Red Phoenix's Blog, page 28

Fan Art For Red Phoenix: "I Googled It, Sir"

Sexy Phoenix by Donna BaldwinI, Red Phoenix, have the most awesome fans in the world! I say that with a straight face and a full heart. They are amazing, funny, and extremely talented. As proof of that fact, I present to you the unique art inspired from the punchline in Brie Practices Her Oral Skills (Book #5 of the Brie series) - "I googled it, Sir". (If you want to know why it's so funny, you'll just have to read the book.)

Banner by Brandi Rohr-Sandlin (used on my FB page)


Very 1st shirt by Becki WyerTo be honest, when I wrote that line I laughed so hard I had to wipe the tears from my eyes. Good ol' Brie!





After reading the book, fan Juanita Blau found the punchline so humorous she suggested it should be made into a shirt & history was made. It became a little movement on our FB page. I decided to share their passion, talent, and good humor with the rest of the world - enjoy.

Colorful banner by Laura Olson
Phoenix Mask T-shirt by Juanita Blau

PS - a few people asked if I could just make a t-shirt for them to buy. After getting legal permission from Zazzle, I am pleased to present the official "I goggled it, Sir" T-shirt.

Available in different shirt styles 
* The beautiful Phoenix you see gracing all of my book covers is now available to you. Nicole Delfs (creator of the phoenix) donated the beautiful creature to me. The two of us will share equally in any profits made from Zazzle, because I am enamored with the lovely bird and wanted to share her with the rest of the world.

Buttons are also available!




To check out all the items available, you can click on the link here RedPhoenix69 or at the top of my blog. If you have any suggestions of products you'd like to see, leave a comment and we will see about making that a reality for you.

"I googled it, Sir" ~ Brie  ;)

How Should You Take Bad Reviews as an Indie Author?

You suck!Bad Reviews, Everyone Gets Them

Bad reviews are inevitable. It is the natural way of things, because people are different and tastes are different. Early on in my writing, I got slammed by readers on B&N. The reviews were harsh and made me question myself as a writer. It forced me to decide why I was writing. Was I writing for others or was I writing for my own enjoyment?

Turns out, I am writing for me. I love bringing my characters to life and seeing how their stories unfold. It is a high like no other. At the time, I chose to ignore the reviews even though they hurt. I chose not to let someone else decide what I would do with my life.

Had I listened to those depressing reviews Luke and Tesse, Dan, Jenny and Ryan, and sassy little Brie would never have been born into the world. Their voices would have remained silent.

Follow you heart, authors. Ebooks allow us to write without anyone losing money if we fail. We have the freedom to let our imaginations soar. Yes, look at the bad reviews to see if there is something you can improve on. You should always be willing to grow. However, don't let it kill your dream if you know you are meant to write.

Something else to keep in mind: The people who write bad reviews are generally not your audience. It is okay if they don't like your work, because they aren't the people you are trying to reach. 

* If you want to check out my nasty reviews (you know you want to), here's a link. FYI, Amy does NOT do her cousin.

Should Indie Authors Charge $2.99 for Short Books?

You Want to Charge $3 for 35 Pages???

I charge .99 because I am a reader as well as a writer, and I want to make my books affordable. However, I wonder if am I losing potential readers because of my price.

I really want to know what readers think on this one. If you are familiar with my work, you know I normally write novelettes (between 12,000 - 18,000 words). I personally like erotica at that length and feel comfortable charging .99. I am confident it is worth at least that much for the hot sex scenes. ;)

I have been noticing other erotica authors charging 2.99 for the same length novelettes and I am a little shocked, especially if it is part of a series. If an author charges that much for five novelettes within a series, he/she has just made the reader pay $15 bucks for what ends up being a simple novel by the end. That is a lot of money!

* For those not in the industry, an indie author makes 35% for books under 2.99 and 70% for any books sold 2.99 or higher on Amazon. There is a financial incentive for charging more.

However, I think 2.99 is too much for books under 20,000 words. Yet if you look on Amazon's erotica list right now, you will see the series Anything He Wants is doing VERY well, even though reviewers are complaining about the price of the last two novelettes.

So, my question is this:

Do you generally feel that a book is more viable if there is a higher price attached to it - no matter the length?
Let me put it more bluntly...
Do you feel a  .99 book is normally not worth reading?

June Numbers for Red Phoenix on Amazon

If you write with love, it will show up in your work similar to when chefs bakes love into their creations.  You can just taste it...

I was excited to see what June would bring. May had been such a good month, but I must admit that part of me feared it was a fluke. I am happy to say June exceeded all my expectations. The most I hoped for was to double my sales, but they tripled and I have my many readers to thank for that!

Not only did I publish the fifth in the Brie series this June, but I was also able to release the third in the Blissful Series. Two accomplishments I am proud of. Based on the reviews for both, I am thrilled that readers are happy with my newest work. :)

Again, all of my books are getting attention (sales/downloads) and that is gratifying. I love the characters I write about, so it's awesome that my older work is getting more notice now. Again, thank you.

For the Month of June 2012:

18,021 Total books sold
60,329 Total Freebies Downloaded

Best Sellers for the Month of June:

Paid - Brie Learns to Obey  4799, Brie Lives Her Fantasy 4134, and  Brie Learns Her Power as a Submissive 3766

Freebies - Deeper Baby! 17,317, Brie's First Day of Submissive Training 14,816 and Blissfully Snowbound 8550

* For the month of June I added two books on Amazon and another book went FREE.    (I now have a total of 11 freebies on Amazon.)
 

Quick Recap of Past Months:
Brie #5 is doing well.
May 2012:
6,079 books purchased
71,212 freebies downloaded

April:

878 books purchased          29,879 freebies downloaded 

March: 693 books purchased
27,571 freebies downloaded 
February:
298 books purchased          12,386 freebies downloaded


What I am Learning:

You can see that my freebie downloads are starting to slow. (Although, who can complain when the paid ones jumped up so high?) However, what it tells me is that an author needs to keep writing and moving forward. You can't sit back and expect your older books to carry on like they have. Bring something new to the table but always, ALWAYS have fun in the process. I think if you start to overwork yourself to the point of resentment or publish a book too soon due to pressure, it will only end up hurting you.

Here's an example: I was set to publish Blissfully Broken in May. I thought I was ready but my editor, Tameika Ortiz, and my beta reader both said it was lacking. I postponed the release and retooled it. My readers expect and deserve only my best - deadline or no deadline.

I shall update you next month to see how July pans out. Thanks for joining me on this journey. I hope it will encourage other aspiring writers to take the leap. :) 

Blissfully Broken: Third in the Blissfully Series

I know some of you have been waiting quite a while to find out what happened to Dan, Jenny and Ryan. Your wait is finally over! Blissfully Broken is now out on Amazon and Smashwords and is one HOT novelette full of sexy encounters - and a little taste of revenge. This book was a struggle for me because I came down with pneumonia and tried to write through it. Well... I was set to publish last month, but needed to go back and tweak a little. I am proud to offer you this exciting peek into the lives of two men loving one woman.

Blissfully Broken

Jenny is living the dream of a ménage a trios with two passionate men. The sex is delicious, but the intense love of both men makes it that much sweeter. There is only one problem. Jenny betrayed her best friend when she accidently fell in love with Dan. Revenge and a proposal are in their future and may be enough to unravel the sexy threesome.

This racy novelette is the third in the Blissful series exploring the sexual creativity of a FMM ménage a trios involving one woman and two hot men.

Extended description:

Dan, Jenny and Ryan have chosen to live a legitimate ménage a trois. Both men are in love with Jenny and are willing to share her. Dan moves in with the couple and the three experiment with the sexual possibilities of two men loving one woman. Unfortunately, Jenny’s ex girlfriend is intent on revenge. Kelly uses one of the men to create a crack between the three. Can Jenny protect the unique relationship before the fracture grows large enough to shatter their beautiful arrangement?

Adult Material (18+)

Warning: This book contains sexually explicit content and scenes that some readers may find objectionable.

Red Phoenix: Who Are You?

Seriously, who are you?Who am I?

I am just your average joe-ette. I worked most of my life at silly part-time jobs and one career that I really loved. However, times change and I no longer fit in that world so I've gone back to my childhood love - writing.

I am married and have kids. My children are the greatest thing I will ever do/have a part of. What a miracle kids are, even if you want to throttle them because they frustrating the crap out of you.  (I have teenagers.) But seriously, I love my kiddos. I also love my hubby - he is often the inspiration behind my male characters.

As many of you can tell, I am not an English Major. I love writing, but always found grammar to be boring and limiting. It kicks me in the butt these days as I edit my work... Funny thing is much of what I learned in school no longer holds true. I feel so betrayed!

I am a lover of the underdog. I was bullied when I was young and it has shaped me into the person I am now. I'm lucky I survived those years, some kids don't. My heart goes out to all the people suffering the scars of such treatment. Now that I have had time to reflect, my heart goes out to the bullies, too. They must be hurting units to treat others so cruelly. I will always cheer for the underdog, because they are the true winners in life.

I am a person who has made mistakes, some of them pretty big. Yet, I can't regret them because they have led me to this point and I am grateful to be where I am. I firmly believe if we learn from our mistakes and move forward then we have nothing to regret.

I am a lover of sex. Yes, there I said it. I really do. More now than ever. Writing and reading erotica will do that to a person. ;) For me personally, it has to be in a committed relationship. I can't even kiss a guy and enjoy it unless I love him - I've always been that weird. In fact, I was afraid I was meant for nunnery early on  because I was such a cold fish. Turns out, if I am going to give myself away its ALL the way, Baby - heart, body, mind and soul.

So, who is Red Phoenix? Just a fellow woman following her heart ~ no different than you. :)

~ Red

Does a Smutty Cover Sell Erotica?

"Does it matter if the images are overtly sexy if the content is predominantly aimed at readers using electronic devices?" Elizabeth Woodham recently posed that question in her blog titled, Cover Art.

In the blog, Elizabeth mentioned the recent debate brought on by the success of Fifty Shades of Grey indicating that a non-erotic, artful cover made it easier to read in public. True, but for many indie authors the books we publish are only sold as eBooks. So, does it matter?

Here is my take on the subject: I like a sexy pic and enjoy some of the covers I see on erotic novels. However, most of them look the same and may or may not have much to do with the storyline. I actually had a really sexy cover of a female's butt for my "quickie" Sensual Erotica: Bottoms Up. Even though it is just an eBook, I must say I blushed every time I looked at the cover. I eventually changed it to three wine glasses.

Why three wine glasses? Because the story is about a menage a trois and I enjoy the play on the phrase "bottoms up" since one of the young ladies in the story likes anal sex.

I know people do not flock to my books because of the tantalizing covers. However, I try to be creative and artful with the design. I think mainstream women may have an easier time purchasing them even though the content is every bit as raunchy as the more scandalous covers.

That said, I may very well be losing regular readers of erotica who think my stories are as non-sexual as my covers.

What do you think?

The Importance of a Platform as an Author

Authors and Readers Need Each Other

Without my readers, my books are just a bunch of words on a page. ~ Red Phoenix

When I first looked into getting published, all I heard was, "You need a platform." I thought, Well, that's nice. How do I get one? I did a lot of research on the web and discovered the best way to develop one as a newbie like me was through social sites like Twitter and Facebook. I will admit that the thought of spending hours on different sites seemed like a waste of writing time. I was not thrilled.

I started writing my short "quickies" Sensual Erotica and published them on Smashwords. The author's page asked for my Twitter account, Facebook account, blog, etc. What's a girl to do?

So, I dutifully (and a little resentfully) created them. Let me tell you, it is embarrassing to have conversations with thin air. I felt like an idiot writing thoughts and announcing books to an audience of zero. I determined in my head to promote myself, but it wasn't Red Phoenix who was writing the announcements. No. It was RP, my dedicated and talented PR person! ;)

My very first fan (who was not a friend at the time) was a kindhearted woman named Donna. She loved all my Sensual Erotica books and remains a true-blue fan still. It was the most exciting thing in the world to get her comments and have an actual conversation with a real live reader. It has grown since then. I now have conversations with readers and authors on Twitter, FB, Goodreads and Shelfari. It is a gas! My peeps inspire me, encourage me, and make me laugh. 
Once upon a time, I thought creating a platform was purely to create readership. Now? I know that it is part of my lifeblood as an author. I would be less without a connection to my readers.

Brie Practices Her Oral... The Fifth in the Series by Red Phoenix

Brie Practices Her Oral Skills is now available on Smashwords and will be available on Amazon by the evening, Friday the 22nd. Join Brie as she experiences her first full week at the Submissive Training Center. Expect lots of squirming as Brie navigates the sensual art of oral pleasures. In book five, Mary will revel the demons of her past and Brie shall come face to face with a weakness that may crush her dreams.

Brie Practices Her Oral Skills 
Brie’s first full week of training is an exciting roller coaster ride! Although she receives a good review from Rytsar, Brie suffers from an underlying problem. It rears its ugly head and brings Brie to her knees - literally. She is thrilled when Sir offers to practice with her on stage. On Auction Day, the lucky little sub spends quality time with “Doctor” Harris.
This succulently hot novelette encompasses an entire week of Brie’s submissive training, including her second Auction Day.
Extended Description:
Brie’s first full week of training focuses on perfecting her oral skills. Not only does she learn the secrets of the mighty shaft, she also applies her tongue skills on a Domme or two. Unfortunately, Brie has a weakness that threatens her success as a submissive, but Sir refuses to let her fail. Time on stage provides the devoted sub a chance to express her true feelings for him. Brie’s week ends with the auction, putting her in the care of a sexy but demanding doctor.
* Adult Reading Material (18+)
 This book is for mature audiences only and contains sexually explicit content.

Unique Symbol to Grace the Covers of All Red Phoenix Books

Red Phoenix Created by Nicole DelfsI am pleased to announce that all books published by Red Phoenix will now sport a gorgeous phoenix on the cover. Nicole Delfs, a dedicated and talented fan, created the beautiful bird. It was weeks in the making, with a few setbacks due to power outages and sickness, but she powered through it all. I couldn't be more thrilled!

Because I create my own covers and make each of my series look different, having the visual reminder that it is a Red Phoenix book is genius. It was Nicole's idea and I give all the props to her!

Here is an example:

Be on the lookout for the new look! I hope to have many, many more phoenixes out there in the months to come. ;)