What I've Learned in the Last Three Years

Good morning. It's Sunday, and I'm back. So far April has been a crazy month, and the next two look to be even wilder, but very fulfilling.

Three years ago, Fire Angel, my first novel was released, allowing me to tick off one of the boxes on my bucket list. What an amzing experience, one I'll never have again, although seeing the book in print a few months later was quite a thrill, too. To be honest, I do get those butterfly tickles with each new release, followed by the fear the books won't sell and everyone will hate them. I'm not exactly oozing with self-confidence.

So, what have I learned since publishing my first book? Many things I didn't expect to learn--some satisfying, other disappointing, but life is all about learning and growing, at all ages in all ways.

1. New authors rarely make a lot of money:

First, few publishers pay advances. Secondly, few publishers put books in brick and mortar stores. Unless you hit on some unique niche, the chances are you aren't going to land a contract with the big four or five. A new author, without a name and a reputation, isn't going to make a lot of money. Royalties from paperback and e-book sales are low, and the only way to make money from them is to sell thousands of copies which new authors rarely do. If you have a publisher, they get the lion's share of the money because they shoulder the upfront costs like editing and covers, but if you self-publish, then you have those costs although you do get bigger roaylties, but it takes selling a lot of books to cover that expense.

2. All Publishers ARE NOT REPUTABLE:

This is a lesson I learned the hard way, being scammed by not one but two publishers. The first one, Front Porch Romance, seemed legit at first, but then payments stopped coming, lies and excuses were made, and in the end, she absconded with all of the money, leaving myself and several other new authors who trusted her, high and dry. The second publisher, Entranced, didn't hurt me as much since the book was in the pre-publication stage when she shut the doors, but she shafted a lot of my good friends out of money due them. I lost a third publisher, but that woman showed class and did everything she could to pay the authors and the rest of her staff. We've remained friends, and I wish her well.

3. Reviews Drive Books Bur Readers Don't Always Review:

It's one of those vicious circles. To get exposure for a book, you need lots of reviews, but even though you may give away 100 copies of the book, you'll be lucky to get five reviews out of it. Why? Because most readers simply don't bother writing reviews. To be honest, until I became an author, I didn't review either, but now, I try to. One thing I won't do is slam another authors work. If I read the whole book then there had to be something about it I liked, and I focus on that.

3. Reviewers Can Be Trolls:

For some reason, which I can't for the life of me understand, some people get off trying to ruin authors. That's right. They post reviews demeaning not only the book, but the author. This happens a lot on sites like Goodreads, but also on Amazon. When you read the reviews, you wonder if they even read the book--in csome cases they haven't since the reviews go live before the ARCS are sent out and the book goes live.

4. A Strong Social Media Presence is Essential:

And I am woefully lacking in that department. I'm not a social person, and if I don't like to socialize in person, you have to understand socializing on line isn't a whole lot easier. Spending hours on Facebook and Twitter is hard for me. I try, I really do, but ... What I have managed to do is create a good, solid base of blog followers both here and at https://mhsusannematthews.wordpress.com/
Thanks to my son, I also have a top notch, regularly maintained, and somewhat interactive webpage. http://www.mhsusannematthews.ca/ But how much posting is too much? And what to post? My private life is just that, so...

5. The More You Write, the Better You Get At It:

This sin't rocket science. If you have to practice to be the best in spoorts, then you need to do the same in writing. The more you write, the more you learn about your craft. Editors and Beta readers help you focus on your weak spots and improve them, BUT YOU HAVE TO BE WILLING TO LEARN AND MAKE CHANGES, and for many of us, that is by far the hardest part.

6. You Have to take Risks:

For me, I've been afraid to take any new risks. I don't handle rejection well--make that not at all--so I've avoided submitting to new publishers. I'm lucky. I have three publishers who like my work, and while I'm not making any serious money, I'm getting out there. This year I decided I would strike out at least once and try to find a new place to publish my work. I decided to try Kindle Press, the publishing arm of Amazon.

Hello Again, my newest book, a paranormal/suspense/romance based on a Sioux myth, is involved in a KIndle Scout campaign. With only 8 days to go, my winning a contract doesn't look promising, but I'm hoping the people who've nominated it so far will consider reading something else of mine.  You can help with the campaign by going to:
https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/18M9BEDK8IVLH

So, those are the truths I've come away with so far. Writing is all consuming. You need to really want to do this to succeed. The biggest thrill I have right now is having someone contact me and say. "Wow! I love your books." That's what Ineed to hear get to work on the next one. Who knows, that one might be the one that makes it all worthwhile.

Have a great week!

Hello Again in A Kindle Scout Campaign, Oh My!

Good morning. Well, the calendar may say spring, but I'm not sure Mother Nature agrees. After an absolutely gorgeous Easter Sunday, it's back to cold, miserable wet, rainy weather. Wait! No snow? It is spring!

I'm in a wonderful mood this morning. I finished my new novel, Hello Again, a paranormal suspense romance that I started as part of the Tuesday Tales group. Instead of trying to sell it to one of my other publishers, I decided to try my luck with the Kindle Scout program. My friend Danielle Doolittle designed an awesome cover, which we tweaked with the help of my beta reader, Iris Blobel, and I submitted it. So...

What does this mean? Kindle Scout is reader-powered publishing for new, never-before-published books. It’s a place where readers help decide if a book will be chosen for publication through Amazon’s publishing forums. Selected books will be published by Kindle Press and as a thank you from Kindle Press and myself for your support, you’ll receive an early, free e-copy of Hello Again if it’s selected for publication.  

Hello Again is set entirely in Canada,primarily in the province of Saskatchewan, and for the most part, on a First Nations Lakoda reserve. If you enjoy Native American flavor to your reading, you should like this. While the story is contemporary, I adapted a Sioux myth to my purposes. I hope you’ll enjoy meeting the book's unusual characters. There’s more to the hero than you can imagine. The grief stricken heroine doesn’t give into her pain, but soars above it, and the kindly old shaman, a feisty old lady with a heart of gold, will win you over.

Live, love, laugh. We’ve all heard the words, but can we always put them into practice? It's my sincere hope this story will make you laugh, cry, suspend your hold on reality, and have you look beyond what you believe to embrace the possibilities. In the end, I hope it leaves you feeling good.

So, what’s Hello Again about?

Can she lift the curse and find love again?

For Charley Winters love means loss and pain. She’s spent the last five years struggling with her grief. Existing, not living. Drawn to Saskatchewan, she isn’t prepared for life’s latests kick in the teeth. Behind schedule, she’s rescued from a vicious tornado by her dead husband’s double, a man who makes her feel things she hasn’t in years. Add to that a native myth, a shaman, a green-eyed wolf, and her husband’s ghost … Can she lift a millennia old curse and find joy and love again?

To nominate my book for publication,  highlight the link, and go to Kindle Scout site to read the first 5,000 words of the book. Hopefully, they’ll leave you wanting more, and if they do, click nominate.

https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/18M9BEDK8IVLH

This is a new venture for me, one that has me stepping way outside the box. Thank you in advance for your help and support. Have a great week.