Worried

It’s that time of book again--I am awaiting edits for my first culinary mystery in the “Dinner is Served” series, Mission Impastable. This is my first go-round with Oak Tree Press’s editing process, so I don’t know quite what to expect.

Sure, I have some idea about sentence-level stuff because of my recent editing experience with Streetwalker (under Angelica French, Sizzler Editions, July, 2013).

I am certain that I didn’t magically construct better sentences in Mission Impastable. I’m sure my editor, Billie Johnson, will find that I overused “as”, “was”, “had”, and my other bête noirs! She’ll make me change my passive stance to active, drop dialogue tags, keep a consistent point of view, and lots more.

But--here’s the fear--will she call me on the “fatal flaw”?

Do you know on page 5 whodunnit? Do the clues logically lead to the conclusion? Are the red herrings smelly enough without taking over the story? And do the characters come across as real, genuine, gee-I’d-like-to-know-them people?

And how about that backstory intrusion?

What will I have to correct of a substantive nature? Am I up to the challenge? Will the fraud that is me be revealed to the world? I tremble more every day that passes.

Getting Down to Business--Part IV

Today is the final installment of my blog series on how I developed a business plan for being a professional writer. I’ve taken you from figuring out what a business plan is to what components I’ve included in mine.

I stress again: This is MY business plan. Yours could look very different. This final section contains the beginning plans for Target Audiences, Marketing/Promotion, Web Presence, Long-term Goals, and a Summary. These sections are the least developed as I feel my way to their realization, but I think I have a good start.

I hope my thinking-in-writing is helpful as you plan your own business plan. It is truly a wonderful experience to go through for establishing clarity and focus for this career you have chosen.

7. Target Audiences

Here’s my attempt to identify readers and where to find them for each of my completed and future series and stand-alone books. One way is to go on blog tours like the A-Z April Blog Challenge I did. I found new blogs to contact and new readers found me. I continue to find audience-contact ideas, so this is a really fluid section right now.

“Dinner is Served” Culinary Mysteries (Sharon Arthur Moore):

In Book One, Alli and Gina’s personal chef business has a rocky launch when their first customer ends up dead of food poisoning and they are the first suspects. Alli, a free-spirit looking for stability, takes on the job of solving the crime, clearing their names, and learning the true meaning of family along the way. Mission Impastable is the first book in a culinary mystery series set in Glendale, AZ. Each book in the series (Mission Impastable, Prime Rib and Punishment, Peas Porridge Pot, Cooks in the Can, and The Taming of the Stew) includes recipes, most of which relate to the title of the book.

Rating: PG13
Number of books planned: Currently five, series left open for more.
Target Audience: Women who enjoy mysteries and cooking/recipes, some male cross over possible.
Best way to reach: Mommy bloggers; FB cooking groups; GoodReads mystery groups; GoodReads cooking groups; Twitter account for Sharon Arthur Moore; FB general posting in groups I belong to; guest blogs; invited interviews; AZ gift shops and cooking stores; B&B’s in Glendale, AZ; Chamber of Commerce Gift shop for Glendale.

“Sex Sells” Erotic Romance series (Angelica French):

In Book One, Streetwalker, we meet Carrie a tough yet vulnerable abuse survivor who is a natural business woman. With support and encouragement from Harlan, her partner in the upscale brothel they run, she learns her own worth and what love is all about. Sex for Sale and Sex Sells, succeeding books, show Carrie and Harlan’s relationship, foibles, and coming to realizations of what they truly want in life.

Rating: Adult Only--highly graphic
Number of books planned: Three
Target Audience: Readers of erotic romance and erotica

Best way to reach: Mommy bloggers; GoodReads erotic romance groups; Twitter account for Angelica French; FB general posting in groups I belong to; guest blogs; invited interviews

“Quick and Dedd” Paranormal Series (River Glynn):

The Quick and the Dedd is a paranormal romantic suspense, introduces Isabella and Riley, her dead former employee, back from the grave to help save her company and find his killer.

Rating: Adult--middling sexual encounters with various partners

Number of books planned: At least two

Target Audience: Readers of ghost stories, paranormal romance, and erotic romance

Best way to reach: ghost buster groups on FB and blogs; GoodReads paranormal groups; romance readers groups; Twitter account for River Glynn; Chamber of Commerce gift shop for Phoenix, AZ; B&B’s in Phoenix

Land’s End (Sharon Arthur Moore):

Land’s End is a linked, stand-alone short story anthology by Sharon Arthur Moore. Set on the Rhode Island coast, the 22 stories tell the tales of the renters of a beach condo and the things broken, left behind, or missing after their stay.

Rating: General audiences (with one erotic tale)

Number of books planned: One

Target Audience: beach lovers, New England lovers, short story readers

Best way to reach: Mommy bloggers; FB groups; GoodReads anthology groups; Twitter account for Sharon Arthur Moore; FB general posting in groups I belong to; guest blogs; invited interviews; realtors, B&B’s, and gift shops in Narragansett, RI.

Lucinda (Angelica French):

Lucinda is an historical romance set in two time periods in Southeastern Ohio. The chapters alternate between the time periods with present-day Lucy trying to solve the murder of her missing Great-Aunt Lucinda from the early 20^th century.

Rating: General audience with mild sex scenes and domestic violence

Number of books planned: One

Target Audience: readers of romance, readers of historical fiction, readers who like Ohio and Southeastern Ohio, graduates of Ohio University

Best way to reach: Mommy bloggers; FB groups; GoodReads romance groups; GoodReads historical fiction groups; Twitter account for Angelica French; FB general posting in groups I belong to; guest blogs; invited interviews; realtors, B&B’s, and gift shops in Athens, OH; Alumni Association magazine for OU.

8. Marketing and Promotion Plan

There is a completed year-long, month-by-month Marketing and Promotion Plan for each book completed. Those plans appear behind the business plan pages. The plans are only Sharon Arthur Moore’s and Angelica French’s part of marketing. I am unsure, at this point, what each publisher will contribute to the overall plan.

Promotion for all books:
Subscribe to a Hoot Suite for automatic postings to FB and Twitter. Spend ten hours per week on all marketing and promotions excluding interviews and presentations. Consider a brief newsletter for each genre (culinary mystery, romance, paranormal; others as released); postings on blogs; website lists of books and upcoming releases. Consider approaching a group of authors in a genre and produce a joint blog and newsletter. Contact HARO (Help a Reporter Out--www.helpareporter.com Basic free or $19/49/149 per month) to get coverage. Submit to short story contests for visibility. Enter contests like the Northern Arizona University 10-minute playwriting contest and The Arizona Republic “unknown culinary talent”. Contact www.blogtalkradio.com/itmatters to request an interview. Find other blog radio stations to contact as well. One in Brooklyn addresses foodie issues.

Promotion and Branding of Sharon Arthur Moore/Angelica French/River Glynn:
Sharon Arthur Moore/Angelica French/River Glynn will attend the Southern California Writers Conference in San Diego in February, 2014. She will participate in book signing, as well as attend workshops and panels covering publishing craft and business sessions. Angelica French will participate in the 2014 Chocolate Affaire weekend events including book signing. Angelica French and Sharon Arthur Moore will participate in the Tucson Festival of Books in March, 2014. When travel to family or conferences permits, she will contact local media to offer an interview. She will explore other options and list them as found.

9. Web Presence

I feel pretty good about my presence on the Internet. I have been working on it for several years. My two Klout Scores show that activity. One is in the 40’s, which is above average; another is in the 60’s. I’m on Facebook, YouTube for book trailers and a cooking channel, Twitter accounts, web page, and three blogs.

Writer’s Ink maintains a nascent website titled Sharon Arthur Moore: www.sharonamoore.com The website is hosted through iPage. The site will have links to each series with blurbs, future release dates, and buy links to each available book. The site also will have resource pages for authors, a review page listing glowing reviews of all books, frequently asked questions, about the author page, and links to three blogs. Each author will have a domain name for each genre, all linked to the others, to focus on each genre.

Three blogs (www.sharonarthurmoore.blogspot.com; www.angelicafrench.blogspot.com; and www.samwriteaway.blogspot.com ) include posts that are personal, stories about family life, recipes, historical information, book reviews, and writing and publishing industry posts.  Occasional promotion of other authors through interviews will be done on a limited basis.

Two Twitter accounts (@good2tweat and @RomanceRighter) currently post information, retweet others’ information, and work on relationships with potential readers and reviewers of the works of Sharon Arthur Moore and Angelica French. River Glynn will establish a Twitter account (@RiverGlynn) preparatory to the release of The Quick and the Dedd.

On Facebook, Sharon Moore has a base page with three business pages attached: Sharon Arthur Moore Fan Page, Angelica French, and River Glynn-Author. Regular posts and shared posts help build the followers of each.

Writer’s Ink plans to build simple websites for all three authors starting with Sharon Arthur Moore for the “Dinner is Served” series, Angelica French for the “Sex Sells” series, and finally River Glynn for paranormals/sci fi/fantasy of various ilk. Each website will be completed by the release dates for the first books in the series. All websites will have .com domains and will be linked to and from www.sharonamoore.com. Author websites will have book covers, prequels where appropriate, photos of characters, deleted scenes, “extras” not in books, maps, and anything else Writer’s Ink deems necessary.

Build my cooking channel catalog to include several new cooking vids each year. Currently, only “Hermosillo Salsa” is posted.

I have two book trailers posted (Mission Impastable and The Quick and the Dedd) with a third in development (Streetwalker). I plan to make trailers for each title published.

10. Long Term Goals

I intend to be around for a long time. I always take the long view. I have dozens of books started/outlined/germinating! I intend to continue to write in multiple genres even though that makes branding more challenging. I must follow where the story ideas lead.

Writer’s Ink plans to release four books a year through 2016, then reevaluate the production schedule.

Writer’s Ink plans to wrap up the “Sex Sells” series with the release of the third  book in late 2014 or early 2015.

Writer’s Ink plans to release one “Dinner is Served” culinary mystery per year until the series’ character arcs are complete (at least five books).

When “Dinner is Served” has run its course, begin a different culinary mystery series (“For Everything a Season”) set in an herb shop in a small town in Northern Arizona with first titles like Mint to Be, Thyme for Murder, Arsenic and Old Mace, Sage Advice, Broken Out in Chives, Cumin to Me, etc.

Writer’s Ink plans to make a decision about completing sequels to “The Quick and the Dedd” series beyond book two.

Writer’s Ink plans to prepare several workshops to offer on varying topics. The workshops will generate income and/or promote the author’s brand.

Writer’s Ink will produce four YouTube videos yearly for the cooking channel with links from web pages.

Writer’s Ink will produce a book trailer for each title released and post on YouTube and provide links from web pages.

Writer’s Ink will consider the options available for creating a newsletter, either singly or with same-genre authors. The newsletter would be a marketing tool that also included content of interest to readers.

Writer’s Ink plans to work through the backlog tickler files to replace the two series that are ending. A possible new series might replace the two that are ending. It is unclear at this time what genre the series will be in. Sales of existing series, as well as the author’s preference will be factored into the decision.

Writer’s Ink will produce audiobooks and podcasts to accompany each author name. Attempt to sell foreign rights will begin once sales reach 10,000 copies.

11. Summary

No need to summarize the summary!

Writer’s Ink will see continued growth through 2013 and will submit three new books to publishers by the end of the year with two free prequels of 40-80 pages each to promote the releases of Streetwalker and Mission Impastable.  Expenses will increase with the addition of a developmental editor to the cost of preparing a book for submission to the editor or for indie release. However, it is important to Writer’s Ink that the books it releases are considered high quality in every way from the cover, to the story, to formatting, to lack of typos.

Writer’s Ink will push to promote and brand Sharon Arthur Moore, Angelica French, and River Glynn. Name recognition equals sales or futures sales.

Dilettante is as Dilettante Does

I have accused myself of being a dilettante because I write in so many genres. It surely helps with writer’s block to have so many different projects going—plays to children’s books to culinary mystery to erotica to historical fiction to . . . well, you get the idea.

But, this time, I think I out-dilettante-d myself!

I started book two in my “Dinner is Served” series about two personal chefs and the murders they solve. Good you say? Not so fast. It’s not like book one is done. That’s the one I dumped and had to start over. But I can’t. Not yet.

It’s like there is static in my head. I want to “re-purpose” parts of book one, but I have to have a new killer and motivation. The red herrings change. Nope—can’t do book one right now. I can’t get a handle on the new story because part of my brain is still working on the old one.

Fortunately, long ago I planned out multiple books in the series. So, I moved on to book 2 to get back into the series. The hardest question was do I make Cooks in the Can book two or should it be Prime Rib and Punishment? After a suggestion from one of my critique group partners, I began Prime Rib and Punishment, set in a cooking school.

Interesting to me, anyway, is that I am not writing it episodically as I wrote book one. I used Hallie Ephron’s planning guide then wrote first two chapters. Then I wrote part of last chapter because I read somewhere that when writing plays, if you write the last act first, you know where you are headed and can plant seeds throughout that ripen and come to harvest in the last act. Okay, so that’s make some sense. Then, I started getting scenes in my head, so I wrote two other scenes that will appear someplace, not sure where.

Have I planned my novel? Yep, but my pantser stepped in. I don’t know if that is good or bad. I just know I have no control over the flashes. This has happened to me before with other novels. When I get the scene flashes, I know to write them down. Even if they end up on the cutting room floor, the more I write about my characters and my story line, the better it will be for the final book.

I took the first two chapters to my Pens Afire critique group yesterday. There were multiple problems to fix (as is always the case, eh?), but the biggest one harkened to Sue Grafton’s comment re writing a series. How do you keep the recurring characters fresh? How do you introduce them to a new audience while not boring your fan base?

Writing Alli Wesson and Gina Smithson or Gina’s mom Maria and her pal, Pearl—pretty easy. I know these women! I like them, and I can tell you what they are likely to have for breakfast whether at home or when they go out to IHop.

But therein lies the problem. I am not reading this with the eyes of a reader new to my series. So Pens Afire (Sandra Bremser and Annie Weissman) called me on it. Good for them. Even though I knew of the danger, I skated right past the warning signs onto the thin ice. It’s cracking around me, but I now know, early in this book, to skate away. Thanks, Pens Afire.

Alli Wesson: Guest Blogger and Caterer from "Dinner is Served"

Sharon: Hello, Readers. Today I have Alli Wesson with me. Alli is a caterer for “Dinner is Served” and an amateur detective in Pastabilities. Welcome, Alli, to Write Away.

Alli: Hello, Sharon. A big shout-out to all my blog followers who are finding your site today.

Sharon: Alli, I know you are experiencing some success with your catering business now that you got out from under that police investigation. What happened there?

Alli: Well, when Gina, my business partner, when Gina’s boss was poisoned, we were the prime suspects since we cooked for her family. I had to clear our names with the police, or our business would have been cooked before it was even put in the oven. The theft of a jade dragon just added in complications we didn’t need!

Sharon: (laughs) You and Gina are pretty different. How does that work when you are planning your menus for your catering business?

Alli: We’re a good counterbalance. Oh, sure, I’m not a measurer, but Gina is, and if I tell her my recipe ideas and we taste it together, we’re pretty able to come up with a recipe we can replicate. It just takes longer than I like to spend on the dreary part of cooking. Inventing, creating, experimenting, that’s the fun part. And sometimes it even tastes great!

Sharon: I know you are a busy girl, so I won’t keep you long, but what’s up next for the “Dinner is Served” culinary mystery series?

Alli: Our second book is Cooks in the Can. Gina and I cook for the county sheriff’s jail when his regular cooking crew are out. We clear some family friends of wrongful accusations and have to solve a murder at the jail. You know, just another day in the life of Alli and Gina!

Sharon: And that book will be filled with good recipes, too, I’ll bet. Before you go, any cooking tips for our readers? Or a quick recipe maybe?

Alli: Sure. In Pastabilities, I described a really easy appetizer. You can whip this one up in five minutes with a couple of minutes leftover. The sweet-sour of the chutney is a nice counterpoint to the sour-creamy of the cream cheese.

Alli's Super-Easy-but-Elegant,

Never-Fails-to-Impress Cream Cheese Cracker Spread

8 oz. cream cheese

4 T best-quality chutney

Carr’s Water Crackers or other expensive cracker

Unwrap the block of cream cheese and place on an elegant plate with a silver butter spreader to the side. Place the chutney in tablespoons equidistant from one another down the middle of the cream cheese. With the spoon, arrange the chutney so it artistically drips down the sides of the cheese.

Serve with a small basket of crackers.

Sharon: Thanks to Alli Wesson, visiting from Pastabilities in the “Dinner is Served” culinary mystery series by Sharon Arthur Moore.