Reading Update and Publishing Decisions

What do you do when a series isn’t selling? I have six books in my vampire series. The latest was released on April 1 to lackluster sales. I started advertising on Amazon (took a class in April that showed me how to create low bid ads). Sales have increased on book 1 (yay!), but unfortunately I’m spending more than I’m bringing in. It’s not a huge loss ($20-30/month), but not exactly the profit I had hoped for.

I was told that my series is probably perfect for Kindle Unlimited (vampire romance does well there, I guess). But I would make less per book based on what they pay for pages read vs the royalties I get on the selling price. Of course, I have to SELL the books, right?

I’m really wondering whether I should even bother writing more books in this series. If I decide to stop, then it might not matter if they’re sold wide. Right? Luckily, this isn’t a decision I need to make anytime soon. And I may wait at least until the last book has been out a year. If my advertising loss becomes too pricy, I can always stop the ads. Right now I’m still acting on hope. Hope that the series takes off. Thing is, it takes time to get recognized. And I have to advertise to get recognized.

This publishing business sure can be frustrating.

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book #28

Dates read: July 12-19
Title: Cut and Run
Year of publication: 2020
Author: Allison Brennan
Genre: Suspense
Series: Lucy Kincaid #16
# of Pages: 432
Paper or plastic: Mass market paperback
How obtained: Purchased
Blurb from Book:. FBI Agent Lucy Kincaid is dead-set on solving a cold case—even if the original investigators stonewall her every step of the way. A violent storm has uncovered the remains of a family that authorities assumed fled the country years ago to avoid prosecution. But the boy of the youngest Albright son never turned up. If the child is dead, why wasn’t his body found with his parents? If he’s alive, where has he been…and what does he know? Now Lucy and her partner Nate must reconstruct an old crime to find a missing child in the present day.
    Meanwhile, investigative reporter Maxine Revere is called to San Antonio. A confessed killer of a young woman named Victoria has recanted his statement, which opens the door to a whole new world of secrets and betrayal. Max hires Sean Rogan, Lucy’s husband and seasoned PI, to help. The discovery that Victoria might be connected to the Albright family leads Max, Sean, and Lucy to the darkest corridors of corporate crime. But how can they untangle their complex web to find justice for the victims…and the killer in their midst?
My thoughts: This series is beyond being romantic suspense (but it is how Lucy and Sean started). Doesn’t matter much to me, though. I enjoy these characters so much.

It’s probably a good thing I stalled on writing the 7^th book in the vampire series. But I really need to work on something new (besides revising the next ghost book). Yesterday I might have gotten an idea for another ghost book. But I really need to get book 3 in the ghost series done and published. Apparently my ghost series is selling better than my vampire series. See? There’s still hope I’ll make a profit at this gig!

So... What are you reading? Anything good?

Happy Reading!

Stacy

The Trouble With Series

Authors are a tricky bunch. Especially when it comes to series. I should know. I write them.

Still…

I was all set to read the latest Lucy Kincaid (LK) story (by Allison Brennan). I love this series and #13 had just been released last month. But then I remembered she had some novellas out and a crossover book from her Max Revere (MR) series, a series I’m also reading. The problem is…

I only buy the paperbacks and MR starts out in hardback, so I’m two books behind in reading and a book behind in buying.

Now, I have nothing against buying hardbacks when I have the rest of the author’s books that way, but to switch in the middle... yeah, I don’t like that. Don’t mess with my bookcase!

I also don’t like that the novellas only came out in e-book, but there’s nothing I can do about that except maybe grumble a lot.

I do like to grumble a lot, don’t I?

So instead of reading LK #13, I’m reading MR #3, then will read the two novellas (one for LK the other for MR—they’re in the same e-book) and MR #4 (the crossover). But the paperback for #4 isn’t released until May and I don’t want to wait until May to read LK #13! So I may just have to get MR #4 at the library. Doesn’t mean I won’t buy the paperback, because I will. I still want the book.

And now you’re probably wondering why I just don’t skip over all the MR series and just read the LK series. Why would it matter? Because the crossover story focuses on a huge event that happened in Lucy Kincaid’s past. I can’t imagine it won’t be mentioned or affect Lucy in some way or form and I really don’t want to be spoiled, ya know?

I guess the good thing about all this is that I know the next 4 books to read. Sometimes it’s a struggle to decide which one to pick up next.

So… Are you as crazy as I am when it comes to reading series? Or does reading out of order not bother you? To me, reading out of order is like reading the end of the book first. I won’t do that either.

Happy Friday!

Stacy

P.S. Today is the first of my dad’s birthdays that he’s not around. He would have been 93. Even though we lived 2300 miles apart for many decades, I still miss him.

 

Another 13 and DVD Series I Own

Hey, look at that. It’s my 13th post of the month and Monday is August. Awesome. Another month with 13 posts. Now, August has 14 M-W-Fs, so I’ll have to miss one if I want to keep that goal…

Oh, lookee there—I’ll be at a convention on Friday the 12th, a perfect day to miss. I love the way this is working out!

Hubby and I have watched all the shows we recorded on the DVR. I still have to watch Gotham with my daughter, though. Before Dragon Con. Hopefully soon. We’re running out of time!

Anyway… Now that we’re done with the DVR, we’re now watching DVDs of series. Hubby picked Big Bang Theory (we’re on Season 5). He wanted to watch something that we’d get through quick, especially since the Olympics start up soon and we tend to watch that. BBT isn’t my favorite, but I can tolerate it. Otherwise, I’d tell him to watch it on his own.

I know you’re asking: What other DVD series do we have to watch? Right now we’re alternating between BBT, Bones, Castle, and NCIS. I’m watching American Horror Story with my son (I don’t have them all yet) and Hubby and I are watching Batman (Adam West) with him, too. We have yet to start on Cosby, The Dick Van Dyke Show (probably watch this with the son), Lost, The Monkees (probably watch this with the son, too), The Partridge Family, Rizzoli & Isles, True Blood (only own the first 5 seasons so far, which Hubby won’t watch), and WKRP in Cincinnati. We’ve already watched Alias, Friends, Get Smart, Home Improvement, Moonlighting, Star Trek (OS), Star Trek (TNG), and Veronica Mars. I started season 1 of Will and Grace and have season 2, but I doubt I’ll ever finish it. That series never really was a favorite of mine and it was a gift.

Whew! Think we have enough? Problem is, I keep finding series I want (like Dark Shadows)! And I’m borrowing from my daughter (Roswell and eventually The X Files).  I know. I need to seek help, huh?

But I’m good. I don’t watch during the day. I save that for writing. And social media-ing. Although I should probably cut some of the social media-ing. But once I’m on Facebook or looking at blogs, I’m hooked. Ugh.

On Monday I should have some pictures to share. I hope anyway. Of what, you ask? Well, you’ll just have to come back and find out, won’t you? J

So… Any of my TV series you wouldn’t mind owning? Do you like watching DVDs of series? If I weren’t so impatient, I’d just wait for the series to come out on DVD and watch it then. No commercials!! No zipping through commercials!! But I’m not that patient. Yet. Although, you’d think I would be since it takes a while to watch them all. **sigh**

Have a great weekend!

Stacy

Books in Series

Does it seem like almost every book is part of a series? Well, except for maybe horror, it sure seems like it.

I don’t mind series, as long as each book has an individual story and it ends with that book. Then I go and read one that leaves me hanging, leaving me screaming for the next book, which I hungrily buy once it’s out. Some authors are so evil, it’s gotten where I won’t even consider reading the first book in the series unless I know the series has ended. Case in point: Richelle Mead. I loved her Vampire Academy series, really LOVED it, but thank GOODNESS I started it after the last book had been released. She would have driven me NUTS and is the number one reason why I haven’t started on her next series. Once that one has ended, THEN I’ll read it (and I really want to read it, but know better than to put myself through that).

It’s bad enough that television shows have cliff hangers at the end of the season. Do I really need it in my books? No, I do not.

Yet, I read series all the time. Currently: JR Ward (Black Dagger Brotherhood AND Fallen Angels), Lynsay Sands (Argeneau Vampires), Kerrelyn Sparks (Love at Stake), Laurell K.Hamilton (Anita Blake), Charlaine Harris (Sookie Stackhouse), Allison Brennan (Lucy Kincaid), Tess Gerritsen (Rizzoli & Isles), and Darynda Jones (Charley Davidson), to name several. For the most part, the story is contained in these series. Usually. Of course, by now, I’m so engrossed in the series, it’s too late. They hooked me.

Before 2008 (and Twilight), I rarely read a series (Dark Tower series by Stephen King is the only one I can recall - which, by the way, frustrated me, too). I don’t know if it’s the new way of writing or if I was too absorbed in horror to notice (because before 2008, that’s about all I read).

Reminds me of when we moved to Ft. Monmouth, NJ in 1982. Bruce Springsteen was very popular there. I had never heard of him before. Was he popular because he was a hometown boy (Asbury Park is just down the road from the army post), or was he suddenly popular everywhere? I couldn’t tell!

Just as I can’t tell about book series. I’m sure they’ve been out there all along and I just haven’t noticed them until I started reading more.

Do you enjoy reading series? Do you like them leaving you hanging, having an overall story where you wonder if it will ever end? Or do you like it where each book is unique, each story begins and ends with that book?

J J J

By the way, I did chicken out on Friday night’s game. It was not only cold out (in the 40s), but windy, too. That pretty much decided it for me. I like going to a baseball game when it’s warm and I can enjoy sitting outside. Sort of how it was on Sunday. We made it to the 2:00 game and it was very nice out (70 degrees). Too bad the Dragons lost, though. Oh well, guess I can’t have everything (although I do try!!).

Have a good day!!

 

Stacy