Book Launch Day

It finally happened.

The Purple Door District officially launched on Saturday, December 15th, 2018, and it was spectacular.

If you had told me at the beginning of 2018 that I would decide to publish one of my books, I probably would have laughed. Over the course of six months, I started my own marketing campaign (with the help of other brilliant writers like Alexandra Penn and Brian K Morris), and began furiously editing my book. My social media realm exploded, and I delved into the world of being an indie author. There was joy, and there were tears, but it all came together on Saturday in a way I never could have imagined.

I started my day out at the North Liberty Community Library where I sat with five other lovely authors: Jolene Buchheit, Mary Chalupsky, Alexandra Penn, M.L. Williams, and Jo Salemink. The whole event was set up by Jenn Thompson and IABE. It was my very first time officially setting up my table, and it came out beautifully.

I was delighted by a visit from my college professor, Glenn Freeman who has published a few poetry books of his own! All of the authors were incredibly supportive, and it gave me the courage to put on the event that night.

At the same time, my co-creator, AE Kellar, received a gift package in the mail full of swag and the book. And I got to see her joy and excitement as she tore into it and realized that the world we’d created over the course of 6 years had finally come to life for everyone to see.

I hosted the official book launch at The Makers’ Loft in downtown Iowa City. It seemed like the perfect location for selling, reading, eating, and meeting other incredible people. And the table just dazzled, especially surrounded by my friends.

Throughout the night, people joined us for the celebration. I met new fans and welcomed fellow Writers’ Rooms writers and former professors with open arms. We even got to celebrate with a delicious cake that welcomed everyone to the District.

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After a great evening of selling books and talking to people, I actually held a reading. This was the first time I read my book in public, and I was so nervous. But everyone was supportive and receptive. I couldn’t have asked for a better audience.

Most of all, I can’t thank my friend Desiree enough for being with me to set things up, take them down, and just help me through the nerves. She even dressed to match my table! It made me realize just how lucky I am to have this community in my life. With you all, I’m never really alone.

I had hoped at least a handful of people would come to help me celebrate, but you all more than came through for me. Thank you for making this a night and experience to remember.

When I first started writing, I ached with loneliness. I didn’t know any other writers and I didn’t really have many people to share my craft with who understood what I was trying to do. I was the oddball, and all I wanted was someone who got me and shared my passion.

I’ve found that literary family in Iowa City. The passion and excitement for writing is intoxicating and infectious. I felt it first through Cornell’s English Department, and then the Iowa Writers’ House, and now through The Writers’ Rooms. We all come from varied backgrounds and have different stories to tell, but in the end, we’re all writers. We all need companionship and people who understand where we’re coming from.

That’s why The Purple Door District is so special to me. It’s all about community coming together, and that’s what my friends and fellow writers did for me. So thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for making me feel like I have a place to call home. Thank you for welcoming a scared kid hoping to be a writer into the world of being an adult author. I hope that I’ve been able to give as much support and love back to you as I received last night.

And it’s not over. The Purple Door District is the first of many books to come, and I can’t wait to see what happens next on this journey.

Happy writing to you all!

Erin

You can purchase The Purple Door District at:

Amazon in kindle and paper!

My website for a signed copy.

Prairie Lights in Iowa City

M and M Bookstore in Cedar Rapids

The Maker’s Loft in Iowa City

 

The Purple Door District: Behind the Scenes

The world of The Purple Door District started out as the stubborn brainchild of AE Kellar and myself. We have spent years writing together, researching, brainstorming, and developing characters and rules governing our parahumans and worlds. Our main series, Fates and Furies, is still in production but occurs in the same urban fantasy setting.

But let me backtrack a little.

AE Kellar and I met each other on a Redwall roleplaying site when I was still in high school. We had a mutual interest in the book series by Brian Jacques, obviously, and the forums gave us the opportunity to create our own characters, be they cat in AE’s case, or a silver-striped red squirrel named SilverRose Brighteye. Some of you may recognize my NaNo name.

For those unfamiliar with roleplaying on forums, basically one person writes out a few paragraphs of a scene with their character, someone responds, and the two people (or more) write back and forth to create an adventure. Redwall provided the world for us; we just had to worry about the characters and plot.

We wrote together for years, developing characters and immersing ourselves in the world. Eventually, we sought after a change and started roleplaying on an urban fantasy website that has long since closed. That’s when we realized that we might have found our niche. We took our characters, built a world, and ran with it, rping back and forth most nights. We’d alternate taking point on a plotline and naturally switch to the next person.

Unless we both brainfarted, in which case we just started up a new plotline.

Years of writing produced thousands of pages of writing (I’m not joking, AE took a picture of the pile of paper). Eventually, we realized we wanted to do something with it, and thus Fates and Furies was born. But in order to fully create the series, we had to know more about our world.

When we started to design the District, I latched onto it and suddenly had ideas blossoming in my head about creating one in Chicago (I grew up around the area). Plus, as a birdmom of seven feathered kids, it gave me the chance to professionally write about a werebird, even if I still get the side eye. With AE’s blessing, I wrote The Purple Door District to introduce you to our insanity.

But what about the PDD struck a chord in me? It was the community. I loved this idea that people of different talents, appearances, and strengths could come together to protect one another. A lot of urban/paranormal fantasies focus on the battle between werewolves and vampires or different magical groups. It was nice to think that there was a neutral ground where everyone could get along under the direction of The Violet Marshall. With the way the country is going today, I felt it was important to show that it’s possible for a mixing pot of people to actually come together peacefully. I chose Chicago specifically because I knew I could create a diverse cast. Even more characters will appear in The Purple Door District Book 2.

Community plays a huge role in my life. I help bring writers together through The Writers’ Rooms, a non-profit corporation that focuses on providing a free, safe environment for writers no matter their background, income, experience, gender, etc. And I work with The Iowa Writers’ House which also supports writers through workshops, lectures, and bicultural fellowship. In the writing world, I firmly believe that the only way we can succeed is if we support one another. Rising Tide, as Brian K Morris calls it.

Even through the book production, I reached out to the community for help. I asked Oni Algarra and Gabriella Bujdoso to create art for the book, indie artists who post on deviantart and instagram respectively. My cover artist is a Fiverr creator named Les. Sara Cunningham used her marketing magic to create sand jars and postcards for my book. Amanda Bouma taught me how to make jewelry so I could develop Bianca’s necklace. Leona Bushman, a fellow urban fantasy writer, guided me through editing my book and polishing it for publication. Alexandra Penn helped me format the book and was one of my main supporters who gave me the courage to publish the book. And my wonderful proofreaders, Shakyra Dunn and AE made sure the book was ready to go. I couldn’t have done this without my community, and I’m excited to support them just as they supported me. That’s partially why I created the Indiegogo campaign. I wanted to help give back to them.

As of November 5th, The Purple Door District is available for pre-order on amazon. There are no words I can use to convey my pride, joy, and hint of terror at having my book out there (I think I used up all my words in the manuscript haha). I do know that, had it not been for AE, I never would have been able to create such an immersive world.

We jokingly say that AE is the brain and I’m the heart, but I think it’s very true. While AE fills our books with well-researched facts and logic, I add feeling, creativity, and literary flare. I couldn’t have done it without my walking encyclopedia. All you see in The Purple Door District exists because of our love for storytelling and our incessant need to get fewer than 8 hours of sleep a night.

Keep an eye out. Fates and Furies is on the horizon.

And thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for all of your support during this crazy and amazing journey.

Welcome to the District.

 

Engaging Your Readers

As an author prepping to publish a book, I’m starting to realize how important it is to find your readers. Between reading blog posts both by Alexa Bigwarfe at Write.Publish.Sell and Jenn Hanson-dePaula at Mixtus Media, plus learning from my own experiences, I’m starting to see that the main key to finding devoted readers is to engage with them.

When we think of marketing, it’s common for people to plaster their links everywhere online with a “Look at me, look at me” attitude. I do it too, though I’m trying to get better at it. You don’t like telemarketers calling you repeatedly promoting their stuff, so why would you want to see the constant posts about books, unless you’re getting something in return?

This is where engagement comes in. Jenn Hanson-dePaula notes in her article How Authors Can Amplify a Small Audience that it’s not the number that necessarily matters, it’s the interaction. With a smaller audience, you can ask them what they want. What kind of work are they looking for? What about swag? Are there particular items they’d like to see go along with the book? How do they find authors? What social media platforms attract their attention most? Get your readers involved and listen to the advice they have to offer. It can help you modify your marketing platform, especially if you think you’re getting all the attention from wattpad, only to find out that twitter actually gives you the best following. Go check out her article. She has a ton of fabulous advice.

Twitter is a really great place to meet and chat with your readers. I mentioned in a previous blog post that you can find your community there. Well, that’s the same if you’re looking for readers. Talk with people who have the same interests. Find hashtags that you both share. Heck, post up some of your favorite movies, animals, shows, books, or hangouts. It doesn’t all have to be about your book. Your readers want to see that you’re a person, too. And honestly, that helps them connect with you better because then they don’t feel like you’re on such a high pedestal. For example, I’m doing #pitchwars this year, and when I found out that one of the mentors I was submitting to was an avid Avatar The Last Airbender fan, the intimidation I felt fled because I could connect with her due to our shared interest in the show. We’re all people; we all want to be treated that way.

When readers send you reviews, compliment your work, or show intrigue in your pitch, there are a couple of things to remember. One, thank them. They took the time to let you know how they felt. They deserve your gratitude. Second, if they’re writing a book too, ask them about it. I’ve made a lot of friendships both on twitter and wattpad simply because we had a lot of books in common (both through reading and writing!). Communicate. Have a conversation. Let them know that they’re important, too. Granted, it might take time to get back to them all, but if they can take the time to thank you, you can do the same.

Writing a book is a big deal, and you might feel like you’re offering plenty to your readers by publishing it. But there are other things you can do, too. Write helpful blogs for your readers. Not only does this bring them into your world, they get a taste of your writing, and you might be able to help them with something they’re struggling with. Part of the reason I write writing tip blogs is because that’s how I learned. I read online blogs. I ask questions of the writers. I chat with the people in the comments, because I like to engage and learn from the community. Providing workshops, helpful tips, or even inspirational memes can brighten your reader’s day and let them know you care.

Writers are often introverted people, I get it. And maybe these kinds of ideas won’t work for you. So then, ask yourself, what would make you comfortable to interact with your readers? What can you do to work your way into the community that’s not going to stress you out too much, but also will give you a chance to find the people who want to buy your book? If you have ideas, feel free to post them in the comments!

I hope that this helps a bit! A big thank you again to Alexa Bigwarfe and Jenn Hanson-dePaula for all their inspirational posts.

Happy Writing!

Literary Community: You’re Not Alone

When most people think of writers, they picture solitary creatures hiding away and typing to a computer screen’s glow. Alright, so I suppose that’s not too far from the truth–I’m doing that right now–but what many don’t understand is that writers aren’t alone. There’s a community to be found whether online, in person, or just through the simple knowledge that there are others out there going through the same kind of struggles.

While I was growing up, I didn’t have a writing community to call my own. I felt like the weird one who spent more time scribbling in a Lisa Frank folder than playing outside with her friends. But when I hit high school, I was introduced to a writing community based on the Redwall books by Brian Jacques. Imagine my shock when I could create characters and write about them, and people would actually respond back. This was the first time I didn’t feel alone as a writer.

This kind of online networking still exists today in roleplaying sites or even on places like Wattpad. Here, writers and readers come together to share stories, comment, vote, write/read, and message one another. I’ve already made some online and IRL friends through the platform. And best of all, it’s helped me get my writing off the ground again. I can ask people in my genre questions about world building or story structure. And at the same time, I can offer advice to newer writers who don’t know where to start.

Twitter and Instagram are both great places for building a writing community as well. Between things like #pitchwars and #pitchmad (events that allow you to mentor with other writers or pitch your stories to agents) you get to meet a lot of people. There are also particular hashtags people can follow to talk about their experiences, like #writerlywipchat. One of my favorite events is the #chance2connect meetup led by Kim Chance (@_KimChance). Once a month, she posts questions that writers can answer that encourage the community to interact and get people to meet one another. I’ve stayed up late having great conversations with some fantastic writers.

But what if you don’t want to meet people online? Well, there are writing conventions like the Pikes Peak Writing Conference that you can attend. I spent about four days in Denver, Colorado sitting in on literary lectures and meeting both new and published authors, agents, editors, etc. We had meals together, learned from one another, and created friendships that still last today. I would love to go back! I felt so inspired and encouraged. It helped me realize that writing is honestly what I want to do with my life.

Of course, not all of us can travel or pay for conferences. So how do you find your community in town? One way is to check Meetup. You might find writing events that are hosted in your local area. There’s National Novel Writing Month where you write 50,000 words in the month of November. Many cities have leaders who set up writing get-togethers. Check the NaNo site to find your area! If you look in library calendars, or maybe a local literary paper, you might find a group of writers. Or, if you’re in the Iowa area, you’re always welcome to join me at The Writers’ Rooms, a non-profit corporation focused on providing a free, safe environment to writers of all incomes, genders, skillsets, etc. If you’re looking for workshop, then there’s the brilliant Iowa Writers’ House which also hosts an astounding airBnB.

You’re not alone. There are writers out there looking for companionship and the chance to just sit and brainstorm story ideas. Some of my best work comes out when I’m with other writers because I’m happy. I know that I’m not the only one struggling or going through this big process of creating a book. Most of all, I love to meet people and learn about their journeys. I believe that it’s important that we, as writers, learn to support each other in our personal quests. This world is hard enough as it is. I’d rather spend my day encouraging an author than trying to rise above them. As my friend Author Brian K. Morris says, we’re all part of a Rising Tide, and when we help one another, we all rise together as a community.

Just as a reminder, I post author interviews every Friday. Last Friday I showcased Leona Bushman, and this Friday will be Shakyra Dunn! Please stop by and show your support!

Author Interviews

I think everyone can agree that trying to market yourself and gain followers is rough, especially for an author. Too often we compete against one another to showcase our books, when really, we should be utilizing each other’s experiences. The best way to learn about the industry is to talk with peers.

Therefore, I would like to start author interviews both on my blog and my website. I want to help authors introduce themselves to the writing community and really showcase what they do. In turn, I’d like them to provide information to the readers so that other authors can learn from them.

But I need help getting started.

First of all, as readers, what do you like to know about authors? What questions do you wish you could ask them? What would you like to learn about the publishing industry?

As authors, what questions do you love to answer? What are the harder ones you prefer to avoid? What wealth of knowledge can you share with your readers?

Once I have a list of questions available, I’ll open up my author website to accept author interviews. These will be posted 2-4 times a month (depending on interest), and all I ask in return is that you share my interview with you around to help support us both, as well as the readers and writers of the community.

I’m looking forward to meeting you!

Have writing questions or topics you’d like me to write about? Post down below!

_____________

Follow me on: twitter  instagram  facebook  wattpad

Watch out for my first urban fantasy book, The Purple Door District, which will be published on December 15th.

How to Tick Off an Entire Genre

I’m sure you all can guess where I’m going with this. Yes, I’m going to talk about #cockygate, the bane of the Romance world at the moment. If you’re unfamiliar with what’s happening, here’s a brief summary. Romance writer, Faleena Hopkins, decided to trademark the word “cocky” to protect her brand. This has led to her sending out cease and desist letters to authors who use the word “Cocky” in the title of their books. You can imagine how many authors are being affected by this. She claims that it’s easy enough for these authors to just change their title. They can still keep their reviews and everything. She just wants to protect her brand. If you want more in depth information, check out the Guardian post here.

The main question people have about her action is, why? Why trademark a particular word? She says that 1. her readers are complaining that, since so many people use the word “Cocky” in their titles, they’ve been accidentally buying the wrong books. Apparently looking for the name of the author on the book isn’t enough. 2. She says people are stealing her ideas and book covers. She’s a business woman trying to make money and protect her brand.

Needless to say, there are a lot of problems with this. First of all, when you force authors to change the title of their books, it’s not just a simple task. Authors, especially indie authors, spend a lot of money on marketing. Bookmarks, sites, posts, posters, etc, all carry their title. Changing it on the book means changing it in all of those other locations. Reprinting costs a lot of money, not to mention it can confuse their current readers. Why suddenly change your title? It’s hurting authors financially, and honestly, it’s scaring those who may not have money to deal with the legal ramifications of using this newly trademarked word. She’s also attacking those who already published books with the word “Cocky” in it well before her paperwork was filed.

Second, she claims that she’s just trying to help people with her writing, and that the other authors are being ridiculous for attacking her (summarized from the youtube video, “Middle aged indie author has meltdown” which Hopkins forced to have taken down, ie “This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Faleena Hopkins”). Honey…all writers work to help people in some way or other. Whether it’s to entertain them, distract them, or just make them feel good about themselves. She’s not the only one who writes to help people, and it’s very ignorant to think otherwise.

In this fast-paced world, we see so many examples of people stepping on the heads of others in order to rise above the crowd and make themselves known. As authors, we have a responsibility to support one another, to show compassion. The last thing you want to do is screw over another author, which is exactly what Hopkins is doing. By trademarking this word (and the font, although she wasn’t supposed to be able to trademark the font itself), she’s damaging many other authors. Amazon has gotten involved and started to remove titles as well because of her trademark, which only appeared on May 1st.

This of course has the Romance community in an uproar. The Romance Writers of America are working to right this wrong and protect Romance writers. What a way to damage your literary career.

Now, I’d like to note that she’s been receiving threats, as have her cover models, readers, and anyone associated with her. I don’t condone such threats, I want to make that perfectly clear. But, I don’t respect what she’s doing, and I feel for the authors who are struggling to keep their work up while she throws around her cease and desist letters.

What this comes down to is, when you’re working on publishing, try not to harm other authors in your quest to become famous. We’re all trying to make a living. We’re all trying to share our stories and touch our readers. I think the writing community is a very loving one, so long as you don’t go out of your way to destroy fellow authors. There are other ways that you can protect your brand. Trademark a series title rather than a single word, for example. That will still help you, but it won’t screw with so many other authors.

Endeavor to be kind, not a bully. And yes, I will call her a bully for attacking other authors and demanding they remove their titles. I truly hope that the RWA manages to correct this injustice.

To the authors who are struggling with this, know that I support you. Stay strong, and show off your books proudly. You deserve to be heard and seen.

How the Iowa Writers’ House Gave Me a Home

When I graduated from Cornell College in 2009, I was hopeful that I would find a writing place to call my own. I thought I’d find many writing groups or opportunities to get my manuscripts critiqued. But, after a few years of searching, I couldn’t find anything that fit my needs. The closest was the National Novel Writing Month group lead by Marie Raven in Iowa City. I started to connect with other people like me, but something was missing.

In December, 2014, an amazing woman named Andrea Wilson met with a group of NaNoWriMo writers to talk about an idea she had for a writing organization. She presented it as a non-profit organization meant to help writers find their tribe and lend support to the literary community. I was excited. This was the first time someone had approached me with the very thing that I was missing in my life.

By April 2015, the Iowa Writers’ House opened its doors to the public, and the workshops began. The first one was a Travel Writing workshop with the amazing Michele Morano. Suddenly, I was in a class with people who loved writing and an instructor who shared her soul with us through her memoir. My spirit felt renewed, and I was filled with joy again.

I started to help the IWH, acting as a data coordinator and gathering e-mails of people who joined. That alone helped me realize I wasn’t alone. In October, 2015, we had a booth at the book fair in Iowa City. Many people came out to talk with us about our organization, and I realized just how much Iowa City needed this.

How much I needed the Iowa Writers’ House.

For the longest time, I didn’t feel I had a purpose. I walked ambled through life, working, going home and writing, and that was it. Suddenly, the IWH gave me the breath of fresh air I’d been missing. It gave me purpose and the opportunity to help writers find the support they needed. I could offer people hope and a safe writing environment.

Each time someone thanks us for the IWH, my heart warms. I’m not just living for me any more;  I’m living for the community.

I never had a writing tribe when I was growing up. I was very much alone and didn’t have writer friends who could support me, my dreams, and my craft. The only community I found was online, and that’s not always the same as sitting in a room with motivated people. Now I’m proud to say I have a community I can call friends and mentors. I have people I can mentor as well, and that’s one of the best ways I think you can give back to fellow writers. You can motivate them and give them a safe place to work.

You can give them a home.

In January, I had the opportunity to lead a Room through the IWH with my dear friend Alex Penland.  I chose the Violet Realm, a Room focused on teaching people about science fiction and fantasy writing. I was nervous at first. Was I knowledgeable enough to teach people the craft? Six months later, members are still coming, joining, and asking for more. We have varying ages in each session from teenagers, to adults, to seniors. The father of one of our teenagers even thanked us for making his daughter feel so welcome.

Copyright: Seth Missiaen

It’s working. People are finding the support they need, and I’m part of that. I’m part of this organization that gives writers hope and the drive to continue their craft. Even more, now I have hope that I might one day join my fellow writers on the shelves.

The Iowa Writers’ House gives me purpose, and I hope that as the years go by this will grow into something that can help not only Iowans, but every writer who needs to find a literary home and family.

Thank you Andrea Wilson for helping me find a writing community.