Who's My Audience? Part 2

In Part 1 of this post, I talked about how it was critical in my former job as a sales writer to focus 100% on the needs and emotions of my prospects and customers. I pointed out that this was not much different from writing fiction that sells. 

It may come as a shock to amateur writers that it doesn't matter what you want to say in your writing. Pros understand that your focus must be entirely on what the reader wants to hear. Say you're selling a spiffy new can opener and you want to gush about all its special features. But those features don't mean a thing unless you show how this wonderful item will make your prospects feel. How that can opener will change their life for the better, make them feel smart, sexy, successful, cool, etc.

Same with fiction. Most successful fiction writers zero in on a specific genre and reader they want to reach and single-mindedly write stories and characters that tickle those readers' fancy. You know, genre fiction as a species of sales copy. 

But that doesn't cut it for me !

I used to spend 90% of my professional time writing to sell people things by focusing solely on what turns them on. I didn't want my fiction, which constituted about 10% of my writing time, to be mercenary in that way. I wanted to write about stuff that I care about in a style, voice, and structure that challenges and excites me. In other words, my fiction is written to please an audience of one. 

ME! MYSELF! I!

My "audience" revels in writing that's weird and non-formulaic. The kind of books that set my brain on fire! I've been inspired by all sorts of writers and my books are a mashup of many influences. My goal when engaging in the hellish struggle of writing a book is to make my most important customer (that's me again!) very happy. I know I've succeeded when I never get tired of going back and re-reading my books over and over again. 

How many of the books you've read can you say that about?

I'll never say that my books are great works of art (I'm not a book critic) or even if they're right for anyone else, but I just love them! If I write something that doesn't amaze me, you'll never see it in print! 

This self-centered approach has not rendered much sales success, since my taste in literature is eclectic, to say the least. But it seems some people think my books are pretty good. A couple have won awards and my next book has actually been picked up by a traditional publisher, which is close to impossible to achieve these days unless you're famous or have the right contacts.

It comes down to this: I have retired from sales writing--I've escaped that rut. I'm now free to spend 100% of my creative time to write whatever I want. I don't need to sell books for a living and, truth be told, I don't care how many books I sell. I just want to expose as many readers as possible to my novels and hope they enjoy them.

After all, what's the point of writing if no one reads your stuff? 

Learn more about my books at carlehnisbooks.com/

Who's My Audience? Part 1

With the Indispensable Lottie Hot entering the production/distribution phase and an official release date not until March 2027, I'm going to veer away from the nuts and bolts of book production in this blog to my thoughts about why I write the way I do.

And how I go about my writing all wrong!

First, a little history. For nearly 40 years my day job involved writing marketing prose for several insurance and investment companies. Over time, I got quite good at it. I made a decent income that helped provide a comfortable lifestyle for my family.

I learned that writing copy that sells boils down to a fundamental understanding of what truly matters when trying to get strangers to reach for their checkbooks.

A good marketing writer understands how to get inside her customer's head--specifically which emotional triggers to pull that will inspire someone to trust your product. Heres the secret: No matter what you're trying to sell, it all comes down to how your product makes your customer feel!

That was my approach when I was selling mutual funds. It wasn't necessarily about a fund's track record, or management team, or even its cost. My focus was how a fund addressed the human need for security in an uncertain world. I answered questions like how the fund may help provide a secure retirement, enable a family to afford a better place to live, or help parents feel confident that they're providing for their child's future. That kind of stuff.

So, what does that have to do with writing fiction? Simple. As novelists, we're advised to write with a specific audience in mind if we hope to have any success in the marketplace.

For example, if you write books that will appeal to readers of romance novels, you must understand that this genre uses specific plotting and character tropes that must be followed in detail. Otherwise, you'll disappoint your readers' emotional expectations and lose them (and your publisher) forever. The same goes for writers of science fiction, mysteries, fantasies, and other popular genres.

There are scores of writers who are true to their genres and have been rewarded with large enthusiastic followings and lucrative book contracts, movie rights, and appearances on late night TV. They're successful because they intimately understand their audience and how to move them within the rigid confines of their genre. In other words, they're savvy marketers.

Bless them!

However, despite knowing all this as a long-time marketing professional, I don't do any of those things with my fiction. In fact, I don't really care what the audience wants!

I'll explain why next week in Part 2 of this post.

Meanwhile, check out my website.

It's Starting to Look Like a Book

When it comes to this blog, I've been a bit of a sloth. When last we met, I was starting to work with Aimee, my editor at Running Wild Press. That part was completed some three months ago. We arrived at a final draft that turned out to be a minor polish, since the significant editing was something that I worked with my freelance editor on before beginning the submission process.

The next step was completing an intense marketing questionnaire, which included blurb copy, author's bio, a dedication page, and a listing of local libraries, bookstores, and local media to tap when the book is released. 

Meanwhile, the manuscript was sent to the formatter, who did the design and typesetting, and a graphic artist who created the cover design. I'm pleased with how the cover came out and the quality of the typesetting and interior design.  

I'll have a formal cover "reveal" here and on my website as the release date gets closer. And there's the rub! 

If you have been following this blog, you're well aware that The Indispensable Lottie Hot will be my first traditionally published book by a real live publisher. Unlike self-published books, the timeline to release a traditionally published book from a small press by an unknown author is often measured in years--two years in my case.

You won't see my book in print until Spring 2027! Bummer! When I self-published, I could go from manuscript to market in two months or less. 

Looking ahead, I expect to sign-off on the final proof in the next few days. The project then goes to the distribution company, which will use the next 9 to 12 months to prepare review copies to send to critics and other readers in hopes of getting positive quotes and generate reader interest. They will also pitch the book to bookstores, libraries, and other outlets to carry my masterpiece. I believe they will help me come up with a marketing plan, even though these days it's up to the author to do most of the marketing legwork.

I wish things could move a lot faster, but this appears to be the way with small publishers, and my book's themes and topics are not especially time sensitive. It'll still be a nice read 50 years from now! I will say that I've been thinking about other ways of handling the publishing side of my writing life, but that is grist for a future blog.

I've learned a lot about publishing over the last few years, so please drop me a line if you have any questions or comments. Visit my website to get in touch and learn more about my books. 

It Won't Be Long Now?

My editor for The Indispensable Lottie Hot has finished her first pass through the manuscript and I'm pleased to say that very little damage was done!

Actually, she did an excellent job, making suggestions that further strengthen my characters and clarified some areas that could've confused the reader. In fact, she had a light touch and 99 percent of her changes corrected my utter hopelessness in the proper use of commas! Up next is another pass to pick up things she might have missed in the first read, at which point if we reach agreement on the draft, it will move into production. 

It does appear, after all this time, this book will actually happen!

This past weekend I made my first personal appearance at a book function. The local library held a book fair and one of the librarians who ran the book club in which I participate invited me to set up a table to display my books and do a reading. After six books, this is the first time I've ever done a reading, and it went very well. Of course it was only attended by the librarian and my wife, but it was good practice and it will serve me well once my new book comes out and I'm forced to become a public figure!

I will keep you updated in this blog as milestones are achieved in the publishing process, including release date, cover announcement, and various events. In the meantime, please check out my website, which I designed myself, and please sign up for my mailing list on the website. 

It's a Slooooowwww Start

The initial euphoria of signing my book contract with a traditional publisher back in late October last year has been tempered by the delay in actually engaging in the various steps in the publishing process. It took months before I was finally assigned an editor, which happened back in March. 

The highly competent person who will be editing The Indispensable Lottie Hot is currently up to her eyeballs with several other projects and hopes to get to mine by the fall. While less than ideal given my zeal to get on with things, I've learned that book publishing can be a very slow process, especially when it comes to small publishing houses like the one producing my book.

In the meantime, I've been trying to figure out a marketing strategy. I've been compiling lists of email addresses, book fairs, book stores, and possible events to hawk my masterpieces. There's not much in the way of promotion to do right now because I don't have a publishing date yet.

One thing I have done is create a website, Carl Ehnis Books , which I think came out pretty okay, given my lack of digital prowess. Check it out--I'd like to know what you think. AND PLEASE SIGN UP FOR MY MAILING LIST once you get there!

There's nothing else to report for now. I'll be back with impressions of the editing process when that finally gets underway. I'm ready for the train to leave the station!

 

A Blog Resurrected

Five years ago I started this blog to chronicle my journey to what I hoped would be my first commercially published novel. The idea was the follow the detailed advice of so-called "experts" in the publishing field in how to present my story to the world. 

I did all the things they insisted upon, from producing an impeccable draft with help from a professional editor to assembling a marketing package to entice literary agents in hopes of landing a publisher. 

I did produce an impeccable draft of my book, COME THE HARPIES, which went on to win runner-up in a prestigious literary contest. But all attempts to land an agent and a publishing contract came to naught. If you care to experience my painful journey, I urge you to read prior posts in this blog.

After more than 150 rejections, I self-published HARPIES, as I have with my other books. I then went on to another project, this one called THE INDISPENSABLE LOTTIE HOT. I followed the same marketing process as I had for HARPIES, with similar results. 

And, as I announced in my last post in July, I pretty much gave up on this one as well, despite finishing runner-up last year in Pipeline's Unpublished contest out of 500 entries in the literary category. That achievement didn't change any minds among my rejectors, so I figured that was it for me.

But then...but then...I did one thing differently. Where I previously submitted exclusively to literary agents, I expanded my list to include a select number of smaller publishers that don't require agent representation.

One of the publishers I solicited in April responded last week. And this very morning, I signed my first commercial book contract! It even came with a small advance!

My 35-year quest to become a commercially published author will actually happen! The name of the publisher is Running Wild Press in Los Angeles. You'll be hearing more about them because I'm reviving this blog for those out in the ether who are interested in the steps required to go from a virtual unknown to becoming a professionally published author. 

There's a lot to it. I'll be working with editors and other creatives and much will be required of me from a marketing standpoint. The to-do list is long, including a photo session (which I dread), creating a website and Instagram account (No Twitter/X or Facebook, given my issues with their bosses), addressing legal responsibilities, create business cards, do events and whatever else comes up. All those steps will be covered here on my blog and future website.

I'll keep you posted as I approach publication, which is probably a year or so away. 

I tell you, what a kick in the pants!

 

 

Now Available (Again)--My Books!

For several months I unpublished my books in the expectation that I was about the land a publishing contract for my latest award-winning novel, The Indispensable Lottie Hot. Since that hasn't happened and probably won't, I again uploaded my books on Amazon and Smashwords.

You can't go wrong with any of the books, they're all damn good if truth be told. I'm currently working on a new edition of my magnum opus, Race Riot, which I hope to post on Amazon and numerous other platforms in both print and e-book forms. 

Given the clamor for more new stuff, I'm working on another, somewhat experimental, novel that may see the light of day in a couple of years. Unless I lose interest...of course.

Maybe I should take up golf instead...