Category Archives: publishers

The Changing Face of Publishing

31 Friday Aug 2012

Posted by in author, Grave Secrets, Indie Publishing, Linda Trout, novels, publishers, romance, self-promotion, self-publishing, The Wild Rose Press

≈ 24 Comments

Writing a book isn’t what it used to be. The computer made the physical part of the process much easier. Now, Indie Publishing has added another convenience. It’s eliminated the need to find an agent or a publisher. 

But is this a good thing? Or is there a lot more poorly written crap out there? And why are so many authors blogging, Tweeting, and Facebooking? What’s with all this self-promotion anyway? 
The publishing world is changing and authors have to adapt or change careers. For those of us still struggling to make a career, the changes can be daunting. 

What’s an author to do?

I’m not sure myself. So, I’ve asked recently published Wild Rose Press author, Linda Trout how she views this new world of publishing.

Welcome Linda!

Hi Lilly. I’m so glad to be here today. It’s very sweet of you to host me.

– Contests. Do you enter and why?

I do enter contests. As an unpubbed, I found it to be a good way to get my MS in front of an editor if I finaled. Also, if you final you have bragging rights. Always a plus.

I tried contests a couple of times. Some of the critiques were very helpful. A couple sounded like so much sour grapes to me, while others didn’t give a clue as to what was good or bad about the work. I tend to shy away from them. I guess I’m afraid of being told I suck. Lol!

– Do you keep up with your sales? What social media do you think generates the most sales for you and how do you keep up with the results.

Since my book is a recent release, I’m still new at keeping up with sales numbers. I don’t check every day, but probably should keep a closer tab on them. I always try to steer people to The Wild Rose Press site, but most people are more familiar with Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

I love that TWRP pays quarterly. I checked my sales a few times on the authors’ website, but it just made me anxious. Now, opening that email that takes me to my paypal account is like opening a present. And since my sales very so widely, it’s like getting an unexpected gift. My December sales were steady. My sales went up in March and then dropped in July. Can’t wait to see what September brings.

– Do you do book signings. Do you think they’re a thing of the past?

I LOVE book signings! I’ve done quite well at them. Of course, the one’s I’ve done so far have been with family, friends and former coworkers so it was a good way to reconnect. I think it may depend on where you live and your own social network. I come from a small town so it made sense to hold my first signing at the library there.

I’m a small town gal myself. I’ve had seven book signings. I made my most sales at the two held in a gift shop in my hometown. Thanks to all my friends, family, and co-workers. Lol! But you’re right. It was loads of fun and a great way to reconnect.

– Speaking of books, do you still read paperbacks? Or do you prefer digital readers? Do you see a future for paperbacks or do you think they’re going the way of the dinosaur?

I have to admit I’m one of those dinosaurs. Don’t own an eReader (yet). My hubby and I both read paperbacks. A LOT! We drop in at the bookstore quite often to see what’s new. Don’t you just love the smell and the stacks of books when you walk in the door? Kinda like coming home. When we have too many books piled up, we donate them to the local library. It’s a win-win situation.

I felt the same way you do—until my husband bought me an e-reader two years ago. Now, I only buy/read research books. I still love browsing bookstores. I still buy old books and research books. But when I want to read for fun, I download it. I’m now on my second e-reader.

– Besides guest blogging, how do you promote your books?

I use Facebook and set up an Event when I have a signing, then invite all my friends that live close by. I’ll also have an announcement in the newspaper. I’m signed up on Twitter, but I’m still trying to learn my way around it. hehe. I also set up author profiles on Amazon and Goodreads. Not sure how those help me promote my book, though. Basically, I use word of mouth and tell everyone I know to tell everyone they know. Not that efficient, but I’m still getting the hang of this stuff. Remember, I’m a dinosaur. {snort}

I know what you mean. I get Facebook. I don’t quite get Twitter. But I am trying to Tweet more and respond to Tweets. I’ve run contests on Goodreads and I post reviews of books I’ve read on both Goodreads and Amazon. And, I too have an author page. I’ve also joined Pinterest. Another time suck. Lol!

– What’s your take on self-publishing? Have you attempted it? Do you recommend it? And, have you read any self-published books? What was your take on them?

I think Indie Publishing is a great way to get your book out there that doesn’t necessarily fit in the parameters of the Big 6. However, too many people are simply throwing their work out there without it being ready. First and foremost, you have to have a good product! Which means hiring an editor. I know my book wouldn’t have been nearly as good without the help of my Wild Rose Press editor. If you’re going to go to all the effort to write a book, make it the best it can possibly be. Once you have a bad reputation for poor quality work, it’s hard to overcome it.

I couldn’t agree more! I think those who’re making the most money off Indie Publishing are previously published authors who’ve gotten their rights back and those authors published in other genres who decide to do something different—like trying their hand at Steam Punk. I’m flirting with the idea of Indie Publishing myself but haven’t taken the plunge yet. 

-And you have a new release from The Wild Rose Press. What’s it called? Can you tell us a little about it?

My debut novel, Grave Secrets is a romantic suspense.
Here’s a blurb:

When Sara Adams’ infant daughter is abducted, she moves heaven and earth to find her. But six months later, time is running out and Sara turns to the one man she shouldn’t—insurance investigator Morgan Daniels. Dangerously attractive, he’s a threat to more than just her heart, and if she isn’t careful, he’ll unearth secrets better left buried.

Proving Sara murdered her husband is Morgan’s top priority. Helping her find her child is the perfect opportunity to get the proof he needs. But when he starts to think of her as a woman rather than a suspect, she slips under his armor. He can’t trust her. Worse, he can’t trust himself around her.

All evidence points to Sara as a murderer, but Morgan’s gut tells him the evidence is wrong. Is his obsession with her blinding him to the facts? Or is the real murderer still out there…stalking Sara?

Excerpt:

Sara’s sobs, the first he’d heard from her, broke through his stupor. Was this the reason behind those dark circles under her eyes? The logical side of his brain said to back out of the room and get the hell out of the house. He didn’t need another mental case in his life, didn’t need the responsibility, and later the guilt, when he failed them.
Instead, he gathered her in his arms, then pressed her head against his shoulder. She cried so hard, her entire body shook, and her keening touched him in places he’d thought long dead. He had the feeling this was the first time she’d truly cried since they’d dug up her husband’s body. No wonder there were so many tears.
His shirt was soaked. He didn’t care. He forgot about his mom, about how Sara could already be headed down the same road and simply held her close. When the tears had abated and she’d blown her nose on the handkerchief he’d offered, he kissed the top of her head, whispering it would be all right. She looked up at him, parting her lips. Remnants of tears still trailed down her cheeks. Without thinking, he lowered his head and gently pressed his lips to hers to comfort her.
Sara had been clinging to his shirt, but now moved her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. She opened for him, inviting. Am I out of my mind? He couldn’t get involved with a client. Or a suspect. Sara Adams fell into both categories.
He chuckled to himself. He was about to make the biggest mistake of his life, but right now he didn’t care. When she whimpered he scooped her into his arms, her weight a turn-on by itself, and strode across the hall to the nearest bed he could find.

Thanks for stopping by to chat today. Good luck with the new book. I think it’ll do great. Then again, I love good romantic suspense.

Thanks for having me today, Lilly! I’ve enjoyed visiting with you and sharing my viewpoints on some of the issues authors face in our ever-changing publishing world.

This is the tail end of my blog tour, so on Labor Day I’ll be drawing one lucky commenter’s name from the tour to receive a free digital copy of my book.

Who doesn’t love a chance to win a free book? Especially an award-winning book.

That’s right. Grave Secrets won the 5 Heart Sweetheart contest with The Romance Studio! http://www.theromancestudio.com/reviews/reviews/gravesecretstrout.htm{Yelling a little quiet ‘yah’ here. hehe}

Congratulations!

Thanks again for hosting me! You’re more than welcome to come on over to my site anytime. I’d love the company.

Buy Links for Grave Secrets:
TWRP: http://tinyurl.com/cann8jz
Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/bvpysqf
Barnes & Noble: http://tinyurl.com/cnqz5ky

Do I Need an Agent?

23 Friday Mar 2012

Posted by in agent advice, agents, historical romance, Lilly Gayle, paranormal romace, publishers, The Wild Rose Press

≈ 12 Comments

I’ve had 3 agents over the last 14 or 15 years. I sold to TWRP without one.

Agent # 1: Agent X requested a full of  Slightly Tarnished when it was still being called American Beauty. She then offered a contract for 15% of sales. No up front money. Sounded good. She then requested that I mail 10 hard copies of the full manuscript for her to shop around. Whew, was that expensive, even in 1998. I never heard from her again. I wrote and emailed. No response. I called. No answer. No return calls. I gave up after a year and moved on.

Agent # 2: The second agent also loved American Beauty aka Slightly Tarnished. She said it was a wonderful story but needed extensive editing and oh, she just happened to own an editing agency. This was in the days prior to my joining RWA or my local chapter and I didn’t know what a critique partner was. My former sister-in-law was the only person who’d ever read my writing. This agent had a website and everything. And her assistant had a British accent when he called. She had to be legit, right? So, I paid the $2500 in 2000 for this extensive editing. Basically, she corrected punctuation and spelling and suggested I not kill off the younger brother. So, I made the changes. And she offered my representation. Then, she sent me a contract for her marketing package. Marketing packages which HAD to be purchased to secure representation, ranged in price from $500-$5,000 with $5,000 guaranteeing publication. Although, there was no guarantee who’d publish it. Oh, but since she owned a vanity press, I had a good idea. I turned her down and when she called to harass me and tell me I’d never get published without her help, I told her where she could go and how she could get there. Not my finest moment to be sure.

Agent # 3: By now, I was a member of RWA and my local chapter. I knew what to look for in an agent. I knew the rules. And I checked her out on preditors and editors. She was legit with an impressive sales record. I even met her at local sister chapter of RWA. She repped Wholesale Husband and shopped it around. I even got some wonderful rejection letters in a very timely fashion form the big 7 publishers with recommendations for improving the story. Of all the books published by TWRP, I think this one needed the least amount of edits because I’d already cleaned it up a hundred times over because of my agent. When she couldn’t sell my book to the big 7, she kept asked me to rewrite Wholesale Husband and my western manuscript and make them inspirationals. She said inspirational romances were HOT, HOT, HOT and she’d have no trouble selling to a publisher.

I tried. I honestly did. But once she read them, she said they weren’t as good. No duh! I don’t write inspirational romance. Then, the agent asked me to write an Amish romance because they were the next HOT thing in publishing. That’s when I realized we weren’t a good fit. She was a good agent, but she wasn’t a good agent for me.

I wanted to write stories I loved. She wanted me to write to the market and what she preferred to sell. We parted company on good terms but I learned a valuable lesson from all this.

1- Research, research, research. Check out what genres the agent represents. Check out his/her authors. Check out the website.

2- Check the agent out on Preditors and Editors http://pred-ed.com/pubagent.htm to make sure they are legit and have no complaints/lawsuits against them.

3- Make sure the editor will be a good fit for what you already write. Don’t try to write what he/she represents.

4- Make sure you have plenty of patience and can stomach rejection. lol! Finding an agent is a daunting, exhaustive task.

5- Make sure you actually need one!

Thank God, TWRP doesn’t require an agent. In fact, neither do a couple of the BIG 7 publishers. So, I’d suggest trying to publish on your own before getting an agent. From what I understand, finding an agent is easier if you have a track record. Although, I wouldn’t know. I haven’t made an effort to find one since getting published. Until I have a more impressive sales record, I’d like to keep that % 15 to myself.

So, does a writer need an agent? An agent can submit to multiple publishers and shop your manuscript around a lot more efficiently than a new or even seasoned writer. Publishers respond more quickly to agented work. Publishers will often give an agent a reason for rejecting a manuscript with suggestions on how the author can improve his/her chances of publication. The same publisher might send a form rejection letter to an author submitting without an agent and might do so in a less than timely fashion.

One of the BIG 7 publishers has had one of my manuscripts under consideration since August of 2009. I’m sure if I’d had an agent, I would have received a definitive answer, one way or the other by now. So, having an agent can improve response times and those responses. But, is it worth the time and aggravation of finding an agent that’s right for you?

Whatever a writer decides, there are a few things he/she will need for his search. Time. Patience. And maybe a nice bottle of Merlot.

Happy hunting!
Lilly Gayle