It's Hard Out Here for a (Book) Pimp

Greetings, Smutketeers!
If you're reading this - THANK YOU. I recently went through the very humbling experience of spending more on the production of a book than I earned opening week.

In retrospect, I can't blame anyone but myself. I know how many of you already own the DARK DUET in both ebook & paperback (you're awesome). Naturally, the box set (even with the added 300pgs of bonus material) could never match the sales of the past three years since book one, CAPTIVE IN THE DARK was released. That'll teach me to abandon my cynicism, LOL. However, it's an amazing deal for NEW readers so I hope you'll continue to help me spread the word.

I'm hopeful that the release of DETERMINED TO OBEY on November 11th will go much better since the story is new and sold independently.

It's probably unusual for an author to admit a reboot didn't go well, but in the spirit of this wonderful indie movement, I want to help my fellow authors' learn from my mistakes.

1. I should have put a box set together as soon as I published the final book in the series. With all the frenzy of a new release, new readers would have been drawn to the box set as a way to catch up and also save money.

2. Don't spend money you're not willing to lose. Publishing a book is always a risk and a gamble. However, this is not an excuse for publishing poorly edited work. Editing is non-negotiable, but things like formatting, marketing, and other things you can teach yourself to do are.

3. If you have to write to eat, make sure you're writing something that's going to feed you. I've never written an MMF under my CJ Roberts name. Only November 11th will tell if my readers are ready and willing to follow me into the world of bisexual sex. I'll keep you posted.

4. Beware of optimism. Make the best decisions you can, based on the FACTS you have available.

Speaking of #4

I regret to inform everyone I will be cancelling all but three of my SCHEDULED EVENTS for 2015. The FACTS are - I need to write a new full-length novel and make it back onto the bestseller lists before I can afford to attend book signings again. My deepest apologies to everyone who hoped to meet me at The British Book Affair in London next year. I'm super bummed! Fingers crossed for 2016 (pesky optimism).

HOWEVER, anyone who would like to ORDER AUTOGRAPHED BOOKS in time for the holidays may do so 1 Nov - 15 Nov. Orders placed after these dates may not arrive in time but you CAN still order.

Thanks for reading,

CJ