Jennifer Becton's Blog, page 31

Procedure

On Thursday, I’m having a minor procedure. In case you hadn’t noticed from reading my thrillers, I’m not a particularly squeamish person, but this surgery will be near my eye. My EYE!

I can’t close my eyes and ignore what’s happening. So instead, I’ve decided to picture the worst thing I can imagine coming at my eyeball:

Wish me luck.

Friday Freefrall, April 11, 2014

In case you haven’t noticed, this blog is composed of random topics. I like being free to write whatever strikes my fancy, but in the past, I’ve tried to create some regular series. I’ve started features like Fraud Friday and Photo Friday, and I contemplated making a Friday Five post today. But then, I decided I’d never keep it up. I’m just too random.

So I hereby institute Friday Freefrall.

“What is Friday Freefrall?” you ask. Well, “freefrall” is a corruption of the phrase “free for all.” I’m not naming names, but one of my friends used to think this was what people were saying. I’m going to post whatever strikes my fancy. Maybe photos, fraud stories, book updates, a Friday five, who knows.

Today, it’s a Friday Five, five things that crossed my mind this week.

Probably the biggest news story in the tech world this week is the Heartbleed Bug. Here’s a list of major sites that tells whether or not the bug affected them,  if they have a patch, and if you should update your passwords.
I completed the first draft of Mary Bennet this week, and now I’m rewriting.
Thanks to pollen season, I’ve had to cut down on my barn time. Instead, I’ve been forced to settle with virtual horse time. I enjoyed this series by Stacy Westfall detailing the first year of a horse’s training.
My DH and I have been rewatching The Office. I really love that show.
And now for your moment of Zen: Here are two pictures of Darcy dressed in an Easter bunny costume by Cherie Steele.

10 Questions to Ask before Quitting Your Day Job

Publishing is a business; writing is an art.

Many writers dream of giving up their day jobs and writing full time, but because of the highly variable nature of monthly book royalties, it can be difficult to judge when the time is right to go it alone.

As writers, we don’t have the benefit of a fixed monthly income. We can’t count on $X per month. In fact, we have no idea what our income may be from one month to the next, and this makes it impossible for us to budget on a month-to-month basis. Full-time writers must plan ahead, or they may find themselves scrounging their couch cushions for pennies during a lean time.

Here are ten questions that will help you decide when the time is right to pursue a career as a full-time writer:

Do I have another (regular) source of income? If your spouse or significant other is employed for a steady wage, then you may be able to make the leap to full-time writer earlier. Having a dependable fixed amount of money coming into your household means you may have a better cushion in the leaner royalty months.
What are my average monthly expenses? Car, house, food, clothing, rent, insurance, taxes, business expenses? Add them up.
How much debt do I have?

Credit cards, school loans, other loans. One great way to get yourself in trouble as a full-time writer with a highly variable monthly income is to neglect your debt. The more debt you pay down, the better off you’ll be in the long run. No more compounding interest. But it’s hard to pay for something you already own, and much more tempting to buy something new and shiny to play with.
Where will I get health insurance, and how much will it cost?

Chances are that your health insurance costs will go up. Find out what you can expect before you quit your day job.
How much savings do I need to hold in reserve for taxes and emergencies?

You cannot budget month to month as a full-time writer. You have to plan ahead. Save for quarterly income taxes, new tires for your car, a new alternator.
What luxury items do I not wish to give up? Cell phone, TV service, travel, (ahem) a horse? In an emergency, these items could be cancelled or sold, but who wants to go without their cell phone? Not me. (And my horse ain’t going anywhere. Ever.)
Do I have control of my spending habits? Seriously. Do you pay attention to the way you use your resources? Where does your money go? Does it just seem to disappear?
What is my worst month’s income in the past year?

Look at this number as your base salary. This is the least you may expect to earn, even when times are tough. (Of course, this may not be the true low point, but it’s a good place to start.)
What is my best month’s income in the past year? Now subtract your worst month’s income. What’s left is your bonus money. Yay! Bonus money! Now, what do you do with it? You pay down your debt and save for taxes and emergencies. Then, what’s left over can be put toward non-essential luxuries. Do the numbers balance out?
Can I live comfortably on my worst month’s income? This is the most important question of all. If the bottom fell out of the book market, and you reverted to your lowest sales ever, would you be able to live comfortably on your worst month’s income? If so, then it’s safe to consider quitting your day job. If not, keep working because each new book will bring you closer to your goal.

But Jennifer, why not take an average of your monthly income and make the decision based off that number instead? Isn’t that more accurate?

Very astute of you, reader! You could budget that way if you are vigilante about your long-range planning. Here’s the rub: Your average income is always changing, but your “worst income” doesn’t change every month. It’s as close as you can get to a fixed number in an unfixed industry.

I’ve budgeted with a highly variable monthly income for the last fifteen years, and I can tell you from experience that living as if your average monthly income is your dependable monthly income will leave you with months during which you are not going to be able to pay your bills.

Remember, the average is the middle of your income range. Some months, you’ll earn far more, but other months, you’ll earn far less. What do you do when you hit a “less” month? Did you save from the previous “more” or “average” month? Or did you see that month’s money as your regular salary and, therefore, safe to spend?

Basing your decision off your worst month’s income will help ensure that your bills will all get paid and you’ll have fewer sleepless nights…unless you’re trying to work out a plot point. Then, all bets are off.

How to Get Automatic Updates on Kindle Books

Occasionally, publishers make corrections and improvements to their ebook offerings. Until recently, Kindle owners had to update books manually. Did you know that? Yeah, I didn’t know until a few months back.

But now, you can set your Kindle to update books automatically. Just log into your Amazon account and go to “Manage Your Kindle.” Then choose “Automatic Book Updates.” Then turn it on! Voila, every book will update automatically.

A New Milestone: 100,000

Yesterday, Whiteley Press, LLC, sold its 100,00th book. Even though I’m still in shock, I’m also incredibly grateful to every person who decided to take a chance on one of my books.

“Now we are so happy, we do the dance of joy!”

When I first made the decision to self-publish, I admit it was out of necessity. A publisher told me that if I sold 1,000 copies of Charlotte Collins, they would consider publishing it. Even though this goal was met in a few short months, that publishing contract didn’t happen.

Instead, something better happened. That book sold 5,000 copies, and then 10,000 copies, etc. And when combined with my other titles, by June 2011, Whiteley Press, LLC, books had accumulated 50,000 total sales.

Now, sales have reached a milestone I never dreamed of: 100,000! And that’s not counting the French editions of the Personages of Pride & Prejudice Collection. (I have no idea how many have sold there.)

I’m grateful and overwhelmed.

Thank you all for making my dreams come true.

 

Thank You!

Thank you all for making the launch of Moral Hazard so incredibly exciting and successful already! I’m grateful to everyone who waited patiently to find out what happens next to Julia and Vincent.

Moral Hazard: The Go Button Has Been Hit

The “Go Button” has been hit!

Moral Hazard should be available on Kindle and Nook in the next 12-24 hours. It will arrive at other ebook retailers in the next few days. The paperback will be out later. I’ll post links when they are live!

Moral Hazard Updates

Everything is on schedule for the upcoming release of Moral Hazard! I am currently doing the final proofread. I made sure to check the number of swear words (don’t worry, I kept the number and severity the same as the others in the series). I also removed some repetitive sections and fixed a few typos. Sorry for the short post, but I’m hard at work!

The Time Draws Near

Moral Hazard will be released on ebook by March 24! (The paperback creation and proofing process takes longer.) The ARCs have been sent out to reviewers, and I’m about to begin my final read of the text.

I worked hard to make Moral Hazard the best it could be , and I hope everyone will enjoy it.

I’m also re-releasing “Cancellation Notice,” a short story that is actually a prequel to the Southern Fraud series, in particular Moral Hazard. Keep an eye out for that too!

She’s Not Helping

After staging a brief protest, Her Royal Hiney has graciously allowed me to begin working on the copy editor’s corrections on Moral Hazard.