SPA Girls Podcast – EP120 – Should You Use a Pen Name?
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This week our topic is whether or not to use a pen name. Choosing the name to represent your writing career might seem like a simple decision, but there’s actually a whole host of things to think about when you consider what name to use – from marketing, to reader expectations and even cover dimensions – and it’s not just which name sounds the nicest.
Authors have always had pen names and in the Indie environment, it’s not uncommon for an author to be managing several. We discuss our own decisions regarding pen names, why we chose the names we did, and the things we had to think about before we made the final decision. From websites to domain names, choosing the right gender for your genre, and even a couple of rants from Shar thrown in for free, this is another thought-provoking episode.
Episodes 100 – 200 List
200 What we’ve learned so far…
199 Interview with Adam Croft – Mindset and Marketing
198 Find Your Sparkle – with Julie Schooler
197 Hack Your Muse – with Kelly McClymer
196 Public Speaking For Authors – with Alena Van Arendonk
195 The Magic Pill – with Laura Van Arendonk-Baugh
194 A Day In The Life Of A Writer
193 Keep It Simple
192 Interview with Skye Warren: Money Mindset and Facebook Ads
For Authors (Part Two)
191 Interview with Skye Warren: Time Management & Advertising
For Authors (Part One)
190 Dragon Wrangling with Scott Baker: secrets for
Successful dictation
189 Interview with Patricia McLinn: Writing by the seat of
Your pants
188 Interview with Morgana Best: Writing & Marketing
Cozy Mysteries
187 Interview with Geoff Symon: Wounds & Crime Scenes
186 Interview with Natasha Bajema, WMD for Authors
185 The Writer’s Detective with Adam Richardson
183 Facebook Advertising with Maria Luis ~ Part Two
182 Facebook Advertising with Maria Luis ~ Part One
181 Learn dictation with Kilby Blades
180 Interview with Brian Meeks, Mastering Book Descriptions
179 Interview with Tara Cremin, Kobo Writing Life
178 Interview with Larissa Reynolds – Newsletters Part Two
177 Interview with Larissa Reynolds – Newsletters Part One
175 Wrangling Facebook: How To Make It Work For You
174 How To Write A Regency Romance
173 How Do You Identify Your Writing Weaknesses?
172 Interview With Dan Wood, D2D
171 Interview With Serenity Woods
169 5 Goals You Need To Make In 2019
168 Jumpstart Your 2019 Marketing with 31 Quick To Dos for Jan.
167 Scheduling For Writing Success
166 Our 2018 Roundup
165 He Said, She Said: Creating Dazzling Dialogue
164 Interview with Steffanie Holmes: Reverse Harem
163 Interview with YA author Kelly St Clare
160 Amazon Excl v Wide – things to consider and how to market
159 Interview With Kathryn LeVeque
158 Some Like It Hot – Or Not. Heat Levels In Romance
157 Interview With Louisa George
156 The Kindness Factor: Helping You Achieve More and Stress Less
155 Editing
153 Characters: From Cookie Cutter to Kapow
152 Interview with Tina Dietz: Audiobooks
151 Interview with Grace Burrowes
150 Should You Prune Your Mailing List?
149 RWNZ18 Interview with Damon Suede & Geoff Symon
148 Interview with indie superstar, Bella Andre
147 Top Ten Traits for Success
146 Write Better Faster with Becca Syme
145 Newsletter Ninja Tammi LaBrecque
144 Looking After Your Creative Health
143 Interview with Carlyn Robertson from Bookbub
142 Personal Branding For Authors with Lauren Clemett
141 Ten Free Online Tools For Authors
140 Tempting Taglines & Heartstopping Hooks
139 Findaway Voices with Kelly Lytle
138 Get Your Writing Mojo Back
137 Interview with Toni Kenyon: facebook live & serials
136 Dealing with misinformation and change in Sp-ing
134 Interview with Kevin Tumlinson, Draft2Digital
133 Interview with Sara Rosett
132 Organization For Authors – how to keep track of your
research and book details without losing your mind
131 Interview with Ricardo Fayet of Reedsy
130 Critical Care: Leveraging feedback for success
129 Brand You
128 SAS Special: Interview with Johnny B. Truant & Sean Platt
127 Industry Insiders with Damon J. Courtney of Bookfunnel
& Christine Monroe of Kobo
126 SAS Debrief with Jami Albright
125 SAS Special: Interview with Michelle Spiva
124 SAS Special : Interview With Michael Anderle
123 Sports Psychology for Authors – Interview With Nate Vella
122 Using Sub Plots To Amp Up Your Writing
121 Interview with Scott King: Outlining Your Novel
120 Pen-names Pros, Cons and Possibilities
119 Reader Engagement with Nalini Singh
118 Writing the Small Town Setting
117 Handling Negativity and Naysayers
116 Tough Mindset Questions For 2018
115 Interview With Nicola Davidson: Sex and Sensibility
114 Tropealicious
112 Interview With Honoree Corder & Ben Hale: Write Like A Boss
111 Ten Health Hacks For Writers
110 Interview with Kathryn Burnett: Your Writing Audit For Future Success
109 Interview with Melissa Storm: What Readers Want
108 Interview With Zoe Dawson: Writing Across Genres
107 Interview With Dave Chesson, The Keyword King
106 Pros and Cons of Kindle Unlimited
105 Why YOU should do Nanowrimo
104 Ten Truths For New Self Publishers
103 Find 30 Minutes A Day EXTRA!
102 Your Christmas Presence: Maximizing the Holiday Season for Authors
101 The Writing Life: Interview with Katie Cross
100 100 Episodes! Retrospective with funny moments; changing AO title
SPA Girls Podcast – EP301 – 50 Shades Of Writing: Does Size Matter?
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Conventional wisdom says ‘bigger is better’ for books, but is that really true? In this episode, we discuss what different word counts and book sizes mean for successful publishers today, how you can use different sizes to your advantage, and how to find your sweet spot. The Right Size isn’t a black and white thing – in fact, there are 50 shades of writing (size) to embrace!
There is NO ONE RULE for word counts:
Example: The Romance Writers of America defines a novella as 20,000 to 40,000 words and a novel as a work of fiction of 40,000 words or more as determined by computer word count.
The Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America organization defines:
Short Story: less than 7,500 words;
Novelette: at least 7,500 words but less than 17,500 words;
Novella: at least 17,500 words but less than 40,000 words
Novel: 40,000 words or more.
Bookbub current rule for word count needed for a featured deal:
A full-length book. Novels and collections of short stories or novellas should be at least 150 pages in length, works of nonfiction at least 100 pages, cookbooks at least 70 pages, middle-grade books at least 100 pages, and children’s picture books at least 20 pages. We currently do not feature stand-alone novellas or short stories.”
Uses of shorter fiction:
Short stories can be published on their own or used to create anthologies
They can be used as newsletter subscription lures
READER EXPECTATION is the key to what word count you should aim for
Romance readers (generally) expect a full novel to be 50,000 to 80,000 words; however, there are some popular niches such as sexy shifter romance telling the story in a shorter word count eg 35,000.
Thrillers and suspense normally are 60,000 – 90,000
Epic fantasy can have 120,000 words +
Cozy mysteries tend to 40,000 to 60,000
Serialized fiction tends to be around 700 – 2000 words per episode
The new Kindle Vella program states “between 600-5,000 words”
IT”S NOT SET IN STONE and TRENDS DO CHANGE
Advantage if you’re publishing exclusively with Amazon and in the Kindle Unlimited program is to have a longer word count. More pages = more $
Want more of the SPA Girls?
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Regency Underwear
Young women of the Regency era were luckier than their Georgian and Victorian sisters who lived with the constriction of boned corsets to enhance their unnaturally small waists, and correct posture. The ‘natural Female form’ influenced fashionistas in the Regency era, much to the relief (I should imagine) of the women who lived in this time.
Ancient Greece was in vogue, and as such, the minimalist approach was in. Column dresses with a delicate ruffle, rather than being swamped in yards of fabric, and thick uncomfortable lace. Waists were high, (just under the bust) hoops were gone, and petticoats reduced. Skirts fell in a long straight line to the floor.
Of course it was still important to wear a support garment, however the change in style dictated a shorter corset. Gone was the heaving bosom style, once so popular that went from bust to hip, hooked at the front and laced at the back, with shoulder straps to help keep the sleeves of a dress in place. In it’s place was a corset that could be worn separately, and in some cases used as the dress itself. It was worn over a chemise. Stoc
kings were knee or thigh high, and held in place with garters. In earlier years, petticoats and panniers would be worn over the top, but this changed in the Regency era, and the petticoats were down to just one layer, and only if necessary.
Chemise – this was cotton or linen (easily washed unlike the dresses). Worn next to the skin. Usually short sleeved, with a loose drawstring neck.
Stays (corset)– worn over the top of the chemise for cleanliness. Without this a woman could look flat-chested, as often the gowns had little tailoring to enhance the figure. Could be fastened front or back.
Petticoat – These were often hemmed with lace, so if seen, along with a well turned out ankle, the lace was on show.
Stockings – Tied at the thigh or knee and made from cotton, silk, or wool. Held in place with garters that tied, buckled, or hooked.
Drawers/pantaloons – Until 1806 women wore no drawers! (scandalous) They came to just below the knee, but were not worn by everyone and often the wearer was thought fast!
Men’s underwear
Men in the Regency era had their own selection of underwear. The undershirt was a relatively new thing, as were men’s drawers. Before this, men simply tucked the long tails of their shirts into their pants. When drawers arrived they were like shorts with a drawstring and flaps that buttoned at the front, and tied below the knee. Often men still went commando rather than having this cumbersome garment under their trousers. Wool or cotton stockings completed the men’s wardrobe, and sometimes he would wear cotton stockings under his silk ones to reduce the appearance of hair.
Learn more about Wendy’s historical romances here
The First 100 Episodes List
Because some podcast apps only list the most recent two years worth of podcast episodes, we’ve listed below our Famous First 100 Episodes. From our rather rough start, we’ve enjoyed every minute of the journey and hope you enjoy listening! Thanks for all your support, Shar, Wendy, Cher and Trudi xx
2017
100 100 Episodes! Retrospective because OMG we can’t believe we made it to 100!
99 Automation for Authors: Interview with Arianna Golden
97 Interview with Shayne Silvers
96 Never Give Up: Interview With Christie Craig
95 Amazon Ads For Authors With Brian Meeks
94 Take Your Marketing To The Next Level with Monica Leonelle
93 RWA2017 Special Interview with Roxanne St Claire
92 RWA2017 Special Interview with Mark Dawson
90 Author Overwhelm Book Launch!
89 Inside The SPA: Why Spa Girls? Why Podcast? Why We want to help authors
88 Your Core Authors Values & Mission Statement
84 Amazon Also Boughts, Algorithms and Author Rankings
82 The Black Moment – with author Rachel Bailey
81 Interview with debut author Jami Albright
80 Mythbusting
79 Dialogue
78 Endings
77 Beginnings
76 First quarter recap and recalibration
75 Writing a Kick-butt Book Blurb with Glenna Mageau
73 Zhushing Up Your Amazon Author Page
71 10 Marketing Tips For Beginners
70 Productivity Hacks for Writers
69 Top Ten Romance Novels of All Time
67 Common Writing Mistakes and How to Fix Them
66 The Book of Your Heart Vs Writing to Market
2016
63 Interview with screenwriter Kathryn Burnett
62 Christmas 2016 Special Episode
60 Interview with editor Olivia Ventura
59 Answering Listener Questions
57 Dealing With Distractions At Christmas
56 Top Ten Mistakes Self Publishers Make
55 Launching a Non-Fiction Book
54 Writing Advice From the Trenches
53 How to Do a Successful Book Launch
52 Interview with Kelly McClymer
51 Characters Your Readers Will Love
50 Celebrating a Half-Century of Episodes
49 Interview with author Tracey Alvarez
48 Interview with author Steffanie Holmes
BONUS 2016 RWNZ Conference: Insights from Michael Hauge, Heather Graham et al
45 2016 RWNZ Conference Indepth
44 Conference episode with Leeanna Morgan
BONUS BONUS EPISODE – Trudi Jaye and Talia Hunter at RWA 2016
43 Great Covers And How To Get One
42 Surviving Writers Conferences
41 Content For Your Facebook Page
36 Help! What Do I Write in My Newsletter?!
33 Getting Your Newsletter Started
31 Self-Editing for Self-Publishers
29 The Ingredients For a Delicious Novel
25 All About Amazon (Part Two)
24 All About Amazon (Part One)
23 Dealing with Author Overwhelm
22 Pre-Publication Checklist (Part Two)
21 Pre-Publication Checklist (Part One)
18 The Right Mental Attitude for Self Publishing
16 Where Will You Self Publish?
2015
13 Author Interview with Cheryl Phipps
9 Interview With Author Toni Kenyon
7 Overview Of The Self-Publishing Process
6 Successful Self-Publishers’ Challenge
