List of books and upcoming books

Bait and switch

This topic is something I need to seriously address. It's the bait and switch method that authors are using with their stories.

Let me explain bait and switch. Companies will use this method to entice consumers. They give a freebie or discount, then bam! They charge full price. I can guarantee you've encountered this many times without realizing it.

When an ad posts free, it's not really free. It's a way to get you hooked and reel you in. Those are click baits.

Now, to the topic at hand. I've come across authors who have posted "completed" stories, thinking the story is complete. Then, I get to the end and lo and behold, it has a message about going to a web link or site if you want to finish reading the story. These sites also charge you.

If I have invested my time to read a story marked complete and it's not, how angry do you think I am? One word: very. Time is precious, and I wasted my time on an incomplete story that was marked complete.

I cannot stress this enough do not do this. It will anger your readers and make you lose them. If you want people to purchase your book, put sample beside the title and direct them to the right place. It's okay to advertise your work with a few sample chapters. It's not okay to engross a reader and leave them hanging.

Before people question my ongoing stories, I will always complete them at some point since I'm actively writing. And yes, I do have published books on Amazon for purchase. I also left books on here for free because of cost. Trust me. I listened to my reader's when it came to publishing.

Now, I want to make something perfectly clear. You do not make a lot of money in self-publishing. There is more that goes into it than people realize. My self-published books go through a series of 5 editing processes, reading them twice, notes, and rewrites. That's after I have written the entire book. Word count gets slashed or words get changed. Sentence structure is rearrange. And formatting is created.

Most of my work on Wattpad is rough drafts and unedited versions. Yes, there are mistakes. I'm well aware of them.

If you're a writer, I will give you some helpful tips.

1. Put sample next to a title if you're publishing on another platform as a paid author.
2. Do not mark the book complete.
3. Direct your readers to where they can read the paid version.
4. Be transparent and truthful. People will respect you more if you are.
5. Edit mercifully. Rip your work apart. People will pay for good quality work.
6. Don't take negative reviews or comments to heart. You need them to improve the quality of work and prove you didn't buy postive reviews.
7. Not everyone will like your work. That's okay. But many will.
8. Write for yourself and what you want to read.
9. Read, read, read. This has helped me when I'm trying to figure out a scene or get writer's block. It's a great motivator. But it also teaches you what not to do.
10. Do not do a bait and switch on your readers. Just like the time you put into writing is precious, so is their time reading your story.