Loose Change

 

I happened to read a blog this evening and said YES.  There is a lot of sensible advice in it (http://scalzi.com/whatever/?p=362) but it also got me thinking about the flip side of publishers acting like professionals – which would be authors who act like professionals.

This is not a rant about authors. This is a call for writers to think about their work as work.  As something you are paid for because you have done a good job on it.  Of course professional writing requires even more – just like having a profession is supposed to be more than a job you get paid for.  In this case, once you’ve done your job writing, you go the extra mile and find someone who can finish the job for you the right way.  In other words, you get a publisher who will edit professionally, release a story responsibly and who you can work with to promote the story.  You have a partnership with the publisher and both of you are should be doing your part to make that partnership a success.

I recently read one blog where, in an entirely different context, authors were saying they were not businesses.  They don’t have to be.  But they won’t get paid properly unless they see themselves as not just artists, but someone who has a product to sell and who needs to find the right market for that product. They certainly won't be treated seriously.

Do your research.  Make sure your product is as polished as you can make it and that your query focuses on how the story will work for you and the publisher.  If you are accepted, meet your deadlines so the story is released at the optimum time and with the best editing the publisher can do.  Promote your name and your work professionally.  And yes, many authors find this to be the hardest part of their work but it is still a part.  Think toward the future -- how will this story help you with the next one?  What kind of reputation do you want to build?

If you don’t hit the right market the best you can hope for is losing time until someone kicks it back to you with a “no, thanks” letter.  The worst means you do get published but lose sales because it wasn’t the right place for you.  Hitting the right market can mean more money, more exposure to people who want to read you, and the chance to write more stories for that particular readership.  Good luck!

Honest, I’m not being lazy (all right, maybe I am) but this was a great link for some ideas on writing love scenes:

 

http://angelasknights.blogspot.com/

 

and look at:

http://angelasknights.blogspot.com/2007_05_01_archive.html

 

m/m angst scenes

 

http://www.romancejunkies.com/rjblog/?p=165

I'd love to hear about more...

--Sometimes it’s not good to dye your hair one particular color.  It may look great until you realize half the other women there have the same shade.  Ouch.

 

--Your authors will be disappointed with your appearance.  Apparently  they think I looked younger than expected and/or conservative and/or just like a lawyer and/or a librarian.  Sorry to let you folks down.  I'll try to look wilder and older next year.  And probably fail.

 

--The Andy Warhol museum was worth the walk there.

 

--Definitively how to pronounce Roberta Gellis’s name and that she has a New York accent.

 

--Your Internet and cell phone will work until you absolutely have to get that information within the next ten minutes before your panel starts.

 

--Women freak when they find urinals in their public restrooms.

 

--People are actually grateful when you give them detailed instructions on how to submit or pitch.

 

--There are worse things than having jackhammers start at 8 a.m. in the hall outside your room.  Fortunately none of them happened to me. I just got the stories.

 

--Sometimes Flash doesn’t get us thrown out. Sometimes people just leave when there is a group of us (with Flash) in a public area.

--Trendy shower stalls without doors are not a good idea.

 

I already knew that RT can be crazy,  it’s fun to meet old friends and connect with new faces, and the bar is always loud.

 

Oh, and the concierge at the Hilton was fantastic.  My hotelmate and I had a great meal downtown thanks to him.

 

 

There’s a running joke around here that when it comes to technology, Treva can break just about anything. Don’t mention the laptop to Doreen. Which makes it pretty funny that this blog was Treva’s idea, and she’s clearly the one that keeps it going -- if she didn’t poke at me constantly, I wouldn’t get anything posted. Yes, sad but true, when it comes to promo and marketing, I suck. And I bet a lot of you do, too. Which gave me the idea to share my current trials and tribulations. No, this is not an informative how to make pretty promo materials article. This is pure… fun? Maybe we need to look at the definition of fun. Let’s just say this is for Treva. Because she’s not the only one who occasionally loses the battle with technology.

Changeling outgrew the pantry a few years ago, and we got an office. Cool little office in an office complex with -- neighbors. Now if you know anything about small business, you’ll know an office complex comes with its share of intrigue and politics. So when Bill and I came in to work one morning to see a truck out front loading up office equipment, we weren’t shocked. Small businesses come and go. This one happened to be a computer business. I said “Good Morning” to our almost former neighbor as we came in and he asked me if I wanted a printer. Umm, we, like, HAVE printer. OK, not like this one. Tally 8006 commercial color laser printer.

Now I’ll admit, when someone gives you a $4000 printer, there’s usually a reason. Neighbor said it wouldn’t fit on the truck (We’re talking the size of an under-the-counter refrigerator, on a stand, with wheels, because that’s the ONLY way to move it) and since it was a rental truck he didn’t want to make another 100 mile round trip. Whatever. I was in lust. (With the printer.) Then after the truck pulled away the locksmith showed up to change the locks, and I got the picture. (Another sad thing about small businesses -- a lot of them literally disappear overnight.) In any case, I had a new printer. At least as long as the toner cartridges last. And they seemed pretty full. Not an every day printer -- has like a 3 minute warm-up cycle. It’s designed for high volume, high speed color printing. Great for color promo stuff. Not good for printing email.

So after clearing the 14 page paper jam, installing laser paper instead of light weight garbage copy paper, and printing a gorgeous test page, I tried -- unsuccessfully to install this printer. For several hours. I’m not going to admit technology has beaten me, ever. Eventually I called the manufacturer’s tech support line. Sure, they’d be glad to come out and look at it -- from DC, only 90 minutes away, for $900. Plus parts. WTF??? I’m not the Pentagon. OK, I can talk to phone support for free. Found the problem. Printer had been unplugged long enough it lost its settings. Needed to be told it wasn’t exclusively networked. (I can hear Treva making that na-na-na-na-na noise. Never mind, dear. It just didn’t know what I wanted it to do.) Reprogrammed the printer. After that 3 minute warm up cycle, it finally printed. Gorgeous. Printed 100 color flyers. In like 2 minutes. (I didn’t really keep track, but it was FAST.)

Now like most of you I don’t need to do a lot of promotional stuff every day, and so the printer sat for a while. Until I got ready for RT -- here’s where the marketing comes in -- and realized I needed to print promo stuff. I know how to make it -- I just don’t. Often. And never ahead of time.

Anyway, time for more color flyers.

Except I have to reprogram the printer again.

OK. Another phone call. But now we’re ready to… paper jam. Hmm. Checked the paper type. Turned the paper over. Went to Office Max and bought more expensive paper. Invented new and more creative paper jams. Cleaned printer w compressed air. Cursed at printer in all the most creative ways I know. Wasted a day attempting to beat technology at it’s own game.

And here’s where we remember how well I married. Man wanders over from his corner of the office, where he’s been wisely staying out of target range. Man looks at frustrated woman. Man looks at “free” printer. Man hands M a Staples flyer all about a printer sale… along w a $25 coupon. And offers to drive.

Two working days to deadline, M now has pretty promo stuff. And if anyone wants a free printer… what exactly do you DO with an 80 pound doorstop, anyway? (I’m keeping the wheely printer stand/table. It’s cool. And I earned it.)

Margaret Riley
AKA Shelby The Terminator
http://www.changelingpress.com

 

I was going to write about dealing with conventions and booksignings when you’re an author (e.g., more comfy with the voices in your head than the voices outside asking you questions) but I started thinking about other things that veered away from that topic because I do that.  But I'm getting there.  Hang on.

 

I realized often writers are excited about conventions because they get to see their friends.  Sometimes their friends are people they only see on-line or once or twice a year (which is almost as good as voices inside your head) but you know them and get them.  Because the e-pub world is a small one, the more you network the more you start thinking you know almost everyone in e-pub land. 

 

It’s relatively easy to feel like an insider if you spend a few years on-line with the authors, editors, publishers and readers of e-pubs, especially those in erotic romance.  Because there’s still enough outside disapproval or misunderstanding of erotic romance and e-pubs, you can feel special – or at least different – pretty quickly.  And you learn to identify your co-conspirators easily.

 

It can be fun.  It can be incestuous.  Good, bad or everything in between, it’s sometimes smart to take a step back and remember it’s not just you hanging with your friends (of course being with friends can make some introverted authors nervous enough) – you’re in a small world that grows bigger all the time and to keep you identified as a professional, you need to be friendly but know when to keep a distance.  That’s an art form in and of itself.

 

I have a few rules for conventions.  1)  I remember I am in the public eye  2) I don’t go to the bar unless I’m there for a specific purpose that doesn’t include drinking or gossiping (that’s just me—I don’t do bars well) 3)  I withdraw if I feel overwhelmed and recharge as need be and 4) I try to remember that this person I’m talking to, who is part of my small world, may also be bestest friends or become bestest friends with the person I just decided I hated at the last workshop and I need to keep my mouth shut.  Sometimes it’s hard to be out there instead of safely at home writing but you’ll learn things, you’ll have fun—just don’t become the horrible example there always is at every convention.

 

I had something put into words for me when a parent of a child with autism said, “Weekends and vacations mean something different for a family with an autistic child.  We dread them because it means the familiar routine is gone.”  Writers aren’t quite that bad.  But holidays and weekends mean something different for the writer than they do for most people.

 

I’m writing this on Sunday.  I’m exhausted.  I’ve been dealing with the family and weekend chores and my writing and editing.  Even if you don’t have a demanding family or friends, any writer will probably do more than most people on weekends and holidays – I know this because we tend to get a lot more submissions at Loose Id after long holidays. 

 

I bet you’re not relaxing.  You’re writing.  Now some people might find writing relaxing.  I’ve never really met them. I find it vitally important to write so I can keep what is left of my sanity, but relaxing?  No.  Those who have another full-time job will carve time from “vacation” to write.  Those who depend on writing for a full-time living will frantically write no matter what and probably can’t afford a vacation.  (OK.  Maybe Nora Roberts can.)

 

I hope you are not following my example, though.  Everyone needs down time.  I’ve said that one of my best methods to deal with “what happens next?” is to sleep.  My brain works on it while the rest of me collapses. 

 

Build in some time to relax.  And try to be tolerant of those around you who don’t get that you write, not relax, during your time off.  They may have a point, too

So you submitted a book. We loved it. We  published it. Now nothing's  happening. Why? ‘Cause you suck and we don't ever  want anything from you ever again, right?

NO!!! (Bangs head on  desk.)

That first book went really fast -- because it was already  written. You submitted it. We published it. Now we want the next book. But, hard  as this concept is to imagine, we're not psychic. We're generally not going to  remember to hunt you down and say "So what are you writing next? Huh? Huh?"  (Depending on the time of day and my caffeine intake.)

That's not  because we don't want you. It's because of our format. Short means each  editor has a dozen authors or more. We want your books. We'd love to give  them dates -- if we only knew you needed them.

So. Here's how you  fix that. First, decide, realistically, how often you'd like to have releases,  based on how fast you write. Don't lie to yourself -- if you have a day job that  consumes 40 plus hours a week and 3 small children, don't try to do monthly.  You'll hit burnout double-time. Pick a schedule you can keep and still ENJOY  writing. Make sure you allow time for promotions and edits.

So  you've set your sights on monthly releases. Or bi-monthly. Or quarterly. NOW you  need to decide what you're going to write. Did book 1 sell well? If so try  something similar. Maybe another book in the same world.

But wait.  I know the next question -- how do you KNOW if it sold well? It's your first  book. It must not have sold very well ‘cause we're not banging on the door  asking you for another book, right?

(Bangs head on keyboard again.)  NO!! Again, we have about 100 authors. Our follow up's not always as good as it  should be. There is no hard and fast rule about good and bad sales. We'd love to  see your first book sell hundreds of copies the month it releases -- and some  do. That doesn't mean if yours only sold a hundred copies the first month it  flopped. Remember, e-books keep selling. We're not going to take you off the  shelf and send you back at the end of the month like a mass market paperback. We  have books that have been out for 3 or 4 years and are still selling. We'll keep  the book in production as long as it's still selling and as long as you keep the  contract renewed.

Every house has a break even on   e-books. Some break even on release. Some take three or four months.  Sometimes you hit just the right buttons and the book takes off all on its own.  More often, building a readership and "Branding" yourself -- letting readers  know what to expect with each new title -- takes
time. And it's a lot of work.  One of the best ways to grow your readership is a combination of promotions and  exposure -- IE new releases. So yes, we want book 2, even if book one's barely  broken even -- we know you'll sell more of your first book when your second book  comes out. We're looking for good books, not guaranteed best sellers out the  door. Best sellers are nice, but good books are a must.

So you've  looked at sales, decided to write a new series, or another book in the first  world. Now you write a proposal -- a couple of paragraphs about the book -- NOT  a 30 page synopsis -- just enough to let your editor know what you've got in  mind.

"Hey, Maryam. I've got an idea for a new book -- Spaceport:  Jaguara. It's a cat shifter in the Spaceport universe, with a Jaguara who  decides to hide from bounty hunters by shifting to cat form and pretending to be  a Kitali. Which of course leads to more drunken Kitali singing Karaoke in Haze.  Our heroine's the dispatcher from Spaceport: Security. It's going to take her a  while to figure out that her desperate criminal and the Kitali who's adopted her  are one and the same. It'll be a Sci-Fi Futuristic Cat Shifter M/F with some  heavy kink thrown in -- you know I'm fascinated with cat  tongues."

Damn. Maybe I ought to submit that  one...

Where were we? Proposals. Send your proposals to your  editor, along with a general plan for when you'd like the books to release. If  it's a series, send several books -- she'll want to know you have a plan past  book one. As long as the proposal looks like it'll fly -- IE you didn't pick a  genre/theme combination we know won't sell -- she'll either offer  suggestions or send the proposals on to the EiC for title approval. Once the  title's approved, you'll submit the contracts. Once we get you in the schedule  with a general plan, we'll assign you dates based on what you've requested --  every 4, 8, or 12 weeks -- and you'll keep that general schedule as long as we  get the books on time.

The world will not come to an end if you  have an emergency and need something moved out, as long as we have plenty of  notice. And if all that sounds too terribly confusing, and you'd rather fly  "Space Available" -- well, we still want your stories. We'll find a place for  you.

Margaret Riley
www.Changelingpress.com

 
I feel stupid writing this but I also have the feeling most authors think there is something mysterious about how and why publishers accept a story.  There isn’t.  But you may be too close to the story to understand the process.
 
I’m sure every publisher has a somewhat different way of getting through the process, but since I’m most familiar with Loose Id’s, I’ll use that.
 
1)     The query and partial and synopsis come in.  A submissions editor checks to see if it fits our guidelines and generally if it’s something Loose Id might want –like,  does it make sense?  Is the author screaming I AM A PROBLEM with just the query letter?

 

comment from M --  READ THE SUBMISSIONS GUIDELINES. MAJOR pet peeve here! 40% of our submissions never get past #1. Why? We ask each other, on a regular basis, WHY an author would submit to a publisher without reading their guidelines. At Changeling we publish short (8 to 28 K the guidelines state) Erotic Sci-Fi/Paranormal. So why do we continue to receive 60K BAD lesbian porn? 35K Contemporary is less offensive to read, but still a waste of our submissions editor's time. E-Pub is a small community. Most of us know one another -- not just Treva and I. So if an author submits inappropriate material to multiple publishers on a regular basis, he or she could end up with a bad reputation before the manuscript ever gets read by anyone anywhere. 
 
2)     It looks like a possibility.  It goes to one of our editors who reads it.  I’m not going to answer for what the editor thinks while he or she reads it, but he or she should be thinking about things like – do I like it?  How hard will this be to edit?  What do I say when I present it to the Editors and Management about why I like or dislike this?  Would it sell for our readers?
 
3)     It’s presented on our editor list with the editor recommendation of yes or no (or sometimes I’m not sure or I don’t like it but I hate this genre, someone else should read it.)  Sometimes other editors chime in with insights they have – sounds just like another story, read that author before, this couldn’t happen and here’s why.  Usually though, it goes on to me or my Assistant Editor in Chief without any other comment.
 
4)      It comes to me.  I read it.  I think about it.  As a reader, I love it or it leaves me cold.  As an editor I can think of ways to improve it or I shudder at the work it would take and wonder if the author has the skill to do what needs doing.  As a publisher I think about whether our readers would want it.
 
But the first way I judge it is as a reader.  The other considerations come later.  Hook me as a reader and you've got 80% of the job done.   I'll most likely say yes and my vote is the one that counts if others aren't sure. 
 
Yes, it’s subjective, but it’s an educated subjective, and we try to get at least two opinions if not more on the story. If I love the story but can't use it, it gets me nuts but I'll try to figure out how to use it or who might want it.  And I'll very sincerely ask for a different story we can use.

 

 

I’ve often had people say “Oooh, you write! [or you publish – that can get even more frightening because then they have plans for you]  I always wanted to write if I had time.”

 

This puzzles me.  Do they really think that someone will give you time to write and that’s when you can start?  It’s not going to happen.  Time for writing has to be stolen, borrowed and begged for. Even fans don’t understand how hard a process it can be.  It’s difficult even when you have managed some writing routine that works.

 

Even worse is when real life hits you hard. I understand the problems.  Often exhaustion and depression just don’t let you have the energy and creativity to write.  But I also see the different thresholds of problems that Real Life throws at an author and how many keep writing anyhow.  Death of a loved one, ill health – like hospitalization or severe illness-- natural disasters,  need for a regular pay check …  yes, it can stop authors.  Some keep going long after most people would stop.  Some write through their problems and some just can’t. 

 

That’s a shame.  Because someone who has to write but then has to give up is a frustrated soul.  But someone who is waiting for that mysterious time to arrive that will allow them to write just doesn’t know what writing is all about.

How you work with your editor can take many forms.  At Loose Id and Changeling Press, you are assigned to your editor until death or divorce do you part.  The plus side is that you develop a working relationship with someone who knows you and you know who to check with when something goes wrong.  The con side is that you may know each other too well and miss things.

Other publishing companies assign the story to the next available or most qualified editor for that particular story.  Although you may not develop a relationship with any one editor, that method can make turn around time faster and you have the chance to experience a variety of editing styles and methods.

No matter how it works, you will be trusting your manuscript to someone at your publishing house.  (If they don’t edit your story before they release it, be very, very wary of that company.) Here are some dos and don’ts:

 

--Do try to listen though the whole edit before making a judgment.

 

--Do ask questions if you don’t understand.

 

--Do realize that if the editor doesn’t get what you mean that may mean no one will get it.

 

--Don’t change the story if you don’t know why it should be changed or strongly disagree.  That’s the time to talk to your editor calmly.

 

--Don’t mess with your editor on scheduling. (M had much more to say on this topic when she suggested it.)  If you say you’re going to do the edits by a certain date, say so knowing that you have a realistic chance of doing them or give your editor plenty of warning it won’t happen.  He or she has cleared her calendar for those edits and other authors are waiting in line for theirs, so if you don’t deliver, you are messing up your rep, the editor’s and other authors’ time and possibly the release date for several books.

 

Communicate with your editor.  If you can’t do that,  then you need to get a new editor.

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve been writing steadily on my new story every morning before I start work on my Loose Id duties.  (Unless, of course, school closes and the kids descend on me even though it turned out to be just rain and not snow and ice in the roads, darn those school officials…But I digress.) For now writing every day is a joy, since for the past few years I haven’t had much time to devote to writing as Loose Id grew,  members of my family had serious health issues, and I still had the SDJ to handle.
 

This month I took the leap and quit the SDJ.  I still am busy.  Very. Somehow I didn’t expect to be quite so busy, although one problem I had previously was being unable to master the space-time continuum and be in two places at the same time.  Having time to think about anything longer than five minutes before I was interrupted was becoming an issue.  As was sleep.  I’m very happy with writing and editing, although I go through a periodic identity crisis when I try to explain to others what I work at now.  I’m still waiting to see how the finances will settle in, although I have an income and a husband with a SDJ (and his own writing habit to support.)
 

In short, I know the considerations I had before I did it, but I’m curious as to how other authors who write full time made the decision to go for it.  Once your writing is what you use to support yourself, how do you view writing?  Your publishers?  Your writing schedule?  How does your family handle it?  What have you changed and what has stayed the same?

I don’t keep track of many e-publishers. I tend to think keeping track of my own company is enough work for me. Of course I am aware that recently several e-pubs have declared bankruptcy, others have just disappeared into cyberspace, some have said they will declare bankruptcy and then disappeared without apparently doing so and so on.

 

Before you shop the book that you had contracted elsewhere, be aware Loose Id and any smart e-publisher will look for a  legally binding release from a contract before considering taking the book on, even if it was never released by the publisher or if it was released without a contract. There are a lot of valid reasons for that including … gulp … the return of the departed e-publishers.

 

I’m not here to discuss the merits or likelihood of an e-publisher who has indicated they are out of business then returning under mysterious circumstances. It’s happened more than once this year, just when authors thought the publisher was gone forever. There are other bad scenarios you can play out with this. Years ago my own dear husband, who ventured into the e-publishing world before I did, got caught with a signed contract by a publisher who kept promising to conduct more business on the remaining  e-publishing site but never did. His book was never published. The DH stuck it out for two years and then, under the terms of the contract, the book was no longer bound to that e-publisher. That’s no fun, but he didn’t have any other method of getting a release since the company never officially went out of business.

 

What should you do if the publisher announces the company  is closing? Get that written release if possible. If it’s not, read your contract and abide by the terms. Eventually there is a finish. (If there isn’t, then you didn’t read the contract very well when you signed. Always make sure there is some kind of escape clause.) It sucks when the e-publisher doesn’t seem to be holding up its end, but there isn’t much else you can do.  And yes, you do need to tell the new publisher if it was a re-release.  You don’t need to get two publishers mad over one manuscript.

 

Even after your contract has expired, make sure you keep the original and copies of any emails from your publisher regarding the status of your contract.  If another publisher becomes interested in that manuscript, they’ll want copies of either the release, or, if it’s not available, possibly the contract.  No one wants the legal problems of explaining to a bankruptcy court why the book they have listed as an asset isn’t one – especially if there is no written evidence. If all else fails, sometimes it’s better to just go ahead and devote your energy to writing another book.

So my lovely friend Treva has pointed out -- numerous times this week alone -- that it’s MY turn to post something. I keep telling her I can’t. I’m too busy. I have dead computers all over the place.

Why do I have dead computers everywhere? I build computers. Not just any computers. High speed gaming computers. I enjoy building computers. Unless I get the build from hell where nothing works right. Fortunately that doesn’t happen often.

What does happen all too often once I’ve built my precious, precocious babies and shipped them all off, is that they come back. The come back exhausted, injured, and sometimes mortally wounded. My heart bleeds for them, all of them, whether I built them or not. And so will your pocketbook.

All of us in this industry are totally dependent on our computers. No computer, no manuscripts, no contact with the writing community, next thing you know we’re yesterday’s newspaper in the bottom of the bird cage. And if there’s a way to screw up a perfectly good computer, I’ve seen it. So here are the answers to a half a dozen -- or more -- oops -- of the questions and complaints I hear most often.

1) “Help! I think I have a Virus!” The time to deal with a virus is BEFORE you get the virus. Install a virus scanner. And of course, with any virus scanner, you need to set the program to update itself automatically, and you need to actually SCAN your computer, preferably daily. Don’t tell me you can’t afford it, either. I’ve heard that one, more than once. Along with -- “It said it needed to be renewed, but I didn’t have my credit card handy, and I just forgot.” It’s a whole lot cheaper to buy a virus scanner or renew your existing one when it comes up than it is to pay me to reinstall Windows -- or Windows and a new hard drive.

2) “I need to reinstall Windows but I can’t find my backup disks!” When the computer came to live with you, no matter where you got it, it either had backup disks with it or a program installed that told you to MAKE Backup Disks. If it came with disks, put them in a file folder in a file drawer and label the file folder BACKUP DISKS for XXX Computer. If you are supposed to make your own Backup Disks -- make the disks. Don’t have blank CDs? Turn the computer off. GO. NOW. Buy a box of disks. Come back. Make the disks. NOW. It’s easy. Just Follow The Instructions. I’ve know people to get viruses the first time they connected their new computer and internet. Why? Because the first thing they did -- before worrying about the virus scanner -- was to try to catch up on the email they’d missed, and they downloaded an infected file with no program to warn them it was infected.

3) “Doesn’t Vista take care of that automatically?” I have no idea. I don’t use Vista. I refuse to work with Vista. So do most corporate environments. Most major Computer Manufacturers are now selling Vista “Downgrade” CDs with their new computers so you can go back to an operating system that works. But I digress. I do that a lot. To the best of my knowledge, Vista still requires an outsourced Virus Scanner.

4) “But I HAD a Virus Scanner, installed and working, and something else happened, and I lost all my files!” Remember that build from hell mentioned above? Even the best builds sometimes go bad. Motherboards fail. Hard drives fail. Video cards fail. Lightning strikes. Fires hit. THINGS HAPPEN. I wouldn’t drive a car with no insurance. I won’t save a file to one place, and one place alone, and expect it to be there in the morning. Now mind you, I’m paranoid. I lost a novel once. Made sure that would never happen again. Now when I save anything, particularly my WIP, I save it to this computer, to the computer downstairs (thru the network), to the FTP server (If you have a website you have an FTP server and your web mistress can tell you how to access an area of it that’s secure where you can save files) and to an external source. External sources include thumb drives, PDA’s, burning to CD or DVD, and or email the file to yourself at a Gmail or Yahell account. You may want to install a second hard drive so you can back up to a drive that doesn’t have Windows on it. Wherever you save, Save Early, Save Often, and Save Everywhere.

5) “I was in the middle of saving my file when the power went out. Now the file won’t open!/ Computer won’t boot back up!” This is why they make UPSs -- Uninterruptible Power Supplies -- or Battery Backups. You can buy a battery backup for $50 to $150 (and up, depending on size) at any computer or office supply store. A simple surge protector is not good enough. You’re still risking shutting the computer down mid something. If it happens to be mid program installation or Windows Update the computer may never boot back up without a windows reinstall. Every desktop computer should be connected to a battery backup. What a battery backup does is buy you enough time to finish whatever’s going on. You get 5 to 15 minutes to complete crucial operations. UPSs are also built heavily enough to allow you to survive most power spikes. In many cases if your Cable Modem and your computer are both plugged into a battery backup you may even stay on line during a brief blackout. At the very least you have time to save your files and power the computer down safely. Remember, "Save Early, Save Often, and Save Everywhere."

6) “I went to boot my computer up this morning and it wouldn’t turn on!” You turned it off, and it won’t turn back on. Imagine that. Most commercial users never turn their computers off. Why? The moment you turn the computer off, all the cooling devices quit working. All the heat that the fans were there to dissipate is now trapped in the case. Components can get hot enough to give you a very serious burn in the first few seconds after you turn the computer off. Most of you aren’t going to be reaching into the case, so you’re not in any danger of getting burned, but that doesn’t change the fact that your components ARE in there, and every time you turn the computer off, they get a huge blast of heat. Metal -- and most of the other things in computers -- contracts and expands as temperatures fluctuate. Bend a paper clip back and forth enough times, and eventually it’ll break. So will your motherboard. Or your memory. Or your Video Card. Or…

7) “I left my Laptop on all the time and now it won’t boot up!” The exception to the “Leave it on, 24/7” rule is laptops. Laptops are not, for the most part, built to run 24/7. The very nature of their design means there are no big airspaces to collect and exhaust air from. If you’re going to use your laptop for extended periods of time get a laptop cooler. However if you’re going to use it, walk away, and come back 20 minutes later and want to look something up again, leave it on. It’s still got a paper clip mentality, no mater how well it’s built.

8) “I did everything you said, and my computer STILL died!” When was your house built? Mine was built in the 1840’s. I don’t have Dust Bunnies. I have Dust Bison. They form herds and charge, and they like to lay down in the corners and wallow together. Cleaning the outside of the computer does nothing to run off the Dust Plague. Most computers have an air intake at the front and an exhaust fan at the back. Maybe a side fan and an extra Poser Supply fan, as well. Almost all Office Supply stores sell cans of Compressed Air. At least once a year, in a “clean” house, and quarterly, in my house, it’s necessary to shut down the computer, wait at least 5 minutes for things to cool down, take the right  side cover (passenger's side) off, and use the compressed air to clean the various fans and surfaces. Do not spray the top of the fan if there’s a heat sink underneath it -- the heat sink has “Fins” like a radiator. You'll blow all the dust into the fins and clog them up worse. The can of air should have a small piece of reasonably flexible tubing. Spray into one side of the fins with the little tube and watch the dust pour out the other side. Reverse, repeat. And before you start spraying dust rabbits all over the place, sucking the obvious overpopulation out with the vacuum hose isn’t a bad idea. Do unplug the computer first and discharge any static before you touch anything.

Remember, nothing will make your computer completely crash proof, but in the end, the computer itself is a collection of parts, any of which can be replaced, one way or another. Your thoughts, ideas, and your email contacts aren’t so easily restored. Save early, save often, save to an external source, mail backups to your CP, and in general CYA. And as always, these are my suggestions. If you think your computer needs maintenance you don’t feel qualified to give it, take it to your local Computer Guru.

Just not me. I’m full up at the moment.

Margaret Riley
www.ChangelingPress.com

Sigh. No, of course we don’t condone plagiarism. My point was, and is, I don’t read blogs that trash anyone. My dislike of negative blogs has nothing to do with the latest plagiarism outrage and everything to do with the trend toward trashing books -- and authors -- in very public forums.

I have been duly chastised. Treva says I'm not allowed to post at 3:00 AM anymore.

Margaret Riley

Publisher, www.ChangelingPress.com

 (Warning: Treva has had too much eggnog and too much family togetherness. Treva has hit her personal limits and Treva is CRANKY.)

There are some perennial questions asked of e-publishers or genre publishing in general. I have answers, but you may not like them.

1) What do I have to bother with those stupid old conventions in erotic romance [insert any genre here but I’m sticking to what I know]?

Now I’m a broad-mind, tolerant soul – shut UP, M—so I don’t really care if the characters and scenario you set up so carefully in the beginning suddenly morph into a gripping who knows what tale and I’m reading every word as I’m enthralled, not knowing what will happen next -- watching my love story turn into a divorce story or a dying of cancer story or… Well, I don’t mind as long as it works for the story and it sells

But truly? Most readers who have literally bought into your story aren’t that tolerant. They want the conventions they thought they were getting when they entered into that reader/author partnership with you.

And, brilliant as you undoubtedly are, most books aren’t so good that people will tolerate you changing the game on them. If you are going to do it, be aware of what the conventions are so that you know where to finesse the plot and don’t whine if other people really don’t like it. If your muse or devil demands that you mess with the genre, then you’re doing it for the good of the story or your own personal satisfaction, not for the sake of the reader. And the reader knows it.

2) Why won’t e-publishers put my book into print?

Frankly, print is an expensive proposition. E-publishers like their authors, really they do, and they’ve come up with all kinds of answers to this question for authors, but the bottom line is that it needs to turn a profit or make some business sense for e-publishers to release the kind of book that isn’t their first choice and takes time and money away from their main concern.

E-publishers will decide on putting books into print based on their own criteria and they may not give you the answer you want. What do you have to offer them that will make them want to put your book in print?

With that said, I’ll reprint what Loose Id’s reply is when authors ask--

We've had some questions about how we select the books that are released in print editions. Here are some of the major criteria that are considered when making the decision. Please note that these are not in any particular order.

1. SALES

Sales of the e-book are definitely one factor we consider. However, total sales over time are less important than sales in a short period of time. A book that sells slowly and steadily for a period of years is not as viable in the print market as a book that sells many copies in the first month. This makes sense if you think about how retail stores operate. They keep books on the shelves for only a couple of months, so books that make a quick and dramatic impression with customers tend to do better in the print market than books that take a while to catch fire.

2. BUZZ

Even more important than sales is the "buzz" surrounding a book. Are readers chatting about it on the loops? Does everyone seem to have heard of it? If you have a book that everyone's talking about, that helps its chances in the print market.

3. THE HOOK

A book can be well plotted and well written, but if the story doesn't condense to a solid, sexy hook sentence, readers are far less likely to pick it up from a shelf and take it home. The hook is sometimes call "The It Factor" -- the special twist or spark that makes a story stand out in the field. You'll dramatically increase your chances of getting your book in print if you always write with the hook in mind.

4. THE MARKET

If a particular genre or topic is hot, we'll do our best to get books that will appeal to that market on the shelves as soon as possible. This is one reason we won't be able to give you a firm answer to the question: "Are you going to print my book or not?" We need to be able to move when the market winds shift. The good news for authors is that just because we don't print your book one month, that doesn't mean we never will.

5. OUR RESOURCES

Printing a book is very expensive, both in terms of money and time. Even after the set up fees of editing, printing, artwork and production are paid, bookstores can -- and do -- return the books if they don't sell. Loose Id eats those costs. Also, bookstores pay a "discounted rate" for the books, not the full cover price. And it's not just a financial consideration -- the production of print books diverts attention from our core business ofe-books. All of these things make print an expensive proposition for the company, both in terms of finances and in terms of staff time.

IN CLOSING, we want to stress that these decisions aren't personal.

They're about the books. Our goal in releasing all of our books (both in electronic and print format) is to have strong enough sales to generate nice fat royalty checks for our authors.

If you have questions, we invite you to contact us.

For reflecting. Looking back on 2007, I feel both a profound sense of loss, and a greater sense of gratitude. As the E-Publishing industry has grown up, we’ve known many of the other publishers in the business. We don’t really want to see our “Competitors” fail.

Not everyone is cut out to be a small business owner, and I suspect our industry stats aren’t any worse than a dozen other types of small business. There are a dozen reasons new -- and sometimes old -- businesses fail. While Treva and I may offer advice on how to make sure your small business isn’t defeated before you get off the ground, we’re not here to judge the fallen. We are, however, profoundly grateful to have had the grace, foresight, planning, and fortitude to not be numbered amongst them.

My husband Bill and I started Changeling Press LLC with a sound business plan and a solid background in small business ownership. But our biggest asset remains the dedication of our staff -- authors, artists, editors, proofreaders, and production staff -- and our readers. Thanks you for making Changeling a survivor.

Margaret Riley
www.Changelingpress.com

May the New Year find you and yours happy, healthy, and close to the hearts of your loved ones.

This is totally my opinion and not LI official position,of course.

I never planned to make this blog a forum about Loose Id and I still don't.  But this does seem to be the time to reflect on the past year and think about what should happen for the future.  I thought I'd put down a few thoughts about what Loose Id and many other e-pubs in general are doing right.

We stayed out of bankruptcy, trouble in general and we stuck to doing business.

Apparently staying out of bankruptcy was a brilliant move on our part.  Since the possibility was never a blip on our horizon, we were surprised by how big a deal that would become and how we'd be compared to other less fortunate e-publishers. Staying out of trouble (public fights and breakdowns, paying our authors as promised) has been something our company has taken for granted. We started this as a business and intend to run it that way.

The various problems dogging other e-publishers troubled us. We wanted to step in to help Triskelion. While our help apparently wasn't required, we're glad we reminded people the e-publishing industry is viable and responsible and the industry will help those within the community when we can.

We're getting better at this as we get older.

This year the Loose Id Quad (my partners and I) consciously and gradually stepped back from the day-to-day running of Loose Id so that we can make more managerial decisions.  We loved throwing ourselves into running every aspect of Loose Id to start and it was a tremendous learning experience, but there comes a time when to make something grow bigger and better, you have to delegate.

The Quad has also learned the art of consensus and trusting the other partner and we realize that when you care, sometimes you argue passionately about a result.  Working with the Quad is both a personal and professional delight.  Well, usually.  

OK, even when it's a PITA (yes, sometimes it is) we all still have the energy and enthusiasm to move Loose Id along in the right direction.  And we all appreciate that we have other people to go to when we have ideas or problems.

Loose Id authors and books rock harder than ever.

I can say this without bragging about my own abilities because earlier this year  I stopped personally approving each and every ms. we take.  I hated giving that up, but a side benefit of this is that when I get to read our stories -- usually on release day but sometimes in submission form -- I'm stunned at how good those stories are.  Our authors have always been good, but they're getting better. 

We plan to do more of what we do now in the future, only better, and move into other areas that will work for us.

We're looking forward to the challenge and we hope our readers and authors will as well.

Our year was great.  We hope yours was as well.  Thanks for working with us, readers, authors, editors, artists and everyone who has given Loose Id the chance to become what it is now and what it will evolve into for the future.

 

http://www.brendahiatt.com/id2.html

 

Brenda Hiatt just updated her figures on “Show Me The Money.” While this is only as accurate as the data given her, it does make you think e-book writing is at least a viable alternative to print publishing advances.

 

Market trends and reader tastes can change quickly, especially in the e-pub world.  And what I’m going to say is based solely on my experience in the e-pub romance industry.  With that said, here is my take on what readers want.  Margaret promises to add more later.

 

Erotic romance.  Whatever your definition of it, the erotic sex and the romance needs to be hot and it needs to be an important part of the story.  Usually that means how the relationship between the hero and heroine develops will be through sex and there will be a loving relationship of some sort. (Not a good definition?--ha!  I don't have to define it. Neither do readers. We just have to know it when we see it.)

 

Mainstream may take this over eventually but I suspect the newest and hottest erotic romance will always be in e-pubs.  At least for now print publishers are still trying to get the hang of what their readers want.

 

Alpha heroes.  That’s been a staple of the romance world forever.   My darling CP has often told me to stop writing RL males who are assholes.and write some heroes.  She’s not too big on Alpha heroes even at the best of times.  Truth to tell, neither am I.  That is, not until I know what makes my hero tick.  If it’s that he’s Alpha, well, once I know him then I can write him.  By the way, Alphas can be vulnerable.  In fact, when they’ve earned their right to show a crack in the armor, readers love them all the more.

 

That doesn’t mean you can’t have betas or whatever you want.  But you’d probably do  well to make your less than Alpha males subordinate characters (I mean, that sounds just like where a non-Alpha should be, right?) or come up with a good angle to make it work.  Or make him an Alpha in beta clothing.

 

Savvy heroines.  For the sake of clarity, I’ll call her (or him) the heroine.  You know, the one the hero falls for. Who wants a great hero to end up with an idiot?  We want to identify with that character and we want someone worthy of this hero we’re in love with.

 

HEA or at least HFN endings.  By definition traditional romance has happy ever after endings.  The endings may show the hero and heroine (or whatever gender coupling) will have a problematic future, but they will have a future together.  And yes, you can have a tragic ending and it may still be a great story but romance readers prefer happy endings.  They may accept (not like) a cliffhanger ending if they know the next story is coming up soon--but it darn well better show up soon.

 

Character and plot development.  We want our characters to grow and learn something. We want them to grow and learn through doing --  having a character sit around and think his way into love just doesn’t ring true and really, who would care?  We want them to react like an intelligent creature would react to certain events, no matter how amazing, and to gain insights from what happens when they do.

 

Yes, e-pub readers love m/m and ménages as well as smoking hot more traditional pairings.  But most of all they want to see great sex between characters they can imagine loving.  They want their fantasies to come true even if they only come true in the story.  They want to believe.  Everything you can do to make them believe will make them buy and make a publisher want to accept the story.