My Personal Hell? Short Stories

My mind has been going so many directions the last few days that I feel like I’ve spun my own spiderweb. It’s writer hell. And not so great if you’re not into spiders, which I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned I’m not.

So first, Make A Wish! is on Amazon for free through January 31^st. This is sort of the send-off on that novel because after that it’ll no longer be exclusive to Amazon. What does this mean? Well for those with Prime and a Kindle, it won’t be in the lender’s library anymore or Kindle Unlimited. It also won’t be eligible for free promotions, at least not on Amazon. On the flip side, Make A Wish! will join my other novels (and a short story) on Smashwords. So what? It also means it’ll show up in the library for Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iBooks, Oyster, and some other sites. That's something to look forward to, if you’re anyone other than me. I get to reformat the book again. Yay, my favorite thing to do. Right up there with looking out for invisible spiders. Plus, whenever I deal with any of the previously mentioned sites, I start thinking about short stories. I’m midway through a novel right now, and have a pressing need to finish it, but my mind is wandering to short stories. This is bad. Make yourself comfortable and let me rant explain.

First, a short story is a complete tale of less than about 8,000 words. There is some debate on word count. For example, the next step up from a short story is a novella, which starts at about 20,000 words. That’s a big gap. What if you wrote something that’s 15,000 words? Well, it depends on where you’re submitting it for one thing. For another, short stories generally lack the character development of novels or novellas. Descriptive locations also tend to fall to the wayside. A short story is just that: a story that is short. People don’t pick them up with the expectation of being drawn into a complex new world or identify with a character. The reader is there for the story. It’s plot-driven. If your 15,000 word masterpiece fits that description: short story. If it has more meat on it: novella.

Second, when it comes to writing, short stories are a different sort of animal. Some writers are more flexible than others. This applies to a multitude of things such as when, where, and how they write, but also what they write. Some write in multiple genres, others are specific. Some write single titles and series (not talking about romance categories here), some manage every length from poems to epic novels. Personally, I can’t manage short stories.

I say that, but I have one published. Hmm. Let’s back up, shall we?

I used to write short stories. The idea of a novel was just too grand to contemplate. This was in junior high, so we’re not talking starry-eyed writer with hopes of being an author. I liked to write and short stories were what I produced.

In high school, writing became uncool, and in college I didn’t really have time. Then there was marriage and career and kids. When I got back to writing, I took a short story from eons ago and started to rework it, and it became a novel. Yay! I didn’t expect that, but jump for joy, a novel. I did it again. And again. This went on.

A writing class assigned short stories and … I had a problem. I’d gained the ability to write a novel, but lost the ability to write short stories. I can’t not develop my characters enough to make it fit the word count. I can’t have one simple story arc going and leave others alone. I can’t not have a backstory for the characters or complication.

While I did figure out how to trim a lot of things off a book, I could never manage to trim enough to make anything a short story. The closest I came was taking story ideas and writing a synopsis. Presto: 2,000 word short story. Sort of. Okay, not really.
But I wrote one. There’s proof.

No, I didn’t. Meet Olive was never intended to be a short story. It was originally the prologue for Be Careful What You Wish For. I had mixed messages from a critique group and beta readers about it: it wasn’t needed and prologues aren’t necessary, but people liked it. Fine. Take the chapter out of the book and set it adrift on its own. Problem solved.

No, problem not solved. I have Meet Olive available for free a lot of places. Apparently it’s too short. Fine. I have the same situation for Make A Wish! – an opening chapter (that I cut) introducing the genie and how she came to be where we find her. I’ve been waffling over making it a short story. Maybe I’ll package them together, then it’ll be longer. I’ll wait until I finish the next in The Genie In Your Pocket Collection before doing any more short stories. I know I’m cutting chapters out of the third book, so maybe they’ll end up there too. We’ll have to see.

And with this, I return to writing a yet unnamed novel that will be the fourth in The Thousand Words Series. Then I’ll finish the third genie book. Then I’ll have to face NaNoWriMo again and decide if I’m going to continue playing that little game. And then I can finish revising A’gust and then third in The Death Of Secrets Series, yet another untitled book – sad when you remember it’s actually finished. Okay, it needs a final revision and edit, but it’s complete.

Hmm… sort of feeling like my calendar is booked, but I want to do something new and different. This would be a good time to whip out a short story. If I could. Damn.

Hachette vs Amazon - The Flip Side

Now for Part Two – The Flip Side.

I find it interesting that Hachette asked their authors not to talk about the dispute between Hachette and Amazon because Hachette wants to control the message – only have one voice for their side of the dispute. That’s actually a good idea, and I’m sure their lawyers are grateful considering they’re still in negotiations. Although the world is a cynical place and no doubt many see it as akin to a gag order, especially when Amazon has gone the exact opposite route and sent letters to its indy authors inviting all of them to put in their two cents – after carefully telling them what Amazon perceives the problem to be and telling them what talking points to address. Authors clearly cannot be trusted to think about these things for themselves. Ahem.

I posted a link to Amazon’s letter and, while Hachette has made their own statements, I’ll point out some authors aren’t siding with Amazon. Clearly some can think for themselves. Oops. Here’s a link to that letter. It’s worth looking at a list of what some notable authors are crying foul over.

Now, a point was made a week ago when the Authors United letter came out picking apart the argument citing that books from Amazon’s presses aren’t sold at all bookstores, so their authors are as much a victim as Hachette’s and the letter is hypocritical. No. It’s true that books from Amazon’s presses aren’t sold in all bookstores, but that’s a matter of distribution. When you choose a publisher, you are limited to that publisher’s distribution options. What the letter is referring to is a bookstore or retailer having the book on the shelf, having the customer available, and trying to convince the customer to purchase something else instead. That is what Amazon has been doing to some of Hachette’s authors because of this dispute.

Now Hachette, in their ever polite, understated way (which proves my point last week that they’re not living in today’s business world) says the dispute is over Amazon seeking more profit and market share at the expense of the authors, bookstores, and publishers. I hesitate to point this out, but they’re a business. You’re going to have to make a more forceful statement than that to get my attention.

And let’s loop back around to eBook pricing that Amazon says this is over. Specifically, let’s look at allegations of collusion. Amazon didn’t have to dig deep for that little gem, they were involved in the lawsuit, having brought the eBook pricing issue to the DOJ’s attention. Yes, the DOJ went after the Big Six (remember, it’s really only five) but the publishers were the sidekicks in this story, the ringleader was – Apple.

Do I believe the WSJ story? Yes, I always did. Sorry, Hachette, but the Big Six are dinosaurs in their thinking, I’ve been pretty clear on that point, and Apple is historically ruthless in theirs. Apple has been dragged into court many times before for their business practices, this isn’t a surprise. Hachette was one of the publishers who settled, by the way. They learned their lesson, paid their fine, it’s in the past.

By bringing it up, Amazon makes you not like them. Just like Authors United paints a bad picture of Amazon by telling you about what they’re doing to Hachette’s authors. It’s a PR war.

Who’s right? I don’t know everything that is in dispute between Hachette and Amazon. This is about more than eBook prices, or at least it better be. This is about control. In that context, I have to side with Hachette.

Hachette is, in a way, representing the Big Six, and by extension, the publishing industry. Publishing houses, and the extended support staff that surround them, provide direction and structure for the industry as a whole. Even indy authors benefit from it. Lessons and information are frustratingly unidirectional, it seems, but it’s better than not having the information at all. Hachette has a history with publishing. They need to update their thinking, but they understand why books are important to society. Quality is important to them, authors and readers mostly trust and understand it, even if there are growing pains at the moment.

Amazon is a business, period. Granted, they could do less to encourage a quality product, but it wouldn’t take a lot of effort to do so much more. Taking a few tips from competitors such as Smashwords, B&N, or major publishers, could help them and their authors offer a more consistent quality product for their customers. They’re so concerned with pumping out books, making it easy for anyone to publish almost anything and getting their 30-70% that they don’t care when their authors publish a book two chapters at a time and call it a series.

I publish with Amazon. I don’t want them in control of the publishing industry, I don’t want that future. They know how to do business, but not how to promote literacy or artistic expression. There’s no place for literary agents in an Amazon-based future. Brick and mortar stores, then libraries, will shrivel and many will die. Many already have, but more. We’ll lose a lot of young readers when there’s nowhere for them to go to browse and see what simply catches their eye. Children need the tactile feel of books to begin to love them. Toddlers like to touch things and be visually stimulated by the colors and pictures. They can’t get that online. They’ll graduate to eBooks later.

Amazon is a business and it has its place. That place is not directing the future of literature. Leave that to publishers.

Gifts Giving for the Forgotten (AKA: OMG! I Forgot Aunt Susie!)

The big day is almost upon us. As previously predicted, I have a lot of wrapping left for the last minute. That’s my thing, I shop just fine, but leave wrapping until the day before – or worse, the day of. Sigh.

Some people are scrambling for last minute gifts. This is not a theory, I know this to be true because I was at the Post Office yesterday and heard people talking in line. Why I was at the Post Office with three boxes in my arms will not be discussed at this time. Or any other time. That’s not the point. Anyone left out at this point in time gets something drop-shipped from Amazon, except . . .

We’re running out of time on the two-day shipping option and not everything can be overnighted. So you’re hoping that anyone you forgot on your Christmas list is local and the weather is decent so you can pick up something and drop it off in person.

But what if the weather is so bad even Rudolph wouldn’t go out in it? Or that person you forgot until you received their gift/card in the mail isn’t local? Never fear, there is a solution.

Remember when I told everyone about the Amazon Matchbook program? Buy a physical book to give as a gift (if you like) and get a discount on the eBook as well (in the case of my books, the eBook is free if you buy the paperback). Well, it’s a little late for that now. However, you can still give the eBook as a gift. The gift option is under the “Buy Now” button on the right. It allows you to purchase the eBook version for someone. Amazon send them a notification and they accept the gift, download onto their Kindle(app) and voila! You remembered. Because eBooks are great. Save the trees, convenience, In the case of romance you don’t have to find another way to hide the cover. . . See? Ebooks are the way to go and you’re sharing that with someone.

Shopping problem solved. And no wrapping issues either.

Amazon's Been Up To Things

Amazon’s been doing some interesting things lately. I see it differently as an author than as a reader. As a reader, I have a Kindle (not just an app) and I have Amazon Prime. Some of the other authors I chat with didn’t even know everything Amazon’s been doing lately. And not everyone who has a Kindle is even taking advantage of the lending library, so it seemed worthwhile to mention these options were out there.

The Matchbook program launched recently. It’s pretty cool. If you buy a paperback (from Amazon of course, they’re not idiots) you can get the eBook for a discount. For participating books. I enrolled all of mine and listed the eBook as free at least through the holidays, kind of a “Buy one as a gift, get one for yourself” idea. When you look at a book’s page, it’ll show you if it’s part of the Matchbook program. Point of obviousness: the title has to have both an eBook and a print version. Less obvious point: it doesn’t work in reverse. Buying an eBook doesn’t give you a discount on the print version. Maybe someday, but not yet. There’s less of a margin on print books, so I don’t see it.

Countdown Deals is also new. You know how you can look at the top books, paid or free, in each genre? Well, there’s now a time-sensitive discount option. This just started, so we’re still experimenting with it, but the page is active. For example: on Saturday, a book could be $0.99; then on Sunday, it’s $1.99; on Monday, it’s $2.99; and on Tuesday it’s up to its regular retail of $3.99. I’m going to run AKA Lexi Frost on this promo starting November 9 to see how it goes. If it goes well, I’ll toss the other ones up there.When it first launched, there were 12 books in the romance category. When I listed the promo for AKA Lexi Frost, there were 5 pages.

And last, but not least, Kindle First. This is for Prime members but doesn’t require a physical Kindle. Amazon editors pick four books to promote, and Prime members can choose one for free before their official release date. I suspect it’s their way of getting some reviews in place for when the books launch. Next month, you can do it again.

On Kindle First, these aren't going to be your average indie books. These authors have sold enough in the past that Amazon Publishing editors have tried to woo them. Don’t get me wrong, that doesn’t mean they’re necessarily better, there’s some fantastic indie books out there waiting to be discovered and some books published by the big publishing houses that aren’t good for much more than leveling a table. Sorry, you know it’s true and I’m not naming names. As a rule, these should be worth your time. Keeping in mind taste is subjective.

Shameless promotion of my book's free weekend. (Do I get points for honesty?)

It’s a free weekend for Be Careful What You Wish For (As if that graphic didn’t already tell you that). It’s going better than my free weekend for AKA Lexi Frost, I’m not sure if that means anything, but I’ll take it. Yay. Also of note is that the print version of these and Flynn’s In are all out now. Yay again. Although the print and Kindle version of the latter aren’t linked for some reason, Amazon promises they’re working on that.

So, want a nice little Time Travel romance this weekend? It’s free on Amazon until Tuesday. 

Book Backlash and Celebration

AKA Lexi Frost – backlash and celebration (Free Book Promo 8/17-19)

Remember the trouble I had getting a simple book published? It wasn’t over when Amazon apparently published it. I say ‘apparently’ because it was only partially there.

AKA Lexi Frost was on Amazon – sort of. If you looked by title, it was there. If you looked up my name, you’d find two books. Otherwise, you couldn’t find it. You could sift through hundreds of new releases, thousands of romance novels, millions of eBooks, and never see it. You could do keyword searches: nada.

I didn’t know this at first. (I don’t have time to go page by page through hundreds of new releases or thousands of romances novels. Hundreds of thousands.) Then someone on a writing group I’m part of mentioned Amazon has an ‘Adult’ filter and they don't even tell the author when they filter a book from public view. There is a way, from another site some authors use to track Amazon sales, to tell if your book has been flagged. I was. On Amazon’s part, it’s part of the review process, and there isn’t any criteria anyone can point me to as to exactly why some books are flagged and others aren’t.

It isn’t content. That much I’m sure of because I did a general, sift-through-pages search for a certain series that includes near-bestiality, orgies, and sex acts that would make Lexi run naked down through Trafalgar Square to avoid, and they’re available to the general populace. So my suspicion that my cover has a naked woman on it was why my review process was so long initially (even though she’s facing away and barely showing a dime slot), may be on the money. There are still some colorful covers out there, there aren't as many as there were a couple months ago, it depends on the reviewer.

I also noticed a distinct lack of content warnings on books I knew had sex scenes. I used to see warnings all the time, sometimes even using ‘erotic romance’ as part of the title. Either these are now filtered, or authors – not self published either, I was looking at mainstream publishers – are taking them out to avoid the filter. This is very scary, but another time.

So I did a quick redesign of the cover, changed some keywords, and reloaded it to see what would happen.

AKA Lexi Frost is visible. Although it’s no longer a new release. And since it’s been out (officially) now for a couple of weeks, if you want to find it in contemporary romance, you have to sift through hundreds of thousands of books. So essentially anyone looking for it is still going to find it by typing the title in directly or by search for my name, meaning I haven’t changed anything.

To celebrate, I’m having a free weekend for AKA Lexi Frost Saturday, August 17 – Monday, August 19. It goes midnight to midnight (Pacific time) approximately, Amazon doesn’t guarantee anything.

So download it. Tell your friends, have them download it. And I wouldn’t mind reviews. Good ones preferably. The sequel should be out soon. No cover issues, I’m learning.

AKA Lexi Frost

AKA Lexi Frost

Lexi Frost is a successful photographer in a specialty niche: tasteful nudes. All she wants is continuing success and to keep her private life private. She didn't want to attract the attention of millionaire Paul Lovett. And she really didn't need rock star Flynn Peterson to fall for her during a photo-shoot either. Both are persistent but Lexi isn't interested, in part because she isn't Lexi Frost.

Teri Giles has a successful career, two teenagers, and their four friends. Okay, maybe having six teenagers in the house isn’t ideal. And her son’s basement band makes her buy aspirin in economy-size bottles, but she makes it work. Trying to hide an alternate identity and career from a house full of teens is a little chancy, so Teri was ready to scream before attracting unwanted attention.

Then her worst fear is realized: her cover is blown. In a split-second decision, she takes a chance on one of her suitors after swearing she wouldn’t love again. But Teri isn’t the only one who’s been keeping secrets . . .

Okay, so there’s my second book. Although it was written a good year before my first one. No one said this writing and publishing thing had to be linear, right? Good. As long as we got that straight.

As you can probably tell from the cover, this one has sex. I’ve been writing since 2008, and my first two books had a couple things in common: vampires and extraordinary length. This has neither. This was the book that broke that mold. Instead it has teenagers driving adults nuts and sex scenes. Life imitates art?

Erotic romance is kind of a good market to be in right now, in theory. You couldn’t tell by my attempts to get this book out there though. My editor was a hoot when I first tried to give this to her (keep in mind I also write paranormal with only implied sex). I said ‘contemporary erotic romance’ and her mind went to 50 Shades of Grey. Her stance was hell no! I assured her I didn’t write BDSM, it’s all normal vanilla sex. (I crossed my fingers because I imply . . . never mind. You’ll find out.) She caved, edited it, and didn’t complain.

Note: seeing red all over a manuscript returned from an editor is bad enough. Seeing red marks encroach into a sex scene is just wrong on a whole other level.

Fine, editor: check. Cover: no. Sigh. Cover artists have boundaries, and the one I had for the first book didn’t do erotic romance. She gave me some other names, so I had to shop around again. Okay. Cover: check. Amazon: uh, well . . .

We all know there’s contemporary erotic romance on Amazon. There’s erotica on Amazon (erotica = sex but no love story). I went to upload this puppy, it took the book and went into review like normal. Review is supposed to be about twelve hours.

Twenty-four hours later, I’m looking through the forums wondering why my book is still in review. I haven’t received an email, there isn’t any notice to say Amazon’s having problems, nothing. It took nearly thirty-six hours to get this darling online. But it’s there now. That’s all that matters. (I suspect it’s the cover.)