Deadlines

 As I sit here recovering from a fall down the stairs what is on my mind are two things. first, despite a few bruises, I am damned lucky. It was a serious fall. 

Second, I have too many pending deadlines t write a proper essay today.

Have a great day!

Know Thy Reader

This week's topic is What's On Our Mind. As I sit here tonight, wondering if we'll be buried beneath snow come morning, I'm thinking about the last couple of weeks and how thankful I am for the readers who have found me over the last several months. The Witch Collector is currently approaching 700 reviews on Goodreads, and reviews sit at 200 on Amazon, with 4.13 and 4.5 ratings respectively. In just over two months. That's nothing wildly spectacular, I know, but for a small-press book from a nobody author, it's pretty damn good. I'm proud of this little-book-that-could, and so thrilled that readers are finding and loving it.

When TWC released on November 2nd, I already had a spreadsheet with goals and dates in place. I listed my current follower counts for each social media platform I use, or hoped to use (like TikTok). I included my Goodreads and Bookbub followers too, and then added Goodreads Reviews, Amazon Reviews, Newsletter Subscribers, Rebel Readers (my FB group), and Goodreads Adds (how many people add TWC to their Want to Read list). I wanted to track this growth because I planned to promote my book, and I wanted to see if my plan actually worked. 

I learned a long time ago that people can't consider purchasing/enjoying a product unless they know it exists, and unfortunately, books don't jump into readers' paths on their own. If a trad deal has been scored and the book is on the shelf at bookstores, AWESOME. If an author has a platform from being published for many years, AWESOME. If they have a platform for some other reason, that's awesome too! But if not--and sometimes even if so!--it takes some work to get a book in readers' hands and in bookish circles on social media.

I gave myself attainable goals back in October, but possibly still tough for a debut author with a small platform. It takes some consideration for a reader to invest in an author with little buzz, someone they know nothing about, and especially when their book is the first in an incomplete trilogy (ME). And yet, the goals I set have been smashed by readers, and I can see the growth of my reach and what things I did/do that equate to good sales. Data is good.

So...what did I do? Someone asked me that today, and I've been asked before. Yes, I did a couple Instagram book tours around release day, and yes I keep two to three very low-cost ads running. I also did a Goodreads Giveaway which was great visibility, and I'm now doing book giveaways on my own, paperback and ebook, because if any of those readers like my book, they might just tell someone else. I also focus on Instagram posts because that's where my readers are, and I automatically share those posts to Facebook. I'm now venturing into TikTok, so we'll see how that goes. I've been consistent with my newsletter as well, which has a solid response rate, and I connected my blog to Goodreads and Amazon.

But the main thing I've done that I feel has been crucial for me is...I know my readers. I communicate with them, and I thank them. I share their posts and comment, because I truly am thankful for them taking the time to create a reel or a TikTok or an Instagram photo or story, or to write a review. Time is invaluable, and not only did they give up some of that time to read my book but to also shout about it to their friends and followers.

I also offer them a place to come chat with me, my Rebel Readers group, and I give them special access to exclusive news and sneak peeks. They're getting a huge sneak peek in February! They also get first dibs at my books, because I offer them the opportunity to be early readers/reviewers. 

My readers have been the most amazing support system I could've asked for, shouting about The Witch Collector all over the place. They are absolute rockstars!

So that's what's on my mind tonight. From now on, when writers ask me what the trick to getting reader interest is, I'll tell them the truth:

I don't really know any tricks, but I do know my readers.

And I love them <3

Top 5 Suggestions for Working with Contractors

Full disclosure, I am a contractor/consultant as a technical writer. My suggestions here are partly predicated on that fact. It's a mash up of how I wish clients came to us for work and how I prefer to find and hire my own contractors as an author.

1. Know what you want, when you want it, and why you want it.
    I'm not trying to be glib. Knowing what you want determines who you hire. Knowing when you need it helps any potential contractors understand your time lines and the workload lift. Knowing WHY you want what you want goes to your brand. You and your contractor should know how the work you're contracting fits into your overall marketing/brand strategy. Value highly any contractor who can ask pointed questions about strategy and how what you're doing fits.

2. Have a minimum bar and do your research.
    I have a minimum bar - I strongly prefer to work with contractors that come recommended by people I know. This isn't to say newbies don't stand a chance. It does mean that I will be more cautious working with someone who has no track record in publishing. But if they come in and do a great job with low drama, I will sing their praises in ALL the author spaces. This is what I mean by research. Look for people who do what you need, but vet them by asking other authors about the potential contractor. And when you find someone good, talk them up to your fellow authors. You'll find that even though your favorite contractor may get too busy or too pricey for you, they'll likely make recommendations from among their friends to help you get what you need, when you need it, at the price you can afford.

3. Consider a contract.
    If you're looking to hire someone long term, consider writing up a contract. Preferably one that spells out your expectations of the contractor, what the contractor can expect from you, and what kinds of processes you'd like to put in place for managing disagreements, performance issues, or other drama that could arise. You aren't looking to spend thousands on a lawyer here. This is a basic tool created by collaboration and agreed upon mutually, then signed by both parties. Are there legal websites that will let you download a basic employment contract? Yes. It's a fine starting point. But unless it violates your minimum bar, you're not looking for a document that could be taken into court - you're creating a starting point for negotiation and conversation during a time when everyone might be stressed and not on their best behavior.

4. Good. Fast. Cheap. You can only pick two.
    Do yourself and your contractors a favor. Ask about price up front. Yes you can negotiate to a point. But perhaps go to Tik Tok and find one of the maker channels playing "It costs that much cause it takes me fucking hours." Good help is worth every penny. Pinching pennies is likely to make more work than it saves you. Pay your contractors their worth or scale back your ambitions. There's no shame in having a budget.

5. Have a plan.
    Have a plan for how this contract is going to go. Have a back up plan in case your contractor gets hit by a meteor. Have a plan for what happens if you get hit by a meteor. No one wants to live in worst-case-scenario-land, but you do have to plan for it. When things go well, you can breathe a sigh of relief and file your emergency plans away for another day. If things go to hell in a hand basket, however, you'll have road map to help you navigate while you're in the middle of freaking out.

Last but not least:

6. Don't forget the taxes.
    Depending on what you're doing/having done, you may be liable for supplying a 1099 to your contractor(s). Make sure you cover that base with a tax professional. No one but no one wants the IRS mad at them. Just saying.

Contractor Best Practices

 

Contractor Best Practices—working with a 3rd party in support of your book. 

I’m an unpublished writer, I have nothing out in print, yet. But if you’re in the midst of the publishing process, or about to begin, check out James’ post about collaboration (a great mindset to have going into the process), and Charissa’s post about communication (she’s got great insight having been on both sides of the table), and see KAK’s post with a helpful list of questions. And if you’re gearing up to start, Jeffe shared her favorite contractors. 

My production experience with The Mars Strain began with a free lance editor I hired. Recorded Books, who produced TMS, did not include any editing in their offer and I knew I wanted to turn out as polished a piece as possible and so I hired Anita Mumm with Mumm’s the Word Editing. 

Anita, with her years of editing experience, was a perfect fit for newbie me. She starts out each project with a questionnaire so she knows exactly what my expectations and desires are. She provided a timeline, for both of our parts, and concludes with a phone call to ensure there aren’t any lingering questions. I can’t recommend her services enough! 

Note that any errors in The Mars Strain are all mine as I had the last look before turn in date. Which leads me to the second half of audiobook production—I’m certain others’ experiences vary widely, but this is mine.

Recorded Books did a fabulous job, but all I can take credit for are the words. Communications went through the audio rights agent at the literary agency I was signed with. She passed along the turn in date for my final draft and when it was done, she shared the cover art which was more of a courtesy and not looking for input. And then Recorded released The Mars Strain in April! 

Communication: I did request that RB list the audiobook early for pre-orders and their reply was that it would release on release day. Then the lovely Charissa found it online for pre-order and gave me the heads up, which was wonderful—only I’d already shifted from pre-order marketing plans to release day plans. So it’s true, communication is key! 

Wherever you are in your writing journey, I hope you keep moving forward! 

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. 

Collaborators & Contractors: Setting Expectations Upfront

Contractor Best Practices: When working with a 3rd party in support of my book (artist, formatter, editor, PR, PA, etc.) what's one thing I do to make my life and theirs easier/make the project more successful?

Set expectations upfront--on both sides. 

It amazes me how many folks enter into a business arrangement while operating on a host of assumptions that are never shared with the other party(ies). There is no way that ends well for anyone. 

Ask questions at the get-go. Get the answers you need to be a good partner. Even if you think you know the answer, ask anyway. Confirmation will save you heartburn. This is one part due diligence and another part documenting commitments between two parties. Don't be afraid to not know an answer. Don't fear looking like a newb or unprofessional. Setting and receiving clear expectations is a foundational element of professionalism. 

A Sample of Questions: What do I need from them? What do they need from me? When? In what format? What are the deliverables? What are the milestones? What happens if dates need to change--on my end or theirs? How much lead time is needed? What is a reasonable turnaround time? Payments: invoices sent at the end of the project, at intervals, portion upfront and another on completion? What method of payment is preferred? When is payment due/when will I be paid? Who is my point of contact and what are their contact details? Etc.

Whether dealing with a freelancer, small business, or corporation--regardless of industry--take the time to set expectations upfront. If the party with whom you're planning on working doesn't agree to do this, bitches about doing it, or doesn't answer your questions to your satisfaction that is a HUGE red flag. Do not proceed. 

If someone asks to set expectations with you, take the time to do it. Yeah, yeah, not everyone will say "Hey, I'd like to set expectations with you."  It might be as casual as "Hey, yeah, your project sounds interesting. Let's chat about details." If you use new contractors frequently, you might even create an expectations worksheet/FAQ in advance with the questions you need them to answer and the answers to questions you anticipated being asked/info you want them to have. 

If shit goes south during the course of business, you're going to be on much better footing if you have the details documented. Especially if things go so badly that lawyers get involved. 

A Bonus for Setting Expectations: As creatives, we know dates for deliverables are the first casualty of...well, life. Many of us dread telling our partner that we're not going to make the agreed-upon date. The longer we take to inform our partner, the worse the consequences for everyone. However, because we set expectations at the beginning and because date-slippage is so common that we included the "what-if" in our initial conversation, we've spared ourselves the anxiety-inducing, panic-attack spiraling, shame levying distress of telling our partner that we're not making the deadline. We know what to expect by missing the date and we know how to get the project back on track. Similarly, when we're told that a date is being missed, we've covered our ass by informing our partner of the consequences of slippage. (Hopefully, we've added a slippage cushion to our overall project schedule so a missed date isn't catastrophic to the entire project. Right? RIGHT?).

Good business communication starts with setting expectations. 

May your partnerships be fruitful and your projects successful!

Balancing on the razor's edge

 The very first professional project I ever worked on was a comic book script, and the artist was a long-time favorite of mine, but one that I had never met. I was delighted when I heard he'd be illustrating my little eight-page script, and being an enthusiastic lad, I gave him descriptions of exactly what I wanted in every panel.

Yeah, that didn't go so well.  It's a collaborative effort, you see. The idea is that we tell a story together, not that I dictate a tale and expect his vision and mine to be precisely the same.  It was my first real collaborative effort, and at the end of the day, I was exceedingly pleased with how he told the story, once I realized that he was the artist and I was the writer. 

I have moved on and collaborated with a lot of people since then, other writers and artists alike. Sometimes I've asked to be in charge and other times I've asked THEM to take charge, depending entirely on the circumstances. More often than not we discuss who is doing what before the collaboration begins, because at the end of the day it's about having fun with the project, not about anyone's ego.  If you are worried about YOUR vision and not the shared enjoyment of a project, you might not be quite ready to collaborate.

My buddy Charles Rutledge has a great way of putting it. We're playing with each other's toys in the sandbox. The operative words here are playing and toys. We go into every project we do together with the idea of having a good time. Period. If we sell what we write together, that's just gravy. So far we've written three novels, four novellas, and about a dozen or so short stories together, and I have had a blast with all of them. We have plans laid out for at least three more novels, one of which is half done and would have been fini9shed by now but I have a few pending deadlines to finish first. THE TOURISTS GUIDE TO HAUNTED WELLMAN is a fun project first, and both of us have plenty enough on our plates. I'm looking forward to finsh8ng the Halloween-themed tale of his occult detective and mine soon. They've met before, you see, and there's always fun and carnage when they end up in the same towns. 

If we fail to sell it, by the way. we'll probably print it ourselves but that is a different subject for another time. The point is, I love writing with Charles. We have fun and both of us respect the other enough to not let something as foolish as whose name goes first or who wrote what get in the way. In most cases, he reads over my latest sections and edits as he goes, and I do the exact same thing in return. Should he have a problem with an edit I make, he's welcome to put it back, but honestly, it's usually us catching each other's typos. 

The same is true when I work with Christopher Golden, but we almost always work from a plotted storyline because he's more comfortable with that. It doesn't bother me in the least and both of us have been guilty of straying well away from the laid-out plot when we felt the need. No harm, no foul, so long as we're both having fun playing in the sandbox. 

Guess what? We always have fun playing in the sandbox. We've worked on multiple short stories and a full series of novellas. 

The very same guys and a few others are the people I go to with questions about my writing. We're known to look over each other's works when asked. It's never a problem for me and I doubt it is for them.

\I have collaborated many, many times. I've even, when the mood struck me, ghostwritten a few tales for friends who were in need of the assistance fully understanding that any words I wrote were theirs to change, as the stories were theirs, and I was lending a hand. No ego, just fun. I could tell you who, but no, it's not for me to say. 

The secret, by the way, is exactly this simple in my opinion: Respect. I respect them. They respect me. We have fun playing together and we don't sweat the small stuff. 

The first rule is always the same. Have Fun. The second rule is also always the same: Respect Your Co-Creator.  I have worked with several collaborators and in every case, I learned new things and I had a blast. 

Communication Makes the World Go 'Round

This week's topic at the SFF Seven is Contractor Best Practices. When working with a 3rd party in support of your book, what's one thing you do to make your life and theirs easier or to make the project more successful? This can be in regards to artists, editors, formatters, personal assistants, etc.

Having been on both sides of the coin in this regard, and having released my first novel last year, I can readily say that, for me, communication is key. Good communication can be difficult in our world of emails, direct messaging, and texting, which sounds off when I read it since all of those are forms of communication--but it's true. Often, much gets left out of rushed emails, quick DM's, and brief texts. We sometimes forget how to give proper information to people who don't know us or don't know how to read the subtext we might leave behind in a message. Assuming that things are understood can be problematic if the information wasn't specific, detailed, and clear.

I've had to remind myself several times this year to SLOW DOWN and do a better job of communicating. Sometimes, the things we consider givens are not so with others, so be sure both parties have a clear understanding of what's expected (and when and how) from each other.

I think it's also important to remember that, as an author, you're part of a professional industry, regardless of the fact that you might rarely see other humans from the publishing world (or even the regular world). Professionalism is something you can't afford to abandon if you intend to garner respect from those in your field.

Now, if the situation is reversed and you're the one chasing someone whom you've paid for work, waiting unreasonably past a deadline, or struggling to get someone to meet you with the same professionalism that you deliver, then you just have to deal with those situations as they will inevitably come. I typically try to give people the benefit of the doubt and a second chance, but if you burn me again, you go on my No-No list ;)

I look forward to reading the other posts to see what everyone comes up with on this topic.

How about you? What do you feel is a best practice when it comes to working with a 3rd party?