The class had a mix of new and experienced authors, published and unpublished.

DISCLAIMER #1: when I say published, I’m including indie published.

As I listened to the great presentations, I kept hearing the phrases “attracting an agent,” or “staying out of the slush pile.” Many of the talks referenced all the tiny little things that can make an agent or editor toss a manuscript aside. I could see the unpublished authors squirming and turning green.

As the day went on, I had one unrelenting thought: I’m so glad to be indie!

DISCLAIMER #2: Your publishing path is yours alone. Neither is an easy choice or a get rich quick opportunity, and both mean HARD WORK and rejection.

Let me clarify, being grateful to be Indie has nothing to do with confidence in my writing. In the last couple of months I have learned to believe in myself more than ever. I’m very proud of all my books, and I’m exceptionally happy with the latest thriller, ALL GOOD DEEDS, and the Lucy Kendall character.

I’m grateful I chose Indie because I don’t have to worry about an agent rejecting me because of personal preference, or because the marketing department doesn’t know if they could sell my book, or because I used two spaces at the end of a sentence instead of one (true story.) I get to bypass all that and focus on the story and the writing.

And while there are writing rules we all must follow (Grammar, anyone?! And the three-act structure), I don’t have to worry about pleasing the status quo or taking risks. I don’t know if an agent or editor or marketing department would have believed in Lucy Kendall. But that doesn’t matter, because I do.

DISCLAIMER #3: Indie Publishing isn’t for the faint of heart. I believe in investing in your business, and that means paying for good, EXPERIENCED editors and cover artists.

Now, a word on editing. It’s everything. I pay for developmental, copyediting, and proofing. And I will continue to do so because I learn so much about writing every time my editor tears apart my manuscript. To me, Indie publishing means subcontracting the editing, formatting, and cover art. That means I’m a business, and to be successful, you have to invest in the highest quality available.

But the best part of this journey is that I don’t have to worry about pleasing anyone but myself and the readers. I get to put them first, and that’s extremely liberating!

Writing isn’t about the royalty (although that’s a beautiful bonus), but about being able to stay true to the story in my head and my heart. I’m blessed to have editors who understand my vision but won’t hesitate to tell me when I’m derailing.

Just to be clear, this post isn’t about traditional vs. Indie. I hate that argument. Only you can decide what’s best for your career, and what will make you happy in the long run. The beauty is that we have so many more choices than we did five years ago. Despite all the extra headaches that come with being Indie published, I’m so grateful to have made that choice.

What about you? Do you love your chosen publishing path? Or are you still trying to decide which is right for you?

Over the weekend, I read The Naked Truth About Self-Publishing by The Indie Voice, a group of wildly successful indie romance authors. I’ve been in awe of their success over the past few months, and also a little frustrated because I can’t imagine achieving those sorts of numbers. And then I finally read the book and realized those ladies worked their asses off. Like everything in life, to be successful, you have to put in the time. I’ve been pretty productive over the past year as a while, but the last couple of months sort of fell apart. Reading The Naked Truth was exactly the kick in the pants I needed. Everyone’s life and pace is different, and we have to stop comparing ourselves to others (a big Achilles heel for me). We (meaning I) need to work as hard as our individual schedules allow, and if we’ve given our endeavors everything we have, that’s something to be proud of. Kind of a “well, duh,” life mantra that applies to everything, isn’t it?

So here’s my public list of goals this year:

• I will make the best use of my time as possible without putting my family on the back burner.
• I will publish five books: ASHES and BONE (Delta Crossroads Trilogy #3), and the entire four book Lucy Kendall Series (titles still in flux). ASHES and BONE releases in February!
• I will focus on my own writing and production. Quality will always come first, but I recognize that to achieve the level of success I want, I’ve got to WRITE A LOT.
• I will take better care of my health. In order to fight off my sleepy spells, I will do at least 20 minutes of yoga in the morning (on day three of that, and it’s making a huge difference), and 15 minutes of cardio in the mid day.
• I will use relaxation techniques to help quiet my mind and sleep.
• I will be proud of my achievements and own them.

I decided to post this list because I wanted to own it, and I wanted to account for my blogging silence. I also wanted to thank all of my readers who’ve taken the time to review and let me know how much they’ve enjoyed the books. Building an audience is challenging, but the one on one interaction with readers makes it worth it. I’ve very lucky to have started my publishing career in the digital age with so many avenues available to authors.

Thanks for reading, and be on the look out for some cool posts in the next couple of weeks about the stories behind ASHES and BONE (Delta Crossroads Trilogy #3)

Can you tell us a bit about the mission of Fostering Success and how it came about?

Thank you for having me on as your guest today, Stacy. I’m really excited about Fostering Success.

The mission of Fostering Success is to pay-it-forward in the literary community in an affordable and effective manner. Authors needed a one-stop shop when they publish—self or traditionally.

Our courses provide what every author needs to know about social media, platform building, branding, author websites, self-publishing, and book marketing.

How did you come up with the idea of Fostering Success?

When I founded the World Literary Café, I did so to offer a way for authors and aspiring authors to learn how to cross promote and to build a community to bring together the entire literary community. At the time, I was teaching authors marketing, platform building, branding, and social media, both in groups and one-on-one. My writing time was slipping away quickly, and I never had enough time to teach as many authors as were approaching me. It was clear that I needed a better venue for teaching, a venue where authors could focus at their own pace, and where they could revisit the information and reflect back on it as needed. The Fostering Success courses are self-guided instructional videos and materials that authors can revisit as many times as they’d like. They can go through them at their own pace, and by taking any of the courses, authors are brought into my Fostering Success Authors group on Facebook, where I answer questions on an ongoing basis as they build their platforms, self-publish, and develop their marketing strategies.

There are several different courses offered by Fostering Success. What makes these classes so valuable, and what sort of resources can a user expect from them?

This testimonial says it all: “All I can say is that her protocol is a ‘necessary business system’ for any author striving to better their future. As a chiropractor, they teach you how to be a doctor, but not how to run a business. In the writing world, you have the author part, Melissa has the business side covered. Take it and learn.” Nick G. Giannaras, Author of The Relics of Nanthara trilogy

The courses are designed to be easy to understand, comprehensive, and affordable. I’ve sold almost 200,000 copies of my books, and I’ve learned a lot along the way. I’ve taken each step of the authoring business apart and made it easy to understand, fleshing out vital information in each class, from a step-by-step guide to self-publish, to creating an effective and branded online presence. The Effective Book Marketing course covers all aspects of marketing—from free and paid to driving traffic, harnessing the power of social media, and what every author needs to do each day.

How do Fostering Success and The World Literary Café work together?

The World Literary Café (WLC) is the cross-promotional platform for authors to connect with both their authoring peers and readers, and to promote their books. Fostering Success provides the knowledge to not only effectively market, cross promote, and build a brand through in all aspects of life, but also teaches how to get the most out of sites such as WLC.

Although Fostering Successes marketing course will work for any author, the courses are more geared toward the indie author. What benefits do you see with indie publishing over a smaller press?

I don’t really agree with that (sorry). I have had just as many traditionally published authors take the courses and they’re thrilled with the results and knowledge that they’ve learned. In fact, there are literary agents referring their clients to the courses because the traditional publishing field is focused on the craft of writing, but the marketing education is lacking.

Be that what it may, my view on small press is that it has its place, but its certainly not for everyone. Contrary to what most authors think, small press is not a stepping stone to traditional publication. Small press typically cannot get books into the brick and mortar shops (some may, but they’re few and far between), and they don’t do the marketing for you. Small press is really, in my opinion, for those who lack the funds to hire a professional editor and cover artist.

One argument is that authors want the name of a small press as their publisher, and what they fail to understand is that readers don’t give a hoot who publishes your book—they simply want a solid, well written, entertaining read. It is the author who brings their publishing status to the readers’ eye by branding themselves as “Indie”. Most readers don’t even know what an “Indie” author is.

If an author has a valuable editor and cover artist, they can learn all of the formatting steps, platform building, marketing, and branding techniques. No matter who publishes your book, it’s up to the author to market it. Fostering Success can help authors find their wings and understand book marketing in under a week.

ETA: I had the wrong link on the coupon. It’s now linked correctly for the 25% offer. 

What is the single biggest mistake you see indie authors making?

Without a doubt it is either marketing to only the indie authoring community or not marketing at all.

Your marketing strategy is different than some, and you, along with Fostering Success and the World Literary Café, are major proponents of authors helping authors. Why do you believe this works better than other approaches?

This is simple. We are all trying to make our mark—to reach readers. If you market alone, you have your own umbrella of readers, a pretty small audience even if you have 200,000 friends on Twitter or Facebook. If you are promoting other authors and they’re promoting you, you are instantly expanding that readership umbrella by their number of followers, and by the followers of those that share the other author’s updates. In addition, readers hate to hear people toot their own horns. What a drag it is to hear, “Buy my book!” Seriously, folks, stop doing that. Let others toot your horn, and you can toot theirs. Readers would much rather hear what you can recommend than how you want to earn a buck.

What’s the most effective marketing strategy out there right now? And with the constant changes in publishing, how can an author plan a marketing strategy 6-12 months in advance?

Everyone’s marketing strategy is different. Some are still relying on Amazon’s free days through KDP select to carry over a wave of sales afterwards. To me, that’s not an effective long-term strategy—it relies too heavily on Amazon’s ever-changing algorithms. It’s a marketing scheme that works sporadically, but it’s not a long-term solution.

The only strategy that one can rely on for a full 6-12 months in a market that changes hourly is to create an effective and branded online presence and keep that presence active throughout the year. If readers don’t know your books exist, they cannot buy them.

Your books have sold hundreds of thousands of copies and have scores of reviews–tell us a little about your journey as a successful author. Did it happen right out of the gate, or was it more of a slow burn?

Oh goodness no, it didn’t happen right out of the gate. I spent a year and a half marketing Megan’s Way and preparing to market Chasing Amanda, but didn’t get serious about marketing until May of 2011. It was a slow and painful process. I tried the high-feed programs, and lost the money. I hired a publicist, and quickly let her go because she couldn’t gain any headway for the indie author arena. I then got into the nitty gritty of marketing, evaluated where my reader were, and reached out to them—daily. Marketing is all about relationship building, and I love to build relationships, so for me, it was a win-win.

I think one of the biggest issues I try to drive home to new authors is to manage their expectations. KDP Select’s free program has created a mass of unreasonable expectations, and Amazon controls that. When their algorithms favored free days, authors could ride the free wave and gain 3000 books sales the days following their free days, but those authors have no clue how to market their books, so when the Amazon well ran dry (the algorithms changed), they’re left floundering and feeling ripped off.

Marketing takes time, energy, and dedication. You can plan until you are blue in the face and still the effectiveness of your programs will change from day to day. It’s imperative that you understand the complexities of book marketing and not just look for the magic bullets—because they don’t shoot straight and they change often.

I evaluate the marketplace on a weekly basis—it took me months to understand what would work long-term, and I work diligently (daily) to master and re-master the craft of marketing and branding. I wish the courses I’ve designed were available to me in 2009J

What things are you looking at when you evaluate the marketplace?

I evaluate what’s selling, price points, the Kindle shops/sites to see if their sales are going down or picking up, Nook outlets, etc. I watch Amazon to see what they’re recommending, the rankings and any signs of changes in algorithms.

Your bestseller, Come Back To Me, is a Next Generation Indie Book Award Finalist–congrats! What are you currently working on, and when can we expect your next release?

Thank you! COME BACK TO ME is also a Readers Favorite award winner and a Semi-Finalist in the Kindle Book Review’s Best Indie Book awards.

I have one suspense manuscript out on submission through my agent. TRACES OF KARA is a psychological thriller about a deranged twin, separated from his sister. He believes that the only way they can be together forever is to kill them both at the hour of their birth.

Now I’m working on PETALS IN THE WIND, a story about a woman whose repressed memories of her childhood best friend’s disappearance come back to haunt her.

I’m not certain about release dates, because if I go the traditional route, it could take a while. I’ll keep everyone posted!

Thank you, Stacy, for sharing your virtual space with me today. I truly appreciate your time and energy!

xox M

Find Melissa on the web!

Website        The Women’s Nest         World Literary Café           Fostering Success

Twitter: @Melissa_Foster           Facebook

Award-winning, bestselling author Melissa Foster is a touchstone for the indie publishing community and a tireless advocate for women. She is the founder of the World Literary Café, Fostering Success, and The Women’s Nest. Melissa writes emotionally-driven contemporary fiction and suspense with passionate characters that remain with the reader long after they’ve read the last words. Melissa is a friend, mentor, brownie connoisseur, and book fiend.

Welcome, Kassandra!

Thanks, Stacy, for having me, although I have to admit, I’m a little afraid of the dark. Something tells me you’re going to help me overcome that!

You write the Kate Huntington mystery series, centered around a psychotherapist. Tell us about Kate. Where did she come from? How much of her is based on your background as a psychotherapist?

Kate is third-generation Irish-American; her parents, who occasionally make appearances in the books, still have a bit of a brogue. She’s got the “Black Irish” combination of dark curly hair, fair skin and blue eyes. I made her Irish-American because that’s my husband’s heritage. Then I married her off to a WASP, thus the Huntington last name.

Personality-wise, Kate started out as me, or rather my ideal self. She is much more consistently caring and compassionate than I am, and she loses her temper less often and calms down a lot faster. Her role as a therapist is definitely patterned after my own experiences.

But as the series has evolved, Kate has become her own person. She’s had different experiences than mine, and they have shaped her. It never ceases to amaze me, as an author, how characters truly take on a life of their own.

Kate’s character wasn’t the actual inspiration for the series, however. That came from a disappointing platonic friendship with the real-life counterpart to my character, Rob Franklin, who is Kate’s closest friend. Writing about a healthy platonic friendship started out as a healing exercise, and the next thing I knew I was writing a novel.

Your degree is in psychology. What specific areas do you specialize in, and how do those play into your writing?

I’m retired now, but I was a trauma recovery specialist, working with adults who were dealing with emotional scar tissue from their childhoods–parental death, alcoholism in the household, physical or sexual abuse, etc.

Kate also is a trauma recovery specialist, but unlike me, she leads a much more interesting life. She has a propensity for getting into scary, sometimes downright terrifying, situations.

My stories about her are good old-fashioned whodunnits, but also with a lot of emphasis on the characters’ relationships with each other. I throw in a bit of humor as well, to lighten the mood occasionally.

My goal is to entertain first and foremost, but also to educate a bit along the way. As a reader, I love that kind of novel myself–a book that provides good entertainment and escapism, but I also know some things when I put it down that I didn’t know before, whether it’s about a certain occupation or a time in history or whatever.

In my books, I try to give short glimpses into the world of psychotherapy… what it’s like to be the client but also what’s going through the therapist’s head, something most people wouldn’t normally be privy to.

I also highlight different psychological disorders and phenomena in each book. Domestic violence and multiple personalities, which is actually called dissociative identity disorder now, in Book 1. Thus the title, Multiple Motives. And this new book deals with recovery from child sexual abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder and borderline personality disorder.

We love bad guys here at Turning The Page – tell us about yours. What’s your process of creating his character?

Hmm, that’s tough to answer without giving too much away. My villains usually operate behind the scenes, for the most part. Bad things are happening and Kate and her friends are trying to figure out who’s making them happen. They usually have an array of suspects so I’m developing the characters of a whole bunch of potential bad guys and gals.

But to get back to the question, how do I create the actual bad guy or gal’s character? When I get an idea for a book, I usually have at least a vague sense of who the villain’s going to be. I start by writing the beginning of the book, to establish the theme of the story, what it’s about.

Then I write the ending, where the true culprit is revealed. Once I know what point A and point B are, I write an outline of how I’m going to get from A to B, so that by the ending, the bad guy or gal’s motivations make sense to the reader.

Then I start writing the book. I often end up with a different opening than the original, but the ending rarely changes all that much.

You’ll have to invite me back, Stacy, when my seventh book comes out, and ask me that question again.  *slightly evil smile*  The bad guy in that one is going to be a true, make-the-hair-stand-up-on-the-back-of-your-neck villain, as in a serial killer.

You’re getting ready to launch the third book in the Kate Huntington series, Family Fallacies. It delves into some pretty intense stuff: trauma recovery, suppressed memories, and the false memory controversy. Can you tell us more about the book? How do you handle writing something with such intense issues?

I gotta admit that Family Fallacies is my favorite in the series so far, even though as you say, it covers some intense stuff. But writing about it is not all that hard, compared to 20 years of working with people who were dealing with the real thing.

Surprisingly, none of my advanced readers found it to be difficult to handle. I think that’s because there are two storylines. Weaving back and forth between them lessens the intensity considerably. I also don’t get graphic in my descriptions of the memories; that isn’t necessary for the story to make sense. And then there’s that occasional dash of humor.

One storyline is Kate’s story. She is falling in love while still struggling with grief for her late husband. She’s holding her new guy at arm’s length and he’s trying to be patient, but she’s worried he’s going to give up on her before she’s able to move forward in the relationship.

Then she starts getting anonymous notes, that go from weird and disturbing to threatening to “destroy” her family. That is Kate’s Achilles’ heel. She’s brave and strong when it comes to herself, but threats against those she loves terrify her.

Meanwhile Kate’s client, Audrey, is starting to have memories of sexual abuse bubble up into conscious awareness. She thinks the abuser is her father, but the face in the memories is not clear. Kate keeps telling her to go slow, not to try to force it, but Audrey is not a very patient person. Eventually there is a confrontation between her and her father that results in Audrey cutting off contact with her parents.

The two stories start to come together when Audrey’s parents sue Kate for supposedly planting false memories in their daughter’s head. Then one of the parties in the lawsuit gets themselves killed and now Kate is a murder suspect.

You started down your publishing journey later than some of us – what lit the spark?

Publishing, yes; writing no. I’ve been a writer, well, since I learned to write. You should see some of the poems I wrote in high school.  *laughs*  Then again, maybe you shouldn’t. They were pretty awful.

I started Multiple Motives in 1995. I had published several professional articles by then, but it was the first piece of fiction that I actually thought was worth publishing. I got about one third of the way into it and lost my momentum, partly because I had a day job and a teenager to finish raising. But mainly because I knew that I did not have the patience to deal with the publishing industry. It’s not that I can’t handle rejection; it’s that I have no tolerance for unnecessary obstacles, created by the very people who are supposed to be on your side.

All three Kate Huntington books are self-published. Why’d you decide to go that route? Did you query at all?

I did query some, last spring and early summer, when Multiple Motives was finished. I decided that, maybe I couldn’t handle the flawed nature of the publishing world in my early 40’s, but at almost 60, it was time to put on my big girl pants and deal with it. Meanwhile, I was cranking out the first drafts of three more books.

I hated every minute spent on the querying process, mainly because it is so much effort and so much agony for so little return. When you finally land an agent, you are still a long way away from a published book.

Then I went to a writers’ conference in late August and two little miracles happened. One of the presentations was on e-publishing. The presenter was a well-established author, with a publisher, who, for a variety of reasons, had more recently gone the self- publishing route. My eyes went wide, my mouth dropped open and I thought, “This is for me!”

The second little miracle was that I had a glass of wine with Shannon Esposito at the cocktail party at the end of the conference. We had chatted earlier in the weekend about something inane–hairdressers, I believe it was–but as we sat down to relax over a glass of chardonnay, something clicked. By the time her delightful husband came to pick her up, we were both a little looped and we had decided two things: we were going to stay in touch and we were going to check into this self-publishing thing. Her husband, Dan, very graciously invited me to join them for dinner and even managed to look interested while we talked books for the rest of the evening.

Now Shannon and I are partners in a small indie press, misterio press. And we have another mystery writer who has joined us, JoAnn Bassett. misterio press basically operates as a cooperative for indie mystery writers and our goal is to establish a reputation for top-quality self-published mysteries.

And as I’m saying all this, I’m thinking, “Wow, how far we have come in less than a year!” Shannon has two books out and they are doing very well and I’m releasing book three.

Both of us would still be sending out queries in the traditional publishing world.

What’s the best part of the self-publishing experience? The worst?

One of the best things is what I just mentioned. In traditional publishing, even if, by some miracle, we had both landed agents and publishing contracts quickly, our first books would still not be out yet. The average turn-around from contract signing to book hits the shelves is at least a year.

With self-publishing, you forego the whole seeking an agent and publisher part. You hire your own professional editor to polish your work; you get a good cover artist and e-book formatting company lined up, if you don’t have the talent to do those things yourself, and you can have your baby out there within months. And it’s not prohibitively expensive. My average cost per e-book is $1,000. And it’s going to be less than that in the future, because a lot of those services I paid for in the past will be available for me through the misterio press cooperative.

The other big deal for me is that you have complete creative control. I am a control freak, so I love that! You pick the title and you have the final say in editorial changes and cover art. I’ve heard horror stories about authors who were forced to change things they really didn’t want to change, and I was very much afraid that would happen with Multiple Motives. If a publisher’s editor had insisted that I create sexual energy between Kate and Rob, that would have been a deal breaker. Then the book would have become just another tawdry example of how unhealthy humans can be. I wanted it to provide an example how platonic friendships can be healthy.

What’s the worst thing? The promotional stuff is very time-consuming, but these days traditionally-published authors are expected to participate in social media, so I’m really not doing all that much more than I would be doing anyway. And it’s fun to connect with people all over the world. I’ve gotten some terrific support from other authors, like you, Stacy, through social media. So I’m not complaining too loud about the time spent on Twitter and Facebook and such.

Are you planning anything exciting for Family Fallacies?

Actually yes, misterio press in having a contest, to celebrate the book’s release. Anyone who comments here will have their name put in the hat to win a free three-book set of the series to date. Then if they go to our blog at  www.misteriopress.com and read about how ghosts might just be capable of getting jealous, we’ll put their names in the hat again. And if they stop by any of the rest of my blog stops this week and comment there, yet another entry goes into the hat, up to six maximum.

The winner will be chosen at midnight Friday and announced at each of the blogs, including ours, on Saturday.

Last but not least, what do you do when you’re not writing? Favorite book? Movie? Vacation?

*laughs*  Mostly I sleep, and often not enough of that. Writing has taken over my life the last couple years. My husband looks at me funny when I show up at the dinner table–he’s the cook in the family–as if to say, “ Do I know you?”

But I do try to carve out time for reading. It is my favorite form of relaxation. I try to read a lot of indie writers now, both to support them and to see what exciting things they are doing.

And my husband and I love to travel. We just got back from a trip to Alaska. What a breathtakingly beautiful state! I hope to have my pictures up on Facebook soon. Just hasn’t made it to the top of the to-do list yet.

Thanks so much for talking with me today, Kassandra!

I’ve really enjoyed it. You are a gem, Stacy, for having me! I hope you’ll come visit me and Shannon soon.

And thanks to all your followers and friends for stopping by. Good luck in the contest!

Oops, almost forgot. Here are the rest of the blog stops this week:

Tuesday, 6/12 – Why Do We Hurt The Ones We Love? – Rhonda Hopkins lets me get serious about some, well, serious stuff, at http://rhondahopkins.com

Wednesday, 6/13 – “Don’t Hate Me Because I’m Beautiful” – Lightening things up a bit as I talk about body image and self-esteem as the guest of Alica McKenna Johnson at http://alicamckennajohnson.com

Thursday, 6/14 – A Check-Up From the Neck Up – Hanging out with Ginger Calem, of world-renowned Writer’s Butt Wednesdays fame, and sharing some tips for maintaining your mental health, at  http://gingercalem.wordpress.com

Friday, 6/15 – Chatting with Jennifer L. Oliver about writing, eating and puppy dogs (no puppy dogs will be harmed in the process) at http://www.small-escapes.com

Kassandra Lamb’s Bio

Psychology and writing, or writing and psychology, if you will, have always vied for number one on Kassandra Lamb’s Greatest Passions list. In her youth, she had to make a decision between writing and paying the bills. Partial to heat, electricity and food, she studied psychology.

Now retired from a career as a psychotherapist and college professor, she spends most of her time in an alternate universe in which her protagonist, Kate Huntington, is always the kind, generous and insightful person that she wishes she were.

When not at her computer, transported in mind and spirit into Kate’s world, she lives in Florida and Maryland, with her husband and her Alaskan Husky, Amelia. She also hangs out a lot on Twitter and Facebook, so feel free to track her down there @KassandraLamb and http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/kassandra.lamb.

I’m VERY honored to have Bob Mayer guesting today. His knowledge of the industry and willingness to share makes his blog a must read. In a publishing environment that’s in constant flux and often fraught with arguments over traditional vs. indie, Bob keeps a cool head and always puts the author first.

Thanks so much for guesting today, Bob!

Authors: Which Do You Value More: Bestseller lists or profit?

Most authors are very focused on bestseller lists.  Most of us want to say Joe Scmho, Blah-Blah Bestselling Author.  The blah blah tip is the NY Times List.  Actually, a handful get to say:  #1 NY Times Bestselling Author, which is the tip of the tip.  And then within the NY Times you’ve got a sliding scale:  Printed list or extended list?  The printed list is what appears in the paper.  The extended list can be found on-line.  Do you know how antiquated the NY Times list is?  It’s always been skewed. It’s two weeks late by the way!  Does the Times own a computer? Connected to the Internet?  They’ve been reporting the list the same way now for decades.  And it’s based on reports from stores, not actual sales.  One time I had the #4 bestselling fiction mass market title on USA Today and didn’t even hit the Times extended list.  Then I had a book on the Times list that never touched USA Today.  So which reality are they operating in?

Also, quite frankly, publishers can put enough co-op money and push behind a title to practically jackhammer it onto the list.  I saw an author become the infamous #1 NY Times hardcover in January and virtually disappear in a couple of weeks which says to me there was a hard push, then sales dropped precipitously.

Here’s the thing: bestseller lists don’t exactly equal ka-ching.  And ka-ching pays the rent/mortgage.  More importantly, making money as a writer allows us to keep writing.

I remember sitting at lunch years ago with several authors at the Maui Writers Conference.  We were discussing the business and I started talking about dollars and every author just about spit their iced tea out.  They said NO writer talks about actual dollars.  But they were also very happy to finally let the beast out of the closet and talk about contracts and real dollars.  Because it was their livelihood and for their entire career they had been working in the dark trying to figure out what they were worth, what their books were worth, what their time was worth and what their writing was worth.  But it was all hidden under a bushel.

There are quite a few indie and trad authors making a very nice living and they never hit the bestseller lists.  To them, I say, take satisfaction in that you get to do what you love and don’t worry about the ‘validation’ of lists that are vague at best.

Because not a single bestseller list focuses on earnings.  And that is a fatal business flaw as any MBA, or person with a business sense, will tell you.  Especially with the tidal wave of eBooks.  Let’s walk through a practical application of this.

A certain author sells 1 million eBooks. Woohoo!  At .99.  Well, okay.  But it’s a million.  I grant it’s a brilliant marketing move.  For the first person who did it.  For the rest, sorry, it’s not that unique any more.  A million eBooks on Amazon at .99, where each earns a little over .29.  Ultimately around $297,000.  Not chump change.  Except the guy in the next cubicle who sells 100,000 eBooks at $4.99, one tenth of that all important number, earns $349,300.  Huh?  Yet which one does the publishing world focus on?  The units sold.  However, which, ultimately, is the more important number?  You can’t pay employees with units sold.  You pay them with earnings.

Bad business.  Because at the end of the day we have to pay the rent/mortgage, the utilities and our business expenses.

Look at Publishers Lunch, which announces deals.  We know agents and publishers never give exact figures to PW.  So it labels them with terms:  good, nice, yada yada.  Except how many books?  What rights?  What royalty rates?  Which exact end from the low end to high end does the deal actually hit?  Ask anyone.  Big difference if they get the top number or the bottom number.

I know that we’re not going to shift to reporting actual dollar figures.  But I think as authors we need to be aware that believing in numbers with such a high degree of variance once you get into the details as our measuring stick has inherent problems.  I took some courses in psychology on statistics and how they can be skewed.

I know, it’s all we have. The key to success in digital publishing is not the immediate success and the bestseller list.  It’s the long tail, a broad base of titles, and consistent sales over the years.  Where bestseller lists really count is on Amazon if you get on that first page for your genre.  That’s called discoverability.

All I’m saying is let’s be aware that ‘success’ is different for each of us and there are many roads to Oz and even Oz is a different place for each of us.

What do you guys think? What’s more important to you? The money that goes into your bank account or the status of being called a best-selling author? What’s going to make you more successful in the long run?

In celebration of the official release of A Spy Like Me, Laura Pauling is hosting a three-week blog series: A Spies, Murder and Mystery Marathon. Woot! Woot!

Authors galore, guest posts and book giveaways almost every day!

Gemma Halliday, Cindy M. Hogan, Elizabeth Spann Craig,
Nova Ren Suma, Elisa Ludwig, and Anne R. Allen….Just to name a few!

And here’s why she’s celebrating!

Stripping your date down to his underwear has never been so dangerous.

After dodging bullets on a first date, Savvy must sneak, deceive and spy to save her family and friends and figure out if Malcolm is one of the bad guys before she completely falls for him.

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Smashwords

Head on over to Laura’s blog for the start of the Spies, Murder and Mystery Marathon. You won’t want to miss this sizzling series as we head into summer. Stock up on some great thrilling reads! If you dare…

You started out in Business Education and spent many years helping people develop various marketing skills. What made you decide to become a writer? Was it something you always dabbled in, or did you one day just decide to pursue your dream?

I was sitting on the shores of Owasco Lake watching my children frolic in the water. They were at the ages that they still needed a constant eye, but I could sit and read a book while they played. This one summer I read a lot. I think I read and re-read every book that Sandra Brown and Nora Roberts ever wrote and I thought I could write a book. We didn’t have a laptop or computer at the cottage, so I pulled out pen and paper and wrote In Two Weeks. When I had it all typed into my computer at home, I started looking up how to get published. I joined the Central NY Romance chapter of RWA and began to learn publishing. A few short years later I signed my first contract.

What was your path to publication? Did you pursue traditional publishing at all before partnering with Bob Mayer to create Who Dares Win Publishing?

I pursued traditional publishing, but got my start with an ePublisher. Unfortunately, they went bankrupt. My second contract was with The Wild Rose Press, another ePublisher. I published 4 novels and 2 short stories with them. I also have worked with two agents. I have a stack of rejection letters a mile high.

I met Bob at a conference many years ago. I took a few of his workshops and struck up a friendship after I took one of his day-long retreats. He was interested in my experience with ePublishing and I was still looking to break into traditional publishing. He had just gotten the rights back to some of his books and wasn’t sure what, if anything, he could do. The partnership developed when I made a mock-cover for one of his Atlantis books and told him how he could get an eBook edition on Amazon. At the time, our plan was to re-release his backlist while we both pursued contracts in New York. Things changed very quickly when we realized where digital was heading and what that meant for our individual careers as well as our business partnership.

You grew up in Rochester, New York, a city with a very high murder rate. What stories inspired your fascination with crime and suspense?

The first story that caught my attention was that of Arthur Shawcross, better known as the Genesee River Killer. Shawcross was in prison twice. First for arson and burglary. He was paroled in 1971. He was later convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 25 years, but was paroled in 1987 after serving 14 years. I did not know this until much later, but he lived only a block away from one of my first apartments off of Alexander Street. He started murdering prostitutes in 1988. He was caught in Spencerport (another place I lived) on January 3, 1990.

I remember the reports on the news about the murders and I remember the day they captured him. I never thought anything like that could happen in my town…then someone told me about the Alphabet Murders. There was a movie called The Alphabet Killer that came out in 2008 that was loosely based on the Alphabet Murders.

The most disturbing to me was the murder of Kali Ann Poulton. Kali disappeared on May 23, 1994 and she was just 4 years old. It struck so deep because my little girl was about the same age. Kali had been missing for 27 months before they found her body submerged in a 30,000 gallon water tank. Mark Christie was eventually convicted of murdering Kali.

These stories, in many ways, broke my heart. The last one made me want to make sure all killers got what they deserved. In my books they usually are punished pretty badly. A little sweet revenge is always justified when loved ones are taken from us.

However, these stories and others like them lead me to ask one simple question: why would any human being kill another? Which lead to: what would it take for a seemingly normal person to be pushed to such an extreme? They started my fascination in crime stories and understanding characters. It is important to understand the antagonist of your story, even if you never show his point of view. In order to have him/her be real in the readers mind, they have to be real to you, so I dug pretty deep to try to understand something that is uncomprehendable to the “normal” person.

There is one story that led me to write a book (not published yet) called the Harvester. This book is based on a story that broke out a few years ago about local funeral homes harvesting body parts (such as bones for marrow) and replacing them with PVC piping. I’m hoping to release this story by the end of the year.

My books are romances, or at the very least, have a romance subplot, but my bad guys are about as bad as they can be, but the good guys always win.

How do you come up with your ideas? Do you write about experiences based on someone you know/news, or about events in your own life?

Mark Twain said, “write what you know.” Bob Mayer said, “write what you want to know or feel passionate about.” 

There is a little bit of my life in every book. For example, the hero Jared Blake in my novel In Two Weeks is a controlling freak. My husband is a controlling freak. In my book Jane Doe’s Return the heroine is terrified to fly. I’m terrified to fly. My current work in progress, I hate to admit, the hero has a couple of Bob’s traits and mannerisms and another character is based on someone I used know in high school that drove me absolutely bonkers. Are these characters based on the people in my life, but they aren’t these people at all. I use their language, their hobbies and their idiosyncrasies to develop rich three-dimensional characters, but they are far from “real”.

As far as ideas its usually breed from books, movies or things I see. I love the ‘what if’ concept for ideas. For my book, Jane Doe’s Return the idea was: What if the one person who could unlock the mystery of who killed your sister showed up in the most unlikely of places; in your office as your knew partner but you had no idea she was Jane Doe. My current work in progress the idea is: What if, while searching for the daughter you gave up, your patients were being killed one by one and your daughter is next? Once I have an idea, I have to really dig for characters. Character is key. There are times I wish I could start with character, but the plot idea always comes first for me.

Tell us about your latest book, IN TWO WEEKS.  What’s your favorite thing about the book? Is it based on a true story or incident?

In Two Weeks is the first book I ever wrote, so that right there makes it special. My favorite part is the setting: Lake George, NY. I spent all my summers there as little girl and to me, its the most peaceful place on earth. There is nothing factual about the story, but the imagery is real. The house and carriage house that Jared owns in the story is the house my family rented when I was a child. We rented what I describe as the carriage house. The opening scene at the bar is a bar that was right down the road. The hotel that the heroine works at is a very famous hotel on Lake George, although I changed the names of all these places.

Is this ever-changing publishing world, what advice can you offer a new author about marketing?

An author has to have a marketing plan, but the key to that marketing plan is CONTENT. More books. I have three books out right now and I have not done a lot of marketing for myself until now because what does a reader do when they like your book? They buy everything you’ve ever written. But if you have nothing, they have nothing to go buy.

Another thing to consider with marketing is that it’s not always about “sales”. It’s more about building community and finding your readership. The hard part is making the connections. It’s easy to convers with other writers, but where do the readers hang out? I believe the best thing a writer can do is be consistent in their efforts. Bob and found that once we fully committed to what we were doing AND we were consistent in all our efforts (social media and other forms of marketing and advertising) things began to happen. I call it having an internet presence and that is part of the Write It Forward Author Branding Plan, which in a nut shell develops over time as you figure out who you are as a writer and how you interact best with the world.

Learn from those who are succeeding. Watch what they do and figure out what works for you. No need to reinvent the wheel.

There are so many options out there for marketing. I always recommend building a foundation based on what you do well and expand outward. For example, Bob is great on Twitter, Kindleboards and all the blogging he does. If he is consistent in those areas, he can then expand it out simply by posting information on Facebook and Pinterest, but those two things are not his strong suit, so its simply an extension. I’m good at Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads. I use Timbre, Pinterest and LinkedIn as an extension of what I’m good at by simply putting the information out there. Once I get more comfortable, I can expand and create more real social circles, but remember, you can’t be everywhere all the time. Pick and choose and whatever you decide to do, do it well.

With so many social media forums out there, which ones do you feel are the most effective?

I sort of touched on that above. The first thing to consider is where you as a writer feel comfortable. Start there and then expand. Most social media sites don’t “sell”, but most have an effect in the long run.

I’d say pick 3 to really work and explore others when you have time. I use Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads. Bob uses Twitter, Kindleboards and Blogging. I’ve expanded to Pinterest (love it!), Digg, Timbre and Google+ while Bob has expanded to Pinterest, other forums and trying to work Facebook.

What do you think the best strategy is for writers to reach READERS, meaning the ones outside our writing blogosphere?

This is the hardest question to answer. In any of the social media sites I participate in, most of the conversations are with other writers. The interaction I have with readers are through those that take the time to write reviews or email me. We make a connection with our readers through our books. This is one reason why I caution writers about spending too much time blogging etc before the book comes out. Content is king and it is the first interaction we have with our readers.

I’d say the best way to engage is to offer free books when possible. Do an author Q&A at Goodreads. Do blog tours, this gives you exposure to other authors’ fans.

The biggest thing you can do is write more books.

You’re offering several workshops through Write It Forward – what’s one you recommend everyone take?

I recommend them all, but it depends on what your goals are and what you need currently. If you want to work on craft, take the Conflict workshop. If you want to learn about ePublishing, take our workshop on Digital Publishing. If you want work on you Internet Presence, we have a workshop for that. We also offer workshops on Time Management and Historical Research.

Let’s get a little personal now. You’re a hockey mom, right? What’s that like?

INSANE! You know you’re a hockey mom when someone asks how old your children are and you say, “I have a 91, a 93 and a 97.” I think at one point when all were still at home we were averaging about 170 hockey games in five states and two countries. My daughter now plays D3 college hockey and we don’t get to see her often since she is 7 hours from home. My middle boy is graduating HS and going on to play D3 Golf, so his hockey days are officially over (unless he joins his dad in men’s league) and the baby boy is a freshman in HS. We still have 3 years left of watching and traveling with him. He wants to try and play college hockey.

I have written many scenes sitting at an ice rink waiting for practice be over and if you ask any of the hockey dads on the team, they will tell you that they are the hero’s in my books! LOL.

What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not writing or attending one of the kids games?

I love to read and watch movies or TV shows. I just finished reading a fabulous horrorish book by Laura Benedict called The Devil’s Oven. I loved it. I also went and saw the movie Hunger Games. Very good. My guilty pleasures this season for TV are Dance Moms, Revenge and reruns of Friends. I also am addicted to Southland, Californication, Dexter and Nurse Jackie. I could go on and on. But that is what I do for fun.

Do you have any pet causes? Any charities you support?

I have two nephews with Muscular Dystrophy. Matt Klapp passed away December 29, 2008. His younger brother, Jordan suffers from the same disease. My niece, Shea Holbrook is a racecar driver and she races for a cure. We support her racing because it helps support many children and their families who are touched by this horrible disease. For information on SheaRacing and how Shea helps raise money to find a cure please go to shearacing.com.

What’s the best way for readers to contact you?

Email me at jen@jentalty.com

Thanks so much for speaking with me today, Jen! I’ve learned so much from your blog, and the success you and Bob have had is fantastic. Good luck with IN TWO WEEKS!

Thanks for having me!

Please take a minute to leave Jen some love. She works hard to help other authors, and I’m really excited she took the time to give us such great answers.

Jen’s Books on Amazon:
Rekindled
In Two Weeks
Jane Doe’s Return

Jen’s Books on Barnes and Noble:
In Two Weeks
Jane Doe’s Return

Jen’s Books on Kobo:
In Two Weeks
Jane Doe’s Return

Who Dares Win Publishing:
In Two Weeks
Jane Does Return

It’s a Thriller Thursday special edition! New York Times Best Selling Author Allison Brennan is one of my favorite suspense writers. Her stories keep me on the edge of my seat, and her characters are relatable—a must for great fiction. When I first joined Twitter, I was lucky enough to win a signed copy of Allison’s Kiss Me, Kill Me. I was amazed at how approachable she was, and she’s been a great resource as I stumble through this writing thing.

My autographed copy of Kiss Me, Kill Me.

I’ll shut up now and let you read the interview. Don’t forget to give her some love in the comments!

Stacy: You started writing after serving as a consultant on the California state legislature. How did your experience there help when you began writing?

Allison Brennan: Motivation: I wanted to quit my job. LOL … seriously, I think ANYTHING that we do prior to writing helps us understand human nature, which gives our characters depth.

Stacy: You decided to write a book from beginning to end at the age of 30 – what led to that decision?

Allison Brennan: Several things. First, I was burned out in my job. Second, I had always loved writing, but put it aside to get married, have kids, start a career. It was not on the back-burner; it was off the stove!

When I was on maternity leave with my son (Brennan #3) I wanted to quit my job and stay home with him, but at the same time knew I’d be bored (I wasn’t cut out to be a SAHM) and I needed to earn money. I read a lot while on maternity leave (77 books in four months) – two of those books jumpstarted my writing. The Search by Iris Johansen and The Third Victim by Lisa Gardner. They were both romantic suspense, but darker and grittier and more focused on the suspense than the romance, but still had a resolved HEA, which I like. I thought, this is what I want to write! And started a new book that I promised myself I would finish. And I did—though it never sold (and shouldn’t have!)

Stacy: You wrote five books before selling The Prey 2004. I know you’ve destroyed the first four, but how did you stick it out after writing four non-published books?

Allison Brennan: Every book I wrote was better than the last. I wanted to be published, and I knew I didn’t know everything (and still don’t!) So I was committed to writing, learning, writing more, reading, writing more, and if it took two books or five books or twenty, I would have kept going. (I’m just glad it didn’t take twenty!)

Stacy: What did you learn from writing the first novels? What were some of the writing mistakes you made in those books?

Allison Brennan: Some of the mistakes are basic—head hopping (which is different than POV changes); backstory dumps, too many subplots, too many coincidences, not enough/too much description, etc. Some aren’t mistakes per se, just things that I improved the more I wrote—i.e. practice improves dialogue, character development, action scenes, etc. I don’t think I was ever a BAD writer, but I was certainly mediocre. I also read Self-Editing for Fiction Writers which really helped tighten my prose and identify some of my own personal stumbling blocks.

My first completed manuscript was particularly bad. Not that it was unreadable, but it was weak. It had EVERYTHING in it – it was a romantic suspense where the heroine worked from home in computer security. She was being stalked by the guy at the coffee house on the corner. She found out her ex-fiance at the computer company was embezzling secrets, and in the middle of the book he kidnapped her and forced her to transfer payroll funds to his off-shore account or he’d kill her brother (who happened to be an ex-Marine turned priest!) She was a virgin. Hero was a cop who moved into the apartment beneath hers. He has a psycho ex-girlfriend who stalked him, trashed the heroine’s apartment. The villain killed the ex-girlfriend and framed the hero, who while in prison, the heroine is kidnapped and taken to the mountains where she’s forced to wear the villain’s mother’s wedding dress so they can get “married” before he rapes him. Oh, and the hero was investigating a serial rapist who, surprise, targeted women who looked like the heroine.

Needless to say, there were three complete stories in that book.

Stacy: How do you come up with your ideas?

Allison Brennan: The million dollar question! Everywhere. I read true crime, watch television, watch people, and have a pretty vivid imagination. I play the “What if” game constantly. What if a mild-mannered guy killed his whole family? Why? What if one of the kids survived? Who would she become? (My heroine in The Prey.) What if you testified against the man you thought killed your sister—but find out years later you sent an innocent man to prison? (My heroine in The Kill.) What if you find out that sex offenders you think you’re tracking to put back in prison are actually being killed in old blood? (Lucy in Love Me To Death.) What if there was an earthquake under San Quentin? (The Prison Break trilogy.)

Ideas are everywhere. I just like thinking about all the possibilities.

Stacy: In your bio, you mention research trips such as an autopsy and an 8-week course at the FBI Citizens Academy, as well as trips to Quantico and various interviews with law enforcement. What advice to have to new writers just starting out who don’t have those kinds of resources? And how do you apply what you learned from Quantico and other resources to your writing?

Allison Brennan: There are lots of FREE resources for writers. (I wrote 8 books before participating in the Citizens Academy, which was really my first big research thing.) I mostly know what’s available to crime writers.

FREE: crimescenewriter@yahoogroups.com is a group with cops, retired and active, FBI agents, PIs, paramedics, etc. all willing to answer questions for writers. It’s harder to get answers from cops and others when you don’t have credentials (because EVERYONE is writing a book) but there are often public openings in ride-along programs, tours, and it never hurts to contact the public information officer and just ask! Don’t forget friends, family and neighbors—the guy (a mechanic) who solved my plot problem for The Hunt I met through my brother-in-law at a baptism!

CHEAP: Join writers groups (anywhere from $25-$95/year) or chapters within writers groups that specialize in your genre. Many of my earlier questions were answered by chapter members who either knew the answer, or was married to someone who did. On-line classes–$10-30. Many times you don’t have to be a member and can take classes on a variety of subjects, from craft to research. Do a little research of your own and see if the instructor is good. Margie Lawson, for example, is one I strongly recommend if you want to take your writing to the next level, or if you’re struggling with craft-related issues like emotion, depth of character, pacing, etc. Another resource that people forget are BOOKS. I have over 100 craft, crime, forensics, and (because of my paranormal series) supernatural books. I have The Writers Journey and Practical Homicide Investigation. I also read a lot of true crime because it gives me some insight into the minds of people who hunt criminals, as well as victims. Some books I’ve bought are duds, others I would have paid twice the price.

Stacy: How do you manage to juggle a family and write three books a year?

Allison Brennan: Caffeine.

Seriously, I’m no different than any other working mom on the planet. I work, I raise the kids. My entire life is writing and kids. Fortunately, I love both and use my research trips as my fun vacation time.

I don’t sweat the small stuff. I don’t clean. I don’t make elaborate dinners. It’s all about prioritizing and making sacrifices. We all do what we need to do.

Stacy: You’ve got sixteen bestselling novels under your belt. You’ve talked about being a pantser with No Plotters Allowed handout at RWA. What’s your process? Do you start out with an idea and just jump in, or do you have a system? How do you keep organized throughout the book writing process?

Allison Brennan: I am not an organized person. And I don’t like the word “pantser” – I prefer “organic writer.” The story comes from the characters and the inciting incident, and I go from there. This requires a lot of rewriting, but I would rather do that than plot an entire book out, which feels like a job more than a discovery. I WISH I had another way, but I’ve tried everything, and the only thing that works is sitting down, writing, editing as necessary, and USUALLY before the midpoint I know what’s not working, go back and fix, and then write the ending. Sounds easy, but it’s not. I delete twice as many words as end up in the final book.

I have a white board in my office to keep track of my crimes and victims. I didn’t use to and had a lot of timeline issues. I call it my murder board, and it works.

Stacy: What about POV? Is each its own storyline, or is the process more intuitive?

Allison Brennan: Intuitive. I write in the POV that makes sense at the time.

Stacy: There is so much advice out there for new authors regarding craft, marketing, etc. What advice can you give to newbies inundated with information?

Allison Brennan: Write a good book. Pitch it. Write another. It doesn’t get easier, but you will get better. If you don’t have a book to market, what good is marketing? Focus on the book, it’s the ONLY thing you have control over. Once you sell, don’t let all the other stuff interfere with your writing time. You’ll have some business things to attend to, but make your writing time sacred.

Stacy: Self-publishing and ebooks are on a rapid rise. Where do you see the industry going in the next few years? Do you still think new writers should attempt traditional publishing, or is self-publishing the new way to go?

Allison Brennan: I think that NO ONE knows what’s really going to happen, and that no one should make life-changing decisions based on limited information that we have now. I don’t think print books are going to disappear. I think e-books will become more popular, but there will likely be a 50/50 balance in the market. You’ll make more money per book if you self-publish, but how are you going to break out of the pack? With EVERYONE and their brother publishing a book, how are you going to stand out? Not everyone is successful, and all the costs are on you, the author – editing, cover design, etc. Yes, you don’t need to sell a lot to earn that back, but breaking out will be just as hard, or harder, in the self-publishing world.

I think that traditional e-publishers that have a proven record will continue to thrive and grow. The author doesn’t pay into the production, though they may have little to no advance. But the publisher has a team of professional to handle ALL the editing and production work (which is very time-consuming to do right.)

I’m not saying not to self-publish. I just think that individuals need to make their own decisions based on unbiased information, and I’m not seeing a lot of unbiased information out there. There are a few successful self-published authors who started that way, but most of the success stories are those authors who have the rights to their backlist and have successfully re-published them themselves.

The big sellers are still going to be the big print authors, who will not only sell more copies, but they’re asking (and getting) higher e-book prices.

Anyway, my advice is to sit down and make a plan, but no matter what, never send a book out—traditional or self-published—that isn’t the absolutely best book you can make it.

Stacy: Let’s talk about marketing for a moment. Most agents, editors, and publishing experts say that even if you’re lucky enough to get a traditional contract, you’ll still have to do the vast majority of marketing on your own. That’s one of the more intimidating parts of the process to me. What works for newly published authors? In this digital age, what’s the best way to get word out about our book without sounding like a door-to-door solicitor?

Allison Brennan: I wish I knew! I hate promoting myself. However, I think what works best is to BE YOURSELF. Go into communities you feel comfortable with and participate. Every post doesn’t have to be about your book. I’m active on Facebook, Twitter, and several Yahoogroups, and have been for years, on yahoogroups before I sold. Be friendly, find people with common interests, etc., then when you want to talk about a new book or something, you mention it. Like, one out of every 100 comments. Or 200 comments. Or 1,000 comments. If you hate blogging, don’t blog; if you like it, do it. Not every blog is about your book.

I can not stand 1) drive-by promoters (authors who never participate in a group, except to post they have a new book out) and 2) message board that are all about self-published authors promoting their books. I don’t think I would make a good self-published author on that end. However, I would hire an editor, a proofreader, and a cover artist—and probably send out for reviews, do a blog tour, and make sure I respond to reader mail.

Stacy Green: Who are you reading right now, and who are the authors you admire?

Allison Brennan: I admire many, many authors. Nora Roberts for her no-nonsense attitude and support of the romance genre; Lee Child and James Rollins for their unfailing support of debut authors and other writers, even with their hectic schedules; Michael Connelly, Lisa Gardner and Tess Gerritsen for talent—I love the way they tell their stories; Stephen King for both his storytelling and being humble even after great success; Sandra Brown for her class and amazing ability to blend thriller and mystery and romance; there are many more. Many authors are more than willing to help others, and I feel blessed to be a writer.

Right now I’m reading A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard (non-fiction) and The Silent Girl by Tess Gerritsen, plus a galley for a debut author.

I can’t thank Allison enough for taking the time out of her busy schedule to give such great answers. She’s a great author and a perfect example of social media should work: do unto others as you’d have done unto you.

Allison’s new book, If I Should Die, drops 11.22.11. Stop by her website for more details on her books as well as some great writing resources.

Happy mid-week check in! I just paid all my bills and transferred some to the savings account. That alone is cause for celebration around here.

Don’t forget to check out Thriller Thursday tomorrow. I’m interviewing New York Times Best Selling Author Allison Brennan. She talks about her writing process as well as the changes in the publishing industry, and I’m really excited to share the interview with you.

This week has been productive in a different way for me. Ever since my good friend Donna Galanti (who’s enjoying vacation at Disney right now!) signed with Echelon, I’ve been doing a lot of research on digital publishing and smaller presses. At this point, I’m not ready for self-publishing, but there is A LOT of appeal to publish with one of the e-publishers like Echelon, Carina, or Wild Rose. The royalties are much higher, they’re author friendly, provide cover art and editing, as well as marketing help. No, you don’t get as high of a royalty as you do on Amazon, but when you consider these publishers ebooks sell for a few dollars more and they’re providing services a self-publisher has to look to out of pocket, it evens out at the least. In case you missed it, James Scott Bell spoke about the digital publishing trend here and basically reaffirmed my thinking.

You still have to query, your book still has to be great, and that appeals to me as well. I want the feedback and the chance at getting my work edited. Of course, I want the affirmation, just as we all do.

I’m not saying agents are going the way of the dinosaur. I don’t think that’s the case with the good agents. They’ll evolve, and I’m certainly still going to query them. I want the experience and hopefully the feedback. But after speaking with Donna, my critique partner and good friend Catie Rhodes, and TJ Proofs, a great lady with industry knowledge and an eye for proofing, I’m going to be focusing on the e-publishers. To make that decision is monumental for me.

So I’ve spent the last few days researching, creating my spreadsheet of publishers and agents I want to query, and fine tuning the novel. Not a lot of writing done, but important tasks.

I’m heading out of town this afternoon to visit family in Indianapolis, so the rest of the week will be a bit of a wash. That’s all right, though. Family comes first.

What about you? How’s your week been? What are your thoughts on e-publishers verses agents/Big Six?

I ran across Laura Pauling’s blog a couple of months ago and instantly became a fan. Her posts are fun, and Laura is extremely considerate of other writers. After one of my first comments, she emailed me personally to further answer my question. For a busy mom, blogger, and writer, I thought that was pretty impressive. Laura writes Middle Grade and YA, and is in the middle of the querying process. She’s also learning all she can about self-publishing, which she shares on her blog every Wednesday.

I’m very grateful Laura took the time to answer my questions, so enough of me. Here’s Laura!

Q: Tell me about what got you started writing. Have you always wanted to be a writer? Did you write in school?
I was a stay-at-home mom in need of a creative outlet. Need I say more? Quilting got tedious (and I kinda sucked at it). Scrapbooking was too expensive (and I always fell behind). I think that after loving to read my whole life, creating stories was the obvious next step.

Why Middle Grade and Young Adult? What is it about those genres that draw you?
Powerful Middle Grade stories like Where The Red Fern Grows and Bridge to Terabithia affected me and stayed with me much longer than any adult books I’d read. And I love the fast paced plots and the more powerful literary YA.

You were a teacher – how did that influence your writing?
I can’t say it influenced my writing other than choosing to write MG and YA. I had to read children’s literature books in college and teach them and recommend them so…

You’ve gained quite a following on your blog. What’s your social media secret?
Ha ha! Thanks for the compliment. But I’m still a mini-blogger in the world of social media. I don’t have any secrets except see what posts bring more hits and steer in that direction. I try and keep my blog unique, useful, and updated. I help promote others. And I work hard but don’t let it take away from my writing.

Have you attended any writing workshops or conferences? If so, how have they helped?
The main conference I attend is the New England SCBWI, invaluable for networking, talking shop, and leaving inspired. But most of my growth in craft comes from reading books on writing, studying published books, and practicing.

One of your recent Wednesday posts was on the constant changes in publishing, which I loved. Since you’re in the query process, are you to the point of considering self-publishing?
I am seriously considering self-publishing but not with the MG book I’m querying. My series of blog posts on the changes in the publishing industry are a result of my research. The changes happening are fascinating. And as writers, we all need to be informed and make the decision best for our career goals.

How has the query process been? In my opinion, one of the pros about querying is the potential for feedback from agents. Have you received any?
The query process? Exhilarating. Exhausting. Time-consuming. Exciting. Discouraging. Encouraging. It’s all those things combined. I receive more quality feedback from agents/editors at NESCBWI. But a form rejection is powerful feedback. Of course, not the kind we want.

How do you juggle writing time with family time?
I write during the day when my kids are at school, and I read/write at night after they are in bed. When they were younger, I wrote during naptimes and Barney. (Yay for Barney!) (Now my kids sing gory spin-offs of the Barney song.)

What’s your favorite thing to do with the family?
We love to have cook-outs during the summer at the lake, cross country ski in the winter, or just hang out and play Apples to Apples. Of course, there are many times when we are all reading. (And my husband sleeps with a book in his lap.)

Is writing your escape, or do you view it as a job?
I totally view it as a job. One hundred percent.

E-reader or Paperback?
I prefer paperback but I have an e-reader. I buy the format that is the least expensive. If I know I’m going to love a book, I buy the print copy.

What are you reading right now?
I am gobbling up self published books as research. Addison Moore’s Ethereal and Tremble, Megg Jensen’s Anathema, and I have several others on my Kindle. I also can’t wait to read Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma. This list could go on forever. Seriously.

If you could only have one book to read for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Impossible to answer. Instead I’ll tell you that if I could only have one flavor of ice cream for the rest of my life it would be chocolate peanut butter.

And finally, what advice can you give to new writers?
I used to dislike the advice read, read, read, and write, write, write. But in hindsight, it really is the best. But, for something more concrete, I’d say read Save the Cat by Blake Snyder and start breaking down published books for structure. If you’re struggling with first chapters, find openings you love, break them down, and apply to your own writing.

Hey, thanks for having me!

Thank you so much, Laura! Good luck on your query process, and I look forward to your Wednesday posts. Like many of us, I’m trying to decide whether to self-publish or query, and your posts are a great way to gain a better understanding of how things are changing.

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