It's a decision every author will have to make at one point or another. Do you go with trying to get your book out with a traditional publishing house or do you take the leap and self-publish? Which one is right? Well, the good news is that there really is no wrong answer to this. It all depends on what you want and what works for you. But, it does pay to be informed about the options. I'll hit a few high points for each, and encourage you to further research each option and ask other authors about the topics I discuss below. TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING 1. The Query Letters Oh, the query letters. You'll write dozens, and if you're lucky, you'll get a nice, personalized rejection letter. I say thi
Today was a big day for me. And for my books. Let me explain. Once I had a couple titles under my belt, I made a list of goals I wanted to achieve. A wish list for my work, you could say. Today, one of the items on the wish list became a reality. This morning, I met with the lovely Bobbie Forker, manager of a popular local bookstore. She was so welcoming, so supportive and enthusiastic about local authors. And she decided to take a chance on a romance author from a small town in Kentucky. I'm SO excited to announce that I've teamed up with Readmore Book-N-Card in the Parkway Plaza Mall in Madisonville, Ky! The Small Town Hearts books are now available there, as will be future works, and we'r
It never fails. You're out and about, chatting with folks, trying to keep it friendly. When they find out you're a writer, they inevitably ask this question: "You're an author? That's cool! What do you write?" When they find out you're a romance writer, that's when things get...interesting. "Oh, so you write porn?" Um. No. "You write the smutty stuff, huh?" (insert semi-creepy wink and grin here) Really? "Ooh, like Fifty Shades of Grey? Whew, girl, that Christian Grey is HOT! He can tie me up any time." *face palm* (Keep in mind, I work at a public library in a small town. Comments such as that last one can get realllly awkward. lol) Look, I get it. Erotica and books like Fifty Shades are ve
If you have anything to do with the book world, either as a reader, author or blogger, you see and hear the "R" word all the time. And I do mean all the time. Have you seen the reviews? Five star review! Did you leave your review? Review, review, review. (a la Jan Brady) You may ask...what's the big freaking deal about reviews? Well, it's simple. Reviews make the book world go 'round. Want to know what folks really thought of a book? Read the reviews. Want to know how it stacks up against other books of the same genre? Read the reviews. Want to see if a book is going to be your cup of tea? You guessed it...read the reviews. But what happens when people don't leave reviews? Well, nothing. And