As some of you may recall we are tracking the first year in
the professional life of a brand new M/M author, in this case the funny and
talented S.C. Wynne. We’re a little late with our second quarter segment of
"Anatomy of a Writing Career," but that’s because we were holding off in an attempt to
get some real numbers. We don’t have a lot to go on yet, but we do have enough
to give you a glimpse of what the starting line looks like.
This is how S.C. summarizes her work: “Most of my books
feature flawed characters. I have plenty of heroes with commitment issues. And
horrible childhoods. But my books also have lots of humor. I suppose most
writers pull from life the things that have wounded them -- or helped to save
them. I take what I’ve experienced or watched others close to me go through,
and then I tweak it, and push and pull till I get to the real emotions of it,
until I’ve made a sort of literary, angst- flavored taffy.”
So here, without further adieu is S.C.s account of her
latest adventures in authoring.
*****
I submitted my first M/M book to Loose Id in May of 2013.
They had a special call-out for boss-themed stories, and I actually happened to
already be writing that exact type of story. Josh spotted the call and suggested
I submit to Loose Id. Being so new, I was getting overwhelmed by the sheer
number of publishers out there. Josh thought Loose Id might be a good fit for me.
I only turned in the partial for Hard-Ass on May 25th because it
was the deadline for the call. I received an email May 26th saying
it had been passed on to an editor for further consideration and that it would
be 6-8 weeks for a decision. On May 27th I got an email from the
editor saying she liked the story and wanted to see the whole manuscript. I had
expected to have more time, so I went into hysterical panic mode and Josh came
to my rescue. He let our critique group know what was happening and they all
jumped in like troopers and gave me the swiftest critiques in history. I
managed to get the full manuscript to my editor by June 3rd and on
June 10th Loose Id accepted my book.
The pure joy of that first-ever letter of acceptance was so
over-the-top-exciting nothing will ever meet it. (I mean in my writing life.
Yes, dear husband, our marriage license is still my greatest letter of acceptance.)
Don’t get me wrong I’m over-the-moon-excited anytime a publisher accepts my
stories -- sending books off and stalking my inbox makes me feel a little bit
like a heroin addict waiting for my fix -- but there is just something about
that initial acquisition of a book that makes you giddy. I started edits in
July for the first book with Loose Id and it was released in October 2013. Oh
what a naive little dove I was!
I wouldn’t have suspected it, but the next two weeks after
my first book’s release were the most difficult of the entire experience. I was
so easily wounded by unkind words, really any hint of criticism was painful. I
spent the majority of the first week with a perpetual stomachache, wishing I’d
never written anything. I grew afraid to even peek at Goodreads or Amazon to
see how the book was being received. Goodreads is loads of fun as a reader, but
most writer friends of mine steer clear, and with good reason. But when it’s
your first book, you foolishly can’t help looking. Imagine my surprise when
every single person in the world didn’t enjoy my book!
Well, to be honest, I knew everyone wouldn’t love it, but it
never occurred to me anyone could actually hate
it. Out of self-preservation I went to look at the reviews of several of
the writers I love and respect. I was
able to see that all of them had received mean and sometimes hateful reviews. I
am talking about authors that I know
beyond a shadow of a doubt are good. That
helped me to realize that you will never, ever
be able to please everyone, and frankly you just have to learn to not give a
crap.
I’ve since learned to just write my best, do what I do, and
ignore the hostile reviews. And honestly there are always many more positive --
or at least constructive reviews -- so those are the ones I pay attention to.
As I said, the first two weeks were rough, but once I gained
my confidence back I wrote a Christmas sequel to Hard-Ass is Here called Hard-AssChristmas. It’s a continuation of
From there I sold a short story to Dreamspinners Press for a
minimal flat fee. I looked at it as a promotion opportunity; I was being paid
to advertise myself. “Doctor in the Desert” is in the Doctor Feelgood anthology. Everyone says anthologies are a great
way to expose your writing to new readers, so I gave them the story and took a
chance it would pay off eventually. It’s hard to give away your hard work for
so little, but I’ve had really great feedback on the story, so it was well
worth it.
Josh is always stressing the importance of backlist, so I kept
my eye out for other publishing calls, and right away managed to place two short
stories with Evernight Publishing. “Christmas Crush” is about a nerdy bookworm
who catches the cool kid’s eye on Christmas Eve, and “The New Boss” is a story
about a guy who has commitment problems and the man who loves him. Both were
for Evernight’s Romance on the Go line.
Next I submitted a story to Ellora’s Cave in September 2013
for their Va Va Boomers call. There was a nerve-wracking wait of three months before
they let me know they wanted the story -- and then they signed me for two more
books! My editor at Ellora’s Cave is Elizabeth London and she’s wonderful.
Not one to rest on my laurels (not that I know where to find
my laurels, if I even have any) I got busy writing something new for
I’m always either
writing or editing. Often I’m doing both at the same time because edits have a
way of popping in when I least expect them. I have at least seven projects
contracted this year and, who knows? I might try to throw in a few more if I
get bored. (Hardy har har!)
It’s been really enlightening to see how each different
publishing house handles everything. There are similarities but also big differences. Some are better at
editing. Some offer more author support. Some move very slowly. Some are
impersonal in their dealings with you, while others make you feel like you are
part of a big happy family. Each contract and each editor is unique, and it’s
important to not assume every publishing company has your best interests at
heart. You have to be your own best advocate.
It’s been a very interesting, and sometimes frustrating nine
months. I’ve made a lot of progress in the short time I’ve been writing
professionally, and I’ve learned a lot about this industry as well as myself.
Even though it’s made me question my choice to become a professional writer
sometimes, ultimately I always come back to my love of writing M/M.
It’s too soon to know if this will be a lucrative endeavor,
but it is certainly a fulfilling one emotionally and creatively. It just
happens that because of the timing, I don’t have any numbers on most of my
books just yet. The numbers I can offer are for the two Loose Id releases in
October and December 2013. (I can’t believe I allowed Josh to talk me into this.
It just shows how much I adore him. Okay, rip off the Band-Aid and I will try
and keep the screaming to a minimum).
Josh: I talk to a lot of writers, and as I look
at S.C.’s numbers -- not just her sales numbers but the number of contracts she
has lined up with reputable publishing houses -- she’s off to a great start.
That said, it takes a while to build your sales and really start earning. This
is why getting to the point of being able to quit your day job is a big deal.
So the first thing to note is that S.C.’s first
month royalties only reflected what she sold on the publisher’s site. (And these
days we don’t sell a lot on our publishers’ sites.) So she sold 42 units at LI
in October. And she was paid for those sales in November. Meanwhile, she sold 317
units on Amazon US and 82 units in Amazon combined foreign sales -- but she was
not paid for those sales until January.
In November she sold an additional 27 units on
LI’s site. Her Amazon Sales were 70 and 15.
In December, her second story, a holiday sequel
to Hard-Ass came out.
Could there be other factors to consider in S.C.’s
second release numbers? Of course. You always want to examine your numbers and,
if they’re not rising, try and figure out why. Here we have the sequel to an
earlier story, so one possibility is that readers just didn’t connect enough
with the characters to want to spend this holiday with them. Looking at S.C.’s
reviews, there are comments about the original story being too short and a
little heavy on erotic content. That means as S.C. looks to writing her next
stories she might want to focus on writing longer and more complex books, and questioning
politely when her publishers request more sex. There are many possibilities for
low release numbers, and you always want to consider them all objectively. But my own experience, and the experience of
other authors I talked to, was that sales for non-holiday or non-incentive-priced
books were low this year.
On a positive note, even though S.C.’s holiday
release sold less than she’d like, because it was regularly priced, she’ll earn
as much or more as many of those authors who technically outsold her with rock
bottom pricing. That’s the big picture.
Speaking of big picture, Hard-Ass was also listed on various other bookseller sites, and has
cumulatively sold a total of 139 copies. In fact, at last accounting, Hard-Ass has sold 752 copies. Hard-Ass
Christmas has sold 310. These are respectable numbers for someone who only began
publishing six months ago and who does minimal promotion and marketing.
Can S.C. quit her day job? Her highest monthly earnings
so far were $460. That was in January. But that was also without receiving any
particular holiday bump. And these numbers do not include her Evernight numbers
(Evernight pays quarterly). By the time we get to our third quarter check-in with
S.C., she’ll have another title out with Loose Id as well as her Evernight
earnings. She -- and we -- will have a better sense of whether her numbers are
climbing or whether she needs to rethink some of her strategies. In particular
promotion and marketing.
Again, a big, big thank you to S.C. Wynne, AKA The
Little Author Who Could. It takes real guts to put your numbers -- especially
your numbers as a newbie -- out there for all the world to see and marvel at.
If you have questions or comments for S.C. or
me, just post them in the comment section below.
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A typo you may want to correct? (I'm assuming it's a typo.) "So she sold 42 units at LI in October. And she was paid for those sales in September. " Still reading the rest!
ReplyDeleteThis is why authors have a such a hard time in business. ;-P
DeleteJosh, didn't you tell EVERYONE about your time machine? :)
DeleteShhh!!!
DeleteEveryone wants a ride in my time machine!
Delete(Now why the hell does that sound salacious?!)
LOL
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteI despise spammers.
DeleteI concur.
DeleteThank you S.C. and Josh! This is very interesting, informative, and sounds quite nerve-racking/really-really-exciting... :-)
ReplyDeleteS.C., good luck! looks like things are on the right track.
I enjoy your stories, and of what i've read so far, i liked "Hard-ass Christmas" best. I found it added depth and fun to the characters of "Hard-ass is Here," and it was one of the best Christmas stories i read last year (and i read a lot! of them...).
Looking forward to "Guarding My Heart" :-)
thanks for that input, KC! :-)
DeleteThank you, KC! That is one of my favorites too. Can the author say that? :)
DeleteThank you, S.C. and Josh. This is fascinating reading! I look forward to the next installment. Thank you for sharing your experiences. I wish you all the best for the future, S.C. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Alison. It has been interesting. :)
DeleteI can't begin to see myself being able to write a book, but I've always been fascinated by your blogs about the process, Josh. This journey with S.C is just as fascinating. It takes real courage to put yourself out there like you authors do because people can be awful. Good luck, S.C., and keep up the good writng!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Denise. It's actually interesting for me too because it forces me to acknowledge my own journey. :)
DeleteSometimes I wish I had had opportunity to acknowledge my journey. I think I could have taken away a lot more helpful information, if I had paid attention along the way!
DeleteHi Josh & S.C.,
ReplyDeleteThis was extremely informative and interesting even for the reader only. I congratulate S.C. for her willingness to share this personal information with outsiders. I. too, very much enjoyed "Hard-Ass Christmas," and am looking forward to "Guarding My Heart." I wish you all the best, S.C.
Thank you, Susan! It is intimidating to lay myself bare like this but it is also makes me a little fearless to a degree.
DeleteThe reality is, eighty percent of what you hear from other writers is just bullshit and saving face. I know. I was THERE. :-D And the more information everyone has, the better and stronger we will be as a generation of authors -- especially when self-publishing figures into the mix.
DeleteWow, how refreshing and wonderful to have actual sales numbers posted. Thanks so much, S.C., for your bravery!
ReplyDeleteSo often, we have to make decisions about what to do (self-publish or submit? Promote? Lower prices?) and these decisions are nearly impossible to make without information. Also, never knowing how other people are doing, sales wise, always gives me the "everyone must be doing better than I am" feeling.
Very interesting post, Josh. And I wish you continued good luck in everything S.C. :)
Thanks, Amelia! Josh had to wrestle the numbers from my clutched hands and slap me a few times. :D
Delete:-D :-D :-D
DeleteS.C. fights mean!!! Let me just say that now!!! Don't tangle with her.
LOL
DeleteNot a question, but a "Thank you". I admire S.C.'s courage to share her experience and wow — you've been busy these last months, S.C.! Good for you! You have the best possible teacher and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you and my credit card ready for your future books.
ReplyDeleteAnd even though you told us that you've had some hard times (reading the mean reviews and such) it's lovely to notice that in spite of those moments your joy of writing is probably even increasing! :-) Take care, be well, S.C. Enjoy writing!
And thank you for yet another great blog post, Josh.
Johanna, thank you for the kind words. I have been busy because I love writing and Josh always says "Back list, back list, back list!" to all us new authors. lol. Thank you for your support, Johanna!
DeleteThank you for reading, Johanna!
DeleteThis is such a fascinating insight to the world of publishing. So often we hear of the acceptance by an agent or publisher, but never anything about numbers As I am a brand new writer in the M/M field, having just completed my first MS, I thank you S.C. for putting this all out there, and you Josh for your blogposts. They are so helpful and informative.
ReplyDeleteThank you for commenting, Felice! Good luck to you on your journey. It's fun isn't it? :)
DeleteThanks for reading along, Felice! I think it helps everyone to have realistic expectations -- as well as a barometer to judge success by.
DeleteThank you for sharing your experience, S.C. And thanks for the analysis by Josh. It's interesting to see the number and workings of getting your books published. Personally, I don't buy holiday-theme books for the sake of the holiday theme... So I actually only bought Christmas stories because I love that author's works. Plus I think people "gift" many such stories, so they tend to play safe and it would be tough for new authors to break into.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, Hard-Ass is on my to-read list via Josh's FB post, so marketing and word of mouth work!
Thanks, thelastaerie! That is interesting feedback about the holiday story thing. There were so many free and .99cent books at Christmas it was hard to get noticed.
DeleteAppreciate the comment! :)
Thanks for that insight, thelastaerie. Yes, I think holiday stories are always wild cards. You can't put place too much weight on them, good or bad, because they aren't representative of most releases.
DeleteSometimes I buy through the publishers websites but they seem to proliferate at an alarming rate so I usually get my M/M fix from the All Romance website, which is where I found Hard-Ass and the Christmas follow-up, which I enjoyed very much. I generally love holiday-themed stories and I'll even read them past the holiday if I've discovered a new author and want to read more of their writing that I've missed. I admit that I'm often disappointed with anthologies with multiple authors and I prefer to buy the stories separately. Of course a collection of your stories, Josh, is a completely different matter! [Waiting eagerly for the next one!]
ReplyDeleteSo many things that were true even three years ago are not true now. So we're all having to recalculate. Things like anthologies. They're so plentiful now that they are almost invisible. Even the charity ones. Every week there seems to be a new antho from a new publisher for a new cause. It's impossible not to grow jaded with it.
DeleteHi Christie,
Deletethank you so much for the kind words. I'm so happy you enjoyed the stories. The Doctor Feelgood anthology has received very good reviews so far. Hopefully if you take a chance on it you will enjoy it. I'm leery myself of anthologies so I understand! lol
Hi Josh and S.C. I purchased Hard Ass and Hard Ass Christmas recently following a post by Josh about it. I did read the Goodreads reviews first and saw the comments about 'too much sex'. But in my opinion the sex content was well balanced and didn't seem contrived or unnecessary. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author. On another note - I only recently found out how much Amazon takes from the 'pot' and will make a point of purchasing from the publisher in future whenever possible, especially since I have just learnt how to convert pdf files more easily onto my Kindle. However, I have pre-ordered Stranger On The Shore from Amazon because it is not available for pre-order from Carina and I want to make sure I don't miss the release date as it's a few weeks away. Maybe a word in the publisher's ear about pre-release orders? Some publishers actually (quietly) make pre-orders available before publication date which is another incentive to order from the publisher rather than Amazon, in my humble opinion!
ReplyDeleteHi Araminta!
DeleteI'm glad you thought the sex was balanced. I've since learned that one person will say too much sex, and then another will say not enough, or just right. Then someone will say too long or too short. You will go crazy trying to please EVERYONE! But I think if you get the same criticism over and over it is something to look at.
I thank you for taking the time to comment. :)
I completely agree with you about the pre-ordering. I always get frustrated when a publisher doesn't offer that option. BUT what I would say upon reflection, is Carina is very practical. I think they reached the conclusion that the bulk of sales would be going through the retailers, and it was just practical to let the retailers handle it.
DeleteIt's startling to see how that publisher versus third party seller has changed in just the few years I've been publishing. I remember when those initial publisher sales were the big piece of my royalties. That isn't even a decade ago! More like four years.
Very interesting and brave too :) I think these numbers are very impressive for a newbie! Not only about sales and earnings but also on the works in progress and coming releases.
ReplyDeleteI think most starting businesses take longer to break even, let alone generate income. Congratulations!
I forgot something. When I looked at the Goodreads rating details it said 91% of people liked it. :D
DeleteThank you, Sylvia. I agree that for only six months since being published I should be happy with my progress. But you know us humans, aren't we annoying? LOL
DeleteYou are right, if 91% like it, why would I lose any sleep over it? I'm so much better at handling negativity than I was. I think it just surprised me that a little romance novella could actually generate hatred. That had never occurred to me. :)
THANK YOU FOR POINTING THAT OUT, Sylvia. I bet it will somehow mean more coming from you. :-)
DeleteThen there are those readers who enjoy your work, get distracted, and have to be reminded to look for your newer work. So, today I bought, read, and enjoyed "Hard-Ass Christmas." No seasons to my reading habits. Best wishes to you, S.C.
ReplyDeleteHi Karen, awww. Thank you so much! Ha, ha. Exactly I just read what I want. We are rebels, Karen! :)
DeleteThis is the truth, Karen. It's true for all of us. Promotion, marketing, just a simple reminder that you're there! matters.
DeleteThere is just so much going on every single minute that I have to be reminded of new releases from authors I love.
Kudos to you, S.C, to you and Josh all to the writers who put a little piece of themselves out there to be judged. Thank you. It's not easy. Not emotionally. Not physically. Not financially. You are the risk takers. I look forward to reading Guarding My Heart.
ReplyDeleteIt's such a crazy business. Any of the arts, really. It's so personal and so intense. And then it goes out into the marketplace as though we're selling muffins or Bombay bowlers. :-D
DeleteWHAT?! YOU DON'T LIKE OUR NEW BOMBAY BOWLER???!!!
:-D
To be successful requires a mix of vulnerable artist and survivalist. And whether the work is really good or not is almost incidental.
Luckily, in SC's case, the work is good. :-)
Thank you, Karan! It was a hard beginning but I am stronger for it. I appreciate all the kind words so many of you have given. I can handle the slings and arrows now, although no one LIKES them! Lol. I hope you enjoy Guarding My Heart. :)
DeleteThank you, Josh. :)
DeleteWow, really admire your courage to lay yourself bare like this, SC, and having seven projects in such a short period of time, you being not a full time writer too! I can see how much you like writing.
ReplyDeleteJust bought your Hard-Ass is Coming on All Romance. I was pleasantly surprised to find that AR has strengthened its bond with Kindle. It can know send the book directly to my device with some simple setting. Still not as convenient as Amazon, but books here are cheaper. Guess it's time I change my shopping habit.
Thank you SC and Josh for this informative entry. Way to go, SC!
Savanna
Oops, 'now', not 'know'.
DeleteSavanna
We "new" that. :-P
DeleteLOL @ Josh.
DeleteSavanna, thank you for the support! It was a stern Josh who talked me into it. I had the same run screaming for the door response anyone would! Don't think I didn't. But in the long run I believe the numbers will become more impressive and it would be nice to be a part of getting the information out there. :)
Hi, Josh and SC. Wow, this is giving me flashbacks. I have to say, SC, your first set of figures kicked arse by comparison with mine. :) Thanks for this brave insight into your launch.
ReplyDeleteHarper
Aw. Angel. But you're another one who just blows me away with your fearlessness. And I think that fearlessness shows in the work.
DeleteThank you, Harper. I love your work. It means a lot to hear you say that. I don't believe you, but I appreciate you trying to make me feel better! LOL.
DeleteThanks, dear Josh. I think it's a "feel the fear and do it anyway", "waaaah I'm on the zipwire and it's too late to stop" kind of courage, but I'll take it. SC, honest. Truth. First time I worked out how to track my sales via Amazon, I had such big hopes of what I would see. And what I did see sent me crawling - literally - under the bed for the day. Mrs H had to lure me out with a little trail of Cadbury's chocolate buttons. It got better. I'm still not making a living out of it, but after about five years I'm 80 percent of the way there, and that seems like a miracle to me. I know people who do way better and people who never even get close to that, and you just can't compare yourself to either or you'll be driven nuts. Just keep doing what you do, and I can tell you from warmly remembered experience that having Josh as a guiding light will make the whole thing *soooo* much better. xxx
DeleteThank you, Harper. The fun part about sharing my experience is so many authors are allowing me a glimpse into theirs. It is enlightening and comforting all at the same time.
DeleteThis was fascinating blog to read. Thanks Josh and especially S. C for being brave and letting him prise those sales figures out of your hands. The number of copies sold sounds like a lot to me but as Harper comments above it's not good to make comparisons. Good luck with all the on-going projects SC and I look forward to reading the next instalment.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Caroline. Of course you can testify to how very different the writing world is on the inside versus the outer appearance. :-)
DeleteThank you, Caroline! If I could figure out how not to compare myself to others, and then I bottled it and sold it I would make a mint! :) Thank you for the kind words and I appreciate you taking the time to read my journey. :)
DeleteAfter reading this excellent blog, all I can say is, those of you who have the imagination and discipline to write, plus the courage to put your work out there for all to read, enjoy, and, yes critique, are real heroes. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThanks especially to Josh for providing this insight into the world in which he and all of you live.
Thank you, Penelope!
DeleteThank you, Penelope! Josh is always concerned with helping other authors and trying to get more information out there. I am honored he picked me, and yes it is scary to put yourself out there, but if you don't publish your stories it's sort of like singing into a hair brush in front of a mirror. Lol. You need an audience. :)
DeleteSinging into the hairbrush. That's brilliant. :-)
DeleteJanis Joplin had nothing on me & my hairbrush! :-)
DeleteLol.
DeleteThank you Josh & SC! This is a Great blog! And SC's new book GUARDING YOUR HEARTS is Excellent! I hope she never gets discouraged ... she is very talented! Thank you Josh for supporting young, new authors & keeping us informed about them. Love from Alaska Ann Alaskan on fb
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ann!
DeleteThank you, Alaska Ann! :) I appreciate the positive feedback. Book release weeks are stressful! :)
DeleteThat's just amazing, SC. And how great it is that you have a critique group. I have no idea about that. :)
ReplyDeleteA writing group can be a big help.
DeleteHi Iyana! Yes, crit groups are really valuable. You just can't see all the problems when you've been staring at your own writing for weeks and weeks! lol
Delete