creative writing

Looking at The First Year as an Indie (Apples to Oranges)

/ Janna Hill / Leave a comment

Part II (This is Me)

I’m not sure who I’m speaking to in the audience; whether they are a curious reader or an independent author, I will try to address the topic in a way that all can understand.

In the first portion of my annual Indie report I shared a few things I have learned regarding support, reviews and social media.

If you’re interested I’ll share more.

I believe I left off at #3 in Lessons Learned.

Since inquiring minds want to know …

We’ll start #4 with sales.

# 4 Sales:

The burning question I have been asked most is, how much money do independent authors make per month?

When the question is asked, they are looking at independent authors as a whole. A problem arises there because independent authors are not a whole, they are… Independent.

I would not venture to offer an “average”, but I’m sure that you can find that information somewhere else.

How much money an independent author makes is going to depend on how many books they sell. The same is true of traditional publishing.

It also depends on the list price of the book(s) and the royalty percentage.  That can vary significantly.

How many books they sell may also depend on how many books they have published.

Even best sellers get forgotten. Just like in traditional publishing.

You need to have something to follow up with or — be a one-hit wonder.

Unless you have the next To Kill a Mockingbird…

I suppose it’s about time for the next Harper Lee.

Unless you are someone like Harper Lee, it’s advisable you have three stories ready to hit the market and working on the next one at the same time.

A potential buyer that goes to your sellers page is going to look at how many books the author has, and how well they’re doing. They’re also going to look at reviews.

If there is only one book or if there are no reviews, they may not be willing to take a chance on you/that author.

Sorry, but that’s the truth. If you’re a writer chances, are you are a reader also. Put yourself in the readers place. Ask yourself, “would I, as a reader, take a chance on me?”

It’s okay if you talk to yourself— I do it all the time. 

Use beta readers and a support system, etc. to generate some reviews on your releases.

Not fake reviews.

Not paid reviews. Please.

How many books you sell will depend on how good your book is and how much you promote it.

How will people know about this book?

Are you willing to spend money to make money? If so, how much?

But we will save that topic for another time. For now, let’s get back to the question of hand.

Regarding how much money do you/an independent author make.

I have to giggle at this point and imagine a Scrooge-like character. I can see him/her with a wicked grin, anxiously rubbing their hands over a pile of shiny coins. And, of course they are counting dollar signs instead of sheep as they drift off to sleep.

Anywho. I digress.

What a person makes as an independent author can range from $0 a month to $4000 a month— or more.

Now $4000 a month is not the norm; it is rare and what I consider success.

4K sounds like a big deal — and it is.

$48,000 a year is a nice income and many people are able to live comfortably on that.

But most independent authors will not see that sort of success. So let that sink again.

There are many other fields that you could go in to if you’re only interested in making money.

And that’s completely understandable because living in our society requires that you have money.

Most independent authors have a full-time job, or at least a part-time job.

Were they already have the monetary means to write full-time.

So there’s that in a nutshell.

If you plan to write, then write because you love it— because you are driven to.

Try writing essays, short stories, small pieces to submit to magazines… anything to build your résumé. 

Right on? Write on!

Now go have a wonderful day.

P. S. April is National Poetry Month and I do plan to post some personal poetry this year.

I am not taking suggestions or submissions like in years past.

Why?

Because I am hip-deep in my own re-writing, re-creating and re-editing.

With that said, let me add a word of caution. Be careful about who you trust.

How I Spend My Days ( Just Stopping By To Say Hello)

/ Janna Hill / Leave a comment

So… a lot of my days are spent potting instead of plotting.

But as long as something is growing, I’m happy.

Most mornings I’m out in the greenhouse in my pajamas; yes, in my pajamas because there’s no one looking other than the birds and the insects.

There is an occasional squirrel, and the dogs. There is always the cat — sometimes cats plural.

And these pajamas are comfortable, that’s important at this stage of life— or at least it is to me.

I hope you’re growing something. Plants, family, the creative work, your mind.

Write This Down (Stoned & Poetic)

/ Janna Hill / Leave a comment
The poem is circa 2017 written while under the influence of cannabis, the photo is current.

(Stoned & Poetic)

He lives in a shack

with a dog and a cat

The shack is out back

by his mama’s house

In the house there’s a couch,

I think he has a wife and a mouse

And they are all full of crack,

except the dog and the cat.

Do these crackers make me look fat?

…

*THIS IS WHY SOME PEOPLE should not get high and say “write this down. ” You old hippie, you know who you are.

Poem published in Getting Me Back ( The Voices Within)

Waiting ( A Poem for Friday’s Free for All)

/ Janna Hill / Leave a comment

Waiting

For hopes that hung on a chicken bones. For hearts that lived in chains
For pods of green that died unknown. While waiting for the rain

For dreams left bare on empty prayer
For souls that wished in vain
For tears unshared in mute despair 
While waiting for a change


For you and I and all mankind
For worlds where peace was slain 
For faith and mind no man can bind
We wait and wait again.

𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒏𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒊𝒏𝒅 . . . Oh man, I freaking love that line.

𝑾𝒂𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘦𝘮 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮  Getting me Back (The Voices Within) 𝘗𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 . 🫶🏼

Smoke Free (Tuesday’s Tell All)

/ Janna Hill / Leave a comment

Smoke Free is a weird little story conceived in the smoke of a brush fire. I was out in the woods snapping pictures one day, the images forming in the smoke combined with a twisted imagination and tada! The rest is history. 

The photos below show the cover; from the first photograph to the finished cover.

Smoke Free is probably the only book cover we have not changed at least a dozen times. The truth is I have never wanted to change it. I love this cover and the image of that little pumpkin smoking a cigar never fails to amuse me. (I have the husband to thank for that.)

I had never heard of Irwin Smutter before that day and he (like the cigar smoking pumpkin) still amuses me with his absolute weirdness; him and the bizarre world he resides in.

And here’s a bite sized sample of the lunch break tale …

The room appeared empty other than an oversized sofa. Irwin reposed himself against the frigid vinyl, crossed his feet and sighed. A lively timbered scene covered the wall opposite the door, designed in such a way it almost looked like a window. Beyond the dull sheen of the pretend window was a forest where rays of sunshine cut through a smoky haze. The remaining walls were un-textured, pale and bare. The room smelled of sandalwood and acetone, a bizarre sweetness that sickened and comforted him at the same time. Irwin shifted nervously on the stiff upholstery in search of a warm spot. There was none.

The faux leather, the lifeless walls, the fake window – it was all too unsettling. Nothing is real, he thought, stretching his arms until his hands met above his head. Fads! The world has been reduced to kooks, phonies, and fads. Reassured by his own summation, Irwin interlaced his fingers and stretched further. When the joints in his entwined hands refused to pop, he rested them at the base of his neck.

Smoking cessation. Yeah, right. It was not Irwin’s idea. Irwin enjoyed smoking. The pungent smell of a fresh-lit cigarette made bitter coffee sweet. Smoking was one of the few things he looked forward to each day. A good smoke, a little booze, a lot of caffeine and Evie. 

_________________________

These type short shorts were written at a time I was really into the flash fiction form of writing.

Oh. Oh. Oh. I can’t wait until you reach the end. 

Famine & Fortune — Where Truth & Fiction Collide

/ Janna Hill / Leave a comment

“ All eyes were on Wall Street, but truth be told, the market crash paled in comparison to the Navarro County drought.”

“The news of Black Tuesday came and went as little more than dry morsels between flapjacks and red-eyed gravy.”

Black Thursday was no different. Margin calls and ticker-talk; it was all a foreign language to the average man of Navarro county. New York, Chicago and any place not adjacent to the dying province could have just as well been another country – another planet.
Suicides headlined newspapers across the globe. Although desperate men (and women) chose gas or bullets; poison or tablets to avoid poverty the stories of men leaping from windows sold more papers and it seemed to pacify the masses, at least for a while.


EIGHT MORE TAKE THE PLUNGE.


The headlines went on and on. Tales of a brutal bearish market where stock prices were plummeting and fortunes were being dissolved. The days grew long and the soup lines grew longer…

From Famine & Fortune (the Sharecropper’s Son) Available on sale at your favorite retailer. 

And psssst Google still has it listed at 98¢

Happy Friday Y’all. 🍻

Short Story Month (The Art of the Short Story)

/ Janna Hill / Leave a comment

This piece for National Short Story Month was written with writers in mind, but readers are welcomed. We’re all one great big happy [most of us anyway] family here. After all writers are readers too.

I did a live presentation some years back titled The Art of the Short Story. In preparing the notes for said exhibition I borrowed a large portion of material from a fellow author. She is a veracious source of information and her published works are impressive. For the presentation I also offered my own sparse works as examples.

Word count matters.

Learn how to use the word count and check it frequently.

The nice thing about writing short stories verses novels/novellas [for me] is you don’t have to fluff up the word count with senseless babbling to make sure you hit the mark. But you do have to keep the word count at/around what your publisher requires; that can be very challenging sometimes. Especially if you get too attached or involved as I mentioned in an earlier post.

Writing short works helps you hone your writing skills.

When every word counts, writers tighten their prose. They eliminate filler words, passive voice, weak writing, or tangential thoughts—pretty much anything that requires extra words. No um’s or uh’s or well’s. No “was walking” when “walked” suffices. No “walked slowly” when “strolled” captures the mood better. No drifting into a daydream that doesn’t advance the plot.

These things slip in when we write novels, but they don’t really belong there, either. And just think how strong your novels will be when you develop these stylistic choices and apply them to your longer works.

The short story can be used to introduce one of your longer works.

Regardless of the theme of the anthology, you can write a companion piece to an existing novel or series. This can be an excellent marketing tool.

For example, say you have a paranormal romance series you’d like to promote, and you have an opportunity to contribute to a horror anthology. You could tailor your horror story so that it’s a prequel or sequel to the first book in your paranormal romance series. You might even choose to weave in a little romance so readers have a better understanding of what to expect in the series. As long as the story meets the requirements for the anthology, you’ll have a great introduction to your longer work placed in front of an already interested audience.

 The short story format allows you the opportunity to explore different genres without committing time to compose a longer work.

Instead of expanding your series offering, you might take the opportunity to try something completely different from what you normally write. For example, a regency romance writer might choose to craft a futuristic sci-fi story.

What do you gain from such a departure?

Well, not only do you get to flex your creative muscles, the departure might actually recharge your batteries and give you a fresh perspective on the novel you’re working on. Furthermore, you may just find another genre that you enjoy writing in and a new fan base should you decide to become a multi-genre author.

Short stories are ideal for a genre driven magazine.

Potential acceptance equals potential income and exposure.

There are literally thousands of genre magazines that accept submissions. If you have an agent great. If you don’t that’s okay, you can submit it yourself; that is if they accept direct submissions. Its easy enough to find those answers with a little research.

A short stories work well in creating a series. Think of each new release as an episode.

A series can be done on a weekly or monthly basis. This can be fun without being time consuming.

Short stories allow you to participate in anthologies with other writers.

psst, I was able to share the spotlight with a few others in Unshod

When you participate in anthologies, you will most likely have to adhere to a set word count, one that is substantially smaller than that of the novels you’re used to writing. While this virtually eliminates the possibility of introducing secondary characters and developing subplots, it does teach economy of phrase.

How to Publish Short Stories

  1. Submit Your Stories to Magazines and Online Magazine-Type Websites. .
  2.  Enter Short Story Contests.
  3. Join a Site for Authors to Offer Subscriptions to Readers.
  4. Write/Publish Your Short Stories in Book.

If you have questions drop me a line and I’ll try to help you.

Right on? Write on!

Short Story Month (Door Number Four)

/ Janna Hill / 1 Comment

Door Number Four was possibly one of the funnest short stories I’ve ever written.

It was originally written as a paid assignment but blew through the word count.

They weren’t budging on the number of words they wanted and I could not imagine what more I could cut from the story and make it readable.

We were at a stalemate so the deal was abolished. Oh well Que Será, Será.  

I admit I may have become too attached to the story — and too detached from the individual $pecs. So all there was left to do was publish Door Number Four my damn self.
This book (like most) has undergone at least one cover change.

I’m not in love with the current cover but I can change it whenever I want. That’s always fun too.

Here’s the intro.

Donald S. Crowley was a CPA by day; a bean counter; a number cruncher and a certified bore. By night he was as stimulating as the hero in his latest read with all the social skills of a brick. To make matters worse he was in love with a door. Not just any door, number four was special. Donald had become enamored with her when he was just a boy and he believed that she called him by name. Now he would risk his life to see her again and to finally know what lay behind Door Number IIII.

I hope you have endeavored to read a short story, or two, this month. And if you are a writer, I hope that you have written at least one short story.

I think that’s all I shall ever from here forward. 

Right on? Write on!