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So, I’m giving a workshop this weekend on marketing and promotion. Not on what works but what hasn’t worked for me. Like in colossal failures �� colossal being defined as spending money and/or investing time and energy with very little or no return. When I initially got the idea for this workshop, I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to fill a full 55 minutes. Then, I started composing my list on marketing and promotion failures and made a terrible, unsettling discovery. Everything I’ve ever tried hasn’t paid off. Like in, everything!

I have to ask, what am doing wrong? Am I a glutton for punishment who loves throwing money away? Do I stink at marketing and promotion? Is the world simply oversaturated and I don’t stand out? Maybe a little of each. Mostly the last, in my humble opinion.

Frankly, there are millions of authors out there and zillions of books available. Of those zillion books, about ten percent of them are free. Okay, maybe five percent. But a lot. I could download a free book every day of the week for ten years and not make a noticeable dent in the number of free books for the taking. Who is going to notice me and want to pay good money for my book when they can whip out their phone or their Kindle Fire and download a bunch for nothing out of pocket?

I’ve been saying for a long time now that we authors are committing slow suicide. The idea that if an author offers a book for free and readers will buy the rest of their books worked for a while. When there was, say, only a few thousand free books available. These days, people simply download one free book and go right on to the next free book and the next, forgetting all about the first author.

If the amount of free books out there isn’t the reason why all my marketing and promotion efforts aren’t working, the only other answer that makes any sense is that I’m simply not that good of an author or my books aren’t very interesting. Perish the thought! Unfortunately, it’s likely true. I haven’t hit on that special X factor that makes readers unable to get enough of me. Darn it!

In the meantime, I have a bunch of letter openers with my name on them still to give away. They cost me $.85 apiece. At my currently royalty rate, if every I gave a letter opener to bought my book, I’d be in the hole $.30 for every book I sold. Clearly, I need a new plan and am open to suggestions.

So, I’m giving a workshop this weekend on marketing and promotion. Not on what works but what hasn’t worked for me. Like in colossal failures �� colossal being defined as spending money and/or investing time and energy with very little or no return. When I initially got the idea for this workshop, I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to fill a full 55 minutes. Then, I started composing my list on marketing and promotion failures and made a terrible, unsettling discovery. Everything I’ve ever tried hasn’t paid off. Like in, everything!

I have to ask, what am doing wrong? Am I a glutton for punishment who loves throwing money away? Do I stink at marketing and promotion? Is the world simply oversaturated and I don’t stand out? Maybe a little of each. Mostly the last, in my humble opinion.

Frankly, there are millions of authors out there and zillions of books available. Of those zillion books, about ten percent of them are free. Okay, maybe five percent. But a lot. I could download a free book every day of the week for ten years and not make a noticeable dent in the number of free books for the taking. Who is going to notice me and want to pay good money for my book when they can whip out their phone or their Kindle Fire and download a whole bunch of books for absolutely nothing out of pocket?

I’ve been saying for a long time now that we authors are committing slow suicide. The idea that if an author offers a book for free and readers will rush out buy the rest of their books worked for a while. When there was, say, only a few thousand free books available. These days, people simply download one free book and go right on to the next free book and the next, forgetting all about the first author.

If the amount of free books out there isn’t the reason why all my marketing and promotion efforts have failed, the only other answer that makes any sense is I’m simply not a good author or my books aren’t very interesting. Perish the thought! Unfortunately, it’s likely true. I’m not bad, mind you. I just don’t have the elusive “X factor that makes readers unable to get enough of me. Darn it!

In the meantime, I have a bunch of letter openers with my name on them still to give away (I ordered 1000). They cost me $.85 apiece. At my currently royalty rate, if every person I gave a letter opener to turned around and bought my book, I’d be in the hole $.30 for every book I sold. Clearly, I need a new plan and am open to suggestions.

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I’m probably like a lot of people, every year at this time I go through the same thing. Wonderment that yet another year has passed. Writing down, or at least considering, resolutions (really do need to drop a few pounds, hubby and I are taking a Caribbean cruise in March). Setting goals. And lastly, counting my blessings. I try hard to focus on this one the most.

I’m especially fortunate this month because on January 3rd, my book THE BULL RIDER’S VALENTINE was released. It’s one The Bull Rider's Valentineof my favorite Mustang Valley books and one of my most romantic.

Sadly, this is also my last book for Harlequin Western. Happily, I’ll be writing four new books for Harlequin Heartwarming. The first one, as yet untitled, will be out November 2018. The new series is called Sweetheart Ranch, and it’s a spin-off of Mustang Valley. The 150-year-old-ranch house has been turned into a western-themed wedding venue and bed and breakfast complete with a chapel and adjoining cabins. I’m almost done writing the first book and have been thoroughly enjoying myself.

In the meantime, I plan on releasing one or two indie books between now and November. I’ll be sure to keep you updated ��

All the very best to you in 2018, my friends. May you enjoy good health and financial security, be surrounded by loved ones, and realize your dreams.

Warmest wishes,

Cathy McDavid

In the sixteen years I’ve been traditionally published, I’ve seen plenty of lines close and publishers shut their doors. It’s a sad, unfortunate part of the business. Lucky for me, I was never directly affected by these closures or shutting doors. And while I sympathized with and supported author friends who were suddenly “orphaned��, I also secretly breathed a tiny sigh of relief that I’d been spared.

This past May of 2017, however, my luck ran out when Harlequin closed five lines. For three of those lines, including mine (Western), we had absolutely no warning and received the brutal news via a mass, impersonal email. In all fairness to the editors, they had only a brief warning themselves, a mere few hours ahead of the authors. The results of this decision were devastating and far-reaching. Along with “letting go�� a hundred-ish authors, several Harlequin editors and art department/marketing personnel also received the boot.

I was immediately inundated with phone calls, texts, emails, Facebook messages, and Twitter messages to the point where I stopped responding after two days. I worried I’d drown in all the negativity and wind up hiding under the covers for a week in a state of deep depression. Instead, I took stock of my situation and quickly realized I was in about the best position possible under the circumstances.

Not two weeks earlier, I’d turned in the last book on my current Harlequin contract, which left me contractually free to submit elsewhere. This was very good as I was in the middle of putting together a new 3-book proposal. I had my first ever indie-published novella releasing the next month and the rights back to three books from my pre-Harlequin publishers. This was more than enough to keep me busy over the next few months. Lastly, and most importantly, writing is a second income for me. I wasn’t going to starve to death or be out on the streets.

My first step was to develop a plan of action which I later honed with my agent’s input. On that list were things like submitting new proposals (to Harlequin and other publishers), revising and rereleasing my older books, growing my platform, having a long heart-to-heart with my Harlequin editor, trying a new genre like women’s fiction, and meeting with industry professionals.

Despite having no deadlines looming or contract obligation, I kept my nose firmly to the grindstone �� something my husband didn’t quite understand. I networked with other authors who were or had been in my shoes and gleaned advice from them. I attended writing workshops and conferences. I stepped up my promotion efforts. By the end of four months, I’d submitted three different proposals to multiple publishers and successfully launched two indie books.

In September, I got ‘the call�� from my agent. Harlequin offered me a 2-book contract with their Heartwarming line �� which my agent then negotiated into a four-book contract (FYI, I’m still waiting to hear back on the other two proposals so fingers are crossed). While Heartwarming isn’t as widely distributed as Western was, (which means less availability and potentially less royalties), there were many good reasons for me to accept the contract. Besides building in easy deadlines that allow me to work on other projects, like that women’s fiction story, I’m able to keep my career momentum going by regularly releasing new books.

Plus, who knows what the future will bring? The industry is always changing. Harlequin could shuffle lines or create new ones. I might sell one of those two other proposals I submitted. I could finally be discovered and hit it big!

If I was to offer advice to someone who’s been “orphaned��, it would be to:

1) Examine your financial situation first �� do you need to get a day job or can you comfortably afford to write full-time until the money starts rolling in again?

2) Work hard like you’re under contract even though you aren’t. Develop a plan of action that includes doable goals listed in order of priority.

3) Network with other authors and industry professionals.

4) Surround yourself with positive people who won’t dim your light with their horror stories.

The good news is most authors I know have eventually bounced back. Some have even reached greater heights after re-evaluating their career and choosing a new direction. For me, I’m grateful to be under contract again and writing the kind of stories I love.

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No, this post isn’t about books, but I am telling a story

At least, they should be in a romance book, right?

Mine are. Sort of. And I like it that way.

I can hear you now, demanding, “Cathy, have you lost your mind? That’s not true. Don’t you know the old saying? A romance reader should fall in love with the hero and want to be friends with the heroine. How can she be friends with a sometimes mean and �� gasp! �� snarky heroine?��

I get where you’re coming from. I do. But I’m going to argue with you that a romance book is truly good only when there’s a strong romantic conflict between the hero and heroine, one with big emotion at the core. He abandoned her in the past, and she’s afraid he will again. She lied to him, a big lie, a long time ago, and now he’s discovered the truth. She’s on the run for committing a crime, and he’s the private investigator hired to find her. He’s a werewolf, she’s a vampire, and their species are sworn enemies.

The character should respond to both to the romantic conflict and the undeniable attraction they feel toward the other one, creating a constant push/pull that, for the heroine, often manifests itself in the form of snarkiness. I think that’s reasonable and very human and makes for good reading. If he hurt her in the past, she may try to keep him at a distance (and stop herself from falling for him all over again, thereby not putting her heart at risk) by bristling and saying some not so nice things. The reader will accept this behavior as long as she grows and changes and heals during the course of the book.

On the other hand, readers are far less tolerant when it comes to the guys being bristly and not so nice. Like you said to me earlier, readers want to fall in love with him. It’s hard for them to warm to a hero who is unlikeable. Even if he changes, the reader’s feelings for him are slow to follow. They respond better to the book when they like the guy from the first few page. It’s okay if he has a hard exterior, as long as they see his gentle, softer side when no one else is looking.

That’s not to say a heroine can be mean and a jerk for no valid reason. She’s a fiery redhead with a temper, she’s the oldest sibling and naturally bossy, the hero bears a striking resemblance to her ex-boyfriend who cheated on her. Those are personality traits or circumstances, not genuine romantic conflicts. Fear. Distrust. Obligations. Guilt. Protection (self and of others). Betrayal.

I say bring it on. The more emotionally wrenching, the better. And if my heroines are a little snarky now and then, all the better!

At least, they should be in a romance book, right?

Mine are. Sort of. And I like it that way.

I can hear you now, demanding, “Cathy, have you lost your mind? That’s not true. Don’t you know the old saying? A romance reader should fall in love with the hero and want to be friends with the heroine. How can she be friends with a sometimes mean and �� gasp! �� snarky heroine?��

I get where you’re coming from. I do. But I’m going to argue with you that a romance book is truly good only when there’s a strong romantic conflict between the hero and heroine, one with big emotion at the core. He abandoned her in the past, and she’s afraid he will again. She lied to him, a big lie, a long time ago, and now he’s discovered the truth. She’s on the run for committing a crime, and he’s the private investigator hired to find her. He’s a werewolf, she’s a vampire, and their species are sworn enemies.

The character should respond to both to the romantic conflict and the undeniable attraction they feel toward the other one, creating a constant push/pull that, for the heroine, often manifests itself in the form of snarkiness. I think that’s reasonable and very human and makes for good reading. If he hurt her in the past, she may try to keep him at a distance (and stop herself from falling for him all over again, thereby not putting her heart at risk) by bristling and saying some not so nice things. The reader will accept this behavior as long as she grows and changes and heals during the course of the book.

On the other hand, readers are far less tolerant when it comes to the guys being bristly and not so nice. Like you said to me earlier, readers want to fall in love with him. It’s hard for them to warm to a hero who is unlikeable. Even if he changes, the reader’s feelings for him are slow to follow. They respond better to the book when they like the guy from the first few page. It’s okay if he has a hard exterior, as long as they see his gentle, softer side when no one else is looking.

That’s not to say a heroine can be mean and a jerk for no valid reason. She’s a fiery redhead with a temper, she’s the oldest sibling and naturally bossy, the hero bears a striking resemblance to her ex-boyfriend who cheated on her. Those are personality traits or circumstances, not genuine romantic conflicts. Fear. Distrust. Obligations. Guilt. Protection (self and of others). Betrayal.

I say bring it on. The more emotionally wrenching, the better. And if my heroines are a little snarky now and then, all the better!

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How often have we heard people say something along the lines of, a good story is more important than good writing? Many times, right?

I was a believer, too, until lately. I can’t explain why but more and more I’m reading books that are riddled with lazy writing to the point where any evidence of interesting story or compelling characters is completely obliterated. I find myself stopping every other page (or pausing every few minutes when I’m listening to an audio book) to groan or cringe.

I know what you’re saying, it’s difficult for writers to turn off their internal editor when they’re reading. And you’d be right. I’m constantly thinking of how I could rewrite that line or change this plot element or tweak a character. When the writing is good, I can at least tone that impulse down to a negligible level.

Lazy writing isn’t to be confused with “taking a momentary rest�� or “allowing what’s really important on the page to shine��. Sometimes an author intentionally choses a very simple line in order not to detract or diminish from what came before and what’s coming ahead (less can be best).

Take this excerpt from Jodi Picoult’s book OFF THE PAGE:

Before I realize what he’s doing, he’s pulling me around a corner, into the narrow hallway that leads to the photography lab. In a delicate choreography, he spins me so that my back is against the wall and his hands are bracketing me. His hair is falling across his eyes as he leans forward, lifts my chin, and kisses me.

“What was that for?�� I ask, dizzy.

He grins. “Just because I can.��

I can’t help smiling back. Three months ago, I never imagined that I could even reach out and touch Oliver’s hand, much less sneak away from school for a secret kiss.

There isn’t much to the sentence: He grins. There doesn’t need to be. In fact, something like, His face splits in half, the twinkle from his grin traveling his eyes where it explods, would be too much. Ms. Picoult knew the right moment to “rest�� so that we would focus on the emotion and the action.

Now, let’s look at an example of lazy writing and the kind of thing that stops me:

“Do you come here much?��

“No, only once before with some friends from the office.��

“Where do you work?��

“I’m the manager of a large apartment complex in the Biltmore area.��

“No fooling! Appears were in similar lines of work. I’m a superintendent for a multi-housing developer. We recently started construction on our first apartment project here in the valley.��

“I’m not surprised.��

“You’re not?��

“You look like someone who works outdoors a lot.��

“I see.��

“No, I meant that as a compliment. You’re very, umm, fit.��

“You’re very fit yourself.��

“No really. I never work out.��

Okay, I’m quitting here before you expire from boredom. What’s wrong with this passage besides it’s uninteresting? Well, I have no idea who’s talking the entire time. I know almost nothing about these two people besides where they work or have any insight into their characters. There are repeated words, especially no and not. Punctuation is used to convey emotion rather than description or action.

I could go on, but I won’t. In about the same number of words, Ms. Picoult described her setting enough that I knew exactly where the characters were and several telling details about them. The teenaged girl has insecurity issues and believes the boy is out of her league. She obeys rules rather than breaks them. She has strong feelings for this boy, who, unlike her, is confident, experienced, and probably popular at school.

Now, before you Google the example of bad writing in order to figure the author of that awful passage, I’ll save you the trouble. It’s from a short story I wrote about seventeen years ago. Hard to believe I actually won a contest with this bomb. There must have been all of three entries and mine was the least worst.

How much better it would have been if I’d just added a little bit:

“Do you come here much?��

The lame pickup line wasn’t worthy of a response. She answered anyway, blaming the dimple in his left cheek. “No, only once before with some friends from the office.��

I suppose if there’s a takeaway form this blog post it’s that, in my opinion, a story is only as good as the telling.

For me, I’m heading back to my pages and making one more red-pen pass.

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Welcome!

It’s been a long time since I’ve written a regular blog, and I’m excited to be launching “Running Wild With Books��.

You know, a lot of thought goes into what to name a blog. It did for me, anyway. I admit to being stumped for weeks. Of course, I wanted the name to be catchy in order that people can easily remember it. Also, a reflection of my goal �� or more accurately, what the blog is all about and my purpose for writing it. Lastly, I didn’t want the name to be restrictive so that we can cover a wide variety of different topics here.

Yes, I sort of, kind of, stole the idea from Running Wild with Bear Grylss. I promise, however, there will be no harrowing journeys through the wilderness. Not to say we couldn’t come to a new understanding about ourselves or the world around us like a lot of the guests on his show do. But our main purpose is to always have fun.

Here are my thought on this blog. First and foremost, it’s about books.

Writing them.

Reading them.

Loving them.

Hating them.

Researching them.

Giving them away periodically through contests.

Turning them into movies or TV shows.

How they affect our lives.

Interesting facts about them.

The words that go into them.

New books.

Classic books.

Audio books.

Latest book trends.

Chatting with different authors.

Chatting about the publishing industry.

Random thoughts.

I put that last one in because I might need a little leeway in some of my posts

It’s July, and I have to say, I’m really happy this month and with good reason. I have three birthdays to celebrate! The first is, of course, the 4th of July, for those of us who live in the United States. Secondly, it’s my book birthday. Yay! THE COWBOY’S TWIN SURPRISE officially released July 1st. Lastly, July 12th is my birthday. I won’t say hold old I am, let’s just all agree that I’m celebrating yet another 29th birthday :)

I’m also introducing a new regular feature this month. The name of my newsletter is called “Cathy’s Chatterbox�� and every box has four corners, right? Well, welcome to Ozzy’s Corner. Seems my four-pawed muse wants to share a little of his life with me, his writer Mom. I tried to stop him, but he insists.

OZZY’S CORNER

So, Mom said I had to get a “real�� job. Apparently plunking down on her manuscript pages, thereby preventing them from spontaneously flying off in all directions, isn’t “working��. Honestly, I don’t get it. Mom sits in front of a computer all day, and she calls that working. I know this for a fact because she’s always saying, “Quit it, Ozzy, I’m working.��

What I see is her sitting. A lot. Her job is apparently something called “I’m on deadline��. Or, maybe it’s a place, I can’t be sure. She’ll say, “Ozzy, come on, I’m on deadline�� like it’s somewhere she wants us to go. Except she never leaves her chair after she says it. Ever.