you should write for Carina rather than self-publish?” Here’s my recollection of her checklist:

1) Write for Carina if you aren’t familiar with the editing and publishing process to gain experience.

2) You can get an advance at Carina and some digital presses like it (though not a large one.)

3) You have the backing of a big publisher.

4) Publishing your book in the various formats requires time and skill.

I think that afternoon in January was the point where I truly considered publishing my series myself.

1) I had twelve years of experience publishing with NY and felt I knew the process pretty well. I could hire copy-editing, cover art, and even content editing if I wanted.

2) I was at the time of my life where advances weren’t as important. Would I make more money with a NY contract? Or a small press contract? Unclear. NY gives (usually) 10% royalties and 25% on e-books. Carina gave 40% royalties but didn’t do print. Self-publishing yields 70% royalties, though with very few exceptions you will sell far fewer books. I know authors who are doing financially very well publishing themselves, and authors who aren’t. However, if ever I was going to take the risk, it was when I was no longer dependent on advances.

3) Publishing houses have provided little support for authors for years, except if you happen to be Nora Roberts or Charlaine Harris. You are expected to promote your books, manage contests and websites, etc., for yourself. I had a healthy mailing list, of 37,000 names and was willing to take time to promote the book.

4) I had friends that said that publishing yourself wasn’t that hard. And if I couldn’t do it myself, I could hire it done very cheaply.

So what would I be losing, making a leap to self publishing? Well, I’d be saying goodbye to contest wins. No Rita in my future. My work would not be reviewed by the mainstream press. I wouldn’t be getting the respect of writing for a NY house. And that was the final decider. I actually started to laugh.

Was THAT why I was writing?

For contests and reviews and respect? Or was I writing to give people a good ride, to tell the stories I had inside me, to progress in my craft and have the satisfaction of earning money for my work? Besides, I’d done all that.

Suddenly it was all clear. It was time to take a risk and go into business for myself. So I had my agent retract the work from consideration at both print and digital-first publishers. Publishing my book turned out to be very doable, with a little coaching from my friends who had already figured it out. I published DO YOU BELIEVE IN MAGIC? in April. And I’m two- thirds through writing the second book in the series. Sales are coming in, and I feel good about my decision.

Now, here’s the million-dollar question. Would I have wanted to self-publish if I hadn’t already been published in print by NY houses? No. I have to say I would have tried as hard as I could to get published in traditional print. Here’s why:

1) I think it’s much harder to have significant sales if you are currently unpublished, and I wanted my books to have as wide an audience as possible.

3) I needed an editor, and experience, and time to build that mailing list, and learn how to promote.

4) I needed to demonstrate to myself that I could produce on time, on a deadline, and be sure that I was motivated enough to make writing a career.

5)  Though I hate to admit it, I needed the validation of people telling me that I was writing at a professional level. I’m not especially proud that I needed that, but it’s no use in denying that psychological factor.

My risky venture may not pay off. But I’ll never be sorry I tried. I’m just glad that the confluence of burnout, rejection, and a turning point my life combined to help me decide to give it a shot.

So, have you made a choice yet? What did you choose, and why? Your logic may help others in their decision!

Susan Squires is New York Times bestselling author known for breaking the rules of romance writing. She has won multiple contests for published novels and reviewer’s choice awards. Publisher’s Weekly named Body Electric one of the most influential mass market books of 2003 and One with the Shadows, the fifth in her vampire Companion Series, a Best book of 2007.

Susan has a Masters in English literature from UCLA and once toiled as an executive for a Fortune 500 company. Now she lives at the beach in Southern California with her husband, Harry, a writer of supernatural thrillers, and three very active Belgian Sheepdogs, who like to help by putting their chins on the keyboarddddddddddddddddd.

By Laura Drake

This was the conversation at crit group last week...

Me: So I was tweeting with Chicken on a Chain last night, and –

Jenny: Chicken WHAT?

Me: He’s a bull. Retired from the PBR, one of the best. You should’ve seen him at the finals in 2009 --

Jenny: You did not just say that you were tweeting with a bull. Hello – no opposed thumbs!

Me: Well I was more worried about his attitude. That dude is politically incorrect.

Hey – they’re no better. They then asked me if he tweeted about his cow girlfriends.

Sheesh. Romance Writers.

This conversation made me realize how entwined Twitter has become in my life. It’s my social media weapon of choice. I love it. Let me count the ways:

1. I found my Peeps

I’ve ‘met’ so many amazing people (and animals - I also follow a tortoise, a horse and an iguana) on Twitter.

I am a bull riding FANatic, and there’s a huge PBR following on Twitter. If an event isn’t televised, someone is bound to be in the stands, tweeting the scores as the rides happen. This must have been what it was like back in the days of radio, listening to a prize fight. Your imagination fills in the blanks, and you actually bond as a group.

2. Entertainment & News

News: Earthquake in New York? Tornados in Texas?  It’s on Twitter, first. And not just a talking head – but people who are experiencing it firsthand. People I ‘know.’

Entertainment: Humor hits – people are so clever! They keep me laughing through my lunch hour (okay, so I pop in now and again through the day too – fire me!)

3. Support

Through responding to tweets and retweeting (RT for short,) I can support my peeps, and they support me. All in 140 characters!  You don’t think that’s enough? Go create an account, gather a couple of friends, and check it out. It’s amazing! It’s a great lesson for writers in ‘write tight!’

4. Research

The other day when I was writing, and had a question about what the PBR calls the ‘roadies’ that set up the arena before an event. I tweeted my bud, Joe Scully, a rodeo announcer, and he got back to me in two minutes with the answer! That’s quicker than Google! I’ve found whatever experts I’ve ever needed on Twitter. Gypsies, bullfighters, goat ropers, mutton busters. People are so giving and helpful!

5. Advertisement & Marketing

Notice this is listed LAST. For a reason. Nothing will make me unfollow faster than someone who does nothing but pimp – themselves or their friends.

Yes, I know – if you’re self-published (or even if you’re not) you have to promote yourself. But people, promote is in a different place in the dictionary than pimp. It also has a slightly different definition – it’s a matter of degree.

You don’t think you have "peeps?" Sure you do. I don’t care how esoteric your subject – someone on Twitter is interested. You may just have to get creative.

I wanted to broaden my scope – to follow peeps who would find my book interesting (I haven’t broken my rule #5 above...my book doesn’t come out for over a year – plenty of time to connect on a personal level with people before I pimp promo.)

So I thought about it. Who else would like to read my PBR novels, besides PBR fans?  How about people who live in the country? Small towns? Western states? Farmers, horse people, dairymen, even truck gardeners! Do you know how many people that is?  Wow.

Find new hashtags to follow. That will help you find where those peeps hang out.  #agchat helped me a lot.

Your turn. How do you use Twitter? How do you find your Peeps there?  Do you follow animals, or is it just me?