Ruth Kaufman - Award-Winning Author and Romance Writer

Ruth Kaufman is the author of My Life as a Star, My Life as an Extra, My Once & Future Love, The Bride Tournament, Follow Your Heart, At His Command and other books.

Pitching to agents & editors on Twitter

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Back in the day, if you wanted to learn about literary agents and book editors so you could submit your book for representation or publication, you had to go to a library or buy a book listing such information, without knowing if the information was still current.

Then, as now, you could also attend conferences to hear them speak and/or meet them in person for up to the minute info, but that can be expensive and time-consuming.

Then came the Internet, where agency websites that often list agent bios and interests. Publishers have sites, too, but information about individual editors can be hard to find. And sites might not be updated frequently…despite a fast-changing market. For example, I just checked a publisher at random whose site still has Fall 2015 editor interests. Sites like QueryTracker can be great for agent info, assuming the profiles are up to date. But the onus is on you to search, and the genres are often quite broad, such as romance.

Then came Twitter, where authors could follow and interact with agents and editors. (For some reason, in my experience, Facebook didn’t catch on for this purpose.) Even better, those industry professionals can let authors know exactly what they’re looking for in real time.

Popular hashtags are #MSWL, manuscript wishlist, where editors and agents post in detail the projects they’d love to see and #PitMad, where author Brenda Drake holds quarterly events during which authors tweet pitches by following her rules. If an industry professional likes the tweet, the author can submit (usually by following instructions on the agent’s site or given in a reply tweet).

There are other pitch parties, too. A recent event was #PitMatch, where Cupids matched tweets on #MSWL and #PitMad. I was fortunate that a dream agent favorited my tweet. I submitted 5 pages as her site instructed, and within a few days her assistant requested the first three chapters, then she herself requested the full. Fingers crossed!

I popped online to browse #MSWL, the other day, and came across an editor who wanted a romance set in Hell. Well, I just happen to have one. I replied to his tweet, he asked a follow up question…and requested.

Of course, as with any type of pitching, there’s no guarantee of representation/a sale, or even going further than the initial submission. But Twitter pitches are a great way to connect quickly with agents and/or editors.

This approach saves authors significant time. If someone is interested, you’ll know soon, maybe within minutes or hours. I’ve met many authors who are terrified to pitch in person, so Twitter bypasses that fear. Plus, your query/submission isn’t unsolicited as it would be if you just queried as their websites instruct. The agent/editor is already aware of your project and asked to see it.

Happy pitching!

Self-taping vs. in-person vs. Skype

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There’s a trend for actors to self-tape or self-submit auditions. This means that instead of auditioning in person where someone will read with you and someone else is responsible for recording/technical stuff, you need a good partner to read other characters’ lines, and record, edit and upload a quality video of your audition. 

On the one hand, I’m very grateful for recent opportunities to audition for a few high-profile out of town projects I might not have been considered for without self-taping. On the other hand, the pool of talent expands, so more actors may be submitted for each role.

More pros: You can do the scene as many times as you want (or your partner can stand). This eliminates the tendency some actors have to think they could’ve done better, or  fret, “If only I’d done THAT.” 
You don’t have to show up to an assigned audition appointment that may be inconvenient. 
You can record any time before the submission deadline. 
More cons: You’re responsible for producing a video with a non-distracting background that matches the sound, lighting and video quality of an actor who may go to a professional studio. You can do that, too, but the cost could be prohibitive.  
You don’t get any feedback from casting or production personnel. With indie features, short films and certain other projects, the director him/herself may be in the room and offer direction. Not only that, you get to meet some of the team and perhaps establish some rapport. 
You don’t know if your video is ever watched. At least when you’re in the room, someone sees the results of your preparation. 
Self-taping can take a long time, because of technical difficulties or mistakes. The last one I did took almost 4 hours because my extremely knowledgeable partner had trouble syncing sound and exporting the video.
In person, I’m often asked to do more than one take. I prefer the opportunity to make different choices. I don’t recall any self-tapings I’ve done that wanted more than one take.
I’d like to see more Skype auditions. I’ve only done one. Skpye allows actors to get some feedback, start building relationships, and make the process a bit more personal…without distance and equipment/video skills being issues. 

The power of FREE: At His Command on Amazon 3/1-5

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AT HIS COMMAND is free on Amazon March 1 to 5!

I’ve read many posts about making a book free for a brief time or permafree. While it’s hard to give away a product I spent countless hours producing, I’m hoping the benefits are worth it:

1) Readers may get to know an author and buy her other books. (Or will they wait to see if those are free, too?)

2) If the book is also in Kindle Unlimited, and subscribers read it, you get paid for those pages.

3) If you get enough downloads, the book climbs Amazon bestseller lists including Top Free Historical Romance, which leads to more visibility and perhaps more sales of other books.

4) You might get more reviews. The more reviews a book has on Amazon, the better the opportunities for Amazon promotion, such as “also bought” and “you might like.”

But making “going free” work can require a significant investment of:

1) Time: to scour promotion sites, choose some, and apply for a listing by filling out their forms. Posting on Facebook groups and other social media. Spent away from writing/getting your next book out or other work. Checking and compiling results.

2) Money: for said promotions. I got my first BookBub for 3/2, quite an achievement. (I was denied for two books when I had .99 cent countdown deals.) Though it costs hundreds of dollars, the high number of downloads and visibility are said to be amazing. I hope so!

It’s working! AHC is already #38 on Top Free Medievals.

Book publicity: how much & what works?

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I believe that, unless sales are through the roof, authors can’t do enough to get the word out about their books. But what works for one author might not work for another, and we must balance time spent with cost, and still make time to write and release new product.

Do I currently have a formal marketing plan? No. Do I try to stay on top of promotional opportunities and regularly promote to develop a great mix of reviews, blogs/articles and ads? Yes. Of course I’d love huge sales increases, but I’ve read that the frequency of impressions needed to get people to take action has increased from seven to 10. So I’m focusing on growing awareness

Here area few recent and upcoming results:

THE BRIDE TOURNAMENT  received a great review from Publishers Weekly, and is currently front and center on Booklife.com. Highlights: “Kaufman hits her stride with this enjoyable third entry in her War of the Roses Brides series….”  “Appealing protagonists, a satisfying pace, engaging supporting characters, and numerous obstacles to overcome combine in this emotionally satisfying romance.”

A post about TBT on Romance Lives Forever was tweeted and retweeted for several days. I stopped counting when the total reach passed 630,000!
And coming March 2: my first BookBub, such a popular and selective discount and free book daily email that I’ve been refused multiple times (as have many other authors I know). It costs hundreds of dollars, depending on your genre and countries you wish to include, but word on the street is that the thousands of downloads make it worth the price.
This and other promotion will be in conjunction with making AT HIS COMMAND free for 5 days. How many downloads will I get? Will sales of my other books increase? Stay tuned!

Valentine’s Day Blog Hop Featuring Heros

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Hello and welcome! I’m Richard Courtenay, Earl of Glasmere.

My thanks to Ruth for telling my story in THE BRIDE TOURNAMENT and for hosting me today and to you for stopping by. Please comment on your favorite characteristic in a hero for a chance to win one of three copies of Ruth’s first book, AT HIS COMMAND.

What is your strength?
I would have to say patience. The lovely Eleanor can be quite strong-willed and full of, shall we say, interesting ideas that she’s convinced are for the best. Plus, as I’m sure you know, even in your time, politics can be trying. 
What is your weakness?
Trust. After you’ve allowed yourself to open up and be vulnerable to accept what you thought was love only to be cruelly betrayed…it’s very difficult let anyone else breach the armor you’ve created around your heart. Especially when said someone is doing her best to find you a better and more willing bride because she wishes to wed her betrothed, but you find yourself intrigued nonetheless.
What would you like to get on Valentine’s Day?
Chaucer is believed to be the first to associate this day with romantic love. In the 1460s, when I first met Lady Eleanor de la Tour and was offered her hand in marriage, Valentine’s Day hadn’t yet come into vogue, as they say. Now, I confess I would like to receive chocolate. I do enjoy a good piece of chocolate, preferably with hazelnuts. The way it melts on your tongue…. 
What would be your perfect date?
 Unfortunately we One of our first “dates” was what you call a picnic. We had an interesting al fresco luncheon. She just looked so lovely sitting on a cloth on the grass arranging the foodstuffs I’d brought, and I was so pleased to be with her, I wanted that moment to last. So I’d say another picnic, on a perfect sunny day with a slight breeze. I’d select items to tempt her palate and please her.   
What are you giving the heroine for Valentine’s Day?
Eleanor loves chocolate even more than I. We share many things, but can be possessive when it comes to sweets. So I’ll be giving her a large box of her favorites, just for her. Which means no fruit allowed except for raisins, and only milk chocolate.    
Giveaway:
Ruth is honored to give away an ebook of AT HIS COMMAND to three random visitors who comment below about their favorite characteristic in a hero.

List of authors participating in the hop:
I hope you’ll visit them all to learn about their heros and enter their giveaways.

25 things authors should know about Amazon: Self-publish via 5) KDP 6) CreateSpace

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This is part three of my series explaining “25 things authors want to know about Amazon but didn’t know to ask“introduced on Romance Author Marketing Network.

Post one is here.

Post two is here.

Before I self-published, I kept hearing things like, “Just put your books up on Amazon,” as if doing so were simple. Well, IMO, it’s not. There are many many steps to complete. Every time I did the happy dance after getting past one, I had to stop and figure out the next. To me, the amount of clicking back and forth and finding information you need to enter was dizzying. I hope it’s easier for you because you can make decisions in advance.

To self-publish ebooks for Kindle, you need Kindle Direct Publishing. You can sign in with your already existing Amazon account info.

You’ll start by creating a new title on your Bookshelf. After entering details about your book, such as title, publisher and a description (aka back cover copy), you have to verify that you have the rights to your content. Next, you choose your browse categories by drilling down in the provided list. Where would readers look for your book in a store?

Is your book ready to release now? Do you want to do a preorder so you can promote your book before it goes live (read up on whether these sales count toward your Amazon ranking or not)? You’ll need to answer these questions.

The cover comes next. You can upload one already designed or assay their Cover Creator, which offers some pre-designed covers you can customize and an image gallery (or your own images) to start from scratch.  My suggestion: do not do your own cover unless you’re a designer. A good cover isn’t enough…yours has to be competitive with top sellers in your subgenre. Layout, fonts, colors, images, text…when working with a designer you still need to make most of the choices, but you’ll have guidance.

Next you decide whether or not to enable DRM, digital rights management, which impacts how readers can share your book. There are proponents for both options, so read up on which is right for you.

Now you’ll upload your book’s content. This isn’t just the manuscript. You need front and back matter. Look at books on your e-reader or on Amazon for ideas of what to include.

The content must be properly formatted. I’ve seen many posts about problems with this step. I hired a formatter for two reasons. One, worrying about these things (margins, spacing, fonts for text and chapter headers, scene spacers, etc. makes my head explode. Two, if it doesn’t upload correctly, they have to fix it. Even so, you’ll still have to make most of the decisions and let your formatter know what you want. You’ll want to review your book after it’s formatted via the “Preview Your Book” option. Check carefully for spacing and other errors.

Whew. Now we’re on to Rights & Pricing. How much do you want to charge for your book, and in what countries? I could do an entire post on this topic. Finally, are you “going wide,” meaning selling on as many vendors as possible (meaning you’ll need to repeat this uploading process with every vendor or use a distributor like Smashwords [of course there are pros and cons])? If you’re only going with Amazon, as I’m doing, you can decide about KDP Select, which puts your book in Kindle Unlimited and the Kindle Owner’s Lending Library

Do you want print books, too? Some think e-only is enough. I have print because: if I give a workshop or attend an event, it’s great to have examples and copies to sell (you can purchase author copies at a discount via CS), you have to have print if you want to do certain giveaways, such as on Goodreads, and I’ve had several readers ask for a print version. The cost to you includes a cover formatted for a print book (with a spine, etc.) and a print-formatted text file (unless you do it yourself).

Head over to CreateSpace. CS is its own platform. There is a way to covert your CS book to Kindle, but I’ve read too many things about formatting problems to give that a shot. You’ll need to make many more interior and exterior decisions, such as book size (for some reason, there’s no mass market size [though supposedly there’s a workaround], so they offer assorted trade paperback sizes) bleed, paper color, and matte or glossy cover.

How are you going to price your paperback…without sending readers into sticker shock, but still allowing you to earn some royalties? I just didn’t think most people would try a new author if the price was over $10.

Questions, comments?

More 25 things authors should know about Amazon: 3) Imprints & 4) Kindle Worlds

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If you prefer traditional to self-publishing, consider submitting to one of 3) Amazon Publishing’s 14 (!) imprints, listed at http://www.apub.com/.    

Each imprint releases different genres and types of books. For example, Thomas & Mercer is for mystery, thriller and suspense, while Grand Harbor Press is for personal growth, self-help and inspirational works and Two Lions is for kids’ books. When you click on each, you’re taken to that imprint’s books on Amazon. There aren’t any posted submission guidelines, probably because their site says Amazon Publishing doesn’t accept unsolicited submissions at this time. So, as with many other traditional publishers, you’ll need an agent.

4) Via Kindle Worlds, authors can self-publish fan fiction in the worlds of certain popular TV shows such as The Vampire Diaries and Pretty Little Liars, best-selling authors such as Kathryn Le Veque’s World of de Wolfe Pack and J.A. Konrath’s Jack Daniels and Associates, and comics. There are currently 49 worlds from which to choose. I suggest checking out what’s already available in your world of choice and assessing which are selling the most before writing yours.

Make sure to follow the instructions and rules as you write a novella or book in that “world.” And, as with any publishing agreement, read the KW agreement very carefully.

Then you’ll need to set up a KW account to upload your manuscript. You’re responsible for designing (and paying for your own cover), making sure to leave room for both the KW log and the individual world’s logo. They offer some free images to help you create one, but as with any self-published book, if you’re not a capable of creating a competitive cover, I’d suggest hiring a designer. Amazon sets the price and offers 35% of net revenue as a standard royalty rate paid monthly for ebook projects over 10,000 words. You can now write shorter stories, too. And there are royalties offered for hardcover, paperback and audio should you be interested in those formats.

KW has its own section in Kindle Books and its own bestseller lists. And there’s a blog geared toward readers and authors.

I’m in the progress of testing the KW waters…and will keep you posted. I’ve heard that novellas do better than full-length novels, so that’s what I’m writing.

Stay tuned!

25 things authors want to know about Amazon but didn’t know to ask: 1) Kindle Scout & 2) Write On

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I recently posted about “25 things authors want to know about Amazon but didn’t know to ask” on Romance Author Marketing Network. When I decided to self-publish, I had no idea what “putting your book on Amazon” really meant, and was surprised to uncover so many sites and things authors can do to make the most of Amazon.

Whatever you do, make sure you read all of the contracts, and usage and rights information, carefully.
I said I’d discuss each of the 25 things in more detail, so here we go with 1) and 2):
If you’re not ready to publish but want to get your GAN (great American novel) into the public eye, consider 1) Kindle Scout or 2) Write On by Kindle. 

1) On the just over a year old kindlescout, “readers help decide” which never-before-published books get a contract from Kindle Press to publish your books on Amazon only.  (Note: Kindle Press doesn’t have its own site) Basically you need to be ready to publish to participate. After authors meet submission requirements, including completing a checklist that requires you to have a great cover, book description, bio and more, you accept the KP Submission & Publishing Agreement. That says you give them a 45-day exclusive. And if you get a contract, which offers a $1,500 advance and assorted royalties, but don’t earn $25,000 in 5 years, you can request your rights back. 

I’d bet not many books will earn out $25K. I checked out a few that weren’t highly ranked, and a few that were. Publisher credits read, “Published by Kindle Press, Seattle” (year) and “A Kindle Scout Selection.”

Once your submission is accepted, you’re supposed to get the word out about your upcoming 30-day campaign. Readers view submissions, which include an excerpt of approximately 5,000 words, then nominate up to three books they like. They get a free book (and are asked to leave a review) if KP publishes one of their nominations.

Here’s one post about how KS works. Several posts I read mention that KP does some editing, which should help make the book better but would delay publication.

2) I should have made this number 1, because the less than a year old writeon by kindle (what’s with the lower case/one word names?) is called a story lab, and accepts works in progress and shorter pieces such as stories. Readers can like parts or all of a post, offer feedback via comments (to which the author can respond) and follow authors they like. Discussion forums offer another way to make connections. Authors can also ask for specific kinds of feedback by adding a Writer’s Request. 

Covers are required, and while some are obviously placeholders, many look like professional covers. If your story does well, it might make the trending list on the home page or the landing pages of any of 18 categories from romance to memoir. At the moment, Romance offers 538 results. The first listing on Romance Trending has 612 likes, 1849 reads and 121 follows, while the last has 19 likes, 38 reads and 4 follows. 

Write On has generated very little commentary in the blogosphere.

What do you think of these sites, as an author and/or a reader? 


Release Day! The Bride Tournament

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The Bride Tournament, my standalone third novel, releases today!

RT Book Reviews says, “The third book in the Wars of the Roses Brides series is an intriguing and enjoyable story. Kaufman writes well-developed and sympathetic characters with clear motivations. The Bride Tournament is a page-turner of a historical romance that will have readers rooting for a happy ending.”

And I love RT’s summary: “On the day of her wedding, Lady Eleanor de la Tour gets the surprise of her life: King Edward has disallowed her from marrying her beloved Arthur, and instead she is expected to marry Richard Courtenay, the new Earl of Glasmere. Because she still loves Arthur, she decides to hold a bride tournament to find another woman who is a better match for Richard. However, the more Richard appears to accept her plan the more Eleanor starts to believe she’s made a mistake — despite Richard’s quest to practice alchemy and the affect it could have on her family. Will these two ever find peace with one another?”

How I got the idea for this book: The opening scene popped into my head. Then I thought, “What if the heroine did something to make sure the groom she was told to marry had a better bride, so she could marry her betrothed?”

Learning about medieval tournaments was a lot of fun. I also enjoyed researching alchemy, the process of turning base metals into gold or perhaps leading to the fountain of youth or other results, depending on which source you follow. 

I hope readers love this story and the Eleanor and Richard’s journey….
 

Out with the old, in with the new….

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At this time of year, it’s hard not to reflect on the months gone by, and consider what the new year will bring. What I have I achieved? What could I have done better or differently? What did I most enjoy?

In 2015, I released two historical romance novels. My third, THE BRIDE TOURNAMENT, in which the Gone With the Wind love triangle meets The Bachelor, scheduled to release January 7th. I’m offering three copies for a Goodreads giveaway.

And my first two books were also in boxed sets. AT HIS COMMAND is in Castles, Knights and Chivalry, and FOLLOW YOUR HEART is in Highlanders, Lords and Lovers.

I’m writing a novella I hope to release in February. Because it’s a different time period and setting, the research (though interesting) is slowing me down. More details on that soon.

And I’m preparing for the start of a new paranormal medieval series, perhaps in April. The first book is written, the second was my NaNoWriMo project. Can I finish in time for a July release? And will readers follow or will I be starting all over again because of the addition of significant paranormal elements?

From time to time I think about the second book I wrote, which I haven’t released yet. It’s got a lot more actual history than the books I’ve released…not quite historical fiction, but more than most say readers like in historical romance. Of course I love the story, which is based on an actual letter that was written but never delivered. What should I do with that, and manuscripts I’ve completed in other genres?

Here’s to a Happy New Year!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Bride Tournament by Ruth Kaufman

 The Bride Tournament

 by Ruth Kaufman

 Giveaway ends January 05, 2016.

 See the giveaway details
 at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway