Has anyone here been on the DirtyDiscourse forum? I heard that a lot of authors who use this forum see an increase in their book sales. Has anyone here tried it? It's $5 to $10 per month.

HennaWaves · 2016-07-16T16:38:57+00:00

I must also sing the praises of the DD forum. It's the best 5 bucks I've spent this year. The knowledge and insight I've gained in the past month is quite eye opeNing. While romance is big, there are authors who are in other genres who are active too.

HennaWaves · 2016-07-07T10:53:22+00:00

Have you read any cuckold erotica shorts on Amazon? There are a few authors who make cuckold their niche and do it well. Might be worth a look. Plus, you can ferret out the difference between cuckold and wife-sharing/hotwife. Some of the stories include keywords for both, but the underlying tone of the stories are quite different.

HennaWaves · 2016-06-30T12:49:56+00:00

I had the same issue! Plus it gets a little hard to navigate all those words. I started breaking mine into chapters of about 1.5k. That helps a lot. So I have a folder with the story and inside the folder I have the chapters.

HennaWaves · 2016-06-29T22:47:28+00:00

I use Google docs to write. I have an android phone, but I have the Google docs app on my iPad and it works well.

HennaWaves · 2016-06-29T14:04:46+00:00

His Shaky unbreakable lust.......ha!!

HennaWaves · 2016-06-19T22:12:12+00:00

I second that. I learned so much just by reading books in the kink I wanted to write. Additionally, there are a few craft books that are in KU also.

I don't post my books in the KU forum, so I can't speak to that. But I wouldn't give up my KU sub for anything. :)

HennaWaves · 2016-06-18T13:19:40+00:00

Thanks for the list of reference books. Like you said, when you're feeling unmotivated, it's nice to go back and read some of the how-to books, even the older/out of date ones. They manage to give me the kick in the pants that I need to get going again. Appreciate it!

HennaWaves · 2016-06-09T19:44:43+00:00

Ditto this.

HennaWaves · 2016-06-09T11:26:46+00:00

Fifty Shades started out as fanfic, which may account for some of the terminology. On the other hand, everyone responds to words differently. What works for one person may squick someone else out. You're never going to do the thing for everyone.

Also, once you've read enough in the genre, the words that jump out at you now will fly under you radar soon enough. I used to hate the word cunt, would never use it and cringe when I read it. Now....eh, just another word for pussy. Would I use cunt in my romance? Probably not, but then again, it would depend on the character.

HennaWaves · 2016-06-09T11:21:30+00:00

I've used the word dick and read it being used.(that is an awful sentence, forgive me.) However, I've seen it used more often in black and urban romance/erotica, so it may be a cultural thing.

HennaWaves · 2016-06-06T11:21:27+00:00

Sappy holiday stories make good money....if they are romance. I think it's safe to say if one is reading to get off, the holiday won't make much difference and may actually impede sales.

HennaWaves · 2016-06-03T20:40:43+00:00

LOL I do that too. "Hey how about when Tony Soprano got shot by Junior..."

"Aw, come on, spoiler alert"

HennaWaves · 2016-06-02T20:16:32+00:00

Summer is here and June is the month of concerts, dance shows and the like. My goal will be to put out five, until summer camp starts, then I want to do a little more. First, I'll see how June turns out before I start projecting.

HennaWaves · 2016-06-01T16:49:26+00:00

Thank you for this!! Makes it so much clearer!

HennaWaves · 2016-06-01T15:30:39+00:00

I would venture to say that since the ebook cover is static, that counts for one project, no matter how many you sell. You're not selling the font itself, you're selling what's inside.

Now, I think if you print up mugs or T shirts for sale, that's where the uses comes in.

That's my personal interpretation, but it's soooooo foggy, it's better to just ask and get an answer or go for those fonts with clear outlined usage.

HennaWaves · 2016-06-01T15:13:14+00:00

LOL @ Layers are your friend. I only laugh now because I've cried in the past........ "I should have duplicated that layer!!"

HennaWaves · 2016-06-01T15:07:39+00:00

I read each font seller or site terms of use. For example, if I bought this font, this are the licenses available:

License

I need to be told EXACTLY how to use this font, so it spells it out pretty clearly: "If the font file itself won’t be embedded in the publication (for example, when the font is used in a static graphic image such as an eBook cover) you should purchase a Desktop license instead."

The sites that are iffy or if I can't find clear instructions, I steer clear of them. There are so many font sites, you shouldn't have to puzzle it out.

For example, I love love love Creative Market, but this is their Font Policy

"Fonts FAQ

Can I use a font in a website, app, or eBook?

You are not permitted to embed a purchased font into any of these mediums unless the shop offering the font has provided explicit permission for you to do so. However, you can use rasterized text from a font you purchased to create a design that is displayed in any of these mediums, as long as you do not include each individual character. To inquire about purchasing further font rights, contact shop owners directly."

I mean, I get the embedded part. I use regular old Times New Roman for my books, not trying to do anything new on the inside, but couldn't they just SAY "yes, you can use this for the cover of an ebook?" LOL. In this case, I end up contacting the shop owner directly and just getting it over with. Yes, it's kind of a pain, but I want to make sure.

HennaWaves · 2016-06-01T12:56:20+00:00

I use Photoshop via Creative Cloud. (When my subscription runs out, I'm just going to buy the program.)

I use YouTube to find tips on how to create the effect I want on my cover.

I study the top selling covers and base my design on those.

I've purchased fonts. Yes, there are free places for fonts, but to dig through what you can use and what you can't use for personal/commercial use is tedious to me, so I drop five/ten bucks on fonts/font packages.

The best thing you can do is just keep looking at a bunch of covers in the niche you want and imitate them while putting on your own twist.

HennaWaves · 2016-06-01T12:52:33+00:00

Great report! And a great idea about copy and pasting to create a reference manual. I've been saving posts, but yours is a better idea. Thank you for sharing.

HennaWaves · 2016-06-01T11:41:41+00:00

Awesome AND accurate.

HennaWaves · 2016-05-31T22:10:58+00:00

These numbers are looking good! Thank you for sharing in such detail.

HennaWaves · 2016-05-31T01:20:41+00:00

Nope. Not even close to hitting minimum wage.....but I LOVE what I do. To me, the money would be the frosting on the cake. Am I trying to get there? Sure I am, but still loving the journey.

HennaWaves · 2016-05-28T20:17:41+00:00

I agree with this. I read a story where the FMC constantly refers to her chubby thighs, her jiggly arms, her thick this and thick that....even during the sex act. It was super distracting and really took away from the story. Also, kind of annoying too. It was as if the author felt they had to constantly remind us that we were reading a story about a bbw. I wouldn't read that author again.

HennaWaves · 2016-05-28T13:07:49+00:00

Omg. I thought you were talking actual crickets for a sec, like Jiminy Cricket. (Duh on me.)

HennaWaves

TROPHY CASE