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Serenity Woods on ePublishing and a Giveaway!

Among all the traditionally published author spotlights, I wanted to give my writer friends a glimpse of the alternative. So, here is an interesting post by my friend....

Serenity Woods


Hi everyone, and thank you Nas, for welcoming me onto your wonderful blog. I feel honoured to appear here with all the amazing authors Nas interviews, and slightly overawed! However, with Amazon announcing they sold 115 Kindle ebooks for every 100 paperbacks for the first time last year, perhaps this is the perfect time for a writer who’s launched her romance writing career via epublishing to talk about what makes this a viable alternative.

I’ve had moderate success over the years with a dozen short stories published, and I’ve won first prize in nine short story and poetry competitions. (When I won Writing Magazine’s Adult Fairy Story comp I even won a silver cup for a year that had my name engraved on it. I polished it so much you had to wear sunglasses when you came in the room.) However, in spite of my successes, I just couldn’t seem to get a novel published.

I wrote eight books in various genres from fantasy to historical to thrillers, learning so much along the way, but even though I had a couple of sniffs from agents, nobody seemed prepared to take me on. Depressed last year after having two books returned – one from a publisher after eighteen months with a one line rejection, and one from an agent after eight months and a rewrite with a one line rejection – I decided to have a go at writing romance. It is such a popular genre that you didn’t seem to need an agent, and submitting straight to a epublisher appealed to the impatient devil lurking on my right shoulder that kept whispering “You’ve just turned forty! You were supposed to be a bestseller by now!”

I found a competition with Samhain Publishing (http://www.samhainpublishing.com/) that requested ‘sweet’ romances for a ‘Springtime’ anthology, and I wrote a novella (around 22,000 words) about a New Zealand wedding where the best man and the chief bridesmaid fall in love. The story is set over ten hours, with each chapter covering a separate hour. My editor, Imogen Howson, said it was an unusual concept and she fell in love with the heroine’s silky, scarlet bridesmaid’s dress, and, to my delight, bought the story. I read her email at six am, lying in bed with my iPad, and woke my husband by sitting up and yelling: “Yay!” Something Blue comes out in May this year.

After this, I had two romance novellas accepted by Noble Romance (http://www.nobleromance.com/). The first is a paranormal called Black Hawke Down, set in a supernatural unit of the British Army, about a nature witch who’s been blamed for a murder she didn’t commit, and she’s on the run, hunted by her warlock ex-lover. The second is an historical romance, set during the Wars of the Roses, called Surrender Your Heart.

Noble labels these novellas as ‘erotic’ romances. *Blush*. I’m just starting to come to terms with the fact that I like writing about love and sex, and, actually, I’m not bad at it. I’m beginning to realise I may have found my forte. I enjoy writing about relationships and my editors tell me I’m pretty good at creating chemistry between my characters. Also, I don’t seem to struggle with sex scenes as so many other writers say they do. My problem is making sure I don’t go on for too long – my CP once told me it takes me 2,000 words for me just to get the heroine’s top off! But I’ve found I like writing sexy scenes, and I enjoy making them sensual, often funny, and always romantic (at least my characters have never complained!)

After this, I entered the Mills & Boon New Voices competition with a paranormal story called Midnight Shaman, Wanton Witch, (you can read it for free here: http://www.romanceisnotdead.com/Entries/251-Midnight-Shaman-Wanton-Witch/Chapter-One) and although I didn’t get into the top ten, I did make the longlist of 45, and was asked to submit the first three chapters via email to M&B. Again, I found out in the middle of the night, unable to sleep when I knew the results were out, and had to get up at 3am because I was so excited when I read my name! I’m still waiting for a reply on the partial I submitted in November.

It was during NaNoWriMo, however, that I finally realised I could be on the road to success. I wrote a contemporary romance targeting the Harlequin Blaze line, in conjunction with the Harlequin NaNo forum where you had to post your word total every day (those of you who lurk on the Harlequin writing forums may know me as ‘Kiwibird’). It gave me the push I needed, and, rather than spending ages re-reading my work every day, I read the last sentence, then carried on with the story, determined to get the book finished in time. I enjoyed it so much I completed 60,000 words in 20 days, winning the Harlequin prize for writing the most words during NaNo. I guess being a PA and typing at 100wpm has its advantages!

I submitted the first chapter for the Harlequin “So You Think You Can Write” competition, but gained only a form rejection. I was convinced it was a good story, though, and I loved my characters to bits. Shortly after this, I met my CP and she read the book and told me she loved it, so I rewrote the first chapter with her advice. Now I had a decision to make. Should I resubmit to Harlequin via the usual channels? Harlequin Mills & Boon carry a prestige that you can’t ignore, and I really want to be published with them. However, it can be a long time between submitting a query letter and publication. While I’m very happy to wait to receive an answer on my Nocturne and anything else I submit to them, I felt that I also needed to get some more published works behind me, to boost my confidence. So I submitted the book to Imogen at Samhain in February. Within several weeks, she came back to me and said she loved it, and we’re currently working through some revisions with a view to a November/December release date.

I enjoyed writing the contemporary romance so much I have since written two more, and I’m having an absolute ball. In the past, it has been a slog trying to get a book finished, but now I finally realise what a joy writing can be. Putting my heroes and heroines into difficult situations, making them attracted to each other, letting them indulge in long, amorous scenes and then breaking their hearts at the end – what could be more fun than torturing characters so relentlessly? I love writing romance, and only wish I’d made the move to the genre sooner.

One great thing about being epublished is that I’ve learned such a lot from my editors, Imogen at Samhain, and Jill and the other editors at Noble, about the nuts and bolts of writing. They’ve polished my grammar and sentence construction. You can read about what else I’ve found out on my blog, under the Editing tab at the top. http://serenitywoods.blogspot.com/p/editing.html

From my experience, epubs offer a small advance, or none at all, but pay between 30 and 40% royalties for each book sold. So it’s in your best interests to market your work as much as you can. But then that goes for print publishers as well. It’s going to take a while to hit the big money. I don’t expect to make much on these early novellas. But the important thing for me is that I have three book covers on Amazon and my own author page (http://www.amazon.com/Serenity-Woods/e/B004S7GWLM/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1 ). And three published novellas to put on my writing CV. Another important thing to consider is that, with some of the epubs, a book of over 50-60,000 words is likely to be published as a paperback, as well as an ebook. So there’s still an opportunity to hold the printed copy in your hand, as well as read it on your e-reader.

If you want to try an epublisher, as well as Samhain and Noble, there are many others you can try, such as Wild Rose Press (http://www.thewildrosepress.com/ ) and Carina Press (http://www.carinapress.com/ ) (an offshoot of Harlequin), as well as those who publish more erotic romance and erotica, like Cobblestone Press (http://www.cobblestone-press.com/ ) and Ellora’s Cave (http://www.jasminejade.com/default.aspx?skinid=11 ).

I’m still hoping to be published by Harlequin one day. And I will continue to submit novels to them. But while I’m waiting to hear from them, I’m going to continue to submit to the epubs. The turnaround time is amazing, often less than six months from acceptance to publication, and the covers are beautiful. It’s no less exciting, believe me, when you see your name on an e-cover than it is on a real cover. Just knowing someone is out there reading your story, and, hopefully, enjoying it, is a wonderful feeling. So I’d thoroughly recommend giving epubs a go. They are a lot more flexible in terms of storylines and word length than Harlequin, which is great if you’re having difficulty fitting your story into HMB’s guidelines. I have nothing but respect for HMB, and I love them dearly, but not everyone is Robin Hood—some of us struggle to hit the target. That doesn’t mean you can’t write, and it doesn’t mean you won’t be published. I’m proof of that.

As a final note, I’m gifting a copy of my ebook Surrender Your Heart, a naughty-but-nice romance set during the Wars of the Roses, to a lucky winner. If you’d like to be in for a copy, just mention the title in a comment below by Sunday 3rd April. Here’s a clip to get you interested J

Surrender Your Heart

Eleanor didn't see much more of Henry for the rest of the day, and it crossed her mind maybe he was trying to keep out of her way. As darkness fell, the men started filling the Hall for the evening meal. His squire, a youth who followed Henry around like a puppy, informed her that his sire wanted a bath before he ate.

Eleanor considered telling him to ask his master to take a dive in the moat if he wanted to get wet, but refrained from saying the words. She'd always considered herself a good hostess, and decided for the moment she would think of him as her guest—perhaps that way she would avoid getting herself into too much trouble.

She ordered two serving lads to fill the wooden tub resting in the corner of one of the guest chambers with hot water, and was busy laying out towels and fresh clothing when Henry appeared in the doorway.

He looked around the room, his face expressionless, and she realised her error. "Oh. Of course. You should have the master chamber." She cursed herself for her idiotic mistake. "My apologies, my lord." Being deferential to him irked her greatly. Yet the precariousness of her situation—and that of the other inhabitants of the castle—necessitated her good behaviour. She didn't want to provoke him into throwing her out, or worse, throwing her to his men.

He glared at her. "Stop being so damned subservient, Ella. It does not suit you. I will not change my mind and stick everyone's heads on stakes because you gave me the wrong room."

"Fine." She was about to snap back at him, then realised he'd called her by her childhood nickname. Her anger vanished as quickly as it had arisen. She saw through his irritation; he was tired and probably desperate for his bath. She poured a goblet of wine and held it out to him as he approached. "The bath is ready if you would like one."

He stopped before her and looked at the wine. She realised he was wondering if she might have poisoned it. "Oh God's teeth. Do you think me as vindictive as that?" She took a mouthful of the wine and swallowed it, then stuck her tongue out at him. "You looked hot and grumpy. I thought you might like a drink."

He eyed her testily. "I am hot and grumpy because I am wearing all this cursed armour on such a hot day." He faced her with hands on hips. "Do you promise you are not going to try and stick a knife in my back at the first opportunity if I take it off?"

Eleanor raised an eyebrow. "If I come at you with a knife, Hal de Tracey, you will be awake and facing me, and with a weapon in your hand, believe me."

For the first time since they'd met, the corners of his mouth tugged with a smile. "Nobody has called me that for ten years."

She lowered her eyes with fake humility. "I apologise, my lord." She sank into a deep curtsey.

"Oh, get up." He fumbled with irritation at the straps buckling the breastplate onto his leather doublet. "And for the sake of all that is holy, get me out of this metal oven."

"Um, should we not wait for your squire to come and help?"

"I could not find him, and no, I cannot wait." He glared. His manner made it clear he was used to being obeyed.

49 comments:

  1. Fascinating interview, Nas and Serenity. The publishing world is changing. But one thing hasn't changed : fans of romance consume books at a rapid rate -- so there is a hot demand for them that publishers have to fill.

    I was riveted by your history, struggle, and finally your success. May your sales only increase, Roland

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  2. Thanks Nas and Serenity for this great post. I was rivited all the way through. It is true that you have to believe in yourself and keep plugging away. I wish you the best for being published with HM&B. I would love to win a copy of Surrender Your Heart.

    Denise<3

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  3. Thanks, Nas, for hosting Serenity. I'd love to win a copy of her book! This is the kind of lean, compelling writing (my favorite kind) that I look for in any genre. She's done it here! I'm impressed and would love to read more.

    Serenity: ONLY forty, and it sounds like you've already written a lot of wonderful stories. I predict that you have another great forty years ahead of you with your writing career!!

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  4. Hi Roland, thanks so much for coming by to check out Serenity's story.

    Hello Denise, Serenity writes very fast! I've seen her complete a rough draft of 50,000+ words in less than a month. I also echo you, in saying all the best with her dream publisher!

    Hi Ann, you're an inspiration to all of us in this community! And your compliments regarding Serenity is like pure gold! Thanks!

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  5. Nothing I admire more in a writer is the ability and guts to write in any "genre." In fact, I'd like to see that word erased from the publishing vocabulary.

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  6. Thanks Serenity for sharing your journey with us. It was great to meet you and your work!

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  7. Something I just read from Victoria Strauss, who tries to help newbies in the cold waters of publishing :

    What does grants to the publisher and its licensees "for the full term of the copyright available.... the following Primary and Secondary rights" mean?

    It means you're granting the rights specified in the contract for the full term of copyright, which is the life of the author plus 70 years.

    Primary rights usually means book rights--printing and distributing the book in various parts of the world. Secondary rights, also known as subsidiary rights, might include book club, dramatic, audio, film, serial, translation, and others.

    Before you get alarmed about "life plus 70", this is standard publishing contract language (though not optimal for an electronic or digital publisher--more on that below).

    However, it MUST be balanced by a clear and unambiguous termination/out of print clause, which specifies exactly how and under what circumstances a book will be declared out of print, and what steps you can then take to get the rights returned to you.

    As I noted above, "life plus 70" isn't ideal for a digital or electronic publisher. This is true for a variety of reasons--

    their books typically sell in small quantities and for a short period of time, they often go bust after only a few years in business,

    and their lack of business expertise often makes for all kinds of problems, from nonpayment of royalties to nonproduction of books.

    Also, things in the digital universe change fast, and if there's a better option you want to be able to jump on it. All of this means that you don't want to be tied to an e- or digital publisher for too long.

    Either a time-limited contract (1-3 years) or a contract that allows you to terminate at will with adequate notice is far preferable to "life plus 70".

    Another issue:

    smaller publishers often aren't capable of marketing secondary or subsidary rights (many of them are aren't capable of marketing their books, but that's a whole 'nother can of worms).

    A publisher shouldn't demand rights it isn't able to sell. Yet many small publishers want a whole smorgasbord of subrights, and often aren't willing to negotiate this.

    - Victoria

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  8. Hi everyone, and welcome to the party! Someone break out the bubbly... and get the chocolate :)

    @Roland, nice to you meet you, and sorry I didn't comment earlier on your post, I thought I had, I certainly read your interview. Where was I last week? Away with the birds, clearly. Thank you for your well wishes, and I extend the same to you.

    @Denise, yes, believing in yourself is such a huge part of being a writer, and so difficult if you're not naturally a confident person. We have to have huge egos to keep sending our work out after so many rejections. I just tell myself that one rejection is only one person's opinion, and writing is so subjective, the next publisher might love it!

    @Ann, wow, thank you for the wonderful compliment. *Sniff*. When it all comes down to it, writing's about telling stories that other people want to read, and there's no greater compliment than someone saying they've enjoyed your work. And thanks for thinking I'm young! Lol. Yes, I hope I have at least another 40 years of writing to go...

    Hi Nas, thank you so much for having me on your wonderful blog. I am really honoured (and still slightly puzzled :)) I guess I do write fast; looking back, I see I've written four novels and five novellas in six months, which I guess is fairly prolific. I've been told to say it's because I have such an understanding husband :)

    Explorer, I'm with you on the genre thingy. There's nothing worse than being pigeon-holed when you don't feel your writing conforms to a particular genre. And within a genre, there is such huge difference. My 'erotic romance' is fairly tame, compared to a lot of what's out there. I think language is the biggest difference between erotic romance and erotica. And although my romances are 'steamy', inasmuch as they go beyond the bedroom door, as Nas knows, I quite happy to write a whole book without a single rude euphemism :)

    @Lydia - thank you! And it's nice to meet you, too. This is such a wonderful way to make new friends.

    And lastly, to Roland again, thanks for that interesting snippet from Victoria Strauss. The business side of writing gives me a headache. I guess I might have to look for an agent eventually to handle that side of things. But for now I'm happy to just keep sending out the work and crossing my fingers that it all works out! But still, it was really interesting reading about publishing rights etc. Thanks for the post.

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  9. Hi Serenity!
    I enjoyed your post. I've been reading so much about e-publishing and ebooks outselling print books. I read somewhere that a women went into her local Barnes and Noble and they had half the stock they usually did. E books have opened up whole new audiences for romance/erotica. I have a Kindle and while I still LOVE to hold a book in my hands, I even more LOVE the ability to hop on Amazon (or a comparable compatible site) and download a book. Right then and there. I am all about the instant gratification!!!

    Good luck with all your books!!

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  10. Even a small press or an e-press, publisher is a good thing. I wish you great success.
    Nancy
    N. R. Williams, The Treasures of Carmelidrium.

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  11. I think that typing fast has definite advantages!!

    I think the joy of writing is important to remember. It's easy to be discouraged by the submission process, but the writing can be its own reward.

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  12. Great interview, Serenity! Thanks for the peek at e-publishing, and for sharing your journey to publication.

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  13. @Wendy, yes, I agree with about loving ebooks. My only problem is I find it harder to browse for something that grabs my attention. I like browsing in a bookshop. But then I get slightly depressed at the sight of all those books available and I've had a gazillion rejections and oh my God, why on earth can't I get published? :) So maybe an e-library is better for me :)

    @NRWilliams - yes anything in print is wonderful, even if it's a poem or a letter. It still means you're a writer! Thanks for the good wishes :)

    @Julia - hey! *waves* Yes absolutely, if you're not enjoying the writing, then what's the point? I'm now writing stuff that I think, well, if it doesn't get published, I still want to finish it because I love the story, and I want to get it on paper. And that's got to be a good thing. Thanks for popping over here!

    @Ruth - :) Hey you. *waves again*. Ruth's my marvellous CP. And a star in the making. Much funnier than me. And her heroes are to die for. This'll be you soon, babe, and I'll be like, woah, can I have your signature, famous person? :)

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  14. Love the excerpt of Surrender Your Heart! I so wanted to keep reading their wine-fuelled removal of his armour [g]
    And thanks so much for sharing your story. I recently returned to writing romance and also found that the writing and characters come much more easily to me than when I was working in other genres.

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  15. Wow, this proves you really need to stick to your beliefs and maintain your determination. Way to go!!!

    Black Hawk Down sounds really good, too.

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  16. Hi Serenity! Thanks for sharing your fascinating story. Congrats on being in the top 45 for the New Voices Comp! Fingers crossed for a full request!

    Surrender Your Heart sounds fantastic! I love a spirited heroine :) Now, I'm off to read your post on editing!

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  17. @Deniz Thank you so much! Yes things do get a little heated when Henry gets in the bath... Eleanor's a very naughty girl and watches him from outside the door... And it's interesting what you've said about writing coming easier to you when you returned to romance. That was completely my experience.

    @Words Crafter - lol, yes I guess I am very determined. Stubborn might be a better description. I read so many books where I thought "I can do better than that," so I was determined I'd get there one day. And Black Hawke Down was way fun to write. There's something very sexy about a military warlock, especially when he's hunting down the heroine. And then she ties him up with her nature magic. Lol, what's not to like?

    @Lacey - thanks for the congrats on the NV comp! It was very exciting at the time - I've never not been able to sleep before, lol. I'm currently editing Midnight Shaman as, even if Harlequin don't request it, I'm hopeful an epub will like it. It's such a fun story, and Dante, my hero, is gorgeous. Well who wouldn't fall for the most powerful shaman in the country? And I love stories about fate and destiny. The H&H's destiny is written in the stars :)

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  18. Serenity, you always seem to ooze enthusiasm and optimism! (I mostly lurk on the Harlequin forums.) I love it that you share your experiences so aspiring romance writers realize there are other paths to publication. It's important to look for validation where ever you can find it, and it's tough to break into series romance writing with Harlequin.

    I also want to thank Roland for that quote of Victoria Strauss, because she highlighted some very important points.

    Thanks again, Nas, for inviting a guest blogger who can show us another way to get our stories out there for readers to enjoy.

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  19. Hello Friends!

    I guess you all enjoying yourselves chatting to Serenity!

    Great that you all came by to check out Serenity annd her books and thanks Roland, for the comment from Victoria Strauss, it will definitely help folks out here who struggle with decisions re epubbing!

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  20. Hi Nas, great interview!

    Serenity, Surrender Your Heart sounds like a intriguing read! I enjoyed hearing about your epub journey :)

    Hugs,

    Rach

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  21. @LPKing - nice to hear you're a fellow lurker :) What's your HQ name? It is tough to break into Harlequin. I really want to be an HQ author. And I'll keep trying. But I do like writing for epublishers too. It's nice to be able to write with the freedom of word length, language and storylines, without the constriction of Harlequin guidelines, at times.

    @Nas - yes hopefully it will encourage others to seek out different opportunities. I think the saddest thing is when I read that someone's been rejected by Harlequin or another big publisher, and they think that's it - they're no good. I cannot stress how important it is that with publishers, you have to be able to hit their targets. I once read an interview by Marion Zimmer Bradley (she of Mists of Avalon fame) who edited a fantasy magazine, and she said she would always rather take a poorly written story that fitted the magazine's guidelines than a well-written story that didn't. That was a real wake-up call for me. Your story may be terrific, but if it doesn't hit the mark exactly with a publisher, it will be rejected. And epublishers do seem to be that little bit more flexible.

    @Rachael - Thank you! It was nice talking to you all too! I'm very excited to be here, can you tell? :)

    Off to bed now. It's been a fun day :) See you all tomorrow!

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  22. Congrats on all your success! 60K in 20 days!!!! W0W is an understatement. Great post with great info. Thanks!

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  23. Great interview! Thanks for sharing your story with us, Serenity!

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  24. Fantastic guest post, Serenity! I like that you didn't give up and that you've found success!

    Small world, I've met Imogen and she's so lovely and helpful!

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  25. @Rula Yes, was quite an achievement. Hubby complained he barely saw me :) But it was nice to see how much I could do if I really pushed myself. I tend to get faster nearer the end of a book, when I have it all planned out in my head, and I just need to get the words on the paper.

    @Susan - thank you! You're very welcome, and thanks for reading!

    @Talli - yes, sheer determination is the key! Karina Bliss (SuperR author)says the only magic button is Grit, and I'm beginning to understand what she meant. And yes, Imogen (at Samhain) is wonderful. She was so tactful at pointing out all the terrible mistakes I made in my first manuscript!

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  26. Great interview, ladies! Congrats to your success, Serenity! :D

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  27. Serenity-

    Yum! on the excerpt for Surrender Your Heart.

    I'm leaning toward the epubs even more as I hear of more success in publishing with them.

    Thank you Nas!

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  28. Hi Serenity. I loved your 'journey to publication' story, very inspiring! I think that's why I'm so supportive of the ePub "thing"; it seems to be opening doors for all types of talented writers. I'm for anything that creates greater opportunities for artists.

    (BTW, great interview, Nas!)

    Wishing you much continued success!

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  29. Great interview, Nas and Serenity! Thanks for all the great info on epubs! Serenity, I'll have to read your books and visit your blog:).
    Your jouney to publication is very encouraging!

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  30. @lbdiamond - thank you! All these lovely comments are absolutely wonderful, and much appreciated :)

    @Donna - Lol, I'm glad you liked the excerpt. And yes, I know what you mean about leaning towards the epubs. I think we're teetering on the edge of the future here, and those of us who are branching out into epublishing are really leading the way. (I'm not saying I'm by any means the first :) I just meant when we look back twenty or thirty years in the future, we'll see these two or three years as of vital importance in the book industry. And I'm glad I'm right in the centre of it.)

    @EJWesley - I agree, anything that offers new opportunities for writers and artists can't be bad. My heart used to sink when I thought about sending out a new book - trawling through the Writer & Artist's Yearbook for agents, crossing out all the ones who wouldn't be interested, preparing copies of the mss to send, paying fortunes in postage... Now we can submit with one easy email, cheap and convenient, and hear back within weeks, or a few months at the latest. What's not to like? Also, as more people have Kindles and iPads and other e-readers, respect for ebooks will only go up and up.

    @Maria - Thanks for the comments! I hope anyone who reads my story finds it encouraging. My whole plan for coming on here was to say to everyone that I am completely NOT special, and anyone can do it, if they persevere. You just have to be flexible, and not afraid to adapt if what you're writing doesn't work out. Don't be afraid to change story length, genres or publishers. And keep an open mind.

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  31. Thank you, Nas and Serenity, for a super interview, the excerpt from Surrender Your Heart, and the informative links. Like Roland commented, I was beyond impressed at obstacles overcome and objectives reached. It's inspirational how you maintained your confidence and surged forward. I hope your success continues for long years.

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  32. Hey Kiwi, I knew your name sounded familiar and I kept on racking my brain to see where i heard of u. I too entered the New Voices, SYTYCW and we have definitley chatted on eharl.
    Good luck and we'll keep cheering you on and I really would like to win surrender your heart.

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  33. It was nice meeting Serentity. I'm still selling more hard copies, but ebooks are catching up. I'm focusing on ebooks more and more these days.

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  34. Thank you Nas and Serenity for a very interesting and informative interview. As a newbie Romance and paranormal writer I feel I have learned a lot today. Wishing you every success, Serenity.

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  35. @Kittie - maintaining confidence is an issue when we receive the inevitable rejections. I find chocolate and Jack Daniels a great help when that happens!

    @Joanna - yes I'm sure I've seen you around! The NV comp was great at getting writers to talk, although I wasn't that keen on the voting process. I'll see you on the HQ forums!

    @Stephen - nice to meet you too! Yes, I'm sure ebooks are still behind paper books, and you can't deny the beauty of actually holding your book in your hand :) But if the objective is to get your work out there to be read, ebooks are a great alternative, and I think most authors are beginning to realise they need to be published in both ways now. Best of luck with your books.

    @Margo - Thank you! And good luck with your own writing.

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  36. Wow! you guys are having a super time talking to Serenity!

    Thank you all for coming along to our party!

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  37. Thank you Nas and Serenity! It's always wonderful to hear about a writer's journey. I wish you much success with getting that Harlequin pub! :)

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  38. Keeping my eye on the ebook trend. Exciting to see all these new talents come out!

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  39. I wish you all the success...Keep working and one day it will pay off...Take it one step at a time...It is nice to meet you as well...

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  40. Great advice, Serenity. I love all the options we have now with ePublishing. Enjoyed reading your journey.

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  41. @Donna, thanks you for your wishes! I hope Harlequin love the story too! But even if they don't, it's back to the epubs with it!

    @Jo, Yes it's great for us all to have these outlets for our creativity. The book market can sometimes be dominated by the big names, and it's nice to go on the websites of epublishers and find a whole array of new authors.

    @Savannah, Thank you, and thanks for your comment on my blog :) One step at a time... Absolutely. I get very impatient and want it all now!

    @Pk Hrezo - thanks for your comment. Options is what it's all about. What's right for one person is wrong for another, but at least there are more opportunities for us now.

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  42. You took your destiny in your own hands, and it sounds like it was a great choice! Congratulations on your success.

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  43. I really appreciate all of you coming along to chat with Serenity and to check out her books!

    Thank you for all your lovely comments!

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  44. Hi Nas, I just wanted to let you know I gave you an award over at my blog today. :)

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  45. Wow, big list of comments! Just wanted to say I really enjoyed reading this story of a possible 'path to success'. And if you write so fast, Serenity, it means you could potentially have different projects out on submission to a number of different publishers all over the place at the same time.

    Great to hear how you made your dream into a reality.

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  46. @Julie, thanks for the comment :) In the end, we have to make our own luck, don't we?

    @Susan, yay, Nas thoroughly deserves it!

    @Adina, thank you for your comment. I think it's a good idea not to put all your eggs in one basket. After saying that, if you have success with one publisher, it makes sense to stay with them if you can. But I don't see any harm in having two or three, especially if you write different genres, like contemporary, paranormal and thriller, or something. :)

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  47. Hi Susan, thanks for the award. I'll swing by to pick it up!

    Hello folks,

    Good Morning! It's Saturday morning! Hope everybody's weekend will be great.

    Thanks for visiting me and checking out Serenity's books.

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  48. And for the last post... I've picked a winner at random to win a copy of Surrender Your Heart and the winner is... (drumroll please)... Ann Best! So Ann, if you're reading this, can you let me know your email address? And I'll gift you a copy from Amazon.

    Thanks everyone for coming to the site. It's been a fun week :)

    Serenity x

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  49. OHHHH! Congratulations Ann! Enjoy!

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