What Category does your book fall in?

First off I want to send out my prayers to all my friends in the Philipines. I hope all of you and your families are safe and unharmed.

Categories!!!

This is a quandry for most writers. There are so many genres now. When I was younger you had Romance, Historical Romance, Science Fiction, Mystery, Christian, and Non Fiction. I’m sure there were more, but that’s the ones I remember in the book stores. Now there’s everything from Young Adult to Shifter Paranormal and beyond.

As a writer this is something that always blows my mind. If you put your book in the wrong category it may not sell as well as in another category. But how do you choose? On Amazon and Smashwords I do a lot of research. It takes a little time, but it can help you to move up in the ranks.

Here’s how I research:

1: I write down the top 5 categories I think my book would fit in. I look at the many facets of my book. Does it have any suspense? This could put it in a suspenseful romance category. Does it have paranormal aspects, mystery, horror, or historical? All of these things play into the choosing.

2: Don’t fall in love with these 5 categories because this step could throw them completely out of the list. Then go to Amazon or Smashwords and search that category. I learned a lot from doing this. I used to put all my romances in the Romance category. Then after researching it, that category is overrun with books. That means it will be harder to climb the charts. Then I started stepping out of the general category box and pull out the big guns. It really helped.

3: Amazon has a nifty little tool in the help section. It gives you the list of the most popular categories and the side lines that go along with it. Go to your KDP dashboard and then to help. From there all you need to do is type categories in the search box then it will give you the main categories then just click on yours and there you are. It help my sales immensely.

This is just a couple of ways to select your categories. Believe me that is a big part of your book sales.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Writing Goals – How do you manage them?

Writing Goals! This can be a hard to figure out. Of course you don’t have to set a goal to be a writer, but it helps to make sure you meet deadlines. For me I try to be reasonable, well most of the time. It helps to manage your time with other tasks, this usually gives you that extra window of writing time. If you wash your dishes as you cook dinner, then after dinner you have that time to write. If you write as you wait for clothes to wash and dry then that gives you another segment of time. At work I try to set a few minutes here and there to fit in a couple of words. That also helps to relieve the stress of the work day.

I’ve talked to many writers about their goals. Some have daily goals, weekly goals and monthly goals. I guess it would depend on your deadline and your schedule. Like around the holidays I might have a lower goal than when I have less on my plate. Usually my weekend goals are higher than my weekday goals due to time restraints.

One writer had a goal of 5000 a day and another said she only tried to fit in 2000. As for me, I set maybe 1000 per day on weekdays if I’m not pressed on a deadline, but on the weekend I make up for it by going 5000 or more per day. Of course on weekdays sometimes I exceed the goal each day if the story is flowing really well. It’s hard to stop the inspiration at a certain spot, but sometimes if I exceed my goal one day, I might take a little time for myself to read the next day. It’s a win-win situation.

As I have a deadline on my newest book which I’ve set for the week before Thanksgiving, I have a pretty hefty goal. Hope you are all getting your goals completed.

As always good writing, and May God Bless You…

Good Morning! I’m Back and Raring to Write…

As I told you Friday I took a short social media vacation. I’m actually on a real vacation from my accounting job, but not my writing. I spent the last three days at my mom’s lake house with my hubby and son. It was so relaxing to get up and bring my coffee to the front deck. I sat every morning and watched the sun rise above the trees.

We had reservations at Mexico Beach for the weekend, but the threat of Tropical Storm Karen cancelled that. It would have been nice to go to the beach, but we still enjoyed our restful weekend. The boys were able to fish and I did manage quite a bit of writing. I was able to get in a little over 5000 words. That was a great thing. We arrived back home yesterday. Now I’m just lounging around in my pjs catching up on my sites. I did cheat a little this weekend. I was able to get a weak signal but not strong enough to do too much.

Friday Avon Romance sent me a special message. I was crowned with the Star Member Badge. For the month of October I’ll be listed as a Top Contributor on their front page. That was so special. As a writer and blogger I’m humbled to receive this award. Especially from Avon Romance which is one of my favs.

Now, today is the last day to enter the SYTYCW 2013 Contest with Harlequin. Since I entered the work in progress “Finding The Right Time” over a week ago I’m starting to sweat with anticipation. I’m so excited about this one. Some writers have blogged that someone called them even though they didn’t advance. Wouldn’t that be the coolest thing… I’ll keep you updated.

Well, it’s time to get back to work. No, not accounting… Not this week. I’m doing my fun work which is writing. I’m so pumped. Not to mention it’s so gorgeous here in the south. Of course I love Fall so that makes it even better.

As always good writing and May God Bless You…

Social Media and writing…

I was a little leary about starting a lot of social media accounts. Then when I started publishing my books it was a must. My editor/assistant got me started with a blog, then came Twitter and after much anxiousness Facebook. I’ve never been one to push myself in anywhere.

Of course now I get up, drink a cup of coffee and look at all my many sites. It’s funny how many I have now. What’s really funny is when I tweet or send out my book links on any of my sites, the sales go up. What would happen if you didn’t do social media in today’s world? Would you sell a book? If you’re in book stores and various chain stores you would do alright, but people rely on social media and the internet to find books. It’s just part of life.

Make sure you keep your sites updated. Keep the posts going and don’t do anything that you don’t want the whole world to see. So go by and check out my sites. I have links on this page…

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Researching Romance

As a writer of romance it’s not always easy to just put your thoughts in the computer and be done with it. Even a run of the mill romance needs a little research. Have you done your research?

With my newest book “Victoria” I had to do a lot of research. I printed 3 different Civil War Timelines. Each one had a little different description that went along with the timing of the story line. It’s amazing how a reader can pick up on even the smallest misstep in regards to history. I made sure the time and date was correct with aspects concerning the war itself.

A fellow author friend wrote a medical romance. She laughed telling me she felt like she was studying for the medical exams. Before she started the book, she wrote down her outline and got in touch with a doctor friend. She then told him what the book had in it medical wise and he gave her several books that would help make the medical part look real.

Another author was writing a thriller/murder mystery. She had to study several serial killer cases with the local police. They were more than happy to help her with the research. As she has a weak stomach she said a lot of the reading was hard to get through, but she made sure she did it on an empty stomach.

I’ve even researched romance itself. There’s a lot on it if you look around. It helps when you are coming up with story lines. You don’t want to write about what everybody is writing about. If everything coming out is about cowboys, well, maybe put cowboys but give it a different spin. Make your writing stand out.

So the next time you pick up a romance novel, think about the hard work the author went through to get it where it is. Especially when you look at the price. So many people want them for free or nearly free. That’s nice but the author put their heart, soul and hard work into that book you’re holding.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Contests, New Releases, and just WOW…

Well, as promised in my blog last week, I jump. I entered the So You Think You Can Write Contest at Harlequin. This has been a year long process of do I want to or not struggles. Suddenly two weeks ago I started feeling the tug and coincidentally I saw a post that entries were being accepted. That was the sign I needed to jump. Here’s the link: http://www.soyouthinkyoucanwrite.com/manuscripts-sytycw-2013/finding-the-right-time/ So go over and read my submission and let me know what you think. I’m really excited about this entry.

“Victoria” was officially released today. That’s an exciting thing also. I tried out the preorder with Smashwords.com, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and Apple iTunes. We will see how that goes because as you know those sales won’t show up for a little while. It you get a chance go over and check out this book. It’s also available on Amazon, CreateSpace and Allromanceebooks.com.

As with everything I do, I stay busy. Late last week “With All My Heart” was released in audio form. That was exciting, but what was really exciting was Apple iTunes picked it up immediately upon release. You may be saying, well iTunes is affiliated with Audible. The exciting thing is my other audio book that is out has not been picked up yet by iTunes, so this makes me wonder at the picking process.

I had another author ask my opinion of audio books and my opinion is they’re great. My sales have been good and I’m excited about the rest of the books that are in production even as we speak.

As Rosie Amber and I wind down our Romancing September Across The World Blog Tour, I sit to ponder the results. We were able to meet 30 talented authors in 30 days. As bloggers and readers alike we were able to see a small part of their lives and books for a moment. It went really well. If you haven’t check them out, just go through my last 30 days posts and you can see my side and the link to Rosie’s side.

So as I leave you today, think about the day. It’s Monday, a new week to make a better you. God made you in His image and that means do your best at everything you do.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Day 27 of the Romancing September Across The World Blog Tour

Welcome to Day 27 of the Romancing September Across The World Blog Tour. The question I put out to all of these authors was “What challenges do you face in writing romance in today’s society?”

Don’t forget to go over to Rosie Amber’s page and check out her page too. I’ll put the link at the bottom of this post.

Today my guest author is and Camelia Miron Skiba want to thank her for blogging with me today. Here is a little about Camelia and her book Born In Vengence.

What Challenges do you face writing romance in today’s society?

CMS: You mean aside from people rolling their eyes at the word “romance”? Or confusing it with porn? Nothing really.

Joke aside, my biggest challenge is to create buzz for my books. I recently read an article stating that there were over 12,000,000 books released last year through Amazon. Talk about competition, right?

It’s well known that word of mouth is the best advertising but I’m by nature very shy so I constantly shot myself in the foot, unable to tell people what my books are about when asked face to face. I’m fine behind the computer, writing all those beautiful stories my characters share with me. But when it comes to say it out loud I paralyze for fear whatever I say won’t be good enough. I know I have about 10-12 seconds to catch that person’s attention and whatever words I chose they must be captivating and intriguing so that the person would want to know more about my books. It takes me months to write a story. How can I condense its essence in a few seconds?

Luckily with the today’s technology a lot of promotion is made online through personal blogs and social networking. I absolutely love to be in contact with my readers either through my blog www.authorcameliamironskiba.com, on Facebook, GoodReads, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc and all those sites offer easy and instant access. In my opinion we authors become more accessible because of those sites. Add a little bit of personal but professional touch and you’re on your way to success.

Bottom line there is nothing gained without effort. When challenged we appreciate it that much more. Writing is my passion; it’s what my soul and heart feed on, my escape from reality if you will. Combine that with romance, hot heroes and smart heroines, no challenge is big enough to stop me from doing what I love.

Biography

I’m a dreamer
I’m a sinner
I love my books
I conjure hooks
And heroes with good looks

Romance is my guilty pleasure
Taking me to places with new decor
Come join me if you dare
I promise not to bore

If you like to read my stories
Pray my husband continues snorin’
For he’s the one who keeps me up at night
When I give my heroes wings and flight.

Publication Date: May 9, 2013

Originally published as a short story titled I WAS HERE–BEFORE YOU CAME, this stand-alone version includes an expanded storyline and excerpts from BORN IN SIN (Dacian Legends, #2), all that you would expect from a full novel.

Legend has it … centuries after Spartacus another hero is born—Ilias, the bastard son of King Decebalus. Thirsty for revenge and eager to unshackle the Roman oppression, Ilias’ obsession to fulfill his oath has no bounds, even if that means kidnapping Nerva, the beloved daughter of Emperor Traianus. What he doesn’t know is his own heart threatens to betray his conscience.

Go on over and check out Camelia.

Here’s the link to Rosie’s side of the tour: http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-2zf

Day 5 of the Romancing September Across The World Blog Tour

Welcome to Day 5 of the Romancing September Across The World Blog Tour. The question I put out to all of these authors was “What challenges do you face in writing romance in today’s society?”

Don’t forget to go over to Rosie Amber’s page and check out her page too. I’ll put the link at the bottom of this post.

Today my guest author is Robynn Gabel. A big thanks to Robynn Gabel for blogging with me today. Here is a little about Robynn and her book Windswept Hearts.

What Challenges do you face writing romance in today’s society?

Having started my writing career later in life, I realize I may not be in touch with today’s younger generation. The taboos of my early years, may not apply in this day and age. For a writer to be successful we must take in the current trends, even if we may not like them. Morals have shifted, social settings have changed, and language is always evolving.

So first you must set what age group you are trying to reach, the era you want to write in. As a first time author I knew I had to write about something I knew about. It would have been easier to set it in a historical era that would have gone along with my comfort zone, but I knew more about the western culture I live in so I chose a more comfortable route. With any good story there is research, even if you live in it. Historical romance takes more research time than it does to actually write the book. I know this because I’ve been studying the Viking age for years, hoping to write a romance in that time period. But to test the waters, I chose to write a contemporary western romance, Windswept Hearts.

Then there are the questions, how far do I take the interpersonal romance? How much physical intimacy? I had to decide again who I was trying to reach. I also had to decide what I was comfortable writing. What level of erotica would I include? Ultimately, that was decided by my characters personalities, belief systems and age group. It is tempting to jump on the newest trend, but I have found it is my characters and the story they have to tell that determines what I will write.

Ultimately, I feel the genre of romance is a smorgasbord of choices, which gives me the greatest field of creativity. My only challenge is writing well enough to capture my readers interest and hold them captive until the end of the story.

Biography

When Robynn Gabel was a little girl, her mother was in despair over the tall tales she would come up with. Her mother would scold her saying, “I hope you can put that over-active imagination of yours to good use someday.!” So she decided to be an obedient daughter and follow her mother’s advice.

Robynn’s love of literature began with Dr. Seuss and hasn’t ever stopped. With the advent of the Internet she is never at loss for material. Through the years Robynn wrote extensively for business, blindly producing proposals, letters, advertising, convention fliers, and promotion material.

Several years ago, Robynn was talked into becoming the editor and producer of the church newsletter. During a search for material she ran across an ad for the Christian Writer’s Guild Convention in Colorado Springs. On a whim, she went and ended up sitting next to a publishing agent for Christian romances. After a nice chat Robynn was asked if she had any material. Amazed that someone thought she might be a writer, it ignited the fire that had been smoldering since high school. She signed up for a two year, on-line course through the Guild.

Since then, it has been a journey equal to that of any of J.R. Tolkien’s characters. She learned to blog, format, edit, Facebook, and Tweet. She has an interest in several genre’s but for now she wrote about the world she knows best, Romance.

Windswept Hearts is now available here on Amazon in both Kindle and paperback. Set in the contemporary west, it chronicles the struggles of a city girl who has inherited a very unwanted cattle ranch. Robynn is currently working on several other projects including a paranormal story involving the mysteries of autism, and a history romance set in the Viking era.

Robynn would be happy to chat and answer any questions you might have. She looks forward to continuing in this amazing journey of creating stories and hope you want to come along with her!

Windswept Hearts

Publication Date: January 1, 2013

Anna Sanchez, a recent college graduate, has inherited the family cattle ranch. Having promised her mother she would take care of it, she is now faced with a tough choice. She is a city girl, and running a cattle business certainly isn’t in her plans. A lot of repairs need to be done and she hires Steve Johnson, a local handyman. Their first encounter leaves them both at a disadvantage. Through the summer’s adventures, including a wildlife encounter that turns deadly, and a shadow from her past, Anna will learn that things don’t always go according to even the most organized aspirations.

Go on over and check out Robynn’s Books

Here’s a link to the other side of the tour over at Rosie’s page:

http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-2t6

Romancing September Across The World Blog Tour

Join us for Romancing September Across the World. We are looking for romance authors who want to promote their work on both sides of the Atlantic during the month of September. Romance author Stephanie Hurt from Georgia (USA)

And Author Rosie Amber from Hampshire UK are joining forces in a double blogging event.

On each Romance Author’s selected day there will be a book specific interview about one of their chosen books and book promotion posted in the UK from Rosie, then a few hours later when the sun reaches Georgia the author will get to share their views on “Writing romance in today’s society” from Stephanie.

Authors will need to send in jpeg photos of themselves and the cover of the book being featured.

Rosie and Stephanie will allocate the promotional days and will contact the authors to agree on the material to be used in advance of their designated day. We encourage authors to re-blog, tweet, Facebook, etc. the posts for this free promotion of their work. If any of the authors in the tour are planning a price drop, competition or ‘free weekend’ during September for their work, we’ll gladly add that to the posts.

Hurry and message either Rosie at Rosie Amber rosieamber7@gmail.com or Stephanie Hurt at hurtsbusiness@att.net to get your name on the list. Remember there are only 30 days in September so time’s ticking away.

Go over and check out Rosie’s blog at

http://rosieamber.wordpress.com/

Worst Part of Self Publishing

I’ve talked about the best parts of self publishing, the ins and outs, the how to’s, but I hardly ever talk about the bad side. With everything there is always some part that just plain out drives you crazy.

I’ve learned a lot of hard lessons about writing since I self published my first book. One of the worst parts to me is editing. That’s just not a fun process and sometimes I almost dread typing ‘The End’ because I know that’s the next part of the process.

I have a great assistant that helps me with this process, but I still am a hands on type of person. Also she’s leaving for college out of town, so… Also, I’m my worst critic. I’ll go over a part and tell her let’s change this. Usually she’ll tell me I’m crazy and take the file away from me.

Another thing about self publishing that’s hard is self promotion. Which according to some of my author friends that’s even part of the process when you have a big publisher. So, I guess that could go on the bad side of publishing period!

I could probably list other bad aspects, but I really enjoy publishing my work myself. That way I know what’s changed and what’s not. So many authors say a publisher can tear your hard work apart and it doesn’t even sound like your work to begin with. That would be heartbreaking. Although sometimes I agree that some work does need to be torn apart. I’ve read some books lately that should have been torn up and started over. Did I say that? At least I didn’t say what they were.

So if you’re thinking about self publishing then go for it. Some of the biggest authors right now started out that way. It’s rewarding even through the sweat and tears. If you’re not up to the editing or cover design, then check out my publishing service that I started. The link is http://www.horseshoepublishing.wordpress.com.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…