Category: Internet Marketing

Romance books have always been a popular genre – but ‘spicy’ books have a new and massive readership thanks to several high-profile books lately (Sarah J Maas, we’re looking at you). If you’ve always wanted to make money writing books, and you have a creative imagination, this could be a great way to make money. Here’s your total guide to writing erotica, PG romance, and everything in-between!

 

What is Romance as a Genre?

Romance writing spans a very broad spectrum of types of books. There is one obvious common theme: people fall in love. But other than that, almost anything goes!

A recent boom in ‘romantasy’ blends romance with fantasy books, and this has introduced a whole new generation to romance writing (and reading). But there are lots of different types. You can either self publish or traditionally publish, depending on how quickly you want to make money and how much control you want over the publishing process.

How Spicy Do I Need to Be?

‘Spicy’ is a term used for erotic writing that is graphic and/or explicit, while more ‘traditional’ romance is often called ‘closed door’. It means you get hints of what happens, but most is left up to the reader’s imagination as it happens ‘behind closed doors’. Spicy books are often very explicit, so you need to be comfortable with writing R-rated things!

The good news is there are audiences for all levels of ‘spice’. So, if you’re not comfortable writing explicit sex scenes, you can still make money writing romance books.

How Do I Write a Romance Book?

While it is now easier than ever to publish your writing thanks to eBooks and platforms like Amazon and Apple Books, you still need to put in the work if you want to make consistent money from your romance writing!

Here are a few important things to consider.

Read, Read, Read!

First of all, before you even set pen to paper or fingers to typewriter, make sure you know your genre. Get your hands on a library card, or sign up to a free trial of Kindle Unlimited, and read as much romance fiction you can get your hands on. This is the best masterclass you can take when you’re learning how to write romance novels.

Pay attention to common themes and tropes, what you like to read and what turns you off (pun intended), and this will help you shape an idea of what kind of romance writer you want to be. It will also show you what is a bit too commonly seen, the bad kinds of tropes you want to avoid, and hopefully spark ideas about how you can tackle them in a fresh new way.

Romance Book Length

Romance is usually between 50,000 words for commercial (‘chick lit’) up to 80,000 for historical romance. Romantasy books that blend romance and fantasy genres are generally longer, up to around 100,000 words, but it doesn’t have to be that long.

You can also try your hand at short reads. Amazon Kindle determines the length of a read by the page numbers – you can’t set this in your upload metadata, but generally if you stick within certain page limits you’ll come up in the right search filters.

The rough page count for short reads would be:

• 15 minutes – 1 to 11 pages
• 30 minutes – 12 to 21 pages
• 45 minutes – 22 to 32 pages
• One hour – 33 to 43 pages
• 90 minutes – 44 to 64 pages
• Two hours or more – 65 to 100 pages

This is book pages, rather than number of pages in word. A book page is around 280 words. So, a 30-minute read at 15 pages long would be around 4,200 words. These short stories do particularly well when enrolled in Kindle Unlimited, which is ideal for new writers to build their brand – the returns are smaller, but more people are likely to read your book.

You Need a Plot

Romance isn’t just about people falling in love and doing rude things to each other! Readers of romance love the story of why people fall in love, out of love, and even when they’re torn between loving two people. Plot is very important in romance books, but there are some key moments most will have, including:

• A meet cute of the couple-to-be
• A honeymoon phase
• The problem turning point (do they have a spouse or partner already? Does someone else come into their lives? etc)
• An argument between the lovers
• Either an ending where they get back together for good (known as a happy ever after) or at least in the short-term (called ‘happy for now’)

Think about what it is that makes people fall in and out of love. Spicy books are great at focusing on the physical elements of relationships, but romance readers are a smart audience and they’ll want more than surface lust to keep them reading. Working out who your characters are, what their aim is and the obstacles they face to get to it, and why they end up in love are all important plot points you need to include.

Think About Your Audience

It helps to have a clear audience in mind before you start writing. This will impact the tone of your writing, how explicit you are with intimate scenes, and the type of plot you will write. For example, some older readers prefer classic Mills and Boon ‘gentle closed door romance’ while there is a growing trend for women in their 20s and 30s to enjoy particularly ‘spicy’ novels. Having a couple of ‘ideal readers’ in mind when you’re writing will help you stay on track and focus the ‘brand’ of your book.

Pick Your Protagonist Well

Your main character needs to be someone who is a go-getter, even if they are naturally timid. They need to have a reason to change across the book – this could be because they have moved from a village to a city (or vice versa), have a new job, go on holiday or similar. A change in circumstance and/or location is usually what makes characters seek out new things – and that’s what drives the plot of a romance book.

While your character can be anyone, generally your protagonist will be female, as the majority of romance readers are women. You can have male or non-binary perspectives, but there is a smaller niche for them. Many romance authors like to do ‘dual POV’ or dual point of view, which means you write one chapter in your protagonist’s voice and another in the antagonist (or second protagonist) voice and alternate through the book to give different perspectives. This is particularly useful for telling the story in a broader way, rather than sticking in one character’s head – but it can be tricky to do, so takes some practice.

If you decide on dual POV, be very careful not to ‘head hop’. This is when you change internal thoughts from one character to another in the same scene. It is confusing for the reader! So stick to one scene, one person’s inner thoughts – then you can always change the character in the next scene.

Find a Proofreader

Before you publish or send your book to an agent to get published, you need to have someone else read your book. There are different types of editors, costing different amounts. A developmental editor is very deep-dive and will work on the structure and story of your romance novel. A copy editor or line editor will improve how your sentences flow and fact-check things to make sure you don’t make any glaring mistakes. The cheapest option is a proofreader, who reads the book and highlights your spelling and grammar errors.

It might feel hard to pay before you get any income from your book, but if you’re the only person reading it you can easily miss errors because you’ve been staring at the same pages for weeks! A good proofreader will help you bring your book up to standard. It’s important for whether you are self publishing or sending to an agent.

First, with self publishing, it is important to avoid spelling and grammatical errors which can put off your readers – and with platforms like Kindle Unlimited, you’re paid by the number of pages that are read. So you want people to keep reading!

Secondly, if you want to be noticed by a publisher or agent, you need your manuscript to be in the best shape possible to get their attention. Mistakes can stop them reading and reject the book, which means you’ll have to start the long query process all over again.

Do I Need an Agent to Publish My Romance Novel?

Yes or no! There are two reasons both answers are true.

Self publishers don’t need an agent – they can publish whatever they want, whenever they want. But as we talked about earlier, they also have to do all the marketing and business side of selling romance novels, too.

Some traditional publishers, like Mills and Boon (read more below) will accept book submissions from someone who doesn’t have an agent. There aren’t many places that do this, and they’re very competitive, but it is a way in to the industry if you can get it.

Most traditional publishers will only take submissions from an agent. This means you need to get literary representation before you can think about publishing. This tends to be more for commercial women’s fiction or high-profile genres like romantasy.

Where Can I Publish My Romance Book?

You can choose to self publish your book on platforms like Amazon, or traditionally publish to get your book into shops. There are pros and cons to both.

Self publishing gives you total control over what you write, when it is published, and you receive a higher percentage of sale revenue. However, you also need to design your book cover, run your PR, and continue to market the book once it is published, all of which can cost money and take a lot of time to learn and carry out. You don’t get an advance payment with self publishing, so you need some funds to get started.

Traditional publishing is historically more ‘prestigious’, but that matters less these days. However, you will have an editor and marketing team behind the book if you manage to sell it to a publisher, so you don’t have to do everything as you do with self publishing. You will also be paid an advance if you sell the book, but make a smaller percentage on royalties.

Publishing on Amazon

It is very easy for anybody to self publish on Amazon and similar platforms. You need to have a finished book that is in a book format – software like Vellum can help you with this, or there are Word templates online you can use. Many authors enjoy using Scrivener, which has some helpful preset templates and can be exported into various formats. If you’re a member of the Society of Authors, you can get a 20% discount on the software – plus they do a free 30-day trial for everyone.

You need a few things before you can hit publish:

• A book cover
• A back blurb (the short description on the back of the book to entice readers)
• The manuscript
• An ISBN number (two if you plan to allow for physical copies to be purchased)
• Social media art for promotion
• Short descriptions for meta data
• A list of keywords that relate to your book to help people find it in searches

Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing is the most common platform for new writers to start on. There is a helpful tutorial on the website, and lots of YouTube videos for more in-depth lessons about the nuances of promoting your romance book.

Publishing Mills and Boon Books

If self publishing sounds too complicated, or you want the prestige of being a traditionally published author, Mills and Boon are the most famous name in romance. The brilliant news is that you don’t need to have an agent to submit to them – which is very unusual in the world of traditional publishing!

There are some guidelines to follow before you submit. Read their submission guidelines on the website – and make sure you know which imprint you want to submit to, too. Different imprints are like different brands underneath the Mills and Boon umbrella, and they each have a distinctive voice, audience, and types of story.

Mills and Boon Modern – has a hero willing to take charge, but the heroine has a feisty side to her. Think international glitz and glamour for this series.

Mills and Boon True Love – this series is about relatable women and deeply desirable men, without graphic scenes but intense emotion and tension.

Mills and Boon Medical – the clue is in the name here, with medical settings taking the foreground, and dedicated medical professionals with hearts of gold who work together.

Mills and Boon Historical – every time period up to the 1950s and every level of spice is accepted, with dynamic characters who have relatable conflicts

Harlequin Books

Mills and Boon also have Harlequin books, which is another type of novel. They are more cross-genre than the above imprints. The Intrigue submission guidelines state that books with thriller storylines around 55,000 words are welcomed. The Suspense submission guidelines state that imprint is for more complex, sustained suspense romance stories around 70,000 words long.

Getting Started Resources

The internet is your friend! There are so many amazing YouTube channels and podcasts and Substacks, it’s too many to list, but these ones are great for beginner writers – some are romance-specific, while others help you learn more about the craft of writing and also self-publishing.

YouTube Channels

• Alexa Donne
• Abbie Emmons
• SPA Girls Podcast (romance self publishing focus)
• Reedsy
• The Creative Penn
• Leslye Penelope

Podcasts, Websites, and Newsletters

• The Sh*t No One Tells You About Writing (language content warning)
• Chapter Break
• How to Write a Book (Elizabeth Day)
• BBC Maestro – JoJo Moyes Romance Masterclass (this is a paid class, keep an eye out on the site for discounts a few times a year)
• How to Write a Romance Novel (Penguin Books Website)
• How to Write Exciting Romantic Fiction
• How to Write a Romance Novel (The Novelry Blog)
• The Romance Novelists’ Association

Keep an eye out for the next in this series, which will be all about how to create an author brand to sell more books!

The post Make Money with Spicy Romance Books appeared first on MoneyMagpie.

Original source: https://www.moneymagpie.com/make-money/make-money-with-spicy-romance-books

Romance books have always been a popular genre – but ‘spicy’ books have a new and massive readership thanks to several high-profile books lately (Sarah J Maas, we’re looking at you). If you’ve always wanted to make money writing books, and you have a creative imagination, this could be a great way to make money. Here’s your total guide to writing erotica, PG romance, and everything in-between!

 

What is Romance as a Genre?

Romance writing spans a very broad spectrum of types of books. There is one obvious common theme: people fall in love. But other than that, almost anything goes!

A recent boom in ‘romantasy’ blends romance with fantasy books, and this has introduced a whole new generation to romance writing (and reading). But there are lots of different types. You can either self publish or traditionally publish, depending on how quickly you want to make money and how much control you want over the publishing process.

How Spicy Do I Need to Be?

‘Spicy’ is a term used for erotic writing that is graphic and/or explicit, while more ‘traditional’ romance is often called ‘closed door’. It means you get hints of what happens, but most is left up to the reader’s imagination as it happens ‘behind closed doors’. Spicy books are often very explicit, so you need to be comfortable with writing R-rated things!

The good news is there are audiences for all levels of ‘spice’. So, if you’re not comfortable writing explicit sex scenes, you can still make money writing romance books.

How Do I Write a Romance Book?

While it is now easier than ever to publish your writing thanks to eBooks and platforms like Amazon and Apple Books, you still need to put in the work if you want to make consistent money from your romance writing!

Here are a few important things to consider.

Read, Read, Read!

First of all, before you even set pen to paper or fingers to typewriter, make sure you know your genre. Get your hands on a library card, or sign up to a free trial of Kindle Unlimited, and read as much romance fiction you can get your hands on. This is the best masterclass you can take when you’re learning how to write romance novels.

Pay attention to common themes and tropes, what you like to read and what turns you off (pun intended), and this will help you shape an idea of what kind of romance writer you want to be. It will also show you what is a bit too commonly seen, the bad kinds of tropes you want to avoid, and hopefully spark ideas about how you can tackle them in a fresh new way.

Romance Book Length

Romance is usually between 50,000 words for commercial (‘chick lit’) up to 80,000 for historical romance. Romantasy books that blend romance and fantasy genres are generally longer, up to around 100,000 words, but it doesn’t have to be that long.

You can also try your hand at short reads. Amazon Kindle determines the length of a read by the page numbers – you can’t set this in your upload metadata, but generally if you stick within certain page limits you’ll come up in the right search filters.

The rough page count for short reads would be:

• 15 minutes – 1 to 11 pages
• 30 minutes – 12 to 21 pages
• 45 minutes – 22 to 32 pages
• One hour – 33 to 43 pages
• 90 minutes – 44 to 64 pages
• Two hours or more – 65 to 100 pages

This is book pages, rather than number of pages in word. A book page is around 280 words. So, a 30-minute read at 15 pages long would be around 4,200 words. These short stories do particularly well when enrolled in Kindle Unlimited, which is ideal for new writers to build their brand – the returns are smaller, but more people are likely to read your book.

You Need a Plot

Romance isn’t just about people falling in love and doing rude things to each other! Readers of romance love the story of why people fall in love, out of love, and even when they’re torn between loving two people. Plot is very important in romance books, but there are some key moments most will have, including:

• A meet cute of the couple-to-be
• A honeymoon phase
• The problem turning point (do they have a spouse or partner already? Does someone else come into their lives? etc)
• An argument between the lovers
• Either an ending where they get back together for good (known as a happy ever after) or at least in the short-term (called ‘happy for now’)

Think about what it is that makes people fall in and out of love. Spicy books are great at focusing on the physical elements of relationships, but romance readers are a smart audience and they’ll want more than surface lust to keep them reading. Working out who your characters are, what their aim is and the obstacles they face to get to it, and why they end up in love are all important plot points you need to include.

Think About Your Audience

It helps to have a clear audience in mind before you start writing. This will impact the tone of your writing, how explicit you are with intimate scenes, and the type of plot you will write. For example, some older readers prefer classic Mills and Boon ‘gentle closed door romance’ while there is a growing trend for women in their 20s and 30s to enjoy particularly ‘spicy’ novels. Having a couple of ‘ideal readers’ in mind when you’re writing will help you stay on track and focus the ‘brand’ of your book.

Pick Your Protagonist Well

Your main character needs to be someone who is a go-getter, even if they are naturally timid. They need to have a reason to change across the book – this could be because they have moved from a village to a city (or vice versa), have a new job, go on holiday or similar. A change in circumstance and/or location is usually what makes characters seek out new things – and that’s what drives the plot of a romance book.

While your character can be anyone, generally your protagonist will be female, as the majority of romance readers are women. You can have male or non-binary perspectives, but there is a smaller niche for them. Many romance authors like to do ‘dual POV’ or dual point of view, which means you write one chapter in your protagonist’s voice and another in the antagonist (or second protagonist) voice and alternate through the book to give different perspectives. This is particularly useful for telling the story in a broader way, rather than sticking in one character’s head – but it can be tricky to do, so takes some practice.

If you decide on dual POV, be very careful not to ‘head hop’. This is when you change internal thoughts from one character to another in the same scene. It is confusing for the reader! So stick to one scene, one person’s inner thoughts – then you can always change the character in the next scene.

Find a Proofreader

Before you publish or send your book to an agent to get published, you need to have someone else read your book. There are different types of editors, costing different amounts. A developmental editor is very deep-dive and will work on the structure and story of your romance novel. A copy editor or line editor will improve how your sentences flow and fact-check things to make sure you don’t make any glaring mistakes. The cheapest option is a proofreader, who reads the book and highlights your spelling and grammar errors.

It might feel hard to pay before you get any income from your book, but if you’re the only person reading it you can easily miss errors because you’ve been staring at the same pages for weeks! A good proofreader will help you bring your book up to standard. It’s important for whether you are self publishing or sending to an agent.

First, with self publishing, it is important to avoid spelling and grammatical errors which can put off your readers – and with platforms like Kindle Unlimited, you’re paid by the number of pages that are read. So you want people to keep reading!

Secondly, if you want to be noticed by a publisher or agent, you need your manuscript to be in the best shape possible to get their attention. Mistakes can stop them reading and reject the book, which means you’ll have to start the long query process all over again.

Do I Need an Agent to Publish My Romance Novel?

Yes or no! There are two reasons both answers are true.

Self publishers don’t need an agent – they can publish whatever they want, whenever they want. But as we talked about earlier, they also have to do all the marketing and business side of selling romance novels, too.

Some traditional publishers, like Mills and Boon (read more below) will accept book submissions from someone who doesn’t have an agent. There aren’t many places that do this, and they’re very competitive, but it is a way in to the industry if you can get it.

Most traditional publishers will only take submissions from an agent. This means you need to get literary representation before you can think about publishing. This tends to be more for commercial women’s fiction or high-profile genres like romantasy.

Where Can I Publish My Romance Book?

You can choose to self publish your book on platforms like Amazon, or traditionally publish to get your book into shops. There are pros and cons to both.

Self publishing gives you total control over what you write, when it is published, and you receive a higher percentage of sale revenue. However, you also need to design your book cover, run your PR, and continue to market the book once it is published, all of which can cost money and take a lot of time to learn and carry out. You don’t get an advance payment with self publishing, so you need some funds to get started.

Traditional publishing is historically more ‘prestigious’, but that matters less these days. However, you will have an editor and marketing team behind the book if you manage to sell it to a publisher, so you don’t have to do everything as you do with self publishing. You will also be paid an advance if you sell the book, but make a smaller percentage on royalties.

Publishing on Amazon

It is very easy for anybody to self publish on Amazon and similar platforms. You need to have a finished book that is in a book format – software like Vellum can help you with this, or there are Word templates online you can use. Many authors enjoy using Scrivener, which has some helpful preset templates and can be exported into various formats. If you’re a member of the Society of Authors, you can get a 20% discount on the software – plus they do a free 30-day trial for everyone.

You need a few things before you can hit publish:

• A book cover
• A back blurb (the short description on the back of the book to entice readers)
• The manuscript
• An ISBN number (two if you plan to allow for physical copies to be purchased)
• Social media art for promotion
• Short descriptions for meta data
• A list of keywords that relate to your book to help people find it in searches

Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing is the most common platform for new writers to start on. There is a helpful tutorial on the website, and lots of YouTube videos for more in-depth lessons about the nuances of promoting your romance book.

Publishing Mills and Boon Books

If self publishing sounds too complicated, or you want the prestige of being a traditionally published author, Mills and Boon are the most famous name in romance. The brilliant news is that you don’t need to have an agent to submit to them – which is very unusual in the world of traditional publishing!

There are some guidelines to follow before you submit. Read their submission guidelines on the website – and make sure you know which imprint you want to submit to, too. Different imprints are like different brands underneath the Mills and Boon umbrella, and they each have a distinctive voice, audience, and types of story.

Mills and Boon Modern – has a hero willing to take charge, but the heroine has a feisty side to her. Think international glitz and glamour for this series.

Mills and Boon True Love – this series is about relatable women and deeply desirable men, without graphic scenes but intense emotion and tension.

Mills and Boon Medical – the clue is in the name here, with medical settings taking the foreground, and dedicated medical professionals with hearts of gold who work together.

Mills and Boon Historical – every time period up to the 1950s and every level of spice is accepted, with dynamic characters who have relatable conflicts

Harlequin Books

Mills and Boon also have Harlequin books, which is another type of novel. They are more cross-genre than the above imprints. The Intrigue submission guidelines state that books with thriller storylines around 55,000 words are welcomed. The Suspense submission guidelines state that imprint is for more complex, sustained suspense romance stories around 70,000 words long.

Getting Started Resources

The internet is your friend! There are so many amazing YouTube channels and podcasts and Substacks, it’s too many to list, but these ones are great for beginner writers – some are romance-specific, while others help you learn more about the craft of writing and also self-publishing.

YouTube Channels

• Alexa Donne
• Abbie Emmons
• SPA Girls Podcast (romance self publishing focus)
• Reedsy
• The Creative Penn
• Leslye Penelope

Podcasts, Websites, and Newsletters

• The Sh*t No One Tells You About Writing (language content warning)
• Chapter Break
• How to Write a Book (Elizabeth Day)
• BBC Maestro – JoJo Moyes Romance Masterclass (this is a paid class, keep an eye out on the site for discounts a few times a year)
• How to Write a Romance Novel (Penguin Books Website)
• How to Write Exciting Romantic Fiction
• How to Write a Romance Novel (The Novelry Blog)
• The Romance Novelists’ Association

Keep an eye out for the next in this series, which will be all about how to create an author brand to sell more books!

The post Make Money with Spicy Romance Books appeared first on MoneyMagpie.

Original source: https://www.moneymagpie.com/make-money/make-money-with-spicy-romance-books

Romance books have always been a popular genre – but ‘spicy’ books have a new and massive readership thanks to several high-profile books lately (Sarah J Maas, we’re looking at you). If you’ve always wanted to make money writing books, and you have a creative imagination, this could be a great way to make money. Here’s your total guide to writing erotica, PG romance, and everything in-between!

 

What is Romance as a Genre?

Romance writing spans a very broad spectrum of types of books. There is one obvious common theme: people fall in love. But other than that, almost anything goes!

A recent boom in ‘romantasy’ blends romance with fantasy books, and this has introduced a whole new generation to romance writing (and reading). But there are lots of different types. You can either self publish or traditionally publish, depending on how quickly you want to make money and how much control you want over the publishing process.

How Spicy Do I Need to Be?

‘Spicy’ is a term used for erotic writing that is graphic and/or explicit, while more ‘traditional’ romance is often called ‘closed door’. It means you get hints of what happens, but most is left up to the reader’s imagination as it happens ‘behind closed doors’. Spicy books are often very explicit, so you need to be comfortable with writing R-rated things!

The good news is there are audiences for all levels of ‘spice’. So, if you’re not comfortable writing explicit sex scenes, you can still make money writing romance books.

How Do I Write a Romance Book?

While it is now easier than ever to publish your writing thanks to eBooks and platforms like Amazon and Apple Books, you still need to put in the work if you want to make consistent money from your romance writing!

Here are a few important things to consider.

Read, Read, Read!

First of all, before you even set pen to paper or fingers to typewriter, make sure you know your genre. Get your hands on a library card, or sign up to a free trial of Kindle Unlimited, and read as much romance fiction you can get your hands on. This is the best masterclass you can take when you’re learning how to write romance novels.

Pay attention to common themes and tropes, what you like to read and what turns you off (pun intended), and this will help you shape an idea of what kind of romance writer you want to be. It will also show you what is a bit too commonly seen, the bad kinds of tropes you want to avoid, and hopefully spark ideas about how you can tackle them in a fresh new way.

Romance Book Length

Romance is usually between 50,000 words for commercial (‘chick lit’) up to 80,000 for historical romance. Romantasy books that blend romance and fantasy genres are generally longer, up to around 100,000 words, but it doesn’t have to be that long.

You can also try your hand at short reads. Amazon Kindle determines the length of a read by the page numbers – you can’t set this in your upload metadata, but generally if you stick within certain page limits you’ll come up in the right search filters.

The rough page count for short reads would be:

• 15 minutes – 1 to 11 pages
• 30 minutes – 12 to 21 pages
• 45 minutes – 22 to 32 pages
• One hour – 33 to 43 pages
• 90 minutes – 44 to 64 pages
• Two hours or more – 65 to 100 pages

This is book pages, rather than number of pages in word. A book page is around 280 words. So, a 30-minute read at 15 pages long would be around 4,200 words. These short stories do particularly well when enrolled in Kindle Unlimited, which is ideal for new writers to build their brand – the returns are smaller, but more people are likely to read your book.

You Need a Plot

Romance isn’t just about people falling in love and doing rude things to each other! Readers of romance love the story of why people fall in love, out of love, and even when they’re torn between loving two people. Plot is very important in romance books, but there are some key moments most will have, including:

• A meet cute of the couple-to-be
• A honeymoon phase
• The problem turning point (do they have a spouse or partner already? Does someone else come into their lives? etc)
• An argument between the lovers
• Either an ending where they get back together for good (known as a happy ever after) or at least in the short-term (called ‘happy for now’)

Think about what it is that makes people fall in and out of love. Spicy books are great at focusing on the physical elements of relationships, but romance readers are a smart audience and they’ll want more than surface lust to keep them reading. Working out who your characters are, what their aim is and the obstacles they face to get to it, and why they end up in love are all important plot points you need to include.

Think About Your Audience

It helps to have a clear audience in mind before you start writing. This will impact the tone of your writing, how explicit you are with intimate scenes, and the type of plot you will write. For example, some older readers prefer classic Mills and Boon ‘gentle closed door romance’ while there is a growing trend for women in their 20s and 30s to enjoy particularly ‘spicy’ novels. Having a couple of ‘ideal readers’ in mind when you’re writing will help you stay on track and focus the ‘brand’ of your book.

Pick Your Protagonist Well

Your main character needs to be someone who is a go-getter, even if they are naturally timid. They need to have a reason to change across the book – this could be because they have moved from a village to a city (or vice versa), have a new job, go on holiday or similar. A change in circumstance and/or location is usually what makes characters seek out new things – and that’s what drives the plot of a romance book.

While your character can be anyone, generally your protagonist will be female, as the majority of romance readers are women. You can have male or non-binary perspectives, but there is a smaller niche for them. Many romance authors like to do ‘dual POV’ or dual point of view, which means you write one chapter in your protagonist’s voice and another in the antagonist (or second protagonist) voice and alternate through the book to give different perspectives. This is particularly useful for telling the story in a broader way, rather than sticking in one character’s head – but it can be tricky to do, so takes some practice.

If you decide on dual POV, be very careful not to ‘head hop’. This is when you change internal thoughts from one character to another in the same scene. It is confusing for the reader! So stick to one scene, one person’s inner thoughts – then you can always change the character in the next scene.

Find a Proofreader

Before you publish or send your book to an agent to get published, you need to have someone else read your book. There are different types of editors, costing different amounts. A developmental editor is very deep-dive and will work on the structure and story of your romance novel. A copy editor or line editor will improve how your sentences flow and fact-check things to make sure you don’t make any glaring mistakes. The cheapest option is a proofreader, who reads the book and highlights your spelling and grammar errors.

It might feel hard to pay before you get any income from your book, but if you’re the only person reading it you can easily miss errors because you’ve been staring at the same pages for weeks! A good proofreader will help you bring your book up to standard. It’s important for whether you are self publishing or sending to an agent.

First, with self publishing, it is important to avoid spelling and grammatical errors which can put off your readers – and with platforms like Kindle Unlimited, you’re paid by the number of pages that are read. So you want people to keep reading!

Secondly, if you want to be noticed by a publisher or agent, you need your manuscript to be in the best shape possible to get their attention. Mistakes can stop them reading and reject the book, which means you’ll have to start the long query process all over again.

Do I Need an Agent to Publish My Romance Novel?

Yes or no! There are two reasons both answers are true.

Self publishers don’t need an agent – they can publish whatever they want, whenever they want. But as we talked about earlier, they also have to do all the marketing and business side of selling romance novels, too.

Some traditional publishers, like Mills and Boon (read more below) will accept book submissions from someone who doesn’t have an agent. There aren’t many places that do this, and they’re very competitive, but it is a way in to the industry if you can get it.

Most traditional publishers will only take submissions from an agent. This means you need to get literary representation before you can think about publishing. This tends to be more for commercial women’s fiction or high-profile genres like romantasy.

Where Can I Publish My Romance Book?

You can choose to self publish your book on platforms like Amazon, or traditionally publish to get your book into shops. There are pros and cons to both.

Self publishing gives you total control over what you write, when it is published, and you receive a higher percentage of sale revenue. However, you also need to design your book cover, run your PR, and continue to market the book once it is published, all of which can cost money and take a lot of time to learn and carry out. You don’t get an advance payment with self publishing, so you need some funds to get started.

Traditional publishing is historically more ‘prestigious’, but that matters less these days. However, you will have an editor and marketing team behind the book if you manage to sell it to a publisher, so you don’t have to do everything as you do with self publishing. You will also be paid an advance if you sell the book, but make a smaller percentage on royalties.

Publishing on Amazon

It is very easy for anybody to self publish on Amazon and similar platforms. You need to have a finished book that is in a book format – software like Vellum can help you with this, or there are Word templates online you can use. Many authors enjoy using Scrivener, which has some helpful preset templates and can be exported into various formats. If you’re a member of the Society of Authors, you can get a 20% discount on the software – plus they do a free 30-day trial for everyone.

You need a few things before you can hit publish:

• A book cover
• A back blurb (the short description on the back of the book to entice readers)
• The manuscript
• An ISBN number (two if you plan to allow for physical copies to be purchased)
• Social media art for promotion
• Short descriptions for meta data
• A list of keywords that relate to your book to help people find it in searches

Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing is the most common platform for new writers to start on. There is a helpful tutorial on the website, and lots of YouTube videos for more in-depth lessons about the nuances of promoting your romance book.

Publishing Mills and Boon Books

If self publishing sounds too complicated, or you want the prestige of being a traditionally published author, Mills and Boon are the most famous name in romance. The brilliant news is that you don’t need to have an agent to submit to them – which is very unusual in the world of traditional publishing!

There are some guidelines to follow before you submit. Read their submission guidelines on the website – and make sure you know which imprint you want to submit to, too. Different imprints are like different brands underneath the Mills and Boon umbrella, and they each have a distinctive voice, audience, and types of story.

Mills and Boon Modern – has a hero willing to take charge, but the heroine has a feisty side to her. Think international glitz and glamour for this series.

Mills and Boon True Love – this series is about relatable women and deeply desirable men, without graphic scenes but intense emotion and tension.

Mills and Boon Medical – the clue is in the name here, with medical settings taking the foreground, and dedicated medical professionals with hearts of gold who work together.

Mills and Boon Historical – every time period up to the 1950s and every level of spice is accepted, with dynamic characters who have relatable conflicts

Harlequin Books

Mills and Boon also have Harlequin books, which is another type of novel. They are more cross-genre than the above imprints. The Intrigue submission guidelines state that books with thriller storylines around 55,000 words are welcomed. The Suspense submission guidelines state that imprint is for more complex, sustained suspense romance stories around 70,000 words long.

Getting Started Resources

The internet is your friend! There are so many amazing YouTube channels and podcasts and Substacks, it’s too many to list, but these ones are great for beginner writers – some are romance-specific, while others help you learn more about the craft of writing and also self-publishing.

YouTube Channels

• Alexa Donne
• Abbie Emmons
• SPA Girls Podcast (romance self publishing focus)
• Reedsy
• The Creative Penn
• Leslye Penelope

Podcasts, Websites, and Newsletters

• The Sh*t No One Tells You About Writing (language content warning)
• Chapter Break
• How to Write a Book (Elizabeth Day)
• BBC Maestro – JoJo Moyes Romance Masterclass (this is a paid class, keep an eye out on the site for discounts a few times a year)
• How to Write a Romance Novel (Penguin Books Website)
• How to Write Exciting Romantic Fiction
• How to Write a Romance Novel (The Novelry Blog)
• The Romance Novelists’ Association

Keep an eye out for the next in this series, which will be all about how to create an author brand to sell more books!

The post Make Money with Spicy Romance Books appeared first on MoneyMagpie.

Original source: https://www.moneymagpie.com/make-money/make-money-with-spicy-romance-books

Romance books have always been a popular genre – but ‘spicy’ books have a new and massive readership thanks to several high-profile books lately (Sarah J Maas, we’re looking at you). If you’ve always wanted to make money writing books, and you have a creative imagination, this could be a great way to make money. Here’s your total guide to writing erotica, PG romance, and everything in-between!

 

What is Romance as a Genre?

Romance writing spans a very broad spectrum of types of books. There is one obvious common theme: people fall in love. But other than that, almost anything goes!

A recent boom in ‘romantasy’ blends romance with fantasy books, and this has introduced a whole new generation to romance writing (and reading). But there are lots of different types. You can either self publish or traditionally publish, depending on how quickly you want to make money and how much control you want over the publishing process.

How Spicy Do I Need to Be?

‘Spicy’ is a term used for erotic writing that is graphic and/or explicit, while more ‘traditional’ romance is often called ‘closed door’. It means you get hints of what happens, but most is left up to the reader’s imagination as it happens ‘behind closed doors’. Spicy books are often very explicit, so you need to be comfortable with writing R-rated things!

The good news is there are audiences for all levels of ‘spice’. So, if you’re not comfortable writing explicit sex scenes, you can still make money writing romance books.

How Do I Write a Romance Book?

While it is now easier than ever to publish your writing thanks to eBooks and platforms like Amazon and Apple Books, you still need to put in the work if you want to make consistent money from your romance writing!

Here are a few important things to consider.

Read, Read, Read!

First of all, before you even set pen to paper or fingers to typewriter, make sure you know your genre. Get your hands on a library card, or sign up to a free trial of Kindle Unlimited, and read as much romance fiction you can get your hands on. This is the best masterclass you can take when you’re learning how to write romance novels.

Pay attention to common themes and tropes, what you like to read and what turns you off (pun intended), and this will help you shape an idea of what kind of romance writer you want to be. It will also show you what is a bit too commonly seen, the bad kinds of tropes you want to avoid, and hopefully spark ideas about how you can tackle them in a fresh new way.

Romance Book Length

Romance is usually between 50,000 words for commercial (‘chick lit’) up to 80,000 for historical romance. Romantasy books that blend romance and fantasy genres are generally longer, up to around 100,000 words, but it doesn’t have to be that long.

You can also try your hand at short reads. Amazon Kindle determines the length of a read by the page numbers – you can’t set this in your upload metadata, but generally if you stick within certain page limits you’ll come up in the right search filters.

The rough page count for short reads would be:

• 15 minutes – 1 to 11 pages
• 30 minutes – 12 to 21 pages
• 45 minutes – 22 to 32 pages
• One hour – 33 to 43 pages
• 90 minutes – 44 to 64 pages
• Two hours or more – 65 to 100 pages

This is book pages, rather than number of pages in word. A book page is around 280 words. So, a 30-minute read at 15 pages long would be around 4,200 words. These short stories do particularly well when enrolled in Kindle Unlimited, which is ideal for new writers to build their brand – the returns are smaller, but more people are likely to read your book.

You Need a Plot

Romance isn’t just about people falling in love and doing rude things to each other! Readers of romance love the story of why people fall in love, out of love, and even when they’re torn between loving two people. Plot is very important in romance books, but there are some key moments most will have, including:

• A meet cute of the couple-to-be
• A honeymoon phase
• The problem turning point (do they have a spouse or partner already? Does someone else come into their lives? etc)
• An argument between the lovers
• Either an ending where they get back together for good (known as a happy ever after) or at least in the short-term (called ‘happy for now’)

Think about what it is that makes people fall in and out of love. Spicy books are great at focusing on the physical elements of relationships, but romance readers are a smart audience and they’ll want more than surface lust to keep them reading. Working out who your characters are, what their aim is and the obstacles they face to get to it, and why they end up in love are all important plot points you need to include.

Think About Your Audience

It helps to have a clear audience in mind before you start writing. This will impact the tone of your writing, how explicit you are with intimate scenes, and the type of plot you will write. For example, some older readers prefer classic Mills and Boon ‘gentle closed door romance’ while there is a growing trend for women in their 20s and 30s to enjoy particularly ‘spicy’ novels. Having a couple of ‘ideal readers’ in mind when you’re writing will help you stay on track and focus the ‘brand’ of your book.

Pick Your Protagonist Well

Your main character needs to be someone who is a go-getter, even if they are naturally timid. They need to have a reason to change across the book – this could be because they have moved from a village to a city (or vice versa), have a new job, go on holiday or similar. A change in circumstance and/or location is usually what makes characters seek out new things – and that’s what drives the plot of a romance book.

While your character can be anyone, generally your protagonist will be female, as the majority of romance readers are women. You can have male or non-binary perspectives, but there is a smaller niche for them. Many romance authors like to do ‘dual POV’ or dual point of view, which means you write one chapter in your protagonist’s voice and another in the antagonist (or second protagonist) voice and alternate through the book to give different perspectives. This is particularly useful for telling the story in a broader way, rather than sticking in one character’s head – but it can be tricky to do, so takes some practice.

If you decide on dual POV, be very careful not to ‘head hop’. This is when you change internal thoughts from one character to another in the same scene. It is confusing for the reader! So stick to one scene, one person’s inner thoughts – then you can always change the character in the next scene.

Find a Proofreader

Before you publish or send your book to an agent to get published, you need to have someone else read your book. There are different types of editors, costing different amounts. A developmental editor is very deep-dive and will work on the structure and story of your romance novel. A copy editor or line editor will improve how your sentences flow and fact-check things to make sure you don’t make any glaring mistakes. The cheapest option is a proofreader, who reads the book and highlights your spelling and grammar errors.

It might feel hard to pay before you get any income from your book, but if you’re the only person reading it you can easily miss errors because you’ve been staring at the same pages for weeks! A good proofreader will help you bring your book up to standard. It’s important for whether you are self publishing or sending to an agent.

First, with self publishing, it is important to avoid spelling and grammatical errors which can put off your readers – and with platforms like Kindle Unlimited, you’re paid by the number of pages that are read. So you want people to keep reading!

Secondly, if you want to be noticed by a publisher or agent, you need your manuscript to be in the best shape possible to get their attention. Mistakes can stop them reading and reject the book, which means you’ll have to start the long query process all over again.

Do I Need an Agent to Publish My Romance Novel?

Yes or no! There are two reasons both answers are true.

Self publishers don’t need an agent – they can publish whatever they want, whenever they want. But as we talked about earlier, they also have to do all the marketing and business side of selling romance novels, too.

Some traditional publishers, like Mills and Boon (read more below) will accept book submissions from someone who doesn’t have an agent. There aren’t many places that do this, and they’re very competitive, but it is a way in to the industry if you can get it.

Most traditional publishers will only take submissions from an agent. This means you need to get literary representation before you can think about publishing. This tends to be more for commercial women’s fiction or high-profile genres like romantasy.

Where Can I Publish My Romance Book?

You can choose to self publish your book on platforms like Amazon, or traditionally publish to get your book into shops. There are pros and cons to both.

Self publishing gives you total control over what you write, when it is published, and you receive a higher percentage of sale revenue. However, you also need to design your book cover, run your PR, and continue to market the book once it is published, all of which can cost money and take a lot of time to learn and carry out. You don’t get an advance payment with self publishing, so you need some funds to get started.

Traditional publishing is historically more ‘prestigious’, but that matters less these days. However, you will have an editor and marketing team behind the book if you manage to sell it to a publisher, so you don’t have to do everything as you do with self publishing. You will also be paid an advance if you sell the book, but make a smaller percentage on royalties.

Publishing on Amazon

It is very easy for anybody to self publish on Amazon and similar platforms. You need to have a finished book that is in a book format – software like Vellum can help you with this, or there are Word templates online you can use. Many authors enjoy using Scrivener, which has some helpful preset templates and can be exported into various formats. If you’re a member of the Society of Authors, you can get a 20% discount on the software – plus they do a free 30-day trial for everyone.

You need a few things before you can hit publish:

• A book cover
• A back blurb (the short description on the back of the book to entice readers)
• The manuscript
• An ISBN number (two if you plan to allow for physical copies to be purchased)
• Social media art for promotion
• Short descriptions for meta data
• A list of keywords that relate to your book to help people find it in searches

Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing is the most common platform for new writers to start on. There is a helpful tutorial on the website, and lots of YouTube videos for more in-depth lessons about the nuances of promoting your romance book.

Publishing Mills and Boon Books

If self publishing sounds too complicated, or you want the prestige of being a traditionally published author, Mills and Boon are the most famous name in romance. The brilliant news is that you don’t need to have an agent to submit to them – which is very unusual in the world of traditional publishing!

There are some guidelines to follow before you submit. Read their submission guidelines on the website – and make sure you know which imprint you want to submit to, too. Different imprints are like different brands underneath the Mills and Boon umbrella, and they each have a distinctive voice, audience, and types of story.

Mills and Boon Modern – has a hero willing to take charge, but the heroine has a feisty side to her. Think international glitz and glamour for this series.

Mills and Boon True Love – this series is about relatable women and deeply desirable men, without graphic scenes but intense emotion and tension.

Mills and Boon Medical – the clue is in the name here, with medical settings taking the foreground, and dedicated medical professionals with hearts of gold who work together.

Mills and Boon Historical – every time period up to the 1950s and every level of spice is accepted, with dynamic characters who have relatable conflicts

Harlequin Books

Mills and Boon also have Harlequin books, which is another type of novel. They are more cross-genre than the above imprints. The Intrigue submission guidelines state that books with thriller storylines around 55,000 words are welcomed. The Suspense submission guidelines state that imprint is for more complex, sustained suspense romance stories around 70,000 words long.

Getting Started Resources

The internet is your friend! There are so many amazing YouTube channels and podcasts and Substacks, it’s too many to list, but these ones are great for beginner writers – some are romance-specific, while others help you learn more about the craft of writing and also self-publishing.

YouTube Channels

• Alexa Donne
• Abbie Emmons
• SPA Girls Podcast (romance self publishing focus)
• Reedsy
• The Creative Penn
• Leslye Penelope

Podcasts, Websites, and Newsletters

• The Sh*t No One Tells You About Writing (language content warning)
• Chapter Break
• How to Write a Book (Elizabeth Day)
• BBC Maestro – JoJo Moyes Romance Masterclass (this is a paid class, keep an eye out on the site for discounts a few times a year)
• How to Write a Romance Novel (Penguin Books Website)
• How to Write Exciting Romantic Fiction
• How to Write a Romance Novel (The Novelry Blog)
• The Romance Novelists’ Association

Keep an eye out for the next in this series, which will be all about how to create an author brand to sell more books!

The post Make Money with Spicy Romance Books appeared first on MoneyMagpie.

Original source: https://www.moneymagpie.com/make-money/make-money-with-spicy-romance-books

Home Business Magazine Online

Phishing attacks are very common and equally very dangerous. It happens when criminals try to trick you into giving them your personal information. They try to get people to release their passwords, credit card numbers, or even social security numbers.

The hacker will pose as someone you know or trust to get your information. Many times, they can come in like a bank official or a popular website. They usually send their phishing attacks through email, text messages, or even phone calls. So, it is very important to know how to identify them so they don’t steal your data.

How to Identify Phishing Attacks

Before you can prevent a phishing attack, you need to know how to identify it. Here, we will explain how you can recognize them:

Look for Unusual Email Addresses

One of the first signs that shows it is a phishing attack is if the email address is unusual. If it is an email from your bank, check the email address to see if it looks strange. If it does, then it might be a phishing attempt. It is important that you check the sender’s email address before clicking on any links.

Urgent or Threatening Language

Another thing about these attacks is that they always sound urgent. Sometimes, they even try to use threatening language to scare you into acting quickly. You will see something like, “Your account will be locked if you do not update your information immediately” or “You have a limited time to claim your prize.” They create a sense of urgency to make you more likely to fall for the scam. So, if an email is trying to rush you, take a moment to think and verify the information.

Check for Grammar and Spelling Mistakes

Most of the time, these criminals are not even fluent in English or the language they are communicating with. So, you will notice a lot of grammar and spelling mistakes. If you get an email that looks very unprofessional or has a lot of errors, it could be a phishing attack. Mostly, official emails from trusted organizations will usually be well-written and free of mistakes.

Look for Suspicious Links

Also, look for emails that tell you to click on links. A phishing email will most likely contain links that lead to fake websites. So, if you click on them, they are designed to steal your information. Don’t just click on them; instead, hover over the link with your mouse, and you will see the actual web address. If you notice the address looks strange or does not match the official website, then don’t click on it.

Be Wary of Unexpected Attachments

Just as they send suspicious links, they may add some attachments as well. So, if you use them, they will most likely install malware on your computer. The malware can steal your information or even take control of your computer. So, if you receive an email with an unexpected attachment, do not open it. Even if the email looks like it is from someone you know, it is better to confirm who the sender is first.

How to Prevent Phishing Attacks

Now that you know what to look for in a phishing attack, how do you prevent it? There are several ways you can do this, including:

Using a Hedge Fund Cybersecurity Solution

With a hedge fund cybersecurity solution, you get advanced protection against phishing attacks and other cyber threats. Also, these solutions are meant to protect sensitive information and hedge fund assets.

It can also be used by individuals and businesses. It has features like advanced threat detection, email filtering, and real-time monitoring. This way, you can keep your information safe.

Educating Yourself and Others

Many people fall for phishing scams because they do not know what to look for. So don’t just keep this knowledge to yourself but also share it with others. You can yourself, friends, and family. Also, you should share this information with your coworkers or employees so they know how to prevent phishing attacks.

Use Strong, Unique Passwords

Learn to use strong and unique passwords for all your accounts. It will protect you if you accidentally fall victim to a phishing scam. For instance, if one of your accounts is compromised, hackers won’t gain access to your other accounts if you have a strong password. Consider using a password manager to keep track of your passwords and to help you generate strong ones.

Enable Two-Factor Authentication

Make sure you use two-factor authentication (2FA) to add an extra layer of security to your accounts. With 2FA enabled, you need to provide two pieces of information to log in. You will need your password and a code sent to your phone or email. So, even if a phishing attacker gets your password, they will not be able to access your account.

Keep Your Software Up to Date

Software updates often include security patches so they will fix vulnerabilities that attackers can exploit. It is important that you update your operating system, web browser, and antivirus software. Better yet, make sure you set your devices to install updates automatically.

Final thoughts 

Phishing attacks are a serious threat, but it is something you can identify and prevent. If you’re running a business, you may not have the time to monitor these threats. So, it is better to use a middle office outsourcing service to assess these risks. They can manage various types of financial risks, including phishing attacks. Remember to take precautions to keep your data safe. Phishing attacks can affect anyone, whether you are an individual or a business entity.

The post How to Identify and Prevent Phishing Attacks? appeared first on Home Business Magazine.

Original source: https://homebusinessmag.com/management/technology-management/identify-prevent-phishing-attacks/

Home Business Magazine Online

Phishing attacks are very common and equally very dangerous. It happens when criminals try to trick you into giving them your personal information. They try to get people to release their passwords, credit card numbers, or even social security numbers.

The hacker will pose as someone you know or trust to get your information. Many times, they can come in like a bank official or a popular website. They usually send their phishing attacks through email, text messages, or even phone calls. So, it is very important to know how to identify them so they don’t steal your data.

How to Identify Phishing Attacks

Before you can prevent a phishing attack, you need to know how to identify it. Here, we will explain how you can recognize them:

Look for Unusual Email Addresses

One of the first signs that shows it is a phishing attack is if the email address is unusual. If it is an email from your bank, check the email address to see if it looks strange. If it does, then it might be a phishing attempt. It is important that you check the sender’s email address before clicking on any links.

Urgent or Threatening Language

Another thing about these attacks is that they always sound urgent. Sometimes, they even try to use threatening language to scare you into acting quickly. You will see something like, “Your account will be locked if you do not update your information immediately” or “You have a limited time to claim your prize.” They create a sense of urgency to make you more likely to fall for the scam. So, if an email is trying to rush you, take a moment to think and verify the information.

Check for Grammar and Spelling Mistakes

Most of the time, these criminals are not even fluent in English or the language they are communicating with. So, you will notice a lot of grammar and spelling mistakes. If you get an email that looks very unprofessional or has a lot of errors, it could be a phishing attack. Mostly, official emails from trusted organizations will usually be well-written and free of mistakes.

Look for Suspicious Links

Also, look for emails that tell you to click on links. A phishing email will most likely contain links that lead to fake websites. So, if you click on them, they are designed to steal your information. Don’t just click on them; instead, hover over the link with your mouse, and you will see the actual web address. If you notice the address looks strange or does not match the official website, then don’t click on it.

Be Wary of Unexpected Attachments

Just as they send suspicious links, they may add some attachments as well. So, if you use them, they will most likely install malware on your computer. The malware can steal your information or even take control of your computer. So, if you receive an email with an unexpected attachment, do not open it. Even if the email looks like it is from someone you know, it is better to confirm who the sender is first.

How to Prevent Phishing Attacks

Now that you know what to look for in a phishing attack, how do you prevent it? There are several ways you can do this, including:

Using a Hedge Fund Cybersecurity Solution

With a hedge fund cybersecurity solution, you get advanced protection against phishing attacks and other cyber threats. Also, these solutions are meant to protect sensitive information and hedge fund assets.

It can also be used by individuals and businesses. It has features like advanced threat detection, email filtering, and real-time monitoring. This way, you can keep your information safe.

Educating Yourself and Others

Many people fall for phishing scams because they do not know what to look for. So don’t just keep this knowledge to yourself but also share it with others. You can yourself, friends, and family. Also, you should share this information with your coworkers or employees so they know how to prevent phishing attacks.

Use Strong, Unique Passwords

Learn to use strong and unique passwords for all your accounts. It will protect you if you accidentally fall victim to a phishing scam. For instance, if one of your accounts is compromised, hackers won’t gain access to your other accounts if you have a strong password. Consider using a password manager to keep track of your passwords and to help you generate strong ones.

Enable Two-Factor Authentication

Make sure you use two-factor authentication (2FA) to add an extra layer of security to your accounts. With 2FA enabled, you need to provide two pieces of information to log in. You will need your password and a code sent to your phone or email. So, even if a phishing attacker gets your password, they will not be able to access your account.

Keep Your Software Up to Date

Software updates often include security patches so they will fix vulnerabilities that attackers can exploit. It is important that you update your operating system, web browser, and antivirus software. Better yet, make sure you set your devices to install updates automatically.

Final thoughts 

Phishing attacks are a serious threat, but it is something you can identify and prevent. If you’re running a business, you may not have the time to monitor these threats. So, it is better to use a middle office outsourcing service to assess these risks. They can manage various types of financial risks, including phishing attacks. Remember to take precautions to keep your data safe. Phishing attacks can affect anyone, whether you are an individual or a business entity.

The post How to Identify and Prevent Phishing Attacks? appeared first on Home Business Magazine.

Original source: https://homebusinessmag.com/management/technology-management/identify-prevent-phishing-attacks/

Romance books have always been a popular genre – but ‘spicy’ books have a new and massive readership thanks to several high-profile books lately (Sarah J Maas, we’re looking at you). If you’ve always wanted to make money writing books, and you have a creative imagination, this could be a great way to make money. Here’s your total guide to writing erotica, PG romance, and everything in-between!

 

What is Romance as a Genre?

Romance writing spans a very broad spectrum of types of books. There is one obvious common theme: people fall in love. But other than that, almost anything goes!

A recent boom in ‘romantasy’ blends romance with fantasy books, and this has introduced a whole new generation to romance writing (and reading). But there are lots of different types. You can either self publish or traditionally publish, depending on how quickly you want to make money and how much control you want over the publishing process.

How Spicy Do I Need to Be?

‘Spicy’ is a term used for erotic writing that is graphic and/or explicit, while more ‘traditional’ romance is often called ‘closed door’. It means you get hints of what happens, but most is left up to the reader’s imagination as it happens ‘behind closed doors’. Spicy books are often very explicit, so you need to be comfortable with writing R-rated things!

The good news is there are audiences for all levels of ‘spice’. So, if you’re not comfortable writing explicit sex scenes, you can still make money writing romance books.

How Do I Write a Romance Book?

While it is now easier than ever to publish your writing thanks to eBooks and platforms like Amazon and Apple Books, you still need to put in the work if you want to make consistent money from your romance writing!

Here are a few important things to consider.

Read, Read, Read!

First of all, before you even set pen to paper or fingers to typewriter, make sure you know your genre. Get your hands on a library card, or sign up to a free trial of Kindle Unlimited, and read as much romance fiction you can get your hands on. This is the best masterclass you can take when you’re learning how to write romance novels.

Pay attention to common themes and tropes, what you like to read and what turns you off (pun intended), and this will help you shape an idea of what kind of romance writer you want to be. It will also show you what is a bit too commonly seen, the bad kinds of tropes you want to avoid, and hopefully spark ideas about how you can tackle them in a fresh new way.

Romance Book Length

Romance is usually between 50,000 words for commercial (‘chick lit’) up to 80,000 for historical romance. Romantasy books that blend romance and fantasy genres are generally longer, up to around 100,000 words, but it doesn’t have to be that long.

You can also try your hand at short reads. Amazon Kindle determines the length of a read by the page numbers – you can’t set this in your upload metadata, but generally if you stick within certain page limits you’ll come up in the right search filters.

The rough page count for short reads would be:

• 15 minutes – 1 to 11 pages
• 30 minutes – 12 to 21 pages
• 45 minutes – 22 to 32 pages
• One hour – 33 to 43 pages
• 90 minutes – 44 to 64 pages
• Two hours or more – 65 to 100 pages

This is book pages, rather than number of pages in word. A book page is around 280 words. So, a 30-minute read at 15 pages long would be around 4,200 words. These short stories do particularly well when enrolled in Kindle Unlimited, which is ideal for new writers to build their brand – the returns are smaller, but more people are likely to read your book.

You Need a Plot

Romance isn’t just about people falling in love and doing rude things to each other! Readers of romance love the story of why people fall in love, out of love, and even when they’re torn between loving two people. Plot is very important in romance books, but there are some key moments most will have, including:

• A meet cute of the couple-to-be
• A honeymoon phase
• The problem turning point (do they have a spouse or partner already? Does someone else come into their lives? etc)
• An argument between the lovers
• Either an ending where they get back together for good (known as a happy ever after) or at least in the short-term (called ‘happy for now’)

Think about what it is that makes people fall in and out of love. Spicy books are great at focusing on the physical elements of relationships, but romance readers are a smart audience and they’ll want more than surface lust to keep them reading. Working out who your characters are, what their aim is and the obstacles they face to get to it, and why they end up in love are all important plot points you need to include.

Think About Your Audience

It helps to have a clear audience in mind before you start writing. This will impact the tone of your writing, how explicit you are with intimate scenes, and the type of plot you will write. For example, some older readers prefer classic Mills and Boon ‘gentle closed door romance’ while there is a growing trend for women in their 20s and 30s to enjoy particularly ‘spicy’ novels. Having a couple of ‘ideal readers’ in mind when you’re writing will help you stay on track and focus the ‘brand’ of your book.

Pick Your Protagonist Well

Your main character needs to be someone who is a go-getter, even if they are naturally timid. They need to have a reason to change across the book – this could be because they have moved from a village to a city (or vice versa), have a new job, go on holiday or similar. A change in circumstance and/or location is usually what makes characters seek out new things – and that’s what drives the plot of a romance book.

While your character can be anyone, generally your protagonist will be female, as the majority of romance readers are women. You can have male or non-binary perspectives, but there is a smaller niche for them. Many romance authors like to do ‘dual POV’ or dual point of view, which means you write one chapter in your protagonist’s voice and another in the antagonist (or second protagonist) voice and alternate through the book to give different perspectives. This is particularly useful for telling the story in a broader way, rather than sticking in one character’s head – but it can be tricky to do, so takes some practice.

If you decide on dual POV, be very careful not to ‘head hop’. This is when you change internal thoughts from one character to another in the same scene. It is confusing for the reader! So stick to one scene, one person’s inner thoughts – then you can always change the character in the next scene.

Find a Proofreader

Before you publish or send your book to an agent to get published, you need to have someone else read your book. There are different types of editors, costing different amounts. A developmental editor is very deep-dive and will work on the structure and story of your romance novel. A copy editor or line editor will improve how your sentences flow and fact-check things to make sure you don’t make any glaring mistakes. The cheapest option is a proofreader, who reads the book and highlights your spelling and grammar errors.

It might feel hard to pay before you get any income from your book, but if you’re the only person reading it you can easily miss errors because you’ve been staring at the same pages for weeks! A good proofreader will help you bring your book up to standard. It’s important for whether you are self publishing or sending to an agent.

First, with self publishing, it is important to avoid spelling and grammatical errors which can put off your readers – and with platforms like Kindle Unlimited, you’re paid by the number of pages that are read. So you want people to keep reading!

Secondly, if you want to be noticed by a publisher or agent, you need your manuscript to be in the best shape possible to get their attention. Mistakes can stop them reading and reject the book, which means you’ll have to start the long query process all over again.

Do I Need an Agent to Publish My Romance Novel?

Yes or no! There are two reasons both answers are true.

Self publishers don’t need an agent – they can publish whatever they want, whenever they want. But as we talked about earlier, they also have to do all the marketing and business side of selling romance novels, too.

Some traditional publishers, like Mills and Boon (read more below) will accept book submissions from someone who doesn’t have an agent. There aren’t many places that do this, and they’re very competitive, but it is a way in to the industry if you can get it.

Most traditional publishers will only take submissions from an agent. This means you need to get literary representation before you can think about publishing. This tends to be more for commercial women’s fiction or high-profile genres like romantasy.

Where Can I Publish My Romance Book?

You can choose to self publish your book on platforms like Amazon, or traditionally publish to get your book into shops. There are pros and cons to both.

Self publishing gives you total control over what you write, when it is published, and you receive a higher percentage of sale revenue. However, you also need to design your book cover, run your PR, and continue to market the book once it is published, all of which can cost money and take a lot of time to learn and carry out. You don’t get an advance payment with self publishing, so you need some funds to get started.

Traditional publishing is historically more ‘prestigious’, but that matters less these days. However, you will have an editor and marketing team behind the book if you manage to sell it to a publisher, so you don’t have to do everything as you do with self publishing. You will also be paid an advance if you sell the book, but make a smaller percentage on royalties.

Publishing on Amazon

It is very easy for anybody to self publish on Amazon and similar platforms. You need to have a finished book that is in a book format – software like Vellum can help you with this, or there are Word templates online you can use. Many authors enjoy using Scrivener, which has some helpful preset templates and can be exported into various formats. If you’re a member of the Society of Authors, you can get a 20% discount on the software – plus they do a free 30-day trial for everyone.

You need a few things before you can hit publish:

• A book cover
• A back blurb (the short description on the back of the book to entice readers)
• The manuscript
• An ISBN number (two if you plan to allow for physical copies to be purchased)
• Social media art for promotion
• Short descriptions for meta data
• A list of keywords that relate to your book to help people find it in searches

Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing is the most common platform for new writers to start on. There is a helpful tutorial on the website, and lots of YouTube videos for more in-depth lessons about the nuances of promoting your romance book.

Publishing Mills and Boon Books

If self publishing sounds too complicated, or you want the prestige of being a traditionally published author, Mills and Boon are the most famous name in romance. The brilliant news is that you don’t need to have an agent to submit to them – which is very unusual in the world of traditional publishing!

There are some guidelines to follow before you submit. Read their submission guidelines on the website – and make sure you know which imprint you want to submit to, too. Different imprints are like different brands underneath the Mills and Boon umbrella, and they each have a distinctive voice, audience, and types of story.

Mills and Boon Modern – has a hero willing to take charge, but the heroine has a feisty side to her. Think international glitz and glamour for this series.

Mills and Boon True Love – this series is about relatable women and deeply desirable men, without graphic scenes but intense emotion and tension.

Mills and Boon Medical – the clue is in the name here, with medical settings taking the foreground, and dedicated medical professionals with hearts of gold who work together.

Mills and Boon Historical – every time period up to the 1950s and every level of spice is accepted, with dynamic characters who have relatable conflicts

Harlequin Books

Mills and Boon also have Harlequin books, which is another type of novel. They are more cross-genre than the above imprints. The Intrigue submission guidelines state that books with thriller storylines around 55,000 words are welcomed. The Suspense submission guidelines state that imprint is for more complex, sustained suspense romance stories around 70,000 words long.

Getting Started Resources

The internet is your friend! There are so many amazing YouTube channels and podcasts and Substacks, it’s too many to list, but these ones are great for beginner writers – some are romance-specific, while others help you learn more about the craft of writing and also self-publishing.

YouTube Channels

• Alexa Donne
• Abbie Emmons
• SPA Girls Podcast (romance self publishing focus)
• Reedsy
• The Creative Penn
• Leslye Penelope

Podcasts, Websites, and Newsletters

• The Sh*t No One Tells You About Writing (language content warning)
• Chapter Break
• How to Write a Book (Elizabeth Day)
• BBC Maestro – JoJo Moyes Romance Masterclass (this is a paid class, keep an eye out on the site for discounts a few times a year)
• How to Write a Romance Novel (Penguin Books Website)
• How to Write Exciting Romantic Fiction
• How to Write a Romance Novel (The Novelry Blog)
• The Romance Novelists’ Association

Keep an eye out for the next in this series, which will be all about how to create an author brand to sell more books!

The post Make Money with Spicy Romance Books appeared first on MoneyMagpie.

Original source: https://www.moneymagpie.com/make-money/make-money-with-spicy-romance-books

A new study reveals the promise and limitations of interactive TV advertising. The key findings:

• 36% stronger unaided brand recall vs. standard video ads
• 95% of viewers prefer adding products to cart over immediate purchase
• Higher CPMs: 10-15% above industry standards

Why it matters. As CTV ad spend is projected to reach $33 billion by 2025, interactive formats could become a major player in the space.

By the numbers:

• 79% aided recall for interactive ads vs. 72% for standard video ads.
• 58% stronger unaided recall when combining standard and interactive ads.

Why we care. While not yet driving direct sales, interactive CTV ads offer a wealth of benefits that can significantly impact brand awareness, consumer understanding and overall marketing effectiveness.

What they’re saying:

• “TV isn’t coming over an antenna anymore… interactive ads yield a more effective ad experience,” said Robert Aksman, BrightLine co-founder.
• “With these interactive elements, you have proof that not only is somebody watching—they’re engaging,” said Andrea Kwiateck, Goodway Group.

The big picture. Interactive CTV ads represent a shift from passive viewing to active engagement, offering new opportunities for brands to connect with audiences.

What to watch. Development of add-to-cart functionality and potential for direct purchasing through streaming accounts.

Original source: https://searchengineland.com/interactive-ctv-engagement-purchases-445256

A new study reveals the promise and limitations of interactive TV advertising. The key findings:

• 36% stronger unaided brand recall vs. standard video ads
• 95% of viewers prefer adding products to cart over immediate purchase
• Higher CPMs: 10-15% above industry standards

Why it matters. As CTV ad spend is projected to reach $33 billion by 2025, interactive formats could become a major player in the space.

By the numbers:

• 79% aided recall for interactive ads vs. 72% for standard video ads.
• 58% stronger unaided recall when combining standard and interactive ads.

Why we care. While not yet driving direct sales, interactive CTV ads offer a wealth of benefits that can significantly impact brand awareness, consumer understanding and overall marketing effectiveness.

What they’re saying:

• “TV isn’t coming over an antenna anymore… interactive ads yield a more effective ad experience,” said Robert Aksman, BrightLine co-founder.
• “With these interactive elements, you have proof that not only is somebody watching—they’re engaging,” said Andrea Kwiateck, Goodway Group.

The big picture. Interactive CTV ads represent a shift from passive viewing to active engagement, offering new opportunities for brands to connect with audiences.

What to watch. Development of add-to-cart functionality and potential for direct purchasing through streaming accounts.

Original source: https://searchengineland.com/interactive-ctv-engagement-purchases-445256

Home Business Magazine Online

Social media platforms used to solely be virtual spaces where people could stay connected, no matter where they were in the world. Facebook allowed people to share photos, Myspace was a place for true expression, and Twitter (now X) was perfect for quirky one-liners and updates on our lives.

Today, they also serve as places where businesses can grow, enabling billions of people to discover products and services and to directly interact with their customer base. It’s arguably the most effective way to perform targeted advertising – often for free. It’s so effective that it can encourage potential customers to follow a link, make a purchase, and eventually even become loyal advocates of your brand.

Haven’t harnessed the raw power of social media just yet? Here are the top socials you’ll want to take advantage of to grow your brand from a caterpillar into a butterfly.

Instagram

Instagram stands as a visual powerhouse, making it the ideal platform for businesses that sell physical products. With over two billion monthly users on the app from a wide demographic, it provides a prime opportunity to build a large community. Even better, Instagram boasts Instagram for Business, a hub featuring a selection of creative tools to make Stories and Reels and deploy product tags to create an in-app shopping experience.

It’ll also turn your creations into purpose-driven ads, whether you want to increase web traffic or get people to visit your profile and place that content in front of a curated audience. For instance, a high-end luxury watch brand can craft a page that exudes sophistication, while a colorful makeup brand can welcome users with pops of color and whimsical Instagram Highlights – the customization and personalization are fully up to you.

Facebook

Facebook remains the largest social media platform in the world, which means no other platform can offer such a level of potential exposure. Its primary perk lies in its integrations, which let businesses lead customers to their website and other external content they want them to see, directly communicate with users, and much more.

For example, if your business runs on appointments, the Meta Appointments tool can seamlessly integrate with your calendar system. If you want to sell your products on another platform other than your already established e-commerce site, Meta Pay can help you run an effective Facebook shop to garner new customers.

Pro Tip: Use Meta Business Suite

Planning to use both Facebook and Instagram? Meta Business Suite lets you manage all your content across both platforms from one single hub. It’ll make publishing and management much easier, from posting to tracking your performance and interacting with your audience.

LinkedIn Platform

If you want to maintain a professional identity online, LinkedIn can help establish that through a company page. Having a company page allows customers, potential employees, and other interested parties to interact with your business, whether they’re looking to collaborate, find a role, or simply seek updates on what you’re up to. It’s also the perfect place to network with industry leaders and other thought leaders, as well as capture leads that lead to direct communications with all the right people. Like other social media platforms, LinkedIn has dedicated marketing solutions that feature precise and powerful audience targeting so you can target your ideal customer.

X (formerly Twitter)

X has something special that other socials don’t: the ability for brands to interact with their audience in a direct and personable way. Many businesses enhance their character and show off their human side on Twitter, engaging in consistent conversation and responding to queries and feedback whenever possible. We’ve seen it with Wendy’s, Duolingo, Ryanair, and other major brands, where they’ll leverage funny memes and relevant content based on popular culture and receive ample engagement and loyalty in return. It’s a prime opportunity for businesses to reinvent their brand perception and become more approachable to the public.

Snapchat

Snapchat was once focused on private and disappearing messages and stories for personal use and later realized its potential for businesses. As the platform has a primarily younger audience, it’s particularly effective for brands that target those under 35. Snapchat is a lot like X, where brands can be authentic and lighthearted and interact with their audience in real time. Depending on what you’re offering, you can use Bitmojis, location-targeting, Snap Maps, AR filters, and branded illustrations to bolster your message.

TikTok

For a moment in time, TikTok was overwhelmingly prolific in the social media scene. TikTok dances and other viral challenges were reposted everywhere, creators could post entertaining short-form videos in seconds, and its inherent format catered to people’s short attention spans and love for discovery. Soon enough, the platform launched its many business solutions, including an ads manager, a full-service commerce solution, a creator marketplace for collaborations, marketing tools, and toolkits to help drive sales and view performance insights. It’s a great place to show off your products in action, showcase features, and connect with your audience on a deeper level.

Pinterest

Pinterest is the ultimate visual search engine for those seeking inspiration for new family dinner recipes, home DIYs, travel destinations, or what to buy next. With over 200 million users and a majority female audience, this platform works best for those looking to sell to women and rely on visual appeal. Culinary products, beauty and personal care, event planning, home decor, fashion, crafts, fitness, and travel products and services typically thrive on Pinterest, so long as they curate engaging and tasteful “Pins” that spark curiosity. Experiment with carousels, videos, traditional pins, and organized boards, and you just might see an uptick in engagement and sales.

The post The Best Socials to Leverage Business Growth appeared first on Home Business Magazine.

Original source: https://homebusinessmag.com/businesses/ecommerce/social-media/best-social-media-platforms-leverage-business-growth/