Digital Deals - Help Me Out

Hey all,

I'm working on a post about digital deals. So far they seem inherently bad for writers. You think you're having your dream come true only to realize you've been suckered into a deal that puts all of the risk on you and none of it on the publisher. This often comes with next to nothing in terms of editorial and marketing support. But it could be, I'm just listening to the wrong people. So I want to know from you. Have you ever signed a digital deal? Did it come with an advance? Did your publisher actively market your book? How so? How as the editorial support? Were you impressed by the cover? Would you sign another digital deal with your publisher? Was the contract fair? If you don't want to leave this in the comments feel free to shoot me an email bethfred08@gmail.com.

Also, if you haven't signed up for my blurb writing class, there is are still slots open. You can sign up here. This is the method I used to query with a 50% full request rate.

Changes to the Blog

Before we get started my next blurb writing class will be in June. You can sing up here. This is the method I used to query with a 50% full request rate and still use to pitch my agent and/or write blurbs for self publishing.

You can probably tell by the header, I'm taking the blog in a new direction. I want to turn it into a resource for romance writers, reviewers, and readers. Assuming blogger ever decides to cooperate (I was up at 4 am to work on this & at 5 it hasn't cooperated) I'm planning to host a page of resources for romance lovers complete with writing resources and where to find good books. It will also host a list of romance writers and bloggers. That's right. If blogger just lets me have a new page or edit an an existing one, you'll be able to permanently promote your author or review blog here for free.

The changes are coming with a new schedule too.
Monday- Romance Roundup This will be covers and synops of books I'm seriously looking forward too. And if you have a new romance coming out, send me a link. If it looks good I'll promote it especially if it's a debut work.
Wednesday- Writing Posts (Speaking of--I have a post on meet cutes at Unicorn Bell today).
Thursday- The World of Romance -updates on important issues in the publishing industry, especially those related to romance
Friday- Meme day. (Follow Friday & The Big Dreams Blogfest).

Do you know of any romance resources that should be included in this endeavor? Do you have ideas on how I can add a page with the new and unimproved blogger?

Update Day - Big Dreams Blogfest

The Big Dreams blogfest is hosted by Misha Gericke and myself and on update day we share our progress.

My goals are to write a million words and make a million dollars.  My monthly goal for the past couple of months has been to rewrite Perfect Harmony and send it to my agent. This keeps not happening. This month I managed to rewrite 28 pages, mostly because I have to turn it in to my professor today. And I'm going to have to re-rewrite the first chapter before I do this. At this point, I'm a little bit frustrated. I'm tired of rewriting the same pages. And I want writing to be fun again and to not have to worry about what other people think.

I don't know what a realistic goal for May is. I hope to finish re-writing Perfect Harmony and send it to my final CP before sending it on to my agent. But I've said that before. And I due have two essays and a textbook due in the near future. I'm looking forward to summer when I have more time on my hands. The MFA was supposed to improve my writing. It may be doing that but all the feedback and constant criticism is slowing me way down. And messing with my head.

It will probably be tomorrow before I can come around and comment. I'll be chained to a desk with no internet access all day today.

Follow Friday

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison.

Have any pets? Tell us or show us?

Does a small humanoid count? She bites. LOL. No, I don't have any pets.

The Write Path

In late 09, I watched a silly little flick about a love sick vampire that I swore I would never. And that's the moment that changed my life. I loved it. I needed it more and I was going to find it. I devoured a series and tore through the YA section of B&N trying to recreate the experience. It didn't happen, because first love only happens once. I found the silly little vamp's creator equally silly. And she wrote a book. And made a million dollars. She wanted to go to law school, and I actually went to law school. If she could do it, I could too. I decided I would write myself out of a job I hated and make a million dollars. If I ever hit $10,000 from writing I think I'll squeeeee!!!!!! But I haven't given up. Though some days it feels like it. I made the decision to go for it January of 2010 and in the past four years I've learned so many things, there is no way I can keep it under 800 words. So I think it all comes down to this: Critique partners are gold, unless you have the wrong one. That's like being married to an abusive deadbeat alcoholic. Major setback. Follow your gut even when you're wrong. You'll learn from it and when you're right you're right. When a cp, an agent, or an editor starts to suck the fun out of writing it's time to change your route. Even if that means shelving a project. Don't burn bridges but if you can't make it something you're both going to be happy with, if it's not working--you're the creator. Your vision has to matter. Don't allow making money or having an agent or how others view your success to become more important than twisting meaning of chaos--creating something from nothing.

Follow Friday

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison!

Spring Break. Where would be your favorite destination spot if you could join the Spring Break festivities? 

I think I'd like to go to the beach with my laptop and kindle and get some work done, since I never have time anymore.

What Made Gone Girl A Best Seller

Flynn’s Gone Girl had many familiar elements. The plot line itself isn’t new. Early on
readers can guess Amy is responsible for her own disappearance. The dueling points of view are
very popular right now (at least in genres I’m familiar with). But what made it a bestseller—
what makes it different—are the risks the author took with this book.
While dueling viewpoints are popular right now, in Gone Girl both main characters are
unreliable narrators. Nick lies to the police throughout the book. A reader can overlook this,
because he admits his lies to us, so at least he’s being honest with us. But then Andie pops up,
and all of a sudden this part-time professor is having an affair with his twenty-three-year-old
student and failed to mention it during his wife’s missing person’s case.From
that moment on, everything he says may or may not be true. And while early on I had assumed
Amy was responsible for her disappearance, after this incident I began to doubt Nick.
But Amy’s not dead. She framed Nick, and she’s gloating about it. And
most of what she’s said until now has been a lie. This turns the story on its head. Readers already
couldn’t trust Nick, and now we can’t trust Amy either. I found myself turning pages just to
reach some kind of finale—an ultimate ending with some version of truth. And in the second
half of the book, both narrators seem to be honestly dishonest. Amy admits her manipulations
and even murder to Nick while lying to the cops. Nick continues to lie to the cops and his own
attorney but is sometimes honest with his sister and seemingly honest to the reader.  Both characters are just honest enough we might be able to believe the conclusion.
But an equally big risk Flynn took is one authors are usually advised against. You can’t
have an unlikeable main character because then readers won’t care. Both of these characters are
hard, if not impossible, to like. By the end of the book the reader doesn’t even know who he/she
is rooting for anymore. Nick is a scumbag who hates women, lies a lot, borrows money from his
wife, and has affairs with very young women. Amy is manipulative, vindictive, and possibly
psychotic. They’re both incredibly selfish. The book takes on a soap opera feel after a while
because both characters are so screwed up. At times I found myself continuing just to see who
was going to do what outlandish thing next. And get away with it.
Readers allow two dishonest jerks to take them on a ride with the comfort that the
journey will get somewhere because the plot line and structure of the novel are familiar.

I'm Back!!!

So we've moved yet again. This is my third move in 8 months and my second long distance move. And this time it came with the added pain of selling a house. Also, I've gone back to work and am still in grad school. Thus, the silence. It's taken me a while to get used to the new way of things, but I think I've figured out blogging will be a lunch break activity. No idea when I'll work out. (The last time I had a day job working out was my lunch break activity).

I'm hoping to get back to a more regular schedule now. I'm thinking something like M/W/TH/Friday where Friday would be reserved for Follow Friday. I'm also hoping to take the blog in a new direction. I'd like to make it a resource for romance readers and writers, a suggestion from my good friend Sarah Nego. I haven't figured out exactly how to do this so I'm still working on it. I'll probably be back to making my normal rounds in a day or two.  For now just wanted to say, "I'm still here."