Getting Down to Business--Part I

I’ve been on a short trip visiting son, Brooklyn, and daughter-in-law, London. New York, New York! DH’s best line about going to NYC is that it is impossible to bring too much money. Can’t be done. When a hamburger is $19, well, let’s just say we plan ahead--far ahead for our trips there.

But I’m back and ready to work on edits for my two contracted books (Mission Impastable with Oak Tree Press and Streetwalker with Sizzler Editions). I am eager to get the marketing balls careening around. Even though I have kind of pushed the balls and got them rolling, I want them zipping.

All of what I am doing is part of my overall business plan. I’ll do a blog series on what I have learned about making a writing business plan and share parts of mine with you in hopes of helping you figure it out, too. Like trips to NYC, one needs to anticipate a budget for book projects, both fiscal and time budgets.

I read an article series that really changed my perspective. The link is at the bottom, and I highly recommend reading them. First of all, dumb as it may sound to you, I never came at my writing career from a business perspective. I know, I know. I told you it was dumb.

I just wanted to write, and, you know, publish! That was my new career after transitioning from 39 years as an educator. Writing. I never really thought of it as a business except from a tax deduction standpoint. I claim a home office and business expenses, but that was as far as I had taken it.

After reading Swank’s posts, I was convinced that I need to take all aspects of my writing career as seriously as I did the day-to-day writing. If I am a professional writer, that comes with expectations for goal setting, a mission statement, marketing, budgeting, and other aspects of the business world. Admittedly, she is an indie author, and I have support from my two publishers she can’t count on; still, the onus is on me to make this happen. No one cares more than me that my books are read by lots of people.

She convinced me that a business plan added to the actual writing I do will help me achieve at a higher level than I might have. I have goals set for books to write through 2016. I am serious!

I will share what my business plan looks like over the next several posts. The headings I am using are largely based on the original posts I read and other things I read about how to do a business plan. It is titled Business Plan for 2013. That means I intend to revisit the plan at the end of the year and revise it for 2014. Just like real businesses do. And I am a real business.

2013 Business Plan for Writer’s Ink

1. Description of Writer’s Ink
2. Ownership of Writer’s Ink and Location of Business
3. Products
4. Pricing Strategy
5. Financial Plan
6. Production Schedule and Writing Plans
7. Targeted Audiences
8. Marketing and Promoting Plan
9. Web Plan
10. Long-Term Goals
11. Summary

Based on the blog series by Denise Grover Swank, http://thewritersguidetoepublishing.com/a-business-plan-for-self-published-authors-part-one-of-a-three-part-series

To Agent or Not? That Is the Question.

There’s been discussion in some of my online groups recently about getting an agent. I know how hard it is to get a publishing contract, and I feel blessed that two small presses are taking a chance on me. (Which one will claim me as debut author??? Right now it’s a race.)

But hard as it was to land a contract with a traditional publisher, I think it may be harder to acquire an agent. Say, what?

Yep. I have been rejected by the finest agencies with multiple manuscripts in various genres (including the two now under contract). So what do two publishers see in my work that an agent doesn’t? Beats me.

And with the rise in respectability for indie publishing, some might question why pursue either a traditional publishing contract or an agent.

I’ve given that some thought.

After 39 years as an educator, with 20 of them in higher education, I was trained to seek external validation for my work. If I didn’t publish in recognized, peer-reviewed journals and publish books with a recognized publisher in my field, I wouldn’t get tenure or promotions or salary increases. Cut and dried.

So when I transitioned to full-time fiction writing, I hung onto the external validation baggage. Right or wrong, I wanted, nay, needed external validation of my writing from recognized authorities in my new field. Thus I sought traditional publishing venues. (Plus, truth be known, I’m scared to death of all you have to know to indie publish.)

I sought representation from an agent simultaneous with submitting to publishers not requiring agents. I hit the publishing track first. Do I seek an agent at this point? Might I be more attractive as a client with two books published? Why do I even need an agent?

I guess in part it comes down to publishing goals. If I want to publish with a larger house, an agent is very likely required. Rarely do publishers come knocking on your door uninvited.

Also, if I want to avoid the hassles of submitting to even small presses, I would need an agent. By hassles, I mean of course the varying submission requirements for each publishing house. Required font, spacing, formatting, and so on varies widely. An agent would just make that happen rather than me having ten versions of each manuscript taking up hard drive space.

And let’s not forget the multiple query letters. Does an agent have some appeal for doing that grunt work? Oh, yeah. Can a agent submit to places I have no access to? Indubitably. Is it worth what you fork over from royalties? I have no idea, really, but I’d like to give it a go to find out.

Virtual Book Launch

I’ve been attending as many on-line Virtual Book Launch Events as I can fit into my schedule. Who knew there was such a thing? Certainly I did not until the magic happened, and with book contracts and promotion expectations, I was thrust into the midst of figuring it out.

On-line author friends from my various FB writing groups have been very generous with their advice, feedback, and suggestions. I am grateful to them. Three in particular stand out as great events and especially helpful authors: Tonya Kappes, Raeann Blake, and Debra Parmley.

One realization I came to was that writing is such a solitary pursuit, but a book launch is a celebratory sharing. People want to be part of that energy!

I made note of what each of the virtual book launches included. Here’s what I found. Features that were the same in each of the events were:

         Themed

         Cover art

         Book blurb

         Purchase info

         Links to author pages of various sorts

         Giveaways (often run by www.rafflecopter.com) 

         Tweet, post, share to win prizes

         Video or audio links 

         Book trailers for own/others’ books)

         Pictures of the era/theme

Some of the virtual launches included:

         Trivia of the era/book/theme

         Pictures of foods, sometimes recipes

         Opportunity to be named in a book/vote on character name

         Links to free stuff on your site--bookmark, excerpts, etc.

Here is the tentative plan I have drafted for the virtual book release of Mission Impastable by Oak Tree Press. I will have the event one week after the release to ensure the book is available. That’s just a little insurance policy decision!

Plan a Facebook Event and invite people from my on-line writing and cooking groups. This is several thousand people. FB will track invitations and acceptances. I am planning a four-hour event. The book cover and buy button will be prominent, as will be the book blurb. Post a link my web page, blog, and Twitter account.

1)   Tell invitees to bring cream cheese, chutney, and crackers with them. Post a recipe for a quick appetizer to munch on throughout the event.

2)   Start the event with the book trailer for Mission Impastable and run it once every hour of the event.

3)   Provide links to YouTube cooking videos I made.

4)   Provide links to YouTube videos of short mystery stories spaced throughout the event hours.

5)   Provide link to YouTube cooking videos I follow.

6)   Post recipes from the book and accompanying pictures throughout the event hours.

7)   Share pictures from my Pinterest board of what characters look like.

8)   Post pictures of Phoenix and Glendale, AZ throughout the event hours.

9)   Give away free books, recipe cards, and cooking gadgets.

10) Post fun food facts, kitchen gadget reviews, and provocative statements about the book content.

11)  Post a link to an excerpt for the second book in the series.

12)  Post a link to a book club guide for Mission Impastable and an offer for me to participate via Skype or in person.

So that is my plan right now. I intend to revisit it and expand the plan if I see a glaring omission that will impact the event. Want to come? I don’t think it’s a mystery at all why my book will be nicely launched!

Well, at Least I Tried

Yep, you read that right. Close (well, I don't know if that's true or not), but no cigar.

The three finalists in The Arizona Republic's first-ever "Top Home Chef" contest were announced yesterday evening on EVB Live (Channel 12 in Phoenix) and my name was not among them. The staff prepared a dish from each finalist and showed them. Amazing food! I can't wait to read their recipes in the food section.

Still, what fun it was. I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

And maybe my essay, listing that I am to publish a culinary mystery this summer, will get me some press in the press!

A Lot to Learn

Keeping up with three blogs is clearly doing me in! I am posting (as Angelica French) over at "Romance Righter" (www.romancerighter.blogspot.com) as part of the April A-Z Blog Challenge with a different alphabet letter each day. Fun, but it's beginning to wear on me a bit to post 6 days a week.

You may have heard me comment on the same issue relative to my Month-of-Recipe series each February at "Parsley, Sage, and Rosemary Time" (www.sharonarthurmoore.blogspot.com). Posting 28 days straight is hard on a girl! (But, I love it, right?)

So the poor step-child blog, general writing issues, often gets shunted aside for the sexier topics I can post at the other two blogs. How pathetic!

Here's a new commitment: I will post here once a week on some topic of interest to writers. And now that I am to have two of my novels published, I don't feel quite as much the fraud as I did! 

Sizzler Editions is bringing out Streetwalker, the first book in the "Sex Sells" trilogy. July latest,  maybe sooner, according to my editor.

Oak Tree Press is releasing Mission Impastable this summer, the first culinary mystery in my "Dinner is Served" series.

After waiting for these years, I am pumped! And now the work part, the part I am not a comfortable with begins! Marketing and promotion.

I was an educator for 39 years. Promoting myself wasn't part of my make-up. In fact, I was quite adept at dodging self-promotion and deflecting praise by deferring to others. Now, I am Promo Woman! (or Promo Woman in-the-making). I'm going to do a series for you on the planning I am doing preliminary to the books' release dates.

I am in the enviable, but scary, position of getting to plan launch parties--virtual and RT (real-time)--for the two novels coming out this year near the same time. Yikes!

Do you wonder what in the heck a launch party is and how it can be RT and Virtual? Here’s is your quicky guide for when your own books are unleashed on the world on their way to the New York Times Best Seller List!

A launch party happens when the book is first available for purchase, and you want to introduce it with as big a splash as possible.

Here’s how I planned my book RT launches (I will cover my virtual book launches later):

1)   Id themes that run through the book and specific locations mentioned. Is there any connection between the two?

2)   List venues that are compatible with themes, locations, or both.

3)   Create a budget for the event.

4)   Plan events, giveaways, activities, speakers.

5)   Make a list of who to invite/inform (media, guests).

6)   Get permission to hold the event from someone with authority. That includes sharing what you want to happen, when, and for how long.

7)   Invite media and other guests and have a great time!

For Mission Impastable (culinary mystery, Oak Tree Press), the launch is scheduled for a kitchen store in my local mall. I’ll demo pasta-related gadgets (to connect to the title and recipes in the novel), guest will solve mini-mysteries, and I will offer to sign books after I talk a bit about how wonderful it is! I am distributing postcards with book info/cover on one side and a recipe from the book on the other. I can’t cook and serve food at the mall since I don’t have insurance, license, blah blah. Sigh.

The launch for Streetwalker (erotic romance, Sizzler Editions) is scheduled in my home for a smaller number of guests. The Pure Romance consultant (sex toys, lingerie, etc.) will present info about sexual health and issues as well as intro her products. I will intro my book. Guests are asked to wear glam clothes (to simulate Harlan’s x-rated prom dress look in his salon). I will serve food with a sexual overtone (cupcakes that look like nipples with nipple rings, for example). We’ll have cocktails and conversation. Since it is an e-book, I need to share a link for purchase. I am giving away a bookmark with book cover and purchase info on one side and “Carrie’s Top Ten Sex Tips” on the other.

I’m excited about doing a book launch (never done it before, of course!) for two books. I’m bound to get one of them right. Right? Launch away! Share your book launch ideas in the comments section.

Gosh, Has It Been THAT Long?

I, too, was shocked at how long it has been since my last trip here. Well, in my defense, I have had some rather exciting things going on. FYI, I am a NaNoWriMo winner! Yay. That means I wrote at least 50K words in 30 days. It doesn't mean its good. LOL

But it has potential. It is a ghost story with romance and intrigue. I'm workshopping it now with my critique group and hope to publish it next year. Watch for The Quick and the Dedd.

So first some news, some info, and then an announcement.

Since we last met, I received a contract for the first book in my erotic romance trilogy. Yay! Yes, my first novel will be coming out this spring. I am so thrilled that Sizzler Editions (an imprint of Renaissance E Books) and its editor, Sascha Illyvich is giving me this chance. They are interested in the trilogy, so I should have more books contracted with them. [Must keep writing. Must keep writing.]

Watch for Streetwalker, the story of a prostitute who hates sex but loves the money sex generates and knows the power of her own sexuality used for her own goals. It's a multicultural romance featuring a male madam of a high-end brothel in the Big Apple.

Other news: Mission Impastable, the first book in my culinary mystery series ("Dinner is Served") is also on track for publication. I haven't signed the contract yet (with a different small press), but it's coming, so I'll just say: stay tuned for more on that front. If you like a cookbook in your mysteries, I'm your author! They, too, like the series idea, so I could have a long career with them as well.

I have another pen name. I use Sharon Arthur Moore for culinary mysteries and women's fiction; I write erotic and other romance under the name Angelica French. Now that I have finished my first paranormal and plan many more paranormals/fantasy/sci fi, I will use the name River Glynn.

Next time I show up here, I'll start my series on writing a business plan for overall functioning of your writing career, and I'll share elements from my marketing plan for each book. C'mon back and see me sometime, why don't you?

NaNoWriMo is Here: Update #1

Words Written/Minimum Words Needed by the end of the day:  6792 /3334
Yeah! I’m ahead!

It was like Christmas morning! At midnight, November 1^st, I could have begun my novel for NaNoWriMo. But I didn’t. I was in the arms of Morpheus. But being an early riser by nature, I put first word to screen at 3:33 a.m.

Here’s my November plan: arise, make coffee, fire up computer, click on the Hungersite.com and other areas there to do my charity deed, then write. I won’t quit until I have at least 1000 words (about 4 pages). Get another cup of coffee, post blogs, do the e-mail/headline news accounts/social media thing. Writing group some days. Back to typing for at least another 500 words. Read the newspaper/have breakfast. Exercise. Physical therapy session. Lunch. Nap. Write at least another 500 words. Dinner prep/play word game with DH. Watch some TV. Type another 200 words. Go to bed.
I’m posting this in the morning, so my word count on Nov. 1 was 4516 and my word count as of 5:30 a.m. on November 2 is 6792 words. In two hours, I wrote 2276 words. I am more than on track to finish right now!


Oh, I know. It’s early days, but start strong, eh? Of course, that is the predicted course. We all start strong since we’ve been anticipating this moment ever since we signed up. We know how to start this book!

I keep seeing scenes in my mind, so writing the first 50 pages ought to come pretty easily (I’m on page 29 right now). I pretty much know who to introduce, what the conflicts are to address, and what some dialogue might be. I want a smart-mouth Isabella, but I’m not sure I have her voice and tone yet. I know I’ll get there as I get to know her better, but it might not show at first. That’s for revision, I guess.

Same with Riley. I have to keep the sexual tension without being sexual. That is for later in the book. I want him to have an epiphany of sorts about Isabella’s feelings toward him that he was pretty much oblivious to while alive.

There you have it. My plan for starting. Hopefully, it is my plan for finishing, too.

Blog entries for the next month will be sparse as I write my way to a short, 50K novel. I will update you with impressions, word counts, emotions, struggles, and successes.

Did I mention that I’ll be slicing off some writing days with a trip to my brother’s wedding, a few days in Seattle at a conference, and, oh, yeah, Thanksgiving??? My plan is to write ahead and bank some words against the days I cannot write. I’ll let you know how THAT plan works out! If I can get 2200 words a day for the days I can write, that will do it! So far, so good.