Ruth Kaufman's Blog

I've worked as an extra on more than 70 movies and TV shows, all but two filmed in Chicago. Those experiences inspired me to write My Life as an Extra  (releasing 6/15 and currently on preorder) and the sequel, My Life as a Star. 
My first four books are medievals set in England...so contemporary humorous women's fiction is quite a departure. 
In MLaaE, Chicagoan Marla Goldberg must rebuild her life at forty-one after an unexpected divorce. She yearns to be a working actress, but can't quite believe, "Leap and the net will appear." While trying to improve conditions at the radio station where she's an account executive and fit in with her successful family, Marla pursues acting part-time and dips her toes into the daunting dating pool. Being a movie extra teaches her life lessons, but can she learn what for her is the hardest lesson of all: how to feel special when you’re not the star?
These novels are for everyone who has creative dreams, but whose path to pursuing them is rocky and doesn't always turn out as planned. And they're for everyone who wants to feel valued. 
Self-worth isn't always easy to achieve, especially when circumstances and your best efforts seem to conspire to show you you're not good enough. So how do you feel special when you're not the star? And when you are the star...be careful what you wish for.
I hope readers will join me on this new journey. 

A buzz word in self-publishing right now is discoverability. You can have an amazing book in a popular genre, a stunning, stand-out cover, even some great reviews and/or a major contest win and some press/social media, but very few sales. So how do you make your book discoverable?

Why? As of this writing, there are more than 1.1 million novels in Kindle ebooks alone, and more than 90,000 new releases in the lat 30 days. There are dozens if not hundreds of ways to browse on Amazon alone. By subgenre, best sellers, daily deals, countdown deals and of course author and title, just to name a few. There are of course other sites, libraries and even stores.

Here are the top three ways that have helped me:

1) Getting approved for a BookBub, currently one of the most powerful promotional e-newsletters out there for discounted and free books. It's competitive, so you may get rejected multiple times. Don't give up. I was fortunate to get one last Friday, 2/10 for my Wars of the Roses Brides trilogy .99 sale.

The trilogy zoomed to #1 in the smaller Ancient Worlds category, then #1 in the larger Medieval category, and even #1 in all Historical Romance. And, #48 in the entire Kindle ebook store.

Algorithms start to work in your favor. You get the coveted orange bestseller banner and, in also boughts, the #1 best seller banner. It even made most wished for

 Not only that, but for a short while I was the #1 Historical Romance author, above even Diana Gabaldon of Outlander fame.
Of course, sales have dropped precipitously. Yet six days later, it's still in Medieval top 10. And Kindle Unlimited page reads continue.

2) Partnering with other authors, preferably those more famous than you. I've been fortunate to have been invited into multi-author boxed sets. Despite the proliferation of boxes with sometimes as many as 10 books for just .99, I've made more money than I would have on my own, and reached new readers. I was also invited to write a novella for Amazon All-Star Kathryn Le Veque's Kindle World. This was time-consuming, but exposed my books to her vast readership. Also, group promotions such as giveaways, blog hops and Facebook parties can help.

3) My weak link but always mentioned as one of the best tools: Growinf your newsletter and filling it with interesting content. I keep meaning to work on this, but find the platform confusing, much less the administrative tasks of maintaining my list, watching open rates, etc.

Another issue is consistency. It's hard to and/or costly to sustain the visibility of major publicity, a big group event or a BookBub. What can you do? Write the next great book.

I've been blessed (or cursed) with curly hair. It's easy to maintain in a curly style, if a bit frizzy or unruly on occasion. Yet there've been many times when I've felt the need to or been told to straighten it to be considered for on-camera work.

At one point, an agent would only accept me if I straightened my hair. When I used to do extra work (aka background), hairstylists on more than one major motion picture and a network TV show spent at least a half hour straightening my hair...after I'd already spent the hour or so and multiple products and processes it takes me to do it.

Why? Perception and pigeonholing. What are the first three adjectives that come to mind if you think of someone with curly hair? I'd bet sophisticated, authoritative, commanding, intelligent aren't among them. Over the years I've learned that in TV and movie land, curly hair is perceived as quirky, funny, loud, etc. A perception perfectly illustrated by this IKEA commercial. So the lead's zany next door neighbor, co-worker or best friend can have curly hair, while the star probably can't.


I challenge you to find a serious newscaster or even a TV host with curly hair. The only female doctors I know of on TV with curly hair were Alex Kingston on ER and now

Now I have both curly and straight hair headshots. Double the expense for me, and occasionally confusing if I'm not sure which one was submitted for an audition. Time consuming and a bit stressful especially on a rainy/humid day when frizzies may resist my many hair products and efforts to tame them.

When the specs say spokesperson, professional, upscale, doctor, authoritative, etc., I go straight. This approach did backfire once when the specs clearly said sleek and polished. But the casting director called me out in front of a handful of other actresses, asking, "Where did your curls go?" Ouch. I didn't get a callback. Because of my hair or my performance?

You might be thinking that the client/director/those with casting power surely know that my hair could be straightened if I wore it curly to an audition. But I've been told time and and again by industry professionals that they see what they see in front of them, not what could be.

For more info:
http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/celebrities/hollywood-misperception-curly-hair-messy-life/ 

http://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/news/a33862/curly-hair-stigma-workplace/

At this time of year, most of us look back before we move forward. I like to prepare for the new year by doing the following:  
1) Asking questions, such as: What went well in my freelancing life? What do I have control over that I could improve? How do my revenues and time spent compare to previous years, and where is most of my revenue coming from?What changes occurred with my client base?How can I grow my business next year?2) Going through my physical and virtual filing cabinets, removing/shredding/recycling documents I no longer need. This morning I painstakingly created a new template for my acting resume, which over the years has become such a mishmosh of styles that it was difficult to edit and update.
3) Reviewing the tools of my trade. To improve my home recording setup, I just bought new, comfy headphones and more soundproofing. Not long ago, I updated my acting and voiceover site, www.ruthtalks.com. New headshots are next.   
4) Deciding what my trade(s) should be? I love writing, but my books just haven't been selling enough to justify the cost/time I've spent to release and market/promote them. A few boxed sets did well, but with their short shelf life, they'll be gone soon. Was it a waste to box my Wars of the Roses Brides books, releasing 1/05/17, or will I at least earn back the money I spent on the cover, formatting and ads? 
I spent a good bit of time in 2016 on live storytelling and standup comedy, appearing with The Kates, at Write Club, That's All She Wrote and more. I enjoyed the process and the performances, but only earned $20 here and there. How much do I need to earn before I can make room for time-consuming but enjoyable activities? 
4) Making sure my health is on the right track. I had a checkup recently, went to the dentist, and will get a mammogram next week. Sure, I could eat less sugar, especially Target's chocolate peanut butter ice cream (someone decided a serving is only a half cup). I could also work out more, especially now that my building has upgraded our exercise room....
5) Adjusting goals. The main thing I plan to do next year is discipline myself to be more proactive. I keep telling myself I'll put more effort into self-marketing (which I define as researching and submitting to potential clients), but lately have found other ways to occupy my time.  
For years my goal has been 20 acting "touches" per week, including incoming calls/emails from agents and clients, bookings and self-submissions. I think the time has come to raise that to 25.
What are you going to do to improve your business? 

Hello! Thank you for stopping by my blog as you follow A Royal Christmas 12 Author Hop. I hope you're enjoying your journey.

I've released four medievals and a medieval novella, and over the years have collected hundreds of books about 15th century England. My favorites (such as Private Life in the Fifteenth Century and the medieval craftsmen series offer fascinating details about castles, knights and and life during that time period, which I love learning about. Something else I love is when sources say, "No one knows what happened," because I think it's fun to combine actual history with imagination. 
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What do you love about historicals and why?

Comment below to enter to win one of three copies of Nicholsa's story, my first book, At His Command, 2016 Booksellers' Best Award Best Historical and Best First Book winner, which is also on sale for .99.

Lady Amice Winfield doesn’t know how she can fulfill her duty to marry the king’s choice because she’s falling for Sir Nicholas Gray, the knight sent to protect her from undesirable suitors. But serving opposing factions seeking to govern England threatens to pull them apart. Could she defy her king for love?  

I hope you'll sign up for my newsletter, and join me online on Facebook at Ruth Kaufman Author & Actress, @RuthKaufman on Twitter and Goodreads.  If you're interested, all of my books and sets are on my Amazon author page.

Elizabeth Rose created this great video:

Here are links to the other authors participating in the hop:


1) Elizabeth Rose 2) Christi Caldwell 3) Collette Cameron 4) Amy Jarecki 5) Lana Williams 6) Laura Landon 7) Laurel O’Donnell 8) Julie Johnstone 9) Keira Montclair 10) Sue-Ellen Welfonder 11) Ruth Kaufman 12) Paula Quinn

What makes us want what we want...what blend of genetics and environment makes some people love to play or watch sports and others subscribe to the opera, while others don't understand the allure of either? There's wanting...then there's craving, defined by thefreedictionary.com as "A consuming desire, a yearning."

Look how far many people go to get tickets to the World Series or Hamilton .... How much they're willing to pay beyond the norm. I'd call that craving. Because, for the Cubs, it's probably once in a lifetime? Because Hamilton is a truly great show supported by extensive hype (it seems every day a Facebook friend posts the now-requisite Hamilton selfie)?

I crave something not once in a lifetime, not on occasion, but almost every hour of every day. It's legal, affordable, and almost everywhere I go: sweets. The craving is strong, demanding, making me fight it many times a day. Such as, but not limited to, whenever I:

pass donut shops near me. Their neon signs shout, "Yummy!" (One nemesis is Stan's pretzel-shaped donut )see candy in any checkout line or store, especially if it's on saleam near a brownie, especially if combined with ice cream and bittersweet hot fudgeeat ice cream or candy that I've bought. How do I stop at one serving (defined as a half-cup for most ice creams, a mere dollop)?Why is avoiding sugar so difficult for me? Do I love the process of eating, the mouth feel, the taste...or is it the sugar "high?" Do desserts somehow assuage the sting of acting, writing and dating rejection? You'd think all of the articles I've read lately about sugar being the new smoking and how bad it is for your health would provide enough incentive to at least cut back.

But when Target's Peanut Butter Fudge ice cream is in my freezer (my "drug" of choice used to be Edy's S'mores Slow Churned. I confess there were a few times I made my way through an entire half-gallon at one sitting, though I dug around for the "good stuff" and avoided some of the plain ice cream. Fortunately, I can't find that flavor anymore and the new ones don't sing the siren's song.)

Don't buy ice cream, donuts or candy, you say? And deny myself one of life's small pleasures? I try to psych myself out by not leaving sweets on display (out of sight, father out of mind), or even buying things I don't like as much as others. I don't buy OREOs, because I don't have the will power to not consume an entire row. Or two. And now Halloween candy is 50% off....

What do you crave? If you succumb to sugar like I do, here are a couple of articles on how to eat less of it:

The Washington Post: How to fight sweet cravings when sugar is everywhere, Ruth Kaufman! (No, the article didn't include my name, but it might as well have.)

WebMD: 13 ways to fight sugar cravings

Lately, I've been avoiding making a few life and career decisions. One is whether or not to move. I'm leery of making the wrong choice and/or making a mistake...especially after spending significant time and effort. Yes, I know that no decision is a decision in itself. And that wrong choices/mistakes can often be corrected.

In case I do decide to move, I've embarked on a project: going through all of my stuff. I don't consider my place cluttered, but do have hundreds of books and many closets. Being a writer, I love my research books and those on keeper shelf. Then there's the to-be-read shelf. It hurts to donate any of them, but some must go. Being an actor, I never know what I might need to wear for an audition or a booking, so I have a wide variety of options. Yet surely some things can be added to the pile.


This morning I worked on my coat closet, organizing bins holding hats and gloves. I came across this pair of green leather gloves with gold and metal decoration. I don't know where I got them or if they were a gift. I've never worn them, because they're that nice, and enjoy admiring them from time to time. Keep? Try to sell them on e-Bay? (I've been looking up a few items and am surprised by the low prices. How does an individual make enough money to make it worth the time to take pictures, post and follow the sale, and pack and ship the item?) Or actually wear them?

There's a style of velvet Thinsulate gloves I love that I've bought in different colors and patterns over the years at TJ Maxx and other discount retailers. Apparently I lost one black and one grey, but those remaining make their own pair.

Seeing the now-tidy bins lined up in orderly rows gives me a sense of accomplishment. Each time I fill a bag or box, I feel lighter. Clearer. I'm sure I'll feel even better when I actually take the bags to their next destination.

Will those feelings carry over into my work and/or decision-making? Does an orderly home lead to an orderly mind? I hope so.

I'm excited to announce that my novella My Enemy, My Love is now available as part of Kathryn LeVeque's Kindle World, World of de Wolfe Pack!

Kathryn asked me to tell the story of her hero Sir William de Wolfe's best friend Paris de Norville's parents. Her book introducing Paris, The Wolfe, starts at the end of 1231 AD. So to make him the right age, my novella needed to be set around 1200 AD. I like to incorporate some real history, so I searched for events around that time. And chose King Philip II's 1203-4 siege of Chateau Gaillard.

Philip Augustus wanted to evict the English from Normandy, and at the time, CG was their last holding. He sacked the nearby town, then placed the chateau under siege.

Some civilians were allowed to leave the chateau. But several hundred weren't. The chateau's commander wouldn't let them back in because supplies were running low, and he needed to keep his soldiers alive to defend the fortress. So many people were trapped outside for months between the French army camp and the chateau in the midst of winter. Some died, and some resorted to what many would consider immoral acts to stay alive.

My other books are set in 15th century England, and I have hundreds of research books on that era. Finding what I needed for MEML was challenging, though I did come across great resources such as an episode of the PBS show Battle Castle.

Another challenge was how to make a tragic event the backdrop for a romance. I condensed the progress of the siege and left out some of the more horrific elements. For example, since those left outside had so little food, some went to extremes to find sustenance. One source said dogs were eaten, others said something even worse: cannibalism.

I focused on the concept that something can come out of very difficult times. I hope readers enjoy Lady Aline de Lacy's and Sir Apollo de Norville's story.

In addition to writing romance novels, I'm an actor. Because I usually don't get more than 24-hour notice of auditions or sometimes even VO and OC bookings, I don't always have control over my schedule.

I might set aside an afternoon for my work-in-progress only to learn I have an audition for, say, a national TV commercial, at 2:55 the next day, and may have lines and/or specific wardrobe and/or hair to prepare. Often the specs and storyboard or copy don't arrive until the end of the day. Of course I'm thrilled for every opportunity to practice my craft.

Yesterday was great because I had two on-camera auditions. First I had a half-hour of monologue coaching via Skype, then went to audition #1. I went back home to change wardrobe and prepare for the next, and squeezed in some paperwork for a VO client and a VO audition. Then I went to audition #2. Though it lasted less than 5 minutes, the preparation and travel took a couple of hours.

I suppose I could have cancelled dinner plans with the team of the podcast I produce to make time to write, or made myself write when I got home around 8PM. But sometimes even energetic people feel drained, and I was tired after more than 10,000 steps and giving my all at the auditions.

Late last night, a long voiceover script arrived that's due Monday morning, and I also have a VO audition waiting. Yesterday I was a guest on Anna Markland's blog, and was pleased to have some comments to reply to. I decided to submit to #PitchWars, and though I'd already reviewed the mentors, I needed to prepare the query and submission. While all of these tasks are exciting and important, it's easy to see how another day can fill up without getting any writing, revising, or book promo done.

Sometimes the acting biz is slow, so I can focus on writing. Yet I sometimes wonder if the best use of my time is completing/releasing more books, promoting the ones I already have or seeking more auditions/marketing my acting. Should I focus on one career and abandon the other? For now, I'm trusting my instincts and going for both....

 

I'm honored to announce that AT HIS COMMAND  won BOTH the Best Historical and Best First Book 2016 Booksellers' Best Awards.

And this week a reader wrote, "I started reading 'At His Command' and didn't stop until I was 20% in. Wow, what a wonderful story!!! I was actually angry at the clock for passing so quickly.  I can't wait to return to it but wanted you to know I LOVE it so far!!"

Yet despite such wonderful accolades and praise, and though I've (temporarily?) reduced the price to .99, I'll share that sales have dwindled to a trickle.

How do I keep AHC visible so readers can discover it amidst the 42.986 historical romances in the Kindle store as of this writing?

I follow several online book marketing groups, where the main takeaway is that what works for one author may not work for another. The others are to write more great books--some say it takes at least five or six--and be patient. I've released four medievals in a year and a half, and have a novella coming in September. I have completed manuscripts in other genres, and over a third of the second book in what I hoped would be my Unsung Knights of the Round Table series. Do I finish that or release something else, which may interest more or fewer readers?

And how does an author keep going if she's not just doing it for the joy of writing or saying she's a published...spending time writing, revising, getting books ready for release, promoting current releases and paying for covers, editors, promotion, bookmarks? When is someone being patient and persistent, and when is someone beating her head against a brick wall?