Readers Before Wallet by W. J. Howard

The Write Way Café welcomes W.J. Howard, who shares thoughts about pricing to enhance readership.


Lately, I’ve gotten myself into trouble with author friends. It’s because I don’t agree we shouldn’t give our work away for free or price it dirt cheap.

As intelligent beings, we are natural storytellers. It all started around the campfire as a way to express our evolving creativity, as well as to fulfill our social, educational, and spiritual needs. These events were free for all to attend, and it makes sense that something so essential to life became a part of commerce in the form of for-profit publishing.

Fast forward to today’s ever changing world and the brilliant minds who invented the Internet as a means of sharing information at lightning fast speed. Since the Internet went public in 1981, it has done amazing things for amateur storytellers, expanding the fire pit to reach billions of people worldwide. Who could have predicted the impact this form of communication has had on the publishing industries, but here we are, well into the most amazing advancements in sharing our thoughts and creations.

While paper books and magazines won’t disappear anytime soon, there’s no denying that the way we read will continue to evolve. Up to now, I’ve been a proponent for every available method to deliver stories to readers, and I’ve been an active member of websites such as Booksie, Writers Café, and WattPad, to name a few. Back in 2009 I even won a writing contest on Textnovel, a site that shares stories via text messages, and I released a novel on Twitter. In essence, these sites have brought back the tradition of telling stories around a campfire. Visitors not only read, they interact with other readers and passages within a story. More notably, authors can talk to readers, making these sites some of my favorite places to hang out as a writer.

I primarily write for young and new adults, and there’s no denying that this age group have their own opinions about paying standard industry prices for literature and music. During a recent discussion with my twenty-three-year-old son, he made it clear he doesn’t mind paying for books and music, but the writer or artist, “better damn well prove their worth before I’m willing to put out the bucks.” This is one reason why I give away my stories to anyone willing to read via Instafreebie and NoiseTrade. While these sites provide another method to get free books in the hands of readers who are willing to give a writer a chance, they also offer a valuable non-monetary payment in return, an email address. 

Another connection to readers.

Earlier this year, I gave up on selling the first book in my series at that indie sweet spot of $2.99-$3.99, in addition to exclusive sales contracts with bookstores that are more of a mouse trap. Today the book continues to hover at the bottom of the horror comedy category in paid bookstores, but playing with the price has taught me that sales trickle best at $.99, so why would I increase the price if that’s what readers want to pay.

Do I care I’m being ignored in bookstores? No. Why? I started to look at acquiring readers like any sales position. In order to succeed, a salesperson must have a bottomless list of leads. In the long run, it makes no sense to exclusively lock sales into bookstores at a high price. Bookstores do not provide leads. They keep authors segregated from readers, while sharing sites are a means of building exponential relationships with real live people.

If my author friends need more convincing, consider that Steven King and Janet Evanovich have worked their butts off, paid their dues, and continue to sell stacks of books. Authors at their level have earned it. How do you compare to them? Now consider that Anne Rice has recently released a book at $.99 to gather attention. For me it’s a given: readers before wallet. Catch you around the campfire.


W. J. (Wendy) Howard writes a mix of horror, sci fi, and comedy. Her main focus is creating action-packed stories for readers looking for books as fast paced as video games. Her stories feature unique and memorable characters that are both outrageous and easy to relate to. She has watched countless horror movies since the age of six, and has become a bit addicted to any form of media that aims to scare. In her spare time, she hangs out with her husband and two cunning beagles while drinking lots of wine.

Check out The Courier Series by W. J. Howard, a satirical tale about a guy down on his luck who is finding that choosing between good and evil is not always as easy as it seems.

“My name is Barry, although it might as well be Loser. Satan owns my soul, and my demon boss tortures me with her magical cigarettes every chance she gets. I should be flicking butts at her. She tricked me into signing a contract that compels me to help open the Gates of Hell. I’m desperate for freedom. At the same time, I’ll do anything to stop damned souls from spilling onto Earth. My odds of saving mankind are uncertain. But I still have to try.”

Get it on NoiseTrade at https://goo.gl/uVE828

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Pressure to Produce? by @lcrandallwriter

I’ve mentioned to anyone nearby that I expect to finish my WIP this week. It feels like it is taking forever to write. It’s the book that will never end. But I also know that I’m purposely writing with more deliberation. I am taking the time it takes to go deep into the characters and the plot. The “problem” is not actually a problem.

There is a lot of pressure in today’s publishing world to produce, and to produce quickly. It makes sense when one considers the steady flow of books entering the market, and that independent authors seem to have the ability to write fast. To be competitive, it feels important to publish often and many. So how long should it take to write a 60,000-word novel, for instance? 

I’ve had eight books published, including an anthology, over the past few years. I wrote several of them in about 12 to 16 weeks. It was challenging to complete them in that time frame because of my freelance writing and editing, as well as the rest of my life needing attention. It was wonderful to have the books release relatively close together. I’m happy with those books. Producing fast and furiously is not a bad thing.

So when I began researching and writing for my present WIP, I read things that promised to teach me to produce quickly. I read How to Write A Novel in 30 Days and How to Write A Novel in 7 Days. Others have done it, why couldn’t I?

Well, I don’t think I could have written that fast and write the book I’m trying to write now. For me, the question – how long does it take to write a novel – can be answered with, as long as it takes. I am fully aware that writing is a business. I prioritize writing and write, even when I feel blocked or busy. After writing a number of books, I might expect writing to be getting easier. For me, it’s not. Not yet, anyway. With this book, writing has been harder. I’m pushing myself to develop my skills, and that takes time. I sit at my computer and sink into the situation and setting my character is in and let my sense of it inform my writing. Each character has a way of relating and dealing with his or her environment and their problems or joys. I’ve always done this, but this time I’m digging deeper, giving my brain more time to sit with possibilities and find the words that best put the reader into the scene and help them experience the story, not just read it. I’m enjoying the writing of this book no more or less than previous books, but it has been slower and harder. Still, I’m proud of myself for taking the time I need and for expanding my skills until they are second nature.

Speed may be the result of becoming more proficient in the way I want to write my books, but for now, more depth is the goal.

I'd love to know what you think about authors producing fast and furiously. It's fun to not have to wait to have books out steadily from favorite authors, but are there any down sides? As an author, do you struggle to fit in enough writing time with your every day life to be able to produce steadily?

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Think of yourself as on the threshold of unparalleled success. A whole, clear, glorious life lies before you. Achieve! Achieve! 

– Andrew Carnegie

Charlie's Family Secrets with Charmaine Gordon

The Write Way Café welcomes author Charmaine Gordon, who shares the winding road of her career.

Hi Gang,

I'm revealing a secret after all this time. I never learned how to write a book. . .ever. After living as an Air Force Wife for many years, having way too many children, my pilot husband became a civilian and life changed. We moved back to Chicago and proceeded to move from state to state with my first love making a living while I became mother of the year--every year. It became a habit. Finally, after acting in community playhouses all over, a friend suggested I move on to NYC and get a real job. My hubs drew a little map of the trip and off I went, alone for the first time.

Daytime dramas welcomed this fifty four year old actor and suddenly I was working! Movies came next and that was so much fun plus an Off Broadway play for a few years until I lost my lovely voice. That ended my acting career.

A friend suggested I write a book. I said that I had no idea how and then a story came to me and I wrote and wrote until The End. What a kick. Soon a publisher offered a contract and boom, just like that, I became a writer.

My latest is an omnibus of three books in a series titled Charlie's Family Secret. And oh, what a secret!

Reconstructing Charlie
Charlie Costigan has a secret. Home life gone from bad to the worst when she protects her mother from another vicious attack by her drunken father. Midnight. Clothes thrown into an old suitcase, she races for the bus with a letter to an unknown aunt and uncle. “This is my daughter. Embrace her as if she were your own.” Determined, Charlie begins again. Alone with her secret.

Sin of Omission
A twist of fate intervenes when Shelley keeps a secret that threatens to break apart the Costigans and her future. A mysterious client, Deanna Rose, enters Haven, victim of a savage beating under strange circumstances. Shelley investigates and finds Ms. Rose has an unsavory past. With the reputation and safety of Haven at stake, Shelley is at risk to lose everything and everyone she cares about.

The Catch
Tom Donnelly, once known as The Catch – every woman’s dream guy, has fallen down every rung of the ladder he once worked so hard to climb. On New Year’s Day, he realizes just how far he’s fallen, and makes a list of resolutions to change his life. He vows to regain the trust lost from his family, his law firm, and his friends – and maybe even find the right woman this time.

Nook        Kobo        Kindle

About Charmaine: I was an actor for many years on daytime drama, One Life to Live, Another World, All My Children. Movies; my first was Working Girl where I sang Happy Birthday to Melanie Griffith and shared a Hot Dog with Harrison Ford during the break. The Road to Wellness with Sir Anthony Hopkins,"call me Tony" he said and invited me to lunch at the special room for the leads and staff. What fun and delicious filet mignon. The sweet time in my life after caring for a large family in the loving days of momhood. Then my voice failed me and I began writing. How I love this career and my publisher, Kimberlee Williams, Vanilla Heart Publishing.


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Tuesday Special: Loretta Moore with Bottom Tales and Others

Loretta Moore

http://vlorettamoore.wixsite.com/lorettamoore

BOTTOM TALES AND OTHERS
(Collection of short stories)

A LOST WORLD REVEALED: THE BOTTOM, AN AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY THAT ONCE EXISTED IN THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA

Imagine a community where neighbors all know and assist each other, where they never have to lock their doors. A myth, a pleasant dream? No, this once-vibrant African American community existed as part of Philadelphia. The Bottom, also known as Black Bottom, was located roughly between 33rd and 40th streets east and west and to Lancaster and University Boulevard in what Philadelphia city planners called Area 3. It was a place that transcended the physical infrastructure of the city. This community existed from the early 1900s until the mid-to-late 1950s before state and federal urban renewal displaced its residents. It was in 1984 that the first reunion of former Bottom residents was held, and later this lost community was honored by the City of Philadelphia. In 1999, the city declared the last Sunday in August as “Black Bottom Day,” as a tribute to the legacy and the history of this lost community. It is through Bottom Tales and Others that this vanished community of over 5000 residents again lives. Like raising Lazarus from the dead, author Loretta Moore brings this once-thriving community back to life for you to experience, along with the edifying journeys the Bottom inspires.

Leo Publishing       Amazon         Barnes & Noble

About Loretta:  I’m an African American female multi-published writer, residing in Dover, Delaware. Published works include: THE COLOR OF MURDER under contract with Black Opal Books, BOTTOM TALES AND OTHERS with Leo Publishing, THE LIGHT OF DAY and THE WAY OF LOVE both with Extasy Books. Other published works include poetry and essays, plus several plays published. Many of my ‘Plays’ have been stage productions-I’ve enjoyed a long-time association with the theatre. Ghostwriting is another area in which I work. I’ve also been published in several journals and magazines, and contribute to a church newsletter. I have a college degree in English, I have received literary and theatrical recognition, I belong to an honor society and other laudable organizations, and I volunteer in my community and my church. I frequently speak at venues doing readings of my work. I have LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and many other social contacts as well. My next writing project keeps me busy.

Email me: vlmprod@aol.com
LinkedIn: lorettamoore
Facebook: wwwlorettamoorefacebook.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MooViney

A word after a word after a word is power.

- Margaret Atwood

Meet Mari-j Carpenter

The Write Way Café welcomes Mari-j Carpenter, who knows that sometimes books come from dreams.

When did you first have the thought you'd like to write a book? Was that first thought related to writing romance?
I had first started writing books in the third grade, then gravitated to journal writing in a diary, but it wasn’t until 2009 that a dream led me to writing novels. And just last year I got serious about writing, and I’ve always been naturally drawn to romance. I’m just a romantic at heart.

What are you working on right now?
Right now I’m working on my novel called, Crash into Me. It is ready to be submitted to literary agents.

How do you do research?
The research I’ve done has been majority online all from military to fighting styles to psychology. I’ve also gone to restaurants to observe how people interact and even to colleges on campus to observe how they react in settings, people that is.

Where did the idea for your story come from?
I was drawn to writing a suspense story after writing a fantasy. I wanted to write a more contemporary. I had a dream about two couples and then I went from there.

Why did you pick the setting you did?
I picked the setting After I did the character analysis on each of my protagonists. In Texas, seemed to be the right place.

Are your main characters completely imaginary, or do they have some basis in real people? Do they reflect aspects of yourself?
The main characters are kind of a combo of imaginary and real people. By this I mean the name, Regan is based on a real person. When I had worked as an auditor. The receptionist name was Regan, and I remember her because she seems so distraught and so beautiful and that struck a chord in me. But the other protagonist is completely imaginary.

What do you consider your greatest writing strengths? What gets in your way of writing?
Wow, this is a loaded question. I would have to say my writing strengths might be the action scenes, and this is, according to my editor, where more my talents lie. But what gets in my way of writing is the distractions that are outside of my control, such as appointments I have outside the home or things that have to deal with my family.

Do you have a favorite playlist for when you write? Classic, rock, pop, none of the above?
Music is my muse while I write. The music I most like to listen to is imagine dragons, but I had to create a playlist for my characters, which are complete opposites. Of all things. I had to use, heavy metal for my main character, Hunter, and then use Sai for my other main character, Regan.

What is your likely choice for publication, a publisher or self-pubbed?
If I can pull love tot his goal, published, that is my choice over self-publishing. Not that there’s anything wrong with self-publishing but it’s all a preference to each writer.

Tell us about your writing space and how or why it works for you.
I use a speech to text writing style to do most of my writing, so that I can write wherever and whenever I want, and so I am not confined to one spot.

What are some of your favorite books and why?
The last book I read was Six of Crows by the insistence of my daughter, and then the sequel to it. Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo. The Graces by Laura Eve was another book I recently just read. Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins is another series I liked, and then one of the adult series I liked was the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning.

Who is your favorite book boyfriend? Why?
Jericho Barons and then Kaz, because they were great and terrible at the same time and very well drawn out in the books.

Who are your greatest support people for writing?
Probably my children, being my son and daughter. Both are avid readers.

If you were not a writer, what would your dream job be?
I cannot imagine myself not being a writer so I don’t know what other would be a dream job I could have, to be honest.

What line from a book left an impression on you and/or your writing?
When I finished reading The Graces, the last line in the book:
"They think I’m powerful? They haven’t seen a fucking thing yet."
That impressed me, but the whole book did.

What is the quirkiest thing you’ve done to your character/s?
Hmm. This was a tough one to answer. The quirkiest thing I did was probably that I did see Regan when she got her heel stuck in a drain. And in the aftermath of getting it unstuck.

Mari-j Carpenter is a member of Romance Writers of America and From The Heart Romance Writers (RWA Chapter 177), and has served as a judge in their contests for several years.  You can find her on Facebook and Twitter.