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Writing-GAF: Writing, Publishing, Selling |OT|

Gaz_RB

Member
I'm spending the night reading this and I find it pretty interesting.

Usually I can't get into biography/memoirs but he meshes the writing advice in with personal anecdotes so well it's hard not to like it. He has such a breezy, readable writing style that its a quick read too. Finished it in a couple hours Sunday afternoon.
 
You are never going to get published if you don't submit. Send send send! But first read the guidelines for each mag so you don't waste your time.

As an aside, a lot of places do accept simultaneous submissions now - just let them know as soon as it's been accepted elsewhere.

I know, I'm just in my last semester of a master's program, and it's hard to keep up with everything let alone throw submissions out there too.

One day I'm going to set aside some time to revise and submit.
 
People here sure like to read too deeply into things I say.

As I said before, writing prompts are the only writing I'm currently doing. I plan on participating in GAF writing challenges moving forward. I've mostly spent my time doing research on topics I want to write about, taking a course to help me learn better, listening to a podcast about writing, and reading. I'm still looking for more resources on how to become a better writer. I agree that writing more will improve my skill, but there's more to it than just that.

I said it felt like work, not a chore. I am enjoying it, but spending 40 hours a week (my current goal) on it is work. I'm keeping track of my time to prevent any slacking, which is easy to do when you're working for yourself. You also have to understand I'm still in the process of creating a routine and disciplining myself to keep on track. I haven't even set too many long term goals yet.

This is all new to me, but I'm really happy with how I'm approaching it. This is a career, not a hobby.

I think you're taking my comment waaaay too seriously. Good luck with it all, I guess.


Definitely. I could use the extra cash, but I think I need something to hold me accountable until I get a good workflow going. Plus it seems like good fun :)

I'm not sure how much cash can be made from this, though it'll be amusing to see how it goes (probably a race of the single digit sort). If anyone does make money it'll be annoying tax-wise. :p

All right, then. I'll put together a rough guideline for anyone doing it to agree on, then we can start putting out silly pen names and themes. Be sure to check out Krowley's subreddit link. It's really specific and helpful.


I'm in for the Official Neogaf Amazon Erotica Challenge.

My dream of writing a time traveling prehistoric romance can finally be realized.

And thus a new nichy-niche-niche was born~

I'll post some general rules soon to keep us all on the same page.
 

aidan

Hugo Award Winning Author and Editor
Thanks! The interface looks similiar.. does it have a non-fiction section?[/URL]

I've only ever used it to track genre publications, so I'm not sure.

It was created as an alternative to Duotrope when it went pay-only. I transitioned over immediately and haven't regretted it.
 

mu cephei

Member
I came across a book the other day, something along the lines of 'Stock Phrases for Romance Writers', with headings like Descriptions of the Hero, Smiles etc, such as 'his eyes glinted wickedly' 'the corners of his mouth quirked up mischievously' or somesuch, it was pretty interesting. Maybe I'll buy it and join in! Though I read somewhere it's a pain for non Americans to self publish to Amazon.com, in having to prove you don't pay US tax or something. Assuming anyone buys it :p
 

aidan

Hugo Award Winning Author and Editor
I came across a book the other day, something along the lines of 'Stock Phrases for Romance Writers', with headings like Descriptions of the Hero, Smiles etc, such as 'his eyes glinted wickedly' 'the corners of his mouth quirked up mischievously' or somesuch, it was pretty interesting. Maybe I'll buy it and join in! Though I read somewhere it's a pain for non Americans to self publish to Amazon.com, in having to prove you don't pay US tax or something. Assuming anyone buys it :p

It's easy enough, but until you provide them with a foreign TIN, they're required to hold 30% of your earnings. Applying for a TIN only requires filling out and filing a single page form, however.
 

mu cephei

Member
It's easy enough, but until you provide them with a foreign TIN, they're required to hold 30% of your earnings. Applying for a TIN only requires filling out and filing a single page form, however.

Oh right, thanks :) That doesn't sound too difficult.
 

BorkBork

The Legend of BorkBork: BorkBorkity Borking
I came across a book the other day, something along the lines of 'Stock Phrases for Romance Writers', with headings like Descriptions of the Hero, Smiles etc, such as 'his eyes glinted wickedly' 'the corners of his mouth quirked up mischievously' or somesuch, it was pretty interesting. Maybe I'll buy it and join in! Though I read somewhere it's a pain for non Americans to self publish to Amazon.com, in having to prove you don't pay US tax or something. Assuming anyone buys it :p

Ahh adverb overload!! I can't.. I just can't.
 
Yay.

Maybe i'll write a yuri script, since I was kind of planning to anyway.

Oh, my.

"How Anyone Can Become a Full-Time Erotica Author in 6 Weeks" by Mademoiselle D. Bauch.

Read up ;)

Follow up reading, "How to Abuse Adverbs and Gain Fans" by Miss L. Usty


I mean . . . if I could buy an extra six-pack here and there, I'll be happy :)

Haha. Now I can see an earning chart to track progress coming to life.



($100+) - Partaaaay

($31 - $100) - Niiiice wine

($16- $30) - Wine

($6 - $15) - 6-pack

($1- $5) - Stubby

($0) - Water


I came across a book the other day, something along the lines of 'Stock Phrases for Romance Writers', with headings like Descriptions of the Hero, Smiles etc, such as 'his eyes glinted wickedly' 'the corners of his mouth quirked up mischievously' or somesuch, it was pretty interesting. Maybe I'll buy it and join in! Though I read somewhere it's a pain for non Americans to self publish to Amazon.com, in having to prove you don't pay US tax or something. Assuming anyone buys it :p

Do join the fun. Like you have anything better to do in April. :)

I'm with you on the tax stuff, though. As an American who just got her VISA granted to Australia, I'm not exactly sure how to go about sorting all the tax stuff from my normal job alone.


Erotica Writing-GAF: Writing, Publishing, Selling |OT|

Oh, the eyebrows that would raise. I was just going to do it right in here, but if you're keen, go for it.

Erotica Writing-GAF: Glinting Wickedly, Quirking Mischievously, Writing Suggestively |OT|
 

aidan

Hugo Award Winning Author and Editor
tide-of-shadows-cover-aidan-moher.jpg


My short fiction collection, Tide of Shadows and Other Stories was officially unveiled today and made available for pre-order! I owe a lot to the helpful community here on Writing-GAF for providing useful advice and feedback as I've figured out how to publish a book.

A few details about Tide of Shadows and Other Stories:

Table of Contents


  • “A Night for Spirits and Snowflakes”
  • “The Girl with Wings of Iron and Down”
  • “Of Parnassus and Princes, Damsels and Dragons”
  • “The Colour of the Sky on the Day the World Ended”
  • “Tide of Shadows”
Official Synopsis

From Aidan Moher—Hugo Award-winning editor of A Dribble of Ink—comes Tide of Shadows and Other Stories, a collection of five science fiction and fantasy short stories spanning from a star-faring military science fiction tale of love and sacrifice, to a romp through the dragon-infested Kingdom of Copperkettle Vale.

“A Night for Spirits and Snowflakes” is the story of a young man reliving the last moments of his fellow soldiers’ lives; “The Girl with Wings of Iron and Down” tells the tale of a broken family and a girl with mechanical wings; “Of Parnassus and Princes, Damsels and Dragons” introduces a typical prince, princess, and dragon—and a not-so-typical love triangle; “The Colour of the Sky on the Day the World Ended” follows a girl and her ghost dog as they search for a bright light in the darkness; and “Tide of Shadows” is about a soldier and his lover, a mother, and planetwide genocide.

In addition to the five stories (four originals and one reprint), Tide of Shadows and Other Stories also includes story notes for each tale. These give readers insight into the origins of the story and explore some of the ways they’ve impacted me as a writer.

Cover Art

Cover illustration is by Kuldar Leement, a wonderful digital illustrator and graphic designer from Estonia. I did all the design/layout/typography myself.

Pre-order & Release Date

If you're interested in fantasy and science fiction, or just want to support a GAFfer, you can pre-order Tide of Shadows and Other Stories on Amazon right now for $2.99! It will be released on May 4, 2015.
 

Gaz_RB

Member
Hi Aidan! Awesome cover! Your synopsis has a typo though. It says "a the Dragon infested Kingdom" at the end of the first paragraph. Looking forward to reading your stuff!
 

aidan

Hugo Award Winning Author and Editor
Dude, that cover is badass.

Thanks! I was chewing my finger nails to stubs worrying that people wouldn't like it.

Hi Aiden! Awesome cover! Your synopsis has a typo though. It says "a the Dragon infested Kingdom" at the end of the first paragraph. Looking forward to reading your stuff!

Cheers. The book itself has been copyedited head-to-toe, but I should've had the copyeditor check my promotional material, too! Haha.
 

Delio

Member
All right, then. I'll put together a rough guideline for anyone doing it to agree on, then we can start putting out silly pen names and themes. Be sure to check out Krowley's subreddit link. It's really specific and helpful.




And thus a new nichy-niche-niche was born~

I'll post some general rules soon to keep us all on the same page.

Um I want in on this erotic challenge. I totally have stuff for it.
 
tide-of-shadows-cover-aidan-moher.jpg


My short fiction collection, Tide of Shadows and Other Stories was officially unveiled today and made available for pre-order! I owe a lot to the helpful community here on Writing-GAF for providing useful advice and feedback as I've figured out how to publish a book.

A few details about Tide of Shadows and Other Stories:

Table of Contents


  • “A Night for Spirits and Snowflakes”
  • “The Girl with Wings of Iron and Down”
  • “Of Parnassus and Princes, Damsels and Dragons”
  • “The Colour of the Sky on the Day the World Ended”
  • “Tide of Shadows”
Official Synopsis



In addition to the five stories (four originals and one reprint), Tide of Shadows and Other Stories also includes story notes for each tale. These give readers insight into the origins of the story and explore some of the ways they’ve impacted me as a writer.

Cover Art

Cover illustration is by Kuldar Leement, a wonderful digital illustrator and graphic designer from Estonia. I did all the design/layout/typography myself.

Pre-order & Release Date

If you're interested in fantasy and science fiction, or just want to support a GAFfer, you can pre-order Tide of Shadows and Other Stories on Amazon right now for $2.99! It will be released on May 4, 2015.

That is a lovely cover. All steamy and green and disturbing. *thumbs up* I really like the text style too.


Um I want in on this erotic challenge. I totally have stuff for it.

Haha. I wondered if you'd be game. Guidelines to come shortly~
 
Here's my rough idea for the challenge. I'm happy to allot more time and shift dates if this seems too tight. I have no idea how hard it is yet to set up the pen name account or format the shorts to Amazon specs, so maybe we'll need more time there.

Anyway, thoughts?

Writing GAF Mini-Challenge of What the Hell, Why Not

Guidelines:
- Write 3 erotic shorts (2,000 – 8,000 words*) by April 30th
(Proofreading/editing first week of May)
- Simultaneous release of everyone’s first erotic short to be May 12th
- 2nd short to be published May 19th, and 3rd on May 26th
- Bundle of all 3 to be published in June for 1.99?
- Release platform: Amazon
- Pricing (TBD. Thinking 1st free and on KU(?), and the other two at .99?)
- Willingness to share sales/profit numbers (if any):)P) so that we can track and compare

Checklist:
- 3 proofread/edited shorts ready for publication by May 12th
- Silly pen name
- Book covers
- Amazon account/agreement to publish**

*After looking at the AMA for a few erotic writers on reddit the ‘books’ they’re pumping out are really short (2k-5k), so I figured 2,000 – 8,000 would be a reasonable range for us.
**I haven’t self-published yet, so if anyone wants to give feedback on the steps/tips/recommended royalty rate or other strange contractual stuff Amazon does, please speak up(sirap?).

Other thoughts:
One of the free options for sharing/getting your work out there is Wattpad, but the Wattpad format pretty much requires you just post your work for free. What this does get you is a lot of readers and eyes/feedback, so I think it might be good to release here at the same time as well with the first short.

Participants:
Me
Nappuccino
Gaz_RB
Delio
Blargonaut
Jintor
timetokill
Nudull?


Price-wise, is there a better way to do this, sirap? First permafree, then paid, or all three free-shared...?
 

Nudull

Banned
Hey everyone. I'm sorry about not getting to share my NaNo project in full last year. Due to some personal things that have happened in my life, my writing had to take a backseat for a while. I do want to continue posting and getting to know you wonderful people, regardless.

...wait, what's this about an erotic short challenge? Do I dare? :eek:
 
I'm definitely interested in participating in this erotica challenge. I've thought about writing erotica for extra cash for a while, and maybe this is the kick in the pants I need.

H.Pro, I've heard the best price on Amazon is $2.99, but maybe that's only once you've gotten a bunch of stories under your belt?

Do you think it will be best if these stories are pt 1, pt 2, and pt 3 of the same story?

Or should they each be separate.

I would imagine separate would be best, based on the advice I've seen from authors.
 
Do you think it will be best if these stories are pt 1, pt 2, and pt 3 of the same story?

Or should they each be separate.

Separate, I think. You could write them in the same vein, but I'm not sure about linking them so closely. However, sirap did mention the power of the 'cliffhanger' ending, so there's that to consider too.


Hey everyone. I'm sorry about not getting to share my NaNo project in full last year. Due to some personal things that have happened in my life, my writing had to take a backseat for a while. I do want to continue posting and getting to know you wonderful people, regardless.

...wait, what's this about an erotic short challenge? Do I dare? :eek:

Welcome back, and do dare. We're all doing it under pen names for a lark as it is.


I'm definitely interested in participating in this erotica challenge. I've thought about writing erotica for extra cash for a while, and maybe this is the kick in the pants I need.

H.Pro, I've heard the best price on Amazon is $2.99, but maybe that's only once you've gotten a bunch of stories under your belt?



I would imagine separate would be best, based on the advice I've seen from authors.

Awesome. I'll add you. This challenge may end in 6-packs, tears, or an actual party. You never know.

Price-wise, I checked on Amazon's bestseller list and .99 is top 3 and pretty common. I would guess that as we're just starting out and because these are going to be shorts, .99 is probably the best price. If you bundle at the end (which I think I'll add to the challenge), I think 3 for $1.99 would be attractive. Happy to hear more thoughts on it, though. Just trying to suss out the best strategy.

Also! Meant to ask before, but what's your twitter? :D
 
I find this challenge a million times more appealing than Nano.

Wish I could join, but my life will probably be nonsense for at least another month :(
 

RiverBed

Banned
Anyone know or have advice on how to protect your IP/content? I want to write something, bet when it is finished or even sent to for review, I worry something will happen and I won't get credit for it. How do I copyright/protect my work?

Thanks.
 
Welcome back, and do dare. We're all doing it under pen names for a lark as it is.

Speaking of pen names, are we somehow going to anonymize them on GAF as well? As in, not know which pen name belongs to which GAFfer? I know anonymity is important with erotica and I figure the GAF connection could make it kinda trivial to connect the dots. Or maybe I'm just being paranoid!

Price-wise, I checked on Amazon's bestseller list and .99 is top 3 and pretty common. I would guess that as we're just starting out and because these are going to be shorts, .99 is probably the best price. If you bundle at the end (which I think I'll add to the challenge), I think 3 for $1.99 would be attractive. Happy to hear more thoughts on it, though. Just trying to suss out the best strategy.

Also! Meant to ask before, but what's your twitter? :D

Sounds good to me. I think a 3-pack makes sense, too. Maybe at the same time the 3rd story goes up. PM'd re: twitter :)
 

Jintor

Member
Speaking of pen names, are we somehow going to anonymize them on GAF as well? As in, not know which pen name belongs to which GAFfer? I know anonymity is important with erotica and I figure the GAF connection could make it kinda trivial to connect the dots. Or maybe I'm just being paranoid!

Haha, I hadn't thought of that.
 

Mike M

Nick N
So I've been working towards gearing up for making heartfelt efforts for submissions since October, most of which revolved around rebooting my website (which took ages, and now that it's up I realize that I need a separate site for promoting myself as an author) and changing everything I ever wrote into proper manuscript format.

Plus I'm actively working on revising my NaNoWriMo novel, because I'm pretty sure I want to make a go of shopping it around and maybe finally pursuing the self-pub route if I need to. One way or another, it's going out there, though probably not until next year at the earliest.

So writing three short stories of 2-8K words by the end of the month in addition to the usual CWC stuff? Yeah, wish I could participate, but I'm otherwise occupied getting my heart stomped on by the Submission Grinder.
 
I find this challenge a million times more appealing than Nano.

Wish I could join, but my life will probably be nonsense for at least another month :(

You sure, cosmic? Could be a welcome diversion from more serious stuff if life is stressing you out. And since you're a pretty steady writer, 2k would be a breeze for you.

So I've been working towards gearing up for making heartfelt efforts for submissions since October, most of which revolved around rebooting my website (which took ages, and now that it's up I realize that I need a separate site for promoting myself as an author) and changing everything I ever wrote into proper manuscript format.

Plus I'm actively working on revising my NaNoWriMo novel, because I'm pretty sure I want to make a go of shopping it around and maybe finally pursuing the self-pub route if I need to. One way or another, it's going out there, though probably not until next year at the earliest.

So writing three short stories of 2-8K words by the end of the month in addition to the usual CWC stuff? Yeah, wish I could participate, but I'm otherwise occupied getting my heart stomped on by the Submission Grinder.

2k, M. You could do 2k in 4 hours easy. I know you can, because you know what soothes the bruised heart? Smut. That's what.


Speaking of pen names, are we somehow going to anonymize them on GAF as well? As in, not know which pen name belongs to which GAFfer? I know anonymity is important with erotica and I figure the GAF connection could make it kinda trivial to connect the dots. Or maybe I'm just being paranoid!



Sounds good to me. I think a 3-pack makes sense, too. Maybe at the same time the 3rd story goes up. PM'd re: twitter :)

Hmmmm. A good point. There's no need to share your pen name, really (unless you want to). There's nothing at stake here except our own amusement, so it's not like I'll require verification of publishing, etc. I'd certainly be happy to vet if people wanted to PM me their stuff once it's up on Amazon, otherwise just report your numbers, vague synopsis/genre, and strategy in here and I'll put your figures under your GAF tag. Sharing your book name is also optional, so when I list everyone's genre I'll just make up a name for their book. :)

Ex.

Book 1 Rank/Sales


  1. The Abs that Ravished Me by timetokill (1,000 sales/$10 gazillion)
  2. Yuri Rumble by Jintor (9,999 sales/$9 gazillion)
  3. My Dinosaur Lover by Gaz_RB (9,998 sales/$8 gazillion)


How does that sound?
 

Nudull

Banned
We're picking genres/titles out of a hat? What fun. :D

My better judgement says no, but the adventurous writer in me says yes. ;_;
 
Anyone know or have advice on how to protect your IP/content? I want to write something, bet when it is finished or even sent to for review, I worry something will happen and I won't get credit for it. How do I copyright/protect my work?

Thanks.

Check out this summary from SFWA of how copyright law works, with general recommendations on when officially registering things is worth it:

http://www.sfwa.org/other-resources/for-authors/writer-beware/copyright/

It's worth reading the whole thing if you're concerned and don't know how this stuff works.
 
You sure, cosmic? Could be a welcome diversion from more serious stuff if life is stressing you out. And since you're a pretty steady writer, 2k would be a breeze for you.

I am getting the writing itch again, but it still takes me a bit to start after I have my outline, and it's probably going to be harder this time around since I haven't actually done anything for nearly 3 months now (usual time between writing projects is 1 month for me).

There's also the fact I've become completely enamored with the idea of my next project (a follow-up to my third book), meaning my mind will be completely occupied by that while I'm trying to write something on the other side of the fiction spectrum. I've tried to juggle multiple projects before, but I can't do it. I put my all into one story at a time even with my backlog of hundreds of ideas.

On top of that, the way I write needs to be taken into account. It's something like this: 2-3 hours of staring at a computer screen and 1+ hour of actually writing. Even if I can churn out 500 words a day for a year straight, that doesn't mean there isn't A LOT of dead time; time that I unfortunately can't dedicate to things I want to do right now.

I'll definitely try to force myself to do it when I have the time if it really is the goldmine sirap says it is, but I can't be writing anything right now outside of a forum post here and there that I can sneak in while at work.

I appreciate the sentiment though :D
 
Hmmmm. A good point. There's no need to share your pen name, really (unless you want to). There's nothing at stake here except our own amusement, so it's not like I'll require verification of publishing, etc. I'd certainly be happy to vet if people wanted to PM me their stuff once it's up on Amazon, otherwise just report your numbers, vague synopsis/genre, and strategy in here and I'll put your figures under your GAF tag. Sharing your book name is also optional, so when I list everyone's genre I'll just make up a name for their book. :)

Ex.

Book 1 Rank/Sales


  1. The Abs that Ravished Me by timetokill (1,000 sales/$10 gazillion)
  2. Yuri Rumble by Jintor (9,999 sales/$9 gazillion)
  3. My Dinosaur Lover by Gaz_RB (9,998 sales/$8 gazillion)


How does that sound?

$10 gazillion off of only 1,000 sales sounds great! I'm totally down for that :D

It would be cool to somehow (mostly) anonymously submit links so we all knew which stories were "ours" but not to which author they belonged. I suppose it would take somebody we could all trust being the recipient of all the links, and then posting them without identifying the submitter. That way we could all help give each others stories a boost and read them. I suppose we could figure out who wrote which by their writing style but it's a hell of a lot more anonymous than outright posting them here.

I don't know. Just tossing out ideas here :)

Another thought: We could have a group/dummy email account that these links could be sent to/from. We could share the password here and everyone could log in to it, email ourselves links to our work, etc.

I swear I'm not trying to make this too much work :p
 

Anjelus_

Junior Member
Man, I really love the cover that was posted on this page. I know where I can find -that- particular artist now, but where can I go to find other artists like that for my own works?
 
Updated List of Participants:
Me
Nappuccino
Gaz_RB
Delio
Blargonaut
Jintor
timetokill
toddhunter
Nudull?


We're picking genres/titles out of a hat? What fun. :D

My better judgement says no, but the adventurous writer in me says yes. ;_;

Well, you can if you like, but I think most people have a general theme in mind that they want to do. If you're not sure what to do, do go for the picking out of the hat idea, though. Could turn out pretty funny. :D


I'll definitely try to force myself to do it when I have the time if it really is the goldmine sirap says it is, but I can't be writing anything right now outside of a forum post here and there that I can sneak in while at work.

I appreciate the sentiment though :D

Much luck on your other stuff, then, and if you do get on a roll, jump in~


Congratulations, cover sells it so I'll give it a go.


I'm not sure I'm in for whatever 6-pack you can buy with $6, but I'll write some porn.

Sweeeet. $6 in our neck of the woods would buy... 2 VBs? ;_;


$10 gazillion off of only 1,000 sales sounds great! I'm totally down for that :D

It would be cool to somehow (mostly) anonymously submit links so we all knew which stories were "ours" but not to which author they belonged. I suppose it would take somebody we could all trust being the recipient of all the links, and then posting them without identifying the submitter. That way we could all help give each others stories a boost and read them. I suppose we could figure out who wrote which by their writing style but it's a hell of a lot more anonymous than outright posting them here.

I don't know. Just tossing out ideas here :)

Another thought: We could have a group/dummy email account that these links could be sent to/from. We could share the password here and everyone could log in to it, email ourselves links to our work, etc.

I swear I'm not trying to make this too much work :p

Hmmm. It seems like it'd be easy to suss out whose was whose still, especially since I think most would want to at least share the general gist of their works here (easy track back). We could share the direct links privately, as you suggested, and just make it a rule to only talk about others works without mentioning title, pen name, etc. It would require people just all agree to not share publicly with anyone, here or otherwise, if they do connect the dots. If everyone was cool with that, I'd be fine to take all the links from people, jumble them up and then PM everyone with the full list. I would not disclose what came from who. As one of the semi-public people on this forum already, I understand how valuable it is to maintainin some privacy. :p


Man, I really love the cover that was posted on this page. I know where I can find -that- particular artist now, but where can I go to find other artists like that for my own works?

GAF's own Drawing-A-Day thread is a good place to start. There's some amazing talent in there.
 
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