D.E. Haggerty's Blog, page 11

How I plan to manage to publish four books this year ~ Time management for authors

[image error]I’ve just finished the rough draft for my next book. My previous book was published last month in January. People often ask me how I managed to write this latest book and get it ready for publishing just three months after my previous book was published. Mostly, they’re pleasantly surprised and slightly impressed. Just don’t ask me what they say on Twitter about writers who are prolific. (Yes, I take it personally. No, I shouldn’t.) Anyway, whether you are like me and planning to publish several books this year or you just want to be more productive, here are a few tips that helped me get more writing done.

Neglect blog reading. I know we writers are supposed to support other writers by reading and sharing their blogs. This is, after all, the best way to gain blog followers. It’s also a huge time suck. It’s the first task I throw out the window when I’m busy.

[image error]Ignore Twitter. I’m sure every time management expert says the same thing – Ignore social media. It’s not that easy when you are an indie author. Social media is part of our brand. (Anyone else hate that word as much as me?) If you want to be productive, however, you need to learn how to ignore Twitter or at least learn to manage your time spent on the platform. Twitter is not my favorite platform and yet I can find myself being sucked in. When I’m on a strict schedule, I limit my “Twitter time” to five minutes in the morning, five minutes at lunch, and five minutes in the evening. That’s all. An app to schedule tweets is a lifesaver!

Put blogging on the back burner. My goal is to blog three times a week. One way I’ve been able to make this commitment is to have specific blogging topics for each day. Monday is for book reviews or other bookish things. Wednesday is about writing or marketing writing. Friday is expat day. Whenever I have a blog idea, I quickly jot it down in my phone. This information is transferred to a notebook of blog post ideas. Whenever I’m stuck, I grab my journal and scan ideas. Often, this works. If it doesn’t and I find myself staring at my computer for fifteen minutes with no idea, I move on. That’s right. I. Move. On. The world will not fall down upon me if I only blog once or twice a week.

Plot, plot, plot. Plan, plan, plan. Although I’ve always considered myself a plotter, I’ve come to the realization that my ‘plotting’ cannot actually be considering plotting. Jotting down a few pages of a rough outline a plotter does not make. I’ve now expanded my plotting and try to write down chapter ideas for ten chapters at a time. This way, I’m never at a loss on where to begin writing when I sit down on my computer. I’ve got my chapter outline.

Free writing. I write a chapter every single day I write. Once I’m done with the chapter, I practice a bit of ‘free writing’ for the following chapter. I don’t write for a preset time period or anything. I just jot down a paragraph or two at the start of the next chapter with ideas of how to proceed. When I sit down to write the next chapter, not only do I know the scene I want to write from my outline, but I’ve also got quite a few ideas on how to make that scene come to life.

That’s it! These are the techniques, which helped me to write my latest book Hide Not Seek in just over two months. Hope they help!

 

Downsides of ACX royalty share deal #AuthorToolboxBlogHop #WriterWednesday #BookMarketing #audiobooks

For the past two or three years, industry ‘experts’ have been pushing audiobooks. It’s the fastest growing market segment, they tell us. Although I’m interested in increasing my market share, I’ve been dragging my feet at jumping into the audiobook market. I’m not exactly jumping up and down at the idea of learning yet another segment of the market. Quiet possibly, I’m just lazy.

[image error]For those of us writers who have been sitting on the fence because of the cost of producing an audiobook, ACX offers a royalty share deal. This deal allows you to pay nothing out of pocket to have an audiobook produced! You forego upfront payment in exchange for agreeing to share your royalty earnings equally with your producer for the life of the audiobook.

Sounds like an awesome deal! Why am I still hesitating? (Besides, there just not being enough hours in the day.) There are a few downsides to the royalty share deal, which need to be thoroughly evaluated before going forward.

Exclusivity. As a recovering lawyer, the word ‘exclusivity’ always causes my teeth to clench. You have to give ACX exclusivity if you do the royalty share deal. Your audiobook will be distributed to Audible, Amazon, and iTunes. That’s better than the exclusivity Amazon offers its Kindle Unlimited writers, but you are missing big markets and distributors like Storytel, which has been gaining traction in markets in which Audible is underrepresented.

7-year exclusivity. It is possible to request removal of your audiobook from its exclusivity contract after one year, but NOT if you do the royalty share deal. In that case, you’re stuck with exclusivity for seven years. Seven years is a long time. Who knows what the market will look like then?

Fewer narrators. As many audiobooks in the royalty share deal have not made back the initial investment for the producer, many narrators have dropped out of the program. Fewer and fewer narrators are, therefore, available for the program. Does this mean the best narrators are no longer working with the royalty share program? Quite possibly.

[image error]Uncurated narrators. Other programs (such as Findaway Voices) curate the narrators they recommend. Not so with the ACX royalty share. The author is responsible for curating narrators and finding one who fits with the novel being made into an audiobook. As someone who has yet to make an audiobook, I worry I’m not qualified to select a narrator.

As you can read, there are positives and negatives to the royalty share deal with ACX. On the other hand, producing an audiobook (especially if you’re new to the audiobook market and have yet to market one) is expensive and may not be worth the initial cost. Personally, I’m thinking of using the royalty share program with one of my backlist novels. I’ll let you know how it goes (assuming I ever get off the fence).

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This blog post is part of the #AuthorToolboxBlogHop. This is a monthly blog hop hosted by @raimeygallant. Make sure to stop by the other author blog posts in this month’s blog hop to fill up your author toolbox!

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Lost in translation? Maybe? Reading translated novels #MondayBlogs #AmReading #BookAddict

[image error]I’m currently reading The Dinner by Herman Koch for my book club. I’ve wanted to read this book for a long time as Koch is one of the most popular Dutch authors, The Dinner was even made into a movie! I’ve been quite neglectful in reading novels of my adopted country. Upon my request, my mother-in-law bought me the book for my birthday. Unfortunately, she bought the English version. I prefer not to read translations if necessary. But, oh well, I thought, I’ve got the book so…

The problem with translations is that they not only translate the words from (in this case) Dutch to English, they also adopt the cultural and other transactions to make the story comprehensible for foreigners. As someone who has traveled extensively and loves to study foreign cultures and societies, this doesn’t always gel with me. Part of the story is lost when the story is not only translated but altered for foreign readers.

I’ll give you a few examples from The Dinner. Serge Lohman, brother of the narrator, is constantly referred to as a candidate for prime-minister. This gives the illusion that the prime minister of the Netherlands is an elected position. It’s not. The Netherlands has a parliamentarian system in which people vote for parties. The party itself choses who is the so-called lijsttrekker – the top person of the party. I don’t think it would have been difficult for the translator to illustrate Serge’s influence without making it sound like the Dutch directly elect their prime minister.

Another example is the class Michel, the narrator’s son, attends. According to the novel, he’s a sophomore. The Dutch don’t use terms like freshman, sophomore, junior, etc. I’m left wondering what class Michel is in.

The narrator is also often disparaging about Dutch habits. For example, he spends an entire chapter discussing Serge’s family house in France. He has absolutely nothing – NOTHING – good to say about Dutch people owning houses in France. I have to wonder is this snideness in the Dutch version?

As you can see, the translation has pulled me away from the story Koch is trying to tell. It makes me wonder about other books I’ve read in translation. Have I missed the point of those novels? Have I missed the nuances the writer was portraying? I can’t help but think the answer is yes.

 

 

 

How to tell a biker is not Dutch #Expat #ExpatLife

Biking is a way of life in The Netherlands. We bike everywhere we go: school, work, grocery store, etc. Although cars are being used more and more (and what a shame that is!), bikes are still the primary mode of transport for the vast majority of the Dutch. There are, in fact, more bikes than people in the country, although I do have to wonder how they count all the bikes. Are the ones ditched in canals included?

Expats and other foreigners living in the country often adopt the bike lifestyle. For the Dutch (and other long-term residents), however, it’s easy to tell the foreigner bikers from the locals. Here are a few helpful hints:

Helmet. A helmet is a dead giveaway. Whoever is on their bike while wearing a helmet is most definitely not Dutch. The Dutch do not wear helmets. I don’t think I would even know where to buy one! The only time you’ll see a Dutch person wearing a bike helmet is when they are racing (and sometimes, not even then).

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This is my bike. I call her Pinky.

Quiet bike. Dutch bikes always rattle. ALWAYS. Whether it’s a loose lock, basket, light… the list goes on and on, Dutch bikes are most certainly not quiet. Every speed bump I hit, causes something to rattle on my bike. I could get annoyed. Mostly, I just think how well I’ve integrated into Dutch society.

Bike traffic lights. I nearly had a collision with a foreigner as he suddenly stopped because the pedestrian crosswalk light turned red. I screamed at him, “What are you doing?” He pointed at the red light. I explained that’s for pedestrians. I’m sure he left The Hague thinking Dutch speak really good English but are a bit aggressive on their bikes. Correct on both accounts.

Car blockage. Living in the city, it’s not unusual for cars to block the bike path at intersections. This doesn’t stop a Dutch biker – not even a little bit! We weave around the cars while shaking our heads at the drivers. A foreigner, however, will not move around the cars and instead block the other bikers who want to get going!

Pants clip. I actually had to look up the word because I’ve never used one before. Apparently, a pants clip is something other people (read = not Dutch people) use to keep their pants from getting caught up in the bike chain. All Dutch bikes come with chain guards. No need for pants clips here.

Carrying stuff. The Dutch can handle just about any transportation issue with a bike. Friends will hop on the back of a bike for a ride. Hockey sticks are thrown over shoulders as they bike along. Beer crates (full!) are balanced on the handlebars. If you see someone struggling with a few loafs of bread or six bottles of wine (I couldn’t help it! I was slightly inebriated!), you know their heritage is not Dutch.

Why does it even matter what nationality the person is who is biking? Am I being a bit ethnocentric? No, actually, I’m not. It’s important to pay attention to a biker who is not Dutch, because – chances are – they are not paying attention to you!

Is it time to give up on Amazon Associates? #WriterWednesday #AmazonAssociates #Amazon #BookMarketing

Last week, I discussed why Amazon Associates is not the end all be all for writers (see the blog here). Considering the problems I discussed, why would a writer stick with the program? Despite not being able to track pages read under the Kindle Unlimited program, you can track purchases. This is definitely helpful, especially for those markets where KU is less popular. But that’s not the only reason I stayed in the program. I also stayed for the money. Let’s be clear. I wasn’t making tons of money, but earning one to two dollars a day for essentially doing nothing is pretty awesome. I even had three-dollar days. That’s nearly a thousand dollars at the end of the year for basically filling in a few links. Where do I sign up? Hold up. It’s not that easy. Nope. Amazon can’t make anything easy.

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This disclaimer is now ‘proudly’ displayed on each page on my blog.

I’ve now been denied for the Associates program three times (which is pretty awesome considering I only signed up twice). The first time I got my fingers ticked for using Amazon logos. I didn’t really understand the problem as I was using the logos to sell products on Amazon and, therefore, make money for Amazon. But okay. I took all the logos off. I also took the time to read a few blogs of other writers who’d been kicked out the program. As a result, I added several disclaimers to my website. (My bad, I should have added these sooner instead of merely hiding the disclaimer.)

After dealing with the above problems, I applied for Associate status once again. This time I was denied because a link on one of my website pages linked to another page on my website. Huh? What? Of course, I denied the decision. I calmly and politely asked for an explanation, so I could make changes to ensure my website did comply with the terms and conditions. Amazon’s response? I was denied (again!) as I wasn’t using associate links on my website. Well, no shit! Amazon had cut me off from links after the first email.

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So, now I have to make the decision, do I continue on this track? Or do I give up? I’ve decided to give it one more try. (That nearly one thousand dollars for doing nothing is very appealing to me!) I’ll let you know how it goes. Spoiler alert: expect ranting & raving!

 

 

The pitfalls of Amazon Associates for writers #WriterWednesday #Amazon

It’s important when marketing your novels to have an idea which marketing works and which doesn’t. If you have several marketing campaigns on the go at the same time, this isn’t always easy to figure out.  A solution many experts recommend is Amazon Associates. When you are a member of Amazon Associates, you can get several, different links to your books. A cookie is added to each book link. Any merchandise purchased within a twenty-four-hour period is therefore registered. You can then go to your Amazon Associates page and see if any one purchased your novel and which link they used.

Sounds simple, right? Um… not exactly. Here are some of the pitfalls I’ve encountered while using the Amazon Associates program.

[image error]Twenty-four-hour period. I will confess. I am not a one-clicker. I always, always, always read the free sample before I purchase a novel. If a potential reader of your novels downloads a free sample and doesn’t purchase the book until a day later, this won’t register with the Amazon Associates program.

 

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I know this isn’t the type of cookies we’re talking about, but doesn’t it look yummy!

Cookie override. If the purchaser goes onto another website and clicks on another link which has an Amazon Associates account attached to it, your cookie will be overridden.

 

Pages read. Almost all of my novels are in the Kindle Unlimited program. Unfortunately, Amazon makes it nearly impossible for those writers who are in Kindle Unlimited to keep track of their marketing efforts. There is no way to track whether someone who saw your ad downloaded your book for ‘free’ with the Kindle Unlimited program. (I assume there is a way to track this, but Amazon has not yet made it available to us lowly writers.)

So basically, using the Amazon Associates links will only tell you if someone purchased your novel within twenty-four hours of clicking on the ad. If the reader has KU, you won’t know about it until your pages read start to climb (at least, that’s the hope). Is it still worth using Amazon Associates, then? The jury’s still out for me as I’ve had numerous problems being accepted in to the program, but more on that next week.

 

January recap #MondayBlogs #NewYearsResolutions

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The first month of 2019 flew by! I made a lot of lofty resolutions for 2019. Friends, in fact, pointed out I may have gone too far. *Rolls eyes* I’m more of the mindset of ‘nooit geschoten is altijd mis’, which basically means if you don’t shoot, you’ll always miss. One of the ways I hope to achieve my goals this year is to hold myself accountable on a monthly basis. So, here we go.

Goal: Publish four books

Status: One down, three to go

[image error]I published Picture Not Perfect January 20th and I’ve written over 35,000 words in the third novel of the Not So Reluctant Detective series. I plan  to publish the novel in April. *Fingers crossed* I’ve also started outlining a romantic comedy and a new mystery series. I’m mostly on track with this goal.

 

[image error]Goal: Quintuple Revenue

Status: On track

January’s revenue increased 63% as opposed to December 2018. If this trend continues, I should meet my target within eight months. My husband told me to not count my eggs before they hatch (or a Dutch equivalent to this).

Goal: Give up Readsalot blog

Status: Done

I’ve archived the blog and unsubscribed from a gazillion blog tour company newsletters. I did accept one book for review, but this is a book I would have read anyway.

Goal: Lose Weight

Status: On target

[image error]I lost 3.7 kilograms (just over 8 pounds) in January. This is slightly ahead of my goal. I hope to lose 10 kilograms (22 pounds) by mid-April when the benefit event I’m working on takes place.

 

Goal: Be Healthy

Status: Ugh!

This goal has to do with catching up with all those things we need to do to keep ourselves healthy – certain check-ups and the like. So far, I’m a total failure!

Goal: Reduce Volunteer Commitments

Status: Not Bad

I recently turned down a volunteer position I really, really wanted. I knew I couldn’t take the position and continue to meet my writing goals. My writing goals need to take priority if I am going to make a living as a writer, which is my ultimate goal.

Goal: Resolve Germany

Status: Unresolved

January is not the best month to handle selling a house and/or business. I have, however, staged the owner’s apartment portion of the house. I hope this helps to convince potential buyers of the potential in the house.

How about you? How are you 2019 goals going thus far?

International Book Fairs 2019

I’ve been going back and forth for a while now. Do I or do I not go to London Book Fair? I had a great time at the fair last year and I certainly want to go, but there are so many choices out there. Unfortunately, I can’t afford to attend each and every event. *Pouts* But which to choose? Well, I did finally decide to attend LBF again this year. YEAH! But I may want to attend another event this year. Not sure which yet, though.

If you’re like me and want to study your options, the peeps over at kotobee have put together an extensive list of over one-hundred fairs. The list is chronological, but you can filter by continent.

Check it out here!

And let me know which fairs you’re attending this year.

Why the cover of your book shouldn’t be your favorite picture #WriterWednesday #AmWriting

Whether you design your own cover or use a cover designer, the decision of which cover to attach to your precious manuscript is up to you. You can, of course, follow the advice of your cover designer and be done with it. Not a bad idea, actually, your designer probably knows what he’s talking about. But not a very realistic idea. You want a cover you love to be on the book you sweat tears over.

One of the most difficult things I’ve had to learn as an authorpreneur is this: Your book cover shouldn’t be your favorite picture. Let me repeat that: Don’t choose your favorite picture!

Okay, Dena, I hear you saying, you’ve finally lost it! Why can’t I choose my favorite picture? I wrote the book! I know what the cover should look like.

Yeah, that’s what I thought, too. Recently, however, I decided I was going to not only write books but actually make enough money selling books to live on. The first thing I did to ensure my plan succeeds was to read zillions of blogs, listen to tons of podcasts, and take a super expensive marketing course. They all say the same thing: Your cover needs to rock if you want to sell books.

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How does your cover rock? It needs to be catchy, look professional, and match your genre. It’s that last point I was having a problem with. I hate being pushed into a ‘genre-corner’ (You can’t put baby in a corner, darn it!) My books appeal to readers of several genres. I don’t need to genre match my cover. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. My books do not appeal to every single person who can read English. Once I got over that, I took a good look at my cover designs and realized – gulp! – several of them didn’t meet the ‘match your genre’ requirement.

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I ended up having new covers designed for four (4!) of my novels. I loved each and every one of those original designs (well, one I didn’t love, love). The trick is to find a cover design you still like – even it if might not be your favorite. The result? I started selling more books.

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A review of The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner #Tuesdaybookblog #BookReview

[image error]I went to see Rachel Kushner speak last year in June. I’d never read anything by the multiple National Book Award finalist, but I grab any chance I can to hear an acclaimed author speak – especially in English. I enjoyed the talk enough to grab a copy of the novel. As usual, the book sat in my #TBR pile for months before I got around to reading it. The book finally managed to make it to the top of my TBR heap when my book club picked it for our February read.

 

 

[image error]It’s 2003 and Romy Hall is at the start of two consecutive life sentences at Stanville Women’s Correctional Facility, deep in California’s Central Valley. Outside is the world from which she has been severed: the San Francisco of her youth and her young son, Jackson. Inside is a new reality: thousands of women hustling for the bare essentials needed to survive; the bluffing and pageantry and casual acts of violence by guards and prisoners alike; and the deadpan absurdities of institutional living, which Kushner evokes with great humor and precision.

~ My Review ~

I’m not surprised The Mars Room was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. It is a beautifully written book that focusses upon a topic rarely seen in the world of fiction – women in prison. Romy Hall’s voice comes through with such clarity that it’s as if Romy was standing next to me reading her story out loud. But this was not an easy story to read. On the contrary, Romy’s life was the stuff of which nightmares are made. A kid who got off track, never found her way, and ends up in prison for life.

Fortunately, Romy’s story is not told in one exceedingly long narrative. Instead, we view bits and pieces of her past as she struggles to make it through every day life in prison. This made the story palatable, although no less heartbreaking. I found myself sympathizing with Romy and wanting to kick a guard or two in the shin. The portrayal of the guards was strikingly honest. Their lack of sympathy as well as desire to make a buck or two off the inmates hit the nail on the head.

We also get a glimpse into other lives as the novel is told from various points of view. These changes were a breath of fresh air. Each time I thought I couldn’t read one more word of Romy’s story, the chapter ends, and we switch points of view. The decision to tell the story of Romy’s crime from the victim’s point of view was nothing short of brilliant.

Kushner addresses several societal themes of modern-day society. Everything from prison reform to criminal justice reform to child care reform to traditional gender roles. Although her thoughts (disdain?) for these systems are loud and clear, she doesn’t shove her opinion into the reader’s face. This is where her brilliance shines. She shows us the situation and lets us come to our own conclusions.

The Mars Room is a breathtakingly beautiful book about an abysmal situation. I couldn’t put it down.

[image error]Rachel Kushner is the author of The Flamethrowers, which was a finalist for the National Book Award and a New York Times Top Five Novel of 2013. Her debut novel, Telex from Cuba, was a finalist for the 2008 National Book Award and a New York Times bestseller and Notable Book. A collection of her early work, The Strange Case of Rachel K, was published by New Directions in 2015. Her fiction has appeared in the New Yorker, Harper’s, and the Paris Review. She is the recipient of a 2013 Guggenheim Fellowship and the 2016 Harold D. Vursell Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.