SPA Girls Podcast – EP019 – Interview with Trudi Jaye
Jan25

SPA Girls Podcast – EP019 – Interview with Trudi Jaye

facemaskThis week we’re up to episode 19, and it’s an interview with paranormal romance author Trudi Jaye, yet another member of the SPA Girls.

Trudi Jaye published the first book in her Magic Carnival series in 2014, and now has five books out, the latest in December 2015. Before she was an author, she worked as a journalist, writing about a range of topics from big data and artificial intelligence, to movies, television and even chainsaws and hardware.

Trudi has wanted to be a writer since she was very young. Over time it became apparent that she needed to choose between a love of photography and her writing. (We know how that turned out)

With a wide and varied resume Trudi has been – an exchange student in Denmark, lived and worked in a castle and also a pub in Scotland, worked in London as a live in assistant and been a camp counsellor in USA.

With an Honours degree in Political Science achieved and her overseas experience finished Trudi returned to New Zealand and became an editorial assistant. This made her very detail orientated as she was editing blurbs for TV programs. After two years she became the official writer for this.

Moving on to writing for a variety of magazines Trudi eventually became an editor, but quit when she realised she preferred the actual writing to editing.

Trudi began searching for groups looking for support for her passion and eventually joined RWNZ (Romance Writers of New Zealand), which is where she found the rest of the spa girls and other like-minded friends.

When she was younger she felt embarrassed to be seen reading romances so finding RWNZ was a revelation that so many people not only love these stories but write and publish them with or without agents and publishing houses.

Several years ago she was a freelance writer but when she had her daughter, Zoey, she began part-time work as a magazine writer for a tertiary institution.

Trudi Published her first book Ringmaster in May 2014. Her genre is paranormal romance and urban fantasy because she loves world building, supernatural and the mystique of paranormal. Since that first book Trudi has published another 5 books including a boxed set which all belong to the same series.

She has also written and epic fantasy which has yet to be published which is 140 pages long!

Trudi found her niche when she watched the MTV awards with a dark carnival theme and this appealed, especially after seeing an old episode fantasy Island where people got wishes granted but not in an expected way. Mashing the two ideas was how she created her magical carnival.

Self Publishing

Why self-publish? It was something Trudi has wanted to do for a very long time. Having tried the traditional route by querying agents and publishers Trudi realised that she doesn’t like the idea of being judged by anyone other than her readers and likes the control it gives her – to write what she wants on her own schedule.

It is a lot harder than she thought it would be as she is impatient, but she believes that you have to put the hard work in and follow the processes to get the desired outcome.

In the last few months Trudi has done a lot of work on building her platform by doing courses to upskill as a publisher. Growing her mailing list, advertising on Facebook and Twitter as well as joining a few forums were top of her to do list. Being a member of the Spa Girls has helped and she is always on the lookout for new ways and processes to do things.

Trudi publishes direct where possible. In New Zealand there are platforms we are not able to upload to. Initially she only used Amazon KDP select because it was too daunting to upload to others. Over time she began to use all the other platforms – Amazon, ibooks and Kobo direct and others through D2D (Draft 2 Digital). Trudi has a philosophy now of not wanting to put her books on one platform as she doesn’t like the singular control.

Other Tools

Trudi writes and loves working in scrivener. After the first draft she takes it out and puts into word. Formatting is done in Legend Maker because she has a mac computer. She also uses create space to have POD (Print on demand) available.

Trudi is a proponent of the Pomodoro method and does 1000 words in 25 minutes – 2000 words in an hour.

The Future

Trudi is looking at another 3 books in the carnival series but has a new series in the works and another YA series planned out. She really enjoys writing – thinking up new ideas – and doesn’t find it a struggle in general, apart from the editing.

She is also looking for ways to stay healthy by doing Karate and walking, and not wanting to be desk bound learning is in the process of learning a dictation program, which should also help with word count.

Advice

Treat fans as if they are your friends. Reply promptly and help them in any way you can.

Links

Trudi Jaye.com

https://twitter.com/TrudiJaye

 

 

 

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SPA Girls Podcast – EP018 – The Right Mental Attitude for Self Publishing
Jan18

SPA Girls Podcast – EP018 – The Right Mental Attitude for Self Publishing

Self Publishing Authors Podcast Welcome to the 18th episode of the SPA Girls Podcast. This week we delve into the fascinating topic of the mental attitude you’ll need to succeed as a self-publisher. It’s not a matter of just posting your book up on Amazon and waiting for the money to roll in… You’ll need a few things like grit and determination to see you through to the end result that you’re aiming for.

We talk about the things we love about self-publishing, and the things we find difficult, plus a few of the coping mechanisms that we use to keep ourselves sane… Don’t miss out on the fun, listen today!

Mindset of a self-published author – how can you prepare yourself?

Challenges

-It’s a risk jumping into this world, you won’t have the security of a steady income immediately. There is no sick pay and no one will finance your summer break.

-Upskilling can be daunting, and learning new technology in a changing landscape is always challenging. You need to become your own publishing house and it can be scary!

-Being disciplined. You need to almost have a split personality. The creative hat and the business hat, and you need to find time in your day for both.

-Fear of failure. Is my book good enough? Will anyone buy it?

Don’t let the challenges overwhelm you! Break each thing down and tackle one at a time.

-YouTube is your friend!

Remember that its humor nature to hate change, but we, as self-publishers need to embrace it. Advancement means the tools of our industry are always evolving.

 

 What tools can you use to keep your mindset positive?

-Ask for help, there is a big community out there online and some wonderful people more than willing to offer advice.

-Build your community like we discussed in previous podcasts.

-Learn what motivates you, because no one else will get you to your keyboard every day.

-Think positively. Focus on your goals and the future. Read and listen to things that lift your mood, and spend time with people who don’t suck the life out of you.

-If things get on top of you, then get away from your computer and take five. Listen to music, stretch, go for a walk, or as Shar does, stick your hands in compost (ewww). Do something to change your mindset.

-Self-doubt is infectious, find a way to see those signs in yourself, and take steps to refocus your mind. If meditation works for you then do it. If you need a mantra then write one, that’s what we do right…write!

-As writers, we’re quite a sensitive bunch, and spend a lot of time in our heads, understand when need a break.

-Writing is a solitary occupation and can be lonely, so find your tribe!

-Be flexible, things change, so roll with it!

-Set your goals and when you reach them, give yourself a pat on the back.

-Have some hobbies that distance you from writings.

-Remember to focus on what needs to be done, try not to get off task, because that can be hard at the end of the day when you realize you haven’t achieved what you wanted.

-Your mind is a powerful thing, channel it!

-Remember that things are changing and roll with it. We’re pioneers, the new breed of Writers and it’s awesome to be part of this ever changing self-publishing world.

-Remember that we have the power to write for ourselves, because we are in control.

-Look after yourself, you’re in this for the long haul, so take care of your biggest asset…you.

 

 Links

The Naked Truth about Self-publishing

https://www.headspace.com/

 

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SPA Girls Podcast – EP017 – Setting Goals for Success
Jan12

SPA Girls Podcast – EP017 – Setting Goals for Success

towel

Thanks for joining us for episode number seventeen! We’re at the time of the year where we like to set some goals, and we decided to sit down and discuss how we do it; things like the kind of goals we like to set, how many we set, and the what we’ve done to make our goals work for us.

It’s a great episode, even if we are a little doo-lally from being on holidays here in sunny New Zealand… 🙂

If you’ve been thinking about setting goals for your author business, now’s a perfect time to start. There’s power in writing things down, as we all know…

And don’t forget that if you want to share your goals with us, head on over to the Facebook page and let us know what they are! We can help each other keep a track of them…

Goal Setting

You need to have a vision before setting your goals. What are you trying to achieve? When you have worked out that, you can set the goals to reach your vision. It’s the bigger picture!!

Remember that everyone is different, so goal setting is personal and needs to be done in a way that works for you. Here are a few examples that the SPA Girls use.

Write your goals down and put them on the wall, or attached to mirrors so you are constantly reminded.

Write a list of goals then prioritize them, or color code them, and then transfer them to your daily calendar.

Doing a collage of your goals.

Get a goal setting book, there are plenty out there.

Set your goals with a friend, and you can be accountable to each other.

Be SMART About Your Goal Setting

SSpecific, be as specific as you can be when setting your goals. Don’t make them vague.

MMeasurable, in order to tell how well you did on achieving your goals, you need to have a way to measure them. This also helps with accountability.

 A – Achievable, make your goals achievable and something you are capable of doing. If they’re too hard, then chances are you won’t reach them. Believing is 90 percent of achieving.

R- Realistic, this also goes along with your goals being achievable. It’s about what’s realistic to you. It doesn’t matter what other writers want to accomplish. If you don’t believe you can make it happen, you won’t. So choose goals that are realistic to you.

T-Timed, setting a time limit on a goal (such as the end of 2016) is the only way you can really measure and find out how well you did with reaching it. The problem with setting a year-long goal, however, is you won’t see results right away, which could eventually make you want to quit. Remedy this by breaking down larger projects/goals into smaller goals so you can achieve little things more frequently throughout the year, and get closer to your vision.

 

Remember to set goals that help rather than hinder you.

Remember, goals change during the year, other factors need to be considered. Refocus, adjust, and move on.

Remember to reward yourself when you achieve your goals.

Remember to set positive and not negative goals.

Remember to set goals that you can control. Making bestseller lists is not something you can control. You cannot manipulate how many books you will sell.

Remember to reward yourself when you reach your goals, even if it’s a simple as a happy dance.

Everyone is different, so do what is right for you.

Motivation – what will drive you forward to reach your goal?

 

Links

http://betterwritinghabits.com/5-simple-steps-to-setting-smart-writing-goals/

http://www.amazon.com/The-12-Week-Year-Others/dp/1118509234

http://www.marketyourcreativity.com/about-lisa-jacobs/

 

 

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SPA Girls Podcast – EP016 – Where Will You Self Publish?
Jan04

SPA Girls Podcast – EP016 – Where Will You Self Publish?

SPA GirlsWelcome to episode 16 of the SPA Girls podcast. I hope the new year is treating you well, and you’re excited and motivated to make this year your best one yet! In this episode we talk about a few of the different sites where you can put up your books once they’re finished and ready to go.

There are the distributors, such as Amazon, Kobo, iBooks and others, basically retail sites where readers can purchase and download your books.

The other option is an aggregator like Smashwords or Draft2Digital, where you can upload your completed novel once, and then let them put them out to all the different retails sites – in exchange for a percentage of your income.

We introduce you to each of the main players, we talk about the pros and cons of the different types of distributors and aggregators, and what you need to watch out for when deciding who to use.

Digital Storefronts

Amazon

Amazon have given us a wonderful opportunity to be in the business of self-publishing and they have a lot to offer as they still have the lion’s share of the market. With Amazon comes the choice to go exclusive and there are many thoughts on this subject.

Wendy has all of her books on Amazon like Trudi and Cheryl but some of hers are only on Amazon. The platform for this is called KDP select and also can include KU (Kindle Unlimited). Customers purchase KU as a monthly fee and can download as many books as they like. Amazon will then pay an author per page read. KDP select has a 90-day exclusivity sign on program so you are not locked in to exclusivity for life but sign up again with just a tick.

We have found it very easy to not only load but to keep up to date with sales and payments.

Amazon has many sites worldwide and you can potentially belong to all of these depending on where you live in the world. New Zealanders have a little difficulty at times with some sites.

Kobo – A company started in Canada and distribute to over 60 countries.

Ibooks – You need an apple mac computer to access this site otherwise you can do this through an aggregator or perhaps find a work around if you feel this is for you. The way apple is headed ensures that there will be stiff competition for Amazon in the future.

Barnes & Noble – Nook – Need an aggregator unless you are in USA.

All romance e-books – Not particularly friendly or easy to access.

Your own web site – Doable but not recommended when starting out as it can be tricky.

Aggregator

An aggregator will take a percentage of your income to put your books on the sites they offer. Some people don’t like to pay the fee that this incurs but for others the cost can be offset by the stress and time saved by having someone else do it for you.

To access some of these sites, like Tolino, you must use an aggregator such as Smashwords or D2D. You can do the others yourself or do a combination of distributors an aggregator.

Smashwords – Will send to Apple, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo.

D2D – Pay more regularly than any of the others through PayPal. Easy site (Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Tolino, ibooks, Amazon, Inktera, Scribd, Oyster (about to be canned), 24 Symbols.

D2D also have Create Space. A program which enables you to produce print on demand books.

Depending on the site it can take 24 hours to a few days to be loaded.

There is bound to be trial and error as you navigate the wonderful world of self -publishing. It’s a whole you new world and really incredible to be able to do this directly. Just remember that the beauty of all of these sites is that even after publishing it’s easy to make adjustments and changes, including covers. And, let’s not forget that incredible buzz when you first push the button.

Try not to stress at wanting to do it all at once. Try doing one a day, week or even a month until you have found your way.

 

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