# My three year anniversary, and I'm starting again from scratch (UPDATE Pg.4)



## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

I can't believe it's been three years since I got my first kindle and eventually loaded up my first book to Amazon. I've looked at some of my early posts here, where I long to be making 1k a month and saying how happy that would make me. Now I make a lot more than that, but life has become harder. (Two children, sick husband and so on). But I am pretty happy, I'm living my dream of being an author and working from home and still getting to spend a ton of time with my family, what more could I want?... I want even _more_ money... There I said it. And I have truly come to the conclusion that I'm doing too much wrong to make it. So I'm taking what I've learnt and starting again.

Here are some of my biggest mistakes. I know plenty of people will disagree with some of them but this is just what I've found for me personally.
*
Mistakes:*

*1) Writing Young Adult*
Teens love free books, teens read more paperbacks, teens watch more tv, teens have less disposable income, teens often have their ebooks monitored by their parents, and it's a hard audience to write for because there is a fine line for how far a relationship can progress, which can lead to negative reviews. Too much sexual suggestion or too sweet for words, I've tried both.

*2) Three genres within YA*
I have found very little cross over from the high school romances to the paranormal romances and vice versa, and the middle grade stuff had none at all. Which leads me to my next one.

*3) Switching back and forth between series*
I did this to keep me from getting bored, but actually it just meant the series lost momentum. Next time I'll start one and see it through before starting the next. I did it to please me, and forgot to please the reader first and foremost. Which leads again to the next point.

*4) Not writing what had the most success*
My flirting games series was by far my best seller and yet I left huge gaps between books to write the other stories I wanted to write, and seeing through books that were never going to be that successful. Again, I should have focussed on the best sellers and left the others on the vine. Also my Christmas romance has consistently had the highest downloads of all, and I never seemed to find the time to capitalise on it.

*5) Writing shorts*
When I started I really wished I had more of a back list. The solution seemed obvious to me - instead of one long book I could write three shorter ones in the same amount of time. Putting out occasional short stories between novellas also kept me on the HNR lists and gave my readers something to be going on with so my name didn't drop out of their minds. Makes sense, right? But it doesn't really work. I don't need five loss leaders, I just need one or two and to market them harder.

*6) Writing novellas for first in series*
When your first-in-series is a novella, you shoot yourself in the foot in so many ways. People don't want to pay $2.99 for the next one and the one after and so on when they know they are only getting a novella for their money. My first PNR (Halloween Magic & Mayhem) book is only 16k words, and it doesn't matter that Book Two is 50k words, the reader doesn't know that, even though I tell them. Again, it was a loss leader, but if you are going to have a free funnel into the rest of the series make it longer than the subsequent books, not shorter! It meant that they expected the second book to be the same and didn't want to pay full price for it.
Book one is also the one that picks up the most reviews and novellas are ineligible for Bookbub and lots of other sites too. We all know how pointless it is marketing books that are not the first in series, so make it the best in every way.

*7) Writing stand alones.*
Pointless. Amazon promotes the other books in the series with a cute line of them right under the blurb. Use it or lose out. I had two books that weren't related but were similar. I tweaked one so that it was set in the same town and made the second girl a friend of the first girl (very simple name change), I got Amazon to link them and both books had a lift which stayed steady. Big lesson learned.

*8 Advertising in pushes*
I don't advertise consistently. I know I should. Instead I would sporadically do a big push, which worked great but had no long term effect. I would watch everything slowly slide back down and then do another big push. You need to advertise constantly and keep good records of places that work and be aware when you've saturated them. I've never had a big advertising budget, too many demands on the household purse, but I should have spent more time working out how to advertise smarter with the money I did allocate.

*9) The wrong name*
Okay, this is a silly one as loads of people have made it big with some quite difficult names, but I still always wish I'd planned it better. I've been in several box sets (some even organised by me) and my surname generally pushes me right to the back. Same with lists of authors in a promotion and other things like that. It's a minor thing, but it bugs me.

I'm going to stop there because I've stated all the major ones and am starting to nitpick the smaller stuff. (Though I'm sure I've missed out some other relevant info, and I'll update if I think of it).

I'm not going to add *Mailing List, Branding, Covers, Blurbs, Keywords, Website* or really obvious stuff like* Editing *to the list, because I worked that out in my first six months. If you don't think you've cracked those then you should spend more time on kboards and you quickly will. _(They could be my list of things I did right!)_

Letting my pen name, and what will be twenty books, go quietly into the night, will be a wrench. And maybe I'll keep up a little promotion and the occasional addition to the Flirting Games series, it depends on whether the new stuff takes off or not. It will be an experiment.

Going forward - I have four more books to churn out first. Did I really say _churn out_? Yes, I did. I'm going to write them fast, in a single draft, because I've committed to them. At the end of June I will hit a mile stone birthday, and that's my cut off point. From then on my attention has to shift to a new market with an eye on bigger financial return. I still get to write (and actually I still get to write what I love) but not Young Adult. So where do I go from here? Good question. I haven't decided. I have two new series completely planned out and I don't know which to pick.
*
A) Cosy Seasonal Contemporary Romance*
On the back of the success of the Christmas story, (and the fact that I find sex scenes difficult) I was thinking of this genre. First a series to release in December of Christmas themed romances, (dropping three or four at once if I can to launch the name) then an accompanying series of summer romances, still "cosy chic-lit" in style. Aimed at readers like my mother-in-law who are utterly voracious. All stand alone but linked by being set in the same small town.

OR

*B) Urban Fantasy*
I've been plotting this series for two years. First person, continuous storyline with same characters. It's quite over-done on the tropes, but I know the genre well as I read a lot of it, and it would be very much to current market. Along very similar lines to Constantine (the comics and tv series), which I'm slightly obsessed with.

I'll have to focus on only one or I'll make all the same mistakes as before, so any thoughts would be appreciated.

Anyway, I'm hoping that some people might find this thread and my personal insights helpful to them, and have any insights of their own to add, or if anyone more experienced could contribute thoughts then that would be good. Sorry for writing another monster post! Stella xx


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## alawston (Jun 3, 2012)

Wow, I applaud your absolute honesty in this post. I sometimes sort of want to hit the reset switch on my career, and I'm going to try and do something along these lines when I've got the latest batch of anthology shorts out of the door.

Best of luck with the next four books, that's an awe-inspiring target you've set yourself!


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## LectorsBooks (Apr 30, 2013)

Thanks for sharing and I wish you all the best! I haven't analyzed the markets for cozy contemporary romances, and I don't generally read that genre...but when we're nearing the end of the year, that's pretty much ALL I want to read. Something happy, something easy, something Christmas-y, no stress, etc. So I'll be on the look out for these and hope you make a killing with them!


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## TammieJ (Mar 12, 2014)

I don't usually comment, but thank you for sharing your insights.  These types of threads are incredibly helpful as I try to navigate the many obstacles along the road to becoming a successful author.


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## kathrynoh (Oct 17, 2012)

Good luck with the reboot.

Just from my own experience (only in romance), series with the same characters -- and cliffhanger endings -- do a lot better than a series of connected standalones. I get bad reviews for the cliffhangers but they sell.


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## Cherise (May 13, 2012)

Evenstar said:


> ...my attention has to shift to a new market with an eye on financial return. I still get to write (and actually I still get to write what I love) but not Young Adult. So where do I go from here? Good question. I haven't decided. I have two new series completely planned out and I don't know which to pick.
> *
> A) Cosy Seasonal Contemporary Romance*
> On the back of the success of the Christmas story, (and the fact that I find sex scenes difficult) I was thinking of this genre. First a series to release in December of Christmas themed romances, (dropping three or four at once if I can to launch the name) then an accompanying series of summer romances, still "cosy" in style. Aimed at readers like my mother-in-law who are utterly voracious. All stand alone but set in the same small town.
> ...


I've done this.

My advice is to pick the series of those two that you like the most, as you may be writing in it for the foreseeable future. And don't change your signature on these boards. Leave your new pen name out of all the controversy this place attracts. I am very glad I did. Oh, and continue to promote the books in your signature.


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## Al K. Line (Mar 16, 2014)

Good luck with the reboot. I'd go with whatever itch is scratching the most. I'm just amazed you can hold out for 4 more books, I'd be getting going now!


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## BWFoster78 (Jun 18, 2015)

TammieJ said:


> I don't usually comment, but thank you for sharing your insights. These types of threads are incredibly helpful as I try to navigate the many obstacles along the road to becoming a successful author.


I echo this completely.

Some say there are no shortcuts in life, but I think one legitimate shortcut is learning from the mistakes of others instead of repeating those mistakes yourself. Thank you so much for sharing with us!

Brian


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## Scottish Lass (Oct 10, 2013)

Evenstar said:


> *A) Cosy Seasonal Contemporary Romance*
> On the back of the success of the Christmas story, (and the fact that I find sex scenes difficult) I was thinking of this genre. First a series to release in December of Christmas themed romances, (dropping three or four at once if I can to launch the name) then an accompanying series of summer romances, still "cosy" in style. Aimed at readers like my mother-in-law who are utterly voracious. All stand alone but set in the same small town.
> 
> OR
> ...


I also applaud your honesty, and can see some of my own mistakes mirrored there (although I'm not as successful as you). I am also hoping to start a new series in a more marketable genre this year.

Can I suggest an objective way to help you choose which genre to pursue?

Identify the most appropriate sub-sub-category for each of your series. Then find how many books were released into that category in the last 30 days and the last 90 days. The category with less competition will be easier to chart in, and easier to get into the HNR lists. (Bear in mind that all categories are bloated somewhat just now by scammers - my chosen category used to have about 60 releases per month; currently it's at 130, presumably because of scam books).

*But* also check the ranking of the 1st and 20th on each Bestseller list (ie the first page) and make sure the ranking of the 20th is good enough that it's selling a reasonable amount per day.

If you want to add to this by doing a little maths - also check the average price on the first page of the bestsellers in each category. If everything is selling at 99c in one category but you can make 2.99 easily in the other, even with a few less sales you could make more money overall.


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## Guest (Apr 25, 2016)

I always enjoy your posts. Best of luck on this new strategy. Just remember that it is harder to launch a new book from a new author these days. Let us know how it goes and what works for you.


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## Lydniz (May 2, 2013)

I have no suggestions but I just want to say best of luck with the new venture!


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## RipleyKing (Mar 5, 2013)

I've been giving things a lot of thought myself. From the pen name, to what to write. However, even though most everything I have is standalones, I did figure out a way to bundle them into a series (of sorts). I'm going to give things to the end of this year for several reasons. One is, KU, I went all in. 5, isn't in KU, for some reason I can't understand, so I got to get that cleared up. That leaves 15 books in, and one out. 

I want to leverage KU, while I educate myself on GIMP and redo my covers. I still like what I have, but I could raise the bar for myself.

I still think the stories I write have a chance, with the right readers. I've been on Twitter, but only offering people stuff to read, and just reached 4500+ hits for a month on the blog site, and don't see that number falling. Only problem is, I'm not selling in stellar numbers, or in any real numbers at all. I have a perpetual ad running, and it pays for itself. Me, all my books, directing folks to my site to read. The click-thru rate isn't bad.

So, rather than let things go, I'll try something new, and then if that fails, re-brand. After that, another new pen name, and will head in a new direction, with all the lessons learned here to lead the way. I'm 54, in it for the long haul, so I'm not going to worry about every little thing. 

Doing things like this is nothing new to the publishing world. More than one author has revamped, reinvented, and rebounded to do better than ever.


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## Not any more (Mar 19, 2012)

I agree (and relate to) most of what you've written above, although I didn't write YA. Lack of promotion and failure to build a mailing list are two things I'm working on. I finished my UF series, then spent the past year and a half writing other things with very poor results. Going back to UF now with a firm plan in mind. Good luck on the reboot!


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## Annette_g (Nov 27, 2012)

Best of luck with whatever you decide to try next. I made the mistake of doing standalones as well and the readers just aren't there, or I don't know how to attract them


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## Chris Fox (Oct 3, 2014)

Good luck with the reboot, Evenstar. I think you'll come back stronger than ever, and 2016 is going to be a very good year for you.


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## PearlEarringLady (Feb 28, 2014)

Wow, that was a great post! Good luck with it - I'm sure it will be great.


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## Chinese Writer (Mar 25, 2014)

Good luck, Stella. I've never heard of the cozy romance genre before. But I do know there's romances with a HEA with little to no steam under Chick Lit and Women's Fiction.


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## Talbot (Jul 14, 2015)

_*1) Writing Young Adult*
Teens love free books, teens read more paperbacks, teens watch more tv, teens have less disposable income, teens often have their ebooks monitored by their parents, and it's a hard audience to write for ..._

But, but, but I'd heard that most of the audience for YA are adults. My first-in-series has a teen girl protagonist but does that make it _for teens?_ I'm counting on crossover appeal.

_*6) Writing novellas for first in series* _

But if your entire series will probably be novellas? (Long ones, 30k+?)

_*7) Writing stand alones.*_

Uh oh. My only full-length novel is a stand-alone. For kids. Who have even less money and control than teens do. I'm just doomed. (But it sure was fun to write!)

Well, enough about me. Good luck! And I hope you don't leave KBoards. Your helpfulness with blurbs and keywords has been invaluable.


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## Rick Gualtieri (Oct 31, 2011)

Good luck!  But with so much knowledge in your back pocket, I think you're gonna kill it.


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## pwtucker (Feb 12, 2011)

Best of luck - I definitely echo the sentiment of writing the series you're the most excited about. That energy will sustain you and keep things fresh and interesting.

Question: what are you going to do with your backlist? Let it wither away into obscurity, or keep promoting it so as to maintain that income?


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## MKK (Jun 9, 2015)

I reboot my computer all the time...reboots are good and necessary. They clean things up and make things work better. I think you'll do just fine...better than fine. (I've bookmarked this post. To not learn from other's experience isn't very smart.)



Evenstar said:


> At the end of June I will hit a mile stone birthday, and that's my cut off point.


Congratulations on your upcoming birthday. Being able to legally drink is a wonderful thing


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## onguard74 (Apr 3, 2014)

I'm doing the exact same thing myself. I'm tired of low sales, so based on the advice I found in Chris Fox's excellent book on writing to market, I'm going to take a more systematic approach and try to put stuff out that more closely matches reader exoectations, which lets face it, is half the battle when it comes to making sales. Good luck!


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## cecilia_writer (Dec 28, 2010)

Good luck, and I think you're quite right to home in on Christmas as one of your options. The one book I have with 'Christmas' in the title has sold better than any of the others and I sometimes wish I could bring myself to write a whole series of Christmas mysteries! (But at my age life is definitely too short)


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## RuthNestvold (Jan 4, 2012)

Good luck with the reboot, Stella! I've made a lot of the same mistakes as you, but I'm not quite to the reboot stage yet.


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## A Woman&#039;s Place Is In The Rebellion (Apr 28, 2011)

Best of luck, Evenstar! Can't wait for your 'this is how I sold a crapton of books' post later this year.


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## treadmikeway (Apr 23, 2016)

This is really interesting to hear about. I hope to see updates in the future about how things go moving forward!


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## BookwormT (Dec 4, 2015)

YA is so, so hard. I have a YA series with a small press and while they advertise enough to get readers, most of those readers are adults. Teens not only tend to read as you've pointed out (they want paperbacks to decorate their shelves, they have less money) but they also tend to read the "Big" books from the Big 5, who really know how to market and sell YA. Fewer teens have credit cards, so they do their book browsing and discovery at book stores and libraries. Finding indie books is harder for teens because they're not on the shelves where they're looking. If you're indie, it's super hard to break through those barriers and get readers.

I think it's smart to start over in another genre. When I decided to go indie, I started writing adult UF because I knew I'd have a better shot at selling adult UF books. I still have a YA standalone I'd loved to rewrite and published someday, but that was written back when I thought I still wanted to query. And you're right about that, too. Stand alones are a harder sell. 

I love cozy mysteries (and I'm thrilled to see that genre exploding! More mystery reads ftw!) and I love urban fantasy. I think you'll do really well and I wish you all the best. I look forward to reading about your progress with your new series here on kboards!


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## Cheyanne (Jan 9, 2013)

I write YA and I've come to the EXACT same revelation lately. I've also been plotting a quick new series solely to write to market. Good luck and I'll be following your journey!


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## juliatheswede (Mar 26, 2014)

Good luck, Evenstar. I'm in exactly the same boat as you. This year I'll be starting over too (but I'll keep my author name the same). Only have one more book to churn out...


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## EC Sheedy (Feb 24, 2011)

Good luck, Evenstar! I'm sure with all your smarts and a new "system" you'll do fantastically well.  And, yes, I see myself reflected in what you've written in this post. I've added to my own list of shortcomings by not having a mailing list--and yes, that standalone thing.    

I hope you'll do an anniversary post and let us know how it goes.


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## N. Gemini Sasson (Jul 5, 2010)

Wow, Stella. This is so timely. We're in the same NaNo cabin, I believe, but I've really been stumbling lately and just about everything you've said is stuff I can relate to. I had a lot of success initially with Historical Fiction. But really, I'd already written what I wanted to write (which took over a decade) and was feeling a little constricted by the genre. The research phase can be exhaustingly time-consuming. So I decided to reinvent myself and did some contemporaries. I love the freedom. But I've made some of the mistakes you mentioned, like not advertising frequently enough, and hopping back and forth between series. I think that can work if you write super fast, but because I have so much else going on in life four months between books is super fast for me, 6-8 months is more normal.

Anyway, thanks for putting this out there. I need to re-focus my plan and get back on track. Hope it goes well for you. Writing smart is the way to go.


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## My Dog&#039;s Servant (Jun 2, 2013)

Here's wishing you every success in your new adventure. 

Thank heavens as indies we can do something about the "if you keep on doing the same thing, you keep on getting the same results" problem that was so hard to overcome in trad publishing (even Nora Roberts faced challenges:  "yeah, she's a great category romance writer but who says she can write big romantic suspense?")


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## JaclynDolamore (Nov 5, 2015)

Great post! Wishing you good luck!

I do think there's an audience for YA (okay, I know there is because some YA books have been very successful), but that audience is not teens. Even for my traditionally published YA books, most of my fan mail, my reviews, etc. was from adults, so believe me, even in the traditional world we struggle over how to reach actual teens! I've been looking at charts for a while now and it seems like paranormal romance and epic fantasy with crossover appeal can do very well. Basically the same genres adults would be buying anyway...


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## Janeal Falor (Oct 25, 2014)

Thanks for sharing all this information. It's super helpful! And good luck going forward!


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## RedAlert (May 15, 2015)

Thank you for sharing.  Go forward.  Take what's good and leave the rest behind.

One question:  "We all know how pointless it is marketing books that are not the first in series, so make it the best in every way."  I agree that the first book should be the hook.  But, are you saying that it's useless to promote any other book in the series?  Or, were you talking about standalones?

Wishing you well!


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## james_loscombe (Feb 21, 2014)

Thanks for sharing. I'm in a similar situation and planning a switch in genres. I'm not sure about changing the name I publish under though, I don't think I've had enough success to make it worth while!


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## harker.roland (Sep 13, 2014)

I would say do Cozy Mystery but only because I am selfish and would love to do a first in cozy boxset this year! 

Best of luck in whatever you decide. With everything you have learned over the years, there is no doubt you will be successful in whatever you write.


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## A past poster (Oct 23, 2013)

Thank you for a wonderful post! Your insights make so much sense. I hope you'll write the series that you are most interested in, the one that will best engage you as a writer and as a reader. Your best work is always in that place. Good luck and much success!


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## sugarhit (Feb 9, 2015)

I have no helpful insights. I think you're smart to reinvigorate your business by going with what works. I just finish reading Chris' _Write to Market_ and it really changed my perspective on pen names and ditching what doesn't work. YA is a tough nut to crack in that category and you're smart for moving on.


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## Kyla S (Apr 15, 2016)

Thanks for your excellent post. It's frustrating to hear about YA, as I am finishing up a standalone YA novel now. Yikes. Are you going to take down your entire back list? Or leave it up and just ignore it?


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## unkownwriter (Jun 22, 2011)

Stella, thanks for posting and putting yourself out there. I think the hardest thing we have to do sometimes is to step back and honestly evaluate where we are and where we want to be.

I'm sort of doing some soul searching right now myself. I have to decide if I want to start writing some stories that I thought I was done with, just to make some money. I felt like I was too far off the market -- they were a niche of a main sub genre -- but the thought occurred to me that if the danged things were selling/getting page reads, there must of actually been a market, right? so I've got a new one mostly done (need the final scene and short wrap-up), which should be published later today.

It's heartbreaking to watch as there are no sales/few pages read every day, and it ends up making me write less, so there's no new "mainstream" stories out, and no growing catalog.

Anyway... Good luck with the reboot, and keep us informed on how you're doing. I can't say which series you should go with, but I think doing the one you're the most excited about is a starting point.


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## Annabel Chant (Feb 24, 2015)

Good luck, Stella. I'm in the same boat, too, at the moment. Planning to start again from scratch and, in my case (as someone already mentioned upthread), meet reader expectations a little better.


I know you've been talking about doing this for quite a while, so kudos to you for making such a tough decision, with so many books already out. I know lots of people are saying that adults read teen lit, but it might be different in your genre (although I realise the Magic and Mayhem books are fantasy). I wonder if so many adults read teen romances?


Hope it all goes well, anyway, and I'm sure you'll kill it   .


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## Becca Mills (Apr 27, 2012)

Do the urban fantasy!!

Sorry ... biased.  

Whichever route you take, it'll be great. Good luck!


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## GwynnEWhite (May 23, 2012)

Thank you for sharing your hard-earned lessons. It is always so helpful reading posts like this. Good luck with your new direction. I hope it brings you joy and money.


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

Kyla S said:


> Thanks for your excellent post. It's frustrating to hear about YA, as I am finishing up a standalone YA novel now. Yikes. Are you going to take down your entire back list? Or leave it up and just ignore it?


Hi Kyla
I'm going to leave it up and keep promoting it while I get the next series written. The income from it needs to keep paying my bills in the meantime! After that I will still maintain it, though I don't know how long it will hold rankings without any new releases.



LilyBLily said:


> Good luck. Your reasoning is logical enough if your goal is to maximize money in. I'm not sure why you need to change pen names, though. It's not as if you need a "p0rn writer" name. Just make the books for adults look different. Trying to run social media under a second name is a time suck, and your teenage readers will grow older and maybe read your new books if they can find you.


I did think about this, but if I do write Urban Fantasy it will be grainier, my current readers are quite a specific demographic. I will keep the other stuff up and keep this name specific to that age group, otherwise I am just chucking more pebbles in a muddy pond.



RedAlert said:


> One question: "We all know how pointless it is marketing books that are not the first in series, so make it the best in every way." I agree that the first book should be the hook. But, are you saying that it's useless to promote any other book in the series? Or, were you talking about standalones?


No, I was talking about later books in the same series. If I have a new release then obviously I tell my mailing list and Amazon followers and post about it, but in terms of marketing I re-promote the first book in the series at that point. I wouldn't spend money on promoting Book Four because a lot of people who will see the promotion wont have read the first three books, so it is a bit of a waste. That's my take on it anyway and the evidence seems to bear it out



JaclynDolamore said:


> I do think there's an audience for YA (okay, I know there is because some YA books have been very successful), but that audience is not teens. Even for my traditionally published YA books, most of my fan mail, my reviews, etc. was from adults, so believe me, even in the traditional world we struggle over how to reach actual teens! I've been looking at charts for a while now and it seems like paranormal romance and epic fantasy with crossover appeal can do very well. Basically the same genres adults would be buying anyway...


There is a market for it for sure, and I can't really complain at how well I have done. I just want to take it to the next level and that won't happen if I keep doing this. All that will happen is my income with consistently increase in small increments with each new release. (apart from when Amazon does things like KU2 and gives me a massive set back!) But with my home situation as it is, I want to 10X my thinking (as Chris Fox would say) and small and steady isn't going to do that. So baring a lightening strike breakout book, or some really full on marketing, this method is wasting my time to get me where I need to be in the future.


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

Jessie G. Talbot said:


> _*1) Writing Young Adult*
> Teens love free books, teens read more paperbacks, teens watch more tv, teens have less disposable income, teens often have their ebooks monitored by their parents, and it's a hard audience to write for ..._
> 
> But, but, but I'd heard that most of the audience for YA are adults. My first-in-series has a teen girl protagonist but does that make it _for teens?_ I'm counting on crossover appeal.
> ...


They'll have to kick me off kboards kicking and screaming  I need this place to keep me sane (or is that insane?)

My stuff is really branded for a specific age group, and though I do have a lot of adult readers, the majority are most definitely girls aged between 12 - 14. A lot of books that are meant to be young adult do have a much broader appeal, but unfortunately mine don't really. There is no angst, no "reality" of life, no "issues" touched on. They are just fluffy


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## Gentleman Zombie (May 30, 2011)

Wow are we twins? 

I started in 2011 during the gold rush years. Most of the writers I started with are killing it now.  I made similar mistakes to yours. I didn't write to market.  I didn't change gears and jump to mainstream romance when the rest of my peers did (as a group). Never set up a proper mailing list. Didn't continue with a hot series when it was selling like gangbusters... and the list goes on. 

And I'm rebooting myself right now too.  Remember, you have years of experience under your belt. Which puts you ahead of so many others. So while your experiences may not have been optimal, they were educational!!! 


Wishing you lotsa luck.


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

Gentleman Zombie said:


> Wow are we twins?


Definitely twins. My hands look just like your avatar after a hard session at the keyboard

Thank you everyone for your thoughts so far, they've been really uplifting


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## KGGiarratano (Aug 14, 2013)

I'm rooting for you, Stella!
I'm also planning a reboot in that after I finish my YA paranormal mystery trilogy, I'm going to move toward adult historical mysteries. I hope you'll keep us apprised of your success.


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## Raquel Lyon (Mar 3, 2012)

Stella, I have every confidence you will make this work. I started in 2009 and did everything wrong; I admit that. I still do everything wrong, even when I try to do things right.   It depresses me no end when I see others racing past me and becoming successful while I stare at the flat line on my sales reports, but I tried the writing to market thing a couple of years ago and have accepted that I can't do it. You will, though. I know it. Ooo, and write the fantasy series because I'd definitely read it. Good luck!


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## Mxz (Jan 17, 2015)

Good luck!  I'm in the same position too, starting over.


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## Patty Jansen (Apr 5, 2011)

It's nice to have the freedom to start over with something new.

However, since when have we come to this kind of warped reality that when you're supporting your family (as you were), on a small income from your writing, we've failed? Because we're not Amazon top 100 bestsellers? What sort of idiocy is this? Since when did you do "everything wrong"? Seriously. SERIOUSLY?

Many writers, trad and indie, would have killed for the success you've had.

OK, you want to try something else. Cool.
You want to see if you can do even better with stuff you've learned. Cool.

But stop talking your books into the ground because they didn't earn megabucks. They did quite well. Write something else, start a new pen name. It's fun. It may work, or it may not. But quit the self-flagellating, because it's not deserved.


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## Debra Purdy Kong (Apr 1, 2009)

Interesting insights and thanks for sharing. I really appreciate it.

As an author who's about to get my rights back from my publisher re: my full-length mystery series (4 books so far &  I've also written an unpublished novella for the series) in some ways I'm also starting from scratch. For example, when to re-release each title and the price point are all things to consider before jumping in. Best of luck to you!


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## Jenny Schwartz (Mar 4, 2011)

Trying something new under a new name is brave and exciting. Sending you tons of good writing karma.

I have a paranormal romance series out now, one I'm building, and I'm mentioning it because the first book is a novella at about 35,000 words, and that's too short to meet BookBub's requirements of fiction being at least 150 pages. Seriously don't get caught in my trap of a too-short start to your series. Bookbub requirements, https://www.bookbub.com/partners/requirements


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## BlinkFarm (Oct 25, 2015)

Thanks for the details. And good luck on the reboot. I'm pushing reset and switching genres, too, but don't have anywhere near your size of a catalog, so I can only imagine how much thought you put into making the decision.


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## SomeoneElse (Jan 5, 2016)

I think it's hard to accept how big of an impact genre has. As a twenty-something writer, I don't yet feel adult enough to write anything but YA (I hope with crossover appeal,) but it is disheartening to see writers in more popular genres selling so much more for the same efforts. All the best.


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## James_T (May 15, 2012)

Patty Jansen said:


> It's nice to have the freedom to start over with something new.
> 
> However, since when have we come to this kind of warped reality that when you're supporting your family (as you were), on a small income from your writing, we've failed? Because we're not Amazon top 100 bestsellers? What sort of idiocy is this? Since when did you do "everything wrong"? Seriously. SERIOUSLY?
> 
> ...


Well said.


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

Patty Jansen said:


> It's nice to have the freedom to start over with something new.
> 
> However, since when have we come to this kind of warped reality that when you're supporting your family (as you were), on a small income from your writing, we've failed? Because we're not Amazon top 100 bestsellers? What sort of idiocy is this? Since when did you do "everything wrong"? Seriously. SERIOUSLY?
> 
> ...


LOL, thank you Patty, you're unique brand of arse-kicking is excellent.

But actually I don't think I've failed. I know you're right and I have done really well simply by maintaining a good income level for a while now that has indeed enabled me to pay the mortgage and bills every month. (If you don't count the last three months where I stupidly went all in to KU!) I've been coasting along on the lines of your own NO Best Seller plan. But sometimes you just reach a point where you say "I keep doing the same thing and getting the same result" and I don't think that is going to change if I keep doing it. And I don't care about having a best seller, but I do want a couple of "Woah, that's going to make a difference" months. (silently shakes fist at Bookbub for their constant rejection). I also want to write in a market that I can charge more for. And a market that will help me crack ibooks.

I love my books, I do, and I actually enjoy reading them (is that sad or what?) but I just don't think I targeted the right market to hit the income level I want to move up to next.

Anyway, it is all a bit of an experiment because there is only so much you can do to help these things happen and there are no guarantees. So who knows, six months from now I might be calling it a waste of time and going back to YA. That's okay, but I have to try


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## Patty Jansen (Apr 5, 2011)

Evenstar said:


> LOL, thank you Patty, you're unique brand of arse-kicking is excellent.
> 
> But actually I don't think I've failed. I know you're right and I have done really well simply by maintaining a good income level for a while now that has indeed enabled me to pay the mortgage and bills every month. (If you don't count the last three months where I stupidly went all in to KU!) I've been coasting along on the lines of your own NO Best Seller plan. But sometimes you just reach a point where you say "I keep doing the same thing and getting the same result" and I don't think that is going to change if I keep doing it. And I don't care about having a best seller, but I do want a couple of "Woah, that's going to make a difference" months. (silently shakes fist at Bookbub for their constant rejection). I also want to write in a market that I can charge more for. And a market that will help me crack ibooks.
> 
> ...


Oh, yes. I get that. It's awesome and cool to strike out anew with something completely different in the hope of catching another, and different, audience. And hoping to plan it better and do better. Nothing wrong with that.


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## CelinaGrace (Nov 20, 2013)

And Stella, you also had a BABY within the last year (am I right?). You're doing well to get anything written, let alone be writing stuff that pays the bills!
Good luck in your new venture, I'm sure you'll smash it


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

CelinaGrace said:


> And Stella, you also had a BABY within the last year (am I right?). You're doing well to get anything written, let alone be writing stuff that pays the bills!
> Good luck in your new venture, I'm sure you'll smash it


I did indeed, well remembered. Two children under my feet all day (roll on school! Not long now for the older one, yay) which makes me extremely tired and cranky. But I'm excited now about switching things up/around, so hopefully that will make me a nicer person


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## Gator (Sep 28, 2012)

Evenstar said:


> At the end of June I will hit a mile stone birthday, and that's my cut off point. From then on my attention has to shift to a new market with an eye on bigger financial return. I still get to write (and actually I still get to write what I love) but not Young Adult. So where do I go from here? Good question. I haven't decided. I have two new series completely planned out and I don't know which to pick.
> *
> A) Cosy Seasonal Contemporary Romance*
> OR
> *B) Urban Fantasy*


You should probably look at the top 60 moneymaker subcategories before you decide. I posted a list from the Feb. 2016 Author Earnings report a few months ago. Consider paranormal romance with angels, demons, or ghosts.


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## kimberlyloth (May 15, 2014)

This has been such an interesting read! I agree on ALL points except number 1 (at least for me).

I'm doing quite well in YA but I write YA paranormal/fantasy. All my fans are adults. I get the occasional teen reader, but they are rare. I think YA contemporary is a harder sell. I have one YA contemp and it's my worst seller. It's also my only stand alone (won't do that again, ha ha).

Good luck in whatever you decide to do. And thanks for all your advice here on kboards.


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## Hope (Nov 28, 2014)

I can't wait to read about your success!  Thanks for this post.  It's very helpful.


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## Ella Author (May 19, 2016)

This thread is amazing. In my mind you are successful already, yet you are hitting reboot. Your sales are something many of us can only dream about! My own decision to reboot is something that has to happen for the simple reason that I have failed miserably. I can only hope to be as successful in my reboot as you have been in your first run.


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## Mare (Nov 3, 2015)

I enjoyed reading every single comment in this thread. Very encouraging.

You are so brave! I have no doubt that your new venture will be a resounding success. I look forward to your updates.  ;


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

Hi all, today is the second time that I've been asked for an update on how this is going, so I thought I'd post one in case anybody else was remotely interested, and in case some new people might benefit from my 3 years of "what I did wrong" spew.

Where am I now? Not quite where I planned to be!

I wrote the four books. The last one is still being edited and should go out in September. But instead of starting either the Romance or Urban Fantasy series I had planned. I used the fresh start to dust off a vampire novella, totally rework it into a full length book, plot a further three in the series and submit it to Kindle Scout (see signature, and feel free to click it and nominate  )

So now I have another three books to write in that series! It is still a relaunch though as I decided to use a new name, and is still in a new more _grown up_ genre than my usual high school romances. I'm going to see how successful it is before deciding what to do about my original intentions. If it takes off, then I'll keep going with it, if it doesn't then that's fine. It's back to the original plan and I have selected Seasonal Romance and yet another new name. I'm more confident in the original plan to be honest, but I'm willing to give up six months to experiment with the vampire series because I always wanted to try Kindle Scout and I think it will be an excellent learning experience if nothing else.

Anyway, I hope some of this has been insightful or inspiring in some small way to anyone thinking of making the leap into the unknown lol. Just go for it! I have no regrets so far... (famous last words).


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## Scout (Jun 2, 2014)

Thank you for all that you've shared over the years. Good luck on your new journey!


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## Nahhhhh (Dec 19, 2014)

Thank you! People who can write full-time are really an inspiration, and I love it when you guys are so open with the rest of us! I am just beginning, and my unpublished first is a novella! So thanks for looking out.


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## Guest (Aug 11, 2016)

Wow 

This was great. I'd love to know more about #5 and # 9 if you'd care to elaborate. I think it's amazing that you surpassed your goal and I am sorry that your husband is sick. 

Thank you 



TG


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## EvanPickering (Mar 8, 2016)

And thus, we always strive for something more!

Great job on an awesome career thus far and kudos for trying to do better.

Only thing I'll say is pick whichever series you want to write more. If you're going to write to make moar monies, you might has well have as much fun as possible doing it.

Evan


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## CarolynVMurray (Mar 13, 2015)

How did I miss this in April! I love anniversary stories. And I love starting over stories. Because of course, I'm on the verge of considering big changes myself. I've written four in a pen name series - will be done with the fifth soon - but wondering if I chose the wrong genre. Thanks for the insights.


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## Queen Mab (Sep 9, 2011)

Interesting twist! I nominated the book since I think it would be fun to get a free copy  Looks good.


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## JeanneM (Mar 21, 2011)

I just nominated and shared on Facebook. What a cool story. I'd love to read it! Best of luck, Evenstar. You've always been so giving to people here...you deserve to have something good happen for you.


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

AW  Thank you all so much for your lovely words of support and encouragement (and double thanks for the nominations!). But this thread truly isn't supposed to be about me. It's supposed to be an insight into mistakes made on this long (fabulous) road, in the hope of being helpful so others can avoid them (if they want to! No two journeys are the same).

I could equally write a post about all the things I think I did right, and what I felt helped me to reach a point where I could support my family on my writing alone when I needed to. There is basically so much that I learned on Kboards that steered me in the right direction when I could have gone wrong on my own, and the knowledge here encompasses absolutely everything one needs, but sometimes you do have to sift it out, or you have to do it wrong and learn the hard way!

I have been really lucky. Heck, we're all really lucky, we're writing at the best time in history ever to be a writer and we've found this goldmine to help. But I genuinely feel I've reached a ceiling of some sort. I used to say that every book I wrote would add $100 a month to my income, and it just slowly and steadily increased as I wrote more and more. But times are getting harder in publishing, there is no denying that, and now the new releases just help me maintain the same level.
Well, I want to punch through it, and to do that I needed to take a hard look at how to write smarter not harder.



EvanPickering said:


> Only thing I'll say is pick whichever series you want to write more. If you're going to write to make moar monies, you might has well have as much fun as possible doing it.


You are so right. I know that Romance is a mega hard genre to break into but I've decided that it is where my heart is (bad pun not intended). The urban fantasy genre is getting really full with so many fantastic authors (most of them right here) that it somehow seems even more daunting. I think I'll stick to reading UF (and binge watching it on tv) and concentrate on my romance stuff.

The main thing that worries me about romance is the fact that there are no cliff-hangers in my intended series and the main characters change from book to book despite being in a series (all set in the same place). You have probably noticed that most of the big selling series are the same couple from book to book over-coming something big, but I hadn't planned on that route, so maybe that needs some thought. On the other hand, romance writers do prefer a HEA by the end of a book, and I have no intention of breaking the tropes, I'm just not talented enough to do it well. So, to wrap up my rambling: I'm going to finish this Sacred Relics Series (PNR) and if it is only average in terms of sales then I'm going to throw all my efforts into my brand new romance name instead. I guess, watch this space? Nothing is going to happen quickly though...



TMG said:


> Wow
> 
> This was great. I'd love to know more about #5 and # 9 if you'd care to elaborate. I think it's amazing that you surpassed your goal and I am sorry that your husband is sick.
> 
> ...


Thanks for your thoughts x

In terms of elaborating on #5 and #9. I'm not quite sure what to add. 
#5: Writing shorter stories is much easier for me, my longer books all started as novellas and then I had to work really hard to put in more plot twists etc. But readers undoubtedly do prefer a full length novel. Most of my criticism has been along the lines of: _I really enjoyed it, but I wish it was longer_. Anything from 50 - 80 k is standard for YA I think. Mine are on average about 25k words each. The novellas are good because the readers tear through the series, and with them all priced at $2.99 (apart from the first in both my best selling series, which are both perma-free) it produces a nice income, but I genuinely think they would have sold much better if they had all been novel length instead.

#9: All my young adult novels are under the name Stella Wilkinson. It's long, the surname is forgettable, and it starts with a W. I know that lots of people think it's a crazy thing to worry about, but if you are going to pick a pen name, then my advice is to spend some time picking a better one than I did. Both first letters fall toward the end of the alphabet, and a quick search of best selling authors will show you that more than half of them have names toward the beginning and are much more 'punchy'. In fact, my romance research showed me that 35 % of the authors in the category I wanted had surnames starting with the letter B. That's a huge amount. Is it a coincidence or is it a good placement? Could be either, you decide. But I went with it being a good placement and so both this new name (on my Scout book below) and the one I've chosen for my new romance name now start with a B.

I don't know if that gives you anything further and feel free to ask me anything at all if I've not made the explanation any clearer. (I do waffle sometimes).



JeanneM said:


> I just nominated and shared on Facebook. What a cool story.


Thank you! You're fantastic. I bet that you're the reason I've made it back into "Hot and Trending" today after falling off it last night.


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## EvanPickering (Mar 8, 2016)

Evenstar said:


> You are so right. I know that Romance is a mega hard genre to break into but I've decided that it is where my heart is (bad pun not intended). The urban fantasy genre is getting really full with so many fantastic authors (most of them right here) that it somehow seems even more daunting. I think I'll stick to reading UF (and binge watching it on tv) and concentrate on my romance stuff.
> 
> The main thing that worries me about romance is the fact that there are no cliff-hangers in my intended series and the main characters change from book to book despite being in a series (all set in the same place). You have probably noticed that most of the big selling series are the same couple from book to book over-coming something big, but I hadn't planned on that route, so maybe that needs some thought. On the other hand, romance writers do prefer a HEA by the end of a book, and I have no intention of breaking the tropes, I'm just not talented enough to do it well. So, to wrap up my rambling: I'm going to finish this Sacred Relics Series (PNR) and if it is only average in terms of sales then I'm going to throw all my efforts into my brand new romance name instead. I guess, watch this space? Nothing is going to happen quickly though...


Surely there's going to be nearly every genre full of amazing authors. Granted this is armchair analytics, but jus' sayin'. But it sounds to me like you know deep down you want to write the Romance.

I am of the belief you need not rely on cliffhangers. My book has like the farthest thing from a cliffhanger, and I've still had plenty of people review or tell me they will read the 2nd. I'm not bashing cliffhangers, they serve their purpose but I don't think they're a must. Also, what's HEA?
Good luck with the new series. Get your brainstorming on and drum up some ideas that get you excited! I like to watch my fave movies or books for some inspiration


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## Allyson J. (Nov 26, 2014)

EvanPickering said:


> I am of the belief you need not rely on cliffhangers. My book has like the farthest thing from a cliffhanger, and I've still had plenty of people review or tell me they will read the 2nd. I'm not bashing cliffhangers, they serve their purpose but I don't think they're a must. Also, what's HEA?


I write a romance series featuring one couple. There are no cliffhangers in my series. Each books wraps up the adventure & relatioship question, and then we pick up with them a few years later in the next book, with a new adventure and relationship issue. Granted, it can't go on like that forever, but they'll get their ultimate Happily Ever After at the end of the series. Besides doing series like this, many romance writers form a series around a town/group of friends/siblings. Each couple getting their own book, each HEA, but "visiting" in the next book so readers can still catch up with them. I think there are a lot of ways to handle a series.


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## Decon (Feb 16, 2011)

Good luck with this. I agree with all you've written (almost)

I came to the same conclusion back in January this year and I've been self-publishing longer than you. I deleted 12 short stories and I still have two novellas and one more short to delete, but it is hard to bite the bullet when two of them have decent reviews. I will do it though, because what you have on your sales page defines your brand and short stories only clutter up your page and reader expectations for next to nothing in return. I'm even deleting two German translated shorts which have crappy covers, but I'm keeping my Portuguese shorts which sell when I have the time to market them. 

I've never looked back since I deleted my shorts, with two more full length books published this year and two more to come before the year is out.  I think it's less confusing for readers who give up looking through your list on your author page when they realize many of them are shorts. Maybe it's different if that's all you sell. I'm now building a mailing list which I never had before. I even get follow on sales now on my other stand alones. 

I was just about to pack in when I wrote in a thread on here that my sales had dropped to $5 per month over the last X-mass period. Most of what you are saying was the advice I was given. Okay, so I'm only just over $100 per month now, ($110 so far this month) but every month it's getting better. My only divergence from you is that I will continue to write stand alone mystery crime thrillers, with a gritty style. I will be concentrating on writing at least a trilogy for the follow up to The killers Amongst Us, which is crime/sci fi/paranormal and has produced my best sales and mail list sign ups to date.  However, I don't know if I could continue with this cross genre for all my books, so I'll continue putting out stand alone crime thrillers until I come up with some character that readers want to follow which will be proven by sales; something that will lend itself to a series.


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## Jill Nojack (Mar 7, 2014)

Good luck, Stella! I had room in  my nominations, so you're there now. Here's hoping we get to welcome you to our secret club of Scout winners soon.


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## angela65 (Oct 8, 2014)

Good luck, Stella! You truly deserve it. You're so generous in your advice from lessons learned and encouraging other writers. I read the beginning of your book and loved it! Yours is the first book I've ever nominated for the Scout program. I hope you win.


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## treesloth5 (Dec 11, 2014)

I've looked to you as one of my models when it comes to certain things. The Christmas story you did is something that inspired me to do one of my own works.


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## 91831 (Jul 18, 2016)

Evenstar said:


> The main thing that worries me about romance is the fact that there are no cliff-hangers in my intended series and the main characters change from book to book despite being in a series (all set in the same place). You have probably noticed that most of the big selling series are the same couple from book to book over-coming something big, but I hadn't planned on that route, so maybe that needs some thought. On the other hand, romance writers do prefer a HEA by the end of a book, and I have no intention of breaking the tropes, I'm just not talented enough to do it well. So, to wrap up my rambling: I'm going to finish this Sacred Relics Series (PNR) and if it is only average in terms of sales then I'm going to throw all my efforts into my brand new romance name instead. I guess, watch this space? Nothing is going to happen quickly though...


I'm launching into Romance (with a hint of erotica) with a series that's kind of similar, Evenstar. They're not following one couple throughout, but the stars from a TV show in each book. Although you see the other characters from earlier stories in the later ones too... so it gives readers a glimpse into their ongoing HEA... One book will have them all coming together to face something head on (but again that won't be the main focus).


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## Guest (Aug 12, 2016)

Evenstar said:


> The main thing that worries me about romance is the fact that there are no cliff-hangers in my intended series and the main characters change from book to book despite being in a series (all set in the same place). You have probably noticed that most of the big selling series are the same couple from book to book over-coming something big, but I hadn't planned on that route, so maybe that needs some thought. On the other hand, romance writers do prefer a HEA by the end of a book, and I have no intention of breaking the tropes, I'm just not talented enough to do it well.


To me this is a GOOD thing. Yes, there are some well selling romance "series" (I view them as serials) where the HEA isn't until the end, and as a long time romance reader I abhor it. Series where each book was a different couple and the series was connected by setting, familial ties, etc were the norm. One of several reasons I gave up reading as much romance was being tired of this new trend of not actually delivering the full story in one novel for that couple. Pretty much if I see a romance "series" and see the same couple is in the second book, I pass.

Lots of big romance sellers still do regular romance series, one couple per book, so I'd say stick with your intended series


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## 67499 (Feb 4, 2013)

Evenstar said:


> #9: All my young adult novels are under the name Stella Wilkinson. It's long, the surname is forgettable, and it starts with a W. I know that lots of people think it's a crazy thing to worry about, but if you are going to pick a pen name, then my advice is to spend some time picking a better one than I did.


Stella - Where were you with this great advice when I really needed it? I chose a pen name I thought perfect - rememberable b/c it's short, simple and full of good consonants plus mid-alphabet - and then found when people search for it they're directed to Ikea for DIY furniture. Aargh!

BTW, I think "Stella Wilkinson" is a perfect name to be up there on a shelf alongside such glorious-sounding names as Rafael Sabatini and Alexandre Dumas for swashbuckling romance.


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## TaxationIsTheft (Apr 15, 2015)

Anma Natsu said:


> To me this is a GOOD thing. Yes, there are some well selling romance "series" (I view them as serials) where the HEA isn't until the end, and as a long time romance reader I abhor it. Series where each book was a different couple and the series was connected by setting, familial ties, etc were the norm. One of several reasons I gave up reading as much romance was being tired of this new trend of not actually delivering the full story in one novel for that couple. Pretty much if I see a romance "series" and see the same couple is in the second book, I pass.
> 
> Lots of big romance sellers still do regular romance series, one couple per book, so I'd say stick with your intended series


^This. I've been reading romance since I was about 12 years old. I obviously write it. And I hate cliffhangers. HATE them. I also don't necessarily want to keep reading stories about the same couple over and over again. I'm a huge fan of interconnected series--friends, sisters, cousins, sports teams, same town, etc. They give you--as a reader and a writer--to explore different characters and different relationships while being in a familiar world and getting to keep up with previous characters from the series. And that's pretty normal for straight up contemporary romance. There's a reason why writers like Kristan Higgins and Jill Shalvis are so successful. ;-)


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## Kristopia (Dec 13, 2013)

I wish you the best on your reboot - I'm not quite ready for a reboot yet, but I've been thinking similarly to you about not limiting my works to YA in the future. 

Question for you - or anyone here, really:  Do you think that you must change your pen name for a re-brand? I mean, I'm sure it would be smart if you were switching from YA to, say, erotic romance, but if you're just moving into adult romance from YA, or into Cozies, would it be beneficial to keep the same pen name?

I have no idea - which is why I'm asking. My pen name is my name (well, initials - K. E. Douglas), so I wonder if, when I do make the switch from YA to an older audience or a different genre, I might go with that, or to my full name. Kristen E. Douglas.


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## KeraEmory (Feb 8, 2016)

Thanks for the honesty. I've lately been longing to start over from scratch.


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## tommy gun (May 3, 2015)

Hi Evenstar!

Good for you!  You see what you want and are going for it.  That takes a lot.  I can relate to your desire (need) to make more as I am in a sort of similar situation.  I personally can't see rebooting.  I can see creating a pen name for the writing side (or writing something for money which is what I really mean), still wrestling with that.

Remember Patty's advice.  You have done really well and do not forget that (it can be easy at times to forget something you are not looking at often).  Keep on working at it and hit those goals!

I nominated your book, unfortunately I tend to be dumb as a stump and missed the FB button.  

Hope you are doing well and STAY POSITIVE!


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

EvanPickering said:


> Surely there's going to be nearly every genre full of amazing authors. Granted this is armchair analytics, but jus' sayin'. But it sounds to me like you know deep down you want to write the Romance.


Oh gosh, I said that all wrong. I didn't mean that there weren't amazing writers in every genre. Romance is packed with outstanding authors who I admire enormously. I actually meant that Urban Fantasy seems packed with _new_ authors, a lot of whom are right here on kboards, and are taking the genre by storm. They have really nailed it in a way I don't feel so confident of doing. I feel more confidence in my ability to write romance because it is more tried and tested by me. I love both, and I do wonder if my Sacred Relics Series (the Kindle Scout book) could be classed as Urban Fantasy rather than Paranormal Romance (which is more what I have branded it as), but yes, ultimately you're right that I do know that Romance is my writing passion.


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

Thank you all a million times for the nominations, and also for your thoughts on writing connected series without cliff-hangers or same couple. I was really interested to see so many people take the same stance on it. very reassuring lol.



Kristopia said:


> Question for you - or anyone here, really: Do you think that you must change your pen name for a re-brand? I mean, I'm sure it would be smart if you were switching from YA to, say, erotic romance, but if you're just moving into adult romance from YA, or into Cozies, would it be beneficial to keep the same pen name?
> 
> I have no idea - which is why I'm asking. My pen name is my name (well, initials - K. E. Douglas), so I wonder if, when I do make the switch from YA to an older audience or a different genre, I might go with that, or to my full name. Kristen E. Douglas.


I don't know how much difference it makes. I have heard that Amazon push new authors harder, but I'm not sure if I believe that. I do know that my current books are in a horrible summer slump with rankings and that I somehow feel that it pulls down the everything by that author. But that isn't why I'm changing my name. To be realistic there is no reason at all to switch names just moving from YA to Contemporary Romance. The reason I'm doing it isn't really to define the new genre but just because I wanted a fresh start.


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## Kristopia (Dec 13, 2013)

Evenstar said:


> I don't know how much difference it makes. I have heard that Amazon push new authors harder, but I'm not sure if I believe that. I do know that my current books are in a horrible summer slump with rankings and that I somehow feel that it pulls down the everything by that author. But that isn't why I'm changing my name. To be realistic there is no reason at all to switch names just moving from YA to Contemporary Romance. The reason I'm doing it isn't really to define the new genre but just because I wanted a fresh start.


Thanks  I saw your post regarding moving up alphabetically, and that makes a lot of sense. And I LOVE your decided-upon pen name as well - seems pretty perfect for what you're wanting to write. Best of luck with your proposed vamp series, and with the romance. I'm now off to finish my thesis defense and finish my YA trilogy, then get on with my own change of "venue"


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## D-C (Jan 13, 2014)

Evenstar said:


> I can't believe it's been three years since I got my first kindle and eventually loaded up my first book to Amazon. I've looked at some of my early posts here, where I long to be making 1k a month and saying how happy that would make me. Now I make a lot more than that, but life has become harder. (Two children, sick husband and so on). But I am pretty happy, I'm living my dream of being an author and working from home and still getting to spend a ton of time with my family, what more could I want?... I want even _more_ money... There I said it. And I have truly come to the conclusion that I'm doing too much wrong to make it. So I'm taking what I've learnt and starting again.
> 
> Here are some of my biggest mistakes. I know plenty of people will disagree with some of them but this is just what I've found for me personally.
> *
> ...


Good luck, Evenstar. You're in a great position to really hit big. You know the markets, you've greased the wheels and you have a goal. This actually sounds really exciting. Are you excited? Don't forget though, it's okay to make time for writing the things you live (i.e. switching series to stop getting bored). Yes, we know it kills momentum, but it may also keep you sane, and believe me, that's better for your long term health.

I'm thrilled to hear you love to read UF, and it's a love of yours. That genuinely makes me excited to read what you have planned. If you love the genre you write in, you're half way there


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## Melody Simmons (Jul 8, 2012)

Hi Stella

It has been that long?  I can remember when you first joined Kboards!  And I read one of your books and thought it was really cute.  If you have the time, I'd love to hear your advice and observations about the topic of book covers.  I always like to ask authors that!

Also - I thought that middle-aged women liked to read YA Fantasy books - it was mentioned somewhere they are the largest YA audience?  Or is it because your books are more aimed at the younger YA/Middlegrade group?


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## Mark E. Cooper (May 29, 2011)

I want to add my good wishes to Evenstar as well, but I would also like to bring up

*Common Wisdom* ​
Common wisdom says genre hopping bad, laser focus on one genre good. Well, you can see by my sig line I'm not very wise. Before I go further I'll say my goal was never to be rich, and whoopeee!! I have definitely met that goal  My goal is to do what I want, write what I want (or don't), and have a zero stress life (so I can live a long happy time) and generally be me while the money just arrives like magic 

I can say I have reached that goal. By writing in 4 different genres/series I have spread the risk so to speak. Not that there is a risk of anything, but you get where I'm going. I can fail in any one (or even three) and still make a good living. I have failed in three at once (where failure is less than 1 book sold per day X number of books in a series), but the funny thing is that years later those "failures" have continued to sell. AND NOW, my first series which sold the least ten years ago, is selling well. It's second in the Cooper League of Money Making Book Series

So I guess what I'm saying is, Common wisdom really isn't. My way is slower if your goal is enough money to replace the day job's income, but it WILL happen and it's damn fun writing books I like reading. I will even say I am a horrible person and listen to MY OWN audiobooks  I really do like to read the sort of books I write.


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## BeMyBookBaby (Apr 18, 2016)

Hey Stella, just wanted to see how the big change is going? As someone getting closer and closer to the deadline of debut novel publishing, I often browse your thread to remind me to stick with one genre and ignore the devil on my shoulder muttering about epic fantasy... "Not _now_, Cletus!"

Side note: Can we call the thread where you announce world literary domination 'How Stella Got Her Groove Back'?

Ok, thanks.


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

LOL, that's sweet of you Ellie.

Wow the past few months have flown by! I feel such a failure to have nothing to report yet. In fact it's all pretty dire at present.

I've been writing the new books, but old habits die hard I guess. I've made some of the same mistakes again of not focussing on one thing.

Which means in the last six months I've written three books in two different genres and under two new names! *None of them released yet,* and by concentrating on writing those I have neglected my only income generator, which is my current name. No new releases means a massive drop in sales! Fingers crossed that it will all turn around when I eventually launch the new names with the new books. I just wish I had chosen one and stuck to it.

DO AS I SAY, NOT AS I DO! LOL

I have a PNR series (the vampire book that was in Kindle Scout) and am just finishing up book two on that. Those will hopefully both go out in December with book three soon after.

And I've written book one of the Christmas romance - BUT... I won't be releasing it this year. I'm just not ready and Christmas is almost here (I'm actually seeing Christmas ads on tv!) I don't want to rush it all out before I'm set up and I just dont have time to do it properly.

So the plan going forward is to get the PNR books out there, market that name a bit, then move on and focus on the romance series under yet another name.

It's a TERRIBLE plan, quite frankly. But life has cut my writing time yet again. I still work every night after the kids are in bed, but can't work at all during the day any more. Not for a while anyway, until things hopefully get back to normal.

Also to save myself from endless hours of admin (after life went tits up), I threw all my eggs into the Amazon basket. It was an EPIC mistake financially. I'll be lucky if I make $1000 this month. The timing couldn't have been worse  I'm an idiot sometimes...

So yeah, no wonderful news to share, but I'm working on it...


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## TheLemontree (Sep 12, 2015)

Thanks for the update, Stella. I've missed seeing your avatar around the place lately 

Hang in there. Things sound tough.


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## Hope (Nov 28, 2014)

I was wondering about you, too.  I hope things turn around soon.  At least you're still writing.  That's always forward movement, even if it doesn't appear to be at present.  Good luck!


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

*Update Time!*

So, it's a year since I publicly declared I was going to reboot my career with a new name and a new genre.

*What happened?* Well, I pushed Stella Wilkinson to one side, wrote a PNR/UF book for kindle scout, didn't win, but decided to finish and publish that series. I didn't do either of the series I had planned when I wrote my first post! 
Then life happened - in September 2016 my husband got really sick (he's much better now). I pretty much disappeared for six months. It was December before I put out the book on Amazon. Book Two went up in February, and Book Three is on pre-order right now.

It was still a reboot. I chose the name Elena Bryce, and branded the books firmly as UF (even though I am seriously thinking about rebranding now as PNR, because it seems like I can't write a book without romance being the main theme, and Amazon briefly gave me the best seller tag in Alternative History, which I'd never considered).
*
How did it go?* It went okay. Just okay. But I am only two books into this name. It started pretty slowly, but the first book wasn't written to market, it was written for Kindle Scout, so it's a bit unique rather than conforming to expectations. I don't think that was very smart of me! After I released book two, I did a bit of a marketing push. That moved me from the 20k ranking into the 10k rankings (but only getting as low as 2k rank despite some promotion). It seems to have settled around 5 - 7k ranking for now. We'll see if that improves with books three and four in the series. Then I'll have a total re-evaluation. I'm committed (personally) to finishing this series at least.

*Financially?* Well, I made the terrible decision to leave all my Stella Wilkinson books in KU to make life easier. They are too short to benefit and I lost a huge chunk of Google Play income that I relied on. I barely broke £1,000 in October last year, and much the same in November. It was horrible, especially with my husband unable to work. The books are out of KU now, and it's all a bit easier. My husband has gone back to work part time, and my new series is adding a bit to the pot as well. So I'm very thankful for that. It's good to be back on a more even keel. I don't make a ton, somewhere between £3-4k a month right now, but it pays the mortgage. So I'm afraid I still can't post a_ "look I'm a best seller and super successful"_ thread! LOL. But hey, I'm hoping that my openness is helpful to other people who just want to be an author for a living and can see that it totally is possible with some realistic expectations.
*
Lessons Learnt?* Quite a few actually.

1) I'm a romance writer. What ever I write it's going to end up as romance. I love Urban Fantasy, but I can't deny that my new books still came out as Paranormal Romance.

2) New pen names are hard!! I didn't realise how much I relied on my existing audience to get a new book off the ground. A new website, a new mailing list, a new 'reader magnet' free book for subscribers, a new email, a new facebook page to maintain. I found it all a massive drag tbh.

3) Ignoring my old name was a mistake. Stella Wilkinson dropped rankings like a stone when I stopped releasing for almost a year. I put out a short story in the end to give it a small bump, but I need to do much more.

4) Despite best intentions, I didn't write to a recognisable market, I didn't hit genre expectations, it wasn't a runaway success! More fool me.

5) Getting reviews for a new name is like getting blood from a stone! I've begged, bribed and bullied my old list, but it just isn't their sort of thing.

*Going forward:*

I'm probably going to keep Elena Bryce. I'll finish up this series and probably write some other books with that name over the years, but it won't be my main focus. Instead I've taken the huge decision to breathe life back into Stella Wilkinson. As much as the name irritates me it is established and as my plan is to write some sweet romance books (for grownups) it's not enough of a departure from my YA stuff to make it worth going through all the pen name hassle yet again!

*So to sum up:*

I did launch a new name in a new genre - with meh results. (But plenty of scope to improve that as I've only just started it)

The reboot wasn't as successful as I would have liked, but it's early days and I've already learned a valuable lesson not to start yet another pen name for my next stuff.

I will keep that second pen name going, but I'll also be returning to my main name when I try to break into contemporary adult romance.

Don't put my novellas into KU, but it's a good fit (for now) for my new pen name which is all novel length.

Thank you anyone who has put up with me on this journey and this lengthy post. If you want to look at the new stuff for reference then it's here (you can also point and giggle at my author photo which is actually me as opposed to my usual avatar.) Questions are welcome if I've said anything confusing. I just hope some of it inspired someone somewhere. x

  

Edited to add, those £ are supposed to be pound signs. Perhaps I should have tried to convert to $ amounts!


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## Susanne123 (Jan 9, 2014)

Hi Stella,

This was a fascinating thread. Thanks for sharing so much. I really like your website -- it's a clean design -- and thought you handled the pen name in a clear way. 

Best of luck (and wonderful news that your husband is better now).


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## Mark E. Cooper (May 29, 2011)

Evenstar said:


> *Update Time!*
> 
> So, it's a year since I publicly declared I was going to reboot my career with a new name and a new genre.
> 
> ...


If you're NOT wedded to Elena Bryce I would close her down, pull the books, relaunch them under your other name and just double down. I'm biased against pen names I admit. I have four series, all different genres, all under my real Mark E. Cooper name. If you do that, you could put the old Elena Bryce books in KU under the other name, and go wide with all the rest as you seem to want. win-win


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## Salvador Mercer (Jan 1, 2015)

Enjoyed the update and took notes from your original post. Hope the hubby is doing better. Love your new covers too, they look great.


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## Cheryl Douglas (Dec 7, 2011)

You're dealing with many of the same challenges I am right now: more than one pen name, juggling two series, trying to establish second pen name, different genres or sub-genres, consistent releases, etc. I learned a lot from your insight. Thank you for sharing. Happy to hear your husband is doing better, and all the best with your books moving forward!


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

Susanne123 said:


> This was a fascinating thread. Thanks for sharing so much. I really like your website -- it's a clean design -- and thought you handled the pen name in a clear way.


Thanks Susanne,
I confess that it is only so clean because I did it by myself and I'm not very technical, so simplicity seemed best. It always surprises me how many people say they like the design.


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

Mark E. Cooper said:


> If you're NOT wedded to Elena Bryce I would close her down, pull the books, relaunch them under your other name and just double down. I'm biased against pen names I admit. I have four series, all different genres, all under my real Mark E. Cooper name. If you do that, you could put the old Elena Bryce books in KU under the other name, and go wide with all the rest as you seem to want. win-win


Actually I was just thinking about this the other day!

But with book three up on pre-order it could be pretty confusing for the people who have pre-ordered. I was thinking I might release book three, wait until sales slow right down in the summer, let it totally slump with no promo, and then switch the name over in Autumn (the fall). Then release book four to bring it all back to life as my other name. We'll see, that's a few months away.


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## Hope (Nov 28, 2014)

Thanks for the update! I find posts like this very helpful.  There are so many variables in this business and it helps me to see how and what others are doing.  I'm glad your husband is doing better.  I look forward to more updates!


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