Pen Names, Or Why Megg Has 400 Personalities

Anyone who's read my work knows that Megg Jensen writes high fantasy for teen girls. So when my muse hand-delivered a contemporary paranormal into my psyche, I pushed it aside. Staying true to my Megg brand is really important to me.

But the story wouldn't let me go. It's been haunting me in the back of my mind for more than a year and when I have free time, I find myself writing the story. Yet deep down I knew I couldn't release it under the Megg brand. Megg is magic, medieval settings, and mystical plots. This new story was modern, sarcastic, and edgy.

After much thought, I decided to give birth to another pen name - Isobel Lucas. Isobel (who's named after members of my family) will be the face of my new paranormal series, Hell Bent/Heaven Sent.

Obviously, I'm not hiding the fact that I have multiple names (both are pen names, by the way). I'm going to openly cross-promote the two on Facebook, yet new readers to my books won't be confused by the very different genre and tone of the two series.

I'm not the first person to pioneer this. Authors utilize this technique all the time! Here's some great examples of multi-named authors:

(fellow Indelible) Elle Strauss (MG and lower YA) is also Lee Strauss (upper YA and NA)

James Rollins (contemporary thriller) is James Clemens (high fantasy)

Anne Rice (horror) is Anne Rampling (erotica)

Maintaining your brand as an author is important, but I was able to find a solution that allows me to explore all of my interests. Whether it's medieval fantasy or modern paranormal, I'm thrilled I have the opportunity to create fiction that (I hope) many readers will love.

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Megg Jensen, aka Isobel Lucas, is a mom, wife, and writer living in the Chicago 'burbs. She loves swing dancing, rollerblading, and reading. She's a total spaz and spends far too much time playing with FaceinHole.com. Catch her on Facebook, her blog, or on Author2Author.

Starter Covers

Hey there, Elle Strauss here.

You know that term, starter home? It's the cute little house built for two that you buy when you're young, maybe have a child or two and feel totally squished in when you get the family pet? By then a few years have gone by and (supposedly) you have some equity with which you can buy a bigger house? One you can live in for the next many years and raise all your children?

Yeah, it didn't work that way for me either. But, that's a long winded segue into my topic of Starter Covers.

A starter cover is the first cover a book receives before getting a makeover cover.

My book Clockwise had a starter cover.

starter

makeover

Why did I change it? I was concerned about lagging sales and a few people suggested that the first cover looked too middle grade, primarily because it was illustrated. I loved that cover but I agreed that it didn't have the "read me" factor for an YA audience.

Interestingly, Clockwise was chosen for a cover challenge  last week and the voting results surprised me, 12 to 11 for the original!

I still think I did the right thing by changing the look of book one before putting the rest of the series out, but chances are if I'd stuck with the first theme, it would've done as well.

The main point here for me is, as an Indie it was my choice. I wanted to change it and I did. =)

I'm not alone in this starter cover syndrome. Several of my writerly friends have changed their covers recently, some for the same reasons as me and some because they thought it was time to try something new. Traditionally published books get new covers all the time, when the paperback comes out, for instance, or to update a book or series that's been out for more than a year.

Sometimes they update too soon, and make readers angry, but I'll get to that in a minute.

starter cover

 makeover

starter

makeover

starter

makeover

starter

makeover

Megg said: I just wanted to mix it up a bit. The old covers sold well but they've been around awhile.

Stacey said: It didn't stand out as YA. Readers couldn't tell what genre the books were just by looking at them. When they did read the books, I got complaints that the more mature upper YA subject matter didn't jibe with the illustrated covers - which made people think they were MG. Now readers love them and are picking them up because they love the covers. They are recognized as the Zellie brand now and the next trilogy will have similar covers. 

Cheri said:  I'm an indie author, and I love to try new ideas. I had a theory about covers with vivid images on a black background and wanted to test it out. I also knew that in the tiny thumbnail image, the beautiful swirling font of my book title is difficult to read. I wondered if that was a deterrent to potential readers, so I wanted to test that out as well. 

Magan: When I first went through the whole cover design process I was looking for someting in the realm of HP Mallory with the cartooney covers. Both our books are comedic with romance, so I thought a cutesy cover would do the trick. Then the reviews started to come in and I realized alot of people weren't picking up the book because the cartoon cover was giving off a middle grade vibe and that wasn't what I wanted.


Though it's great to change covers, authors have to be careful not to annoy their fans by changing covers they might love, especially mid series. There's some talk on the 'sphere about series books getting a make over midstream. For people who bought the first book, or the first two books in the series, it's annoying when the next book no longer matches. See this post by Narratively Speaking. She's particularily upset by the recent change made to Beth Revis's covers. I for one have Ruby Red sitting on my shelf and have long waited for book two to hit shelves. I'm a little annoyed that the covers have since changed and now my series collection won't match. Plus,the collection loses value when this happens. I'll still buy it though, since I loved book 1.

Megg and Stacey both changed covers for their whole series once the series was out. I, on the other hand made the choice to change the cover theme after the first book was out, believing it would be better in the long run and hoping I wouldn't put off any of my readers who bought the first one. I didn't have a lot of readers yet at that point, and no one has complained so far. (Magan has done the same.)

What do you think about the cover updates? Does it bother you if series covers change before the series is complete?

 

Elle Strauss writes time travel and merfolk chic-lit, light SF and historical YA fiction. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, hanging out with friends and family, and sometimes traveling. To ward off writer's butt she does a bit of hiking, biking and yoga. Elle is married with four children and divides her time between British Columbia, Canada, and Germany. Find out more about her and her books at www.ellestraussbooks.com

Self-pubs & Agents - A Match Made in Heaven...or Hell?

In the self-pub community you'll often come across a big argument: should any self-respecting indie author seek out an agent and if they do, are they a sell-out?

Is an agent a writer's biggest goal or their ultimate enemy?

It depends on the author's point of view....

I'm sure you want to know which side of the fence I'm on. I'll be happy to tell you ... in a few minutes. ;)

Source: http://symobimbaspastika.over-blog.it/article--c-43552683.html

Let's think about this a few ways.

First, what can an agent do for a self-pub?

Sell foreign/translation rights.

Yes, a self-pub can figure this out on her own. She can find someone to translate her book, format it, and upload it to multiple sites that reach other countries. However, an agent might have access to a reliable, professional translator. How do you know some random person on Craigslist, or who advertises their skillz online, can truly translate your novel? Not just verbatim, but adding those subtle nuances that come with quality overseas publishers?

Yes, you could do it yourself - but you MUST know exactly what you're getting into.

Sell film rights.

I have trad pub friends who've sold film rights. It sounds complicated to me. Really, really complicated. Unless you have a competent attorney  who has experience in this field, an agent is going to be your best ally (but you'll probably still want an attorney too).

Sell future books to traditional publishers.

Okay, okay, I know some people are screaming at the computer screen right now. (You know who you are, and I still luv you.) It's okay. Not sure if you know, but I'm one of those self-pubs who isn't against traditional publishing. I don't currently have anything written and edited that might work for that route, but I don't rule it out for the future.

Look, if you want to go traditional, getting an agent is the first step (unless you want to work with a small press, then you could probably do it without an agent).

Do the crap you don't want to do.

When agents first started side businesses to 'help' authors self-publish, I raged against it. I mean, really, these services are things any author can hire out, for a flat fee, to other professionals. Why in the <bleep> would any self-respecting self-pub give an agent a percentage to that stuff?

Because once you have six or seven products out there, sometimes you want to spend more time writing than managing. I don't think there's any shame in that.

What can a self-pub do for themselves?

Everything.

 
Yes, you can do everything yourself as a self-pub. You can. You can write, edit, format, upload, manage, sell film rights, audio rights, foreign rights, do all the stuff involved in publishing. YOU CAN DO IT!

But, the question you have to ask yourself is: Do I want to do everything?

If the answers is yes, then go for it! Put out your best product and be proud of yourself. You should. Self-publishing is really hard work. Every time some random person whines about how self-pubs slap any old poorly edited combo of words on Amazon, I want to punch them. I don't know any self-pubs who do that. We all take pride in our work. It's not about the quick buck.

If the answer is no, then before you query figure out what kind of relationship you want with an agent. Then look for an agent who fits your needs. Keep in mind - you will give up a decent percentage of royalties and some control over your work. For some authors, this is too much to ask. Nothing comes for free and agents have to make a living too. It's a compromise and a business decision. There isn't one right path.

So are agents angels or demons? I think most are probably angels. I'd like to believe they are in the business because they love books and authors. Whether you want one, or need one, is up to you. ;)

                                                                                          

Megg, age 8-ish (I think)

Megg Jensen is an author, mom, and wife. She hates laundry and loves road trips. She's got a bunch of books out. Epic fantasy, but with a young adult twist - less quests, more kissing. Check out her books at www.meggjensen.com

Time for a Vacation...

Everyone needs a break once in a while, right?

Right now, I'm getting mine. As you read this, I'm probably on the road - somewhere between Atlanta and Orlando. Yes, my family is embarking on The Great Road Trip of 2012!

We're off to Orlando (where the extended forecast tells me it's supposed to rain while we're there - grumph). Not to see the Mouse, but to see Harry Potter! My kids are almost 10 and almost 6 (their birthdays are mid-month) and both are dying to see Hogwarts. Me too!!!

Megg, 1979

The last time I was at Disney World, I was four. That was (let me get out my calculator - hang on a sec...) 32 years ago. I remember very little. There's bits and pieces of It's a Small World (which my mom says was the only time I stopped talking during the trip) and a teeny bit of the parade. I don't remember the parade specifically. I remember dancing in the street before it started. I guess I was cute because people were clapping for me. All I recall is the massive sunburn I had and that I was hot...and impatient, which is why I was dancing. I'm not very good at sitting still.

I know, you're reading this and you're wondering... What does this have to do with books or publishing or reading? Um, yeah, sorry, it doesn't have anything to do with any of those.

I'm on vacation so I wanted to give you one too. No deep thoughts. Just a reminder that sometimes it doesn't hurt to take a break from real life. All of us need a vacation, whether it's an afternoon off of work, holing up at the ice cream shoppe, or a weekend in Vegas. Break out of the routine once in a while. It's good for ya!

Okay, I have to prep now for wand selection at Ollivander's. When I was sorted on Pottermore, I ended up in Slytherin. I'm a little afraid of which wand will choose me... ;)

-Megg

My Big Bang Theory

A few years ago, my neighbor called me and asked if I'd watched that new show, The Big Bang Theory. I hadn't even heard of it, so she just giggled and told me I had to watch it. The next night, my engineer hubby & I watched it and nearly died laughing. We know Leonard, Raj, Howard, and Sheldon in real life. These are our people and we embraced the show with open arms.


But here's what annoys me - I get Leonard's obsession with Penny. She's pretty, and perky, and girly. That's what every guy wants, right?


Is it?


I don't think so. While I loved the interplay between the guys on the show and understood every nerdy scientific joke, I detested Penny. I spent too many years as a teen falling head-over-heels for nerdy guys who would only put me in the friend category because I wasn't a cheerleader. Or pretty. Or perky. Or girly. That sucked.

I've come to love the show more, though, as they introduced Bernadette and Amy Farrah Fowler (played by Mayim Bialik - who I worshiped in the early '90s when she played Blossom). Now these were girls I could relate to. They're funny, quirky, and totally nerdy. Finally some of these guys were getting some action (though if you watch, you know Sheldon & Amy's relationship isn't exactly normal) with some pretty cool girls.


But I still felt bad for Leonard. He continued to be hung up on Penny, who, in my opinion, always treated him like he should be grateful she bothered to date him. This season, as they slowly find their way back to each other, I see the playing field leveling. Leonard finally has a bit more say in their relationship, which I LOVE. He should! Just because he's the nerd and she's the hot girl doesn't mean she's better than he is. I think Penny's starting to realize he's more than just her nerdy next door neighbor that she can toy with, which I do find kinda sweet.


So, tell me, how do you feel about the nerdy guy dating the hot girl? Should the hotter person have more power in the relationship than the nerdy character? Would you like to see more of the nerdy girl with the nerdy guy? Or are you cool with whatever?


XoXo,


Megg