Pros and Cons

My last post I covered knowing what you want from your writing and publishing. With a lot of drama going on in the writing world, I'm reminded why I'm primarily indie. When I first went indie, my husband sat me down and said "Hey, make a damn choice and stick with it." Or something to that effect. So as I do with many things. I sat down and made a list. A list of pros and cons. I'll share them for you and I invite you to continue the list on your own or in the comments.

Indie Publishing
Pros:
I get to keep more profit
I control everything
I don't have to change my story (this has happened to me on a short through trade publishing)
My deadlines, my schedule

Cons:
Most of the profit goes back into publishing
Everything comes out of my pocket or I have to learn how to do it myself
Still have to depend on others for cover art and editing

So those are generals, I actually listed out what I get to control and what was going to cost me. I also tried to draw on experiences of others, with keeping in mind that I wasn't going to be an over night success. From there I moved on to trade publishing, including small presses- anything that I had to write a query letter, submit, and wait on.

Traditional Publishing
Pros:
Professional editor
Professional Cover art
Marketing?
The attraction of a big name behind the title.

Cons:
Possibly less royalties
Very little or no control
Still might have to do all my own marketing.
Could take a long damn time.

Both lists are close to being even, Trade has a few more pros, but since marketing is questionable, it evens out. To me. To someone else they may think that trade publishing is better. To each their own. However, due to recent events (that because it's not SPE related, I won't mention here in detail) I'm very happy that I didn't put all my eggs in the trade publishing basket.

The thing is that indie publishing met up with what I wanted and what I need. I have a wonderful support team and I've learned a ton on this journey. I've even learned a program that I swore I'd never get along with. I have to say that I like having the control over everything. Down to what edits make it in the book (have I mentioned how much I love my editors?) to what the cover looks like, to the release day. I get to throw my own parties, decide how I want to market, say what events I go to. I can also hammer down my own timeline and if it doesn't get done, I only have myself to blame.

So while you're asking yourself: What do I want out of my writing. Also ask yourself: Which route is best for me?

The Return of Alex's SPE

Once upon a time, we started this blog to help document our journey of self publishing and to help others who were starting out on the journey. Mia had started with Waking Up in Bedlam and I had started with Black and White Desires (originally titled In Black and White). Mia and I were both gearing up to publish...and then we were contracted with Ellora's Cave for another project— officially making us both hybrid authors. Because of the contract, I was required to submit Black and White to Ellora's Cave. Here's where things get tricky....

Over eight months went by without any progress on my edits on Black and White. I never received them. Through a series of e-mails, I got my rights back. That's all I'm going to say about the situation, because I don't believe in bad mouthing.

That being said, with some wonderful support I was able to get Black and White ready and out in a short amount of time. It is now up on Amazon, ARe, and Smashwords. This book is so near and dear to my heart that I was so excited to get it out in the public. So I'm officially back on the Indie (well Hybrid) band wagon. I'll be testing out marketing, take overs, public events, and anything else I can think of. I already have a book trailer and I'm working with a PR group to start getting the word out there!

Black and White Desires

Blurb: Erika’s world is turned upside down when she agrees to a photography job for Landon, a sexy archeologist with a passion for control. When he hires her for a shoot of a different nature, a BDSM demonstration on submission, Landon takes her into a lifestyle that has only been a curiosity for her. She must learn to let go of her control to follow her desire to submit. Can Erika come to terms with what she needs from Landon and learn to give up the control she clings to?

A Demon's Heart

Last Tuesday Mia poured out her soul out to everyone explaining why she decided to step back from A Demon's Heart. Today I share my choice on what to do with this project. It's with a lot of thought, consideration, and discussion with people I trust most, that I have come to the choice to shelf A Demon's Heart until further notice. I'll break down my reasoning for you.

Personal: This is a project that Mia and I started on together, it was supposed to end that way. I do not feel right putting only my name on it and being the only one to profit from it. I don't feel that it's morally right, nor do I feel that Mia doesn't deserve to be on the cover. There was a lot of thought and debate that went into the pros and cons of what doing that would be.

Business: Before Mia had come to me to discuss the future of A Demon's Heart, I had brought up that I wanted to switch it to my other name. A.L. Kessler because it fit that branding better. However, the release date that I was working on for A Demon's Heart would come right after I released another first book in a series. (Which puts me up to 3 Series under that name) I felt that I could not do ADH justice by adding it as another series under that name, especially with releasing it so close to the other one.

Conclusion: ADH is being shelved. I'm not giving up on it completely. I will probably pull it out some type next year and see if it's still relevant and see what Mia wants to do with it. This was not an easy choice to come to, but I feel that it is a right one. I respect Mia's choice. My two biggest disappointments coming out from this was: it was my first truly co-written book and I was excited to see how it would have done and that it was my second attempt at something for SPE. (In Black and White (now Black and White Desires) was my first, but because of contracts, EC picked it up.)

SPE will continue as normal next Wednesday.

Know When To Walk Away

Sometimes we have to make hard decisions. Tough choices that hurt or might hurt others. It’s one of the suckiest things about being an adult, but it has to be done. It is what it is. It sucks, sometimes you want to cling so tightly to something because it is a part of you, but if you step back you realize that this idea you are holding onto might do better without you... So you have to move on, let it go, and realize that everything is going to be okay... Everything is going to be okay.

Don’t worry, I’m not going to break out in song like some inspirational Disney movie. Just busting out some hard self-truths. When I was little one of my favorite songs was The Gambler by Kenny Rogers. 1978’s wisdom still rings true today.

“You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em
Know when to walk away and know when to run
You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table
There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealing's done”

I don’t like to give up, I try not to make it a habit, but there are times when you gotta know when to walk away. I have been working on a project co-writing A Demon’s Heart with Alexandra, we’ve talked about it here occasionally so it would be shady if I didn’t address the changes that are taking place behind the scenes and what has changed for the book.

Full Transparency:

We started this project as our NaNoWriMo project last November. The main male character was a character I’ve wanted to write for a long time. I have a huge obsession with the last Russian Royal Family, Rasputin is by far one of my all time favorite real-life villains, and I was excited to tell their sides of a story that I have had bits and pieces of floating around in my head for years. But 10 days into November my world fell apart. Quite literally the life I had known for 12 years came crumbling down one Sunday morning. Life shattered and the other half of my heart walked out of my house in handcuffs.

I cried a lot. And no, I’m not going into all the details of what happened then or what is happening now. But I am explaining this so that you will maybe somewhat understand where my head has been for the past six months. Those first few weeks were complete chaos and fear. I had no idea what I was going to do, how my kids and I were going to survive while the rest of our lives were held in limbo. I couldn’t write. I had been working on two projects: Steamworks and A Demon’s Heart, and dabbling in Waking Up In Chains when all of this happened. Every time I opened scrivener to try to work on them afterwards my hands would shake, full on panic attack would set in, I would just look at the screen, cry and hyperventilate.

But I am prideful. I am a people-pleaser. Co-dependent. Whatever you want to call it. So starting in mid-December through February I pushed myself to try to help finish ADH with Alexandra, but behind my computer screen I was a mere robot and in order to get any words out for this story I had to simply cut off my emotions and the end result (from my prospective) is a very forced and unfocused piece of writing on my end (and I am only speaking about the parts I wrote and how I feel about it). It was hard, my head wasn’t in the right place. If this were a solo project I would just shelve it because it’s too raw of a pain for me to look at, but this is a co-writing project, therefore shelving it isn’t an option.

The only option (for me) was to look at what was best for this project and for Alexandra. My decision was to take my name off of it. A lot can be fixed in editing but all in all, me not being attached to this project is what is best because I can not heal if I have to constantly look back at what I was working on when my old life came tumbling down. It just rips the scab off of the wound and starts to bleed again.

My life being in shambles wasn’t the only reason I made my decision. I also feel like I don’t have enough fans to help drive sales, this type of book will benefit being under one author’s name and a name that has more of a following. That’s just smart marketing tactics. Some readers of one author might have too much of an emotional attachment to their “author” and wouldn’t want to dip their toes into something new. We all know that feeling, you have your favorite pair of shoes, they are comfy and broken in, it almost feels wrong to slip your feet into some new, unknown pair. Secondly, because of my robot-state I don’t feel like I contributed much to the story, sure the Alexei parts and Rasputin parts are there but all in all, I don’t feel like my contribution deserves my name on the cover or any part of the profits. And third, the books POV should be considered. And that is everything I took into consideration, but mostly, it was how I feel, in my heart. This project is just too much for me to deal with while I am still mentally healing and sorting out this new life which to be honest comes with a steep learning curve for everyone involved.

Now other changes that will happen I will leave to Alexandra to explain if she wants to, as is fitting, this is her ship to sail and that is her project.

I am sad, sad that my vision of character ideas I’ve had for a long time won’t be mine, but one day when the past doesn’t hurt I suppose I can look back at that and maybe enjoy the fact that there are bits and pieces of me that might have remained (after some heavy editing LOL). So bottom line is: Sometimes you gotta know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em. Know when to walk away, and know when to run.

So this is me “folding” for now. Other projects (ones started while my head and heart have gotten a bit clearer) are in the works. I have not given up on writing. But I am smart enough to recognize when something isn’t good for my soul. And right now, in this moment, this project isn’t good for my soul. And in related news, Steamworks is shelved indefinitely. My path isn’t set in stone and can’t be defined by what other people choose to do. I walk my own path and sometimes that path needs to be cleared of the rubble and debris; and other times I have to veer off that path and start blazing a new one.

If there is one thing I hope you take away from this post it is this: Do what is best for you. Find your bliss, follow your heart, but don't get so bogged down by "what you think you should be doing" that you make choices that aren't in your best interest. Be brave enough to be kind to yourself. Sometimes that is the hardest lesson for us to learn.

Review: Special Assignment By Niki Becker

Special Assignment
By Niki Becker

Synopsis: Jake left Justice, Kansas shortly after the wreck. His life had been forever changed and he didn't know how he could stay in the one place that was a constant reminder of both women. Now on a quest to prove himself he taps into the one thing better left alone.
Charlie knew that eventually she’d have to run again. Resolution, California wouldn't be safe forever, someone would learn about her past. She just never imagined it would be the one person she’s spent a decade trying to forget.

Charlie and her brother Justin have made a new life in their beach side house on the banks of California. Justin stripping and Charlie hooking - neither wanted these jobs but they both paid the bills. Life was calm until trouble happened inside one seemingly friendly hotel.
Jake and Charlie, face to face with each other and their past.
Will they both overcome their shadows that haunt each of them?
Is there ever a way to forgive and forget when death is involved?
Special Assignment - The only thing special about this assignment are the two people involved.

Review: What can I say but wow? I'm a bit new to the world of Erotic Suspense, but I really feel like I hit the nail on the head with what I like to read in this genre and holy cow does Ms. Becker just steal me away with this book. I have to say that I think my favorite thing is that the characters aren't perfect. At all. A lot of times you find that either the guys is perfect (with a dash of a tortured past) or the woman has no real past and one of them ends up falling flat. That is not the case with Charlie and Jake! The two have a past together that they can't get rid of and it creates amazing chemistry between them. It gives a realistic aspect to the story. 

The plot had me hooked right away. It's not often that you have someone killed within the first fifty words of a book. The twists and turns weren't predictable which I liked. I found myself reading a page here and there where I could and often forgetting that I was reading on my phone instead of my e-reader. I just got sucked in. The sex was amazing, there was a nice verity of it, which helped from keeping it repetitive. I highly recommend that if you like erotica and suspense, pick this book up!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

5 out of 5 Stars

Heat Rating: Scorching

(mild, medium, hot, spicy, scorching) 

Buy It!

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Barnes & Noble

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Bookstrand

All Romance Ebooks

iTunes

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Add it on GoodReads

About the Author: Niki Becker is the pen name for Ashley Nemer.

Ashley is married and lives in Houston with her husband Tony. They have two dogs named Toto and Doogie. They have been together for almost 8 years and he brings her more joy than she could ever imagine as a child. She loves to read and has been hooked on the romance genre ever since her lifelong best friend Laura gave her "Ashes to Ashes' by Tami Hoag to read when they were younger.

Ashley finds her strength through her family, especially her parents. They always support her in life, they push her to strive for greatness. There once was a motto that Ashley heard in her youth through her Taekwondo life 'Reach for the Stars' and that is what Ashley has always done. It was through her upbringing that the values Ashley has and display's came from. With her Parents always cheering her on in life she was able to grow up having faith in herself and her ability to conquer the world.

Author Website Niki / Ashley Twitter Facebook Blog

Why indie authors need an editor

As indie authors, we have a few disadvantages one of them being editors. We have to find, hirer, and pay our own editors. Some of us get lucky and have connections others not so much. Some may be able to get by with an extra pair of eyes (or five...) however, some authors think that they don't need editors. At all. I attended an editor's group for a year and it was a joke. Everyone would set deadlines to have projects finished by and no one would stick to them. I started to feel like an over achiever and then I brought my editor with me to check out the group and hopefully show them why it was important to have an editor. These are the two responses that stuck with me. RM: I do all my own editing so I don't need an editor. I don't want anyone messing with my style. T: There isn't an editor who understands my work, so I don't give it to one.

Now...there are very few authors who can self edit to the point of not needing, at the very least, extra eyes. My editor almost passed out, she was so shocked at the response. So, why do we need editors and/or extra eyes? Take a look:

See all that purple, that's grammar and typos that my editor found in a work (under my other personality.) That's after I read through it for the ARCs. Now, I will admit that grammar is not my strong point, but there were a lot of typos that I missed. (Some very obvious ones, sweatpants pants, the his townhome, yeah....) My eyes scanned right over them because I knew what it was supposed to say. So my advice to you, get an editor, get an extra pair of eyes at the very least. I know that just starting authors can't always afford an editor, but use your resources. My editor is a college student in school for editing, she just finished an advanced grammar class (only person I know who says it's fun to diagram books. Seriously...) we exchange coffee for edits and so she can use my books on her resume when she needs to.

Mia used a combination of people to polish up WUIB. It can be done, but when you can, spend the money on a good editor. Look for their credentials, ask them to edit a section for you so you can get the feel on if they are a good match. Put some effort into it people, because nothing is worse than a bunch of bad reviews do to an unprofessional book. Also...pass it through some beta readers first. Your editor shouldn't deal with a first draft...that's just mean.

Cover Reveal: Dance in the Moonlight A.L. Kessler

Come check out this fantastic cover by Something Wicked. Covers by Jamie! Dance in the Moonlight will be available March 13th. Check it out on Goodreads!

Blurb: Renee’s life had been normal until the shadows reappeared and the legendary stone was sent to her. As the arrival drags her further into the paranormal world, the last thing Renee expects is to be swept off her feet by a brooding werewolf. 

Yet Coran captures her heart and attention. Small problem—he doesn't want a mate. Coran still suffers from the loss of his first mate, but when Renee is attacked by shifters he is forced to protect her at all costs. Things heat up when he realizes fate has wickedly granted him a second chance at love. With the war causing the body count to rise, now is not the ideal time to find a mate. 

The Circle is becoming desperate and something has Lucius worried which means trouble for his followers. It's a dance between danger and fate in this second installment of the Dark War Chronicles.

Oh The Places You'll Go....

When I graduated high school my grandmother followed tradition and gave me a copy of Dr. Seuss' "Oh the Places You'll Go." This book meant a lot to me because it showed that she believed in me and Dr. Seuss is one of my idols. What's the point of me telling you this? There's a few lines in there that really speak to me as an author:

“So be sure when you step, Step with care and great tact. And remember that life's A Great Balancing Act. And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and ¾ percent guaranteed) Kid, you'll move mountains.” 

Let's break this down and why I bring up these particular lines for the day. "So be sure when you step, step with care and great tact. And remember that life's A Great Balancing Act." As authors, artists, and just people we often tend to post negative things, some times out of frustration and sometimes out of jealousy. Now, we all have our moments where frustration comes out, but the problem is when that frustration is aimed towards attacking people. Spit. Jealousy. Sour Grapes. Whatever you want to call it, you don't bash others in your fields (Or other fields) publicly. It's bad JuJu and my friends that is not the type of attention you want. You will lose a lot of respect that way, you will be blacklisted by readers, and honestly you're just inviting trouble to yourself. (Think of the trolls on Goodreads and other websites, do you really want to show yourself as an easy target for them?)

There is a fine balance that you have to find. Yes it's frustrating when someone seems to become a big name over night, but they too had their troubles when they started. Ask any author, they won't tell you it was easy to get where they are. I'm always telling Mia that we have to remember that and not get discouraged.

"And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed) Kid, you'll move mountains."

And most of us will get that success, but it'll be those of us who actually put the effort in. How does one move a mountain? A stone at a time. Small steps. You climb one the same way. There are steps to be taken and stumbling stones along the way.

Again, why am I bringing this up? Because I read an article the other day where an author stated that a big name author should stop writing (adult) fiction to allow room for new authors. (she made it clear that said author could continue to write for children or for his/her own pleasure, because she would NEVER deny that to someone...) So instead of going on a rant about it, I wanted to remind people that no matter how successful you are or are not everyone started at the bottom. There are no magic words, spells or tricks to 'hitting it big' you have to work for it. And if you're not willing to do that, then you will fail.

Now, get over your sour grapes, you have work to do.

Review: Summer Earns Her Collar By Dominic Freeman

Summer Earns Her Collar
By Dominic Freeman

Synopsis:

A story of submission as Summer finds out what it means to be a sub. Her Dom has a surprise for her and as long as she can take it, a reward as well.
(Yes that is literally all the synopsis you get from the author)

Review:
I was looking for a quick steamy read when I downloaded this book. While the story is only 2,500 words long I found nothing steamy about it. In a short story things need to be made clear. I'm still not sure if this is just one part of a larger story since every other book I found by Dominic Freeman had the same exact cover (P.S. There was nothing about duct tape roses in the book so I'm not sure what the cover was trying to get at).

From the beginning paragraph I had a bad feeling about this story and my fears were confirmed when the male character started biting the woman over and over again. I have no issue with biting, but I couldn't figure out why he was doing that. It was never made clear to the reader if he was some sort of supernatural character, or if he was just a jerk who was hungry. Yes this was a BDSM book but I've read BDSM stories before where there was character development that explained who, and more importantly, what the people were.

Summer's Dom oozes the creep factors. Doms can be sexy, they can be enticing, Summer's Dom however was neither of those things he was simply a creepy bully with no finesse.

Here's the breakdown: They've been Dom and sub for some extended period of time, they have been planning this “big night” for weeks. And yet when she goes to the cafe to meet him he never shows up, she waits a half an hour and finally he calls her to tell her he's been watching her. Creepy. Then he tells her to walk down a dark alley, where he then basically attacks her. Creepy. He then reminds her that it is his job to be a sadistic asshole. I'm paraphrasing her, but that is it in a nutshell. Still creepy. So they've been together all this time and she is getting the “honor” of seeing where he lives for the first time. Super creepy. I half expect there to be a musty smell of decaying flesh and blood splatters on the floor of his hovel, which by the way is a loft apartment with a door right in the same dark alleyway.

They laugh and frolic, as he flip flops between a dick and uber creepy uncle-type. And Summer just thinks he's swell and laps up his attention like a puppy at the water bowl. He restrains her, bites her all over and then they have sex.

Afterward is full of cuddles and falling asleep. You know what, he still hadn't given her the collar, only in the morning when he tells her he has something for her and she assumes that means he wants a blowjob does he give her the collar... Making her the most gosh-darn happiest girl in the world. Then of course she sucks him off as a sign of appreciation and the story ends with her acknowledging the fact that tomorrow things would go back to normal. Which I can only assume means her Dom will continue to be a douche bag who doesn't allow her access to him in his normal life, which really leads me to believe that Mister "I like to sink my teeth into your flesh" Dom is probably some bored banker with poor self-esteem, a wife and 5 kids at home and this alleyway loft of his is where he takes all the whimpering little Mary Sue's he cons into spreading their legs for him.

Would I recommend this free read to anyone? No. I'm not going to get into the formatting, editing, grammar, and book cover. The story was enough for me to decide on a rating. I love BDSM books, but I like strong female characters, you can be strong and still submit. There is strength in choosing to submit and hand over control to someone else whom you can trust and is worthy of taking control, but Mary Sue characters like Summer aren't strong, they are gullible and needy. That doesn't make for a good read.

1 out of 5 Stars

Heat Rating: Mild/Spicy

(The descriptions of sex are graphic and use words normally seen in a spicy rating but the lack of emotion and flavor left the sex scenes bland and stagnant. Be warned, due to the language used this is not a read for anyone under 18 years old or who is looking for a sweet romance)

(mild, medium, hot, spicy, scorching)

I downloaded a free copy of this book from Smashwords.

Download this short story:

on Smashwords

Review: Devil's Playground By Laura Oliva

Devil's Playground, Book 1 in Devil's Playthings
By Laura Oliva

Synopsis: Professional burlesque dancer Francesca "Frankie" Strong has learned the hard way: on San Francisco's cutthroat party circuit, crime has a way of going unnoticed. When her best friend is brutally attacked, she's determined not to let the case fall through the cracks, even if that means crawling through every alley and back room in San Francisco to find the truth.

Undercover cop Johnny Marsden is in desperate need of a win. His career on the rocks, he's infiltrated the

infamous nightclub Cafe Outré, rumored front for San Francisco's Chinatown mafia. Johnny has never seen anything like the glitter-and-sin-encrusted world he's now a part of. He's certainly never met anyone like Frankie Strong.

Realizing they'll get farther together than on their own, Frankie and Johnny forge an uneasy partnership. Neither expects the heat that flares between them. Neither is ready for what it could mean. Together, they run down a trail that leads directly to Chinatown, and a faceless terror its residents refuse to name.

Frankie's only interest is in protecting her friend, and she's willing to make a deal with the devil to do it. But Johnny suspects the attack was part of something larger, something darker... and he's right

Review: I have to say that this book kind of hit my funny bone a bit. It felt a little like Janet Evanovich mixed with something a little more erotic...that I can't put my finger on. This isn't a bad thing at all. What we have here is an amateur sleuth in the way of Frankie Strong and a down on his luck detective. The storyline caught my interest in a way that I hadn't expected, but it really picked up about half way through. The only gripe I have is with one scene that I could barely suspend my disbelief with, though the reader in me thinks that there was a reason for the out of character (for the villain) move. I'm hoping that I will see it addressed in the next book as it is a series. Ms. Oliva does a wonderful job spinning her characters and their backgrounds and give us just enough to be hooked. I can't wait to find out more about Frankie's past an who this 'her' is that Johnny keeps referring to. 

As for the sex in this it's hot, but, even though there is a lot of sexual tension there is no actual sex between the two main characters. It read more as a suspense, or mystery, vs a romance because of that. I understand not wanting to give characters a HEA in the first book, but I do feel like I was cheated with that. Do I think I'll read the next book in the series? The answer is simple, yes! Ms. Oliva takes us to the heart of San Fran and her writing is fantastic when it comes to giving those ground details that are a most for readers. You can see the club in your head, the city, The Pass, and many other places the characters take you on. If you like some amateur sleuthing, a bit of suspense, some hot sex this book is for you!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4 out of 5 Stars

Heat Rating: Spicy

(mild, medium, hot, spicy, scorching) 

Buy the Book:

On Amazon

Meet The Author:

- Website

- Blog

- Twitter

- Facebook 

- Goodreads

The Perceived Image of an Indie Author

Ah, the wonderful world of the internet. It's great for networking, wonderful to keep in touch with families, and it breeds drama, but it can also be a great place for open discussion. I tend to lean more towards conversations with indie authors, but occasionally I cross over and talk to traditionally published ones too when it comes to talking shop. My favorite is to talk to other hybrid authors, which Mia are now considered hybrid authors. That's important, because I'm getting ready to break down somethings that I found and or experiences on the internet this last week. I often like to pretend that there is no more perceived image of an indie author, that we can walk amongst traditionally authors with our heads held high, and no one will pick on us. Yeah, right. (Though to be fair, we pick on traditionally published authors.)

So let's quickly define indie authors, traditionally published, and hybrids.

Indie authors: Normally this refers to authors who have no affiliation with a true publisher. There are authors who are considered indie who have combined to make their own press, or even just one author who made their own press so there was a publisher name, but it's not a publisher that caters to other authors.

Traditionally published authors: Authors who has a publisher, regardless of it's a big five publisher or not.

Hybrid authors: Authors who are published both ways.

So now to the fun stuff, now that we're all caught up. On a Facebook post a traditionally published author poised a question in regards to the possibility to produce a large amount of writing as an indie author and it being quality writing.

When I was an aspiring author, I was completely against self-publishing, and this was one of the reasons why. I saw a particular author releasing something almost every month and I thought, there is just no way that it's polished enough. My Hubby tried to play devil's advocate and questioned me as to why it wasn't possible. In the end I shrugged my shoulders and thought, 'we'll see.' Now that I'm an author, under two different names, one which is indie and one which is hybrid, I know it is possible. Everything I'm writing, with the exception of A Demon's Heart, are things that will be published next year. Everything I'm planning on releasing this year is written and either just waiting on covers or is currently being edited. Under one name, I'll be releasing six titles, three that are novels, and three that are short stories. Under Alexandra, I'll (hopefully) be seeing the release of two books with Ellora's cave and two indie releases. At a convention, I met several authors that work this way and now that I know how it works, I know it's possible.

So naturally...I jumped in wanting offer the perspective of a indie author. I wrote a well though out response that invited conversation, did not bash traditionally published, and was hoping for a well thought out response. What I got instead was a simple thanks for responding. Hm. So I continued to follow the conversation, one person pointed out that I had valid points, and we continued to discuss, but the conversation ended basically with this: Traditional is better because edits take time and the publisher is the best at that.

That is an age old argument. Indie books are not edited. That is not true. Granted, there is stuff out there that is not edited, but that is not the whole lot. Just like people tend to think: Traditionally published have better story lines and knows what sells. No. I've read some awful Traditionally published books and though they follow trends, they can't switch as easily. (I'm not saying write towards the trends people, just pointing things out.)

Now as for the editing. Worried about downloading an indie book and having it been unedited? Check out the sample first, that's a glorious feature right there. It saved me $10 on an indie e-book the other week. On a book that helps give indie authors a bad name. But back to the point, traditional authors still hold that idea that they are better because they are with a publisher, that their editors know more than editors we can hire or our betas, who are normally made up of our target audience. Am I saying that indie authors are better? No, what I'm saying is that we are all authors, and yes there is good and bad writing out there and good and bad stories out there, but they aren't exclusively indie. There are those indie authors who think that they are better, though and that is the wrong attitude to have. We can all learn from each other here people, so knock it off!

That brings me to my next point. There was an article going around social media that had mentioned how different hybrid authors are. It talked about how we aren't indies, which is partially true, and we aren't really traditional, which well, is kind of true as well. We have a foot in each world, but here's the thing. We are still indie, we still know and do all the work for some of our projects. In the article it talked about how the only way a hybrid author could survive in this world is if they were a New York best seller before they 'turned indie' like we're vampires or something. Turned. According to the author of the article, if the author was not a NY best seller, than they were no better than the indie authors.

Hold up. That gives hybrids  a negative image too. Again, can't we all be just authors? Can't we all get along? Probably not, because this is how life goes, it's a uphill battle for us all, yes even traditionally published authors. The perceived image of an indie author is still a negative one in some people's eyes. What we need to do is find a way to change this, regardless of the category that we fall in.

2014- The Road Ahead

Last time I posted it was my year in review, so this time I thought I'd lay out the year ahead of me. My personal goals aside, I have quite a few professional goals I'd like to make happen this year. Most importantly will be writing more books. I'd like to have 3 releases under my belt this year, not counting the book I'm contracted for. I'd also like to submit at least one more thing to my publisher, but since this is about self-publishing let's just stick to that.

I'm currently working on a co-writing project with Alexandra. Hoping for that to be released some time in Spring, but for my solo projects I am working on Waking Up In Chains (book two in my Arcadian Veil series) which is paranormal romance, Mirage which is a paranormal erotic romance, and Steamworks- a steampunk BDSM novel.

Steampunk BDSM, you ask? It's a genre that has some very stiff cons but I think and hope I can do it right and put a new spin on some familiar tropes. First risk is that most people think that BDSM books are all about weak females (which it's not) and that steampunk is a genre about empowered females (which is very true). I happen to view both of these genres as having strong females (when written correctly and not having the female act like a wet noodle) and I think that my story fits the way I view things. It shows that there can be strength in submission and women who submit aren't always treated like children by their Doms. And that a good spanking with handcuffs can be fun. The other risk with writing in this genre is being compared to other authors. It seems that the BDSM genre really suffers from this type of stereotyping more so than any other genre. If I were to say to someone "I write science fiction." Most people would not respond with "Oh are you trying to be the next Orson Scott Card?" But if I say to people "I write Erotica." Or "I write BDSM." The first thing out of 95% of people is something snarky like "Oh are you trying to be the next EL James?" or "So you write that 50 Shades of Grey stuff?"

I don’t want to be compared to anyone else, I want to be my own person without having the cloud of everyone else thinking I'm trying to stick the same stuck pig to bleed out some money. It's about telling a story, one I want to read, one that is in my heart and my head, one that these voices tell me constantly and it is just my job to type it all out and hope one or two people read it and say "Wow, I really enjoyed that."

Bottom line is this: In 2009 I found my bliss again, writing. It's something that everyone in my day-to-day life told me I was never good enough for and that I could never do it. In 2010 I started to believe that I could write but only as a hobby. By 2011-12 I knew I wanted writing to be my career, but I still wasn't sure if I had what it would take. I listened to others tell me I was "okay at writing" but that I'd never be "one of the greats" I'd never be "elite" (whatever that means). But luckily I had some great ladies who told me the opposite, who said "You can do this. You are talented." 2013 was an up and down year but in the end I stood up and put myself out there and it paid off and now I have the belief I needed in myself. 2014 is my time to make it happen, learn, fall down, pick myself back up, and keep going.

But the one thing I couldn't do it all without is my friends and my kids. They are my much needed support system, they help me, encourage me, and stand by me. Which is a damn good feeling.

This year will be nothing but hard work, drive, and positive thinking.