Don't Judge Me - I'm Writing a Romance Novel
Don't Judge Me - I'm Writing a Romance Novel
Well, not so much a novel as a series of short stories.
And I'm not exactly writing it, I'm having it ghost written.
As some of you will know, I have a few books published on Amazon and have done a couple of trainings here on WA on how to use Amazon's KDP platform.
And I make money from them, but not in the same league as Lee Child (Jack Reacher) or E.L. James (50 Shades of Grey) so I've decided to embark on this purely as a money-making venture.
Romance is supposed to be the most profitable genre there is (think Mills and Boon) but it's not something I want (or probably could) do.
And one of the hot platforms is Kindle Short Reads. These are typically 25 page stories, often in a series. I sometimes imagine them as a lunch-time read for those looking to get away from the humdrum of their 9-5 job.
So I found a successful book in a romance sub-category of Kindle Short Reads. I cover the metrics of doing this in How to Publish Your Book on Amazon: Part 2...
Then I engaged ChatGPT and asked it to give me a plot outline based on that book (I just gave it the link) and then did it twice more (which is a single keystroke) so that I had 3 suggested plotlines.
I took the one I like best and asked for an ending that would lead into a series, then tweaked the whole thing.
I went to Fiverr and found two ghostwriters with 5 star ratings and asked for a quote for both the first book and its sequel, each of 10,000 words, which is 20-25 pages.
After some correspondence, I accepted one of the quotes and the two books are being written now, at a cost of $150 each.
$300 is right at that sweet spot where I can afford to lose it if it doesn't work out but I'd certainly prefer not to.
There'll be a bit more cost as I'll also pay someone to design a cover for the series, such that I only have to change the title for each book. And also a logo for my pen-name author. But these will be low-cost and one-time.
So another new project for me.
I'll let you know how it goes.
Recent Comments
89
If you're using Fiverr for the cover as well, provide the photo. Many of them don't have authorization for the photos they provide and the last thing you want is a copyright strike on the cover.
You might look into one ebook cover creator I remember from back in my self publishing days. She goes by the handle cover coven on her website. She has what are called pre-mades where you can choose a cover and give her your author (pen) name and book title.
Best of luck,
Jason
Thanks, Jason. I'll be getting a series cover designed and add the individual book titles to it myself.
Even better. I paid for many covers before I ventured over to Canva and started making them myself. They weren't the best, but they were branded and much cheaper as I was taking advantage of the appsumo DepositPhotos deals when they would come around.
I'll admit though back in the day I could spend hours looking at pre made covers on various sites and drool a little, hah hah.
I never could figure out photo shop due to time limitations. I had contemplated back then learning it and then making my own business out of it but decided not to.
Regards,
Jason
Hi, Phil.
I found this on the Apple Books site. Thought you might be interested, even though you have a ghost writer.
"Stories are important. Apple Books for Authors helps you tell yours. Apple Books for Authors guides you through every step of your journey as an author, from structuring your story to packaging your digital book and selling it on our store. Even established authors will find valuable resources on how to grow sales and track performance. "
Steve
Thanks, Steve. There are a number of platforms besides Amazon that are worth exploring and Apple Books is certainly one of them. Thanks for the reminder.
Hey, Phil. Sounds like a great idea, and I have the feeling hat it will work. Seems to require little 'work' from you, and a small loss of funds if I doesn't pan out. But I understand that Kindle is very popular with Amazon.
How about using Audible for Amazon audio books? Because of my MacularDegeneration, I order audio books from Apple Books. I've noticed that they have short books available. Might be another resource to check out.
Good luck, Phil and please keep us apprised of your new venture.
Steve
Thanks, Steve. Yes, audio is another monetization option for a book. Thanks for reminding me.
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Sounds interesting, it's always good to find new ways to do something, and it might work great!
Alejandra
I'm planning on it being another income stream.