Jennifer Becton's Blog, page 60

Most Romantic Letter Ever

Today, I find I'm in the mood for a little Persuasion. I absolutely adore the letter written by Cap. Wentworth to Anne, and I love the way it was portrayed in the Ciaran Hinds/Amanda Root adaptation. So I found a video to share. Grab a cup of tea and enjoy this when you have a spare moment.

Also, coming up on Skidding in Sideways:

Later this month, Karen V. Wasylowski, author of Darcy and Fitzwilliam: A tale of a gentleman and an officer will be joining us for a guest post and a giveaway of her paperback courtesy of Sourcebooks.

And in other news around the web: Charlotte Collins will be featured on Bargain Ebooks tomorrow! Yay!

On Being a New York Times Bestseller

Something Else I'll Never Be

When I was still considering the traditional publishing route, I felt a bit like I was walking a fence line. I felt like I needed to be guarded in expressing my opinions on certain topics within the publishing field if for no other reason than because I wanted to keep some cards close to the vest for negotiations. Also, I did not want to endanger my potential contract by saying something that might offend the publisher.

Well, I don't have to worry about that anymore.

When I first started pursuing the publication of Charlotte Collins, I viewed it as dream-fulfillment, a side-venture I could undertake. I didn't think much about earning potential. I thought it would just be fun.

It was fun, but it was also a lot of work. There were days when I was at this computer for eighteen hours working on the manuscript, marketing, blogging, or building a website. So I'm not going to lie; when I started earning a bit of money, I was over the moon.

Then, I started wondering why I couldn't do this as a full-time job one day. I wondered if such a thing were even possible. I knew enough of the publishing industry to be aware that few traditionally published authors are able to quit their day jobs, but I was reading about lots of indie authors who were making it happen. I loved what I was doing, and what is it they say? Do something you love and you never work a day in your life. Well, I wanted that!

Being a research fiend, I started trying to find information about the earnings of traditionally published authors. Not Janet Evanovich or James Patterson. I wanted to know what the mid-list authors earned.

Well, they ain't telling. The only place I found actual data was on J. A. Konrath's blog, and he's an oddity in the industry. In general, book earnings are a closely guarded secret, but I also found one New York Times Bestselling author, Lynn Viehl, who candidly shared her numbers. And holy cow, was I in shock. Read it yourself and here's part two. That particular author netted less than $25,000. For one year. A NYT Bestselling author! Here's a summation in her own words:

I know how important writer dreams are — sometimes they're the only thing that keep us going — but I think they also have to be tempered by facing reality. To me, sharing an uncomfortable truth is better than perpetuating a myth. I know Publishing will never rise up to meet our expectations, but fiction belongs on the page, not in what we tell each other. Otherwise we risk becoming characters uttering lines of dialogue instead of working writers helping each other make good decisions.

Now, how do I wrap this up?

I could talk about the earning percentages of traditional versus self-published authors.

I could talk about the vast amount of Lynn's sales dollars that were absorbed by the publisher. 

I could point out that her profits reflect the sale of more than 60,000 books and that a self-pubbed author with an ebook priced at $2.99 could earn the same amount by selling 12,500 books.

But I find I don't really have anything further to say except this:  If you are an author, the most important thing you can do is to research the realities of the publishing world before you make any decisions about your book's future.

Lopping off Heads

Winged Victory: Validation for Headless Cover Art?

Contrary to what you may be thinking after reading yesterday's post and the title of today's, I do not want to lop off the heads of publishers. No, indeed. In fact, life goes on with or without a publisher for me and Charlotte Collins. Today, I'm guest posting on headless women in cover art at Mary Simonsen's blog. Please go over and say hi!

About that Publishing Contract

When I began my foray into self-publishing, I did so with one intention: to strike a deal with a publisher. I had been invited to resubmit my manuscript of Charlotte Collins for consideration after proving that it was marketable by selling 1,000 copies. Read about it from the beginning here.

I read up on self-publishing. I created a platform, and I made loads of wonderful new friends in the Austen community. And an amazing thing happened: the "unsellable" book started to sell.

And even more miraculous, I discovered how much I love being independent. I love being in control of my book, the pricing, the cover, and the marketing. I had always believed that I was no different than other Austen fans and that they would want to read the same things I did. And I wanted to have a Jane Austen experience. I wanted the same feel of Pride and Prejudice in the sequels I read. That is what I attempted, and despite the publishers' words to the contrary, it was gratifying to see that I was not so dissimilar from other Austen fans.

I also started to love being a part of the revolution in publishing that is happening right now. It is an exciting time to be in this industry. I can read the writing on the wall: traditional publishers are in trouble. They continue to cling to an outdated business model in a rapidly changing climate. I knew that the mid list was shrinking and so were advances. In addition, I saw the amazing success of other independent publishers, and I was starting to see those same things happening for me. It was beyond incredible. Individuals, whose books had been rejected by publishers for similar reasons–good but not right for this market, etc–had taken a risk and published themselves. And they were selling hundreds and, in some cases, thousands of these worthy, but supposedly unsellable, books. I was proud to be counted among those enterprising people.

Still, after selling my requisite 1,000 copies in 4 months and 2 days, I resubmitted the manuscript of Charlotte Collins. I was no longer desperate for a contract. In fact, I had my doubts about the wisdom of signing away my rights, but I sent it in anyway. After all, it had been my dream for so long. 

In the meantime, Charlotte Collins sold 841 copies in January alone, and it will break 2,000 total sales by the middle of this week. February is also on pace to match January. And I am incredibly grateful to everyone who has made these insane numbers happen. It is still humbling every time I see another copy go out. You, my readers (holy cow, I have readers!), have made this dream possible. I may say that "I" sold this book, but the truth is, YOU were the ones who made it happen. I cannot thank you enough.

So, whatever happened to that publishing deal?

Today, Charlotte Collins was rejected for the final time.

The reason?

Can you guess?

They would not be able to sell enough to meet their benchmarks!

I kid you not.

So, what does this mean for me? Honestly, it reinforces many of the new opinions regarding publishing that I had formed during my indie journey. The climate is changing, bookstores are going under, and returns are skyrocketing, and publishers are unwilling to take a risk, even on a book that has clearly proven itself.

What does this mean for you other writers? Well, you'll have to decide for yourselves.

I tell you all this in the spirit of openness and honesty with which I started this blog. I failed to get a publishing contract.

I announce that loud and proud: I failed.

But you know what? I also succeeded in ways I never imagined possible. I saw my dream come true. I even got a few fan letters. It's been incredible, and I thank you all for your support.

So congratulate me. Today, I announce my intentions not to continue to seek a traditional publisher. Instead, I will continue to write (hopefully) good books. I will have them professionally edited, formatted, and designed. I will sell them at good prices, and I will try to help other aspiring writers make their dreams come true.

Again, I thank you all for making Charlotte Collins the success that it is.

Paperbacks only on Amazon?

I didn't know this because I shop at both places, but there are some big fans either of Barnes and Noble or Amazon, and they don't shop at the competitor's store.

I've recently been asked why my paperback is not available on Barnes and Noble, so I thought I'd address that here. I have toyed with the idea of opening distribution to other booksellers, but I've been holding off. Why? For a simple reason: I have to charge more for the book if I expand distribution to account for other stores' cuts. (Literally, if I kept the price at $9.99, I'd owe money on each sale.)

For those of you who prefer BN, I do apologize, but you are welcome to purchase directly through my website using Paypal, and the cost–including shipping–is roughly the same as what I would have to charge if I expanded distribution.

I am not trying to be difficult. I just can't see charging $15 when I have the option to sell for $10. I regret that I may lose sales due to inconvenience, but I really want to keep my prices low, especially in this economy.

In Memoriam Rocky

Last night, my dear friend and former dressage instructor had to make the painful decision to put to sleep her equine partner of twenty years and my favorite lesson horse Rocky, who was suffering from colic.

My friend purchased Rocky, a 14.1 hh arab appy cross, as a barrel horse, and together, they tore up some barrel courses. But he also came to her fully trick trained. Rocky could count, and he would assist weary travelers with a gentle nudge in the back to help them down the road. I think he also picked up hats, but I never saw him do it. It was said that Rocky was in a John Wayne movie, but no one knows which one. As a result of his trick training, in which they obviously coerced him with treats, Rocky was a little, well, assertive about taking treats. There was a special technique for hand feeding him that involved shoving the treat in his mouth before he knew what was happening.

From all that I hear, Rocky was wild and crazy during those early years, but when I knew him, he was much calmer. He was truly the first horse I bonded with, and I can honestly say that I never remember being afraid when I was riding him. He taught me to jump and canter. He, of course, was coordinated and beautiful; I had all the coordination of a newborn giraffe. But he put up with me as long as I let him use me as a post-ride scratching post.

In the pasture, Rocky was the sentinel, the self-appointed lookout and protector of the herd. My friend tells the story of the time a distant neighbor was burning some debris. The wind brought the smell of fire into the pasture, and Rocky could see the blaze on the horizon. He was concerned. He refused to come in for dinner that night; instead, he stood stock still and monitored that fire to make sure his herd would be safe. I think he was still in the same spot in the morning.

That sums up Rocky's personality. He was protective, hard-headed, and never backed down or stopped. He never spooked at anything. Ever. He never stopped moving forward, and I always felt like I knew what he was thinking. If there was a small ditch that the other horses walked over, Rocky would leap. If there were vines in our path, Rocky would try to crash through them. If there was a bear on the trail, I have no doubt that Rocky would have faced him down. So even if he wasn't doing what I might want him to do at an obstacle, somehow it was OK because I already knew what he was planning.

Once when my friend and I were riding in the pasture, he cantered off with me. I can't say it was his fault. Right before he struck off, I remember thinking, "It would be so awesome to canter right now." In lessons, my friend had always told me to "think canter" and Rocky would canter; that was the first time it ever worked, I guess.

My horse Darcy also had a special fondness for Rocky. Well, I'm not sure fondness is the word, but she did appreciate his protectiveness of her. Every morning, Darcy wanted to be first at the gate for breakfast, and apparently, Rocky would make a half-circle around her to keep the other horses back until she went in. She had him wrapped around her hoofer. 

Even though he didn't start out as the ideal lesson horse, Rocky taught hundreds of people–kids and adults–to ride. He taught them to jump, canter, and use their helmets as battering rams when he would rush through tree limbs on the trail. Rocky will always live in my memory as my favorite lesson horse, and I will miss him.

Rest well, Rockyrama.

Charlotte Collins on Red Adept Reviews

Today, Charlotte Collins is sponsoring Red Adept Reviews, a no-holds-barred book review site. Red Adept Reviews are also available via subscription to your Amazon Kindle. This site reviews independently published works of fiction, but she does not care for pure romance, which is pretty much what Charlotte Collins is, so I will not be able to submit it for review. But I think she's got a good thing going over there.

The tagline for Red Adept Reviews is "Discovering the next great classic…one ebook at a time." Her focus on indie books is a benefit to both authors and readers, and her reviews are in-depth, including a description and sections on plot, characters, and writing style.

So if you're in the market for a new book, why not look into Red Adept Reviews and find the next great author…one ebook at a time?

Further Proof that Firth Is Darcy

Colin Firth's acclaimed performance in The King's Speech, in which he was reunited with his Pride and Prejudice co-star Jennifer Ehle, has caused another resurgence of Austen-mania. Read about it here.

And I love it.

Whenever new readers are exposed to Austen, it makes me happy. Austen had a huge impact on my imagination, but also on my thoughts about literature. I am glad that new readers will be introduced to great literature that doesn't end in wholesale immolation and instead treads lightly through the drawing rooms of history.

Congratulations, Mr. Firth, on another great movie, but you'll always be Mr. Darcy to me.

And the Winner Is…

There were 27 entries in the giveaway of Mary Simonsen's new novel The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy provided by Sourcebooks. Several people entered both through this blog and through Twitter, and I entered all the names in a cool random name picker. (Of course, you may see some names twice because they entered both ways.)

So without further ado, the winner is:

Send me a pm with your address and I'll contact Sourcebooks to send your copy!

Congratulations and happy reading!

Fraud Friday

I figured today would be a nice day to talk a bit about my mystery novel, and maybe Fraud Friday will become a weekly thing. We'll see.

So here's the thing. There are about 862 different classifications of mysteries: hard boiled, police procedural, PI, cozy, comedic, food, cat sleuths, women sleuths, historical, etc. Then, you've got your thrillers: legal, medical, psychological, techno, espionage, etc.  Add to that romantic suspense, and you've got yourself a big sub-genre pool to choose from. But still, I'm not sure where Absolute Liability will fit.

 I started my foray into mysteries on TV. I loved Scooby-Doo. My favorite TV show from the 1980s was Scarecrow and Mrs. King. Over the course of my youth, I watched countless types of mysteries on TV with my dad: Remington Steele, Silk Stalkings, Keen Eddie, Columbo, and The Rockford Files. I loved them. Even today, he'll call me and tell me to watch such and such a new mystery show, and I know I'll love it, except for the ones heavy on forensics. I'm over forensics. Anyway, later in my childhood, I found out about Agatha Christie. I read tons of her books and loved them too. But I have to admit that my taste in mysteries has its origin in TV.

I love comedic mysteries. I love their oddball minor characters, their ability to look at tragedy and fear and not become morose, and their major character development, including the romantic entanglements. I don't care much for gore, but I do love gun play. Suspense is important too. The characters have to be in enough jeopardy to balance the comedy.

Add to this my interest in writing about characters who are not necessarily the most obvious. The book world is full of PIs, cops, medical examiners, forensic specialists, and bounty hunters. I wanted to write something different, but still, the character needed to be able to carry a gun (refer to my love of gun play) and have a clue about crime solving. (And not just own a cat who would do it for them.) So when I read about an abduction involving a state insurance fraud investigator in my local news, I knew I'd found my character. Couple that with all those stories you read about people trying to defraud insurance companies in wacky ways, and you've got your kooky sub-characters.

All this to try to explain what Absolute Liability will be like. I really haven't done a great job. If I had to compare it to a book, I'd say it was like Janet Evanovich's first Plum novel only: One for the Money. This is the only Plum book I think she got right. Then, she went over the top with the zany antics, car explosions, and random dog vomit. I loved One for the Money; it had a nice balance and no dog puke. But I'm not really going in an Evanovich slapsticky direction either; even though it's probably gauche to say this, Absolute Liability is really more like one of the current mysteries on USA Network or the Mentalist or Castle. Absolute Liability has a likeable cast, a long-term mystery to solve throughout the series, as well as the major mysteries in each novel. It is light when it needs to be, suspenseful at the right moment, and just plain fun to read (I hope).