Amber Lynn Natusch's Blog, page 15

Big Thanks for Killer Covers…

Wow. When I saw the line up of covers for my co-written young adult series (with Shannon Morton), I nearly fell over. It’s been a labor of love for all parties involved, but the end result was well worth it. Now, it’s time to give some shout outs!

Firstly, I have to give it up to the woman who was able to take what was in my head and deliver exactly that. Just in case you were wondering, that’s no easy task Dannielle Gleim of Vella Photography not only shot the photos we needed to achieve the covers I’d envisioned, but also photoshopped the what not out of them. I couldn’t be happier with the results.

Secondly, I need to thank Dannielle’s amazing daughter, Jennifer, who happily dunked herself in freezing water to get an amazing shot for the second book. With water rushing up her nose, she managed  to hole it together so we could get a fantastic picture to work with. She was a true professional and a delight to work with. I wish I could put her on ALL my covers

Thirdly, I have to thank my partner in this endeavor, Shannon Morton. She puts up with my frantic instant messaging of cover ideas, indulges my ramblings without complaint, and tolerates my nitpicking tendencies when it comes to the final details. She has far more patience than I do.

All in all, the process has been amazing, and I can’t wait to join forces with Dannielle again when we tackle the photos I’ll need for the Unborn series. Those are going to happen this weekend. I’m beyond excited to get started. If the end result is even half as good as the covers for the Light and Shadow Trilogy… I’ll be over the moon

Filed under: Writing process

Calling All Fans…

I’m starting a blog tour in September and will doing up some guest posts for some of the sites. It was suggested that maybe I do a few with some of my favorite scenes from throughout the series and give an explanation as to why I like them, the style, the story, etc. Picking favorites is difficult for me because I’m just too close to the story. All scenes have a special place in my heart or I wouldn’t have written them in the first place. I need help!

So, I’m turning to you for help with this. As fans, what scenes really spoke to you and why? What was it that made you want to read more/know more? Was it the writing? The pictures/visuals it painted? The emotions? I’d love to know your thoughts.

Please email me with whatever you come up with, and thank you for taking the time to help out. Your support is beyond appreciated (as always).

amber@amberlynnnatusch.com

Filed under: Writing process

ANNOUNCEMENT: Two New CAGED Series Additions…

With a lot of thought and some serious planning, I’ve realized that the CAGED lineup of books needs a couple of new additions in the form of TWO novellas. The first will be Caged series #5.5, and the other will be #6.5. I’m withholding the names for now because of an unfortunate event recently that made me realize that publicizing things early may garner some unwanted attention from other authors. Rest assured that they have delightful names that are very telling and poetic

Novella 5.5 will be Sean’s story. For those that already love him, I know you’re jumping up and down about this. For those that like him or are on the fence about him, this story should push you to either extreme. And for those of you that dislike him,  think he’s a bully, or generally just can’t stand him, the story will illustrate why he’s the way he is, allowing you to at least understand him if not like him. Sean is a character with a lot of layers. My hope is that once they’re peeled, you’ll see more of the true inside.

The second of the two novellas will highlight another character, but I’m not saying who just yet. That will be announced when it comes time to release the title and cover. I realized that this character’s story needed to be told whether I, or my fans, liked it or not. It’s just the way it is

There are no firm release dates for either book yet. I’ll be sure to let you all know when I have some to share!

Filed under: Writing process

My Paperback Mission…

Yes. You read it correctly. I am going to get these books of mine out in paper form if it kills me…or kills my sister, since she is the one I’m putting in charge of formatting them. Delegation is key when you have limited amounts of time

What does this mean to you, the fans? Well, it means that you can get your very own SIGNED AND PERSONALIZED copies through my website! It also means that you can make all of those non-techie friends of yours to read the books (they will be available on Amazon as well as this site).

I’ll keep you posted with release dates for the paper copies. I think it’s going to be a while, but it’s in the works! I’m so excited

Filed under: Writing process

The Pricing Game…

I’ve found myself in a bit of a pricing dilemma lately. Here’s the scoop: Indie authors tend to be discriminated against by readers because they assume that the lower price indicates a lesser quality of work, but fans of Indie writers don’t want to pay more than around $5 a book. So what’s the issue? The issue is that there’s no middle ground. You can’t possibly make both sides happy.

I have an amazing and loyal fan base, who, I believe, would buy my books at nearly any price I put on them at this stage in the game. However, raising prices to be closer to traditionally published ebooks ($7.99 and up) will alienate those that are used to paying the $2.99-$4.99 price that’s usually associated with Indie novels.  So I would keep my current fans, but lose potential new ones. The flipside to this is that there are Indie authors out there who published at a $7.99 price or higher and managed to blend in with the traditional books. They’re selling well and making great money, but I wonder if they’re getting the same exposure that they would at a lower price. Conundrum much?

America is a bargain society in general, and I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad mentality all the time, but it’s tricky in the writing world. Fans want books faster and more of them, which is doable, but authors need to be reimbursed for the expenses that go along with that. Covers can be inexpensive or cost hundreds, depending on what you want or how particular you are. Professional editing from a high quality source costs in the $1500 to $5000 range or more, if your novel is extremely long. Advertising and marketing is an investment of both money and time, which is tough for most independently published authors who have full time jobs and a budget. To be able to deliver a high quality product, some (if not all), of these expenses are necessary. To list a book for $.99 would take on average 10,000 sales to just break even. For most who aspire to write full time, breaking even isn’t going to pay the bills.

So why not try pricing it higher and see if you can fly under the radar? I think it’s a gamble, and one that has paid off for some, though not many. I’ve spent months watching the trends of sales, rankings and pricing of my books and others, and there are definite patterns. I’ve thought about pricing one of my upcoming series at a higher price point, but as I watch authors who have a foot in each side of the publishing world (indie and traditional), I’ve seen how their traditional books seem to sell less than their cheaper Indie counterparts. It, at the moment, is a risk I’m just not willing to take. I didn’t start writing to make gobs of money (and I’m not accusing anyone of charging more than me of that). I wrote because I had a story to share, and I would like to share it with as many willing readers as possible for fair and reasonable compensation.

So what’s fair and reasonable? Clearly, this is going to be a highly subjective question, and one that each individual author must answer. I don’t think that 35% of $.99 is either of those things. I priced CAGED at that in the beginning because I just wanted to get it out there and see what happened. It was never my long term plan to keep it there. I do feel that $3.99-$5.99 is a healthy range for both reader and author. It generates the amount of income an author would need to sustain a good living writing full time, but keeps the books priced at a mass market paperback level.

It’s hard to find the perfect balance between price/compensation and reaching readers. I’m certain I don’t have all of this figured out yet, and may not ever. What I do know is that I’m very conscious of not giving away my hard work, but not getting greedy in the process either The next two series that I’ll be putting out will both have a $2.99 starting price tag (as of this moment), and will go up from there as the series progress. This isn’t to punish those that love my writing and follow my work, but more so to entice new readers to try it. If it’s not for them, they don’t feel beat up by the amount they paid for it. My personal cap on novel prices right now is $4.99; it’s just where I feel most comfortable. There’s something about that $5 mark and under that resonates to me. If I lose readers who pay more for their ebooks…oh well

As every day passes that Caged remains relevant, I’m closer and closer to having that REAL discussion with my other half about me writing part time (and not the part time that involves hiding in the bathroom with my laptop to write for thirty minutes). He’s been supportive all along, and I have no doubts that he’ll be all for the idea. I seem to be the one having trouble letting go of what’s normal and comfortable. Just another step in the growth process for me.

So…next time you want to gripe about the price of a book, or judge one because of it, remember this post.  A LOT of thought goes into this process by those who take it seriously. We’re not just slapping an arbitrary number on a novel.

Filed under: Writing process

Scarred Teaser #3…

Here’s the latest teaser to tide you over for another month. Enjoy

 

Wiggling my way under the bed, I hoped to score a pair of black, spandex

shorts. My efforts were quickly derailed.

“Why do I seem to always get this view of you?” Sean purred from

somewhere in my room. It startled me enough to make me whack my head on

the bed rail.

“Ouch!” I yelled, trying to rub the growing bump in the confined space.

“Don’t get me wrong,” he continued, his voice moving closer, “I enjoy the

view immensely, but seriously, Ruby…if I had a dollar for every time I caught

you like this, I could buy another car.”

“You could buy another car regardless,” I argued, ass still hanging out from

under the bed. “Maybe you should stop barging in on people when you’re not

invited and you wouldn’t have this problem at all.”

“Maybe you should try cleaning your room so you wouldn’t have this

problem.”

He had a point.

“Fine,” I yelled from under the bed, grabbing what I thought were shorts.

“You win. I’ll clean.” I shimmied back out on my belly and came to stand in

front of him. I held up the black fabric that—amazingly enough—turned out to be

what I was looking for.

Sean eyed the tiny strip of fabric with a dash of

amusement.

“Are those for a six-year-old?”

“They stretch!” I said, slapping him playfully in the chest with object in

question. “Jerk.”

He tried to contain his laughter, but failed miserably, sending me out of the

room, eyes rolling, to the bathroom so I could change. I emerged seconds later

wearing only the tiny shorts and a tank top.

All the playfulness drained from his face.

 

 

Filed under: Characters, Novels, Writing process Tagged: Caged Series, paranormal romance, Ruby, Scarred, Sean, urban fantasy series

Tempted by Evil: An Early Release Copy Contest…

Have you ever wished that you could get your hands on a book before anyone else? That you could be a small voice in the writing process for one of your favorite authors? I know I have, and this is your chance to do just that. Shannon and I have agreed to take on a fan as part of our proofreading/beta-reading team for Tempted by Evil (book 1 of the Light and Shadow trilogy). Think you would be an asset to us? Here’s how to enter and find out if you’ll have a chance to be

All you have to do is email me with the top 5 reasons that you think you’d be great for the job. They don’t even have to be valid…if they make us laugh, that’s just as good! What we’re looking for is someone who can give a well thought out and objective opinion on how the novel reads before it hits e-shelves everywhere. Entries will be accepted through the end of August. After that, Shannon and I will pick a winner based on who we think would be best for the job. That’s it. It’s that simple.

So, put a little thought into your response then fire it on over to me. I can’t wait to see who wins!!!

 

Filed under: Writing process

Tempted by Evil Teaser #1…

A lot of you are curious about all the other projects I’ve got going on at the moment, so I thought I would give you a little taste of another series I’m co-writing with Shannon Morton. It is a young adult fantasy trilogy, the first of which should debut this November.

Here is the first official teaser for Tempted by Evil. Hope you like it

 

“Aspen…what are you going to do?” he asked softly, easing his way toward me as I remained perched on the window sill. I would not be stopped. I could not be what I was destined to be―not if I was dead.

I looked at him with a sad but satisfied smile.

“It’s simple, Julian. I’m going to save the world.”

…Then I jumped.

 

 

Filed under: Novels, Writing process Tagged: Caged Series, Light and Shadow trilogy, Shannon Morton, Tempted by Evil, young adult fantasy novels

SCARRED Teaser #2…

I thought I would keep this one a little on the lighter side.  You have to love Ruby and Cooper’s banter

   “How can you know so little about weres?” Cooper asked, totally frustrated.

   “Well they don’t exactly have a Werewolves For Dummies guide book that they hand out when you become one, do they?” I said, poking my head around the corner again.

   “Fine,” he sighed, squeezing his forehead between his thumb and index finger—another of Sean’s mannerisms that I wasn’t going to point out.

Filed under: Writing process

Cover Shoots and Agents and Movies…Oh My!

When I was working towards my doctorate, I never once thought that my daily conversations/emails would center around makeup artist schedules, models, agent representation for TV and movies, book releases, editors, literary agents, and foreign publishing rights. They didn’t teach us about that in neuroanatomy And yet here I find myself, discussing those very things…what a difference a couple years can make.

I thought I would use this blog to update fans on where things stand for me, my books, and any random things related to both. First, I have a cover shoot this weekend for my YA series (cowritten by Shannon Morton). A terrific photographer in my area has volunteered her expertise (and her daughter), for the project.  We’ll be shooting the first two of the covers Sunday and doing some photoshopping after that. Our wardrobe is ready to go, hair and makeup is taken care of, and the shots have been planned out.  I think it’s going to turn out beautifully and am super excited about the whole thing. A huge thanks to Vella Photography for being so willing to work with us in this eneavor. I can’t wait to see the finished product.

On the movie agent front, I have some uncertain but encouraging news. She got back to me last night regarding my unpublished series, UNBORN. She really liked what I sent her and is waiting for me to finish writing it so that she can look over the full manuscript. She also said she would wait until I was finished…there was no need to rush. Altough this could just be my reading into the situation, I feel a strong sense of interest on her part. She loved Caged, but had to pass because she felt it was too similar to things already on the market or in the works. In that same email, she asked that I please contact her with anything else I do because she would like to see it. That’s when I sent her UNBORN, which she clearly enjoyed enough to want to see the rest. She seems to be a fan of how I write, and was surprised that Caged was my first novel (or ANYTHING written since HS for that matter). So I find myself cautiously optimistic in what may come once UNBORN is finished.  I shall keep you posted.

Lastly, I have sent UNBORN to an American literary agent to see f there’s any interest there for a traditional publishing deal. It may not be the best move financially, but I REALLY would love to see my book on the shelves of a bookstore one day (if they still exist by then). It will likely be weeks before I hear anything back, so I’m chugging along as usual. I’ll keep you posted on any news there as well.

Now, as for release dates, here is my rough schedule for the next few books:

SCARRED (the CAGED series, book 4): release date is September 24, 2012
Tempted by Evil (Light and Shadow Trilogy, book 1): November 2012. We should have a more firm date by September.
FRACTURED (the CAGED series, book 5): early 2013 release date (either January or February)
UNBORN (the UNBORN series, book 1): April or May of 2013

I’ll be updating the tentative release dates as they firm up, and should have many of them listed in the back of SCARRED (where I always list the release for the next book). I will also have summaries for the other two series there as well, so that you can start to get to know them better and prepare to dive into those worlds!

Until then…I need to keep my head down and plug away! I’m off to go write

Filed under: Novels, Random, Writing process Tagged: movie and literary agents, Shannon Morton, The Caged Series, Unborn series