Creating Audiobooks – Why and How?

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. Over the last two years, I’ve taken one of my novels, T.A.D.-The Angel of Death, and two of my short stories, The Reunion and A Dragon for Christmas and had them converted into audiobooks (find them here). Typically, in larger publishing houses, this is something they will work with you on. Even my publisher NineStar Press will assist authors with turning their books into audiobooks. However, for many reasons, I went through the process alone and working through ACX I’ve launched three of my stories with three more in the works, all to be released this year. Today I thought I would share the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ as to creating these audiobooks on my own.

The ‘why’ has multiple layers, but the crucial factors to me taking on the process on my own, came down to three things; economics, timing, and choices. From the economic standpoint, if I were to have gone through NineStar Press to have my audiobooks created, there would be another party to split the already minimal royalties with: ACX, the narrator, NineStar Press, and me. That isn’t bad if you are selling thousands or tens of thousands of audiobooks. However, since my books and now my audiobooks don’t sell in those numbers yet, what I would have lost in royalties didn’t seem to make financial sense.

The next reason for me producing the audiobooks on my own is because of timing. As I’ve learned, working with a publishing house, books and audiobooks (and translations), takes time. A lot of time. And I wanted to see if I could speed up the process by publishing my audiobooks on my own. At first, I wasn’t planning on releasing my books on my own and I worked with my publisher to release them. However, because of many factors, the process dragged on and on. At first, I wasn’t getting any auditions (this took about three months) then we tried again and still no auditions (another three months). Finally, I found a narrator who would produce/narrate my story (The Calling), however there were issues. Leading to my third reason for producing my audiobooks on my own; Choice.

After searching for a year to find a voice actor to produce/narrate my first book The Calling, I found a talented, wonderful person to voice the story, however, because he couldn’t work under a Royalty Share contract (more on that later) so I couldn’t use him, if I went through NineStar Press. Disappointing for sure, as he was the only person to show any interest in doing the project. I ended up asking my publisher if I could produce the audiobooks on my own so I could use this talented person. They said yes. I took back my rights for my audiobook production and went to work on getting these audiobooks out there.

Hold up!

Stop the Presses!

Where is The Calling, you’re asking? We don’t see it as published yet, and you’ve been talking about this audiobook for what seems like years? Yes, that is correct, The Calling has taken a long time, this is for a variety of reason; first it sat waiting for auditions (about a year) and now it’s been sitting in production for a year. The reason for the delay in The Calling’s release is complicated, but the root causes have been the pandemic and other medical issues (all out of my control).

Now let’s jump over to the ‘how’. Creating an audiobook seemed, at least to me, to be a simple process. One, you find a narrator. Two, the narrator creates the audiobook. Three, you review the audiobook. Four, you launch the audiobook. Five, you collect the royalties. That isn’t quite correct. It’s not far off, but there are a lot of other steps involved.

When I started the process with The Calling using ACX (find out more here) I had the producer/narrator I wanted, which was a big help. Still, I had to figure out the basics of how to navigate ACX and what the steps were. Now, keep in mind there are other options to produce audiobooks Findaway Voices is another option (learn more here) but for me I went with ACX because they release the audiobooks on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes, which is where a majority of people get their audiobooks, plus the cost were minimal. Now, with ACX, there are four different options for production/narration of an audiobook; Pay for Production, you pay the producer/narrator for their work and you own everything once they deliver the product and you pay them (this is a costly way to go some producers charge anywhere from $200-$400[or more] per finished hour, a book that is five longs would cost you $1000-$2000 as an example, but you earn 40% of the royalties and you don’t have to share that 40% with anyone); Royalty Share Plus, you pay the producer/narrator a certain amount per finished hour and then you split the royalties (this isn’t as costly but can still be expensive say you produce a five-hour audiobook at between $100-$200 per finished hour, that five-hour book would cost you $500-$1000, however you split the royalty 20% for you and 20% for the narrator/producer); next you have Royalty Share, you pay the producer/narrator nothing up front, however you split the royalties 20% for you and 20% for them. Last, you can narrator the book yourself. You provide the audio files to ACX and you will earn the 40% royalties.

You will also need to pick whether you want to be exclusive through ACX or go wide. This will affect your royalties (typically taking them from 40% to 25% for non-exclusive, but the hope is you will sell more to make up the difference).

Okay, that was a lot, I know, but it gives you an idea of the choices you have with ACX for the production cost. For me I’ve gone two routs; I did the Royalty Share Plus (for The Calling) and I’ve done Royalty Share for T.A.D.-The Angel of Death, The Reunion, and A Dragon for Christmas.

Each of the options have their pros and cons, mainly your selection of producers/narrators. The more you pay, the more options you have in selecting a producer/narrator. I believe this held up finding a producer/narrator for The Calling, NineStar Press will only do Royalty Share, so the first two options weren’t available for me.

Once you decide on how you are going to compensate your producer/narrator, you then ensure you have the rights to create the audiobook by claiming the title in ACX. If all goes well, this should be easy. However, for me I had to contact NineStar Press and have them release the books so I could claim them under my pen name.

After you claim your books, you can post your book so it becomes available for producers/narrators to view in ACX search results. This is when the fun begins, because this is when you can select what kind of person you are looking for to produce/narrate your book. There are a lot of options.

Regarding The Calling, I wanted a younger male in his early thirties. For T.A.D.-The Angel of Death, I needed a male voice actor who could sound youngish and oldish as the story crosses a lifetime. With The Reunion, I wanted a man who could sound over the top flamboyant and serious. For A Dragon for Christmas, I needed a Latinx woman who could voice a young girl and end up as a young woman. Then, with Contact-A New World Book One, I needed an actor who had a vast range in vocals who could make three unique characters come to life and give a large group of supporting characters a set of unique voices.

After you go through these first steps, you then need to upload a script for the producer/narrator to read from. This can be the first chapter of your book, but if you have multiple point-of-view characters, create something so you can hear what the actor does with your characters. I did this for Contact-A New World Book One. I pulled a chapter from near the end of the book where all three of my point-of-view characters share a scene for the actor to audition from.

Once you post the script (and any additional details about the story for the actor to help them with the narration) you wait. This is also the place where you share with the producer/narrator how you plan to market the audiobook. This information helps you find the right person and hopefully someone who will also help market the finished product.

Auditions may take time to arrive, but you can speed this process along by going searching for ACX producers/narrators and sending them a message (assuming you like their samples) to audition for you. With the auditions you receive, you decide who you want. For me, this was pretty easy. I had specific voices in mind for my characters, so I waited to find the right voice (or a voice close to what I imaged) and went from there.

With your narrator selected you make them an offer (this is all the contract information that I’m not going over), but this is where you both sign your life’s away (or at least seven years, depending on which type of production you chose, i.e. Pay for Production, Royalty Share Plus, Royalty Share, or Do It Yourself). This is also where you agree on the timeline for the audiobook.

After the contracts are agreed on, this is when you upload the story and create your chapters and sections (if you are lucky ACX can typically pull this information from the book posted on Amazon). All you’ll have to do is verify the information is correct and maybe add or delete something that is wrong or missing.

Part of the contract includes a 15-minute sample, which gives you the option to see if the producer/narrator and you agree on the performance and you like what they are doing. This is also the time when you and actor work out all the kinks in character development. I found this fun. I spent a lot of time with my narrators on the characters and the story.

Chapter reviews come next. After each chapter is uploaded by the producer/narrator, you get to review the section, ensure the work sounds good, and there are no mistakes. This is a step you do not want to skip, as I’ve found several minor mistakes not only in the narration but in the writing. Now is the time they get fixed, so the story, when being told, sounds good. This also gives you and the actor a chance to hammer out character moments and voice nuances.

Are you still with me?

We’re almost finished.

Once all the chapters are loaded, do another review of the whole audiobook to ensure it sounds the way you want and flows smoothly from chapter to chapter. This is also the time to upload your cover art. You can do this at anytime once the audiobook is under contract, so the sooner the better, because ACX has to approve the cover design. Here I made the choice to go with my current covers (to keep the branding the same) which means I needed to pay NineStar Press for the updated audiobook covers (sadly you can’t use the same format cover you already have for your eBook or paperback, plus you need to include the narrator’s name, so for me having NineStar Press do this made sense) the cost was minimal and, for me, worth it.

As you roll to the finish line, if you haven’t been already thinking about the audiobook launch, you need to. Once you and the producer/narrator complete the audio files and once you pay the producer/narrator (assuming you did Pay for Production or Royalty Share Plus) the audiobook goes to final review by ACX. This can take up to a month (or so they say). Unfortunately, you don’t get a heads up when the audiobook is released, they will send you an email letting you know the book is now live this makes planning the launch a challenge, but what I did was contact some different marketing folks and set up launches after the fact, which worked out pretty well. I also contracted several reviewers. ACX gives you promo codes you can share with reviewers, which is helpful. You get 50 promo codes (both US and UK) per title and you can get more once you sell a certain number of audiobooks.

Here are a couple of places you can get audiobook reviews, but read their policy and procedures carefully:

Free Audiobook Codes: https://freeaudiobookcodes.com/

AudioFile: https://audiofilemagazine.com/contact/

Audiobook Reviewer.com: https://www.audiobookreviewer.com/abr-services/expedited-revew-lk74b

The Audiobook Blog: https://theaudiobookblog.com/contact/

Dab of Darkness Book Reviews: https://dabofdarkness.com/about/

Audiobook Promos – For Authors & Readers of All Genres: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1014732691885069

Now that you have the audiobook finished, launched and out there, finally you get to sit back and collect the royalties. Assuming the audiobook sells, which means you need to keep up the marketing.

I hope this information helps with any questions you may have about the audiobook process. Keep in mind this isn’t everything and there are a lot more details that I didn’t dive deeper in. Overall the process, for me, has been positive and pretty cost affective. That’s it for this week. Until next time have a wonderful week.

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Banning Books in 2022?

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. In case you missed it, the month is February, and the year is 2022 and yet here we are talking about banning books in libraries and schools. What the actual heck are we doing?! Are we sure this isn’t 1822 or 1922? I understand that not all books are for everyone. I understand that we all like and enjoy reading different things. Believe it or not, there are books I don’t like. There are books I had to read that I didn’t enjoy. There are books I run across today wondering how these works of literature ever made into print. But never, and I mean ever, have I thought we should ban a book. Never! That is insane.

You want to control a population start by controlling the media. Guess what folks; books are media. And I’m not pointing a finger at one party or another. Banning Books happens on both sides of the cultural divide. People are going to say and do things we don’t like. We don’t have to agree with them and we sure don’t have to like them. However, it’s not up to us to squash them and destroy them. It’s up to us to educate them and ourselves. Listen to their concerns and fears and try, as hard as it may be, to understand them. We do not give them a pass and we sure don’t let them ban books or censor our media. Look into history and see how well that has worked out for everyone in the past.

A quote from Stephen King sums up my thoughts on the entire Book Banning perfectly:

When books are run out-of-school classrooms and libraries. I’m never much disturbed. Not as a citizen, not as a writer, not even as a schoolteacher… which I used to be.

What I tell kids is, don’t get mad, get even.

Don’t spend time waving signs or carrying petitions around the neighborhood. Instead, run, don’t walk, to the nearest non-school library or the local bookstore and get whatever it was that they banned.

Read whatever they’re trying to keep out of your eyes and your brain, because that’ exactly what you need to know.

I think what Stephen King says sums it all up perfectly, and I’m thrilled to see Maus on the New York Time’s Best-Selling list, because that shows we are voting with our wallets and sending a loud message to those who want and support censorship, aka Banning Books.

In short, don’t let them control you. Don’t get angry or protest, do what Stephen King suggests, go out, buy the book and read it, see if you agree or disagree, but the choice of what you like or don’t like should and always be with you. The Reader.

Until next time, have a great week.

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Writing Process and How Writing Works… For me Now.

Happy Wednesday Scribblers, I hope you are having a pleasant week. Over the last several weeks, I’ve been working on several writing related projects. I’ve been doing auditions for my next audiobook. I’ve been listening to a current audiobook in production. I’ve been writing a couple of different articles that have been requested of me from some different online sites. I’ve been working with my author groups on planning some events for 2022. I’ve been finalizing some new promotional pieces. And the list goes on.

It’s an odd thing when you are working on unique items and see how your time splits between them, and it got me thinking about how things were at the start.

When I first started writing, I had the luxury of sitting back and working on a single story at a time. Once that one was finished, I would move on to the next one, while I put the first story through my writing group for critics and comments. That wasn’t quite how it always worked out. Sometimes I worked on a couple of manuscripts at once, but mostly, I worked on one story at a time. Now… that’s not how things work.

As an author, now with five books, two short-stories, three audiobooks, and two anthologies out, my writing time seems to drip away. Because you have to focus on addition writing related tasks. You have to work on editing. You have to work on marketing and PR. You have to work on getting your books turned into audiobooks (which I have four, five and six on the way). You have to engage with readers, plan reading events, work with other authors to grow your community. The list goes on. Everything I mentioned in one way or the other affects my writing process. Where I could once sit down and write a couple of chapters a week. I’m lucky if I get a chapter in a week. Sometimes it takes me a couple of weeks or even a month to get a chapter finished.

I’m not complaining and I love working on my author business and brand, but I miss the days of having characters come forward and say hello and start telling me their stories. It still happens, just not as much.

Additionally, and much to my dismay, I haven’t been adding general characters to my trunk of characters for future stories, which is a shame because I love that process. If you don’t understand what I mean. There was a time when I could sit down and write general characters bios and save them for later use. When I would need a character for a story, I could go to my ‘trunk’ and pull one out for use. It was a great way to have characters ready to go when I need them.

I still have characters packed away, but not near as many as I once had, and I haven’t added any in years.

These days, I have to schedule my writing times. I have to sit down with purpose and focus… okay, who am I kidding? I still get up in the middle of the night to write. Or I’ll get up early on the weekends and pump out a few thousand words. Then sometimes all I want to do is sit and work on my writing and my current story, letting everything else fall to side.

I love these days.

In the end. I still have novels coming out. I still manage to create and write whenever I have a free moment. And my characters still come and talk to me and tell me their tales. These characters of mine continue to even play nice when they aren’t getting the attention they deserve.

I think they understand better than I do. And they are a lot more forgiving than I am as well.

Overall, my writing process has both grown and changed over the years. Do I long for how simple things were at the start. Sure. That was a time of writing innocence for me. Now I’ve grown… dare I say matured, as has my writing and my author life. Perhaps someday, when I have a catalog of books out there as long as my arm, I’ll be able to pass on some of these more mundane tasks to an assistant or marketing professional and focus solely on my writing and creating new worlds for people to visit. That would be lovely. However, until that time, as I grow and move forward, so does my writing process and how it all works itself out. I guess it all a matter of juggling, where once it was only two balls, I seem to now have five or six. Who knew I could juggle?

Until next time, have a great week.

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How and When did you know?

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. A few years back I wrote this article about my coming out and how that has affected my writing. Today, after so many years, I thought I would revisit the post and see if there is anything I want to add or change, because as we all know, time has a way of changing our perspective on life. Especially with how my journey has influenced my writing.

People ask and are curious about my coming out. I get this question a lot from my straight co-workers and friends. The query is kind of funny because if you flip the question ‘when did you know you were straight?’ it’s silly. Anyway, I don’t mind sharing my story, so here it is.

As a kid, I always understood I was different, at least on some level.

I grew up in the 80s, so yep, I’m old. Anyway, I never gave much thought to my sexual feelings or identity in middle school. Sure, I was ‘sensitive’, but I had a wonderful group of ‘nerd’ and ‘stoner’ friends, so I never suffered from any personal angst. I never understood what the big deal about girls was. Sure, they were pretty, and some were friends, but I wasn’t interested in kissing them or anything like that. I never was ‘girl crazy’ and found that I enjoyed their company and we had fun together, but I wasn’t interested in anything else. Friendship was fine with me.

Where there any girls that liked me. Maybe. I suppose there were a few girls who liked me, but honestly, I had no clue.

I wasn’t supper popular in school, but I wasn’t an outcast either. If I had to describe my school experience; you know, in the movies, you see all the kids in the background that are there and appear to be having a good time and aren’t the center of attention. That would have been me. Don’t get me wrong, I had a good time in school, so it wasn’t bad and I have some great friends who I’m still in contact with today (thank you, social media).

Anyway, I didn’t really deal with my sexual identity until my later teens and early twenties. I had a few girlfriends and even was engaged to be married, but something didn’t seem right. Again, I didn’t really know, clueless as I was, what the ‘it’ was. I found guys so much more attractive than girls, but I still thought I was ‘normal’.

Once, my engagement fell apart (her doing and not mine) that was when everything crashed in around me. I realized I had all these fake walls and barriers up. For the first time, I had to take an honest look in the mirror and accept that I spent my younger years in deep denial. At one point, I even remember my sister Dawn and I talking. She told me she thought I was homophobic, not mean or cruel or anything like that, just not as friendly or as open-minded as she thought I would be. Thinking about it now, I guess I was trying to hide who I was and didn’t want to come across as ‘gay’, which of course is stupid, because I was in fact gay. Live and learn, I guess.

As I got older, I remembered I had major crushes on guys and I denied it… hid it. I had even fooled around with a few friends, but again, these experiences were all pushed behind these walls I created, and this life I wanted to live—I needed to live in. For me, this pressure wasn’t so much from an outside source, but internal ones. No one told me to be one way or the other. Those rules and thoughts all came from me. Anyway, when all the walls crashed down, I fell to pieces. It wasn’t until I thought about killing myself that I figured something needed to change. I couldn’t be like this anymore. I had to pull myself together if I were to have a happy and healthy life.

No one realized I was going through any of this because, by my early twenties, I was amazing at hiding my drama.

I found a therapist and spent about a year going to treatment once a week. She helped me face who I was and where I needed to be. After therapy, I could come out to everyone. Keep in mind this was in the early 90s, so AIDS was still a big thing and society wasn’t nearly as open and welcoming as now. First, my friends. Then my sister. And finally, my parents.

I was lucky, very lucky, because I was my own worst enemy. Everyone in my life supported me and was there for me. And those that weren’t quickly dropped from my life. I was the hurdle. I was the one that created all my problems. I tried to make myself fit into this perfect image I had in my head.

The journey wasn’t always easy. I lost a couple of friends, made friends with some of the wrong people, and I even lost a job because of who I was, but I never blamed them, I knew I was better without them and bigger and better things were waiting for me.

I guess what this journey boils down to, for me, is that I always realized I was gay. I always understood, but I wasn’t willing to face it. Still, I never blamed society or anyone (as I said my family and friends were way more accepting than I was) and I don’t judge it as a failing of the time I grew up in, it was more what I was willing to accept. Maybe, if there were more positive gay male figures when I grew up things would have been different, I honestly don’t know, but like I said for me, it wasn’t so much the outside influences, but my internal thoughts that caused me the most trouble.

Part of what I write is to provide positive LGBTQ characters with a voice because I do agree we need more of them. My goal is to show them without this ‘queer struggle’ I want my characters to face other issues. That doesn’t mean they live in a world filled with sunshine and rainbows. They have a past, as we all do, that affects them and their lives. All my characters carry a little of me in them and their internal journey may differ from mine, but if you look into them deep enough, you will see my journey there as well. Telling honest stories with believable, imperfect queer characters is my goal. The LBGTQ thing is a part of them and not the focus. My opinion is that the more people/society can see us, all of us, and relate to us on a non-sexual identity level, the better.

I share this because people ask about my ‘gay struggle’ and how it affects my writing. My experience is unique to me and this personal journey is different for everyone. As I say, I was lucky.

There you have it, my coming out journey and how it affects my writing. I hope you got something helpful from this. Until next time, have a great week.

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December 2021 Update

Happy Wednesday Scribblers, for those of you here in the US, I hope you enjoyed the four-day weekend and had time to rest and relax. Overall, we had a quiet Thanksgiving, but we managed to put up our new Christmas Tree, decorations, and holiday lights. I can say for certain that our halls are well and fully decked. In fact, here are a couple of photos, I snapped.

As some of you may have seen, my latest audiobook, A Dragon for Christmas, is out and ready for you all to listen to and enjoy. It’s a short story with a listening time of 1-hour and 13-minutes. Amanda Vargas, who did an excellent job of bringing Carmen to life, narrates the story. Here is the blurb:

Carmen is eleven years old and wants to get her dragon. Since she was seven years old, she understood two things. One, she was going to be the strongest Dragon Keeper there ever was. The second was that she was going to marry her best friend, Mattie.

As Christmas approaches, the magical charms Carmen has to use to fight off her curse are taking a toll on her health. But that can’t stop her from taking her final test to become a Dragon Keeper. If she passes her test, she gets her dragon. If not, she has to start all over, relying on different magical charms to fight the curse for her. That is something Carmen doesn’t want to have to go through. The testing is difficult and charms make her sick. Carmen has decided that if she doesn’t get her dragon this Christmas she’s not going to go for a third attempt, even if that means she can’t marry Mattie when she grows up.

You can listen to the sample here:

You can pick up your audiobook copies at the following on-line retailers:

• Audible US: https://adbl.co/3l8kJ55

• Audible UK: https://adbl.co/3oZSir8

• iTunes: https://apple.co/3HSFXgW

• Amazon: https://amzn.to/3xrbXnJ

Also, this week I wanted to share a spot of exciting news. My novel The Called (The Calling, book #2) , get your copy here, has been uploaded to a list on Goodreads; Goodreads Choice Awards 2021. If you are on Goodreads and you’ve read The Called and feel so inclined to do so, I would love it if you voted for my books. Seeing my book break the top 100 or even the top 10 would be a wonderful Christmas present.

I still haven’t heard if The Called or TAD-The Angel of Death, get your eBook or Paperback copy here find the audiobook here, won in the Rainbow Awards this year, but I’ll keep you all posted. I have received some amazing honorable mentions, which is nice. So, fingers crossed.

I received a bit of disappointing news this weekend. A new publishing house I was hoping to try out turned my newest manuscript, Volaria, down. The news wasn’t what I had hoped for, still I will continue to move forward with the project and see if I can find a different publishing house for this piece. I hope to diversify where my books are published in hopes of building and finding a larger audience for all my works. I’m, by no means looking to leave NineStar Press. My goal is simply to help expand my current reach. Wish me luck.

Okay, that is all I have to share this week. Until next time, have a great week.

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What it’s like being an author in a small publishing house?

Happy Wednesday Scribblers, I hope you are all doing well, and for those of you here in the US I hope you are looking forward to the upcoming Thanksgiving Holiday and the mad dash to Christmas and the New Year. With the end of 2021 fast approaching, I’m looking back at my writing career to date. I have so much to be grateful for and I’ve learned so much over the past few years. I thought I would share my experience and thoughts as an author from a small publishing house.

I started my official writing career in May 2017 with my first contract from NineStar Press. Getting that first contract was such an exciting time. I couldn’t believe the news. Someone other than my family and friends believed enough in my writing to want to publish my work. I still feel that way every time I get a new contract.

At that time, I had zero knowledge about the publishing industry. So, everything that happened after that first signing started my new education. Since then I’ve signed seven more contracts, and I’ve not only worked with NineStar Press, but with ACX (for my audiobooks) and with an additional publisher for a new short story that has been picked up to be part of a new anthology (more details on the short story and anthology coming soon). Also, I’ve worked with two different author collectives to self-publish two more anthologies. With each new contract and with each new book release, I’ve learned more and more about publishing. I’ve also created a list of things I like and I don’t like about the industry.

Being part of a small publishing house, you are expected to do a lot of work, not only writing, but you have to market your books, promote your books, advertise your books, find opportunities for you to showcase your work, spend a lot of time and money to build your following…

All these new tasks are daunting.

Everyone thinks that once you sign on the dotted line with a publisher, you are set; you get to sit back, write, and collect royalties. You get to go to a few interviews, maybe a book tour, but most of your time from then on will be you doing what you love… writing. That may be the case for some authors, but not the vast majority, including myself. Yes, I suppose you could just sit back and write, but don’t expect to make any money, unless you are lucky and hit the right mix of story and audience. As a member of a small indie publishing house you have to put in the work in or your much dreamed of writing career won't go anywhere. Small houses like NineStar Press do not have the resources for huge marketing campaigns or getting you on the speaking circuit. They don’t have people who will enter you in book competitions, get you on TV, radio, YouTube, or podcasts. In order to get into any of these things, finding these opportunities is up to you. Now they might have sources and they might point you in the right direction, but all the legwork that comes from you. Some, like NineStar, may even have a contract source for a book marketing professional, but even these services can be limited.

As an example, I was looking into going to Saints and Sinners (Saints and Sinners is a LGBTQIA literary festival held in New Orleans each year). Several authors who I’ve spoken with have said is a wonderful event and worth going to if you can. Eric and I looked into going and for the three-day event we were looking at a cost of about $3,000, and there are no guarantees that I would see any kind of return on investment, other than making contacts and getting to know people (which isn’t a bad thing). Going to this event is on hold for this year.

Keep in mind that is one event, and there are many book events throughout the year. Currently, I’m looking for literary events closer to home.

Because NineStar is a small publishing house, there is no way they could cover these costs, not only for me, but for any of the authors in their catalog, nor would I expect them to. Still, it would be nice.

What’s a small publishing house to do?

The advice all authors get is to keep writing and reading, build up your backlog of books. That is the only way to get better royalties and with better royalties comes the opportunity to afford to go to literary festivals like Saints and Sinners. Another must get those reviews. Reviews equal exposure and the exposure turns into money. This is why you’ll see authors begging for readers to review their works (myself included). When it comes to reviews, remember the author is not the only one looking for reviews. There are thousands of authors out there and there are only a limited number of reviewers. Some publishers will have a list of reviewers they work with, which is helpful. NineStar is building out that list, which will be a great help. However, finding review sites and people willing to review your work is mostly up to the author.

I have a small list of reviewers that I’ve created and with whom I contact when I have a new book out. Still, those few reviews aren’t enough. You need hundreds of reviews to be a blip on anyone’s radar.

Another avenue for authors to build a following and sell books is to get their works in all the local bookstores and libraries, this again is something the author has to do on their own, yes, the publisher will ensure your books are available for bookstores and library to buy, but as for getting your books into a local bookstore, that is up to the author. I have a list of LGBTQIA book stores I email and let know when I have a new book coming out. Some have been responsive, which is wonderful. Also, I have a list of local book stores who I contact as well, in hopes they will carry my books, or better yet, let me come and do a reading.

I’ve heard in large publishing houses they have people who will do this, which is wonderful. But again, small publishing houses don’t have that kind of capacity, which is a shame.

Being part of a small publishing house is a lot of work and with each new book title, you continue to learn more and improve on what you have already learned. As a small house author, you have to build up your network of followers and build opportunities for yourselves, because no one, not even the big five publishers are going to give you a pass on selling your work. Sure, they have more resources to do more, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t involved. I’ve heard having a book agent can help (but they will take a cut of your royalties) in all areas of marketing, but getting an agent, let alone a good, well-connected agent is challenging. I know authors who are much farther down the path of their author career with several more books out than me, who still can’t find an agent. Which is a shame because these authors are amazing.

Additionally, part of my publishing journey has included the realization that I have to spend a lot of my money to hopefully accomplish my dream of becoming a well-known career author. To date, I’ve spent more than I’ve earned… that’s right… let that sink in… as of the writing of this article, I’ve yet to turn a profit. That was something I never thought would be the case. This lack of profit is also why I have my full-time job and am lucky if I can publish one to two books a year (with the pandemic it’s been more like one book a year) which I will admit is frustrating as I have books written, but they are in the queue with my publisher.

Ah, that is another thing. As a small house published author, you have to have a lot of patience because publishing has its own time schedule. You may have two, three, five, ten books ready to go, but your publisher decides when they will be edited, proofed, have cover art created, and finally when they will be released. All decisions that are out of your hands, so patience is key. Patience is also something I’ve had to learn quite a bit of and I can admit to you all that I’m not a big fan. NineStar has offered to translate my books into Spanish, which is wonderful, however; patience. I have to wait for my turn for my books to be translated. I don’t how long this will take and I can’t even be sure having my works translated will ever happen (unless I pay for the translations myself). My problem is I’m used to working in a world where deadlines are created and we live and die by them. There are no delays. The world doesn’t stop moving for one reason or another. Work still has to be done and there are still expectation and obligations that must be met. Yes, there is some of that within these small publishing houses, but their time lines and their sense of urgency differ completely from what I’m used to or, if I’m honest, had hoped for. This isn’t one publishing house, this is the industry, even the big five, from what I’ve heard.

I don’t want you to read this and think that I’m not happy with being part of a small publishing house, because I’m grateful to them for the opportunities they have given me. I’m also grateful for the education I’ve gotten when it comes to publishing. Publishing is not as easy or as glamorous as you see in movies or TV. Being a published author means you have a lot of work ahead of you and you have to learn a lot, and become a lot if you want to make writing your career.

Given all that I’ve learned and all that I continue to learn. And all the hardships (which there have been many) being an author in a small publishing house hasn’t been bad. I can say I’ve enjoyed most of it. I’ve met great people and learned a lot. I can’t wait to see where this all goes and what else I’m going to learn. What do you think being an author for a small publishing house was like? Did you think it would be like this? Or did you have some other vision? I’d love to hear what you think.

That’s all for now. Until next time, have a great week.

Writing Update – Autumn 2021

Happy Wednesday Scribblers, I hope you are all having a great week so far. Here, in California, where I live we’ve been getting this mystifying liquid falling from the sky…I believe it’s called ‘rain’. I’m glad for the change in weather and lord knows we need the water, so keep good thoughts that California will continue to get rain, cause we need it.  Also, I hope you all got to enjoy some of the silly photos I shared on Instagram about Eric my vacation. It was nice to be away, even so I spent time each day writing.

Speaking of writing, today I figured I would share my current writing updates with you, so let’s get too it.

Frist, the local writing group I belong to the Bay Area Queer Writers Association put together a charity anthology this year to benefit the Billy DeFrank LGBTQIA Community Center here in San Jose, California: BAQWA Presents: Horror Show 2021. Five writers: Wayne Goodman, Richard May, R.L. Merrill, Liz Faraim, and myself all shared two stories for this limited run anthology. All proceeds we raise will go to the DeFrank Center to help support all their amazing work. Help us, help them. Buy your copy here before it goes away for good.

Here are the blurbs for the two stories I submitted.

LandsEnd:

Prom Night. The last hurrah before college. Brandon and Ed are the chaperons for the LandsEnd High Senior Prom, hosted at the LandsEnd Yacht Club. Its a night of dreams until the ground shakes and flashes of light brighten the sky knocking out everything electrical casting the event into darkness. Cut off and alone. The adults and the students have to figure out what to do and what’s happening. Additionally, what is that strange clicking sound off in the distance that seemed to have scared off the animals.

The Old Road:

Halloween; a night of tricks and treats, but what happens when you take a stranger for a creepy night of mischief and fun? Anything can happen on Halloween, even the unimaginable.

Conspiracy-A New World (Book 3)

I know I’ve been talking about this book for a long time now. When will this new book come out? I still don’t know. However, the publishing process has been slow thanks to some changes at my publishing house and to the ongoing pandemic. That said, the book is with my Editor so I’m waiting to get the edits from her, then hopefully we can get this book out. I can’t wait for this next installment to reach the world. 

Volaria

I’m happy to report, that as of this weekend I have finished all the editing I received from my Beta Readers and I love all the changes. I think these edits really improve the story. I still need to decide the next steps for this manuscript, send it to my current publishing house, or branch out and diversify to other publishers. There is a lot to think about. To get you in the mood for this new story here is the blurb and a graphic I created that gives a feel for the story.

The Blurb:

It’s been over a hundred years since the Earth went through The Shift. Where once almost eight billion humans lived, the population now holds at four billion. But that wasn’t the only change. Humans are no longer alone; they have been joined by Arcanes, Lycans, and Vampires. At first these new groups were thought of as genetic anomalies caused by the shift, something to be cured, but later scientists discovered that each new generation of human born would produce these new variances at the onset of puberty. Finally, the new species of man were welcomed. No longer studied or treated as outcasts by most, people accepted these new humans and they integrated into society. This allowed the UN Government to focus again on the Moon and on Mars, ensuring the survival of all, as humankind became a multi-planet species.

Tobin Corsian lives in a newly reopened district of San Jose, California, where his family’s old home stood. He lives there with his friend Mikel, a Lycan, and his dog Begger. Instead of making his mandatory monthly blood donation at the government blood bank for the vampire community, Tobin decides, with the help of his therapist, to visit Bitter, a vampire spa. The spa allows vampires to feed from humans directly while providing spa and sexual services, granting the donor a three-month reprieve from their mandatory donations. However, permitting a vampire to feed from you comes with risks, shared memories among them. Tobin’s encounter at Bitter opens a window to his past and an experience he had as a child on the moon. Questions abound as he tries to unravel his past and make sense of his life.

Other writing projects.

As with all things there are still more fires burning. I have three new stories that I’ve been pecking away at, some of these stories are farther along then others and as they progress I’ll be sharing more information with you.

Don’t forget, if you aren’t signed up for my quarterly newsletter do so this month for your chance to win all of my current Audiobooks (T.A.D.-The Angel of Death, The Reunion, and A Dragon for Christmas). Sign up here. Don’t miss out!

Well, there you have it, my autumn writing update. As you can see, there is a lot happening, and progress is being made. I’m excited to get both Conspiracy and Volaria out for you to soak up and enjoy.

Until next time, have a great week.

Why Authors Write

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked why I write. This question comes up so often that I’ve been thinking about why I write a lot lately. Authors spend hours alone writing. They miss out on a great many things in order to create stories for the world to enjoy. Literature (either fiction or non-fiction) is often, these days, seen as a commodity, something to be consumed and moved on from. This is not the case for other artforms. Writing and by extension writers are only as good as their last story and if you don’t have something shiny and to give consumers, they will find something else and move on, forgetting all about you and your works.

Obviously, this isn’t the case for all writers, some authors move on to be legends, were their works are taught in schools and studied in university. But for a vast majority of writers (as I would assume would be the same with other artists) few reach any kind of acclaim. Most authors barely make back their advance (assuming they received one) According to Indeed (March 2021) a fiction writer can make anywhere from $15,080 to $127,816 per year, depending on experience, the writing subject matter, contract terms and book sales.

That doesn’t sound too bad, right?

Well, I can assure you these number do not reflect reality. Not for me or any of the authors I’m familiar with. Few authors make a living off their writing most, if not all, have full-time or part-time jobs to put bread on the table. Some have a spouse that supports them and their writing dreams. Can an author make a decent living? Sure. Will it happen? If the stars align and the writer gets lucky; perhaps.

Why am I sharing all this with you?

Well, I decided to ask authors from all over the globe who write in many different genres; why they write. Here is what they said:

• Richard May (United States) – I write because I want to communicate to the reader they are worth loving. I want to show them it’s possible anywhere, anytime.

• R.L. Merrill (United States) - I write to bring people hope and make this world a better place. I write to honor the people I’ve crossed paths with in my life who have faced and overcome life-changing obstacles. And I write for myself, to help me continue learning and to find peace in my chaotic brain.

• Glenn Quigley (Northern Ireland) - I've always created art. Whether it's through paint, or pencils, or pastels, I've always felt the urge to create. Writing allows me to do that in unique and engaging ways. It lets me create whole worlds in a few lines. As an artist, what could be better?

• Jonathan Pongratz (United States) - I write because I want to share the dark stories that pop into my head with the world. I love to take an idea that may seem like it's been done before and corrupt it until it's something completely different, something harrowing and terrifying that keeps people at the edge of their seats. Sometimes the monsters win, and sometimes we're the real monsters.

• K.S. Trenten (United States) - I write because I live for story. I don’t just want to experience them as a viewer or reader. I want to create them, weave tales of my own, inspire the kind of wonder in others stories inspire in me.

• Randall Krzak (Scotland) - It wasn't until I was getting ready for early retirement when a longtime work colleague and friend suggested I try writing a novel. I had never thought of doing this, but I thought, why not? So I gave it a shot. He was right--it appears I have some semblance of ability in creating imaginary plots, although I do include as much realism as possible.

• Hans M Hirschi (Sweden) - Why do I write? I think it’s because I have no say in the matter. I kind of have to. Plus, I’ve always missed the kind of stories I write when I was a “mere” reader, the mundane, ordinary people who just so happened to be like me and my family.

• J. Scott Coatsworth (United States) - I write because I have to. Because there are stories inside me that want to come out. Because I am happier when I am writing and feel sad when I’m not. And because I read Lord of the Rings in third grade and said “I want to do that.”

• Kevin Klehr (Australia)- I write because it's one of my favorite ways to express myself, sharing personal stories and the wisdom of friends obscured with speculative fiction. I also find it therapeutic, sorting through my life both past and present, reliving entertaining moments while resolving dramas with the help of my alter egos.

• Barbara Russell (New Zealand) - I'm afraid I don't have a beautiful reason. I write because I like it.

• Tim Walker (England) - I write about things that interest me, but as fiction. I've written historical fiction stories that reflect my interest in certain sites I've visited and periods, and a children's book series with my daughter, based on her interests and ideas. Structuring a story is a fun thing to do and it never ceases to amaze me how a story can take on a life of its own and lead me in unexpected directions.

• Jane Jago (England) - I write because I don’t know how not to. It’s as natural as breathing.

• Margena Holmes (United States) - I write because I have stories to tell and like Jane, I don't know how NOT to write (I've tried). I love creating worlds (even within our own) and telling the story.

• W.C Quick (United States) - I write what I have always enjoyed reading, fantasy and science fiction. I prefer character driven stories, alternate reality fantasy and apocalyptic Sci-Fi with compassion and humor.

• Aryl Arthur Shanti (United States) - I write because it's cheaper than therapy.

• Becca Jones (United Kingdom) - I write because my head is full of stories, and I need somewhere to put them! I write all different formats, from novels to film scripts, and I love finding the best way to tell a tale. World building and character development is my favorite parts of the craft.

• J.P. Jackson (Canada) - I write stories in order to explore my darker nature. Writing allows me to create fantasies where anything and everything can happen, and I get to choose whether or not the cops are involved.

• Wayne Goodman (United States) - I like to tell stories, and, hopefully, stories that other people will find of interest.

As for me, I write because there are stories in me that need to be told. Stories that I didn’t get to read as a youth. I wanted to see myself in the stories I read, so I write. I hope with each story that people out there will find them and enjoy them seeing life from a different perspective and hopefully that new level of perspective will help to make the world a better place.

You can see, there are as many reasons for an author to write as there are authors. The important thing to take away here is that authors write for the love of the craft. So, when you pick up your favorite book, or when you wonder why an author is taking so long to come out with the next book in their series, remember they are creating a piece of art, something for the world to enjoy, and they are putting out a part of their soul for the world to view. Always try and show the authors you enjoy some love, be it a review, letting your friends and family know about their work, or simply sending the author a note letting them know that the story they created mattered to you.

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Coming Soon – BAQWA Presents: Horror Show 2021

Are you all getting in the mood for the spooky season now upon us? I hope so. Today I’m thrilled to share that the local writing group I belong to, the Bay Area Queer Writers Association (BAQWA) is putting out our first anthology: BAQWA Presents: Horror Show 2021. This is a follow up to last year’s highly successful Bay Area Queer Writers Association - Halloween Radio Hour 2020. If you haven’t listened to last year’s creepy story time, give the radio show a listen here.

This year we have ten stories written by five of our authors: Wayne Goodman, M.D. Neu, Richard May, Liz Faraim, and R.L. Merrill. We wrote each story to give you a delightful fright. Also, this year, all proceeds from the book will be donated to the Billy DeFrank Center in San Jose, CA. We are excited to help support this wonderful center here in the heart of Silicon Valley.

To give you a little tease as to what to expect in the anthology, here are the two blurbs for my two stories:

LandsEnd:

Prom Night. The last hurrah before college. Brandon and Ed are the chaperons for the Land’s High Senior Prom, hosted at the Land’s End Yacht Club. Its a night of dreams until the ground shakes and flashes of light brighten the sky knocking out everything electrical casting the event into darkness. Cut off and alone. The adults and the students have to figure out what to do and what’s happening. Additionally, what is that strange clicking sound off in the distance that seemed to scare off the animals.

The Old Road:

Halloween; a night of tricks and treats, but what happens when you take a stranger for a creepy night of mischief and fun? Anything can happen on Halloween, even the unimaginable.

Find out more about the anthology here and you can pick up your copy here.

Find out more about BAQWA and our authors here.

Want to learn more about the Billy DeFrank Center click here.

Well, that is all for this week. Keep an eye out for more details about BAQWA Presents: Horror Show 2021. I hope you have a wonderful day and see you next time.

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What I Look for When I’m Judging Books for Book Awards.

Happy Wednesday everyone. I hope your week is going well. Over the past several years, I’ve been a book judge for multiple contests and believe me, I’ve read some outstanding books, sadly I’ve also read some not so great novels. Based on this experience, let me share with you what I look for when I’m judging books for a contest (this is completely different from reading for pleasure or even research).

To start, each book competition will have their own criteria for judging book entries. So, my suggestions and comments will be more general, to help you win awards and ensure you are presenting your best possible work.

Categories. This seems simple, but honestly, putting your book in the wrong category is the biggest no-no I can give you. When you enter your novel in an award contest, make sure you submit your book to the correct category. For an example, if you write erotica. Enter your erotica book in an erotica category. Don’t fool yourself into thinking you can enter the novel in Romance or, say, Sci-Fi, or Fantasy, or any other category (unless there is a sub-category for erotic stories like: Erotica-Fantasy). That is the quickest way for me, as a judge, to give you low marks. There are categories for a reason, so please do this for all your novels. If I’m planning on evaluating a fantasy story and you entered your Sci-Fi story in the fantasy section, I will not be a happy judge and you will end up with low marks.

My advice: check the category, recheck your story, ask a friend if they think your book belongs in the category you want to enter. If there are no categories that fit your book, then find another competition for your work. There are plenty or book competitions each year. Basically, don’t be lazy.

Editing. Okay, here’s the thing, we all make editing mistakes. If you have been a long-time reader of this blog, you know by now; spelling, grammar, and punctuation are a major hurdle in my writing. Believe it or not, each blog post has been edited and I use editing software to help catch mistakes. Still, there are major editing mistakes all over this blog (for me my blog is casual writing so I don’t sweat these mistakes too much). Errors happen and that’s fine, but if I’m reading your book for a competition and you didn’t take the time to have your manuscript edited (and this means professionally edited) then I’m going to nail you for that when I judge your book. If I can find mistakes in your work, then you clearly did not do any editing, and that is a big issue.

My advice: Self-publishing or traditional publishing or highbred… editing is key. Nothing will be 100% but do everything you can to ensure your product (yes, your book is a product and a piece of art) is as polished as possible. I may be more forgiving if you are self-published, but I will not give you a pass. And if your work is traditionally published, I’m really not going to give any slack. Basically, there is no excuse for sloppy work. Plus, you can find professional editors on line, always ask to see a sample of their work and ask them to provide you a sample edit of your work (one page or 500 words seems reasonable).

Novels, Novellas, and Short Stories. Know the difference. Pay attention to the length of your story. Novels are 50k words to 100k words, or 200 to 400 manuscript pages. Novellas range from 17,500 words to 40k words, or about 100 to 200 manuscript pages. Short Story length is always between 1,000 and 10,000 words, or roughly 3 to 30 manuscript pages. Why this is important is because as a judge I have certain expectation, if I’m reading Sci-Fi, mystery, fantasy, or urban fantasy stories I’m planning on something close to 100k words, if I’m reading romance I’m good with 50k – 70k words. I don’t want to read a Sci-Fi story that is only 10k words, unless I know ahead of time it’s a short story (which should be its own category). Submitting a short story or novella in a category that is clearly meant for longer books is a fast way to receive low marks.

There is nothing wrong with novellas and short stories. In fact, I love them, but they need to be entered in the correct categories and it’s up to the author to ensure that is the case.

My advice: Make sure you know what you are entering and what the expectations are. If you wrote a beautiful short story, enter your work in a short story contest, don’t enter the book in a category where you are up against full-length novels, chances are you won’t win. If the competition you want to enter doesn’t have a short story category, then look for another contest (there are plenty out there). You can also check in with the folks running the contest and see if they will add a short story category. They might not, but asking doesn’t hurt.

Write your story. There is nothing worse than reading a story that has been written solely for the mass market, but wants to be put up against other works that were created to tell a unique and different story. There is nothing wrong with mass market stories (again, I love them and I’ve judged several) and many of them are well worth an award. But if you’re writing a book for market, enter that novel in a contest designed for mass market books (there are several). Not all authors write the same thing, and many authors write stories reflecting their lives and their experiences. These works, in my opinion, are held to a different caliber in my mind, especially when I’m judging said works. We know the difference between a mass market book and something else, and I can assure you mass market books are judged differently and often much harder.

I don’t want to read about generic and interchangeable characters having generic and interchangeable stories. I want to read your story, something you created out of love. Mass market novels up against other works will get you nothing but low scores from me.

My advice: There are so many competitions out there why spam one contest with your work. If you write for market great, but maybe when looking for book award contests, find appropriate contests to enter. Personally, own voice stories rate and score so much better when I judge. Also, ask your friends, ask your publisher, ask your editor if they think your book would be a good entry for the competition you want to enter.

Know your audience: This is so important. If you write, as I do, LGBTQIA books, make sure you enter your queer fiction books in the correct contests. And conversely, if you write other types of stories, make sure you have entered your novel in the write category, don’t count on the contest organizers to sort this out. Many times, the organizers will kick back your book, or worse, enter the novel and let it fail. Yes, I’ve seen both. So, don’t risk putting your book in the wrong place.

My advice: Simple, pay attention to what you enter and don’t set yourself up to fail. Don’t rely on the contest organizers either, because they are busy and may miss something (it happens). As I’ve said, there are hundreds of book competitions out there. You can find the right fit for you and your masterpiece.

Here are a few lists of contests to look at (2021):

Reedsy. Click here.

The Novel Factory. Click here.

For LGBTQ books, do a Google search for: LGBTQ book competitions

Wrapping this up. Keep in mind there are no right or wrongs when you write your story, but there are a lot of do’s and don’ts when it comes to a book award competition. Everyone believes their book is an award winner, and that may be the case, but if you want to save yourself a world of hurt (and plenty of money in entry fees) pay attention to what contest you enter. The most important piece of advice I can give you, and I hope you will take it to heart, is the ‘editing’. Nothing will do your work more harm than sloppy editing. Yes, professional editing isn’t cheap, however, you and your book are worth the investment. Good luck with your writing and your next book contest. I hope this information is helpful.

Well, that is all for this week. I hope you have a wonderful day and see you next time.

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NineStar Press

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. I realized this week that I talk a lot about writing and the writing process, but I have spoken little about the publishing house that publishes a majority of my novels. Today I want to talk about my publisher, NineStar Press.

About NineStar Press (taken from their webpage):

Count the first nine stars you see on nine consecutive nights, and on the tenth day, you will find your love…

Welcome to NineStar Press. We’re a boutique publisher of quality LGBTQA romance, erotica, and literary fiction, and we’re located in New Mexico, USA.

NineStar Press is an LGBTQA publisher owned and managed by LGBTQA people. We adore romance and erotic romance, but we also have an enormous interest in showcasing amazing literary works about characters less represented in fiction: ace, aro, trans, nonbinary, genderfluid, bi, pan, etc. We also like genre-bending fiction, fusion genre, and stories that don’t quite fit into a particular category.

This is who they are and what they are about. But there is so much more to this publisher than the above. Here is my story:

I can’t say for sure if I found NineStar Press, or if they found me. I had submitted my debut novel, The Calling, to NineStar back in 2017. As I had submitted this story to several publishers with little success, I figured not much would happen, but as with all authors, I kept trying. As it would happen, NineStar Press had recently picked up one of my good friends and now fellow author. He sent me a note asking if I have submitted anything to them as they were looking for additional works. I told him I had. And he said he would let his editor know. No promises, of course.

As luck would have it, his editor liked my manuscript, and I received my first contract with NineStar Press. I still remember that day as Eric and I were driving home from Southern California.

That is how I got into NineStar Press, but that isn’t why I’m still with them.

NineStar Press is a small publishing house with hundreds of authors and if I were to guess thousands of books, still that doesn’t take away from the quality work they do. Each manuscript goes through several rounds of editing and proofreading to ensure the work is as good of a story as the novel can be (sure you may find the odd typo here and there, but even the big publishing houses have that happen). You also get to work with some of the best cover artists around. I’m not joking. Check out the work of both Natasha Snow Designs and Sweet ‘N Spicy Designs they are both incredible and their covers have won many awards.

One of the other benefits of working with NineStar Press is that they have a Marketing and Promotions contract with IndiGo Marketing & Design who can assist all the authors with launching services (at a discount) as well as additional marketing material designs and collateral. This is especially helpful, if you are like me and don’t have a strong graphics design skill set.

Even though NineStar Press is a small publishing house, they do offer additional publishing services. They can assist you in getting your book(s) turned into audiobooks and recently they are working with a Spanish Translator to get their authors books translated into Spanish.

All of these services take time and nothing happens overnight (as I mentioned, they are a small publishing house) but it’s good to know that NineStar Press offers several of the same services as the large publishing houses. As authors we are always looking for ways to make our jobs easier, so all the efforts NineStar Press takes in that direction are greatly appreciated.

One of my favorite things about NineStar Press is that when I have a question or concern, they are there to respond and answer my questions and assist me when they can. Obviously they can’t do everything or make miracles happens but I appreciate all the work they do for me (and for my fellow authors).

Also, NineStar Press isn’t only all about their authors, they are also all about their readers. If you preorder your books through the NineStar Press website, you will typically get the book a couple days early, which is amazing! They also have a rewards program where you receive points for leaving reviews and buying books. These points can be used to receive discounts on other books, which is a great perk especially since the points save you money when you buy direct from the publisher.

Are there other publishing houses out there? Yep. Will I possibly submit future stories to these other publishing housing? Perhaps, however, as for my current plans, I’m thrilled to call NineStar Press my publisher and I’m excited about what’s coming next. If you want to learn more about NineStar Press, including their submission guidelines, find out more here.

These are a few of the amazing authors who have books published by NineStar Press and are authors you should check out. Click on their name to learn more:

Liz Faraim – Contemporary Fiction Author

J.P. Jackson – Urban Fantasy and Horror Author

Glenn Quigley – Historical Fiction Author

Valentine Wheeler – Contemporary Fiction Author

Ava Kelly – Fantasy Author

B. Rourke – Romance Author

SA Collins – Fantasy and Contemporary Fiction Author

Matt Doyle – Speculative Fiction Author

L.A. Ashton – Fiction Author

Kay Doherty – Romance Author

Andrew J. Peters – Romance Author

Casey Wolfe – Urban Fantasy Author

Schuyler L’Roux – Romance Author

Damian Serbu – Urban Fantasy Author

Sarah Elkins – Horror/Thriller Author

K.S. Trenten – Fantasy Author

Sara Codair – Young Adult Author

Riina Y.T. – Romance Author

Todd Smith – Contemporary Author

Gillian St. Kevern – Contemporary and Urban Fantasy

That’s all for today. Until next time have a great week.

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50 Amazon Reviews

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. Today I wanted to ask for your help. I’m trying to increase the number of reviews my books have on Amazon. Believe it or not, 50 reviews is a magic number for Amazon. But before I jump into that let me share a little something about book reviews and why they are so important.

Why are reviews so important to authors?

Many people believe that reviews for books (and reviews in general are not important or that no one actually cares about what you think of a product). That isn’t the case.

When you write a review, you are helping others to decide if a product, or in my case my books, are something they will be interested in. They get to hear from someone other than the author or the publisher. They may not know you, but because you took the time to sit down and take a few minutes to talk about a product, they might buy they will trust you, because you are a non-interested party. You have nothing to gain or lose by leaving the review.

Leaving reviews provides honest feedback. For good or for ill, your voice matters. Research shows that people are more likely to write a review when they’ve had an ‘extreme’ experience (negative or positive). In these moments you can take the time to provide suggestions or feedback you get to say what you loved or didn’t like and ways to improve it. That said, we shouldn’t only write reviews when we feel strongly. We should take this time to share our thoughts no matter what, because if the feedback is constructive they will appreciate the review.

Think of a review as giving the product or author some love (sometimes tough love). We all want to know if our art is enjoyed, respected and appreciated. Sometimes what we’ve created hits the mark. So, let us know. Sometimes our works are way off base. Letting us know that too is important and shows you care. The only way for us to learn what works and what doesn’t is by our reviews. The more reviews we have, the better understanding we have as to what our fans and readers want from us.

Last, when you leave a review for a product (even a lukewarm review) you help get the products noticed given the work a chance to be seen by more people, and hopefully enjoyed by more people.

Now, why 50 reviews on Amazon? Here’s the thing with Amazon they are huge and they use logarithms to promote items, in order for these logarithms to kick in books need at least 50 reviews (click here for the article from HuffPost). What I’m asking is that, if you have read any of my books, please leave a review on Amazon even if you don’t want to give my books 5-stars. The process is straightforward and makes an enormous difference. Book reviews on Amazon are essential to building my brand as an author. The more reviews my books get on Amazon, the more people potential readers will see them.

I can’t stress who important leaving a review is, so I hope you will take a minute and help me out.

To assist you in leaving a review, here is a link to each of my books. First you will need to be signed into your Amazon account. Then all you have to do is scroll down and click on ‘write a customer review’ (the button will be under the ‘Customer Reviews’ in gray). Once there, simple leave a review, save the review and you are finished. Here are the links:

A More Perfect Union click here.

Contact (A New World Book 1) click here.

Conviction (A New World Book 2) click here.

The Calling click here.

The Called (The Calling Book 2) click here.

T.A.D. (The Angel of Death) click here.

A Dragon for Christmas click here.

The Reunion click here.

I can’t offer any incentives to you for providing a review, but perhaps I will come up with a special offer in my winder newsletter if all my books each have 50 or more reviews. Also, you don’t have to write an actual review you can rate the book (give the novel stars 1–5) so that makes the reviewing process even easier. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking a moment to help me reach at least 50 reviews for each of my books. One more nugget about your reviews, they help me market my books, I will often pull customer reviews and use them as part of my marketing. I often create graphics along with the reviews, so by leaving a review you are a major part of my marketing effort, which is kind of cool.

One last note, for you this week. If you haven’t seen the news, this month Smashwords is offering 50% off on all my e-books. This is a great deal that you don’t want to miss out on, especially if you are short on cash and still need some summer reading and are missing a couple of my books. Find all my novels here.

Until next time, have a great week.

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Writing Update - Summer 2021

Happy Wednesday Scribblers, for those suffering from the heatwave, I hope you are all making it through and staying safe. Today I wanted to share a quick writing update with you all, especially since I haven’t done one in a while.

What’s new and exciting? Well, this week I’ve been working on editing up Conspiracy-A New World Book 3. The novel has been under contract with NineStar Press since July 2020, but with the pandemic and everything else going on, I’m getting back to the novel and hopefully the book should come out later this year (fingers crossed). Here is the blurb for Conspiracy to wet your appetite:

A little blue world, the third planet from the sun. It’s home to 7 billion people with all manner of faiths, beliefs and customs, divided by bigotry and misunderstanding, who have been told they are not alone in the universe. Anyone watching from the outside would pass by this fractured and tumultuous world, unless they had no other choice.

It’s been a little over a year since Todd Landon’s life has been changed by the arrival of the nentraee. Continuing his duties as Special Envoy for Terran Affairs, Todd is finally feeling at home with the aliens; gaining more responsibility and influence with both races. Plans are underway for two Interplanetary spaceports and additional solar exploration. It’s an exciting time for both the humans and the nentraee.

Not everything is as it seems. Speaker General Mirtoff and Vice-Speaker Mi’ko of the nentraee are worried that Liberi Dei plot more terrorist attacks and may have inside help. Threats are clear, but who can they trust? Is it possible Todd is helping them unknowingly or worse covertly? Will these new space endeavors continue to bring the human and the nentraee together or will a conspiracy hiding in the shadows fracture an already shaky alliance?

That is the blurb for the book. As I’ve been going through the work, I’ve gotten more and more excited for people to get their hands on this next installment and see what is happening with our cast of characters. Keep your eyes posted as I’ll be sharing more information as we get close to launch day.

Also, on the burners I have finished Volaria. This book is my vampire, lycan, witch, and space mash up. The story was a lot of fun to put together and I love the characters. Currently, I’ve finished writing the book, and will send the story off to my Beta Readers for them to go through and provide feedback. Once I’ve finished with the Beta reads, I’ll be deciding how I want to release the book. There are a lot of publishing options and with this novel I may explore those options and see where they take me.

Here is a teaser for Volaria:

Tobin lives in a newly reopened district of San Jose, California. Instead of making his mandatory monthly blood donation for the vampire community, he visits Bitter, a vampire spa. The spa allows vampires to feed from humans directly. However, permitting a vampire to feed from you comes with risks, shared memories among them. Tobin’s encounter opens a window to his past and an experience he had as a child on the moon. Questions abound as he tries to unravel his past and make sense of his life.

I haven’t limited my writing to these two books. I’ve also put together two short stories: LandsEnd and The Old Road. Both stories have a creepy vibe to them, which has been fun to create. However, I’m not sure where these stories will end up. They are both finished and currently waiting for me to decide what to do with them. We’ll see. No teasers for these, since I’m not sure what will happen with them, but keep your eyes posted as you never know where they may end up.

Also, I’ve worked on some flash fiction. This isn’t typically in my wheelhouse, but I wanted to give it a go. I’m happy with how both works turned out and they hold a lot of meaning for me, but again, I’m not sure where they will land or what I will do with them.

Well, there you have it, my summer writing update. As you can see, there is a lot happening, especially with the two finished novels. I’m excited to get both works out for you, for you to soak up and enjoy.

Until next time, have a great week.

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The Called – Cover Reveal

Happy Wednesday Scribblers, I hope your week is going well and you are all doing what you need to, to stay safe and be well. Today I present to you, the new cover for The Called. I’m thrilled with how beautiful the cover turned out, and like with the cover to The Calling, this cover holds insight into the story.

I hope you love it as much as I do. The planned release day April 19th it is however, up for preorder over on Ninestar Press (find the book here) if you preorder there you can get the book on April 16th. Buy links will be available soon, however, once released you will be able to buy it everywhere you buy your books. If possible, I encourage you to go to your local bookstore and ask for it, given the year everyone has had, I know local stores really appreciate our business.

Welcome to the Immortal Community where nothing is as it seems.

Here is the blurb for The Called:

The world is changing quickly for Chris now that he’s part of the Immortal Community. With the events of his past finally behind him, he’s still having visions and true magic is gradually taking hold in our world. There are new challenges that the Immortals must face, but Chris is still new and has no real standing in the immortal community. Learning that nothing in the Immortal community is what Chris thought and now having to face new threats, how will his new world unfold? Old enemies must work together and longtime friends may not be trustworthy. Who is lurking in the shadows? Why are they here? What does this mean for witches, immortals and humans?

Can Chris’ visions even be trusted given recent events, and how easily his mind is manipulated? With Juliet, Amanda, and Kirtus by his side they have to prevent the immortal and witch community from being exposed. Can they trust the local witches that are there to assist them? Can they trust their fellow Immortals? New friendships are made, and longtime alliances are called into question. How will The Called defeat these latest threats, and what does it mean for our world?

That’s it for this week. Please consider sharing this post on your social media sites, it really does help to get the word out, as does clicking on this little heart below. Until next time have a great week.

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Am I doing too much, or not enough?

Happy Wednesday Scribblers, here we are another week into 2021 and these last two months feel so 2020, but you know what we are making progress and things are getting better. We need to keep our spirits up because we’ve got this. Look how far we’ve come and what we have already survived. Now if you recall, last week I shared with you some announcements (click here for the blog post) and that got me thinking. Am I doing too much, or not enough? I really don’t know.

This last week I was a guest on WROTE Podcast, if you haven’t checked out the interview here it is for you to listen to, and really you need to listen to it.  We had a blast. However, Baz asked me a question that stopped me dead in my tracts; when do you sleep?

For a second, I froze, I didn’t realize until that moment how much I’ve been doing.  Let me break it down here, so you have some context:

• I work full-time, Monday -Friday 7:30am – 4:30pm (that’s my day job)

• I write part-time. Currently I have the following: The Called will be launching April 2021. I have Conspiracy-A New World, Book 3 with my Editor. I’m in various stages of three different works in progress: A Sci-Fi/Urban Fantasy mashup (55,000 words or 205 pages), an Alternate World Urban Fantasy (8,000 words or 33 pages), and an alternate world story (nothing written yet, but characters and story ideas laid out and set to paper).

• I’m currently involved with two virtual cons; Rainbow Space Magic(RSM) happening March 12th – March 14th, which is an LGBTQIA Sci-Fi and Fantasy Con for readers and authors, check out the information here. IQARUS Book Con is a conference that features all kinds of genres of books and is open to anyone who wants to learn more about great authors, books and writing (happening May 8th) find out more here.

• Then I’m part of a writers group Bay Area Queer Writers Association (BAQWA) that meets once a month, and we host virtual readings and other book related activities. You can find the group here on Facebook.

• And for my writing, I manage my website and blog, a Twitter account, a Facebook Page, an Instagram account and now my YouTube channel.  All of which take time to provide and create content for.

• This doesn’t include any other virtual events (or public events when aloud)

So, yes there is a lot going on, and yes, I’m busy. But here is the rub, what does all this translate to, honestly, not much. If I’m being completely honest, book sales are stalled out and a lot of the time I feel like I’m spinning my wheels; not getting anywhere.

Another author buddy of mine, commented, “with all you’re doing, your book sales should be through the roof.” My response was, “not so much.”

I guess, what this got me thinking is that maybe I’m not doing the right things. Maybe, I’m spreading myself too thin. I’m not sure. All the books and videos I’ve read and watched about being an author and engaging with people say to make it easy for people to find you, to engage with readers where they are. Well, my audience is everywhere. Readers have found me from all the places I’ve mentioned.

What do you think? Am I doing too much? Or, not enough. Do you have suggestions or ideas? Of everything I mentioned above what resonates with you? Do you enjoy the book readings I post on YouTube? Do you enjoy my blogs? What about the content I share on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook? Would you rather I not do any of that and focus on pumping more stories out, keeping in mind that I’m at the will of my publisher so even if I wrote a new story every six months the books are still going to take a year or more to publish.

I will admit, I get tired and I seem to be going every day. In fact, today, I have two zoom meetings, one about RSM and the other my BAQWA group. Then tomorrow I have a meeting with the folks who are working on IQARUSBookCon. However, on the flip side I know several other authors who do way more than I do. They are amazing. These authors pump out the books, engage everyone on social media, have huge followings which leads to great sales. They are incredible and that would be an excellent goal to have.

I do want to make one thing clear, I’m not trying to complain or whine, well maybe a little, I understand how blessed I am. I only want my books to be read and enjoyed. I want to know that there are people out there who love my work as much as I do. I really don’t do all this for me (well I write the stories for me). I do all the social media, the events, cons, etc. for you and to help others like you find my novels, so everyone can, hopefully, enjoy the works and see themselves reflected in the stories. After all, everyone wants to be seen and heard. And we all want to be the hero of our own story.

There you have it, Scribblers, that is my writing world in a nut shell this week. Thank you for taking the time to read this and to continue to support me. I’m curious, what do you think about all this? Let me know in the comments below. Please consider sharing this post on your social media sites, it really does help, as does clicking on this little heart below. Until next time have a great week.

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Writing Update and Book Announcement – The Called

Happy Wednesday Scribblers, I hope you all had a great Valentine’s Day and President’s Day. Reminder if you can get the vaccine please get it. In the mean time I hope you are wearing your mask, washing your hands, practicing your social distancing, and more importantly staying safe. I have been so encouraged hearing that the US has passed the 50 million vaccine mark and that hospitalization are going down. There is still a long road ahead of us, but we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

Enough about that. Today I wanted to share my book announcement and a couple of writing updates.

Like the title says, The Called is on it’s way. This is the sequel to my internationally award-winning debut novel The Calling. The Called is schedule to be released on April 19th and I can’t wait.  Here is the blurb from the book… so spoilers if you haven’t read the first book The Calling (and why haven’t you read The Calling yet? You really need to, buy your copy here or get your signed copy here.):

The world is changing quickly for Chris now that he’s part of the Immortal Community. With the events of his past finally behind him, he’s still having visions and true magic is gradually taking hold in our world. There are new challenges that the Immortals must face, but Chris is still new and has no real standing in the immortal community. Learning that nothing in the Immortal community is what Chris thought and now having to face new threats, how will his new world unfold? Old enemies must work together and longtime friends may not be trustworthy. Who is lurking in the shadows? Why are they here? What does this mean for witches, immortals and humans?

Can Chris’ visions even be trusted given recent events, and how easily his mind is manipulated? With Juliet, Amanda, and Kirtus by his side they have to prevent the immortal and witch community from being exposed. Can they trust the local witches that are there to assist them? Can they trust their fellow Immortals? New friendships are made, and longtime alliances are called into question. How will The Called defeat these latest threats, and what does it mean for our world?

This story is going to pick up right at the end of book one. In fact, the last chapter of The Calling, is the first chapter of The Called (Find out more about both books here). So, there will be no time jump. I’m proud of this duology and I can’t wait for folks to be able to pick up their own copy and enjoy. Also, in The Called we are going to expand on some popular characters from The Calling and introduce some fantastic new characters in The Called, which I’m thrilled to finally add into the story.

Here is a beautiful graphic that will give you an idea of the feel of The Called :

Also, as I hope many of you have seen by now I’ve been working on my YouTube channel, click here. I’ve been cleaning up the channel, making it more user friendly, organizing it, updating content, and adding the various engagements I’ve had: including appearances on OUTLook Video, LocalLit 2020 as well as some other fun readings and events that I’m able to share.

To celebrate my revamped channel, I’ve set up a challenge, if I can get 250 subscribers (clearly a lofty goal) by April 19th I have something really fun planned. The surprise will coincide with the launch of The Called. Help me spread the word and meet this goal.  I know with all your help and support we can reach 250. In the meantime, I’m going to be adding more readings and other content to my channel so I hope you will follow me there, plus you get to see me in my natural habitat, my home.

As a reminder on March 12th – 14th I will be participating at the Rainbow Space Magic Conference. This three-day virtual event is packed full of great content for readers, writers, and anyone who loves books. Learn more about it here.

Also, on May 8th I and several other amazing authors will be holding the first ever virtual IQARUS Book Con. This international event is open to everyone. We will have panel discussions about writing, marketing/social media, podcasts, vlogging, editing, etc. Also, we will host both live and video readings from authors of romance, horror, sci-fi, contemporary, all sorts of genres, so there is something for everyone. Check it out here.

Well, Scribblers, that’s all for this week. If you want to learn more about what I have coming up next check out my events page here. I love hearing from folks so please drop me a line in the comments below. Please consider sharing this post on your social media sites, it really does help, as does clicking on this little heart below. Until next time have a great week.

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Tips for Getting Online Sites to Publish Your Work by Patrick Bailey

Happy Wednesday everyone. This week I welcome Patrick Bailey to my blog to share his tips for getting online sites to publish your work. If you have an idea for a blog post that you would like to share, contact me and let’s chat about it. I’m always open to guest bloggers.

Check out one of my other guest blogs by Thao Nguyen on The 10 Best Covers of 2020 (So Far).

***

So, you want to get published online. You’re in good company. According to some estimates, nearly 200 million people want to publish. The chances of publishing a book seem like they’re one-in-a-million, but those odds are substantially better for those looking to publish your writing to online sites or portals.

The difference between a successful online writer and aspiring one can involve a few very simple tips. Here are some tips that could give you a fighting chance in the submission and online publication process.

Follow the submission guidelines.

One of the easiest ways for online publishers to weed through the onslaught of submissions is to quickly verify whether the writers have followed the publishers’ submission guidelines. The guidelines often encourage you to download a sample of the publication to see the type of articles it publishes, but the publication might also request you to incorporate specific formatting and stylistic features.

Note if the publication only accepts submissions during certain times of the year, or if it’s requesting submissions based on scheduled themes throughout the year. For example, if the publication is accepting submissions about inpatient alcohol rehab, the editor will not accept submissions covering other topics or subject areas.

Proofread.

Another common reason why editors reject work is that the submissions have problems with grammar, spelling, and/or usage. When a submission is riddled with errors, the editor or reviewer may assume that there are deeper, more systemic problems with the submission.

Beyond accuracy, the submission could have issues with clarity or coherence. The messy work could point to lapses in understanding or judgment and could hint at a relationship that could be thorny and unproductive from an editorial point of view. If it’s impossible for you to proofread your own work, ask a friend or colleague who can honestly and thoroughly review your work prior to submission or hire the services of a professional editor.

Target Your Audience.

Yet another important part of reviewing the submission guidelines is determining your audience. Who are you writing for and to?

Your target audience may be a person in his or her forties who is planning a great adventure. Or it could be a 20-year-old individual who is looking for addiction treatment options or other medical assistance. The audience you’re writing for could be your best friend or your worst enemy. It’s essential to know your audience so that you can craft your writing style in a way that will meet the needs and desires of that demographic.

Polish Your Query.

For many submissions, your query letter is the first impression the editor or reviewer will receive regarding your writing. Until they read your query, you are just one of the many writers who are hoping to capture their attention. So, try to do that.

You need to carefully incorporate tidbits from the submission guidelines to demonstrate that you know what editors and reviewers want, but then you must show them that you have the level of expertise that makes you the best person who can deliver on the topic.

Hook Your Reader.

Hooking your reader is part of the query, but you must take that compelling force of words through to the submission. You must inspire your reader to sit up and take notice, but you also need to make your case so intriguing that he or she is enticed to read to the very end.

It’s like hooking a fish. After you’ve caught it, you have it where you want it. Then, you have to reel it in and close the deal with your words.

Make the Organization Clear.

You’ve probably seen all sorts of clever techniques that relate to organizing your writing. That might be great when you’re an established writer with a string of editors who are waiting for your next submission. But when you’re making your first submission, the organization has to be clear and concise.

Instead, focus on making sense. Yes, the editor and reviewer might guess what you’re up to when you take poetic/creative license, but to make your submission stand out, make your organization clear. Your editors will thank you.

Speak with Your Own Voice.

Here, too, you might have a wonderful sense of mimicry and inspired creative diction, but when you’re submitting a piece for publication, write it in a straightforward way. Let your own voice shine.

Let your editors know that you have something to say and say it. Don’t leave the editor or reviewer guessing what you’re trying to do. Worse yet, don’t let them think that you’re trying to steal another’s voice.

Be Honest with Yourself.

How would you assess your article? It’s sometimes easy to be so relieved when you’ve finished a submission that you send it in right away. You don’t let it sit for a while. You don’t review the guidelines. You might even neglect another round of proofreading.

Remember, though, that writing is not something that can be rushed. It takes time and effort. Sometimes you need to take a step back and be honest with yourself. Is this submission something that you’d like to read? Is it good, maybe even great? How could it be better?

If you were the only person in the world who was submitting your work for publication, you might not really have to worry about quality. You may not even care what people think. You’d be a shoo-in.

But, you’re facing steep competition to have your work published. You’re competing against some of the most brilliant and creative minds in the world. Your work can’t just be good. It has to be great. Is your submission up to par?

Sources

lunchticket.org - On the Importance of Following Submission Guidelines

emeraldgrouppublishing.com - Proofreading Your Manuscript

umgc.edu - Online Guide to Writing and Research

stlcc.edu - Hooking Your Reader

unr.edu - University Writing & Speaking Center

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Where in the World can you find my Books?

Happy Wednesday Scribblers I hope everyone is doing well today.  For me it’s been a crazy few weeks and I’m mentally and physically exhausted.  However, I, we, keep pushing forward.  Today I wanted to do a shout out to all the locally owned bookstores that have my books in house.  Of course, you can go to any bookstore and ask them to order my book for you (which I recommend as it’s a great way to support a local business or two).

Here are all the book stores (from around the world) that currently carry one or more of my books:

Austria:

Löwenherz bookstore

Berggasse 8A-1090 Vienna

www.loewenherz.at

Canada:

Glad Day Bookshop

499 Church Street

Tornoto, ON, M4Y 2C6

www.gladdaybookshop.com

Germany:

Prinz Eisenherz Buchladen GmbH

Motzstr. 23

10777 Berlin

www.prinz-eisenherz.com

United States of America:

Capital Books

1011 K Street

Sacramento, CA 95814

www.capitalbooksonk.com

Books Inc – Campbell

Pruneyard Shopping Center

1875 S. Bascom Avenue #600

Campbell, CA 95008

www.booksinc.net

Did you know you can also find my books at the following on-line retailers?

• Amazon

• Barns and Noble

• Walmart.com

• iTunes

• Kobo

• Smashwords

Also, you can find my books at the following locations:

San Jose Public Library

www.sjpl.org

Billy DeFrank LGBTQ Community Center

938 The Alameda

San Jose, CA 95126

www.defrankcenter.org

Lavender Library

1414 21st Street

Sacramento, CA 95811

www.lavenderlibrary.com

Since we still can do any in person events check out my calendar of events that I’ll be doing virtually:

Check my calendar of events here.

Well this is all I have for you this week. Have you found my books in a local bookstore? Let me know. Better yet, take a picture of you with my book, post it and tag me, I would love to see where my books pop up. As always please remember to drop me a heart/like below letting me know you stopped by. It really does make all the difference and lets me know that connect you like so I can make more of it. Got a question feel free to ask it in the comments below and I’ll do my best to answer it. Until next time I hope you stay safe and have a great week.

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Book Editing; Overly Used Words, Filtering and Filler Words

Hello Scribblers. Another week has flow by. As several of you have probably noted, over the last several weeks I’ve been buried in the editing process.  In fact, I just finished and sent off the first round (or pre-edits) to my upcoming novel the sequel to my duology of The Calling, titled The Called. The book should be coming out March 2021.

This particular around of editing has been long and arduous, not because it’s hard, but because this round of editing involves getting rid of overly used words, filtering words, filler words, etc. And I want to know what you think? What are you looking for in a properly edited book? Do you even care? Let me explain what these all mean and you can tell me your thoughts.

Now what are these Overly Used Words I mentioned? Some of them are:

Really

Actually

Very

Just

Shrug

Because

There are more of course (a lot more) basically overly used words are common words everyone uses all the time. So, when we write we tend to use them too much and have to go back into our works and remove them. Authors have to figure out ways to rework sentences to either eliminate or replace these words and phrases. Sometimes the change makes sense, other times the change doesn’t. Still the process takes times. One chapter can take several hours to edit. The outcome of these edits can make the story much better.

There are times when word choice is made for dialect reasons or to remind readers you are in a certain character’s point of view and the author is showing you their mind set.

Think about the words or phases you use all the time. For me I use “just” and “really” all the time, even when I’m thinking. If suddenly, those words were gone would I still sound like me?

Recrafting chapters and sentence structure to address specific words can be a slippery slope and needs to always be done with caution and for good reason.

Overused words aren’t the only item that needs to be addressed during editing. Filtering Words or Phases is something that all authors are asked to address in their writing. Filtering words include:

Saw

Heard

Thought

Could

Watched

And many more. These words, like the overused words, can slip up readers, or separate the reader from the story. Instead of saying; “Marc heard a loud bang off to his left.” The sentence may read better as; “Marc startled at the crash off to his left as his stomach flipped and his palms became damp.” With this change you have a greater sense of what Marc is feeling you are more in his point of view and the phasing is much richer and interesting.

Making these adjustments to one’s story tends to help the stories flow, however like with all editing, making these changes takes times and can dramatically change the story the author is looking to share with the world. In some cases, despite these changes making the story more richly worded, they can also increase the word count making the story longer than it may need to be.

Filler Words such as: was, that, and it always need to be addressed and edited out whenever and wherever possible. These changes will allow for a more descriptive story.

One of the big writing no-no’s is adverbs, basically anything ending with ‘ly’ nothing will spin an Editors head faster than an adverb, luckily for this round of ending I didn’t have anything that got dinged.  However, there are still a few more rounds of editing to go.

So, when you are reading a book and you stop because you are hung up by some crazy turn of phase and wonder why the author didn’t write. “Said” instead of this long description about how the character reacted, you can rest assured that at some point the author did write ‘said’ but was asked to reconsider the words use and create something that offers the reader more description and detail. Or, to be fair, the author may have changed in on their own…we do that too.

Now that I explained these editing/writing ‘rules’ with you. What do you think? Do you care? Well, why you should care is because, as I said at the start of this blog post, this round of editing took me close to four weeks. This is the first round; their will be at least two more rounds of editing. Which leads me to the point that books take time to write and time to be properly edited, so keep that in mind when you wonder why a good author only publishes one or two books a year.

Want to learn more about the writing process? Interested in finding out more about the writing journey check out these posts:

Mother of Words – By Claire Buss Check it out here.

On Reading – by Joyce Hertzoff Check it out here.

Why I Write and How the Stories Come to me? Check it out here.

What are your thoughts on all this? What do you think about the editing process? Would you rather an author pump out a new book every month, to hell with the quality of the writing? Or, do you want to read a novel that is accurately edited and know that every effort to make the story its best possible self has been made? I would love to hear what you all think. Do filter words bother you when you read? What about overused words, do you notice them? What are your thoughts on adverbs? Please remember to drop me a heart/like letting me know you stopped by. If you want to help support me and my writing efforts please consider sharing this post on your social media platforms to help keep the conversation going. Until next time I hope you stay safe and have a great week.

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Updates from Shelter-in-Place Land

Hello Scribblers. Wow! My last blog post was on March 25th that seems like a lifetime ago. My family and I are now on day 30 of our shelter-in-place order. I’m an essential worker (technically) as I work for a nonprofit that has been working the front lines of the pandemic; delivering food, preparing meals, providing mental wellness, helping the homeless, etc. Physically I’m not on the front lines, however, I’ve been working the back end and supporting our agency efforts, which is a lot of phone calls and emails with other nonprofits to track down necessary items so our work can continue. Unlike several of my coworkers, I’m working from home and only going into the office on rare occasions.

As for my husband, he works from home about 50% of the time, but because of his job he is also an essential worker (keeping his companies lights on, paying of staff, etc.) When he goes into the office he works alone, so he doesn’t come into contact with others.

When it comes to my 80-year-old father he stays at home 95% of the time, every day he takes his car for a short drive and about once a week he will go to the grocery store and pick up food. He wears a mask and does what he needs to do to not come in contact with others.

Now, before you yell at me about him going out. We tried to keep him home, but short of handcuffing him to his chair, there is no way to do it, so we mitigate the risk, for him, as best we can. He wears a mask and he goes to the store during the early morning senior hours. He washes his hands and uses non reusable bags (i.e. paper)

I’m happy to report we are all healthy, which at this point is the most important thing.

On to something lighter.

I have two announcements today. First, I’ve been working on two new writing projects. One is about a lost continent off the Pacific Coast, and the second is about a future where vampires, lycan, humans and witches all live together. Both ideas have been fun to work on. I’m not 100% sure where either story will land, but it’s been nice to jump back into writing.

Lastly, for today, my publisher is continuing its 40% off sale on all eBooks, including mine. If you need something to read, please click here and check out all the amazing books available. Read more about them below.

That is all for now, my lovely Scribblers. Do you have any ideas for keeping busy while we are all at home? Share them below. Please remember to drop me a heart/like letting me know you stopped by. If you want to help support me and my writing efforts please consider sharing this post with folks to help me get the word out, especially about the book sale, it’s a great deal for eBooks and you are supporting a local business and local artists. Until next time I hope you stay safe and have a great week.

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