Category: Independent author angst

Multi-tasking Nightmares

~ Jonna Hawker Turek ~ Leave a comment

Popular wisdom says women are better at multi-tasking than men. I don’t know if that is true, but if it is, I feel sorry for men who are independent authors. Juggling the tasks of writing, proofing, editing, production and promotion, along with holding down a full-time job, can strain the capabilities of even my superior feminine brain, so they might threaten to short-circuit male synapses.

When I published my first few books branding was no where on my radar. I didn’t even bother to make the covers in my first series have a similar style, so now that I’ve learned a bit more about this whole Independent Author process, I’m eager to have my covers redesigned to get a cohesive look.

I’ve just tiptoed into the world of professional cover design and found the waters (and prices) a bit too deep for my current budget. I need to earn more from my books in order to afford to get new covers, but I need new cover designs to increase my sales.

Spending time on promotion and marketing to increase sales takes time away from writing new books, but I need more books to increase my sales.

It makes me dizzy, just thinking about it.

Independent authors are beginning to get a bit more respect as creative professionals, and that’s a good thing. However, when you consider all the different balls we keep whizzing through the air, especially compared to traditionally published authors, we should be getting a whole lot more.

Today is the Rave Reviews Book Club Blog Recruiting day. To vote for your favorite blog entry go to:

Blog Recruitment Day Voting Link

 

http://wp.me/P49Fi9-GG

Thanks!

Creating a Blog Book

~ Jonna Hawker Turek ~ Leave a comment

I decided to create a book from the past six years of  posts on my weekly inspirational blog  “Power Walking with Jonna.” (Thanks, Nonnie Jules for the idea!)

Going back to categorize and evaluate this many posts is daunting.

I’m creating one book of daily devotions for women and one of weekly readings for leaders in women’s ministry. I managed to get the posts separated and then began evaluating, rewriting and winnowing the book of weekly readings first (taking the smallest bite from the elephant before tacking the main carcass).

The process has been enlightening, revealing and humiliating, in about equal parts. There’s nothing like reading through years of posts to uncover a writer’s bad habits.

I’m re-writing to remove the most egregious lapses, so hopefully the finished book won’t lay my writing faults quite so bare to the readers.

I think this exercise will probably improve my fiction writing, too, so my current chagrin will be a small price to pay for becoming an improved novelist.

 

 

Write, Promote, Hone

~ Jonna Hawker Turek ~ Leave a comment

Being an independent author is a juggling act trying to balance creative writing, publishing, networking and marketing.

After completing and launching my last book it was time to switch to promotion-mode and I’ve spent the past month trying new marketing methods.

With my first four books I set a schedule of publishing a new book in the series every six months, leaving very little time for promotion. I felt harried much of the time and decided not to push myself with the current series. My goal was to relieve my stress levels, but in doing so I had a chance to catch my breath and see something else I had been overlooking in my urgency to publish: I had not taken the time to hone my craft.  Rather than a regimen of write, publish, promote, I should be spending time honing my craft as a very vital step. The schedule should be hone, write, hone, publish, hone, promote, hone, etc.

Taking time to study and research writing craft is essential if I hope to grow as a writer, not just amass a high number of books.

To that end, I have been reviewing some of my favorite writing texts and have found they mean more to me now that I have written a few books than they ever did before. The guidance is more real to me. I can compare the principals to my existing works, seeing where I could have improved, and I am excited to apply what I’m learning to my current work in progress.

With the accessibility of independent publishing it is tempting to shortcut the process and shortchange ourselves as maturing authors.

In this burgeoning and competitive field, I believe it will be the excellent craftsmen and women who succeed in the long run; not simply the ones with the most books or the most hits on Twitter.

Paid Promotions Experiences

~ Jonna Hawker Turek ~ Leave a comment

With my newest book I’ve expanded  distribution beyond Amazon and invested in a few paid promotions. I’d like to share my experiences, so far, to assist other indie authors.

My book published on all platforms on February 10. It was available for pre-order for  approx. three weeks before that with about a dozen pre-orders.

I had a guest blog on Gemma Halliday Publishing’s blog, Laffinated Ink, on the release date, and had 5 sales that day.

My promo with AskDavid (supporter pack cost $15) began on February 14.

I listed my book with the RaveReviewsBookClub on February 15 ($25 annual membership)

On February 17 my promo with Digital Book Today began. (DBT cost me $30.)

I had 5 sales on the 10th, 1 on the 12th,  47 sales on the 17th, 31 on the 18th, 10 on the 19th, 7 on the 20th and  3 on the 21st.

These are strictly sales of The First Ladies Club. I’m not counting any sales or borrows of the other four books on KDP Select.

As you can see, the 17th, with the three overlapping promos had the greatest sales to date.

I spent $70 on promotions and had 98 sales since the promos began, more than paying for the cost of the promos.

This is the first time I’ve ever paid to promote my books, previously relying on Amazon giveaways and Kindle Countdown promotions. These are the best first month sales I’ve ever had.

My experiences with all the above promotion sites were pleasant. The contact people were courteous and helpful.

I have a week-long promo with BuckBooks of my first book, Hollow, running concurrently with a 99 cent Kindle Countdown from March 2-9.  BuckBooks is free for books 99 cents and under, but like the RaveReviewsBookClub, requires some cross-promotion on the author’s part.  I’ll let you know how that one goes.

Fifty Shades of Earl Grey

~ Jonna Hawker Turek ~ Leave a comment

I belong to a support group of independent authors whose writing, whether  romance, mystery or thriller, falls roughly in the general category of Cozy. We eschew foul language or gratuitous sex and violence.

Currently there is a lively discussion about the book and movie, “Fifty Shades of Gray.” Naturally enough, the comments are pretty scathing regarding the subject matter, but I was surprised, since I did not read the book, at the criticisms of the author’s writing ability. It seems that in spite of poor editing, syntax and plot development, the salacious nature of this book made it such a success it has now been made into a near-pornographic movie glorifying the sexual abuse of women.

This is so frustrating for those of us struggling to improve our craft (which we love) and learning the daunting skills of marketing our work (which we hate) in order to raise our sales ranking  and someday make a modest living as full-time writers.

It is tempting to think all we need to do is write books filled with dangerous bondage S&M practices and other graphically violent sex acts set in a pseudo-sophisticated upper class milieu in order to become best-selling successful authors.

However, as several in my group implied, even thinking of slithering through that slimy world makes us feel in need of the mental equivalent of a hot shower to cleanse our minds.

One of the tenets of becoming a successful writer is knowing one’s target audience and writing for each of them.

I thank God that my readers are much more interested in reading about an afternoon sipping Earl Grey tea than dipping into Fifty Shades of depravity.

 

 

On Tenterhooks, Once More

~ Jonna Hawker Turek ~ Leave a comment

My new book, hopefully the first in a new series, went live last week on Amazon for the print copies and this coming week in digital on several platforms.

Now comes the really difficult part of being an independent author…waiting for reviews.

I was fortunate with the first series to have early favorable reviews and readers asking for more. That first book was never planned as the start of a series, so my expectations were low and I was pleasantly surprised.

During the writing of this new work, I felt as though my craft has been improving, so my hopes and expectations were correspondingly higher. The feedback from my editors and beta readers has been mostly positive amid the constructive criticism.

Now that the book is “out there,” I am biting my nails awaiting the first reviews.

Fiction writing exposes authors, not simply for our writing skill, but for our personality, opinions and world view. It asks for the evaluation and approbation of strangers, making us vulnerable to criticism and rejection. Like toddlers offering a finger painted masterpiece, authors hold our breath to see if our creation is proudly displayed on the refrigerator or tossed into a drawer.

If you should happen to read and enjoy my latest, The First Ladies Club, please offer your honest review.

Remember that silence, for the insecure author, is interpreted as rejection.

Mirth, Mayhem and Murder Available in time for Valentine’s Day

~ Jonna Hawker Turek ~ Leave a comment

First Ladies Club Publication Date, Feb. 10, on Amazon (print & Kindle), and in eBook format at Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple and other fine digital dealers.

Did you ever wonder what it’s like to be the wife of a small town pastor?

Joanna Breault writes in Christianity Today about the pastor’s wife effect, “When pastors’ wives walk up, the conversation goes quiet. Our remarks are often met with flattering-but-awkward deference. Our relationships still have a degree of distance.”
The pastors’ wives of the fictional town of Bannoch, Oregon, have formed the First Ladies Club to help them overcome the stresses of having private, everyday lives just like everyone else, while being married to men whose jobs subject them to public scrutiny and expectations.
green borderThe First Ladies Club, Book One in the First Ladies Club Mysteries series, will introduce you to Naidenne, the newest in the group, as she faces deadly peril, and the other ladies who rise above their differences of denomination, culture, ethnicity and generation to bring her safely through.
Future books in the series will highlight the other women in this eclectic group.
Get a glimpse of these remarkable women who support each other through mirth, mayhem and murder, while trying to stay true to their husbands and their faith.

Seadrift to be included in New Spring Bundle

~ Jonna Hawker Turek ~ Leave a comment

I’m excited to say that “Seadrift” is being included in a Spring Fling bundle of cozy, romantic seadriftmysteries, along with a dozen other full-length novels by best-selling and award-winning authors.

Look for this great ebook deal  in early Spring. These inexpensive bundles are a super way to get acquainted with your new favorite authors.

Keep watching for the announcement when it becomes available.

Two heads are better than one, and lots of opinions are better, yet.

~ Jonna Hawker Turek ~ Leave a comment

After getting lots of great feedback on the previously proposed cover, I learned I was heading off a cliff, or at least in the wrong direction.

Great input and generous guidance from true friends, has me back on the right track.

temp final with series title fadedThis is the current proposed cover.

Opinions, anyone?

Cover Design Update: Back to the Drawing Board

~ Jonna Hawker Turek ~ Leave a comment

Thanks to all who provided input on the proposed cover design I posted.

Everyone who responded seemed to feel strongly about it, some favorably and some not-so-favorably. The colors, style and illustration gave a few people the idea the story was a romance set in an earlier era. As the book is a contemporary mystery/thriller, it was not the impression I was going for.

This was really helpful information.

It is good for a cover to provoke strong feelings, but it is not good to confuse the readers or set them up for disappointment when the cover is a mismatch for the style or genre of the book inside.

While we may not be able to accurately judge a book by its cover, most potential readers use a book cover to assess whether the book will be to their tastes. A cover can make or break a book, and can be as important as the story inside.

So, out with that cover design and back to the drawing board.