Sunday, January 24, 2010

Another book...another release day...another nervous breakdown...


I am working hard on a sequel to Hallie's Cats...

But I got stuck, and had to back track. Dang it! Ever had the happen? Thought you had the perfect angle...the right conversation...then blam! Nothing works? Sheesh!

So I erased five pages and started the chapter over again...and this time it was rolling perfectly. Oy Vey! Another glitch! Gotta re-read again. Stop rushing. Slow down and B-R-E-A-T-H-E!

Aaaah. Much better. Now if I could only figure out why that damn chapter seems so weird...

Pray for me, dear friends...send me blessings and vibes and all that great stuff (Please send Godiva) and remind me that it's all just a box of chocolates...you never know what you're gonna get until you take a bite.

How do YOU handle these little glitches that pop up whenever things are rolling smoothly along?

Hugs!

Fran

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Working on a sequel to Hallie's Cats...

I am working on a sequel to Hallie's Cats.

I had so many readers (and reviewers) say they really wanted to see Cal get his own story, I decided to go for it. Cal is getting his own story...and his own woman.

If you have not read Hallie's Cats, you will possibly get a bit lost in the sequel, so I am going to be adding a "prologue" for the Seronta Clan story to my website on Monday. It will give enough background on both stories that readers will know how they came to be, and what their history is.

I am getting up on my preaching stool...

I have been getting a few complaints about the shorter books, which readers mistake for "Quickies", because folks don't understand Ellora's Cave's length requirements. It goes by word count rather than pages. To quote one reader who was unhappy, "This isn't a Novella...it's a Quickie! It's only 67 pages long! Not worth the money!"

In case the reader who felt that Jillian's Job was "okay, but not as good or funny as I expected. He really does treat her as an arrogant jerk throughout, & if not for the "I've suddenly discovered I've loved you for years" ending I would've been very angry at both of them" is reading this, please understand that every writer has a style, and each writer fills in the reader with many types of information such as innuendo, flashbacks, conversation, etc., which if read quickly and without comprehension, leaves the readers saying "Huh?" I apologize if that happened for you.

Mike Furie is a jerk only because Jillian perceives him to be a jerk for not seeing her as a woman. Jillian vents to her family about how he uses her and treats her, but does he truly do that? How many generous, sensitive things does he do without having to be asked? Like the lost luggage? Or the broken bone? Or the kid with the bike? Or the new satin robe and negligee? Does Jillian allow herself to be used because she is so in love with him? When he takes her to Tahoe, it was because she basically told him she wanted to be seen as a woman, not as a piece of furniture. Up until the night she got snockered and admitted what she felt, he kept a professional distance, despite the fact that he really wanted more than a boss-employee relationship with her. There were so many things that the man did that showed his true feelings, but also indicated that he was a man who couldn't show his feelings easily, that women e-mailed me to tell me they loved him as a hero.

I would say that makes Mike Furie quite a man.

Trashing an author's book on a rating page is up to the reader. But to say that he treats her like an arrogant jerk throughout means you weren't paying attention. Or you stopped reading and only went for the sex scenes. Which is fine, because I always do the same thing. LOL.

Try reading the book again, and read the innuendos, conversations, and flashbacks again. If you still have the same opinion of the book, e-mail me. I will send you a free book under a different title.

Hugs,

Fran


Monday, January 11, 2010

Coming January 13, 2010!

Ever Dreamed About Having TWO Hot Men Loving You?

Helen Turner never even imagined such a thing...but she sure wants a nice apartment and a secure job...

So what's a girl to do when her wishes come true...and in spades?

How would you like to have this hot and sexy pair of identical twins chasing you?

Check out the cover trailer...



Double your Pleasure





Sunday, January 3, 2010

Hope your New Year was Happy...

Got any New Year resolutions?

Mine is to write one book a month for the next twelve months.

"Why", you ask?

Well, authors don't make a great deal of money on their books...at least, not unless their name is Stephenie Meyer or Nora Roberts. Most of us make far, FAR less. I had a woman ask me how it felt to make a "seven figure income" per year, and I almost laughed. I informed her (nicely) that if I combined my total income from all sources, I wouldn't come anywhere near the seven figures she mentioned. In fact, I would be hard-pressed to make a five figure income in a year. (And that includes my regular income.)

With e-publishing, an author must develop what we call a "back-list" of books. Because our new releases are only big sellers (if they sell at all) during the first three or four weeks that they are on the main pages of the publisher's website as new releases, we must have a number of prior releases shown on our back-list that might entice a reader to buy one or two of our older titles.

So far, I have six published books, with two more ready for release this month and next month. I have two different publishers, so my "back list" for Ellora's Cave is the four titles I have published through them, and my Resplendence back list has only two books in it. So...I must continue to write new books to get folks to go look at my back lists. Make sense?

In order to maintain any kind of sales after that first month of high visibility, an author must continue to put out new releases in order to attract buyers to their back lists.

Advertising? With all the competition out there, advertising is a small drop in the bucket when it comes to keeping a book in the public's eye. Many authors will keep touting a release on all the groups and loops they frequent until no one will even click on the links anymore. You can only promote a book for so long before everyone just deletes your posts. And unfortunately, the great majority of the groups and loops out there in cyberland are author groups...not reader groups. The vast majority of group/loop members are other writers, all vying for promo time on these huge loops. And when I get 500+ promos in one day, I simply delete them.

I have held free giveaway contests on every new release I have had, hoping that the contests and the promo would attract readers. I have paid for a Newsletter. I have several blogs and websites. I have given away many free copies of books to generate interest. Maybe the winner will like the book well enough to purchase some of my others. Maybe. And maybe not. LOL!

I write erotic romance. Not every person will like every book I write. I have had love letters and hate letters. I have had readers tell me they love my books. I have had readers tell me they were disappointed that my book wasn't as good as a previous book. Every reader has their own opinion. I appreciate them taking the time to tell me how they feel, but I know that not everyone will be happy with all of my various books.

So how can an author reach new readers? Get interviewed on other authors' blogs? Place a paid for ad in a magazine? Get the various book review sites to review your books and take the chance that the reviewer may deep six your book instead of rave about it? How many ways can an author promote his or her books? Too many to count. But not all are effective. So building that back list still appears to be the best insurance when it comes to getting sales. That, and getting your name to become a household word without having to resort to running naked through the Supreme Court when there is a high-profile case being decided.

So if all of you stand outside on your doorstep and shout "Fran Lee" at the top of your lungs every day at noon, maybe my name will become a household word. And then again, maybe not.

Have a wonderful New Year!

Fran Lee
http://www.franleeromance.com
http://jilliansjob.blogspot.com
http://outofherdreams.blogspot.com
http://dictatedbyfate.blogspot.com
http://halliescats.blogspot.com
http://herownsetofrules.blogspot.com