Three Things I Did to Sustain a Full-time Writing Career

The audiobook of BRIGHT FAMILIAR is now available! And GREY MAGIC in audio will be out very soon!! 

This week at the SFF Seven our topic is: Being a full-time writer – is it your dream? How do you pay for life and write, too?

In this instance we're defining "full-time writer" as someone who doesn't have a day job or other paying occupation that competes with writing. Most of us - unless we marry money or inherit a trust fund - continue to work jobs even after our first books are published. Sometimes for a LONG time after that. For myself, I continued to have essentially two careers for just over twenty years after my first publication. 

I worked in environmental consulting while all the while carving out time and energy to write. I kept waiting for my writing income to match my day-job salary - even not figuring in benefits! - and it never got there. Eventually life made the decision for me: my primary project got axed, our team dissolved, and I was laid off with decent severance. 

And, as it was absolutely my dream and my goal, I made the decision to try to have only one career at that point. 

It hasn't been easy! KAK's post from yesterday about being exacting with a budget is super important. This is especially true if, like her, you have only yourself to count on for income. Or if, like me, you are the primary breadwinner for your family. When authors give advice on managing finances as a full-time writer, it behooves you to pay attention to what other financial help they have. It might not be a trust fund, but having a spouse with a steady salary (and benefits!) goes a long way. Other authors live on retirement income or other, similar sources. 

So, how have I done it? 

1) Meticulous budgeting. 

As much as I can, I budget a quarter at a time. Writing income is volatile and, unless you're making buckets of it, you can't count on being able to pay the bills with income from a single month as you can with a regular paycheck. As KAK mentions, you can't figure your disposable income by simply subtracting your expenses from that month's income. You may need that "leftover" money for next month, or the month after. The financial gymnastics require creativity and flexibility.

2) Tracking sales

Data is everything! You can't afford to be only a dreamy creative. You have to wear your business hat and crunch the data from your royalty reports. You have to be ready to be stern with yourself and pay attention to which efforts generate income and which don't. You may find you can't afford those passion projects if your writing is what puts food on the table. OR, that you can afford them only if other projects are paying the bills.

3) Self-Publishing

If writing income is volatile, then income from traditional publishing has the lowest evaporation temperature. It comes, it goes - often on an annual or semi-annual basis. Quarterly is likely the most frequently you'll get paid, and every royalty check is a surprise! Again, unless they're cutting you BIG checks, it likely won't be enough to live on. This is why so many trad-pubbed authors also teach or have other side gigs. Self-publishing provides monthly income. Yes, it fluctuates, but you can also track sales and predict how much money will arrive in two months. Taking the surprise out of the equation helps immensely! You're also not subject to the whims of traditional publishing on a number of levels.

Those are three practices that have helped me manage a career as a full-time writing with essentially no other income. The other, quite obvious step, would be to make buckets of money and never have to think about budgeting again. 

Maybe someday!

Wanna Be A Full-Time Writer? How Good Are You With a Budget?

Being a full-time writer: Is it my dream? How do/will I pay for "life" and write too?

vigorously rubs face

Well, I am a full-time writer, which sometimes translates to living at or below poverty depending on sales.  Shocked? Don't be. Like most creative professions, less than 1% achieve the success that's portrayed in popular entertainment. 

Look--I say this from experience--anyone who is going to walk away from a steady paycheck that affords a middle-class existence (or better) has to accept strict budgeting and lifestyle-reduction changes. This is not an avocado toast soapbox; that's a wholly different discussion. I'm talking about living within seasons of feast and famine. I'm talking about going from having a percent of monthly income being "disposable" after paying essential bills and investments to cutting out things that aren't utilities, rent/mortgage, groceries, car payments, and health insurance. It's a hell of a shock to the system to shift from stability to insecurity. Monthly mani-pedis? Gone. Thursday drinks with the gang? Not every week you don't. That vacation to the Con you attend every year? Eh...maybe. That's now a business cost, so maybe, but you've got to generate enough annual revenue in order to be able to take that as a tax write-off. 

As James mentioned yesterday, US health insurance is an obscene cost of living to which you then have to add actual health care costs--ya know, the list of stuff insurance requires you to pay on top of your premium and deductible and the even longer list of stuff insurance simply doesn't cover. Yes, health insurance costs more than my mortgage. Yes, for the moment, I'm a relatively healthy person. However, health insurance is an inescapable cost at my age, and it's not like I can get a roommate to help share the costs of health insurance (adding a person to the policy would triple the costs!). And predicting the annual increase in premiums? Fugetaboutit, which makes it a bitch to budget. Alas, I can't control the capitalist death-panels that are the US health industry, so I do things like drive a 20yr old car that's paid off and live in a state that doesn't charge an annual property tax on vehicles. Some months are ramen months, and others are chicken thighs. I take the savings where I can when I can. 

Finally, there's the actual business costs. As an indie author, my costs of publishing are incurred upfront (editing, art, marketing, etc.). So if I want to release a book, I have to budget for that. Then I have to estimate when I'll recoup my costs and start generating a profit. Sometimes release dates get pushed because I don't have that couple of grand on hand. There's a reason many authors turn to Kickstarter or the like to fund their indie books. Writing is a constant hustle. You've got to keep producing to keep a market presence. If you lose market presence, you've got to start over to rebuild it, which means recouping your investment is going to take longer. The upshot of being a novelist, however, is that our backlists continue to generate income (assuming we own the rights). The theory is the bigger your backlist, the bigger the financial cushion, the bigger the breath you can take because you can actually pay your bills...and maybe pay to replace that busted water heater.  Warm showers are a wonderful thing, after all. 

None of this is to say you can't have fun and hang with friends while being a full-time writer, but the lifestyle of financial instability does require tradeoffs and often saying "no" to invitations you simply can't afford anymore. For someone who had success in the corporate world, it can be a bitter pill to feel like you're starting over on the bottom rung of life again, even though you're changing careers to something you love. If you're not honest with yourself about everything the change entails, you're going to be in for a world of hurt and embarrassment. Don't pull the "I quit" switch until you've got a plan, a budget, and a slew of reasonable expectations for the next 10 years. 

On Being A Full-Time Writer...

 The subject of the week is Being a Full-Time writer: is it your dream? How do you pay for it?

I AM a full-time writer. I also work a full-time job and have since I started writing. In the very beginning, I worked at a restaurant five to six nights a  week, took a bus from the place were y wife worked in the daytime and she would pick me up around 11 PM every night that I worked. It wasn't exactly fun, but it mostly paid the bills.

That's the catch, you see, paying the bills. When I started as a writer I did a lot of work for hire. Just in case you don't understand that concept yet (I most certainly didn't when I started out) that's when you write for somebody else's intellectual property. The first thing I ever wrote that got published was an eight-page story for Clive Barker's Hellraiser comic. The second thing I got paid for was an Iron Man story that never did see print. Number three was a comic book based on a video game. The fourth was Clive barker's Nightbreed comic, and then I started doing work for roleplaying game companies. All of that was work where they paid me but got to keep the copyright for what I wrote. 

for the record, I'm okay with that. It took me about seven seconds to understand the concept. My work. Their money. They keep my work. How much is it worth to me? That varied a lot. Let's leave it at this: I was making damned decent scratch and some of those works allowed me to pay y bills when the actual day job didn't. Why was that? Because my wife had health issues and paying for insurance took as much money as paying the monthly rent. 

We always make choices Thanks to the preposterously stupid health costs in this country, I required two jobs (along with my wife's employment) to cover the rising costs of health insurance and medications. for the record, I still wound up declaring bankruptcy because of medical bilks at one point. Do I sound bitter? It's only because I am.

My point is, that I have always been a fulltime writer. From day one. Long before I sold anything, I wrote from four to six hours a day. Once I started selling it became longer hours, and coffee became my best friend for YEARS. I also used to put out roughly 5,000 words on an average day, with my best day ever being 11,700 words in one eight-hour stint. If I got the novel finished by the end of that particular month there was a one thousand dollar bonus. Dance monkey, dance!

I have also, with very rare exceptions, worked at least a part-time job ever since The exceptions were all medically related, by the way. Three months off for knee surgery and recovery, and then a little over a year off for cancer and the chemotherapy and radiation treatments, plus recovery time. 

I still write every day. I still work at least four days a week. I still like having medical insurance and sometimes that's damned hard to afford.

You want to be a writer? You write. You want to pay the bills? Well, I didn't marry rich, so I work. This isn't something that bothers me at all I knew the price of admission when I started on this ride, and I've never had a problem with it.  Writing is my passion, and writing never seems like work to me.

My point is simple: We do what we must. I'm hardly the only one, believe me. 

I have over 40 novel-length works to y name. I'm working on three more novels right now, as well as several short stories, collaborative efforts, and two novellas. I have referred to myself as the modern equivalent of a pulp writer more than once because compared to a lot of writers, I have a rather epic word count, 

If you're curious you can see most of my publications listed right here.  

A full BIBLIOGRAPHY is available too.

Fierce Hearts and Adamant Spirits: Charity Anthologies for Ukraine

Hey all! I wanted to use this week's space to share about a project that Jeffe Kennedy and I are involved in. The Romantic Fantasy Shelf put together two amazing anthologies recently that released on March 31st. All proceeds go to the International Rescue Committee which is donating all raised funds to Ukrainian refugees. Receipts will be posted publicly by the Romantic Fantasy Shelf.

Jeffe and I have work in Fierce Hearts, an anthology filled with romantic fantasy and fantasy romance short stories, novelettes, novellas, novels, and chapter samplers for anticipated novels. Adamant Spirits is of the paranormal/sci-fi/urban fantasy romance variety. Over 40+ authors contributed to each book, totaling over 1.1 million donated words. 

We would love your support! It's for such a good cause. As of 4/5/22, 3266+ copies had been sold, for a total of $11,879 raised. That's amazing, and I cannot wait to see how much we raise over the next few months. 

If you'd like to check out these anthologies, I've included the universal links to Fierce Hearts and Adamant Spirits. Paperbacks will be available soon!

Thank you!

~ Charissa

Bloom Where Planted

 I took a walk through the neighborhood this morning, specifically through the parts of the development that are under construction. Lots of houses in various stages of construction. A ton of empty lots awaiting their turn. On those lots were wild flowers. 

Morning glory and patches of Large Flower Mexican Clover. (The little pale pink bell flowers.) There were Mexican Blanket flowers volunteering all over the vacant lots, as well as a little orange fire cracker-looking flower called Hairy Indigo. 

What does any of this have to do with marketing 'shoulds'? Just this: These flowers are growing in disturbed soil - soil that used to be a forest that was bulldozed to make way for houses. Tragic for the forest and everything that lived in it, yet from the wasteland of bare earth and weeds left behind, beauty arises.

Marketing is the wasteland. Hey. That's just how it feels to me. No hate if it's your happy place. It isn't mine. Not yet. It's foreign soil and my roots aren't buried very deep in it. But. I've found a few folks who've managed to break marketing down into bits and pieces that I can usually manage. And from there, I can do my best to connect with readers. 

Connecting with readers. That's the whole point, isn't it?ha

So marketing, to me, is about blooming where you're planted. To the extent that you can bloom. And make that public. One friend runs a marketing class that focuses only on how to engage on social media - no. Not necessarily authentically. You're playing a part - the part of the author who wrote that thing someone loved. So in no way should you be entirely yourself or let it all hang out. You're fishing for engagement. Likes. Interaction. Comments. On FB, for example, these interactions get your author page served to more and more people. Not all of your content on your author page has to be about books or the genre in which you write. The class posits a formula for personal shares versus genre or book related memes and posts - about 5 to 1. For every 5 bookish, genre, or related content you post seeking engagement, you can post a pet photo and encourage followers to post their pets in comments AND THEN GO LIKE AND COMMENT ON EVERY SINGLE ONE. 

Oh look. It's a lot like work. Work that I could be doing on a book. Dang. Still. If you want to grow an audience, engaging that audience is The Way (TM). See what the SFR author did there with the Madalorian nod? Yeah. 

Find a bare patch of marketing earth. Dig your roots in. See if you can't lure readers into responding to your posts, tweets, videos, or what have you. Bloom.

Marketing Ya Ought To: Post Regularly

Marketing: One "thing" I do (or ought to do) to expand my reader reach/awareness...

As part of team #YaOoughtTo, one thing I know I ought to do and spectacularly fail to do is to post to my socials with regularity. It's not that I don't check Twitter and FB multiple times a day, it's that I'm a lurker extraordinaire. 

However, if I want to build engagement, I need to ...engage. Funny how that works, eh? If I can create a reader expectation that new "content" will be available every Tues & Thurs, then slowly but surely those interested will know to check for said new content and their awareness of my existence doesn't fade away between book releases. 

Consistency, it's the same theory behind publishing monthly newsletters. It's all about creating reader expectations and delivering on them. (Yeah, I don't do monthly newsletters either, just new release newsletters.#YaOughtTo) 

In a Perfect World

 The notion this week is what's the one thing you do or should do to reach more readers.

I'd like to have an advertising budget. I mean a real one. Not even a big one, just, you know, enough to get seen in magazines occasionally, or even enough to ensure that my smalaler titles get Advanced Readers Copies out there. 

I've done it a few times, especially when I was just beginning. I had one publisher lament that he could not afford to do ARCS of my book because the budget wasn't there. After some small consideration of my finances (At the time I had a full-time job that paid decently well and was getting regular and rather lucrative work-for-hire gigs) I decided to take 1/2 my advance and get ARCs made for the book.

The reviews were excellent and the sales were solid enough to lead to SERENITY FALLS being picked up by one of the big five, as a trilogy. I made my money back several times over. 

I'd like to be able t budget for more of that. Meanwhile, my landlord is selling my rental house, I have to move in less than a month and I need to scrape up the first month's rent, last month's rent, security deposit and the cost for movers in the next 25 days. So, yeah, there goes that pipe dream. 

There are always things I'd LIKE to do. and then there's reality.

 Mostly I make mention of upcoming releases on Facebook

and Twitter.

Reaching Readers: Hashtag Your Heart Out

Hi all! This week's topic at the SFF Seven is Marketing: What's one thing you do (or know you should do) to expand your reach/reader awareness?

I feel like I could list so many things, but after some thought, I settled on one: Hashtags. 

As a visual person, Instagram quickly became my social media of choice for reaching readers. Also though, as a romantic fantasy author, that's where many of my readers and potential readers spend their social media time. Bookstagram is still a very active community.

One of the biggest things I've done to find potential readers on Instagram is incorporate hashtags. With regular posting, I've met book lovers who only found my account because they follow a hashtag I happened to use. Often, they tell me that they saw one of my posts, checked out my account, and went on to read my work. 

Another part of Instagram where hashtags can be used is in stories. I see so many authors using stories without connecting to a different audience other than their followers. Once I began incorporating a bookish hashtag in each story, my views went from roughly 24-40 per story to 150-250.

I also learned to do my best to maintain an active story stream with at least five hashtagged stories at any given time. This keeps authors and their work in their readers' minds. Given how many things authors compete with when it comes to vying for reader attention, stories are equivalent to free advertising. They also seem to reach different Instagrammers since some viewers are more likely to scroll through stories than the main feed. It's like a having a second demographic in which to market.

No matter which platform you prefer, I highly recommend learning where your community is, studying how to get your book and name in front of them, and then testing the method. With Insta, hashtags are the way to go because they're such an easy adjustment to make. It might take a bit of research to learn which ones are the most active and grant the most visibility, but it can be done. And trust me! You never know what tag might lead someone to your work, so don't be scared to hashtag everything you share!

So that's my tip! Now come find me on Insta and let's chat about books!

~ Charissa

Want to join my reader group on Facebook? Come say hi!!

Smash All the Things

I don't know that I've ever consciously set out to smash patriarchy in my fiction. I'd rather smash everything I can reach - the definition of family. The definition of worthy and even of human. For that reason, most of  my focus has instead been on what I wish the world could be. Now don't get me wrong. I am no fan of the patriarchy and if I thought I could do it lasting, meaningful damage, I'd sign right up. But I'd rather write about a world where gender or lack thereof matters not in the least. Your limits are your own - not imposed by external forces. 

If there's any patriarchy smashing going on it's in the fact that so many women and nonbinary people of all colors are writing. We may be mocked and our stories made fun of, but we're encroaching on what used to be the purview of white guys and white guys only. Think it's old news? How long ago was it that science fiction was rocked by a bunch of cranky dudes complaining that we'd 'ruined' the genre (I think they said *their* genre) by bringing our perspectives and stories to it? When the women and nonbinary people of all colors started winning awards, the cranky dudes' tiny minds exploded. THAT'S real patriarchy smashing, right there. And I am utterly delighted by it.

Hulk Smash! (the patriarchy)

     

Buy eBook Direct From Jeffe - $4.99

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This week at the SFF Seven we're discussing what we do in our stories to smash the patriarchy. 

My favorite way to crack up patriarchal thinking? Model other kinds of worlds and societies!

See, the insidious thing about living in a patriarchal society is that we absorb that kind of thinking as part of "normal." We are programmed from the time we are small children to assume that given rules imposed by our society are fundamental truths. Stuff like that females aren't as physically strong as males and therefore cannot be fighters. Or that females are in sexual peril from males and that this is part of the natural course of life, that females must be protected and observe safety rules to avoid that sexual peril. Or that females are responsible for pregnancy and its consequences.

One of the great aspects of writing alternate world fantasy is that the worldbuilding is an excellent tool for changing up these programmed "truths." We can create worlds and societies that DON'T believe these things, which then changes all kinds of layers of the lives of females. Personally, I love to write a world where gender doesn't dictate ability to be a warrior, or a wizard. Or where rape isn't a given. Or where birth control is magically handled and available to everyone.

Of course, it's also useful to impose power imbalances, too - and then use those to highlight how injustice works. By seeing familiar power imbalances in new light, we may notice more about our own world. Instead of simply accepting that programming, we can work to change it. 

Writing Stories That Smash the Patriarchy

 

What do I do in my writing to smash the patriarchy? 

~muuwahahaha~

Sometimes, I create a world that is constructed under a classic patriarchal system, then insert a protagonist raised outside that structure to mock its absurdities and upend its stability. 

Sometimes, I create a world where the classic patriarchal roles are gender-flipped. Contrary to the asinine Madonna-complex belief that if women were in charge, there would be no war; my gender-flipped worlds still suffer from bloody conflicts, ruthless power brokers, and shameless opportunists.  

Sometimes, I create a world that exists after the fall of the capitalist patriarchy where "traditionalist" movements expose the insecurities that are the backbone of our IRL patriarchy. Behaviors that sprout from those insecurities then shape the villains. Meanwhile, the hero(s) nip that shit in the bud. 

Sometimes, I create a world that mirrors our IRL patriarchy, then I build the external conflict around a particular aspect of the patriarchy that the hero struggles to either adapt to, circumvent, or dismantle. Very much like our real lives. 

In all instances, no matter how subtle or overt the presence of patriarchy is in my work, my priority is to tell an engaging story. If the reader happens to take away a piece of personal enlightenment or empowerment, then I'm delighted.  

The pen is mightier than the sword because it plants a seed in the mind then nourishes the garden. 

Um...Nothing?

 This week's subject is "What do you do in your writing to smash the patriarchy?" Nothing. Not a bloody thing. I write stories. In some of those tales, I have female leads. Sometimes they are very strong and empowered. Take, for example, the recurring character SWECH, from my Seven forges series. hands down she is the most efficient killer I have ever written about, capable of slaughtering dozens of people without breaking a sweat, and surely she has the highest body count of any of the characters in the novels, which is, you may rest assured, saying something. 

Do I think she steps well away from patriarchal norms? Absolutely. That is a consequence of her character, not any conscious desire to change anything. My goal is to entertain. I mean, arguably, the patriarchy helps me as I am a guy, but you know what? I don't deal with a lot of that in my business dealings. Most of my editors are female. 

listen I was raised by my mother after my father abandoned the family. My mom did an incredible job of raising six kids on her own and providing for us in a time when, frankly, America as a whole sneered at the idea of women being capable of providing for a family. I am firmly in the equality camp and have no doubt in my mind that the patriarchal notion is hot air, but at the end of the day, I'm here to (Hopefully) write tales that entertain. I'll leave the political agendas to the writers of non-fiction.

Any anti-patriarchal writings are a happy coincidence. 

Keep smiling,

Jim

Alexia's Writing Space

Much like my TBR, my week quickly got out of hand. Thank goodness for Saturdays!  

This week we’re sharing our writing workspaces and current TBR (to be read) lists. The one is easy, the other is nigh impossible. 

I have TBR stacks all over my home. Sometimes I have to hunt for a specific book, but what’s actually in stacks (or on my kindle) is nothing to my ever growing list I keep on Goodreads. But, as a mood reader, I like to keep plenty of options handy. 

As for my writing workspace, this desk is where the majority of my magic happens. When I’m in drafting or editing mode, this sunburst inlay desk is my go-to spot. When I sit here my brain knows what I expect of it. Granted, there are mental days where I’m empty. And that’s okay, but when the words are cooperating, it happens here. 

I have different spots that are better for plotting and researching. My favorite/most productive place is when I am waiting for a vehicle’s oil change or safety recall. There’s something about a room full of people minding their own business while eagerly waiting for their name to be called that works for me! Or maybe it’s the endless coffee and the knowledge that the moment I sit the clock starts ticking down. 

That’s what my workspace looks like. How about yours? Do you have multiple places you like to write? Do you plot and edit in different locations too? 

Office Space, Too Much Help, and TBRs

 

While I have a dedicated space with a standing desk and a walking treadmill, this is shared space. Turns out that during a pandemic, the entire house is shared space. As a result, I move around. A lot. Where I wrote yesterday likely won't work today. This is one of my favorite spots. The other favorite spot is on the lanai in the back. Nothing like getting to be outside while writing. Unless it's a bijillionty degrees and/or a thousand percent humidity. Nobody likes that, least of all my computer equipment. The walking desk arrangement has the benefit of air conditioning. Since I wasn't going to spend the going rate for an electric desk like Jeffe has, I made my desk from a couple of pine boards from Home Depot. I cut them to spec, took a router to the edges and corners, then sanded them down. They're painted with an unholy combination of Dixie Belle paint and Unicorn Spit. I used pink iridescent accent wax to stencil a jellyfish on the main desk, then sealed everything with Dixie Belle Alligator Hide. In this office, I like to keep my craft books close to hand for easy reference and to remind myself that most days I might actually know what I'm doing. Mostly.

 The main problem with the walking treadmill and the homemade desk is that I often have far too much assistance with my writing. (This was taken at the *other* homemade desk that's in the bedroom - it's green and rose gold and black Unicorn Spit. It is not my favorite place to write because its tucked into a corner and has me staring at a wall. It's good for focus, though, I guess. Unless I have 'help.')

Cats like to 'help' with reading, too, so it's possible I haven't managed to keep track of my TBR recently - I really lost track of it while Cuillean was dying and looking back, I realize how protracted a reading break that was. BUT. Did you know Sherry Thomas wrote more Lady Sherlock stories? I didn't. I do now. They're sitting awaiting me on my Kindle. But first, I had to HAD TO read every last Murderbot story I could get my hands on. So I don't guess I can call that TBR anymore. They're now past tense, more's the pity. Most recently, I was able to add Bright Familiar (Jeffe's second book in her Bonds of Magic series) to the TBR. Looking forward to that one very much. In fact, I think I know what's rising to the top of the pile for this weekend. Excellent.

 

Jeffe's Writing Space

This week at the SFF Seven, we're sharing our writing workspaces and current TBR list.

Why both of these somewhat disparate things? I have no idea. My TBR isn't physical (mostly). I keep my inventory of unread books on a - you guessed it! - spreadsheet. There are currently 323 books on it. 

I know. 

I've been working my way through it, really I am, but even my determined efforts end up being like fighting the hydra. For example, I've had Juliet Marillier's Daughter of the Forest on my To-Be-Read "pile" since April 19, 2017. (Thank you, Amazon for that purchase date.) I finally started reading it on February 12, 2022. LOVED IT. So, what did I do? Yes, bought the entire six-book Sevenwaters series. I'm now 60% through book six, Flame of Sevenwaters. 

 As for my writing space, I have a dedicated office that is ALL MINE. You can see it above. We got an unexpectedly heavy snow last night, so it's a darkish morning and you can see the snow out the window. I love my big window as I can watch the birds and other visiting wildlife (and they are merry), and I can see all the way down the Galisteo Basin to the Ortiz Mountains and Sandia Peak. My desk is hydraulic, so I can adjust it for sitting, standing, or walking, with my treadmill below. 

I used to have my framed book covers on the walls, but I realized I didn't like looking at stuff that represented past efforts. So, I took them all down and hung art that's inspiring to me. The poster over the window is one I made that says, "What would you write if you weren't afraid?"

And there you have it!

KAK's Den

 What does my writing space look like? And how 'bout my TBR pile? 
~hastily vacuums~
~forgets to dust~

Here we go: The big shot is what I see out my door. (Art is Cleanse Me by Sophism). Top right is one of my TBRs. Bottom right is where the magic happens...okay, fine, fine, fine, it's the sloth's nest. Yes, you can see the indentations in the seat cushion. (Art is Night of the Werewolves by Iren Horrors)

The Writer's Altar & Endless TBR

This week's topic at the SFF Seven is about sharing our writing space and current TBR list.

Writing Spaces...

I write everywhere and anywhere. I write in my office at my desk, on the daybed in my office, on my couch, in my bed, at my kitchen table, on my phone at night when I'm trying to go to sleep, on my phone when I'm soaking in the bath. I even write while cooking. There is no location that isn't a possibility, and most days, I move from place to place.

That said, there are times when I need to recalibrate. I treat my desk as a writing altar in those times. I want the room to be just right, with complete silence save for the flicker of my candles and the tapping of the keys on my keyboard. I like it candlelit, usually with the scent of sandalwood tinting the room. I also smudge the space with white sage or palo santo first and do a little meditative breathing to relax. 

These writing sessions are special and I free write, even if it's a scene in the world of my current WIP. The point of these sessions is to get words out, not to write anything that HAS to stay in my WIP or is pre-planned. I let the characters have the reins or let new characters tell me their story.

It's during these sessions that I feel like a conduit, because I have no idea what will come next as I type. Most days, I know what scene I'm working on when I sit down to work, so some form of pre-mental planning has already occurred. But on these free-writing nights, it's fun to open my mind and see what barrels through onto the page.

Writing by candlelight is awesome. I highly recommend giving it a try.

My Current TBR...

What books are on my TBR? I have so many--too many to list. But I'll share some of the books I hope to read once City of Ruin is finished and off to my publisher. I intend to take a full month--if not two--to just READ. And maybe enjoy the outdoors.

So here's my list! (I read widely. There's a little bit of everything!)

• Finish reading Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff
• Finish A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
• Malice by John Gwynne
• Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall
• Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey
• Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lyn Tan
• A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross
• The Great Witch of Brittany by Louisa Morgan
• A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske
• Little Thieves by Margaret Owen
• The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
• The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak
• In my Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead
• The Atlas Six by Olivia Blake

I think that's it for now! I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into my writing and reading life ;)

Where do you write and what's on your TBR?

Anita Mumm @ Mumm's the Word Editing

My favorite book-adjacent creative is hands down Anita Mumm at Mumm’s the Word Editing. 

Anita was my editor for The Mars Strain before it became the amazing audiobook it is today. Which of course means any and all typos or mistakes are MINE, because I was the last eyes on my manuscript before it was submitted to Recorded Books. 

If you’re looking for an editor to do deep edits, line edits, help with a query letter, or agent search consulting—check out Anita. I’ve mentioned this before, but the get to know you form she has you fill out has excellent questions and she really takes the time to understand your expectations before she will begin. 

Did I mention she has a great brain for finding plot holes and a knack for kickstarting your brain into storm mode? And on top of all of those skills, she’s a lovely person. 

Curious if she works with your genre? Here’s her list:

COMMERCIAL FICTION

LITERARY FICTION

WOMEN'S FICTION

ROMANCE

SCI-FI / FANTASY

MEMOIR

NONFICTION

YOUNG ADULT

MIDDLE GRADE

SHORT STORIES & ESSAYS

Find her at her website anitamumm.com

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!

Dan Brereton

 So the idea for this week is to point out someone you admire in the art field and for me, that's Dan Brereton. Dan is a comic book illustrator, writer, and creator. He's worked for Marvel Comics and DC Comics as well as on his own stuff. He's is also a writer with serious chops, and the creator owner of THE NOCTURNALS, which is, hands down, one of the best independent comics out there. In fact, if you go to http://www.nocturnals.com, you will find a page of gorgeous illustrations to make my point.

Dan is also one of the artists who has been kind enough to work with me on covers for a few books of mine, like my short story collection THIS IS HALLOWEEN, and my collection SLICES, and the anthology I put out last October, OCTOBER NIGHTS, and my novel HARVEST MOON, and were working on a few other projects together, because, well, it's fun. 

He is a talent, and a force to be reckoned with. 

\If you have a chance you should check out his work. In addition to being a major talent and illustrator, he's one of the good guys. I'll even go crazy here and point out that he's one of my favorite people. 

Covering All That

Book covers are as much art as they are science and I mean that beyond the images. It's an art I'm not that good at. For that reason, I engage people who know more about book covers than I do - particularly people who know what questions to ask to elicit the most helpful (some might say most marketable) aspects of the story. Jeffe mentioned that the point of the cover is to catch the eye and to convey genre as quickly and completely as possible. If you can work story images into whatever ends up on that cover? Bonus. But more than once I've had to have a cover artist talk me down from the tree where I insist that some image from the plot needs to go on the cover. I never insist on having my way on covers - I hire professionals and then I listen to them. It's their livelihood. They know better than i what the trends are - but honestly, chasing trends is a fool's mission - the real issue is that the cover artists I hire have the experience to understand what a reader expects to see in a cover for a science fiction romance novel. Or an urban fantasy novel.

When I finally finish the SFR series, I'll have an opportunity to cover the books. I won't bother with trends. I will do my darnedest to make sure the covers for the two new books look as much like the previous three covers as possible. My goal will be to keep the branding visually similar. I want people to be able to look these books up on whichever online story they prefer and know just by looking that these stories belong together.

If I had the mental bandwidth to put a new cover on the incubus book, Damned if He Does, I'd work hard to get rid of ambiguous symbolism on the cover. Right now, the existing cover does a fine job of conveying that the story is a romance. But the cover includes all those flames. Lots of them. There's a plot reason for that - the incubus is in thrall to Satan and Hell. Unfortunately, in a romance cover, flames can also mean that the story is hot - erotic. In the case of this book, it was supposed to convey those fires of Hell. You can see how that image on the cover could be confusing. I'm concerned that readers might pick it up thinking it's a sexy read when it isn't. The heroine is Ace. The smexy just isn't as hot and heavy as those darned flames might mistakenly convey. In a perfect world, I'd have the bandwidth to update the cover. I just don't at the moment.

Book covers can be a great asset to a book and across the publishing world, you'll find all kinds of check lists and points to consider as you work on building a visual package to represent your story. They're worth glancing at. It's always worth glancing at what other authors in your genre are doing with covers as you think about yours. But it pays to remember that the cover has one job - get someone to crack open your story. That's it. And yes. It's a lot to ask of a static image. Buy maybe that awareness can help you take a step back. Sure. We all want our covers to be perfect. We worked so hard on the story, we want it dressed to the nines, dang it. Just consider what kind of audience you're going to attract if you dress your book like Wednesday Adams versus dressing it like a Kardashian or like Annie Oakley or like Madam Curie. Very different looks. Very different moods. Very different audiences. It's one of the tricks a cover artist taught me. Pan out a little. Consider the voice of the story. Then match the feel of the cover to that voice if you can.

That's the piece I'll add to Jeffe's advice of focusing on eye catching and genre. Figure out the voice of the story and lean into it in the cover.

When It's Time to Put New Covers on a Series

This week at the SFF Seven we're discussing Cover Trends. We're asking "What was, is, and will be "hot" in cover art/style for your sub-genre? If you have a say in your covers, will you chase the trend or will you stick with the image in your mind?"

There's a lot to be said on this topic, too much for even a week of blog posts. When I'm asked for advice on covers, which is a frequent request, I tell authors to keep in mind that a cover has two jobs: to attract positive attention and convey genre. This has to be emphasized because authors - both in trad and in self-publishing - tend to get caught up in wanting the cover to adhere to the story. One first-time author who was very upset with the cover her publisher gave her and came to me for advice said "but the cover doesn't illuminate the story." I had to tell her that the story's job is to illuminate the story. The cover does different work: attract the eye and convey genre.

It's that second that's most relevant for this week's discussion. Because trends change and a cover that accurately conveyed genre six years ago may find itself conveying something else entirely to a current audience. 

Case in point: I love the covers for my six-book Sorcerous Moons series. 

These were among the first book covers I ever commissioned and I particularly adore the cover for book one, LONEN'S WAR. It does come straight from a scene in the book - a pivotal scene that was, in part, the genesis image for the story - and the artist (Louisa Gallie) exactly nailed what I had in mind.

I will always be grateful for Louisa's gorgeous art and I will always love this cover.

But, recently, people have been pointing out that these covers no longer convey what kind of story these books tell. The fantasy romance genre has moved on. If I want to tell readers that this IS the kind of thing they're looking for, then I should consider updating to match current trends. 

So I did!

Behold: The new cover for LONEN'S WAR! 

I contracted with BZN Studio Designs to design new covers for all six books. Right now the series isn't available, but once I have all six covers, I'll re-launch the series with some fanfare. I'm super excited to see how they do with the new covers. I've heard some people (including my own assistant!) say scathingly that these look like all the other covers out there in this subgenre, and there's truth to that. 

AND THAT'S THE POINT.

The content is what makes the stories unique. The covers are doing the job they're supposed to do. Caught your eye, did it? I hope so! And I'm hoping you also know exactly what kind of story you'll get. 

Fantasy Covers: From Character Illustrations to Superfonts & Thingamajigs

Cover trends: past, present, and future for my subgenre. Since I'm in the throes of writing high fantasy at the moment, I'll talk about those trends.The operative word here is trends. 

High fantasy leans towards using illustrated covers. In the US, we're big fans of characters and/or scenes being on the cover. In contrast, the UK covers tend to employ hyper-stylized fonts and symbols. 

Side note: There's a very deep and fascinating rabbit hole of consumer research into which you can tumble about how cultural differences between the US and UK (and other nations) shaped media design and distribution through the early '00s (before streaming modified consumer behaviors). In short, US consumers like their fantasy detailed in design and well defined in storytelling, while UK consumers prefer more ambiguity and space to let their imaginations fill in frameworks. If you're a nerdlinger about consumer behavior like me, the rabbit hole for studying the US mainstream market's blossoming embrace of Asian-original entertainments isn't as deep as US-European, but interesting case-studies are cropping up. Unlike past investments, corporate money is chasing the niche fanbases that are growing exponentialy and globablly due to technology-enabled accessability and the diminishing digital borders.

In the way past (okay, the '80s) bright fantasy illustrations, often with the Chosen One on the cover, dominated. The '90s saw the rise of ambiguous settings over characters (a bay, a mountainside, an alleyway, etc.). In the '00s, the Hooded Man was everywhere along with the over/under split image covers. The '10s saw an influx of superfonts and symbols, adopting more of the UK market aesthetic. These designs are lingering into the early '20s because the pandemic's lockdowns impact on the modeling and photography/photo-illustration industry...and because using things instead of people on the cover tends to be cheaper. Keep in mind the books releasing this year from major publishers likely had their covers designed at peak pandemic. Smaller presses and indies, however, are far more nimble, and the trend there seems to be a rise of superfonts overlaying singular-character covers. 

Now, because it's fantasy, illustrated character and scene covers never disappear. They're a staple of the genre. Plus, there's a dedicated superfan base who buy books based on the illustrator/artist more than the author. 

The Art of the Book Cover

Hey all! This week's topic here at the SFF Seven is Cover Trends: What was, is, and will be 'hot' in cover art/style for your sub-genre? If you have a say in your covers, will you chase the trend or will you stick with the image in your mind?

I write romantic fantasy, and best I can tell, most books in my sub-genre have aimed toward symbol and typography covers over the last few years. Black and gold are popular too, but then other covers go for bolder colors. Here are a few examples:

I have noticed, however, that some covers in romantic fantasy that contain more of a fairytale vibe are leaning toward these artsy, folkloric covers.

Luckily for me, I only have the Witch Walker trilogy to deal with for now, and those covers have been completed since 2020. I also had input, which I appreciated from my publisher. This happened because they thankfully trust my judgment and knew I had a vision for this trilogy. I made mock-ups, sent them to the publisher who then sent them to the cover designer, and here we are. I think they're really beautiful, and I cannot wait to see them side by side in hardback!

As for where I see trends going? I don't really know. Any book that's popular enough can sway the market. If you look at Atlas Six, a dark academia/romantic fantasy TikTok sensation that went trad recently, you'll see a very minimal and mystical vibe with a mostly black cover. But then if you take a peek at Daughter of the Moon Goddess, a fairytale romantic fantasy, you'll see all this gorgeous pastel artwork that is just breathtaking. I love them both!!

I don't have my thumb on the cover-trend pulse, but I know a good cover when I see one ;)

What about you? What covers do you love in the romantic fantasy genre?

Noodling Newsletters

 Full disclosure: Having a difficult mental health day. So if this comes across as defeatist and maudlin, it probably is. There's a chance this is a side effect of a new migraine medication. Or it's just -- [waves hand around.] I'm frankly not sure how I'm supposed to know the difference, which is full on annoying.

Anyway. Newsletters. I subscribe to a few. Mostly friends. Aaaaand like others have already said, I don't read them. My time and attention are so fragmented. I cannot imagine that anyone else in this post modern apocalypse is any different. We have to pick where our shards of time are spent. If I have a few random seconds, I'd rather read your book. Not your newsletter. I'd rather write. I'd rather pet a cat. I'd rather plant flowers.

I do have a newsletter. After a fashion. I rarely send one out. My issue is that writing is already enough like screaming into the void that I don't need to add a newsletter to that mix. I realize that it's my life, so of course it's boring to me. But there's nothing in my life or in my writing process that is worth conveying to others on a monthly basis. My life is no different from anyone else's life. We're all doing the best we can. Yes, I could use it as a promotional tool. Could do. And honestly, that is about the only time I ship a newsletter. When I have something to promote. But a regularly scheduled product? Not currently my cup. I'd like it to be different. I'd like to be a different writer than I am. The best thing I could think to do with a newsletter would be to put outtake scenes or short-short stories in - make it some kind of value add. I could see doing that and hoping that readers would enjoy that. It would require a different life than the one I have, however. Because right now, about all I could offer would be a chronic daily migraine support newsletter with medication efficacy experiences, relief product reviews, and cautions for migraineurs that noise cancelling headphones are likely to set off an attack (but not if you turn off the noise cancellation.) And of course I could talk about cats. Endlessly. I just don't think there's much overlap between those audiences and the SFR audience. Some, sure. And maybe I'd convert one or two. But really, I'd rather just write stories and let those do the conversion. That's the goal, isn't it. Let the stories we love bring in people who might love them, too.