Joanna Wylde's Blog: Joanna Wylde's Blog

Periodically I get letters from readers who have just finished writing a book, and they want advice on where to go next. I had one today and I ended up writing her a fairly long answer, so I figured I'd share it here. Published authors, if you have more to add, please feel free to chime in!Hi Jessica - I think where you go next depends on your budget, your goals and your connections. The reality is that anyone can publish an ebook without spending a penny, but that doesn't necessarily mean the book will be any good. I would suggest that you make sure you've actually written a viable book before worrying about publishing. (FYI - a book isn't "viable" just because your mom says it's good or a friend, but because it's been read and evaluated by a professional developmental editor or by some extremely honest and educated friends who know the craft of writing and the genre you're publishing in. For what it's worth, my developmental editing is mostly done by friends and none of them are paid. I do read their work, however, and am often as personally invested in their book's success as my own.)Once you have the book, you need to decide if you want to do traditional or independent publishing. I don't have words to tell you how bad I think it is to sign a contract with any small publisher at this point. The market realities are such that they're going under right and left, and many authors find themselves in a position where they don't control their own books and they aren't getting paid. It's an ugly clusterfuck and it doesn't matter if the publishers are good people or not -- all of them are getting squeezed by the retailers, because they don't have the leverage to fight that the bigger publishers have. If you do sign, make sure it's a short contract and that you have an exit strategy.If you have existing connections or you're feeling lucky, you can try to go with a larger publisher through an agent. If you have good connections and can get the right buzz, there is a one in a million chance you'll somehow be the next "it" girl, your rights will be auctioned and you'll be drinking with EL James at conferences (okay, maybe drinking near her... I'm sure she'd be highly creeped out if someone just sat down next to her and assumed she was their friend because of sales numbers! Never assume at conferences, okay?)Odds are far more likely you'll spend months to find an agent, and then more months to find a publisher only to be offered a very small advance. I don't think it's a good plan to go with a traditional publisher unless they're offering you a shitload of money or are willing to guarantee an extremely large marketing campaign as part of their contractual obligation. Don't assume that they're going to do much for you in terms of marketing, as the bulk of traditional authors I know have to do most of their own marketing. Having said that, if you want guaranteed cash and they're offering it, it's money in the bank. They're also the only ones who can put you in bookstores on a widespread basis, but even that really boils down to whether or not they decide to push your titles.Going indie is what many people are doing these days, which means you have full control and you get to keep all your money. It's also more risk and more cash up front for production. The bare minimum is to pay for professional copy editing. Don't cheap out on that unless you have literally no other option (at which point I guess you can ask your mom to edit it and hope that your story is strong enough that readers will push through, because true copy editing is a whole lot more than just hunting for typos). Once upon a time readers were more likely to put up with poor editing because they were so desperate for new and interesting stories. They aren't as tolerant any more, because the market is super saturated.Beyond editing, you need cover art (you can buy stock covers for about $75-$150 or have them custom designed for $500-$1000, which doesn't cover the cost of the photos, which can either be stock or exclusive. Stock photos can be as cheap as $25 while exclusive seem to range from $400-$750. A custom photo shoot will run you into the thousands). When you release the book, you'll need help getting the word out. You can hire a marketing company for that, or you can reach out to people on your own. With Reaper's Property, I managed to gain momentum because I had friends who were readers. They read my book, they told their friends and then it sort of blew up on its own. I got very lucky. Now I pay to do blog tours, which run about $400-$600. I know many authors who spend tens of thousands on marketing, but I've never had the budget for it so I can't tell you how effective it is (probably fairly effective, as they're making enough to invest tens of thousands in marketing!)Anyway, that's the quick and dirty. It's hard to launch a book at this point, just because the market is very saturated. You'll be more likely to gain traction if you have some friends who like your work and will tell people about it (friends who are real readers who are active online and review books regularly, not just friends pretending to be real readers). I suppose if you're quite wealthy, you can probably even hire people in overseas computer sweatshops to write a thousand reviews for you, etc. I've heard of that but don't actually have any idea how one would go about doing it.Hmmm.... what else... Kristy Bromberg wrote a great blog post the other day with some great information, as well as what not to do. Basically it boiled down to treating writing like a business, not being a douche, don't take yourself too seriously, and if you reach out to people, don't do it with a form letter. That kind of thing. You should go look it up. She's smart and everything she wrote rang very true for me.Finally, remember that you aren't entitled to anything from readers, bloggers or anyone else. Your book is precious to you but it's just another book to everyone else. The sooner you realize that and thicken up your skin, the less likely you are to end up on the floor crying in a fetal ball. Oh, and take the time to get to know other authors and be supportive of them. They're by far and away your best source of information in the indie world...Hope that's helpful and good luck :)JoPS - One final thought. When your book finally comes out and you get some reviews, at least a few of them will probably be negative. Such is life--not everyone will love every book and that's totally valid. Some people may even be really mean and say something like, "This is literally the worst piece of shit I I've ever read," or "I wanted to cunt punch the author." I'd tell you that this won't hurt your soul, but it will. It'll be devastating. You WILL cry in a ball on the floor while fetal... But no matter how unfair a review is, or no matter what they say about you, personally ("I hear she fucks donkeys on the side for cash"), do NOT respond.NEVER ENGAGE WITH SOMEONE NEGATIVE.It accomplishes nothing and makes you look like a whiner. Not only that, it validates them by giving them attention, which is exactly what the true trolls are looking for. Just ignore them and move on, because the more success you have, the more people want to tear you down. Focus instead on the people who are building you up and supporting you, and sooner or later you'll find yourself laughing about the worst of the assholes at the conference bar with all the positive and smart writer friends you'll make as you grow and develop in your craft. The meaner some online troll is, the better your story will be. You may even get a free drink out of it, so it all works out in the end. I promise.

NOW AVAILABLE: SHADE’S LADY BONUS EPILOGUE to celebrate the release on iBooks, Nook, and other retailers! Readers have been asking for an epilogue to Shade’s Lady since it first came out in March… Now I’m pleased to announce that an all new chapter has been added to tell you what happened to Shade and Mandy after “The End.”Already bought the book? Your Kindle book files should be updated already, but if you didn’t get the update or don’t feel like dealing with it, the epilogue is available for FREE on my website (just follow the link below).Much love,Joanna ((hugs))Order Shade’s Lady:NookiBooksKoboGoogle PlayKindleREAD THE EPILOGUE

OMG look at what just came in the mail! Aren't those adorable? THEY'RE TINY BOOKS!!!! Thanks to Chelsea atUSB Memory Directfor working with me so patiently to put these together!!!!Is this a shameless pimp for Chelsea? Hell yes. I love this woman and I LOVE these tiny little USB drives. SHINY!!!!(Okay. They aren't shiny. They're classy, but you know me and classy... we don't get along so well.)

OMG look at what just came in the mail! Aren't those adorable? THEY'RE TINY BOOKS!!!! Thanks to Chelsea at USB Memory Direct for working with me so patiently to put these together!!!!Is this a shameless pimp for Chelsea? Hell yes. I love this woman and I LOVE these tiny little USB drives. SHINY!!!!(Okay. They aren't shiny. They're classy, but you know me and classy... we don't get along so well.)

"From the very first page, I felt the magic that I experienced when I read Reaper's Property. The president of the national Reaper's group is as alpha as you can ask for but he's met his match with Mandy. Shade's Lady is full of hot romance, a little drama, and some steamy biker action."- NYT Bestseller Jen FrederickHere's the blurb:New York Times bestselling author Joanna Wylde returns to the world of the Reapers Motorcycle Club…Looking back, none of this would’ve happened if I hadn’t dropped my phone in the toilet. I mean, I could’ve walked away from him if I’d had it with me.Or maybe not.Maybe it was all over the first time he saw me, and he would’ve found another way. Probably—if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that Shade always gets what he wants, and apparently he wanted me.Right from the first.Shade's Lady is a stand-alone story. There is no need to have read any prior Reapers MC stories to enjoy Shade's Lady.Order Shade's LadyNote: Shade's Lady will be available from iTunes, Nook and other retailers in approximately three months.

Dear Readers,Shade's Lady is coming out next week, and I'm really excited to share it with you... Shade and Mandy's story just sort of appeared in my head one morning—fully formed—and I think I had more fun writing it than any of the previous books in the Reapers MC series.At first I thought it'd be a short. Um, yeah... that didn't happen. I started writing and the characters kept talking to me. Before I knew it, I had a full novel. Not quite as long as Reaper's Property, but it gave me the same rush when I wrote it that I got from Horse and Marie.It's part of the 1001 Dark Nights project, a group of fabulous authors including Kristen Ashley, Shayla Black, Kristi Bromberg, Carrie Ann Ryan... the list just goes on and on. (I still can't quite believe they invited me to join them... Can you tell I'm fangirling???)Consider checking out the book. Like I said, I had fun with it. A lot of fun. I think you will too!Lots of love,JoannaAbout Shade's LadyNew York Times bestselling author Joanna Wylde returns to the world of the Reapers Motorcycle Club…Looking back, none of this would’ve happened if I hadn’t dropped my phone in the toilet. I mean, I could’ve walked away from him if I’d had it with me.Or maybe not.Maybe it was all over the first ti me he saw me, and he would’ve found another way. Probably—if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that Shade always gets what he wants, and apparently he wanted me.Right from the first.Shade's Lady is a stand-alone story. There is no need to have read any prior Reapers MC stories to enjoy Shade's Lady.Order Shade's LadyThe book will be released in paperback and through Kindle on March 14. The wider release, including all major retailers, will take place three months later.

WHEN AUTHORS TAKE CHANCES, READERS WIN. As a reader, I was blown away when the indie revolution started... I'd gotten so tired of romance as a genre, but then I was given an ebook reader. Suddenly my world was full of new kinds of romance novels. Challenging romances. Crazy romances. Romances that broke the rules and imploded my understanding of what a romance novel could be.It sort of kicked ass, right?For decades, the rules of the romance genre required authors to follow certain formulas if they wanted to get published. Formulas based on publishers making money, not on empowering authors to push the limits and create new things. Ebooks changed that, and suddenly brave authors were taking chances. In the process, they created magic... True magic.EL James, Tracey Garvis Graves, Jamie McGuire, Colleen Hoover and Kristen Ashley are just a few of those women. They took chances. Crazy chances. They ignored conventional wisdom and bet EVERYTHING that readers wanted something new and fresh from the romance genre.They bet, and we all won.Now, as readers, we need to remember that the books we love most are from authors who took chances. (And I may be an author, but I'm also a reader.) When you see a beloved author publishing a book that sounds strange and different, she isn't betraying you. She's showing you respect and refusing to give you less than the most powerful story she has to offer, even if it means she'll earn half as much by putting out a book that's different from her earlier work.When a writer publishes something totally new, she's literally risking her livelihood to give you the best story she has.Take a minute to really think about that... The indie revolution taught us that when authors take chances, they can create magic. Some stories can't be denied. They claw at a writer's soul, burning so powerfully that writing them is almost a compulsion. It's stories like these--strange stories, stories that break the rules--that keep our genre alive and worth reading.I've heard people say that writing romance novels isn't art. I think art is creative expression that combines technical skill and talented inspiration to produce something that leads to transcendence. If a book sucks you in and spits you out six hours later with no clue how that the time passed, that's art. If a book makes you laugh or cry or wish you could run outside, grab the first person they see and beg them to read it, too... That's ART.And great art is created by people who take chances.Authors aren't stupid. We know you won't like every book. That's okay. If you don't want to read a book, don't buy it. If you decide to give it a chance and you hate it, that doesn't mean you've betrayed the author. It just means you didn't like the book. Some books fly high and others fade away, because that's the nature of art.But please... Please, please, please... Don't condemn an author who's brave enough to risk her reputation, her income and her sanity when she writes and publishers something that's new. Something strange. Something nobody thought she could produce.Don't judge an author because she can't meet your expectations every single time--thank her for choosing to push the envelope.Even if her book isn't your next great read, her courage may inspire another author to take a chance and write a genuine masterpiece.Peace and love,Jo

I'm so very sorry that seeing Dawn wearing a bikini today caused you so much harm. It was dreadful of her to choose to leave her apartment and exercise in the pool you share there at the complex. Clearly, she should be working to get healthier somewhere that nobody has to see her. Maybe a supply closet, or better yet, a coffin.(I'm going to pause here, give you a minute to come up with a sarcastic comment about her needing two coffins, or a coffin so big she needs a semi instead of hearse, etc. That’d be super funny, wouldn’t it?)Darling Asshole, I think it’s safe to say that we all agree that being fat is a personal failing in every way, and only the worst of human beings would allow themselves to get fat. It’s certainly not your fault that your retinas were literally burned by the blinding, offensive white of a overweight stomach. It’s HER fault.That fat bitch should have to fix things, shouldn’t she?Good news! It’s your lucky day, because Dawn is a nurse, which means that if you showed up at her hospital, she’d treat you with professionalism and courtesy. She’d keep you alive, and she’d do it even though she’s fat. (What’s that, you say? You didn’t realize that fat people ever did anything aside from eating? I know, I was shocked too! I thought they just sat around all day shoving ice cream in their mouths. Here’s the crazy part, not only does Dawn work at a hospital, she’s going to college to become an even better nurse! Seriously. She works AND goes to school at the same time. OMG. Who knew that fat people could have a work ethic or the ability to learn!)Anyway, given the clear and present danger she represents to you and your friends, I thought it was my duty as a decent human being to offer you more insight into Dawn’s situation. You can take these insights and use them to find even better ways of mocking her, assuming the shameless bitch continues to exercise in public.1) She gained most of her weight when she had to start using steroids heavily to combat her asthma. Steroids that literally kept her alive. You know, because oxygen.(Suggested taunt: “Hey stupid fat bitch! You’re a waste of good oxygen!”)2) She’s had asthma for a long time, but it didn’t get really bad until after she had the H1N1 flu, which caused serious and permanent damage to her lungs.(Suggested taunt: “Hey fat bitch! Only pussies nearly die from the flu!)3) She caught the flu because she was working in the ICU, which was full of people with the worst cases of H1N1. One of her patients died from it.(Suggested taunt: “Hey fat bitch! Did he die because you sat on him?”)4) She moved into your shared apartment complex last year because her house had water damage from that crazy weather of yours down in Florida. The water damage led to mold and rot, which made her asthma even worse, which meant she had to up her steroid dosage to survive. Once she moved, she was able to go off them almost entirely and started losing weight immediately.(Suggested taunt: “Hey fat bitch! You suck so bad that even your house tried to kill you!”)5) She swims in your pool for exercise because she has bad knees. (Now, I’ll bet you’re thinking it’s from the fat… omg, it is SO MUCH funnier than that, believe me!) Part of the reason she has bad knees is that her bones started to deteriorate from all those steroids. Yup, in one of her legs, a big chunk of the bone is actually DYING AS A SIDE EFFECT of the treatment of her lung damage, sustained when she chose to nurse people dying from influenza (too funny!). But she’s just committed to breathing, seems to think it’s better than dying, which is crazy because she should hate herself enough to commit suicide, amiright? (I mean, you would if you got fat. Because seriously, there’s no reason to exist if you’re fat. Period. Ever. And you would never get there, because you’re not lazy and sitting around eating ice cream all day, like she is.)(Suggested taunt: “Hey steroid girl! You’re so disgusting that even your own bones want to get away!”)6) She bought that bikini to celebrate the fact that she’s lost more than 100 pounds. Right now she weighs 281, which you’d think is the worse possible thing a person could be. But get this – her bathroom scale doesn’t weigh past 360 pounds, and she’d lost some of the weight before she hit 360, so whatever she lost, it was more than 100 pounds. All through diet and exercise.(Suggested taunt: “Fat bitch! You don’t deserve to celebrate losing a hundred pounds, because you’ll probably just gain it all back because you’re so fucking lazy.”)7) This doesn’t have anything to do with the fat, but she’s also a cancer survivor. Yup. Five years cancer free.(Suggested taunt: “Cancer is funny!”)So, Asshole, as you can see, her situation is slightly more complicated than you could’ve known when you walked past her. A lesser man would’ve realized that and kept his mouth shut, perhaps feeling like it wasn’t his place to judge someone exercising in the pool you share. Thank God you were there instead of that lesser man, because you have the narrow, judgmental vision needed to make fun of a fat person who exists in public.In conclusion, I’m sorry my friend hurt you, Asshole. I’m sorry you saw her and that it rendered you blind. In fact, I’m so sorry that when I finish writing this, I’m going to offer a small prayer of thanks that you weren’t struck speechless when you lost your sight. I wish I could do something to protect you from having this happen in the future, but sadly I think the danger will continue. You see, when I spoke to her, she was defiant and proud. Despite your helpful comments, she’s worked way too hard to lose those 100+ pounds to stop exercising now. And apparently she’s going to keep that bikini, too. (God, what a BITCH.) She even says she’s happier right now than she’s ever been in her life, and I can guarantee that if you come back she’ll give you a big smile, because that’s the kind of crazy person she is.Friendly to everyone, even assholes like yourself.Please, Asshole. Please . . . for your own good . . . stop leaving the apartment. There’s dangerously fat people everywhere, and all of them have planned their entire lives around hurting you, personally. You’d do far better to stay at home and eat ice cream while watching TV. (You know, like you think she should be doing.) Oh, and I forgot! I need to thank you for choosing to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem this morning. Just think how wonderful (and thin!) our world would be if every human shared your complete lack of empathy and compassion.Hell, just the thought of you brings a tear to my eye, and I’m not just saying that to make you feel good. Take care of yourself and know—deep down inside—if you show up at the hospital and you have her as your nurse, she’ll recognize you. Then she’ll heal you, despite the fact that you made fun of her. Why?Because she’s a motherfucking hero.((hugs))Joanna Wylde

This week, I lost someone I loved very much, Allie Baker. She was a prominent Hemingway blogger and one of my oldest writing friends. I first met Allie Baker in the Boise Airport nearly 17 years ago. We were both coming home from a conference and started talking, quickly discovering our shared love of writing. Slowly and steadily we built a quirky friendship. As the years passed, we grew together as writers, and I remember very clearly the night she told me she’d been thinking of starting a blog