writer life - Sacha T. Y. Fortuné

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On Writing

Short Story Writers: The Best Secret-Keepers

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I just wrote two short stories — after not writing any for over a decade.

My two new short stories are amazing. At least, I think so. (I may be biased.)

But, here’s the thing… what do I do with them now?

One of the Anthologies I contributed stories to, from my undergrad university – click to purchase! (I have no idea who makes money from this purchase btw…)

For the past decade, I’ve been focusing on my Hart & Cole novel series, which takes a LOT out of me, so my short-story fuse tapered out.

I used to write a lot of them while I was doing my undergraduate degree and I belonged to (and at one point presided over) my university’s Writers’ Guild.

Guild was a place to bring them, to discuss them, to get feedback, to tweak them, and the like. Every year we also published an Anthology. So there was an audience, and an eventual route of publication if so desired.

But now that I’ve written new stories, I have no idea what to do with them.

Firstly, do I even want to “sell” them? Because, well… they’re loosely inspired by my experiences of early parenting during a pandemic.

I’m pretty sure my partner would be alarmed if he read them, but as I’ve said before, fortunately he’s not a reader so the likelihood of this is slim to none.

As a writer, we often pull some tiny fragment from personal experience and then embellish to turn it into something fictional, so I took some leeway with that for my short stories.

While they’re somewhat personal to me, they are fiction and will amuse and entertain readers.

So… right, if I do decide I’m comfortable with putting them out there, where do I begin?

What do you do, with a random story?

Though I think they’re amazing, I also don’t really think they’re competition-worthy, as I’d hate to adjust them in even the slightest way to fit into any competition’s guidelines.

I can just publish them, of course… but I’d need to flesh out a full collection, to be able to cobble something together for purposes of a sale.

And though they can stand on their own if I release them individually on one of the modern “bite-sized” platforms, I’d really like to create a whole thematic collection so they can be read as a group rather than on their own.

That means I need to write several more, say anywhere from 3-8 more, so I can call this “Pandemic Perusings” a collection.

…While those two stories linger, already written… hanging on, unseen. Until the muse strikes for their compatriots to come along for the ride.

It’s like hanging on to an amazing secret, with no knowledge of when you can tell the world.

As writers, we are all secret-keepers of something amazing. And as short story writers, we really are the best secret-keepers. I also have novels burning a hole in my soul, because I know what’ll happen and can’t just tell everyone — I have to F**KING write the damn novel!

But back to my short stories…

Deciding the path for your big book babies is one thing… but it’s quite another for your mini-babies!

Yeah, I know that having stories is the LAST thing a writer should complain about, but I’m in a quandary at the moment — not having the wherewithal to create a collection, while also not wanting to do my amazing stories a disservice by rushing them out there with little context, nor do I want to hold them back when they deserve to meet the world.

In a nutshell: FM(Writer)L.

 

 

 

 

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On Writing

Website Security & The Cost of Your Writer Life

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I got hacked. During my book tour. Yeah. It sucked.

I’m a web designer and I love dabbling in code, but I’m far from a developer. In the past, I’ve managed to avoid any serious web security issues… and then my last week hit me like a train.

It started on a website I recently rebuilt. I breathed life back into this passion project, so when I had to write a bio, I thought I’d link to it.

That was the first time I realised there was a malicious redirect on the domain.

Okay, fine. I’m not really *using* the site, so I reported it and went about my business.

A screenshot from my hacked site

I’ve had experiences in the past when I get something similar, report it to the host, they recommend a security firm, I ignore it, they send me the list of infected files, and I put aside some time to do cleanup, get my site back online, and move on with my life.

But after the hack on a “passion project” site that I didn’t see as urgent, it soon cross-contaminated all the other sites on my hosting account… 7 of them, in total. Didn’t know that could happen? Well, it could. It did.

…Including this site, my beloved, beautiful author website that is the central hub of my writing life.

The cost of doing business

A screenshot from my hacked site

I started cleanup… and spent at least 4 days trying my best, but it was too much. I eventually called it quits and threw in the towel. After 10 years of avoiding it… I rolled over and said “OK” to the security company. I chalked it up to the cost of doing business.

So now I’m roped in forever and ever, amen.

Side note: I’m pretty sure the security company has an entire department dedicated to destroying sites so that they can then swoop in and be the saviour… but anyway, the fact is: I got hacked.

So after handing over the funds, I spent the next 24 hours on pins and needles, contacting customer support for both my host and the security partner at least 20-30 times in total via phone, email and online chat systems.

After the scan and repair were complete, the security company reported that over 20,000 files across all my sites were infected.

Probably for the best that I didn’t do a manual clean myself… I would have no hair left!

So after I ponied up the dough, my sites were back up within a day. Phew. And then… it happened again — the very next day!!! What??? Apparently this particular hack has a high reinfection rate.

I’m still waiting on them to tie up some loose ends and install some firewalls, but at least — at long last, all my sites are back up for the moment.

The problem?

It happened at the worst time possible. My book was on tour.

The Nature of the Hack

For my book tour, I had loads of promo posts linking to my website… a website that, when loaded during the malware hack, redirected about 10 times to weird URLS, threw up robot images, and then flung out code saying “winner!” with javascript pop-ups. Good Lord. It was a throwback to the 90s era of websites. It was… horrendous.

But the fact is, because I had been cheap for 10+ years, a hack crushed my book tour, not to mention my soul.

A screenshot from my hacked site

I admit my websites haven’t really made me a lot of money, but they are still valuable to me. And this hack happened at a point in time when it was VERY valuable to me!

I don’t know what it is about the naive mindset of someone who “just puts up a website” or has “hobby” sites online.

We assume that we are “small fries” that no one would target, but just like any other malicious person whether in real life or online: all they need is the opportunity.

Your site could be worth nothing to anyone, but once there is a vulnerability, it can be exploited. Just for fun. People really are THAT evil.

Gotta “Burn to Learn”?

I should mention that in 2009, during the last week of my Master’s dissertation while my computer never turned off as I raced to the finish line of the deadline, my Mac finally called it quits. I wept and fell to my knees over a project I had bled for. Thankfully I still pulled off a good grade, but oh… the HORROR!

A screenshot from my hacked site

I should also mention that in 2018, it also took me another severe laptop crash and losing a huge chunk of files, for me to agree to the monthly iCloud charge I still pay that I literally don’t feel — it’s a few bucks. If I don’t look at my credit card bill, I forget I even pay it.

Yeah. I’m that person. Gotta burn to learn!

It doesn’t hurt you, until it happens to you.

As an author, I certainly learnt it with all my work-in-progress files… I have a zillion emails of files I’ve emailed to myself, just to make sure there is always a copy!

I’ve learnt my lesson, trust me.

As much as I hate being held hostage by the security company, it is worth it, to have the peace of mind.

And to all my fellow writers out there, working on your book babies or managing your online sites… please, please, please learn from my mistakes and just spend the damn money upfront!

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On Writing

P.S.A. to Bookstagram Reviewers: A Rant

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Not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4, not 5… but at least 20 – that’s right: TWENTY — “Bookstagram Reviewers” have reached out to me on Instagram since the year began (and we’ve barely made it to February!)…

Them: “I’ll read and review your book, and post it on my feed.”

Me: “Oh, nice, thanks!”

Them: “Here are my prices…”

Me: “Wait, what?”

They wouldn’t dare approach a big-time author asking to be paid to review and promote their book, but indie/self-published authors like me are fair game.

Book Promotion vs. Bookstagrammer

First, a disclaimer:

There was once a point in my author journey where I balked at even having to give my books away for free.

Now, 2 and a half years wiser, I have seen the benefit of running free promotions to promote sell-through of your other books (which I documented here).

Apart from giving away almost 4000 books for free via KDP & other promos, I’ve also shopped my book around to book clubs and to book/blog tours where they handle the service of generating some buzz and inviting reviewers, but it’s voluntary with no guarantees of even a single review.

…But paying someone DIRECTLY to review your book is quite another matter.

Paying for Reviews vs. Exposure

It’s pretty clear that Amazon frowns on paid reviews, but it’s a little sketchy when it comes to the arena of book promotion.

Bookstagram reviewers are a middle ground: they usually offer package deals with promotion and author interviews, with reviews included.

It’s not a bad way to make money, if you’re a voracious reader. And I’m sure a lot of them have been responsible for a huge uptick in sales for some authors.

But there’s not a lot of tracking provided. Some may share some statistics via screenshots of past authors happy with the service, or their activity on a post, etc… but these are not verifiable (anyone can mock up something in Photoshop, and bots can generate likes), and most only expect you to make a decision based on the amount of followers they have — whether or not their followers are even your target market (chances are, they’re not).

Furthermore, they can’t promise you any amount of sales (or even “likes” on the post) and there’s a big chance you can throw money at it and get exactly zero back in return.

That’s the same that could be said for most types of marketing, sure, but Instagram has given a whole new realm of possibility for all the “entrepreneurs” out there… and that’s the problem.

But the worst — the absolute worst of it, is that if you actually read through some of these Bookstagram “reviews”, it gets glaringly evident that in many cases THEY HAVE NOT READ THE F**KING BOOK. They’ve checked the blurb, skimmed some reviews, maybe read the first few pages, and then threw together a generic paragraph or two that is just a slap in the face to any author who has actually poured his or her soul into their work.

And THAT is my biggest problem of all.

P.S.A. to Bookstagram Reviewers: Best Practices

Don’t solicit authors. Just don’t. (Particularly 10 seconds after a follow, when you haven’t even given a proper look at their feed or read a thing about their books. Just saying.)

Unless you see an author post about “Looking to promote my books, please DM me with your prices”. If they say that openly, then by all means: COME THROUGH!

If you do want to make a business of this bookish life, create a website with all your packages and then point to that link in your profile. That leaves it up to the author to seek you out.

If you’re hungry for work, perhaps post in your feed or story “Authors – special reduced rates for packages” and see what bites you get.

You can also be kind and offer a range of services that includes free options, e.g. partnership “If I write you a review, please post about me and get others to follow”.

A little love goes a long way, and if you build up that love and trust among authors, they might be the ones begging you to promote them and eager to pay.

Why I Won’t Pay for a Bookstagram Review

I’m not saying Bookstagram reviewers won’t get you more exposure or more sales. Not at all. Some are valid, and many are excellent at what they do.

Me personally… I’m hanging onto those purse strings. My reasons:

1. Firstly, I want someone to be ORGANICALLY drawn to my book, not just looking at it as a means to make some cash.

Every time someone reaches out (before they mention the price list) it’s always about flattery: “your books look great, I would love to promote you” etc. etc. — but if it’s a paid promotion, flattery immediately becomes disingenuous.

It is hard to say that someone is GENUINELY interested in my book, if they are only going to read and review it if I pay them.

I just don’t need that kind of convoluted energy in a potential reviewer.

2. Secondly, having an entire business around getting payment for reviews is always going to make me uncomfortable.

I love getting reviews. You can check out some of my faves here:

I also love writing reviews. You can visit my Reader Blog here.

I do not charge writers to review their books. You can see my Review Policy here.

Reviews are important. Hella important. But they should always be voluntary. And free.

3. Finally, I personally am not always moved to write a review. I question those who are.

I think that those who claim to be “voracious readers” who “love to support writers” are missing the big elephant in the room:

If you love reading and you love writers, buy their books.

(And if you’re a writer that wants reviews, sure — send over a free copy and hope you get a review.)

BUT don’t randomly solicit a writer to send you their book for free, and THEN pay you to write a review!

Unless you’re able to guarantee that this writer is definitely going to get AT LEAST the investment they put into you, in sales… you’re not helping. The fact remains:

If you truly are a voracious reader, and you come across a book you like, you’ll buy it.

Especially if it’s just a couple bucks, or even FREE on Kindle Unlimited, like all my books in my “Hart & Cole” series are.

…And if it moves you enough to want to write a review, you will.

…Yes. It is that simple.

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On Writing

Behind the Books: Sharing Myself, The Writer

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I could tell you any and everything about my characters.

Who they are, why they do what they do, what makes them tick. They’ve been with me for the better part of the last two decades, and I know them so intimately.

But if you ask me about myself, I hesitate.

A post I read today on a fellow writer’s blog mentioned that she has a tendency to shrink into the shadows rather than promote herself. She just wants to focus on the books.

“What does it matter who wrote them?” she asks. “Once you enjoy them, why care about me?”

And to a point, I agree with her. I myself tend to push my books out ahead, and hide behind them. I don’t really want to answer too many questions about myself. Let the readers assume, right?

But on the other hand, for the last few books I read that I REALLY enjoyed, I must admit that I sought out who the writers were. I stalked them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. I checked out their websites. I subscribed to whatever there was to subscribe to. I became an online fan.

All this to say, I’m being a little hypocritical by hiding myself.

You have to be vulnerable to connect with others.

So I thought, for a change, I would write a blog post about myself.

Here are 5 (somewhat) random facts about me:

1. I’m from Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean.

I state this with some irony because it’s my go-to fact, despite the fact that sometimes I feel very un-Trini. Of course there is no one thing that represents Trinidad, but what we showcase to the world is along the lines of: beautiful Carnival, great beaches, vibrant music, and an island paradise — with some politics, corruption and crime thrown in, of course.

I’ve never felt connected to many “staples” of my country. Sure, I love a good pot of Trini food (and I will likely die without my doubles) but beyond that, I can live on the outside. I have, before, and perhaps someday will again. I want to travel and see the world, and I intend to!

Still, there’s something about belonging, that no one can take away from you. A sigh of relief, a release of breath as the plane touches the runway: HOME.

There’s just something intangible about knowing you are owed some respect and resources just for being born somewhere. No matter where I go, no one can take that from me.

2. I am a recovering perfectionist.

I don’t know how else to be. As a child, at school, I always had to do the best. I was top of the class. I got skipped. I was Headgirl. I was President of things, Chairperson of things, blah blah. I was Supergirl, academically. But it takes a mental toll.

I was a national scholarship winner, and while I was studying I was so stressed and obsessed with doing the best at everything that I didn’t fully enjoy the amazing opportunity I had to study abroad. I drove myself to the brink of physical and mental illness, and that level of stress never really goes away, even as an adult. I still struggle today, because back then I simply did not enjoy life and take advantage of the full experience.

It is my greatest regret — not enjoying life a bit more, in my youth.

Not living in the moment. Not understanding the importance of stopping to treasure those little moments. Life is about so much more than just book smarts. Now that I’m a mom, I plan to make sure my son has a good balance of both.

3. I became a web designer by accident.

I chose an optional course in web journalism, and fell for web development. I fell hard.

Websites are the perfect mix of creativity (design and layout), writing (content creation) and the simplicity of perfection.

Code languages have to be precise. A single dot can throw everything off. A pixel can make a difference.

I loved it, loved it, loved it. I still do. I’m not formally trained as a web developer (maybe someday I will be), but in the meanwhile I’m enjoying fiddling with code, and I get excited whenever I troubleshoot and figure out something myself. That’s a special kind of joy that can’t be put into words.

4. I can’t stand character descriptions that are really, really unnecessary at the time.

For example, “The bomb exploded. Her red, pouty lips fell open and her green steely eyes narrowed as she flipped her blond hair back.”

Come on. Just… come on. Surely there was another moment in time to describe the character! Who cares about what she looks like, post-bomb? Seriously! Seriously!

My own practice is to slip it in casually while describing something else, and to make the sentence about much, much more than just the description itself.

Here are two examples with my own practice of “world-building with description”:

  • “She’s a Daddy’s girl, although she has my eyes, my nose, my smile, my wild hair of curls and my complexion with the same chaotic blend of races in her cherubic little face.” (Climbing The Walls)
  • “While our dad and our older brother Stefan sport the visibly darker skin tone, dark eyes and black hair of the Latin ancestors linked to our surname Galeota; Lee and I both take after our mom with slightly paler skin and lighter hair – a dull, dark-blondish-brown blend of colour that I usually toss some highlights into every few months.” (Pandora’s Poison).

5. I see spelling and grammar errors… everywhere.

Mind you, I’m sure I make mistakes myself, and every single time I re-read my books I find something to change, some typo, a misplaced comma, SOMETHING.

But I’m appalled at the sheer AMOUNT of errors that exist in the world around me.

I am annoyed when people consistently don’t re-read their emails and frequently have terrible errors in them.

What drives me the most crazy though, are errors on signs of any kind, but most specifically billboards. Anywhere where there are literally less than 50 words, and someone didn’t care enough to spellcheck!

Yeah, I’m that girl. I wish I wasn’t, but I can’t help it.

I’m passionate about words! But I guess that’s a good thing for a writer, right?

 

So those are 5 things you now know about me. If you’re reading this, feel free to share something about yourself in the comments!

 

 

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On Writing

The Cost of Creativity: Motherhood vs. Writing

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I made it. One month into motherhood!

Okay, so I probably need to back up a bit. There’s been a long, long silence here… and for good reason.

At the start of the year, I welcomed my son into the world. My new year’s baby. My miracle baby.

…And yes, I was pretty quiet about it until after the fact. Which is rare, when you’re striving to be a successful writer and maintain a prominent social media presence.

‘Work-in-progress’ woes

Quite simply, I wanted to keep that precious part of my life away from social media.

…Though, to be honest, I was fairly “mum” (pun intended) on the topic in my personal life as well. It wasn’t until late in the pregnancy that my work colleagues and some friends found out, and many only found out when I sent a photo of him from my hospital bed! (Not to mention those who STILL haven’t gotten the memo!)

When something is so precious to me, silence is my only recourse.

In the same way that I am reluctant to share a really rough “work-in-progress” of my writing, I didn’t want to share my newest “work-in-progress” blooming from within.

I needed to work in silence, putting up a barrier to protect myself from the public eye so I could focus on the important task at hand.

You see, there’s always going to be someone in your audience who may not have your best interests at heart. Or the well-intentioned ones that just rub you the wrong way (conflicting or needless advice, birth horror stories, and the like!).

Once you put something out there, you don’t know the kind of energy you invite.

The energy to create life

…And speaking of energy, that was the other reason for my silence: I simply wasn’t writing.

I wasn’t on my website or my social media channels. I wasn’t running promotions. I wasn’t religiously logging in to my sales dashboard to see if I made a few pennies that day.

Suddenly, being a mommy was way more critical than being a writer… just as I suspected it would be, which is why I pushed myself to finish the first three books in my Hart & Cole series before I headed down the motherhood path.

I had to “birth” my books before I could birth anything else.

Being a published writer was a lifelong goal since I was a tot myself, and I didn’t want to be one of those writers who let circumstances derail me from that goal.

At the same time, I totally understand those who struggle to balance family life with writing demands.

Creating and nurturing life is tiring and requires an enormous amount of energy, and it bodes the same for breathing life into the stories you create.

It’s only been a month for me, and I can tell you: parenthood is no joke. It’s hard work and it’s not always glorious or cute. And no one wants to be so tired from life that writing feels like a chore!

Book Baby vs. Real Baby

I’ve always known that writing is a hectic stress on my body and brain, as I’ve written about on my blog earlier. So last year, once I knew my baby was on the way, I made a decision and took a break from my book babies.

Thank God I did — I couldn’t deal with preggy pains and hormones on top of the rollercoaster of writer emotions… (to the mamas that do, you’re my heroines!)

I also needed to preserve all that crazy writer energy and stamina — you know, the adrenaline that keeps you up at night on a million websites researching how best to market your masterpiece!

I now had to turn to my new obsession: building a baby.

My paranoia drove me to the height of late-night panic sessions about whether I was doing everything right for my little one. I learnt far more than I ever thought I would about the process of childbearing and childbirth — far more that I (or any sane person) would ever need to know, and thankfully most of it wasn’t necessary: in the end I held a healthy, beautiful baby boy in my arms.

So now that I’ve birthed THIS baby, I’m hoping I can soon go back to my book babies that I abandoned last year. I’m hoping they forgive me and welcome me back with open arms, because I have so much more to write. I’ve missed my characters. I’ve missed my writer self. I’ve missed that crazy high of being possessed by a scene, emotionally wrought by my own words!

Now, I just hope THIS baby can make room to allow me to work on my book babies again!

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Hart & Cole Series

Happy Birthday to my first Book Baby!

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This past year has been a wild ride with a lot of ups and downs, but thankfully no regrets.

I’ve learnt so much since I first published, and grown so much as a writer AND as a person. I’ve learnt to rejoice in the triumphs of praise, and also to take criticism to heart to improve my craft.

In fact, I’d hoped to launch the revised, slimmer version of this book today, but that self-imposed deadline had to be pushed back. I’m not going to stress about it, though. I’ve got some personal battles going on lately, and right now I need to put “Sacha-the-person” ahead of “Sacha-the-writer”… and that’s okay.

I know that once I’m back to full steam, I’ll write something AMAZING again. Until then, I’m satisfied with what I’ve accomplished so far.

3 books in 8 months was a huge feat, and I’m thrilled to have actually made money from my writing… and so humbled that I have fans that appreciate my books, and are looking forward to reading more.

And this book is where it all started. So I’m SUPER proud of this first book baby.

She was my first. She made me a published writer.

So happy birthday, book baby! ??????????

Haven’t read “Climbing the Walls” yet? The “Hart & Cole” series is available on Amazon — hop over and get started!

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On Writing

The Freebie Flaw & The Fickle Reader

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I now own 800+ free ebooks. (Yep. I counted.)

Which, in all fairness, isn’t even close to the limit. Amazon boasts its newer Kindles can hold up to 3500 books!

I need 20 more lifetimes to ever get around to half of these that I already have.

…And I get 20+ emails per day offering even more freebies. I don’t even remember signing up to half of these newsletter subscriber sites. So… yeah.

Honestly, I’m not surprised authors are complaining about “no/low sales”.

We’re not “part of” the problem. We ARE the problem.

The Path to Freebie Addiction

First of all, I should probably mention how I became the not-so-proud owner of this RIDICULOUS amount of freebies.

Less than a year ago, I had literally zero idea that free ebooks could come to you almost automatically. I either bought books I wanted in a bookshop, or online… simple as that.

Then in July 2018, I decided to finally push the button and become a published author. Once I did that, I realised I was way behind in understanding the indie author life, so I joined a bunch of author groups and Googled the hell out of everything I could devour online in terms of resources.

POST-publishing my own book was the first time I even heard about the term “reader magnet”.

I used to think if it was free, it was a pirated copy. I had no idea you could even give your book away freely in any way, shape or form. Legitimately. Like, on an Amazon page where “$0.00” shows up and you just click on it and BOOM! Free book on your Kindle, like magic.

I repeat… NO IDEA.

But once I heard about it, I figured everyone’s doing it… so I tried it myself. So far, I’ve given away 3315 copies of Book 1 of my series through two freebie promos (the first, more successful promo is documented here: I hit #1-#3 in my categories, and #87 overall on the Free Kindle list).

Despite those great results, I’m pretty sure only one of my reviews came from this freebie promotion. And *maybe* a handful of sales, if I’m lucky.

And my book (Book 1, that is) was well received, with mostly stellar reviews. So I figure — okay, surely if someone reads and loves Book 1, they’ll rush for Book 2.

…Nope.

That’s just not how it works, you see…

 

The Magnet vs. The Fickle Reader

I took a step back and decided to look at it from my own viewpoint as a reader.

In the writing community, there’s this notion of “the ideal reader” who will lap up everything you produce on the spot, with no question. An ideal reader who will BUY your books.

And here’s the thing: I am no one’s ideal reader.

I love reading, but I read a lot. I’m not genre-monogamous, so I also hop around a lot, and I generally don’t read the same “type” of book continuously. In the past month alone, I’ve read 20+ authors from at least 5 genres — as you’ll note from my Book Reviews Reader Blog.

I should mention — I’m also a foodie who loves a little of everything and gets excited by new restaurants, tastes and fusions. And I’m also a traveller, who prefers to go to a new place rather than back to the same spots all the time.

So, yep, you’ve guessed it… I love — love — love VARIETY. That’s just who I am as a PERSON. So as a reader, yep… the same applies.

I’ve signed up to newsletters for at least 20 individual authors, and I still open their emails, and I don’t unsubscribe (that’s just rude). I love hearing what they’re up to, and getting those lovely sneak previews and behind-the-scenes moments. But at the same time, I’m fickle.

Even if I enjoy a freebie, I may still hesitate to click “purchase” on another book, the moment I’m done. I’m in the mood for a different flavour, so I may wait awhile before I go back to that author. And, sometimes by that time I’m “in the mood”, I might have forgotten how to find them or their books! (This is actually why I started following some authors… so I could “bookmark” them for later!!!)

So, as a reader… I’ve gotten something for free (the magnet), and I’m unlikely to ever be in a position to always be giving something back (actually sticking onto the damn fridge).

 

“Tough Sell” or “Grazing Consumer Culture”?

Now, I’m a tough sell, because I read a lot. And I’m a super-picky reader. The amazing books ARE out there. I know they are. I’ve found some of them!

And I HAVE purchased books that rocked my world, after reading the author’s freebie first. It just doesn’t happen often enough.

Sometimes, part of my hesitation is that I’m actually afraid it WON’T be as awesome. I’m scared to risk NOT getting that “reader high” again. I’m wary that it might have been a fluke, and I’ll be crushed. (*Sigh* I’ve been burnt by this before.)

But usually it’s a much more basic reason: I’ll be hovering over the “Buy” button, knowing the book will probably be just as awesome, and then remember — oh F##!@#!@K! Do I really NEED this book? What about the others I still have to read???!!!!!

Sigh. It’s a bleak outlook, but there you have it.

This is me as a reader. And I know I’m not alone in this.

We’ve cultivated a culture of “grazing” that celebrates low attention spans. And cheapness. Nope. Scratch that. FREENESS.

In my non-writer life, as a marketing professional, we’re encouraged to “get our message” across in the first 5-10 seconds of video content. Our applications are chock full of ads that we mindlessly close off, to get to the free stuff.

Netflix throws the entire world of entertainment at you, and the abundance of choice can be crippling. Flick, flick, flick… nothing to watch!

And, in the book world, there’s Kindle Unlimited, where the “pagereads” concept expects you to never have to necessarily finish a book. And the scary part is that unlike Netflix, you don’t even need a Kindle Unlimited subscription to get “free” books!

Authors throw them at you. All the time. We even PAY to GIVE AWAY our books. Yes. That is crazy. The even sadder part… is that it’s also NECESSARY.

 

Volume vs. Validity of Work

So if I’m a fickle reader, what about the flipside?

As I writer, I don’t write nearly fast enough, I barely market myself, and I work a full-time job on top of my sideline writing “hobby”. So…

How can I expect my “ideal reader” to be patiently waiting on me?

No wonder authors are pumping books out like it’s going out of style!

The indie author life is a numbers game… the more you have, the more money you make, even if you hardly sell anything.

The trick is VOLUME. After all, if you have 20 kids, you have a higher probability that ONE of them will do something important with its life, right? That’s how authors seem to be operating. More books, more writing… if you want even a trickle of money.

And I’m not saying that having a huge backlist necessarily means the writing is bad. (This is a HUGE point of contention on a well-known Facebook author group that has almost 30,000 members to date, and even holds writing conventions and everything. I repeat: a HUGE point of contention! So I’m not going to touch that one with a ten-foot pole!)

There are AWESOME writers with FABULOUS books, and LOTS of them. They’re just doing it wayyyyyyy faster than I am, or ever could!

I can put my best foot forward, with each book… but I just can’t compete, volume-wise. At least not anytime soon.

Many authors can afford to give away one or two “freebie” magnet book babies, with 10-100+ other book babies to pick up the slack. What about those that only have a few… or maybe even just one?

It’s an uphill battle.

Notably, I recently made a concerted effort to:

  • BUY BOOKS FOR MYSELF
  • BUY BOOKS FOR OTHERS
  • TELL FRIENDS & FAMILY TO GIFT ME BOOKS

So I’m trying to be a little less fickle.

But these days, “freeness” is so easy to come by, that I myself am always going to be WAY more of a “consumer” than I am an actual “buyer”. So, like I mentioned earlier:

I am no one’s “ideal reader”.

…What if I’m also no reader’s “ideal author”?

 

Fellow authors, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!

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On Writing

Self-publishing & the Learning Curve

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There’s less than a week to go for Book 2 of my series, so I’m doing a million things at once. So please forgive the mini-rant!

I took some time to reflect on parts of the journey that have been the hugest learning curve for me.

Super-solid Photoshop skills

I appreciate that my Photoshop skills have definitely improved over the past six months!

This certainly wouldn’t have happened if I had loads of money to spend on graphic design for teasers and promos, so this journey has been well worth the ride!

Some things I figured out on my own, others I YouTube’d to learn how to do!

So now I feel like I can easily slap together a teaser, or create the book jacket, without panicking! Woop!

Algorithm Appreciation

Yeah. I still don’t understand algorithms. Like, at all.

I do, however, appreciate that it’s a numbers game — the more freebies you give away, the more people see your book and then may purchase or read on Kindle Unlimited beyond the promo.

The more reviews you have, the more people may be seeing your book (I think).

Not sure how this entire tangle of algorithm mess actually works, but I appreciate that any tips fellow authors offer may be valuable. WORSHIP the algorithms!

Patience & Know-How

I have gotten more organised. Thank God. I needed to.

I now have three book file folders. In each of them there’s:

  • The raw master Word file
  • The PDF export of that Word file
  • A raw master Pages document [I no longer use Kindle Create; I had those files earlier before I moved to Pages because Kindle Create was awful!]
  • The EPUB export of that Pages document
  • The MOBI version from that EPUB file (I use Calibre for the conversion)

Then I have:

  • The book cover for the print version
  • The book cover for the ebook version
  • The book jacket (PSD editable file)
  • The book jacket (PDF file ready for upload)
  • The book cover with the 3D mockup
  • Smaller version of the book cover (for web use)

Then there are the “preview/sample” files :

  • A raw Pages document of the Chapter 1 & 2 excerpt with cover
  • The PDF & EPUB & MOBI files for this (for my Prolific Works giveaways)
  • Another version with no cover (for use on my website) and its corresponding PDF & EPUB & MOBI files

PHEW.

That’s for EACH BOOK. AND I HAVE THREE! So, every time I find a typo, it’s like F@$#$@#$#$#$#@$#@$##$@!K — because I have to update things 20 times!

Yeah. Being a self-published author is AWESOME on some days, and on other days, a TYPO can ruin your life!

To all the fellow folks out there proud to be a self-published author, hang in there! I feel your pain, and you’re not alone.

Anyone else want to share their major learning curve items, feel free to do so in the comments! I’m sure #3 resonates with us all! ?????

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