Joanna Elm's Blog
March 4, 2023
Fool Her Once: Now Out In Paperback
Thank you to all those readers who entered the paperback giveaway for Fool Her Once. More than 3,700 of you entered. Unfortunately, my publisher was giving away only three print copies this time.
Fortunately, however, Fool Her Once was actually released in paperback this week so you can snap one up in any bookstore where you shop for books. Or online.
I happen to love paperbacks. My first crime thriller, Scandal, was published by Tor/Forge as a paperback original in 1996. It sold more than 70,000 copies.
Paperbacks are cheaper than hardcovers and light enough to toss into your suitcase if you're going away for a vacation or to the beach this Summer.
Check out some of the great reviews, blurbs and accolades for Fool Her Once on my website, here
www.joannaelm.com
Fortunately, however, Fool Her Once was actually released in paperback this week so you can snap one up in any bookstore where you shop for books. Or online.
I happen to love paperbacks. My first crime thriller, Scandal, was published by Tor/Forge as a paperback original in 1996. It sold more than 70,000 copies.
Paperbacks are cheaper than hardcovers and light enough to toss into your suitcase if you're going away for a vacation or to the beach this Summer.
Check out some of the great reviews, blurbs and accolades for Fool Her Once on my website, here
www.joannaelm.com
February 17, 2023
Fool Her Once Goodreads Giveaway
My publisher, CamCat Books, is giving away 3 print copies in a Goodreads Giveaway to celebrate the publication of the paperback of Fool Her Once. The giveaway started today and is open until Friday, March 3.
Check out the reviews and accolades on my website, here, https://www.joannaelm.com
The hardcover, e-book and audiobook editions of FHO have also gotten some great 5-star reviews here on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...
Check out the reviews and accolades on my website, here, https://www.joannaelm.com
The hardcover, e-book and audiobook editions of FHO have also gotten some great 5-star reviews here on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...
June 6, 2021
25 Years Between Thrillers: Why It's Easier for Writers Today
Twenty-five years is a helluva long time between thrillers. When you're writing them, that is. It gives readers a perfect reason to forget all about you. Lee Child and I got our start around the same time. His first Jack Reacher thriller was published about 25 years ago. My first thriller, Scandal, was also published 25 years ago.
Lee continued to write, producing approximately a thriller a year. I had a second thriller, Delusion, published the following year -- and then, I stopped. Until recently.
Fool Her Once which is due out next Spring 2022 from CamCatBooks is my third thriller to be published. So, it'll be 25 years between novels.
Which sort of makes me an expert on just how much things have changed for writers/authors in that time. When you're writing year after year, changes tend to creep up on you. When there's a gap of 25 years between one published novel and the next, the changes pretty much hit you in the face.
Just the other day, a question in my Twitter Feed got me thinking about all the other changes I've seen.
This immediately reminded me that I started pounding out my first novel, Scandal on a portable, but heavy word processor that used MS-DOS as an operating system for Microsoft Word. True, a step up from my trusty Corona. Let me say, I could never have completed even half a novel on a typewriter. Not when each edit or revision necessitates retyping the entire page!
The Process: Then and Now
But OMG ! That MS-DOS system was a killer! You may think Scrivener is a difficult writing software to learn. But it's a dream come true for authors --even if you only grasp the basics. Which brings me to the other “obstacles” writers had to grapple with back then.
Who remembers words like "daisy wheel" and "dot matrix to describe types of printers? Or memories of having to actually use printers like that to print 360 pages. Then, having all those pages copied at an Office Depot or Staples; or copied onto a floppy disk. Then, snail-mailing 360 pages to your agent or editor. Though back in those days, I seem to recall that mailing "printed matter" through the U.S. Post Office cost less than other mail.
Thank heaven authors these days don't have to rely on the Post Office to get their works to agents and editors. Internet email has rendered printing and mailing pages obsolete. Using the afore-mentioned Scrivener, for example, a couple of simple key strokes organize your chapters into a Word document -- which you attach to an email that allows your masterpiece to hurtle through cyberspace to said agent or editor.
Then there’s research: Just one word, here, really: Google. In general, you don't have to leave your armchair to research locations (Google Earth) or even subjects which you don't know too much about. Personally, this is not a change I embrace a hundred percent. I love going out on location research trips and searching out experts to interview, say, on police procedure or how the U.S. Coastguard operates in sailing accidents.
25 Years Later: Armies of Experts
All of these changes which have simplified the process -- if not the craft-- of writing novels have led to an explosion in the numbers of wannabe authors. This, in turn, has given rise to armies of experts and writing coaches. These, in turn, produce tsunamis of words on websites and in blogs with advice and tips on how to get published.
Back in 1996, I relied on a short stack of self-help books -- mostly published by Writers Digest. I attended one writing seminar somewhere in the vicinity of Deerfield Beach, Florida. So, it may have been one of the very first Sleuthfest conferences.
I attended a Bouchercon in Philadelphia in 1998 (where Lee Child got awarded Best First Novel!) and I attended meetings of the NY Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America. I was subsequently appointed to the Board of the NY Chapter after being introduced by fellow writer and friend Leslie Glass ( bestselling author of a series of NYPD procedurals.)
This time around, however, I really went all out to indulge my ambition to write a thriller which would "shine" among the millions of manuscripts that are being submitted yearly. Since starting my WIP, I've attended dozens of the available hundreds of workshops, seminars and online classes, many of which I’ve blogged about on my website.
This blog appeared as part of a longer posting (WITH PHOTOS) on my website at https://www.joannaelm.com
Lee continued to write, producing approximately a thriller a year. I had a second thriller, Delusion, published the following year -- and then, I stopped. Until recently.
Fool Her Once which is due out next Spring 2022 from CamCatBooks is my third thriller to be published. So, it'll be 25 years between novels.
Which sort of makes me an expert on just how much things have changed for writers/authors in that time. When you're writing year after year, changes tend to creep up on you. When there's a gap of 25 years between one published novel and the next, the changes pretty much hit you in the face.
Just the other day, a question in my Twitter Feed got me thinking about all the other changes I've seen.
This immediately reminded me that I started pounding out my first novel, Scandal on a portable, but heavy word processor that used MS-DOS as an operating system for Microsoft Word. True, a step up from my trusty Corona. Let me say, I could never have completed even half a novel on a typewriter. Not when each edit or revision necessitates retyping the entire page!
The Process: Then and Now
But OMG ! That MS-DOS system was a killer! You may think Scrivener is a difficult writing software to learn. But it's a dream come true for authors --even if you only grasp the basics. Which brings me to the other “obstacles” writers had to grapple with back then.
Who remembers words like "daisy wheel" and "dot matrix to describe types of printers? Or memories of having to actually use printers like that to print 360 pages. Then, having all those pages copied at an Office Depot or Staples; or copied onto a floppy disk. Then, snail-mailing 360 pages to your agent or editor. Though back in those days, I seem to recall that mailing "printed matter" through the U.S. Post Office cost less than other mail.
Thank heaven authors these days don't have to rely on the Post Office to get their works to agents and editors. Internet email has rendered printing and mailing pages obsolete. Using the afore-mentioned Scrivener, for example, a couple of simple key strokes organize your chapters into a Word document -- which you attach to an email that allows your masterpiece to hurtle through cyberspace to said agent or editor.
Then there’s research: Just one word, here, really: Google. In general, you don't have to leave your armchair to research locations (Google Earth) or even subjects which you don't know too much about. Personally, this is not a change I embrace a hundred percent. I love going out on location research trips and searching out experts to interview, say, on police procedure or how the U.S. Coastguard operates in sailing accidents.
25 Years Later: Armies of Experts
All of these changes which have simplified the process -- if not the craft-- of writing novels have led to an explosion in the numbers of wannabe authors. This, in turn, has given rise to armies of experts and writing coaches. These, in turn, produce tsunamis of words on websites and in blogs with advice and tips on how to get published.
Back in 1996, I relied on a short stack of self-help books -- mostly published by Writers Digest. I attended one writing seminar somewhere in the vicinity of Deerfield Beach, Florida. So, it may have been one of the very first Sleuthfest conferences.
I attended a Bouchercon in Philadelphia in 1998 (where Lee Child got awarded Best First Novel!) and I attended meetings of the NY Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America. I was subsequently appointed to the Board of the NY Chapter after being introduced by fellow writer and friend Leslie Glass ( bestselling author of a series of NYPD procedurals.)
This time around, however, I really went all out to indulge my ambition to write a thriller which would "shine" among the millions of manuscripts that are being submitted yearly. Since starting my WIP, I've attended dozens of the available hundreds of workshops, seminars and online classes, many of which I’ve blogged about on my website.
This blog appeared as part of a longer posting (WITH PHOTOS) on my website at https://www.joannaelm.com
December 17, 2018
I Am 22 Books Behind on the Reading Challenge: Here’s How I’m Going To Meet My Goal
Earlier this year, I lost my head. While working on deadline to finish writing my third novel, Book3, and then to complete edits and revisions, I signed up for the Goodreads Reading Challenge. I pledged to read 50 books by the end of the year.
As of the end of this week, Goodreads shows that I have read only 56% of the books I pledged to read (which is 28 out of the 50) -- and there's only 14 days of the year left. The situation, however, is not as bleak as it looks but Goodreads doesn't know that.
So, from time to time it has sent me an email with an incentive. For example, directing me to view which of my Goodreads "friends" has surpassed his/her number of pledged books (which is many of them). Or it will email a helpful suggestion of what to read next.
I don't need either an incentive to read (when I am not writing, or playing tennis, that's all I do.) Nor do I really need any helpful suggestions of what to read next. I have 72 books on my "want to read" shelf. And, I really, really want to read them. Dozens of those are actually already in my Kindle Library just waiting to be opened. And, I add new ones almost daily depending on Bookbub deals.
Read — But Not Reviewed
Anyway, I have read more than 28 books as of last count. On my website blog where this post originally appeared ( https://www.joannaelm.com/my-goodread... ) I included a screenshot of the additional 12 books that I have finished, but have not checked off yet as having read because I have not had the time to write a review for them. The twelve include the latest thrillers by Megan Abbott and Karin Slaughter and Hank Phillippi Ryan. Since then, I finished reading two more books, The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty and The Affair by Lee Child . So, in fact I have read 42 of 50 books.
Reading is the easy part. For example, three of the books I devoured in virtually one sitting. I started reading When Breath Becomes Air on a Saturday night, and was still reading it at 5a.m. on Sunday morning. Louise Doughty's 2013 bestseller, Apple Tree Yard was also mostly a one-sitting read (on a flight from Florida to New York with a "perfect" one-hour delay!) And, I more or less polished off Lee Child’s The Affair on the return flight, two days later. But the reviews are yet to be written.
I know Goodreads does not require a review to count the book as read, but I feel authors depend on reviews and that a reader shouldn't chalk up another book towards completing your challenge if you deprive the author of your review — even if it is only a line or two. After all, GR posts a publisher/author book description which precedes reviews and ratings.
Reviews TK (I Promise, Watch Me)
I do not anticipate a problem with reading another eight books before the end of the year. I have a good selection queued up in my Kindle, and I just added two more to my list. No surprise (see my review of Lee Child’s The Affair), they are both Jack Reacher thrillers
Nor do I really feel pressured by the thought of writing reviews for all the books I've finished reading for the Challenge. I have notes I made about most of them as I was reading. Anyway, it's a really nice change of pace to be assessing another author's work rather than sweating over one's own.
Give me a couple of weeks, and then, please feel free to check back to see if I succeeded in reading -- and reviewing-- the 50 books I pledged to read. I'm curious myself!
This is an excerpt of my blog and screenshots which I posted on my website at https://www.joannaelm.com/my-goodread...
As of the end of this week, Goodreads shows that I have read only 56% of the books I pledged to read (which is 28 out of the 50) -- and there's only 14 days of the year left. The situation, however, is not as bleak as it looks but Goodreads doesn't know that.
So, from time to time it has sent me an email with an incentive. For example, directing me to view which of my Goodreads "friends" has surpassed his/her number of pledged books (which is many of them). Or it will email a helpful suggestion of what to read next.
I don't need either an incentive to read (when I am not writing, or playing tennis, that's all I do.) Nor do I really need any helpful suggestions of what to read next. I have 72 books on my "want to read" shelf. And, I really, really want to read them. Dozens of those are actually already in my Kindle Library just waiting to be opened. And, I add new ones almost daily depending on Bookbub deals.
Read — But Not Reviewed
Anyway, I have read more than 28 books as of last count. On my website blog where this post originally appeared ( https://www.joannaelm.com/my-goodread... ) I included a screenshot of the additional 12 books that I have finished, but have not checked off yet as having read because I have not had the time to write a review for them. The twelve include the latest thrillers by Megan Abbott and Karin Slaughter and Hank Phillippi Ryan. Since then, I finished reading two more books, The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty and The Affair by Lee Child . So, in fact I have read 42 of 50 books.
Reading is the easy part. For example, three of the books I devoured in virtually one sitting. I started reading When Breath Becomes Air on a Saturday night, and was still reading it at 5a.m. on Sunday morning. Louise Doughty's 2013 bestseller, Apple Tree Yard was also mostly a one-sitting read (on a flight from Florida to New York with a "perfect" one-hour delay!) And, I more or less polished off Lee Child’s The Affair on the return flight, two days later. But the reviews are yet to be written.
I know Goodreads does not require a review to count the book as read, but I feel authors depend on reviews and that a reader shouldn't chalk up another book towards completing your challenge if you deprive the author of your review — even if it is only a line or two. After all, GR posts a publisher/author book description which precedes reviews and ratings.
Reviews TK (I Promise, Watch Me)
I do not anticipate a problem with reading another eight books before the end of the year. I have a good selection queued up in my Kindle, and I just added two more to my list. No surprise (see my review of Lee Child’s The Affair), they are both Jack Reacher thrillers
Nor do I really feel pressured by the thought of writing reviews for all the books I've finished reading for the Challenge. I have notes I made about most of them as I was reading. Anyway, it's a really nice change of pace to be assessing another author's work rather than sweating over one's own.
Give me a couple of weeks, and then, please feel free to check back to see if I succeeded in reading -- and reviewing-- the 50 books I pledged to read. I'm curious myself!
This is an excerpt of my blog and screenshots which I posted on my website at https://www.joannaelm.com/my-goodread...
April 3, 2018
What Authors Must Do in 2018 (Besides Writing)
In a 2016 blog post, I wrote : “I’m not totally sure, but I think Ernest Hemingway would consider himself fortunate for dying before it became a requirement for every author to have a website, and to blog, and to post regularly on social media sites like Facebook.
Returning to fiction writing (after twenty years away) has been quite an eye-opener. You must have a website, they said. An agent won’t even glance at your manuscript if you don’t have a website. Oh, and way before anyone accepts your book for publication, you’ll need to build an audience by blogging on the website, and posting on social media.“
What Authors Must Do
The blog was titled I. Need. To. Do. What? Today, I have an update on how it’s all working out for me. Selected snippets from the original blog are below. The original blog in December 2016 started with the thrill over a new iphone after I finally ditched my well-worn flip-top phone (does anyone even remember what those looked like?)
First, A Smartphone
2016 Blog: I took my first photos with my new phone after cajoling hubby to take a walk with me. I discovered I could immediately send them out as emails or messages. So, I sent one to our son, Dan, with a text: “Got new iphone. Taking your father for a walk.” He texted right back:
“On the leash? Off the leash? What’s the law in Florida?”
2018 Update: The ability to take my own photos on my cell phone is invaluable. Not that I take the greatest photos in the world, but my own photos provide the images for most of my blogs. Rather than using generics, I’ve been able to illustrate events I’ve attended like the Palm Beach Book Festival and Writers Group lunches.
I also use my iphone when I go on trips to research locations for my new thriller, Book 3. I did it last summer on a boat ride around Peconic Bay, and driving around the North Fork of Long Island where a major portion of my current WIP is set.
Next, A Website
2016 Blog : I enlisted the help of a very smart, tech-savvy friend who procured a domain name (mine); and had the site up and running in no time. All I had to do was choose a theme, choose an image for my Welcome page, write a Welcome page, create a posts page, write the headers… Help!
No problem. Google and WordPress between them have the answers to any question a newbie might have: How do I move my widgets? What are widgets? How do I get photos from my iphone onto my website? What’s SEO? What shall I blog about?
2018 Update: Suffice it to say, I mastered the basics a long time ago. Nor is it difficult for me to write a blog once a week. And, by blogging just once a week, I have achieved my original objective which is Google recognition by Google’s “spiders.” (Please feel free to google my name, joanna elm, and you will see what I mean.)
In other words, any agent or editor who googles my name to find out more about me (and apparently that is what agents and editors do) will find out immediately that I have been writing all my life. They will instantly know that I’ve written two traditionally published novels; that I write a blog; they will be able to read the first three lines of my latest blog; they can click onto my Twitter account, and look at blogs which I have written for Medium.
I am also building a small (but, hopefully, “engaged”) following — which is a lovely bonus. It is said by experts on blogging that it takes several years to build numbers of subscribers, and that only 1-2% of your readers will engage on your blog either by commenting, clicking on the “Like” button, or subscribing. By my reckoning, I’m doing okay for a newbie. And, I've laid the groundwork for a website I can focus on if and when my next book is published.
Tackling Social Media
2016 Blog: I was hesitant about jumping into social media. Specifically, I was wary of opening an account on Facebook. I had read too many articles about it. None of them had anything much good to say about the site at the time. But Goodreads seemed like a sensible place to start.
The website had already established an author page for me years before because of my two published thrillers. All I had to do was claim it as mine to start joining groups, posting book reviews, engaging with readers, making “friends” and picking up “followers.”
2018 Update: I am happier than ever, given all the recent bad news about Facebook, that I never opened an account with that social media giant. I enjoy Goodreads because most everyone with a GR account is a book lover. I have gotten my best information about new books in my favorite genres from this site, and have enjoyed contributing reviews and comments which are shared on the site.
Today, my friends number 53, and I have 25 followers. It’s a small enough number that I feel I know most of them and their book preferences quite well. I’m also pretty sure I could add to both categories if I contributed more frequently to the site, but it’s difficult to keep all the balls in the air when you’re still working on your WIP.
Yikes! I’m On Twitter
2016 Blog : And, then suddenly I got thrown into the deep end. My son, visiting for Thanksgiving, told me opening a Twitter account was easy. “Here, I’ll show you Mom,” he said, and suddenly there I was with a “handle”: @authorjoannaelm and my photo — actually a photo of a drawing of myself from 20 years back when I still smoked, but looked cool doing it. You be the judge : @authorjoannaelm
2018 Update: I like Twitter. Even with doubling the original characters limit to 280 characters a tweet, nobody gets too wordy. I also like the retweeting feature that allows you to retweet an article or tweet adding a comment of your own.
I have about 220 followers on Twitter at the moment. Numbers tend to drop off when those who follow you discover you’re not following them back (especially if they are bots!) I also find Twitter very useful for authors since links in one’s Twitter feed often access great articles on the craft of writing and publishing, and making connections on Twitter sometimes leads to more exposure.
After retweeting and regularly commenting on one of my favorite websites, writingandwellness.com, Colleen M. Story, invited me to be a featured writer on the website. As of today, my featured writer interview on Colleen’s website has been viewed 783 times — which, to be honest, is more pageviews than my blog gets in a month.
But that’s okay. It’s been a steep learning curve. Coming to grips with websites and blogs and social media, and learning what works and what doesn’t is all part of the brave new world of publishing. And, it’s all a far cry from the days when John Steinbeck was able to tell his publisher: “I’ll write it, you sell it.”
This blog was originally published on my website at http://joannaelm.com/what-authors-mus...
with links to above referenced posts and images.
Returning to fiction writing (after twenty years away) has been quite an eye-opener. You must have a website, they said. An agent won’t even glance at your manuscript if you don’t have a website. Oh, and way before anyone accepts your book for publication, you’ll need to build an audience by blogging on the website, and posting on social media.“
What Authors Must Do
The blog was titled I. Need. To. Do. What? Today, I have an update on how it’s all working out for me. Selected snippets from the original blog are below. The original blog in December 2016 started with the thrill over a new iphone after I finally ditched my well-worn flip-top phone (does anyone even remember what those looked like?)
First, A Smartphone
2016 Blog: I took my first photos with my new phone after cajoling hubby to take a walk with me. I discovered I could immediately send them out as emails or messages. So, I sent one to our son, Dan, with a text: “Got new iphone. Taking your father for a walk.” He texted right back:
“On the leash? Off the leash? What’s the law in Florida?”
2018 Update: The ability to take my own photos on my cell phone is invaluable. Not that I take the greatest photos in the world, but my own photos provide the images for most of my blogs. Rather than using generics, I’ve been able to illustrate events I’ve attended like the Palm Beach Book Festival and Writers Group lunches.
I also use my iphone when I go on trips to research locations for my new thriller, Book 3. I did it last summer on a boat ride around Peconic Bay, and driving around the North Fork of Long Island where a major portion of my current WIP is set.
Next, A Website
2016 Blog : I enlisted the help of a very smart, tech-savvy friend who procured a domain name (mine); and had the site up and running in no time. All I had to do was choose a theme, choose an image for my Welcome page, write a Welcome page, create a posts page, write the headers… Help!
No problem. Google and WordPress between them have the answers to any question a newbie might have: How do I move my widgets? What are widgets? How do I get photos from my iphone onto my website? What’s SEO? What shall I blog about?
2018 Update: Suffice it to say, I mastered the basics a long time ago. Nor is it difficult for me to write a blog once a week. And, by blogging just once a week, I have achieved my original objective which is Google recognition by Google’s “spiders.” (Please feel free to google my name, joanna elm, and you will see what I mean.)
In other words, any agent or editor who googles my name to find out more about me (and apparently that is what agents and editors do) will find out immediately that I have been writing all my life. They will instantly know that I’ve written two traditionally published novels; that I write a blog; they will be able to read the first three lines of my latest blog; they can click onto my Twitter account, and look at blogs which I have written for Medium.
I am also building a small (but, hopefully, “engaged”) following — which is a lovely bonus. It is said by experts on blogging that it takes several years to build numbers of subscribers, and that only 1-2% of your readers will engage on your blog either by commenting, clicking on the “Like” button, or subscribing. By my reckoning, I’m doing okay for a newbie. And, I've laid the groundwork for a website I can focus on if and when my next book is published.
Tackling Social Media
2016 Blog: I was hesitant about jumping into social media. Specifically, I was wary of opening an account on Facebook. I had read too many articles about it. None of them had anything much good to say about the site at the time. But Goodreads seemed like a sensible place to start.
The website had already established an author page for me years before because of my two published thrillers. All I had to do was claim it as mine to start joining groups, posting book reviews, engaging with readers, making “friends” and picking up “followers.”
2018 Update: I am happier than ever, given all the recent bad news about Facebook, that I never opened an account with that social media giant. I enjoy Goodreads because most everyone with a GR account is a book lover. I have gotten my best information about new books in my favorite genres from this site, and have enjoyed contributing reviews and comments which are shared on the site.
Today, my friends number 53, and I have 25 followers. It’s a small enough number that I feel I know most of them and their book preferences quite well. I’m also pretty sure I could add to both categories if I contributed more frequently to the site, but it’s difficult to keep all the balls in the air when you’re still working on your WIP.
Yikes! I’m On Twitter
2016 Blog : And, then suddenly I got thrown into the deep end. My son, visiting for Thanksgiving, told me opening a Twitter account was easy. “Here, I’ll show you Mom,” he said, and suddenly there I was with a “handle”: @authorjoannaelm and my photo — actually a photo of a drawing of myself from 20 years back when I still smoked, but looked cool doing it. You be the judge : @authorjoannaelm
2018 Update: I like Twitter. Even with doubling the original characters limit to 280 characters a tweet, nobody gets too wordy. I also like the retweeting feature that allows you to retweet an article or tweet adding a comment of your own.
I have about 220 followers on Twitter at the moment. Numbers tend to drop off when those who follow you discover you’re not following them back (especially if they are bots!) I also find Twitter very useful for authors since links in one’s Twitter feed often access great articles on the craft of writing and publishing, and making connections on Twitter sometimes leads to more exposure.
After retweeting and regularly commenting on one of my favorite websites, writingandwellness.com, Colleen M. Story, invited me to be a featured writer on the website. As of today, my featured writer interview on Colleen’s website has been viewed 783 times — which, to be honest, is more pageviews than my blog gets in a month.
But that’s okay. It’s been a steep learning curve. Coming to grips with websites and blogs and social media, and learning what works and what doesn’t is all part of the brave new world of publishing. And, it’s all a far cry from the days when John Steinbeck was able to tell his publisher: “I’ll write it, you sell it.”
This blog was originally published on my website at http://joannaelm.com/what-authors-mus...
with links to above referenced posts and images.
February 6, 2018
Straight to #1: How A First-Time Author Hit The Jackpot
It's Not All About The Plot; It's Also About Pre-Launch Buzz
You may not be instantly familiar with the name A.J. Finn. But I bet you've heard of his book, The Woman In The Window? Yep, that's the one that catapulted straight to #1 on the New York Times bestseller list the week it was published. Okay, now you know the one I'm talking about, right? The NYT one-liner description of this psychological thriller is: "A recluse who drinks heavily and takes prescription drugs may have witnessed a crime across from her Harlem townhouse."
It's the first debut novel in 12 years to make it straight to #1 on the NYT bestseller list in its first week of publication.That is simultaneously great news (for authors who want to believe that magic still happens), and totally out of left field (not even Gone Girl did that!)
Really This Good?
Of course, as an author, I am always pathologically curious about a phenomenon like this. I wonder if any book can be this good? In at #1 in its first week of publication? Can the hype possibly be true? Can this really, truly be "the most anticipated thriller of 2018" -- even though on publication day we were only two days into the New Year. What was so special about it? And, like maybe hundreds of "lesser" authors, both indie and traditionally published, I wondered : Was it really the story? The writing? Or does the credit belong mostly to the publishers' marketing and promotions departments?
In the New York Times, veteran book reviewer Janet Maslin likened it to Rear Window, a Hitchcock movie classic which starred Jimmy Stewart, "with a dose of The Girl On The Train." Then, I read all the glowing reviews in the mainstream press, and on Amazon.com, on Amazon.co.uk., on Goodreads, of course, and on a whole slew of book blogs.
OK, I'll Buy
I downloaded it to my Kindle. I started reading. With a jaundiced eye. This thriller better live up to expectations, I thought. I finished it in two days. I liked it well enough, but I didn't love it. Not in the way every single reviewer seemed to love it.
I turned to the 1 and 2-star reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. I agreed with some of the criticisms the pacing isn't the greatest, nothing really happens for 32 chapters; it's "waaaaaayyyyy tttooooo llllooonnnggg" for genre fiction; the female protagonist is a drunk, addict, and a freak -- and yet it shot to the #1 slot on the NYT bestseller list on publication day.
I googled. I read all the articles I could find about the book and the author. The author totally endeared himself to me in this snippet in a NYT article about the writing of the book: "plotting came to him in an easy burst, the writing proved more of a challenge. 'Getting a character from a sofa to a window is surprisingly difficult,' he said." (Don't I know that feeling!)
I read most of the interviews with A.J. Finn, a first-time author who hit the jackpot with a seven-figure advance in a bidding war which was won in the U.S.by William Morrow, the publisher where it turns out A.J. worked as an executive editor under his real name, Dan Mallory.
Whoa! Hold on! Back It Up There!
Q: He works at Wm. Morrow? The same guys who bought his first book?
A: Yes, but the publisher didn't know who he was. He used a pen name in selling the book.
Q: Okay. Did he get an agent the same way? I mean, using a pen name no-one ever heard of?
A: No. He didn't. He went to a friend who is an agent.
Q: Nothing wrong with that. I did that, too. My first agent was a good friend of my husband's. My husband introduced us. By the way, who is A.J. Finn's agent friend?
Big Agent, Big Agency
As it happens, A.J. Finn's agent friend is Jennifer Joel, a very powerful agent at ICM, a very powerful agency. In one of the interviews, A.J told how he approached her with his idea; and then produced a 7,500-word outline. Joel encouraged him to write the book. It took a year, with Finn writing on evenings and weekends. Then, Joel suggested edits and revisions before the manuscript was ready to be shopped to publishers.
Let it be acknowledged, knowing a literary agent is an advantage. It means a writer can skip the dreaded task of writing query after query in what is only the first tiniest step in finding a publisher. Knowing a powerful agent (Joel represents, among others, Shonda Rhimes, creator of the TV show, Scandal) in a reputable agency is even better though it doesn't always necessarily mean there'll be a frenetic bidding war for your thriller.
Here, however, the book's description included the magic words, "psychological thriller" -- a hot, hot genre (and, I hope it stays that way) since Gone Girl's stratospheric sales. It also had a surefire premise that could be pitched in just one sentence as Rear Window meets The Girl On The Train.
Seven Figures?
By mid -2016, Finn had sold The Woman In The Window to Wm. Morrow in the U.S. and Harper Collins in the U.K. for a rumored seven figures in an eight-house auction. By the time of that year's Frankfurt Book Fair, the biggest, most important book fair for international deals, the film rights had also been sold to Fox 2000. Subsequently, foreign rights were sold in 38 countries.
It was time for the publishers to start building buzz. Usually a big push by the traditional publishers is reserved for their big-name authors (who actually need such a push the least since they already have millions of fans waiting for their next book.) However, recouping a seven figure investment requires more marketing and promotion than just buying a few Facebook ads or offering Goodreads giveaways. The book's publishers sought endorsements from superstar authors, and received praise for the book from, among others, Gillian Flynn, Stephen King, Ruth Ware, Louise Penny, Tess Gerritsen and Val McDermid.
Big Buzz
Next? Reviews. It's as true today -- with hundreds of thousands of indie authors self-publishing their work -- as it was before self-publishing took off, that word of mouth sells books. And, one surefire way to build buzz is by getting reviews. In the case of The Woman In The Window, publishers Wm. Morrow and Harper Collins apparently sent ARCs to virtually every mainstream newspaper and magazine, and almost every book blogger in the U.S. and U.K. -- even, it would appear, to bloggers not specifically interested in the thriller genre. Undoubtedly, the accompanying publicity material included the exciting information about the film rights, foreign rights and the endorsements of superstar authors.
Love Those Unreliable Narrators
Reviews started appearing in major newspapers like the New York Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, USA Today, and in the dailies of many other major cities; also in digital and print magazines like Entertainment Weekly, and Vox. In NYT Books, Janet Maslin appeared amazed. She wrote: "Dear other books with unreliable narrators: This one will see you and raise you."
"The buzz was building for some time," said Andrew Lownie, a top UK literary agent. "There was a lot of pre-publication publicity including proof copies being sent out to opinion formers (influencers) for pre-review last year. The timing was good. The vogue for psychological thrillers continues."
Next Week :
Before there was buzz for The Woman in the Window, A.J. Finn had to write the book. As a first-time author, he followed some rules, but he also broke some rules. Part Two, next week looks at how A.J. Finn wrote a thriller that became a NYT #1 Bestseller.
This post appeared originally on my website, www.joannaelm.com. If you would like to receive my posts as soon as they are published you could subscribe on the Welcome Page of my website to receive them as emails the day of publication.
You may not be instantly familiar with the name A.J. Finn. But I bet you've heard of his book, The Woman In The Window? Yep, that's the one that catapulted straight to #1 on the New York Times bestseller list the week it was published. Okay, now you know the one I'm talking about, right? The NYT one-liner description of this psychological thriller is: "A recluse who drinks heavily and takes prescription drugs may have witnessed a crime across from her Harlem townhouse."
It's the first debut novel in 12 years to make it straight to #1 on the NYT bestseller list in its first week of publication.That is simultaneously great news (for authors who want to believe that magic still happens), and totally out of left field (not even Gone Girl did that!)
Really This Good?
Of course, as an author, I am always pathologically curious about a phenomenon like this. I wonder if any book can be this good? In at #1 in its first week of publication? Can the hype possibly be true? Can this really, truly be "the most anticipated thriller of 2018" -- even though on publication day we were only two days into the New Year. What was so special about it? And, like maybe hundreds of "lesser" authors, both indie and traditionally published, I wondered : Was it really the story? The writing? Or does the credit belong mostly to the publishers' marketing and promotions departments?
In the New York Times, veteran book reviewer Janet Maslin likened it to Rear Window, a Hitchcock movie classic which starred Jimmy Stewart, "with a dose of The Girl On The Train." Then, I read all the glowing reviews in the mainstream press, and on Amazon.com, on Amazon.co.uk., on Goodreads, of course, and on a whole slew of book blogs.
OK, I'll Buy
I downloaded it to my Kindle. I started reading. With a jaundiced eye. This thriller better live up to expectations, I thought. I finished it in two days. I liked it well enough, but I didn't love it. Not in the way every single reviewer seemed to love it.
I turned to the 1 and 2-star reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. I agreed with some of the criticisms the pacing isn't the greatest, nothing really happens for 32 chapters; it's "waaaaaayyyyy tttooooo llllooonnnggg" for genre fiction; the female protagonist is a drunk, addict, and a freak -- and yet it shot to the #1 slot on the NYT bestseller list on publication day.
I googled. I read all the articles I could find about the book and the author. The author totally endeared himself to me in this snippet in a NYT article about the writing of the book: "plotting came to him in an easy burst, the writing proved more of a challenge. 'Getting a character from a sofa to a window is surprisingly difficult,' he said." (Don't I know that feeling!)
I read most of the interviews with A.J. Finn, a first-time author who hit the jackpot with a seven-figure advance in a bidding war which was won in the U.S.by William Morrow, the publisher where it turns out A.J. worked as an executive editor under his real name, Dan Mallory.
Whoa! Hold on! Back It Up There!
Q: He works at Wm. Morrow? The same guys who bought his first book?
A: Yes, but the publisher didn't know who he was. He used a pen name in selling the book.
Q: Okay. Did he get an agent the same way? I mean, using a pen name no-one ever heard of?
A: No. He didn't. He went to a friend who is an agent.
Q: Nothing wrong with that. I did that, too. My first agent was a good friend of my husband's. My husband introduced us. By the way, who is A.J. Finn's agent friend?
Big Agent, Big Agency
As it happens, A.J. Finn's agent friend is Jennifer Joel, a very powerful agent at ICM, a very powerful agency. In one of the interviews, A.J told how he approached her with his idea; and then produced a 7,500-word outline. Joel encouraged him to write the book. It took a year, with Finn writing on evenings and weekends. Then, Joel suggested edits and revisions before the manuscript was ready to be shopped to publishers.
Let it be acknowledged, knowing a literary agent is an advantage. It means a writer can skip the dreaded task of writing query after query in what is only the first tiniest step in finding a publisher. Knowing a powerful agent (Joel represents, among others, Shonda Rhimes, creator of the TV show, Scandal) in a reputable agency is even better though it doesn't always necessarily mean there'll be a frenetic bidding war for your thriller.
Here, however, the book's description included the magic words, "psychological thriller" -- a hot, hot genre (and, I hope it stays that way) since Gone Girl's stratospheric sales. It also had a surefire premise that could be pitched in just one sentence as Rear Window meets The Girl On The Train.
Seven Figures?
By mid -2016, Finn had sold The Woman In The Window to Wm. Morrow in the U.S. and Harper Collins in the U.K. for a rumored seven figures in an eight-house auction. By the time of that year's Frankfurt Book Fair, the biggest, most important book fair for international deals, the film rights had also been sold to Fox 2000. Subsequently, foreign rights were sold in 38 countries.
It was time for the publishers to start building buzz. Usually a big push by the traditional publishers is reserved for their big-name authors (who actually need such a push the least since they already have millions of fans waiting for their next book.) However, recouping a seven figure investment requires more marketing and promotion than just buying a few Facebook ads or offering Goodreads giveaways. The book's publishers sought endorsements from superstar authors, and received praise for the book from, among others, Gillian Flynn, Stephen King, Ruth Ware, Louise Penny, Tess Gerritsen and Val McDermid.
Big Buzz
Next? Reviews. It's as true today -- with hundreds of thousands of indie authors self-publishing their work -- as it was before self-publishing took off, that word of mouth sells books. And, one surefire way to build buzz is by getting reviews. In the case of The Woman In The Window, publishers Wm. Morrow and Harper Collins apparently sent ARCs to virtually every mainstream newspaper and magazine, and almost every book blogger in the U.S. and U.K. -- even, it would appear, to bloggers not specifically interested in the thriller genre. Undoubtedly, the accompanying publicity material included the exciting information about the film rights, foreign rights and the endorsements of superstar authors.
Love Those Unreliable Narrators
Reviews started appearing in major newspapers like the New York Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, USA Today, and in the dailies of many other major cities; also in digital and print magazines like Entertainment Weekly, and Vox. In NYT Books, Janet Maslin appeared amazed. She wrote: "Dear other books with unreliable narrators: This one will see you and raise you."
"The buzz was building for some time," said Andrew Lownie, a top UK literary agent. "There was a lot of pre-publication publicity including proof copies being sent out to opinion formers (influencers) for pre-review last year. The timing was good. The vogue for psychological thrillers continues."
Next Week :
Before there was buzz for The Woman in the Window, A.J. Finn had to write the book. As a first-time author, he followed some rules, but he also broke some rules. Part Two, next week looks at how A.J. Finn wrote a thriller that became a NYT #1 Bestseller.
This post appeared originally on my website, www.joannaelm.com. If you would like to receive my posts as soon as they are published you could subscribe on the Welcome Page of my website to receive them as emails the day of publication.
January 30, 2018
8 Great Thriller Plot Twists — Why My Favorites Aren’t End-Twists
When it's done really well, a plot twist sends chills up your spine, and lifts your reading experience into a whole different universe. It's happened to me with Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl, J.D. Barker’s The Fourth Monkey, Karin Slaughter's Pretty Girls, and most recently with a domestic noir thriller titled The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen.
I first heard about The Wife Between Us on Goodreads when a GR friend, author Eldon Farrell (Stillness (Descent series)) sent out a status update of the book. "Let me pick my jaw up off the floor, after that twist," he wrote, having read 42% of the novel. Other Goodreads friends who were reading ARCs expressed similar sentiments. I quickly put it on my to-read list and pre-ordered a copy for delivery on its publication date.
Most Anticipated Thriller
The Wife Between Us, touted as one of the most anticipated thrillers of 2018 starts with Vanessa, the ex-wife of Richard, a wealthy successful investment broker ostensibly stalking her younger replacement, Nellie, a schoolteacher. As the book opens, Nellie is happily preparing for her upcoming nuptials to Richard even as she is being drawn into his evil sociopathic world.
For those who have read the book, you'll know what I'm talking about (for those who haven't, I think my reference is sufficiently obscure) when I say that the plot twist occurs almost half-way through the novel when we find out that Nellie, in fact, is not Vanessa's replacement.
Ingenious Literary Device
Who she is, and why her story occupies the first part of the book interwoven with vengeful Vanessa's tale becomes clear around this half-way point. What also becomes clear, maybe more to writers than readers, is that this is as much an ingenious literary device (eliminating the need for too much of that no-no, the flashback) as it is a plot twist. This latter sentence, I believe, will be lost on anyone who has not read the book, and does not, anyway, even hint at the fabulous final revelation which I thought was just the perfect end-twist for this book.
Which brings me neatly to my idea of a perfect plot twist is. It is not a tying up of all the loose ends into a big surprise reveal at the end by the protagonist/master sleuth as are many of the best Agatha Christie novels. Nor is it a big, super-duper, shock eye-opener at almost the very end of a novel that turns the whole story on its head. If that were the case, then my favorites of all time would have to include Dennis Lehane's Shutter Island Lionel Shriver's We Need to Talk About Kevin, William Landay's Defending Jacob, as well as, most recently, Alafair Burke's The Wife.
Rollercoaster Ride
Rather, for me the perfect plot twist has to occur somewhere near the middle of the book. British thriller author Sophie Hannah does not agree with me on plot twist location. She includes end-twists in her Top Ten Twist List, which she compiled for the British newspaper, The Guardian last year. But, she says this about plot twists in general:
"So many people think a brilliant resolution is the same thing as a twist. It isn't [...] Part of what makes the brilliant ones so attractive in fiction is that feeling of having everything you thought you knew reversed, inverted or demolished; the fictional equivalent of being on a rollercoaster that suddenly turns upside down leaving everything looking and feeling very different for the rest of the ride."
If that happens in the middle, or close to the middle of a thriller, then it’s almost like starting a whole new novel with the plot twist taking the reader down an even more sinister or terrifying path. Which is why the following are at the top of my list of thrillers with perfect plot twists:
Gone Girl (Gillian Flynn): Because you think that something dire has befallen the female protagonist Amy, and you suspect, like the cops who are zeroing in on him, that her husband is responsible for whatever awful end has befallen her. But, then you find out what really happened to Amy.
The Fourth Monkey (J.D.Barker): Because you think this is a story of a race against time, where the cops must find the last victim of a serial killer who has perished after he stepped in front of a city bus, apparently deliberately. But, then you find out that the serial killer's work is far from done.
Pretty Girls (Karin Slaughter): Because you think this is a story about a young widow who, after seeing her husband knifed to death in an alley in a random act of violence, discovers that he was leading a secret life making snuff movies. But, then you find out what really happened in the alley.
Have You Got A Favorite Plot Twist?
I'd love to hear which novel includes your favorite plot twist ? Please add a comment below to let me know, and I will try to read them over the next few months.
This blog originally appeared with illustrations on my website http://www.joannaelm.com
I first heard about The Wife Between Us on Goodreads when a GR friend, author Eldon Farrell (Stillness (Descent series)) sent out a status update of the book. "Let me pick my jaw up off the floor, after that twist," he wrote, having read 42% of the novel. Other Goodreads friends who were reading ARCs expressed similar sentiments. I quickly put it on my to-read list and pre-ordered a copy for delivery on its publication date.
Most Anticipated Thriller
The Wife Between Us, touted as one of the most anticipated thrillers of 2018 starts with Vanessa, the ex-wife of Richard, a wealthy successful investment broker ostensibly stalking her younger replacement, Nellie, a schoolteacher. As the book opens, Nellie is happily preparing for her upcoming nuptials to Richard even as she is being drawn into his evil sociopathic world.
For those who have read the book, you'll know what I'm talking about (for those who haven't, I think my reference is sufficiently obscure) when I say that the plot twist occurs almost half-way through the novel when we find out that Nellie, in fact, is not Vanessa's replacement.
Ingenious Literary Device
Who she is, and why her story occupies the first part of the book interwoven with vengeful Vanessa's tale becomes clear around this half-way point. What also becomes clear, maybe more to writers than readers, is that this is as much an ingenious literary device (eliminating the need for too much of that no-no, the flashback) as it is a plot twist. This latter sentence, I believe, will be lost on anyone who has not read the book, and does not, anyway, even hint at the fabulous final revelation which I thought was just the perfect end-twist for this book.
Which brings me neatly to my idea of a perfect plot twist is. It is not a tying up of all the loose ends into a big surprise reveal at the end by the protagonist/master sleuth as are many of the best Agatha Christie novels. Nor is it a big, super-duper, shock eye-opener at almost the very end of a novel that turns the whole story on its head. If that were the case, then my favorites of all time would have to include Dennis Lehane's Shutter Island Lionel Shriver's We Need to Talk About Kevin, William Landay's Defending Jacob, as well as, most recently, Alafair Burke's The Wife.
Rollercoaster Ride
Rather, for me the perfect plot twist has to occur somewhere near the middle of the book. British thriller author Sophie Hannah does not agree with me on plot twist location. She includes end-twists in her Top Ten Twist List, which she compiled for the British newspaper, The Guardian last year. But, she says this about plot twists in general:
"So many people think a brilliant resolution is the same thing as a twist. It isn't [...] Part of what makes the brilliant ones so attractive in fiction is that feeling of having everything you thought you knew reversed, inverted or demolished; the fictional equivalent of being on a rollercoaster that suddenly turns upside down leaving everything looking and feeling very different for the rest of the ride."
If that happens in the middle, or close to the middle of a thriller, then it’s almost like starting a whole new novel with the plot twist taking the reader down an even more sinister or terrifying path. Which is why the following are at the top of my list of thrillers with perfect plot twists:
Gone Girl (Gillian Flynn): Because you think that something dire has befallen the female protagonist Amy, and you suspect, like the cops who are zeroing in on him, that her husband is responsible for whatever awful end has befallen her. But, then you find out what really happened to Amy.
The Fourth Monkey (J.D.Barker): Because you think this is a story of a race against time, where the cops must find the last victim of a serial killer who has perished after he stepped in front of a city bus, apparently deliberately. But, then you find out that the serial killer's work is far from done.
Pretty Girls (Karin Slaughter): Because you think this is a story about a young widow who, after seeing her husband knifed to death in an alley in a random act of violence, discovers that he was leading a secret life making snuff movies. But, then you find out what really happened in the alley.
Have You Got A Favorite Plot Twist?
I'd love to hear which novel includes your favorite plot twist ? Please add a comment below to let me know, and I will try to read them over the next few months.
This blog originally appeared with illustrations on my website http://www.joannaelm.com
January 21, 2018
Prolific Indie Author Shares His Secrets Of Success
If you're an author and you want your novel to be available on Kindle, you write, edit and format your manuscript, choose a cover and a price, and away you go. OK, it's not exactly that simple, but hundreds of thousands of authors have done it. So let's not get into the mechanics of producing an e-book (there's plenty of other websites that tell you how) -- because that's only just the start. You then need to get readers to buy your e-book.
D.S. Kane is the author of a series of espionage/techno-thrillers. He has self-published eight of them since 2014. His latest title is Mindfield in the Amazon bestselling Spies Lie series. In a good year, he sells approximately 25,000 copies of his books (that includes free downloads although he says freebies are losing their allure and a 99c price point is now the new "free.") Otherwise, his books sell at $2.99 each.
The Good News…
At a standing-room only lunch for the Palm Beach Writers' Group, Kane produced facts and figures on indie publishing from sources including authorearnings.com. They show the following annual earnings for authors who debuted in the last three years:
• While 1,800 indie authors made $10,000 a year only 500 traditionally published authors earned a similar amount.
• Approximately 1,000 indie authors vs. a little more than 200 traditional authors made $25,000.
• About 800 indie authors vs. fewer than 200 traditional authors made $50,000.
• And a very impressive 300 indie authors compared to just 75 traditional authors made $100,000.
• Indie authors accounted for 35-40% of total author revenues
And The Bad
That looks like really good news for indie authors -- except that, as a number of publishing sources will tell you, the number of self-published books in the U.S. rose from around 80,000 in 2006 to a staggering 800,000 in 2016.
That means, if you're an indie author who is not making at least $10,000 a year, then you and your book are in that group that produced the other 750,000 self-published books.
So, it's not enough to just upload your novel to Amazon. Before readers can buy your book, they need to know it's there. In other words, you need to be discovered. And Kane who is a former covert operative, and later taught at NYU's Stern Graduate School of Business, knows exactly what to do to stand out from the crowd. He shared his secrets with the Writers' Group this week.
Like Ludlum
Kane offered a couple of rules to which he adheres in his marketing efforts. First, the Rule of Near Substitutes: "When readers go shopping for our books," Kane explained, "they'll often either choose a brand they like, or a low-price substitute, where "brand" is either an author or a genre."
So, Kane suggests, find successful authors who write in the same genre AND "make sure this similarity is in your marketing lead."
Hence, Kane's advertising reads: "If you like thrillers written by Robert Ludlum, Barry Eisler, Brad Thor, James Rollins and Daniel Silva, you will enjoy D.S. Kane's Spies Lie series."
You Gotta Write More Than One
Kane's second rule is the Rule of Sets : "Readers will buy from a set with which they're familiar. So writing a series rather than "standalones" means readers will have a better idea of what they're buying. "Once a reader has bought one of your books, they will be more likely to buy your next book if you're writing a series" because they're familiar with the characters, settings and themes.
Kane also referenced a "two-thirds rule" which he has found among series authors whereby about 65% of readers of the first book in a series will also go on to read a second book. "So, with a series, if you promote one book, the ad for that book will "bleed" over into the sales of all books in the series."
Research & Reviews
According to Kane, research is the most important non-writing activity which an author can undertake. By that he doesn't mean 'content' research, he means research into the business of indie publishing and marketing in order to help him gauge how the market for his books is changing; whether the same marketing tactics will produce satisfactory results, and how to differentiate himself ever-so slightly from similar authors.
Kane relies on three main research sources: authorearnings.com; Alex Newton's K-Lytics Reports, and Mark Coker's Book Industry Predictions Report.
As for reviews, he relies on a newsletter mailing list of about 3,000 subscribers who all get a free copy of each of his books. He says about 7 per cent of those will write a review.
Then Hire Experts
Kane readily admits to plowing his profits back into advertising, and into the costs of producing his thrillers. He acknowledges that a cover is one of the most important features in attracting readers. Hence, he has his covers professionally designed at $1,000 per cover.
His other costs are as follows: Copy-editing = $1,000 per book; Formatting = $650; Createspace and Kdp fees = $200. A marketing expert costs $300 per month, and his advertising budget runs to $400 per month.
His total costs come to $2,850 per book plus $8,400 per year for marketing & advertising.
As D.S. Kane acknowledges, "the average writer earns less than one dollar per hour," But, as he sees it: "Writers write because it's an addiction, not a profession.”
This blog is adapted from a post, The Good & Bad News About E-Books: An Indie Author’s Tips For Success, which originally appeared with photos on my website http://www.joannaelm.com
D.S. Kane is the author of a series of espionage/techno-thrillers. He has self-published eight of them since 2014. His latest title is Mindfield in the Amazon bestselling Spies Lie series. In a good year, he sells approximately 25,000 copies of his books (that includes free downloads although he says freebies are losing their allure and a 99c price point is now the new "free.") Otherwise, his books sell at $2.99 each.
The Good News…
At a standing-room only lunch for the Palm Beach Writers' Group, Kane produced facts and figures on indie publishing from sources including authorearnings.com. They show the following annual earnings for authors who debuted in the last three years:
• While 1,800 indie authors made $10,000 a year only 500 traditionally published authors earned a similar amount.
• Approximately 1,000 indie authors vs. a little more than 200 traditional authors made $25,000.
• About 800 indie authors vs. fewer than 200 traditional authors made $50,000.
• And a very impressive 300 indie authors compared to just 75 traditional authors made $100,000.
• Indie authors accounted for 35-40% of total author revenues
And The Bad
That looks like really good news for indie authors -- except that, as a number of publishing sources will tell you, the number of self-published books in the U.S. rose from around 80,000 in 2006 to a staggering 800,000 in 2016.
That means, if you're an indie author who is not making at least $10,000 a year, then you and your book are in that group that produced the other 750,000 self-published books.
So, it's not enough to just upload your novel to Amazon. Before readers can buy your book, they need to know it's there. In other words, you need to be discovered. And Kane who is a former covert operative, and later taught at NYU's Stern Graduate School of Business, knows exactly what to do to stand out from the crowd. He shared his secrets with the Writers' Group this week.
Like Ludlum
Kane offered a couple of rules to which he adheres in his marketing efforts. First, the Rule of Near Substitutes: "When readers go shopping for our books," Kane explained, "they'll often either choose a brand they like, or a low-price substitute, where "brand" is either an author or a genre."
So, Kane suggests, find successful authors who write in the same genre AND "make sure this similarity is in your marketing lead."
Hence, Kane's advertising reads: "If you like thrillers written by Robert Ludlum, Barry Eisler, Brad Thor, James Rollins and Daniel Silva, you will enjoy D.S. Kane's Spies Lie series."
You Gotta Write More Than One
Kane's second rule is the Rule of Sets : "Readers will buy from a set with which they're familiar. So writing a series rather than "standalones" means readers will have a better idea of what they're buying. "Once a reader has bought one of your books, they will be more likely to buy your next book if you're writing a series" because they're familiar with the characters, settings and themes.
Kane also referenced a "two-thirds rule" which he has found among series authors whereby about 65% of readers of the first book in a series will also go on to read a second book. "So, with a series, if you promote one book, the ad for that book will "bleed" over into the sales of all books in the series."
Research & Reviews
According to Kane, research is the most important non-writing activity which an author can undertake. By that he doesn't mean 'content' research, he means research into the business of indie publishing and marketing in order to help him gauge how the market for his books is changing; whether the same marketing tactics will produce satisfactory results, and how to differentiate himself ever-so slightly from similar authors.
Kane relies on three main research sources: authorearnings.com; Alex Newton's K-Lytics Reports, and Mark Coker's Book Industry Predictions Report.
As for reviews, he relies on a newsletter mailing list of about 3,000 subscribers who all get a free copy of each of his books. He says about 7 per cent of those will write a review.
Then Hire Experts
Kane readily admits to plowing his profits back into advertising, and into the costs of producing his thrillers. He acknowledges that a cover is one of the most important features in attracting readers. Hence, he has his covers professionally designed at $1,000 per cover.
His other costs are as follows: Copy-editing = $1,000 per book; Formatting = $650; Createspace and Kdp fees = $200. A marketing expert costs $300 per month, and his advertising budget runs to $400 per month.
His total costs come to $2,850 per book plus $8,400 per year for marketing & advertising.
As D.S. Kane acknowledges, "the average writer earns less than one dollar per hour," But, as he sees it: "Writers write because it's an addiction, not a profession.”
This blog is adapted from a post, The Good & Bad News About E-Books: An Indie Author’s Tips For Success, which originally appeared with photos on my website http://www.joannaelm.com
October 30, 2017
Why Writer's Funk Is (Sometimes) Good For Authors
My blog (originally published on my website in August) about why "writer's funk" can be good for an author was picked up this week as a guest post on self publishing for the Book Designer's Carnival of the Indies issue #85. It's in the issue's Writing Tools and Tips section which also has other amazing advice for indie authors here:
https://www.thebookdesigner.com/2017/...
https://www.thebookdesigner.com/2017/...
October 1, 2017
Why Twitter Is MUST Social Media For Authors Like Me
I've been having a lot of fun over on Twitter. I never thought I'd say that about any social media. But, in the year since I opened a Twitter account, I've discovered that Twitter is a great social media tool for authors -- especially for authors who are self-publishing. Here are six reasons why: http://www.joannaelm.com/twitter-best...
