Too Much of a Good Thing

When I first started writing, all of my novels were standalone. It didn’t occur to me to write in a series until readers started reaching out to me asking if certain characters were going to get their own book. That input changed the way I approach writing. Now, when I write a story, I do it with a series in mind.

My shortest series is two books; The Lincoln Bothers. My longest is my six book new adult series, New Beginnings. To date, I’ve released four books in that series with two more on the way. I have a few that are four books and one that’s five.

Recently, I fell down the rabbit hole of reading a series that had sixteen books. Not only that, but it has a spinoff series that currently stands at three books. When I realized there were sixteen books in the series, I was a little overwhelmed. My first thought was that it was a lot of books and that would cost me a lot of money when all was said and done.

I ended up reading all sixteen of those books and am now on the first book in the spinoff series. While each book was a standalone, there were overlapping story arcs and, of course, appearances from characters in prior books. I could have chosen to read only a few of the books, but there would have been some confusing gaps for me.

Reading all of these books got me thinking. Is sixteen books in a single series reasonable? Is there such a thing as a reasonable number of books in a series? Can you have too much of a good thing?

There is no industry standard that dictates how long or short a series should be. Obviously, readers are buying these books. Each one had several reviews and most were positive. I did notice the newer books in the series had fewer reviews, making me wonder if readers had jumped ship. Maybe they got tired of the characters or the story line and decided they’d had enough. Or maybe the readers are still there but they just didn’t dedicate themselves to doing reviews as they did when the earlier books were released. Whatever the reason for the lack of reviews, it’s clear the series has a loyal fan base.

Some authors, me being one of them, know exactly how many books will be in a series before they even write the first book. Often, that is shared with fans in advance in order to increase the buzz for the series. That’s not to say authors are driven by demands of the fans. If the fans want more of a certain series, authors might be likely to deliver because it keeps readers happy.

As an author, I’m not just writing for the happiness of my readers. I’m doing it for my happiness as well. That being said, whether or not sixteen or more books in a series is too much isn’t for me to say. The author is going to write what she wants. The reader has a choice. Either read all the books and get lost in the wonderful world the author has created or pick and choose which booksto read. 

For this series, I’m sticking with it until the end. In this case, that sounds to me like the answer is no. This isn’t too much of a good thing.

Someone Else's Trash

Last week, I read a m/m romance. In this book, a hair stylist falls for one of his customers, a wheelchair user in his first relationship since his accident ten years ago. I love stories like this. I not only read them, but I write them. A few of the books in my New Beginnings series have disabled characters so I’m always excited to read about them.

Only a few chapters into the book I was reading, I found myself rolling my eyes, but I kept going. The premise was strong and the potential to be great was there so I didn’t want to give up. The more I read the book, the less I liked it. Finishing the book became about seeing my investment of time through to the end as opposed to not being able to put it down.

So what was the problem?

The biggest issue for me was that everywhere this couple went, the wheelchair user was met with a form of discrimination. I am not kidding when I say every time they went out in public, some asshole was insulting or attacking the wheelchair user. And every time it happened, his able bodied boyfriend was there to save the day with a sharp word or threat to anyone who wronged his man. Let me tell you, it got grating. Instead of this book exploring the relationship between these two, it was more about the able bodied guy having to fight for his disabled boyfriend. 

Guess what? I wasn’t the only one who found this off-putting. Another reviewer gave the book the same rating I was going to, and her review was so lengthy, there was no way I couldn’t read it. In reading this review, I learned something about my own writing of disabled characters that I hadn’t even realized I was doing.

Like me, this reviewer was disgusted by the number of times the able bodied man has to swoop in and save the day for his disabled boyfriend, but our reasons were different. I felt like it happened far too often to be realistic. The other reviewer pointed out how ableist it was. Our able bodied character is determined to stand by his man, which is fine, but he’s always the first to speak up when the discrimination occurs. He doesn’t ask if his man needs or wants the help. He just jumps up to defend his man and then magnanimously points out that the discrimination isn’t happening on his watch. Not being disabled, I hadn’t considered this, but it makes sense that it would be annoying to assume someone wants or needs that type of defense.

I’ve written books with amputees and one with a wheelchair user. I’m currently working on one with a blind character. Reading that review made me wonder if I was guilty of what this writer had done. Going back through my current work in progress, I was dismayed to find two scenes exactly like this reviewer described. I did the insensitive waiter and the ignorant department store clerk shtick. In both scenes, my sighted character takes it upon herself to speak up before the blind man even has a chance to react.

As the reviewer of the other book pointed out, this isn’t intentional. When you’re not disabled, you don’t always have the right perspective to understand how insensitive and annoying that can be; how it has the opposite effect of what you were going for.

Thanks to a bad review on someone else’s book, I learned a few things to make me a better writer, including strategies to avoid being unintentionally ablest. One woman’s bad review turned out to be a treasure for me.

Too Much of a Good Thing

I’m one of those rare breed of readers that loves both male/male and male/female romance novels. Because of that, I write for both audiences. When I started out, though, I was only writing m/f stories. I had quite a few of those under my belt when I decided to try my hand at m/m romance writing. In the beginning, I threw one m/m book in each of my m/f series.

Earlier this year, inspiration struck for an entire m/m series. And when I say it struck, it hammered me over the head. In a matter of days, I had the entire five books planned out with character outlines, titles and summaries. Once I’d finished that, the main characters of the first book started talking to me. Rather than ignore them, I gave in and started writing their story. Since I’d just finished the second book in my six book m/f series, I figured I might as well give in to the m/m pull of my creative muse.

I finished the first book in my m/m series, polished it up and released that bad boy on the world. I also paid a visit to the social media groups of some of the more prolific m/m writers and pedaled my book. Thanks to their support, my book took off. For the first time ever, I made the Amazon best seller list, reviews were coming in and readers were already asking for the next book. It was exciting and humbling.

It would have been easy to give in, toss aside my m/f series and just keep writing in the m/m genre. I couldn’t do it though. Not only have I promised readers a six book series that I was only halfway through releasing, but I still wanted to write those books. I just wanted to write the other four m/m books too.

My solution?

Write both series but alternate release dates. After my first m/m series release, I went back to my m/f series and wrote and released the third book. Then I wrote and released the second m/m book. I’m currently working on the fourth book in the m/f series. The plan is to write the third m/m book when that’s done, but you know what they say about best laid plans.

Work has been slow going on the fourth m/f book. Why? The characters in the third m/m book won’t stop talking to me. They keep telling me things. I write them down because I don’t want to lose them before I’m ready to write the story. I also seem to have more readers of my m/m novels than my m/f and those m/m readers are voracious. They’re ready for that next book. I want to give it to them, but I also want to stick to that commitment I made. Not just because I do have some readers waiting for the next m/f book but also because nothing ticks me off more as a reader than an unfinished series.

When I decided to alternate releases for each series, I thought it was a good idea. I thought it would be easier to switch mental gears than it has been. I’ve learned my lesson. Writing more than one series at a time may work for other writers, but it doesn’t work for me. While I will honor the commitment I’ve made to how each book in the respective series will be released, this will be the last time I have simultaneous series in the works. Working on two series at the same time is too much for this writer.

End of an Era; With Good Reason

A few months ago, I talked about the copyright infringement issues being faced by some popular photographers. Specifically, there were authors who were using unlicensed pictures for their book covers. When the photographers reached out to the authors to inform them of the issue, the authors were combative. One even took the stance that she’d done nothing wrong because she found the picture on the internet.

Naturally, fans of these photographers, many of whom are also readers, came out of the woodwork in support of the photographers, as they should have. The result was that these authors likely lost a lot of future fans. They’re just lucky the photographers were kind enough to give them the benefit of the doubt instead of seeking legal action first.

I’m sorry to say it’s happening again. Photographer Michael Stokes is once again the victim of piracy. This time, authors on Wattpad are using his pictures as covers for their books.

For those you not familiar with it, Wattpad is an online writing community where you can publish your stories with no publishing contract and retain the rights. The idea is that you are able to grow readership. When I participated several years ago, authors published stories one chapter at a time and fans could read and vote on their stories. It’s since changed and I believe some authors can now be paid through the site.

Though I no longer publish on Wattpad, and haven’t for years, I left my stories there for readers to enjoy. For years, I contemplated closing the account but always went back to not wanting to disappoint readers. Unfortunately, Wattpad has left me no choice. 

After discovering he’d been a victim of copyright infringement once again, Stokes reached out to the Wattpad authors who felt they hadn’t done anything wrong. If it’s on the internet, it’s free right. With no luck there, it’s my understanding he asked the Wattpad administrators to intervene and his pleas were ignored. It was thanks to public backlash that one author caved and changed her cover.

Stokes should not have had to go to this extent to be heard. He had substantial proof of the violation, but no one at Wattpad seemed to care. What’s more, it’s not the first time they’ve turned an apathetic ear to these issues. According to some readers, plagiarism runs rampant on the site with no regulation, and I can tell you for a fact one of my stories published there was plagiarized on another site.

In light of this, I've closed my account. To those of you who are strictly Wattpad readers, I am sorry I’ve had to take this step, but I have to do what I feel is right. I can no longer support a company that has demonstrated it doesn’t value the work of all artists. I hope you understand, and I thank you for your years of loyal support. You helped launch my mainstream career, and I will never forget that.

What Would You Do?

The other day I was scrolling through my Facebook feed when I came across an intriguing post in one of my reader's groups. The user said that she'd just finished reading two books by a new to her author. While she loved the books, she was disappointed with the number of typos in the book. The reader wanted to know if she should reach out to the author.

Before self-publishing became the norm, authors didn't have to worry about this. They signed a contract with a publisher and handed off their novel. The publishers had in-house proofreaders and editors who would catch any errors before the book went to print. It was rare that they missed something. When an error went to print, avid readers were filled with glee at knowing that our favorite authors were mistake making humans.

These days, most authors are independent authors. That means we're responsible for our own writing, editing, proof reading, formatting, cover design and marketing. That doesn't mean we have to do these things ourselves. We can most certainly contract the services out, but that costs money. New authors, and authors with smaller followers, can't always afford all of these services.

I'm lucky. I have a husband who's handy with Photoshop. I don't pay the cost of labor associated with cover design and promotional materials, however, I do have to pay for the photos we use. That's another expense, as is hosting my website and buying and renewing the domain name of my website.I also pay someone to format my e-books, pay someone else to proofread them and I pay someone to do online promotion.

I have nearly twenty titles out and I've only recently been able to afford a proofreader. My last two books were professionally proofread. When I was new to the game, I could not afford all of these expenses. I had to do it all. I did, and still do, my best to make sure my work was polished. Unfortunately, things get missed. No matter how good you are, your eyes sometimes see what your brain thinks should be there.

Writing is not my day job. Thanks to my most recent m/m series, I'm making more now than I have in years past, but I don't support myself with my writing. Even with my growing success, I still probably spend more on my writing than I make. As much as I'd like to, I can't afford an editor yet. I can't relieve my poor husband of his cover art duties. I have to rely on stock photos for my covers since they're more affordable.

Do writers make mistakes? Yes, we do. Do I want you to reach out to me if you find them? Yes, I do. I want to know what you found so I can fix it. My name is attached to that book, and I want it to be the best it can be. Readers' sharp eyes see things diligent writers miss. One thing though.

When you reach out to me to let me know what you found, please be kind. Keep in mind I'm not a full time writer. That I have high overhead and low profits. That I am doing my best and mistakes aren't intentional. That I want them fixed as much as you do. Most importantly, I appreciate your care and concern for my book and respect the courage it takes to tell someone a hard truth. I will appreciate your help and hope you will deliver your message gently. 

You've Been Warned

If you're a reader, you probably have a specific genre you like to read and some that you absolutely detest. I do. I love contemporary romance, but I can't stand historical romance. There are also certain things that turn me off a book that have nothing to do with the genre. For instance, I don't like when one of the main characters cheats on the other, and I'm not the only one. In fact, it's such a big deal for some readers that books often have disclaimers at the beginning to assure readers there is no cheating and the characters will get their happy ending.

That sounds like a spoiler right? I guess it is, but since cheating is a hard limit for some readers, authors have started warning them whether or not it's going to happen. And that's not the only warning authors are giving readers.

Many books these days contain reader advisories for everything from depictions of sexual assault to domestic violence. I'll admit when I first started seeing these warnings, I was put off. Most characters are keeping big secrets later revealed to the reader. Knowing what they were before I even read the first line of the book seemed like it would ruin the story for me. Then I started to give it serious thought.

We live in a time where we're more conscious of our mental health, and that's a good thing. It's something we need to foster and respect. A person who was the victim of sexual assault or domestic violence may not want to read about these subjects. What's more, she might not be in a place where it's safe for her to do so. It could trigger a setback in her recovery to be reminded of it.

Beyond that, sure a subject matter warning might be a bit of a spoiler, but I'v found it doesn't have to detract from enjoying the story. I can still have the same emotional reaction as I watch the main character navigate her trauma and learn to live in a new normal. Sure, I'm missing out on the shock of the big secret being revealed but a good enough story makes that incidental.

I applaud those authors who care enough about readers to warn them certain subjects might be upsetting. I'm also going to take a page out of their books, in the proverbial sense, and will now be letting my readers know about sensitive subjects ahead of time.

You've been warned, and I think we're all better for it. 

Shame On You

A few days ago, I'm on Facebook, scrolling through my feed, when I see a book recommendation request from a m/m reader. After watching Game of Thrones, the reader was in the mood for some twin action, as in twin brothers getting it on.

I came pretty close to doing a little self-promotion. My book, Triple Play, has a set of twins who share some sexual experiences though they never actually go full anal. I ultimately decided not to throw my hat in the consideration ring. My story is actually about a woman who pursues a relationship with both men, and some m/m readers don't want any m/f intimacy in their books.

A day or so later, I'm scrolling through my Facebook feed once again, and I see a lengthy rant from a fellow m/m author. This author stood on her soap box and went on and on about how disgusting it is for readers to enjoy twincest (yep, it's popular enough to have its own trope name) and it's no wonder the m/m romance writing community can't be taken seriously. As if it wasn't enough for her to disparage other peoples' tastes, she took a screen shot of the original reader's query to further shame her.

My first reaction after reading her post was to feel shame. I didn't feel shame for her. I was ashamed of myself for having written a book with some twincest action. For a few moments, I gave serious though to rewriting the entire book and taking out all of those scenes to make it more palatable.

That feeling was short lived. Once I got over my shame, I was outraged. First of all, how dare she try to publicly shame anyone's reading pleasure? Second, how dare she try to make other authors feel lesser for writing tropes she doesn't approve of? Third, and worst of all, who does she think she is trying to make it seem as though all m/m authors share her feelings? That bitch is giving us a bad name.

Even if I hadn't written Triple Play, I would never condone shaming someone else's tastes because they don't align with mine. If I don't like something, and you do, I'm probably not going to read the book you're recommending. And I am definitely not going to make you feel like shit by publicly shaming you. That is not cool.

I made the choice to stop following the author and to remove her and her spouse from my friends list. I also decided I will no longer buy or promote her books, no matter how much I enjoyed them in the past. Satisfied with my decision, I was ready to move on, but then something amazing happened.

I learned I wasn't alone in my outrage. You know how social media is. Things spread like wildfire there, especially if they're controversial.  It started with the moderators of the m/m book reccomendations group posting an apology to the original twincest reader and reminding all group members it was never acceptable to publicly trash another member's preferences. Many group members chimed in to offer their support to the reader who'd made the original post. Even those who didn't enjoy twincest were encouraging, taking an attitude of to each his own and you do you.

And it didn't stop there. A number of m/m authors took to their social media pages to say it's not okay to publicly shame someone's reading taste. Many removed the offending author from their groups and have pledged to no longer support her.

I am thrilled to see so many people getting behind the original reader. I'm sure this author didn't realize the shit storm she was going to stir up, but it's unfortunate. With the amount of readers she's alienated, it's likely she'll see an impact to her sales. There were countless people vowing never to buy another of her books or never to buy them at all. That's going to hurt, but I have two things to say about that.

Always think before you speak, and shame on you for trying to make others feel ashamed. That's going to be an expensive lesson to learn.