Today on the podcast and the blog, I’m explaining the steps I’m taking to bring #TheLeftoverBride to French-speaking readers and what I’ve learned about my own data points over the years when it comes to the French-speaking market. I’m also talking about my struggles with formatting my next bilingual book and making progress in my revision. Plus, #TheLeftoverBride almost has a cover!
I’ve started selling translations of my novels in French in March 2016 with the French version of A SUMMER LIKE NO OTHER: UN ETE PAS COMME LES AUTRES.
Since then, I have sold more than 9000 copies of my French books (not counting the ones that I have sold through the French publisher who published print versions of 3 of my books and the pages read when my books were in Kindle Select / Kindle Unlimited). I did put some of my books in Kindle Unlimited for a limited period of time (some are in KU right now but I will pull them out from KU so that all my books are wide when the new one releases). When it comes to pages read in KU for the French editions of my books, I’ve had about 45000 pages read.
I have also been contacted by Amazon several times to put my books in some of their promos in France (even when my books were available widely) because they were doing so well.
I price my French e-books between EUR2.99 and EUR5.99. I did spend money on translating and advertising but again, France for me and more broadly the French-speaking market, is a lucrative market. And also a market where I think I have figured out how to do Facebook ads and a market where I have received many messages from readers. And it’s also very close to my heart, since, you know, I happen to be French. 🙂
As I’ve explained in the past episode, there was one time where I lost readers because I had to cancel a pre-order as my translator ghosted me. Again, I hope she’s okay. I wasn’t able to find any information about her despite the fact we had been working together on three other books. It was at the time that Amazon didn’t let you expand your pre-order and thus, I lost a lot of pre-orders. Doing follow-up at that time was also a tad complicated since I had just started treatment. I had a system in place and I’ll go into more details but I wasn’t able to follow up as much as I normally do during that time.
I’m about to put up the French version of #TheLeftoverBride for pre-order on all e-retailers and I’m going to share with you the steps I’ve taken so far and the job posting I posted on Upwork.
Quick backgroundand market information
A large percentage of the readers who read the French editions of my books are indeed in France, but I can tell you that on Google Play only I have sold more than 100 books to countries such as Swizterland and Belgium and Canada and Hong Kong. In addition, my Apple sales of those books also come from many different countries.
Interestingly, I’ve read that:
In France, it is the publishers who traditionally represent their authors’ work and sell rights, rather than agents. However, the growing number of literary agents in the country is changing this dynamic.
I find that quite interesting because there parts in my contract where the publisher would be representing certain sales that in my mind would be done via an agent. However, since I don’t have an agent, I figured this was actually not a bad opportunity at the time (and it wasn’t) especially since I was able to negotiate several points about retaining rights for translations and certain audio-visual parts. But there are indeed a growing number of literary agents in the country.
And when you’re trying to sell a translation, you could also try to get a foreign rights agent. Joanna Penn from The Creative Penn had an article about that back a few years ago:
And if you’re interested in the entire “going international” with your self-published books, she also had an author who has successfully been self-publishing her books and translations in different markets:
This is my experience going into the French-speaking market. Kind of a case study if you will and the steps I’m taking for the translation.
When it comes to the book market, some of my French readers like to buy their paperback copies in stores and so, without a publisher that is feasible but the last time I checked required some different avenues. This is one thing I need to research more.
When it comes to e-books, Amazon.fr is of course an important player, but not only.
Just looking at my French-speaking e-books (not the bilingual ones):
Looking at revenues, including Kindle Select / Kindle Unlimited:
KDP Select / Kindle Unlimited did bring me revenue in France…but I had almost a third of my revenue from other channels than Amazon.
And again I really need to check how to use maybe Bookelis to get my books wider in libraries and other places where physical books are sold to truly be wide with my books in France.
There are no “all-stars bonuses” in Kindle Unlimited for France, which makes me think that the market may not be all that hot but I may be wrong. Again
First step: Getting my summary / title translated to put it up for pre-order
My translator Sophie Troff who’s amazing and talented and just great is currently very busy with other projects and exciting projects. And I’m so so happy for her. That does mean I had to find someone to translate my book, including the summary and title. I have been very lucky to work with amazing translators over the years: Edith Girval who translated A Summer Like No Other and Always Second Best, Anne-Sophie Bigot who translated Love in B Minor and Fear Me, Fear Me Not, Béranger Viot-Pineau who translated See Me, See Me Not, Sophie Troff who translated One Two Three and Trust Me, Trust Me Not and I actually translated One Dream Only but it had to be proofread by my brother-in-law Paskal Treut and my translator Edith Girval. 🙂
I am planning to release the French edition of #TheLeftoverBride end of November, right on time for the holiday season.
I have put up a project on Upwork and received more than a dozen of proposals. The job was solely, at this stage, for the translation of the summary and title. I could have use Deepl and proofread it myself and then hired someone to proofread my proofread but I kind of wanted someone to actually do the translation for that summary.
Here’s the job posting I wrote:
I need a native French speaker (fluent or bilingual in English) to:
– Translate a book description and title (about 450 words) from English to French (European). The title is #TheLeftoverBride which I honestly have no idea how to translate or if to change it for the French version. – The book is a rom-com – You need to be familiar with American movie references (for example: how would you translate Hallmark channel for it to make sense in French).
Deadline: 72 hours after acceptance of the contract.
I need someone who has experience translating, ideally experience translating novels. who is an avid reader and ideally loves watching rom-coms.
The full novel will be available for translation beginning of August and if you’re available at that time and interested, you will get invited to the job.
Thank you! Merci beaucoup!
As part of the job screening process, I have three different questions:
1. Quel est le dernier livre que vous avez lu?
2. Quelle est votre expérience en traduction littéraire? Si vous n’avez pas d’expérience, expliquez-moi vos qualifications pour ce travail particulier.
3. What is the latest rom-com you have watched?
As you may have noticed, I do ask questions in both languages. This one was an open project, meaning all Upwork users could apply. For the actual novel, if the freelancer I have hired isn’t available or doesn’t work for any other reasons, I will still be sending invites to some of the translators who have replied to this particular and weren’t selected.
I look at their credentials in addition to their answers.
And I am very happy to have found someone to work with for the blurb. It took me a couple of hours to find a translator for this job. I invited a few and received proposals from other translators.
If you have any questions about the entire process, do not hesitate to let me know!
Struggling with formatting. I’m formatting a bilingual book: the second part of the Always Second Best / Eine zweite Chance bilngual edition and for some reason, some of the word document gets all wonky for no particular reason. The font of the body changes and the heading doesn’t take so I need to change some of the formatting.
Oh and I need to find a new system to save my files. This will be one of my projects. I know I’m not the only one who has documents with the names “Final, Final 2, Final updated 3….”
Smiling reasons? Quite a few. I am making good progress in my revision. I sent an excerpt to both my critique partners that got their seal of approval. 🙂
He watches me. I resist the urge to readjust my Santa hat and to ask him what else might be on his wish-list and whether he’s been naughty or nice. (FULL EXCERPT sent to my newsletter ;-))
Source: #TheLeftoverBride – available for pre-order for only $0.99 on Amazon, iTunes, Kobo and you can add it on Goodreads.
And I have a cover. Well, I worked on the second cover and if you’re signed up to receive my readers’ newsletter, you should have gotten an email in your inbox on Friday, June 11th to help me choose the cover!
I will be sharing the cover on the blog very soon. So, stay tuned.
For the second cover, I had a tailored illustration of Ryan and Sorcha designed by the team at Qamber Emporium. And I did do a video of putting it together, but it started taking too long because I didn’t have the right background. So, I do have a video of re-creating the cover. 😉 And a much longer video trying to get the right background. I also found the font I’m going to use for this series of standalones…and it’s so pretty. I have to contact the designer.
And I guess here would be a good reminder that #TheLeftoverBride (my holiday rom-com that I’m describing as a sexier Hallmark movie) is available for pre-order for only $0.99 at all e-retailers (Amazon, iTunes, Kobo) and you can add it on Goodreads.
A Self-Published Author’s Diary is on YouTube and Instagram!
Have you ever wondered about getting your self-published books translated in French? Here’s a case study on my books available in French on “A Self-Published Author’s Diary” podcast with @enowodazkij https://anchor.fm/elodie-nowodazkij #WritingCommunity
Thank you so much to everyone who has listened and subscribed to my podcast. Don’t hesitate to leave a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow on Spotify or Google Podcasts. or Stitcher..
And thank you to everyone who’s already added #THELEFTOVERBRIDE on Goodreads and those of you who already pre-ordered it (on Amazon, iTunes, Kobo).
Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.
(2) A newsletter for my readers: full of bonus scenes, updates on my books, shows I’m watching, books I’m reading, exclusive giveaways and more…
Click on this link and just add your email and you’ll receive access to a page full of exclusive content! Plus my emails include pictures of my cat and my dog…and they’re pretty adorable…:-)
Have you already subscribed, rated and reviewed to my podcast?
This truly helps! And takes only a few minutes. Thank you. 🙂
Don’t forget I have two giveaways
Giveaway 1: Do you want to win a copy of BRIGHT by Ines Johnson?
BRIGHT by Ines Johnson: a new adult romance touched by fantasy, mixed with science fiction, and a dash of the paranormal.
If you’ve ever wished upon a star, if you’ve felt the glow of finding where you belong, if you know the brilliance of first love, then you’ll fall for Bright.
Would you like to win a copy of BRIGHT by Ines Johnson? BRIGHT is a new adult romance touched by fantasy, mixed with science fiction, and a dash of the paranormal. Check out the giveaway here: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/35c42cc28/? #books #book #reading
Giveaway 2: Do you want to win a copy of HAND OVER HIS HEART (The Brides of Purple Heart Ranch Book 2) or a copy of SWEET CAROL by Shanae Johnson?
HAND OVER HIS HEART: A scholar reaching for her dreams. A hero living on borrowed time. Can she make them a permanent arrangement before his time runs out?
SWEET CAROL: Ariana Carol has the voice of a siren. But after an embarrassing incident on stage, she walked away with stage fright so severe that she barely speaks. So when she’s singing late one night to the crashing waves, she’s shocked to find that a handsome man hears her voice.
Win a copy of sweet romance novel HAND OVER HIS HEART by Shanae Johnson or a copy of sweet holiday romance novel SWEET CAROL by Shanae Johnson… All details here: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/35c42cc27/? #books #book #reading
“A Self-Published Author’s Diary” Podcast with @enowodazkij is now available on Stitcher and Amazon Music. Choose your favorite streaming platform: https://anchor.fm/elodie-nowodazkij #WritingCommunity #writingpodcast #selfpublishing #indiewriter
Thank you so much to everyone who has listened and subscribed to my podcast. Don’t hesitate to leave a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow on Spotify or Google Podcasts. or Stitcher..
And thank you to everyone who’s already added #THELEFTOVERBRIDE on Goodreads and those of you who already pre-ordered it (on Amazon, iTunes, Kobo).
Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.
(2) A newsletter for my readers: full of bonus scenes, updates on my books, shows I’m watching, books I’m reading, exclusive giveaways and more…
Click on this link and just add your email and you’ll receive access to a page full of exclusive content! Plus my emails include pictures of my cat and my dog…and they’re pretty adorable…:-)
Today on the podcast and the blog, it’s all about selling my e-books and audiobooks directly to readers (got a lot of information from this post by The Creative Penn), using my backlist , talking about Kim’s Convenience (and storytelling), the happy revision feeling, time management and expectations and that happy “I got that one paragraph” feeling from revising #TheLeftoverBride.
I can’t believe it’s almost Friday! Well, when this article will be published, it will be Friday. So…Happy Friday! The Chemical Engineer and I have started watching a documentary about pirates on Netflix and we just started watching the 5th season of Kim’s Convenience. We really really enjoy this show and are disappointed there won’t be a 6th season. I know the actors really wanted a 6th season to happen and I’ve just read what Simu Liu (the actor who plays Jung) had to say about all of this and if you’re interested into the back story and the frustration of the cast and how their “writer’s room lacked both East Asian and female representation, and also lacked a pipeline to introduce diverse talents. Aside from Ins, there were no other Korean voices in the room.” He mentions that many in the casts were trained screewriters and tried to have more input…He also talks about their storylines and more. I also read a NYT article by Priya Krishna which was interesting on the symbol of food in Kim’s Convenience: Why ‘Kim’s Convenience’ Is ‘Quietly Revolutionary’: In not explaining every detail of Korean food culture, the award-winning Canadian sitcom speaks volumes. When watching Kim’s Convenience, I usually just watch it. Sometimes, I do try to see how they manage to convey the humor and the tenderness and the family bond…Always wondering about storytelling.
When I talked to Ines Johnson last week, she talked about what it means for her to have her books available widely. Here’s a reminder of what she said. If you haven’t listened to our chat, it’s the the episode right before this one.
And I’ve mentioned that I was thinking about moving some of my books to KU for three months to see how many new readers I may gain. And I still will do that. But I think I will do that for 3 months and then go back wide, because being wide also means that you can sell your books directly to readers.
And this is an avenue I’ve started considering. I am currently growing my mailing list with BookFunnel. On BookFunnel you can join “grow your newsletter” by joining other authors offering books for free and then every author sends the promo to their newsletters and readers can join to get the book they want. You can also join “sales” promo which is basically the same principle but instead of getting email addresses for books readers download, the links send then to a sales page on BookFunnel.
As I’m participating in “growing your newsletter” promos, I actually currently have that particular mailing list get a different automation when they sign up. Once, they’ve gone through the automation, I then move them to my mailing list with a tag that’s specific to the promo and book they signed up with.
As part of my automation, I could definitely add a coupon for the second book in the series if readers buy the book directly to me.
Because of this seismic shift, Alexandra Nicolajsen, Director of Social Media and Digital Sales at Kensington Publishing, has been marketing books over a longer timespan — sometimes a year or longer — as opposed to focusing mainly on the first six or eight weeks after on-sale. She says it’s a different way of thinking about how a campaign is done; though she still aims to frontload her marketing budget and make a big splash on launch, she allocates her marketing budget over a longer timespan to maintain momentum long after the publication date and sustain sales well into the backlist period.
And it’s true for selfpubbed books as well, meaning that while we’re always advised (and it’s good advice) to make sure we write the next book, I don’t think we shouldn’t keep putting some time into marketing our older backlist. And that can be done in many different ways.
Let’s say one of your books in your backlist becomes an (exclusive) reader magnet – a book you offer for free for readers to join your mailing lists? You could then offer another book in the series, if it’s a series, if they buy it from you directly…Or maybe offer another book with the same trope? Or maybe survey them and ask them what they’re in the mood to read?
For me, offering it as a discount would be as thank you for reading and as a way to build my relationship with the readers receiving my emails and reading my emails.
Quick side-note: I went through my newsletter this week and am about to delete almost 100 subscribers who had not opened any of my last 10 emails. I know sometimes the “open rate” can be misleading so I did send the readers on that list a quick email, asking them to click a link if they wanted to keep on receiving emails from me. I think I’ve read this in Newsletter Ninja: How to Become an Author Mailing List Expert by Tammi Labrecque.
That campaign had a open rate of about 6.5% and click-rate of 4.3% which is, as expected, way lower than my regular campaigns. In a few days, I’ll make sure you to delete the people who have not clicked on the “I want to stay” link in the email.
Between Mark Dawson’s class talking about focusing on the newsletter, Ines mentioning every single time she sends an email, she sells books and the books I’m currently reading on “superpowering” one’s newsletter, I am definitely re-vamping my newsletter.
The one thing I need to keep in mind is to make sure I divide each big tasks into smaller manageable tasks. Creating that store for the A SUMMER LIKE NO OTHER audiobook and the ALWAYS SECOND BEST ebook for example doesn’t happened in one day.
And it didn’t happen in one day because I am still revising almost every day and I also had a deadline for my freelance part-time research job and other things on my to-do list.
So, why did I choose PayHip and how did I go about it?
Well, the BookFunnel blog mentioned PayHip and I noticed this is the site Ines used on her website…So, I did a bit more research and landed on this video and blog article by The Creative Penn: How To Sell Ebooks And Audiobooks Direct With Payhip And Bookfunnel – Really she has everything covered from how to set it up…and why…and things to keep in mind.
One of the things she mentions is that to remember that if readers buy directly from you, your books will not climb in the ranks.
What took me the longest wasn’t to get my store ready, it was to update Always Second Best before putting it up.
What is my goal? My goal with PayHip is to make an extra $10 a month within the first two months (so in June and July) and then make an extra $30 every month starting in August.
How will I go about it? What is my plan?
I’m going to update my website to ensure that it is clear people can buy books directly from me.
I will focus on Always Second Best as an on-boarding sequence for readers who join from BookFunnel with A Summer Like No Other as well as with readers who sign up to receive exclusive scenes from A Summer Like No Other. I’m clear on BookFunnel that A Summer Like No Other is also available for free at all e-retailers. And I know I need a reader magnet that’s exclusive and I’m going to work on it…but in addition I also have plenty of exclusive bonus scenes for my readers’ newsletter.
The first email from the on-boarding sequence will be the exclusive scenes + discount code to buy Always Second Best directly from me + a code for a discount for the A Summer Like No Other audiobook.
Current limitations / research I need to do
I currently cannot put my Gavert City series because it will be for 3 months in Kindle Unlimited.
While the PayHip store is available in many languages and thus, I could try to do the same with my French books: for example, I could offer the French version of A SUMMER LIKE NO OTHER as a reader magnet and then do an on-boarding sequence for the French version of ALWAYS SECOND BEST, Bookfunnel isn’t available in French. One of the positive aspect of using BookFunnel is that they also deal with the technical aspect of delivery…I need to check if there’s another service that might do it in another language.
I think the main struggle this week was feeling sometimes like I didn’t accomplish enough or didn’t organize myself well enough, even though as I explained I did accomplish a lot of things. But, I didn’t finish my revision. And I only added one book and one audiobook to my store on PayHip and via BookFunnel. Sometimes, I feel like I need to do everything all the time. Quick and efficiently and accomplish everything. And honestly, because you know this is a diary, part of this relationship with time may be due to all the treatments I have received and when getting diagnosed feeling like the rug was swept from under my feet…Something I need to talk to my therapist about a bit more probably. (So much more about that in the podcast).
I did smile revising. I stayed in the moment as I made the following sentences (and more) shine. My two critique partners and I are exchanging snippets of our stories in Google Chat to encourage each other and also have accountability partners. 🙂 And I may have sent them three or four version of the sentences below. I’ll do a post and maybe a video soon about the transformation of these sentences.
Ryan Sawyer and I together are like those designs I think will be absolutely perfect, but I can’t seem to get right… I spend hours adding a line here, erasing a line there, hoping that by one magic stroke of my favorite pencil I might make them work.
But more often than not, no matter how much time I spend and no matter how I can still picture them in my mind, I can’t fix them on paper.
And no matter how much I love them, I put them away because that’s what best for me.
But no one ever said that was easy. Letting those designs go? Nothing compared to Ryan Sawyer skating away all those years ago, leaving me behind and stretching the thin but resilient fabric of my heart until it tore apart. I put a patch over it by moving forward, but I’m not sure I ever stitched it back together.
Source: #TheLeftoverBride – available for pre-order for only $0.99 on Amazon, iTunes, Kobo and you can add it on Goodreads.
And I guess here would be a good reminder that #TheLeftoverBride (my holiday rom-com that I’m describing as a sexier Hallmark movie) is available for pre-order for only $0.99 at all e-retailers (Amazon, iTunes, Kobo) and you can add it on Goodreads.
A Self-Published Author’s Diary is on YouTube and Instagram!
Giveaway 1: Do you want to win a copy of BRIGHT by Ines Johnson?
BRIGHT by Ines Johnson: a new adult romance touched by fantasy, mixed with science fiction, and a dash of the paranormal.
If you’ve ever wished upon a star, if you’ve felt the glow of finding where you belong, if you know the brilliance of first love, then you’ll fall for Bright.
Would you like to win a copy of BRIGHT by Ines Johnson? BRIGHT is a new adult romance touched by fantasy, mixed with science fiction, and a dash of the paranormal. Check out the giveaway here: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/35c42cc28/? #books #book #reading
Giveaway 2: Do you want to win a copy of HAND OVER HIS HEART (The Brides of Purple Heart Ranch Book 2) or a copy of SWEET CAROL by Shanae Johnson?
HAND OVER HIS HEART: A scholar reaching for her dreams. A hero living on borrowed time. Can she make them a permanent arrangement before his time runs out?
SWEET CAROL: Ariana Carol has the voice of a siren. But after an embarrassing incident on stage, she walked away with stage fright so severe that she barely speaks. So when she’s singing late one night to the crashing waves, she’s shocked to find that a handsome man hears her voice.
Win a copy of sweet romance novel HAND OVER HIS HEART by Shanae Johnson or a copy of sweet holiday romance novel SWEET CAROL by Shanae Johnson… All details here: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/35c42cc27/? #books #book #reading
Have you ever wondered about selling your ebooks and audiobooks directly to your readers? I’m going to try and report back. Oh and talking about the revision process and using my backlist on “A Self-Published Author’s Diary” podcast with @enowodazkij https://anchor.fm/elodie-nowodazkij #WritingCommunity
Thank you so much to everyone who has listened and subscribed to my podcast. Don’t hesitate to leave a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow on Spotify or Google Podcasts. or Stitcher..
And thank you to everyone who’s already added #THELEFTOVERBRIDE on Goodreads and those of you who already pre-ordered it (on Amazon, iTunes, Kobo).
Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.
(2) A newsletter for my readers: full of bonus scenes, updates on my books, shows I’m watching, books I’m reading, exclusive giveaways and more…
Click on this link and just add your email and you’ll receive access to a page full of exclusive content! Plus my emails include pictures of my cat and my dog…and they’re pretty adorable…:-)
Today, I am very happy to welcome Ines Johnson, who is a self-published author who has published 65 books under 2 pen names. A couple of weeks ago, I read on BookBub an article Ines wrote entitled: How I Make Six Figures as a Self-Published Author. By the way if you want to receive the BookBub latest book marketing tips and insights delivered to your inbox each week, you can click on the article and then on the right you can add your email. 🙂 And voilà…
So, in that article, Ines described how she learned from her mistakes and turned them around.
I’m Ines Johnson, author of paranormal romance with lots of kissing. I also write sweet western romances under the pen name Shanae Johnson. There’s kissing in those books too. Lots of authors who come on this blog are a pretty big deal. Me? I’m a pretty big failure. Funny thing is, that was the key to my success!
I failed. A lot. But each stumble taught me something and brought me closer toward the eventual path to success: I now make six figures as a self-published author. In this post, I’ll outline the top lessons I learned from these failures, so you can learn from my mistakes and get a leg up on your leap to six figures.
Today on the podcast (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and more), Ines Johnson not only shares her insights about the work behind her self-publishing success (goals and planning and advertising and brand and choosing to be wide and more), we also chat about her writing process that is influenced by her experience writing screenplays, why she’s not really on social media, how she rewards herself and so much more.
Here are just three excerpts from our almost hour long discussion.
Giveaway 1: Do you want to win a copy of BRIGHT by Ines Johnson?
BRIGHT by Ines Johnson: a new adult romance touched by fantasy, mixed with science fiction, and a dash of the paranormal.
If you’ve ever wished upon a star, if you’ve felt the glow of finding where you belong, if you know the brilliance of first love, then you’ll fall for Bright.
Would you like to win a copy of BRIGHT by Ines Johnson? BRIGHT is a new adult romance touched by fantasy, mixed with science fiction, and a dash of the paranormal. Check out the giveaway here: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/35c42cc28/? #books #book #reading
Giveaway 2: Do you want to win a copy of HAND OVER HIS HEART (The Brides of Purple Heart Ranch Book 2) or a copy of SWEET CAROL by Shanae Johnson?
HAND OVER HIS HEART: A scholar reaching for her dreams. A hero living on borrowed time. Can she make them a permanent arrangement before his time runs out?
SWEET CAROL: Ariana Carol has the voice of a siren. But after an embarrassing incident on stage, she walked away with stage fright so severe that she barely speaks. So when she’s singing late one night to the crashing waves, she’s shocked to find that a handsome man hears her voice.
Win a copy of sweet romance novel HAND OVER HIS HEART by Shanae Johnson or a copy of sweet holiday romance novel SWEET CAROL by Shanae Johnson… All details here: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/35c42cc27/? #books #book #reading
New feature, maybe? The things I struggled with this week in regards self-publishing…Hmmm. The time it took me to update In Diesem Einen Sommer (A SUMMER LIKE NO OTHER in German), including updating the keywords. I used PublisherRocket again and discovered a few keywords that I really needed to change. There was again one that had 0 dollars in revenue and a very low number of searches. And yes, granted the searches are just an approximation but still..
Smiling? Quite a few reasons. I wrote a plan to get this revision done and basically, this is really a result of listening to L. Penelope’s podcast who every week talks about her plan for the week and also talking with Ines Johnson in this week’s chat. 🙂 And I made quite a bit of progress in my revision.
Receiving emails from readers, including my first readers from Austria, I think about my bilingual books and an email from a reader who fell in love with Em & Nick’s story in A SUMMER LIKE ANOTHER. Annnnd attenting the Maryland Romance Writers’ online meeting which this week was: “May MRW Chapter Meeting: Happy Holidays! with Stacey Agdern & Janice Lynn.” Happy Holidays! Stacey Agdern, author of “Miracles and Menorahs”, and Hallmark and multi-published author, Janice Lynn discuss the magic of Holiday-themed books and what it takes to make them special, even when your deadline lands in sunblock and sandal season.
And that meeting prompted me to add a few more Christmas-y details in the first few chapters of #TheLeftoverBride which takes place during the holiday season. It already has the holiday vibe but I added some details at the beginning and it made me smile as I wrote them…so yay!
And I did a major revision, I change “that he’s good at” to “that he excels at”, which may seem small but I don’t know, it gave me that happy revision-makes-my-book-stronger feeling so definitely a reason to smile.
Another reason? This talk with Ines Johnson.
Do you have a question for me about self-publishing or writing?
Listen to Ines Johnson talk about the work behind her self-publishing success, her writing process, planning and so much more on “A Self-Published Author’s Diary” podcast with @enowodazkij https://anchor.fm/elodie-nowodazkij #WritingCommunity
Thank you so much to everyone who has listened and subscribed to my podcast. Don’t hesitate to leave a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow on Spotify or Google Podcasts…
And thank you to everyone who’s already added #THELEFTOVERBRIDE on Goodreads and those of you who already pre-ordered it (on Amazon, iTunes, Kobo).
Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.
(2) A newsletter for my readers: full of bonus scenes, updates on my books, shows I’m watching, books I’m reading, exclusive giveaways and more…
Click on this link and just add your email and you’ll receive access to a page full of exclusive content! Plus my emails include pictures of my cat and my dog…and they’re pretty adorable…:-)
In addition to explaining some of the steps I’m taking to rebrand my Gavert City series, today on the podcast (Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts,Google Podcastsand more) I share my writing progress and the doubts about my next release and how planning it will help keep things into perspective and…I’m answering two questions from listeners!
A little catch-up
I have so many books waiting for me, both in paper version and on my Kindle. Now that I’ve pressed “done” on my audiobook project and that I’m waiting on possible feedback, I am carving some time to catch up on my reading. I am about to pick the book I had started reading right before deadlines loomed and I am very much looking forward to dive back into WILD WOMEN AND THE BLUES by Denny S. Bryce . In a stirring and impeccably researched novel of Jazz-age Chicago in all its vibrant life, two stories intertwine nearly a hundred years apart, as a chorus girl and a film student deal with loss, forgiveness, and love…in all its joy, sadness, and imperfections.
The Chemical Engineer and I are still watching FOR ALL MANKIND on Apple TV and true story, ever since I started watching that show I have a renewed interest in everything space.
At the time I’m writing this, we’re in the third episode of the Challenger: The Final Flight documentary. There’s so much material and just so much information about this tragedy and the crew members. On a different and yet related topic, we also watched that Unsolved Mystery episode about UFOs…
What are you currently watching? What are you currently reading? Let me know in the comments.
If you’re looking for another book to read or an audiobook to listen to…you could win a copy!
I’ve received two questions in the past couple of weeks and I will be answering them at the end of the podcast. 🙂
I’m making progress in my revision! And I’m doubting everything…but I’m also excited to plan the release…So. Many. Feelings.
Whoop, whoop! I think talking about writing with other writers on the podcast and having a Google Chat with my critique partners where we send some lines on and off and encouraging each other is oh so helpful. And having press “send” on my latest audiobook work, I re-opened my Word document and am making a plan to finish this revision. I think part of the reason why it’s taking me so long, in addition to finding the time in the past couple of weeks is that this is the first book I’m going to release since forever. And it is part of a new series. And I am so excited about this series. And I am not going to heavily invest in advertising in the US until I have more books out in the series. But…but…what if when I put up for pre-order in my usual lucractive market (bonjour si vous avez de France) I don’t get the same momentum as I did in the past? The doubts are real. What I need to do is sit down and make my release to-do list and what my goals are for each of them. And just typing this makes me relax and excited and looking forward to releasing it.
Oh that’s probably the moment I should remind you that #TheLeftoverBride is available for pre-order for only $0.99 on all e-retailers. (The price will be raised to $2.99 or $3.99 right after release).
And here’s a little snippet I just added — well I was just looking for a snippet to add and I ended up revising for 25 minutes, just enjoying spending time with Ryan and Sorcha…Sorcha just had a pretty sexy dream and let’s just say she’s having trouble concentrating.
Here’s one line from that chapter:
My entire face could generate enough heat for the entire state of Maryland.
If you’d like to be part of my early review team and get an e-copy before it is even released, make sure you join my readers’ newsletter. 🙂
Possibly re-branding my Gavert City series…
When it comes to covers, I either design them myself or I hire someone to design them. I’ve designed all my contemporary romance covers. And the Gavert City book covers have all been designed by Najla Qamber. And I love them. I’m actually working with Nalja again for an illustration that I might use on #TheLeftoverBride cover. As you may recall, I’m going to ask my newsletter subscribers to help me choose #TheLeftoverBride cover. I already have one cover designed and was starting to work on the second when I realized I didn’t have the perfect couple illustration for it. And now, I will. If more readers prefer the one I have already designed, I’ll still be able to use the illustrated couple in teasers and so on…
But in the meantime, I have been looking at my Gavert City series…I love the covers. LOVE. THEM. But the cover is for the readers too, meaning that even if I think that it reflects the story and brings that romantic suspense to the forefront, is that really true? I’ve seen reviews mentioning that they expected a slightly different vibe based on the cover. And I compare this series to Lifetime Movies and Criminal Minds. Do the covers reflect that?
I mean…and here I’ll use Megan’s narration (Have you listened to the episode I did with Megan?) those are the first few sentences in the FEAR ME, FEAR ME NOT book…
And those are the first ones in the SEE ME, SEE ME NOT book…
And then I was studying the covers for straight up romantic suspense novels and the heat level in my books does not warrant a naked chest on the cover. By the way, when I checked for romantic suspense books, I came across a book that is called Finding Elodie (SEAL Team Hawaii Book 1) and I may have gone down the “how many titles have my name” rabbit hole. And I found a few: Elodie: Behind the illusion of her perfect life hides the truth, Elodie of the Sea (The Eldentimber Series Book 5) by Shari L. Tapscott and books by author Elodie Colt and my own books appeared on page 4 of Amazon…Interesting. Not the topic of the day. But interesting.
Anyways.
The two first books in my Gavert City series are YA books and the third one is a NA book. When it comes to the heat level, they’re not considered sweet and they’re also not considered super steamy. Things happen but not entirely on the page. So, should I maybe re-brand them so the suspense aspect, the Criminal Minds and Lifetime movie vibe is clearer? I don’t think I can categorize them as domestic suspense and there’s a definite romantic element to them. But, when I look at other romantic suspense books, their heat levels is either much higher, in which case their cover is also usually going in that direction or they’re more focused on the suspense and then they have a different feel: the font is different, more atmospheric. And I think my covers have the atmosphere with the color scheme but…again, some of the feedback and reviews mention that they went in thinking they would get a slightly different story. The fonts of many of the covers I studied this weekend also look very different.
So, what I am going to do is that I am going to ask my newsletter subscribers (and maybe in my Facebook author page) if they’ve read FEAR ME, FEAR ME NOT, did they feel like the cover gave them the feel for the story? And if they haven’t read FEAR ME, FEAR ME NOT and they see the cover what story comes to their mind?
And then I’ll also ask them about the new cover I designed for FEAR ME, FEAR ME NOT…and will also try it with a new Facebook ad as well as for the German version of FEAR ME, FEAR ME NOT since I’m also going to re-work the categories I use with PublisherRocket…
Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.
(2) A newsletter for my readers: full of bonus scenes, updates on my books, shows I’m watching, books I’m reading, exclusive giveaways and more…
Click on this link and just add your email and you’ll receive access to a page full of exclusive content! Plus my emails include pictures of my cat and my dog…and they’re pretty adorable…:-)
Megan is a London-based actor from Kansas City, USA. She received her MA in Classical Acting from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. She also holds a BA in Theatre from Loyola University Chicago, with minors in Musical Theatre, Dance, and Shakespeare Studies.
With her strong musical theatre and dance background, Megan especially loves theatre that is highly physical and that involves lots of movement and stage combat. She is passionate about bringing classical works to contemporary audiences in a way that allows people to feel like they have a place in the story and a way to connect to it.
When not working, Megan enjoys reading, running, and practicing yoga. She loves a good road trip, and has been on one hundred and one roller coasters.
Talking with Megan Carter on how acting may influence her writing, the similarities between acting and publishing and roller coasters…
Today on the podcast (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and more), Megan Carter and I talk on how acting may influence Megan’s writing, about the similarities between publishing and acting and roller coasters. We also talk about her current project (which sounds amazing), finding critique partners, how to know when a book is done and how to not let yourself get bogged down by self-deprecating thoughts. Oh and we may spend a few minutes on the Greek myth of Medea. 🙂
When it comes to my self-publishing and writing update: I am thinking about re-branding the Gavert City series…I will talk more about this on an upcoming episode. So…stay tuned 🙂
Thank you so much to everyone who has listened and subscribed to my podcast. Don’t hesitate to leave a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow on Spotify or Google Podcasts…
And thank you to everyone who’s already added #THELEFTOVERBRIDE on Goodreads and those of you who already pre-ordered it (on Amazon, iTunes, Kobo).
I’ve also been sharing little snippets with everyone who has left a comment on my Facebook Author Page and/or Facebook readers’ group. I will also do the same with my readers’ mailing list and Instagram.
Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.
(2) A newsletter for my readers: full of bonus scenes, updates on my books, shows I’m watching, books I’m reading, exclusive giveaways and more…
Click on this link and just add your email and you’ll receive access to a page full of exclusive content! Plus my emails include pictures of my cat and my dog…and they’re pretty adorable…:-)
Today, I am very happy to wlecome my long-time critique partner (who I’m also very lucky to call friend) YA author Katy Upperman. And I’m also very happy to run a giveaway for one of Katy’s books…if you’re in the US you could even win a signed copy!
Katy Upperman is a military spouse and mama to two sweet girls, as well as two spoiled kitties and the cutest German Wirehaired Pointer around. Katy is an author, reader, baker, and wanderer. She writes novels for teens and teens at heart. She’s a Washington State University alum (go Cougs!), a country music fanatic, and a makeup enthusiast. She loves the ocean, pedicures, sunshine, Instagram, Dirty Dancing and The Princess Bride, Jelly Bellies, houseplants, true crime documentaries, and Friday Night Lights.
Before diving into our chat, let me give you a short update on my writing, and self-publishing.
Last week, I started by saying I really needed to leave the reviews for two books I really enjoyed: CINDERELLA IS DEAD (Girls team up to overthrow the kingdom in this unique and powerful retelling of Cinderella from a stunning new voice that’s perfect for fans of Dhonielle Clayton and Melissa Albert) and for PRETTY LITTLE WIFE (Darby Kane thrills with this twisty domestic suspense novel that asks one central question: Shouldn’t a dead husband stay dead?) … And I did. Well, I did because I just re-read my blog post while writing this one and it reminded me I needed to do it.
I had not written it on my to-do list. My to-do list right now is basically: catch up on my freelance work. I may have mentioned it but I work as a freelance researcher and audiobook narrator, in addition to my writing. And I have upcoming deadlines. So, in terms of self-publishing, in the past week I’ve made sure to keep up with my newsletter and to put up the final manuscript of EINE ZWEITE CHANCE (Always Second Best in German) on Amazon.
In my newsletter, I sent behind-the-scenes on #TheLeftoverBride which was really fun to write about and following L. Penelope’s example in her welcome email, I also recorded a video of that newsletter so if people wanted to listen or watch a video instead of reading my newsletter, then they could. 🙂 In the podcast I share a tiny excerpt of the video…
Talking about being vulnerable in our writing, her love for the revision process and her dream projects
Today on the podcast (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and more), YA contemporary romance author Katy Upperman (author of KISSING MAX HOLDEN, THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF US & HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN) talks about being vulnerable in our writing, her love for the revision process and her dream projects. We also talk about her life list, how she pushes through difficult times in her writing and/or publishing and whether or not she thought about self-publishing. Oh and we may spend a few minutes on true crime documentaries. 🙂
When it comes to my self-publishing and writing update: Another busy week with my freelance projects. I work as a freelance researcher and an audiobook narrator. And this hasn’t left me a whole lot of time to get actual writing done on the page. However, I use every moment possible to think and organize my thoughts about certain scenes I still need to revise.
For the business side of self-publishing, I have sent several newsletters – including a Behind-The-Scenes for #TheLeftoverBride with a video (following L. Penelope’s example). On the podcast, I also talk a bit about social media and author branding…
Thank you so much to everyone who has listened and subscribed to my podcast. Don’t hesitate to leave a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow on Spotify or Google Podcasts…
And thank you to everyone who’s already added #THELEFTOVERBRIDE on Goodreads and those of you who already pre-ordered it (on Amazon, iTunes, Kobo).
I’ve also been sharing little snippets with everyone who has left a comment on my Facebook Author Page and/or Facebook readers’ group. I will also do the same with my readers’ mailing list and Instagram.
Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.
(2) A newsletter for my readers: full of bonus scenes, updates on my books, shows I’m watching, books I’m reading, exclusive giveaways and more…
Click on this link and just add your email and you’ll receive access to a page full of exclusive content! Plus my emails include pictures of my cat and my dog…and they’re pretty adorable…:-)
So many books came out this week. Which ones did you get? Or request from your libraries? I need to write two raving reviews for CINDERELLA IS DEAD and for PRETTY LITTLE WIFE. Hold me to it. Next week, I need to start with “I wrote the reviews.” Yes, next week on Friday. I am not planning on releasing an episode this Tuesday. In terms of schedule, I will release episodes every Friday and every two weeks on Tuesdays. Don’t worry I’ll continue discussing my self-publishing adventures. Today, after the chat, I’ll quickly talk about time…
I am just about to start reading WILD WOMEN AND THE BLUES by Denny S. Bryce. What are you currently reading? Leave me a message. I’ll select a few to read on the podcast. And don’t forget you have any questions to either leave a comment on my blog, send me an email or leave a voice message. 🙂
Before starting today’s chat: have you seen the Books For Hope auction? The KidLit Community is coming together to raise money for the Covid crisis in India! Bid on Signed Books, Book Swag, Editor and Agent Critiques and more and help raise money for the Unicef USA India Covid Relief Effort! The organizers are US-based children’s book authors with roots in the Indian subcontinent. And there are a lot, a lot of items to bid on. All for a good cause!https://www.booksforhope.org The auction takes place on May 7th to May 9th.
Today for Feature Friday, I am so so happy to welcome Mona Shroff. Per her bio on Harlequin and Mona is obsessed with everything romantic, so she writes romantic stories by night, even though she’s an optometrist by day. If she’s not writing, she’s making chocolate truffles, riding her bike, or reading, and is just as likely to be drinking wine or gin & tonic with friends and family. She’s blessed with an amazing daughter and loving son who have both gone to college. Mona lives in Maryland with her romance-loving husband. She’s the author of: THEN, NOW, ALWAYS and THEN THERE WAS YOU. You can find Mona on Instagram.
Giveaway time!
Do you want to win one of Mona Shroff’s books? Just hop on to my giveaway: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/35c42cc23/?
Writing romance, a baking contest and receiving “the” calls…
Today on the podcast (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and more), contemporary romance author Mona Shroff (author of THEN, NOW, ALWAYS & THEN THERE WAS YOU) about the time she met Martha Stewart (and almost met Matthew McConaughey), her writing process, receiving the calls from her agent and book deal and how falling in love isn’t the solution for all our characters’ issues.
When it comes to my self-publishing and writing update: This has been a pretty busy week on my side…and while I made progress on my revision, I haven’t made as much progress as I wanted to. I think we all have these weeks, right? Contemporary romance author Mona Shroff who is on the podcast today shared on Instagram today a repost from Emily Duvall which said, “Respect your writing time.” And that’s something we had discussed with L. Penelope last week on planning that writing time…I’ve been doing Pomodoros. 25 minutes and then a short break and I think that if I start talking in Pomodoros instead of saying I will do something for an hour then it works better. I am going to carve some writing time this weekend…
Thank you so much to everyone who has listened and subscribed to my podcast. Don’t hesitate to leave a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow on Spotify or Google Podcasts…
And thank you to everyone who’s already added #THELEFTOVERBRIDE on Goodreads and those of you who already pre-ordered it (on Amazon, iTunes, Kobo).
I’ve also been sharing little snippets with everyone who has left a comment on my Facebook Author Page and/or Facebook readers’ group. I will also do the same with my readers’ mailing list and Instagram.
Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.
(2) A newsletter for my readers: full of bonus scenes, updates on my books, shows I’m watching, books I’m reading, exclusive giveaways and more…
Click on this link and just add your email and you’ll receive access to a page full of exclusive content! Plus my emails include pictures of my cat and my dog…and they’re pretty adorable…:-)
In addition to explaining my current process about engaging readers even before the cover reveal, today on the podcast (Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts,Google Podcastsand more), I dip my toe into the way I use social media, some (very just brushing the surface) of my complicated feelings about social media and the fact that I am still learning how to use it as an author. I even started making Instagram Reels and using TikTok!
A little catch-up
Happy release day to Jessica Patrick and THIS IS FOR TONIGHT! “When Andi attends a music festival with one goal in mind – capture an interview with a famous band so she can pay for college – she gets more than she bargained for in this YA novel about family ties and finding your own way.”
I started working pretty early today (well, the day I’m drafting this post) as I need to finish recording an audiobook I got hired for…My to-do list for the day is pretty long and I may be slightly tired because I had one of those wonderful reading moments where you just don’t want to stop reading. I’m currently reading PRETTY LITTLE WIFE by Darby Kane and I told myself I was going to stop at Chapter 11…I read until Chapter 19.
Have you already read it? Any book recommendations for me? Don’t hesitate to either leave me a voicemail or send me an email at either : authorelodienowodazkij AT gmail.com or aselfpublishedauthorsdiary AT gmail.com 🙂
Talking about reels, I made my very first one on Friday at a random moment and it got more than 1000 views very quickly. The reel about PRETTY LITTLE WIFE also got more than 1000 views. I also now have a TikTok.
When it comes to using social media as an author, I don’t necessarily know what I’m doing. Maybe because the author part of me is still me? But at the same time, I am not comfortable sharing certain things . As authors, sometimes we’re told we are the brand. And…well…I’m still learning. You hear: be strategic, but be real. Use hashtags but make sure you use the right ones. Post often but not too often. Don’t spend too much time on social media but connect with people.
And right now, for me, it’s not about growing the number of my followers (even though I guess it would be nice), but it’s more to have more engagement on the posts that I do share.
Right now, I am trying new things. I’ll report back. 🙂
Cover reveal and engaging readers…
When it comes to covers, I either design them myself or I hire someone to design them. I’ve designed all my contemporary romance covers. And the Gavert City book covers have all been designed by Najla Qamber.
Seven years ago, I used to book Blog tours for cover reveals. And I’m wondering how much those still help. I need to do a bit more research…
Mid-May or so, I will send an email to my newsletter subscribers asking them to help me choose between the two covers.
My goals are three-fold:
Get more newsletter subscribers. I’ve announced it on my blog and in my Facebook readers’ group. The reach in that group is very low and I know it’s probably because I do not post consistently enough. It’s easier for me to send emails. And…as mentioned before, I’ve read it is also more efficient.
Get feedback on which cover readers prefer: Both covers will have the same style and to me it will be interesting to see which one readers prefer.
Start the buzz...By asking readers for help in choosing the cover reveal, I might get more engagement for the book itself and maybe start the buzz even before the cover reveal.
Author life moment that made me smile last week
I received an email from a reader telling me how much my books have helped distract her through…*waves hands* everything. And knowing that my books have helped someone smile or get lost in the moment in the world that I created definitely made me smile and gave me a boost in my revisions. 🙂
Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.
(2) A newsletter for my readers: full of bonus scenes, updates on my books, shows I’m watching, books I’m reading, exclusive giveaways and more…
Click on this link and just add your email and you’ll receive access to a page full of exclusive content! Plus my emails include pictures of my cat and my dog…and they’re pretty adorable…:-)
Elodie Nowodazkij 