Where there's cover art, can a new book be too far behind????

Good evening!

So in the past few months I've been working on creating my own cover art.  While I'll never reach the perfection I had when working with Nicola Martinez on my first two books  (both covers of which I've had to change recently)  I am pretty excited about how some of this is working out for me.  I'm learning a lot by simply trial and error.  Mostly a lot of error.

But recently I finished the cover for my first Elsie W. book, a book I really hope to release yet this month. 

Ladies and gents, I give you:

Don't let the size of this picture fool you...this book is going to be HUGE!  Tee Hee!

Okay, the size of the thing is...wee.  I'll give you that.  But it looks FANTASTIC on Face book.  (Are you following my author page yet?  Click here!)  And I'm sure it will look just as good on Amazon and Barnes and Noble and all that once I send it out into the world.

You'll note I'm working under a bit of a different name.  I didn't want to lose my first name,  because this book is a direct descendant of my It can Only Happen to Sarah! blog and I don't want to lose that connection.  Also, I have a plan, it's a big plan and part of that plan involves me spending WAY less time working for someone else and way MORE time writing the stories I love to write.  But somewhere, somewhere way down the road, I can see the initials SJB being a cornerstone to several lines of books. 

I'm so excited about this new direction.  Don't get me wrong, I have romance novels in my head...all kinds of great heroes and lady loves and whatnot.  But telling funny stories about my completely boring life and making people laugh is so important to me...and I can't wait to share it with you all!

Would I be a coward for using a pen name?

Good morning!

So I'm working away at the Elsie W. books and my mother, who always gives me such clear minded advice when it comes to my writing, suggested I use a pen name just to protect myself from lawsuits.

I've scrubbed the manuscript free of any actual location names, any real person's name, or any name of any real company.  The only real things in the book are the actions and my name.  And since my name, Sarah, is sort of forever tied to my blog, It Can Only Happen To Sarah!, I'm thinking I can't very well change my first name on the cover of the book.

But the use of a pen name has always intrigued me.  When I started writing, back at the dawn of time, I thought all authors used a pen name, so I created mine.  It was, shall we say, exactly what a thirteen year old girl who was clueless about everything would think a cool pen name should be.  (I won't say it here....you never know I may want to use it some day!)

Since I've been writing seriously now for a few years, I realized that many authors use their own names, and some don't, for a myriad of reasons.  I know if I ever did delve into the world of the erotic, I would have to change my name just because my mother wouldn't be able to show her face at church.  (And I wouldn't either, for that matter...oh, and how creepy would it be if someone from my church did show up at a book signing for my mythical erotic book...and then realized I teach her kids in Sunday school?  Who would be more creeped out?  It's one of those circular arguments I tend to start with myself.)  But I've never released a book that isn't fiction.

Just a rough look at an idea I had for the title...
and the pen name.

Believe me, the Elsie W. books are the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.  Except I don't use anyone's real first name...except mine, and I don't give out specific locations.

So would writing under a name that's not mine be a smart thing to do?  Am I hiding my real self from critics, or is it a good marketing tool, to separate the creative nonfiction/humor side of my work from the fiction side?

Would using a pen name for something that's real be a cowardly move?  Should I stamp my name on my real name on my books and weather whatever storms may gather?

I'd love to hear your comments!

A Rose by any Other Name...

Good morning!

I've been taking a bit of a writing break the last couple weeks.  With "Fresh Ice" in the line at 52 novels awaiting formatting, I've decided NOT to do NanoWrimo this month and regain a little sanity in my daily schedule.

I was talking to my mother the other day, sharing my excitement at the release of my third book.  Now, my mother, I'm sure, is a well meaning woman, but she shared a thought with me and I'm not quite sure how to take it.

"For your next book," she said, "write under a different name.  You've published three books now with moderate success.  People have already made up their minds as to whether or not they're going to read your next book.  So for the next book, write under a different name and maybe more people will buy your book."

I had to remind her that I've really only published TWO books and that my third wasn't actually due out for a month.  But that little child, the insecure, uncertain child inside me told me my mother was right.  People who have read my books have already decided whether or not they're going to read any more.  Maybe I should "Trick" the reading public into buying my next book by changing my name.

Well established authors do this from time to time, but typically if they change genres.  Lori Foster, noted romance author, writes under L.L. Foster for her books that are not strictly romance.  I heard her speak at a conference once and she said she did this so that the reader would know what to expect from the book.  (She didn't mention how her mother felt about it.)

I do not consider myself a well established author.  I believe, as author J.A. Konrath preaches, that the self publishing business is a business of numbers.  The more you write, the more people will read.  (Konrath also writes under different names, again, when he's jumping genres or book series.)  The Sarah J Bradley brand has only been a thing for two books, and really, not even three years.  Do I have a best seller?  No, but I market two books I'm very proud of  (Click on the book covers above to purchase) and I will continue to write the stories that are in me.

But should I write them under a different name? 

What makes a book sell, especially in the e-publishing world, is a question few can answer.  The amount of time an author has to market helps  (I have none) the amount of time an author has to write helps.  (I've cranked out a novel every 15 months so far.)  Some authors catch fire right away, and we're not sure why, while some authors write and write and collect their quarterly check and are able to maybe pay the light bill with it.

But is it the name of the author?  I grant you...if I had an odd name, or one difficult to pronounce I might consider it.  Or, since I'm working in the romance world, if my name sounded too industrial  (My maiden name is Schultz.) I might change it.  I know I read books by some authors because I've read and enjoyed their work before and want to read more.  I know I will probably not read a lot of Herman Melville's work because I hated "Moby Dick" so much.  BUT, authors I've not read, I've not heard or, do I read them or not based on their name?

I don't see my sales, or lack thereof, as a problem with my name.  I see it more as an issue of time dedicated to marketing, and possibly the price point on the print copies.  As popularity of the e-reader grows, so will my reading public, so long as I continue to put out new material.

Will I write under a different name for my Elsie project next year?  Yes.  Because it won't be romance, it will be humor.  But I made that decision long ago, it had nothing to do with my mother's advice.

This is, after all, the woman who actually tells people that the first hundred pages of "Dream in Color" are really the only pages worth reading in the book. (She doesn't get that in those pages I'm working out some serious mother issues, and I'm completely mocking her.)  I was doing a book signing/book giveaway in my home, promoting both my books, and when she said that, all interest in the book went out of the room.  After all...if the author's MOTHER didn't like it...

My friends, we all have questions we have to answer when it comes to the direction of our writing careers.  What will make my books best sellers?  I don't know.  I put my heart and soul into each one.  My reviews, while not many, have been very positive.  Readers have come up to me and raved about them.  I'm so excited to share my next story with everyone I can't wait.  But clearly I'm not supporting myself with my writing at this point, and some people think I should be.

Shakespeare wrote, "A Rose by any other name would smell as sweet."  A book written under any other name would still be my book.  It would still have my voice.  It would still be written by me.

So what do I do?  Change my writing name?  What are your thoughts?

Branding...you know, like cattle!

Good afternoon!

I've been thinking a lot lately about the subject of 'branding.'  Branding is the idea that in your professional life as a writer, you present yourself in a certain way so that people will know what to expect from you and from your work.  In the last several months I've translated this into a couple of Sunday School lessons, you know, people judging you on how you act...living your faith, that sort of thing.

You don't have to know me long to know that I'm a devout, conservative Christian.  That's how I chose to live my real life.  However, as a writer, I like to explore other people's lives.  I would write inspirational, and my mother would love it if I did, but that's not who I am as a writer.  As a writer I'm an observer, I see characters in my head and I write what I see.  My characters are not me, and believe me, I don't always approve of what they do, but I'm not the judge and jury when it comes to the story.  I'm the storyteller.

Yet, in branding myself, I do have lines I won't cross.  There are certain words I simply won't use because I don't like to hear those words, and I certainly don't like to read them.  So, while the language in what I write may be a bit saltier than what I use around my Sunday School kids, there's still a part of me that uses restraint.  If you read a story I've written, you are simply not going to read those words.

There are actions my characters, no matter how horrible a villain, will never take.  While alcohol is sometimes a centerpiece in a scene, my characters will not use illicit drugs.  And when it comes to sex, there are just some areas I chose not to explore.  Not because it's right or wrong, but because that's not what I'm about.

I've built a tiny little website...more of a seedling site than anything else.  I'll add to it as my career moves on, but if you go there the vibe you get from the site is the sort of comfortable homey setting I try to put my readers into.  (Want to see the site?  The link is right there by your right hand!)

As you move forward in your life, maybe you move to a new town, or change your name, and this is the moment you get to put yourself out there as you want people to see you.  It doesn't have to be because you're a writer...this holds true for anything in life.  If you're friendly, tidy, and always ready with as smile, that's your brand, that's the way you present yourself when others look at you.  So that when you show up to a PTA meeting looking hung over, you might get a pass and someone might ask if you're feeling well.  But if you're showing the world the messier side of yourself, don't expect them to think of you as a good choice for the Cleanliness counsel.

If you are writing...think about what you're writing and who you want to read your stories.  If you're trying to write YA...maybe leave the grandma cardigans at home and try something fresh with the hair.  If you're writing inspirational, it's best to leave the thrash metal T's at home.

This is not to say don't be yourself.  But don't write an inspirational romance, then show up to a book signing wearing a "Satan Rules" shirt.  I'm just sayin'...

I know a few writers who are trying to get published in one area, but in the meantime are selling stories in a completely different genre.  Of course they're not going to use their real names...you can't write and sell erotica and then expect people to eat your cookies at the church picnic.

I hope to explore all the avenues writing opens to me.  My regular old every day romances, well, that's my real name.  If I were ever to write inspirational, I'd use a different form of my real name, just so my relatives can find the books, but any other readers aren't confused about why there's actual sex in "Dream in Color."  (By the way...do you have your copy yet?) 

Right now I'm working on a new project, one that's been near and dear to me since I was nine or ten.  I'm rediscovering my powers of observation and humor.  You can find most of that on my new blog  (Again, right there on your right...)  and, through the magic of the Internet, I hope to put together a collection of creative non fiction and unleash it on the world electronically.  Of course, I haven't decided if I'll use my real name or not, but I probably will, since there's nothing in my sense of humor that isn't in line with my values as a person.

So as you write, or as you do anything, think about how you want to be seen and how you are seen.

Just being aware might make this a happier world to live in!

Now...go forth and WRITE!