So I've got a confession to make. Once upon a time, I read a review and what she said made me want to impress her - made me want to make her realize that I don't write formulaic and cliched rom-coms...
Yeah, well, big mistake. 
I ended up not being true to myself when I wrote my next book and - well, long story short, it wasn't my best book. So...lesson learned. I won't ever do that again. 

P.S. And no - just in case you're wondering...I'm not talking about my only horror book (for now) Death Loves Me Not. It's not that, honest to God. :)

DON'T GO WIDE BUT GO DEEP.
I was watching another local business show on TV when I heard the guest expert, who was being interviewed about his ability to multitask and manage multiple businesses, give that advice to viewers. He says that if you want to succeed and manage multiple businesses, then you need to GO DEEP. 

In hindsight, I realize how that same quote can apply to writing. Does this mean you shouldn't write different genres? NOT AT ALL. Actually, the guest expert on the show was the owner of a diverse variety of businesses (he was in the restaurant industry, automotive, manufacturing, etc...oh, and he was enrolled in a post-grad class, too). What he meant about going deep rather than going wide was finding your core skills and then finding businesses you were passionate about and could utilize your core skills.

I think it's the same with writing. You can write in different genres, and your books will appeal to your readers for as long as you can maintain your unique style of writing in all those genres. Part of your writing style also has to do with the way you craft your plot, and sometimes this could make readers and reviewers remark how predictable your books are. 

But here's the thing - in genres like romance, there is almost always a HAPPY EVER AFTER. Actually, I'd go as far as to say an HEA is expected. If your romance doesn't have a happy-ever-after or even a happy-for-now ending, then I think your book is better suited for chick lit, general fiction and literary fiction. If you don't agree with me, that's fine. But that's how I see it. That's how I personally define romance. 

Now, the way you reach an HEA in romance, that's where the differences lie. For some authors - and please include me in this category - their characters' relationships start with insta-love. With others, it's a long and hard road. And then there's the friends-to-love trope.  

A lot of authors - and again, you can include me in this group - have a favorite kind of trope and they stick to it throughout their careers not because they're too lazy to think of anything else. They stick to it because they just love those tropes that much. 

If you're like me and you have a favorite kind of trope and even a favorite way of developing such tropes, then you may be worried about being accused of writing formulaic and cliched plots. Some may have already accused you of such. If so, DON'T MIND THEM. Write what you love. Write what you want to write. Books are like bridges that allow soul mates (readers: authors) to meet and the people who don't like your books aren't bad (even if they can be very rude as they diss about your book). It only means that they're not your soul mates.

The readers who are your soul mates, the readers who do fall in love with your books over and over - you'll be surprised at how much they love the same elements that those other readers profess to hate. 

Because you see, readers aren't and won't ever be faithful to you because your writing is versatile or because you keep changing styles. It's the exact opposite. 


To give you an example, here's what I expect from my favorite authors as one of their most fangirly devoted readers.

• When I read a Stephen King book, I  expect good old-fashioned horror, a moral lesson in the end (which is why the movie version of The Mist frustrated me sooooo much), and a lot of profanity (more so compared to when you'd be reading something by, say, Dean Koontz).
• When I read Christine Feehan's books, I expect a strong heroine and an even stronger alpha hero as well as lots of action and steamy scenes. No heartbreaking climax but it's still a wild and enjoyable adventurous ride nonetheless.
• When I read Judith McNaught, I expect one of the MCs to do something really unforgivable (usually it's the hero) and I definitely expect a heartbreaking climax near the very end. 
• When I read a Marion Chesney Regency romance, I know there won't be any graphic lovemaking but the word "breast" may be mentioned. I know that comedy would unfold. I know that romance would take a long time to develop, and I know that even though the hero and heroine would fall in love about the same time, a misunderstanding would prevent them from realizing each other's feelings until the very end.
  

The thing is, I can predict the major plot points of my favorite authors' books, but you know what? I don't mind. I actually like the fact that I know what to expect because those major plot points are the very same reasons why I love reading their books.

So next time someone tells you you're being formulaic, cheer up - it just means you're going deep. And to end this on a positive note, here's a favorite quote of mine from the writer behind popular Korean TV dramas like Boys Over Flowers, Secret Garden and my most recent favorite The Heirs (which, yes, I marathon-watched and finished in 24 hours). 

When my publisher in the Philippines relaunched my indie career last December 2012, I did not pay attention at all to self-publishing advice. After all, I didn't have anything to worry about. I write, get paid by my publisher, and then I move on to the next book. And yes - that means no royalties.

Last October 2013, I finished my first self-pubbed book, The Art of Catching a Greek Billionaire, which debuted on the Billionaire Bad Boys of Romance Boxed Set, the bundle that completely changed my life.  Being a self-pubbing newbie, I was incredibly nervous and frightened for my future. You see, I quit my day job and took a risk on self-publishing. It was a write-or-die kind of situation. I didn't want to be the typical Filipino-Chinese who worked in business - family-owned or otherwise. I wanted to do what I love - or die trying.

Thankfully, I didn't die. 

When I started self-pubbing, my greatest worry was the "competition". How the hell can I compete with other authors when, for one thing, they were all native English speakers and I wasn't? How the hell can I compete when I'm from the Philippines and have no long-time experience and exposure to the actual day-to-day life of Westerners? 

I researched like hell, but what really helped me was networking - I'm lucky to have been able to ask advice from several powerhouse indie authors and they gave me excellent tips. One of the greatest advice I learned from them was the 1,000 True Fans theory.  Networking and the aforementioned theory both drove in one home truth: OTHER AUTHORS ARE NOT YOUR COMPETITION.

Now, before I continue I want to warn you again ----

• I'm NOT forcing anyone to take my advice. Take it as you will.
• THIS advice is based on what worked for ME. Take it as you will.

As long as we're clear on that, then if you're still interested to read the rest of what I have to say, great. :) I really do hope I'm able to help you.  :)

According to the 1,000 True Fans theory, any artist will be able to carve a comfortable living for himself as long as he effectively applies a price-volume strategy.

For this to work for self-publishers, you need to determine the following:

• How much ideally would you like to earn each month?
• Who are your readers?
• How much would your readers be willing to spend on your books per month?
• How many books do you have to sell per month to meet your income goal?
• How many books can you WRITE per month?

Think about those questions, and you'll see for yourself that you do NOT need to hit any bestselling lists in order to make self-publishing your main source of income. As long as you have 1,000 true fans, you only need to write X amount of books priced at Y and sell Z copies and you are set!

Example: Say you want to earn $500 per month. Here's the computation for it ---

• You write a book that's priced at $.99. Royalties for a $.99 book is about $.35.
• $.35 times 1,000 is $350. 
• Write another book and price it at $.99. Your same 1,000 readers will buy this new book.
• Your monthly total is now $700 - you're well beyond your minimum income target for the month!

However, the aforementioned scenario will only work if you're able to write 2 books per month. If not, then you need to increase your book's price. However, you also need to consider whether your readers would be willing to pay an increased price for a single book. Also, that equation doesn't factor in fixed and necessary expenses like editing, cover art designing, and marketing. You need to sell enough copies to make up for those, too.

As you can see, self-publishing decisions rely on lots of calculations. Self-publishing is a business after all, and it would be hard for you to earn if you focus only on the art and craft of writing and ignore the numbers.

Now, ssuming that you've found the ideal pricing-volume strategy, your next question should be --- HOW do you come up with 1,000 true fans? 
Here's what worked for me, but again - take it as you will.

• Figure out your niche. Mine is steamy rom-com. What's yours?
• What do your readers want the most? Can you satisfy their desires? You should. It's your niche.
• Be professional about your work - spend money on editing, proofreading, cover design and marketing. DON'T turn your readers into a mob and do NOT bash other authors. Don't do it as yourself or even anonymously. You NEVER need to do that. Trust me. Even if others are doing the same things to you, let it go. Focus on your books and your readers. And pray. Do your best and let God take care of the rest. Now, assuming that you did something not-so-good before - that's okay. You can still turn your back and start anew. It's never too late.
• Build your brand - it's not just about identifying your niche. It's also about distinguishing yourself from other authors in your niche. Like I said earlier, you should NOT think of other authors as your competition. Readers don't think that way. YOU don't think that way when you're browsing for books as a reader. For instance, one of my fave books to read are vampire books. So every time there's a new release from Mary Janice Davidson, Chloe Neill, or Jeaniene Frost or Anne Rice (OMG Prince Lestat! October can't come soon enough!), I buy it. All new releases from my fave authors. I do not think I'm being disloyal to one by buying another author's new release. Your readers are the same. We are all the same so when you think about it that way, how can you see other authors as competition? Wouldn't it be better to think of them as potential collaborators for future projects? Authors need to work together and with each other, NOT AGAINST EACH OTHER.
• Be approachable to your readers - NEVER take them for granted. NEVER be rude to them. Take the TIME to chat with them. THEY will be the ones determining whether you'll be able to do what you love for a living. Also, if you'd like to target native English speakers, then it goes without saying that you do social networking in English, too. At all times. Filipino readers can read your English posts so you're not alienating them. However, native English speakers won't be able to understand a word you're saying if you're speaking in Tagalog so unfortunately you'd be alienating them that way. You want to make your readers feel important because they are important and making them feel like you're talking to a select number of readers won't do it. Make them one big happy family instead by posting, tweeting, and just writing in English whenever you have to communicate with your readers.
• Find a way to stay in contact with them. The best way to do so is to set up a newsletter and get them to subscribe. This way, you can email them every time you have a new release out or when you do a cover reveal or giveaway. I can't emphasize this enough. My first-day rankings are ALWAYS due to my newsletter sales. 

Honestly, most of the tips above are something I've been saying over and over again but it does bear repeating. 
Secondly, please keep in mind that what I did is based on a HIGH-VOLUME strategy, and it's NOT for every self-publisher. However, if you write fast enough then this could work for you. And just to be clear, writing fast does not mean poor writing. But hey, to each his own and if you don't think so, then let's just agree to disagree. If you want to know more about why prolific writers are more likely to earn from self-publishing then you should find this article about the three types of readers that make up the market quite interesting.

Lastly, remember that you don't need to do everything on your own. Finding your 1,000 true fans requires marketing - you need to get readers to read your book first. If you don't have time to do marketing or you're not inclined to do it, then you could look for a publisher who's willing to market your book in exchange of a fair share of royalties. They'll find your 1,000 true fans for you.

So that's it. Hope this helps and if you have any questions, feel free to comment below or email me. I might not be able to respond right away, but I always do.

P.S. If you're intimidated by the idea of finding one thousand true fans, don't be. I'm too lazy to grab figures but I'm pretty sure hundreds of thousands of ebooks or even millions of ebooks are sold each day. If you think about it, one thousand is just the tiniest slice of the market. The real battle is finding that 1,000 who'd love your books enough to be your true fans. 

...so I'm not really complaining. :) 
Yesterday around 2AM my time - which is 2PM EST Sunday - Greek #4 was released. I stayed up long enough to get my newsletter together and send out the notification that the book's live. Woke up the next day around noon and I'm stunned that 500 people bought my book in just 10 hours! With Books 2 and 3, my average ranking was around Top 800-900 but with this book my first ranking was #298! That is the best initial ranking I've ever gotten and without ads at that so to say that I'm blown away is definitely an understatement. 
But that's not all! I checked the Movers and Shakers list, which Amazon defines as ----

In the past, the only way I could get to this list was through a boxed set. But thanks to Greek #4, I was able to debut in this list at #3 and NOW it's----

I know. I know. I KNOW! I can't believe it either. Like I said, I've never been on this list before due to a book of my own - not even when I had books released by my publisher and which got tons of advertising! So, yeah, pretty much stunned speechless and grinning like crazy right now. :D
And to borrow a line from sales reps --- But wait. There's more!
Went over to check B&N. My book there went live about half a day after it was released on Amazon. Usually, my Greek billionaire books there would debut in the 4k-5k ranks. But this time I was in the Top 400, and that's my initial ranking. And just now, I'm at----

I don't think even my solo boxed sets did this well on B&N so again - yes definitely I'm blown away by this. 
And for my last screenshot - the highest that Greek #4 ranked on Amazon US is---

And that's it. I promise it's the end of my screencaps for this post. I'm addicted to screencapping mainly because there's no way to know if I can ever achieve a certain feat more than once. So I really treasure moments like these. Also, every time I get a book out, I always feel like I'm the underdog since I always think of myself as a non-native-English-speaking nobody from a Third World country. WTH am I doing, writing for readers outside the Philippines? 
Honestly, all I know right now is that I OWE my readers so much. I will always be eternally grateful that they took a chance on me. :)
Now, on to the not-so-nice part. 
Greek 4 is the greatest risk I took with the series, but I had to write it as I picture it in my mind. This has disappointed readers, and while I'm doing my best to woo them back and make sure they give the last book a try I also know I can't please everyone. This book is about Damen's redemption. He has to be redeemed after all the stuff he did in Books 1-3. 
Now, another major complaint about this fourth book is the length, which really surprised me since Book 4 is almost exactly as long - or in this case as short - as Book 2. However, I think because of the way I wrote this book it was extremely easy to read and thus readers have finished it quite quickly. No one really complained that much about Book 2's length so I'm thinking length isn't really the issue here. I guess it has to do with my writing, which is too...simple? But then...that's also why most readers were able to connect with the story. Why so many readers wrote to me telling me that they cried so many times while reading Book 4. Because I wrote straight from the heart. I really honestly did. And if that means it made my book simple, well...I guess it is. :) I hate to disappoint readers. I told my street team about this earlier - as an author, I'm like a possessive mom who doesn't like losing her kids (aka readers) but I also know it's not my right to force my "kids" to think of my book the way I think of it. So, I'm really sad that I disappointed some readers and though I hope and pray they'll come back and give Book 5 a chance, it is what it is. I just hope I can win them back with another book. :)
But for now, it's been a really glorious ride so far and I owe it all to my readers. Thank you for sticking with the series - just one more book to go, guys! :)