Setting Price on a New Genre and Strategy

During a class discussion on payment for services in RN school, we asked a professor what we could expect to be paid as new graduates. Of course, we didn’t anticipate high dollar earnings right away. Dr, Capronni let us know immediately not to sell ourselves short.

“If you wanted to work for free, you could have become nuns!” she exclaimed.

The market could bear a fair wage for nurses and they were in short supply for the demand. We were told to ask to ask the upper rate for our respective fields and expect shortly shy of that rate. Very quickly, we were earning top dollar.

That was nursing and this is writing. Let’s be realistic.

What do you expect to be paid as a writer?

If you want to write for free you could have a blog…oh, wait.

It’s a much different market with many factors. Are you unknown, virtually unknown, known as a traditionally published author, or an independently known author? What is your investment in time and money?

You’re self-employed if you are independent, and more than likely self-represented if you are traditionally published. That’s work on top of work.

Self-published, you have a significant amount of overhead; office supplies, writing tools, energy, editors, cover artists, formatting experts, marketing, promotions. There’s a whole team that has to be paid.

I’ve often said I work for pleasure. I’m semi-retired. I can do that. But I also want readers. They are the reason behind my efforts. The first couple of years after penning Red Clay and Roses, I worked really hard at marketing, read your blogs, changed my book cover, had it edited, focused on interviews, guest posts, Facebook groups, Twitter and anything else I could do to get my name out there and promote my book. I sold a decent number of copies, but marketing overwhelmed me to the point that I had little time for writing.

Then I started looking at how my husband reads. He’ll choose an author he likes, and then read all their works before moving on to someone else.

I had nothing to offer but my one little book.

I wrote Red Clay and Roses because I had something to say that I felt was important, and still do. The book was motivated by passion and driven by personal philosophy. It wasn’t written for pure entertainment. The proceeds of that book go to a children’s home.

Now, I’m writing for entertainment. It’s more commercial, and I’m thinking the best approach to earning and reaching readers is to keep writing. Promote where I can, but not allow marketing to overwhelm me. My plan to have three or four books out before publishing the first has been shelved. If the first works out well to get a fan base started, I’m sure I’ll be motivated to produce. I’ve fallen in love with my characters and delight at the possibility you will, too.

Naked Alliances will have taken me two years from the time it was first drafted to the time it will be published. I’ve had twelve beta readers review and hired a professional editor, I’ll be purchasing a cover and having it formatted. It’s a much simpler read, and nearly half as long by page number.

I’ll likely go Amazon’s Kindle Select and CreateSpace. Until and unless the series gets some momentum behind it..and I have a few more books in the series to offer, I’ll be offering the book at $2.99. Once there are three or four more in the series, I’ll drop the price of the first book to 99 cents, but keep the remainder at $2.99, unless I’m doing a promotion. (That’s under half the price of big names in the genre like Carl Hiaasen, Tim Dorsy, Nancy Cohen, and others who have numerous books out.)

My beta readers will be receiving a free edited signed paperback copy and ebook.

Unlike the deep, and sometimes difficult subject matter to read, of RC&R, Naked Alliances, while dealing with some serious subject matter, is a lighter read with comedic undertones. However, it is an adult themed novel involving sex crimes.

As a contemporary crime novel, its audience is expected to be different from those who most enjoy historical novels like Red Clay and Roses. If you enjoy both, all the more joy!

Next step: Picking a cover!

And I want YOU involved!