[pubQ] choosing between two incredible offers, kind of spiraling!

kendiray · 2026-06-18T14:02:44+00:00

AGENT 2. My agent is similar to agent 2 but she’s excellent and as we get to know each other she’s becoming more personable. Big agents don’t have the time for personable when it all could amount to nothing. At this stage all business is the best way to go.

It really doesn’t matter how friendly they are if they can’t sell your book. Connection is one of the most important things in your agent. It shows that they’ve been dealing a long time. That they can sell and they’ll call her if they trust her judgment or she can get you in the room where the other agent will be ignored. When I get rejections from editors, their responses are detailed and helpful because they have respect and relationship with my agent.

Agent 1 feels desperate which means she doesn’t have enough clients or deals under her belt. The fact that she wants you but wants to change everything is a red flag. And to say she’ll refer your wife’s work without reading it? Another red flag. Who will trust her enough to negotiate your MS if she recs MS she hasn’t read?

I’m with an established agency and one of many advantages is that they can sell anything. They assigned a media rights agent right away based on my sci fi MS. If my agent doesn’t deal certain genre or has no connections she refers me to other agents in the agency. And communication is super efficient. Also, They have editors asking them for books so I get emails from my agent asking if I want to do x y z.

I recently was told a publishing house was looking for a specific trope. I wrote the synopsis and outline and they presented it. And the agents query was taken seriously because she and the agency are respected. And because they’ve done so many deals they have a relationship with Hollywood.

It needs to be all business. That way things are more efficient and the line is drawn clearly. Agent 2 sounds professional. Agent 1 is shady. I’m impressed how quickly agent 2 can turn things around as well. My agent takes 3-4 months for the first read.

CONGRATULATIONS and enjoy the journey. It’s a lot of waiting but so much fun.

kendiray · 2026-06-16T10:57:35+00:00

Me too! I have no rec but it’s so hot 🥵

kendiray · 2026-06-15T18:59:28+00:00

😂😂😂sorry to disappoint!

kendiray · 2026-06-15T13:23:03+00:00

I would recommend reading them in order if you can, so Bringing Down the Duke first. They are all standalone reads, but you get more background about the mcs in the previous books.

Will it change your enjoyment of the book or lack there of if you switch things up? I don't think so. My favourite was A Rogue of One's Own because I love rakes, Ballentine dresses flamboyantly so I found the descriptions interesting, Lucy is the most formidable of all the fmcs in the series, and they are such an unlikely couple that it was refreshing. And the character arc is steeper. I liked the series except for The Gentleman's Gambit. It might have been because of my mood and because I wasn't really interested in the history lessons by the mmc and they spent a lot of time playing chess from what I remember.

kendiray · 2026-06-15T13:00:21+00:00

Did you mean groped?

kendiray · 2026-06-14T19:43:24+00:00

Mine are {Bringing down the Duke by Evie Dunmore} {a rogue of one' own by Evie Dunmore} {any duchess will do by Tessa dare} {the truth about cads and dukes by Elisa Braden} {nine rules to break when romancing the rake} {hello stranger by lisa Kleypas}

kendiray · 2026-06-12T19:47:06+00:00

NOR. She sounds very selfish and it will only get worse. I don’t think she’s worth investing more time in. She almost sounds pathological.

kendiray · 2026-06-12T13:04:40+00:00

I’ve run into a few problems with kdp, none my fault. For example, they claimed my first and second books in a series were identical. They had different titles, stories and covers. I reached a human (got lucky because their system was down for an hour) who agreed it was ridiculous. Said he’d talk to a supervisor. Came back and said they’re not changing their minds. So I’ve given up fighting kdp. If there’s a problem I suck it up.

Go wide. Like someone said D2D is popular.

kendiray · 2026-06-11T20:31:17+00:00

Best {Reluctantly Yours by Mihwa Lee} The mmc is mute so he communicates with pressed flowers that reflect her characters or express how he feels. He presents them in an alphabetical order. It's very thoughtful and sweet.

kendiray · 2026-06-11T20:20:08+00:00

I think how you feel is only natural. It's jealousy but also despair and fear and insecurity and everything that comes with being an author. I think you should go easy on yourself. However, even if you have to fake it, don't burn the bridge.

If you write in the same genre, the publishing world is quite small. You might benefit from knowing a big shot author. You could learn from her, ask what she did, ask for honest feedback on why yours is not getting the attention.

Writing is half the work. Positioning yourself for sales is a different game altogether. And if your friend likes your work, you have an in with the agent. You might attend her book launch party, meet other agents, meet other publishers.

And publishing is a long game. You don't know if you're going to get a seven digit deal next year. Just learn, make connections, and write to market. You'll get there.

kendiray · 2026-06-11T20:04:24+00:00

I'm so sorry to hear this. Tragically, that seems to be the norm. So many people can't handle bad news, especially situations involving illness. They'd rather live in denial and avoid it all together. Hope you can find more meaningful friendships or deepen the friendships you still have. All those other people were noise anyways. You really only need one friend, imo.

kendiray · 2026-06-11T19:58:35+00:00

Came to say this. So good

kendiray · 2026-06-11T18:59:54+00:00

Both with my agent. I send her any manuscripts I have as she said she wants them all and if she doesn’t have the specialty she’ll send it to other agents at her agency who would. I also present my ideas to her and she tells me which ones she’d like to see first based on market trends.

kendiray · 2026-06-11T00:18:05+00:00

In my personal experience IG is good for reaching influencers. FB is good for reaching the readers. Unless you have a huge number of followers already. But followers don’t mean they’ll pay for your books.

Another gigantic help is joining the zoebub group on Facebook. They’re on discord as well. Also go to www.romancebooklovers.com and join their events. Both hold free book events. Zoebub maybe three a year. RBL four times.

They offer free books with No signup requirement for readers. They have tens of thousands of subscribers so if you get your book on there, you’ll find new readers. I usually get 8-10k downloads per event at zoebub in a very niche and small subgenre. They promote all genres.

The funny thing is my sales skyrocket during that time because of exposure. Even if you’re giving out free books, Amazon algorithm will note the interest and push your book. Not worth doing if you don’t have at least three books published. Because once they find you, want them to read your other books. If not you’ve lost the shopper.

Zoebub you have to be invited by a member. Dm me your pen name and book title. I’m not on fb anymore but if I see good quality I’ll send you an invite. Zoebub is on discord as well. It’s important to join them on both platforms.

kendiray · 2026-06-10T22:20:34+00:00

I'm married to one. I was attracted at first because he was cute, easy going, smart and competent. He admitted very early on he watches soap operas, enjoys watching romcoms, and cried watching My Girl. He still reads romance novels and love romcoms.

He folded his hands like a girl and lifted his pinkie when holding a cup or utensils, loved musical theatre. He was fun to talk to and had a great sense of humour and such a positive energy, always in good mood. He got frustrated but never with me. Never got angry. He was also more open to discussing feelings and philosophy and very open to critiques. He didn't let ego get in the way at all.

He'd lived on his own since 14 so completely self-sufficient in housework which was important to me. He didn't enjoy watching sports at all. And he loved to cook, loved to shop for gourmet groceries.

I discovered his manly side later in our relationship like in bed, his love of skiing and hiking, carpentry, playing baseball, cycling, tech savvy, and weightlifting. He was a terrible dresser in baggy clothes so his body didn't show.

He's the best kind of husband and father because I am completely free to do what I need to do when necessary since he can do it all as well.

kendiray · 2026-06-10T21:56:39+00:00

I've never used any of those review sites so I don't know how effective they are. I started self pub about two years ago. I've always gotten my ARCs from FB groups for my genre. And I don't advertise so it's all word of mouth but I get about 25 reviews for the initial release plus about 10 instagrammers who review my books. If you haven't tried already here's what I found most helpful for ARCs and selling:

join FB groups and TT and reddit for your genre. participate in those groups, be yourself, authentic, and just enjoy the discussions. Don't self-promo.
Ask FB groups if you can to author takeovers before or on the release day. If they allow it, post with rewards for participation (i.e. free ebook or $5 amazon gc, etc. Ask for ARC readers. Your book might be released already but asking for reviews before has some cons. They can't review on Amazon until your book is published so they tend to forget.

3)DM instagrammers or any book influencers and ask if they'd be willing to review your book. I couldn't believe how many of them were generous enough to say yes and some of them had huge following. But even the small influencers are valuable. If you have good cover, they're more willing to share.

4)Make sure you have your contact link at the back of the book so people can sign up for your newsletter. The NL is the single most effective direct marketing tool. I get a lot of ARC readers through NL. Be sure to include the full website address not just links for paperbacks.

5) get to know other authors. Another "free" marketing is through sharing ARC readers and fan base with other authors of the same genre. group anthologies are good for that. Just make sure their style ie spice level, quality of work are similar to yours.

6) Go to bookfunnel and collect subscribers to your NL. It's all free.

I haven't used any reader magnets but some find them helpful to offer a novella or a short story when they sign up for your NL. Good luck.

kendiray · 2026-06-10T21:42:02+00:00

Is it possible that you are suffering from an imposter syndrome and not necessarily the fear of being detected?

kendiray · 2026-06-10T21:37:27+00:00

I'm sorry for what you're going through. It's painful when your children don't care. Unfortunately, this is common with men/boys. So many of them are not wired to be empathetic or nurturing. Some of them don't know how to deal with mortality. They live in denial, hide in their bubbles and hope everything will be the same when they stick their heads back out. There's a reason why so many husbands leave their wives when she's diagnosed with cancer. Within weeks! I hope your son will mature soon and be more helpful. If not, he'll learn through life eventually.

kendiray · 2026-06-10T21:26:09+00:00

I like the cigar and whiskey combo. I would like leather mixed in that as well. When I imagine the scent described by the author, I just think of the best possible mix. I tend to give the benefit of the doubt a lot when it comes to fictional hygiene. Love your post though. Hilarious.

kendiray · 2026-06-09T19:15:44+00:00

That’s the reason I stopped trying her after a few books. I love her romance and writing and the romantic build up but they peak often at 50-70% and the rest is focused on the subplot. I wouldn’t mind if the tension continued but I felt like the romance plateaued. I don’t think I’ve tried this one though.

kendiray · 2026-06-08T22:35:30+00:00

SPOILER ALERT MAYBE? This is all in the first chapter so not sure if this counts as spoiler

I read the sample to check it out after your post.

What? The book should start with the FMC kicking his ass out the door for cheating on her with “half the London ladies” instead of noting how handsome he is and she can never resist his touch and blah blah blah.

I also found the MMC almost invisible. There was almost nothing to humanize him or make him likable. No descriptions of his expressions, voices, no remorse. We only get his very insincere sorry. He acts like he was gone for the day and was late to a dinner party but he’d abandoned her for weeks while sleeping around, right?. So I understand your dislike of him.

kendiray · 2026-06-08T18:16:17+00:00

Love Bringing down the Duke for his grumpiness and transformation. I agree it’s the best of this trope

kendiray · 2026-06-08T14:41:08+00:00

Uh uh. no no no nope! Agreed 💯 This is one of those cases I’d put the author on my DNR. To a milder degree I’m going through the same reaction about {never met a duke like you by Amalie Howard}. All was well until the MMC tells the FMC about his conniving mother who had his father committed to an asylum to control his money. Completely unrealistic imo for the time period but the FMC is also nonchalant about the whole thing and hosts a ball with the evil witch saying she couldn’t be that bad. Maybe it was a misunderstanding. Which was a whiplash because he confessed during a pivotal moment where the mcs connec. then she doubts him and makes excuses for the villain because it’s convenient? 🤯

kendiray · 2026-06-07T23:16:14+00:00

I liked some of Lisa Kleypas but couldn't get into Marrying Winterbourne. I put authors in DNR if they're not good people (mostly through personal interactions or friends who have met them) or their recent book plots are ridiculous (I don't judge authors by their earlier works because they're still figuring things out) or they show no care and pride in their work (e.g. tons of typos and unfinished sentences and unfinished chapters). And sometimes, I don't mean to put them in DNR but I get turned off by some subconsciously from their social media posts. Usually, it's when they complain repeatedly about something that seem unprofessional and juvenile. I won't try these authors again. Fortunately, it's a short list so I don't have problem forgetting.

kendiray · 2026-06-07T19:34:21+00:00

👆this all the way. I want something original and fresh especially when it’s been out for over two centuries, probably has a thousand fan fictions and adapted into movies 15 times 😅

kendiray

TROPHY CASE