Susan Daugherty's Blog, page 2

April 23, 2017

MUSE JOINS THE CLUB OF 5 STARS ON READERS' FAVORITE!


So pleased to share the Groupie's sequel has also been awarded the prestigious 5 Stars from Readers' Favorite! Lets be honest... it would stink if only one of the two books in the series won this honor! Very happy to say that the second novel lived up to the first one. Check out my very own page on Readers' Favorite website.

5 STAR REVIEW ON READERS' FAVORITE
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Published on April 23, 2017 09:00

March 18, 2017

What's the Deal with Reviews, Anyway?


Groupie has reached over 100 reviews on Amazon! 

Just had to write a quick post to share the fantastic news. This was a milestone that was a big goal of mine. Groupie was released December 3rd, 2016, so to reach this goal in just over 3 months is amazing. 

What does it  mean, really? Reviews... 

It means people are reading my book! Obviously, I see the sales numbers but to be able to relate those to real people who actually read it and have taken the time to review it, that is very different to an author. Each review is so appreciated! 

Did you know only 2% of readers will leave a review? As authors, we would love everyone to reach out and give us feedback and let us know how the book affected them. But, sadly, very few actually do that. I can relate, as I very rarely give reviews on my Amazon product purchases. BUT, for books, I do try to give reviews! It is so much more personal than buying a vacuum cleaner... 

Reviews are so helpful because choosing a book is so personal and there are so many to choose from. Hopefully, the more customers who know how much it is valued, the more that will take the extra minute to leave a review. And honestly... it should only take a few moments. The book is already in your orders and there to click on. All that is needed is a few sentences to describe what you liked or didn't like and click on the star rating. No one is asking for a full synopsis or play by play. So, don't feel intimidated! 

Often times, the sites selling books will also start to promote your book by recommending it when it has a lot of reviews. This is a huge help to an author! 

I'm extremely grateful that Groupie not only has a lot of reviews... but that is averages at 4.7 STARS! Knowing that my readers have loved this book is so very rewarding. All the time and energy and emotion spent writing it and the fear and anticipation of releasing it is all worth it to hear the fabulous feedback!

Keep the reviews coming and remember how important they are to authors! 
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Published on March 18, 2017 10:03

February 17, 2017

MUSE HAS BEEN RELEASED ON AMAZON!

It's a truly exciting day that I can tell you that my SECOND NOVEL has been published on Amazon. MUSE, the sequel to GROUPIE, is now available. I appreciate all of the support and would love to hear your feedback.

MUSE ON AMAZON!
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Published on February 17, 2017 08:38

February 12, 2017

In honor of the fast- approaching Valentine's Day 2017, r...

In honor of the fast- approaching Valentine's Day 2017, remember to grab your favorite book and #readromance! If you take your date to a romantic movie, please remember that 99% of the movies out there first came from books! Share your favorite books with your friends and reach out to the authors- they love to hear feedback.
Happy Valentines Day!
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Published on February 12, 2017 06:48

February 6, 2017

ANNOUNCING A FIVE STAR REVIEW FOR GROUPIE!

One of the most touted ways for a novelist to get feedback and create buzz for their book is through editorial reviews. Instead of your average customer reviewer in which a reader gives their opinion, these specialized reviews come from legitimate sources involved in the book industry. Many of these options with big names (such as USA Today) are not open to indie publishers. Many also want your book before it is published, but it can take weeks and delay your ability to put your book out on a timely schedule. Others will accept submissions but it is few and far between that they chose to review and authors just keep their fingers crossed. 
On the same token, the review could be bad...and then it is out there for all to see! Gasp! It truly is a gamble and you must hope that the reviewer that does wind up (hopefully someone does choose it) likes your book and gives a great line or two to use in marketing. 
I am so pleased to announce that Groupie was chosen by Readers' Favorite... and it received the FIVE STAR SEAL!!! I am very grateful for the insight of this reviewer and that she enjoyed and understood my novel so well. HERE IT IS, FOLKS!
Reviewed By Maureen Dangarembizi for Readers’ Favorite

Groupie by Susan Daugherty revolves around a developing romance between Dr Lexie Travis and music sensation Jack Morgan. Lexie doesn't appreciate Jack's brand of country music much and has a low opinion of his lifestyle. When Jack has an accident on stage and hurts his leg, Lexie is brought in as his therapist. Turns out Jack Morgan isn't the uncouth womanizer she believed him to be. Their healing sessions bring them closer and Jack is forced to take a good look at his life since his stardom. For Lexie, travelling with Jack on his tour is a dream come true. Jack may just be the man to make Lexie hope again. Just one problem; she didn't believe in true love and Jack is ready to jump all in.

When it comes to exploring a character's emotions, Susan Daugherty hit the nail on the head. I felt the fear, the excitement, and the love between Lexie and Jack. Both characters have been scared by the past and are scared to commit, but as they get to know each other better, their friendship turns into something more meaningful. This book is filled with "awww"-inspiring sweet moments and nail biting suspense (sometimes more than I could take). I especially loved that it still managed to convey the romantic atmosphere without the overblown sex scenes so prevalent in romance books nowadays. The book ends in a cliffhanger, but was totally worth the read. I can't wait to read the conclusion of Lexie and Jack's story in Muse. Fans of Colleen Hoover will definitely enjoy Groupie.

https://readersfavorite.com/book-revi...
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Published on February 06, 2017 15:16

January 28, 2017

Step 6 in My Writing Process: Writers' Convention

In the midst of navigating the whirlwind that is querying, I also decided to attend the Atlanta's Writers Conference with a writer friend,  Michelle. We had heard about the great networking opportunity as well as the ability to submit your first 50 pages to agents/editors for critique and to pitch your novel to other agents and editors. There were also numerous panels to attend and with Q and A with these top agency representatives and workshops for marketing and fine tuning your writing.

I was in the limbo stage, where I had received some 'passes' on my query and also some positive feedback. I felt that I needed to know if my query letter was in good shape (because as you know, there is such a small window to grab that agent's attention and your letter better be amazing!) and to get some kind of idea if my only my few trusted friends who had read Groupie thought it was good... or if professionals thought I had something promising.

It turned out to be a great experience, overall! Michelle and I met some inspiring fellow writers and were able to swap stories of our author lives and our journeys. We heard successes and failures. We were inspired and renewed. Many of us swapped information but I truly only kept in touch with one writer, but she has proved to be such a valuable friend to me as we both continue our processes. The mixer felt like the Hunger Games to try to meet and talk to the agents and editors- it was interesting to say the least.

My review sessions with two agents who had read my first 50 pages went very well- one was very enthusiastic and said she wanted me to send my 'full' (the entire manuscript) to her office. The other said I had a good start but cued me on some styling and structure to improve. Then I met with to editors to pitch my book to, and they both showed intrigue. One asked for the 'full' and the other for a 'partial'  manuscript. (Partial requests come with querying if they are interested but not fully sold yet and full requests come if they are very interested.) I did not win any awards at the ceremony, but my brand new friend did and I was so happy for her. Michelle got some positive feedback but not as many requests as I did, so I left feeling encouraged and as though I got my 500$ conference fees worth for sure!

Unfortunately, at the end of several more weeks, none of my leads from the conference panned out. The heartbreaking journey of querying, sending the manuscripts and waiting for the replies continued for weeks. Perhaps my  hopes were too high, as I left the conference with my feedback. I truly expected one of interesting parties to work out. One agent never, ever got to back to me after requesting a full... this was  unprofessional I thought. I sent the materials and followed up twice and also reached out to another person at the agency due to the lack of response. It continues to feel very odd. The other requests fell into the eventual 'pass' pile and left me feeling that I had perhaps been duped into false hope. I may never know if those reps at a conference try to boister you up at the time and let you down later, or if it was genuine interest that just didn't wind up fitting.

In the end, I still believe it was a nice rite of passage for a new author. I gained knowledge, networked, made a friend, gained feedback from many sources and met in person many of these agents and editors who can make or break us. They are human, too!  It set me up to continue my adventure of finding the right place for my novel.

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Published on January 28, 2017 12:17

January 24, 2017

Readers' Favorite Five Star Seal

Very excited to share the news that Groupie received the Readers' Favorite Five Star Seal! This is as great honor and I am proud to display my new seal. Most authors write books for the shear reason that we hope readers will enjoy them... that they will get a true escape, become part of a new world. The feedback from our readers is the reason why we write and what keeps us going. In this day and age, you are able to reach more readers when you have achieved special reviews and seals like this one. I'm very happy that the seal came from Readers' Favorite... because, as I said, authors want nothing more than their readers to enjoy their novel! If this helps me reach further readers who also love the book, then this is a wonderful thing. Thank you for the honor, Readers' Favorite!
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Published on January 24, 2017 19:57

January 7, 2017

The True Reward for Writing Comes from the Readers

Reflecting today on what it means to be a published author.
I find that it's not the act of saying my book is now out there in space that is rewarding... it's the feedback that you get from reviewers that makes me smile!
Knowing that I have been able to touch someone's life, give them a fun escape from the daily grind, or make them feel part of a new world is all the reward that is needed.

 I have to share just a few short quotes from a fraction of the Amazon reviews for Groupie that make me so happy to be a writer!

 *“This book is humorous, big-hearted, passionate, and suspenseful. It will have you from the first page and keep you there, turning page after page.” 
*“If you like Nicholas Sparks books, you will really love this book!” 
*“What makes Daugherty’s debut so irresistible is its heroine Lexie—she’s smart, spunky, assertive, flirty, and authentic.” 
*“If you are a hopeless romantic looking for a fast paced easy read that leaves you wanting more then this is the story for you!” 
*“The book was totally unpredictable, and I had no idea what would happen in the end. When I finished the book, I was actually sad to be done.” 
*“This is the kind of writing that makes you feel like you're watching a good movie.” 
*“I literally could not put it down because I had to finish before reality set in and I had to go to work the next morning.” 
*“Loved this book. Stayed up way past my bedtime because I couldn't put it down!” 
*“The interaction between Jack and Lexie…their quips, their banter, and their character development throughout the story made it difficult to put the book down. I highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys romance, friendships and adventure.” 
*“You know those very special books that make you call into work and use a sick day because you just HAVE to finish the book? This is definitely one of those books!”
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Published on January 07, 2017 10:01

December 22, 2016

Step Five in My Writing Journey: Query Your Heart Out

This topic overlaps with Step Four, in which I started to talk about the query but was sidetracked onto agents...those who you will send your query letter to! You can agents who you think will be interested in your book by researching book agencies. Each agency may give you a clue as to what books they are looking for- for example one whole agency may be for romance only or young adult books. However, most agencies seek a wide range of novels and have different agents who specialize in different areas.

Therefore, you must sift through numerous agencies and then through numerous agents at each agency to find the ones who say they are accepting queries for your type of novel. Each agent will give you a little blurb about themselves and what they are seeking, what interests they have, and often what books they have had success in publishing so that you can try to match with the right person. It can be daunting to try to choose the right  person at an agency... most agencies insist that you only query to one agent and if they pass, it is considered a pass for the whole group.

I used QueryTracker to help me sift through the many agents out there and found it to be very helpful. After signing up with a username and password, I put in what genres my novel fit (for me, I used contemporary womens fiction, romance, new adult) and the tracker gave me a nice, long list of agents who were seeking these types of books. I could click on each link to read more about the agent and their agency and decide if they were a good fit.

Why not just send to each and every agent out there that remotely seems interested in your type of book? First, it is very time consuming. Second, if your query letter is not up to snuff and is getting passed on each time, it is best not to have sent it to every choice you have. You can see how your response is from the first 5 agents and perhaps you need a rewrite before you send it to more. Also, if you send it out to twenty agents but your top 3 are slower getting back to you...but you've heard something positive from number 20...now what? Do you go with that agent that was not at the top of your list or put them off while you wait to hear from the one you really want?

Why did I say it was time consuming? Isn't the query the same form letter that you send to each agent that tells a bit about your book and about you? In theory, you write your query letter about your novel, but the problem is that on each agent's website, they also tell you what things they want you to include in your query. Some are very specific and you wind up rewriting the whole thing! Some insist that it be only 3 paragraphs after you have mastered a 5 paragraph letter that another agency had recommended. Some limit the word count. Some have you fill it out online via Submittable, which makes you start all over. You must also address it to each person and tell them why you chose to send it to them, hopefully with convincing reasons. The agents want to know why you chose them and that you did not just send out a form letter 'to whom it may concern' to fifty agents.

I looked up advice on writing the query and there are many options there as well. Some experts say to start with information about you and then talk about your book. Others say you only have two seconds to grab their attention so you better start talking about your tagline right away. They want you to be creative and show your novel off but not to be cliche. It is a fine line, my friends. I even took my query letter to a writing conference to get feedback from actual agents. Three agents looked at it and all gave me different advice... It can be downright maddening. Your hopes and dreams of having your book published hinge on an agent taking the time to read your one brief letter that you have to pray is set up the way they like it and grabs their attention. If I were to fix the letter the way one person preferred, the other 2 would not like it and vice versa.

Now you can see why I said this was the hardest part of the process. Imagine completing a novel and all the editing... but what good is it, if you can't get the novel in front of any agents due to an imperfect query letter. And there does not seem to be a way to write a perfect query letter because the varying opinions from the professionals.

I did manage to get some responses to my query letters! In the next entry I'll move past the dreaded querying and into the next phase of the writing process.

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Published on December 22, 2016 14:40

December 8, 2016

I am so pleased to announce that I will have a book signi...



I am so pleased to announce that I will have a book signing for those who have asked! My amazing team at BenchMark has offered (insisted) on hosting the event. I hope to see many of you there with your books in hand, or you can buy them there as well... just in time for Christmas!
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Published on December 08, 2016 17:07