Book Update

I knew as soon as I wrote last time that I was in the waiting stage that my situation would change, pretty much as soon as pressed “send” on this blog. And that’s exactly what happened.

I received my release date for Addicted to Love—July 21. It’s available for preorder on my publisher’s website, on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Kobo.

I’ve approved a beautiful cover for In the Moment, after some back and forth, which I was extremely grateful for—despite the cover letter that accompanies the cover, stating that no changes are allowed unless my name is spelled wrong, they were very receptive to the suggestions I made and I have ended up with a cover I LOVE. I’ll show it soon. I’ve also finished the galley proofs and the manuscript is now with the production department. That means I’ll see everything one last time and will have a release date shortly.

What am I doing now (other than panicking)? I’m putting together a marketing plan. I’m trying to be deliberate. I’m choosing things I think will have a high impact without breaking my budget. It’s easy to either do nothing or get caught up in the desire to do everything. So I’m building my newsletter list and getting ready to send one out—if you want to sign up, you can do so here. I’m advertising on Romance Devoured, which is made up of romance readers. And I’m currently considering which of two companies to use to help me publicize my book. Beyond that, I’ll plan a Facebook party and I’ll use ThunderClap and HeadTalker to get word of the release out there. My publisher sends the book out for review to a lot of different reviewers. And then I’ll take a step back see what happens—what works and what needs changing.

So stay tuned!

Bitten by the writing bug

Ana muses about maximizing the time she has to write, now that winter is over.

    I used to welcome spring, especially after moving to Minnesota. Winters here are long and harsh. The shades of green on the budding trees are much easier on the eyes than the reflective gray-whites of ice and snow.
    But since I became a writer, the equinox means I will have less time to compose my thoughts for six months.
    Work at the soup building gets busy as we fill orders for stores that cater to the influx of tourists and summer residents who seek tranquility in the northern woods and walleye in the deep blue lakes.
    My hubby needs help on the farm: today he summoned me to help raise a line of old fenceposts so he can reset them away from the sprawling pines that were barely knee high when he transplanted them into the windbreak row.  I wrapped the heavy chain around the base of each post and held tight while he raised the bucket on the tractor. The posts either broke off or came out. He has to get done, for next week the neighbor is delivering fifty heifers to graze for the summer.
    My garden needs tending. So far, I've direct seeded carrots, spinach, beets, baby lettuce, cilantro and potatoes. I transplanted 300+ onion plants, which I started indoors from seed. I still have tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, pickling cucumbers, zucchini, yellow squash and Red Kuri winter squash, basil, parsley, broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and head lettuce in pots in flats that I set out every morning and carry indoors every evening. I still need to plant sweet corn. We're not out of frost danger yet. And I still have three 200-foot long rows of raspberries to prune of last-years' canes. Hands and knees work, with a side serving of thorns and scratches.
    Planting and pruning is just the beginning. There's the weeding, mulching, watering, deer-proofing, not to mention the picking, eating, canning and freezing. I savor the produce and love even more watching my grandkids delight in freshly pulled carrots and plucked berries.
    I know my muscles need the exercise, and my lungs need fresh air, but I still long to sit alone with my laptop and write. Indoors, because tick season turns into mosquito season turns into fly season.  
   And then there is a glorious month of fall colors, when hoses need to be rolled up. Pea fence and support posts taken down.
    Work can't be postponed for long here. The seasons turn relentlessly. I have to pay bills.
    When the edits for Stormy Hawkins finally come, I will get up earlier and stay up later. I will nail my back blurb, get up a website, set up a Facebook author page.
    You hear that, Spring? You came too soon. I've been bitten by the writing bug.
   
   
 

Beta Reads

Debra ponders Beta reads.

Recently I did a beta read (along with some line edits) for a sister of a friend of mine. I've done beta edits for another author friend of mine as well. They are always grateful for feedback, and it's nice to know I was able to help them out.

I am not as good at receiving help. When I used to attend my local RWA meetings, I always took advantage of our critiquing sessions, bringing the first chapter of all my new stories to be read and critiqued. But after that first chapter read, I tended to loan-wolf it. Since I stopped going to meetings, I rarely enlist the help of fellow authors for critiques or beta reads before submitting a mss to my editor. I'm not really sure why that is. Do I want the story to be a surprise for everyone? Am I able to dish out advice but not take it? Or is it just that I haven't found anyone to give me some solid, usable information?

Unfortunately, I think I fall into the middle category. When I first submitted my Fourth of July story, my editor asked for some tweaks, and wondered if I'd given it to a beta first. I had to confess that I hadn't. So, I passed it along to a writer friend, who gave me some good ideas. But I was reluctant to use them. I was stuck in the mindset of 'this-is-my-story-and-I'm-going-to-tell-the-the-way-I-want-to-regardless-of-what-anyone-else-says'. Not good. Any successful writer knows it's important to listen to and take into account sound, professionally given feedback. I definitely need to be more open to this kind of thing.

Something really great (In addition to getting to read a fabulous story.) that came out of doing the recent beta read was it has me chomping on the bit to get back to my own writing. Just reading someone else's pre-published writing made me think of my own WIPs. It was interesting that some of the things I was commenting on in her writing were things that I always need to strengthen in my own. (I even found myself editing and commenting with my own editor's 'voice' in my head.) But I think that's a common thing. It's so easy to spot 'issues' in others' writing and so hard to do it in our own. Which is another reason for a beta reader.

However, getting back to my own writing is not going to happen for a few weeks at this point. The end of the school year is fast approaching (Yay!!), and my sister is getting married on Friday (Double Yay!!!!) So there are a million things to do before I can really sit down and give my writing the credit it's due. It's been a long time since I've been motivated at all, so this is encouraging.

My goal is to have my current WIP finished by the end of the summer and close to ready to submit. Or at least ready for a beta read, because I really do need to be better at getting on the receiving end of those.

So how about you? Do you use beta readers? Critique partners? How do you take your mss to that final step before you submit?

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com

Starting Again?

Paula reflects on a life-changing event.  

4 weeks ago, just before I was about to set off for a day in London, I received an email which turned my world upside down. Rebecca, my publisher, who has had some serious medical problems, had very reluctantly decided to close down her business. Everything will be wound up by the end of October, which means that all books will be removed from distributors at the end of August, so that the ‘final’ royalties can be calculated and paid.

I know I don’t need to tell you how devastating this news was. Although I tried to enjoy my day in London (including the show we went to see in the afternoon), my mind was working overtime all day as I wondered what to do.

And it has continued to work overtime. Without really thinking it all through, I sent a query to a UK traditional publisher, explaining the situation and asking if they were willing to re-publish my novels. They asked me to send the synopses of my first Irish novel and one of my other contemporaries. I haven’t written a synopsis for about 6 years as Rebecca only wanted a two paragraph summary of the story, so that was my first headache. However, once I sent the synopses, they asked for the full ms. In one case, the request for the full came just 90 minutes after I emailed the synopsis.

However, I now have to wait at least 2 months, because every submission is sent to a panel of 10 readers. It seems that all the positive reviews for these books on Amazon USA and UK (plus several thousand sales!) don’t count for anything.

All this has made me feel like a newbie author trying to get my first acceptance, and has left me feeling very depressed. If (the big ‘if’) they accept my first Irish book, I will probably have to go through the same process with the next 3 books in the series, which means it could be 2 or 3 years before they are all re-published. I was part way through a 5th book in the series when all this kicked off, but now I have no motivation to continue it.

Several people have suggested self-publishing, but that is a total no-go area for me. Mainly because I have never yet paid anything ‘to be published’ and don’t intend to start now, by having to ‘buy’ cover art etc.

So do I hold out in the hope of being accepted by the traditional publisher, mainly because it gets its books into stores, supermarkets and libraries? Or do I try another indie publisher, in the hope that they will re-publish my novels more quickly? That’s my dilemma at the moment, and I honestly don’t know what to do.

On Your Mark, Get Set...Wait

Jennifer is waiting for the next step...

I’m in the “hurry up and wait” stage of the publishing process. I have two books with my editor. One has been fully edited and galley-proofed and all I’m waiting for is a release date. The other has been fully edited and I’m expecting to see a cover for it momentarily. In the meantime, I’m waiting on galley proofs for it.

The waiting is killing me. Now, before I say anything else, I’m not blaming anyone for my wait. It’s part of the process. I’m in the queue and when it’s my turn, I’ll get my release date and I’ll see the cover. But knowing those things are coming is what’s getting to me.

Anticipation is always the hardest part.

Once I have a release date, I can get started on my extensive marketing to-do list: sending out postcards to everyone I know, contacting bloggers, setting up social media tours, putting together my newsletter. But until then, I’m sitting on my hands and looking at my reminders every day.

Getting a cover is always exciting—and nerve-wracking. I’m dying to see if what I described in my cover art sheet translated well. Since they did such a great job for the first book, I’m have high hopes for the second one. But I’m still nervous.

In the meantime, I’m helping others promote their books, getting to know fellow authors, reviewing other manuscripts to get them ready for submission and doing all the things around the house I had to let slide while I was editing.

It’s a roller coaster, but a fun one (I hate the real ones), and I know I’m very lucky to be on this particular ride.