From Zero to $3K in 3 months writing Short Romance! 📚 Interview with Ella Barnard

[@lauramccarthy3639]

I loved this interview! I’ve made so many notes! ❤

[@SPAGirlsPodcast]

Fantastic, so glad you enjoyed it

[@tammyesposito]

This was a game-changer for me! Thank you ladies.

[@SPAGirlsPodcast]

Our pleasure!

[@authorkiterafrey]

When I lived in PDX, Powell's was my happy place.

[@SPAGirlsPodcast]

I've seen pix and always wanted to visit - PDX is on my "travel wish list"

[@authorkiterafrey]

@@SPAGirlsPodcast It really is a fun city, hole-in-the-wall places are the best since there is always so much new talent, and that goes for more than just food.

[@AphroditeLee]

This has been AWESOME! So GLAD I found you!

[@SPAGirlsPodcast]

Welcome aboard!

[@zm6631]

Thank you for sharing with us another great interview. I really appreciate the way Ella broke down the structure of her books chapter by chapter.

[@SPAGirlsPodcast]

Glad you enjoyed it! Ella is awesome :)

[@TheDarqProject]

Loved this interview with Ella. Thanks so much for always bringing us quality content, ladies!

[@SPAGirlsPodcast]

You're so welcome !

[@leannemoyer285]

Awesome Video! I'm so glad I found you guys!!!

[@SPAGirlsPodcast]

We're glad you found us too, Leanne! xx

[@bruceryba5740]

Such a fun person to listen to!

[@SPAGirlsPodcast]

agreed !

[@AGNIvedaa]

Great show 🎉🎉🎉 I enjoyed sooo much listening you ❤❤❤ thank you ❤

[@SPAGirlsPodcast]

You're so welcome, thank you for being here!

[@melibaut]

Great video! And thanks for breaking down the structure of the book. I'll definitely try that method.

[@SPAGirlsPodcast]

So glad you enjoyed it!

[@TheHaHaEnigma]

Thanks for all the helpful info ❤

[@SPAGirlsPodcast]

You are so welcome!

[@jillbrashear2263]

I have listened to this several times. Such great info! Thanks!!

[@SPAGirlsPodcast]

You are so welcome!

[@catcoluccio]

This was such an informative and inspiring episode - thank you!

[@SPAGirlsPodcast]

You're welcome Cat, thanks for tuning in!

[@authorkiterafrey]

I 100% read 60 min short spicy fiction in the bathtub. 1 hour is a prefect amount of time for the water to stay warm.

[@SPAGirlsPodcast]

Totally agree!

[@hjad2625]

Awesome and thank you ! I will add in comments for your algorithms

[@SPAGirlsPodcast]

Awesome, thank you!

[@JoyCollado]

I find that short books like this ~50 pages, only work for erotica because readers in this genre have different expectations than readers in other genres.

[@SPAGirlsPodcast]

Hi Joy, check out the 60, 90 and 2 hour reads lists on Amazon - lots of romance (spicy and sweet) too! ❤️

[@Financiallyfreeauthor]

This might work well for me. I under write and struggle to reach what I consider an okay word count!

[@janestanley5746]

Thank you

[@SPAGirlsPodcast]

You're welcome

[@tammybryant2037]

This helped me so much. Thanks ladies.

[@SPAGirlsPodcast]

Glad it was helpful!

[@jflsdknf]

I followed the chapter-by-chapter structure and beats she laid out in this video, wrote a 10k story, and listed the book on Booksprout. It did not go over well, the main complaint being the structure/pacing. Readers felt it was too fast and lacking detail. Basically that it was too short. Very curious to know if her or anyone else following this structure had similar results when it came to reviews or feedback after publishing.

[@HolziWolziWooo]

Sounds like you just hit the wrong audience! If you're hitting all the similar beats as successful authors in your niche, it's more likely those readers are just not your audience.

[@jflsdknf]

@@HolziWolziWooo Probably right... even so, even with ARC reviews, doing a preorder, and a professional cover, this book just brought in a whopping $5 on release day. A joke. I've lost a lot of money at this point. I started publishing in 2016, and back then I released a book with no reviews that made $1,800. I honestly think KDP is flooded and just dying if not already dead, especially for those who don't use ads. Just my experience.

[@lucylennoxmm]

Thank you all. This was amazing.

[@SPAGirlsPodcast]

thank YOU !

[@QasimAliWriter]

Thanks for sharing this great info! I wanna start publishing in short reads? I see that this video is from a year ago. Do 10k work short romance reads still work? How many books do we need when starting out?

[@SPAGirlsPodcast]

Go for it! they're still really popular - see the Amazon Short Reads categories :) Authors writing in the romance short reads tend to publish at least monthly.

[@cowgirljane6976]

Very informative and inspiring!

[@SPAGirlsPodcast]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Strathroyantiquemall]

Do you have suggestions for how to do AMS ads ?

[@SPAGirlsPodcast]

check out David Gaughran's blog post on 9 ways to improve amazon ads. For a good primer, Deb Potter's book "Amazon Ads For Authors" is excellent place to start : www.amazon.com/Amazon-Ads-Authors-Strategies-Books-ebook/dp/B07TVXQBMY Deb also did a podcast with us episode #334 www.selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/spa-girls-podcast-ep334-amazon-ads-with-deb-potter/

[@mical7582]

Can you please interview more clean romance authors.

[@SPAGirlsPodcast]

Definitely plan to, Mica! x

[@Strathroyantiquemall]

I got mixed up is chapter 5 just the kiss? and chapter six is the leading up to but not all the way and the misunderstanding?

[@SPAGirlsPodcast]

Check out Ella's website and blog where she details it all :) authorlikeaboss.com/blog-2/

[@jacquestaulard3088]

Wonderfully informative. Are there men writing romance, that is, successfully?

[@SPAGirlsPodcast]

Hi Jacques, yes there are definitely male romance writers - and have been for decades (eg. Leigh Greenwood)

[@nikkihall7994]

There are more men writing romance than many realize because almost all use feminine sounding pen names.

[@jacquestaulard3088]

Thanks for the encouraging tone. Does a man's story also feature a man as main character?

[@nikkihall7994]

@@jacquestaulard3088 All romances have two main characters. Basically both people falling in love. (Whether it's a man and a woman, two men, or even more than two people.) In a romance you typically see the relationship develop through both perspectives. I think if you were to write a love story but only from the POV of one character it might be categorized as general fiction. I could be wrong, of course, I have just never read a romance that hasn't featured at least two main characters. Hope that helps.

[@jacquestaulard3088]

@@nikkihall7994 Ah! Very well put. My normal stories feature at least one lead, but regarding writing a point of view for a woman, sigh....never figured any woman out in my personal life enough to paint an accurate portrait...except with too many dark corners! But, who knows? I happen to like love stories, even participating in them. Perhaps I can give a reader the pleasures I get with them?

[@dinascott8815]

I would love to check out her books. What is her pen name? I can't find her on Amazon. Also, do you think this would work well on Kindle Vella?

[@SPAGirlsPodcast]

Hi Dina, Ella publishes her short romances as Liz Fox on Amazon. Would recommend you join a Kindle Vella author group on facebook and check what length authors are finding success with. We can't access Vella as non-US authors, so can't share our personal experience I'm afraid! ~ Shar

[@katrinamillings3651]

I would like to know how she's doing now. Amazon is currently giving the short reads romance writers a hard time. I've read some Liz Fox books and she is romance, not erotica, but some erotica authors were miscatting into short romance and Amazon is cracking down like they do sometimes. Often times, legit authors get caught in the net. I'm starting an urban fantasy name and sticking to that from now on. Zero sex. UF readers are just as loyal as romance readers and you don't have that headache to deal with.

[@SPAGirlsPodcast]

Yes, romance writers often get the end of the short stick with 'Zon algos. All the best with your new UF, Katrina! ~ Shar

[@oORegularKevOo]

55:40 I don't think this is true. We have that same doubt. It is just that society does not allow us to express it without judgement. That is actually why many of us started writing.

[@katrinamillings3651]

Yeah, I have a lot of male friends and they are just like me. Am I good enough to get a promotion? Am I good enough to start my own business? Men and women aren't that different in that way. We're all human with doubts and worries.

[@steffnicholson9370]

I personally wonder if her books are really erotica and not romance. Would love to hear some interviews with clean romance authors.

[@SPAGirlsPodcast]

They def follow the romance structure Steff. We've got some clean romance authors coming up on the podcast in coming months - we do try to feature writers with all heat levels :) - If you haven't already, do have a listen to our episodes with Elana Johnson ~ Shar