Jennifer Becton's Blog, page 52

All In

All in.

To culminate my year of wild risks, I have decided to take the wildest one of all.

Last week, I gave notice that I would end my thirteen-year contract as an assistant editor at a small local press. This company has employed me in some form since before I graduated from college. Almost everything I know about publishing, I learned there. While I am sad to end this stage of my career, I am also excited to continue my new venture, and to do it right, I needed more time to devote to writing.

I never expected the publication of Charlotte Collins to result in a change of career, but the royalties from my books have now largely replaced the income I earned as a freelance editor. And with the successful launch of Absolute Liability, the opportunity before me was too tempting to resist. I have no idea how long this window of self-publishing opportunity will remain open, but I want to be all the way through before it closes.

I did not come to this decision lightly or without fear, but I want to do this right. I want to provide the best books possible, and to accomplish that at the rate I want, I need to devote my full energy to self-publishing.

So as of this moment, I am all in.

And the Winner Is…

After compiling all the entries and numbering them, the big decision was left to Random.org. And Mr. Random has spoken:

12 is Jennwith4!

Congratulations! Please email me with your contact info and I will put the book in the mail on Monday when I'm finally back home.

Interview on Semi-true Stories

Today, I had the honor of being interviewed by C. Allyn Pierson, author of Mr. Darcy's Little Sister (Pride & Prejudice Continues). If you haven't already read her book, go get it now! C. Allyn is funny, witty, and smart, and that makes for a great read.

Did you go get it?

This is what it looks like:

Isn't that a nice cover?

On that subject, I'm on Indie Jane with a post about cover art.

Also, my apologies for not announcing the winner of the prize pack. We had a minor family emergency, and the winner will be announced today!

Unbelievable!

Absolute Liability is in the Amazon Kindle Top 100!

I don't even know how to start this post except to say thank you to everyone who bought a copy of Absolute Liability since its launch in July. I have been overwhelmed by the response to this book, and I am incredibly thankful.

I'm not going to lie. Watching my rank climb has been so much fun, but that was only a one part of the experience. I have also met lots of new friends, and I'm incredibly (repetition of incredibly; must hire editor or buy thesaurus) thankful to those of you who contacted me through my website, Facebook, and Twitter to tell me that you liked the book and were ready for book 2. I am so glad that you are falling in love with Vincent too.

Also, thank you to everyone who reviewed the book, tweeted about it, or (again) put up with my obnoxious book joy.

I promise that I will do my best to make Death Benefits and the rest of the Southern Fraud series just as enjoyable.

Top 100: I Can't Believe It!

Flash Giveaway of Absolute Liability

Inverted Jenny

Sometimes errors make objects more valuable. In 1918, the US government printed one faulty sheet of stamps featuring a Curtiss JN-4 airplane. The problem? The plane was printed upside down. It is now the most valuable error in philately. Single stamps of the Inverted Jenny have been sold for nearly $1 million.

 

Now, I'm not saying a flawed copy of Absolute Liability will ever bring you $1 million, but it could save you $10 plus shipping if you won it this week in my flash giveaway of a slightly miscropped first-edition copy of Absolute Liability.

Win a slightly flawed paperback of Absolute Liability signed by the author and the ebook (formatted for the ereader of your choice).

How to Enter:

(leave a comment for each method you complete, if you already follow via GFC, Twitter, etc., state that in your comment.)

Leave a comment on this post.
Follow this website via Google Friend Connect, which is located in the right margin of this page.
Follow @JenniferBecton on Twitter
Tweet about this giveaway (can be done once daily) using the following tweet:

Love comedic mysteries and thrillers? Enter to win an Absolute Liability prize pack from @JenniferBecton: http://bectonliterary.com/?p=1436

Follow Jennifer Becton on Facebook
Mention this post on Facebook (you can click the Facebook button below this post to share it easily.)

Fine Print

This giveaway will remain open until Wednesday, August 17, 2011 at 11:59 EST, at which time one (1) winner will be randomly selected. Prize package open to US and Canadian residents only. (International shipping is expensive!)

10K

I am living my dream, and just when I think my publishing journey couldn't possibly get better, it does.

This weekend, I sold my 10,000th book.

I still cannot believe it, and I am grateful to everyone who helped me by editing, critiquing, buying, and reading.

Thank you.

In Memoriam: Calvin

Calvin and His 2-year-old Friend

Horses like Calvin are rare.

Horse people would call Calvin a packer, a horse that anyone could ride anywhere at any time through any conditions and that would make even the most novice rider feel calm and confident. Calvin displayed an uncommon combination of training and attitude. He had been trained to the highest levels, but that was only one of the reasons people of all ages and experience levels could ride him on mountainous trails. The other reason—and the most important—was his willing attitude. If he even thought he might understand what the rider was trying to get him to do, he would do it. (And this is not true of all horses. My Darcy insists that I ask correctly before she'll do it.) And even though Calvin was big—16 hands—he was often ridden by children as young as three years old, and he was also used as a therapy horse in his owner Laura Daley's California-based riding program.

This week, Calvin was killed in a horrific incident. Some thoughtless individual(s) drove to his pasture late Thursday (August 4) night with the sole purpose of stealing a couple fence panels, which were being used as the pasture gate. With the gate now gone, over the course of the night, the horses wandered out of their safe enclosure and into Tulloch Road and finally made it to Highway 108, a busy thoroughfare, where Calvin was struck by a bus.

Fortunately, no people were injured in the collision, but Calvin was killed instantly. And all because someone was intent on taking something that did not belong to them. To add further insult to their already abominable crime, which put the lives of countless motorists and horses in danger, the thieves returned the following night to take all the remaining fence panels from the property. By this time, the horses had been removed from the area and were safe. The police have been notified, but it will be a difficult crime to solve unless witnesses come forth.

Laura is planning to start a Facebook campaign to help find Justice for Calvin by spreading the word about what happened and asking for tips from anyone who might have seen someone loitering in the area in the days prior to the theft or who might have witnessed the crime, which took place on Tulloch Road in Jamestown, California, on Thursday evening (August 4). Rewards will likely be offered to those whose information leads to the prosecution of these criminals. (Donations can be made to the Justice for Calvin reward fund via Paypal associated with the email address justiceforcalvin(at)hotmail(dot)com.)

I never got to meet Calvin, but I knew a horse like him once, so I understand how special and rare he was. I also know that these special horses will live forever in our hearts through our memories of the times we spent with them.

Rest in peace, Calvin.

Austen Authors: Guilty Pleasures

I'm on Austen Authors today, and I've asked all the authors to reveal their guilty pleasures. Everything from chocolate to TV shows: the blog reveals all.

Risking Your Money

A recurring theme of this blog has been risk-taking because, well, writing and self-publishing a book is a big risk. When you put a book on the market, you put your very self in danger. You are opening yourself to public critique and criticism the likes of which most professions never see.

But wait! As if that isn't enough, there's more! You also risk your money.

Publishing is a business; writing is an art.

Or you should.

One of the things I've learned in this journey is the benefit of doing things right, or as well as I can possibly do them, in order to present myself as a professional. I do not want anyone to look at my books and say, well, that was obviously self-published. I want them to learn that it's self-published and feel surprised.

Let's face it: there are very few things you can control in the self-pub biz. You can't make people buy your book and you definitely cannot make them like it, but you can maximize your chances.

How?

Good writing: This comes at the cost of your time and effort. When you are finished with your novel, ask yourself if it accomplished what you wanted. If so, proceed to the next step.
Good editing: I admit I am biased, but I believe it is crucial to hire a copy editor. I'm not talking about a friend who is good at grammar or even a slew of beta readers. I mean someone who is trained in editing and has knowledge of your preferred style guide. You cannot prevent people from complaining about the subjective aspects of your novel, but you can at least keep them from saying that it was full of grammar errors. Grammar errors will kill your chances because, like it or not, bad editing hints at a lack of professionalism. I'd expect to pay at least $250 for a good proofreader. Minimum.
Good covers: Unless you already know Photoshop or want to learn, I strongly suggest putting money into a cover artist. Your entire book package should show your professionalism and your desire to provide a full reading experience, and that starts with the cover. Look at what the big houses put out and strive for that. If your cover looks like an untalented preschooler's art project (*winks to VA-Y*), then people are going to suspect the same shoddy work and attention to detail on the inside. I've made my own covers so far, but the art for Absolute Liability cost $100.
Good marketing: Social media is free, but I also suggest purchasing sponsorships and ad space on occasion. Yes, that means money. Over the past year, I've spent $645 on marketing both Charlotte Collins and Absolute Liability. This money came out of my profits, and it paid for itself in sales and visibility in spades. Also, $180 of marketing money is dedicated to the launch of Death Benefits in January.

I know you don't have piles of green sitting around. Neither do I. But look, if you are serious about the publishing business–and it is a business–and want to maximize your chance of success, you should consider investing as much as you can. This is your dream, after all. Do it right!

If you expect a reader to risk their money to buy your book, you should be willing to do the same to sell it.

Again…Thank You

Yes, I'm using the thank-you banner again, and for good reason. The response to Absolute Liability has been beyond what I had ever imagined, and I'm overwhelmed.

I know I've said this before, but writing and sharing books has been my dream since childhood. With the new opportunities available through self-publishing, I was able to make my books available, but readers were the ones who made the dream come true. I am grateful to every person who has purchased, read my books, left reviews, and even sent letters. I promise to do my very best to continue to provide good books at good prices–starting with Death Benefits (Southern Fraud book 2) this winter–and I hope you will enjoy those too.