Writing As A Second Career

The Beauty Of Book Fairs

A lot of authors question whether in-person book events are worth doing.

For the last few years, I’ve brought my books to one of the largest outdoor Illinois book fairs, the Printers Row Lit Fest in Chicago. I’ve also sold books at several indoor events during that time.

Here’s what I’ve learned:

Getting People To Your Table

At previous events I stacked my books on the table with a couple propped up for visibility, along with a poster for the first book in my Awakening series.

When people stopped to browse, I’d ask them what they liked to read and tell them about the premise of the series. I often felt awkward and salesy because, as a reader, I usually want to browse in peace.

This year a friend suggested I have a spinner where people could win prizes, as everyone likes to play games and win things. I was skeptical, but the night before the fest, I went to Target, bought a cheap game of Twister, and modified the spinner.

The four prizes were candy (Jolly Rancher), a free audible download code, a free signed paperback, and a free e-book.

To play, people needed to sign up for my email list.

It worked out great. People stopped to check out the spinner. When I explained the prizes, they asked what the books were about. That made it easy to tell them the premise of my series and the other books.

If they weren’t interested, they didn’t sign up. If they were, they did. Either way, it felt like a relaxed, natural conversation.

Paperback winners all chose the first book in the series. While that’s a loss to me in the moment, I got an email sign up for each and the potential of three more book sales, as it’s a four-book series.

The exercise also helped me learn about people’s reading habits. In previous years, I had a drawing for a free audible code and most people said, “What’s Audible?” This year, that was a big reason people wanted to spin, and the three people who won the codes were really happy.

Sales

New Readers

If your primary goal is sales from new readers, you’re probably better off skipping book fairs and spending your time and marketing dollars online.

I say that because unless you’re already a well-known author, most sales you’ll make at live events will be from people that you draw there through your mailing list, social media, or other publicity. Attendees have a limited budget to spend and a ton of books to choose from. If they don’t already know you, it’s hard to get them to part with those dollars.

Also, it’s hard to compete with the pricing at many fairs. Several large tents at the Printers Row Fest, for instance, sell all their books for $3 each.

[Further–and slightly more encouraging–thoughts on making connections with new readers are included in the 2018 article Sitting, Not Pitching, and Relaxing: Lessons Learned at This Year’s Book Fair.)

Current Fans & Friends

So why work to drive people who already know about you to an in person event?

For one thing, it’s a reason to contact readers and fans and post on social media without just saying “Buy my book.” A fair is fun, it’s exciting, and it’s a chance for them to meet you in person if they haven’t before.

Also, an event can nudge acquaintances or friends who have been meaning for a while to buy one of your books to take the leap. Finally, for some people, seeing you at a book fair with paperback books that they can touch and handle legitimizes or validates your work in a way that seeing an e-book or audio book online does not.

What Sells

In e-book and audiobook format, my best sellers are my series books, especially now that it’s complete. So I brought only a few each of my standalone horror novel and nonfiction books. To my surprise, the non-fiction and standalone sold quickly, while I only sold one series book, and it was to someone who specifically came to buy it.

My guess on why the standalone sold better is that if someone doesn’t know your work already, buying the first book in a series seems like more of a risk or investment. Also, my standalone novel had a tie in to the neighborhood, and I made that part of my pitch: “Gothic Horror In The South Loop.” Plus some people who came already had the Awakening series, and they wanted to buy something new.

One of my non-fiction books also had a tie-in. It’s Super Simple Story Structure, and I was under the Chicago Writers Association tent. Quite a few writers stopped to ask about the association and then looked at the book. That made it an easy sell.

Time, Location, And Exposure

One reason to lug books to a book fair and spend all or part of your day is that even if you don’t sell much, people who might not otherwise come across your books become familiar with them.

Exposure at a book fair or other live event can be particularly helpful if you mainly sell e-books or audiobooks. In person, you get in front of people who may only read in print.

But to get exposure people need to see you, and that’s not always easy.

The worst placement I ever had was on an upper floor in an indoor book fair. The main room was on the ground floor of a large building. While lectures and discussion groups took place on the upper floor, there were no signs directing people there. If you attended and didn’t look at the program, you’d think the only book tables were the ones on the first floor.

At Printers Row, which is an outdoor festival, there really are no bad locations, but some are better than others. Single tables stand along the sidewalks on either side of the street. They seem to get fewer browsers, maybe partly because they’re directly in the sun.

I typically buy half a table for a few hours under the Chicago Writers Association tent. That tent is one of many set up in the center of the main street at the fair. (This photo shows the afternoon before the book fair.)

I like that placement because more people seem to explore the tents at the center of the street. And there’s shade.

Also, when you’re in a row of four or five authors, that’s more books to look at and more authors to talk to. The wide variety makes people more comfortable approaching the tables even if they’re not sure they’ll be interested in what’s on display.

While you often won’t know in advance where you’ll be placed, you can investigate. Usually there are online maps from previous years. Compare them to the prior year’s program to help figure out what the main attractions are and how close or far away you’ll likely be. It also helps to talk to others who have been at the fair in previous years (readers or authors).

Time of day also matters. Printers Row is a two-day book fair, and I had the best results the morning of the first day. Attendees are more excited about being there early in the fair. They’re not on overload yet from too many books and people. Also, they’re still enthusiastic even if the weather is too hot/too cold/too windy. (Chicago weather is rarely “just right.”)

Costs

The cost for in person events varies widely. An individual table at large fairs can run thousands of dollars. On the other hand, I’ve paid less than $50 for half a table or a spot under a larger organization’s tent. Both paperback book release parties I organized myself were at coffee bars where I paid nothing for the space.

Your time is also valuable. There is travel and set up time, as well as however many hours you won’t be writing, handling other aspects of your writing business, or using your time some other way.

Finally, packing the books for travel and the handling they get at the book fairs means at least of few of the ones you take back home won’t be shiny and new anymore.

The Verdict

I’ve found book fairs fairly close to home and reasonably priced (below $100) worth doing.

They’re great for connecting with people you’ve met online but not yet in person, or who’ve bought e-books and want to meet you and buy in print. You can also gain email sign ups and may sell a few books to brand new readers.

There’s also the plus of new people seeing your books at the fair and later buying when exposed to your books again.

To make the most of a book fair, it helps to figure out a fun way to draw people to your table, to find out as much as you can about placement and time slots in advance, and to figure out a pitch with a local or event tie-in.

Questions? Experiences of your own to share? Please post in the comments.

Until Friday—

Best,

L.M. Lilly

Publishing Paperbacks: CreateSpace And Ingram Spark

If you are publishing your book yourself in print format, you’ll need to decide what publishing company to use.

This article by Karen Myers on the Alliance of Independent Authors website explains why some authors use two companies–CreateSpace for books sold on Amazon and Ingram Spark for other distribution outlets, such as Barnes and Noble.

Right now, paperback editions of my Awakening supernatural thriller series are published only through CreateSpace, but I’m thinking of adding Ingram Spark, as it appears from Myers’ article that bookstores will be more likely to carry the books. Note that you need to use your own ISBN (the number that identifies your book) with Ingram Spark, so you will spend a little more.

Until Sunday, when I’ll share some tips on book fairs.

Best,

L.M. Lilly

Learning About Point Of View From Donald Trump And James Comey

This past Thursday, during time I’d scheduled to work on my current novel The Worried Man, I found myself glued to the TV instead. I watched former FBI Director Comey testify about conversations with the President.

When the testimony was done, I flipped between commentators on different channels, then listened to the President’s personal lawyer give a rebuttal.

I felt like a slacker until it hit me—I might not be writing, but I was learning a lot about point of view.

Who Has The Most At Stake

A good rule of thumb in fiction is to write from the point of view of the character with the most at stake.

If, for example, an employee is called into the boss’ office on Friday at 5 PM to talk about an issue that might get her fired, odds are she has more at stake than the boss.

But it’s all a question of perspective.

If the boss is being scrutinized by her supervisor for unfair hiring and firing practices, she may have a lot on the line too.

The stakes of a story or a scene rest on a lot of factors. Going back to the hearing I watched, since we can’t know for certain what the facts are in the real life theater of United States politics, let’s imagine we’re writing a novel about a fictional President Grump and former FBI Director Spumy.

If President Grump really did or said something that could get him impeached, that’s high stakes for him. That would make watching the Spumy testimony through his eyes compelling.

Grump would anticipate every question, sweat over every answer, and worry about what words would come out of Spumy’s mouth next.

Spumy, on the other hand, has already been fired. That suggests that the stakes for him are pretty low. Using that set up, writing from Grump’s point of view is a no-brainer.

But it’s not hard to shift the scenario if you as the writer want to do that. If our fictional FBI Director Spumy is lying, he could be exposed as a fraud or eventually convicted of perjury.

To add to the imbalance, let’s say our fictional president is a lot like Jed Bartlet of the West Wing. Our Bartlet-like Grump would have acted in the best interests of the country at all times, and his confidence that nothing bad would come to light would be well founded. He wouldn’t sweat through the testimony.

In that scenario, Spumy’s point of view is hands down more interesting to the reader because he’s the one with the most at stake.

When Everyone’s Risking Something

The best novels–and scenes–are when both the protagonist and antagonist have a lot at stake.

In our example, let’s say Spumy is telling the truth as he sees it. He can still be stressed. His reputation is on the line.

To further raise the stakes, you could create a fictional former FBI director who feels strongly about being seen as truthful and reliable and, to up it even more, who dislikes the spotlight. (This is fiction, remember.)

All of the above would make testifying nerve racking for Spumy.

Similarly, even if Grump did nothing wrong but the way he conducts himself makes everyone think he did, he could still be in hot water. After all, it’s often the appearance of a cover up, not a bad act itself, that gets a politician in trouble.

So our fictional president might believe he did everything right but still worry about impeachment and watch the testimony with his phone on speaker with a direct line to his lawyer. (Perhaps with his hands cuffed behind his back to keep him away from his Twitter account.)

With these fictional characters, I’d write the scene first from one point of view and then the other. The contrast between how the two men see the same event and the same testimony would draw the reader in and make it fascinating to read the same scene twice.

Who’s the hero and who’s the villain? That’s for the reader to decide.

Until Friday-

Best,

L.M. Lilly

Children’s Books: To Self–Publish Or Not To Self-Publish?

Recently a friend asked me to review a children’s book she’d written and advise her whether to seek an agent or traditional publisher or to publish it herself. I don’t write children’s fiction myself, so I researched. I’m passing on what I learned for those of you who write for children or plan to do so.

To start with, I did try some children’s writing right after I graduated from college. For years I belonged to the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. It remains a wonderful resource. The SCBWI hosts local and national events, has regional chapters, and offers information and articles through its website.

This 2016 article from Writer’s Digest lists agents looking for children’s books with directions on submitting. It’s a year old, so you’ll want to check each of agent’s website to see if the directions are still accurate, but it’s a great way to get started if you’d like to find an agent.

Here is an article on writing query letters to agents or editors regarding children’s books. (The article provides a good overview on queries for any writer.)

Finally, if you think you might want to get an illustrator, or if you’ve illustrated your own book, this article on self-publishing children’s books from Huffington Post provides useful information.

Until Sunday, when I’ll be writing about point of view as inspired by real life events between the current president of the United States and the former FBI director—

Best,

L.M. Lilly

P.S. If you’re in the Chicago area tomorrow (6/10/17), check out the Printers Row Lit Fest. You can find me and my books under the Chicago Writers Association tent on Dearborn Street just north of Polk Street in Chicago. There are tons of writers, books, and events, including many for children, throughout Saturday and on Sunday as well.

Can Every Book Be A Bestseller?

If you connect on Twitter with other authors or you see Facebook ads about books, you’ll often see tags like “bestseller” or “bestselling author.”

What does this mean, and how can your book become a bestseller?

Amazon Best Seller Lists

If you primarily sell your books in ebook editions or plan to, the best shot at a bestselling book is to hit one of Amazon’s Best Seller lists. These lists include the Top 100 sold or downloaded, update hourly, and are available for numerous categories and sub-categories. Each list has a Free ebook category and a Paid ebook category.

The more competition there is, the harder it is to get to the top of that list, even for an hour or two. Sub-category lists are easier to top than more general categories.

As an example, as I write this article, the No. 1 Kindle Best Seller in Literature & Fiction > Horror > Short Stories (Paid) is No. 2,616 on the overall Kindle Best Seller List (Paid). In contrast, the No. 1 Kindle Best Seller for the more general category of Horror is No. 4 on the overall list. So it takes a lot more sales to make it to the top of the Horror list than to make it to the more specific list of horror short stories.

It’s even harder to be on top of the Kindle Mystery, Thriller, & Suspense list, as the No. 1 book there right now is also No. 1 on the overall list.

Because the lists update hourly, though, one really good sales day can put your book in the Top 20 of more than one category even if you don’t reach the Top 100 of the overall list.

The highest overall ranking my first thriller The Awakening reached was 128 on the overall Paid list and it stayed there for less than a day. But more than once it’s hit No. 1 on the the Horror, Occult, and Feminist lists, and stayed in the Top 20 of those lists for many weeks.

Amazon Charts

As I noted Friday in Topping The Charts, Amazon recently rolled out Amazon Charts. The Charts list the top 20 Most Read and Most Sold books for fiction and non-fiction on Amazon.

Right now, these lists include mainly well-known authors and books that have been around for quite some time, such as the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. This suggests it’s quite challenging to get to the top of it.

All the same, the Amazon Charts may be easier to reach for self-published authors than the USA Today and New York Times bestseller lists.

That is so because, not surprisingly, the list does not require books to be available on multiple platforms, but only on Amazon. It also takes into account ebook, print, and audiobook sales combined.

Based on these factors, it appears to me an author who sells only Kindle books through Amazon could reach the list. Likewise, it seems an author whose living is mainly made through Kindle Unlimited page reads could see a popular book on the Most Read list.

Finally, most self-published authors I know rely heavily on ebook and audiobook sales. The fact that print sales are not favored means a better shot at the charts for them.

USA Today Bestseller List

To get on this list, a book must be available on multiple platforms. That means that if you sell your book only in a Kindle edition, it can’t become a USA Today Bestseller.

Author Joanna Penn describes in an article on her site how one of her J.F. Penn three-book box sets hit the USA Today list. The box set was normally priced at $6.99, and she put it on sale for $0.99. She lists her total sales for the week (4,294 Kindle, 491 Kobo, 544 iBook, 902 Nook), the places she advertised, and her costs versus sales.

While based on that week only, Penn reported a $787 loss, she felt it was well worth it for a host of reasons, including a bump in sales after hitting the list, a significant increase in her email list sign-ups, and the cachet of being a USA Today Bestselling Author.

I encourage reading the entire article, especially if you’d like to try the strategy yourself.

The New York Times Bestseller List

This list is what’s known as a curated list. It is not a by-the-numbers list of the books that sold the most for the week. Rather, the New York Times uses a formula, which it keeps secret, to choose the books.

It’s been reported that only a select number of book stores throughout the country report their sales to the New York Times list. New York Times curators review the books that sold the most and decide which ones are worthy of being New York Times Bestsellers.

There is a lot of speculation about what factors influence the list, including that is it is weighted toward independent book stores and does not count big box stores such as Sam’s Club, that it favors authors who have been on the list before, that it looks at sales stamina as well as one-week sales, and that bulk orders (such as 50 books that a corporation orders for a seminar) are not counted the same way as individual sales.

The list splits out print and ebook sales. This means that you might sell enough overall to qualify for the list but not enough to reach either the print or ebook list.

Author and marketer Tim Grahl’s article analyzing the New York Times Bestseller list and what it means and doesn’t mean is also well worth a read.

Until Friday—

Best,

L.M. Lilly

Topping The Charts

If you haven’t already done so, this Friday I recommend checking out Amazon Charts. For a long time, Amazon has made available best seller lists in multiple categories that are updated hourly. (For instance, you can click and find the Top 100 Free Occult Kindle books or the Top 100 Paid Reference books.)

Amazon Charts, though, is something different. It lists the Top 20 books for the week in four categories. Most Read Fiction, Most Sold Fiction, Most Read Non-Fiction, and Most Sold Non-Fiction. The lists include audiobook, paperback, and ebook sales on Amazon.

These companion lists allow for comparisons between what people are buying and what they are reading.

Until Sunday, when I’ll talk more about best seller lists–

Best,

Lisa

When Working Hard Might Not Be The Answer (Part 2)

As I wrote about last Sunday in Part 1 of this post, the best laid plans for the launch of the fourth and final book in my supernatural thriller series were thrown off a bit (okay a lot) when other responsibilities arose and threatened to take over my To Do list. To finish every item on the list, I could have done what I used to do when I was full-time lawyer, which was cancel anything non-work related, cut back on sleep, and work every waking moment.

This time, I did things differently, and it’s because I asked myself why. Why had my goal for so long been to become a full-time writer?

The obvious part of the answer is that I’m happier when I spend most of my time writing. But that’s not all of it, and that’s not what helped me decide how to handle my lengthy To Do list.

It’s that I’m happier when I work hard and also have time to relax, to see my friends and family, read, play games, or visit the park on a sunny day. Will there always be weeks when there’s less time for all of that than others?

Yes, of course.

But if I automatically chuck everything but work out the window when confronted with a long To Do list, my happiness at writing full time will dim. In fact, my guess is I’ll become as burnt out writing as I eventually did practicing law.

So as my May 15 release date approached, I did something I was never very good at in the past. For each task on the list, I asked myself (1) whether I truly needed to do it at all; (2) if so, by when it absolutely needed to be done; (3) when the best time to do it might be; and (4) how to do it most efficiently.

I’m sharing the results and hoping it will help you when you’re faced with more tasks than time.

What I Did

Changing the May 15 release date for The Illumination would both disappoint readers waiting for the book and cause me problems with the e-book platforms where people had pre-ordered. So this one was a no-brainer. I took the time I needed to double check that all the ebook files were in shape and uploaded properly. That checked off one task on the list.

My answer brief to the Illinois Supreme Court was one I knew I’d enjoy writing, and it had a set due date. I could have asked the Court for more time, but that would require writing an extra motion, which would be more work in the long run. Also, the points I wanted to argue were fresh in my mind. Putting off writing the brief would likely make it take longer to write. I decided it was worth spending much of the week leading up to the book launch getting the brief done so that, overall, I’d spend less time on it.

My assignments for my U of C class had set due dates as well. I checked, however, and learned that because I had attended the first month of class, I could withdraw without losing my health insurance coverage. Or I could attend class but delay or skip turning in the assignments, accepting an incomplete grade.

I decided, though, that since I’d spent a significant amount for tuition and like the class, I wanted the full experience. That meant I worked all day on a beautiful Saturday when it was finally nearly 80° out and sunny. Because I’d thought it through and made a conscious choice, I felt OK about that. A little tired, but OK.

I sent a new release email to my email list on May 15. The list is made up of readers interested enough to join in the first place, and some had written me to ask when The Illumination would be out. So those are the people I felt it was most important to share with.

I scheduled ads for The Awakening, the first book in my series, to run the week of the book launch. That could have waited, but I felt it was worth it to bring more readers into the series now. Also, some of the enewsletters where I advertise will rerun a book after 60 days, so advertising now means I can advertise again there in 60 days.

For similar reasons, I scheduled the free days for the Kindle editions of two of my other books for the release week. I also got my files uploaded for the paperback editions of both books (When Darkness Falls and Super Simple Story Structure). Unfortunately, I didn’t get them uploaded in time for the paperback editions to appear on the same Amazon page as the Kindle editions during the free days. It’s one of the things that fell through the cracks. But at least now it’s done.

I purchased a slot at the Printer’s Row Lit Fest for Saturday, June 10, so I ordered the books I’d need for that. That too was a no-brainer. I love the fest, and it’s always fun to meet the other authors and readers, and it only comes around once a year. (I’ll be there 10-12:30 under the Chicago Writer’s Association tent if you’d like to say hello.)

What I Didn’t Do

Now we’re getting into what I didn’t do. While I’d wanted to post about The Illumination on my author blog, that post could be equally helpful later down the road. In the past, when only print books were released, if a book didn’t sell enough in the first few weeks, it disappeared from the shelves. Now, an ebook can live forever, and my aim is a steady stream of sales. Because there’s no time limit, a blog post can be just as helpful later down the road.

Also, people unfamiliar with a book, even if its cover or summary appeal to them, generally need to see or hear of it 3-7 times before buying. A later blog post could be one of the ways new readers see the book a second or fourth or sixth time. So I put off writing that post, and it remains on my To Do list. I will likely get to it next week, after my U of C class is over.

The same thing applied to posting on Facebook and Twitter, scheduling a Goodreads giveaway of the paperback, and updating covers on the slides on my author website. I did get a little social media exposure, though, because MailChimp automatically posted my New Release email to Facebook and Twitter.

Much as I wanted to write a specific Mother’s Day post on Sunday May 14 on my author blog, it wasn’t the only way to honor my mom. In a previous post on one of her birthdays, I’d said much of what I wanted to write about her. I tweeted that post. I also posted a photo of her on this blog and talked about her creativity and her music. This website which reaches a different audience than my author blog, so I was able to share with more people though I spent less time.

I’d promised that people on my email list would get bonus materials for The Illumination but hadn’t promised to send them any particular day. From a marketing standpoint, I realized it would be better to send a few emails, spaced out. So several days after the release I sent a bonus—a PDF of handwritten notes on the plot when I was working on my last revisions. I plan to write a second bonus, an Author’s Note reflecting on the series as a whole. That will be a good way to remind readers about the series a couple weeks down the road, so it actually worked out better than if I’d sent both bonuses on release day.

I also put off setting up an in-person book release party. I would have liked to do that, but that requires finding a place, making sure I have the right number of books on hand, and letting people know well in advance, and that type of party doesn’t usually increase ebooks sales, which is how most of my sales are made. How much fun it will be and how many people will come also will not likely be any different if I host it now or in two months. And I’ll have the advantage of getting ideas from two book release parties I’m going to in the next month hosted by other authors.

So that’s how my task list broke out. I feel good about how much I got done and when. The tasks that were most important got finished before the book launch, a few I did soon after, and a few are left on the list, but they are ones that will be just as effective, if not more so, done later.

Equally important, I didn’t cancel any of my dinner plans with my friends, and we had a great time. I also binge-watched Agents of Shield the Sunday night before the launch to wind down rather than using those few hours to check off more things on the list.

I did miss getting outside on a lovely Spring day (one of the few in Chicago this season), but if I wanted a 9-5 job that was always predictable, I’d go look for one. I don’t.

This experience has made me more sure that I’ll be able to build my career in a happy, healthy way while enjoying my life as a whole. So now I’ll close and watch that next Agents of Shield episode.

Until Friday, wishing you a productive, not-too-stressful week—

Best,

L.M. Lilly

Earning A Living By Writing

If you’re wondering about how authors earn a living through self-publishing, author/entrepreneur Joanna Penn’s annual breakdown of her revenue will give you a place to start. Each year Joanna shares how her revenues break down by platform (such as Kobo v. Barnes & Noble v. Amazon), by type (fiction and non-fiction), by country, and by format (ebook, paperback, audiobook).

My Breakdown Of Book Sales By Format, Vendor, Genre, And Country. May 2016 – April 2017

This year, she also talks about box sets and selling direct. She ends with what she plans to do to earn more in the coming year.

I hope you find the post as fascinating and inspiring as I always do.

One of my goals is to earn enough this year that this type of breakdown of my revenues will be helpful to readers next January. For now, I’ll stick with recommending that you read Joanna’s.

Until Sunday–

Best,

L.M. Lilly

When Working Harder Might Not Be The Answer (Part 1)

Setting specific goals makes it more likely they’ll be achieved, whether the goal is finishing a novel, improving relationship skills, or taking a trip around the world. That’s why I’m big on setting goals. To get to them, I use lists and schedules. (I like lists. I’m one of those people who adds a completed unscheduled task onto a list just so I can cross it off.)

What’s hard for me is how closely to stick to the lists and plans when the unexpected occurs, as it always does.

In the past, my answer was to say “I will work harder,” much like one of the animals in George Orwell’s Animal Farm. (Was it the horse? Maybe the mule, not that I want to compare myself to a mule.) I’d put my head down, cancel every non-work activity, and stick with it until I crossed off every item on the list and met every deadline.

That approach worked well in a lot of ways for decades. It’s why I was able to finish law school while working full time, write novels while billing the required hours at a large law firm, and later publish my first three novels while starting and running my own law practive.

The Illumination, Book 4 in The Awakening Series

It’s also part of why I got burnt out and often felt stressed and frustrated despite that I was doing work, both at writing and law, that I really enjoyed. Even when I was the one setting the deadlines, I resented working late every night and every weekend.

I was my own boss, but I felt as if my life were not my own.

My fear about being more flexible, though, was that if I deviated too much (okay, at all) from the list or schedule I’d eventually become someone who never finished anything and instead made excuses.

Recently, with the launch of my latest book, I ran up against this same challenge, though I’d tried hard to avoid it. One of my major goals this year was to release The Illumination—the fourth and last book in my Awakening supernatural thriller series. When I set the release date of May 15, 2017, I tried to plan well. I built in time for other efforts, as I still wear a lot of hats. I teach a writing and research class at my law school, I am a graduate-student-at-large at University of Chicago—which means I can take classes that interest me for credit though I am not pursuing a degree—and I still have a limited law practice.

My U of C class ended in March. My teaching semester ended in April. My law practice is down to a small number of cases.

May 15 should have been perfect.

It wasn’t.

First, I discovered that, contrary to my understanding, I couldn’t extend the university health insurance I’d bought through summer without taking another class. Because the Winter Quarter end date didn’t match the policy start date if I bought an individual policy, the only way to stay covered was to take a class in Spring Quarter. So I did.

The two major written assignments for the course were due within two days of my book release. The first assignment involved reading a book and writing an academic-type review of it. The second was writing a 20-30 page research paper.

Neither would have been too big a deal, even with the weekly required reading, if that had been the only thing. But of course it wasn’t.

I’d been waiting for nine months for a decision in an appeal I’m handling. Happily, when it issued, it was in favor of my client. Unhappily, my opponent decided to petition the Illinois Supreme Court to review the case. I had two weeks from when I received his petition to write my response.

When was it due? The same week as the book release.

My To Do list for the week before the book release now included:

verify that all The Illumination files were uploaded properly to all five ebook platforms;
schedule ads and promotions for the first book in the series, The Awakening, which is free in ebook format (it provides a good way to bring new readers into the series);
prepare and send a New Release announcement to my email list;
update my author website with Illumination links and the new covers I’d had designed for the previous books;
post on Facebook and Twitter periodically to let people know The Illumination was coming;
write a post on my author blog about the release (which also would appear on Goodreads);
arrange an in-person book release party for the paperback edition;
schedule a Goodreads giveaway of the paperback edition;
release a paperback edition of my standalone supernatural suspense novel When Darkness Falls in time for a free day on the Kindle edition (I wanted to run WDF free the same week as The Illumination release on the theory that each drew a slightly different audience that might cross over, and I wanted the paperback available to show a comparison price);
do the same for my non-fiction book Super Simple Story Structure;
write my book review for class (happily, I’d finished reading the book the week before);
finish my research paper (I was about half-way done);
write my answer brief.

Also, Mother’s Day happened to fall the day before the book release. For personal reasons, I wanted to write a post on my author blog about my mom, as it was the 10th Mother’s Day without her.

And, expecting it to be a very quiet week, I’d planned three dinners out with friends, one of which was an already-belated birthday dinner (for him, not me).

Had I cancelled all my social plans and worked fifteen-hour days, including through the weekends, I might have gotten all of that done.

But this time, rather than saying “I will work harder,” I stopped and looked at the big picture. Yes, one goal was to release The Illumination. But what was my larger goal? That answer was pretty easy–making a decent living writing books that other people enjoy reading.

Then I asked myself why. Why was that my goal?

The answer caused me to change my approach.

How and why? Check out Part 2 next Sunday.

Until then, best wishes for a productive and not-too-stressful week.

Best,

L.M. Lilly

Why Business Matters For All Authors

Many writers choose to pursue the traditional route to publishing–getting an agent and/or publishing company–rather than publishing their own work because they want to focus on writing, not business. It’s important for all writers, though, to understand the basics about who is doing what for them, what rights they’re selling, and the parameters of deals being negotiated.

That’s why this Friday’s recommendation is an article by Kristine Catherine Rusch, an editor and writer who blogs about business issues for authors.

As Rusch’s examples of seeking reprint rights for anthologies she edited show, even if you’re not concerned about how much you earn, not knowing business can undermine how often your work is published and how many people read it.

Business Musings: Writers, Scam Artists, Agents, And More (Sigh)

Until Sunday–

Best,