A few of my author friends and I have decided to join forces in a blogging challenge. Our A to Z of Writing posts will shine a light on various aspects of being an author. This week, we're focusing on the letter C. Please make sure to check out the other blogs. Click here for a list of all blog posts per letter.
Adite Banerjie | Paromita Goswami | Preethi Venugopala | Reet Singh | Ruchi Singh | Saiswaroopa Iyer | Sudesna Ghosh
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As some of you may know, so far I’ve coauthored six books with bestselling author Mike Wells. Coauthoring – writing a novel together with another author – was a totally new experience for me, thrilling and challenging all at once. To be honest, I was a bit – read, very – scared before embarking on this journey, but I’m glad I did so because it was a lot of fun too, and I learned many valuable things.
 
So what are the risks involved in coauthoring? There are a few, depending on how exactly you go about it. Some famous authors ask a less famous author to work with them. In the end, the latter is more a ghostwriter than a true coauthor. The lesser known authors might not receive a share of the royalties, their name might not be mentioned, or their style is overwritten to match the usual tune of the popular author’s books. Some might also end up doing almost all the work without hardly receiving anything in return. That’s not the way it should be, and luckily not at all how things turned out for me.

And what are the advantages of coauthoring? You should be able to expand your readership, venture into other sub-genres or genres, release more books faster and thus keep your readers entertained, hone your writing skills, and achieve more sales/higher royalties.
 
How to avoid the obvious pitfalls? The best way to go out this is to really (virtually) ‘sit down’ and talk about every single detail. You have to agree on

• whose name is mentioned on the cover (usually the famous author’s or initiating author’s name is shown more prominently)
• who uploads the book (the author whose idea it was / project it is, but both profiles are linked to the result)
• who writes what, and how, and how fast
• a deadline
• whether both authors write separately and come together at the end or whether both work simultaneously and collaborate actively
• who earns what share of the royalties 
• who promotes the book, and how marketing is best handled; ideally both are involved, though not necessarily to the same extent or in the same way

If you take care of all this, and – most importantly – if you agree on the story itself, then there isn’t much in the way of coauthoring successfully.
 
There are various famous examples of coauthored books (such as James Patterson or Laurelin Paige), and there’s a ton of advice to be found on the internet. Personally, I am excited about the outcome of my stint with coauthoring, and I want to do it again. “Forbidden”, the romantic thriller series I coauthored with Mike Wells, is available for download here (Book 1 is free): https://devikafernando.com/forbidden.html
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​A year after Book 1 of the Inn Love series hit the stores, Book 2 has been published. Readers told me they loved it that Tantalizing Temptations transported them to England and sometimes felt like a virtual vacation. So I've tried to do the same with Hidden Hopes. Here's a look at my latest 'book baby' that features a country I've always wanted to travel to: Canada.
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​A teacher on vacation in the Rockies –
A movie star hiding from the world –
Forbidden attraction that blooms into more

The last thing famous Hollywood actor Colby Williams needs is another personal tragedy splattered all over the media. To lie low and find himself again, he stays incognito at a cozy bed & breakfast in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. But the solitude is broken by another guest: an intriguing woman who sees beyond his brooding surface and makes him feel alive again. Should he really open his heart and his life to her?
 
Hope Parker has come to Pleasant View to meet one of her best friends, not to fall in love with a mysterious stranger whose mood changes are infuriating. But something about this man on a quest for a second chance touches her. Can she handle the baggage he comes with?

BUY LINKS
Amazon: http://mybook.to/innlove2
Kobo: https://bit.ly/2NFsewG
Apple iBooks: https://apple.co/2RKUe5m
GooglePlay: goo.gl/sWpRPn
B&N Nook: https://bit.ly/2pRIeST
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​To celebrate the release of the second book in the series, the first book is on sale on Amazon for a limited time. ​Download it now for only 99 cents! Click on the link to grab your copy and be whisked away to a charming English cottage where a sexy hotel manager will take care of all your needs.

A few of my author friends and I have decided to join forces in a blogging challenge. Our A to Z of Writing posts will shine a light on various aspects of being an author. We're kicking this series off with the letter A this week. Please make sure to check out the other blogs for topics such as Authenticity and Anti-Hero:
Adite Banerjie | Paromita Goswami | Preethi Venugopala | Reet Singh | Ruchi Singh | Saiswaroopa Iyer | Sudesna Ghosh
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For many, writing immediately conjures up a form of art, something people might do as a creative hobby. That’s only half of the truth though. If you want to do it right – and if you want to make money from your writing – then there’s more than the artistic side to it, more than the actual writing. You will need to be an authorpreneur and take care of marketing, among other things.
 
What does authorpreneur mean?
 
In short, it stands for an author who also does a lot of things an entrepreneur would do. Authorpreneurs view their books not just as art but also as products. Thus, they promote their sale, act professionally, and tackle marketing. An authorpreneur (to some extent) is business-minded, publishes more than one book, and diligently cultivates an online presence. Authorpreneurship is closely linked to being aware of one’s author brand.
 
What is an author brand?
 
Like with a product brand, it is something people (customers/readers) automatically associate with your name; it makes you stand out. In much the same way that Lindt stands for expensive, sinfully tasty chocolate or Nike stands for trendy, sporty fashion, your author name will stand for a certain type of books. Famous authors like Nora Roberts, J. K. Rowling, Nicholas Sparks or Stephen King are all considered as brands because you immediate recognize their name and know what types of books they stand for. In much the same way, successful author branding will mean that your name causes a certain emotional resonance, conjures up certain images and hopefully acts as a buying impulse. Achieving this is key in authorpreneurship.
 
Why is it necessary?
 
The stronger your presence, the more fine-tuned to your readership and the more convincing your marketing, the better your sales. And as an authorpreneur, sales are as important to you as exposure and expressing yourself, as well as relying on self-publishing (or going the traditional route). If seeing a cover of yours or hearing a title of yours is a ‘light bulb’ moment for readers and is tied to certain emotional reactions, it might cause a buying impulse. As an authorpreneur, by the way, you should keep informed about latest trends, about your competitors, about readers’ demands and publishing opportunities. If you’re informed, you can act professionally and proactively.
 
The graphic aspects
 
Some people think it’s enough to have a beautiful logo or write your name on the cover in a certain way. While this is certainly beneficial to your visibility and credibility as an author, it is only one aspect of many. That being said, the visual presentation does play an important role. Just like a company has a corporate image that will be reflected in all advertising and to which all marketing campaigns are tailored, your author brand should reflect in your covers and social media posts. Keep the style the same, evoke the same emotions. Do you write fun, lighthearted, sweet romance? Do you focus on witches? Do you excel at fast-paced thrillers set in exotic locations? Pick one aspect (or one per series). This aspect should come across in your covers and images used on blogs and social media too. It can also be condensed into a tagline (romance with a heart, for example) and mentioned in your author bio. If people come to associate black and white graphics with a certain colourful font or a woman with a weapon with your books, then they will automatically think of you when they see them online, and make the connection to your books. Like entrepreneurs, authorpreneurs need to see their venture into the publishing world as a start-up, build a reader base, do some networking, etc.
 
How to be a successful authorpreneur
 
Ideally, you identify your (potential) readers, analyze your writing, and create an author persona that takes both these aspects into consideration. Be consistent once you’ve established what works. Even if you write in various genres, remember your USP (unique selling point) and highlight it in all your works and promotions. Stick to the same branding on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, website, etc. Even on printed matter if you have it, like posters, business cards or bookmarks.
 
Being an authorpreneur is about recognition, and about making a promise to a customer, and that message needs to be delivered. Even if you don’t deliberately think of your author behaviour, you’re leaving an impression just by posting online and publishing your books. So why not sit down and think of exactly what you want to stand for and how to attract readers? Find your author personality, make it yours, and in turn make readers and bloggers connect with you. We all know from experience how brand loyalty can lead to buying products in all other aspects of life… For additional advice, you might want to check out this blog post.