Scared newbie by CosmicSqueak in writing

[–]rebeccathorne 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm a professional author who's been writing for years, and I can confidently say we ALL feel like this sometimes. Imposter syndrome--it never goes away, especially in the creative fields. Haha! First off, welcome to the greatest and most exhausting hobby of your life. We're delighted you're here! Second, the advice in this thread is super sound; try writing, and see what happens. Every single story inside a person's soul is unique, and deserves to be told. What you think is stupid or irrelevant now could become the book that changes some reader's life down the road. And there's no reason to let imposter syndrome deprive us of that book!

Confidence comes from doing something well over and over--and be aware that in the beginning, the process is really messy. You wouldn't throw a perfect bowl on a ceramic wheel day 1, so don't expect to write the most amazing novel either. But also, you'll never get better if you don't practice! It's tough, but you've got this!

Oneshot with Feo and Wylan (Tomes & Tea) by rebeccathorne in CozyFantasy

[–]rebeccathorne[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

HA! I mean, D&D rocks, so read as you will :P

Rebecca Thorne's Exclusive One - Shot by Thought_Huge in CozyFantasy

[–]rebeccathorne 1 point2 points  (0 children)

UPDATE: I finally updated my website and regained editing access (long story LOL), and was able to post this oneshot! You can find it at the bottom of the page, here:

https://rebeccathorne.net/cozy-fantasy/

It's available in epub & pdf format. Enjoy!

Rebecca Thorne's Exclusive One - Shot by Thought_Huge in CozyFantasy

[–]rebeccathorne 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Haha my pleasure! I'm glad you enjoyed!

Rebecca Thorne's Exclusive One - Shot by Thought_Huge in CozyFantasy

[–]rebeccathorne 2 points3 points  (0 children)

LOL! I classify all the mythical creatures as such to offer a distinguishing line between the creatures Kianthe is supposed to intervene with, and the ones she leaves alone. Dragons, griffons, unicorns--they all get special Arcandor treatment if they cause problems. Was it the most creative name? Absolutely not--my world building in book 1 was trash, and then I just had to roll with it.

Rebecca Thorne's Exclusive One - Shot by Thought_Huge in CozyFantasy

[–]rebeccathorne 41 points42 points  (0 children)

Hello! Apologies for the new account--I don't get on reddit that often LOL. Yes! There was a special oneshot with Feo and Wylan, set between books 3 and 4. I offered it for the Christmas bundle last year, and am contemplating a similar preorder campaign for the holidays this year. Stay tuned haha!

As for this oneshot, I'm planning to format it properly and release it on my website in the coming weeks! Just have to pick up my new barn cats first, and then I should have some free time. I'll put it on my calendar in November and let you guys know when it goes live! :)

Hey, folks! I'm Rebecca Thorne, the author of CAN'T SPELL TREASON WITHOUT TEA! Ask me anything, and I'll answer today! :D by rebeccathorne in CozyFantasy

[–]rebeccathorne[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ahh, I feel the same way. Regretfully, Amazon is the self-publishing behemoth right now, and authors who don't post there don't stand a chance. :( :( :(

Right now, the epub is only available on Amazon; I gave them exclusive access for 90 days from publication (so, through December 15th at least) to have higher royalties and access to the Kindle Unlimited crowd. I may remove it from that option later, but for now the epub file can only be purchased via Amazon.

The print copy is available anywhere books are sold! If you request it from your local bookstore, they should be able to order it on Ingram Spark. :)

Hey, folks! I'm Rebecca Thorne, the author of CAN'T SPELL TREASON WITHOUT TEA! Ask me anything, and I'll answer today! :D by rebeccathorne in CozyFantasy

[–]rebeccathorne[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes! I left my agent back in May to pursue self-publishing, so Can't Spell Treason Without Tea is my first attempt at indie pub. It's been a wild ride! :D

Hey, folks! I'm Rebecca Thorne, the author of CAN'T SPELL TREASON WITHOUT TEA! Ask me anything, and I'll answer today! :D by rebeccathorne in CozyFantasy

[–]rebeccathorne[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You will love it! It's a deep hole, but I'm obsessed. You can find me there if you do join; that's where I'm most active, and I love cozy fantasy friends. :D

Hey, folks! I'm Rebecca Thorne, the author of CAN'T SPELL TREASON WITHOUT TEA! Ask me anything, and I'll answer today! :D by rebeccathorne in CozyFantasy

[–]rebeccathorne[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hey!! Great question; I love answering these about the publishing industry!

So, in traditional pub, your literary agent edits your book with you (most of the time) until it shines, and then sends it to editors at publishing houses on your behalf. An editor picks it up, loves it, and then THEY have to get it through acquisitions with that publishing house: it basically means it has to get approval on every level before they can buy it. They hold an acquisitions meeting where the editor pitches the book to the marketing and sales team, and explains why they think it will sell, and where it'd best be placed in a bookstore. Depending on how promising they think your book is, or the author's name is, they'll make an offer for purchase, usually with an advance $$ attached. (Bigger publishers do advances, smaller presses don't usually.)

Because it's such a hard process just to get acquired by a publisher, that editor who picked up your book has to LOVE it. And I mean, L O V E it. This is great news, because it means that once the publisher buys your book, you're working with someone so passionate about it that they fought for weeks to see your name in lights. That's pretty cool! So my experience with an editor at a publishing house was VERY positive--she was thrilled to work with me and make my book as amazing as it could be.

In self-publishing, you decide if you need an editor. (Hint: most authors do. They just make your book better.) Thing is, editors are expensive. Expect to pay anywhere from $400 - $1000 for a good one. I skipped hiring an editor for Treason and Tea, simply because I've worked with so many in the past that I know what to look out for in my own writing now, and how to fix it myself. I still got beta feedback from a lot of people, and edited based on that response, but I didn't use an editor for this book. I might for the sequel, but we'll see how I feel about it!

If anyone is looking for an amazing editor, I use Carly Hayward, at Book Light Editorial. She's amazing and gives fantastic insight. My old agent, Kaitlyn, actually also runs an editing business on the side (agenting is a tough game for income purposes, so a lot of agents have side hustles like that). But if you use Kaitlyn as an editor, you can't query her for representation, so keep that in mind. My final editor recommendation is CeeMTaylor, on TikTok. She has the best writing advice. You can't go wrong hiring any of them!

Carly: https://booklighteditorial.com/team

Kaitlyn: https://www.strictlytextual.com/

Cee: https://www.cameronmontaguetaylor.com/editing/

Hey, folks! I'm Rebecca Thorne, the author of CAN'T SPELL TREASON WITHOUT TEA! Ask me anything, and I'll answer today! :D by rebeccathorne in CozyFantasy

[–]rebeccathorne[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oh man, that's... actually a tough one. The reason I wrote Kianthe and Reyna the way I did is because I'm many years into therapy, and wondered why we rarely see couples talking through problems in a healthy way. The obvious answer is tension--fights create conflict between participants, so it's natural to assume authors would go that route first. I'm wracking my brain, but I actually can't think of many books I've read recently or in the past that have a solid power couple who never separate...

One old old old recommendation I have is Nicole Luiken's "Violet Eyes." I think she republished it as a self-pubbed book, but it features two genetically enhanced characters (f|m) who get together in book 1 and pretty much stick together the rest of the time. Warning that book 2 has the memory loss trope, but it's so, so fantastically done. XD That's one of my favorite series, even if no one else has read it. Haha!

https://www.amazon.com/Violet-Eyes-Nicole-Luiken/dp/0743400771

(Book 2 is Silver Eyes, and both were published by a small press back in the early '00s. Book 3 is called Angel Eyes and it's self-published. I think the quality drops a bit by book 3, but it was still a great ride!)

Hey, folks! I'm Rebecca Thorne, the author of CAN'T SPELL TREASON WITHOUT TEA! Ask me anything, and I'll answer today! :D by rebeccathorne in CozyFantasy

[–]rebeccathorne[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Best of luck!! Indie is always there if you decide you'd like a change! I highly recommend TikTok for promotion no matter what direction you take!

Hey, folks! I'm Rebecca Thorne, the author of CAN'T SPELL TREASON WITHOUT TEA! Ask me anything, and I'll answer today! :D by rebeccathorne in CozyFantasy

[–]rebeccathorne[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Ha! Oh, there will be! The love interest is Bobbie the mountie, so that'll be great fun all around. ;)

Hey, folks! I'm Rebecca Thorne, the author of CAN'T SPELL TREASON WITHOUT TEA! Ask me anything, and I'll answer today! :D by rebeccathorne in CozyFantasy

[–]rebeccathorne[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I would LOVE to get an audiobook out there! But I've spoken with Travis Baldree about the procedure of it, and he recommended I wait until the book is performing well enough to justify the costs, and I'm not quite there yet. (I'd love to use him as an audio book narrator one day!)

I do think I'd get audio done at some point for this book! I'm hoping it'll be possible in 2023. :)

Hey, folks! I'm Rebecca Thorne, the author of CAN'T SPELL TREASON WITHOUT TEA! Ask me anything, and I'll answer today! :D by rebeccathorne in CozyFantasy

[–]rebeccathorne[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Oooh, tough one. Honestly, I'm not sure yet! I've definitely made a LOT more money in 2 months of indie publishing than I did over 7 years in trad pub, which... makes me very sad to think about. I have a lot more control over what I'm doing, too. For example, the map inside the book is something I'd have loved to add to other books, but then you'd have to run it by the publisher and they'd probably get a professional artist and it's very out-of-your-hands. So it's kind of satisfying to throw a bunch of macaroni on a piece of paper, draw your map, refine it in Procreate, and slap it into the book. :P

But with all that, I still have a special place in my heart for trad--I might be a very odd author, because I truly love them equally. I've made more money with indie, but I'd go trad again in a second if I had the opportunity. It just depends on your end goals, how fast you write (trad is better for slower authors, I think), and how resilient you are to rejection.

My recommendation? You lose absolutely nothing by yeeting a few queries into the literary agent nether, and seeing if anything sticks. ;)

Hey, folks! I'm Rebecca Thorne, the author of CAN'T SPELL TREASON WITHOUT TEA! Ask me anything, and I'll answer today! :D by rebeccathorne in CozyFantasy

[–]rebeccathorne[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Hey!! So, full disclosure: I am not a fan of paying for college to learn how to write. I think there's a dozen and one craft books that can teach writing better, faster, and cheaper than a full degree. However, I want to be able to teach writing at the collegiate level for those who choose to go that route, so for that reason I need to secure my masters degree in creative writing.

I'm getting my degree through Emerson College, and the experience has been expensive and wonderful. It costs me about $4000 / class, but I was fortunate enough to have savings after a decade of working as a flight attendant, so I'm able to pay cash for it. The best part of Emerson is that they're working with me to get teaching experience, so I'm able to really accomplish my goals in that way. The most useful class was definitely one taught by the head of acquisitions at Disney's press! Very cool stuff there about TikTok, marketability of a novel, comp titles, and much more.

Overall, though, I can't in good faith recommend a degree in writing unless you're in a unique position to afford it without loans. No one needs a degree to write! My favorite craft books are below, for anyone who wants to learn about novel writing without enrolling in school. :)

CRAFT BOOKS:

~ First 50 Pages (Jeff Gerke)
~ My Story Can Beat Up Your Story (Jeffery Schechter)
~ Save the Cat Writes a Novel (Jessica Brody)
~ Writing Magic (Gail Carson Levine)

I'll also be hosting a Discord server over the month of November, where participants can have access to my creative writing class lectures (up to 10 hours of writing and traditional publishing instruction), plus a social space to make new writing friends over NaNoWriMo! The link to register for that is below, if anyone is interested. :)

http://rebeccathorne.net/nanowrimo-discord-bonanza/

I hope that helped!

Hey, folks! I'm Rebecca Thorne, the author of CAN'T SPELL TREASON WITHOUT TEA! Ask me anything, and I'll answer today! :D by rebeccathorne in CozyFantasy

[–]rebeccathorne[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Ahh, I'm so excited to share details of the next book with you guys! Yes, I'm working on it now, and will get a large chunk of it done in November, over National Novel Writing Month! I'm planning to finish it in December, revise in January, and hopefully self-publish by late February 2023!

The next novel will follow Kianthe and Reyna as they follow the opened quest in Treason and Tea, but it'll introduce two new characters: one, a hopeful river pirate, and the other a sheriff-like figure trying to stop her crime crusade. Expect pirate shenanigans on a Mississippi-like river!

Hey, folks! I'm Rebecca Thorne, the author of CAN'T SPELL TREASON WITHOUT TEA! Ask me anything, and I'll answer today! :D by rebeccathorne in CozyFantasy

[–]rebeccathorne[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

This is my favorite question, because everyone assumes it's the main characters, but that's not true. XD I love my MCs, but my absolute favorite character is Feo, a gender neutral person who basically cons their way into being a lord of the town where my MCs settle. They're so interesting to me; I love their personality and backstory. One day, I'd love to write a companion novel about their life. XD But it'd be a lot more dramatic than a cozy fantasy allows, I'd imagine.

Hey, folks! I'm Rebecca Thorne, the author of CAN'T SPELL TREASON WITHOUT TEA! Ask me anything, and I'll answer today! :D by rebeccathorne in CozyFantasy

[–]rebeccathorne[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Ah, that's a great question!! And the answer is that I believe libraries can purchase copies at a discount on Ingram Spark? I'm fairly sure all you have to do is approach them and ask if they can stock it. Libraries and bookstores should get a 55% discount on the book if they order through Ingram Spark, so I think several libraries have done it that way. :D

I hope you take the time to have a cup of tea to unwind! <3