Lynda Stacey: Thank you reader!

Welcome to Lynda Stacey who writes her thoughts on book reviews.

Even though I’d written ‘privately’ for years, as a debut author I was both excited and full of dread at the thought of getting reviews. Every thought went through my mind, including: It’s real, people are

actually going to read my book. They’re going to judge it. What’s more, they’re going to publically say whether they liked it or not. But, what if it’s rubbish? What if no-one likes it? What if I make a fool of myself?

Apparently, all of these thoughts are normal. Are they?

I can honestly say that on 19^th July 2016, my launch day, I held my breath. I knew the book had been read by reviewers through Netgalley and I waited, clicked the amazon link a hundred times and gasped as the first reviews dropped in.

Then I read the words:

I laughed, I cried, I gasped, I shouted - all out loud - which, to me, is the sign of a brilliant book. When I become so immersed that I lose the real world completely. And that is what this book did. Anne's Book Corner.

I have to admit, every emotion went through my mind and eventually, I sat and I cried. The excitement of finally becoming a ‘real’ author began and I could begin to enjoy the experience. Every review gave me a further boost. Every kind word gave me the encouragement to carry on and I can honestly say that it’s the reviews that encourages me to write more great books.

With the good, comes the bad. I fully appreciate that not everyone will like what I write and one day I know I’ll get that dreaded 1-star review. But till then, I’m taking great pleasure in getting so many lovely 4 and 5-star reviews and I’d like to thank everyone who took the time to leave them.

So…. Do reviews really matter?

YES…. they mean absolutely everything. They give much needed feedback, encouragement and they give the author the determination to carry on and to write their next book, the best they can.

The reviews also give the author the confidence to promote with confidence. There’s nothing like a good review to get an author to shout about their success.

How to get more reviews?

This is where you have to turn into a salesman.

Don’t be afraid to ask for reviews, you’re selling your book. What’s more, people expect you to ask. Just do it nicely, but don’t over-insist. If they don’t do it after the 2^nd time you ask, don’t push them anymore.

Put both Facebook and Twitter messages out on a regular basis (once/twice a month saying that ‘reviews are really appreciated’ or ‘thank you to all the lovely people who have reviewed my novel this month’. People like to be appreciated, so this encourages those who didn’t review yet, to get on and do it.

Add a picture, there are loads on GOOGLE IMAGES that say… please review, or thank you for your review.

Also, thank people for retweeting your adverts on twitter. Again, do them often. It gains momentum and interest. I always say thank you and attach a picture of book with a buying link. Then, if they’ve retweeted, you’ve been polite. But also, you got another advert out and a reminder that if they haven’t yet… they should buy the book.

Theoretically, the more books you sell… the more reviews you should get.

Personally, I never have a problem asking for reviews. If I know that someone is reading the book, or if a reader sends me a private message, saying that they’ve read ‘House of Secrets’. I message them back and ask them to review. I tell the truth, that my novel is floating in and out of the top 100 of Romantic Suspense and that I’d love to keep it there… and that their review would help me..!!

It’s all about getting the readers to believe that THEY ARE HELPING YOU…!! And they are..!!

And once they have done you a review, go back and thank them for their time. Readers would remember this and when your next book comes out, they’re more likely to buy it than the book of an author who didn’t correspond.

But, it’s not just about what I think… here are the thoughts of two other authors.

Rachel Louise Dove, winner of the Mills and Boon Prima award:

Reviews for any author are important. In today’s age, we all look at reviews as an indication to whether to buy a product, and books are no different.

Being a debut author, reviews to my book were crucial, much appreciated and both feared and gratefully received! If you enjoy a book, taking two minutes to say so in a review helps an author make a living, improve future books and gives them a nice boost too!

Link to Rachel Louise Dove’s  novel.

Lizzie Lamb, Indie author:

As an indie author, reviews are really important because they help build my readership and draw readers to my Amazon Author Page where all of my books are displayed. New readers often comment that they read the reviews BEFORE downloading the book.

Link to Lizzie Lambs novels.

About Lynda Stacey:

Lynda, is a wife, step-mother and grandmother, she grew up in the mining village of Bentley, Doncaster, in South Yorkshire. Her own life story, along with varied career choices helps Lynda to create stories of romantic suspense, with challenging and unpredictable plots, along with (as in all romances) very happy endings.

Lynda joined the Romantic Novelist Association in 2014 under the umbrella of the New Writers Scheme and in 2015, her debut novel House of Secrets won the Choc Lit & Whole Story Audiobooks Search for a Star competition.

She lives in a small rural hamlet near Doncaster, with her husband, Haydn, whom she’s been happily married to for over 20 years.

Links:

Amazon

Facebook

Twitter @Lyndastacey

Website

Book Blurb:

A woman on the run, a broken man and a house with a shocking secret …

Madeleine Frost has to get away. Her partner Liam has become increasingly controlling to the point that Maddie fears for her safety, and that of her young daughter Poppy.

Desperation leads Maddie to the hotel owned by her estranged father – the extraordinarily beautiful Wrea Head Hall in Yorkshire. There, she meets Christopher ‘Bandit’ Lawless, an ex-marine and the gamekeeper of the hall, whose brusque manner conceals a painful past.

After discovering a diary belonging to a previous owner, Maddie and Bandit find themselves immersed in the history of the old house, uncovering its secrets, scandals, tragedies – and, all the while, becoming closer.

But Liam still won’t let go, he wants Maddie back, and when Liam wants something he gets it, no matter who he hurts …

Winner of Choc Lit 2015 Search for a Star competition.

Thank you for your useful article, Lynda.

What are your thoughts on book reviews? Please leave a comment below.

If you would like to write for the RNA blog please contact us on elaineeverest@aol.com

Meet The Publisher: Crooked Cat Publishing.

This month we welcome back Sally Quilford who is chatting to Stephanie Patterson of Crooked Cat Publishing.

Crooked Cat Publishing was founded in 2011 by Stephanie and Laurence Patterson. The company is modelled on independent US publishers, with a focus on a community of authors rather than on a small number of bestsellers. 

Laurence has gained experience in academic publishing over the past 15 years. Stephanie’s

background is in romantic historical fiction. She was previously published with an independent US publisher, where she learnt much about the publishing process.

In 2016, Crooked Cat will focus mainly on two genres: romance and crime fiction. After diversifying in the early years, the streamlining towards these two genres will ensure an even more focused approach.

How many titles does your company publish each year and where are your books sold?

Crooked Cat releases up to approximately 30 titles per year. This includes new instalments in our popular crime series.

Our titles are sold on a range of e-tailers, such as Amazon, Smashwords, iTunes, Barnes & Noble, with print-on-demand paperbacks available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and listed with Gardners and Ingrams.

What do you look for in a romantic novel?

We look for a gripping plot, with fascinating characters who have to overcome obstacles – either in their minds or ‘real’ events – to find happiness together. The setting is also important as it adds to the overall atmosphere of the story.

How might writers improve their chances of being published by you?

A book has to grab you from the start. A hook early on in a novel is important to draw the reader into the story. Also, a good grasp of basic grammar helps. Authors should therefore not submit an early draft, but ensure their manuscript is tidy, neat and also adheres to the publisher’s submission requirements.

What reason might you reject a novel/author?

A slow beginning, genres other than those we list on the website and a poor grasp of grammar.

How long can writers expect to wait for a response to their submissions? This includes acknowledgements or acceptances/rejections.

Crooked Cat usually responds to an author within 12 weeks, however, it can take longer if the volume of submissions around certain dates is particularly high.

Do you read romance (in your leisure time)?

Yes, I love reading romance. I am particularly fond of historical romance.

How do you see the future for writers of romance and the romance publishing industry in general?

The romance genre is hugely popular around the world, and there will always be readers – and not all female – who appreciate a well-rounded, intelligent story with a happy ending.

Do you attend RNA events? (so that our readers might have the chance to meet you)

Sadly, we haven’t managed to attend any RNA events to date, however, we wouldn’t rule it out in the future. It would be lovely to meet readers and authors one day in person.

Thank you very much for the opportunity to be featured. Much appreciated.

You’re very welcome, Stephanie. Thank you for taking time out from your busy schedule to talk to us.

Links for Crooked Cat Publishing:

Website

Facebook 

Twitter @crookedcatbooks

About Sally Quilford

Sally is the author of over 20 novels, the majority of them romance. Her first novel with Crooked Cat, The Secret of Lakeham Abbey, is her usual heady mix of crime and romance, and will be published in 2016. 

Sally’s Blog

The RNA blog is brought to you by

Elaine Everest & Natalie Kleinman

If you would like to write for the blog please contact us on elaineeverest@aol.com

Nikki Moore: What Inspires Writers to Write?

It’s great to welcome Nikki Moore back to the blog to write this thoughtful piece about inspiration. Over to you, Nikki.

I’ve been thinking about writing inspiration recently, because I’ve talked about it a lot for the release of my #LoveLondon series over the last nine months. Almost all of the interviews I’ve done have included a question about where I got my inspiration for the series from. I suppose it’s because readers are fascinated by where writers find their ideas. I know that’s definitely the case for me as a reader. When I finish a brilliant book, I often wonder, how on earth did the author dream that up?

I do occasionally have writer’s block, but that’s more about procrastination aka spending lots of time on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon UK or when I have an issue with a character or plot and don’t know how to resolve it (I find that time away from the manuscript and Pinot Grigio usually helps). I actually consider myself very lucky because I’ve never had an issue finding inspiration. If anything, I have too many ideas for books and find it difficult focusing on just one. My head is full of characters who speak to me, demanding that their stories be told.

 

To me, the world is a rich, intriguing place full of colour and noise that constantly makes me think, what if…? Or wouldn’t it be interesting if…? I think of my writing inspiration as a tapestry; with different segments sewn together to make a whole. Those segments are made up of music, films, books, news stories and current affairs, people, dreams, my experiences and other people’s experiences, as well as those what if ponderings.

 

For the #LoveLondon series, I was commissioned to write a series of romance novellas set in London that would go with my second novel Picnics in Hyde Park. So when I sat down to write them I knew the setting and genre, that they’d be linked to Picnics in some way, and for some of them, what the time of year would be e.g. New Year at The Ritz. All of these things gave me a backdrop and sense of context, but I still had to create individual stories with characters that breathed and plotlines that touched and entertained readers. So I thought about what love means to people, and the different ways in which it can happen e.g. first love, or romance growing from friendship, and what kinds of characters that might happen to, how they might react and what their goals might be. And from there, I thought a lot, made notes and listened to music according to my mood and the characters, and slowly the stories unfolded.

 

I asked fellow authors where they find writing inspiration, and/or what to do if they get stuck.

Samantha Birch writes both fiction and non-fiction, and has different ways of finding inspiration for both. ‘The High-Street Bride's Guide was inspired by my time working in-house at a wedding magazine and planning my own wedding, which I did over four years. Both exposed me to all manner of wedding suppliers, gave me some idea of what quality to expect for my money and gave me an insight into how different types of suppliers think and how we could negotiate in ways that benefited both of us.’ She’s currently working on a Steampunk fantasy, ‘For that I use pictures, games, films, articles, books and life experiences. I've got a collection of unusual books that I pick up sometimes when I'm struggling to get excited about a scene.’

 

‘By My Side was inspired by a dressing down I got from a consultant surgeon when I was a junior doctor,’ Wendy Lou Jones explains, ‘I felt it was completely out of order but he was so scary and so senior to me that I ended up quaking in my boots. My episode was not remotely related to romance, but I was determined my characters would be different.’ Her latest book is The Summer We Loved, by HarperImpulse.

 

One of D.R Graham’s newest releases is a Young Adult book, The Handler by Entangled Publishing. ‘I typically find inspiration in things that emotionally resonate with me. The emotional trigger often comes from a news story, song lyrics, the expression on a person's face, or something I have dealt with in my practice as a counsellor.’

 

Best-selling author Katherine Garbera, whose latest release is Eye Candy by HarperImpulse, is a news junkie. ‘I hit all the major news websites every day (BBC, SKY News, CNN, USA TODAY, New York Times, The Guardian, etc).  I read blogs such as Buzzfeed and Huffington Post because they often capture what’s happening culturally right now.  I love these sites and they feed the back of my mind with ideas that eventually become stories, such as the Somalian hijackings, which I used as inspiration for The Pirate.’ She sometimes uses Pinterest to put together pictures and get the ideas flowing if she needs inspiration.

 

Jill Knapp, whose forthcoming release is You’ll Find Me In Manhattan (HarperImpulse) told me that a lot of her inspiration comes from music and great television shows, and the way they make her feel. ‘I recently wrote a short story that was inspired by Taylor Swift's song, “Red.” My series about NYC was inspired by life experiences, other people's stories, and a few songs like "Face Up", by Lights. Some of the show's that have inspired me to write are Dawson's Creek, Alias, and more recently The Vampire Diaries.’ She likes to listen to music in the shower if she’s stuck on a story.

 

 Bridget Hodder, whose debut novel The Rat Prince is released in August 2016 by Macmillan, Farrar Straus & Giroux, offers this advice if you’re stuck for inspiration. ‘Try asking yourself: Am I writing this to please someone else, or to please myself? There's no surer way to dry up the flow of ideas than to be thinking of your agent, your editor, "the market" or even your beloved readers as you write. It's a bit like the instructions they give you on an airplane: put on your oxygen mask first, so that you can then turn around and help others. You should write first and foremost about things that delight YOU. Then you can send your stories out in the world to delight readers. Which they surely will!’

 

My advice is to look at the world around you; look at the sad things, the joyful things and the great things, open yourself up to new experiences and people, and then:

• Write from the heart.
• Write about things that are important to you and that you believe in.
• Write about things that move you.
• Write about things that are going to matter to other people – humans have common goals e.g. love, happiness, revenge, approval, family etc.

Are you an author or aspiring writer? Where do you get your inspiration from? We’d love to hear your thoughts J

Thank you, Nikki, you’ve certainly provided us with food for thought.

The RNA blog is brought to you by,

Elaine Everest & Natalie Kleinman

If you would like to write for the RNA blog please contact us on elaineeverest@ol.com