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(Almost) Ending the Year On Some Trendy Business

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We know, we know…it’s not our last post of the year, but it’s close to it! We figured it would be good for anyone looking into getting published to get the heads up: the results are in, publishing trends are here.

Before we get started though, we want to direct you to the source in which the general info comes from. Opinions and advice are ours! But check out this blog/publishing service.

Let’s get right into it!

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  1. First and foremost, is the decline in reading going to push writers away from publishing their work?

    We vote a big fat NO. Reason being, we see the decline in reading as a way to push writers to treat their work with care (and to get into e-Pubbing, but we’ll discuss in a second.) Getting all the pre-publication shenanigans out of the way is something so many people don’t truly pay attention to – so maybe, it’s time we give our precious work some TLC and hire a few people to take a look at what we’ve got.

  2. Print books remain #1. What does this mean for you?

    While everyone (or maybe it was just me) believes that eBooks are the only way to read now, we come here to confirm: this is not true. Print books remain the champion of reading (even if less people do the act of reading.) Now, before you comment and say, “getting my book printed will cost so much money” or “I can’t seal the deal with PRH or Tor or any of those big publishers!” Don’t forget about print-on-demand: the most efficient way for a self-published author to get their book in physical format! So you can still make your way into the print market without a major publishing deal (sorry, big guys.)

  3. Audiobooks are still on the rise!

    We love audiobooks here at HRM. We talk about them enough to say we’re not surprised they’ll continue to rise come the new year.
  4. We’ve talked about it once, we’ll talk about it again: hybrid/collaborative publishing is important and will continue to rise in popularity in 2019. Why should it be important to you?

    Hybrid publishing and collaborative publishing are important mediums to self-published authors (or writers looking into self-publishing.) We want the quality of a major publisher (you know, the big tough editors and the fantastic printing jobs) but since deals from them are far and few between, we need an alternative. An alternative where we have creative flexibility and control over the work in question. These mediums are just that. They provide the quality care to your work as well as giving you the power over it – with consideration, of course. Major publishing houses ensure a bigger paycheck, but why not get your foot in the door to start?

  5. Marketing is your best friend.

    We talk about marketing a lot on this blog. It’s an important part of being a writer/author who wants exposure. If you’re interested in keeping up with a variety of marketing tactics, just use the search bar for this blog and we guarantee you’ll come across something.

 

Happy Holidays, everybody!

Simplicity & Books

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Keeping up with book trends and sales? Don’t worry. We are too. There will always be highs and lows, one extreme to another. This isn’t really a trend but just a little something we noticed in the office. Everything is so simple.

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Sure, writing the book isn’t simple…getting the book to be noticed by an editor/publisher isn’t simple…the process of production isn’t simple…but when the final product of the book is in the author’s hands or a trusty reader’s yearning finger tips…do they just look at the cover and think, it’s so simple? We’re referring to the cover art itself. And because we came across a list of books in which the title said, “Most Beautiful…”, we thought it was about time we sit down and chat about cover art. Again.

Calling something beautiful is subjective to the writer of the article. Some of the titles on this list have been hyped up and plastered all over the internet, they were bound to become bestsellers. But there was one common thing among the covers we needed to stress. They’re so simple. There’s nothing wrong with simplicity but the simplicity of these books has helped bump up sales revenue. Many fiction titles are beginning to look…uniform. Once again…there’s nothing wrong with it. It’s getting money in someone’s pocket, regardless.

We’re not here to dictate what you should do with your book. But if you find yourself in need of change and you could envision a bit of abstract art or an object as the cover of your book, then maybe it’s time you send out a few emails to the cover designers out in the world. You may appeal to a new crowd looking for the simple covers that get them wondering what the heck the cover is trying to tell them.

Thank goodness we live in a digital age where all we have to do is delete and upload a new image.

The Least Expected Myth

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This week’s mythological monster is a day late but well worth it! This week’s highlight was one for the books and a new one even I hadn’t heard of.

Keep reading if you want to hear about a bolt of cotton that will smother you to death if given the chance.

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Ittan-momen | Japan

“Sentient roll of cotton that flies through the night and suffocates people.”

Basic Facts:

  • In Japanese mythology, the ittan-momen is a Yōkai, more specifically a Tsukumogami. A yōkai is a supernatural spirit in folklore while a tsukumogami is a tool that has been possessed by a supernatural spirit. Haunted items…spooooooky.
  • These spirits are more likely to be found in Kagoshima.
  • The type off cotton possessed is also what can be used to make clothes. Check your labels!
  • “Ittan-momen” literally translates to “one bolt of cotton” or “one tan of cotton.” It gives the idea of what the measurements are of the item (28.8 cm by 10 m).
  • Believe it or not…the ittan-momen has been adapted plenty in Japanese modern culture. Shows (anime, primarily) and monuments have been made in appreciation.

Will It Do Any Good?

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Have you ever come across bookmarks, notebooks, or any other forms of physical memorabilia for a book? Have you ever wanted your own books to have this form of promotional material?

We usually like to encourage anyone to follow what they think is best for their books to gain exposure, but here we suggest you consider this option.

Handing our bookmarks at readings or signings will always get your fans excited for free merchandise. But if you’re an indie author with a large online audience and market for yourself (meaning you’re more an eBook-established author)…you have to consider what your audience would utilize.

For example, people love key chains. Especially decorative ones…or is that just me? Maybe getting a load of key chains printed with your book cover or favorite creatures from your book on the face…that’ll get people talking.

Unfortunately, not a lot of genres can venture down the road of promotional material because it just doesn’t fit. So, we’ll keep brainstorming how other genres can be promoted with physical gifts!thinking.gif

A Writer’s Self Care Routine

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  1. If you write with the help of a beverage, we suggest anything caffeinated.
  2. Eat. This is a gift not many writers get to enjoy. We would advise sticking to something quick and fatty, but if you’re watching your health, don’t listen to us.
  3. Remember that killing off characters is necessary in some stories. So, sit back, relax, and plot the next death in your tale.
  4. Stuff your handy-dandy notebooks with every single idea that comes to your head. Your brain will thank you later.
  5. Sleep. You deserve it.

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As Summer Comes To An End…

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…our reading becomes a bit more spookier!

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At the top of our list is A Killer’s Mind by Mike Omer, one of our writers with HRM. Published by Thomas & Mercer, an Amazon imprint, we are so excited to display this on our shelves!

Want a blurb? Here you go:

Three Chicago women have been found strangled, embalmed, and posed as if still alive. Doubting the findings of the local PD’s profiler, The FBI calls on forensic psychologist Zoe Bentley to investigate.

Zoe quickly gets off on the wrong foot with her new partner, Special Agent Tatum Gray. Zoe’s a hunter, intense and focused; Tatum’s a smug maverick with little respect for the rules. Together, they must descend into a serial killer’s psyche and untangle his twisted fantasies, or more women will die. But when the contents of three inconspicuous envelopes reveal a chilling connection to gruesome murders from Zoe’s childhood, suddenly the hunter becomes the hunted.

Listen To Us! [5]

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We’re at it again with the audio publications. If you’re interested in seeing what is in the works, we recommend following us on Facebook or seeing our memes on Twitter. Get ready to dive in!

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8/1

  • Eva Chase // DRAGON’S DESIRE
  • Marion Kummerow // UNRELENTING
  • Mila Young // CHARMED

8/2

  • Stella // DR. FELLATIO

8/7

  • Michael Chatfield // SACREMON

8/8

  • Charleigh Rose // BAD INTENTIONS

8/9

  • Isabella Starling & Demi Donovan // TEACH ME DADDY
  • Isabella Starling // PEEP SHOW

8/14

  • Diana Forbes // MISTRESS SUFFRAGETTE
  • Jenna Wolfhart // A SONG OF SHADOWS
  • Marion Kummerow // UNYIELDING

8/15

  • Amie Knight // AN IMPERFECT HEART
  • J.H. Croix // 4 TITLES
    • BURN FOR ME
    • BURN SO BAD
    • HOT MESS
    • SLOW BURN
  • J.L. Bryan // THE TOWER

8/16

  • Kate Canterbary // FRESH CATCH

8/21

  • Ashley Meira // HIDDEN MAGIC
  • BJ Harvey // SECOND CHANCE
  • Elle Cross // GRIT
  • Eva Chase // CONSORT OF THORNS
  • J.R. Rasmussen // A DARK RECKONING
  • Lidiya Foxglove // PRIESTESS UNLEASHED

8/22

  • Lillian Cole // HIS TO CLAIM

8/28

  • Alex Rivers // HUNTER’S SOUL
  • Crystal Daniels & Sandy Alvarez // UNDAUNTED
  • June Winters // FORBIDDEN PUCK

8/31

  • Nina Walker // BLACKOUT

 

Why They Aren’t Reading It

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A very interesting post popped up on my timeline, asking friends what makes others stop reading a book. Some of the responses were unique but a decent portion of readers responded in the way we thought they would. Here are three reasons why people put books down and don’t get to the last page.

  1. Being predictable. We all hate when we can guess what’s going to happen in a plot. Once a story is predictable, people don’t feel compelled to continue on with the story. If you’re writing a story and the plot is straight forward, you’d better guess it that book is going right back on the shelf and the reader is huffing in another direction.
  2. No conflict. Believe it or not, some writers just write. And I mean, write without direction. No planning, plotting deaths, or even connections between characters. Some of you are probably cringing in your seats, wondering how someone could do that or how they even got published. Anyway, if your story is lacking a real gut-wrenching conflict, you’re asking for the shelf.
  3. Inserting views into the story. This one is tricky. People don’t like views shoved down their throat in conversation or in upbringing (rule number one if you want sane children), so why would people give books a pass in the views department. They don’t. In reality, no one likes that.put that thing back.gif

Fighting Game For Writers!

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We are big advocates for demolishing writer’s block. We’ve talked about a variety of methods, websites, and apps to use against a writer’s worst nightmare. Here is a new one for you: Fighter’s Block.

So, after playing around with the online app for a few levels, I can officially declare this as a fun way to defeat writer’s block. There’s only a select amount of characters you can choose from and there’s only one enemy unlocked but there are little details in the structure and immersion of the game which makes it worthwhile.

Let’s break it down!

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Cute pixel sprites go up against each other in a game that challenges you to write, write, write before your character’s health reaches zero. You start off by choosing your hero (you can choose between Red or Karen, Quin is locked until you reach level 11) and your word goal for that particular level. Once you click fight, the battle has begun.

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You’ll notice the health bar of your character slowly (or quickly) diminishing if you’re not typing. As you write, the character’s health is regenerated and the enemy’s lowers.

To add more flair to your experience, you can customize your fighting background and writing difficulty to challenge yourself. The theme can be changed to different color schemes that can better your playing/writing experience. With the opponent you can easily change its speed and attack which works against you as you’re writing.

Your writing space can also be customized. From font to the display of your text box, this game is perfect for any writer looking for new ways to get back into the swing of things.