How Hot is Your Romance?

UPDATE: I have created a specific Heat Level Guide for my books. Though similar to the framework below, it is more detailed and includes 6 categories. Check it out here!

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It's an ongoing conversation in the romance world: how should we label the "sexiness" of our romance novels? And more specifically lately, the conversation has been about how the label "clean" is a problem. So what do we do about it?

The issue boils down to the implication that romances which aren't "clean" are, by default, "dirty." Since we aim to be sex-positive and avoid shaming people for what they choose to do with their bodies, that implication is problematic—the same way calling someone who chooses to abstain "childish" or "immature" would be. 

For the record, someone denigrating those who choose to abstain is not truly sex-positive, no matter how supportive they are of those choosing to have sex.

The rise of the label "clean" was almost certainly a marketing ploy targeting people who judge things like premarital sex as being unethical or otherwise problematic. "Want romance that matches your (implication: 'superior') moral values? These romances are 'clean'!"

The question is: what should we call them? Unsurprisingly, no one really agrees.

Some think they should be pulled into the "sweet" category, but there are some important distinctions. In sweet romance, the characters can have premarital sex, as long as it's not happening on the page. Sweet romances can include more of a physical awareness, some sensuality and touching, hotter kissing or light fooling around, and that implied sex between the characters—just as long as the reader doesn't actually see it. It's a very early fade to black.

"Clean" romance doesn't have any of that. It's quite similar to the heat level of Hallmark/Lifetime movies, where the main characters may hold hands, hug, and kiss, but rarely anything more. The characters definitely can't have even implied sex, regardless of whether it happens on or off the page, unless it takes place after marriage. (Even then it would be off the page, but characters could go on a honeymoon or discover a pregnancy.)

The problem is there doesn't seem to be a word that describes that absence of sexual content without added negative connotations. "Sex-free" (in addition to not being the best marketing term) still makes it sound like sex is something that should be avoided (like "pesticide-free," or "GMO-free"). "Unobjectionable" suggests sex is something to which we should object. I did like the suggestion of a fellow author, which was "chaste"—but the vague connotations regarding the "value" of virginity, of sex making someone "impure," still make that an imperfect choice.

But the same way that people who prefer hotter books don't label sex-free stories as "bland," despite that being an antonym to "spicy," those who don't like hotter books—and the language the industry uses—need to be equally accepting in describing those hotter stories. Still, language is complicated, and finding a good option free of problematic connotations may require a neologism.

As part of the conversation on this, I also learned that the way I've been using "steamy" is very different from how many others do. For me, it was a step in between "sweet" and "spicy" romance; for many, it turns out, there is no difference between "steamy" and "spicy."

So in addition to finding a better label for "clean" romances, we need some industry-wide clarity on heat levels overall. While I don't have a solution, I do want to be clear regarding my own books:

• Level 1: Sex-free, or chaste; currently often labeled as "clean." This would be Taking Chances or The Whedonite.
• Level 2: Sweet, or if we use a spiciness scale, then "mild" romance. On the low end (though not a romance), this would be Fallen. On the higher end, but still fade to black, Mending Heartstrings. 
• Level 3: Moderate on the spiciness scale, & what I used to call steamy—sex scenes on the page, but euphemistic language, and usually only after an emotional connection between the characters. Among my books, Mortal Musings.
• Level 4: Spicy, or as others use steamy. More explicit language, more sex scenes, and sex can happen earlier—including in the opening scene. This is actually a pretty broad category, and Tasting Temptation would be on the lower end. The forthcoming Summer Seduction would be on the higher end.
• Level 5: Erotic romance. This can include fetishes, explicit language including naming of body parts, menages or group sex, and more. The main story still must include a romantic connection between/among the main characters, but in terms of explicit sex on the page, anything goes.

For those who may have been wondering, hopefully that clarifies the heat levels in my published romances. What do you think about how we label sex content in romances? Any suggestions for a good term for Level 1? Share in the comments!

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This post originally went up on my Patreon page. See posts like this as soon as they go up by following me on Patreon!

Getting Feedback Never Gets Easier

Readers' feedback is absolutely invaluable to the overall quality of a story. Receiving this feedback is inevitable if a writer is serious about creating a completed product, and considering this feedback—whether or not we ultimately choose to incorporate it into the work—does improve our writing, especially when the feedback includes criticisms and not only compliments.

Knowing this intellectually does not, unfortunately, change the trepidation we feel when giving our book to a reader for the first time, the anxiety we feel as we wait for a response, and the insecurity we feel when reading critiques and comments. I've written before about receiving reader feedback—from a friend!—for my first novel, Mending Heartstrings. Still now, 5 published books and uncounted critique rounds later, receiving reader notes hasn't gotten any easier.

The anxiety starts when I send the story off, but invariably gets so much worse when an email with notes pops into my inbox. What if the reader hated it? What if the work I thought was almost done actually needs months of more revising? Or worse, what if it's actually a worthless waste of time, storage space, and (occasionally) paper?

Keep Reading...

Taking a Consumptive Courtesan into the 21st Century

Fallen—my most recent book—is a retelling of Verdi's La Traviata. But it is also a retelling of the original story on which the opera was based: La Dame aux camélias [The Lady of the Camellias] by Alexandre Dumas, fils.

The story is timeless, which explains why it's been adapted and retold in countless versions and multiple forms & languages, even by the author himself. Opera, ballet, film, stage, and yes, prose—all captivated by this tragic love. The movie Moulin Rouge! is one such retelling, and according to Wikipedia, there are 9 film adaptations entitled Camille, including the 1936 movie featuring Greta Garbo, not to mention the many film adaptations with other titles.

There were many challenges in trying to live up to the poignancy of the original, and of the retellings. (I'm anxious to know if I succeeded, which is to say, to see what readers think.) But one of the first was deciding how to make consumption (tuberculosis) into something relevant for modern-day Manhattan since, thankfully, TB isn't common in New York nowadays.

As I thought about the story I wanted to tell, already knowing I wanted to give more weight to the heroine's journey, I wanted to retain some of the key elements relating to consumption. The heroine's illness had to be life-threatening, and it needed to impact the lungs.

The rest of this post is up on Patreon, and in the interest of not doubling up content, click below to:

Keep Reading

And don't forget to grab your copy of Fallen—or read now in Kindle Unlimited!

Introducing My Brand New Patreon Page!

As many of you know, the last year and a half or so have been a pretty spectacular mess for me, which of course in turn derailed my writing and publishing plans. I'm still trying to recover from all that and find a new "normal." The limited time & energy I can use for work has been necessarily dedicated to the "day" job—work that earns me money.

I'd love to continue creating stories and putting them out there for readers, so I've been trying to figure out a way to make writing a viable option. To that end, I've created a brand new Patreon page, which I hope will end up being an integral part of the solution. 

The basic idea behind Patreon is that Patrons (like you!) offer support in different tiers ($1, $3, etc.), primarily to help Creators (authors, musicians, etc.) continue creating their works. In exchange, Patrons receive rewards, including exclusive content. Patron rewards can be just about anything, and mine currently include first looks at my works-in-progress, behind-the-scenes access, some book-specific goodies, and more. You can check out all the rewards directly on my Patreon page, with absolutely no commitment. Right now, all Patrons will instantly have access to the first three chapters of Fallen!

Any finished stories will continue to be published and available for purchase through retailers, of course, but if you want to be among the first to read them, to see how they come into being, and generally to give me a chance to keep writing them, I hope you'll consider becoming a Patron. Hopefully then, the stories in my head can finally make it onto the page—and out into the world. 💕

I completely understand that not everyone has the ability to lend financial support by becoming a Patron. So I also wanted to include a reminder of some absolutely free ways you can help me keep writing:

1. Leave honest reviews of my books everywhere you can (on retailers like Amazon, on Goodreads, on your own website if appropriate, etc.).
2. If you enjoyed a book, tell your friends!
3. Add my books on Goodreads, including to your TBR list if you haven't had a chance to read yet.
4. Share my books—or my Patreon page—on your social media, for example by sharing a photo of yourself with the book.
• Don't have a print copy? Take a photo with your kindle open to the book's cover!
5. Ask your local library to stock my books (digital or print), then borrow, read, and do #1–4.
6. Engage with my social media posts so that algorithms help them be seen by more readers.

Bonus (note that this isn't a free method): check out everything available in my Zazzle store, and find your favorite new bookish goodies!

However you support my writing, thank you. I couldn't do this without you. 💕

Help Me Choose the New Cover for Mortal Musings!

Mortal Musings is a fish out of water romance featuring a writer and his (mythological) muse—and it's getting a new cover!

After many—many—mockups, I've narrowed it down to the options below. Now I need your help! Which cover would make you click?

Please keep in mind, these are still mockups—which means watermarked proof files and some extremely rough edges. The final design will of course be all polished and pretty. 💕

Psst. You can check out the current cover in the right sidebar.

#1	#2
#3	#4

Did you know you could start reading Mortal Musings  for FREE right now? Just click here!

The Real Value of Your Book Review

I'd bet every single one of you has—at least once—seen an author share a graphic reminding readers about how review numbers play into our success. Each image mentions visibility of a book and the importance of this new version of word of mouth, and most mention the selectivity of Amazon's algorithm.

As an aside, some vastly more experienced authors claim there in fact is no magic number of reviews that makes Amazon care more about your book when it comes to including it in "also bought" or "similar product" recommendations. So, who knows.

Some graphics, like the one below from tallpoppies.org, also try to educate readers about the reality of being an author. No, we're not all best-selling gazillionaires. (I know: you're shocked!)

There are entire businesses built around helping authors get more reviews, because we've all had it drilled into us that reviews are the only way to save yourself from being swept into obscurity by the ocean of (e)books.

But one of the things that is rarely included (though Tall Poppies did touch upon it—go them) is how important reviews are to an author as a person and not just a business. Yes, reviews help authors be considered for competitive ad placements like BookBub, and they might affect how/when Amazon shows our books, but in reality, they're so much more than that, as I was reminded late last week. 

Lately, I've been battling discouragement (to put it mildly), and trying to decide if pushing forward was nothing more than falling into the trap of the sunk cost fallacy. I'm still not sure what the right answer is, but a fantastic review for Tasting Temptation from BiblioManiac could not have been better timed, reminding me that my stories do impact people in a positive way; that, just maybe, they are worth reading. The review was so wonderful, I have a hard time choosing a snippet from it to quote! Is it any wonder, with lines like:

"This story is emotionally gripping and explosive."  Or: 

"I love Gina. Despite everything she's gone through, she really is a fighter and doesn't ever stop. She's brave and strong, and someone I strive to be."

Seriously, after reading Emma's review, even I'm sold on on this book! ;-)

So yes, please, if you've read a book, leave a review. And it's true, the numbers don't care whether you loved or hated the book, or how many words there are in your review as long as it exists. 

But if you've enjoyed a book, then all of this applies to you even more so. Not because we only want positive reviews, but because authors are people, and sometimes we need a reminder that this whole putting-our-work-out-there thing is worthwhile.

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Other Important Tidbits:

• There is still time to enter the giveaways celebrating the 1-year anniversary of Mortal Musings!
• For those who'd like an even deeper look into my writing/publishing journey, including sneak peeks, exclusive giveaways, and more (everything's still TBD!), I've created this reader group on Facebook. The group is closed so that our discussions stay private, but anyone interested is welcome to join!

Mortal Musings's 1-Year Anniversary Extravaganza!

As of Thursday, Mortal Musings will have been out in the world for an entire year! It still hasn't sunk in. 

When I first decided to publish this book independently, turning down several traditional offers, I knew I was taking a huge risk. But now, Mortal Musings is a 2016 Booksellers' Best Award Finalist—and a reader favorite. Just take a look at these lovely reader comments:

"Adorable and genuine love story between truly endearing characters. Their romance was so earnest that I couldn't stop smiling the entire time I read it." —Kris B.

"A very enjoyable read from start to finish. It’s beautifully and intelligently written, gently developed with a nice degree of whimsicality and sensuality."
—Raven

"I really enjoyed this book! I read it from cover to cover in one sitting, couldn't put it down. Very fun, lighthearted read that left me happy—the end was totally satisfying, even though part of me also didn't want to ever end."
—Jennifer

"Allie and Brett are captivating and their chemistry is magnetic. The story is sweet, magical, and marvelously twisty. “Mortal Musings” is a short Romance so the writing is tight and the angsty introspection is blissfully minimal while the character development is plentiful. In short, “Mortal Musings” was short, sweet, and steamy!" 
— Char at Lightning City Book Reviews

~ More Reader Reviews ~

Why Publish? Facing Some Hard Truths

This post is coming a little late in the day. There are many reasons, including some health issues and the fact that I've been fighting with Ingram Spark—again—to get correctly printed copies of my latest book. I always question how much of the "real" world to share here on my blog, how big a window to open for you all into my life, including into my life as an author.

We're so often taught that any "negativity" will only come back to haunt us, whether it's admitting our weaknesses or addressing a less-than-stellar experience. It's a big part of why I stayed mostly quiet about my time with GMMG. (And no, that's not what this post is about; for me, that's all ancient history.)

At the same time, we're advised to be honest, genuine, and vulnerable. I try to focus on the first two, giving you all a glimpse behind the scenes and sharing all the excitement without going too far into all the anxiety, and heartbreak, and feelings of failure. Today, for better or for worse, is different.

I've published 3 novels in 10 months (August 2015–June 2016), independently. I've spent a significant amount of both money and time to make that happen. One of my novels (Mortal Musings) is up for an award, which is incredibly exciting (and nerve-wracking, since the results will be announced Wednesday). But readers aren't buying it. My other novels aren't doing so well either, with my latest release, Tasting Temptation, doing the worst of them all in terms of sales, though personally I think it's my best to date. I'm not kidding or exaggerating, folks: it's sold fewer than 15 copies total so far.

I've always known I was terrible at marketing, so I've tried hiring companies to do it for me or paying for ads, as much as I could afford. Those seemed to do as poorly as my own attempts. So lately I've had to confront the question of why I publish my work, as opposed to just writing it and letting it go. Why spend months torturing the draft into something readable and then something decent and then something (hopefully) enjoyable? Why spend hours agonizing over marketing decisions, and cover design ideas, and how to pay for it all?

And part of the answer is that I'm a perfectionist, but the real reason is: you. Readers. And yet the hardest thing for me has been simply getting my books read. So I'd like to try something new, just for those of you who read my blog.

A limited number of copies of Tasting Temptation are available for free right here—first come, first served. All you have to do is click on the link and choose your format. Fair warning: this book contains explicit scenes; please do not download it if that makes you uncomfortable.

I'm truly only doing this because I hope you'll enjoy this book. I'd really appreciate if, after reading it, you'd take the time to leave your honest review. I am toying with the idea of a reviewer appreciation giveaway to come (I'd love your thoughts in the comments on that one). If you have other budget-friendly ideas you think may help, I'd appreciate hearing those too.

Regardless, I will be taking a brief break from publishing for the foreseeable future (at least several months). Partially, this is because I need to have time to work on the actual writing and revising that precedes the publishing, and partially because I have a lot of thinking to do. I don't have any plans to stop blogging, however, and regardless of anything, there are festivities planned for Mortal Musings' anniversary in August. I hope you'll join me.

Thanks as always for reading!

Typesetting Basics for Authors: Making Your Print Book Look Like a Novel

How do you take the text of your story and make it look like a "real" book? When it comes to print, the answer lies with typesetting, in other words formatting what text goes where on which page, how it's spaced, and more. (Want to know more about what you need to include besides the story itself? Check out this post on formatting your front matter.)

Many authors choose to hire a typesetter, because the work is very particular and time-consuming, especially without the experience or special software. However, it is absolutely possible to learn to typeset your own work correctly, and moreover, you should know at least the basics of typesetting so that you can verify that someone you hire does the job properly. 

So, for you authors or curious readers, here are the basics of typesetting (or formatting) the print version of a book:

• The rectangle of text across two facing pages must be even. In other words, the width needs to be the same (so your margins need to be equal, and the text justified), and the height needs to be the same. This is basically the most important thing in making your story appear like a normal book. However, due to other rules, this is harder than it seems. 
• Of course, if the end of a chapter faces the beginning of a new chapter, this rule doesn't apply. Wherever the previous chapter ends on the page, that's where it ends.
• The height of the text block is the difficult part. If you let the text flow naturally, the tops and sides of your text block will usually match, but the bottoms won't. So when typesetting, the spacing between lines and paragraphs is manipulated to ensure that the bottom edges of the text also line up. If done correctly, this isn't noticeable to readers.
• Tip: The text needs to align on the facing pages, but it doesn't have to hit at the exact same point on every two-page spread. Pay attention to some of the books on your shelf, and you might notice that some pages are "shorter" than others—but in a professionally typeset book, pages facing each other will always line up like a perfect rectangle.
• Pages also need to look like they're the same "color"—by which typesetters mean the density of the text. "Lighter" pages have more white space, "darker" pages have denser text, and the goal is to have the pages just about match, as much as that's possible. Text shouldn't feel too dense or too sparse on any of your pages.
• Avoid orphans and widows whenever possible. Orphans and widows are single lines (or goodness forbid, words), separated from the bulk of their paragraph by the end of a page. I say "whenever possible" because the text block ultimately rules. Sometimes, with three-line paragraphs, it's impossible to have all three lines on one page while leaving the block intact and of the right density.
• Personally, I stick to the 1–2 rule when in this situation with three-line paragraphs, meaning that the first line stays on its own, and the second two stick together. Why? Because the third line isn't full-length, so it will look especially awkward on its own. The first line, however, always stretches the entire length of your page. Still, I do everything in my power to ensure that paragraphs split 1–2 are on facing pages—so you don't have to turn the page to see the rest of the paragraph after a single line.
• Avoid multiple hyphens being "stacked"—in other words, multiple lines in a row ending with a hyphen. The argument I've seen from typesetters is basically that it doesn't look pretty, so it draws attention to itself, so it distracts from the reading experience.
• Also, avoid hyphens as the last symbol on the right-hand page, i.e. someone needing to turn the page before they can finish the word. 
• I try not to have hyphenated words go from one page to the next even on facing pages.
• You need mirror margins, which basically means that because the margin on the inside edge of the page needs to be a little larger, this bigger margin goes on the right side of a left-hand page, and on the left side of a right-hand page (the side closest to the "seam" of your book). The good news is: this requires just the click of a check box if you're using MS Word, which has a "mirror margin" feature.
• This is done because the "seam" of the book—where the pages come together—eats a bit of the page, and you want to make sure that it doesn't also eat eat part of your text or just interfere with people's ability to see the inside edge of text clearly.
• In print, scene breaks are signified by a blank space (about a line and a half worth, but this is part of the spacing that changes to ensure the text block lines up). They do not have symbols like in digital books, where page flow changes based on reading device.
• Scene breaks that come at the bottom of a page or the top of a page are marked by symbols—occasionally three stars, but often another character that matches the tone of the book or is simply liked by the typesetter (or author). This is done to make it clear that a) there was a scene break, so readers are prepared for the shift, and b) the blank space isn't a typographical error.
• The first line of a chapter or a new scene traditionally is not indented. All the other paragraphs are.
• Some typesetters also add an extra flourish to the start of the chapter, whether it's a drop cap, or a word/line in small caps, or an italicized first line (which I don't recommend, because readers may be confused about it being direct thought). If you do choose to add this type of flourish, it usually only happens at the start of a chapter, not for every new scene.
• Chapters start about a third of the way down a new page, often.
• However, sometimes chapters flow directly into one another (with an extra-large break)—usually in mass market paperbacks, to cut down on the number of pages—and sometimes people make sure that every chapter starts on a right-hand page. Sometimes people stylistically choose to do something more complicated as well. But the basic choice for fiction is a new page, partway down.

So there you go, a not-so-brief overview of how to typeset a novel. As I mentioned at the start, this is a very time-consuming process, especially if you're learning as you go, but it is entirely doable. If you have questions, let me know in the comments and I'll try to answer based on what I've learned!

Formatting Your Book's Front Matter

Formatting a book for publication can feel complicated, especially when it comes to front matter (the pages before your story starts). What do you need to include? What goes where? What about digital vs. print? I know I had to spend a lot of time looking up the "rules." When those didn't quite agree, I also compared the options in books on my shelves, especially in my genre & in the format I was choosing (in my case, trade paperback). So here's my understanding after all those hours of research, which will hopefully make it easier on any other independent authors out there. 

Please keep in mind:

• Though I will touch on traditions for collections, anthologies, and nonfiction, most of my language will default to discussing novels.
• There are some complicated options out there, including frontispieces (special illustrations), additional materials such as maps (especially for fantasy), forewords, prefaces, and more. These always go after the copyright page and before the first page of the main text. However for the sake of simplicity, I will not go into every single one of these options. 
• If you have questions about a specific one, feel free to ask!

In any and every format of your book, the only two things your front matter absolutely has to have are:

     Mending Heartstrings
     Title Page

• The Title Page
• This is the page with the title, author name, and publisher information. Usually formatted with the same fonts as the cover, but the title always goes first, author second (specific placement varies), publisher down at the bottom of the page.
• This is usually the page that authors sign, though occasionally that will be the half title (see below).
• The Copyright Page
• This is the page with all the legal information. Your ISBN, your copyright claim, your reminder to people not to steal your work, edition information if necessary, etc.

WIP Roundup & Other News!

Every once in a while, I feel like it's a good idea for me to give you all a quick glimpse into where things stand with my various projects. It's been a little scattered lately, with more characters in my mind than I can transpose to paper, but here's what's going on (and some big news!).

• In case you missed it, the I Heart Geeks anthology released in March, which includes my story "The Whedonite." This will be released later this summer as a standalone story, but the anthology will also be on sale starting tomorrow for a couple days.
• I had really wanted to finish the first draft of Fallen by April 30. For those who don't remember, this is a contemporary retelling of an old and beautiful story. Unfortunately, that draft still isn't finished. Soon. Hopefully.
  I do have a beautiful cover all ready to go! A lovely pre-made by Paper & Sage that I couldn't pass up has been spruced up and is just waiting in the wings. I can't wait to show it to you all, so I will actually be revealing it as soon as I finish the first draft! Hopefully that will help revisions go more quickly than the drafting process has.
• I haven't yet even reread my NaNoWriMo 2015 project, though I already knew when writing it that it would need a significant overhaul. Right now, my focus has been on Fallen and on the big news. Ready??
• The next book set in the world of Mending Heartstrings will release this summer! This story follows Sabella's best friend, Gina, and several of the Mending Heartstrings characters do appear. However, it's a standalone novel, so you do not have to have read Sabella's story before enjoying it (but you do still have some time!). Gina's book is called Tasting Temptation, and the cover will be revealed to you later this month.

But first! I would like you to be the first to see the current blurb for this story, both to thank you all for hanging in there with me on this journey and so that—in case you, the readers, hate it—I can fix things. So check it out, here's the blurb for Tasting Temptation. Let me know what you think in the poll below or in the comments!

After last summer’s failed attempt at romance, Gina is absolutely done with men. And especially with millionaires. She has a good job as a fashion editor and amazing friends, and she’s decided she needs nothing else. All she really misses is the sex. But that rush just isn’t worth the risk of being ensnared in another relationship. When the hot bartender at her best friend’s Sonoma wedding suggests some harmless stress relief, she takes him up on the offer. When it’s sufficiently satisfactory, she indulges in a repeat—for the road. When she learns he’s actually the wealthy owner of the vineyard, the mix of fury and fear is damped only by the knowledge that she never has to see him again.

Hunter Cavaliere is determined to honor his grandfather’s legacy, and so far, he’s right on track. The vineyard is thriving, he has plans for expansion, and his wines speak for themselves. The only thing missing is the right woman to share it all. But through his grandparents’ marriage, Hunter learned what true love is, and he’s unwilling to settle for anything else. A woman who judges him because of his money definitely isn’t high up on his list. Still, when circumstance unbelievably keeps bumping him into the intriguing brunette from Portland, he can’t shake the feeling that she is someone he should pursue.

Gina’s poised to run the other way, but one more taste of Hunter may just prove too tempting to resist.

What do you think of this blurb?


Love it!
Hate it.
Ehhh

The Real Cost of Book Printing

Get ready: this post has lots of numbers. The numbers are pretty simple, but they're there. Don't let them scare you.

After seeing a friend of a friend's Kickstarter to fund a print run of her book, I had to say something. Somehow, the true cost of book production has been obscured, and people are generously giving money to be irresponsibly spent. I have almost no doubt this author will be able to raise the money she asked for, but that's not the point. The point is how much she claims this costs.

You know what you don't need in order to offer your book in print to readers? $4000. At least, not if the book itself is already edited & proofread (as this person claims). In fact, if the text is finished, the cost of providing your book in print—including distribution to bookstores, if they want to order it*—is less than $500. If you're willing to put in the time and effort to learn & do your own typesetting, and there are plenty of free resources online to help, that cost is about $200.

*And you don't have to enable distribution to booksellers if you don't want to! That's completely up to you, so you can simply use POD to print the books you want, when you want them.

So, yeah, $200. $49 for the setup fee on IngramSpark (which isn't necessary through CreateSpace, I believe, but if you are going for distribution outside of Amazon, IngramSpark offers better royalties). Maybe $100 for a print version of your cover. 

• Possibly more, if you haven't yet designed your ebook cover, but there are some wonderful designers (including Paper & Sage) that offer pre-mades with print & digital for about $100-$120.

And then about $25 for two test prints of your book, to ensure that nothing is messed up by the printer. Oh, and about $30 for an ISBN if you buy a pack of 10. So let's do the math:

$49 setup fees
$100 print cover design
$25 test prints
$30 ISBN

Total: $204.00

Because I do my own typesetting, I only have one quote for the interior of a text print book (as in, black & white, no interior images). Up at the top, I gave leeway of up to $300, and I'm sure that, like with cover design, there is a range.  But so you know, that quote I have was $100, which means if I went to that typesetter, the cost of having a book available in print would total $300.

And yes, if you haven't yet bought your ISBN pack, that total rises in the sense that, in order to pay $29.50 for an ISBN, you must put up $295. Technically, though, most of that is going to other costs, not the direct printing cost of your one book. Still, it leaves you within $600—a stretch for many of us, but far easier to raise than $4000!

Even if you're ordering copies of your book for your backers, your total cost should still be down around $1000. If many of your backers live overseas, and you're offering them autographed copies*, shipping costs do drive that up. So I can see stretching this to $1500, plus a bit more for the cost of using Kickstarter, and let's say a dollar or two earnings per book sent to backers (which is standard in publishing). That still leaves us really far from $4000.

*If you're offering unsigned copies of your book to backers, and you do enable distribution, you can order those books through the Book Depository and not pay shipping costs.

It isn't that I don't support independent authors using Kickstarter to raise funds. Editing a novel can absolutely end up costing thousands of dollars (and good editors deserve every penny!). But if you tell me that the text of your book is completely finished and then ask for $4000 just for printing costs? Sorry, but that's a huge waste of money. 

Plus, I doubt the person doing the Kickstarter is trying to bilk people out of over two grand. It's that she (and her backers, and I suppose many people) doesn't seem to know the actual cost of providing a print book. Let's not forget that the vast majority of the costs above that brought us to a total of $2000 was fulfilling the Kickstarter campaign's promises!

Yes, we authors absolutely deserve to get paid for our work, but my understanding is that Kickstarter is for startup costs. It's to be able to provide a product that should then earn money. For instance, if it cost me $3 a piece to make a cute bracelet, and I wanted to have the materials for 200 bracelets, my Kickstarter should be for $600 + Kickstarter fees + backer gifts—not for the amount I want to earn from the 200 bracelets, which might be $2000 or more. Earning that money should come from selling the bracelets I make with the $600's worth of materials, not from the Kickstarter itself. 

Same with providing print books. The earnings should come from books sold once they're available in print—i.e. out on the market. And as you saw above, with an otherwise finished book, that can be achieved for about $300.

So there's my (hopefully helpful) mini rant. If you truly want to support an independent author, consider simply buying their book. Better yet, buy copies for everyone you know ;)

Printing Books with @IngramSpark: the Problem Persists

Update: I have finally received a correct shipment! Read on for the whole story.

I question the intelligence of writing this post, because as authors, we're so often told to keep any problems—rejections, bad reviews, etc.—under wraps. But this problem I've had with getting correctly printed books (through IngramSpark) has gotten ridiculous. And it's been pointed out to me that readers, and other writers, like to see behind the curtain, to know what's happening, and to see the less-than-smooth road. This post is for people like that. If you prefer to leave the author's life & the ups and downs of the behind the scenes kept out of your view on a book, you should stop reading.

Okay, for those of you who are still with me, you probably know that I've written before about why I originally chose IngramSpark over CreateSpace (the two biggest POD providers), and about the first time I received incorrectly printed books in January. To recap: 

Originally, I chose IngramSpark because:

• They are known for better quality.
• They have a more fair earning structure for all book sales outside of Amazon, including for international distribution. And the earning structure with Amazon is still comparable.
• They offer the trim size I like (5x7), which CreateSpace does not.

Two out of three points are still true. But what has happened to the quality?? Here's a recap of my experience this time around (Mortal Musings didn't have these problems):

• Early January, I ordered two test prints. These came with horrendously messed up margins, tiny on some pages, huge on the others. Unacceptable, but it was two books. So, I filed a claim with Ingram Spark.
• Mid January, I received two correctly printed test print replacements. Problem solved, right? (That's the update in the last post on this topic.)
• Soon afterward, I ordered a large shipment of print books to have on hand, for giveaways, in-person events, etc. 
• Those books came with the exact same problem as the first ones. So I contacted Ingram, filled out the forms, explained that I had release events coming up and I needed correctly printed books ASAP, etc. It took a while, but the customer service rep & I seemed to understand each other. They placed a replacement order and eventually sent me return shipping labels. (There was actually more drama and delays in there, but I'm trying to be concise.)
• Replacement books came a few days before the book release not only with the same problem, but also with a new one!! The cover was now wrapped incorrectly, with the front cover going onto the spine.
• Let's not forget, at this point I had received two correctly printed & bound books! I know it is possible, they just can't be bothered to do it correctly.
• So I went through the same claim process again. And though Ingram Spark has drastically stepped up their customer service game in recent months, implementing a live chat feature and such, it still takes days for anything to actually be done, because no one there seems to understand that this is a time-sensitive issue! 
  
  
  By the time I heard back, it was after the release. Same spiel: send us a claim form, and photos of the problem, and we'll send you shipping labels to return the books to us, and then we'll place a replacement order. Not okay. So I convinced the rep to send me the replacement order without waiting the 10 days for the books to arrive at their office. I also sorted through the books I had & just in case chose the least messed up ones to have on hand for the event planned at the library, because Ingram left me no choice. (I'm actually a little relieved those didn't end up being necessary.)
• Friday, I received the third batch of books. Now, remember when I said this was a big order? Already, thousands of sheets of paper have been wasted, not to mention time, shipping costs (on their end, at least), etc. And guess what? This newest shipment has a third problem! So now I have books with:
• Noticeably uneven/inconsistent margins.
• Covers wrapped incorrectly.
• And weird air bubbles trapped under the top layer of the cover:

Pretty, right? (OY.) So much time spent on the interior layout and the cover design, and the printers can't seem to do their job! I've been through the spiel of IngramSpark customer service reps trying to blame me for these problems, too. But each time they send the files to their techs, those confirm that the files I uploaded are correct and these are printer errors. Meanwhile, they keep telling me that their quality assurance reps check these orders. Really??

Literally, each round of books shipped has had a new problem. And it's incredibly infuriating and frustrating. The part of me that's an author who's spent so much time bringing this book into the world wants to cry. The part of me that's an entrepreneur is at a loss. Who has absolutely ZERO pride in their work like this? How can they be okay with wasting not only my time, but also all of that paper and all of that money (theirs) on reprinting equally problematic books?! 

And I have no way of knowing if books printed at a different facility are affected, because apparently (as I found out Friday), the system automatically puts each shipment in at the most geographically proximate printer, and therefore all of these problematic books—and the two good ones—were all printed by the same place. So I can't even get new books printed somewhere else with the hope that this is only one printer having these problems. I'm stuck.

Honestly, I don't know what to do. I wouldn't blame any of you for holding off on ordering print books, though I hope other printers won't have the same problem. If you have ordered a book through any retailer, please don't hesitate to return copies that have problems like this for replacements. 

Because all I can do is keep fighting, and keep insisting they actually do their job and send me correctly printed books. I have no idea when that will actually happen. I am so unbelievably disappointed in this experience with the Ingram Content Group. It's ridiculous—especially because I have two correctly printed books that show if someone just gave half a damn, they could have gotten me properly printed books a month ago.

So there's your glimpse at the "glamorous" life of being an author. While this is being sorted, I have also started looking into local printers who can do a short run for me to have on hand, even though that will likely mean spending money on revamped interior and cover files, not to mention the money for the print run itself. Money I've already spent at Ingram, for this nightmare. As one friend put it, it seems Ingram's new motto should be: 

Lowering your quality expectations with every shipment.

Update: As mentioned at the top of this post, the issue has finally been resolved. So if you've been waiting to order your print copy, now's the time!

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In happier news, there's still a little bit of time left to enter the Mending Heartstrings blog tour giveaway!

Mending Heartstrings: the Tour Continues

Last week was quite the whirlwind with all the release celebrations and giveaways—and we're not done yet! Mending Heartstrings was bought in five different countries, and it received some absolutely lovely reviews, including:

"I read ‘Mending Heartstrings’ in one sitting because I was instantly hooked on Kane and Elle’s story. Glazki has written this story beautifully and couldn’t have made you connect with the characters any more if she tried. Her writing style is that of which a lot of authors could learn from. She ensures that the sentences flow perfectly and never did it feel ‘forced’." (Megan at Published Moments)

"I am surprised and delighted by how much I enjoyed Mending Heartstrings. The romance was real, with all the ups and downs that make us know we are alive and in love." (Sherry Fundin)

"A sweet piece about people trying to get to know each other, fall in love and find a way to be together...The characters are down to earth, with real life (well, as real life as you can get when one of you is a recording artist) issues and interactions.  You can totally put yourself in their shoes." (Romantic Reads & Such)

Check out the tour schedule below for more reviews, as well as guest posts, excerpts, interviews, and of course the tour-wide giveaway! If you haven't yet had a chance, pick up your copy of Mending Heartstrings here:

Select Reviews

Amazon: US - UK - CAN - AUS | Smashwords  iBooks | Kobo | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository
Or you can also:

Free shipping (through 2/21) with code: MHRELEASE

Tour Schedule

February 8: February 9: February 10: February 11: February 12: February 15: February 16: February 17: February 18: February 19:

Poetry Books YA (Interview) Lightning City Book Reviews: Review & Interview Fundinmental (Review & Guest Post) Romantic Reads & Such (Review & Excerpt) Spreading the Word with Denise & Donna (Review) Nicki Elson's Not-so-deep Thoughts (Guest Post) Author Margaret Locke's site (Guest Post & Interview) Published Moments (Review) A British Bookworm's Blog (Excerpt) Nadaness in Motion (Guest Post & Interview) Caught Between the Pages Nights of Passion (Interview) What's Beyond Forks (Review) The Lovely Books (Review) Around the World in Books

Check back daily for updated links!
And don't forget to add Mending Heartstrings to your TBR:

Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Mending Heartstrings Release-Week Festivities!

It's here! Mending Heartstrings officially releases tomorrow, which is coming up in just a few hours depending on your time zone. Pick up your copy here:

Select Reviews

Amazon: US - UK - CAN - AUS | Smashwords iBooks | Kobo | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository
Or you can also:

Free shipping (through 2/21) with code: MHRELEASE

Join the Festivities!

There are lots of fun things happening over the next couple of weeks, and many ways to win some very cool prizes.

To start off, there will be a blog tour. Follow the schedule below (which will be updated with links as posts go up) to check out the interviews, reviews, and guest posts and to enter the blog tour giveaway!

February 8: February 9: February 10: February 11: February 12: February 15: February 16: February 17: February 18: February 19:

Poetry Books YA Lightning City Book Reviews: Review & Interview Fundinmental (Review) Release-Day Blitz – Extra Giveaway! Romantic Reads & Such (Review) Spreading the Word with Denise & Donna (Review) Nicki Elson's Not-so-deep Thoughts Author Margaret Locke's site Published Moments (Review) A British Bookworm's Blog Nadaness in Motion Caught Between the Pages Nights of Passion What's Beyond Forks (Review) The Lovely Books (Review) Around the World in Books

Twitter Release-Day Giveaways!

Between 12AM ET February 9th (9PM PT February 8th) and 4:59AM ET February 10th (11:59PM February 9th Hawaiian Time), Tweet a buy link for Mending Heartstrings and be entered to win!

• Automated tweets from the Rafflecopter giveaway don't count.
• Don't forget to tag me (@AriaGlazki) and use #MendingHeartstrings in the tweet!
• See the top of this post for buy links.
• 2 winners will be selected randomly. Prizes:
• Winner 1: Mending Heartstrings  fold-up bag
  
• Winner 2: Autographed magnetic cover art print
  

Or, retweet any of my tweets about the release (in that same timeframe) for another chance to win an autographed art print!

For yet another way to win, enter the Goodreads giveaway! And don't forget to add Mending Heartstrings to your TBR:

In the South Bay?

Join me on Valentine's Day for A Day of Romance at the Cupertino Library!

When Printers Mess Up (& Ruin Your Book)

So about ten days ago, I received the print proofs for Mending Heartstrings. At first, everything looked great. I mean, have you seen this cover? Even more beautiful when holding it in your hands. 

Until I opened the book. Lo and behold, it was filled with weirdly small or extra-large margins and crooked pages. Instantly, my mood plummeted. And this happened on a Friday night, which was even worse. So I emailed IngramSpark, incredibly disappointed because this company is known for their terrific-quality product—and far-from-stellar customer service. When I saw the option, I also sent them a message through their new chat-answering-service-type feature. Saturday, at a more reasonable hour, I contacted them again through that live-chat feature and actually spoke to a human being.

5 Better Ways to Support Your Author Friend

So you have an author friend, and after hearing about the drafting and the editing and the revising drama, you're almost as excited as they are that the book is done. Published. Out in the world. You've congratulated your friend, and maybe you've even bought a copy!

And now you don't understand why your friend is still down about the lack of support from their friends. Or maybe, you don't even know that your author friend would really love some better support—because we truly are grateful for every bit of help and encouragement we receive. Whether you're not really sure what you can do, or you’d like to know how to go above and beyond for your author friend, these tips will help you become a Better Supporter.

Instead of: Buying their e-book but never reading it

Try: Buying a copy for someone who would enjoy it

Buying a copy of your friend's e-book is an instant and easy way to show your support. But what if your friend writes in a genre you just don't like? It happens—I don't read thrillers or anything super gory; I just don't. While you should definitely consider branching out and giving your friend's genre a try, if you're unfamiliar with it, it doesn't do much good for the e-book to sit there on your e-reader forever. Good news is there's a painless way to stretch those same ~$2.99 and become a Better Supporter: gift that same e-book to someone who might enjoy it.

That new reader might write a review or even become a super fan! You never know. And this way, you don't have to suffer through a genre you don't like. Plus you also get points with your gift’s recipient. Win-win-win.

Even better: Transform into a Super Supporter (cape optional) by choosing your friend's print book as a gift idea. Books make awesome gifts, and since you know the author, you can probably score an autograph—making your gift even more special.

Instead of: Telling the author how fantastic it is that they wrote a book that was published 

Try: Bragging about it, to everyone you know, using every form of social media ever. Seriously.

It’s wonderful to acknowledge how fantastic your friend's accomplishment is, and after the many, often solitary and doubt-filled hours, your friend could almost definitely benefit from the reminder. But this post is about doing even better.

By bragging about knowing this author and about their book, you're helping them be discovered by more readers. Whether you do this in person or through social media (or both!), you're offering the author word-of-mouth marketing, which is still considered one of the most effective ways to sell books. So despite those childhood lessons, start bragging. You know someone awesome—now tell the world! You have my permission.

Note: This also holds true for complimenting them on a good blog post, or a beautiful cover, or anything else. Literally every bit of exposure helps, so if you like something an author is doing, consider shouting it out to the world at the top of your physical and virtual lungs.

Instead of: Sending a quick message saying, "I loved it!" (fantastic as that is)

Try: Posting an honest review somewhere visible

Authors love hearing from readers, no question. But posting a review on Amazon, Goodreads, another retailer, your own website, or even Facebook is actually much more helpful!

Even better:  Do both! Some authors intentionally don't read their reviews, so shooting off a quick message with your thoughts and the information that you posted a review will also boost you to Super Supporter status.

Instead of: Asking for a free copy (digital or especially print)

Try: Requesting it at your local library

How would you feel if you spent hundreds or thousands of hours on a project, and then everyone asked you to hand it over for free? If you absolutely can't afford a copy, which your struggling author friend will certainly understand, get out your library card (or go get one!) and request your friend's book. Digital or print, many libraries offer books in both formats to their members.

Result? The library buys the book, you get to read it, and the author gets an exposure boost. Plus, you support the continued existence of the library in your community just by using their service. Win. Win. Major win.

Instead of: Asking if you can help (and if you're still using "if," you haven't been reading carefully)

Try: Taking the initiative

Authors, both indie and traditional, have a lot on their plate, what with writing, revising, pitching, marketing, social media, and usually a day job—not to mention family obligations and things like sleeping and showering. So don’t wait for them to badger you for help, which many of us don’t feel comfortable doing anyway. Some ideas:

• Are you in a book group? Suggest your friend’s book!
• Not in a book group? Offer to organize & host a small signing for your friends. Even 10 new readers is pretty amazing for authors just starting out.
• Not that social or live far from your author friend? Ask if they need a second pair of eyes on anything, whether a query, synopsis, or scene from their draft.
• In general, consider your special skills and how they could be helpful. I had a friend who was helping me look through stock photos turn around and offer to go take some photos for me. The resulting cover was gorgeous, and I'm still so grateful! So are you handy with websites? Could you design and/or create some custom giveaway items? Maybe you forgot you know the manager of a local bookstore.

Take a few minutes to brainstorm, and you’re sure to find even more ways to become a Super Supporter. Like a true hero, you'll help change an author's life.

• Need more ideas? Check out 99 Ways to Spread the Word About the Book You Love.