Jennifer Becton's Blog, page 32

Writing Process Blog Hop

Thanks to Nancy Kelley, author of the Brides of Pemberley series, for inviting me to participate in this blog hop. To find out more about Nancy’s writing process, books, and upcoming releases, visit her at Nancy Kelley Writes.

What am I working on?
Moral Hazard (Southern Fraud Thriller 4) will be released in mid-March, and I am currently completing the last edits and putting the final touches on the cover and interior art. In honor of its upcoming release, the ebook editions of Absolute Liability (Southern Fraud Thriller 1) are on sale for $.99 for a limited time.

How does the Southern Fraud series differ from others in the thriller genre?
When I began the Southern Fraud series, I wanted to write a heroine who worked in a law enforcement field, and haven’t they all been done to death? There are zillions of books, movies, and TV shows about police officers, detectives, private investigators, FBI, and even state bureaus of investigation (CBI anyone?).  I wasn’t interested in writing a cozy Miss Marple type character. So what else is there? Well, there are state fraud investigators. These law enforcement officers are licensed by states and have the power to arrest.

Why do I write what I do?
I love TV crime dramedies like The Mentalist, Castle, etc, and I constantly searched for their literary equivalent. I found blood-and-guts thrillers and slapstick comedies, but I had a difficult time finding a series that blended the two. So I decided to write what I wanted to read.
How does my writing process work?
I begin each manuscript with the following information:

main characters
general plot/crime
final scene

I don’t create a detailed outline beforehand. I prefer to free associate as I write and record my ideas in outline form as I go. I don’t have any fancy tools. I keep a notebook handy for recording ideas in the middle of the night or on the go. I write on Scrivener, but I edit using Word. (Try to contain yourselves. I know this is fascinating.)

My writing process includes a three-step editing process. A story editor assess the plot and themes, a copy editor sees to the details and grammar, and a proofreader culls out the typos at the end. I’m a big believer in thorough editing and am lucky to work with so many talented, patient people.

Next up

Rebecca at A Word’s Worth: Rebecca is a Librarian by trade, and a Dreamer at heart. Easily distracted by book covers, she is an avid reader – and a surprisingly passionate sportsgeek. (In truth, she is a geek of all trades). Her writing is as varied as her reading tastes, but the main project is to answer the question “If Jane Austen wrote fairy tales …” – this process would make better progress if her friends didn’t keep writing such amazing stories of their own. You can check out her reading blog at AWordsWorth.blogspot.com

Obseravtions on Book Marketing in 2014

Warning: Math Ahead

For indie publishers, the dominant marketing power belonged to Kindle Select in 2012 and Bookbub in 2013. What will prove to be the marketing powerhouse of 2014?

I’ve read a few blog posts about the new Kindle Countdown Deals, and so far, I’m not convinced this will be it. Given that one must remove a book from all other sales channels and in return only get a 7-day sale (plus the other benefits of KDP Select, which have proven to be far less of an inducement over the past year), authors must consider the loss of revenue and visibility at the other sales venues. Is giving up 90 days of sales at all other venues offset by the profit from 7 days of sales through the Countdown Deal? So far, I haven’t seen a lot of hard numbers that prove its worth. I may experiment with it so that I can have some firsthand experience.

Bookbub still works for my titles, paying for itself long before the 24-hour period of the promo ends.

What’s new for 2014 in the Bookbub realm? For the first time, my audiobook sales also soared during and after their promotion of Charlotte Collins. The audiobook version’s price was not reduced, but the visibility of the ebook apparently generated interest in the Audible title. Sales of the audiobook soared to 6 times that of the previous month thanks to Bookbub.

One other observation from my recent $.99 sale/Bookbub promotion: Charlotte Collins‘s sales began to rise and its rank began to improve significantly after the price drop but before the promotion began. This leads me to wonder if amazon’s algorithm may be a little more friendly toward $.99 sales than it was in the past (perhaps to bolster to the Countdown Deal program).  I’ll experiment with a non-Countdown Deal sale too.

What are your experiences with Bookbub? And are your $.99 sales generating better results than in 2013?

Photo Friday 2/28/2014

I’ve missed a few weeks of photos. In February, we got 8 inches of snow, and my husband and I enjoyed the heck out of it. I even got to ride in it! That was a first.

I got to spend more time at the barn this month after Moral Hazard went to the copy editor. So forgive all the horse pictures.

1. We visited some friends and went roller skating with their two girls. That blurry image is me.

2. The snow was not right for sledding, and Bert collapsed after working so hard to make it down the hill.

3. Forced perspective snowman.

4. My view from Darcy’s back in the snow.

5. Me and Darcy

6. Darcy and Jessie sunbathing.

Photo Friday 2/28/2104

I’ve missed a few weeks of photos. In February, we got 8 inches of snow, and my husband and I enjoyed the heck out of it. I even got to ride in it! That was a first.

I got to spend more time at the barn this month after Moral Hazard went to the copy editor. So forgive all the horse pictures.

1. We visited some friends and went roller skating with their two girls. That blurry image is me.

2. The snow was not right for sledding, and Bert collapsed after working so hard to make it down the hill.

3. Forced perspective snowman.

4. My view from Darcy’s back in the snow.

5. Me and Darcy

6. Darcy and Jessie sunbathing.

Sneak Peek at the Cover of Moral Hazard

Voice

Today, I’m blogging at Indie Jane about voice. Please stop by and say hi.

This Is New!

The Unsellable Book is in the top 100 and 1 in all categories.

If you recall, a publisher told me that Charlotte Collins: A Continuation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice was unsellable because people only want to read about Elizabeth and Darcy. All evidence to the contrary, and this is now an “old” book.

Anyway, thank you, Bookbub, for the added visibility, and a bigger thank you to readers who keep encouraging me and bringing me such joy.

Also, authors, have you found that a $.99 sale is yielding more visibility that it was a few months back? I put Charlotte on sale a day early, and I got movement immediately. Have your sales been working better recently? I’m curious.

Oh, and one from BN…because I’m excited.

Charlotte Collins: A Continuation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is still on sale, so if you’re interested in reading about poor Charlotte, please consider picking up a copy.

Presidents’ Day Sale

Because Valentine’s Day seemed like such a cliched time to have a sale on my historical romances, I decided to schedule it for Presidents’ Day instead. (It had absolutely nothing to do with Bookbub being full up for Valentine’s Day. Nope. Not at all.)

But the take-home message is this: for the next three days, the ebook edition of Charlotte Collins is on sale for $.99 at Kindle, BN, and Kobo. Caroline Bingley has been reduced to $2.99, and as always, “Maria Lucas” is just $.99.

Kindle

BN

Charlotte Collins

Caroline Bingley

“Maria Lucas”

Kobo

Charlotte Collins

Caroline Bingley

“Maria Lucas”

Inspiration Break: Ira Glass and Chris Farley

If you prefer your inspiration in a lighter form, try this:

“We got ourselves a writer here!”

Children of Pride

My friend Darrell has a new book out titled Children of Pride (Into the Wonder). I’ve had the chance to read excerpts, and you can blame me for any equestrian-related errors. But I digress.

I’ll let him tell you all about it. I really love the old school Nancy Drew style cover.

Children of Pride