Maya Cross's Blog
July 3, 2014
My Launch Giveaway
To celebrate the release of Grace for Drowning, I'm giving away a Kindle Paperwhite and a bunch of gift cards. There's about one and a half days left on the clock, so time is a ticking! If you're interested, you can find it here:http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/disp...
June 29, 2014
Grace for Drowning is now live!
Hello Good Reads!
I've neglected you a little in recent times while I took a little break from writing, but I'm hoping to change that now that I'm back. I know there's some people here who have been waiting for my new book, and I'm happy to say it's finally available! Grace for Drowning is a fighter romance, but it's a little different than most others in the genre. It's a powerful story about overcoming guilt and finding light when it feels like all that's left is darkness. The two main characters are both clinging to the edge of a precipice, just inches from falling into the abyss, and then they meet one another, and that relationship lends them strength. It is told from dual perspectives and is a full length novel (300 pages) with no cliffhanger.
If you're interested, you can find Grace for Drowning at the following links:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00L...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0...
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/grace...
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id89...
Thanks, and I hope you enjoy!
I've neglected you a little in recent times while I took a little break from writing, but I'm hoping to change that now that I'm back. I know there's some people here who have been waiting for my new book, and I'm happy to say it's finally available! Grace for Drowning is a fighter romance, but it's a little different than most others in the genre. It's a powerful story about overcoming guilt and finding light when it feels like all that's left is darkness. The two main characters are both clinging to the edge of a precipice, just inches from falling into the abyss, and then they meet one another, and that relationship lends them strength. It is told from dual perspectives and is a full length novel (300 pages) with no cliffhanger.
If you're interested, you can find Grace for Drowning at the following links:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00L...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0...
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/grace...
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id89...
Thanks, and I hope you enjoy!
August 19, 2013
Unlocked has been released! (Links inside)
Unlocked Has Been Released! (Links inside)
Posted by Maya Cross in Uncategorized
I am very happy to announce that Unlocked, the final book in the Alpha Group trilogy, is now available on every major retailer except Apple (which will take some time, unfortunately). Amazon is currently being a pain and not letting people search for the book, so you’re better off going straight from the link below.
Thank you all so much for your support. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Please share this and help spread the word.
Amazon US – http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E...
Amazon UK – http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0...
Nook – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/unloc...
Kobo – http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Unlock...
Posted by Maya Cross in Uncategorized
I am very happy to announce that Unlocked, the final book in the Alpha Group trilogy, is now available on every major retailer except Apple (which will take some time, unfortunately). Amazon is currently being a pain and not letting people search for the book, so you’re better off going straight from the link below.
Thank you all so much for your support. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Please share this and help spread the word.
Amazon US – http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E...
Amazon UK – http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0...
Nook – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/unloc...
Kobo – http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Unlock...
July 26, 2013
Unlocked Teaser
And finally, I have a teaser for you all! This is the first scene in the book that's written from Sebastian's POV, since I know you're all itching to get into his head I will post some shorter picture teasers throughout the next few weeks, and there will be another excerpt accompanying the cover reveal, which is on August 1st.
Enjoy!
I hadn’t expected Sophia to sleep at all, not after what she’d been through. Trauma like that can ruin a person. But somehow she’d drifted off. I had no idea where she found the strength to be that tough. She never ceased to amaze me.
For a while I lay there, trying to get some rest myself, but the events of the last two days had thrown my whole world into chaos. It was all happening again. The fact that I’d averted the worst case didn’t make the situation any better. I should never have let it get to this point, but I was weak, and it had nearly cost the woman I love her life. How the hell could I sleep knowing that?
To make matters worse, even now, I was still incapable of staying away. She was as secure here as anywhere, but the moment she’d left my sight, I began to feel agitated. I still hadn’t managed to shed the mindless terror that had seized me when I first heard she’d been taken. The urge to go to her, to simply hold her and never let go, had been almost overpowering.
I’d tried to distract myself. There was certainly no shortage of work to be done — most of my colleagues were holed up together in the board room, planning things until well into the night — but I was useless there. My mind only wanted to focus on one thing, and soon, I found myself propped up against the wall outside her room, nursing several fingers of scotch in a heavy crystal tumbler. I didn’t know why, but just being close to her helped. I made myself vow not to enter. It had taken an immense level of control to cut her off the first time, and every moment in her presence stretched my willpower just a little more. I would keep her safe and solve all this, and then when it was over, I’d let her go again. It was the only way.
But the moment I heard her sobbing through the door, all sense of self-control fled. Before I knew it, I was on my feet, and then in her bed. I expected her to fight, after all, I had to be the last person she wanted to see, but she didn’t. Instead she just burrowed into me without a word. I hated how perfect that felt, the way her body fitted like a missing puzzle piece against mine. I didn’t understand how such simple contact could make my heart sing so easily, but it did.
And now she slept. I couldn’t help but run my eyes over her again. Truth be told, I’d barely been able to stop staring since the moment I entered the room. She looked so fucking beautiful lying there, her face utterly peaceful, her curves perfectly accentuated by the thin cotton sheet. She’d taken the T-shirt I left her, but not the pants, and now in the throws of sleep she’d managed to knock part of the cover free, exposing one delicate hip. It was a tiny thing, the barest hint of pale skin and black cloth, but the sight took my breath away nonetheless. I felt impossibly low ogling her after everything I’d put her through, but I was powerless to do anything else. Her body was like a drug, fire in my veins. I knew how that hip would feel if only I’d reach out and touch it. I had every inch of her body charted in my head; so perfectly soft, so perfectly feminine.
I had to pull myself together.
Ripping my gaze free, I eased my arm out from under her. I’d done what I came to do. She was resting. There was no reason for me to stay.
She stirred briefly, and I came within a hair’s breadth of pulling her back against me once more, but after a few moments she settled. Taking one last look, I moved quietly out into the corridor and resumed my watch. I’d be there if she needed me, but anything beyond that was too hard. There was no happy ending here, and letting myself think otherwise would only destroy me more.
Enjoy!
I hadn’t expected Sophia to sleep at all, not after what she’d been through. Trauma like that can ruin a person. But somehow she’d drifted off. I had no idea where she found the strength to be that tough. She never ceased to amaze me.
For a while I lay there, trying to get some rest myself, but the events of the last two days had thrown my whole world into chaos. It was all happening again. The fact that I’d averted the worst case didn’t make the situation any better. I should never have let it get to this point, but I was weak, and it had nearly cost the woman I love her life. How the hell could I sleep knowing that?
To make matters worse, even now, I was still incapable of staying away. She was as secure here as anywhere, but the moment she’d left my sight, I began to feel agitated. I still hadn’t managed to shed the mindless terror that had seized me when I first heard she’d been taken. The urge to go to her, to simply hold her and never let go, had been almost overpowering.
I’d tried to distract myself. There was certainly no shortage of work to be done — most of my colleagues were holed up together in the board room, planning things until well into the night — but I was useless there. My mind only wanted to focus on one thing, and soon, I found myself propped up against the wall outside her room, nursing several fingers of scotch in a heavy crystal tumbler. I didn’t know why, but just being close to her helped. I made myself vow not to enter. It had taken an immense level of control to cut her off the first time, and every moment in her presence stretched my willpower just a little more. I would keep her safe and solve all this, and then when it was over, I’d let her go again. It was the only way.
But the moment I heard her sobbing through the door, all sense of self-control fled. Before I knew it, I was on my feet, and then in her bed. I expected her to fight, after all, I had to be the last person she wanted to see, but she didn’t. Instead she just burrowed into me without a word. I hated how perfect that felt, the way her body fitted like a missing puzzle piece against mine. I didn’t understand how such simple contact could make my heart sing so easily, but it did.
And now she slept. I couldn’t help but run my eyes over her again. Truth be told, I’d barely been able to stop staring since the moment I entered the room. She looked so fucking beautiful lying there, her face utterly peaceful, her curves perfectly accentuated by the thin cotton sheet. She’d taken the T-shirt I left her, but not the pants, and now in the throws of sleep she’d managed to knock part of the cover free, exposing one delicate hip. It was a tiny thing, the barest hint of pale skin and black cloth, but the sight took my breath away nonetheless. I felt impossibly low ogling her after everything I’d put her through, but I was powerless to do anything else. Her body was like a drug, fire in my veins. I knew how that hip would feel if only I’d reach out and touch it. I had every inch of her body charted in my head; so perfectly soft, so perfectly feminine.
I had to pull myself together.
Ripping my gaze free, I eased my arm out from under her. I’d done what I came to do. She was resting. There was no reason for me to stay.
She stirred briefly, and I came within a hair’s breadth of pulling her back against me once more, but after a few moments she settled. Taking one last look, I moved quietly out into the corridor and resumed my watch. I’d be there if she needed me, but anything beyond that was too hard. There was no happy ending here, and letting myself think otherwise would only destroy me more.
July 2, 2013
Unlocked Release Date
Well, after a lot of umming and ahhing, I've settled on a final release date for the final book in The Alpha Group. Unlocked will be coming to you on August 18th. I know this is a few weeks later than I initially indicated, and I know that sucks a lot, but as much as I want you all to have your copies ASAP, it's for the best.
When I started writing this series, I made myself a promise I'd be as transparent as possible with you all. I know the structure is a bit unorthodox (long novellas with cliffhangers) which I've blogged about before, and I wanted to make sure everyone knew what they were getting into. That meant posting how many parts there were, their titles, and some projected release dates.
Unfortunately, to put it simply, I overestimated myself. I'm still very new to all of this, and I was just so keen to get the conclusion to everyone that I set myself a deadline that left me no wiggle room at all. In retrospect, two months between books was always verging on too ambitious. The second part of the series flowed out of me fairly easily, and if I'd been able to maintaing that pace I'd have been okay, but the third has been much tougher. There's more elements to juggle and I've hit a few brick walls, and couple that with some personal issues that slowed me down, and it means I can't quite hit the July date I wanted. I could try and rush it out the door, but you, me, and the story all deserve better than that.
I'm super sorry to let you down. I feel awful. I hate not being able to keep my word. Hopefully you can all forgive me. It's only a few weeks extra! I will make it up to you with an awesome release day giveaway, and lots of teasers in the interim =)
When I started writing this series, I made myself a promise I'd be as transparent as possible with you all. I know the structure is a bit unorthodox (long novellas with cliffhangers) which I've blogged about before, and I wanted to make sure everyone knew what they were getting into. That meant posting how many parts there were, their titles, and some projected release dates.
Unfortunately, to put it simply, I overestimated myself. I'm still very new to all of this, and I was just so keen to get the conclusion to everyone that I set myself a deadline that left me no wiggle room at all. In retrospect, two months between books was always verging on too ambitious. The second part of the series flowed out of me fairly easily, and if I'd been able to maintaing that pace I'd have been okay, but the third has been much tougher. There's more elements to juggle and I've hit a few brick walls, and couple that with some personal issues that slowed me down, and it means I can't quite hit the July date I wanted. I could try and rush it out the door, but you, me, and the story all deserve better than that.
I'm super sorry to let you down. I feel awful. I hate not being able to keep my word. Hopefully you can all forgive me. It's only a few weeks extra! I will make it up to you with an awesome release day giveaway, and lots of teasers in the interim =)
June 3, 2013
A question for romance readers on adding another point of view later on in a series.
So I'm working on the final book in my series, The Alpha Group, and I'm tossing up a big decision.
For those that haven't read it, to give a little background, it's a trilogy, and the first two books were told in first person from the heroine's perspective. At the outset, I considered writing it with dual perspectives, since I think my hero is fascinating and would be a great POV character, but a lot of the story revolves around the mystery of his identity, and at the time I didn't think I could do it without giving too much away.
But in the final book, that's not much of a problem. Most of his secrets are revealed early. I've been thinking about it over the last few weeks, and the more I think, the more I'd love to finally give my readers a look inside Sebastian's head. I think it would add a lot of depth to their relationship, and would enhance certain other elements of the plot.
But of course, I haven't done any switching in the first two parts. So my question to you is, would this bother you? I'm not planning on changing every chapter or anything; a handful of well marked switches that last several chapters is what it would be. Think the switches in Falling into You. Would you find that sudden introduction jarring?
A lot of my readers have said they'd love to finally see things from Sebastian's perspective, but I wanted a few more opinions anyway.
Thanks!
For those that haven't read it, to give a little background, it's a trilogy, and the first two books were told in first person from the heroine's perspective. At the outset, I considered writing it with dual perspectives, since I think my hero is fascinating and would be a great POV character, but a lot of the story revolves around the mystery of his identity, and at the time I didn't think I could do it without giving too much away.
But in the final book, that's not much of a problem. Most of his secrets are revealed early. I've been thinking about it over the last few weeks, and the more I think, the more I'd love to finally give my readers a look inside Sebastian's head. I think it would add a lot of depth to their relationship, and would enhance certain other elements of the plot.
But of course, I haven't done any switching in the first two parts. So my question to you is, would this bother you? I'm not planning on changing every chapter or anything; a handful of well marked switches that last several chapters is what it would be. Think the switches in Falling into You. Would you find that sudden introduction jarring?
A lot of my readers have said they'd love to finally see things from Sebastian's perspective, but I wanted a few more opinions anyway.
Thanks!
May 23, 2013
IMPORTANT: Barnes and Noble appears to be manipulating its best seller lists
I've posted about this on Facebook, but I wanted to write something slightly more coherent and complete. This is a very important issue for both romance readers and writers, so please, share this post with your friends. Shout it from the roof tops. Barnes and Noble aren't replying to my emails, so we need to make a lot of noise for this to get heard.
For those that don't want to read the whole thing, the situation in a nutshell:
Barnes and Noble appear to be manipulating their Nook bestseller list. They seem to have issue with either self published books or books containing erotic content, or both, and they don't want them being too visible on their site. From what we can gather, there seems to be an artificial wall in their rankings, somewhere around #125, and any books they deem unworthy cannot rank higher, no matter how many copies they sell. My two titles are both currently affected by this, as are Cassia Leo's USA today best selling Shattered Hearts books, and several other works.
To give you the long form and explain how I know this:
My second book, Lockout, was doing astoundingly well on B&N. It was #5 in the whole store yesterday, right up between Dan Brown and James Patterson. I was over the moon.
But something weird was happening with the first book in my series, Locked. It rose when book two launched, but once it hit #126 in the overall store, it stuck in place. It kept selling more books, but wouldn't move. Not even a single ranking place. And it held that position for 48 hours. Now, it's almost impossible for a book to not shift even a few places in a given day. Most books change rank every hour, so obviously this wasn't normal. It felt like it had been pinned in place.
Then, this morning, the same thing happened to Lockout. It went from #5 in the whole Nook store, to #126, in the blink of an eye. This makes no sense. It's all but totally impossible for book sales to plummet that dramatically of their own accord.
I know that this might seem like me just complaining because I'm not doing as well as I'd like, but it's not. Look at this. Locked and Lockout are currently sitting at exactly #126 and #127 in the B&N store. You can see it here:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s?dref=...
What do you think the chances of that happening are? Two books by the same author next to one another in the rankings, out of hundreds of thousands of titles. And it's been like that all morning. Add in the fact that Locked has been at #126 for the last two days (I have screenshots, emails and sales figures to show this), and it's pretty clear that this isn't an accurate reflection of the book's sales.
If you look at the charts there, you can also see Cassia Leo's books are just behind mine. I have screenshots of these charts from all last night and this morning, and in every one, our books hold position while everything else shifts around them. I also have word from a much bigger name in the romance community, Liliana Hart, that the same thing happened to her last week. She had a sale, her title rose to #126, then just stopped.
Now, they have yet to actually comment on this, so we have no concrete idea what is going on, but if all this is true, then it's blatant censorship. Their 'best seller' charts aren't best seller charts at all, it's just a list of pre-approved books. The romance community is one of the most voracious in the world, and they're hiding the books you want to read from you. This is worth making some noise over. They're hurting you and your ability to find books, and they're hurting authors you love and their ability to make a living. My sales have plummeted since this happened.
There seems to be no rhyme or reason behind the policy. Cassia's books are much less steamy than mine, and other erotic titles continue to sit in the top 100. I don't know exactly what they're trying to achieve, but the whole thing is inconsistent and grossly unfair. This isn't just about my books, or Cassia's books, it's about B&N thinking they know what their readers want better than readers themselves.
So I'd love it if you helped get the word out about this. Comment on this post so your GR friends see it, share it around your social networks, and let B&N know what you think about this policy. I'm not sure it will do much good, but it's worth making our voices heard nonetheless. Maybe we can get them to at least fill us in on their policy so we can understand what is happening.
EDIT 5/27/13: Just to update this for people only reading now, it is no longer true that my two books are side by side on the Nook store. B&N's blockade has done its job and has killed the sales on my first book by destroying the visibility. It will only be a matter of time before the second starts to fall.
But now that we know what we're looking for, you can now see other books up against the wall. Currently there's Tangled by Emma Chase, Selling Scarlet by Ella James, and then my book, Lockout. Tangled is a great example. It's getting crazy good reviews everywhere, is inside the top 10 on Amazon, but suspiciously won't budge from #126 on the B&N store. The exact rank we've all been complaining about. Doesn't that seem odd?
For those that don't want to read the whole thing, the situation in a nutshell:
Barnes and Noble appear to be manipulating their Nook bestseller list. They seem to have issue with either self published books or books containing erotic content, or both, and they don't want them being too visible on their site. From what we can gather, there seems to be an artificial wall in their rankings, somewhere around #125, and any books they deem unworthy cannot rank higher, no matter how many copies they sell. My two titles are both currently affected by this, as are Cassia Leo's USA today best selling Shattered Hearts books, and several other works.
To give you the long form and explain how I know this:
My second book, Lockout, was doing astoundingly well on B&N. It was #5 in the whole store yesterday, right up between Dan Brown and James Patterson. I was over the moon.
But something weird was happening with the first book in my series, Locked. It rose when book two launched, but once it hit #126 in the overall store, it stuck in place. It kept selling more books, but wouldn't move. Not even a single ranking place. And it held that position for 48 hours. Now, it's almost impossible for a book to not shift even a few places in a given day. Most books change rank every hour, so obviously this wasn't normal. It felt like it had been pinned in place.
Then, this morning, the same thing happened to Lockout. It went from #5 in the whole Nook store, to #126, in the blink of an eye. This makes no sense. It's all but totally impossible for book sales to plummet that dramatically of their own accord.
I know that this might seem like me just complaining because I'm not doing as well as I'd like, but it's not. Look at this. Locked and Lockout are currently sitting at exactly #126 and #127 in the B&N store. You can see it here:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s?dref=...
What do you think the chances of that happening are? Two books by the same author next to one another in the rankings, out of hundreds of thousands of titles. And it's been like that all morning. Add in the fact that Locked has been at #126 for the last two days (I have screenshots, emails and sales figures to show this), and it's pretty clear that this isn't an accurate reflection of the book's sales.
If you look at the charts there, you can also see Cassia Leo's books are just behind mine. I have screenshots of these charts from all last night and this morning, and in every one, our books hold position while everything else shifts around them. I also have word from a much bigger name in the romance community, Liliana Hart, that the same thing happened to her last week. She had a sale, her title rose to #126, then just stopped.
Now, they have yet to actually comment on this, so we have no concrete idea what is going on, but if all this is true, then it's blatant censorship. Their 'best seller' charts aren't best seller charts at all, it's just a list of pre-approved books. The romance community is one of the most voracious in the world, and they're hiding the books you want to read from you. This is worth making some noise over. They're hurting you and your ability to find books, and they're hurting authors you love and their ability to make a living. My sales have plummeted since this happened.
There seems to be no rhyme or reason behind the policy. Cassia's books are much less steamy than mine, and other erotic titles continue to sit in the top 100. I don't know exactly what they're trying to achieve, but the whole thing is inconsistent and grossly unfair. This isn't just about my books, or Cassia's books, it's about B&N thinking they know what their readers want better than readers themselves.
So I'd love it if you helped get the word out about this. Comment on this post so your GR friends see it, share it around your social networks, and let B&N know what you think about this policy. I'm not sure it will do much good, but it's worth making our voices heard nonetheless. Maybe we can get them to at least fill us in on their policy so we can understand what is happening.
EDIT 5/27/13: Just to update this for people only reading now, it is no longer true that my two books are side by side on the Nook store. B&N's blockade has done its job and has killed the sales on my first book by destroying the visibility. It will only be a matter of time before the second starts to fall.
But now that we know what we're looking for, you can now see other books up against the wall. Currently there's Tangled by Emma Chase, Selling Scarlet by Ella James, and then my book, Lockout. Tangled is a great example. It's getting crazy good reviews everywhere, is inside the top 10 on Amazon, but suspiciously won't budge from #126 on the B&N store. The exact rank we've all been complaining about. Doesn't that seem odd?
May 14, 2013
Lockout Release Date + Review Copy Giveaway
I've shared this date with some people via Facebook comments, but just to make it official, part two of The Alpha Group, Lockout, will be launched on May the 22nd! I'm super happy with the story, and I can't wait to share some more Sebastian with you. I think you're going to enjoy him in this book even more than Locked. To quote one of my beta readers: "I am totally swooning for Sebastian right now. He really stepped up his A game in this book and it was HOT!"
To thank you all for your support, I'll be giving out advance review copies to three lucky fans! All you have to do is head over and like my Facebook page if you haven't already:
http://www.facebook.com/MayaCrossBooks/
Then like this post:
http://www.facebook.com/MayaCrossBook...
It would also help if you left your email address as a reply, since Facebook won't let me message fans directly, so you may miss out if you don't.
I'll be choosing the winners randomly in a few days.
Good luck!
To thank you all for your support, I'll be giving out advance review copies to three lucky fans! All you have to do is head over and like my Facebook page if you haven't already:
http://www.facebook.com/MayaCrossBooks/
Then like this post:
http://www.facebook.com/MayaCrossBook...
It would also help if you left your email address as a reply, since Facebook won't let me message fans directly, so you may miss out if you don't.
I'll be choosing the winners randomly in a few days.
Good luck!
April 5, 2013
Some thoughts on writing The Alpha Group as a trilogy
I had a conversation with a couple of readers recently about the way The Alpha Group is structured, and I wanted to make a public post about it. It's no secret that there's a lot of animosity out there for trilogies and the general serial storytelling that has become so popular in this genre lately, and I completely understand that. I can see how it looks like a money grab, and I can see how it interrupts people's reading experience and pulls them out of the story. I really do get all that, and I totally respect it.
Every author is different, and their reasons for writing these sorts of stories vary. I can't speak for any other writers, but I can give you a little break down of why I've written the story the way I have. Maybe it will help give a little extra perspective.
First, there's the very simple fact that I actually quite like cliffhangers. I'm a fan of TV shows like The Shield and The Walking Dead, where most weeks you're left wondering. I enjoy that feeling, and I know there are readers who do too.
Secondly, when I sat down to plan the plot, I eventually realised that this book was going to be an awkward length. At the moment, it looks like the entire story is going to be about 115,000- 125,000 words, which is about 1.5 standard romance novels. I didn't want to pad it out, or cut anything, since I felt like that had the right rhythm for the plot to unfold how I wanted it to. Adding excess words just for the sake of it is a good way to ruin a story. I could have made it a single book all the same and tried to sell it as one unit, but bear with me, because that relates to the last point.
Thirdly, and most importantly, I'm a totally no name author. This is my first book and I have no name recognition at all, which makes it mind bogglingly difficult to get my story noticed. Many fantastic writers struggle for years to build enough recognition to even have a shot at making a living in this game (which is my eventual goal). I'm not a particularly fast writer either, so the odds are even longer for me. I can't produce four novels in a year like many other amazing indie authors, so I need to make each of my works count.
One of the best ways to have a shot at taking off is to have a super low price point. That way when people take a gamble on you, they're not risking too much. Most readers are unwilling to spend $3.99 or $4.99 on a story from an author they've never heard of, but if it's $0.99, they're much more relaxed.
But then you have a problem. Authors who charge $0.99 for their story make about $0.30 a sale. It's essentially nothing. I firmly believe a book is worth more than that when the writer is pouring hundreds of hours into it. I'm not talking $10 a copy, but a couple of dollars at least. I think that's fair to the author, and to the readers. Also factor in that this particular story is longer than a normal novel, so charging $0.99 for it hurts even more.
So considering all of the above, I decided that writing the story this way was my best shot at building a brand. I could price the first part at $0.99, at least initially, and that would give people a chance to see how I write and whether they enjoy my story, while still presenting an opportunity for me to make a decent amount of money on later parts. I have done everything in my power to make sure readers aren't misled about the way the story is structured. I'm not trying to trick or exploit anyone, and I'm deeply sorry if anyone missed my warnings and bought the book anyway.
I'm also working to ensure parts two and three are out as soon as possible. If this sort of writing does bother you, I wholeheartedly encourage you to wait a few months, because if everything goes to plan, by the end of July, all three volumes will be out.
I freely admit that this does have the potential to make me a little more cash than it would if I just bundled the whole story and charged $3.99 or $4.99 straight away, but that's not my primary goal. This is just the best way I can think of to get the most eyes on some part of my work. I know some people won't believe me, but it's the truth. I'm keeping my story chunks as big as I can, with each being at least 35,000 words, which is about half a full length novel, so I'm cutting it into the minimum number of sections to make the above plan work.
The good news is, so far, my approach appears to be working. If sales hold at their current rate, The Alpha Group is going to do extremely well. And that means I'll have the security and name recognition to concentrate mostly on full length stories in the future, which is what I really wanted to be doing in the first place.
Anyway, sorry this was so long. I just wanted to give you all a little insight into my logic. To those who have supported Locked so far, I'm grateful beyond words. To those that are waiting for the full series, I'm working as fast as my fingers can handle! And to those that are pissed off because I've produced yet another trilogy with cliffhangers, I'm sorry, and I totally get it. Hopefully I might entice you with my next, full length piece.
Happy reading!
Every author is different, and their reasons for writing these sorts of stories vary. I can't speak for any other writers, but I can give you a little break down of why I've written the story the way I have. Maybe it will help give a little extra perspective.
First, there's the very simple fact that I actually quite like cliffhangers. I'm a fan of TV shows like The Shield and The Walking Dead, where most weeks you're left wondering. I enjoy that feeling, and I know there are readers who do too.
Secondly, when I sat down to plan the plot, I eventually realised that this book was going to be an awkward length. At the moment, it looks like the entire story is going to be about 115,000- 125,000 words, which is about 1.5 standard romance novels. I didn't want to pad it out, or cut anything, since I felt like that had the right rhythm for the plot to unfold how I wanted it to. Adding excess words just for the sake of it is a good way to ruin a story. I could have made it a single book all the same and tried to sell it as one unit, but bear with me, because that relates to the last point.
Thirdly, and most importantly, I'm a totally no name author. This is my first book and I have no name recognition at all, which makes it mind bogglingly difficult to get my story noticed. Many fantastic writers struggle for years to build enough recognition to even have a shot at making a living in this game (which is my eventual goal). I'm not a particularly fast writer either, so the odds are even longer for me. I can't produce four novels in a year like many other amazing indie authors, so I need to make each of my works count.
One of the best ways to have a shot at taking off is to have a super low price point. That way when people take a gamble on you, they're not risking too much. Most readers are unwilling to spend $3.99 or $4.99 on a story from an author they've never heard of, but if it's $0.99, they're much more relaxed.
But then you have a problem. Authors who charge $0.99 for their story make about $0.30 a sale. It's essentially nothing. I firmly believe a book is worth more than that when the writer is pouring hundreds of hours into it. I'm not talking $10 a copy, but a couple of dollars at least. I think that's fair to the author, and to the readers. Also factor in that this particular story is longer than a normal novel, so charging $0.99 for it hurts even more.
So considering all of the above, I decided that writing the story this way was my best shot at building a brand. I could price the first part at $0.99, at least initially, and that would give people a chance to see how I write and whether they enjoy my story, while still presenting an opportunity for me to make a decent amount of money on later parts. I have done everything in my power to make sure readers aren't misled about the way the story is structured. I'm not trying to trick or exploit anyone, and I'm deeply sorry if anyone missed my warnings and bought the book anyway.
I'm also working to ensure parts two and three are out as soon as possible. If this sort of writing does bother you, I wholeheartedly encourage you to wait a few months, because if everything goes to plan, by the end of July, all three volumes will be out.
I freely admit that this does have the potential to make me a little more cash than it would if I just bundled the whole story and charged $3.99 or $4.99 straight away, but that's not my primary goal. This is just the best way I can think of to get the most eyes on some part of my work. I know some people won't believe me, but it's the truth. I'm keeping my story chunks as big as I can, with each being at least 35,000 words, which is about half a full length novel, so I'm cutting it into the minimum number of sections to make the above plan work.
The good news is, so far, my approach appears to be working. If sales hold at their current rate, The Alpha Group is going to do extremely well. And that means I'll have the security and name recognition to concentrate mostly on full length stories in the future, which is what I really wanted to be doing in the first place.
Anyway, sorry this was so long. I just wanted to give you all a little insight into my logic. To those who have supported Locked so far, I'm grateful beyond words. To those that are waiting for the full series, I'm working as fast as my fingers can handle! And to those that are pissed off because I've produced yet another trilogy with cliffhangers, I'm sorry, and I totally get it. Hopefully I might entice you with my next, full length piece.
Happy reading!
March 28, 2013
Locked has hit the Amazon Top 100 Erotica Charts
WOW! A huge thank you to everyone who has bought the book so far. In just a few days, it's climbed to #81 on the Amazon erotica charts. This is amazing, and I can't put into words how thrilled I am.
It does put the reality of the situation into perspective a little though. Now the pressure is on for book two =) I will do my best not to let you down! I'll be hitting the PC again hard after Easter, to get it to you as quickly as possible.
Thanks again for your support!
It does put the reality of the situation into perspective a little though. Now the pressure is on for book two =) I will do my best not to let you down! I'll be hitting the PC again hard after Easter, to get it to you as quickly as possible.
Thanks again for your support!
