...something I'm gradually learning not to even care about, for my sake and my readers' too. Or at least not for now. Here you'll see the average daily word counts of several famous authors, and according to this article, Nora Roberts is able to finish a novel every 45 days.
All inspirational stuff, but unfortunately it's not going to be applicable if you haven't yet developed the habit of writing every day. I wish I could write every day. But I can't, mostly because I'm not disciplined enough and secondly because of the type of romance I write.
The types of books I love to read - and write - are those that make me fall in love and cry (if they can make me laugh, that's a huge bonus, but I don't require it). It's the "crying" part that often slows me down, and it's why averages don't work for me.
Sometimes, the inspiration is right there and I'm able to finish a series in an amazingly short period of time (I used to worry about the whole "write too fast, the quality goes down" thing, but ironically, ALL of the books that I finish writing super quickly are my bestsellers). 
Other times, how to make a reader feel (and yes, that means I ultimately intend them to cry) doesn't come to me right away. Sure, I know I can finish a story by a certain date, and I don't think it's a story that readers will hate. I'm pretty sure they'll like it. But if the feels that I want aren't there, the story also won't be some thing that they'd LOVE.
And that's what I'm always gunning for when I write a book: something my readers would love, and for that to happen, I also need to pour my heart and soul in everything I write.
Unfortunately, being so emotionally invested in a book means it can take you longer to write a book. 
In the past, I used to be very hard on myself when I take too much time writing a book. I feel like this is a personal failure and that it's because I did something wrong. These days, though, I've come to realize that if the feels don't come to me right away, it's probably due to ONE REASON alone. 
I'm worrying too much about readers' expectations.
That's it. 
And it's wrong. It's great to think about what your readers want, but you have to have the right perspective about it. Most times, when I worry about readers' expectations, I worry because it's become a matter of pride - I don't want people I know to read reviews of my work that say it's shit. Other times, I worry because I'm scared that if they hate my work then I'll lose my source of income.
Those are NOT the ideal reasons to worry about what readers think.
What I usually forget - or remember too late - is the fact that readers will love what I write if I - YES, ME, YES YOU, THE AUTHOR - what I write. Because it means you gave it your all, and really that's all that matters.
I think - and this is just my personal opinion - people who are able to write every day are those who have learned the art of ignoring people's opinions about their work. I don't mean they don't accept constructive criticism, naturally. Rather, these authors know worrying about what people say about their work is pointless because you can never please everyone. You can't because it's not possible. There'll always be someone who won't like your work - hate it even - and that's okay because they're either not your target market / they simply dislike your writing. 
I hope and pray that going forward I'll be like these authors and develop a stronger immune system to public opinion. Once I do, I'll be happier and my readers will be happier because I'll be able to produce a greater number of books.
Of course, I hope for the same thing for you guys, too! <3

So...in my previous post, I'm not sure if it was obvious, but I kinda - well, I really felt bad about the sales of Books 1 and 2 of my newest trilogy Pollyanna and the Greek Billionaire. Sooooo...when Book 3 came out, I just allowed myself to "cautiously" hope for the best.
​And well...

Book 3's first day of sales was beyond what I expected. Of course I hoped, but I didn't allow myself to expect. And if you've seen me being emo on my IG and FB page / profile, I really do mean every word. I honestly thought it was the end of the line for me. 
Just imagine - almost two months of writing and not liking anything you write. I was TERRIFIED that it would be like this forever and it means I've run out of things to write. But then I decided to take a risk, shelving the old WIP and working on another WIP and that was it. 

The reason I'm sharing this with you, of course, is to let you know that IF YOU'RE DOUBTING YOURSELF LIKE I DID, it's okay. Just keep writing what YOU love and (force yourself to) FORGET what other people think or will think about your work.
Just write.
And it will work out, sooner or later.
It happened to me.
There's no reason why it shouldn't happen to you, and that's REGARDLESS of where you feel you are with your writing career.  :)
Hope this post helps!

This second topic is actually the core subject of Pastor R, but I had to do a little segue with my first post. Anyway, GGC had a mission conference (a really huge occasion for the church) during APEC week, and following that they also celebrated their 50th anniversary. So this Sunday was the first "normal" Sunday, and as Pastor R noted, it's only now that everyone's "high" - after attending such important occasions back to back - will be starting to fade.
Hence, his topic: WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE, WHAT NOW?
I think this is also applicable for us PH writers, especially those who have attended yesterday's 5th Filipino Reader Con. There were lots of great panels and talks, based on what I've read so far on social media, so I'm sure everyone's experiencing that so-called "conference high". 
Personally, I had this same feeling, too. When I finally got books out - one after another, too, after suffering from such a long writing drought, I was IMMENSELY GIDDY. I felt so BLESSED. I avoid using that word these days, tbh, because I feel it's being abused, but right now I can't think of any other word that could properly define how I felt. I was blessed, beyond belief, beyond what I deserve. That's how I felt. And that's why I posted the quote below on IG.

Now here's where it gets interesting.

​Before I could post it, our Internet connection suddenly stopped working. No reason at all, it just stopped working for a few minutes and I remember how AT and I looked at each other, wondering what happened.
But then it came back and so the image quote, which showed up as failed initially, went through. It popped up on my screen and I just absently scrolled down, intending to look only at a few photos before going back to work.
​
The first photo I saw on my newsfeed was the one below--

AMAZING, right?
This is from a fellow writer, btw, and I would NOT have seen her post if our Internet connection didn't stop working. That's why, when I headed over to her IG, I told her what happened and that she's the reason God made my Internet connection stop working. Because if it hadn't stopped, I would never have seen her post. I would have seen someone else's post and because I fully intended to work right after. 
Honestly, when it happened, I had goosebumps all over and when I told my dad about this, I had goosebumps all over. I don't know if it helped the other writer (Hi, N! Just in case you ever get to read this), but I know IT HELPED ME. Because it's just like a bonus, to have THIS KIND OF PERSONAL MIRACLE and proof that God is really here with us all the time. I'm sure there are people who will think it's just coincidence, and that's also cool. To each his own. <3
So anyway, if you combine THAT and the feeling of awesomeness you get every time you release a book (and remember, I just released TWO ), well, yeah, I've got the same HIGH as others do, when they've just finished with a conference or seminar.
Now, Pastor R was saying how it's a phenomenal process, the way people can get so pumped up during a conference or right after it, then give it a couple of days or weeks, and it's business as usual, and people have completely lost the passion to act on their ideas.
He mentioned how, when you're at a particular event, you'd be excitedly jotting down notes, and as you write every word, you feel like God's talking to you. 
BUT here's his question - when was the last time you went back on those notes? 
After the mission conference, he went back to his notes, and as he went over it, he was actually overwhelmed by the amount of information in them, and the changes he needed to apply, that he felt it would take a month at least just to fully digest everything, and that's only to understand, mind you.
I think it's the same for us.
When we learn something new about our work, when we attend an event like FRC, when we read a particularly inspiring article---
Let's keep that high going. 
Pastor R has several suggestions for this:

• Go back on your notes. I promised myself I'll do this and go back on my notes.
• Pray for specific things. 
  
• Discuss with your peers.
• Be mentored.

Another interesting thing he mentioned during his sermon was how we - and he includes himself in this - are at our most "pretentious" when we are at church. I'm guilty of this, too. And I think this also applies to industry events that we attend, or any other public occasion that we feel we may be judged. When we know eyes could be on us, we try to behave at a certain way and we make a conscious effort to say the right words.
But the thing is---
We are less able to help ourselves AND others if we can't be true to ourselves. If we're suffering, if we're struggling, we MUST admit this (and that's actually something I'll discuss in Part 3). 
So in a nutshell: if we want to help ourselves, if we want to help other people, let's honestly reflect on what we've learned, too. <3

Last October to the first 3 weeks of November, I struggled so much over writing and editing my WIP at that time, Prince of Darkness. I actually (literally) penned this story years back, and I had thought it would be a breeze to flesh it out now that the time has come to publish it. But while talking to my editor Wendy, I had this lightbulb moment about adding a prologue and changing the back story for my heroine. 
The reason: I wanted my book to not just be the usual romance, but I also wanted it to inspire readers to appreciate how we're all different and to respect such differences.
The result: I wasn't able to write the story at all.  I wrote various versions, wrote chapters and chapters only to erase them afterwards. My income was sinking BIG TIME and because I'm the breadwinner of my family, this worried me a lot. An increasingly loud voice in my mind was URGING me to just finish it and get it out. Anyway, readers seem to love all my stories, no matter what. But I just couldn't. I felt like I owe it to my readers and to myself not to put out a story that I don't love.
These were dark, dark days for me, and I didn't interact much with anyone. I kept my problems and worries to myself. I began to feel terrified, thinking that it was the end of my career. Because I just couldn't get it. Why wouldn't the words come? Why?

And then one day, I forgot what made me think or realize this, but I thought back about how it was for me the month before (September). It was one of the most challenging months in my career, because I had to temporarily set aside work while looking after my boyfriend's sister while she was at the hospital and then there were the several trips we made to the E.R. because my mom was suffering from a mix of hypertension and middle life crisis, and, well it was really, really bad. 
I had deadlines looming, but I had no choice. I had to put my family first. When things had settled down somewhat, I simply put my faith in God and let Him guide me.
The result: My Dutch Billionaire series became one of my BESTSELLING books ever. EVER! 
So I remembered how it was that month, when I was facing so much more problems, and I realized that my greatest mistake was to keep struggling on my own, NOT asking help from God and not trusting in Him. I thought, if Prince of Darkness wasn't working, then it's not. I realized then that finishing POD was something I wanted to do not out of love or passion. Instead, it had become a matter of pride. I NEED TO FINISH THIS BECAUSE I CAN. I'M A SHITTY WRITER IF I CAN'T FINISH A MANUSCRIPT I STARTED. And because I felt that way, POD had turned into work instead of a passion project, like all my other books were.
So...even with only weeks to work on a new series, I told myself to trust in God and help me. 

And the words just flowed.

To be honest, this post is something I was planning to write next week, after the release of Book 3 for Kyr and Pollyanna's story. But after today's sermon, I realized that God was telling me to write this post now, while it's still fresh and so that I may share a lesson on humility (more that on Part 3).
Anyway, I'm happy to share that because of God's grace, Books 1 and 2 of my series are now out and Book 3 will be out December 2. 
God is amazing that way! I slaved over Prince of Darkness for months, writing every day, and NOTHING. But Pollyanna and the Greek Billionaire - I only worked on it for a short amount of time, and it's become one of those stories that I know I will be FOREVER proud of because I poured MY HEART AND SOUL in it.

In Pastor R's sermon, he highlighted these three things as necessary for a disciple's lifestyle.

• Reliance
• Repentance
• Remembrance

I believe this is true, no matter what our work is, no matter who we are. I can even go as far as saying that all these applied to me while I struggled working on Prince of Darkness. I forgot to RELY on God, because of my pride. But then REMEMBERED what He had done for me, and I REPENTED and put my trust in Him. And yes, I did pray that time, when I had decided to set aside POD and work on something else. Praying to God, I asked for His forgiveness, for thinking I could do it all on my own. 

I hope this post inspires you. Whether it's writer's block or just a phase where you HATE everything you write, like how it was for me, put Your trust in God. He will not let you down.

I can't remember if I've talked about this in the past, but if I did, it was probably only in passing. For this post, though, I intend to be more "in-depth" with my take on writing violations - or things that we are NORMALLY told not to do when writing.

Back when I was querying for an agent and hoping to get my book published by a traditional publisher, I made sure to play by the rules. I believed - then - that following the rules was the ONLY and RIGHT thing to do.
When I switched to indie publishing, however, I gradually found myself experimenting and, yes, deliberately breaking rules that I felt I had to break because of how I want to write. And to my surprise, the experiments seem to pay off. I'd like to think they did pay off, but I also think these rule-breaking experiments worked in my favor because I knew I was breaking the rules. I had the chance to discuss this with a fellow Filipino writer (and editor), and she was the one who opened my eyes to this, actually. She told me (this is not verbatim) that there's a major difference between writers who deliberately violate certain writing principles AND writers who make the same mistakes out of inexperience or ignorance. 

I used to be really, really, really, really in favor of this rule, to the point that I've never acknowledged (in my mind, at least) the possibility that sometimes, more tell vs. show would ever work. But then I started writing My Dutch Billionaire 1, and I just knew that I had to do a lot of telling. I just...had to. There's a kind of intimacy when you do more telling versus showing, almost like a diary that comes to life just for your eyes, and even though I knew it could likely cause my book to be a huge flop, I took the risk anyway.
And I'd like to think it paid off, since the book got me back on Amazon's overall list for Top 100 Movers & Shakers as well as giving me a temporary spot on Amazon's top 100 contemporary romance authors (which, I promise, is even harder to do these days if you're not in KU).

More "tell vs. show" was something I deliberately chose to do because - as you see from the review above - the love story between my H/h started when the girl was very young (14!) and the guy was - here goes - 28! So, yes, double her age! In hindsight, I realize now that one of the primary reasons "tell vs. show" worked is because the heroine's age made her lack the kind of maturity and experience needed to articulate her feelings for the hero in a way that would satisfy readers. And so I had to "step in" and tell. 
We can, of course, argue about skipping this part of their relationship entirely and just go straight to the part where she's old enough to show her side of the story. We could...but I didn't. Because I felt that this part of their story is integral and I personally believe that it's something my readers would appreciate. 

Here's the thing. Other writers may think or even call you a hack to your face. Others may think you're uninspired and lacking in creativity. Others may say that your writing's crap, purely because you have a formula.
But here's the other thing. A lot of readers - and I'm like this, as a reader - have favorite authors because they know their expectations will be met. And that's what you're trying to satisfy when using a formula.

It took a couple of bad experiments for me to STOP FEELING GUILTY about ENJOYING my writing when I use my favorite formula. The penny-dropping moment for me came when I read a book from a certain favorite author and it was NOT what I expected at all. Made me feel so depressed and disappointed, and eventually I realized that this is what would happen if I let other people's opinions sway me from writing what I like to write - and what MY readers like to read. 

Another thing I stayed away from big time when I wasn't self-publishing was PROLOGUES. 
For most people, prologues are unnecessary and even a means to feed one's ego at times (I guess it's because some people use a lot of deep / flowery words in prologues). 
But here's another thing. I really like prologues. I think it's a great way to introduce a character's background without slowing down the rest of the story.
So when I started self-publishing, you can bet your ass I started writing prologues as well. And I'd like to think it works because my prologues have a purpose.

Basically, it's when you change POVs within the same scene. A lot of people hate it - authors, editors, publishers - but, weirdly enough, it's something that my favorite authors do. Judith McNaught is one of my Top 5 all-time favorite authors and I can honestly say that her books have influenced my writing a lot. She never failed to make me fall in love with her characters, never failed to make me cry. I loved the banter between her H/h and I loved the way she made her heroes grovel. 
Another is Lynne Graham, my #1 go-to Harlequin Presents / Mills and Boon author. She does a lot of head-hopping, too and I love it.
There's also Christine Feehan, with her Carpathian series. I absolutely adore the way her characters are able to communicate telepathically and yes, that's a head-hopping scene, too.
BUT again, I avoided doing this because I knew I'd have a hard time convincing agents / editors to even give my manuscript a chance the moment they see one head-hopping scene. In fact, this was what led me to write most of my early manuscripts in first person.
And then I started to self-publish, took the risk in writing the way I really want to write, and I'd like to think this also paid off.

Here's what I think. We are our own worst critics. If we're not the type to indulge in self-delusions then we'll be able to know right away when something's not working. So there's no need to read bad reviews. I don't know about you, but every one or two-star review I read about my book (I try to avoid doing so, but sometimes it's just so hard to ignore) HURTS me. It also affects me at times, to the point of crippling my ability to write. 
So really, the less negativity, the better. Avoid reading bad reviews. 
Remember: a bad review only means your book got into the wrong hands. 

Rules were made to be broken. 
No, not really. :D I'm kidding. 
The point is, it's essential that we take our time to hone our craft. To study the basics so that we have the right foundation to "build" our stories on. It's only by knowing what these rules are and understanding why they're there that we can effectively determine for ourselves if all these rules are something we should adhere to when writing. 
So NO, I AM NOT ENCOURAGING YOU AT ALL TO BREAK THE GOLDEN RULES OF WRITING. 
What I am saying is that if you do intentionally break a rule (meaning, you know you're breaking one) and you do it because you feel it's right (meaning, you understand why the rule exists but you also believe your story can't be told properly without breaking the rule) then go for it.
It's your story, and it has to be told the way you envision it.

Just read another report featuring Anna Todd's epic rise to fame. FYI, she's the author who wrote 1D fanfic on Wattpad, which eventually scored her a six-digit deal with traditional publishing. Paramount has also optioned it for filming. If you don't know much about her, you should read the article. My favorite part of the article - which this post is about - is how she basically shrugs off all criticism with this:

And I can't stress how much I agree with this.
Confession: I used to be a grammar Nazi. I used to be a snob when it comes to people who didn't spend enough time editing and polishing their work. But the more years I've been in indie publishing, the more time I spent studying bestselling books and the readers' reactions to it, I realize that my standards - even my perception of writing - have been largely dictated by traditional publishing. I'm not saying everything they believe in is wrong - DEFINITELY NOT - but there are new rules now, brought about by digital publishing, and writers today shouldn't be faulted just because they happen to thrive in those new rules.
I'm getting too vague, aren't I?
*Deep breath*
I'm going to be honest.
I no longer mind when a book I read has poor grammar and/or editing. I just find myself enjoying the story as it is, and I don't begrudge the author at all for his/her success. The thing is, many readers today don't even seem to notice or at least they don't seem to mind that the book hasn't been properly edited and proofread. All they care about is the story, its characters, and how the book made them forget, even for a little while, about how stressful their day-to-day living is. 
Same goes for cover design. I used to look down on books whose authors obviously didn't spend enough time conceptualizing the covers for their work. There has to be a connection at least, you know?
But now, I just ignore the unattractive cover and focus on the story. It's the blurb that grabs my attention the most, anyway. If you have a great-sounding blurb, I'll be most likely sold on your book regardless of your cover, title, and even your writing style.
Does this mean you shouldn't bother with professional editing and cover design?
NOT AT ALL. 
I still work with my editor and cover designer for every book I put out. But that's MY choice, and that's what makes it right for me. As for you and your work, it's all about your choice, too. 
These days, I've come to think of authors as being one of three types.
The first type is the author who would always have his/her "writer's hat" on. This type of author enjoys the intricacy, exactitude, and harmony of word play. This type of author focuses primarily on the beauty of word and doesn't care about the potential (or lack of) commercial value of his/her work. Work of this type of author has a high probability of eventually turning into a literary classic.
The second type is the author who works with his/her "storyteller's hat" on. This type of author is all about the story. Literary critics may be predisposed to dislike the work of this type of author because of the way it violates almost every rule of writing. On the other hand, given the right niche, platform, and enough marketing effort, this type of author has good chances of enjoying commercial success. 
The third type is a hybrid of both.
Whether you're Type 1, Type 2, or Type 3 - there is no right or wrong choice. Ultimately, it's about choosing what makes YOU happy and what meets YOUR publishing goals and emotional needs. 

Don't be too sensitive about your work (more about this in a future post). No matter how nasty other people are, try to find something positive in what they've said and remember that, not the negativity.
Also, there's always the chance that you may be a Type 1 today but you could turn into a Type 2 or 3 down the line...and vice versa. It happens. It happened to me. I used to be a Type 1, but in the end I found myself being more a Type 2. I can't even say I'm a Type 3 because these days, my #1 priority is story and I've also made a deliberate attempt to write simply so that more readers would be interested in reading my work. Don't mistake this for dumbing it down (but I won't kill you if you want to think otherwise; you're entitled to your own opinion). Rather, I'm doing this because I have a lot of readers who read on the go (during one-hour lunch breaks, train commutes, etc.). Readers have told me how much they love that my work is a fast and easy read, and how it's able to take them away from the real world even just for a little while. They don't read my work to think. They read my work to feel. And I love that because that also happens to be my goal as an author. As a storyteller.

Again, though. This is just my two cents, and this is what I did with my work. If I want you to take away something from this post, then it's to write from the heart. Forget about what everyone says. Just write from the heart, pray to God for grace, and that's it.

I figured I should write something fun before I pull out another all-nighter. So anyway, here goes...
First up is my bag. My #1 requirement: needs to be big enough to fit my laptop in. Also, sturdy design. Coz I bring my work with me.

The blue purse (a gift that comes w/matching bag) is where I have all my receipts, IDs, and cards. I use the bag's inner pockets for cash and change. I don't have a wallet w/me most times because I find them too bulky.
The white one, I bought in HK or Macau and it's where all my meds go.

I have one last pouch (it's actually the travel bag for my quick-dry towel but obviously I'm using it for something else), and it's where I keep all my cables, earphones, and other tiny miscellaneous stuff.

I always have notebooks and pens with me, and I use it mostly for outlines and computations hehe

Lastly, scattered inside my bag are---

• iPad and iPhone (but not in pic)
• My extremely old NERD brush that the boyfriend uses more often than I do haha
• Two power banks
• The silver slide box is where I keep my plasters and extra hairpins
• Rosary box
• Mints (brand differs)
• Handy dandy alcohol

And there you have it. What's inside yours? Would love to see it. :)

Every time I write a post about writing and marketing books, I’ve always had this niggling worry at the back of my mind, asking me if whatever advice I was offering would really help.
After all---
·       When I first started, I had a publisher to do marketing for me.
·       By the time I started self-publishing, I had a small but growing readership.
·       I received additional promotion from the boxed sets I had the fortune and privilege to be a part of, many of which made it to NYT and USAT bestselling lists.
·       I had mentors, whose advice was golden.
Now, a question: what if I wouldn’t be able to have any of this if I hadn’t started out with a publisher?

This has always bothered me…or at least it had until an experiment with another pen name has challenged me to put my money where my mouth is. So I applied my own advice, and I’m happy to tell you that the results have been astoundingly positive.
For a breakdown of the entire process, let’s start with what I did prior to releasing the book---
1.      I picked a trend in romance that I figured would still be hot by the time I finished writing.
2.      I worked on an outline for a trilogy with a possibility for continuing the series if there was a demand for more books.
3.       Each installment was about 10k words or less, and they had the dreaded C word for readers: cliffhangers!
4.       I ordered covers patterned after the latest bestselling romances targeting the same trend.
5.       I decided to price everything at $.99 and enroll all three in KU.

Books 1 to 3 were released in quick succession, the first 2 just days apart and the last one a week or so after. I made sure to do a bit of free marketing such as---
1.      Making use of Amazon’s free days for Book 1
2.     And reaching out to Facebook page owners while Book 1’s free to download, asking them if they could the post the book for me and offering them ARCs for reviews and/or giveaways.
3.     (Indirect marketing of sorts) I asked readers to let me know if they wanted a Book 4.

 Once Book 3 was out, I was earning approximately our daily minimum wage (net total for all three books), and almost all of it is from KU borrows. I was incredibly happy with the earnings, but I felt like I should also give paid marketing a try. So I did, and the results were even more overwhelming.
Let’s just say that for every $1 spent on paid advertising, I earned it back and $3 more. I do have to warn you, though: I was only able to enjoy this level of ROI with a medium-range budget for marketing. 

I’ve thought about this long and hard, and personally, I think it’s okay not to do paid marketing at the start. Just see how things work out first. You have to be patient though; this is definitely the longer and harder road to profitability. I also have to admit that I only invested in paid marketing because I could afford it.
But if I didn’t, I’d have done things a bit differently.
·       Outline, write, and finish a series of novel-length standalones (length requirement  is because of KU's new payout structure).
·       Release in quick succession.
·       Enroll everything in KU, with the first one at $.99 and the rest at $2.99
·       If I don’t earn enough from KU, I’ll ditch it after three months and release wide.
·       I’ll set Book 1 free and reach out to Facebook page owners about it.
·       If and when I could afford it, do occasional paid marketing (low budget).
Rinse and repeat until I’ve grown my own readership.
And that’s it. If you have questions, feel free to post a comment below or email me. I know I’ve simplified things too much, and I haven’t talked about how to write a “good” book that would sell and all, but here’s the thing. I don’t think it’s my place to tell you what’s good or not. What works for me may not work for you, so I’ll just leave that part for you to figure out.
Always keep writing! 

Okay, technically KU didn't change but rather how Amazon pays KU authors did.
Selena Kitt on The New Kindle Unlimited - What It Means for Authors and Readers
Hugh Howey on Why KU Short Fiction Still Makes Sense
The Guardian on Amazon's Pay-Per-Page Plan Could Alter Writing As Well As Royalties
David Daughran on The Great Amazon Hysteria: Part 31
Now, me, my knee jerk reaction was - I hope this doesn't make readers eventually think quantity = quality (in terms of the book's length). But then I got to read other people's reactions - saw how they perceived it in a different way, and yes, I do see their points, too. Some people think, for instance, consider the new payout scheme is a great thing because authors who write real page-turners are rewarded more than those who, well, don't. 
BUT...
Remember when movies couldn't yet be downloaded online illegally? When there weren't pirated movies you could buy easily (or at least it's still so in Third World countries like PH)? Before movie piracy, there were video rental stores. Back then, I was one of their loyal customers. Sometimes, I'd end up paying them a visit more than once a week, and I'd usually borrow several so I can take advantage of their 4 + 1 free promo.
Anyway, there'd be times when I'd borrow Titles A, B, C, D, and E, but because of one thing or another, I'd only end up watching 3 out of 5. Now, do I get a refund for the two ones I didn't get to watch? Nope. And that's okay. It's only fair, IMHO, which is also the same reason why I don't think the new payout scheme is completely fair. 
Of course, I also know it's early times yet. Moreover, we saw how things eventually worked out for brick-and-mortar video rental stores. Could be Amazon doesn't want the same thing to happen to KU. And I totally get that, too.
Secondly, there's that new change over at Scribd, which announced its intention to rotate romance titles in its catalog. Two things I can't help thinking about this---
EITHER 
A) Scribd saw that KU would be earning more with their new payout scheme and thought that they should change their policies, too, to ensure they're still able to compete in the long run.
OR
B) KU foresaw what was coming for Scribd and took the necessary preventive action to avoid having the same thing happen to them.
And just so we're clear - those are only my guesses. (I feel it's too big a coincidence that these two major changes are taking place at about the same time.) 
Since I don't have any books on Scribd (or Oyster either, for that matter), I don't consider myself in the position to speak about how this would affect its authors. I just hope it eventually works out for everyone. As for KU...I know that their new payout structure is also meant to weed out books that were written solely to game the system (e.g. creating 10-page "books" so that merely opening to Page 1, which is equal to 10% of the book, will earn them a dollar).  I'm all for that but, personally, I'd rather Amazon offer KU authors a choice - higher pay-per-page rate vs. a low but fixed rate for the number of times your book's borrowed up to at least 10% (basically the old rule). 
I just feel this would be fairer. Getting paid per page will make KU worth it for authors with, say, longer novels or those who believe they've more to gain from it (i.e. they know their books are read cover to cover).
As for those who opted for a lower fixed rate, these authors may earn less per book but at least they also don't need to worry about whether readers who borrowed their works actually have time to read them, too.

What does this mean to Filipino authors?
I used to advise new or aspiring Filipino authors to give KU a try so they could enjoy added exposure / visibility for their titles. I also encouraged them to write serials - if their story allows it and they're comfortable writing it (like I am. I'm sorry, but I just love the high I get when writing a cliffhanger). 
However, due to these changes, I personally think it's best you hold off from enrolling in KU just yet. Let's wait and see how much the pay per page is after July (we should know mid-August).  You can publish your new book whenever you want, but just keep in mind that KU + new releases tends to work better than KU + old releases. Since with your first 30 days, you have a shot at getting on the Hot New Releases lists, you're likely to get more clicks if you're in KU while your book's ranking. 

P.S. Everything above is only my opinion. You're entitled NOT to believe it's right, and you're entitled to your OWN opinion, too. Also, I only have a few books in KU and they're not my biggest earners. I have little to (directly) gain or lose, regardless of how the new KU payout scheme works.
P.P.S. Today (July 1, 2015) is Day 1 of KU's new payout scheme. Let's see how it goes. Also, remember that you can un-enroll your books from KU anytime between July 1 and Sept. 30.

• Say one of my readers' most frequently asked questions is if I’m going to write about X and Y. I answer this on my website’s home page and FAQ section, my Facebook’s About and FAQ page, and I have it on my newsletter’s header and footer. Now, a reader emails me. Am I going to write about X and Y?
  

You know what I do?
I answer: Yes, I am. Hope you can wait for it. :)
I don’t berate the reader for asking the question because honestly, why should I? In the end, readers are why I’m able to do what I love. Readers who cared enough to ask about X and Y are readers I want to stay with me forever. So, yes, if I have to type the same answer over and over, it’s cool. You won’t ever hear me complain about it.

• Say one of my readers write to me asking if I could please change the ending of Book X because it hurt too much. Say one of my readers ask if I can just write about X instead since I write too much about Y, which bores her to death. 
  

Now, how do I react?
Well, one thing I won’t EVER say is that since it’s my book, my rules. I won’t ever say MYOB. Because readers writing something like that means I did my job. I made them care. I made them feel. Granted, it’s not exactly what I wanted them to feel, but I’d rather have readers hating my work than having them damn it with faint praise. 

• Say a reader writes to me, saying she’s absolutely disappointed with my latest work. It was shitty. It was boring. It was anti-feminist. It was gross. It was THE worst book on the planet, and I should be ashamed that I ever wrote it. She loved all my books except this last one. 

What do I do with this kind of email?
If I feel that silence is the best answer, then I opt for silence. I can't blame a reader for feeling the way she does. It's her right. If I've known the reader for some time, then I apologize that the last one's disappointed her or made her feel whatever, but I also tell her I hope that she'd still read my next one and maybe I could win her back then. I say these things because I do mean them. 
Every reader you have as an author is precious, and I never let myself forget this. I never let myself forget the time I had still been unpublished and I'd have killed to even have just ONE reader (who isn't related to me) reading my work and liking it. 
As an author, one of my personal philosophies is to live and let live, write and let review. I can't control what other people say about me or my work, but I can control what I say and do. 
Before I react, I try to think about where the reader's coming from. I think about where I came from when writing what I wrote. Lastly, I remind myself that at the end of the day, no matter what people say about me or the books I write, I'm still lucky to do something I love.
When I remind myself of this, when I let myself recall how much my life has changed because of how my books have found homes in other people's shelves, Kindles, and smartphones - all the negativity just disappears. 
I remember that life's good. Today may be shitty, but tomorrow's another day, and there's always a new book I can write that could make readers happy. :)