Ruth Ann Nordin's Blog, page 18

Why Spreading Your Marketing Net Wide is a Good Idea (A Post for Writers)

I recently received something unsettling in my inbox. Mei Pak has experience making crafts, but I find that her videos have some crossover appeal to creatives of all types, including authors. I’ve been on her email list for a couple of years now. Long story short, in this email, she said that Instagram shut down her account. This is a lady who makes scented food jewelry. Her site is here. She was using Instagram to promote these items. I have never seen her do a post or video that is the least bit controversial. I’ve been hearing about content creators of political commentary getting their accounts removed on various social media platforms, but this time, a jewelry creator has been hit. She said she followed all of Instagram’s rules, and I have no reason to doubt her.

This got me thinking about what we, as authors, can do to help buffer ourselves in case we find ourselves being removed from a social media site, too. I’m not saying this “will” happen to us, but why not build a wide net?

Before I give my thoughts, I do want to mention that she is offering a Live You Tube event tomorrow titled “How To Create A Profitable Handmade Business Without Keeping Up With Social Media”. It is tomorrow (January 29) at 9am PST / 11am CST / 12pm EST. (This is US time.) She might be in crafts, but a lot of her advice has crossover appeal to authors.

I didn’t want to leave her tips out since I’m sure they will be useful. But here is what I came up with specifically for authors:

Photo credit: ID 105330423 © Ppy2010ha | Dreamstime.com

The first thing I recommend is being on multiple platforms.

Diversification is a strength. Fortunately, Mei Pak is still on Facebook and You Tube. She still has a website. She still has her email list. She was smart. She laid a foundation across multiple platforms.

I’ve always believed the best practice is to “never put your eggs in one basket”. You just don’t know what the future will bring. While you can’t prevent something bad from happening, you can buffer yourself by diversifying. I realize you can’t be everywhere. There isn’t enough time in the day to do everything. My advice is to pick the marketing platforms that most interest you AND the ones you have time to maintain. There are plenty to choose from. Facebook, MeWe, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, Gab, Gettr, You Tube, Rumble, Bitchute, TikTok, Odessey, Minds, Patreon, Substack, Goodreads, Blogger, WordPress, Live Journal, Booksprout, BookFunnel, and (last but not least) selling books in person. I’m sure there are more marketing venues out there, but these were the ones that came to mind while writing this post.

If you wake up one day and find out that one of your accounts has been removed, at least you have other sites where people can find you. I know that’s not much consolation when you put a lot of time and effort into building a following on a certain platform, but it’s better than not having a presence on other platforms at all.

The second thing I recommend is having an email list.

The way I found out about Mei Pak’s experience was through the email list I subscribed to. There have been times I questioned whether it was worth having an email list or not. My list never gets that big, and only about half of the subscribers ever open it. Well, after learning about what happened to Mei Pak, I’m convinced an email list is a must-have in an author’s arsenal. This is your direct line of communication to your readers. You can use this to notify your readers if one of your accounts gets removed. Then you can point them to other accounts that are still available. Maybe they’ll follow you to another social media site. Maybe they won’t. But at least they’ll know where they can find you.

I don’t do anything fancy for my email list. I only let the people know when I have a new book out. This is because I’m swamped with all of the other things I have on my plate. What you do with your email list is up to you. Some authors like to send emails about once a week and share personal stories, some do giveaways, some run cross promotions with other authors, some offer free short stories, and some ask their readers questions. The key is to pick the things you can commit to.

The third thing I recommend is having some books wide.

I’m not in KU at all, but I can understand why some authors are in KU. My advice, for what it’s worth, is to have some books wide. Amazon is one retailer. I realize it’s a large retailer with a large following, but what if they remove your books? I’ve heard of authors losing their accounts at Amazon. The reasons vary, but sometimes innocent authors who have done nothing wrong will get the “your account has been deleted” email. For whatever reason, their accounts got flagged. Then they had to go find a representative who could help them restore their accounts.

Wide authors can get hit as well as KU authors. This isn’t specifically a KU author’s problem. But if you have some books wide, at least you have a readership on other retailers to fall back on while you’re fighting with Amazon to restore your account. I sleep much better at night knowing I have books on other retailers. If Amazon hits me, it will truly suck, but the suck won’t be as bad because I’m not dependent on Amazon for all of my writing income.

Again, this is just my advice, but if you’re all in KU and would like to put some books wide, I would pull the books that aren’t performing well in KU. If you have KU books that are making you good money, you don’t want to rock the boat. You have a right to make the money off of your work. But if there are a few books that aren’t moving on KU, why have them there?

I want to add a side note about having direct selling. Some authors are doing well with a personal storefront. My personal storefront sucks. I make (maybe) $2 a year over on Payhip. But I do like having it there for a “just in case” moment. It’s just another part of the net.

The fourth thing I recommend is creating an author page on as many retailers as you can so that people can “Follow” you to be notified of new releases.

To date, I only have an author page on Amazon, Smashwords, and Bookbub. I believe authors can request one on Google Play. I’m not sure if the option is available anywhere else. But I am happy to see that I’m slowly gaining traction on these sites. (It’s not huge numbers, but it’s still an extra avenue that I don’t have to actively work for.) The perk about these authors pages is that the sites will send the email to your followers to announce your new release. You don’t have to collect emails yourself. With Bookbub, you have to remember to add it to your book list within a week (I think) of your book’s release date. But that’s an easy process. You just search for your book, it comes up, and you add the book. Bookbub does the rest.

The fifth thing I recommend is having a website.

It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but a place that showcases all of your books in one place is a good idea, whether you worry about having an account removed or not. Your website should be clean and easy to navigate. My website isn’t perfect. I’m still working on it. You can keep tweaking it to get it the way you want it. The main things you want on the website are the genre(s) you write, what series or standalones you have, and where people can buy them. Other stuff is nice, but those are the basics.

I have seen some authors post a pdf file of their entire book list that readers can print out. This is a good idea that I want to work on in the future. I can see how this would be a helpful sheet for people who are interested in your books. A brief description of the books may or may not be necessary, but it probably would be neat if you do series to list out where key characters show up in other books. I’ve learned that readers love to reconnect with past characters by seeing them in another book, and they want to know what other books they’ll find those characters in. If you only do standalones, you could divide those books up by the “type” of books they are. For example, “fantasy romance”, “psychological horror”, “technological science fiction”. That way, readers can go right to the books that interest them the most.

Having books in multiple formats is probably a good idea.

This isn’t a “recommend” really, but it’s a final thought I have on this topic. Ebooks are dominant in the indie author world, but it’s probably a good idea to also have paperbacks, audiobooks, and/or serial formats, too. Paperbacks are simple enough, and the cost of making them is pretty much the cost of printing the book. Serials are digital, so really all you have to do is divide the story into episodes. While that takes time, the cost is nothing. Out of the three on the list, those two seem to be the easiest option to spreading the “net” on the formats you have available. The audiobooks, however, are a bit more difficult, and some of us aren’t gifted with voices that can hit a wide range for different characters. With AI technology, this could simplify the process.

Updates on What I’m Doing

These three books are now in edits.

   

The Loner’s Bride is currently with an editor. Suitable for Marriage will go out to the editor soon. Making a Realistic Publishing Schedule has already been edited. I’m just going to give it another pass through before I publish it.

Now for books I’m currently writing.

This is the good part.

I’m in Chapter 6 of Heiress of Misfortune

That puts me at the 15,000-word mark. My average book length is 60,000 words to give you an idea of how far I am into this one.

I am thrilled to say that I was able to bring in a past Regency character. Mr. Tumilson, the hero in this book, has ordered the heroine’s husband to hire a lady who can teach the heroine how to make herself more attractive so she’s not such a wallflower. (Her father has been fretting that our heroine has no suitors.) Well, I remembered that I had a past Regency character whose job was helping ladies be more attractive to potential suitors. So I was able to bring back Helena from Love Lessons With the Duke!

Marriage by Deceit: Book 2

She goes by the Duchess of Ashbourne instead of Lady Seyton in this book. Every time I bring in past characters in a meaningful way, it’s like bringing in old friends. I’m having so much fun with this. As a side note, I can’t wait for Mr. Tumilson to see the heroine once Helena is done with her. Not only will he be surprised, but he’s going to have to fight his attraction for her.

This is why I write books I’m passionate about. I get to look forward to moments like these.

I’m in Chapter Three of Daisy’s book

And I finally have a cover and a title.

I am also bringing in a character from the past in this book, but the character comes from another series. That series is the Montana Collection. He showed up for a very brief time in Boaz’s Wager.

Montana Collection: Book 2

His name was Otis Mills, and he was the one who raced horses in hopes of marrying Eva Connealy. If you recall, Boaz won the race, and he got to marry Eva. Well, while I was writing Suitable for Marriage (which is Book 3 in the Husbands for the Larson Sisters Series), I had a couple of scenes where Daisy and Eva are talking. As I was struggling to come up with a husband for Daisy, it occurred to me that I never gave poor Otis as wife. So I decided that this book will start in Montana.

Based on the conversations Daisy and Eva have, I knew going in that Daisy doesn’t want to be with someone like Otis. Otis is a ranch hand. She has this dream in her head that she’s going to end up with a textbook example of a “prince charming” kind of guy. And Otis isn’t it. He’s not inclined to book learning. He works with his hands, so he gets dirty a lot. I thought it would be funny to set her up with someone who is pretty much the opposite of what she has in mind.

And he’s going to follow her to Omaha. Tom and Jessica (her parents) are going to fall in love with him right away. Tom will like the fact that Otis is willing to live at their farm because he could use the extra help around the place after losing Nelly and Erin, the two girls who did the most farm work with him. Jessica is going to push for Daisy to marry Otis because Otis is going to be a bit clumsy and awkward around Daisy, and this will remind Jessica of her courtship with Tom and sweet Tom was. I expect references to A Bride for Tom to come about in this book because of that. All of this is going to be fun, and with any luck, we’ll end up with a romantic comedy.

I’m in Chapter Two of Secret Admirer

I did a calculation on the Regency timeline, and I realized I can finally bring Lord Durrant’s younger brother into a book. If you’ll recall, Corrin St. George, Lord Durrant, was the hero in If It Takes a Scandal, and Reuben was his sickly brother.

Marriage by Bargain: Book 4

Reuben was eight when the events in If It Takes a Scandal took place. I’ve been waiting to bring him back, and I have the perfect story idea for him. But…his story is not meant for this particular book. I’m thinking it might be suitable for Book 4 in this series, but it’s too early to tell yet. Right now I’m laying the foundation for his story. I’m currently doing a scene at a dinner party, where Reuben is a guest. I think I have introduced the lady he’ll end up with. It won’t be the heroine of Secret Admirer.

***

On a final note, the perk of having series that take place within the same world is that I can bring in past characters. I like to think of this as “layering” the series together so that, if you take a step back, they all form one large series. This is what makes writing so much fun!

New Romances You Might Enjoy

I received an email in my inbox letting me know that Tanya Anne Crosby mentioned the release of my book, The Cursed Earl, along with other recently published romances on her Facebook timeline. It was an unexpected honor, so I thank her. I’m passing along the Facebook post because I know a lot of you have an account there, and you might find a new author this way. (Click on the graphic below to get the Facebook post.)

I also encourage you to check out Tanya Anne Crosby’s books, too. Go to “Book Shelf” and click on the genre that interests you. She writes a variety of books. Just browsing on her site, I saw a variety of historical romances, contemporary romances, and romantic suspense. She has an impressive number of books. I have a feeling some of you would enjoy her work.

My Thoughts on the Blog Post Regarding Publishing Trends in 2022

The article I am referring to is at this link if you want to read it. The post was written by Clayton Noblit at Written Word Media. This was a really good article. I enjoyed it a lot. I encourage authors to check it out.

Now for my thoughts…

My initial thought as I read the blog was, “I’m screwed.”

Photo credit: ID 177830495 © Photojogtom | Dreamstime.com

I laugh as I write that, but it’s how I was feeling the entire time I was reading it. Things are changing so fast in publishing that I don’t know if I can keep up. I’m currently at my mother-in-law’s taking care of her for a few days. I have a husband and four kids, and while one is now in college and the other is a senior, I do want to spend time with them before they move away. Then there’s the regular stuff that takes up a day (car repairs, school stuff, appointments for the dentist/doctor, and on and on). On top of that, I have to get enough sleep and take care of my health. I might not have a “real” job, but I don’t have all day to sit and write like people assume I do. This is why my marketing is pretty much nil, and it’s why I take so long to answer blog posts and emails.

I think authors that can keep up with all of these changes are those who have a ton of free time on their hands or have a qualified assistant to do the bulk of the “legwork” for them. While I’m training my oldest to help me out, it’s taking time. We have a ways to go before he can do the business end of things himself.

But before I slip into the “this is the end of my writing career” mindset, I have to stop. There’s a thing called the self-fulfilling prophecy. The self-fulfilling prophecy is when you plant an idea in your head that ends up becoming a reality because you end up acting in a way that ensures your expectations are met. So I’m not going to give into the “I’m screwed” mindset. What I need to do is take a step back and think over what things I changes I can handle given my hectic life.

When you feel overwhelmed, the first thing to do is remove the stuff you’re not interested in. Then you can look over and prioritize the things that are interesting.

You can’t do everything. Being on every single social media platform will wipe you out. Likewise, focusing on every marketing opportunity will wipe you out. The best chance of long-term success when you’re looking to stick with something is to pick things that you enjoy. I’m all for trying new things, but when you don’t have much wiggle room, you have to be pickier about the things you’ll experiment with.

Writing with the help of AI

Right away, I can tell you that I am not using artificial intelligence (AI) to help me write my books. I can see the appeal. In a world where everything is “right now”, readers can get impatient for the next book. To complicate matters, a lot of them want to binge read an entire series, which means they won’t even buy Book 1 until the series is finished. That can be stressful when you need every book sale you can get to pay the bills. For authors driven to get books out as fast as possible to keep up momentum, this AI is probably going to be fantastic. You can have assistance to get books done quickly, and you don’t have to worry about ghostwriters possibly plagiarizing someone else’s work.

Despite the appeal, this isn’t for me. I’d rather write all of my books. I love the creative process. To me, the fun part is writing. I like going into a book and not knowing how things are going to play out until I’m writing the scene. It’s an adventure. It’s like going on a road trip without a map. The surprises that pop up along the way is what makes writing enjoyable. The part I hate is the marketing aspect of it. That’s why I do so little marketing. But some authors prefer the marketing, and they are probably the ones who will benefit from AI’s assistance.

Some authors are doing great with direct sales

I’ve had a Payhip storefront for years, and I might get one or two sales a year. I used to offer coupons to help generate interest, but people told me they buy from their preferred retailer because it’s easier to press the “buy” button and get the book directly loaded to their e-reader. As a reader, I do the same thing. Convenience matters. I don’t know who these authors are who are doing great with direct sales, but no one I personally know are among them. Maybe you have to be a big-time author to generate the interest. I would only recommend this to authors who have a good following or are super awesome with marketing.

More authors are upping their prices

I have actually decided to decrease the price of my new releases. This was a personal decision. In my house, we aren’t doing so great financially due to repairs and the cost of food, gas, utilities, etc, going up. This past year was an expensive one for my household. In light of my experience, I decided to go from asking $3.99 to asking $2.99 on new releases in hopes that I could give my readers a break. I did keep my current $3.99 books at $3.99 because I don’t feel like going across multiple retailers and adjusting the price. As I mentioned above, my time is limited. But I did lower the pre-orders to $2.99.

This is a personal thing each author has to decide on. I know a book is cheap compared to a coffee or a movie, but I had to follow my heart on this one. When it comes to business decisions, I tend to go with my feelings. Some authors think I’m crazy. Maybe they’re right.

Small publishers are finding success

I want to make a comment about the small press part of the blog post. Years ago (probably back in 2010), I read a post by a man who made a prediction about the future of publishing. He said indie publishing would explode for a time. Then small publishers would step in and take momentum. Then, eventually, the small publishers would merge and eventually become big publishers. He based this theory on what happened in the US in the past. Perhaps he is right. They say history repeats itself. Maybe we’re going to see the transition from indie to small press in the next decade or so.

This could be due to many things. Maybe changes in publishing will be so overwhelming that authors would rather hand off the harder part of the business to a publisher than navigate those changes alone. Or maybe smaller retailers will fold under until only one or two big players remain who will decide not to accept indies anymore. Or maybe subscription services will pop up all over the place, and authors will get paid so little (due to lack of representation by a publisher) that they’ll go to small presses who can negotiate good contracts for them. Anything is possible. Then again, maybe indies will always have a place in the publishing arena. Unlike the past, we have the internet now.

Either way, I’m grateful I got in when I did in 2009 because this has been one of the biggest blessings God has granted me. I never could have written my books with full creative control without the invention of the internet, the ease of indie publishing, and the popularity of the ebook reader. Since I was 12, my big dream was to be a published writer. My exact entry in my diary was that I hoped I would one day be a bestselling author (meaning “successful”) and have a loving husband. I then added, “I hope I don’t have to choose between the two, but if I do, I’d rather be a successful writer.” (Sorry to my husband, but it’s true.) I wrote this in my bedroom while looking up at the night sky. I still remember writing that down even after all these years. Thankfully, God didn’t make me choose between an author and having a loving husband. He granted me both things. No matter where things go from here, my life is complete.

Digital ads will become more expensive and difficult to track

The reason I never went into Amazon, Facebook, and Bookbub click ads is that I felt like they would end up losing their effectiveness over time, and I didn’t want those ads to be the main way I produced visibility. I’ve seen authors get so reliant on ads that they stop making money when the ads lose their effectiveness. Then they panic. I never wanted to be in that position. I might have left some money on the table by not buying those ads, but I’ve never regretted that decision.

That being said, there are some ads I do run every once in a while. My favorite ad sites are Freebooksy, LitRing, and Booksends. Some authors love tracking a bunch of click-through rates and tweaking keywords, but that’s not my kind of thing. I’d rather be writing.

Audiobooks are ready to boom

For years, people have been saying audiobooks are a hot market, but in my experience, the money is still way better in ebooks. ACX is awful for a return on investment. ACX will let readers return those audiobooks, and that cuts into an author’s and/or narrator’s profits. Findaway Voices is much more friendly to creators. Things might change with Spotify taking over, though. I worry the acquisition will turn Findaway into another ACX. I don’t know, guys. Making audiobooks is fun, but it’s a lot of work and time, and quite frankly, it doesn’t bring in enough money to do in earnest. AI, however, could be the game changer authors who are strapped for cash need. If AI does a fantastic job and cuts the cost and time of doing the audiobook to almost nothing, then we could probably see a real boom in this aspect of the business.

Serialized reading apps are becoming more mainstream

Out of everything on the list, I think the serialized app might be the thing that’s worth my time to look into. But not Wattpad. Wattpad requires authors to participate on there with readers to get paid. I don’t have time to participate on Wattpad. I barely have time to answer blog posts and emails, and it can take me weeks to do that. For busy authors, the best thing to do is invest in places that will pay without requiring engagement with readers. A site like Radish might be a good option. So I applied to join. There are other serialized apps out there, too. So much to learn, so little time. I’m starting with Radish, and then I’ll continue from there. Out of everything in that blog post, I’ve decided this is going to be my goal for 2022. If I have time, I’ll look into AI for audiobooks, too.

The Cursed Earl is Now Available!

This is Book 2 in the Marriage by Necessity Series.

Here are all of the books that are in this series:

This is Algernon and Reina’s romance. Reina fell in love with him in A Perilous Marriage, and while he felt an equal attraction for her, he’s hesitant to do anything about it because he can’t give her a real marriage. He, however, ends up following his heart (rather than his head) and marries her anyway. Then a series of bad things happen that makes him wonder if he has unwittingly put her in harm’s way.

I was hoping this would be a romantic comedy, but it took on a suspenseful turn. That was fine. I don’t force the story. I let the story take its own direction because the story is always stronger that way. But I do still want a comedic angle to a hero who is convinced he’s a victim of bad luck. That’s why I’m going to write Lord Quinton’s romance. I think I can reach this particular goal in his book. I’ll get to his romance in Midnight Wedding (which will be Book 2 in the next Regency series).

If you’re interested in reading about Algernon and Reina, you can find their book at these sites:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

Apple

Google Play

Smashwords

Going Into The New Year

Books already set to go

The good news is that I have The Cursed Earl uploaded and ready to go. I have the second drafts done for The Loner’s Bride, Suitable for Marriage, and Making a Realistic Publishing Schedule book done. I’m sending them to my editor to get a look through.

Since I have this much progress made on those books, I don’t foresee any problems getting them out on their release dates. The Cursed Earl will be out January 9. The Loner’s Bride will be out March 13. Suitable for Marriage will be out May 15. Making a Realistic Publishing Schedule will be out in January or February.

The Chaos Schedule is my new writing routine.

My life has become chaotic. My mother-in-law is dealing with some stuff. Father-in-law is no longer alive, and my husband has to report to work with fixed hours and days. I’m going to step in to help her out. There are other things going on, but it’s a long list, and I don’t feel like going into all of it on this blog. Suffice it to say, I don’t know from one day to the next when (or if) I can get any writing in.

A few people have recommended that I just take time off. That’s not an option for me. My writing income pays the bulk of the bills in my household. I can take a day here or there off, but I can’t take extended breaks like people are suggesting. What I’m going to do is revert back to how I wrote back in 2008-2011 when I had at least one pre-schooler at home with me. If you have small kids in your life, then you know that, at any moment, something unexpected can pop up, and this something will pull you away from the computer.

It’s just a matter of being purposeful with the time I have. I know I can do it, but writing has to be the priority. Everything else has to come second in my writing “business”. I realize the government says I run a small business, but writing is a passion so it doesn’t really feel like work. (Though it does feel like work when I have to get all of the bookkeeping done for the accountant. I hate the administrative parts of this gig. But it’s a necessary evil, so I do it.)

I’m only going to get Meant To Be up on You Tube, Rumble, and Bitchute. I’m scheduling these chapters out in advance so I don’t have to worry about them later. I was going to put more romances up, but it takes a lot of time and work to do that. That is time I could be writing.

As for the other audiobooks I have in the works, I do plan to finish up the Wyoming series on audio. I’m already a good way into The Rancher’s Bride. I hate to leave a series incomplete, so I will do The Fugitive’s Bride and The Loner’s Bride. I’m going to go slow on these books, though. My goal is to finish the series on audio by the end of this year.

I was looking to do some short horror for fun, but I doubt that will happen this year. I am eager to wrap up the Writing Tips Series, which is why I put the Making a Publishing Schedule book up on the priority list. Then I can say that is done and focus on the romances.

While this final paragraph has nothing to do with changes with the my writing plans, I want to address it since I’m making a post about the new year and stuff I’m doing. I am now going to price my new releases at $2.99 to help people afford my books when they come out. I realize that inflation is hitting a lot of people (myself included) hard, so I decided to bring the new release price down to $2.99. I need the 70% royalty I get from a $2.99 sale to help pay the bills. (That’s why I can’t price a new release at $0.99. The book has to be at least $2.99 to get 70%, at least on Amazon where I am making most of my money.) I know it’s only $1 in savings on my new releases, but it was the best compromise I could come up with.

The Path To Christmas on Audio

To celebrate Christmas, I thought I’d create an audiobook version of the short play I wrote years ago. This particular play had its origins in An Inconvenient Marriage.

The book that inspired the play…

For those of you who’ve read An Inconvenient Marriage, you’ll remember a scene where Jake Mitchell is watching a play written by the heroine’s younger brother. I only gave snippets of the play in the book because the focus was on Jake getting increasingly annoyed by the men who were starting to take an interest in the heroine.

I don’t remember the year, but someone who read An Inconvenient Marriage asked me if I had the entire play written down. She thought it would be something her church might be interested in performing for their Christmas production. I hadn’t considered writing the whole thing out, but I was honored someone would want to take the play and have it performed in a church, so I wrote the whole thing out and sent it her way. Then I published it.

This year, I thought I’d make an audiobook out of it. It’s short. It turned out to be about 7.5 minutes. I uploaded it to You Tube, Rumble, and Bitchute for your listening pleasure. The banner I made for the video turned out blurry. I apologize for that. Next time I’ll work with a larger template when creating my banners.

Below I am pasting the words to this play. I did make some minor changes in the audiobook version. I decided to go with “spirits” instead of “temptations”, though I did make an error in keeping the last name of the spirit, naming it “temptation” instead of “doubt”. I also mistakingly told Craig that the last angel to speak was Angel #2 instead of Angel #1. Since I didn’t get around to uploading the video until Christmas Eve, the mistake will just have to stay in the audiobook.

Here’s the play if you want to read it:

Plot:  Six children leave home to find their way to the true meaning of Christmas.  The angel tells them not to stray from the path or they will get lost.

(It is sunset.  Six children stand at the edge of a forest.  An angel is with them.)

Angel #1 (Instruction)

On this journey you are about to employ,

Is a journey meant for every girl and boy;

Be on your guard in case you stray,

For six temptations might lead you away.

If you venture off this path that was set,

The goal you seek, it will not be met;

For the meaning of this season is not known,

Until you walk this way on your own.

All Children

We will not be led astray,

On this path, we promise to stay

(Angel #1 leaves the stage.  Children walk into the forest.  They come to the first path on their right.)

Temptation #1 (Fearful Dread)

Thomas, incline to me your ear,

For I see that you are standing here;

Look, the sun, another day is gone,

And darkness will now linger on;

Must you walk this place at night,

When terrors await to give you fright?

Thomas

The night is long, I do admit,

And I do tremble a bit;

Your way glows with warmth and light,

I will return come daylight.

(Fearful Dread and Thomas leave the stage.  The five remaining children continue to walk until they reach another path on their left.)

Temptation #2 (Greedy Eyes)

Anna, may I inquire as to your desire,

Now, tell the truth, be not a liar.

Anna

I have come to find the mystery of the season,

I have come here for no other reason.

Temptation #2 (Greedy Eyes)

To tell the truth, you did do,

But I know what is troubling you;

Should you not seek your own pleasure?

For on my path is a toy box of treasure.

Anna

Your path is most delightful, I admit,

Maybe I was hasty to not consider it.

Temptation #2 (Greedy Eyes)

I’ve got shiny, brand new toys,

Toys for girls and toys for boys;

Come and stay, stay and play,

You can walk this path another day.

(Greed and Anna leave the stage.  The four remaining children continue to walk until they reach another path on their right.)

Temptation #3 (Lazy Time)

Tell me this, little Claire,

Who did tell you to beware,

The joy of sleep where dreams await?

Come with me now, for the hour is late.

Claire

I do confess my eyes are falling,

And I hear the Sandman calling;

With you, Lazy Time, I will go,

Show me the way to your pillow.

(Lazy Time and Claire leave the stage.  Angel #2 appears to the remaining three children.)

Angel #2 (Warning)

Behold three are lost who started this way,

Who now has the wisdom to stay?

The three remaining children:

We will stay on the path that was set,

We promise that we shall not forget;

Though temptation comes our way,

We do possess the wisdom to stay.

Angel #2 (Warning)

Beware the temptations, for they are not your friends,

They will lure you from the path’s end;

For they know the path leads to happiness and joy,

And it matters not if you are a girl or a boy.

(Angel #2 leaves the stage.  The three children continue their walk.  It is in the middle of the night.  They come to another path on the left.)

Temptation #4 (Guilty Conscience)

You may have fooled them, but you didn’t fool me,

I know all your secrets, my deceitful Jeffrey;

Your heart is filled with misdeeds, great and small,

I know them each, I know them one and all.

Jeffrey

It is true. I am not worthy to walk this way,

My sins do haunt me night and day;

I am not worthy of the knowledge that awaits,

Not when the night is dark and the hour is late.

(Guilty Conscience and Jeffrey leave the stage.  The two children continue to walk until they reach a path on the left.  It will soon be dawn.)

Temptation #5 (Wishful Thinking)

Oh good Samantha, I do so wish you’d come,

Turn this way for great cheer and fun;

Your friends are calling you from over there,

To continue this path, you should not care.

Samantha

I do confess, I feel great despair,

That none of my friends are with me here;

Yes, with you, I will go around the bend,

I care not to find how this path ends.

(Wishful Thinking and Samantha leave.  One child is left and comes to a path on the right.)

Temptation #6 (Doubt)

Jesse, I hear your footsteps on the leaves,

What brings you here this Christmas Eve?

Jesse

I come seeking the meaning that eludes me,

I wish to know the answer behind the mystery.

Temptation #6 (Doubt)

Such an answer you will not find,

The angel you spoke to was most unkind;

He promised something that isn’t true,

Come with me and I’ll comfort you.

Jesse

Though you cast doubts on my heart,

I will finish the path that I did start;

Go your way for I will not turn aside,

Though there is now no one by my side.

(Doubt leaves the stage, and Jesse finishes the path to find a baby in a manger with Mary and Joseph and shepherds.  It is dawn.)

Angel #1 (Instruction)

Now find the answer that you sought,

Your journey hasn’t been for naught;

Behold the child when he is thirty-three,

Will go to the cross at Calvary;

And on the cross He will die to rise again,

Lord and King, He will cleanse all sin.

At Christmas we celebrate His birth,

Praise Him all you that breathe on the Earth.

(The curtain falls.  The play has ended.)

Updates on What I’m Doing

I don’t know if next year will be a more productive one for me, but I feel like I got little done this year. My sister jokes that I’m the kind of person who will sit at the gate three hours before my flight and spend the whole time worrying I’ll miss takeoff. She’s right. That is my personality type, and it’s why this year has driving me crazy in the writing area.

I’m happy to say I finally got the first drafts done for The Loner’s Bride and Suitable for Marriage. Those books took six months to complete. Usually, I take 3-4 months to finish up a book. I’m hoping next year will be a better one. I have learned my lesson, though, and will not put up a pre-order until the first draft is done. I will do my best to reach the pre-order dates I already have up.

With that aside, let’s get to the heart of this post.

The Cursed Earl is uploaded and ready for January 9

This is Book 2 in the Marriage by Necessity Series.

Here are all of the books in this series:

I can’t tell you how glad I am to finally get The Cursed Earl uploaded so it’s ready for January 9. I was beginning to feel like that book would never come out. If you’d like to pre-order it, here are the links:

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

Apple

Google Play

The Loner’s Bride and Suitable for Marriage are in edits

The Loner’s Bride will finish the Wyoming Series.

This is due out March 13.

Here are the books in this series:

I have brought in the main characters from the previous three books to give updates on how they’re doing ten years after the events in The Fugitive’s Bride. In some ways, I think of this book as the epilogue to the series. We get a look at everyone’s happy ending, and it’s cute and fun. I included updates on Lloyd and Pearl since they played key roles in the past stories.

The focus is of this book is on Jeremiah and Katie, of course, since this is their romance. I enjoyed the interaction between the two. They had immediate chemistry. Jeremiah fought it, but Katie didn’t. That allowed me to work some humor into the scenes, and that made this a real pleasure to write.

Suitable for Marriage marks Book 3 in the Husbands for the Larson Sisters Series.

This is due out May 15.

Books in this series:

Daisy’s book to be added

This was a really cute and fun story, too. This one had more humor than The Loner’s Bride. I brought in Nelly and Patricia, but it’s mostly Erin and Daisy who take center stage as they work with Eva Connealy (heroine in Boaz’s Wager) to find Alex a woman to marry. Their plan fails, of course, because he’s the hero of this story. People say romance is predictable because the two main characters end up together. The fun is the process in getting them to their happy ending. And Erin did eventually come to her senses, but she needed a hard nudge from Daisy to get there.

I’m still at a loss on what to do with Daisy for Book 4. So I’m going to put that book on hold until I get an idea that sparks my interest.

Books I am going to work on next:

I have no compelling ideas for historical westerns at the moment, so the next three books will be Regencies.

This will wrap up the Marriage by Necessity Series. I don’t know if it’s going to be a romantic comedy or not. It’s too soon to tell. I’m only at Chapter 3 (I think). I haven’t written anything in here for over a month. The basic premise is that our heroine’s father is convinced someone is trying to kill her, so he hires Mr. Byron Tumilson to watch over her. Byron is Eris’ brother in A Perilous Marriage, and he’s a Runner. One thing I’m looking forward is turning the “ugly duckling” heroine into a swan. She’s really a pretty lady, but she doesn’t take time to pretty herself up so no one notices this. It’ll be fun to write the scene when Byron has to get a second look at her after her “make over”.

This book will start the Marriage by Obligation Series. I’m finally going to write a romance where a person in nobility falls in love with a servant. I’ve only briefly touched on this in Fairest of Them All with secondary characters, but I haven’t had a chance to work with this plot as the main story until now. I’m looking forward to it.

This is going to be Book 2 in the Marriage by Obligation Series.

In A Perilous Marriage, I introduced a side character by the name Lord Quinton. Lord Quinton ends up with a more prominent role in The Cursed Earl, but it’s not until now that he gets his own romance. Lord Quinton is even more superstitious than Charles’ friend, Algernon, is. Algernon is the hero in The Cursed Earl and Charles’ friend.

Anyway, I thought it’d be fun to do a plot where the heroine’s brothers kidnap a hero and force him out to an estate where he’s scared of every little thing that is happening. My aim is comedy. I’ve been wanting to write a romantic comedy where the hero is skittish and will assume the estate is haunted. This is the book where I can finally do that.

Writing When You Don’t Feel Like It (A Post for Writers)

There seems to be this misconception floating around out there that if writing is your full-time job, then it would be a piece of cake to write. That’s simply not true. Just because you have an entire day to write, it doesn’t mean you “feel” like writing. The muse is not always going to come out to play. There will be days where writing will be like pulling teeth, and you feel like you’ll never finish the book.

Also, just because you earn a living with your writing, it doesn’t mean it’s all roses and unicorns. The pressure to keep on publishing books hovers over your head, and bills mount up all around you. People in your family might depend on you for some, if not all, of the income. This is stressful since writing income fluctuates. You can run ads and engage on social media, but the very best marketing tool under your belt is the next book. You can’t spend all of your time on other pursuits. You need to write to get the book finished. Taking a long time off from writing isn’t always an option. People are depending on you for food, shelter, clothing, and keeping the lights on. The constant day-in and day-out of writing eventually takes its toll on you, especially since not every book is going to perform as well as you hope.

Burnout is a real thing in the writing community, but I rarely ever see it discussed. People assume if someone loves to write, then this whole thing is a breeze. They also assume just because the story is quick to read, then it took very little effort to write. Writing is work. It’s hard work. There is a lot more to writing a story than coming up with an idea. You have to make the story entertaining enough to hold someone’s interest from beginning to end. After that, you need to polish it up (edits) and package it into something that is attractive (get the cover). This is not easy. If you do all of the writing, editing, formatting, and cover art yourself, you’re wearing multiple hats. If you hire out for editing, formatting, cover art, then you need to hire the best people to do those jobs. I guarantee you that not everyone you hire is going to do a good job or reach the deadline you give them. (Make sure you give them a decent amount of time to work on the job. Expecting someone to get something done in a day or two is nuts. I advise at least two weeks.) Then you have to publish the book and either hire someone to do the marketing for you or do the marketing yourself. If a book could sell itself simply by being published, then every author would make a living at this. When you’re self-publishing, it’s on you to do everything yourself in one way or another.

I probably “feel” like writing about 25% of the time. Most days, it’s a struggle to get into it. It’s been like this since 2016. I love writing. I love what I’m writing. I have ideas. I enjoy the books that I’ve done. So it’s not a lack of enjoyment for writing itself that makes this such a struggle. I’ve been trying to pinpoint why this is so difficult for some time now, and I think an author friend was right when she said, “The reason you’re feeling burned out is because this is something you have to do. It’s a job.”

Writing is a job. The only way I’ve managed to get all of these books written and published is because I’ve made it mandatory to show up, sit down, and write. Like any other job, there are days when you feel like doing it and days you don’t. I tried to deny admitting this for a long time because it gives other people the impression that I hate writing. I don’t hate it. It’s just not all fun and games like it was back in 2008 when I started this path.

I don’t know if anyone can relate to this, but if you can and haven’t figured out how to make yourself write even when you don’t feel like it, I can offer some input. Routines are key to successfully managing a long-term writing plan. Routines are great. They give you a time to start and a a time to stop. If you know you’ll be at the computer from 8am to noon, then you know that at noon, you can stop writing. Also, I recommend days off. If you work from Monday through Friday, you can take Saturday and Sunday off without feeling guilty about it. You also have the weekends to look forward to if the week is a hard one for getting words down on paper. I recommend scheduled vacations and holidays off. I also recommend not doing the marketing while you’re supposed to be writing. Now, if you’re unable to set aside a block of time like 8am to noon, then think in terms of 250-word or 15-minute increments. I had to do this when my kids were little. I had a certain word count goal for the entire day, and once I hit that goal, I stopped writing for the day. I prefer the 8am to noon shift better because I feel more organized and rested, but when you’re a mom with little ones to tend to, the kiddos come first. When you’re taking care of them, just think about what you’ll write the next time you’re at the computer. That helps keep the flow going. I will add that I don’t stay in the chair the entire 8am to noon shift. I will get up about every 15 to 20 minutes to do laundry or another small chore. This gives my eyes a break from the screen and gets me moving around. I guess it’s not all that different from taking care of the kids, except you have control over how short the breaks are.

When you are done with the writing, then you schedule time for emails, blog posts, social media, website updates, ad placements, working with editors/cover artists, formatting, etc. I like to do this after I write since I won’t get distracted with the marketing side of things. If you’re the type who can set a timer, market, and then stop cold when the timer goes off, then I see no reason why you can’t market first if you feel more relaxed to write after the marketing is done. However, if you can’t stick to that timer (like me), then you need to write first.

The routine takes a lot of discipline. I find it takes about two weeks of doing the routine for it to feel comfortable. Your routine has to work with your life. You don’t want to push yourself too thin. If you find that you can’t produce a certain amount of words each day, then cut back the word count to something easier to manage. You want a pace that won’t stress you out. You need to be relaxed if you’re going to put out your best work. And there will be times when you have to change your routine. As frustrating as it is, you need to do it to stay sane. Experiment until you find the right routing for you.

I know you can’t eliminate all of your stress. As long as we’re alive, we’re going to face some form of stress. All you can do is set up a routine that keeps you on a track so you can write at a pace that is comfortable for you. That’s how you can keep writing even when you don’t feel like it. That’s how you can stick with this job for the long haul. Just take it one day at a time. Make the daily goals small. Some days will be better than others, but every day you write will add up. If you keep chipping away at that book, you’ll eventually get it done.

The Value of Offering A Book For Free (A Post for Writers)

In the title above, I left the “A” in capital on purpose. I don’t believe any author should put every book they have up for free if an author hopes to make money. Now, if an author is independently wealthy or if the author is in a ministry where he/she feels led by God to get the message out to as many people as possible, then making every book free makes sense. But if you need your writing income to help pay the bills, a free book is all about strategy. It’s one tool of many we have at our disposal.

You don’t have to offer anything for free, just as you don’t have to do any other marketing strategy. Despite the hype Amazon ads gets, I don’t use them. I also don’t do giveaways or go to in-person events to sell paperbacks anymore. I don’t care how beneficial other authors have found those things. I find them all draining of time and energy, so I won’t do them. You should do the strategies that best align with your personality.

Before I get into the value I’ve seen from using the free book strategy, I want to point out free is not effective for everyone. I’ve heard from writers who said they saw less sales after placing Book 1 in a series at free. They said $0.99 worked better for them. I’ve tried $0.99 on Book 1 in my series, and I found that $0.99 didn’t work as well as the free book strategy did. That’s why I go with free. My genre is historical romance. So if you’re a romance writer, you probably want to look at free if you haven’t done it already.

Does free work with standalones? I found a couple of horror/thriller authors that way. My reading time is limited, so I go with standalones instead of series. Not every reader out there is going to be a series reader. Some of us prefer one book to wrap everything up. So don’t think you have to only write a series to reach an audience with free books. Is it more challenging? It sounds like it is based off of what authors have said in writing groups over the years, but since I found authors through standalones they offered at free, I fail to see the problem with giving the free strategy a try. If you can hook a reader in with your writing style, the reader will check out your other stuff.

With all of that aside, this is why I’ve found having at least one free book in my catalogue to be a huge benefit in promoting my books.

The Problem of Visibility

Visibility was a lot easier to get back in 2009-2012. You used to be able to put the book up, and a lot of people would see it. A lot of people seemed to buy these books, too. I believe the reason it was so easy to sell books back then is that they were new. People were buying e-reading devices. They needed to fill them with content. Free did work very well back then, but so did pricing books. In fact, this was the time period where you could make serious money with $0.99. Today, things aren’t the same. Just because you put your book up for free, it doesn’t mean it’ll be easy for people to find you. But then, it’s hard to get noticed regardless of your price. For better or worse, there are a lot of books out there. What free does is offer a reader a risk-free opportunity to check you out. Sometimes a person will decline a new author because they have to pay for the book. Personally, I don’t think free devalues a book, but I know some authors do. I don’t believe this debate will ever be settled. You’ll have to make the call for your own books. If you feel free will devalue your work, then you probably shouldn’t put your book up for free. The last thing you want is to feel like you’re compromising your core principles.

The purpose of offering the free book is that you’re hoping people will take a chance on your work and end up falling in love with your ability to tell a story. This is why I believe free can work for standalones, as well as for a series. It’s important to have your own author voice. When you are true to your voice, you will stand out from the crowd. Voice is extremely important. It’s gives your writing flavor. This is why I don’t like critique groups. I feel critique groups squashes the individual writer’s voice because other writers are imposing how they would write the story on to your work. You are not them. You are you. Embrace it. Let your writing has its own flavor. When you do that, you’ll be able to connect with the right readers with your books. I don’t believe we are to write for every single reader out there. You are writing books geared toward a select group of readers who “get you” as a writer. These are the people you’re hoping to attract with the free book. Yes, you’ll attract those who don’t like your book, but you take that risk when you publish any book.

There is an alternative to outright putting a book up for free that feels “free” to the reader, and this will also boost your ability to be visible. The alternative I’m talking about are subscription services like Kindle Unlimited (KU), Scribd, and Kobo Plus. Yes, I know there’s a monthly fee people pay, but that fee covers all of the books that are in that particular service. If a reader pays for Kobo Plus, for example, they get to read all of the books in Kobo Plus without paying for any them. So to the readers, these books “feel” free. Each subscription plan has its own way of paying authors, but authors do get paid something in these plans. I used to fight this model because the actual sale of a book pays better, but, in my opinion, the popularity of subscription services in music and movies tells me that it’s only a matter of time before ebook subscription services are going to really hit the writing community. People will still buy books. They still buy music and movies, but there will be plenty of people who will only read books that are in a subscription plan. Once in a while, I’ll get an email or a comment somewhere from a KU reader who will let me know they’ll never touch one of my books until I put them in KU. I’m sure readers in other subscription plans feel the same way. The problem with KU is that it requires you to be exclusively on Amazon. That’s why I never put my books in KU. With Scribd and Kobo Plus, I can be on any retailer I want to be and be in those subscription plans. I like having a wide net. You will have to decide if you want to be in a subscription plan, and if so, which one(s).

More Reviews

A free book will typically get more reviews. Yes, some of the reviews won’t be nice. I know it’s hard not to take reviews personally, especially when someone is downright mean in the way they word things, but if you get enough readers to buy your book, you’ll end up with a negative review at some point. You can’t please everyone. In my opinion, there’s no sense in worrying about the critic. It’s better to focus on the person who “gets you” and loves your work. That why I don’t pay attention to negative reviews on my books. I’m not writing for those people. After getting 100 books into the world, I know what I want to write, and I’m going to write it. So these people aren’t going to change anything I’m doing.

However, there is still value in those negative reviews. They help potential readers decide if my style of writing is a good fit for them. I don’t want the wrong audience wasting their time on my books. Their time is better spent on books they will enjoy. (You get to this conclusion after dealing with negative reviews for over a decade. At first, it hurts a lot, but, in time, you will develop thick skin. Just focus on the people who love your books.) The good news is that your intended audience is out there, and free can help them find your book. These people will enjoy the book and give it the kind of reviews you’re hoping for. If you’re able to find enough readers who like your stuff, your positive reviews will outweigh the bad.

I’m not sure if reviews do anything to boost your visibility on a retailer. I wouldn’t look at reviews as a way to directly boost sales. I think the benefit of reviews is for the right reader to discover you. The reviews should give them a better idea of what your book is about when they’re trying to decide if your book will be something they will enjoy. For example, there are things a review says that might not be stated in a book description. As a reader, I like it when a reviewer points out if something I like (or don’t like) in a book. Quite frankly, some of the 1-star reviewers complained about things I actually liked, so I ended up getting those books because of them. Sometimes the negative reviews work in your favor.

***

If after reading this post, you don’t think free is your thing, then don’t do it. There are plenty of marketing tools out there. It’s better to feel good about yourself as a writer than to do something you can’t be enthusiastic about. Take it from someone who’s made mistakes she’s lived to regret. Be true to yourself. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. These are your books. You call the shots.