The Hybrid Life for Me!

 

ROGUE'S POSSESSION is now out!! 

     

This release dovetails nicely with this week's topic. We're asking, Traditional publishing, self-publishing or a fusion of the two. What works best for you?

This particular book is the second book in the Covenant of Thorns trilogy, which were originally traditionally published ten years ago! Those were my first fantasy romances and I was elated that Carina Press took a chance on my cross-genre novels. I went on to publish ten books in total with them. I've also done three traditionally published series with Kensington and one with St. Martin's Press.

I like trad publishing. Having a team working on my books is a great feeling, as is not having to front the money.

However...

As soon as I could get the rights back on these books, I did, and now I'm self-publishing them. The major reason? I'll make a lot more money selling them myself.

A secondary reason: by controlling the series, I have more options to discount book one, a potent marketing technique trad-pubbing doesn't allow.

A third, but super validating reason? At last I can give these books the covers they deserve!! I love these covers, designed by the incredibly talented Ravven, so much!

So, as you may have concluded, I'm falling in the "fusion of the two" category. Being a hybrid author gives me the best of both worlds. I aim to continue doing it that way. 

Shoutout to Ravven, My Brilliant Cover Artist!

This week at the SFF Seven we're giving a shoutout to our favorite book-adjacent creative! (Be it cover artist, free-lance editor, web designer, etc.) I'd be remiss if I didn't shout to the heavens about the talents of Ravven, my cover artist.

I swear, sometimes I think I wouldn't have an indie career without her! 

Ravven is just a hugely talented cover artist with the phenomenal ability to simultaneously nail genre, find exactly the image that's in my mind, and create a brilliant work of art. 

These are the two most recent covers she's done for me, and they're just fabulous. All the love to Ravven!

A Few of My Favorite Contractors

This week at the SFF Seven we're talking about Contractor Best Practices. And already Charissa, James, and KAK have posted great articles about communication and clear expectations. I whole-heartedly ditto everything they said. 

So, instead of reiterating, I thought I'd share my own favorite contractors. It's a great opportunity to give them a shout-out. One of the best parts of being an author who self-publishes is that you become the source of work for other people. I love that I, by creating words, am a font which then flows money out to the people who do work for me. They are vital parts of my business and I'd hate to be without them.

These days, after years of honing my practices, they're a pretty lean team.

My Assistant

First and foremost, my amazing assistant is the fabulous Carien Ubink, aka book blogger Sullivan McPig. Whenever someone asks what my assistant does for me, I reel off the list and then - for about half an hour afterward - I'm adding "Oh, and she also does this!" We've been working together for years now. (She could tell you how many, which is one of the things she does for me.) She's the best.

My Cover Artist

While I occasionally use other cover artists, my go-to and favorite is Ravven. She's done the majority of my covers and I hope will do many, many more. She has an uncanny ability to take my inadequate descriptions and hand me back a gorgeous cover that exceeds my imagination. She's timely, helpful, goes the extra mile. No one else comes close to her in talent, skill, and clean business practices.

My Proofreader

Crystal Watanabe at Pikko's House handles all of my editorial. She's super fast, thorough, and a delight to work with. She also operates a business that offers the gamut of editorial services. I highly recommend checking out Pikko's House.

My Formatter

Yes, I farm out my formatting - largely because my formatter, Paul Salvette at BB eBooks, is so fantastic. He accommodates my sometimes screechingly tight turnaround times, always doing a stellar job, and with a great attitude. There's nobody I trust more to get the job done right. 

Ravven: Queen of the Cover Artists

Our assignment this week at the SFF Seven is to give a shout-out to the non-author creatives who enrich our lives: illustrators, musicians, jewelers, painters, poets, voice-actors, etc.

This one is an easy pick for me because I just released THE FATE OF THE TALA, which means I've been posting the cover everywhere.

Fortunately, it's so freaking gorgeous that no one gets tired of seeing it over and over. That's because it's the work of Ravven, Queen of the Cover Artists. 


THE ARROWS OF THE HEART


Ravven and I have been working together for several years now, and every cover she's done for me has been amazing.


THE SNOWS OF WINDROVEN


I can't say enough about her. Not only does she create stunning images, she does such an incredible job of nailing my characters that I end up using the covers for inspiration as I write the stories.

THE SHIFT OF THE TIDE


Ravven is also a consummate professional, always responsive and delivering right on schedule.


SEASONS OF SORCERY


She's super fun to work with, and often comes up with visual elements that I incorporate into the stories because they're so perfectly congruent.



THE DRAGONS OF SUMMER


Ravven creates covers to order, and she also has an amazing set of premade covers she can customize for you. So check out her website! But I get first dibs on her schedule ;-)

Also, as a super fun thing with the release of  THE FATE OF THE TALA - if you subscribe to Pikko's House Book Lovers Box this month, a limited number of subscribers will get the first book that started it all, THE MARK OF THE TALA, for free!!

THE FATE OF THE TALA, the  exciting conclusion of the story begun in The Mark of the Tala!

An Uneasy Marriage,

An Unholy Alliance.

The tales tell of three sisters, daughters of the high king. The eldest, a valiant warrior-woman, conquered her inner demons to become the high queen. The youngest, and most beautiful outlived her Prince Charming and found a strength beyond surface loveliness.

And the other one, Andi? The introverted, awkward middle princess is now the Sorceress Queen Andromeda—and she stands at the precipice of a devastating war.

As the undead powers of Deyrr gather their forces, their High Priestess focuses on Andi, undermining her at every turn. At the magical barrier that protects the Thirteen Kingdoms from annihilation, the massive Dasnarian navy assembles, ready to pounce the moment Andi’s strength fails. And, though her sisters and friends gather around her, Andi finds that her husband, Rayfe, plagued with fears over her pregnancy, has withdrawn, growing ever more distant.

Fighting battles on too many fronts, Andi can’t afford to weaken, as she’s all that stands between all that’s good in the world and purest evil.

For Andi, the time to grow into her true power has come. . .

Available at these Retailers

   

 

Meet My Awesome Cover Designer

The Arrows of the Heart

Our topic this week is Cover Artist Praise. An easy topic for me because Ravven is an amazing cover designer. She's done all three of these for me and clearly rocked them all. 

The Snows of Windroven

 Her portfolio speaks for itself. I can add that she's prompt, efficient, delightful to work with and somehow manages to pretty much nail the cover image the first time, every time, with only minor tweaks needed after that.

The Shift of the Tide

I would like to take a moment to clarify that a cover artist and a cover designer are not necessarily the same thing. I was at Bubonicon yesterday and was on a couple of panels about self-publishing and I noticed fellow paInelists and audience members conflating cover artist and cover designer. Basically, a cover artist does the actual artwork and the designer lays out the titles and font, does the spine, and generally adjusts the art to make an effective cover. In this case, Ravven does both, but not all artists can design covers, and not all cover designers can create the art.

Also, I'm excited to announce that I'll soon have another Ravven cover to share! On November 13, we'll be releasing SEASONS OF SORCERY, an anthology with me, Grace Draven, Jennifer Estep, and Amanda Bouchet. I'm 90% sure my story will be from Harlan's point of view. Should be pretty awesome!