Show Me the Money

Fiorella is tired of hearing that writing is fun but doesn't pay.  Au contraire, Fio knows people who make a lot of money at it.  The secret is that they write catchy stories and have figured out how to market themselves--the commodity won't sell unless it's interesting all the way through, and nobody will know about it unless someone spreads the word.

At least that's how it is in romance writing.

Thee first step to fame and fortune process is writing better, better, best.  Classes abound, but some are more helpful than others.  Fio recommends April Kihlstrom's Book-in-a-Week, which is not only on-line, but on Kindle and Nook.  You are not limited to one hard-scrabble week, and there's no pressure-drive for you to actually write a complete novel in one week.  Not only is Kihlstrom supportive, but she has a track record of thirty-some romances put out by top-flight publishers.  But if you're not the joiner type, you can do a pretty good job all by your lonesome by studying the techniques used by your favorite authors.  (Spoiler alert: you will never read a novel the same was again.  Is a writing career worth it to you?)

Fiorella can't give you much advice about the marketing side of the equation.  That's why she accepted the offer from Grand Central rather than publish independently.   But one thing she knows for sure--your best advertising is word of mouth, and the best way to get the good word out there is to write a crackerjack story.

It's a closed circle, but there very well may be a pot of gold somewhere along the way.

Howling at the Moon

Fiorella started writing romances with the idea of making money, but she's expanded her horizons. Now she wants to save the world, or at least the world of women. She wants women to read her books and tell themselves that if Fio's heroines can stay true to themselves and persevere through their adversities, they can too.

All of which means that Fio is doing some deep thinking about how she presents her stories to agents. In the past, she's tried to disguise herself as a sheep, when actually she's more lupine. Her stories are gritty, as realistic as she can make them. RWA chapter members Janece Hudson, April Kihlstrom, Julie Kenner, and Emily McKay have prompted her to find out what she's really writing so she can present herself honestly to prospective agents.

And Fio thinks it's working. She spent four hours yesterday filling out a long, soul-searching on-line agent submission form, and she thinks she aced it. Fiorella's new tag line: life isn't always pretty, and my storylines go the limit.

Of course, Fio's grittiness is terribly out of style now. The nostalgia wave has followed hard on the heels of the erotica wave and the YA wave, but the pendulum will swing. Grittiness will have its day.