Krys Fenner's Blog, page 4

Dark Themed Books

[image error]I have been asked on multiple occasions about writing about dark themes like rape, drug addiction, suicide, and depression. It isn’t always why do I write about them, but how I go about writing such emotional issues and what kind of toll it takes on me personally. Often when asked about this I will speak about the issue itself. Most of the ones I’ve written about to date I have some personal connection to, so the why is usually straight forward. It’s the how I go about writing it and the toll it takes on me that are a little more difficult, but I’ll my best to answer.

Writing about dark themes, well, I’m not going to pretend for a second it’s easy, but I’m also not going to say it’s hard. [image error]In fact, it’s more like a never-ending roller-coaster ride. Some days tears are streaming down my cheeks, some days I’m grinning like the Grinch, and other days I’m staring at the screen trying to figure out why. Just why.

That probably doesn’t sound like much of an answer, but it’s the truth.

When I first wrote Damaged, it wasn’t emotional at all. I might have captured a few moments here and there, but I really didn’t get to the heart of the story. [image error]In order to pull the emotions out, I did a number of things. First, I dug into my own background. Second, I put together a soundtrack and I listened to it while I wrote. This is especially true for any scenes where music was directly involved. For those scenes, I would listen to the same song over and over again. I would focus on the lyrics and how the music made me feel. Then I would put those emotions down on paper. Third, and most importantly, I listened to my characters. They would tell me if I was on the right track.

As for the toll it takes on me, that depends on how deep I had to go. I can tell you that with a few scenes in Avenged, after I wrote them, I had to take a break. I had to step away from the computer and watch T.V. or go for a walk. Something that was simple and mind-numbing. These things basically allowed me to re-boot. And the more emotional the scene, the longer I had to stay away.

Any author who writes about topics like depression, suicide, self-harm and so on knows going in that it won’t be an easy task. [image error]But we do it because we also know these topics are important. These are issues that need to be talked about, that require attention. Those who face these issues need to know they are not alone.

So we (authors) put on our boxing gloves and go to work.

An Excerpt Goes a Long Way

[image error]These last two weeks have been all about my second book, Damaged. And while the excerpts I shared have been great, I thought I’d give you a little treat. For those of you who have read Damaged you know that there is an opening of Avenged included in the end. Now, this of course was included before my editor (Jamie M.) used her magic fingers and made it the beauty it currently is. Don’t get too excited though. While I’m going to share an excerpt from my upcoming book, Avenged, I’m not ready to release the cover. But soon, I promise.

Just as a reminder, here are links to excerpts from BOTH my first book, Addicted, and my second book, Damaged.

Addicted Excerpt One[image error]

Addicted Excerpt Two

Addicted Excerpt Three

Addicted Excerpt Four

Damaged Excerpt One

Damaged Excerpt Two

Damaged Excerpt Three

Damaged Excerpt Four

Drum roll, please! Give the princess a, wait, wrong monkeys. No more teasing, I promise.

*Excerpt from Avenged*

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Prologue

September 1996

Gervasio pulled a pack of cigarettes from the pocket of his jeans, slipped one of the cancer sticks from the box and popped it between his lips. Lighting it, he glanced at the clock. How long had Ileana been out? Shouldn’t she have come to by now? He didn’t hit her that hard. Right? He needed her conscious. She was the only one who could tell him who had Giovanna.

Ileana’s eyes fluttered open. She blinked a few times.

His gaze followed hers as it dropped to her oh-so-creamy thighs and settled on the black-and-blue marks that had developed in the last thirty minutes. It’s what she got for fighting him. Her daughter, Giovanna, was going to be his one and only. She would grow into the woman he would marry. The woman who would carry on his line. All Ileana had to do was give her blessing. But the bitch wouldn’t do that. Well, she would now. And if she continued to fight him, he’d make her beg for death.

Gervasio took another drag and exhaled a cloud of smoke. “About time you came to.”

Ileana lifted her head for a moment, then blinked again and glanced toward her wrists.

Extension cords hadn’t been his preferred option, but they were what was at hand. As long as the knots held, he didn’t care what he used.

Ileana looked over her shoulder toward the bedroom. Probably remembering what they’d done in there, Gervasio thought, his spine-tingling at the remembered sting of the scratches up and down his back and chest. It had certainly been fun. Definitely, something he’d have to do again—just not with Ileana.

Gervasio lowered his gaze to the ripped denim skirt Ileana still had on. Then again, maybe he could make an exception.

But not until the woman told him where she’d hidden Giovanna.

“What …” Ileana paused. “What do you want?”

“It’s simple, really. You tell me where Giovanna is, and I promise this will go easy.” Of course, he’d still have to kill her, but he would make it quicker and less painful than if she didn’t cooperate. Or else he’d have to see what other goodies he could find to use on her.

“¡Foda-se! Nunca vou te dizer onde ela está.”

Fuck him? Gervasio shook his head. It was hard to believe she was the mother of the woman he would one day marry. “Well, that is just rude. There is no need for that kind of language. As for the rest, I have no idea what you said. You know I don’t speak Portuguese.”

“Then I’ll say it more clearly. Nunca te diré dónde está ella.” Ileana spit out the words and tugged on the cords that tied her wrists to the chair.

“¿Nunca? ¿De verdad? Ya lo veremos.” Gervasio dragged on his cigarette as he closed the distance between them, then pressed the lit end against her knee. “Never?” That word was not in his vocabulary. Ileana would sing like a siren by the time he was through.

The smell of burnt pork filled his nostrils as he held the cigarette ember in place. The woman had yet to cry out. Yet. He waited patiently. She could only hold in the scream for so long. The pain would eventually get to her. He’d witnessed enough interrogations to know that she would break—no matter her level of tolerance. Yeah, Ileana may have married Juan, but no way she’d ever been subjected to anything like this before.

Lifting the cigarette from her skin, Gervasio crouched down on his haunches. He took another drag and blew the smoke into her face. “Why don’t we try this again? Where is Giovanna?”

This time, Ileana spit in his face. “¡Vá para o inferno!”

Go to hell? Oh, this bitch was asking for it. Rising to his feet, Gervasio backhanded her across the cheek. The chair rocked from the power of his strike. Ileana blinked and tears rolled down her cheeks. But crying wasn’t the answer he was looking for.

“Tell me where the fuck she is!”

When she didn’t respond, he took one last pull off his cigarette, then tossed it to the floor and ground it out with his boot heel. “Fine. Have it your way.”

Shoving the dead butt into his jeans pocket, he nodded, then turned toward the kitchen. He was bound to find something— a knife with a good blade would do the trick. Gervasio started tugging open drawers. He’d never been inside the boss’s house before, so he wasn’t sure… Ah, yes. Perfect. The eight-inch blade gleaming up at him from the drawer beside the sink would work beautifully. He hated the idea of carving up that gorgeous face, but she hadn’t given him a choice. Gervasio yanked another drawer open. Hmm. What was this? A hammer? No. Wooden. A mallet. It would work. He’d just removed the tool from the drawer when a noise in the living room caught his attention. He darted out of the kitchen.

“What the hell?” Somehow, Ileana had managed to free her hands. Gervasio grabbed her and struggled to shove her back against the chair. Ileana yanked at his restraining arm and tried to loosen his grip. Shit, she was strong!

As she slapped him across the face with her free hand, something sharp ripped across his cheek. He ignored the pain and moved to tighten his hold on the woman, but she struck again, digging in and dragging the jagged object from his forehead down to his upper lip. He yowled and stumbled back, giving Ileana the chance to scramble to her feet and stumble toward the bedroom, the chair still tied to one ankle.

“You bitch!” Gervasio launched himself at her and tackled her to the ground. Grabbing her hair, he slammed her head into the hardwood floor. She kicked at him, and the heel of her free foot slammed into his shin. The shooting pain pissed him off even more. He clapped his hands on either side of her ears, then flipped her over with such force that the chair cracked. Straddling her, he wrapped his hands around her throat.

“All you had to do was welcome me into your family! Agree to let Giovanna be mine!”

Her hazel eyes widened as she clawed at his arms. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out.

“Say she’s mine!” Tightening his grip around her neck, his thumbs crossed over one another. So, what if Giovanna was only two months old? He’d known from the first day he saw that gorgeous baby that she was meant to be his one day. All this woman had to do was give her blessing. Just say okay. Then, when the time came, he’d take Juan’s place and Giovanna would be by his side. Juan had given his approval. Why couldn’t Ileana? Why couldn’t she just say yes? Just fucking say yes!

The fight in Ileana faded. Her fingers went limp and her arms fell away from Gervasio’s wrists. As he watched, her life disappeared from her once bright eyes.

Gervasio blinked and let go of her neck. He gripped the back of his head. Shit. What the hell had he done? He stood and dug his cell phone out of his pocket. Pacing from one side of the living room to the other, he dialed the one person who could help.

Edit Like a Writer

[image error]I have been working diligently on book three, Avenged. And of course, this doesn’t just mean writing the missing parts, but it also means editing what’s been written. The one part most writers hate, usually because they never want to take anything out. It’s kind of like the idea of killing off a character that you’ve given life. Is it weird that I don’t have a problem with this?

I don’t hate editing. Now, I’m not going to say it’s my favorite, but I do enjoy it. I love going back over things because I get reminded of what I enjoy about the book. I get to see all of my favorite characters again! And there are a few. I get to go back and live through their pain. Sometimes that’s hard, but it reminds me of where I’ve been and where I’m going. I also get to see how far my characters have come. And to me, THAT is awesome!

It also reminds me of what’s coming next. THAT is my favorite part! Especially for this series. The Dark Road series deals with a lot of dark issues. [image error]A friend of mine described it as gothic work and believe you me, she’s one of the most honest and opinionated people I know. But when I think about it, she’s probably right.

And honestly, I think it’s the reason why Avenged is my favorite of the series thus far. I don’t want to give everything away, but I can’t wait to share some of the book with you or even the cover. I just the final cover from my designer and I’m so EXCITED about it! Not that I’m going to share it with you just yet, but I promise you’re going to think it’s just as awesome.

I don’t want to leave you empty handed. If you’ve stuck with me thus far, then I’m going to tell you a little about the upcoming book. It’ll release in a couple of months, so you won’t have to wait too long to get the whole thing.

Here we go!

[image error]Avenged will be filled with …. is the suspense killing you?

Hmm, maybe a little gore? Or a whole lot of answers? A bomb? How about a new character that’s on the run? Or a detective with a dark past?

What if I told you, it’s all of the above?

Book three will bring Bella and Jeremiah’s story full circle. It will also introduce a new character that IS related to a detective with a dark past. And because I LOVE cliffhangers, it will all lead into the fourth book, Burned.

I hope you’re as excited as I am. Though you may also be wondering what all of that has to do with editing? A lot actually.

Writer’s are notorious for NEVER thinking their work is good enough. [image error]Yes, sometimes, I’m the same way. This is why we need editors. As writers we can only take our work so far. While it’s necessary as a writer to go back and edit, it’s also necessary to have an outside pair of peepers look at our work. Because the fact is, they can take out all the crap and leave behind the best parts.

For example, I called my editor the other day because of a part she in Avenged that she told me she couldn’t get to work. I went back and I found the part and we discussed how she had changed it. I listened and understood that it worked better without the small heartstring I was trying to incorporate, especially when a few scenes later it re-appeared. Except in that scene it flowed better. She even read the changes she’d made, strengthening the scene and I’ll admit it, I cried.

She had taken out the crap and made it tight and gutwrenchingly beautiful.

Writers may be the heart and soul of the book, but editors are the spine.

Vanity Publishers

[image error]Here lately in my FaceBook feed, I’ve seen a lot of information about Vanity Presses/Publishers. If you’ve never heard of the term, beware you may have been victim to one. Let me start off by saying what I hope you HAVE heard: no agent or publisher should ask you for money up front to read, represent, or produce your work. Now, this does not include any funds you put out IF you decided to self or independently publish. That’s different and if you’d like to read more on those costs, check out my blog at Let’s Get Real.

Vanity Publishers will always ask you for money[image error] up front. In order to do this, they sell you on their product, stating that they’ll help with marketing, get your book out there, maybe even hire a cover artist and/or editor on your behalf. But for them to do this, you have to pay them $XX.XX to get started and that you’ll get the money back through books sold on your investment.

It’s bullshit!

Here’s the problem, most of what they promise, they do not keep. They fail to fulfill the [image error]contracts they do not keep.

Let me give you an example.

Christine F. Anderson Publishing, now known as Sage Wisdom Publishing, wanted $1000 up front for publishing and marketing costs. According to The Horror Zine at The Horror Zine – Christine F. Anderson, she is now asking for $4,900.

Just so you can get an idea, below are some of the things promised by this publisher.

Books will be copyrighted under the author’s name.
The publisher will handle a major portion of marketing.
The publisher will work to get books in major retailers.

This particular publisher failed to do all of the above.

Books were not copyrighted, which as an author is YOUR protection from having your work stolen and being able to do something about it.[image error]

There had been no marketing done whatsoever on the books produced by this publisher.

And none of the books under this publisher ever made it into major retail stores like Target or Wal-Mart.

These failed promises can present legal issues should the publisher fail to send out royalties as according to their contract. Furthermore, the contracts produced by a Vanity Publisher do not benefit the author. They are established to benefit the publisher only.

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The above publisher only allowed for the publisher to terminate the contract. Nowhere in the contract did it allow for the author to terminate the contract, this included if the publisher breached said contract.

This is a Vanity Publisher.

[image error]If you decide this is the route you want to go, then I suggest you do the following:

Do NOT sign any contract without having an Intellectual Property Attorney look at it first. If the publisher pushes you to sign without this happening, they do NOT have your best interest at heart.
Research the publisher. See what other authors REALLY have to say about them. Do not accept what is written on their face page. They’re trying to sell a product.
Research your other options. Think about the REAL cost of the undertaking. What they are actually going to do versus what they tell you they’ll do that you end up doing instead.

Be smart about your publishing journey. Sometimes, the snail wins the race in the end.

Resolutions or Goals?

Every year as the year crawls to a close we begin thinking about our resolutions for the new year. [image error]A couple of years ago I found another way to do this because resolutions are like a “honey-do” list. They aren’t always kept or they get put off and put off until we finally forget all about it. Eventually, you come back to it and say, “Oh yeah. I still need to do that.” But until then, it sits there lying in wait for you to get your act together and do it.

Obviously, this doesn’t work out really well. So instead I write a list of what I want to accomplish before the year’s end and I make a plan. It’s the same idea as deciding on short-term and long-term goals. The only difference is my short-term is month to month, whereas my long-term is the end of the year. Last year, my list wasn’t very long. This year is a different story. There’s a lot more I want to accomplish. [image error]So the question is, how do I make 2018 my bitch?

Come on, say it with me, “How do I make 2018 my bitch?” What if we try it another way.

Say it loud and say it proud, “I’m going to make 2018 my bitch!”

Are you feeling excited yet? No? Then go back and say it again, “I’m going to make 2018 my bitch!”

Okay. Now, that we’ve got ourselves psyched up, let’s talk about how we’re going to take the reigns and control 2018.

First, grab a pen and a pad of paper or a notebook. The first thing you have to ask yourself is, “What do I want to accomplish this year?”

[image error]In order to answer this, you have to think about what you’ve been dreaming of for at least the last five years. And this can be anything. It can be something like getting in shape or going back to school or opening your own business. Thinking back on your dreams is only part of the battle. It doesn’t mean you have to accomplish it this year, but you have to take a step in that direction this year. And that is how you begin making 2018 your bitch.

I’m going to give you an example. Last year, I wanted to get both of the first two books of my series re-released. That was my goal. In order to do this, I had to find a new editor and a new cover artist. I did a little bit of research and thought I’d found a good artist, except we ended up having some creative differences. So I kept an eye out for the writer groups on Facebook to see what people shared and/or asked about. Lo and behold, I found my cover artist and SHE IS AMAZING! The editor came along later, but between the efforts of these two women, as well as the push and encouragement I received from my editor, I got both Addicted and Damaged out.

This year, my goal is more on the business side. [image error]I haven’t forgotten about the writing part because it’s a major part of my ultimate goal for 2018. Like last year, I wrote down my goals and I’ve put a plan in place. And that is how the goals become a reality.

That is the next step. After you’ve written down your goals, pick one. Just one to start with. Do your research and compile a list of things you have to do in order to make that goal happen. Then pin it somewhere you’re going to see it every day. The more you see it, the more you’re reminded of what you’re doing to make it happen, one day at a time.

It’s January 30th. Have you decided on what you want to accomplish this year? Okay. How do you plan to do it?

I LOVE … previews!

Previews are awesome! [image error]Not just because we get snippets of upcoming movings or books, but because we get an idea ahead of time on whether or not we might like it. I also happen to like sharing them because then I can get opinions, thoughts, and/or feedback ahead of time. 

If you’ve read my first two books or dug into my website a bit, you know I like to include poetry in my work. This past week for my poetry class we’ve gotten to work on writing free verse, my favorite type of poem. [image error]Now, I’d already written the poem to include in book 3 of my series, Avenged, so I had to think about other options. I could just write a free verse poem OR I could work on the poem for book 4 in the series, Burned. I decided on the latter. With Burned on my mind, it got me thinking about one of the main characters in the story and how much I wanted to introduce you to her.

So, without further adieu, I give you a preview of Avenged where you meet the heroine of Burned.

Distracted by his own thoughts, David hadn’t paid any attention to where he walked. On his way out the toward the gym, he bumped into a girl and knocked her to the ground. The books in her arms scattered across the floor. “Oh shit. I’m —”

“A jackass. Not that I really needed to know that badly.” She got to her feet and proceeded to collect her belongings.

Her response was a bit harsh, but she had landed on her ass because of him. Besides, it wasn’t as if he’d done it on purpose. Purely accidental. David picked up the brand new notebook nearest him. “Here, let me help.”

“Thanks, but I think you’ve done enough.” She snatched the notebook from his hands and gathered the last of her things.

Forgetting all about his own items, David blatantly eyed her from head to toe. This girl was like no one he’d ever met. Dark auburn hair contrasted pale skin; she was tall for most girls, maybe around five foot ten, but gorgeous as hell. And she hadn’t so much as looked at him as pierced his soul with her steel grey eyes. A dark gray t-shirt with the words Rock N Roll in sparkles, black skin tight jeans and boots to match. Who was this girl? “I’m really sorry. I, um, I usually pay better attention. You must be new. I’m David.”

“And you’re kind of dense. Now, if you don’t mind.” She stepped around him.

Without any forethought, he grabbed her arm. “Wait. Can I at least get your name?”

“It’s none of your damn business. Now, you have five seconds to release me before I make you howl like a dog.”

[image error]“Warren.” Coach Yager called out from the door to the gym.

Dammit! Faced with a lack of choices, he let go of his mystery girl. “I will find out.”

“Don’t bet your ass on it.” With nothing further to be said, she walked away.

 

Thoughts? Opinions? Questions?

Outtakes – They truly exist

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Every book, play, movie, and song has an outtake. Something that just didn’t make it in. Either because it slowed the work in question down or it simply did nothing for the piece. Either way, they all have them. And in some cases the outtake is funny, which makes it more of a blooper than an outtake.

As I’m working on the third book, Avenged, in my Dark Road series, I thought I’d take a timeout and share an outtake with you from Book One, Addicted. [image error]It isn’t funny, but I do happen to think it was insightful. If you’re one of the many fans of Gervasio, you’ll see why. And yes, he’s the bad guy, but I promise, I won’t judge.

And away we go!

“Where the hell was she? His angel had been prompt with everything else in her life. What could’ve prevented her from leaving the school? He couldn’t walk inside. He’d been too recognizable. One of his facial features made him hard to forget, unless he’d drugged them ahead of time. He ran a finger over the scar down the right side of his face. Patiently he’d waited since the Fourth of July party. All of the other girls he’d ever taken, he hadn’t spent so long away from them. Usually he had them again within a matter of days, maybe a week. But his angel, she was special. She was unique.

Bella traipsed out of the school, backpack over her shoulders. Beautiful as ever. Long sleek midnight black hair braided all the way down to her ass. He recalled how soft and luxurious it felt against his skin. And the smooth silkiness of her freshly shaven legs. He’d held them apart as he nailed her. Too bad she hadn’t been awake for any of it. A depraved smile tugged on the corners of his lips as memories flooded his brain. This time would be different.

[image error]Who the fuck was the guy she’d stopped to talk to? Gervasio snarled and gripped the steering wheel. It was the only way he’d stay put and not jump at the opportunity to rip the guy’s throat out. Instead, he inhaled deeply and eyed the motherfucker. Details. He had to be to able to articulate them so his crew could find out who the shit-bag was.

Roughly six foot, maybe two or three inches over. Give or take. Short brown hair. Dressed in slacks and a polo. Fucking nerd. Probably wore loafers. Not that he could tell from this distance. Certainly not Latino. No tan at all. Great, some white piece of shit. Had to be in his late teens. Maybe in college. And based on how the close the guy stood to his angel, he wanted Bella for himself. Too bad it wouldn’t work out well for the fucker.

Gervasio dug his cell phone out of his back pocket and pulled up the camera. Both the guy and his angel headed in his direction. Taking a moment, he used the phone for something other than a call. Snapping a photograph of the dickhead alone, he texted it to his second in command and then punched in a number.[image error]

Two rings. “Yes sir?”

“I send you picture. Do search. Want to know who he is. I take care of rest.”

“Yes sir.”

He closed the phone and tucked it in his back pocket. Time for his plan to bet put into action. Without a second thought, he ignited the engine of his black sedan, a Chrysler 300C to be exact, and took off.”

Has his creep factor changed at all?

Thoughts? Feelings? Opinions? Feel free to share. I’m open to it all.

It’s Just Business

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Last October, towards the end of the writer’s conference I was attending, I was sitting down at breakfast and having a discussion with another author about being independently (Indie) published or self-published. We agreed that it wasn’t possible for an Indie author to be successful without thinking about publishing as a business. Now this could be countered by pointing out that we each define “success” differently. While this is true, what the author said about Indie author’s is also true.

So how can they both be true? I’ll tell you.

Let’s start by looking at the definition of “success.” According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary “success” is defined as the “degree or measure of succeeding” or a “favorable or desired outcome,” as well as “the attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence.” [image error]If we looked at “success” as being a “favorable or desired outcome,” then anytime we get what we want would be considered a success. If you received the promotion you worked all those late nights to achieve or the bonus you’ve worked hard to receive, then you’ve been successful.

But how can we relate this back to the world of publishing?

What if you’re a new author and you landed that agent you’ve been after or you got offered your first book deal (even if it’s only a few thousand dollars in advance), would these be considered successes? Yes. What if your goal was simply to get your book out there? If you accomplished that task, would that be considered a success? Yes.

If any accomplishment, small or big, makes one successful, then how does the third definition apply?

Good question. The third definition takes “success” a step further. It looks at “success” as having a monetary value or recognition of some kind. [image error]In publishing, this is thinking of “success” as getting a large book deal with a decent advance or making the New York Times Best Sellers list or winning an award.

But what if you’re an Indie author? Then you might think of “success” as not only publishing your book, but selling enough to break even or perhaps making a profit.

This is where the business side of publishing comes into play and we begin to see how both statements are true. An author at this point has to look at the money that is being spent on advertising, editing, book covers, blog tours and determine what can be paid for and when. Sometimes this even means making hard decisions about publishing another book. Can it be afforded at said time? If not, would it be feasible at another time? If one can’t afford to put another book out, does that mean one is a failure? No. [image error]It just means you understand “success” or even running a “successful” business doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time and savvy to make a go of it.

After all, it was the snail who won the race.

In Your Pocket

[image error]In this day and age there are so many books out there, the ultimate question asked by every reader of every author is, “What makes your book different?”

While I don’t want to say that question is impossible to answer, it can be difficult to answer. Even though books often share similarities with one another, they are all different. Otherwise, it would be a copyright infringement. But I digress. Because the entire point of that question is why should I, as a reader, spend my hard-earned money on your book?

This is why so many Indie (independently) authors have a multitude of ads and spend a lot of time talking about their work. Unlike traditionally published authors who get paid before the book even comes out, Indie authors don’t make any money until books sell.

Back in October, I wrote a blog about the realities of what an Indie author could spend to publish one book. If you need a reminder, click here. [image error]Now that the year has closed and I spent a chunk of New Year’s Day completing my financial books for 2017, I thought it was important to talk about the other end of a book. The green part.

As I pointed out before, there are a number of free sites to use to publish the book. And I even stated that including editing, cover, interior design, and advertising, an author could be looking at anywhere from $1650 to $4600 to publish one book. To keep this simple, I’m going to refer to Amazon e-book publishing only in regards to earnings. It gets a bit more complicated if you get into POD (print on demand)/paperback novels or other e-book sites.

With Amazon, you have two options via KDP. One, you do not commit to KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) for the first 90 days your book is out, in which case you only make 35% of each book sold. Two, you commit to KDP for the first 3 months, in which case you make 70% of each book sold. We’ll look at each individually. There are two things I’ll be addressing: how much you would make per e-book sold on Amazon and how many books you’d have to sell to break even.

[image error]Generally e-books have what we call a sweet spot for prices and it’s between $0.99 and $5.99. Most readers don’t want to spend more than $6 for a book they cannot physically hold in their hands and to some even that’s too much. So again, to keep it simple, we’ll set the sale price at $0.99.

Looking at our two KDP options, if $0.99 is the sale price of your book, then at 35% you’ll make $0.35 for each e-book sold and at 70% you’ll make $0.70 for each e-book sold.

That means that based on our previously mentioned costs to publish that one book, then the following sales would be required to break even.

(Publishing Cost) $1,650.00 ÷ (Income per e-book) $0.35 = 4,714.29. This means an Indie author would have to sell 4,715 e-books to break even for one book.

There’s one problem with this equation. It takes into account advertising at a cost of $150, which is a continuous expense. So, to get a better idea of a break even cost, we’d either have to increase advertising to a yearly amount or take it out all together.

Taking that into consideration, let’s look at the higher end of publication without advertising and making $0.70 per e-book sold.

(Publishing Cost w/o advertising) $4,100.00 ÷ (Income per e-book) $0.70= 5,857.15. Which means an Indie author would have to sell 5,858 e-books to break even on the higher end of publication alone (editing, cover design, interior design).

But what if the sale price were higher? The number of books required to sell to break even would change, right? Let’s take a look.

(Publication Cost) $1,650 ÷ (Income per e-book) $0.70 ($1.99 x 35%) = 2,357.15 e-books to sell. [image error]

And this is only through Amazon. The amount made per book varies with each site. Sadly, it begins to make a little sense why some authors cut certain costs.

Still, there’s one more thing to think about. Not all authors write to make money. Some just write because they have something to say. It doesn’t mean those authors don’t think about the expense, they simply think about it differently.

Stephanie Plum is Plum Dry

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I have been a fan of Janet Evanovich since I read the first Stephanie Plum novel. It was a nice little fun mystery about the world’s worse bounty hunter. Then again, I’m not sure Stephanie is good at much of anything, except for her inability to decide on a guy. Of course, I’m a fan of Ranger, but I suppose Morelli will do. That is provided Stephanie can actually stick to one of them. You’d think by now she’d at least be able to do that, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

Let me jump back and give you a bit of a run down. If you’ve never read a Stephanie Plum novel before, they’re good up to about Top Secret Twenty-One or Tricky Twenty-Two. The basis of each book is that Stephanie Plum is working for her cousin’s, Vinnie’s, bail bond company as a bounty hunter. In the beginning she learned from the best: tall, dark, and sexy-as-hell Ranger. Ranger now has his own security company, but he still bails Stephanie out regularly. Then there’s the hot Italian Joe Morelli, who is a detective with the Jersey Police and also bails Stephanie out regularly.

Like I said, she isn’t the best bounty hunter. In fact, a lot of her FTAs (Failure to Appear) get away for one reason or another. Usually they outsmart her.[image error] She has a gun with no bullets that stays in an empty cookie jar. Although she did learn how to use it, she rarely does. Ranger took her to the shooting range and taught her, but she refuses to carry it. Instead, her grandmother and sidekick, Lula, carry. And neither can shoot very well. Did I mention Stephanie’s a bit of a hot mess?

Now that you’ve got a little history, let’s get into the nitty gritty. Each book deals with a new major FTA that Stephanie has to chase down, arrest and take back to jail so they can get re-bonded. There are always one or two small ones throughout the story too. So what changes? What landed the FTA in jail to begin with, which of course impacts the kind of trouble Stephanie is likely to find herself in. And while I always expect Plum to get her man in the end, the story comes from our amusement at the misadventure she has in the process.

[image error]That changed with Turbo Twenty-Three. I saw the story had started to go down hill, but I thought hey, it’s Stephanie Plum. I expect her to be a little on the insane side. I just didn’t expect her to dry up. And honestly, that’s how I feel about Hardcore Twenty-Four. I feel like Hollywood came up and regurgitated something that’s been done before, except it was the author, not Hollywood.

For the first time since I picked up One for the Money did I actually feel like I knew what was going to happen. It was supposed to be snakes, headless bodies, and zombies. Oh my! But it was more like, oh brother. The zombies, obviously, weren’t real. It was a drug making people act like zombies. The best part was when Stephanie hit one with her car. (Hot mess, remember?) The headless bodies that kept turning up would’ve been better if she had come across at least one because she stumbled on it by accident. Then I would’ve gotten a good laugh. But that didn’t happen. And the problem with the big ass boa constrictor was that it was solved a little too quickly for my taste. Not to mention, the supposed big bad, didn’t even make an appearance until the very end of the book. What?!

I suspect this is why it (1) took me four days to read and (2) I kept falling asleep. I was bored out of my mind! There really wasn’t a whole lot of funny to this book. [image error]And usually if Stephanie doesn’t come through, then I can count on Lula to make me laugh. And that only happened twice in over 300 pages.

As if that wasn’t enough, for some reason, Plum was more sentimental than usual. I have the expectation that she will either (a) do something stupid or (b) fall on her ass. Instead, she felt sorry for all three FTAs. It makes me wonder if Evanovich was trying to show that Stephanie could somehow evolve.

If that’s the case, then I think it would make more sense if Stephanie evolved when it came to her love life. I expect her to act a little slutty. I mean she has two hot guys who want to sleep with her, one she actually calls “boyfriend.” And I use the term loosely. But throwing a third guy in the mix was too much.

Needless to say, I went in with certain expectations and unlike Stephanie, I left unfulfilled. I’m not sure if I’m ready to quit Plum, but I don’t think I’ll be in a hurry to buy the next book. Provided Evanovich can figure out how to keep the series going. It may be time for Stephanie Plum to find a new job.

Rating: 2.5 stars