Tag: series

Ooh La La!

~ Judi Lynn ~ 1 Comment

Grab a glass of ice water before you read any further, because we’re going to talk about SEX. No, not any favorite positions, but about WRITING it. It’s not my top skill. I manage, but just, and thankfully, it’s not allowed in cozies. But my friend, Julia Donner, writes Regency romances. And let me tell you, those aristocrats had no shame. And she writes steamy scenes REALLY WELL. So I invited her here to tell you about it. Her latest Regency comes out November 30, and I’ve had a chance to critique it, and I think it’s her best one yet!

Evelyn Archambeau, the Duchess du Fortier, doesn’t feel like a dowager. She’d been a child bride when her late husband had her spirited out of France to save her and their son from the guillotine. Preoccupied with the mysterious past of her companion, Daphne, Evelyn thinks herself content lavishing her affection on family and friends. She never considered remarriage or entanglement in sordid affairs. Then she’s introduced to the Marquis of Bellingham. 

When a series gets as long as 14 books, it’s time to start thinking about a change-up. I used to try to read or scan at least 10 books a week. Now, I just don’t have the time. With the exception of keeping up with history, my joy and the necessity of reading widely has become increasingly narrow. The business of taking care of 30 books of my own and writing more sucks up the four-letter T word.  

Nowadays, I still seek out the unusual plot, because, let’s face it, there is nothing new under the sun and the staggering numbers of digital books coming out every year lends itself to repetition. And there are lots of repetitive stories, partially due to reader preferences and forced sales in popular genres.  

To boil it down to a gob of grease, I’m gravitating to books that really capture my interest. I’m no spring chick and often seek stories in the vicinity of my age group. (Like Judi’s newest, Posed in Death.) Only the very young think that love and sex end after 40. It never ends. I learned that from working in nursing homes when I was in my late teens. And I don’t know if it’s still the case, but Florida retirement communities had some of the highest rates for STDs in the nation.  

 So, I’ve written a Regency with a “mature” couple. A subplot is connected to a younger couple, but mostly it’s about two people, set in their ways, resigned to being alone later in life. As it so often happens, and did happen to me, a soul mate shows up unexpectedly.  

When a Marquis Commands will be released on 11/30/21 and is available for pre-order. I love the cover Casegrfx created, which helped secure an ad on BookBub. And thanks to Judi Lynn/Judy Post for honest critiquing and suggestions. You’re always spot on, Judy! I’m not forgetting line edits by Connie Curwen Hay and Terri Ashton. (It does take a dang village to raise a book.) And a shout out to Mae Claire for her support of fellow writers. Looking forward to reading your Things Old and Forgotten. I can relate. I’m old but luckily not forgotten. Don’t know where I’d be, unless in front of the TV with a bag of chips, if not for Judy’s nagging and use of her blog. Thanks, friend. 

M.L Rigdon (aka Julia Donner)

Follow on Twitter @RigdonML

Blog: https://historyfanforever.wordpress.com/

Website http://www.MLRigdon.com

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/julia-donner

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Oh, The Pain!

~ Judi Lynn ~ 2 Comments

For the last couple years, I’ve had a surplus of favorite authors to read, bouncing back and forth between them because I found their series late enough that I got to play catch up. It was wonderful. If I read a new author that didn’t quite live up to expectations, I’d download a favorite author and know I was in for a good time. But like all good things, I ran out of books in their series. I have to wait, like everyone else, for the newest to come out. So I read blurbs on BookBub and tried some more new authors and tossed in some new genres, and I’ve found some I really like, but I’ve kept waiting for my favorites to show up.

And waiting. And waiting. And then I realized that the new books were going to take longer than I expected. The authors each started new series, so now they have to divide their writing time between the ones I love and the second and sometimes third series they’re offering. I know how this works, because I’ve done the same thing. Instead of writing one Jazzi and Ansel after another, I took turns, adding two Lux novels, a Karnie Cleaver mystery, and a darker thriller to my list. I understand that a writer needs to stretch once in a while, to try something new.

But oh, the pain! I finally looked up upcoming releases to see how much longer it would be before a new book in my favorites would come out. I read Anna Lee Huber’s A WICKED CONCEIT in April of 2021. The next one, A PERILOUS PERSPECTIVE, is scheduled for April 5, 2022. A year apart! Fair enough. The Lady Darby series is historical and takes lots of research, and they’re not quick reads, so I’m sure that they’re not quick writes. I’ll just have to hang in there.

So I turned to Lynn Cahoon, who writes cozies. I love her Tourist Trap series. But once again, I’ll have to hold my breath. PICTURE PERFECT FRAME was released on March 16, 2021. WEDDING BELL BLUES comes out March 1, 2022. She writes the Farm to Fork mysteries, along with her Cat Latimer series, and recently started The Kitchen Witch novels.. I’ll have to wait my turn.

I follow three Ilona Andrews series, and I’m waiting for a new book in any of the three. Her books are long and complicated, so it might be a while. And she has more series than the three that are my favorites. She’s shared some really interesting blogs lately about writing and how she works and how often things don’t go as planned. Here’s a good one about waiting for your favorite author to deliver what you want: https://ilona-andrews.com/2021/answer-it-is-upsetting/

Luckily, I’ve found some new authors I really enjoy. Who knows? I’ll probably catch up on their series, too, and then I’ll have to find even more new authors I want to read over and over again. But that’s a good thing, right? And even the authors who don’t make me want to read their next book and the next have been mostly good. But finding authors you treasure is sort of like dating. There might be lots of good possibilities out there, but finding the one that makes you want to commit doesn’t happen that often.

Your Second Book Is Probably Better

~ Judi Lynn ~ 13 Comments

Every time I write a first book in a series (and I’m writing one now), it’s a rush. Everything’s exciting. New characters. New setting. Establishing a tone and voice, a certain “feel.” With Jazzi, I wanted the feel to be cozy and family, as much about the characters as the mystery. With Laurel, it’s more straightforward–Laurel and Nick trying to find a killer. The mystery takes center stage and the characters are supporting actors. But every fiber of my little writer brain is engaged when I write a first in a series. And I’m holding my breath to see if readers like it as much as I do. Even if I get everything right, though–and how many times does that happen?–I think that usually, the second book is better.

And I’m not just talking about my own books. I love reading series. I like revisiting the same characters that I grew fond of in the first novel, the same world, the same type of set-up with a new twist for the new book. Visiting the second or third time is almost always better. Why? It’s fun to see the characters grow, to watch them interact. I get to know them better. The setting feels like home. I’m settling in.

Meeting a person who might become a friend is nice, but getting to know them is better. And that’s what happens with a series. One of my favorites, ever, is Ilona Andrews’ Kate Daniels, but the first book didn’t wow me. It was good. I liked it, but I almost didn’t buy book two. I’m so glad I did. Every book got stronger until the ending was like…wow! A lot of series are like that.

There are always exceptions. Every once in a while a first book is so wonderful, it’s hard to keep that kind of momentum going. Patricia Brigg’s first Mercy Thompson shifter novel was a knock-out for me. So was Elizabeth George’s Great Deliverance. Those books were so good, sometimes–for me–it’s hard to keep hitting that high of a standard book after book.

I’m always happy when I read a review of my Jazzi cozies and someone says, “the books keep getting better.” It makes me feel good, like my characters are coming to life. Part of it, I’m sure, is that I know the characters better the longer I write them. I try to keep that in mind when I start a new series and the first book keeps me turning pages but I want more. I tell myself, “Read the next book.” And that’s often when the writer hits his or her stride.

In contrast, I think there are some advantages to writing a series with recurring characters, but where the author features new ones in each book. For example, my friend Julia Donner writes Regency romances–The Friendship series. They’re all tied together by a group of friends who are close to each other, but each book features a different couple, following the bumpy path that leads to their romance. Writing a series like that lets an author relax into a familiar groove but still enjoy a fresh storyline with each book. That’s how I wrote my Mill Pond romances, using the same setting but introducing a different couple in each novel. Of course, when an author does that, old and loved characters don’t get to grow like they do when those characters are the protagonists every time.

When Ilona Andrews wrote the Kate Daniels series, she featured Kate and Curran along with a cast of minor characters who stepped on the pages along the way. Those minor characters grew in number the longer the series went, and we grew more attached to them. She used an overall series’ story arc. The big question was posed in book one, and wasn’t resolved until the last page of the last book. In her new Hidden Legacy series, she’s come up with a different rhythm. So far, she’s shortened the story arcs to three books for each sister, but the arcs are all tied together because of the sisters’ family. Each sister has a different magic ability. The oldest meets her romantic interest in book one, and they end up together at the end of book three. Then the next sister’s story starts. She meets Alessandro, and they become a couple at the end of her third book. The next novel hasn’t come out yet, but I’m hoping the third sister meets…. well you get the picture. Is it easier trying to keep the romance arcs contained to three books? I’m guessing it might be. But do you lose the intense closeness I felt for Kate, Curran, and minor characters when I stayed with them for ten books and several short stories? You bet.

Is one better than the other? I don’t think so. The advantage of having the same protagonists in every book is that they grow and we become more attached to them. Using new protagonists in familiar settings has the advantage of keeping a series fresh. It doesn’t get stale. Ilona Andrews came up with a hybrid where she uses the same protagonists for three books, then switches to new ones in the same setting for three more, etc. They all work. Does one of them suit you? Are you a fan of one more than another? Or do you prefer standalones? Share your thoughts….

Series

~ Judi Lynn ~ Leave a comment

I’ve been fizzling on some of my favorite TV series lately. I hope it’s temporary and eventually something pulls me back into the storylines, but for now, I’m avoiding them and trying new shows to find something HH and I like.

We liked Longmire for a few seasons, but the angst lately is getting to us. Too Much Angst. I know the advice is to always pile on the conflict, to have one problem after another and if you can add internal conflict on top of that, so much the better. I feel buried under an avalanche of troubles. Maybe if just one person at a time had to struggle with something, it wouldn’t be so bad. But EVERY single person is struggling with something. I can’t take it. I’m MIA.

On the flip side, HH and I enjoyed watching Shakespeare and Hathaway, but some of the shows we’ve watched recently have gotten so frivolous, we’ve turned that off, too. And then there’s Doc Martin. In the beginning, we loved it. Yes, the doc was eccentric to the extreme, but there were scenes that showed his soft side, his caring. Not so much lately. Louisa has had his baby, and all he does is complain about the inconvenience of losing sleep and how much the baby’s crying interferes with his office hours. Ugh. I hope to try him again later, but at the moment, I just want to shake him and tell him to grow up!

In the meantime, we’ve found the Dr. Blake mysteries that take place in Australia, and we’re enjoying those. We found McDonald and Dodds, too, with the sly dynamics of a ambitious detective who wants to get ahead teamed with a partner who first comes off as a bumbler, but is actually a genius. Fun so far.

When I watch TV, it makes me think about book series and writing. What works, what doesn’t. And I know everything is personal, but it’s easy to watch shows and decide what I like about them and what I don’t. It’s easy to see someone else’s mistakes, isn’t it? Not so easy to see our own. So, I’ll keep my fingers crossed and try to find a middle ground with more balance. Problems, but not too many of them. Humor but nothing too forced or far-fetched. And a protagonist I want to hang around with.

And maybe in winter, when the doldrums set in, I’ll be ready to return to the series that I enjoyed for quite a while. Maybe they’ll entertain me again.

Mystery Musings: Binges

~ Judi Lynn ~ 4 Comments

I just read 5 books in D.L. Cross’s Astral Conspiracy series. First of all, I’m not a sci/fi fan. BUT, her characters are so strong, they lift sci/fi into the suspense category for me, because I cared so much about the major AND minor characters in her books. Not an easy thing to achieve. I mourned deaths (because these books didn’t spare people we cared about) and victories (because the characters who were left got to live to fight another day. And maybe the one after that. Fingers crossed.).

BUT these books were purposely published close together. And I have to tell you, by the time I finished book 5, I was tired. These books were so jam packed, I needed a breather each time I finished one. Which is good. Usually. Except the next book came out pretty soon after I finished the one before it. And I COULD have just bought the next book and waited to read it, BUT she left me with so many cliffhangers at the end of each book, I couldn’t make myself wait THAT long before I started the next one. Which means the cliffhangers worked:)

I love series. I loved each and every book in it. And I usually complain when I have to wait months for the next book in my favorites to come out. But now, I’ve changed my mind about that. A three month wait, for me, is a good thing. Four months is fine. I can read a few other books while I wait. A year…well, that’s a long time. More than a year (like Elizabeth George’s Thomas Lynley mysteries) is hard. But, as much as I loved flying through D.L. Cross’s books, I never want to do it again.

And I think that makes me a rarity. I have friends who once they find a favorite book, TV show, or movie series, binge watch them. They fly through the stories, back to back. That’s why so many people loved how fast D.L. Cross’s books came out. I don’t binge on anything. I like moderation and variety.

O.K., I binged on D.L. Cross, but it’s my first time. And I loved the books. But I felt drowned in them. It’s not my thing. I like to read a cozy, then maybe a thriller, then an urban fantasy, then a historical, and finally back to a cozy. I like to switch it up. But I don’t think I’m in the majority. I think, when most people find something they like, they delve into it.

What about you? Are you a binger? When you find an author you like, do you read everything else she’s written? I’ve noticed a lot of my friends are hooked on Jim Butcher right now. They’re flying through the books in his series. I recently found him, too, but it will probably take me years to catch up to what he writes now. Same goes with J.D. Robb. There are some drawbacks to being a reader like I am. Are you hooked on anything now? What is it? Do you find a new author, then devour her work?

#19

~ Judi Lynn ~ 2 Comments

I just finished Jenna Bennett’s latest mystery, Collateral Damage:  A Savannah Martin Mystery.  I love this series.  It started out as equal parts romance, equal parts mystery, but it’s evolved into a strong family and marriage.  I was curious how the author would handle having Savannah solve crimes and care for a baby, but it works.  Admittedly, I had one fussy baby who cried more than she cooed and one easy-going baby, but even then, I don’t know anyone whose baby is as good as Savannah’s.  Still, it works.

I particularly liked this book because it felt like Rafe and Savannah were a married team, with both of them showing their strengths and supporting each other.  For a long time, they loved each other but they each did their own thing.  Now, they work together.  The thing that keeps surprising me is that this is the NINETEENTH book, and I still look forward to the next one.  The stories haven’t grown stale because the characters keep growing–all of them.  Savannah’s mother, who was a spoiled southern belle at the beginning of the series, has changed a lot book by book.

I’m turning in my 6th Jazzi Zanders mystery this weekend, and I’ve worried about keeping each book fresh, not falling into a pattern, a rut, but Jenna Bennett proves it’s possible.  I think COLLATERAL DAMAGE is one of her best.  I’ve followed some authors for a long time, and some of my favorites hit a point where their books sagged.  It felt like they were just tired of them.  And I worried that that might be a common pitfall, something that was hard to avoid.  Eventually, they pulled out of it, and their books flexed their muscles again.  But so far, for me, that hasn’t happened with this series.  And I’m glad.  It gives me hope.

Writing: Same, but Different

~ Judi Lynn ~ 2 Comments

I’ve started to write my fifth Mill Pond romance.  I still like the town.  I still like the people.  I enjoy having characters from previous books mingle with new characters for a new story.  My worry–keeping each story fresh and unique.  Catherine Bybee manged it in her Weekday Bride series.  Seven different romances, one for each day of the week.  Seven stories that have a similar premise, but a unique take on it each time.  My writer friend, writing as Julia Donner for her Regency romances, has done it with her Friendship series. Her eighth novel goes live on June 18, and I’ve already pre-ordered it.   I love her work.  Each one has a different feel, even though they all have healthy doses of her sly humor.  As a matter of fact, I think her writing keeps getting better and better, the longer the series goes.  Something I’d like to achieve.

(If you’re interested in Regencies, here’s the link for her latest: https://www.amazon.com/Barbarian-His-Lady-Friendship-Book-ebook/dp/B01GIFX2DM/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1465673622&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Barbarian…++julia+donner)

A long time ago, I wrote a bundle of novellas to experiment with writing romance.  That’s how I ease myself into writing something new.  I try working on shorter pieces before I commit to something longer.   I liked Emerald Hills, got good feedback on each one of them (which I lost when I combined them into a bundle–didn’t think about that:), but one reviewer mentioned that she’d have liked more variety in the stories, that they felt too similar to her.  Now, I know that a writer can’t please everyone, but I wrote these as a learning curve, so her opinion stuck with me.  If I ever wrote a romance series, I told myself to vary things up–have one with some humor, another that was a little more serious, throw in some different types of characters, and mix up the plots and themes a little.  I think–at least, I hope–that I’ve achieved that.

For my Mill Pond romances, in book 1, I tried for a heavy dose of humor.  For Brody and Harmony, in book 2, I tried to create two people who’d keep butting heads.  And in the book I’m working on now, I wanted to throw in a few serious themes, but lighten them up with Miriam–a character with more snark than I’ll ever have.

When I read a series, I look forward to returning to the same setting, the same characters.  I’m reading Patricia Briggs’s Fire Touched right now, and I’m enjoying how Mercy and Adam interact as a couple, how Warren smooths things over, and how Ben has such a potty mouth.  It’s a world I want to visit and linger in for a while.  That’s the joy of a series, returning to something familiar that I’ve missed.  But each story has to be different enough to make me want to return again for new experiences.  Everything’s about balance–keeping the old and introducing the new–a happy blend.

 

My webpage: http://www.judithpostswritingmusings.com/

My Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/JudiLynnwrites/

Twitter:  @judypost

Writing: How did March get here already?

~ Judi Lynn ~ 7 Comments

Last year, I set big goals for myself for my writing. I was going to write the third novel in my Fallen Angel series. Cross that off. I was going to write a new Babet and Prosper novella. Done. I was going to start putting short-short stories on my webpage. Check. And I was going to finish a third novel for Wolf’s Bane and maybe Empty Altars. I’ve just finished the first draft of the Wolf’s Bane novel–admittedly late, but hey!–somewhere in there, my agent asked me to try to write a romance. First, I don’t read romance. I don’t know the rhythms and intricacies of the genre. So that’s what I did first. I really believe you can’t write something you don’t read. And I discovered that I love Catherine Bybee. I read her, and ideas started to perk. I wrote the book, sent it off, my agent–Lauren Abramo at Dystel & Goderich–loved it, and we’re still doing the rewrite dance.

This year, I didn’t set goals for myself, because I don’t know what to expect. My agent might ask for another romance. I hate being rushed, so I’m going to start a second one soon. Once my trusted critique partners go through Magicks Unleashed (the 3rd Wolf’s Bane), I’ll polish that and put it online. And then? I’m not sure. But for a writer with no agenda, I still feel behind. How can that happen? I’ve decided it just goes with the territory. I’m very aware that I haven’t written a third Empty Altars novel and don’t know when I will. I used to think that if I got to three books in a series, I could pat myself on the back for being a good girl. But then trilogies stretched to longer series, and some writers hit their stride on their fourth or fifth book. Yikes! That means that three books is just cutting your teeth. Anyway, I have lots of writing to go. This year, I just don’t have a plan. And for right now, that’s okay.

BTW, since I’m going to start rewrites soon, Sue Bahr did a great blog post on it. I found it really helpful. https://suebahr.wordpress.com/2015/02/25/five-ways-to-fall-in-love-with-editing/

Also, since I’m starting to miss Tyr and Diana in Empty Altars, I decided to treat myself by writing a short story about them for my webpage. I’m going to post one part every week for the month of March.
http://www.judithpostswritingmusings.com/

And if you’re ever interested in catching my author’s facebook page, it’s: https://www.facebook.com/JudithPostsurbanfantasy

If you have goals this year, hope you meet them. If you don’t, happy writing anyway!

Writing: Stretch a little

~ Judi Lynn ~ 7 Comments

Too many cookies. Too much rich food. But one wonderful Christmas. My daughter and son-in-law from Florida came up to stay with us from Monday to Sunday, and my grandson’s staying with us over college break. What a bounty of good times! So no writing got done, and I don’t care. But I did a little marketing for my latest book release, and hopefully, I found some new readers. I had good luck with kboards, if anyone’s thinking of trying it. I got my newsletter up and running, and hopefully, I’ll find MORE readers with that. Sometimes I want to kick myself that I haven’t made more progress, but looking back (it’s that time of year) over the last 2 1/2 years since I put up my first e-books, I realize that I’ve learned a lot. And I want to keep learning.

I’ve talked a few times about marketing–how I’d have been ahead if I wrote a series and posted a new book every three or four months with the same characters and setting. But I didn’t, because I didn’t have a clue when I first started e-books. And I think that’s made it harder for me to find readers, because if they liked Fallen Angels, then they really didn’t pay much attention when I published Wolf’s Bane with an entirely different set of characters and supernaturals, and they scratched their heads when I published Empty Altars with Greek/Norse myths as the story’s base. On top of that, I wrote a kazillion (okay, probably not, but it felt like it at the time) novellas to post between books. Not my most brilliant move, since each series of novellas was completely separate from the novels I posted–so there STILL wasn’t any set of characters and familiar settings to follow. I shake my head over my lack of marketing brilliance, but you know, when all is said and done, I’m happy. Sometimes, stepping outside of your comfort zone makes you grow as a writer. And the past two years pushed my learning curve harder than I’ve ever been pushed before.

My daughter, Holly–who faithfully reads all of my first drafts–missed the mysteries that I used to write, so she bugged me to come up with something that combined paranormal with a mystery plot. I love odd challenges like that, so I started the Babet/Prosper series–still my “go to” novellas when I want to write for myself, for fun. Mostly because, Babet and Prosper have become “voices” in my head who are pretty darned particular about how I treat them on the pages. They like getting central billing over any clever mystery device I can think of, and I’ve tried for some of my favorites. One Less Warlock–in the first bundle–came to be because I wanted to test myself and see if I could write a clever, locked room mystery. A Different Undead (in the first bundle, too) is a “face in the crowd” mystery–when you see someone walking around who’s supposed to be dead. I’ve had a great time with Babet and Prosper. I have a new one to post early in 2015, and then I’ll offer the first bundle at a special price or maybe for free to try to find more readers for them.

My agent asked me to write a romance this year, something I considered impossible to do. But I wrote one, and I’m happy with it and so is she. I don’t know if it will sell, but I’m glad I tried it. Each new thing I’ve taken a stab at has enriched me as a writer and forced me to grow. I’ve stretched writing muscles I didn’t know I had.

I’ve read a lot online lately about writing quickly for e-books, and I’m not against that. Writers who post a book every other month develop a following faster than writers who take half a year to write a book. I get that. All that I’m saying is that some of my all time favorite authors whom I’ve read for YEARS have let me down this last year–(not in urban fantasy, I might add. I love Ilona Andrews’ and Jeaniene Frost’s new series). But authors I usually buy automatically feel like they’re sick and tired of writing the same, old thing. I know writers need to make money. And I know there’s pressure to produce more and more. But my goal for 2015 is to do my darndest to make each book I write better than the book before it. I hope you stretch your wings, too, and find a way to combine writing and marketing into a happy blend. May 2015 be a good writing year for you!

my webpage: http://www.judithpostswritingmusings.com/
my author’s facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/JudithPostsurbanfantasy

Writing–End of Year Thoughts

~ Judi Lynn ~ 6 Comments

Do you know, when I first started writing aeons ago when cave men used pigments on stone walls, people kept telling me, “If you want to be published, write a good book.” Quality, according to them, was your only concern. If your book was good, someone would buy it. I’ve been on writing panels where I hear writers spout that same wisdom. Do I agree? Bull Pucky!

I’ve met wonderful writers who knock their heads against the Great Wall of Publishing. Why? Publishers are concerned with making money. Can’t blame them. They can’t keep their profits afloat each time a child believes and claps his hands. It worked for Tinker Bell, but businesses have to pay attention to the bottom line. I understand that. I just wish publishers embraced mid-list writers a little more. Everyone’s looking for the “BIG” book these days. Or the latest trend. I used to be perfectly happy buying a lot of mid-list authors.

Mid-list probably still wouldn’t help me sell. I seem to be one of those writers who’s always writing the wrong thing at the wrong time. There are authors who hit the hot trend at its upswing and ride it to success. I’m not one of them. I’m one of the writers who gets notes from editors who say, “love your writing, but can’t buy this. The market’s glutted.”

I’m not trying to pierce anyone’s balloon, but if you write what an editor has too many of and the market’s shrinking, it doesn’t matter if your writing’s topnotch. No one’s going to buy your stuff. That used to be the end of it. You tossed your book in a drawer and gave up on it. These days, you can try your hand at self-publishing. That’s what I did, and I’m happy about it. But…here I go again…if you go that route, you’d better be ready to learn some marketing. Because there are a LOT of books on Amazon or smashwords or Barnes & Noble or wherever it is you decide to try. And if your field was glutted with publishers, it’s going to be even more glutted online. So you have to figure out a way to help readers find you. My stab at marketing? I started this blog, made an author’s Facebook page, made a webpage, and joined twitter. Did it help me find readers? Darned if I know. Did it make my sales go up? Not that I’ve noticed. But I’ve made lots of online friends whom I enjoy and appreciate AND learn from. I still had to turn to some advertising sites, though, to promote my books when they went up…with mixed success.

Another truth, some people are going to dislike or hate whatever you do, and it rankles and hurts at first, but it’s okay. You can’t please everyone. Some writers say your novel is too bland if a few people don’t trash it. But hopefully, eventually more readers will find it who’ll appreciate it.

Things I’ve learned:

1. I should have started with a series. And I should have put up three books in that series in quick succession.
2. Book covers matter. Make yours good! Make them fit your genre, and make each book in a series have the “feel” of the other books in the series.
3. It helps to post things more often than not to remind readers that your characters are doing interesting things that they’ll enjoy. Some writers post novellas between their books just to keep their readers happy. Or they post out-takes from their novels or short snippets from a minor character’s POV. I’ve tried that with my webpage. I’m not sure how successful that’s been, but then, I did everything wrong, so doing a few things right isn’t going to take right away.
4. Marketing is essential. Twitter helps, but I can’t say that I’ve sold a lot of books because I tweet. I have, however, learned a lot from other generous writers on twitter–things that have proven helpful. I love writing my blog, but I’m not sure it’s helped me sell books. Again, though, I’ve met some interesting, wonderful people. My author facebook page is still a mystery to me, but I’m getting more comfortable on it. For the first time ever, I sent out an e-mail newsletter to people who signed up to receive it, and my mother would have washed my mouth out with soap if she’d have heard all the cussing involved in setting up my account and campaign on MailChimp. I’m no computer guru, and every time I have to learn something new, it’s a challenge. MailChimp felt more like torture, but I love the results. Too soon to know if it’s effective or not, but it’s my attempt at reaching READERS.
5. Writing a good book might not help you sell your first book or find a publisher or an agent, but it WILL help you sell the second one in the series. Readers know quality when they meet it. So make your book the best it can be.

This isn’t an all-inclusive post. It’s an end-of-the-year look back at what worked and didn’t work for me. I hope 2014 was good to you, and I hope 2015 is even better. Keep writing and good luck!

My webpage: http://www.judithpostswritingmusings.com/
My facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/JudithPostsurbanfantasy
My newsletter: http://eepurl.com/_P_Eb
At twitter: @judypost