In it for the money?

First, let me update you on the clan dinner last Saturday night. It was great. Everyone was dressed to the nines in their kilts and tartan sashes, and from what I was told, it was the largest attendance they'd ever had—57 people.

James Irvine Robertson, from the UK was on hand with his swarthy British accent and witty banter, as well as telling us all about his historical fiction. We met up with friends we haven't seen since last September at the NH Highland Games, and ate very well, indeed.

My talk was very fun. Of course I can't show you any of it since the memory chip in the camera didn't hold as much as it was supposed to so only part of my presentation was recorded. I had many terrific questions asked about my writing and my stories, as well as giving the audience a preview of Despite Them, a Gregor Macgregor adventure. Oh, and yes, I sold and signed some books!

Which leads me to the title of this blog. Many people think that since I have three books under my belt, I'm rolling in money. Ha!

Let's get down to some hard number facts. Royalties are from 10-15% of what the book sells for. For all those romance writers whose books sell for $8.98, they make a maximum of $1.34 per book. So unless your name is Nora Roberts, James Paterson or Stephen King you're busting butt to make any kind of living from your writing. Fact is, there are only a handful of authors who make a decent living from their craft.

Why, you ask? The market for fiction especially, is tough. There are a lot of fiction writers, which makes breaking into the genre difficult. Then to become a bestselling author takes many years and many, many books, if you can find a niche in the already crowded arena.

When you look at the numbers and figure out what it would take to make a decent living from them, it adds up to getting your books out there, meeting your public, writing really well, publishing a book a year—minimum—and writing about something people actually want to keep reading about.

So when people ask my husband how he feels about his wife being able to make such a fine living from her writing, he politely tells them, "She's got a long way to go before decent comes into play."

Thank God for Scot-ophiles!

I know it's over-romanticizing a place and its people, but for some reason Scotland has a grand following. At the clan dinner, I met a woman who was born is Scotland but now lives in Virginia. We talked about the "aching loins" romances that portray making love in the heather with a broad-chested, long, flowing-haired Highlander an item every woman should put on her Bucket List.

"Don't they know what heather feels like?" she asked in her soft Scottish brogue. "It's woody, prickly and peat bogs are filthy places!"

Kinda takes all the romance out of it, doesn't it?

Anyway, for now, I'll be keeping my day job and continuing to write on my days off. My agent is looking forward to receiving the Despite Them manuscript, which will be happening shortly. Then, it's waiting to find a publisher to print it.

There's no resting on my laurels just yet. 

Clan Dinner

This weekend I'm off to Massachusetts to the Clan Donnachaidh Annual Dinner. I'm one of the guest speakers for the entertainment this year. That could good or bad, as I tend to get nervous in front of large crowds.

Don't get me wrong, I love talking about writing and my books, but the hesitation comes from childhood fears of … well, everything that had to do with the general public. I was much better with animals.

I know, I know. Those who didn't know me in my shy phase would never dream of thinking I could be flustered by anything. Believe me, it took great desire and a few decades to reach the point where very little bothers me anymore. I'm not even sure I could get embarrassed if I wanted to!

But, there is still the sweaty palms, shaky hands and far to many giggles to consider myself stage friendly.

That's why I'll be imbibing in a single malt—or two—before I get up there. With any luck, the dry mouth will be sated by the Scottish elixir and I'll stand up fearless, albeit on wobbly legs, and give my talk.

Dan, my husband, is going to make an attempt to video the Scottish affair so I can have something to share with you next week. With any luck I'll be able to make a pod cast out of it. That's if there's anything left after the editing process!

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By now, many of you who ordered Double Vision last week have received it, and hopefully are enjoying the read. Remember, I'd love to hear your reviews.

A Heartfelt Thanks!

How'd we do in making Double Vision a Bestseller?

Excellent, it almost reached the top 100!

Because of your help on Friday, it rose to 393 in the sales ranking on Barnes and Noble—which is actually selling Double Vision now for $11.07—and a little over 12,000 on Amazon.

It's by far the best selling book in the trilogy and I've got all of you to thank for that. Eyes of Garnet and Sightless also scootched up a bit due to folks not wanting to start the trilogy at the end. Good call!

What's next?

Book signings.

I'm already marking my Shameless Self Promotion Tour with dates for signings and discussions (my favorite). I don't go very far, as traveling over 300 miles and selling six books is hard on the pocketbook, but I'll be heading to the Maine and New Hampshire Highland Games for certain, and I may pick up one of the Massachusetts Games, as well. Check the schedule on my website for the dates and places. It's updated regularly.

Once again, I want to thank all of you for making my book be a huge success!

Double Vision Bestseller Day!

To update last week's blog of attempting to make Double Vision a bestseller on Barnes and Noble and Amazon, I've scheduled the date to purchase the final book in the Eyes of Garnet trilogy.

It's going to be anytime on April 10, 2009. It's not called Good Friday for nothing!

Below are the links to Barnes and Noble, then Amazon. It's actually less on B&N at $13.64 if you're a member. Amazon is selling it for retail at $18.95. It's your choice.

Barnesandnoble.com

Amazon.com

Also, feel free to post a review on either, or both sites after you've read it!

Thank you all for playing along, it's greatly appreciated.

Making Double Vision a Bestseller!

I'm holding up the proof of Double Vision, the last book in the Eyes of Garnet trilogy. I received it today. It's always a thrill to see my books come to life. I doubt I'll ever tire of it.

This week, I'm asking for your help in making Double Vision, the last book in the Eyes of Garnet trilogy, a bestseller on Barnes and Noble.com and Amazon.com.

This strategy is a marketing tool that I've been researching and here's how it works.

On a certain day, everyone purchases Double Vision, thus catapulting it into the number one category on one (or both) of those sites.

How, you might ask?

Each of those sites goes by sales rankings. Many people who shop those sites search for bestsellers, because that's all they buy. I've spoken about this before. Yes, they're missing out on a lot of great reading!

So, if the sales of my book can reach into the bestseller rank, then even more people will by it, creating its own little media frenzy. It will also make the sales of Eyes of Garnet and Sightless go up because many people want to begin a trilogy at the beginning.

Clever stuff, don't you agree?

Double Vision is retailing for $18.95, but I'm certain it'll be less online.

As soon I get the actual release date on both those online sites, I'll send out an email to all of you with a date to purchase it.

If you aren't on my email list and want to be, please send me your email address and I'll happily add you on.

It's an experiment, but I've read that it has had great success.

Made for TV Movies

We've all said it, the book was so much better than the movie. Why is that? I know when I read a well-written book, it's like a movie playing in my head. All the characters come to life; they are real. The scenes are believable and they work in your mind like dreams sometimes do.

Why is it then, that when the movie is made (and I'm generally talking about the made-for-TV movies), the characters have no personality, or depth. The actors don't seem to carry the story along, as if they never even read the book. They just say their lines without the emotion the book portrayed.

Now, I know, having written the screenplay to Eyes of Garnet, how difficult capturing the essence of the book is. You only have 120 pages to tell the entire story. But I also know that it can be done.

So, is it the actors' fault, or the directors' fault?

Case in point. Montana Sky, by Nora Roberts. A fairly lengthy book filled with the vastness of Montana, the ranching life of cows and men, and three sisters who've never met, reuniting, per se, over the one thing they had in common; their father's funeral. Oh, and of course, lot's of passion.

Each woman has their own story, and each is dysfunctional in their own way. However, they are bonded by a cause: a murderer in their midst, and a multi-million dollar ranch that is to be divided three ways, but only after they all live there together for 1 year.

In the movie, these actresses never for one minute made you want to know them, and by the middle of the show, you sort of hoped the killer would just off them and put us out of their misery! And as for the romance part? Well, suffice it to say sparks never once flew enough to light a candle, never mind give us the notion these men had anything on their minds but a fleeting peck on the cheek. Soap operas do a better job of conveying lust than those actors did.

Why? In the book, there was a plausible plot, characters who grew on you, budding lusty romance, and great visuals.

Yet the movie fell so far short, it was like watching an outline attempt to come to life. It just couldn't. And Nora Roberts was a consultant for the movie. Really? How could she approve that?

I also happen to say the very same thing each time a new Stephen King movie appears on the big screen. Crap. I mean, the books are so vivid and frightening, but there hasn't been a movie made yet from his books that conveys that. Plus, the writers always seem to change so much of it, they really push the envelope by saying it was based upon the novel by Stephen King.

The major motion pictures do a better job of bringing the story into life, such as Horse Whisperer. The movie followed the story line very well, except, once again, the ending was changed, but it made you believe the story. It came to life even better than the book. Robert Redford may have had something to do with that...

But, the point to my rant is why such lack-luster performances when a book is worthy of being seen in life?

Share your thoughts.

Representation and Validation

I was at work when it happened. My husband called me with three words that made me shiver with excitement. Nope, not "I love you," though that works, too.

No, he said, "Call your AGENT!"

The second agent I sent my work to wanted to talk. I got right on the phone and she continued to say all the right things (referring to my previous blog When it Rains it Pours) .

First was, "I love the story." Next was, "I love the characters, and your writing style." Then, the pièce de résistance, "I'd like to represent you!"

Well, I wanted to leap from seat and do the dance of joy, however, my boss was downstairs and is already afraid I may be leaving soon. So, instead, I behaved with the utmost professionalism and told her (my AGENT) it was great, and asked what we do next.

She is now going over the contract I signed with my publisher to be certain I do, in fact, own the rights to my stories and characters. When she finishes, she'll call me and we'll talk business.

To say this is a long time coming would be an understatement. It took eight years and hundreds of rejections. It all seemed so easy with her, making me wonder why it didn't happen sooner.

Was it just finally my time? Or were the cosmos aligned in my favor (for once)? Whatever it was, I'm grateful.

Now, just because I now have an agent really doesn't mean anything other than a professional thinks my work is good enough to be on the market. There's still a lot of work that needs to be done.

She will have to pitch my Eyes of Garnet trilogy to publishers and editors, and get one (or more!) interested enough to want to take a chance on me. It's all about the bottom line: can they sell my work?

The reason an agent says yes to a writer is because they are excited about the story, the writing, the characters, and they are sure the writers will continue writing. She has to be as enthusiastic as I am about what she's pitching to convey her beliefs that the story(ies) will sell.

Since I've done so much of this (getting published, signings, sales, distribution) on my own already, she knows that I'm in it for the long haul. I want to be able to make writing my living. Lord knows, my muse never shuts up, so why not exploit it?

I know it won't happen over night, that's not how my life works, but this is one enormous step in the right direction.

So, with that all said, I've got some writing to do!