Remember that bint on the All About Romance list, who thought it was clever to publicly diss her editor? Well, she’s decided that e-books aren’t for her.
Check out this post:
Well, I’ve promoted. A lot. I’ve tried desperately to convince people my book is just peachy keen. But as an ebook author I just don’t cut it. Not one copy sold? I just don’t have that kind of time to devote to the computer, trying to find people who would be interested in buying. So, therefore, I am throwing in the towel as an ebook author. I’m just plain finished. I’ll be disappearing for good now. Au revoir!
Hmmm…. Is that a usual occurrence? Is it possible to write a book, and not sell even one copy? I think she writes for Extasy. I don’t buy much off them, I must admit, but I know plenty of people who do. I wonder why she’s not selling… *cough*
Anyway, Lynne Connolly, that great bastion of sense and sensibility weighs in with her thoughts:
The more books you write, the more books you promote, the more you sell. You have to build a backlist and you have to spread your name around and build yourself a reputation. Even big names n the NY Times list started somewhere, and their first books probably sold no more than a relative handful.
It depends what you were looking for in writing. I write, I’ve always written, and published or not, would write, so anything above that is a bonus.
Nicely said Lynne. Methinks Sarah Leigh Tomas started this writing gig for purely financial reasons. Nothing wrong with that, but being realistic helps. I can imagine that she read a few books and thought it would be an easy way to earn some money. Anybody with a lick of sense, knows that that aint the case.
Anyway, this was the actual post in response to Lynne’s, that made me stumble and wonder how the fuck she ever got published:
lol I never said I was going to quit writing! lol I am just done with this whole ebook thing. It doesn’t seem to get me anything. I have no problem with promoting even in the least. It’s just that how can someone promote so much and not even sell ONE. Something about it is very, very fishy to me. {K: Erm, you can’t write for shit?}
And I guess I’m just a little nervous in regards to ebooks. I think my main focus needs to be on what I really want and not just mess around with the internet libraries{K: Say what?}. I contacted an agent once and asked her how ebooks would look on a cover letter. She said unless it sells beyond the normal novel, it really doesn’t mean anything. That was discouraging itself. {K: I wonder if she bothered speaking to anyone else?}
But no, writing itself is rewarding. I have so many stories I would never publish, but the need to write them nags beyond control. My husband hates when I start writing something I have no real intent on sending out to anyone. He asks me why I work on it. I tell him because I *have* to. {K: What’s the betting that she’s heard lots of authors use this line and thinks that it sounds impressive?} So, I’ll never stop writing. Just think I’ve had enough with ebooks.
Is this woman for real? Can she be any more ignorant about the very industry she’s trying to break into?
Sooooo, either her book sucks great big hairy donkey balls, or the marketing isn’t up to scratch. Actually, I think it might be a bit of both. Unfortunately, as far as she’s concerned, the blame can be squarely laid at the door of e-books. That is basically what she’s implying isn’t it? I wonder if she’s ever considered the fact that perhaps her writing isn’t up to par?
Should she blame her publishers, or is the responsibility all hers?
Wanna know my personal opinion? (of course you do) Her writing sucks arse, and her attitude stinks. (Ooops, was I being a mean girl?)
When I say her writing sucks arse, I can only go by the example on her website. For the sake of free publicity for this struggling author go check it out, some of you may even like her style. Perhaps.
Methinks she seriously needs some kind of guidance, not only on how to write, but on how to conduct herself in the community that she’s trying to sell to.
My advice Ms Tomas?
Take some writing lessons
Join a decent crit group
Get advice from as many e-book authors as possible
Do the fucking research on e-book publishers
Stop slagging off your editor (in public)
Take your head out of your arse
And last but not least, stop bitching and moaning and write for fuck’s sake.
Anybody else got any good advice for this struggling author? I’m sure she’d appreciate it. Really.
Selah March
October 3
2:02 pm
She’s clearly VERY young. Even if I hadn’t seen her picture, her voice — both in her AAR posts and the story excerpt on her website — is that of a teen with a well-developed vocabulary and the firm belief that she knows EVERYTHING about EVERYTHING, and the rest of us are just deluding ourselves. Ah, the arrogance of youth.
I’m inclined to cut her some slack only because I was once that girl. :p
One can hope that another ten years on the planet will do much to humble her and season her outlook. If not, she’s doomed to a life of persecuted victimhood and asswipery.
Avid Reader
October 3
3:42 pm
WELCOME BACK!
Well, I read the excerpt and was bored. I did this, I did that. She has a long way to go to even get average.
Keishon
Gail Faulkner
October 3
3:55 pm
Nice to have you back Karen. I lurk a lot here and laugh out loud.
I agree with Selah March, time seasons like nothing else can. However. as an ebook author I must marvel at the zero sales number. I mean really, really marvel. I can’t imagine what type of promotion it takes to achieve that.
Monica
October 3
4:05 pm
She’s baaaaaaaaaaack!
That chile is a baby. She has a long way to go and a lot of hard knocks to suffer.
Now these stupid younglings have the Internet so they can broadcast their stupidity far and wide.
Twenty down the road, either she’ll wind up beat-up and better or just a beat-up middle-aged dumb broad.
Dee
October 3
5:30 pm
I wonder what she considers “a lot”. I felt like I busted my ass to promote my first ebook and it did reasonably well, but there were others who were doing much better and promoting in smarter ways. Or promoting more. Sure it can be exhausting, but that’s the fate of eBook authors. You make your own distribution.
Still, not selling a single copy? Not even a pity copy? Where the hell was she promoting? And how? I mean, if it’s that bad, maybe she could have done a little promoting without excerpts. Some people buy on covers alone.
Can’t say she has a future in writing, but it’s a sure bet she won’t if she can’t learn some perserverence.
Dee
Sharon/Maya
October 3
5:54 pm
OMG you’re advice is priceless! I think I bruised a rib.
Seriously, maybe that “advice” should be pinned up somewhere for all aspiring authors?
Damn, I think I pulled a muscle.
Andrew
October 3
6:18 pm
This post is a hoot! I’ve been writing pretty seriously for several years now and still have yet to publish a book … but I will, because I know it takes being stubborn and refusing to quit. Thanks for the reminder of that.
Andrew
To Love, Honor and Dismay
sallahdog
October 3
8:56 pm
Oy… she lost me in the first paragraph… I, I, I… It takes a really good writer to pull off first person, and one of the first things they do is not do the, I did this, I thought that, I went here, show, not tell… even in first person… I write this way in my journal and it puts even me to sleep…lol…
eggs
October 3
10:17 pm
I hope this woman is an orphan who lives on Pluto, because if she isn’t, it’s kind of sad that not a single member of her family nor a single friend supported her by buying a copy. I mean – even her mom or her husband couldn’t buy *one* to make her feel good?! That’s actually kind of sad. Hell, if I sold a book, I’d buy ten copies myself just to boost my own ego.
Eve Vaughn
October 3
10:44 pm
Well, if you’re looking to be Bill Gates rich then of course you’ll be disappointed. I think the key to understanding the industry is researching, talking to other authors, getting to know the players, and setting realistic goals, yadda yadda. If writing is her dream, hopefully she’ll re-think her decision.
Anne
October 4
1:20 am
Welcome back! Yeah, this is ridiculous. They ONLY way to get your name out there is to PUT IT OUT THERE… not relying on anyone to do it for you… you’ve got to do it yourself. I think quite possibly she wasn’t willing to spend money to make money but that seems to be the way of things.
She needs to talk to pubbed authors and get their insight, get a good crit group or partner, and work on the craft of writing. Also, what type of book did she write? Writing in a genre that is not overly popular at the moment is really going to tank your sales, especially for a first-time author.
Oye.
Kat O+
October 4
7:14 am
Oh, Karen, where do you find this stuff???
Well, I tried but her website is almost unreadable and a prime example of poor marketing. Honestly, there are so many HTML templates out there. Heck, what’s wrong with a white background?
I think her biggest mistake is not knowning the market she’s selling to. It’s like starting a business without a business plan – it’s almost certainly doomed to failure.
I’m with eggs. What kind of a husband doesn’t even buy his wife’s eBooks???
Anonymous
October 4
7:36 am
From the website: “Writing paranormal romance comes easily to this newcomer…”
Writing a paranormal romance that people actually want to read, well, now that takes a mite o’ work.
Poor Miss Bint. She seems so young; so full of hope and hubris. I can’t help but feel a little sorry for her. To be fair, Princess Foot-in-Mouth did actually finish a novel and get it published, which is more than I’ve done. My hat’s off to her for her effort, if not her writing, novel, judgment, website or manners.
And did you see the cover she got? We should lay off the poor girl. Between the inevitable editorial backlash, the embarassment she’ll feel reading those posts five years from now, and the preemptive cover-karma, she’s already been punished enough.
Stella Price
October 4
9:14 pm
I agree with Sela here. Being young for the writing world (Audra is 22 and im 27) i see what she says, but i think that her main problem lies in her style and her delivery. Not to mention that there is a real problem with over promoting yourself, especially when you dont know how to do it effectivly.
I feel for the girl because she does seem like she thinks she knows everything and thats the wrong way to enter this business, or any business. I think a few years will get her some experience and possible some actual talent. I read the excerpt… and my highschool english teacher would smack me for trying tp publish that in a school newspaper.
she really needs to work on her voice.
paz
October 4
10:43 pm
Welcome back! 😉
Paz
Jaye
October 5
12:49 am
Welcome back, KS!
I didn’t realize that was the chick. 😛 I’ve noticed you seem to rub her the wrong way on that loop. gmao.
Dramedy Girl
October 5
3:29 am
I’m so glad your back! And I just about spit my coke out when I read your advice. :o)
Karen Scott
October 5
7:25 am
Selah, she certainly looks very young, and she does indeed come across as a petulant overactive child. I wonder how old she actually is, cuz I believe she’s married.
Keishon, having read her excerpts, I can’t understand how she even got pubbed when there are so many more better aspiring authors out there, who actually put the time in!
Hi Gail, I can’t believe not one person bought her book!
Monica, the thing is she got pubbed, she must have some potential, but she’s obviously not seeking advice from the right sources.
Dee, I think she thought it would be a breeze, she’d write a book, and the people would buy. I’m willing to bet that she’s pissed her editor off no end. As for marketing, well I see no obvious signs of how she’s been promoting herself.
Hi Sharon, I’m hoping she grows up and soon, she seems to think that NY publishers are a an easier bet. Lynne Connolly made me laugh because in one of her responses, she wrote Good luck with New York lol
Hi Andrew, if there’s anything I’ve gleaned from the authors that I’ve come across, it’s that perseverance is key. She ought to check out some of my author interviews, most of the authors have some pretty good advice when it comes to aspiring authors.
Hi Sallahdog, I can’t believe she writes in the first person, she clearly sucks at it. Her editor would have had a nightmare with her book!
Eggs, I can’t believe that not even her husband bought her book to show support, what’s that about? If I’d written a book, I’d make sure every single one of my friends, and family bought at least one copy!
Eve, you’re so right, she does need to talk to other authors, but she thinks she knows it all.
Anne, I think for her writing in a genre that isn’t popular would probably not do her much good, but I do think that if her book was well-written, and she’d pimped it as much as she could, she’d have at least sold one book!
Kat, just join the AAR list, there are some interesting characters on there, but nobody as out there as she is. If I was her, I’d withold sex with her hubby until he bought at least 10 copies of her book, lol!
“Writing paranormal romance comes easily to this newcomer…”
Bettie, I can’t believe she even wrote that, it comes off as arrogant, and we know that Romanceland doesn’t much like arrogance.. It wouldn’t be so bad if she could actually write. And yeah, her cover sure sucks.
Stella, it would be interesting to see how she changes in the next five years, personally, I don’t think she’ll stick it out that long.
Hi Paz!
Jaye, I do rub her the wrong way don’t I? It wasn’t intentional at first, now I find I have to restrain myself from posting something sarcastic every time she comments. I’m working on that.
Hi Shelly!!
Sandra Schwab
October 5
9:12 am
Glad to see you’re back, Karen! And it sounds as if you had a (mainly) good time in the US.
Ooops, was I being a mean girl?
AND you use rude words. Tsk, tsk. (I was raised in the firm belief that people who use the f-word in Britain are immediately struck down by a bolt of lightning. Imagine my shock when I went to a language school in Oxford a couple of years ago and overheard one of the teachers saying fuck. Nearly fainted from shock, I swear I did! Of course, a few years later when I lived in Galway for eight months, I learnt an awful lot about the creative use of swearwords. That stay proved to be extremely educational! *g*)
Bam
October 5
5:53 pm
Thanks for the blog pimpage, Bettie. Yeah, I threw the girl a bone. I even LINKED to her listing on Extasy, man. Not one person bought it for sheer morbid curiosity?
THAT’S A STINKING LIE. ‘CAUSE I BOUGHT IT. I have the receipt to prove it, too. LIAR LIAR LIAR. A self-pitying liar, too. Damn, now I’m going to have review the damn thing.
Kate R
October 6
7:40 pm
I think I’d be more pissed off at the art department than the editors if I had that cover.
Kat O+
October 7
9:45 am
Karen, according to myspace, she’s 21.
I can’t wait for Bam’s review. 😀
FerfeLaBat
October 10
1:38 am
a. Totally Agree with Lynne Connolly.
Only – I write even if it sucks because eventually the suck factor lessens. My plan. No one asked you.
b. Has MJD found your new location yet?
c. Paperback Writer said she gives newbies a year before slam dancing them for rampant stupidity. Has this author passed the 365 day mark even?
and
d. Bad writing is not generally the editors fault, but it can be fun to dis them just for fun. Just say’n.
Karen Scott
October 10
5:56 am
Hi FerfeLabat
MJD knows where I am, and I think she visits every now and then, but she wisely keeps quiet now (g)
I don’t think this author has been in the business for over a year yet, but I have a feeling she’d need longer to get rid of her Idiot Quotient for sure.
Lynne Connolly
November 15
2:27 pm
Well since I kind of feature in this, I had to say something!
I felt sorry for Sara, because it is so easy to vent online before you really stop to think. And it’s still too easy to get published, if you go to one of the just starting up epublishers, or you publish with a self publishing company like lulu.
I work late, and sometimes, if DH and I have a little romantic dinner with the accompanying glass or two of wine, I go back online and finish my emails. These days, I’ve learned not to send the mails until the next day.
In fact, whenever I have something strong to say, I file the mail and go back to it.
Something I feel Sara didn’t do.
And now I’m judging books for the EPPIE, and frankly, the range is huge. Everything from deeply boring to gobsmackingly bad, to books I’d recommend to anyone, even my hoity-toity academic friends. And that’s just ebooks. In paperback, it’s the same, but I haven’t judged a paper book competition, I just read for fun. But I’ve read some really lame books recently, and some of these are best sellers. Do people just buy these books because of the author? (stupid, of course they do!)Or because the book is there, in front of them and the cover is hot (oh yeah, been there, done that).
Well I have to get back to it. I’m desperately putting off doing a short Department 57 story, because it is so wonderful in my head and it will kind of hurt to see it coming out on screen, but there you are. Hopefully it won’t suck. It’s all I ask when I start a new story. Later, I read it back and think “Did I really write that?” but starting is always hard for me. Then comes the follow-up to “Wildire,” which has done so well I’m almost scared to revisit it.
Karen Scott
November 15
8:05 pm
Lynne, she’s a fucktard, plain and simple.
Judging by the example on her website, I want to know which editor thought she was good enough to take on. My baby nephew could probably do better, and he hasn’t even started talking yet!