by Madelle Morgan
After seven years as a Genre-ista with the second Tuesday of every month slot on the Romancing the Genres blog, this will be my last regular post.
Over those seven years I
shared my journey as I developed the craft of writing romance, ventured into
indie publishing, and learned about marketing.
Before I explain why I am hanging up my hat, here’s a brief summary
of my writing and publishing efforts.
Diamond Lust, my first novel, was published by
Ellora’s Cave in 2010. Although EC mostly published erotica, I will always be
grateful that they took a chance on a new author and published my romantic
suspense. That’s when I learned the value of a good editor! When I got the
rights back, I indie-published it as Diamond
Hunter in 2015 in digital and print formats.
I was on a (slow) roll. I indie-published two contemporary romances
in the Hollywood in Muskoka series: Caught
on Camera in 2016 and Seduced by the
Screenwriter in 2017.
Obviously I am a slow writer. A book a year. In this digital
era, an indie author needs to invest a lot of time and money to build a backlist and a fan base in order to ultimately sell thousands of low-priced ebooks.
To create a novel that meets traditional publishing standards, indie-published authors invest in expensive professional editing, covers, and formatting for print and digital formats. At least I did.
Audiobooks and translation are expensive options to enable authors to reach more buyers. Those costs were out of my reach.
Some authors spend thousands per year on marketing and promotion: Amazon, Twitter and Facebook ads, promo in e-newsletters such as Bookbub, and virtual assistants to organize and schedule it all. At the same time there is huge pressure to discount the books or offer the first in a series free.
To be blunt, an author who writes as slowly as I do can burn through a lot of money without significant return on that investment of time and money.
Best-selling authors aside, some traditionally and indie-published midlist authors do make
a decent return on their time and monetary investment. They have multiple new releases
a year plus a backlist, a fan base that buys every new release, and a winning advertising strategy, all vital to gain Amazon
algorithm traction, ranking, visibility, and sales.
But what about authors who don't have deep pockets and multiple annual releases? I've heard of several midlist authors who could formerly earn their living from book sales but were dropped by their publishers and are now working at regular jobs to pay the bills.
Bottom line, my book sales do not come anywhere near paying for desired extras such as travel at this stage of my life as a "60 is the new 50" senior.
But what about authors who don't have deep pockets and multiple annual releases? I've heard of several midlist authors who could formerly earn their living from book sales but were dropped by their publishers and are now working at regular jobs to pay the bills.
Bottom line, my book sales do not come anywhere near paying for desired extras such as travel at this stage of my life as a "60 is the new 50" senior.
I was in the midst of planning Hollywood Hero, Book 3 of the Hollywood in Muskoka series, and then…
My Therapy Practice Took Off in 2018
Bowen Therapy is a gentle holistic bodywork, but people keep
their clothes on. I discovered it in 2012 after 20 years of trying various ineffective therapies for long term back pain caused by a fall that misaligned my pelvis. I'm a retired civil engineer, and my structural engineering knowledge (tension/ compression/ torsion, etc.) and own skeletal alignment issues led me to become a certified practitioner and then take advanced training in order to specialize in musculo-skeletal alignment. Now that I am pain-free, it is very satisfying to eliminate eliminate back, neck and joint pain in clients who, like me, "tried everything" before finding Bowen Therapy.
Last year I reached a tipping point. Referrals from clients took
off exponentially and I’ve been booked solid four days a week since. It’s rather
exhausting to be so busy. I’m no spring chicken! But it’s worth it because my travel
fund is growing.
Unfortunately my practice leaves me with too many commitments
and not enough time. Something has to give…
Therefore I’m reluctantly hanging up my Genre-ista hat. From the bottom of my heart I thank Judith
and Sarah who have worked so hard for many years to give me and other authors a
platform.
Much love to Judith, Sarah, the Genre-istas and readers of
this blog.
Madelle
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