I am so excited. Lavender Letters has turned a year old and it is loved by its subscribers. Every author wants their readers to enjoy what they create and of course, this is no different, except that Lavender Letters is VERY different from a one-and-done book. For those who are not familiar with Lavender Letters, it was created (in my brain) while I was traveling west on the Oregon Trail (in true time- or as closely as possible!). I was completely entrenched in the culture and lifestyles of the people (women) who braved this most treacherous journey! They would leave their homes and families knowing full well they may never see them again, but are so pulled by the "new" or their husbands, they are willing to risk everything. I read hundreds of diary entries, hundreds of letters sent home to families and I was fascinated. Now, if I were normal, I would have just taken this information and chalked it up as part of my research. Not this girl... What if... the letters accumulated into a story? And what if the reader could ONLY get their information about the characters FROM the letters? And there the thoughts percolated... What if, instead of a book of letters... what if they were ACTUALLY letters? Sent in the mail! Is this a doable thing?? Well I plotted out a story line and sent out a personal invitation exclusive to my email list comprised of people who know my writing and suggested the idea. They loved it, took a chance on this new idea and since then, I have re-launched to the public three more times! I've learned a lot along the way. (One, being that the post office doesn't always cooperate with my plans! and Two, my audience loves being spoiled!) In addition to the actual letters that are mailed out twice per month, subscribers have the opportunity to request extra "gifts" along the way. (Gift- giving is my love language, so I LOVE this idea!) But I still wasn't quite satisfied... so I added a full-length novel at the end of the "story". So it takes thirteen months for all of the letters to be delivered. And after the final letter is delivered, the book arrives. The book- is NOT just a copy of the letters and diary entries all bound together. It is a complete RE-Telling of the story from a different perspective. (Because I'm "extra".) The letters and diary entries are told from the perspective of the "writer" of the letter- meaning, they only know what they can know. But the book is from the perspective of a narrator. A "narrator" knows all. So the lingering questions you might have about "what happened to this person or that person", or "why is this person like this"... those are all answered in the book. From an author's perspective, this is the most difficult and challenging thing I have ever created. But it is also the most exciting. Authors don't usually get to communicate with their readers, and I send out notes and post cards all the time! Authors don't usually get feedback from their readers, but I am loved and encouraged by the subscribers all the time. It's a new concept for sure- it keeps me on my toes and does not allow for me to become idle or distracted, (some of the writers biggest "fears") as I know my readers are anxiously awaiting their next letter. We are now into season two of the Westward Bound Series and I am just as excited as I was a little over a year ago when this all started. If this is all new to you- Welcome!- and if you'd like more information, head on over to the Lavender Letters page and depending on when you see this you may be able to link to the sales page or jump on the waitlist. (Because of the detailed organization that has to go along with creating Lavender Letters, I can only open the doors to new subscribers twice per year. May and December.) If you're more curious about my writing style in a stand-alone book, you're welcome to check those out by clicking here. I am SO honored that so many have chosen to follow me down this Oregon Trail of writing... I know it's new, and different and you can't "binge-read" the whole story in a few days, but I am so grateful to be able to create exciting stories that are being loved by my readers.
0 Comments
Be Selfish- Help Others We are taught to help others. I teach to help others. I, myself look for opportunity to help others. One doesn't really have to look far. Simple acts of kindness. We are also taught and I teach to expect nothing in return. Meaning, by you bestowing love and kindness on someone else, they don't owe you anything. You are not "one up" on them. The person being bestowed your gift of time, energy or physical product may not even acknowledge you. May not even show gratitude. Might even be crabby about it. Be kind anyway. Help others anyway. You are kind and helpful for the mere sake of being kind and helpful whether anything comes from it or not. But here's the thing... something ALWAYS comes of it. I have been "catching" myself being kind, FOR the very reason that I KNOW I'll get something back from it. I have become selfish... greedy! I have found that when I am sad or depressed, if I focus outward, and do things for others... I feel better. It may not come directly from the source as in say a "thank you" or a five star review, or even a smile... but, it does come back around. I recognized this when I started being "kind" on the down low... and now it's my favorite thing to do. Help others when they don't realize they are being helped and if they did... they don't know where it's coming from. Sometimes, I do things for others, only because I know it will make me smile. I know! Selfish!! Sure, it blesses the other person, but... oh how it makes my heart swell and feel light. I know... I know... selfish. I have a Book Club on this website. It's filled with books from brand new authors finding their footing in the author world which involves a heavy load of marketing. Things that most writers are not aware of when they embark on this journey. If you haven't seen it, you should really take some time to check it out... (Click here! Warning- be sure to block some time, because there is SO much to see!) I charge a small fee to showcase their books here. I present them to you fine people and I help them build an audience. I could charge a lot of money for this service. I could do it for free. But I have found that charging a small amount allows them to feel empowered, and take the opportunity seriously. I will not get rich from this service. Not monetarily anyway, but rich in so many other ways. I don't get to see the faces of these authors, but I remember the first time I saw my book's cover on the interwebs... it was amazing. And even if one new set of eyes saw it and remembered my name... that was progress. Most authors don't get rich or even have a lot of money to invest launching thier baby out into the world, but one person at a time builds an audience. And so I give them access to my audience. And I get to impart small tips and tricks along the way. I have found that when I offered to do these same things for free, it was a completely different vibe. I am treated differently. Not always, but enough that "they" trained ME how to better serve them. I still offer great advice, even if they don't order. I spend hours every day answering questions for authors, but it's different when you put money into the game. You treat advice and service with a bit more respect. You value the other person's time. When I charge a mere $5, I am met with gratitude. I am met with eagerness to do more, learn more. I am met with a camaraderie of being inaugurated into the Author's Club. And I feed off it. Not the money... those feelings. I am selfish. I admit, I love the five star reviews. I love the thank yous and notes of gratitude sent to me... but mostly, I love seeing new authors spreading their wings and getting their work out into the world. It's no easy task. But when I scroll through the images of these books, most that are brand new to the market... I smile... selfishly, that I have them on my site. That my audience are some of the first that get to see them. That when I lay my head on my pillow at night, I know that I've helped my fellow authors in my own tiny way. Selfish. I believe I have more than one purpose. I believe we all do. I believe we are given clues to our purpose by the strengths we have been given. One of my strengths is to be able to help elevate others. It is a pure, selfish joy of mine to lift others who may be struggling in one way or another. It is a strength to help others find that missing piece of where they are to finding joy and happiness that is within reach, but they just might not be able to see it. And selfishly, I pursue this purpose. Or perhaps, it pursues me. It makes me happy. It helps me to suspend any grief I may have and I find happiness in helping others. I am humbled that I am a person that people reach out to... to share with. It is fulfilling to me to lift others who may have stumbled. It's a privilege to be that hand they reach out to and together with both our strengths lift them back up on their feet. When I am just focused on me... and my sadness or grief, I can't be of service to others. I am happy that my need, that selfish need to smile and feel proud of how my fingerprint was left behind on someone else's happiness propels me to stay up on my own two feet. So, may I offer, if you are feeling sad, or disconnected or depressed... take a little bit of time to be selfish... and help others. You'll be glad you did. Writers on Writing- Why Aren't You Rich? I am so very proud to say that my sixth book is on the verge of hitting the bookstore shelves and perhaps, more importantly the Amazon virtual shelves. That being said, people are curious why I am not swimming in pools of money. Well… it doesn’t actually work that way. We see the J.K. Rawlings and the Stephanie Meyers and the Steven Kings of the world and expect it to be a celebrity experience for all authors. Wow, I would love it, if it was so, but it is not. There are a lot of really great writers out there that are not getting the recognition they deserve. They are not getting movie deals and they are not getting the media attention that will get their work into the public eye. It's just a fact. There are thousands upon thousands of authors out there and you only hear about a fraction of us. A lot of it has to do with “It takes money to make money”. Sure, there are some who sneak through the crack and whose manuscripts land on the right desk at the right time, but that is rare. I write because I can’t not write. There is something inside me that inspires me to put pen to paper and release the stories, the thoughts, the revelations that I have learned and pour them out in a new way. It is only recently (about six years) that I have shared my work with others. But I have been writing and creating for as long as I could hold a utensil. It is my passion. I don’t write, or rather share my work to become rich. If I could reach the point that it would comfortably pay all of my expenses without fear, I would be ecstatic!! But that has not happened as yet. There are a few ways that I get paid for the books that I have published.
To give you an idea of how much money I make- when I sell a book overseas… While it is a huge feather in my cap to be known as an International Author, I only make twenty cents per book…. before taxes. Twenty cents.... It’s going to take a lot of books to make my first million. Lol. The more money I can spend on marketing, the more my brand gets out to the people all over the world. The more money I can invest in hiring a publicist and an agent, the higher my chances are of getting my name to become more familiar with more groups of people. The more I can get out to the people, the more people can put a face to the name and in turn, they become the most loyal of followers because I am not just a name, but a real person. I do not have a lot of money. I market as much as my budget allows and then, not even that often at times because I get distracted with… more writing. For me it will take being in the right place at the right time or having the “right” person read my book for me to get the recognition and the income that would make my living arrangements more… comfortable! So for now, I am not rich. I do make an income, but won’t be sipping champagne out of a shoe any time soon. That is why I rely on your support as a reader and one who believes in my writing to always help to spread the word. Share my posts, buy my books, leave reviews. (This applies to all authors! If you love what they have written, share the love! Let everyone know! Reviews on places like Amazon, Goodreads, Barns and Noble make a huge difference to our exposure to new readers, which is what it’s all about!) I write because it makes me happy and I am constantly in a creative process. I publish because enough of you have told me that you enjoy what I create and have requested more. For more ways you can help your favorite author, click here! Do you have a question you'd like this author to answer? Leave it in the comments below and I'll do my best to get to it! |
Follow Elizabeth on Facebook!Archives
April 2024
Categories
All
|