Ask the Author: Cindy Dees
Answered Questions (15)
Cindy Dees
When I write something that I think would make for a useful or interesting Goodreads blog--books and writing specific--I copy and paste it into my Goodreads blog. Typically, the original is posted first on FB (cindydees.94 or cindydeesauthor) or on my website (www.cindydees.com).
Cindy Dees
Cintia, you've put your finger on perhaps the most important question facing all romance writers today. The short answer is: write for the love of it or don't bother writing.
The long answer is: It's a saturated market and competition is beyond fierce for readers and sales. At some point, you have to ask yourself why you write at all. If you're doing it to make money, I would immediately reconsider your career choices. If you're doing it because you're a story teller, all the way down to your soul, and you can't help but write your stories, then write on...and don't think about the challenges in the business end of writing.
Success in the romance biz these days has a lot to do with luck, word of mouth, a good book, and happening to come out with the right story at the right moment. The only part of that you can control is the good book. Write the best book you can and then let go of what happens to it. Put it out in the universe and move on to telling your next story. Maybe your book gets discovered, and maybe not.
Yes, you can do a certain amount of reasonable marketing, and you have to package the book well and create excellent metadata for the book. But at the end of the day, you can't force readers to buy your book. They're going to have to come to it organically and tell their friends about it organically.
Writers tend to be control freaks, so letting go of control after we publish our books is hard. But it's also necessary for our sanity. You're juggling two worlds: the art of writing and the business of selling books. You have to set aside the business portion of being an author when it's time to sit down and let fly with your art. Otherwise, the business concerns will, indeed, choke off the art inside you altogether. Does that answer your question?
The long answer is: It's a saturated market and competition is beyond fierce for readers and sales. At some point, you have to ask yourself why you write at all. If you're doing it to make money, I would immediately reconsider your career choices. If you're doing it because you're a story teller, all the way down to your soul, and you can't help but write your stories, then write on...and don't think about the challenges in the business end of writing.
Success in the romance biz these days has a lot to do with luck, word of mouth, a good book, and happening to come out with the right story at the right moment. The only part of that you can control is the good book. Write the best book you can and then let go of what happens to it. Put it out in the universe and move on to telling your next story. Maybe your book gets discovered, and maybe not.
Yes, you can do a certain amount of reasonable marketing, and you have to package the book well and create excellent metadata for the book. But at the end of the day, you can't force readers to buy your book. They're going to have to come to it organically and tell their friends about it organically.
Writers tend to be control freaks, so letting go of control after we publish our books is hard. But it's also necessary for our sanity. You're juggling two worlds: the art of writing and the business of selling books. You have to set aside the business portion of being an author when it's time to sit down and let fly with your art. Otherwise, the business concerns will, indeed, choke off the art inside you altogether. Does that answer your question?
Cindy Dees
Hiya Jackie! I'm delighted to say that Bastien's book IS coming...August 1, 2018, and it's called Navy SEAL Cop. If you can't wait until then to read more of my books, I have recently republished several of my very first books, updated and revised substantially. They're the Hot Soldier series. Four of them are out so far. In 2019, it looks like I'm going to have 5 books coming out, but I have a HUGE announcement to make about that in the next few weeks. Stand by for deets!
Cindy Dees
I would go somewhere way in the future with space travel and cool technologies. I also think I'd like to go where there's medicine to assure that all people live healthy, full lives. Maybe the Star Trek universe. Star Wars universe is tempting, but it seems like the average people still live fairly miserable lives there.
Cindy Dees
You'd think the marketing folks would listen to authors when we try to explain these things, wouldn't you? Okay, lemme see if I can get it right. The confusion stems from the fact that I originally sold High Stakes Bodyguard to another publisher, but for various reasons, we didn't publish that story, and I self published it. At the time I self-published it, it was the first Prescott Bachelors book. But then, Harlequin agreed to publish two more Prescott books, and they called the first one they got "Book Number 1". In chronological order, High Stakes Bachelor comes first. Then High Stakes Bodyguard, and last, High Stakes Playboy. I do try to write all my books so they'll stand alone, of course. Hope that clears it up!
Cindy Dees
There was, indeed, another book planned to round out their trilogy. However, when Harper Collins bought Harlequin, they terminated many contracts, including a number of romantic suspense contracts, mine included. I was not able to deliver the final book in the trilogy. I had other books to deliver to other publishers and never had time to go back and attempt to write that third book, particularly since I don't have a contract for it. Such are the vagaries of the publishing business.
Cindy Dees
Great question Veronica! It actually took us four years to write THE SLEEPING KING. I wrote the first draft in secret, without telling Bill about it. I had been convinced for years that a book could be written about the live-action game he ran, but Bill wasn't interested in doing it. I showed him the draft, and he allowed that it didn't make a half-bad book but that it wouldn't sell, since no new epic fantasy series had sold to a major publisher in years. I submitted the book to Tor and was STUNNED when they not only bought the book but asked for several books. We then went to work revising THE SLEEPING KING and bringing it down in size.
The next obvious question is how long did it take to write the second book? THE DREAMING HUNT took us about 18 months to write. Bill and I have greatly refined the process of how we work together and now write fairly smoothly as a team. I'm expecting that the third book will only take us six to eight months to finish. I'll let you know how that goes!
The next obvious question is how long did it take to write the second book? THE DREAMING HUNT took us about 18 months to write. Bill and I have greatly refined the process of how we work together and now write fairly smoothly as a team. I'm expecting that the third book will only take us six to eight months to finish. I'll let you know how that goes!
Cindy Dees
My husband and I ran a franchise of a live action game set in a medieval fantasy world for a decade. I periodically told the creator of the game (my writing partner, Bill Flippin) that his world would make terrific books. Eventually I wrote one to show him what I meant, and we were delighted when Tor agreed with us and bought it!
Cindy Dees
Coffee. Lots of coffee. Honestly, I love writing and frequently have to pinch myself to believe that I get to do this for a living. Once a story starts rattling around in my head, I don't have a much choice but to write it down or else become a very cranky person to be around. So, I guess the answer is that the stories themselves inspire me.
Cindy Dees
I'm finishing up the second epic fantasy novel in my new series. It's called THE DREAMING HUNT and comes out in September of 2016. As soon as I finish this, I get to write a few shorter stories set in the same world, and then I'll start the third door-stopper novel in the series. Squee!
Cindy Dees
As a rule, the problem for me is more a case of writer's-I-don't-wanna than an actual writer's block. It usually boils down to me thinking about the next scene I need to write and asking myself what I could put into the scene that would make it a ton of fun for me to write. Once I find that element, then it's not too hard to find the self-discipline to sit down and get back to work.
When I'm well and truly blocked, I tend to clean house and garden until I'm so sick of doing that I'll do anything to escape it and gratefully return to writing something, anything!
When I'm well and truly blocked, I tend to clean house and garden until I'm so sick of doing that I'll do anything to escape it and gratefully return to writing something, anything!
Cindy Dees
Good heavens! I think the Goodreads gods swallowed your question and just now spit it back out! So sorry for the delay answering you. Okay, so fave book to write? FEVER ZONE has to be right up near the top of the list. I think it's one of the best stories I've written so far. THE MEDUSA PROJECT was a ton of fun to write--I confess I drafted it in 19 days, a chapter a day. I'm really enjoying working on my new epic fantasy series, too. THE SLEEPING KING comes out in September, and I'm almost done writing the second book. Oooh. And then there's DEADLY SIGHT, another personal favorite, and yes, it's based on real scientific findings that exist today. Heck, that's enough to keep you reading for a while. Let me know when you need more recommendations! And thanks for asking.
Cindy Dees
ABC! Apply Butt to Chair! In my case, it's ABCD. Apply Butt to Chair Daily. You cannot learn to write without writing. You cannot build a backlist without writing a number of books. You cannot keep your name in front of the public and build your brand without writing. You cannot edit a bad draft into a gem without writing the draft first. It all boils down to WRITING.
Don't aspire. Do it. Write.
Don't aspire. Do it. Write.
Cindy Dees
Writing at Starbuck's. The rush of seeing characters I created come to life. Imagining crazy plots and making them work. Seeing the print book for the first time when that brown box arrives at your front door. Picking up your phone and seeing your agent's caller ID. Taking a great family vacation and knowing you paid for it. Fuzzy jammies as work clothes. Shall I go on?
Cindy Dees
First and foremost, experience comes from actually doing the writing. You have to sit down and start doing it, and keep doing it. Much of this profession is learn-as-you-go. I still constantly read writing how-to books. There's no such thing as knowing it all, and it's easy to forget basics I once knew.
As for gaining readers, you earn them one at a time by writing one great book, then another, then another. That's the ONLY thing you have complete control of as a writer--putting out the best book you can. You have to trust the rest of your career growth to luck, word-of-mouth, and kind reviews. Sometimes lightning strikes fast, and sometimes it doesn't strike for a long time or at all.
Because of this intangible luck factor we all now rely on, that means you should probably write for the love of writing and not for the "reward" of fame, fortune, or success at the end of the process. In point of fact, that reward may never come. Even long-time authors with plenty of past success are having to come to this realization.
I blog about being a professional writer often on my website (and FB author feed), as well. I think it's important to pass forward lessons learned to other authors in the business. You can catch my other posts on this exact topic at www.cindydees.com.
And good luck to you!
As for gaining readers, you earn them one at a time by writing one great book, then another, then another. That's the ONLY thing you have complete control of as a writer--putting out the best book you can. You have to trust the rest of your career growth to luck, word-of-mouth, and kind reviews. Sometimes lightning strikes fast, and sometimes it doesn't strike for a long time or at all.
Because of this intangible luck factor we all now rely on, that means you should probably write for the love of writing and not for the "reward" of fame, fortune, or success at the end of the process. In point of fact, that reward may never come. Even long-time authors with plenty of past success are having to come to this realization.
I blog about being a professional writer often on my website (and FB author feed), as well. I think it's important to pass forward lessons learned to other authors in the business. You can catch my other posts on this exact topic at www.cindydees.com.
And good luck to you!
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