Friday, February 17, 2017

Losing To Gain

Other folks have covered a few of the “it”s we lose. Virginity, attributes, etc.
I’m going to focus instead on other stuffz. The people we lose from our lives, for example. Facebook friends who pass, or who move away. Pen pals (email pals) who move on in one direction while you move in another. Sometimes it happens so gradually you barely realize it’s gone. Other times it can really hurt. I know it stings me, for instance, when I lose a cover art client, too. And that is essentially the segue into the body of this blog.
Being an indie author carries with it such a vast array of benefits and responsibilities. It’s a career we choose, rather than one we fall into, so this is by no means any kind of “woe is me” tale. It’s simply an observation that for every benefit (working from home, setting my own schedule), there’s an onerous task to balance it. And each one sips a little more time from your finite pool.
Now, when you’re not just one indie author, but five (like I am), it’s inevitable that something’s gotta give. I’ve already streamlined my operations by un-publishing my two solo Abi Aiken works a couple of years back. I re-published one of them under my Willsin name, and if I do re-publish the other it will also be a Willsin.
So I figured it’s probably time I start wielding the axe. Streamline even more. I still have some co-written Abi Aiken works out there (see below), I have a post-apocalyptic pen name which I’ve not published anything on yet, despite him having been in existence for nearly a year. And I have two other pen names, one of which is on the verge of something pretty big, potentially.
Which leaves that one other little pen name which hasn’t really been doing a whole lot for me. It’s been fun to write the stories, because in my head they were stories Willsin would never write. But my sister-from-a-different-mister Sassie Lewis has been urging me for ages now to forget that thinking. That Willsin could certainly do with having another dozen books in the catalog.
So that’s probably what I’m a-gonna do. In the next few months I’m gonna lose that fifth pen name. Whether all that author’s works will reappear as Willsin titles I’m not sure. But what’s more important is the other dozen or so titles I was planning to release under that name. Those can all be Willsin books now.
The other important factor in all that is time management. As I said earlier on, it’s easy to lose contact, lose friends, lose clients, when you’re spreading yourself too thin. Thankfully I don't believe I've been impacted too badly on any of those levels. But while that fifth pen name doesn’t take up an enormous amount of my social media time, and doesn’t have a newsletter, and doesn’t advertise… it’s still one other part of my indie author existence which needs tending. When I “kill” them, I’ll have just that little more time and attention to dedicate to Willsin. And Abi. And the other two!

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I mentioned earlier in the blog about my co-written Abi Aiken titles still being out there. And a couple of them are in here, too! I made the cover art as well. Go me!


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Amazon  |  Kobo  |  Smashwords  |  iBooks

Dirty Love – Seven bestselling steamy hot romance authors show you their kinky side. Eleven tantalizing tales that will leave you all hot & bothered and craving some dirty love. 

One Night with a Vampire by Rozlyn Sparks - Sometimes the only way to forget the pain of a broken heart is to get back in the saddle. At least that is how Daphne’s friends see it. And since Daphne isn’t showing any signs of letting that happen, they take it into their own hands.

Submission Therapy by Abi Aiken & Rozlyn Sparks - Bad girl billionaire Christina is used to being on top. Only her therapist knows just how close she is to burning out. Frustrated by Christina’s stubbornness, Dr Jardine prescribes a radical new form of treatment. One that introduces her to a steely-eyed man who reads her every desire.

Unleashed by Nataleigh Sharp - John looked hungry for her, and while just a little bit of her was still frightened of this man, the part of Zelle that was in control begged to be consumed.

Unafraid by Nataleigh Sharp - Just the thought of his heartbeat under her fingers, of his life in her hands, made Ryda want to go another round.

Cherry Pop by Roxie Elms - Cherry is on the prowl again. Finding the right person to ramp up her nights shouldn't be too hard. Cherry's misadventures are steamy, hot and in your face.

Shiftless by Petrea Algar - At 22, curvy Kaliste is no blushing virgin. But until she finds her fated Alpha, she can’t make her first shift. When that Alpha is in the form of a tall, muscle-bound, leather-clad biker, shifting suddenly comes second to an even more primal hunger. Lust.

Fatal Fugue (The Deadlier Sex #1) by Maelani - Hayley has an empire in Vegas full of violence, sex, and money, but she can’t remember. Jay is a fierce hunter—handsome, mysterious, deadly, and he knows all about Hayley. He says he wants to help her, but some things are too deadly to remember.

Behind at Work by Petrea Algar - Miranda is crushing badly on her steely-eyed boss, Lukas. When her efforts to help a coworker make her fall behind in her own work, terse words and anger turn rapidly into lust. Soon, Miranda isn’t the only one who’s getting….Behind At Work.

Volatile Confessions by Alexia Purdy - When brothers Grant and Thomas Sully return into Hannah’s life, she knows this sinister road is full of hidden motives, forgotten lies, and steamy unconventional love.

Blossom by Petrea Algar - Michelle has waited weeks for Samuel’s return, with only fingers and toys for comfort. But his arrival brings the promise of release. Of being whole. Hard in body and mind, Samuel knows her every weakness; draws her open with a sharp touch… or with just her pet name.

Extra Curricular by Abi Aiken & Rozlyn Sparks - Don’t sleep with your Professor. Don’t do it. Just, don’t. Oh, hell! Why do Professors have to be so damn hot? Chelsea has been wet for her Professor since forever. Twice her age, tall, piercing eyes, panty-dropping English accent. If only she could find a way to become teacher’s pet.

7 comments:

  1. Your sister-from-a-different-mister says, about damn time :-)

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  2. Sounds like a fun collection!

    I have never understood how people manage multiple pen names.

    Do you think readers really care whether a single author is consistent? (If they do, I guess I'm in trouble!)

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  3. I've often wondered that too. However, I've only dipped a toe into the world of multiple pen names because I lack the time and the skills to manage a stable of them. Has anyone here ever met my gay-male alter-ego, Jean (French version of John) Blanchefils? He wrote one story, years ago (in an anthology edited by Justus Roux). I have another one, Ainsley Gray (2 family names of my mother's English ancestors) who wrote 2 stories published beside stories by "Jean Roberta" in 2 Black Lace anthologies in the early aughts. "Ainsley Gray" was a kind of raincoat to cover my identity & make the anthos look as diverse as possible. I've sometimes wondered if I should let these identities out more, and even develop bios for them. (I think Ainsley was probably born female, but is definitely more butch than Jean Roberta -- possibly even trans. Jean Blanchefils is cuter than he knows, and has some relatives in Quebec who luckily can't read everything he writes in English.) The mere thought of juggling them all on a regular basis is exhausting.

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  4. While I find it difficult to promote just one pen name, (it's hard enough to build just one) I can understand the benefits of throwing several irons into the fire to see what takes what form to what success. When you have a sense of what sells and how best to promote what sells, THEN trim down.

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  5. Yes, it's definitely a tough operation to give all the names space to breathe. Because of cover art more than anything Willsin gets the majority of my time. Ever since I "came out" as Abi it's been a little easier since she now only exists as a Facebook page (no newsletter, no Twitter), and I mostly ignore her. (She likes it...) But it definitely feels like time to trim the extras again, and since I already have two smut names, a third is quite pointless.

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  6. This sounds like intelligent streamlining, Willsin. I hope it goes well for you!

    I do have 2 pen names, but that's because one is for YA, and people do really tend to freak out at the idea of erotica and YA mixing.

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    1. Oh yeah. I'm sure they do. I mean how could ANY author actually write about sex AND NOT INCLUDE IT IN EVERYTHING ELSE THEY DO IN LIFE, ESPECIALLY THEIR OTHER STORIES!? One of my pen names is also in a genre which is utterly incompatible with erotic works.

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