The Secret Life of an Author: Bunny Slippers and ReaderLove

All my life I had one dream: To be a published author.

Much like being a parent, there are so many things no one bothered to warn us about. The late nights, the bleary eyes, the temper tantrums.  Yeah, those all hold true in parenting too.

For some reason, I had this vision in my head of being an author. I would blithefully write my books, send them off to a grateful editor and receive buckets of praise and adulation for the brilliance of my work. And then, magically, I’d make a bazillion dollars and end up on some talk show with a (very handsome) host (who wanted to father my babies). There would, in all likelihood, be movie deals which would, of course, result in me winning an Oscar.

I’m nothing if not realistic.

Cut to reality.

I am happy to report that I do gleefully write my books—in bunny slippers and pajamas, most of the time. Having recently turned to writing full time I can write them even faster and don’t even have to shower if I don’t want to. I do receive buckets of praise and adulation (more, perhaps than is good for my ego), but I am only making a fraction of the bazillion dollars.

It’s the other elements of my life that surprised me. Specifically, how much time and energy promotion can take. We’re talking Facebook, Twitter, Pintrest, Goodreads and a host of other outlets. We’re talking research (not for my stories but of the IINDUSTRY), networking, blogging and more. We’re talking author loops and conferences and swag and chats and Facebook events and cover reveals and launch calendars. I could go on.

It’s all part and parcel of the job.

The fact of the matter is, author success is all about connections. Connections with readers and reviewers, authors and publishers, bloggers and service providers. To keep those connections alive, I make it a point to try and be personal. That means responding to emails myself. When I wake up, I will have 75 to 100 (or more) messages that require my attention. One of them may be a cheerful message from Goodreads that I “have 375 new messages.” While I am working my way through the list, another 25 may pop up.

Overwhelming? A little. But each and every one of these messages MATTER. Every reader matters. Every connection makes a difference.

But the personal touch does take a toll. Now, instead of putting in eight hours at the day job and coming home to write for a few (if I have the energy for it) I am putting in 12-16 hour days. Three to four on social media, and eight to ten writing and editing.

I never thought I would be working so hard.

So why do I do it?

Because I love it. Every minute. I love writing and editing, I love connecting with industry cohorts and I absolutely LOVE interacting with readers.

The best part of my job is hearing from readers, people who really love my work. THAT makes it all worthwhile.

If you have an author you love, know she is probably doing the same—if not holding down a day job as well. Authors make anywhere from pennies to a couple dollars on each sale, depending on the publisher, price and distributor cut.

What can you do to help?

A lot.

As a reader, you have more power than you may realize. Here are a few ways you can wield your muscle:

• Tell your favorite author you like her work. An email, a Facebook message, a tweet, a comment on a blog. It doesn’t matter. It will make her day.
• Buy your favorite author’s work. Don’t download it from a pirate site. Aside from the fact that some of these “freebie” sites are merely Trojan horses carrying viruses into your device, it’s just good Karma. Authors can only afford to write if they make some money at it.
• Share your faves with your friends. Industry studies show this is the #1 way readers discover new authors.
• Like their Amazon page. Believe it or not, that makes a HUGE difference in their author ranking, which in turn increases the discoverability of their books.
• Write honest reviews.
• Comment on blogs. Nothing is more depressing than working on a blog and having no one comment. In fact if you comment here, I’ll enter you in a contest to win your choice of one of my books—just as a thank you for reading this far!)
• If you really love an author, join her street team and band together with other fans to help your favorite author gain momentum. Momentum is gold in our world. It effects everything like a ripple in a pond.

So readers, take up the banner for your favorite author! Share the word. Help her achieve success as only YOU can. It is, after all, all about YOU. Without readers, we’re just talkin’ to the computer all day. Seriously. And that’s hardly any fun at all.

About Sabrina York

Her Royal Hotness, Sabrina York is the award winning author of over 20 hot, humorous stories for smart and sexy readers. Her titles range from sweet & sexy erotic romance to scorching BDSM. Connect with her on twitter @sabrina_york, on Facebook or on Pintrest. Check out Sabrina’s books and read an excerpt on Amazon or wherever e-books are sold. Visit her webpage at www.sabrinayork.com to check out her books, excerpts and contests. Free Teaser Book: http://sabrinayork.com/home-2/sabrina-yorks-teaser-book/ And don’t forget to enter to win the royal tiara!

FOLLOW SABRINA

Like my Facebook Author Page https://www.facebook.com/SabrinaYorkBooks
Follow me on Twitter @sabrina_york
Follow me on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5817917.Sabrina_York
Check out my Pintrest boards: http://www.pinterest.com/sabrinayork/boards/
Like my Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Sabrina-York/e/B00856PDEO/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1382929432&sr=8-2-ent
Check out my Barnes & Noble Author page: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/sabrina-york
Follow me on Ellora’s Cave: https://www.ellorascave.com/index.php/authors/index/author/slug/sabrina-york/

CURRENT PROMOS

Most recent release! DARK DUKE, Steamy Regency http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Duke-3-Noble-Passions-ebook/dp/B00ID8MAJU/ref=la_B00856PDEO_1_10?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1394219319&sr=1-10

Free Teaser Book: http://sabrinayork.com/home-2/sabrina-yorks-teaser-book/

Newsletter & tiara contest: http://sabrinayork.com/sabrinas-contest-and-newsletter/

Enter to win a signed print copy of scorching Regency romance, Dark Fancy on Goodreads! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17409083-dark-fancy

Books by Sabrina York
Adam’s Obsession (Erotic Contemporary, Ellora’s Cave)
Dark Duke (Erotic Regency, Ellora’s Cave) —Coming soon
Brigand (Erotic Regency, Ellora’s Cave) —Coming soon Read the rest of this entry »