In my first blog in the Writing Profession Series, I thought I would cover book authors. Most of the people reading this are probably aspiring authors, or authors already. So some of this information may be new, some not. Seeing that I am currently not published (ha!), I thought I would refer to some experts.
My guest(s) today are Best-Selling author Anna Campbell and Harlequin Presents author Maisey Yates. Both author's have graciously submitted a little bit of info about writing books. So without further ado here is Anna's blurb about being a book author:
I wanted to be a writer from a VERY young age – books seemed like glamorous, mysterious items to my childhood self. They still do, in a lot of ways! I spent a lot of time writing and not being published but I finally became a full-time writer when I was in my mid-40s. After all that time, it was a dream come true, as you can imagine. Of course, then I started on a huge learning curve. I thought once I received the validation of publication, the writing would get easier. If anything, it gets harder. You have expectations to meet when you’re published – when everything you write ends up under the bed, not so much. I had to learn to deal with deadlines and the way publishers work (revisions, galleys, ARCS, promotion, etc.) and how to self-promote. For a slow writer like me, there was also the difficulty of producing quality work quickly. For genre fiction, a book a year is probably about the minimum requirement. The hard work is definitely worth it – there are some wonderful perks of being published aside from the opportunity to get paid for telling my stories. Hearing from readers all over the world who have loved my books is wonderful and seeing my books on sale in bookshops is also pretty special. Being able to go to work in my pajamas is a nice treat as well!
Thanks Anna, for sharing the information. Pay attention readers, topics you should learn about: Revisions, galleys, ARCS, promotion.
Questions to ponder: Are you a slow writer?
Now on to Maisey, who's writing experiences are a little different than the standard book author.
Hi Landra, thanks so much for asking me to come gab about writing!
I write Harlequin Presents, which is what you call category, or series, romance. These books have a promise offered to their readers (For Presents it's: Glamorous international settings, unforgettable men, passionate romance.) These books are 50K words long which is a bit shorter than a single title novel.
To write a complete romance with a satisfying character arch in 50K words requires one major keyword: Focus. The focus stays on the hero and heroine. There isn't room for a lot of secondary characters, a secondary plot or romance, or pages and pages of the hero and heroine apart.
I personally keep it at dual POV, only the hero and heroine. No one else gets that screen time, because I only have so many words to set up and solve the conflict.
Also, in a Presents especially, the conflict is mainly internal. This allows for the reader to really get to know the characters, and gives opportunity for maximum emotional impact in a small amount of words.
And that's the real goal in category/shorter length novels: To give the reader the complete emotional experience they expect to get in a romance with half the word count. There might not be as many pages as you get in some books, but everything still has to be there so that you're providing a complete and satisfying reading experience.
Sounds like writing on the short side is a challenge! Thanks Maisey for the great info. Fun Fact about Maisey: She writes fast!
Questions to ponder: Are you good at short, concise writing? Is the dual POV something you can stick too?
Reading both Maisey and Anna's accounts of being a book author gives potential authors things to think about and tons of options.
As author you can choose genre, novel length, and whether you would like to work in pajamas or alternative dress wear. Short or long, you have deadlines. Promoting your books through ARCs and blog tours is a full-time task, full of multiple hours spent writing on anything except the next book you desperately need to finish.
Being a book author involves working hard for every penny you make, but reaping the benefits via adoring fans/ fan mail.
Next week: I'll examine the world of technical writing!
Special thanks to Anna and Maisey for participating.
For more info on Anna's books, and latest releases visit her website at
http://www.annacampbell.info/ . Latest news is available on her Facebook page at
http://www.facebook.com/AnnaCampbellFans
Maisey's latest and upcoming releases can be viewed on her website at
http://www.maiseyyates.com/.
*If you're not a fan of either of these ladies yet, read one book and you will be!
4. NANOWRIMO- the countdown is on! Personally, I've never participated in the official Nanowrimo contest, but I do believe that National Writing Month should be a time for writers to diligently dedicate that 20 minutes to writing on their novel. I will say if you haven't checked out the site yet there are a ton of resources, even resources for young writers. It would be great to see writing classes at colleges and high schools get involved in something like this. 
3. Concord Free Press- Like free books. Well, Concord Free Press has cornered the market. This particular publishing company allows you to get a free book when you donate to a local charity. Now, you can't pick and choose the book you want. They offer so many copies of a particular book and then switch to a new one. If you want to know the why? click here 
