running a romance novel business

Making Hay While The Sun Shines

My farming granddad
had a saying
– Make hay
while the sun shines.

Take advantage
when great circumstances
to complete certain tasks
present themselves.

For example,
when I’m in a bad mood,
I edit stories.
I don’t hesitate
to scrap entire scenes
then.

After I’ve submitted a story
to my editor
and I’m riding that energy high,
as another example,
I continue to work hard
and complete a sh*tload of promo
in advance.

Make hay
while the sun shines.

When the conditions
are great
to complete a certain task,
rearrange your schedule
and complete that task.

Be Approachable

The formatting on a buddy’s book
went terribly wrong.

One of the earliest readers
contacted her immediately.

My buddy corrected the problem
so quickly
most of her other readers
didn’t realize
there had been a problem.

Another writer told her
she was ‘lucky.’
That writer had the same problem
and she didn’t find out about it
until she had received a bunch
of 1 star reviews
and investigated.

Luck is always a factor
but it wasn’t purely luck.

My buddy is approachable.
Readers feel comfortable
coming to her
with issues.

The ‘unlucky’ writer
has a reputation
for yelling at readers.
Very few people
approach her
about anything.

Be approachable.
Or ensure SOMEONE high profile
is approachable
in your business.

That will help you
retain customers.

Prepare Work For Business Partners Now

The holidays are fast approaching.

But…but…
it is only September,
you say.

Work backward.

I want to release
a Romance Novel
(product)
in February,
as an example.

I need to load it
to booksellers
a month before that.
That takes me
to January.

My editor usually requires
a month to edit a story
(with 3 rounds of edits).
That takes me
to December.

But editors like
to take holidays also.

I can’t expect
independent contractors
or business partners
to work over holidays
like I often do.

Edits will likely take
an extra month.
That takes me to November.

I require around 2 months
to write a story.
I’m at September.

I have to start
writing the story
(preparing work)
for my editor
(for my business partner)
now.

And you likely
need to prepare work
for your business partners/contractors
now also.

Watching For Signs

Romance writers know
when people start banning
books featuring diverse characters,
romance novels will be next.

We watch for
that movement.
We try to stop it
from happening.
And we prepare
because it WILL impact us
next.

I know if the UK is experiencing
extreme weather
and climate change,
my section of the world
will likely experience it
next.

I prepare
for those weather events.
I plan around them.

There are almost always
warning signs
foretelling big changes
in our lives
and in our businesses.

Figure out
what the warning signs
for your situation
are.

Monitor them.
And then prepare
for any changes.

Local Contacts

I’m Canadian
and the biggest target market
for my Romance Novel Business
is US readers.

I try to always have
a contact,
either a reader or another writer,
in each State.

They tell me
if my listings are messed up,
if products aren’t being
delivered properly,
if there are rulings happening
that might impact my business.

I am less likely
to see all that,
to hear about it
here in Canada.

Often, for example,
online booksellers
will change what out of state
or out of country
buyers see.

Without these contacts,
I’m operating
without full information.

If you operate
internationally,
try to make contacts
in each region
who will inform you
of changes
to your products/services
and
to the industry.

We need locals,
boots on the ground.