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Adventures in Publishing, Books, Writing

Crossing Genre Lines is Risky. I did it anyway.

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silhouettes getting trapped behind police tape representing crossing genre lines

Why is crossing genre lines “ill advised”?

Crossing genre lines is a skip in the park for an author with a NAME. You see a book by James Patterson or Nora Roberts, you pretty much know what you’re going to get. Sure, a rock star like Stephen King can write horror one day and crime fiction the next. But a l’il ol’ indie like moi? That’s a big NOPE.

It’s all about author branding. Here are some of the objections I’ve heard:

  • You’re going to mix up your readers!
  • You’ll never get an agent!
  • You’re going to waste boatloads of money on misplaced ads!
  • How will your book covers work for multiple genres?
  • How will booksellers – both physical and digital – know what shelf to put your books on?
  • You’re going to mess up the algorithms! (This last one is absolute Amazon suicide!)

Three books later, I can attest that these points are all valid and excellent advice. Advice I continue to refuse to heed.

Then why did you do this thing, silly author?

Nobody puts Love in a box!

Did you know there are six separate Greek gods of love?

  • Eros, god of love and sexual passion [a.k.a. our romantic hero]
  • Anteros, god of requited love
  • Himeros, god of sexual desire
  • Hedylogos, god of sweet talk and flattery
  • Hymenaios, god of marriage and marriage feasts
  • Pothos, god of sexual longing, yearning and desire

Are you really going to tell Cupid he has to conform to some arbitrary genre definition? Hey, good luck getting Pan to obey! Guess what you’ll have at the end of that lame story- a soupy, generic nothing of a series that nobody will want to read.

Q says it pretty well in Quite the Pair when questioned about his sexuality:

“So you’re bisexual?”

Cupid shrugged. Humans and their labels. Things were much more fluid where he came from. “I don’t really know what all that means. I just like who I like.”

Reed nodded, a small smile settling on his face. “That seems like a good way to be.”

Quite the Pair, Book #3 of the Cupid’s Fall series

I get that most readers have their go-to genres.

Ask me my least favorites, and I’d probably list horror right off the top. That said, did I read and love my friend Paul Draper’s horror anthology, Black Gate Tales? Yes, yes I did. Why? Because the man is an amazing story teller.

Can you remember a time when you were persuaded to read outside your favorite genres, and you found yourself enjoying the experience?

My characters may physically exist on a digital bookshelf or in a cardboard box, but where they really live is in the readers’ hearts. I have faith in my readers. I trust that if I serve you up a compelling story with round, interesting characters, you’ll follow their story arc regardless of what journey they take the reader on. Ideally, the genre seams disappear, and the reader is simply immersed in the story. It’s absolutely thrilling when I speak with a reader who has fallen so deeply into the fantasy that they have forgotten that immortal beings don’t actually exist!

I don’t like to underestimate my readers.

You do understand that YOU’RE actually the ones being put in a box, right?

I explored this topic in a post from January 10th: One Writer’s Quest to Find the Perfect Reader. Clearly, I was already conflicted, and that was before publishing book one! Here we are after releasing book 3, and the genre waters are muddier yet.

Last week, I attended a talk by Anthony Doerr, famed author of All the Light We Cannot See and his new release, Cloud Cuckoo Land. His latest book is set in three different timelines, one being the future – which, ipso facto, puts him (at least partly) in the science fiction category. When pressed on why he crossed genre lines, he nodded as if he’d expected the question, and then answered something like this (sorry, I was too excited to jot down his exact words while he was saying them): I get that publishers need a label and booksellers need to know which shelf to put the book on, but I needed to tell my story.

THANK YOU, Anthony!

So which shelf am I actually on?

Tell me, how would you whittle down a story about hot-blooded Greek gods living in modern day USA looking for love in all the wrong places?

Right off the bat, it’s fantasy because immortals. It’s romance because love. And it’s comedy because Cupid is so stinkin’ naive and Pan is so completely blunt. And it’s LGBTQ+ because Pan is pan and Cupid is the God of Erotic Love, and as Lin Manuel Miranda so beautifully expressed it, “Love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love!”

Book one leans heavily on the fantasy aspect of living gods and immortality. By book two, most readers have settled into the world and are feeling pretty grounded in the very real life marriage of Ruthie and Zach. Book three, no question, is LGBTQ+. Classic friends-to-lovers trope except for the whole not echoing issue. And book four? Well, let’s just say the story completes its arc.

So if it seems we’re shelf-hopping, maybe that’s because love is rich and beautiful and enters into every story. Think about it – what is travel without the love of discovery of somewhere (or someone?) new? What’s a great murder mystery without passion? What is cooking without the tactile experience of texture and flavor and the desire to please someone’s palate (even if it is the chef’s own!)? What is self-help without self-love?

Name me a shelf, and I will show you the love!

How does a writer decide who her characters love?

One of the most interesting questions I’ve been asked was posed at a book club meeting for FIRST QUIVER (#1): “Why did you decide to make Pan gay?” Welp.

A whole lot of poets and writers well before my time made up those stories about Pan. THE Pan. The original pansexual. I didn’t make him anything. I just let him be Pan, and I sat back and listened and watched (and took furious notes).

Actually, that’s how all my characters work. If I consciously match any of them, I try to come up with pairings that will potentially bring out the very best and the very worst in both partners, throw them in a pressure cooker situation, and watch what happens!

There are so many delicious lenses we might choose with which to explore love. For my series, I chose four prisms that strike me as widely shared human experiences: first love (book #1), marriage (book #2), friendship (book #3), and meant-to-be fated love (book #4).

And looky who Superman loves now!

This is exciting! The latest news out of DC Comics is that the Man of Steel is going to be in a same-sex relationship.

The new Superman, Jonathan Kent, is in a relationship with fellow reporter, Jay Nakamura. And according to this article in The Guardian, “Kent’s sexuality is not the only way in which the character has been updated for a new audience and time. Recent issues have seen him protesting against the deportation of refugees, stopping a high school shooting and trying to put out wildfires that were the cause of the climate crisis.” Good for you, Supe!

Photograph: DC Comics

“Superman’s symbol has always stood for hope, for truth and for justice. Today, that symbol represents something more. Today, more people can see themselves in the most powerful superhero in comics.”

Tom Taylor, series writer (NYT interview)

It seems my superheroes are in the very best company!

Okay, but why would a het woman write gay romance?

I was fortunate to have the friendship of a very dear gay man for sadly too few years before he was taken by cancer. Our lives intersected at the time I was starting to write fanfiction, and I had just begun to branch out into love stories featuring two men. I was very excited to share this with him, as he’d always been incredibly encouraging. (He also was a phenomenal critical reader, and I’m sure he would have been a valued member of my beta team.)

My friend was perplexed by my subject matter and asked me, “But why do you want to write about gay men?”

When I answered, “Because love is love,” he nodded, smiled, and answered, “Indeed. And parts is parts.”

Truth is, I came to writing gay romance the same way I hope you will come to reading it – that is, if it is new to you. I was reading a lot of fanfiction at the time (stories based off other authors’ work, specifically the Southern Vampire series – “True Blood” – and the Twilight series.) I would follow authors I loved into whatever rabbit holes they led me, and eventually, many of them ended up writing male-male love stories. Not every story was for me, but it definitely widened my horizons.

When I started writing m/m stories myself, I already had a wonderful, ready-made audience of readers who trusted me to tell a good story. I practiced, I experimented, I received critical feedback and encouragement. I bring many of those lovely women (and a few good men) to my Cupid’s Fall series.

Hence, my dedication for book 3, Pan’s love story:

dedication of book 3 with bookmark

The gauntlet is thrown.

I’m crossing genre lines like a mofo.

Will you come with me, reader?

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P.S. – Did you know you can receive blog updates straight to your inbox? Yup! Just enter your email address in the box below and cut out the middle man. This is a no-spam zone! I post to my blog once or twice a month. (Not to be confused with my NEWSLETTER, which is all the current book stuff, sneak peeks, special deals, etc. And you can sign up for my newsletter by clicking on the big open heart at the bottom of this page.)

Adventures in Publishing, Life, Marketing

Closer to my Daughter Thanks to Expert Advice – Hers

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picture of mother and daughter on safari in South Africa with a perfect sunset at our back

Oh, that mother-daughter relationship!

Ask any mom lucky enough to have a daughter, and if she’s honest, she’ll tell you the mother-daughter relationship can be intense. You know what I mean – I don’t need to lay it out for you here. (Frankly, that’s all a bit beyond the scope of this blog.) Suffice it to say, over the 28 years of her life, my daughter and I have had our high highs and our low lows, but it’s rarely boring.

Now that my daughter is a grown-up person who lives across the country, our relationship has its own imposed distance. Even if I wanted to stick my nose into Lindsay’s business, I only have that opportunity when she shares it with me. And while oversharing on certain – ahem – topics is kind of a family joke at this point, she doesn’t typically ask our/my advice on every little thing. Mostly because she knows I like to sleep at night!

So we’d been humming along for a bunch of years in this state of benevolent ignorance. And then a funny thing happened.

We both turned into writers.

Writing critique and parenting don’t always mix well.

Back when I was growing up, before spell-check and typewriters with eraser cartridges were invented, my brothers and I had a secret weapon: a well-read, well-educated Mom as an editor. She was always happy to read over our school papers before we turned them in. If there were occasional tears or hard feelings, I don’t remember them. We kids understood that whatever mistakes Mom caught, Mr. Smith/Snyder/Whitney didn’t.

That wasn’t exactly the experience I had as a parent.

My kids didn’t want that kind of help from me. Despite my best efforts at following the helpful pointers for offering critique, it can be tricky between parents and kids. It was easier to let the teachers handle the constructive feedback. So I kept my nose out of their papers unless specifically asked (which I rarely was).

But that was before my kids became adults and before I found my passion for creative writing.

Writing changed our family dynamic.

Ten years ago, I picked up a new hobby that quickly became all-consuming – writing fiction. Very soon after, my son brought home a fully formed sci-fi novel, which was as far from his chosen major (cognitive psychology) as it was from mine (accounting). His journey, which gave rise to Isotopia Publishing, is laid out in a previous blog post here.

But the real surprise came when my daughter Lindsay started writing a blog.

First off, let me say this – Lindsay is a great writer! She’s brutally honest, introspective, creative, and articulate. Let me also say this – she did a great job of keeping this particular talent hidden during her school years. Reading and writing simply did not interest her.

I wouldn’t say she’s a big reader now, but she does read MY books (yay!) and spends a lot more time educating herself about the nuances of local and global issues. She’s become a seeker and a sharer. What seems to fulfill her most is chronicling her darkest moments and sharing them with her (impressive) following on social media with the sole goal of helping someone else through their depression, struggles with body image, surviving loss, dealing with chronic pain, or navigating this crazy world we live in. Judging by the fan mail she receives on her seesparklylifestyle blog, her instagram and TikTok accounts, Lindsay is definitely achieving that goal.

A new channel of communication opened

“When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.”

Mark Twain

Somewhere along the line, a very cool thing happened – Lindsay began asking me to review her pieces before sending them out into the world.

At first, it was scary giving honest feedback. A great deal of trust is required on both sides of any successful critical feedback partnership, especially one as potentially fraught as the mother-daughter relationship. But because Lindsay responded to my suggestions with an open heart and an open mind, we quickly found that trust. I was able to venture beyond spelling and punctuation edits to more macro reactions to her writing.

Through her writing, she’s also honing her passion and allowing her insights to guide her way. It’s exciting to watch the growth and self-discovery, and a privilege to play a part in that.

The tables turned when I needed Lindsay’s help.

Having made the decision in August 2020 to self-publish, I needed to create my “author platform.” With some help from a tech-savvy friend and many hours at the keyboard, I created this website, which is a constant work in progress! I set up my Facebook page, my Amazon page, my Goodreads page, my BookBub page – yeah, it’s endless! But there was a gaping hole in my online presence.

There’s a huge reader community on Instagram and TikTok, but trying to figure out how to put myself out there on those platforms terrified me. Luckily, it’s a world my daughter inhabits with ease and great skill. So, I turned to her first for help and advice and technical support. She was excited about being able to give her mom some advice for a change.

A subtle but profound shift started to move between us, and grew with every question I asked, every mistake I made. Our mother-daughter relationship was like a teeter-totter that could rise and fall on both sides.

Social Media for uncool moms

We tackled Instagram first. I’m proud to report that my sad little Instagram account with ten followers and three posts has grown into a full-on portfolio with almost 700 followers!

I’m learning the nuts and bolts of posts, stories, and reels, but I will never match Lindsay’s artistic eye for photography or composition. I mean, look at this, will ya? Lucky for me, she’s always eager to help create content or review something before I post. Did you happen to catch this photo of books one and two we posted for Mother’s Day? She took that gorgeous photo after my efforts left me disappointed.

I was sure my daughter would be horrified when I showed her the first inappropriate message I received on Instagram, but she just laughed at me and explained about the “creepers who slide into your DMs.” [“Duh, Mom. I get those all the time!”] Remember the stuff she doesn’t tell me so I can sleep at night?

Next, we opened the TikTok can of worms. Squirmy worms requiring a delicate touch and a boatload of patience and some knowledge of cool music (which I have never possessed). I try, man, I try. But you should see Lindsay take a day of adventures with Slim (the chocolate lab wonder-grandson) and turn it into a TikTok sensation with the fastest two thumbs I’ve ever seen. Check out this viral post of Slim and the Sea Lion with over 2MM views!

TikTok has been a bigger challenge for us to do together because of the time and patience required. We don’t always finish every project we start. And now that she’s back in Cali, I have to do everything with my own two hands, so … yeah.

But here’s the good news – My TikTok– which started at zero in May – now has over 500 followers, and I haven’t totally embarrassed myself. Yet.

Gratitude

Our mother-daughter relationship has been tested beyond most. Communication and common ground were not always something Lindsay and I shared easily.

Creative expression is something we’ve both discovered a passion for. I’m so grateful that the multifaceted language of storytelling – through words and pictures – has given us a chance to connect in this new and meaningful way. And I’m grateful for the ability to both give and receive meaningful and loving advice at this phase of our lives.

Here’s where you can find and follow our Instagram and TikToks: Lindsay’s Instagram & TikTok | Beth’s Instagram & TikTok

Stop by and drop an encouraging word!

And here’s a picture of Slim Shady – because he’s just too cute!

The Real Slim Shady pup and his owner/mama Lindsay

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P.S. – Did you know you can receive blog updates straight to your inbox? Yup! Just enter your email address in the box below and cut out the middle man. This is a no-spam zone! I post to my blog roughly once a month. (Not to be confused with my NEWSLETTER, which is all the current book stuff, sneak peeks, special deals, etc. And you can sign up for my newsletter by clicking on the big open heart at the bottom of this page.)

Adventures in Publishing, Books, Marketing

Want the Ultimate Inside Scoop? Join an ARC Team

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HELP WANTED ad for ARC readers for Quite the Pair, book 3 in Cupid's Fall series

Do reviews matter?

Yep. Especially for indie authors who don’t have that traditional publishing mega-marketing machine to crank out publicity. It is critically important for us underdogs to get reviews on new books as soon as they launch. Hence, the “ARC team.”

As a discerning reader, you probably weigh reviews highly when making a decision whether to try a new author or rely on an old favorite. Hey, I get it. I do, too! Though I must admit, I now view them with a boulder of salt after receiving some wacky reviews like this beauty from “one-star Sue.”

Let’s start with the fact that this reader WON First Quiver in a Goodreads giveaway she entered [SIDE NOTE: These giveaways cost readers NOTHING, and they’re a great way to pick up free books!] based on the book’s description and was then upset to learn that my characters (Cupid and Pan, a pair of horny Greek gods in human form and at the peak of hotness) actually enjoyed sex:

Thankfully, this outlier stayed that way, and the book enjoys an average comfortably above 4 (out of 5) stars on both Goodreads and Amazon. Phew!

Who cares about those stars anyway?

“Social proof” is a powerful force. Like it or not, we’re all influenced by recommendations and impressions. Remember Siskel and Ebert, the originators of the “thumbs up” rating system? How many double thumbs down movies did you run out to watch? Exactly.

Aside from helping persuade potential readers to give this new writer a chance, reviews help drive early sales which, in turn, motivates Amazon to take notice and market on my behalf. And no one markets books better than Amazon!

What makes for a “good” review?

And by “good,” I don’t necessarily mean the reader LOVED the book (though one always hopes!). A lot of great readers shy away from leaving reviews because they either feel pressed to write a five-star sparkle-fest for a book that seems less than deserving, OR they feel pressured to write a scholarly or highly entertaining comparative literature analysis worthy of the NYT Book Review.

So how do you write a good review?

  1. Be honest (but avoid overly harsh sarcasm if possible). The rule of thumb is you’re writing reviews for other readers, not the author. (If you and the author are relatives or close friends, you’re not supposed to post a review on Amazon anyway.)
  2. Use the stars (rating) and the words (review) to your advantage. You can always just do one or the other if you’re feeling stuck.
  3. Understand the impact of rating a book below 3 stars. I’m absolutely not suggesting dishonesty, but if you rate a book below its average, you will pull the average down. The fewer reviews, the more weight each rating carries. That’s just plain math. You can review a book without assigning stars on most outlets.
  4. There’s ALWAYS something nice to say. You might have to dig deep to come up with the words, but there’s always a compliment to dole out. (Great concept, loved how this character redeemed himself, creative world-building, light and entertaining, etc.) Every book is not meant to be Great Literature. Use an appropriate “bar” as your measuring stick.
  5. That old adage you learned in kindergarten holds true: If you don’t have anything nice to say, it’s just fine to say nothing at all.

If you follow these pointers, your review will most likely be appreciated by readers and authors alike. You might even get a bunch of free books thrown at you by publishers!

So how does an author garner these magical release-day reviews (a.k.a. unicorns)?

If you’re an author who wants people to leave an honest review of a 300-page book on release day, you darn well better give them the book ahead of time! That’s exactly what I do.

With book one, I used several websites where ARC readers hang out (Booksprout, Net Galley, and Reedsy Discovery Blog). I described my book so I could attract readers who are passionate about my genres (fantasy, romcom, myth retelling). Through this process, I was able to connect with dozens of readers I would not otherwise have met. Many of them left wonderful reviews.

From there, I set up a running spreadsheet of advance readers. Before launching book two, I confirmed that everyone on the list was interested in receiving the book ahead of release and willing to post an honest review before and at launch. The result was a small but mighty dedicated group of enthusiastic readers who helped grease the wheels on release day. I was surprised that many readers reported enjoying Into the Quiet (#2) even more than the first book.

Hopefully, that trend will continue because now it’s time to assemble Team Q3!

What is expected of the ARC team?

It’s a simple arrangement. I send out a free Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of my upcoming release (usually an ebook) about one month before launch. Everyone reads the book and fires up an honest (and ideally, positive) review.

Reviews can be posted immediately on Goodreads, social media sites, and blogs, but only after release on major retailers like Amazon, Apple, B & N, etc. [Fun fact: purchase is not necessary to post a review on any of those sites. Best practice is to include a simple “thank you to the publisher for an advance copy of the book.”]

ARC readers sometimes pick up typos that I’ve been able to correct before publication (THANK YOU!) and others have pointed out unclear wording or sensitive topics I may have missed. Some ARC readers take their enthusiasm a step further and become wonderful ambassadors for the book. Linking to their reviews on social media, recommending it to their book clubs, taking photos of themselves with the book – all extra, all very much appreciated.

I want to join the team!

Good news! I do have a few free spots for the upcoming release of Quite the Pair (Q3). If you’ve read the first two books in the Cupid’s Fall series, you already know what’s about to happen (SPOILER ALERT: Pan’s story). If you need more of those LGBTQ vibes of books one and two, you’ll enjoy book three. [If, on the other hand, you happen to share one-star Sue’s sensibilities, I’d recommend against reading a story about the god whose name is the literal root of pansexuality.]

A few important details:

  • DATES: You’ll receive the ARC ebook approximately four weeks ahead of the book release date: Tuesday, October 5.
  • THIRD IN SERIES: Quite the Pair can be read as a standalone, but for the best reader experience, I recommend reading books 1 and 2 first. You can get them here.
  • STEAMY: Heat level is similar to books 1 and 2. That said, Pan IS the original horny goat, and he doesn’t hold back. If this offends, Q3 might not be the best choice for you.
  • Haven’t scared you away? Awesome! Please fill out the signup form.
  • Questions? Email me: beth@bethcgreenberg.com

If you’re excited about book three, I’d love to have you on the team.

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P.S. – Did you know you can receive blog updates straight to your inbox? Yup! Just enter your email address in the box below and cut out the middle man. This is a no-spam zone! I post to my blog roughly once a month. (Not to be confused with my NEWSLETTER, which is all the current book stuff, sneak peeks, special deals, etc. And you can sign up for my newsletter by clicking on the big open heart at the bottom of this page.)