Kate Copeseeley's Blog, page 13
December 1, 2011
Christmas Break...
I'm a December baby, one of those embittered souls whose childhood consisted of birthday/Christmas combos and leftover Christmas wrapping paper (because that was all they had, you see). Luckily, thanks to my awesome parents and my own general ability to ignore stupid people, I LOVE Christmas. Or you know, whatever you call this "Holiday Season". To me, it's Christmas, with Douglas Fir trees, homemade gingerbread cookies with buttery frosting (yes, I make them myself!) and crammed stockings.
My favorite part of Christmas, however, is what my family did every year as I was growing up —pile into the family van (there were 8 kids, so yes, it was a VAN) to drive around and look at the Christmas lights. I don't know how it got started, I was probably too young to remember, but I do know that as we drove around the city, oohing and ahhing over the fairy colors and pulsing brightness, I wished it would last all night. Starting at the top, with my Dad, each of us would pick a favorite Christmas Carol to sing as we went along. It was sort of a game to see how long we could keep going until we couldn't think of any more.
My Dad invariably picked "Joy to the World", my mom "O Little Town of Bethlehem" or "Silent Night". My favorite song, hands down, was and always will be "The Twelve Days of Christmas". What isn't there to like? The song has everything, plus when you get towards the end you can sing it faster and faster until the words spill out of your mouth till you can hardly pronounce the words.
I hope to share that Christmas Tradition with my own boys, someday. Here's hoping you find your own to share!
Be sure to read all the entries for the Twelve Days of Christmas blog event! Use the link on the top of my blog.
Happy Reading!
My favorite part of Christmas, however, is what my family did every year as I was growing up —pile into the family van (there were 8 kids, so yes, it was a VAN) to drive around and look at the Christmas lights. I don't know how it got started, I was probably too young to remember, but I do know that as we drove around the city, oohing and ahhing over the fairy colors and pulsing brightness, I wished it would last all night. Starting at the top, with my Dad, each of us would pick a favorite Christmas Carol to sing as we went along. It was sort of a game to see how long we could keep going until we couldn't think of any more.
My Dad invariably picked "Joy to the World", my mom "O Little Town of Bethlehem" or "Silent Night". My favorite song, hands down, was and always will be "The Twelve Days of Christmas". What isn't there to like? The song has everything, plus when you get towards the end you can sing it faster and faster until the words spill out of your mouth till you can hardly pronounce the words.
I hope to share that Christmas Tradition with my own boys, someday. Here's hoping you find your own to share!
Be sure to read all the entries for the Twelve Days of Christmas blog event! Use the link on the top of my blog.
Happy Reading!
November 27, 2011
Author Etiquette Rule 2
First, good news! I am happy to announce to my fellow ROWers, I have finished Nikka's story line in Aeris. Yay! I'm at 132,500ish words. It feels so good to have that chunk of the book done (except for a few things I'll be editing in) and now I'm onto Luka's story line. I'm kind of avoiding Zyander right now, hahaha.
I still think the final word count will be close to 170,000 words, but I'm hopeful to get the rest of the book done this month, unless my kids keep getting sick and depriving me of sleep, that is. New Baby had the croup earlier on in the week, which was kind of scary because I've handled BAD asthma before, when I was a nanny, but never croup and all I know about it I read from Anne of Green Gables. So I had to put in a call to the doc, and I've had two sick children keeping me up all night, basically with no break or naps all week long. Needless to say, my writing has suffered. I have higher hopes for next week.
On to the next segment of author etiquette: Author Response. For this section, I want to talk about reviews. We live in a small online world. Because of the ease of access, it is simple to get keep records on everything said or commented in this world. It's important to remember that as an author, because sometimes our emotions lead us down paths that we don't plan for. Here are the examples I can think of off the top of my head:
1) Commenting on reviews for your book.
2) Commenting on reviews for other books.
3) Commenting on blogs.
Let's start with number one. Everyone gets a scathing review at least once. If you haven't gotten one yet, you will eventually. It's a no-brainer. It may not be a one star review, but someone is definitely going to rake you over the coals and make your skin sting. That being said, no matter WHAT someone may say about your book, it's probably not the best idea to comment on it in a negative way. First, it makes you look petty and insecure and second, it's just not professional.
There is also the case of commenting on a good review. I know there are a lot of authors out there who thank readers for their review. That is certainly an individual's prerogative, but again, I recommend not, simply because again, it looks petty, especially if you only say thanks for the good ones. :) Not that we're not all tempted, of course!
Imagine it from the reader's perspective for a minute. If you have something to say about a book, and it's personal opinion, how safe would you feel giving that opinion, if you feel like you can't be honest? Places like goodreads are supposed to be a safe space for readers to come and talk about what they're reading, whether they like a book or not. If the dialogue becomes about "shaming" the reader into always being nice, then why are we even there? Goodreads isn't about everyone having the same opinion about something. For instance, one of the reviewers I respect the MOST on goodreads has a completely different opinion on the book Evermore than I do. That is OKAY. And hopefully, the author of that book realizes that my 5 star review is just as valid as her one star review. My reasons for liking it are as different as her reasons for hating it. Again, that is OKAY. :)
This leads me to topic #2, commenting on OTHER author's book reviews. Recently, I came across some goodreads drama, when another of my favorite reviewers, lambasted a book that to be honest I've never read. Another author among the goodreads clan (an indie) took it upon herself to take this reviewer to task on her style of reviewing. Needless to say, this is just as bad as arguing with a review of one of your own books. This author was openly challenged and derided for trying to stifle free speech on goodreads. Not the best way to get attention, let me just say. Respectful debate is always welcomed, but I think that your best bet is to keep a professional tone and not get pulled into making explosive statements which let me assure you WILL come back to bite you.
In the third example, I point you to blogs like JA Konrath, The Sparkle Project, and Drenched in Words, where one author after another says things about readers, reviewers and sites that would make most readers cringe. Authors, we love your books, but sometimes we don't. Please don't hate us forever because we can't like everything or make everyone happy. And certainly don't say something like this: "Goodreads continues to make me miserable almost daily. I can't go a week without checking to see how far my rating has slipped. Then I go and check out the one and two star reviews to see what nasty things people have to say about me. Then I go and try to determine why a person who is supposedly my friend gave me four stars when they should obviously give me five. Are they just pretending to like me? Then I try to hunt down people who gave my book 5 stars and see whether they just do it for everyone. Then I curse people who gave my book a bad rating and yet say they didn't finish it. Then I compare readers' ratings for other books to mine to see what books they liked more than mine. Then I perform scientific experiments to see how long I can remain on Goodreads before the vein on the side of my head starts to turn blue. "
There are many things I could say about the above paragraph, and some of them will be for a later addition, but for now, I will simply say, saying you hate goodreads is like saying you hate readers. It's a site MADE for readers. Readers are what keep you in business. Let's all try to remember that as we go forward.
Happy Reading!
I still think the final word count will be close to 170,000 words, but I'm hopeful to get the rest of the book done this month, unless my kids keep getting sick and depriving me of sleep, that is. New Baby had the croup earlier on in the week, which was kind of scary because I've handled BAD asthma before, when I was a nanny, but never croup and all I know about it I read from Anne of Green Gables. So I had to put in a call to the doc, and I've had two sick children keeping me up all night, basically with no break or naps all week long. Needless to say, my writing has suffered. I have higher hopes for next week.
On to the next segment of author etiquette: Author Response. For this section, I want to talk about reviews. We live in a small online world. Because of the ease of access, it is simple to get keep records on everything said or commented in this world. It's important to remember that as an author, because sometimes our emotions lead us down paths that we don't plan for. Here are the examples I can think of off the top of my head:
1) Commenting on reviews for your book.
2) Commenting on reviews for other books.
3) Commenting on blogs.
Let's start with number one. Everyone gets a scathing review at least once. If you haven't gotten one yet, you will eventually. It's a no-brainer. It may not be a one star review, but someone is definitely going to rake you over the coals and make your skin sting. That being said, no matter WHAT someone may say about your book, it's probably not the best idea to comment on it in a negative way. First, it makes you look petty and insecure and second, it's just not professional.
There is also the case of commenting on a good review. I know there are a lot of authors out there who thank readers for their review. That is certainly an individual's prerogative, but again, I recommend not, simply because again, it looks petty, especially if you only say thanks for the good ones. :) Not that we're not all tempted, of course!
Imagine it from the reader's perspective for a minute. If you have something to say about a book, and it's personal opinion, how safe would you feel giving that opinion, if you feel like you can't be honest? Places like goodreads are supposed to be a safe space for readers to come and talk about what they're reading, whether they like a book or not. If the dialogue becomes about "shaming" the reader into always being nice, then why are we even there? Goodreads isn't about everyone having the same opinion about something. For instance, one of the reviewers I respect the MOST on goodreads has a completely different opinion on the book Evermore than I do. That is OKAY. And hopefully, the author of that book realizes that my 5 star review is just as valid as her one star review. My reasons for liking it are as different as her reasons for hating it. Again, that is OKAY. :)
This leads me to topic #2, commenting on OTHER author's book reviews. Recently, I came across some goodreads drama, when another of my favorite reviewers, lambasted a book that to be honest I've never read. Another author among the goodreads clan (an indie) took it upon herself to take this reviewer to task on her style of reviewing. Needless to say, this is just as bad as arguing with a review of one of your own books. This author was openly challenged and derided for trying to stifle free speech on goodreads. Not the best way to get attention, let me just say. Respectful debate is always welcomed, but I think that your best bet is to keep a professional tone and not get pulled into making explosive statements which let me assure you WILL come back to bite you.
In the third example, I point you to blogs like JA Konrath, The Sparkle Project, and Drenched in Words, where one author after another says things about readers, reviewers and sites that would make most readers cringe. Authors, we love your books, but sometimes we don't. Please don't hate us forever because we can't like everything or make everyone happy. And certainly don't say something like this: "Goodreads continues to make me miserable almost daily. I can't go a week without checking to see how far my rating has slipped. Then I go and check out the one and two star reviews to see what nasty things people have to say about me. Then I go and try to determine why a person who is supposedly my friend gave me four stars when they should obviously give me five. Are they just pretending to like me? Then I try to hunt down people who gave my book 5 stars and see whether they just do it for everyone. Then I curse people who gave my book a bad rating and yet say they didn't finish it. Then I compare readers' ratings for other books to mine to see what books they liked more than mine. Then I perform scientific experiments to see how long I can remain on Goodreads before the vein on the side of my head starts to turn blue. "
There are many things I could say about the above paragraph, and some of them will be for a later addition, but for now, I will simply say, saying you hate goodreads is like saying you hate readers. It's a site MADE for readers. Readers are what keep you in business. Let's all try to remember that as we go forward.
Happy Reading!
Author Etiquette Rule #2
First, good news! I am happy to announce to my fellow ROWers, I have finished Nikka's story line in Aeris. Yay! I'm at 132,500ish words. It feels so good to have that chunk of the book done (except for a few things I'll be editing in) and now I'm onto Luka's story line. I'm kind of avoiding Zyander right now, hahaha.
I still think the final word count will be close to 170,000 words, but I'm hopeful to get the rest of the book done this month, unless my kids keep getting sick and depriving me of sleep, that is. New Baby had the croup earlier on in the week, which was kind of scary because I've handled BAD asthma before, when I was a nanny, but never croup and all I know about it I read from Anne of Green Gables. So I had to put in a call to the doc, and I've had two sick children keeping me up all night, basically with no break or naps all week long. Needless to say, my writing has suffered. I have higher hopes for next week.
On to the next segment of author etiquette: Author Response. For this section, I want to talk about reviews. We live in a small online world. Because of the ease of access, it is simple to get keep records on everything said or commented in this world. It's important to remember that as an author, because sometimes our emotions lead us down paths that we don't plan for. Here are the examples I can think of off the top of my head:
1) Commenting on reviews for your book.
2) Commenting on reviews for other books.
3) Commenting on blogs.
Let's start with number one. Everyone gets a scathing review at least once. If you haven't gotten one yet, you will eventually. It's a no-brainer. It may not be a one star review, but someone is definitely going to rake you over the coals and make your skin sting. That being said, no matter WHAT someone may say about your book, it's probably not the best idea to comment on it in a negative way. First, it makes you look petty and insecure and second, it's just not professional.
There is also the case of commenting on a good review. I know there are a lot of authors out there who thank readers for their review. That is certainly an individual's prerogative, but again, I recommend not, simply because again, it looks petty, especially if you only say thanks for the good ones. :) Not that we're not all tempted, of course!
Imagine it from the reader's perspective for a minute. If you have something to say about a book, and it's personal opinion, how safe would you feel giving that opinion, if you feel like you can't be honest? Places like goodreads are supposed to be a safe space for readers to come and talk about what they're reading, whether they like a book or not. If the dialogue becomes about "shaming" the reader into always being nice, then why are we even there? Goodreads isn't about everyone having the same opinion about something. For instance, one of the reviewers I respect the MOST on goodreads has a completely different opinion on the book Evermore than I do. That is OKAY. And hopefully, the author of that book realizes that my 5 star review is just as valid as her one star review. My reasons for liking it are as different as her reasons for hating it. Again, that is OKAY. :)
This leads me to topic #2, commenting on OTHER author's book reviews. Recently, I came across some goodreads drama, when another of my favorite reviewers, lambasted a book that to be honest I've never read. Another author among the goodreads clan (an indie) took it upon herself to take this reviewer to task on her style of reviewing. Needless to say, this is just as bad as arguing with a review of one of your own books. This author was openly challenged and derided for trying to stifle free speech on goodreads. Not the best way to get attention, let me just say. Respectful debate is always welcomed, but I think that your best bet is to keep a professional tone and not get pulled into making explosive statements which let me assure you WILL come back to bite you.
In the third example, I point you to blogs like JA Konrath, The Sparkle Project, and Drenched in Words, where one author after another says things about readers, reviewers and sites that would make most readers cringe. Authors, we love your books, but sometimes we don't. Please don't hate us forever because we can't like everything or make everyone happy. And certainly don't say something like this: "Goodreads continues to make me miserable almost daily. I can't go a week without checking to see how far my rating has slipped. Then I go and check out the one and two star reviews to see what nasty things people have to say about me. Then I go and try to determine why a person who is supposedly my friend gave me four stars when they should obviously give me five. Are they just pretending to like me? Then I try to hunt down people who gave my book 5 stars and see whether they just do it for everyone. Then I curse people who gave my book a bad rating and yet say they didn't finish it. Then I compare readers' ratings for other books to mine to see what books they liked more than mine. Then I perform scientific experiments to see how long I can remain on Goodreads before the vein on the side of my head starts to turn blue. "
There are many things I could say about the above paragraph, and some of them will be for a later addition, but for now, I will simply say, saying you hate goodreads is like saying you hate readers. It's a site MADE for readers. Readers are what keep you in business. Let's all try to remember that as we go forward.
Happy Reading!
I still think the final word count will be close to 170,000 words, but I'm hopeful to get the rest of the book done this month, unless my kids keep getting sick and depriving me of sleep, that is. New Baby had the croup earlier on in the week, which was kind of scary because I've handled BAD asthma before, when I was a nanny, but never croup and all I know about it I read from Anne of Green Gables. So I had to put in a call to the doc, and I've had two sick children keeping me up all night, basically with no break or naps all week long. Needless to say, my writing has suffered. I have higher hopes for next week.
On to the next segment of author etiquette: Author Response. For this section, I want to talk about reviews. We live in a small online world. Because of the ease of access, it is simple to get keep records on everything said or commented in this world. It's important to remember that as an author, because sometimes our emotions lead us down paths that we don't plan for. Here are the examples I can think of off the top of my head:
1) Commenting on reviews for your book.
2) Commenting on reviews for other books.
3) Commenting on blogs.
Let's start with number one. Everyone gets a scathing review at least once. If you haven't gotten one yet, you will eventually. It's a no-brainer. It may not be a one star review, but someone is definitely going to rake you over the coals and make your skin sting. That being said, no matter WHAT someone may say about your book, it's probably not the best idea to comment on it in a negative way. First, it makes you look petty and insecure and second, it's just not professional.
There is also the case of commenting on a good review. I know there are a lot of authors out there who thank readers for their review. That is certainly an individual's prerogative, but again, I recommend not, simply because again, it looks petty, especially if you only say thanks for the good ones. :) Not that we're not all tempted, of course!
Imagine it from the reader's perspective for a minute. If you have something to say about a book, and it's personal opinion, how safe would you feel giving that opinion, if you feel like you can't be honest? Places like goodreads are supposed to be a safe space for readers to come and talk about what they're reading, whether they like a book or not. If the dialogue becomes about "shaming" the reader into always being nice, then why are we even there? Goodreads isn't about everyone having the same opinion about something. For instance, one of the reviewers I respect the MOST on goodreads has a completely different opinion on the book Evermore than I do. That is OKAY. And hopefully, the author of that book realizes that my 5 star review is just as valid as her one star review. My reasons for liking it are as different as her reasons for hating it. Again, that is OKAY. :)
This leads me to topic #2, commenting on OTHER author's book reviews. Recently, I came across some goodreads drama, when another of my favorite reviewers, lambasted a book that to be honest I've never read. Another author among the goodreads clan (an indie) took it upon herself to take this reviewer to task on her style of reviewing. Needless to say, this is just as bad as arguing with a review of one of your own books. This author was openly challenged and derided for trying to stifle free speech on goodreads. Not the best way to get attention, let me just say. Respectful debate is always welcomed, but I think that your best bet is to keep a professional tone and not get pulled into making explosive statements which let me assure you WILL come back to bite you.
In the third example, I point you to blogs like JA Konrath, The Sparkle Project, and Drenched in Words, where one author after another says things about readers, reviewers and sites that would make most readers cringe. Authors, we love your books, but sometimes we don't. Please don't hate us forever because we can't like everything or make everyone happy. And certainly don't say something like this: "Goodreads continues to make me miserable almost daily. I can't go a week without checking to see how far my rating has slipped. Then I go and check out the one and two star reviews to see what nasty things people have to say about me. Then I go and try to determine why a person who is supposedly my friend gave me four stars when they should obviously give me five. Are they just pretending to like me? Then I try to hunt down people who gave my book 5 stars and see whether they just do it for everyone. Then I curse people who gave my book a bad rating and yet say they didn't finish it. Then I compare readers' ratings for other books to mine to see what books they liked more than mine. Then I perform scientific experiments to see how long I can remain on Goodreads before the vein on the side of my head starts to turn blue. "
There are many things I could say about the above paragraph, and some of them will be for a later addition, but for now, I will simply say, saying you hate goodreads is like saying you hate readers. It's a site MADE for readers. Readers are what keep you in business. Let's all try to remember that as we go forward.
Happy Reading!
November 20, 2011
Author Etiquette Rule 1
So, hello all in the internet, reader and writer. First a quick status update. As of right now, I'm at 128,000 words for Aeris. I'm deep in my groove now, and the words are flying out of my fingers whenever I can scrounge up the time to devote to them. My new method of attack? I ditched the idea of continuing to write the three stories simultaneously. The book has become so long that it was mentally debilitating (not an exaggeration) to continue to write on it day after day, word after word, and know in my heart that thousands and thousands of words were left until the end.
Currently, I'm writing Nikka's storyline. I've had it mapped out for a while now, and the tricky ending has been conquered. I estimate that I'm about 4-5 chapters from the end of her story line, about 6,000 words for those of you keeping track. That will bump me up to 134,000ish and she'll be done. For the rest of Aeris, if I go off of what Nikka's story has cost, word wise, Aeris is going to end up at 170,000 words. And no, I don't think I'm going to get it done in the fall. I will be danged lucky if I get it done by the end of December, writing my butt off to do it. Still, it feels good to be almost done with Nikka. Next up will be Luka, then Zyander.
On to other topics. I've been wanting to do a series on things that bug me as a reader that authors do. How they behave in public, what they do in the internet arena, how they interact with me, Kate The Reader. This will all be subject to personal opinion, but judging from some of the blogs I've read lately, I'm not the only person who feels this way.
Here is my first rule: If you want to be my friend on GoodReads, be my FRIEND. Share reviews, comment on mine, recommend books to me, etc. Please DO NOT use that as an opportunity to send me spammy mail.
Look, I get it, I'm a indie writer myself. It's hard to get your name out there and get those books sold! You're thinking to yourself... how can I let people know that I have a totally awesome new book coming out that they must read IMMEDIATELY?? Well, I can tell you how NOT to do it.
1- Don't send me a hundred thousand emails telling me about your awesome new book that I should buy and read.
2- Don't send me LOTS of invitations to some event that you're "hosting" that is really just you shoving your book in my face.
3- Don't recommend your own book to me using GoodReads new feature.
Nothing will make me unfriend you faster than these three things. The best thing you can do to get my interest is:
1- Write books in a genre I read. If you write, say, YA fiction, I can pretty much guarantee you that at some point I will hear about it and be intrigued enough to read the blurb and the reviews. On my own. Without prompting.
2- Give me a free copy. I hadn't really planned on bumping Kait Nolan's new book to the top of my reading list. I was interested in passing, but when she sent me an email offering me a free copy, with the understanding that I would give an honest review (as she did for SEVERAL other people), it went to the head of my stack. Then I read it, and MAN, she's got a fan for life now.
3- Interact with me, be my friend, show me you give a crap about me. It will make me give a crap about you and I will become really interested in seeing what it is you write.
So, that is my rule for the day. More on spammy emails, HERE.
Happy Reading!
Currently, I'm writing Nikka's storyline. I've had it mapped out for a while now, and the tricky ending has been conquered. I estimate that I'm about 4-5 chapters from the end of her story line, about 6,000 words for those of you keeping track. That will bump me up to 134,000ish and she'll be done. For the rest of Aeris, if I go off of what Nikka's story has cost, word wise, Aeris is going to end up at 170,000 words. And no, I don't think I'm going to get it done in the fall. I will be danged lucky if I get it done by the end of December, writing my butt off to do it. Still, it feels good to be almost done with Nikka. Next up will be Luka, then Zyander.
On to other topics. I've been wanting to do a series on things that bug me as a reader that authors do. How they behave in public, what they do in the internet arena, how they interact with me, Kate The Reader. This will all be subject to personal opinion, but judging from some of the blogs I've read lately, I'm not the only person who feels this way.
Here is my first rule: If you want to be my friend on GoodReads, be my FRIEND. Share reviews, comment on mine, recommend books to me, etc. Please DO NOT use that as an opportunity to send me spammy mail.
Look, I get it, I'm a indie writer myself. It's hard to get your name out there and get those books sold! You're thinking to yourself... how can I let people know that I have a totally awesome new book coming out that they must read IMMEDIATELY?? Well, I can tell you how NOT to do it.
1- Don't send me a hundred thousand emails telling me about your awesome new book that I should buy and read.
2- Don't send me LOTS of invitations to some event that you're "hosting" that is really just you shoving your book in my face.
3- Don't recommend your own book to me using GoodReads new feature.
Nothing will make me unfriend you faster than these three things. The best thing you can do to get my interest is:
1- Write books in a genre I read. If you write, say, YA fiction, I can pretty much guarantee you that at some point I will hear about it and be intrigued enough to read the blurb and the reviews. On my own. Without prompting.
2- Give me a free copy. I hadn't really planned on bumping Kait Nolan's new book to the top of my reading list. I was interested in passing, but when she sent me an email offering me a free copy, with the understanding that I would give an honest review (as she did for SEVERAL other people), it went to the head of my stack. Then I read it, and MAN, she's got a fan for life now.
3- Interact with me, be my friend, show me you give a crap about me. It will make me give a crap about you and I will become really interested in seeing what it is you write.
So, that is my rule for the day. More on spammy emails, HERE.
Happy Reading!
November 9, 2011
Pinteresting, Very Pinteresting.
Well, my ROW friends, I missed my usual Sunday update, but that's just because I was traveling down, down, down to my parents' house. My husband is on one of his trips and I hate being in the house alone. We live in a very nice neighborhood, with good friends as neighbors, but it's just lonely in the house without him and I don't enjoy it.
Now I'm here and since I have nothing like laundry or dishes or dinners to make, I have forced myself to skip naps and have raised my word count for Aeris to: 121,360! I've got several thousands of words more to go. I'm guessing my final word count for the book will be about 140-150,000, which is double what the previous book was.
I was airing some of my fears to my sister (who is always one of my beta readers) and she confirmed part of my fears regarding Zyander's story line. Zyander does some really interesting things in this new book, but unfortunately, because of the way I have my timeline set up, his timeline seems slower than the other two, which takes some of the excitement out of his story. I'm going to be doing some reordering when I edit, and shorten the first part of his story, so I can get in all of the events I need to. I can't concentrate on editing right now though, I must must MUST finish this dang book. :)
I have discovered a new marketing technique that I wanted to share with you all and that is Pinterest. Pinterest is like a mix between visual bookmarks and Facebook. Basically, you have a place where you make a bunch of bookmarks for yourself, ordered by whatever labels you give them. You can follow specific boards, so you don't have to see everything from one person. Your friends follow you and they get broadcasts of anything you pin(bookmark). On top of that, if they see something they like, they can repin it (bookmark it themselves) and their friends see it. Then, as the final icing on the cake, all of your pins are randomly placed on the pinterest main page.
Let me show you my page, as an example:
http://pinterest.com/katecopeseeley/
On my page, I have a section where to find me online, blog, goodreads profile, my books linked online. I also have a section for blogs and websites that are reader/writer related. I'm making lists of my favorite indie books and my favorite books, period. It's not only lots of fun, but it's a great way to get your name and your work out there. For instance, I posted one of my stories, The Angel and Her Gun and someone pinned it as a book she wants to read!
If you want an invite, post your email and I will send you one. :)
Next entry, I'll be talking about internet book reviewing and author reception. There is an interesting debate going on right now about free speech and what that entails.
Happy Reading!
Now I'm here and since I have nothing like laundry or dishes or dinners to make, I have forced myself to skip naps and have raised my word count for Aeris to: 121,360! I've got several thousands of words more to go. I'm guessing my final word count for the book will be about 140-150,000, which is double what the previous book was.
I was airing some of my fears to my sister (who is always one of my beta readers) and she confirmed part of my fears regarding Zyander's story line. Zyander does some really interesting things in this new book, but unfortunately, because of the way I have my timeline set up, his timeline seems slower than the other two, which takes some of the excitement out of his story. I'm going to be doing some reordering when I edit, and shorten the first part of his story, so I can get in all of the events I need to. I can't concentrate on editing right now though, I must must MUST finish this dang book. :)
I have discovered a new marketing technique that I wanted to share with you all and that is Pinterest. Pinterest is like a mix between visual bookmarks and Facebook. Basically, you have a place where you make a bunch of bookmarks for yourself, ordered by whatever labels you give them. You can follow specific boards, so you don't have to see everything from one person. Your friends follow you and they get broadcasts of anything you pin(bookmark). On top of that, if they see something they like, they can repin it (bookmark it themselves) and their friends see it. Then, as the final icing on the cake, all of your pins are randomly placed on the pinterest main page.
Let me show you my page, as an example:
http://pinterest.com/katecopeseeley/
On my page, I have a section where to find me online, blog, goodreads profile, my books linked online. I also have a section for blogs and websites that are reader/writer related. I'm making lists of my favorite indie books and my favorite books, period. It's not only lots of fun, but it's a great way to get your name and your work out there. For instance, I posted one of my stories, The Angel and Her Gun and someone pinned it as a book she wants to read!
If you want an invite, post your email and I will send you one. :)
Next entry, I'll be talking about internet book reviewing and author reception. There is an interesting debate going on right now about free speech and what that entails.
Happy Reading!
October 30, 2011
Fear and Honesty
So my subject today, the big deal on my mind is book length. To start, I just want to refer to my new word count for Aeris: 112,000. I've been writing like crazy and I expect to do even better today, since the hubby took my older son to the Reptile Show and the younger is strapped to my chest via my Moby Wrap. :)
I hope to pass 115,000 this week. We'll see. It's been pretty tiring, trying to write, get up 3 times a night, and keep up with a 3 year old, but I'm really motivated to try and get this book out by December. It will be my birthday present to me.
For those of you keeping track, the book is about 350 pages now. This is about 100 pages longer than Compis. Oh, and by the way, IT'S NOT EVEN CLOSE TO BEING FINISHED YET. I know I've aired my fears about having a super long book this time around, but now that my fears are being realized, I can't help but wonder at the quality of the book I'm producing.
Quality is something I tend to obsess over as a writer. I know I'm no Steinbeck or George R. R. Martin, but still, I try to be the best I can be, providing clean text, original story line, non-cliche characters, and a readable final product. I'm sure I'm not the only one out there who feels this way.
But when I sit at my computer, writing word after word after word, and my book gets longer and longer and longer, I have this secret fear. What if I'm just filling up this book with mush? What if it's a whole lot of words and not a whole lot of substance? What if it's a bunch of boring, boring plot points that make no sense to the story and only serve to piss off all the people who said they liked the first book so much? I was pretty happy with the first part of this second in a series, but part 2 is so much longer than I planned and I just can't see what in the world I would cut out. Is it possible, my book could end up being *gasp* BORING???
It doesn't help me to think of Paolini, author of Eregon, either. By the time I got to the third book and the infamous dwarf wedding, I was ready to throw in the towel, send the editor a giant and symbolic red pen, and curse all writers of series.
Usually this blog is addressed to the reader side of me, but today, I must admit to feeling insecure. I put the question to all of you... how do you feel about your work as you're writing it? Is it hard to get a great product with a large word count?
I've got to go. So much to write and so little time.
Happy writing (and reading)!
[image error]
I hope to pass 115,000 this week. We'll see. It's been pretty tiring, trying to write, get up 3 times a night, and keep up with a 3 year old, but I'm really motivated to try and get this book out by December. It will be my birthday present to me.
For those of you keeping track, the book is about 350 pages now. This is about 100 pages longer than Compis. Oh, and by the way, IT'S NOT EVEN CLOSE TO BEING FINISHED YET. I know I've aired my fears about having a super long book this time around, but now that my fears are being realized, I can't help but wonder at the quality of the book I'm producing.
Quality is something I tend to obsess over as a writer. I know I'm no Steinbeck or George R. R. Martin, but still, I try to be the best I can be, providing clean text, original story line, non-cliche characters, and a readable final product. I'm sure I'm not the only one out there who feels this way.
But when I sit at my computer, writing word after word after word, and my book gets longer and longer and longer, I have this secret fear. What if I'm just filling up this book with mush? What if it's a whole lot of words and not a whole lot of substance? What if it's a bunch of boring, boring plot points that make no sense to the story and only serve to piss off all the people who said they liked the first book so much? I was pretty happy with the first part of this second in a series, but part 2 is so much longer than I planned and I just can't see what in the world I would cut out. Is it possible, my book could end up being *gasp* BORING???
It doesn't help me to think of Paolini, author of Eregon, either. By the time I got to the third book and the infamous dwarf wedding, I was ready to throw in the towel, send the editor a giant and symbolic red pen, and curse all writers of series.
Usually this blog is addressed to the reader side of me, but today, I must admit to feeling insecure. I put the question to all of you... how do you feel about your work as you're writing it? Is it hard to get a great product with a large word count?
I've got to go. So much to write and so little time.
Happy writing (and reading)!
[image error]
October 16, 2011
ROW and Price Point Heaven
I just read a fantastic blog entry by Dean Wesley Smith, linked here:
The New World of Publishing: Cash Flow
I don't always agree with DWS, (for instance, he's against editing your voice and I'm SOOOO for it!), but his experience where I lack it, has been educational for me. For instance, in this blog, he talks about how the money flows from the publisher to the author in a traditional setting.
Now I know every author has a different reason for publishing (notice I didn't say writing): fame, money, personal accomplishment. Probably a mix of all three. I'll be honest. I didn't write my first book (or any of those other short stories and failed attempts at novels) because I was thinking about the future. There was not a thought of money or publishing in my head when I wrote Six Keys. BUT, when I lost my job last year and found myself pregnant, and pretty much unable to get another job right away, I thought about that lovely passive income that a self published book could bring in.
That's what it is, people, the best income of all, the passive kind. You know, the kind where you do something and you continue to benefit from it, even in a minor way, financially. Again, in all honesty, I'm not making a ton of cash, and I never thought I'd be the next Amanda Hocking or John Locke. Heck, I didn't even know they existed at the time. It was a whim, really. "Hey, I'll post this online and see what happens," I thought to myself.
I've never looked back. And leaving aside the whole debate of which is better... I think that given a very specific set of circumstances, I would probably never go with a Traditional publisher. For many reasons. First of all, I don't think it's a great way for a newbie or a midlister to make money. Dean Wesley Smith's blog, Harlequin, and several other sources have taught me this is true. If you're not a big boy in the writing world, one of those powerhouses we've all come to know, you're less than dust to most publishers. And you're consequently going to have a hard time playing hard ball when it comes to contracts, ebook rights, and royalties. It's just a fact and please don't give me examples of the exceptions. Of course there will be.
Will you be as famous doing indie publishing? Probably not. Will you have to do a crap ton more work? Probably so. Again these are the facts and you authors out there will make the decision that is best for you. Good luck to you, and I hope you have every success.
Smith's article is key to this thought process because it highlights what I never thought about as an author: TIMELINE. Both ways have them different. I point you to the blog for a look at the traditional timeline. In the indie world, it's almost instantaneous. As soon as you start selling those books on Amazon, you're accruing that 70% royalty. After 60 days, barring abysmal sales, you're gonna get that remittance in the mail (or direct deposit in my case). It's like the fast food of writing.
And then there is the biggest topic regarding sales on Kindleboards: What should I charge? There are so many different schools of thought on this subject, I wouldn't know where to turn. Locke says $.99, Konrath says $2.99 (although recently he has started to change his opinion on that. Say what you will, the man learns and changes with new information. Most people are never that smart.), Robin Sullivan says, take it higher and use $.99 as a loss leader.
Here is my take, though I don't claim to have discovered price point heaven. If no one knows your name, you probably won't get a ton of downloads on a high pricepoint (anything above $2.99). You also have to be pretty confident in your writing abilities, because if your book is crap and you ask a lot of money for it, you will get REAMED in the reviews. I see a lot of new writers at the $.99 price point.
The reason I set Six Keys higher at $1.99, is that I didn't want to get lost in the 99 cent books. I also wanted more reviews. What I've noticed is that for newbies like me, a $.99 book will take a long time to build up reviews. People buy those books, true, but when you buy anything at $.99 that is in a genre you read, you generally take your time in reading it because there will be quite a stack. It really didn't take me that much time at all to build up reviews for Six Keys. And when I put Compis even higher, I got more reviews than that, and in a much shorter amount of time. People who buy a book above a certain price point make sure to read it and when they read it, they inevitably have an opinion.
Reviews are the key, reviews and readers. If you're like John Locke and you can pump out your books or if you're like Amanda Hocking and you've got 8 of them available to release, you are going to get a lot of readers. For the rest of us, we have to do whatever we can to make sure those purchases become read. I think Kait Nolan is super smart about releasing Red for reviews just for a month. This will get her those readers and reviewers and from people like ME, word of mouth, because you can bet I'm recommending Red all over the place.
So, experiment. Find your Price Point Heaven. But don't just pick a price based on some formula of what everyone TELLS you to do. Do your research, work hard on your writing, and be an educated author.
Happy Reading!
PS- So thrilled to say that I'm at 103,000 this week. I've been ignoring the fatigue and just going for it! I am determined to get Aeris into the editing phase by November. Let's see if I make it! :)
[image error]
The New World of Publishing: Cash Flow
I don't always agree with DWS, (for instance, he's against editing your voice and I'm SOOOO for it!), but his experience where I lack it, has been educational for me. For instance, in this blog, he talks about how the money flows from the publisher to the author in a traditional setting.
Now I know every author has a different reason for publishing (notice I didn't say writing): fame, money, personal accomplishment. Probably a mix of all three. I'll be honest. I didn't write my first book (or any of those other short stories and failed attempts at novels) because I was thinking about the future. There was not a thought of money or publishing in my head when I wrote Six Keys. BUT, when I lost my job last year and found myself pregnant, and pretty much unable to get another job right away, I thought about that lovely passive income that a self published book could bring in.
That's what it is, people, the best income of all, the passive kind. You know, the kind where you do something and you continue to benefit from it, even in a minor way, financially. Again, in all honesty, I'm not making a ton of cash, and I never thought I'd be the next Amanda Hocking or John Locke. Heck, I didn't even know they existed at the time. It was a whim, really. "Hey, I'll post this online and see what happens," I thought to myself.
I've never looked back. And leaving aside the whole debate of which is better... I think that given a very specific set of circumstances, I would probably never go with a Traditional publisher. For many reasons. First of all, I don't think it's a great way for a newbie or a midlister to make money. Dean Wesley Smith's blog, Harlequin, and several other sources have taught me this is true. If you're not a big boy in the writing world, one of those powerhouses we've all come to know, you're less than dust to most publishers. And you're consequently going to have a hard time playing hard ball when it comes to contracts, ebook rights, and royalties. It's just a fact and please don't give me examples of the exceptions. Of course there will be.
Will you be as famous doing indie publishing? Probably not. Will you have to do a crap ton more work? Probably so. Again these are the facts and you authors out there will make the decision that is best for you. Good luck to you, and I hope you have every success.
Smith's article is key to this thought process because it highlights what I never thought about as an author: TIMELINE. Both ways have them different. I point you to the blog for a look at the traditional timeline. In the indie world, it's almost instantaneous. As soon as you start selling those books on Amazon, you're accruing that 70% royalty. After 60 days, barring abysmal sales, you're gonna get that remittance in the mail (or direct deposit in my case). It's like the fast food of writing.
And then there is the biggest topic regarding sales on Kindleboards: What should I charge? There are so many different schools of thought on this subject, I wouldn't know where to turn. Locke says $.99, Konrath says $2.99 (although recently he has started to change his opinion on that. Say what you will, the man learns and changes with new information. Most people are never that smart.), Robin Sullivan says, take it higher and use $.99 as a loss leader.
Here is my take, though I don't claim to have discovered price point heaven. If no one knows your name, you probably won't get a ton of downloads on a high pricepoint (anything above $2.99). You also have to be pretty confident in your writing abilities, because if your book is crap and you ask a lot of money for it, you will get REAMED in the reviews. I see a lot of new writers at the $.99 price point.
The reason I set Six Keys higher at $1.99, is that I didn't want to get lost in the 99 cent books. I also wanted more reviews. What I've noticed is that for newbies like me, a $.99 book will take a long time to build up reviews. People buy those books, true, but when you buy anything at $.99 that is in a genre you read, you generally take your time in reading it because there will be quite a stack. It really didn't take me that much time at all to build up reviews for Six Keys. And when I put Compis even higher, I got more reviews than that, and in a much shorter amount of time. People who buy a book above a certain price point make sure to read it and when they read it, they inevitably have an opinion.
Reviews are the key, reviews and readers. If you're like John Locke and you can pump out your books or if you're like Amanda Hocking and you've got 8 of them available to release, you are going to get a lot of readers. For the rest of us, we have to do whatever we can to make sure those purchases become read. I think Kait Nolan is super smart about releasing Red for reviews just for a month. This will get her those readers and reviewers and from people like ME, word of mouth, because you can bet I'm recommending Red all over the place.
So, experiment. Find your Price Point Heaven. But don't just pick a price based on some formula of what everyone TELLS you to do. Do your research, work hard on your writing, and be an educated author.
Happy Reading!
PS- So thrilled to say that I'm at 103,000 this week. I've been ignoring the fatigue and just going for it! I am determined to get Aeris into the editing phase by November. Let's see if I make it! :)
[image error]
October 12, 2011
Parallel Minds...
Through the wonderful world of ROW, I have become acquainted with several new and wonderful authors. One of these is Claudia Lefeve, whose work I sampled via her goodreads profile page. BTW- Readers, if you are interested in an author but want to sample their work before you download, I recommend looking at their profile page to see if they have any short stories or chapter samples posted. This will give you a good idea as to their writing style. I myself have a couple of chapters of Six Keys posted, as well as my short stories The Angel & Her Gun and Perfect Man Plus. They are free to read.
In Claudia's case, I read the sample of her book Heir, which later became Parallel, and was intrigued enough to beg to be on her beta reader list. To my excitement, she accepted, and that is what I'm going to talk about today.
Because I am a beta reader I'm not going to give Parallel a traditional review. I don't know if that would be considered "ethical", which is why I wouldn't ask MY beta readers to review my book. Usually betas are people you like and root for, and I'm sure that could be considered a conflict of interest. However, since I do think Parallel is WORTH talking about, I'm going to at least feature it here on my blog.
It's always nerve wracking, being a beta reader. There is certainly a lot less pressure, since the product involved is a work in progress and the author generally WANTS feedback. But it's tough. I've done it a few times, and there are a couple of times that I've pretty much didn't like the books I read. I had to put aside my subjective feelings and give constructive feedback without telling the author involved that I thought their work was crap and that I would be surprised if anyone liked it. I know that seems harsh, but again, we can't always read the books that are intended for us. I'm sure that some of the books I've read weren't even remotely written for me, as a reader, so I take it all in stride. As I do when someone else has the same reaction to MY books. You can't please everyone.
So it was with some trepidation that I received Parallel. I wanted to like it SOOOO bad, you see. Thank goodness, I can say with all honesty that I LOVED it. Sure, there were some inconsistencies and plot issues, because Parallel was a work in progress. Having read the final version, I can assure you that she addressed all of them and more. She even added more words, which was my overall comment. Give me more book, dammit! :)
Parallel is the story of Etta, orphaned girl and foster home hopper, who finds herself endowed with powers most humans only dream of. In the course of this story, she will have to hop through dimensions, use her powers to find her real family, and try to discover the true identity of the mysterious, yet sinfully handsome Cooper.
I LOVED the idea of this book. The world Claudia creates is so fascinating. I have never read anything like Parallel in YA fiction before. She manages to describe the differences in worlds perfectly, yet she also leaves enough mystery to leave you clamoring for the next addition in this series.
My other favorite part about Parallel is the romance, which is again, so far from the usual YA fair, that it's a breath of fresh air. I'm so tired of teeny-bopper love, and this has all the makings of mature, passionate love. The two characters are perfect for each other, but this book gives them the time they need to fall in love, and save the world, all at the same time.
If you don't like cliffhanger endings, you might want to wait for the sequel to Parallel, which is supposed to by out by winter, at the latest. But the ending to this book is so fabulous, you might want to give it a chance anyway.
In summary, this book is a winner and though it is still too short for my taste, I highly recommend it! Also, if you want to tag along on her blog tour, stop by Claudia's website for a list of all her appearances!
Happy Reading!
PS- Okay, ROWers, I'm up to 99,036. Yay me! I've been taking advantage of New Baby's early rising time to feed him and then write my fingers to the bone. I will finish this dang book!!
In Claudia's case, I read the sample of her book Heir, which later became Parallel, and was intrigued enough to beg to be on her beta reader list. To my excitement, she accepted, and that is what I'm going to talk about today.
Because I am a beta reader I'm not going to give Parallel a traditional review. I don't know if that would be considered "ethical", which is why I wouldn't ask MY beta readers to review my book. Usually betas are people you like and root for, and I'm sure that could be considered a conflict of interest. However, since I do think Parallel is WORTH talking about, I'm going to at least feature it here on my blog.
It's always nerve wracking, being a beta reader. There is certainly a lot less pressure, since the product involved is a work in progress and the author generally WANTS feedback. But it's tough. I've done it a few times, and there are a couple of times that I've pretty much didn't like the books I read. I had to put aside my subjective feelings and give constructive feedback without telling the author involved that I thought their work was crap and that I would be surprised if anyone liked it. I know that seems harsh, but again, we can't always read the books that are intended for us. I'm sure that some of the books I've read weren't even remotely written for me, as a reader, so I take it all in stride. As I do when someone else has the same reaction to MY books. You can't please everyone.
So it was with some trepidation that I received Parallel. I wanted to like it SOOOO bad, you see. Thank goodness, I can say with all honesty that I LOVED it. Sure, there were some inconsistencies and plot issues, because Parallel was a work in progress. Having read the final version, I can assure you that she addressed all of them and more. She even added more words, which was my overall comment. Give me more book, dammit! :)
Parallel is the story of Etta, orphaned girl and foster home hopper, who finds herself endowed with powers most humans only dream of. In the course of this story, she will have to hop through dimensions, use her powers to find her real family, and try to discover the true identity of the mysterious, yet sinfully handsome Cooper.
I LOVED the idea of this book. The world Claudia creates is so fascinating. I have never read anything like Parallel in YA fiction before. She manages to describe the differences in worlds perfectly, yet she also leaves enough mystery to leave you clamoring for the next addition in this series.
My other favorite part about Parallel is the romance, which is again, so far from the usual YA fair, that it's a breath of fresh air. I'm so tired of teeny-bopper love, and this has all the makings of mature, passionate love. The two characters are perfect for each other, but this book gives them the time they need to fall in love, and save the world, all at the same time.
If you don't like cliffhanger endings, you might want to wait for the sequel to Parallel, which is supposed to by out by winter, at the latest. But the ending to this book is so fabulous, you might want to give it a chance anyway.
In summary, this book is a winner and though it is still too short for my taste, I highly recommend it! Also, if you want to tag along on her blog tour, stop by Claudia's website for a list of all her appearances!
Happy Reading!
PS- Okay, ROWers, I'm up to 99,036. Yay me! I've been taking advantage of New Baby's early rising time to feed him and then write my fingers to the bone. I will finish this dang book!!
October 5, 2011
Feeling the Disconnect...
Well, with a bit more optimism than I feel right now, I signed up for the year's final ROW80. I hesitate, especially after reading Kait Nolan's goal blog, to name a goal though.
Should I shoot for 1000 words a day? I know I can write that much, if I sit down and do it, but I also want the freedom to duck out, or hit the snooze button like I did today. New Baby makes me tired.
I could say, like I did last time, that my goal is to finish Aeris. However, when I did that, my life blew up and now here I am with a book that is 2/3rds finished.
So I guess my goal will be to write when I can, to try and finish Aeris in time for the Christmas rush on ebooks(which there will be, have you SEEN the new Kindle prices???), and to forgive myself for not attaining either of those goals.
New Baby just woke up, so I have to go. Good luck to all and Happy Reading!
PS- I'm up to 96,243.
Should I shoot for 1000 words a day? I know I can write that much, if I sit down and do it, but I also want the freedom to duck out, or hit the snooze button like I did today. New Baby makes me tired.
I could say, like I did last time, that my goal is to finish Aeris. However, when I did that, my life blew up and now here I am with a book that is 2/3rds finished.
So I guess my goal will be to write when I can, to try and finish Aeris in time for the Christmas rush on ebooks(which there will be, have you SEEN the new Kindle prices???), and to forgive myself for not attaining either of those goals.
New Baby just woke up, so I have to go. Good luck to all and Happy Reading!
PS- I'm up to 96,243.
September 21, 2011
Thoughts on Moving Forward...
Looking down the long road of my inability to work on Aeris like I want to, I've been considering the feelings of success and failure. That's what they are, feelings. Like how you FEEL after you read a book and decide whether to love it or hate it.
As an author, I'm faced with failure every day. Like I said, Aeris in a state of failure for me, right now, failure to finish. There is also the failure to achieve... I didn't make the goals I wanted. I didn't sell the amount of books I'd hoped to. I didn't get the type of reviews I wanted.
My mom was up to help with New Baby and we discussed a friend of mine who supposedly wants to be a photographer. She has taken all the classes and bought all the equipment, and yet she has yet to book a shoot or set up her website portfolio. And when I talk to her about it, she as all these plans, and is enthused, but can't seem to make it past the start of the race.
"She's afraid of failure," said my mom and I couldn't help but agree.
Failure holds us back. It tells us we're worth nothing, that we'll never make it, that we don't have what it takes to be SUCCESSFUL. It is that shadowy plague that grips us and keeps us from moving forward.
I have faced down a lot of things that would make a normal person give up, maybe. My book has been slammed in some reviews. My very FIRST fan email was not a fan email at ALL, but a letter from an angry reader who felt like I'd insulted the people who lived in the area where the book takes place. Sad, huh? :) As I mentioned in the first story about Six Keys, it was the book that almost WASN'T, as I had a huge data loss right at the beginning of writing it. And now, during Aeris, I've had death, birth, hardship and loss of sleep interfering in my ability to write it.
But for me, failure is not trying. That sounds trite and it probably is, but man alive, I would rather have 50 one star reviews than not have a finished book. If I hadn't had the guts to finish Six Keys, I would never have started Compis, which is part of a series that I'm so passionate about writing (and finishing! hahaha).
I keep referring myself to that motto from "Meet the Robinsons": Keep Moving Forward. Learn from what you can learn from and use it when you start your next project. Face those stumbling blocks and use them as stepping stools and you will truly have made a success of yourself.
********Reader Goodies!!!
I just read two great indie books:
Gifts of the Blood by Vicki Keire -This is the story of Caspia, who is running herself ragged to support herself and her terminally ill brother. Descriptive, well-written, and much too short for my taste! hahaha 5 stars
Red by Kait Nolan- Told from two perspectives, Elodie's and Sawyer's, and is one of the best werewolf books I've read. It also made me want to read books with werewolves in them again, which I thought would never happen after I read Shiver. This got an enthusiastic 5 stars from me as well. (Read the review for a disclaimer from me, I got this book in a giveaway.)
I have another entry to write soon, about a book I was a beta reader for, Parallel by Claudia Lafeve, but New Baby calls, so I have to go.
Happy Reading!
As an author, I'm faced with failure every day. Like I said, Aeris in a state of failure for me, right now, failure to finish. There is also the failure to achieve... I didn't make the goals I wanted. I didn't sell the amount of books I'd hoped to. I didn't get the type of reviews I wanted.
My mom was up to help with New Baby and we discussed a friend of mine who supposedly wants to be a photographer. She has taken all the classes and bought all the equipment, and yet she has yet to book a shoot or set up her website portfolio. And when I talk to her about it, she as all these plans, and is enthused, but can't seem to make it past the start of the race.
"She's afraid of failure," said my mom and I couldn't help but agree.
Failure holds us back. It tells us we're worth nothing, that we'll never make it, that we don't have what it takes to be SUCCESSFUL. It is that shadowy plague that grips us and keeps us from moving forward.
I have faced down a lot of things that would make a normal person give up, maybe. My book has been slammed in some reviews. My very FIRST fan email was not a fan email at ALL, but a letter from an angry reader who felt like I'd insulted the people who lived in the area where the book takes place. Sad, huh? :) As I mentioned in the first story about Six Keys, it was the book that almost WASN'T, as I had a huge data loss right at the beginning of writing it. And now, during Aeris, I've had death, birth, hardship and loss of sleep interfering in my ability to write it.
But for me, failure is not trying. That sounds trite and it probably is, but man alive, I would rather have 50 one star reviews than not have a finished book. If I hadn't had the guts to finish Six Keys, I would never have started Compis, which is part of a series that I'm so passionate about writing (and finishing! hahaha).
I keep referring myself to that motto from "Meet the Robinsons": Keep Moving Forward. Learn from what you can learn from and use it when you start your next project. Face those stumbling blocks and use them as stepping stools and you will truly have made a success of yourself.
********Reader Goodies!!!
I just read two great indie books:
Gifts of the Blood by Vicki Keire -This is the story of Caspia, who is running herself ragged to support herself and her terminally ill brother. Descriptive, well-written, and much too short for my taste! hahaha 5 stars
Red by Kait Nolan- Told from two perspectives, Elodie's and Sawyer's, and is one of the best werewolf books I've read. It also made me want to read books with werewolves in them again, which I thought would never happen after I read Shiver. This got an enthusiastic 5 stars from me as well. (Read the review for a disclaimer from me, I got this book in a giveaway.)
I have another entry to write soon, about a book I was a beta reader for, Parallel by Claudia Lafeve, but New Baby calls, so I have to go.
Happy Reading!
