Writing As A Second Career

Sitting, Not Pitching, And Relaxing: Lessons Learned At This Year’s Book Fair

This year I felt really nervous about the Printers Row Lit Fest (a/k/a the Printers Row Book Fair) because I broke my foot some time back.

That fact meant I didn’t get as much publicity done for the fair as usual, I had to get there and back with all my books, a wheelchair, and crutches, and I’d need to sit rather than stand most of the time at my table.

To my surprise, this year was my best year of the 5 times I’ve rented a table there.

I talked with more new readers, had more people join my email list who seemed truly interested, and sold more books to strangers.

Last year in The Beauty of Book Fairs my thought was that it was hard to make a sale at a live event to someone who didn’t already know your work.

So what changed?

Sitting Rather Than Standing

Most authors I talk to about or share tables with at book fairs favor standing behind the table or at least standing as soon as someone approaches.

The idea is that people are more likely to see you as they pass by. Also, as educators and speakers have found time and again, standing generally gives you authority and makes you the focus of a room.

Initially I tried standing on the crutches.

But it was awkward and uncomfortable, so most of the time I sat in the wheelchair. And what happened? Way more people came to my table to browse, and more talked with me as they passed by, then looked at the books.

My guess is that more people stopped to talk because I wasn’t looming over the table like an overanxious salesperson.

(They couldn’t see the wheelchair from the aisle, so it wasn’t sympathy or curiosity.)

They didn’t feel pressure to buy, so they felt free to chat or browse.

Also, I was more relaxed. I felt happy to have gotten safely behind the table (for more on my harrowing wheelchair ride there see my author blog) and to be outside among people.

I hoped to sell some books, but mostly I wanted to enjoy the day.

In short, I was more interested in having conversations than selling. I think that made it easier to chat with me.

More Books To Share

People also seemed to feel more comfortable looking over the table because I had more different books to sell. In previous years I’d published fewer titles (only Book 1 and 2 in my first series the first year). People assumed I was the author standing behind the table. This year, though, they asked if I was and were excited when I said yes.

When you only have one novel or two to sell, readers feel bad if they pick one up, look at the back, and walk away. At least, I always feel that way at a book fair. So I’m more comfortable looking if there are lots of choices. It doesn’t feel so personal if I choose not to buy.

The larger number and type of books also allowed me to group them on the table by genre.

I put my supernatural thriller series at one end, then my short horror story collection and standalone gothic horror novel, then my new mystery/suspense novel, then my non-fiction books.

That way, if people didn’t like one genre or weren’t interested in the covers, they naturally gravitated to the next set of books.

This progression seemed to make readers more comfortable browsing.

Having many books also allowed me to have multiple price points.

The novels were $10 (or two for $18), the non-fiction $5, and the short story collection–which is very short–$3. One person bought the short story collection, which was set in Chicago, as soon as he heard it was $3.

On Not Pitching Your Books

In previous years, I asked people who neared the table or browsed, “What do you like to read?” or started telling them about the books.

This year I said hello, said how nice it was it had stopped raining (it was nice!), or asked if they’d found anything interesting this year at the fair. If they didn’t start looking at my books, I didn’t say anything about them.

As a result, some people who started out by saying they’d already bought too many books ended by buying after chatting with me, and/or signed up to my email list.

If people looked at a book or two, I explained how the books were grouped. If someone seemed interested in that, I volunteered which ones were set in the neighborhood of the book fair, which I’ve always found to be a good sales point. If they looked at the writing books, I asked if they were interested in writing.

But I only explained the premise of a book if the person asked about it. In previous years, I started with that–my pitch–as soon as the person picked up the book.

After this year’s experience, next year I plan to sit behind the table, enjoy talking with people, and not worry so much about sales.

Who knew breaking my foot could be such a good thing?

Until next Friday–

L.M. Lilly

Answering The Snarky Things People Say About Your Writing

Many of us have heard the Eleanor Roosevelt quote “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”

When it comes to something as personal as our writing, though, sometimes it’s hard to put that advice into practice.

While most people you talk to about your books will be supportive or at least polite, odds are you will run into someone (or more than one someones) who says something that leaves you feeling bad about yourself or your writing.

The comment may be made unintentionally or it might be designed to belittle you.

As I mentioned last week in Mastering Talking About Your Books, fear of these types of comments can keep us from telling people about our writing despite that it helps our careers to do so. I think this can be especially so for self-published writers because we don’t have the outside validation that trad-published writers get when a traditional publisher backs their work.

Below are a few thoughts on how to handle unkind, thoughtless, or snarky comments, followed by a some responses I’ve used.

Taking Comments In The Best Light

I find it helpful to answer each comment or question as if it had been meant in the most positive way possible.

For one thing, that might be true.

Sometimes the person is genuinely asking for information or expressing interest or support, but doesn’t know a question might be intrusive or upsetting.

When I was submitting a manuscript to publishers and agents and getting rounds of rejections, a business colleague of mine would always say, “Hey, keep trying, you’ll be just like that Harry Potter lady. Pretty soon you’ll be a millionaire.”

He was trying to be supportive, but every time I’d plummet into depression because I couldn’t possibly have felt farther from J.K. Rowling. My colleague didn’t know that I’d already been trying, and trying, and trying for years. I’d written several novels, yet I’d never made a single dollar on a piece of fiction. (I sold one short story for $15 and the check bounced.)

As another example, most people don’t realize asking how many books you’ve sold is a bit like asking your salary.

Some people might be comfortable answering that, but others won’t be. If you’re not, you can come up with some responses you do feel okay with.

Recognize It’s Not About You

Sometimes a person’s comments about you or your work are really about themselves and where they are or want to be.

For example, someone who says “I wish I had time to do nothing like you do” (I’ve had people say this) on hearing that you write fiction may be feeling overwhelmed at work and desperately wants to be doing something else.

This also is true for someone who makes comments that undermine you.

For instance, a relative once called to ask me about self-publishing paperbacks. She knew I’d published a series, and she was giving a workshop for people in a retirement home who had written memoirs or family histories and might want to publish them.

After I’d given her information on tips, costs, and publishing platforms, she said, “Thanks. I figure most people will self-publish because their writing is pretty bad. The ones who wrote anything good will get real publishing deals.”

I was so surprised by her implying that my writing must not be any good, especially after I’d spent an hour of my time helping her, that I didn’t respond.

Later, I thought about it and realized that she often threw digs about my writing and publishing into conversations as asides or “jokes.”

None of it had anything to do with my writing. She’d never read my books.

Instead, her snarky comments reflected something inside her. What exactly I don’t know, but it doesn’t matter. There are no good reasons for trying to tear someone else down, and someone who does that isn’t a friend.

Ways To Respond

Over the years I’ve developed some answers that work for me to difficult comments.

Most are based on the idea that the person is genuinely seeking or offering helpful information, even if they’re not, and others are meant to shift the conversation, point out that the questions might be a bit tactless, or elicit information that might actually be helpful.

My friend sold 100,000 copies of her book the first week. How many have you sold?

Answers (assuming you haven’t sold 100,000):

That’s fantastic. Do you think she would meet me and give me some advice?

I’d love to sell 100,000 in one week. Do you have any suggestions on doing that?

I haven’t sold 100,000 this week. Maybe next week!

Oh, you wrote a book. Did you self-publish it? (said with raised eyebrows or while looking down the nose)

Answers:

Yes, I did. Are you thinking about it? I’d be happy to share what I’ve learned.

Yes, I did. I love having control and keeping all the profits.

Did you try getting a real publisher?

I thought about a traditional publisher, but I’d rather work to make money for myself than a big company.

No, I like having control over my creative work.

Why? Do you know a good one?

Your book sounds dull. Why don’t you write about something interesting/ important, like General Custer/animal rights/wizards?

Answers:

Oh, are you interested in General Custer/animal rights/wizards? Tell me more about that.

Is there anything I could change in how I described the book(s) that might make it sound more interesting to you?

How much do you make writing books?

Answers:

It varies. Some authors earn six or seven figures, others earn enough to cover their Starbucks habit.

Oh, I’m sure you make more. What’s your yearly salary?

I wish I had time to sit around and do nothing but write.

Answers:

What would you write about?

Sounds like you have a busy schedule. What have you been working on lately?

If you like, I could share some tips/recommend a good book on how to fit writing into a busy schedule.

Obviously, these aren’t the only ways to respond. I offer them in case they might be helpful to you, or to spark your own ideas for what to say.

However you choose to answer, having responses ready can help you shift away from a comment or question that might undermine your confidence. And it might help you learn something new or get to know the other person better.

Until next Friday–

L.M. Lilly

Mastering Talking About Your Books

These days most marketing takes place online, so if you’re uncomfortable talking about yourself or your books it’s easy to avoid it entirely. But potential readers you meet in person can become some of your biggest fans.

Also, not everyone spends time on social media. Some of your acquaintances may never come across your work if you don’t tell them.

In person. Using your voice.

So how can you get comfortable talking about your books? And do it in a way that engages people?

Why Some Of Us Hesitate To Share

The idea of telling someone you just met—or even someone you’ve known a long time—about your novel or other writing can be intimidating.

You might be hesitant to “brag” about yourself. You might fear other people will say unkind things, that you’re boring your listener, or that you don’t deserve the attention.

Maybe you just don’t like the spotlight or aren’t sure what to say.

The best way to deal with these concerns is to prepare ahead of time.

On Not Being A Bore

We’ve all met that person at a party who corners us for what feels like forever to tell us everything we never wanted to know about fruit flies or the dangers of red dye or some other topic in which we have limited (or no) interest.

Worse, that person never seems to pick up on cues such as attempts to change the conversation, repeated monosyllabic responses, or glazed eyes.

If you’re like me, your concern about not wanting to be that person can make you hesitate to say anything about a book or books you’ve written.

So start out by resolving to pay attention to your listener.

If after you’ve described your book briefly (see below) and perhaps said a few words in follow up, your conversation partner is saying little more than “Uh-huh” or non-committal things like “Oh, how nice,” let the topic drop.

It may help you to get started to realize that….

Most People Will Be Excited To Hear You Wrote A Book

When I was about to publish The Awakening a colleague who is great at connecting people invited me to a networking event with other lawyers and businesspeople. She surprised me by always adding when she introduced me that I’d written a thriller.

Why?

Because half the people in the room were lawyers, and the other half were people the lawyers wanted to get business from. So every other person there started with something like, “My law practice focuses on small businesses…”

People were excited to hear I’d written a thriller because it was something different to talk about.

As a side benefit, I discovered they were more likely to remember me as a lawyer because I was the one who had written the book.

Unless you’re at a writers conference, odds are you’ll be the only person in the room who’s written or published a novel. And if you happen to run into someone else who has, that’s great. You’ll have a ton to talk about.

As to friends and acquaintances, if they like to read they’ll want to know you’ve written a book (or books). As long as you remember to ask about what they’re doing as well and don’t monopolize the conversation, they’ll be happy to hear about your writing.

But if you don’t have a colleague to introduce you, how do you mention your writing without it feeling forced?

Starting The Conversation

When I started publishing my books, I didn’t feel comfortable introducing myself as a writer or novelist.

In my mind, I wasn’t a “real” writer because I didn’t make my living at it. Also, when I started out self-publishing was much less accepted than it is now. I felt like if I said I published my own work, they’d assume it must not be very good.

Eventually I figured out that I felt more comfortable stating facts or my feelings, and it was natural to do it in answer to most basic conversation starters.

For example, often people ask “what do you do?” Though I wasn’t comfortable calling myself a writer yet, I was okay saying I was a lawyer and also wrote supernatural thrillers.

If someone I hadn’t seen in a while asked how I was, I said something like, “I’m doing great. I’m so excited because I just published a new novel/got a good review/got a new cover design.” Or I might say, “I’m nervous because I’m launching a new book tomorrow.”

Though I didn’t like calling my writing a hobby because I was pursuing it in the hope of making it my career, if asked about hobbies, I’d say that I wrote novels as a second job.

Once you’ve told people you wrote a novel, the typical question is what it’s about.

To get your best chance at intriguing a possible new reader, and to avoid rambling until the person’s eyes glaze over, try preparing a one-sentence summary in advance.

The One-Sentence Summary

To create this sentence, answer these three questions:

(1) Who is your protagonist?

Not your character’s name, which won’t mean anything to your listener, but a brief description. For example, a young woman, a brand new attorney, a retired police detective, a frightened child.

(2) What does your protagonist want or what problem does your protagonist face?

In The Awakening, the young woman protagonist’s problem is that she discovers she’s pregnant despite that she has never had sex. In my latest release, a suspense/mystery novel, just as she’s about to move in with him, the protagonist discovers her boyfriend’s dead body.

(3) What stands in your character’s way?

You answer can identify the antagonist or focus on other barriers to what your protagonist wants or needs to do.

Now combine these three elements into sentence.

For instance, in Fifty Shades of Grey, a young woman wants a relationship with the man she loves but his controlling nature and his specific sexual needs conflict with her own.

For The Awakening, my sentence is: a young woman with a mysterious pregnancy faces a cult convinced she’ll trigger Armageddon.

You can also create variations of your one sentence if you know someone likes a particular type of book.

If I’m talking to someone I know enjoys horror or occult books, I might start by saying “The Awakening is a supernatural thriller about…”

If it’s someone old enough to remember the popularity of Rosemary’s Baby or who’s interested in themes about divine femininity or religion, I’ll say, “It’s a cross between Rosemary’s Baby and The Da Vinci Code.”

What Next?

Once you give your one-sentence description, watch and listen to the response. If the person’s eyes light up or they lean forward or smile or say they love that type of book, feel free to tell them a little more about it.

Again, a sentence or two will do. (See On Not Being A Bore above.)

You might share how you got the idea for the book or how long it took you to write it. If the person still seems interested, that’s the time to say that the book is available on your website or on Amazon or wherever it’s is easiest to find.

If you have a card or a bookmark or other paper with information, feel free to hand it to that person.

Now stop, as it’s time to apply the rule of leaving your listener (and potential reader) wanting more.

Until next Friday, when I’ll talk about what you can do if you take the risk of talking about your book and get a negative response—

L.M. Lilly

Size And Scope Matter: Is Your Idea Is Big Enough For A Novel?

Whether you want to write a novel, novella, or short story usually depends on what you love to read. But it’s also about your story idea.

Some ideas spark enough conflict and create enough questions to fill a novel or perhaps a series of them.

Others lend themselves to a quicker resolution. If you try to force one of those into a novel it feels like you’re doing exactly that–forcing. Or stretching, filling, or padding, none of which makes for compelling reading.

How do you tell the difference?

Length

All the points here cover what’s typical, which means there are exceptions to every rule.

Keeping that in mind, a short story typically runs 1,000 to 5,000 words but can be as long as 20,000. Novels for adults are usually at least 45,000 or 50,000 words or more, with fantasy novels often above 100,000 words.

In between short stories and novels are novellas. Below 1,000 words usually is thought of as flash fiction.

Characters

Focus

Most short stories delve deeply into the life/mind/heart of one main character.

There simply isn’t space in 5,000 words to develop more than one in enough detail to capture readers attention. The other characters’ actions and words are relevant only to the extent they directly impact that main character.

In contrast, while a novel nearly always has only one protagonist, quite a few characters’ lives are explored.

Some characters have their own stories that intersect with the protagonist’s, but perhaps only in peripheral way. Readers often become great fans of side characters and may read the book as much to see what happens to them as to the protagonist.

Number

The number of characters in a short story is usually limited to a few or a handful. Or perhaps only one.

If you try to use twenty named characters in a short story, it’s likely your reader will be confused or you’ll find yourself expanding into a novel or at least a novella.

Some novels have a fairly small cast of characters as well, so this factor isn’t a black and white answer. But if you have only a few characters, it weighs on the short story side of the scale.

Growth

Good stories, whatever the length, feature character growth.

Ask yourself how dramatically your character must grow or change by the end of your story. If you want to show a complete turnaround, a novel will likely give you the space and time to make that believable.

It’s not impossible to show dramatic change in a short story. Your main character can have an epiphany that causes a significant character development.

But in the flip of the number of characters factor, a tremendous amount of character growth typically weighs on the side of a novel.

Subplots

Most short stories have one plot and only one plot. There are no subplots about the main character or about side characters. There simply isn’t room.

Novels, in contrast, almost always feature a subplot or several subplots.

For instance, in The Girl On The Train, the main plot is solving the crime the protagonist believes she’s witnessed. Subplots include her relationships with her ex-husband and the friend she’s staying with, as well as her self-esteem issues and struggle with alcohol.

As another example, the plot in Pride and Prejudice follows protagonist Elizabeth and her relationship with Darcy.

A very well-developed subplot, though, occurs between Eliza’s sister Jane and Bingley. That subplot gets almost as much space in the novel as the main plot. The novel also features subplots about Elizabeth’s younger sister Lydia, her father’s realizations about himself, and her friend Charlotte.

Timeframe

Short stories usually take place in a short timeframe.

That timeframe could be anything from hours to days or weeks, but is rarely longer.

Novels, on the other hand, can span decades or generations.

That’s not to say a novel can’t take place in a shorter timeframe. Right now I’m working on one (The Charming Man) that occurs within less than twenty-four hours. But as I’m doing it, I’ve realized a few times what a challenge it is to compress so much into a short timeframe.

Setting

As with timeframe, a short story often features only one or two settings. Otherwise, the need to describe each setting alone can stretch the narrative beyond the common length of a short story.

In contrast, novels often range across the world (or more than one world).

Point Of View

Most writers tell their short stories using only one point of view. That keeps the reader focused and engaged and keeps the scope of the story narrow.

Some novels also are told from only one point of view, that of the main character.

Private eye novels are often a good example of this approach. But novels allow for exploring multiple characters’ viewpoints because you have enough space to transition the reader from one character’s world to another’s.

If you prefer to tell the story from more than one person’s viewpoint, or if your story demands the reader see through more than one character’s eyes, your idea probably is best suited to become a novel.

Experiment

None of these factors presents an open and shut case for what type of story you’re writing. But the number of points-of-view, storylines, characters, and settings you need, and the timeframe and character growth required, provide good guides for whether your idea will work best in a long or short form.

If you’re still unsure, though, experiment.

If you start what you think is a novel and discover your conflict resolves within a chapter or two, you can always go back and simplify whatever you need to so that it works as a short story.

If you’re up to 20,000 words in your “short story” and you’re introducing a new character vital to the plot or you’ve embarked on a subplot that absolutely needs to be there, congratulations, you’re probably writing a novel.

Until next Friday–

L.M. Lilly

Writing The Zero Draft Of Your Novel

At a Sell More Books Show Summit I attended author Rachael Herron used a term I hadn’t heard before: the zero draft.

By this, she meant the initial very rough draft–so rough you’ll never show it to anyone–of a novel.

That phrase fits my first draft of a novel perfectly.

My zero drafts:

ramble
include storylines that trail off to nowhere and others that start mid-stream
include incorrect character names and characters who disappear
are filled with errors.

And that’s the good parts.

For me, though, starting with a zero draft is the most effective way to get a novel written.

What works for me may not work for you, but if you’d like to write faster or are having trouble finishing your novel, why not give it a try.

The Zero Draft Frees You

Though I didn’t use the phrase Zero Draft, for all the books I’ve published, both fiction and non-fiction, it’s exactly what I write first. (Typically I do a rough outline before the draft, but you can write the zero draft on the fly if you’d rather.)

Allowing yourself to write a draft that makes no sense and has all the faults I mentioned above shuts off the editor side of your brain.

It’s the best way I’ve found to write and finish fast because you know the draft will be bad and unreadable. You know you won’t show it to anyone. Ever.

So there’s no reason to go back and fix anything as you write. And there’s no reason not to keep writing all the way to the end.

Plot And The Zero Draft

For me, the zero draft revolves around the plot. I want to get my story on paper so I can see how well it works and improve it later.

This draft is where I see if my rough outline truly works.

Usually the first half follows the outline very well, though I often realize there are gaps I need to fill in so that it makes sense. The climax also usually remains as I expected, at least from a big picture sense.

I know who wins and who loses, so to speak, and often where the climax will happen.

Typically I change what happens from the mid-point to the three-quarter point. Sometimes that’s because my feel for the story and characters changes as I write. Or I realize what I thought would be a dramatic turn doesn’t truly grow out of what came before it or feels dull–like merely more of the same.

On the fly, I try out a new three-quarter turn, making notes in brackets about what might need to change in the pages before.

Because of these changes, the last third of the zero draft is often what I think of as thinner than the first two-thirds.

But that’s okay.

Later I’ll rearrange and expand. My changes to the first two-thirds when I rewrite almost always require that and guide me when I revise the last third.

What Not To Worry About In Your Zero Draft

You can write the zero draft fast because there are a whole host of things that usually slow the writing process that you can ignore:

Continuity

This is a big one.

When I write the zero draft, I don’t worry about changing a plot line in the middle of the book. If I’m concerned I’ll be confused later I write a note in brackets and bold, something like: [change so Cyril stalks Tara before she meets him].

This approach saves you from going back and revising the early chapters, or perhaps the first half, of your novel each time you have a new idea.

Skipping those on-going revisions saves you a lot of time if you reach the end and realize you don’t need that character after all, or you’re dropping that sub-plot that seemed so brilliant when you were halfway through.

Character Development

To love your story, your reader needs to be engaged with your characters. But the zero draft isn’t the time to worry about that.

If I know the character well and the words flow about that person, I include as much about the character as I want.

But if I simply need a character to fill a certain role–sidekick to the antagonist, alternate suspect in a suspense novel, protagonist’s boss–and I haven’t worked out who that person is, I simply write that character doing whatever it is I need the character to do.

Some characters don’t even get names.

I just finished a zero draft of The Charming Man, Book 2 in my Q.C. Davis series, and I’ve got characters “named” Neighbor1 and Neighbor2.

Line Editing

Now and then in a zero draft I’ll craft a sentence or paragraph that does exactly what I need and has a nice ring. Those sometimes survive to the final novel.

Most of the time, though, the lines will be rewritten for one reason or another. Many of them will be cut.

So as long as you’ve got what you need so that you understand it, don’t worry about things like perfect grammar, ideal sentence construction, or using the same word too often.

Just write.

After The Zero Draft

Once you have your zero draft on paper, you’ll probably feel two things:

(1) Happy you finished (so celebrate!)

(2) Overwhelmed about what to do next

Rachael Herron suggests going through the zero draft and writing one sentence on an index card or sticky note for each scene. (You can also do this using Scrivener or some other software that allows you to write the digital equivalent of index cards or post its.)

This process gives you an overview of your plot.

I love this method, as it gives me a chance to see the gaps, the disconnections, and the lack of logic. (Did I mention my zero drafts are awful?)

I then rearrange and make notes on what I need to add.

After that, I revise the zero draft, again focusing mainly on plot but also on adding the characters I need and dropping the ones I don’t. I don’t try to write in depth scenes. My goal is for the story and the cast of characters to make sense.

Once that’s done, I set the book aside for at least a week before I start the real revision process.

Which is a subject for a future article.

Until next time —

L.M. Lilly

P.S. If you’d like to know more about the five-point plot structure I use, or want to try applying it to an outline or rewrite of your novel, download these Free Story Structure Worksheets.

Writing A Flagship Series (And Why You Should)

Last weekend I attended the Sell More Books Show Summit. In the first presentation, Author Chris Fox talked about how and why to write a flagship series.

As I listened, I realized that without knowing it I’d started what I hope will be a flagship series. The talk helped me hone in on how best to build that series (my Q.C. Davis mystery/suspense series).

If you’re hoping to make a living writing–or you want to develop long-term fans–writing this type of series can help.

The information below comes mainly from Fox’s talk, but it includes my own thoughts as well. So any errors (or inept explanations) are mine.

What Is A Flagship Series?

A flagship series is one that readers and fans (and often non-readers) know by name. Such a series is as well known as, if not more known than, its author.

Many fans read or follow only that series and not the author’s other works.

Think about the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling.

Most people know the name of the series even if they don’t recall the author.

Devoted fans not only read everything about Harry Potter and any related characters, many will buy Harry Potter merchandise, post about the world on social media, and see all the movies.

A lot of these fans, however, do not cross over to read Rowling’s mystery series (written under pen name Robert Galbraith), which I love just as much.

Another very well known example of a flagship series is Sue Grafton’s alphabet series. Each mystery features her private eye Kinsey Milhone and begins with a successive letter of the alphabet, starting with A is for Alibi.

Elements Of A Flagship Series

Flagship series should be:

Well Branded

The brand should be easy to identify, as in the examples above.

Two other well-branded series are John Sandford’s “Prey” novels (each includes the word Prey in the title) and Sara Paretsky’s V.I. Warshawski series. Either the titles or the characters make it easy to identify that each new book belongs to the series.

This requirement is one reason my Awakening series doesn’t qualify.

While the titles are somewhat similar (The Awakening, The Unbelievers, The Conflagration, and The Illumination), I took the name from the first book in the series. I include it in sub-titles, but it isn’t otherwise recognizable the way Sandford’s Prey novels are.

Also, The Awakening is a title that’s been used far too often for other books and movies, so it’s unlikely readers will associate it only with my supernatural thrillers.

Long

Fox suggests the series ultimately should include at least 1 million words. If your novels are 80,000 words long, which is about average, that would be 12.5 novels.

The idea is that the reader should become lost in the world of the books.

I think it also helps to write an open-ended series. That way you can always write another book in it if you want to.

Mystery and suspense novels focused on the same protagonist have this advantage, which is part of why I started my Q.C. Davis series. If it goes well and I still enjoy it, I can just keep writing it.

Designed To Create Loyal Readers

These readers not only buy each book but often publicize a flagship series for the author. They might post on social media, tell friends, buy and display merchandise, or write fan fiction.

Pluses And Minuses Of A Flagship Series

If you successfully create a flagship series, you’ll have lifelong fans.

When you write a new book in the series, readers will be eager for it and excited about it, something most authors dream of. They may even write you to hurry you on.

This demand for additional books will occur without the need to do a tremendous amount of marketing. Built-in demand makes it far easier to earn a living as a writer.

As an example, though not quite a flagship series, I did build some following for my Awakening series.

When I set the fourth and final book for preorder a month before release, I had 50 times the number of preorders as I got for The Worried Man, the first book in my new series.

The only downside I can see of a flagship series is that authors sometimes end up feeling trapped by it or get tired of writing it.

They may want to write about a different character or different world but find that readers are primarily interested only in the flagship series. Also, the longer the series runs, the more limitations there are on what they can do with the characters.

For most of us who are working on establishing and growing an author career, though, the idea of having those types of problems sounds very appealing.

Creating Reader Loyalty Through A Flagship Series

Creating a flagship series means including certain elements that help readers become and stay engaged with the series.

Open Loops

Open loops are questions you raise at the beginning of the series that aren’t resolved in the first book or the second or the third….

Wanting the answers keeps readers eagerly picking up the next book despite that the main plot in the current book resolves.

Fox gave the example of the television show Lost which raised numerous questions in the very first episode.

Many audience members watched the entire series in the hope of getting answers to those questions. (I personally felt the series didn’t resolve enough of them, but I watched faithfully the entire time.)

Another TV example of an open loop is Fox Mulder’s on-going quest to find out what happened to his sister in The X-Files.

In my Awakening Series, an open question from Book 1 was what originally caused my main character Tara’s supernatural pregnancy. That question isn’t answered until the fourth and final book.

Narrative Drive

Narrative drive encompasses the running plots woven throughout the series.

For example, in each of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum novels, the crime is solved. But Stephanie’s romantic relationships remain a running subplot. For many books, she wavers between a policeman boyfriend and a strong and somewhat shady private security guy.

Wanting to see what happens next in her relationship is part of what draws readers from book to book.

Character Growth

Significant changes in the characters keep readers engaged.

In Harry Potter, we see Harry and his friends struggle to learn how to harness their powers. We also watch them grow from children to adolescents to young adults.

Fox noted that all the characters in a flagship series should change dramatically throughout. So the protagonist, antagonist, and side characters should all experience significant character growth.

In some series readers become nearly as invested in the side characters as they are in the protagonist. Think about the hugely successful Twilight series. Readers were Team Jacob or Team Edward.

Likewise, in the Hunger Games Trilogy, Peeta goes through radical changes in his personality, his view of the world, and his feelings for Katniss.

So what are your favorite flagship series to read?

Are you writing one yourself?

Until next Friday —

L.M. Lilly

Should You Use A Pen Name?

I recently got a question from a new author about whether or not to use a pen name.

The closest I’ve come to a pen name is that on this site and on my non-fiction books, I use initials. So I’m L.M. Lilly.

My fiction is all under my full name—Lisa M. Lilly.

(I was once asked why the “M.” Basically because otherwise my name sounds a little too much like a romance writer—or an exotic dancer as my godmother once said. As I write mystery, occult, suspense, and thrillers, I thought that might confuse potential readers.)

Why Use A Pen Name

Here are a few reasons authors use pen names:

To keep writing separate from other professional pursuits

If you have a job or profession where you fear your writing might affect how colleagues, bosses, clients, or others see you, a pen name can be a good option.

Writers who cover potentially controversial material or otherwise write something that they don’t necessarily want business associates to connect with them often use pen names.

If you’re a professor and you write erotica, for instance, you might prefer your students not to know you wrote the steamy book they’re reading.

Also, you may worry that your boss or clients will think you’re not focusing on their work/business/issues if they know you’re also pursuing another goal.

As someone who wrote while also running a successful and busy law practice for many years, I think there’s no reason you can’t do both.

But that may not be everyone’s view, so you need to weigh whether that’s a concern.

To stay anonymous among family and friends

Similarly, some authors don’t want family and friends to know what they’re writing.

If you’re writing political thrillers or essays that espouse a certain point of view and it differs from your family’s, you may not want to get embroiled in the political discussions you could otherwise sidestep.

If as you write you’re thinking about people you know reading your words, that could inhibit your creative process. A pen name is a way to avoid that feeling.

It also avoids friends and family (and enemies–but you don’t have any, right?) trying to figure out if characters are based on them.

Separating genres for readers

I use initials for non-fiction to make it easier for readers to find my other similar books.

If you read Super Simple Story Structure that doesn’t mean you’ll be interested in my Awakening supernatural thriller series or my new Q.C. Davis mystery series.

And the converse is likely to be even more true.

So I prefer that when a reader of The Worried Man clicks on my author name, the books that display are my other novels.

Likewise, when a reader of one of my Writing As A Second Career books clicks on L.M. Lilly, that person will see my non-fiction.

Pen names also can be handy for different types of fiction.

If you write both hard science fiction and romance, you may want to write one under your actual name and one under a pen name. That way, readers of one genre will more easily find the type of book they like.

Separating genres for algorithms

From what I’ve read, Amazon’s algorithms also try to match readers with authors.

Using different names for different types of writing helps the algorithm send readers to the “right” books.

The Downsides Of Pen Names

Using a pen name–or more than one of them–has downsides.

More names = more work

If you are writing under more than one name and you want to publicize your work, you’ll need to spend more time building your pen name’s identity.

You will likely want to create social media accounts for each name, as well as author profiles, websites, and printed materials.

You won’t be able to leverage existing social contacts

If you truly want to keep your pen name separate or anonymous, you won’t be able to use your existing social and work connections to help market your book.

If you don’t want to stay anonymous and are using a pen name for other reasons, you’ll still be adding a hurdle to people learning that you’re an author.

As I noted in The Top 5 Reasons Your Friends Won’t Read Your Book And What You Can Do About It, often friends and family aren’t the best source of sales or support for your author career.

But some of your connections will be.

I published the first two books in my Awakening series while still running a busy law practice. I was regularly in touch with hundreds of lawyers all over the country.

Because I published under my own name, it was easier to let them know about the books and for them to find them organically.

Some have bought the entire series.

Others have told friends and colleagues about it, and some connected me with other professionals (such as graphic designers and other writers).

Using a pen name would have added a layer before my business colleagues could find me. It also would make it more difficult to connect with them on social media.

True anonymity is hard to find

Staying truly anonymous can be a challenge in today’s world.

Author’s notes, biographies, and comments on social media all give clues to your real identity. Ensuring that doesn’t happen takes extra time and effort that you could devote to your writing instead.

And no matter how much you do, readers may still figure it out.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to stay anonymous if it’s important to you. Just know that you may put in that effort and still find you can’t really be anonymous.

I’m sure I’ve missed a few pros and cons, so feel free to share in the comments.

Also, if you have a question please send me an email at [email protected] and I’ll do my best to answer in a future article.

Until next Friday—

L.M. Lilly

Reading The Newspaper Can Spark Ideas For Your Novel

I started reading the Wall Street Journal when I opened my own law practice because I wanted to better understand my business clients. But I discovered it helped my fiction writing too. Its articles sparked ideas for plot twists and character backstory.

That’s why now that my work life focuses far more on writing than law I still read it every day — in print.

Why read the news rather than watch it and why read in print?

It’s old school, but there are good reasons.

Beyond The Headlines

Television news tends to focus on headlines. Particularly whichever ones will grab the most viewers and evoke the strongest emotions.

Strong emotions are good for fiction, but they need to arise from the characters and the plot.

Because I don’t write “Ripped From The Headlines” novels, emotions aroused by a sensational news story or outrage over one political figure or another don’t help me come up with good ideas for fiction.

The types of articles that make their way into my novels tend to be on page 3 or 12. Or maybe in a separate special section. They’re not the ones that shout at the readers on page 1 or the top of the news hour.

Today, for example, on page 2 I saw an article about how law enforcement used genealogy websites to track down a man suspected of being the long-sought-after Golden State Killer. The murders occurred over 3 decades ago.

While I’m not writing about that same type of crime, I am working on a murder mystery — The Charming Man (Book 2 my new Q.C. Davis mystery series).

Almost all the action occurs within a Chicago apartment complex, River City. The characters are isolated there during a blizzard.

In the first book, The Worried Man, protagonist Quille talked to a lot of suspects and witnesses in person as she investigated the death of the man she loved. She used her training as a lawyer and former actress to study body language. Because she’s trapped in River City in The Charming Man, though, she can only talk to so many people.

She needs other methods.

When I saw the article it occurred to me that one additional way Quille could research her suspects’ family connections and pasts was through genealogy websites.

Articles that helped me flesh out ideas for my first Q.C. Davis mystery included ones about medical fraud, political corruption in Cook County, and the effects of suicide on family members.

As another example, years ago I saw a Wall Street Journal article about scientists isolating a gene that could allow certain species to live 1,000 years.

The question of whether such a gene could be inserted into a human intrigued me.

At the time I was working on The Unbelievers, Book 1 in my Awakening supernatural thriller series. The article prompted me to include a prophecy about The One Who Will Live Forever.

In an early draft, that prophecy referred to a child my protagonist had conceived in a supernatural way. Genetic testing revealed that the child had that 1,000 year gene.

That gene didn’t make it into the final version of the book. It turned out to be a distraction — one too many threads for the reader to follow.

But the prophecy remained, although with a different meaning. Had I not read the article I probably wouldn’t have thought of it at all.

The Beauty Of Print

I like to read articles in an actual print newspaper rather than online. Reading that way helps me generate more ideas and be more creative.

Why?

Relaxation/Creativity

I associate reading online with analytic thinking. That’s because the bulk of the legal research I do is through online databases.

While research and analysis are necessary for plotting, when it comes to generating ideas, I need to relax and let thoughts come freely into my mind. That’s a different kind of thinking.

Reading in print helps me access that part of my brain.

Focus

Studies show that when we read online our minds tend to look for the next link to click. That makes it harder to concentrate on the words in front of us.

Reading on paper makes it easier for me to focus.

All The Pages

I like to page through the entire paper, glancing at all the headlines.

Often the articles that catch my eye are ones I’d never see if I were on a website. I rarely click beyond the first few webpages. The rare times I do, it’s to follow links in an article or to further read about a particular topic, not to eyeball what else might be on the site.

For that reason, it helps me to look at a print newspaper where I glance through all the pages at least once.

What about you? What’s your favorite way to generate ideas for your stories?

Until next Friday —

L.M. Lilly

Getting Unstuck When You’re Writing Your Novel

We’ve all had it happen. You’re at the end of a scene or chapter, or maybe in the middle, and you just can’t seem to go on.

Maybe you stare at the screen for a while. Maybe you walk away for five minutes, get a cup of coffee or tea, and come back. Maybe you take your dog for a walk.

Yet you still don’t know what to write next.

Or, worse, you think you do know but for whatever reason you’re not sitting down to write it.

This has happened to me more than once as I’ve been working on the first draft of the second book in my new Q. C. Davis mysteries series. So I’ve been revisiting my options for getting rolling again.

Below are the four that help me the most.

What works will vary from writer to writer, but maybe some of these will help you, too.

Live Music

Attending a concert or other musical performance almost always stimulates ideas, brings forth new characters, or causes me to create new plot turns. Sometimes I come up with entirely new stories.

It’s not a conscious effort. That’s the beauty of it.

As the music absorbs me, my mind feels free to relax and drift, and that’s when magic happens.

While recorded music helps too, there’s something about the energy of the performers and of the crowd that makes it easy to let go of day-to-day life, concerns, and anything else occupying my analytic mind and just be.

If you haven’t tried it, in my opinion it’s worth giving it a shot no matter what type of musical performance you can get to.

For me, it really doesn’t matter if I love the music or not. It just matters that I’m there, listening and experiencing and watching.

Museums/Art Exhibits/Random Art

Much like music, viewing art stimulates creativity.

Normally I’m pretty skeptical of concepts that can’t be tested scientifically, but I just feel that the energy the artist puts into creating the work somehow comes through the art itself. Whether I like a painting or sculpture or not I feel like being near it and studying it–getting absorbed in it–transmits some of that artist’s energy to me.

Also, as with attending a live music event, the energy of other people in an art exhibit or museum (or looking at a piece of art in an outdoor plaza) also adds to my energy.

Sometimes it can be a bit draining if it’s terribly crowded and loud in the area, and then I need to take a break for a while. But for the most part I find myself relaxing and focusing on the art.

I also think viewing artwork is helpful because writing is all about words on the page and what we see in our minds.

With artwork we’re often looking at shapes and colors and possibly movement that someone else has created and that’s different from what we see on a day-to-day basis. Anything new like that is almost guaranteed, at least for me, to spark new and different ideas for our own work.

Finally, though I don’t do it purposely, I almost can’t help imagining the emotions of the artist or that the artist wanted to convey. Along with that often come scenes and characters. They aren’t necessarily directly related to the art, but they often speak to me all the same.

When I go back to my own work I find that I am revitalized.

Use Cards With Images

Often when I’m stuck on a scene or story I take out a deck of cards. Not regular playing cards, but some cards with striking images created by artists.

Here’s an example from a set of Soul Cards I bought in an antique and gift store once. There is probably some way to use them for people who want to try to do intuitive or psychic readings, but I don’t use them for that.

Instead, I’ll pull a card at random and stare at it for a while.

I try to let go of other thoughts the same way I would looking at a painting or listening to a concert.

With the card, though, I take it a step further and ask myself how the card makes me feel. I might write down what I feel and think or what story the card brings to mind.

Another option is to imagine you are looking at the card as your character.

How does your character feel? Does it make her feel sad? Does it make him feel happy? What memories does it trigger?

If you’re comfortable with it and you’re using a deck (such as any type of Tarot deck) that assigns meanings to the images, you can use the instructions or search for meanings of the cards online.

You don’t need to believe the cards actually tell the future or give true insight in themselves. (I don’t.) In my view, most descriptions of most cards are general and open enough that you can interpret them in many, many ways.

This possibility of so many different interpretations allows your mind and heart to range freely and bring forth or add on to whatever is already in your unconscious mind about your characters and story.

Take A Train Ride

Another time new ideas or creative solutions to plot or character questions come easily to my mind is when I’m riding a train.

The movement of the train prompts a sort of meditative state of mind for me. I don’t read or listen to music or do work. I simply stare out the window and let my mind drift.

As with art and music, it doesn’t matter if I like the scenery outside the window or not. Whether it’s city, miles of fields of corn (I take the Amtrak through Central and downstate Illinois a lot) or a river or swamp, it helps clear my mind.

I don’t make any effort to think about anything in particular, I just let my thoughts flow.

Often for the first few minutes I’m preoccupied with day-to-day concerns. But soon I let go of all that, and thoughts simply arise.

Sometimes nothing about story or character comes to mind during the train ride, but later when I sit down at the keyboard again the words start flowing.

Why It Works

The key, at least for me, for all of the above is not to try to come up with an answer but to simply take the train ride (literally or metaphorically).

The common threads I see in all the above activities are:

being exposed to something new or different
changing a daily or weekly routine
feeling the energy of other people (at least through their creative work)
letting go of the specific purpose and being in the moment

My best guess is that’s why these activities spark ideas that help us get around blocks.

What works best for you? Feel free to share in the comments.

Until next Friday-

L.M. Lilly

Chickens, Eggs, and Sales (Advertising Your Book Before You Get Reviews)

A question I often get is how to advertise a newly-released book that has few or no reviews.

This issue causes a lot of stress for self published authors, including me, because it’s the old chicken and egg problem. It’s hard to sell books if you don’t have reviews. But it’s also hard to get reviews without a lot of sales.

The best places to advertise e-books are always evolving.

That’s why I periodically search the Internet for articles with up-to-date lists.

Best Book Promotion Sites 2018 is a good example of this type of resource. It includes descriptions of many sites as well as bonus discount codes for some of them.

Caution When Advertising

Below are some advertising options I’ve used in the past–and intend to use in the future–for new releases.

A few things to keep in mind before you advertise:

It’s often hard to make your money back on advertising, particularly in the beginning when your book has no reviews.

For this reason, I try to keep my advertising spending at a level I can afford even if it takes a long time to sell enough books to make a profit or cover the cost.

The options below are ones that I found helpful, but results vary depending on your genre, the price at which you’re offering your book, whether your cover appeals to your target readers, your book description, and how readers feel about your first few pages (among other things).

So sites that worked well for one of my books may not be helpful for one of yours, or for a different book I published.

Before you advertise anywhere, sign up for the newsletter or study the books listed on the site.

That way you’ll see whether the books being promoted are similar to yours.

I also find it helpful to see how high advertised books rank on Amazon on the day of the ad.

This gives some clues to whether the platform is effective. Keep in mind, though, that authors may be advertising on more than one platform at a time, so a book in the Top 100 overall or for a category may have gotten there based on a combination of ads.

Digital Book Today

Digital Book Today offers a New Release option for Kindle books. The feature has no minimum review requirement. For 14 days, your Kindle book will be featured on the website’s New Release page and will be included in a dedicated blog post with just 2 other books.

Right now it costs $30.

The site also offers some genre-specific pages, including one for Mystery, Suspense, and Thriller, which is where I’ll be advertising my new mystery release The Worried Man for 30 days beginning on May 1 (the ebook release date).

While I haven’t found Digital Book Today webpage listings to be as effective as enewsletter options, which go directly to readers’ In boxes, I have seen boosts in sales when I listed my books there.

Digital Book Today also offers some listings for free.

Bargain Booksy

Bargain Booksy lists ebooks on its site and in enewsletters.

You can advertise ebooks on numerous platforms, including Kindle, Kobo, Nook, iBooks, and Google Play, as well as include a paperback link and an audiobook link. You can list books that are priced anywhere from Free to $5.

Bargain Booksy’s website says that it has no minimum review requirement, but “every book goes through an editorial review process. If your book does not meet our editorial guidelines, we will email you within 72 hours and issue a full refund on your payment.”

So far, I have not had a book turned down for lack of reviews when it was a new release. I suppose that might happen, but why not try and see?

The price for listing in the enewsletter varies based on genre.

For mystery, right now it is $55. (This site is the only other one so far where I’ve scheduled a new release ad for The Worried Man.)

Free books can be listed on Freebooksy, a related site/enewsletter.

Fussy Librarian

Fussy Librarian is also a website and enewsletter service.

If you have a new release, you can advertise there before you have reviews so long as you have another book with an average rating of 4.0 with between 10 and 19 reviews (or an average rating of 3.5 you have more than 20 reviews).

Fussy Librarian also lists ebooks on multiple platforms and includes an audiobook link, which is one of the reasons I like advertising there.

As most of my books are wide (meaning they are available on multiple ebook platforms), I prefer advertising venues that allow me to list all my links. Also, I’ve found that when I advertise a discounted Kindle book on Fussy Librarian, I often see additional audiobook sales.

The prices for Fussy Librarian vary by genre and by whether your book is offered for free or at a discount. Right now to list a Mystery/Female Sleuth, it’s $18 if the book is offered at a discount.

Fussy Librarian also offers an enewsletter dedicated solely to free ebooks.

AwesomeGang

AwesomeGang will include books in its enewsletter that have no reviews.

According to the website and an interview I heard of the founder, that’s because he had trouble getting noticed when he had new books and he wanted to offer an option for authors in that same position.

Listings are available free or for $10.

I’ve only used AwesomeGang once when the service was just getting started, and I couldn’t tell whether or not it really boosted my sales.

For the price, though, I feel it’s worth trying again in the future.

JustKindleBooks

JustKindleBooks sends out enewsletters and lists books on its site.

Despite its name, it includes links to both Kindle books and iBooks.

Listings cost between $18 and $38 depending upon the features you want.

I could not find a review requirement on the website. The site does state, however, that authors are better off launching a book promotion “after your book has some reviews.”

I agree, but in my opinion, it’s sometimes worth spending to get some initial sales. Those may in turn generate reviews, making advertising more effective in the future.

Books Butterfly

Books Butterfly provides many options over a wide range of price points for advertising your ebook in its enewsletter, on several websites, and through its social media pages. You can include links to multiple platforms.

I did not see any review requirements listed.

The cost ranges from $50 up to thousands of dollars, so I personally use some caution in using this service.

The site offers a guarantee of sorts for some of the promotion options if you don’t sell as many books as projected. Read the fine print, though, as there are caveats on that guarantee.

Book Zio

I also did not see a review requirement anywhere on this site.

The cost ranges from free to $49. You can include links to multiple ebook platforms.

I advertised The Awakening, a supernatural thriller, through Book Zio and was very happy with the sales, but at that time the book had about 100 reviews. I do plan to try for The Worried Man, but probably when I have at least 10 or 20 reviews and am offering a significant discount, as I feel I’ll get the best results then.

Ereader News Today

For me, Ereader News Today, or ENT, has been one of the best places to advertise. Through its newsletter, I have usually sold enough books to pay for the ad the day it runs and earn some extra money.

As with Book Zio, though, I have not used it when I had a low number of reviews.

Also, it’s unclear whether a book with no reviews would be accepted.

The website says “while we do not have a minimum number of reviews [that] are required, we do look at the reviews to get an idea of how well the book has been received by those that have read it.”

Further, the site says that it will accept preorders and, if those books have no reviews, ENT will consider reviews of previous titles.

Both of these comments suggest to me that you probably need to have some reviews to be accepted by ENT. Personally, though, I’d submit a book regardless and see what happened.

The cost varies by genre and by the price at which you are offering your book. For mysteries, right now it is $45-$120.

If you found other places to list books with limited or no reviews, I’d love it if you’d share them in the comments so that other readers can see them.

Until next Friday–