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.

Customer service can make (or break) your day

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Yesterday on my way to a callback in the far western suburbs, I was following a small white truck on the highway. I couldn’t see past or over it, so I maintained what I thought was a safe distance. All of a sudden, a huge section of a truck tire appeared before me. No time to change lanes. I ran over it. It hit the bottom of my car with a jarring force. I looked in the rear view mirror and saw the car behind me run over it, too. Fortunately, we all kept driving without apparent incident. 

My heart was racing, of course, but my car seemed ok…so on I drove. Until I exited the highway and pulled up to a stoplight. I heard a scraping sound that continued as I made my way down the street. I pulled into a bank parking lot to see some black plastic dangling and rubbing the tire. I pushed it out of the way, made it to my destination. At the callback, I asked if there was a car repair nearby because I didn’t want to make the long drive back to the city without having the undercarriage looked at. On the other, I had a lot to accomplish that afternoon, and didn’t want to spend hours waiting for the verdict. Lucky for me, there was a Car-X nearby (actually, the helpful person said Carmax…but then another helpful person cleared it up after I couldn’t find a Carmax near me. I wonder how often the two get confused.)  
I drove less than three minutes to the Car-X in Aurora. Within minutes, they had my car lifted up. Something had come loose, but they were able to repair it very quickly. And refused to charge me anything or even take a tip. This kind gesture brought tears to my eyes after the frazzlement (my word, but I think it fits) I’d experienced that day. With all of the bad customer service these days, finding a place that was so pleasant, helpful, efficient and nice was quite rewarding. I’m going to give them a great Yelp review, too.
That experience made my day. But when you’re not getting great or even good customer service, how do you tamp down frustration? I do my best to take deep breaths, make sure to keep my voice calm and tell myself it’s a first world problem.

What is a “published author?” I am. Finally.

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Not that many years ago, “published” was easy to define. You went to a bookstore, saw all of the full shelves, and knew those books were published. You might have even looked at the spine or copyright page, and recognized the publishing house. You knew that someone, perhaps several or many someones, had loved, approved of and paid for the rights to make that manuscript a book.

Now, anyone can write and make a book available to the world, basically for free via Amazon if they don’t hire an editor(s) or cover designer. That project could be considered published, without any vetting whatsoever. It may be great, or, it may perpetuate the view that self-published books aren’t as good as those that are traditionally published.

I’ve pursued traditional publishing since 1995. Despite many close calls and more than a dozen revision letters on various projects, never got “the call” that an editor wanted to buy my book(s). So after a lot of hemming and hawing, as you may know I finally self-published in 2015. I’ve released two books so far, with a third and fourth on the way. Both books have been reviewed by Publishers Weekly and have earned assorted praise and 5 star reviews. My first is in an Amazon bestselling boxed set. I didn’t feel published, however, until yesterday, when my PAN membership was approved by RWA. I’ve wanted to join PAN for 20 years. What does that mean? Read on.

Some authors’ organizations use member requirements to define published. For example:
Romance Writers of America, with more than 10,000 members, has a Published Authors Network, or PAN. The membership requirement effective 9/1/15 states, “Any RWA General or Honorary member in good standing who has earned at least $1,000 on a single published Eligible Novel* or Eligible Novella** shall be eligible for membership in PAN, provided however that works offered through Predatory Publishing companies shall not qualify.” You must provide proof of earnings. 

I believe sales and earnings are part of the definition of published. For me, it’s not enough to just see my book online or hold one in my hand. So $1,000 on a single book with no requirements to keep publishing and earning isn’t that high. Others may disagree.

Novelists. Inc., which has around 800 members, has these options on their membership application:
“I have published at least two novels over 50,000 words with a traditional, royalty-paying publisher, with an advance of at least $2000 each, or with royalty earnings over $2000 each in a 12-month period.”

“I have independently published at least two novels over 50,000 words, with earnings of at least $5000 each in a 12-month period (proof of earnings will be requested).”

Note that self-published authors are held to a much higher standard. Hmm. 

What do you think “published” means?

5 Tips to Prevent Social Media Online Overwhelm

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Whether I’m wearing my author, reader or actor hat, the amount of online information and sources for that information are overwhelming.

Yet so much valuable material is shared, including:

  • casting notices-some of which are taken down as soon as enough submissions are received 
  • writing, marketing and social media tips in Facebook groups and articles/posts
  • specific projects editors/agents are looking for right now
  • info about writing conferences and contests

I don’t want to miss anything I might need, but I also don’t want to be one of those people always checking/online instead of getting things done. So how do we get the info we need in the most time-effective manner?

1) Only check some things certain times of the day. And/or set a time limit. There are apps for this, or you exercise self-discipline.

2) Take advantage of custom notifications. I have different email accounts for different purposes: one personal, one for acting, one for writing, one for shopping and one for miscellaneous things. Each account has a different notification (the shopping one is silent!), so I only have to stop what I’m doing and check if I hear certain sounds.

I also have Facebook notifications for all groups I really care about, and check notifications every hour or so to see if there’s anything I need to pursue.

Your phone can be distracting, too. I also have custom ring tones for certain friends and one for talent agencies (“Popular” from Wicked). The only downside is I don’t have all clients and obviously potential clients in my phone, and sometimes agents use other numbers. So when I hear the default ringtone, I often check rather than wait to see if someone leaves a message.

3) Focus on one or two social media outlets you like best and find their shortcuts. For example, I use lists on Twitter (casting, authors, publishing, etc.) and favorites on Facebook. This takes a bit of time to set up, but will save time going forward.

4) Skim and skedaddle. You don’t have to read every word of every post. Learn to skim for highlights and to skedaddle as soon as you realize something isn’t as important or interesting as you thought it would be.

5) Respond efficiently. While you want to be careful what you post (as we keep hearing, the Internet lives forever), keep track of how long you spend on each comment or post. See if you can trim that time.

If you have other tips, please share!

The power of “Yes, and….”

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I’m a pantser, not a plotter, which means I don’t write an outline or synopsis (summary of the entire story) before I write the pages. I start with an idea, maybe asking a few “what if” or “what next” questions, then let the characters tell me what to write by seeing their world through their eyes.

Sometimes I do need to make decisions in advance. In my second release, FOLLOW YOUR HEART, the heroine Joanna is a glass-painter. I knew I had to have at least one scene in her workshop with other characters present so I could show her at work. But I didn’t know what would happen in those scenes or whose point of view they’d be in. 


Other times, things happen that I didn’t see coming–such as an event near the middle of FYH involving an antagonist. I was so surprised at a certain discovery that my jaw literally dropped. Instead of wondering how I was going to make that work because it took the story in a different direction, I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. I did step out of the scene for a bit o think how I could heighten the stakes even more. Once I figured that out, the characters were back in charge.  

Perhaps because I’ve had so much improv training (including Second City) and performance experience, I believe in following the rule of “Yes, and” when writing. This means that once something has been established in a scene, you can’t deny it or say no. You must agree with it and add something new. 

For example, if we were scene partners in an improv class or show and you said, “I’m so glad you’re my sister,” I couldn’t say, “No, I’m not. I’m your mother.” I could say, “Me, too. And being the oldest is the best.” This moves the scene forward by providing new information, which is a gift to your partner. 

This can be time-consuming at first if something happens that sends me off to do a lot more research, but I’m sharing the characters’ story.

I hope readers enjoy Joanna and Adrian’s story as much as I did writing it. 

Ruth’s Blog Hop Winners & Castles, Knights and Chivalry news

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Medieval Madness-Ruth’s Winners: Thanks to everyone who participated in the 11-author Medieval Madness Blog Hop August 2-8.

The three winners of my contest are: Amanda S., kaisquared and Linda. Congratulations! You’ll each win Castles, Knights and Chivalry, the Amazon Best Seller boxed set featuring my first medieval At His Command and medievals by Laurel O’Donnell, Elizabeth Rose and Kathryn Loch.

Please send your contact info to [email protected]. If I don’t hear from you by the 16th, I’ll see if I can find you. If I can’t, I’ll generate more random numbers to find new winners.

Castles, Knights and Chivalry News: I’m thrilled to report that CKC is currently:

Thanks to everyone who’s reading it or planning to. I hope you’ll let one of us know what you think, and/or post a review. 

Medieval Madness: participate in our multi-author blog hop to win prizes!

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Hello! Welcome to the Medieval Madness Multi-Author Hop! 

My featured book is FOLLOW YOUR HEART. She’s a stained glass painter struggling to save her workshop from ruin. He’s on a quest to restore his family estate. Passion makes their marriage of convenience inconvenient. 









Here’s how you can participate in Medieval Madness:

ENTER TO WIN A KINDLE FIRE H6: Visit all of our sites! See the banner to the right for instructions.

ENTER MY CONTEST: Leave a comment on this post about why you love to read medievals. Three commenters will receive Castles, Knights and Chivalry. This boxed set of 4 medievals that released 8/1 features At His Command by me and books by Laurel O’Donnell, Elizabeth Rose and Kathryn Loch.

ENJOY OUR RECIPES: Here’s mine! I thought about including a medieval recipe from one of the great books I have about medieval food, but decided on this one instead.

Love chocolate? These easy cookies may not be the most attractive in the box, but they taste amazing. Let me know what you think!

Chocolate Nut Drop Cookies (Selma Weiss)
Melt in double boiler (my mom figured out you can microwave in a glass bowl):
1 can Eagle milk (I figured out you can use low fat or fat free)
1 1/2 c. chocolate chips
2 T butter

Mix in well:
1 C sifted all-purpose flour
1 1/2 C chopped nuts (I prefer walnuts)

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 12 minutes. Watch closely so bottoms don’t burn. Makes appx. 60 cookies.

FOR MORE INFO: Check out all of these medieval authors’ sites to learn about them and their books:

1) Elizabeth Rose            2) Laurel O’Donnell
5) April Holthaus           6) Emma Prince
7) Suzan Tisdale             8) Keira Montclair
9) Eliza Knight               10) Ruth Kaufman

11) Lana Williams


Thanks to Elizabeth Rose for arranging this event.

The .99 boxed set: trends in e-book pricing

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Several months ago, the prolific Laurel O’Donnell reached out via e-mail to invite me to join in a boxed set with her and two others, Elizabeth Rose and Kathryn Loch. The offer was quite flattering…they’ve all released many more books than I have (so far), and are bestsellers. I’m not…yet? Also, Laurel’s The Angel and the Prince is on my keeper shelf, so I was honored that she wanted one of my books sold with hers.

The process of putting the set together was easier than I’d expected. Fortunately her talented husband did all of the formatting, so the only expense was the set’s cover.

We needed to decide on the title, pricing and release date. And how much promotion we were willing to pay for. After tossing around some ideas, we agreed on Castles, Knights and Chivalry.

I struggled a bit with pricing. Many, many boxed sets are priced at .99 these days, and usually range from three to 10 full-length books. Amazon gives 35% royalties for .99 books, or approximately .09 per author per sale. Recently I saw a set with 11 books…for free!

I see both sides of the issue. On the one hand, it’s easier for readers to give unfamiliar or newer authors a chance if they’re part of a low priced boxed set. Then, perhaps, they’ll go on to buy the author’s other books. On the other, what’s happening to the value of books? My contribution, At His Command, currently sells at $2.99, and has only been available since January. Would joining the box cannibalize individual book sales? The other three books have been available longer. Do e-books have limited shelf lives (pun intended) at a regular price (already significantly lower than their print counterparts) nowadays because so many new releases? As of this writing, Amazon show over 10,000 new romance releases…in the past 30 days, including just over 800 historical romances.

CKandC has been on preorder and officially releases August 1st. I’m thrilled to say it’s been climbing the Amazon’s Hot New Releases charts, currently #2 in Ancient World, #7 in Medieval, and #54 in all Historical Romance. Out of the top 100 Historical Romance Hot New Releases at the moment, only seven are boxed sets. In terms of sales, we’re at

We’ll be doing a small amount of promotion in addition to Facebook and Twitter. How will the set do? Many have become bestsellers, so there’s that dream….Stay tuned!

Best intentions vs. pushing yourself

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Yes, I really want to finish revisions on book #3 so I can release it. And I want to move on to my next trilogy (or series) and perhaps contemporaries, too. Despite my best intentions, I’ve been getting “must” tasks done, and simply running out of brain space for “really want” tasks. Or should I push myself harder to get more done faster?

This has been a feast week as far as acting is concerned (for which I’m grateful, owing to recent weeks of relative famine). I drove to Grand Rapids (3+ hours) and back on Saturday for a role in the indie feature, WIND. I had an on-camera audition Sunday, two at different casting agencies on Monday, plus several VO auditions throughout the week. I don’t do much extra work any more, but I’d heard that a great director was filming another movie here…and I was able to work on that Tuesday. I’m getting coaching for a play audition next week and needed to start learning those lines. Plus I’m taking a class and have two scripts to prepare..and a casting director will be attending our “audition.” And I got the proofs of my new headshots, some of which needed to be disseminated to my agents and casting sites.

Meanwhile, I needed to spend a bit of time promoting my current books, because Follow Your Heart received a great Publishers Weekly review, and Castles, Knights & Chivalry, the boxed set At His Command is in, is doing well on the Hot New Releases lists. And I’ve received several projects from a new freelance writing client, and must meet those deadlines.

All of this elucidates a key difference between an indie and a traditionally published author. If I had a contract and an editor (and agent, perhaps) expecting my next book, I’d have to find a way to fit in more fiction writing, no matter how tired I was, how much other work I had to do or how much I wanted to take a night off for a social event. On the one hand, there’s no external pressure to produce. On the other, it’s all on me to make new books a priority.

Maybe I should go on a writer’s retreat!

Book promotion — what works, what doesn’t?

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Since releasing AT HIS COMMAND in January and FOLLOW YOUR HEART in April, I confess to a-throw-spaghetti-at-the-wall-to-see-what-sticks-like effort at promotion and marketing. I’d guest blog here, submit for a review there, take out a listing in what my research said was one of the best book promotion email/websites, buy an ad, submit for a review.

I may work with a PR/marketing firm in the future, but because of cost and things I’ve heard I haven’t yet. Such as: some don’t take self-published authors, many require monthly retainers, others promise results that don’t sound or weren’t attainable (based on friends’ reports). I also didn’t want to make the time to research recommendations, in part because, as with a lot of promo, what works for one author may not work for another.

My time and energy has value, too. So before I release medieval #3 in the fall, I wanted to assess what has worked for me so far.

1) Goodreads giveaways, like the one I’m running now. Hundreds sign up during the month (it went live last night and already 140 people have registered, I select the number of winners of a paperback book. For a month of visibility in the giveaways, all it costs is the purchase and mailing cost of the books. I know that hundreds of readers are now at least aware of my book. I may also gain new adds to “To Read,” readers, reviews and even sales in the process.

Goodreads Giveaway

Passion makes their marriage of convenience inconvenient….

Follow Your Heart by Ruth Kaufman

   Follow Your Heart

   by Ruth Kaufman

 Giveaway ends August 14, 2015.

 See the giveaway details
  at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

2) A Kindle Countdown Deal. Lower your price while retaining royalty rates and have a countdown on your book page. It took some doing to set up the KDC and coordinate listings with promo tools such as Ereader News Today (known as ENT) and several others. My goal was to earn back what I spent. And I did.

3) Facebook. Not Facebook ads or “boost this post,”…though I got sucked in to trying a few. No visible results and very few clicks.

What hasn’t worked as well as I’d thought it would:
1) Twitter. I’ve been fortunate to have blog posts and all kinds of things retweeted many times, including one blog post with a potential reach of over 200,000, but I haven’t been able to discern any sales increase. Perhaps the tweets could have had fewer hashtags and more content. Were those who saw them uninterested in my genre?

Of course, we can’t measure the cumulative effect is of getting our books, reviews, and info about ourselves out there. I believe everything helps in the long run, but managing time and money spent on effective marketing/promo is more important.

2) My first Amazon Giveaway. I reviewed the process and settings and read a couple of articles. I decided to offer 1 printed copy of FYH to the 100th, 200th and 300th person who signed up. And assumed it’d be out there at least a week. Nope. Within a few hours, the books were gone, at a cost of around $50. So, yes, more than 300 people now know of my book. Three will receive a copy. But a few hours, IMO, wasn’t enough exposure. I’d set the parameters much higher if I did another.

What works/doesn’t for you as a reader? As an author?

10 Feelancer Motivation Tips

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(No, feelancer isn’t a typo. The word freelancer, IMO, implies that the Gainfully Unemployed are willing to work without recompense. So I prefer feelancer.)

Some days being a feelancer is the most enjoyable career. I work the hours I want. There’s no boss breathing down my neck. On the other hand, there may not be a structure to my day. It’s all on me to get revisions done, complete the information form for my next book cover, write that article and submit for and/or record auditions. etc. So there are times when my motivation lags. Perhaps I’ve been super busy, or have a bunch of random things to do and feel scattered. Perhaps I feel the efforts I’m making are floating in the ether, with no responses or incoming opportunities. So why do more?

This morning was one of those times. I’m creating a list of motivation tips I hope will help me in the future, and you, too.

1) Increase your discipline. Sometimes you have to talk to yourself and remind yourself why you need to work.

2) Conversely, maybe you need to decrease the pressure you put on yourself for a bit. Accept that you’re simply unmotivated right this minute instead of trying to force better feelings. Maybe you need to take a walk among the flowers, as a Facebook friend suggested. And you may need to refill the well, even during prime work hours.

3) List every task you need to do, by when and prioritize. Then, as Nike says, Just Do It. Taking the first steps and getting started on something can be the catalyst to continue.

4) Get a pep talk. I asked Facebook friends to share how they maintain a positive attitude. And two close friends saw my post and called.

5) Focus on what you can do in the present moment. Don’t let things that didn’t work out in the past weigh you down.

6) Read or review The Artist’s Way, or other books/articles that enhance your perspective.

7) Keep your eye on the prize, as they say. What will be your reward: the satisfaction of completing a project or checking something off your list, or an actual reward?

8) Work with a friend so you both stay on task and have a sounding board. I’ve done this with several friends

9) Change your environment. Working from a coffee shop or anywhere that’s not my desk at home, even for a few hours, can freshen the process.

10) Instead of getting nothing done, take a short break. Run an errand or two, walk around the block. Sometimes the best ideas pop into your head when you’re not trying so hard.

Any other ideas? Which sounds best to you?