Guest: Elizabeth Seckman and Mainstream Fiction

Thanks for having me over Tyrean!

Thanks for visiting, Elizabeth! It's great to have you!

I had a conversation with some writers last week over whether or not good decent grace-saved, messed-up Christians should be writing mainstream fiction, or should we be writing Christian fiction? Or in the very least, concentrating on sweet fiction devoid of adult language, situations, and alcohol? When I first started writing, I tried to stay in these parameters, but I came up with nothing. Not a single story thread. Zero. Zip. Nada. Not even an idea.

So, I ran with my broken characters with their less than perfect lives and the stories returned.

Then, a friend of mine dedicated her first book to God. We published about the same time, so I considered doing the same. But then I wondered if God would want a book with premarital sex, lies, and drinking dedicated to Him. So, I didn't.

But the more I write. The more I get out to conventions and meet readers, the more certain I am that I am doing what I am called to do.  Broken people are reality and their lives are messy and sometimes even jaded, but they are just as loved. They are just as important.

And this broken believer will happily write their stories. And if someone in real life wants to know how I make it through life with joy, I'll share.

Am I on a holy mission? No. I just don't see the point in hiding who I am.

So, this time...I dedicated this ornery book to the One I owe everything.

*Now, to be clear- when I say ornery, if this book were a movie, it would rate a PG-13. There are adult situations and content, but no F bombs or super steamy scenes. I don't want to get my poor mother-in-law worried that I am acting like her rotten son. Hehe.

The Blurb:

Jo Leigh Harper comes from a long line of trouble-making, white trash stock.

Tanner Coulter comes from a longer line of wealth-creating, blue blood stock.

Jo graduated college top of her class, moving toward a future full of possibilities.

Tanner dropped out of college, trading a law degree for drinking games and one night stands.

A family crisis throws the rich party boy and the poor genius girl together. The attraction is immediate, though neither one is a heart-in-the-sand-drawing believer in true love. But as the summer sun heats up along the shores of the Outer Banks, so does the connection between them. Maybe, just maybe, they can win at love by defying reason.

 

Author Bio:

Elizabeth is a multi-published author of books for people who are believers in happily-ever- after, true love, and stories with a bit of fun and twists with their plots. The mother of four young men, she tackles laundry daily and is the keeper of the kitchen. She lives along the shores of the Ohio River in West Virginia, but dreams daily of the beach. 

Facebook/ Blog/ Website/ Buy Link

The Business of Writing: Getting Books on the Shelves of Independent Bookstores - 20 Tips!

Meeting with independent bookstore owners, I've gained a few insights on how best to get my books on their shelves.

Here's What I've Learned:

1. Dress nice, but not too nice unless you live in a region where business suits are the norm. I wear nice jeans/casual slacks and a nice knit or button-up top when I go into a bookstore to talk to the owner for the first time, or even to find out when I can talk to the owner.

2. Stalk the bookstore blog/website/facebook page first. See if they support indie or small press writers with events or signings.

3. If possible, visit the store as a customer beforehand, even if you don't have a ton of money to spend on books. See what's on the shelves. Be friendly. (Don't ask for any info yet.)

4. When it's time to meet the owner, bring a business card, a half-page to one-page promotional flyer/info sheet about you and -.

5. Bring your books - but don't bring more than three copies. (Don't look desperate!)

6. Introduce yourself. Tell them you are a indie or small press author, and ask them if they could sell your books on their shelves.

7. Offer (this is a risk) to let them read your book before they carry it. (Do not leave books with a bookstore employee, only with the owner.)

8. If they wish to read your book before they carry it on their shelves, have a clear time frame for a second conversation - two weeks to a month is usually good. (If they ask for more time, consider it, but also consider that I had a bookstore owner completely "forget" about my book after two months.)

9. Be prepared for them to ask to sell your book on commission. This means that you won't get paid until they get paid. However, remember, they are taking a risk on a new, unknown author whose book may sit on their shelves for a year without selling. (See note on #12)

10. If you find a bookstore owner that is willing to pay you upfront for copies of your books, rejoice - you have just found the rarest of bookstore owners.

11. Don't "pay" them to keep your book on their shelves unless you are really certain that their bookstore is going to get you lots of customers. (I've been in a bookstore that expects authors to pay for shelf space and sell only on commission - I don't think that's a deal that works for me.)

12. Find out what shelf the bookstore owner is going to place your book on - the "local author" shelf, the "genre" shelf that fits your book, or? Also, find out if this is a prominent shelf or one that's near the floor in dusty corner. (This happened to me - the owner put my books in a dusty, unseen corner by the floor and not a single book sold even though I sent friends to "find" my book there. Guess what? My friends found my book at a different store.)

13. Ask for a book signing or offer a book/writer talk/event. Bookstore owners like these - it draws in customers. They really like them if you plan in advance and plan to contact the local newspaper, and put up flyers around town.

14. Have a "wholesale" and a sale price in mind when you approach a bookstore owner. If you are small press, this may not be an issue. As an indie author, I "wholesale" my books to the bookstore, and they receive the profit above that price. Is it worth it? Yes. I take into account what the book and shipping costs, then I add the same amount of profit I would make through amazon, and then I ask for that "wholesale" price. Does the bookstore owner make more than I do? Yes, but the bookstore owner has a storefront to lease and employees to pay.

15. If the bookstore owner wants to charge more for your book than Amazon does, let them. They may only have five or six people in their store in an hour . . . or less. Each book sale matters to them. They also know what their customers are willing to pay per book. You may feel "left out" of the profit, but having your book on a bookstore shelf is about getting "known to readers" as well as "sales." (At this point, you might also gently haggle for a better "wholesale" price - this depends on the owner and the friendliness level.)

16. Remember, independent bookstore owners and most small retail business are suffering right now. Online sales and competitions from big box stores are hurting them. (Don't flaunt your kindle sales!)

17. Be professional. Even if a bookstore owner isn't nice to you, or doesn't say yes, just smile, thank them, and exit the store. Tears, tantrums, and crabbiness can always take place at home, or inside the car, preferably after you are out of their parking lot and near the closest coffee shop.

18. Reward yourself for being brave enough to go into the bookstore and put yourself out there. Even if they said no, celebrate your courage and your professionalism!

19. If your book makes it onto the shelves of a small bookstore, send friends, family, and acquaintances there to shop. Tell them how wonderful the bookstore owner is, and how nice it is to have your book in a store. Help the bookstore get business. More business for them means more business for your books.

20. If your book made it onto the shelves, you now have a relationship with that bookstore owner. Keep the relationship alive. Stop by the store every month or two. Chat with them. Buy a book there. Offer another event.

Repeat #18!

Celebrate the Small Things

This week, I'm celebrating:

1. The act of walking into a local bookstore to ask for a book signing.

2. The awesome owner of the local bookstore (who has helped me before) not only said, "yes," but also invited me to a poetry reading event to celebrate National Poetry Month with local poets and writers! (Two gigs out of one friendly conversation!)

3. IWSG!

4. Submitted five hint fiction stories to @7x20 (unpaid twitter market) and a flash fiction story to Imaginate (paid market) last Saturday - just before the deadline for Write 1 Sub 1. :)

5. New blue jeans - two pairs - a much needed addition to my wardrobe. I was down to one pair without holes, stains, or other issues.

6. Permission granted to start exercising slowly. I get to try walking for a 1/4 mile, and I get to try riding a stationary bike with no resistance. Yay!

7. Milo James Fowler, Speculative Fictioneer, let me hijack his blog on Monday! I'm so thankful!

8. Training for the Gig Harbor Canoe and Kayak Nationals Racing Team starts tomorrow and my daughters are excited to get paddling (even on cold ocean water in March). One of their international level team-mates (best teen canoeist in the USA and 3rd place winner at the Pan-American Championships) just had his picture on the cover of a local magazine, and we're excited for that because not many people in our own community know about our racing team - even though they've won Nationals three years in a row.



Tips on asking bookstore owners for shelf space coming next week!

IWSG: Every Day Writing without "Guilt"

Many thanks to Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh and his co-hosts Chemist Ken, Suzanne Sapseed, and Shannon Lawrence for making this hop great!

This month, I decided to talk about how I tackle "guilt" type insecurity if I don't make my daily word goal as an every day writer.

1. If I have a bad day, I give myself grace. My minimum word count goes from 1,000 words to one paragraph of "whatever" writing in my journal. My journal has lists of things to do, sermon notes, "I don't know what to write today" entries, and even writerly stuff like story starts, poems, and reflections.

2. I keep the "never a day without a line" quote in the back of my head. Sure, the guy who originally said this was an artist and he meant "drawing lines," but if I'm really have a incredibly busy, crazy, or exceptionally bad day - then, writing a line is the minimum.

3. I celebrate the "just keep swimming" days. These days might feel like "the writing went nowhere" days, but they count.

How do you keep swimming/writing/building your dream?

Another way to write every day is to join the April A to Z Challenge!

If you do, you can hang out with some really cool bloggers, including the Muffin Commandos, a team under the leadership of C. Lee Mckenzie: Yvonne Ventresca, Carrie Butler, Donna McDine , Patricia Lynne, Elizabeth Seckman, Tara Tyler, Tammy Theriault, and me.

And, if you haven't seen it yet, I have a new book out: A Jumble of 500+ Writing Prompts (ebook), and A Pocket-Sized Jumble of 500+ Writing Prompts (paperback). The ebook edition is 99cents in the hopes that it will be a helpful tool for every day writers.

Many Thanks to Milo James Fowler

Many thanks to Milo James Fowler amazing fictioneer, who allowed me to hijack his blog for "Book Signings for Beginners" (which I belatedly realized is an unintentionally hoity toity title).

If you aren't too offended, please come check it out.

"Book Signings . . . "