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Why Writers Should
Consider Joint Ventures
Writers tend to be solitary
creatures - but breaking out of that comfort zone into a joint venture may be
well worth it.
Like many of us, I huddle by
my computer, in my garret or cafes, and live much of the time in a world peopled
with imaginary characters. As much as I
may discuss my work with writing groups, beta readers, editors or my BFF, when
it comes down to it, it's just me and my keyboard. And I like it that way.
That's why when I first read
about JVs - it took me a while to get that stands for "joint
ventures" - I wrote them off as definitely not for me. But then I saw what happened to those of my
colleagues who were that much more adventurous.
What happened was simply amazing.
Amazing enough to push this hermit out of my comfy cocoon and out in the
big world of JVs.
A joint venture can take any
shape you like. This is where being an indie author is a big advantage. When you own all the rights to your work, you
have no obligations to a publisher, no reason to do things "by the
rules" just because that's the way big publishers have always done them.
A JV could be:
- Collaborating on a book with another author, or several others, who
write in a similar genre
- Creating a box set with ten or twenty authors, to capitalize on
each other's followers
- Cross-promoting other authors' works, thus expanding your reach to
readers who don't know you yet
- Pooling your modest marketing budgets together into a sum
significant enough for some serious advertising
Other ways of moving out of
the traditional box include collaborative arrangements with people who can open
new markets for you, for example, translators, illustrators and narrators.
Not every indie author can
afford to put down several thousand dollars for a translator. But some
freelance translators are willing to work in partnership, translating your book
for a 50:50 split of the royalties. If
you're a writer who'd like to take a gamble in, say, Germany's booming romance
marketplace, this may be the door. The
arrangement has the added advantage that your translator will have as much
incentive to market your book and will probably have more contacts than you do in
the foreign language market.
The same goes for
illustrators and even narrators for audio books.
By its very nature, a joint
venture is going to let you reach more people than you could on your own. The synergy can be powerful indeed, enough,
at times, to catapult mid-list authors to NYT best-selling author status with a
single boxed set.
Two years ago, I joined
Sweet Romance Reads, a new collaborative blog by writers of clean, sweet
romance. (We aim for G/PG rating.) Since then, we've grown our readerships,
collective and individual, and participated in joint marketing efforts,
cross-promoting each other's work. This
week, we launched our third JV publication: Sweet Christmas Kisses 2, a boxed
set of 19 holiday-themed romances by New York Times, USA Today and National
Best-Selling authors.
Working on these projects
has been extremely educational, with everyone bringing to the table her own
expertise and following. But perhaps the most valuable benefit of our joint
ventures cannot be measured in monetary terms or social media stats. It is the incredible creative energy that is
unleashed when artists dare to step out of their safety-net isolation and start
creating together. Not only can you find
yourself doing things you never thought you would, but it can be just so much
fun!
So why not give it a
try? There's so much to gain, and you
might make some fabulous new friends - real ones, as well as the imaginary kind
- in the process.
Book Title
Sweet Christmas Kisses 2
Welcome in the holiday
season with 19 heartwarming and wholesome novellas from New York Times, USA
Today, national bestselling, and award-winning authors.
Sweet Christmas Kisses 2
takes you from the Smoky Mountains to Florida's sun-drenched beaches, from the
Italian Alps to Paris, France, the Midwest to a quirky little town in Arizona.
The Sweet Christmas Kisses 2 bundle features all-new, stand-alone stories that
are sure to make you laugh, sometimes bring tears to your eyes, but always put
you in the Christmas spirit. Foreword by New York Times bestselling author,
RaeAnne Thayne.
Book Excerpt
He saves her life, she
could make or break his; will the gift of love come in time for Christmas?
Trey left the sky and
glanced at her, shocked to discover she was almost leaning over him. Her eyes
were wide in surprise, shock, anxiety – he couldn’t tell. All he knew was that
he was caught in her stare and couldn’t look away. He was lost in those
gold-flecked, chocolate eyes, that dark hair sparkling with snow. He felt an
irresistible urge to pull her head down to his to kiss her, when it hit him
what he had done. Here he was, lying next to the most beautiful woman he’d ever
seen, and he’d had to blurt out to her that he was a convicted felon. Smooth.
Not to mention that knowing she was completely isolated with an ex-con was sure
to make her feel just great. He rolled away from her and jumped up, angry to
discover he was weak in the knees.
From Sweet Blizzard by
Milou Koenings, one of 19 novellas in Sweet Christmas Kisses 2:
Buy Links
About the Author
Milou Koenings writes romance because, like chocolate, stories with happy endings bring joy to the world and so make it a better place.
She's lived all over the world, working as an IP lawyer and freelance travel and technology writer, but loves to stay home with her family more than anything.
She is proud to be a Sweet Romance Reads author.
Author Social Media
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/123223-sweet-romance-reads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7578772.Milou_Koenings
It's an interesting concept, Milou, but one which, like you originally, I tend to think is not for me. But never say never! Just out of interest - does one person take it on themselves to 'organise' the publication of the box set, how long are the stories in each set, and how do you work out the royalty payments?
ReplyDeleteWelcome to HWH! JVs are an interesting concept and one that I think would require a lot of thought, especially to make sure you're partnered with the right person. Might be worth looking into. Love your excerpt!
ReplyDeleteA collaborative project like this sounds like a fun 'adventure, especially since it comes out of the friendships you've created through your blog.
ReplyDeleteChristmas reads are some of my favorites...this set sounds cozy!
Sets and series sell. I think this is a grand idea.
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