Friday, February 4, 2022

Put a Fresh Face on Those Older Books

 

Good morning!  I LOVE that fish image... because sometimes you have to be brave enough and savvy enough to just go the other way. I think having survived a really rough childhood, I learned to swim upstream as needed.

Ruthy here. Ruthy who has gotten the rights back on four books this year.... and has the wonderful task of being able to go through them...

Word for word, step by step...

And re-publish them.

#BONUS

#AMAZON

#NEWOPPORTUNITIES

In the old days... like fifteen years ago... your old books sat on a publisher's back stock and most likely were never seen again. Now that's not true of Nora Roberts and Jodi Thomas and Debbie Macomber and Linda Howard.... those category authors hit the big time with bigger imprints and then their early works were published and repackaged and republished, and packaged again and republished.... and the author got whatever the original deal was.

Amazon/Kindle and Kindle Direct Publishing changed all of that.

And the law... the law helped, too, by saying that if an author's work was not being marketed, then the publishers needed to set reasonable guidelines to return the rights to the author if those guidelines were met. And that's the time we live in. As the author of 30 category books, I am very happy about that because that means my backlist doesn't die. It gets republished, only now I'm the publisher. So what does that mean? 

I'll tell you.

First, THIS IS NOT A DIFFICULT PROCESS. It takes time and work and effort but you are going to make money, so to me, that's a no-brainer.

1. Find the cleanest copy you can, complete with edits. (my original Love Inspired books in 2009 to 20013 were done with hard copy edits. I mailed them into the office in NYC, so those aren't available except in the story itself and back then, they sent LOCKED files so that you couldn't open them for editing. You simply printed the page with the edits. And mailed it.) 

SO MUCH  HAS CHANGED!!!!! Harlequin was gracious enough to send me unlocked files, which is wonderful. But they shift as I'm working.... so there's a lot of restructuring.... and they shift again during formatting, so leave time for two complete read-throughs. Am I particular about these read-throughs?

Yes. Because I want the best possible product for my customers, my readers. They deserve nothing less.

2. Arrange for formatting or if you have a Mac and Vellum and know how to do it, go for it. 

I don't. I don't have a Mac, nor Vellum, and I hire Jen at Killion to format all of my books (and I've put out a lot of them) and here is why: I have gotten no complaints from readers. None. Zip. Zilch. Nada.

When I see an indie book that's got publishing issues, I wince because it doesn't have to be that way. It costs me $60 for a Kindle format and $80 for a print. And as I get my rights back to multiple novels, I put every one out in print and Kindle format because I still have readers who love, love, love books. The print books are a minimal part of my monthly sales, but I love my readers and they have supported me for twelve years, so I'll do what I need to make accessibility to Ruthy books EASY.  I will do audio soon, too, God willing. Covid hit four weeks after I bought the equipment for my own little audio center, and my house has been noisy ever since...  Anyway, I want my indie books to look just as professional as my traditionally published books. Inside... and out.

3. Design a cover that reflects the book and/or series.

I don't find covers as important as some would have you believe.... BUT... having said that... I like good covers. When I went on cover hunts, though, I realized that the AUTHOR sells way more books than the cover, so as I release more and more books to the indie market, that readership (and page reads on Kindle, a wonderful marketing tool) increases. This is not overnight success. This is regularly feeding the tiger (Amazon) by getting books out there on a regular basis.  So the covers are important, but the readers' love for the author is still the #1 reason they buy or read your work.  And if you have the time/talent/wherewithal to design your own covers, go for it! Practice makes perfect. Personally, I gain traction by writing more and having Beth do covers and graphics. And I am not good at that stuff!!!! Not good!!!!! I can own it!!!!!

We've talked behind the scenes about series specific covers... I believe in that, it makes it easier for the reader to recognize the book/series/style. In my wonderful and long term with Love Inspired, the series didn't have a cover "feeling".... they were well done but looked like anybody's cover and one series could easily be stacked with another and no one would know the difference. Now I had the power to change that.

Here are the WISHING BRIDGE COVERS. The first two were designed by Waterfall Press/Amazon/Brilliance Audio the original publisher of books one and two. I wanted the ensuing covers to reflect the first two. To fit as if designed by the same person. Beth Jamison of Jamison editing created the covers for "Finding Peace in Wishing Bridge" and "Embracing Light in Wishing Bridge".



But when I had Beth do the North Country Series, my first three books whose rights reverted to me, I had her do a distinctively different look:


And now that I have rights back to several of my Men of Allegany County series with Love Inspired, they will have their own distinctive look. I wanted small-town/rural looks that reflect the feelings within each book but done in a style that shows the books are related. 


Reunited Hearts has been re-released, Small Town Hearts is coming in March, and then The Lawman's Second Chance is coming in June and A Family to Cherish is scheduled for July/August.... 

Now, once you have the book updated (TECHNOLOGY HAS CHANGED SO MUCH IN TEN YEARS!!!! My references to cable TV, to flip phones, to what's available to businesses needed some updating.... the story was solid, but every mention of that stuff dated the story as 2011... :) Oh my stars, who knew?????) you're going to plan your launch. 

kdp.com walks you through it. And if you're going through the process and have questions, email me and ask. It is mostly a simple "enter your answer" process. And ten years ago, it changed like three times a year. That's not true now, the tech behind the scenes is much more solid.

Planning your launch.... This is where I differ from a lot of authors because when you're brand new at this, a big launch isn't always the best way to go.  It's like a splash of water in a pan of hot grease... quickly burned off. Think of how a mill wheel works along a historic creek bed.... the movement of the water pushes the wheel. Slowly at first... and then, as the wheel gains momentum, the water moves the wheel more easily. And the wheel speed is controlled by how much water is channeled to the wheel, right? Our "water" is the number of books... 

I plan ahead. I've had the Southern Tier books since last summer, but wanted them to fill in 2022 between Wishing Bridge launches. That way I'm feeding the fire every couple of months. I'm asking for several more books this year.

I am working on a mystery series for 2023 and 2024.... because I'm still doing traditional contracts. And I want four of these mysteries done before I publish the first one. So I write them when I have down time and I keep them tucked away like money in the bank.

I look ahead to make sure I'll have product to keep the wheel turning. Patience is your friend when launching indie books. And steady work helps keep you in the mix.

Are these hard, fast rules? No. But it's what's worked for me over the years, and the key component, the basic element is to keep producing work. Keep publishing. Keep writing.  

ALL RIGHT, THAT'S IT FOR TODAY!  To thank you for getting to this point, I've got a copy of any Wishing Bridge or North Country book... or Reunited Hearts... to send to some lucky winner! E-book or print, your choice. But in order to be considered, you've got to leave a comment below... what scares/worries/concerns you about indie publishing or getting rights reverted? Are you afraid to hurt editor's and publisher's feelings?

Leave a comment below and let's talk. Hey... it's Friday, I have a new bathroom that I've been waiting 32 years for... yes.... 32 years!!!!! So I'm in a real good mood! :)


Bestselling, award-winning inspirational author Ruth Logan Herne is living her dream of writing the kinds of books she likes to read. Email Ruthy at loganherne@gmail.com, visit her website at ruthloganherne.com or friend her on Facebook where she shares probably WAY TOO MUCH information, but she does love, love, love her readers! Ruthy and Farmer Dave own a very busy pumpkin farm in Western New York, and for six months of the year her life is cray cray with planting, weeding, fertilizing, etc... but she loves it! And she knows So Much About Pumpkins and Squash that she's quite a bore to talk to as she shares copious amounts of pumpkin/squash and mum production. :) And yet, people keep coming! 


43 comments:

  1. Good morning, Ruthy.

    So, like with Winter's End, what happens to the used books that were originally put out by LI? I glanced on Amazon and didn't any of the old one, but there's several copies on Ebay. Does Amazon keep any original publisher copies? If so, do they combine the reviews and ratings?

    Who does your print copies? For some reason, I thought they were like $15 each, but yours are not. Is it print on demand?

    BTW, great article, very informative. Thank you so much!
    Connie

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    1. Connie, great questions!

      Used books can always be sold by third party sellers... so customers could find both. My new version and the old.

      I kept the titles on two books and changed the title on the second book "Made to Order Family" to "Season of Hope" because the titles never meshed. They bought the books out of order and the first two had titles that were reflective of that marketing time... and then they switched right back to category style titles and I felt that was out of sync... But there are still nearly 100 reviews for it, so that's good and I think they transferred over. I know they did on the others, but back then very few category books got more than 20 or 30 reviews, so this was a benefit that Harlequin is seeing now... You'll notice my new books have higher reviews than any used to, and I think this is a result of people seeing my indies and grabbing the categories to go along with. Interestingly when I was first doing indie in 2013/14/15, I was told I was their highest selling Kindle author when they had Kindle prices at $1.99.... People will pay that in a heartbeat! But when the publishers and Amazon had their turf war, and publishers said Amazon couldn't reduce prices, then the ebooks went to $4.99 or $3.99 and that's a whole other ball park. I've learned a lot over this past decade, Connie!

      Print copies are done right through Amazon and KDP. I keep the price low because I love my readers and if I make $1/book, I'm happy.

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  2. Great information, Ruthy!

    As I've been moving toward the indie publishing world, I've read a LOT of advice from different people. Everyone has their own take on what you need to do to be successful! But I read each person's advice, and then I look at the "fruit."

    I've gotten a lot of advice from authors who seem to be relying on volume and speed to sell their books - not quality stories. I've never wanted to be one of those authors, so I look for some sane advice from authors who are in the business for the long haul and who care about serving their readers rather than using them.

    You, my friend, have always given me the best advice, and I see the fruit of your labors. :-)

    Thanks for this post - it's a keeper!

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    1. Jan, I hear you loud and clear. You and I have talked a lot. Like you, I look at the long haul. Turtle pace... just steady. If I can do 4 books/year, that's amazing, right? In ten years that's 40 more books!!!! God willing, of course.

      So when I looked at indie in 2013 (when my longer books were not picked up and it looked like my trade paperback life wasn't ever going to happen) I published those first three, and it was an amazing response from readers... and I realized that publishers have self-constraints that I don't have... and readers are amazingly flexible in what they see as a great story. So I just kept on feeding the fire with novels and novellas, always with that eye toward two years away and five years away. That gives me flexibility. And so many blessings now. I see these wonderful stories as a great way to generate passive income with readers who may never stop in Walmart or shop category fiction... but I know they're great stories and the KU readers and Amazon shoppers agree. :)

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  3. Wow, Ruthy! So much to love in this post!

    1) I survived a really rough childhood, too. That either makes you or breaks you. And yes, gives you the resistance to swim upstream when you have to. Or say, "Go ahead. Knock me down. But there's no way on Earth you're going to KEEP me down."

    2) On the one hand, the realization that I could publish what I write myself (even if it was just using the binding combs in my home office to put my story together for my family and friends to read) was just what I needed to give myself "permission" to write, to know that it would never be a waste of my time. I very much want a traditional publishing contract, but I'll write whether I get one or not. Nobody can STOP me from writing.

    3) On the other hand, the thought of indie publishing terrifies me. I'm technologically inept. Technologically resistant and resentful, really. Not that it really matters. I was also terrified to submit to a publisher, but I did it. Terrified to post my first comment on Seekerville, but I did it. When the time comes to explore nontraditional publishing, terrified or not, I'll do it.

    Thanks, Ruthy, for blazing the trails before us and sharing your experiences with us.

    And congratulations on your new bathroom! 32 years?! You must have the patience of Job!

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    1. Terri, we are technologically inept sisters. ;)

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    2. I am fist-bumping the techno-inept among us!!!!!

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    3. Terri, I feel your pain on the traditional vs indie front. Being technologically challenged makes the idea of indie publishing terrifying to me. We can do this!

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    4. I promise you, it's not that hard.... But it is pricey to begin if you're hiring an editor, cover designer, formatter.... if that's too high, do a simple cover and hire the editor and formatter. I promise you that the number of low-star reviews I see on author's books often say "This book could have used an editor" or "So many disjointed sentences, spelling errors and just weird structure. Didn't anyone read this before they hit publish?" Those are KILLER reviews.... because no one wants to fight to read a story, right?

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    5. As of right now, the plan is to definitely hire all the people in the know. I'm also thinking of targeting Love Inspired in the beginning then branching out to indie . This may or may not be a wise choice. I'm depending on God to give me the clarity to know for sure as I travel the road to get there:))

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    6. Pat, that's all we can do. We work. Put in the time. And then go with God's plan. Amen!

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  4. Hahahahah! I don't know about the patience, Terri, but there was no money and I had a step by step program to get a new kitchen.... and it started years ago, kind of like how I attack my books. I am a funny duck. And I wanted cash in hand for each project, I'm too far along to want payments I don't need. But back to writing... IT'S SO SCARY!!!!! I remember that so well, I know most of the gals feel the same way, but then again it was my dream... and I had to step out to reach the dream even though I made every mistake known to man. Every one, Terri. But I survived and you will, too.

    We go, grow and learn step by step and there's no one right way. It's like God and Jesus and faith... the faith in Christ as our Savior is a single track... but I don't care what building folks worship in, it's the love of that Savior, the belief that binds us together.

    Same with publishing. I don't go to war with folks over different ideas, but I know what's worked for me and it's always good to share that.

    Fifteen years ago authors were supposed to maintain a vow of silence over contracts, money, etc. The right hand of publishing didn't want the left hand to know what was happening, so that was a time of silence, but now... I say sing out! Let folks know! We Seekers joined forces (fifteen of us then, all unpublished authors) to pray one another into publication back in 2004.... and we did it. Even though it's a crazy selective and competitive business, we did it! All fifteen Seekers got contracts with traditional, royalty-paying publishers... no vanity press or self-pub. If we can do that... I know you can reach your dreams and goals.

    We just don't quit!

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    1. Ruthy, I made every mistake known to man, too. And some I made up myself. Sigh.
      KB

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    2. How to we learn wisdom? We make mistakes and learn from them!

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  5. Ruthy, what a great idea and I think I'm gonna do it. I planned my Western Dreams series as a five-book effort, three full novels and two related novellas. Problem is the novellas are e-book only, and I dream of having a boxed set of everything.
    Also agree with you about launch parties. When you're starting out, a bracket in which I still consider myself, the people who show up for launch parties are basically your family and friends, who will most likely buy the book ANYWAY.
    Thanks for sharing, and for helping us think more like businesspeople. It's a fine line...
    Kathy Bailey
    Your Kaybee
    Working from home today

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  6. Ruthy, your post is amazing...you are so smart as well as very inspirational. I've read all of your books and look forward to your future ones! Thanks for your generous giveaway....oh and enjoy the new bathroom!!
    Blessings~~

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    1. Wait.

      Did you just call me smart?????

      I AM FRAMING THAT FOR MY CHILDREN!!!!!! :)

      Thank you, Jackie! And yes, I am excited about the new bathroom!!!!!!

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  7. I love this and I have truly enjoyed working on these covers with you. What a blessing!

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    1. Well, I admire how you self-taught yourself everything. So much time and trial and error and dedication so I wouldn't have to do it. We make a good team and you are fun to work with. NO ONE ELSE WILL FEED YOU LIKE I DO, but they will pay you like I do, so it's good to toot your horn. I love the work you do.

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  8. Ruthy, if I could remember only half of what you've forgotten... You never cease to amaze me, my friend. Your brain works so much better than mine. Okay, maybe just differently. Still, you have so knowledge to share, and I love that you are so willing to share. Thank you.

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    1. Oh, pshaw....I am like the Cliff Claven of my family, remember Cliff from Cheers? The know-it-all who held 4,000,000 useless facts and spewed them?

      Yep.

      That's me. But this indie stuff and insider stuff is important and since I've renounced the vow of silence (I would have made a terrible nun!!!!) it's good to share what we've learned. And I love you, Mindy. So there. :)

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  9. Ruthy, this information is priceless! Thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge. Congratulations on your new bathroom.

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    1. Clearly I am excited about the bathroom, LOL!

      You're welcome, Pat! So good to see you!

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  10. Ruthy, This information is invaluable! It will work for my nonfiction book, "Abandoned Into the Heart of God," as well. Thank you so much for sharing! And I love the book covers!

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    1. Thank you on the covers! Beth has gotten so good!!!!!!!

      And yes, work on that non-fiction, girl. Why not?

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  11. I think that it's awesome that you get the rights back to your books, quite frankly the thought of my books becoming backlist titles and no longer being printed gives me hives. So, I'm glad that you've been able to republish those books.

    Personally, the majority of my book purchases are due to the covers. Covers are very important to me. I do have some authors who I purchase no matter what they publish but that list is very short.

    Formatting can be... difficult this is very true. I used to write in Libre Office and then have to switch over to Word for publishing and that messed up my formatting all the time, but now that I write solely in Word I have fewer problems. I have been experimenting with formatting with the past few books I've released, adding illustrations and chapter titles. It can be fun but it's a lot of work and there was definitely a learning curve.

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    1. That's a big learning curve, Nicki, but it's good that you're tackling it young. You've got (God willing!) a long, healthy career ahead of you. And I expect there are cover-folks out there. It's not that I dismiss covers... but I know that once you have a readership or a friend's recommendation, it's amazing how little the cover means.

      The formatting being sloppy is one of those red flags to me. That says either ineptitude or laziness.... because you can get it right, but it might take a bunch of tries or learning. Nicki, always a pleasure to talk with you!

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  12. Thanks for sharing, Ruthy. Indie publishing seems to sell nearly as many gimmicks for success as the diet industry. In the midst of that, it's so encouraging to see that you're doing well through rock-steady diligence and care for a well-written story. I read one of your re-releases with a main character in hospice care. I thought: how will she possibly make this story uplifting? But you did it. I continue to be fascinated that you're happy in KU when so many authors are saying they're losing money and leaving the program. Must be the extra Ruthy magic in the stories that makes it all work :-) Happy Snow Day!

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    1. Aw, Jenna.... you read Winter's End. That was my first published novel and it's beautiful. I love that story. And you know, after eight years of working, working, working and getting close... but far.... I had two editors wanting that story and I went with Love Inspired, not Superromance... and I have never regretted that decision. And yes, I am happy in KU. Is it perfect? Nope.

      Do I lift my brows about putting so many eggs in one Amazon basket??? Giving them control?

      Yep.

      BUT.... when you sell your books to publishers, you're handing them control and that can go well or awful. So it's all a bit of a gamble.

      I am focused on seeding my indie "lawn" each year that I have breath and stories and then that becomes part of a legacy. It's not perfect but Jenna, I do love running my own business. That makes me happy because I'm not the kind of person that's comfortable with overcharging people. So if I can keep prices down by cutting out the middleman, I'm all over that! Happy Walmart shopper!

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  13. Wow, Ruthy, there's so much more to writing than meets the eye. All of you have touched on everything that goes into writing; just the other day Mindy talked about the writer's hats. And now here is another aspect of the writer's life. Whew! As a reader judging your covers, I like 1 Wishing Bridge first (because the girls make the background sing) 2 Southern Tier Romance because those small-town covers are gorgeous! and 3 North Country Romance. Stay warm!

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    1. Karen, hey! Good to see you! And I love your take on the covers... And yeah, Beth designed the Southern Tier Romance based on research of small-town covers and I love them! Thanks for stopping by, Karen!

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  14. Are the Southern Tier books set in the Southern Tier of NY? I grew up there!

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    1. Tonya, yes! I did an Allegany County series (Wellsville, Angelica, etc.) and then a Chautauqua Lake series (Kirkwood Lake) set in Chautauqua County. And Wishing Bridge is in the Southern Tier too, Wyoming County. I love that area, so full of farms and woods and small towns. A New York gem!!!!

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  15. Congratulations on book rights and a new bathroom. Two great things to celebrate.

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  16. This was such an interesting post! Thank you for all this information. I would love to be entered in the giveaway!

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  17. Interesting post, Ruthy. Indie publishing sounds very daunting to me. I'm glad you are able to do this.

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    1. Sandy, you know how it is. It's all daunting the first time. And then you do it and you're like... whoa. Not so bad!!!!! And that's why it's nice to talk about it, take the mystery out of it. And I can talk anyone through it. Good to see you, dear friend!

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  18. Oh, the joy of the realization of a 32 year dream! Enjoy your new bathroom to the max! I am at the end of a 12 year dream of writing a book (well, Bible study) that has been inside me. It is edited, designed, and formatted. Now, I am navigating my way to print. So challenging. Yesterday, I wanted to give up (again.). But, I won't. I've come to far, and this has been an assignment from God. What scares me is yes, the technology part...and also, the "brain power" part to absorb all the information and learn all the "in's and outs" that I need to so nothing will fall through the cracks. I am 68 years old, and the "old gray mare" still has a lot of spunk, but "she ain't what she used to be."

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    1. It's so good that we're not what we used to be!!!! We're founts of knowledge and experience and coffee!!!! Or soda!!!!! :)

      Go get 'em, Becky. Congratulations on getting this done! You are amazing!!!!!

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  19. I was very lucky to contact darkwebprogrammer@gmail.com they gave me hack transfer of $15000

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