Finding the joy of the season

Two years ago, two days after Christmas, my father-in-law passed away. He'd been sick for several months, and Christmas that year - my son's first - was spent sitting on the end of his bed because he was too weak to get up and come to the living room. It was a joyous time, but also incredibly sad.

This year, we are in the middle of a move. (This post is going up at 6:00 pm because this is the first time I've had a moment to breathe all day.) Our house is nothing but boxes and mess and chaos. No tree, no lights, no decorations. If it weren't for the music I keep playing in the background while I pack and clean (and the pile of snow I can see outside my office window as I type this), one wouldn't know it was Christmas around here at all. We leave in two days to take our first load to our new house, 500 miles away. We come back Christmas Eve, and start the day after Christmas to load the next trip.

But….

My kid will be three in a month. This is the first year he is actively excited about Christmas. He gets what is going on, recognizes Santa Claus, and asks for Christmas songs every time a radio comes on. He is beyond thrilled. So even though I feel nothing but overwhelmed, I need to find the joy of the Christmas season.

(Can we mention how bummed I am that I have to search for the joy? I LOVE Christmas. Love it. I start listening to Christmas songs in October August. Even two years ago, when John was so sick, I was excited for Christmas.)

So every so often, despite how busy I am and how badly I can't afford to take breaks, I need to step back from packing and prepping and cleaning. I grab my kid and we dance to some Christmas tunes. Or we read a book. Or watch Prep & Landing. We leave the house and play in the snow. We talk about Santa and family and traditions and Jesus.

Sometimes, in the back of my mind, I'm listing the millions of things I still have to do. But sometimes - and these are the best times - I forget all of that and just enjoy the moment with Boy Sprout, the excitement of Christmas all around us.

Have you ever had this experience of having to search and work for holiday joy? What's worked for you?

(Pssst….don't forget to enter our 12 Days of Christmas giveaway. There are some fantastic books and goodies up for grabs, y'all!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Character Casting Call

I thought it would be fun to ask my Indie girls who they would cast if Hollywood ever came calling to turn our books into major motion pictures. Their answers, as always, did not disappoint. 

Angi Black's adult contemporary LIFE AFTER DEATH would have an indie film lover's dream cast.

The pitch: "Sometimes losing it all is the only way to learn how to live. Marine widow, Casey, and Mark, the single father of a four-day old, begin a friendship, not just with each other, but with the lives they thought had passed them by."


The Cast: Mark LeBlanc - played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt.  

Angi says, "He has the innocent charm needed to follow through with such a heavy plot. He also has the gravitas to hold the darker scenes. "


Casey Barnes - played by Sarah Michelle Gellar. 

"She has the ability to wear the "everything is fine" face while letting you see she's really falling apart. Plus I think these two would have beautiful chemistry, says Angi, who has
 thought about this so much she already has a Pinterest board devoted to it.  


And Jessica Brooks has a board for her dream cast, too, for the future film version of her contemporary YA romance PITY ISN"T AN OPTION.

The pitch:   "Seventeen year-old Jonas' blood disorder has taken away everything that matters. Sixteen year-old Hattie's father is losing his marbles. When Jonas' perfectly healthy twin brother and Hattie's crazy dad are drafted into the President's army, Hattie's dad disappears. Jonas and Hattie embark on a journey to find him, and find something they'd lost long ago in the process."

The cast: Hattie Akerman: Kaya Scodelario 

 Jonas Norton: John Patrick Amedori 

 Heath Akerman: Jeffry Dean Morgan 

Lucy Akerman: Elle Fanning  

Lanelle Akerman: Elizabeth Shue 
Elise Norton: Sela Ward 
Beck Norton: Andy Garcia 

If you want a little horror with your romance, buy a ticket to Adrianne James' The Enlightening   

.

The pitch:  "Mackenzie Duncan found out that pack life wasn’t for her. Now she is running for the second time in the six months since she was bitten and turned into a Werewolf. But this time, she isn’t alone. This time, she has Geoff and Liam with her, two very hot Werewolves vying for her heart.  But her companions aren't her focus. The only thing she can focus on is getting far from her old pack and their murderous ways. Only, she doesn’t just want to run. She wants to warn every pack she can that their lives are in danger too. No one should be turned against their will like she was and no other pack should have to surrender to the ideas of a centuries old, power hungry woman.  Not only does Mackenzie have to deal with her crazy ex-pack leader sending people out to kill her, she has to keep both men at arm’s length (and that proves to be much more difficult than she thought), but she finds out more about her own life and heritage than she ever thought imaginable. And suddenly, everything makes sense..."

The cast: Mia Mitchell as MacKenzie 

 Taylor Kitch as Geoff 

Xavier Samuels as Liam 

  and Joe Manigianello as Darren 

That is one smokin' hot cast, Adrianne! 

Rachel Blalock Bateman has already pondered this question so much in regard to her YA contemporary 99 Days of Laney Maguire that she had a nifty graphic ready-made for me!

The pitch: "Laney can’t wait to spend the summer at her father’s lake resort. It’s a place where time stands still and nothing ever changes—the perfect thing for Laney after the year she just had. But when she gets there, she discovers the lodge isn’t quite as unchanging as she once thought.

Some of the differences are good, like Rory’s new look; some are bad, like whatever secret Karissa is keeping. And then some things are just confusing, like Weston.

Weston, her mysterious new co-worker, who is the cause of so many of the changes Laney hates. She wants to despise him, but she can’t deny the attraction she feels, nor the desire she has to be around the one person who didn’t know her before the summer—the one person she doesn’t have to pretend for.



The cast:

Laney: Molly Quinn
Weston: Jamie Cambell Bower
Craig: Craig Sheffer 
Karissa: Jenna Ushkowitz
Derek: Denzel Whitaker
Rory: Robbie Sheehan
Angie: Alex Rice


I failed at the challenge myself when it came to casting Snark and Circumstance, but I came up with an interesting cast for my work-in-progress, A TIME OF SHADOWS, as long as I am allowed to play with the elements of time and space. (My game, my rules).

The Pitch:  A 400-year-old witch trapped forever in the body of a seventeen-year-old, Becca  MacCracken thinks she's seen it all. But could the cute boy in her history class really be the reincarnation of the man who tried to save her from the Burning Times? And is that chemistry teacher really her nemesis, the dark magus Count Giancarlo Montoni? Witch hunts, religious fanaticism, and theoretical physics: The Crucible meets a YA The Tudors meets The Big Bang Theory.

The cast: I realized a little while ago that the girl I had in my head as Becca looks a lot like Nicole Fox from America's Next Top Model.

I have no idea if she can act, but she has an awkward sort of grace that works and a sort of sadness that fits a girl who is not what she seems. Plus, her last name is FOX, which will mean something to others if I ever finish the darn thing. Her former fiance/present-day erstwhile boyfriend, Jack, looks like a young Ewan McGregor 

 (fitting since they are both boyish Scots).So I'm traveling back in time to get vintage Ewan for the role.  Her best friend Lilly Preston should be played by Evonna  Lynch , who's been around magic before as Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter movies 

 and Lily has a secret crush on Kai, a physics nerd and martial arts expert who's a younger, dorkier Godfrey Gao 

 

 I have a Pinterest board here for the work in progress. Now I just have to write the thing!

If you're out there, Hollywood agents, we're ready for you. And of course this casting session has been an exercise in pure wish fulfillment. None of these books are being made into films and NONE of these actors are in any way affiliated with us or any of our projects. As writers, we just have really vivid fantasy lives.

- Stephanie Wardrop, author of the YA e-novella series updating Pride and Prejudice called Snark and Circumstance, Swoon Romance, 2013-14

On Naming Characters

A couple months ago, I went on a road trip with a good friend. She had a fun idea for a book and wanted to brainstorm and outline as I was driving. It was great fun bouncing our ideas around the car as it cruised through the mountains of western Idaho. 

And then we got to character names. 

My friend wanted names that reflected her characters - the wild child needed a wild name, the sheltered girl needed a sheltered name, the mean secondary characters needed mean names, and the douchebag boyfriend needed a douchy name. 

I had a horrible time coming up with names, because I can't name characters that way.

When parents name a new kid, with few exceptions, they don't know what that baby is going to be like when he grows up. They don't sit and think "Hmmmm...I think he'll be a popular football player, maybe even Homecoming King. What's a good Homecoming King name?" Two stuffy accountants aren't likely to name their baby girl Starshine Rose, even if that name will work wonderfully with the quirky teenager she'll grow up to be.

Our characters are full people with lives outside the pages we write them into. Their names should reflect less who they are and more who their parents were when they named their baby. After all, your characters didn't just get named when the story you're telling starts; they've had their names for their whole lives before page one.

But what if your character has boring parents, but a boring name just won't work for her? A quick way to get around this is by using nicknames. When I lived in Montana last, I was part of a YA Book Club. One of the members was a girl about my age, maybe a year or two younger, named Finn.

Except her name was actually Linda.

She grew up thinking her parents had given her the most boring, old-lady name in the world, so when she went to college, she told people to call her Finn, and it stuck. 

(Apparently Linda really is a boring, old-lady name, because it's also my step-mom's name, but she's always gone by Cathie.) 

Now, you don't have to name characters this way. Authors give characters names with meaning all the time, and it works. (And, really, who is going to argue with Queen Rowling?) I'm just giving you something to think about next time you are trying to come up with the perfect name that will, in one word, encompass everything your character is. 

Your turn! How do you name your characters? Sound off in the comments. :)

Business Planning: Let's Talk About Money

Hello, Lovelies! I am finally back to finish up the Business Planning for Authors series. Sorry for the delay, y'all. All the things. All. The. Things.

Anyway, I'm back and ready to talk about the thing nobody ever wants to talk about, especially when it comes to publishing: Money. All over the interwebs you will see the advice, Never Pay to Be Published. With traditional publishing, this is absolutely true; publishers pay you, not the other way. But we indies live in a different world.

(Disclaimer: Yes, I know that you can publish your book without spending a dime. I get it. But I also know that most people don't have all the skillsets needed to write, edit, design, format, and publish a book. I'm assuming you are one of us normal people, in which case some money will likely be spent.)

So where do you start with this whole budgeting your book thing? I'm sure there are plenty of ways you can go about this, but here is how I do it:

1. Write down your anticipated expenses. What will you be spending on this book? Possible money-eaters include editing (possibly several rounds - developmental editing, copy editing, proofreading), cover design (don't forget that you'll need an extended design for a paperback if you are releasing one), formatting (epub, mobi, and print book layout), and marketing/PR monies. Also: ISBNs and set-up fees for your printer, if they have any. Do your research and find out what these things will cost you. You will find huge variety in the costs for covers and editors, so don't just base your numbers on what your friend spent, unless you will be using the same vendors. (Check out the Vendors We Trust.)
2. Decide what your price point is going to be. Will you be selling your book for $2.99? $3.99? Now's the time  for some market analysis. What price seems to be the most effective for your genre? Readers have preconceived notions when it comes to prices. Too high and they will think it's not worth it. Too low and, no matter how great the book is, there will be some readers who think it is not good enough for a higher price and will skip it. 
3. Create a sales projection. This part is the hardest, as there is no way to know exactly how a book will do. Amazing books often have very few sales, and many books that skyrocket to success were ones for which the author had low expectations. If we knew exactly what makes a book successful, we would all be bestsellers (and then by default nobody would be a bestseller). Not a lot of authors share their sales figures online, but with some digging, you will likely be able to find someone to base your projection on. Look for an author who writes in your genre and who has a similar release history. (It won't work to compare your first-book projection to the sales on Author's ninth title.) I do my sales projections month-by-month.

Now that you have your numbers, add them all up. This will give you an idea of what you can expect to pay to make your book the best it can be. Once you know what your expenses are, go ahead and add some onto that number. Even the best budgeter can find herself overspending. :)

There. Really, it's quite simple. Even so, this will be the hardest part of the business plan for most people, as it is the part with the least concrete evidence on which to base the numbers. But I promise you, you will never regret planning it out in advance.

Business Planning: Your Production Schedule

Part of the joy of self-publishing is the ability to set our own schedules. We can determine how many books we release in a year, how far apart they are to be spaced, and when they will hit the virtual shelves. We are not limited by publisher scheduling that only allows one title a year, nor are we contractually obligated to deliver manuscripts by a certain time. 

Have you ever heard that old saying, "Given enough rope to hang yourself with?" The freedom that comes with being completely in charge of our own schedules can also become a hindrance to us. Without a set schedule, it's easy to slack off . . . or as may be the case for many writers, it's easy to set publication dates that we can't reach without skimping on editorial time. 

A Production Schedule should be a major part of every author's business plan. By taking the time to plan out when you are going to release titles and the timing for the steps along the way, you are setting yourself up for success. Not only does a production schedule give you something to go off of for your own benefit (say, in helping you plan your finances around the release), it also allows you to pre-schedule with editors and cover designers. If you have a date scheduled with your editor from the start, you won't have the last-minute scramble to find an open editor when you finish your draft. You also have added incentive to get your draft done on time - there's nothing like missing a deadline when someone's waiting to get your manuscript from you. 

So how do you go about setting a production schedule? The answer to that is the ever-infuriating it depends. Ultimately, you need to decide what works best for you and your business, but I do have a few suggestions:

• Look at your past work. How long did it take you to draft the book? And how long did you then spend in edits? You can't base your production schedule off anyone's work but your own. Maybe you can write and edit fast enough to release several books a year; maybe you need much longer and will only be releasing one title a year. (And don't let anyone tell you that you have to release a ton of titles to make it. More titles may help, but releasing early just to get them out there will only hurt.) Whatever your schedule looks like, make sure it is something that works well for you and your working pace. This isn't a race or competition, y'all. 
• Make sure you plan in time for edits. You know how long it takes you to write a draft, and you know how long it takes you to get through edits. When you plan your schedule, make sure you also plan in enough time for your editor to work on your project. I work as an editor, and I can tell you: it is possible to turn edits around for an author really quickly, but work is much more thorough and less likely to have mistakes missed with enough time allowed. (Also, most editors will charge extra for rush edits, so do your bank account a favor and work time into the schedule.) All editors are different, so contact yours to see how much time she needs. 
• Plan enough time for publicity and marketing. Hype can't build overnight. Give yourself enough time to get word out and give your baby the best chance you can. 
• Plan for something to go wrong. My time as the editorial coordinator for Month9Books has taught me one very important thing: something is bound to come up on every title. Make sure you are ready for that eventuality. Personal example: I had plans to get the most recent draft of my book done and to an editor at the end of March. Then all the things happened. A bunch of Month9 work came up; I had a few freelance projects come my way; the farm, in a truly farm-like way, demanded so much time to fix fences (always the fences); and then I got sick. So, yeah, draft didn't get done. And while it was a hassle to have to reschedule with my editor, I had the time built into my schedule, so it won't change my release date at all. If I hadn't scheduled buffer time in, there's a very real chance I would have to push that date back. 

I can't tell you what your production schedule should look like; I don't know your work habits, and I don't know how many rounds of edits your title will need. My schedule is probably a little more detailed than many; chalk that up to scheduling for a publisher. :) Here's what my schedule for Incubus, my December release, looks like:

• Rewrite delivered by 31.July.2013
• Full beta read by 7.August.2013 (I have awesome fast readers.)
• First revisions by 14.August.2013
• Send to publicist and editor by 15.August.2013
• Content edit returned by 31.August.2013
• Revisions and edits by 15.September.2013
• Copy edits returned by 30.September.2013
• Revisions by 14.October.2013
• Pre-proofing by 21.October.2013
• Formatting by 31.October.2013
• Second proof by 7.November.2013
• Send files to Lightning Source by 10.November.2013
• Final proofing (both eBook and print) by 24.November.2013
• **Cover needed by 3.September.2013**
• Release date: 3.December.2013

Yes, I know there are three proofreading rounds in there. I am neurotic like that. I read my books forward, backward, and totally randomly, trying my very best to squash out any proofing mistakes. Your schedule may not be this detailed, and that's okay. The important thing is that you have one. I write a schedule like this for each book I plan to release, plus a master schedule of my releases, so I can look at the big picture and know what to expect for my business.    

There you go - the nitty gritty of scheduling your titles. Take some time to figure out a schedule that works for you. Then get back to writing - that's the fun part anyway!

Your turn: do you schedule out your books, or do you let things run as they may? Leave it in the comments. 

(I'll be back next week to talk about big, bad finances!)

 

 

Business Plans for Authors

I think it's safe to say that many of you lovely readers are writers. We love words and creating and art. We spend hours, days, weeks, months, and (for some of us) years crafting our perfect book. Sweat and tears (but hopefully not blood) are poured into our work, and we let that creative side roll. It's fun and beautiful and wonderful. 

But, unfortunately, that's not all there is to being a writer - at least, that's not all there is to being a published author. Whether you publish with a major Big Six (Five? Four? I can't keep up with the mergers anymore) House, a small press, an eBook exclusive house, or chose to go it alone-ish and self-publish, you are now a businessperson. Yep, that analytical, chart- and list-loving side of your brain finally gets to come out and play. (And if you are one who thinks that side of your brain lay down and died many moons ago, prepare to resuscitate it, because you'll need it now. But don't worry, it won't be too hard.) I'm going to be focusing on indie authors, because - hello! - this is an indie author blog, but I think a lot of this will apply to authors with big houses behind them as well, just maybe with a little tweaking.

Why does an author need a business plan? 

 

Good question; I'm glad you asked. As nice as it would be to be able to just sit at home and churn out words, the reality of indie publishing is that you are no longer just a writer; you are now a writer and a publisher, so all the major business decisions fall on you. I wrote a business plan for my massage studio*; I wrote a business plan for my alpaca farm; it only makes sense that I should write one for my writing and publishing. 

After all, this is a business. (Have I drilled that in enough yet?)

So what goes into a business plan? 

 

That really depends on you and how thorough you want to be. My business plan for Metamorphosis Books is twenty-one pages long. Plus I do an additional plan for each individual title. But I'm neurotically organized. It's likely you won't have quite as much in yours as I do in mine. (But if you want an idea of how detailed mine is, check out this blog series by Denise Grover Swank. She laid it out so well, and all I'd be doing is basically regurgitating a lot of stuff she said, and what's the fun in that?) At the very least, I think you need to focus on: 

1. A vision for your business. (below)
2.  A production schedule. When will your titles be released? When do you have to reach writing and editing milestones in order to make that happen? When do you need your cover by, and when will you start with promotions and publicity? (I will cover this next week.)
3. A financial plan. How much is this going to cost you? What will you charge for your books? Where do your profits go? (I will be covering this in two weeks.)

There are a ton of other things you could add, but at the very least I suggest these three core items.

Let's talk about vision.

 

What are you hoping to accomplish? Are you just putting out one book, or are you setting yourself up for the future?  This is the part of your business plan where it's most important to be totally honest with yourself. Where do you really see yourself going with this adventure? It's okay to shoot high here and to plan for big things to happen. We're all dreamers, and while the nitty-gritty of business planning will ground us a bit in later weeks, we can lay out all our grand ideas here.

But...

Please take the time to reflect and be honest with yourself about what YOU really want. Don't base your plan on anyone but yourself. It's easy to see what everyone else has and to try to go for that as well, but is it what you truly want? Example:

A bit more than a year ago, I was writing up my business plan for our alpaca farm. During the research phase, a lot of really cool things popped, and before long I was incorporating those numbers and ideas into my plan. The alpaca business was so cool! And, man, these people were making BANK.

But they were also dumping a ton of money into their business, giving ultrasounds to their pregnant dams, paying multi-thousand dollar stud fees just so they could get the best names in their pedigrees, traveling around the country ALL THE TIME to go to shows. They were performing monthly weigh-ins on their animals and sending fiber samples off to labs to get histogram readings. (It's okay if you don't know what that means.)

It was easy to get caught up in the excitement and pull of those big numbers, but when I made myself be completely honest about what I wanted, that lifestyle was not it. My husband grew up on a farm and has a livestock background; alpacas are livestock, but these farmers were not treating them this way. I didn't need - or want - the fancy gadgetry and hand-breeding; my animals know how to do the dirty just fine on their own, and their offspring are just as great. I don't need to win awards at shows and to have a piece of paper saying how great my animals' fiber is; the spinners and knitters I sell to don't care what the judges say - they just know good fiber.

Sorry to go all farm-talk on y'all. The point is: it was easy to see what others have and put those ideas into my plan. But when I really thought about it, I realized those weren't the things I wanted. Sure, they were great for those other farms, but just not for me. So now I run a very laid-back alpaca farm, very different from all those I researched before business planning, and I couldn't be happier with it. (Well, I could be happier if that one devil alpaca would stop eating our dog food, but that's beside the point.)

So take some time and think about what you really want out of your writing and publishing. It's fine to look at what others are doing and have accomplished**, but when it comes time to actually write your own plan, first try to put all of those other authors out of your mind so you can meditate on you. Once you figure yourself out, you're ready to write out the vision for your business.

Okay, I think I've gone on about long enough for one blog post. I'll be back next week to talk about production schedules.

Your homework for this week: if you've not yet done this, take some time to sit down and envision what you want from your writing and publishing. Where do you want your plan to take you? (And if you've already done this, take some time to read over what you have and re-evaluate. Are you still in line with what you originally planned? Business plans are fluid. Don't be afraid to change course.)

*This was before I destroyed my right shoulder and effectively squashed a steady massage career.

**It's actually really great and beneficial to research what others have done, and that research will come in handy for later parts of your plan. Just try to ignore the others for this part.

What Amazon Acquiring Goodreads Could Mean for Readers and Writers

David and Goliath. A little extreme...or not? Source

The big buzz in the book world today is that internet giant Amazon.com has reached an agreement to acquire Goodreads, the wonderful book-centric social network site used and loved by millions. What does this mean for us as authors and readers? The details have not been revealed, but I have some speculation on what the future could look like:

As of now, Goodreads has links on book pages to numerous retailers. For authors, this means that when a new reader checks out a book on Goodreads, she has the option to be directed to the retailer of her choice to make a purchase. A comment on the announcement blog post, left by a Goodreads employee, states, "... We have no plans to change how the links on our book pages work. ..." (emphasis mine) Maybe I'm a cynic, but I can't see the links staying as they are. (More likely, this is Goodreads' way of saying, "We won't change the way links work, but once Amazon is in control, all bets are off.") I can't imagine Amazon would ever, on a site it owns, link directly to its competition. Just like on IMDB, another Amazon-owned site, all links will point back to the mother ship.

Reviews, the backbone of the Goodreads community...with Amazon playing Big Brother, will the Goodreads review policy be changed? A statement, again found in the comments thread of their announcement post, added by a Goodreads employee, says, "We don't expect to make changes to our review policy. Our reviews are obviously a strength of our site, and we don't plan to change how we handle them." (emphasis mine) Again, the clever wording leads me to believe that they are leaving things open to change under the reign of King Amazon.

Amazon's review policy, while seemingly innocuous, is actually a huge problem for reviewers, many of whom have stopped reviewing on Amazon and now review strictly on personal blogs and Goodreads, because:

1. Amazon claims ownership on reviews, meaning all the time and effort you put into crafting your review? ... that now belongs to Amazon, and they can use your words however they see fit.
2. Authors are not allowed to review books on Amazon. You're an author? And a reader? Preposterous! Not too long ago, Amazon quietly (read: without warning) began deleting any reviews written by authors of books in the same genre. So I'm a YA author. And, not so coincidentally, I LOVE to read YA. But review it? Not allowed, according to Amazon.
3. Amazon has very strict rules about the language reviewers use, ostensibly because they now own the words and don't want to be held responsible for anything inflammatory or offensive. While I personally prefer to read reviews that are honest, but kind (yes, even a negative review can be kind), many reviewers like to be snarky and even use - gasp! - some foul language. That's a no-go on Amazon.

Goodreads is a place where reviewers can say what they like, how the like, without fear of having their review removed without warning, or fear of their words being used to benefit a company (when they themselves are no longer even allowed to use the review on their own website, technically). Like I said above, the statement as of today is that there is no expected change for the review policy, but given Amazon's track record, reviewers are nervous, and rightly so.

While, on the author side of things, changes to the Buy Links and review policy may be the most worrisome aspects of this acquisition, readers may have a bigger issue with:

The loss of a neutral place to meet up and talk about books we love.

For years, that's exactly what Goodreads was. We could go and talk with fellow book nerds about the books and authors we adore, and there was no pressure to buy, because Goodreads had no vested interest in book sales. With Amazon owning the company, you better believe there's a vested interest; every member is now a potential customer. How long before our Goodreads pages look like Amazon sales copy?

So what is a reader to do?

There is very little out there by way of social network sites geared toward readers. Goodreads was basically it. Sure, Shelfari had a brief run where it looked like it might become popular. Then Amazon bought the site, failed to support it, and let it all but die. (Will this be the future for Goodreads? I doubt it.)

Another option is Library Thing. On the surface, it looks great: perhaps not as fully featured as Amazon, it has potential. After one adds 200 books, it is no longer free, but the pay options are very reasonable: $10 a year, or $25 for life. Under the surface, however, you will find that Library Thing is owned 40% by Amazon. (A note on that link: AbeBooks is now owned by Amazon, which is how ownership of Library Thing was acquired.)

So, yeah. If you want social networking revolving around books? It's owned by Amazon. That's your option, sorry. This Goodreads purchase just blasted open a HUGE niche in the social network market. Geek Husband and I are already scheming. :)

Your turn! What do you think about Amazon buying Goodreads? Are you concerned at all? Leave it in the comments.

(this post is cross posted at my personal blog.)

Let's Talk About Websites

We live in a digital world. Everyone is online, and it's not uncommon to see toddlers with their own iPods and iPads. Gone are the days where a reader hears about a new author and checks said author out at their friendly neighborhood bookstore; now, when hearing of a new book or author, a reader hops online to see what the hype is all about. Without a website to land at, where is the reader getting the information?

Truth time: it takes a thirty-minute drive for me to get to my nearest bookstore, and their YA/NA (my most read categories) section is nearly nonexistent. The nearest Barnes & Noble is an eighty-mile drive. We have a decent public library, but it is still sadly lacking in many of the books I like to read. The internet is where I need to go to get what I want.

Amazon has done great things for those looking for information; often I peruse author and book pages, looking over reviews to see how others seem to like the book I'm interested in. But I've found that many readers, myself included, like a more personal look at the author, something that shows unique style and personality, and this is where the author website comes in.

Websites don't have to be a scary thing, I promise. While learning HTML and CSS (it's okay of you don't know what that means) can help you get your site looking exactly how you want it, it's not at all necessary to get things going. So what do you need?

• A Domain Name: This isn't totally necessary (you'll notice this blog is not on a custom domain), but having your own domain name has its benefits, the most obvious being that readers don't have to remember if your site is at blogspot or wordpress or any other number of free hosting sites. Domain names are cheap, and you can point them to one of these sites, keeping your hosting free. 
•  A Web Host: You can host your website through Blogger and Wordress.com, and that is a great route to go, especially when you are first starting off. If and when you want more control, you will need paid hosting. A quick web search will turn up many great options for this. 

Yeah, that's pretty much it, and you'll notice that both of those things are easy and potentially free. That's how simple it is to get yourself a website. It's really something that we, as writers, can't afford not to do. A quick Twitter poll shows me that I am not the only person who has bought an author's book in large part because I liked what I saw on her website, nor am I the only one who skipped a book I was neutral about when I was unable to find anything on the author. There are a lot of books out there, y'all, and we need to be doing what we can to make information about ours as accessible as possible. 

After asking around, I found that most people have specific things they like to see on an author website. So if you are just getting started on your site, or looking to update an existing one soon, consider making sure you have these elements: 

• An About the Author page. Yes, people want to know about your books, but especially in this society of knowing the ins and outs of everyone's life, they want to know about YOU. This doesn't mean you have to tell us all the gritty details of your life (in fact, please don't), but a little something is nice. Help us put a person behind the words. 
• Pages About Your Books. After all, why are we there? Give us synopses, teasers, extras, playlists... whatever you are comfortable sharing. Your books are your babies; this is your chance to make them shine and convince readers to read them.
• A Contact page. How else will your adoring fans send you gushing letters of endless love?
• A Blog. This one comes with a caveat: only have the blog if it's something you enjoy doing. Don't force it; readers will be able to tell.

You can have much, much more than this, and many authors do, but I suggest having at least these basic elements. 

I've been studying author sites for weeks now, taking notes of things I like and dislike about them, as I set out to redesign my own website, and I'm interested to hear from y'all: 

Which author websites are your favorites, and why? Leave it in the comments.