Sex & Money: Be Bold

Romance writers are great at tackling one provocative subject: sex. But my sense is we need to open up the dialogue about another: money. We write with edge and passion; we should also advocate for the value of our work as boldly.

The web is full of information and inspiration to improve our craft. But ask: How do I make it financially? Excuse me while I blow the dust from my inbox.

I can't throw a rock into the blogosphere without hitting a post about how difficult it is to get published, how I shouldn't expect to earn anything (click for recent article), how many writers struggle and why spelling is the main reason agents and publishers send rejections. Okay, okay. We get it. Now, show me the .... Oops, cliches are the second reason.

The facts -- our genre is thriving and ebooks are selling. Someone out there is making money. Is it you?

I read on this blog about the G.R.I.P.E., the Great Indy Pub Experiment. I was impressed at J. Rose Allister's willingness to disclose. Her and her husband's three-month goal was to sell 500 self-published books. They surpassed their sales by more than 3,000 and made about $6,000. They worked hard to do it.

Romance writer Brenda Hiatt started a list of what several publishers pay for romance (click for list). It's an ongoing project on her author website (click for site), which she updates with information provided voluntarily by writers. Not surprisingly, the list reveals that advances for books range wildly, from as little as zero to $40,000. Earn-outs also vary by the same extreme.

Hiatt recently added a list of indie earnings (click). And, she now takes questions regarding money (click) . Hip-Hip-Hoorah! A clearinghouse never looked so good. In addition, there are many, many romance publishers (click) not listed yet, indicating more money is out there to be made.

I believe we need to help each other by self-reporting our earnings. (Hiatt's list is anonymous. Disclosures to your crit group are encouraged!) How does information-sharing help? It helps to know that book sales are not dead (click for stats). It helps to discuss whether it works against us (click for debate) to give our work away for free or for very little.

Publishers are scouring for good, fresh novels. Information allows us to make better decisions about what to accept as payment for our books, newbies and veterans alike. Let's keep sharing and making the industry healthier (and profitable) for all of us.-- Jennifer Fulford 

Write More--OR At Least Drink More!

"I'm a published author."

"I'm a published author."

"I'm the top selling author for my e-publisher."

"I have great reviews."

"I'm a published author."

What?  Oh, sorry kids, I was just practicing how those words felt rolling around in my mouth, as I count down to the second in a trilogy of published naughtiness in the beer world.

You remember me.  I'm the "Beer Wench" -- the crazy one who owns a craft microbrewery, handles all aspects of sales, marketing and (my personal favorite) distributor relations AND staffs the Tap Room bar 3-4 times a week which includes pouring beer, yacking, making sure the TVs stayed tuned in and the music playing, the toilet paper stocked AND switches to mop-slinger/toilet cleaner extraordinnaire once the doors are locked.

yeah, that's me...the things we do....

I am approaching a birthday, in less great physical shape than usual, sleep deprived at a level that rivals "new mom" (and I did that three times so I know), with teenagers whose growing adult-level crises make me wish for newborn babies or at least horrible toddlers back so I can be a better mom to them and I have just experienced the release of my second book to the e-pub world.  (click here for the hottest damn holiday story you've read in a while!)

Granted, it's with a small publisher but one has to start somewhere.  I wrote about what I loved, made the sex hot and realistic (I tend to stay away from supernatural sex--it scares me a little), kept submitting, and querying.  Most importantly--I kept writing.

I've built up something like 4 Works in Progress Major Projects, and revisit them when I can't sleep at 2 a.m. after closing the Tap Room.  I'm even contemplating a switch to murder mystery, based in the craft beer world that I think will really be great but that will involve further querying, submitting and receiving rejections with good grace, while my ego takes a licking but keeps on ticking.

I read what so many of you say about "I know I'll be published someday" and remember thinking "no I won't" but trust me IF your work is sincere--that is, you really and truly believe in it and your characters and your story, you will get there.  You are likely not to make a good living at it especially in our new and improved world of e-publishing taking over the world (royalties on $1.99 downloads are what we like to call "microcharges" like paying for a McDonalds coffee with your credit card but whatever).  It's about creating that back list, and hence learning the business from inside with contracts, line edits, cover art revision and so forth, so when the Big Project is ready for the light of day, YOU are ready, having had your practice runs, tears and hurt feelings over a manuscript that bleeds virtual red ink, and have emerged on the other side, stronger, smarter and savvy.

Keep up the hard work peeps!  And Drink Craft Beer (anything else, and the terrorists win!)
Liz
The A2 Beer Wench.
www.a2beerwench.com
www.aabedwench.blogspot.com
The Rookie (September 2010--top seller for Breathless Press)
XXXMas Ale (12/17/10 release)
Jockey Box (2/18/11 release)
The Tap Room Novella (4/8/11 release)