NINC

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Nink ~ Don’t Pants Your Career: Career Plotting For Mid-Level Authors

This article by Tara Wyatt is from the October 2021 edition of Nink, the monthly newsletter of Novelists, Inc.  (NINC). Nink, which is packed each month with informative articles for career novelists, is a benefit of NINC membership.  

When it comes to writing our books, some of us are pantsers—those who write by the seat of their pants without a solid outline to guide them—and some are plotters. Some of us are a combination of the two. There’s no one right way to write a book. In fact, if your method is resulting in completed projects that you’re happy with, I’d say it’s working for you.

However, when it comes to our careers, too many of us are pantsing it—moving forward without a plan, goal, or solid vision as to where we’d like to be six months, 12 months, or two years from now. While it’s perfectly acceptable to pants your books (I’ve written more than 20 books this way), you can’t pants your career.

If you’re unsure where to start when it comes to career planning, keep reading.

Organize your workflow
Before you start planning, first do some reflecting and analyzing. Creating an effective and realistic plan requires a level of self-awareness when it comes to not only your goals, but also your capacity and capabilities. Open a blank Word document or grab a journal, and answer the following questions:

  • How many books do I write a year, on average?
  • How long does it take me to write and edit each book?
  • Is my current pace sustainable? Could I do more? Should I do less? Where is my happy medium?

There are no right or wrong answers to these questions. Answer them honestly, and pay attention to how you feel as you answer them. Don’t take on more than you know you can realistically handle, because that’s a sure path to burnout.

Once you have a clear picture of how many books you can comfortably release in a year, create a spreadsheet with a column along the top labeled “new releases.” Down the side, create a row for each month of the coming year. Now that you know how long it takes you to write a book, slot in your releases for the next 12 months. (Note: If planning this far ahead stresses you out or doesn’t work for you, cap it at six months).

Plan your promotions
Now that you have a clear picture of your upcoming release schedule, it’s time to plan your promotions around those releases.

When you have a new release, look for what’s similar in your backlist to promote. If you write in series, this could be an earlier book in that series. If you write standalones, it could be a book with the same or similar trope, setting, or overall theme. It’s up to you when you’d like to run the promotion—a few weeks before the release, during the release, immediately after the release. Experiment and find what works best for you. Discounting a backlist book creates a low barrier to entry into your series or your books, enticing new readers. This is especially helpful if the new release is a later book in a series, which is more difficult to market to new readers. By discounting an earlier book in the series, you reclaim some of that marketing power. Once you’ve selected the backlist title to promote in support of your new release, note how you plan to promote it. Will it be on sale for 99 cents? Temporarily free? How are you going to market the sale? Are you going to apply for a BookBub? Submit to other newsletters such as Robin Reads, Ereader News Today, or Fussy Librarian?

When you’ve selected your backlist promotions, create a new column in your spreadsheet called “Discounted Backlist Book” and slot in your planned promotions next to your new releases. Now you’ll have a clear picture of not only the new books you’re releasing, but the backlist books you’re going to promote to support them.

Marketing activities
Now that you know what new books you’ll be releasing as well as what discounted books you’ll be promoting in support of that release, it’s time to plan your other marketing activities. Take a look at what you currently do and/or enjoy doing when it comes to marketing. Some examples of marketing activities outside of a discounted book promotion include:

  • Social media: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter
  • Newsletter swaps with other authors
  • Cost-per-click ads on platforms such as Facebook, Amazon, and BookBub
  • Giveaways (joint giveaway with other authors, Goodreads giveaways)

Please note, I’m not saying that you should do all of these things. These are merely examples of marketing activities. What do you usually do? Is it working for you? How do you know? Analyze what you’ve done in the past to make the best possible decision for the future. When you’ve decided what marketing activities you’re going to undertake, create a new column in your spreadsheet called “Marketing” and slot in what you plan to do. It could be a Goodreads giveaway, a Facebook ad campaign, newsletter swaps with other authors in your genre, all of the above, or something entirely different. But figure out what you’ll be doing, and slot it in.

What if I’m a slow writer?
As we all know, the pace of the market is increasingly relentless. There are authors releasing a book a month, and if that’s the speed where you’re comfortable and fulfilled without burning out, power to you. However, many of us are not writing six, eight or 10 books a year, and that’s fine. If you only write one or two books a year, there are ways to boost your income and round out your calendar.

1. Rebrand an older book or series. If you have a series that isn’t selling well and is a few years old, consider putting new covers on the books (pay attention to what’s selling in your genre to make sure your covers are right for the market) and writing fresh blurbs. Then discount the first book to 99 cents or free and promote it as best you can. Freshening up an older series can attract new readers, especially if you treat the rebrand just like a new release, with cover reveals, a sale, and other activities you do to promote your new releases.

2. Write a free prequel to an existing series. Consider writing a short story or novella that serves as a prequel to an existing series. Adding content to a series and creating a new entry point can bring in new readers. You could also treat the prequel just like a new release. Because it’s shorter, it won’t take as long to write but will still help boost sales of that series.

3. Create box sets of existing content. If you have a multi-book series that’s at least five books long, you could create a box set of the first three books in the series and treat the release of the box set just like you would a new book. This box set can also act as an excellent promotional tool in the future. For example, if you have a new release in that series, you can offer the box set for 99 cents or $1.99 as your discounted book. You could also create a box set of three or four first-in-series books if you have multiple series to play with, and treat that box set like a new release as well.

If you don’t write in series, you could create a box set of two or three books with the same trope, theme, or even setting. Be creative! Another idea would be to team up with other authors in your genre and offer a multi-author box set for free for a limited time. This type of cross promotion is excellent for finding new readers.

4. Create audio versions of your books. This is a pricey option, to be sure, but audiobooks are a growing market. Creating audiobook versions of your backlist books is a way to find new readers, round out your release calendar, and diversify your income streams. However, it does come with a heavier investment than, say, putting together a box set. But it’s an option if you have the cash flow.

Putting it all together
You should now have a clear picture of the next year (or six months, or possibly even 18 if you like to plan that far ahead) and all of the big, important pieces. What new books are you releasing and when? What backlist promotions will you do to support those new releases? What other marketing activities are you planning?

You can customize your spreadsheet to reflect your workflow and plans. For example, some people create a separate column to track applying for BookBub Featured Deals. Others create a column for cover reveals, or series rebrands, or audiobook releases. It’s up to you how to use it. But I do encourage you to use it, even if you’re a pantser when it comes to your writing. With a little planning, strategy, and organization, it will be that much easier to grow your author career and take it to the next level.

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Tara Wyatt is an award-winning contemporary romance and romantic suspense author of more than 20 books. She lives near Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

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Nink ~ Behind the Curtain: Talking Covers with Tordotcom’s Christine Foltzer & Indie Authors

This article, written by Patricia Burroughs is from the October 2021 edition of Nink, the monthly newsletter of Novelists, Inc.  (NINC). Nink, which is packed each month with informative articles for career novelists, is a benefit of NINC membership. 

Following up on my August 2021 Nink interview with Guido Carotti, senior designer at Harper Collins Mass Market Paperbacks, I interviewed Christine Foltzer, associate art director at Tordotcom Publishing. Then the voices of indie authors, who serve as their own art directors, were added to the mix.

In the beginning, marketing?
For Christine Foltzer, everything begins when she receives a cover memo from the book’s acquiring editor. The cover memo includes genre/subgenre, story summary, notes and/or visuals of locations, objects, characters, and comp covers of existing books that are representative of the mood, style, format, art, or other elements the author and editor like.

But before arriving in the art department, Tordotcom Marketing has already had input in the book’s future, including determining which catalog the book will be in—spring/summer, fall, or winter—and thus its publication date. Work on the cover begins about a year in advance.

Foltzer adds the book to her bullet-point list of upcoming books. Many NINC authors also recommend scheduling far in advance, for many designers are booked solid for months.

Some authors are so prolific they also have to keep their version of a bullet-point list to keep up with multiple covers at a time.

But marketing is always the priority.

The purpose of a book cover is to market the book, which means visibility to the target readers.

That’s where comp covers come in for the indie writers, too.

One NINC author spent “hundreds of hours” studying recent bestselling covers in her genre to find comps for the covers she DIYs herself. Again and again, our members stressed the importance of comp covers, of studying the competition, knowing which cover trends are current, and, most of all, understanding the common elements of your genre’s/subgenre’s covers.

Important and overlooked aspects of finding and choosing comp covers

  • They shouldn’t be written by authors whose names alone sell books. King, Rowling, Patterson, etc. Those books fall into an entirely different category.
  • They should be successful. You don’t want to emulate a cover with minimal sales and an unknown author. It’s already not working for them.
  • They must be in the exact genre/subgenre.

Too obvious? Not really. It’s easy to fall in love with a cover or a style and know it’s perfect for your story and want it—even though it fails the above tests. It’s even more common to dislike the cover conventions of a genre/subgenre and decide to use something to your own preference.

You’re the art director. And unless the author’s going to buy 100,000 copies of their own book, our authors overwhelmingly say, kick that “author” to the curb and let marketing rule the day.

Regrets, we have a few

NINC indies mourn the money and time squandered on covers that didn’t work yet could have had they understood the importance of genre conventions in a book’s visibility and sales.

Several authors ditched the bare chest covers common in romance. Low sales changed their minds, and with new covers sales have surged. Readers can now identify them as “their kind of book.”

The reverse can also be a problem. Without realizing it, some authors sent the wrong signals with their book covers. Reviewers told two authors that they expected a different kind of book from the cover. Coincidentally, both books—one a mystery and one a comic thriller—looked YA.

Book covers are labels, and readers expect to get what the label tells them is inside, whether authors like that labeling or not.

Foltzer shares cover ideas with editors, who consult their author. After adjustments and getting approval, Foltzer then starts the cover on its way to the actual art. She commissions original art for some, commissions freelance book designers for others, and does some in-house.

Regrets, we have more
The other top regret shared by many indie authors? Not commissioning professionals who are experts at book cover design and also the genre/subgenre of the book.

This is a three-pronged error:

  • “Knowing Photoshop” isn’t enough.
  • Even knowing graphic design isn’t enough.
  • Even an award-winning book cover designer isn’t a good choice if their portfolio is in an entirely different genre.

You wouldn’t take your Corvette to a diesel mechanic. So why would you put your career and bank account in the hands of your neighbor/niece/coworker unless they are experienced, successful book designers in your genre? Most indies reported regretting that kind of early choice and would do it differently today.

Where to find a designer

  • Word of mouth from successful indie authors in the same genre/subgenre
  • Sometimes listed on copyright pages
  • Reddit and other online communities where authors and artists gather
  • Genre-specific Google searches (book cover designers + subgenre)
  • Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc. (Twitter hashtag #portfolioday)

Rights and licenses
Questions to ask; not all necessarily apply to any specific situation:

  • The prices of print and audiobook covers?
  • Does your license include using the cover on web pages, store sites, social media, merchandise?
  • Is the art/photo exclusively yours or also available for other authors?
  • Can you share in-progress drafts with your readers to vote on options?
  • How many sample designs, drafts, and revisions are provided?
  • Do you provide other options, such as behind-the-scenes videos of photoshoots that the author can use in promotions?

 

Designing your own covers
DIY is a growing trend and one that, while tempting, can be as disastrous as using an inadequate designer.

Some respondents admitted that they liked their early attempts and were proud of them at the time. But down the road, they recognized the work was amateurish, which hurt sales. Readers assumed the insides were as amateur as the cover.

Many authors are thrilled with the skills they’re learning and the new covers they are making. The learning curve on Photoshop, for example, has been tough but gratifying, and they know their covers will only improve as they learn more.

BookBrush and Canva
One writer says the combination of graphics experience and BookBrush has led to replacing older mystery covers.

Stock photos and premade covers
Book designers use stock photos as a starting place and then manipulate, layer and add objects or characters that are also digitally changed. But unadorned stock photos with text can work in some genres. Book designers often have premade covers on their websites. Authors sometimes find covers there. Two writers regretted snapping up premades, assuming they could write something to fit. They acknowledge they’ll never do it again and wish they could have that money back.

It’s amazing how many of us decide to learn to create book covers without any knowledge of Photoshop and go for it anyway. Some look at the many long hours of frustration and less-than-stellar results and consider the experience time and money wasted. Others take courses to learn or watch YouTube videos and ask for help in Facebook groups.

Several members can’t visualize what they want until they play around with the elements themselves, which led to them finally acquiring enough skills to take on the task for good. Some take on DIY because they can make effective covers. Others are happy to turn the job over to the professionals when they can. And some take the hybrid road in covers, making some for themselves and hiring professionals to do others. One such author mentioned hiring a romance cover designer because getting those right is imperative, whereas some of her other book covers are less demanding.

How do you know a cover works?
Crowd-sourcing your readers is a popular method to test covers. Some share on social media and may even let readers vote on options or models. Some create a private Facebook group or subset of their email list for this use.

One author showed three different male models to readers to choose between, only to have one of them dismissed overwhelmingly because the readers said he was on too many covers already.

Authors ask for the above feedback as a way to build anticipation for their new book, even if they’re already pretty sure what they’re going to do.

Keep in mind:

  • If there’s a free promotion and not a lot of downloads? Very likely, the cover isn’t doing its job.
  • Reviewers saying they expected a different kind of book from the cover? Again, the cover isn’t doing its job.
  • Some people change covers and sales surge.
  • How many clicks an ad gets may be indicative of your cover’s appeal.
  • Your cover reveals on social media or in your newsletter should get responses.
  • One author tested her covers with Facebook ads. Once she found the best, she went ahead and recovered an entire series.

Once is not enough
Several authors say they update covers every few years. Others change covers as soon as they suspect one isn’t working. All say updated covers usually boost sales.

 

Summing up
Indie authors relish the control they have over their own covers, despite the learning curve they may hit and hard lessons learned through experience. If something isn’t working, they have the flexibility to change it. And if it is working, they can enjoy the profits and perhaps use the lessons learned when designing their next cover.

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Patricia Burroughs is a novelist and screenwriter. She is an Academy Fellow, having received the Academy Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting (awarded by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences). She loves Pratchett, Aaronovitch, Dunnett, and Heyer. She desperately needs a maid.

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Christine Foltzer is art director at Tordotcom Publishing. She has overseen the development of covers and marketing since the launch of the imprint in 2015. After graduating from Pratt Institute with a BFA in Illustration, she also worked at St. Martin’s Press, Oxford University Press, and Grand Central Publishing.

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Nink: Front & Back Matter ~ Dress Your Novel For Success

This article, written by Mindy Klasky  is from the August 2021 edition of Nink, the monthly newsletter of Novelists, Inc.  (NINC). Nink, which is packed each month with informative articles for career novelists, is a benefit of NINC membership. 

As authors, we pour energy into creating our novels, drafting, and revising and polishing until every word sings. But all too often, we send those creations into the world dressed in the equivalent of a burlap sack, setting the story between hastily thrown together front matter and back matter. (Front matter is simply the material that appears at the front of a book, before the story itself—think title page, “Also By” page, etc. Back matter is the material that appears at the back of the book—think “About the Author” page, etc. Front matter and back matter, taken together, are a book’s supplemental matter.)

The primary goal of supplemental matter is to sell the specific book in which it appears. That sale is made more likely by front matter and back matter that convey professionalism, reassuring the prospective buyer that an author understands basic publishing conventions such as title pages and copyright pages. “Also by” pages increase a potential purchaser’s confidence by demonstrating the author’s experience. Dedications, author’s notes, forewords, introductions, and prefaces all provide glimpses into an author’s thoughts, building rapport with would-be readers and making them more likely to want to continue the relationship by buying the book.

The secondary goal—which is almost as important as the primary one—is to sell additional books. But just as a Brooks Brothers suit stands out in a Silicon Valley office or a graphic T-shirt is frowned upon by Wall Street, appropriateness of specific front matter and back matter varies depending on setting. Ebooks and print books require dramatically different fashion statements.

A complete wardrobe
Grab a book off the nearest bookshelf. Take a peek at what’s in there, concentrating on all the things that aren’t actually the main text. Chances are, you’ll see some or all of the following, possibly accompanied by one or more blank pages:

  • Table of contents (originally included only in nonfiction works, but now often included in ebook versions of fiction and nominally required by Amazon for all ebooks)
  • Half-title page (usually including just the title, with no other information)
  • Title page (usually including the publisher’s name and logo and sometimes including the publisher’s location)
  • Also By page (listing some or all of the author’s works)
  • Copyright page (including a copyright notice, other legal notices, and contact information for the publisher)
  • Blurbs (excerpts of reviews or other promotional material specifically for this book)
  • Dedication
  • Epigraph
  • Author’s note
  • Foreword, introduction, or preface
  • Prologue
  • (The actual text—the one thing on this list that is not supplemental matter)
  • Epilogue
  • Afterword
  • Endnotes
  • Index
  • Acknowledgments
  • Interview with the author
  • Book group or classroom materials related to the book
  • Promotional material for other books by the author, including teasers (typically in the same series, but not always)
  • Promotional material for books by other authors
  • Invitation to join the author’s newsletter or other social media
  • Request to review the book
  • About the Author page
  • About the Publisher page

A slim silhouette: ebooks
The selection of specific supplemental matter varies by format because readers experience electronic books and print books in very different ways. (Some traditional publishers have not recognized this different experience; many ebooks published by traditional publishers retain the identical supplemental matter as their print books. This arrangement is not optimal.)

Front matter is often dramatically curtailed in ebooks, supporting authors’ primary goal of selling the current book. This abridgment is a natural consequence of many vendors providing a free sample to potential ebook buyers, allowing them to read a percentage of the book for free. (The specific percentage varies from vendor to vendor.) Authors benefit by providing as striking a sample as possible, allowing the prospective purchaser to experience the author’s writing style, ideally hooking them to the extent that they buy the book.

Extensive front matter cuts into the “meat” of the sample available to possible buyers. Extensive blurbs, long lists of other works by the author, and promotional material for the publisher all build a barrier between the reader and the actual text of the novel.

Technically, no front matter is necessary; however, most authors retain a few basics: a title page, a dedication (if they’re including one in the book), and a prologue (again, if the story calls for one.)

All other supporting material—even the table of contents and copyright page—is shifted to the back. Once there is no longer a danger of alienating a reader who is considering a sample, possibilities open up. For example, an “Also By” list might include every book written by the author instead of a select few. A teaser might include entire chapters, rather than a few pages.

The whole nine yards: print books
Print books, on the other hand, tend to retain more front matter. Even though many potential purchasers of print books will use a vendor’s preview function (e.g., Amazon’s Look Inside feature), most print books retain the traditional front matter structure set out in the bullet list above. This structure is likely a holdover from traditional publishing, the source of the vast majority of print books sold.

Print books generally do not include as much supplemental matter intended to sell additional books. These choices are based, at least in part, on the nature of the medium, as well as the cost of paper and shipping. Most print books do not include a request for the reader to review the book or to sign up for the author’s newsletter, in part because the immediacy of that request is diluted by the reader’s need to set aside the book, to pick up an electronic device, and to follow through on the request. Teasers for other books tend to be relatively short—a few pages rather than complete or multiple chapters—because the cost of materials, manufacture, and shipping is relatively high.

Individual fashion statements
Within the general framework of ebooks (sparse front matter, more elaborate back matter) and print books (more elaborate front matter, relatively sparse back matter), authors still must make choices when they select and order their supplemental material, based on their specific publishing goals and their understanding of the publishing business.

The most important element of back matter is the one that immediately follows the actual text. Readers are far more likely to see that element as they tap to read the next page or turn an actual print page. (Their attention will likely wane with each additional element after the conclusion of a satisfying story.)

Some authors prioritize long-term connections with readers. For them, getting newsletter subscribers is the most important way to make additional sales. By definition, readers following a link to a newsletter sign-up will not be making an immediate purchase; however, they may be more likely to buy books in the future, based on the newsletters they receive.

Other authors prioritize the certainty of making an immediate new sale. Those authors will likely include a blurb, teaser, or sample chapter(s) for a specific book or books.

Still other authors prioritize building a community with their readers. They believe that their readers will be more likely to buy additional books if they “know” the author through websites, including social media. Those authors will conclude their main text with immediate invitations for the reader to visit Facebook groups, Instagram feeds, or other social media.

The nitty and the gritty
Once an author determines specific elements for front matter and back matter, those elements should be presented in a unified fashion across all the author’s books. Templates simplify this structure.

New authors and authors who value their time more than their royalties might rely on the templates created by Draft2Digital. This consolidator allows authors to distribute their work to multiple vendors with the flick of a few keys. Authors can designate supplemental matter, allowing Draft2Digital to compile electronic files incorporating that content across an entire catalog. (Of course, Draft2Digital charges for its services—15% of all books sold through their platform.)

More experienced formatters or authors who don’t want to pay Draft2Digital’s royalty share can create a template. In Vellum, for example, authors can create a file that contains each supplemental matter file, formatted according to the author’s preference. Then, it’s a simple matter to save that file under a new name for each new book, importing the specific narrative chapters to finish the book. (My Vellum format file also includes a page where I document each change I’ve made to my supplemental matter, stating the date and the change.) Similar templates can be created in other systems such as Scrivener or Word.

Front matter and back matter remain valuable tools for authors working to sell one book or an entire catalog of books.

Sample copyright page
Traditionally, the copyright page is printed on the back of the title page, with the text starting at the bottom of the page. A complete copyright page includes:

***

Copyright © [Year] by [Author]

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

[If a reprint: This book was originally published under the title [Title].]

[If you have licensed copyrighted work, such as a song:

[Title of song]
Words and music by [Author of song]
Copyright © [Year] by [Copyright holder of song]
[Rights notices required by license, such as Used by permission of [Rights holder]]]

Cover design by [Designer name]

Published by [Publisher name]

[Publisher address]

ISBN: [ISBN]

Discover other titles by [Author] at [website]

[Optional date code, indicating the date this book was last updated: DDMMYY]

________________________

USA Today bestselling author Mindy Klasky’s most recent novel is the romantic comedy The C Word, the first volume in her Love in the Age of COVID Series. Klasky learned to read when her parents shoved a book in her hands and told her she could travel anywhere through stories. As a writer, Klasky has traveled through various genres, including romantic comedy, contemporary romance, and traditional fantasy. In her spare time, she knits, quilts, and tries to tame her to-be-read shelf.

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Nink ~ The Official Record: Me, In My Own Words

This article is from the June 2021 edition of Nink, the monthly newsletter of Novelists, Inc.  (NINC). Nink, which is packed each month with informative articles for career novelists, is a benefit of NINC membership.  This month, NINC has invited Sandra Kitt to share her story as a pioneer in the publishing industry.

Yes, it’s true that I am the first African American to publish with Harlequin, the Canadian publishing mammoth known worldwide for the most enduring and creative line of romance novels in publishing history. I didn’t make this discovery until after I’d published my third book with Harlequin and realized through simple research (I’m a former librarian) that I was the only African American writer consistently published in the burgeoning romance genre of the early 1980s. To admit to this longevity doesn’t make me feel as much ancient as it does experienced. Those early years put me on an important and necessary path to learning how publishing worked. Learning quickly helped to keep me in the game. And, to be honest, I can’t recall if Harlequin ever publicly acknowledged that I am their first Black writer.

I’d made my entry into the industry with two of my first manuscripts being chosen for the then American Romance imprint from Harlequin. It was a new line of stories set in America, written by American writers. It was an immediate and remarkable beginning for me, made more so by my gradual discovery that no one in publishing was prepared for a Black writer to break in, and stay for decades. I slowly began to experience a little pushback as I advanced within the genre with stories that were not the norm for romances. At the time, the industry seemed to have a fixed belief that only white men and women fell in love. I entered their space with a wider worldview that romance novels prior to my entry had not realistically explored.

I was told I didn’t really write “romance.” I already knew that. I didn’t write what I sometimes read as formulaic linear stories. Women’s fiction as a category didn’t exist at the time and, since my stories did have romantic relationships, by default I was whack-a-moled into the box marked romance. My stories were big, complex, sub-plotted, and interjected with social and familial issues never covered before in romance novels. I wrote interracial romances (for sure a first) and included the male point of view (another first), but editors couldn’t deny the strong romantic element that tied the stories together, and which found a following among readers. Penguin Putnam helped me climb higher for a while, when it published The Color of Love, a controversial interracial story, in 1995 simply as mainstream fiction.

The book never made any bestseller list, but was critically acclaimed by USA Today, was optioned by HBO and Lifetime, and is still available more than 25 years later. Obviously, outside the periphery of romance, other sources saw creative merit in my work. The late director Jonathan Demme passed on an early suspense my agent pitched to him, but with the caveat “…tell her to keep writing.” I went on to publish with nearly every traditional publisher from the ‘80s through the early aughts of this century. Until my latest book, Winner Takes All, my last book was published in 2010 from Kimani, another Harlequin imprint. It would seem that I had, unbelievably, come full circle.

On the surface my publishing trajectory appears charmed. And it was. I was being interviewed, profiled, and invited to national book festivals that were then popping up all over the country, sponsored by such publications as the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, and The New York Times. For a time, I was sent on yearly book tours and lectured at universities, local libraries, and special-interest groups and organizations. I met an incredible array of writers both inside and outside of romance, many who’ve become long-standing friends. I’ve been championed by editors and publishers, who seemed to admire what I’d accomplished in my first 10 years as a published author. They all saw that I had longevity and possible staying power.

But, as one powerful industry executive said to me, “They don’t know what to do with you.” I was, apparently, an anomaly. Different. This, along the way, led to a series of unfortunate and terrible incidents that, while I was enjoying undeniable success, also made me aware of subtle and not-so-subtle ways I was being sabotaged and held back. Some support seemed slipshod, haphazard, indifferent. And yet…was it really racial, or just instances of trusting and expecting too much from professionals who were not always competent or up to the demands of their own positions? Had I contributed by too often giving in, going against my own better and sometimes more reliable instincts? But yes, some of it was racial.

Editorial changes were made randomly without consideration of consequences; promises were broken that often worked against actually helping my work succeed. Despite saying that I would be published in hardcover, publishers broke that contract promise without a word of excuse or explanation. I was scammed outright on one contract after bailing out a publisher on a project for which they couldn’t find a writer. The end result was not only humiliating but dispiriting.

I waited for the larger industry acceptance that I had a contribution to make, that I was breaking new ground that publishers could have benefited from if they’d been able to see beyond the obvious—that I was a Black romance author—and were willing to develop a “wider and newer worldview” of their own. I believe even now it was a missed opportunity.

Adam and Eva unexpectedly became an early classic for Harlequin, reissued and printed several times. But when it was picked up by the Italian affiliate of Harlequin for sale in Europe, the cover art was a painting of a white couple, instead of the Black characters the book was about. I understood perfectly why that decision was made. Nevertheless, I charged the editorial decision with being disrespectful and bigoted, perpetrating a lie on book buyers.

I once had an editor confess that the publisher would never inform me that I was among their top 25 bestselling writers (Were they afraid to admit that a Black writer was able to compete creatively?), and I was left out of any and all promotions that noted those writers. One publisher kept a “milestone” list for writers based on how many books they’d published. When I knew I’d made that milestone, the criteria was suddenly changed and I no longer qualified.

I eventually came to learn that I could not depend on all publishers to market me with any kind of insight or real knowledge of me. Being easy to work with might have been a mistake on my part. But when you’re the “first” you step quietly, you watch and listen, and trust that your publisher and editors want what you want—for the book to do well so that everyone benefits. I was disappointed that the industry as a whole, and some of my publishers in particular, never saw the importance of sharing or exploiting my value as a writer of color, or making an effort to capitalize on me being “the first” in their midst. The publishers could have been seen as progressive. Instead, I saw the situation, in part, as a loss of energy, time, and talent from everyone.

But, here’s the thing. I have done more as a published writer, a second career I hadn’t really anticipated, than I could have imagined. I came into the industry, into a specific genre, that was growing exponentially and earning more money than any other segment of the publishing industry ever. It is not a stretch to say everyone knew my name, knew who I was. I found genuine support in publishers who sought me to write for them even though sometimes just getting into print was not enough, and their efforts fell flat.

I absolutely love writing, creating, pulling together my themes and premises with a host of characters that I believe in…adore…and root for. I loved working with editors who got my voice and didn’t try to force me onto paths ill suited to me, or to satisfy a misplaced and always-changing expectation, or a target audience. I love the editors who fought for me in their meetings, trying to convince their team that what I’d written, that I, was worth fighting for. I loved the bookstore owners and sales staff who championed my books by chatting up the stories with their customers. The librarians and teachers, the readers I’ve met who validated what I’d written with their praise and support. Yes, it fed my ego. All of which forces me to remain true to me and my stories, and my view of the world that is only getting wider, to explore, to include…and to write about how we love.

To learn more about my journey, watch my interview with Jayne Ann Krentz on Facebook. I’m still here.

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Sandra Kitt’s The Color of Love was issued in 1995 to critical acclaim. Girlfriends, an anthology from HarperCollins, was nominated for the NAACP Image Award for Fiction in 1999. The first Black writer to publish with Harlequin, she launched Arabesque, the first African American romance imprint in 1994. She has designed cards for UNICEF and illustrated books for the late Dr. Isaac Asimov. Her most recent project is a trilogy, The Millionaires Club. The first book in the series is Winner Takes All. She is represented by Lisa Erbach Vance with the Aaron Priest Agency in New York.

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Nink Knowledge: Self-Published eBooks and the Library Market (Access Isn’t Everything)

This article, written by Edie Claire, is from the September 2019 edition of Nink, the monthly newsletter of Novelists, Inc.  (NINC). Nink, which is packed each month with informative articles for career novelists, is a benefit of NINC membership. 

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Ever since Smashwords broke into the library market in 2014 by distributing self-published ebooks to OverDrive, library access has only gotten easier. Now indies can get their ebooks listed on OverDrive through a variety of distributors including Draft2Digital, PublishDrive, and Kobo (now a sister company to OverDrive, under their Rakuten parent). But merely checking that little “distribute to” box isn’t likely to result in actual sales. There are multiple—and largely invisible—hurdles between self-published authors and acquiring librarians, and overcoming these obstacles will require some dedicated effort.

The Bad News, part one: Discoverability

For a glimpse into how librarians make ebook purchasing choices, I interviewed Mary Lee Hart, the collection development librarian at my local library. As expected, the primary goal of library acquisitions is to anticipate which books will be most demanded by patrons. Hence, the largest part of the purchasing budget will go toward bestsellers promoted by the Big Five. The ranks will be further filled out by books receiving positive reviews in the tried-and-true print media with which librarians like Hart are already familiar. But while some of these discovery vehicles (such as Kirkus Reviews and Ingram’s Advance catalog) are open to self-published works, the playing field is far from even. Paid reviews are generally designated as such. Sponsored slots in Ingram’s print catalog are relegated to the back under the dubious heading of “Publisher Selects.” And even those vehicles supposedly devoted to the underserved, such as Foreword Reviews, have terms incompatible with a commercial self-publishing model, such as requiring submission of a manuscript for review at least four months before its release. In fact, the whole traditional model of library acquisition, built around buying new releases while they’re hot, is a poor fit with the slow-build, long-tail pattern of professional self-publishing.

Acquiring librarians do reserve a portion of the budget for books other than current bestsellers. But librarians have little motivation to search specifically in buckets devoted to self-published titles, particularly when most individuals lack an understanding of the difference between a hobbyist writer and a professional self-published-by-choice novelist. For the same reason, any author attempt at direct marketing to librarians is highly likely to wind up in the trash bin.

The Bad News, part two: Ease of Purchase

While libraries can purchase ebooks from a variety of vendors, the reality is that around 90 percent of U.S. public libraries source their ebooks from OverDrive. OverDrive seems preferred not only because of the breadth of media in its catalog, but also because of easy-to-use apps, which libraries rely on for digital lending. The company’s main competitors, Baker and Taylor Axis 360, Bibliotheca, and Odilo, still command only a minor slice of the pie. But while self-published authors can list titles with OverDrive through various distributors, authors cannot see how those titles are being presented to librarians because OverDrive’s library “Marketplace” is not public-facing.

Curious whether my own titles were as visible as their traditionally published counterparts, I consulted Hart. In accordance with OverDrive’s TOS, the library could not offer me a firsthand look at its dedicated interface. But I was provided with some general information. Like most online catalogs, OverDrive makes searching easy with a prominently placed search box. Yet, a search for my books brought up absolutely nothing, even though I distribute to OverDrive via both Kobo and a direct OverDrive publisher account. My books could only be reached by opening up a drop-down menu under the main search bar and then scrolling down to an option labeled “Self-published.”

Finally, a little good news

Publishing may have changed drastically in the last decade, but the motivation of acquisitions librarians has not: they seek to buy whatever materials best serve their patrons. Herein lies the single most powerful strategy for the self-published: patron recommendations. When I polled my Facebook readers about their library use, I was surprised. Many not only regularly borrowed ebooks from the library, but my readers also knew how to request titles for purchase. One reader informed me that he frequently made recommendations; so far his library has bought every one of them. Hart confirmed that my library system not only considers every request but buys the majority. If the author or publisher is an unknown quantity, the purchase decision may come down to price. But any ebook costing single digits is generally considered worth a shot.

Patrons can submit book requests through the same OverDrive interface they use for borrowing. Some libraries have a “recommend” option associated with their own local online catalog, others use a physical suggestion box with paper slips, and many use a combination. But in this case, OverDrive’s domination of the market is of significant benefit to self-published authors because a patron’s search for a book to recommend includes all OverDrive titles. With one click, your loyal reader can send a request straight to their acquisitions librarian—complete with a dedicated link to your book.

The distribution question

OverDrive customer support says it makes no difference how your titles are submitted to OverDrive. Yet, my own experimentation revealed certain variations. Considering the relative difficulty of using an OverDrive publisher account (which requires Excel-formatted metadata and FTP file transfer), I had hoped this distribution method might save me from the self-published dungeon. It did not, although rumor suggests that others might have had better luck. But one advantage a direct account does offer is access to OverDrive’s free merchandising opportunities, such as their e-newsletters and seasonal focus campaigns. Whether these are effective sales tools is an open question.

Another difference I stumbled upon was that the route by which a title reaches OverDrive affects whether or not that book is “available on Kindle” after purchase. It’s not a matter of providing a mobi file; when a Kindle-compatible ebook is borrowed via OverDrive, the borrower is rerouted to Amazon.com for the actual download. Rather, it’s a contractual matter. Books distributed directly through OverDrive show as Kindle-compatible. Ebooks distributed through Kobo (as their customer service confirmed) will not. Draft2Digital’s customer service asserted that its contract with OverDrive does require Kindle-compatibility, although D2D has experienced some delays in execution.

How much does Kindle-compatibility matter? Since Kindle Fires and other tablets can read ePubs in apps, the only devices affected are e-ink versions like the Paperwhite. Older Kindle ereaders (like my trusty 3rd generation with keyboard) can’t handle library loans in any event. When I queried the librarian who buys fiction at my local branch, she said that although she preferred Kindle-compatibility, lack of it wasn’t a deal-breaker.

Royalties on library purchases differ slightly among the distributors, with OverDrive and Kobo paying 50 percent of list price and Smashwords offering 45 percent. Draft2Digital pays 46.75 percent and offers the option of Cost per Checkout as well as One Copy, One User pricing.

And now, it’s up to your readers

Getting your books into libraries is a two-part process of distribution and patron action. My personal attempt at the second part involves a clickable “Read At the Library” button in the footer of every page of my website, combined with a downloadable PDF giving specific instructions on how to request my (or any other favored author’s) books. (Check it out at www.edieclaire.com.) I’ve told my readers that I’ve done all I could to make my books available for borrowing through libraries. Now, it’s up to them.

 

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Edie Claire is a USA-Today bestselling author of 26 novels of mystery, romantic and women’s fiction, and humor. She was first published traditionally in 1999 but went indie in 2009 and has never looked back. 

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