It took a little while to find my place for my tales. It took a little while to find my place for anything. As you can see, the title and web address changed to my site. Serena Walken is now Melanie Ray. I am done with pen names and serializing novels.
Let's start with serializing. For some reason, romance and erotica serials do okay. Add in something else to the mix and forget it. Even when it's a complete novel. I did what I could, I even tried free, but I guess the world isn't ready for it yet.
I am doing something that I swore I wouldn't do, but I am doing it because I am also GIVING AWAY THE NEW PARTS on my site. Each individual piece in the collection (Saving Mrs. Claus, etc.) is now each a stand alone story with a new part.
I originally wanted to end the whole serialized novel with this approach, but now that I've tried it, it feels so much better this way instead. The apocalyptic fairytale is being retold as bedtime stories to children. Not just any children. Dominic and Vanessa's children, and every once in awhile, not to children or their children. However, it's recited as if it already happened.
I have fallen in love with the concept. Dominic is no longer in peril all the time. It's happened, and he's found a way to share his adventures with his children. It has made each story slightly longer, and of course some minor editing. This has actually given me the freedom to explore the entire framework now. People can read Saving Mrs. Claus (changing names) and not feel stumped when a mysterious figure comes in. Because the mysterious figure is the one telling the story.
Just as the singles were originally read as standalones, this change should only affect new readers. However, to be fair I am leaving the new parts here. (Say Melanie, isn't your stuff in select and only available on Amazon?) Some is, and some isn't. When a book is out of select, that new part will be here.
This isn't an overnight change. Truly, it takes some time. This isn't adding a mere 500 words or something.
Titles will be different for each one as well as my name Melanie Ray on the books. (Since Serena Walken's Amazon central author page cannot remove books, she gets to stay an author too. Yes, I know, I co-authored myself. Yes, it's been done before by others including best selling authors who want to reclaim their work. It's wonky and funny if you think about it.:) I won't make up my author bio though, I will be adding the 'I am Melanie Ray' soon to it.
All of the books will be disappearing soon since I do not want any confusion from Amazon dealing with series stuff. Lord knows they've butchered enough people on that already. (See? Amazon friendly now too.)
There is now no order in which to read An Apocalyptic Fairytale. Anything that needs explained is always covered in every book. This isn't a serialized novel, this is considered a true authentic serial. Beginning, middle and end each time. Read Dominic's adventures, read Kris and Carrie, and I am even going to be adding Apocalypse Girl's adventures! (Something I really wanted to do in the first place.)
So where are the serialized novel then? Where they belong. I will make one mondo gigantic thing like I had originally planned. I want everything in it. Everything. It will be divided into every 200,000 words or so maybe, with the actual full blown who knows how gigantic novel available. It will be awhile though.
*I will have parts split up thought because it will be GIGANTIC, and because those that have collected the serialized novels will still be able to get the rest without paying an extremely large price.
I am just tired of the hate against it. I love it, and even bloggers that I send it to seem to be okay with it, but they do not rate it high because it's unfinished. Parts, serial, episode, none of it seems to matter yet. Hopefully one day when I am ready to release it in the world it will be taken seriously. Until then, I am really happy that I can still share everything in individual books.:) Including Dominic's adventures which was the whole reason for having to make the book a serialized novel in the first place.
Okay, now pen names! No more. I don't become anyone's auto buy, it doesn't affect me in any positive or negative way. I am rewriting/refixing stuff so that it is more romantic or tasteful (and not bizarre out of the atmosphere anymore). Different names, different titles. I want everything to be underneath Melanie Ray now. Everything except the Thanksgiving children's book. That would be a conflict of interest.
*I will add notes to name changes for most of my books (especially An Apocalyptic Fairytale.) I just do not want someone to buy the wrong kind of paperback, so changing names should make it easier to prevent that. Even though I only have a few out there, they are still out there and buying a used copy of something but getting something different wouldn't make anyone happy.
My stuff may never take off, but I'm tired of being split up everywhere too.
What is in the future?
Oh, such things. First I need to concentrate on fixing the old, and then you are going to see some interesting things. I have a series called the sealing series. Each piece is a full tale dealing with a couple. Each piece is very dramatic (different from what I've ever wrote before.) It's family saga-ish in that the couples are always centered in one family.
Oh, and then I have this really wonderful piece which will also be a serial. (I know, what's wrong with me?) You can call them short stories if you want. They deal with early years and then later years. They are split between those two so that the plots don't get mixed up.
And what else? Well, just see what I have beneath me first.:)
Free is probably out though.
Unless I try permafree, which I highly doubt. Permafree is giving books away, and now you have to PAY to give them away (advertise or the numbers equal nothing.) It doesn't matter whether you are in select or not! So, yeah, I will probably not try free much anymore. Maybe first in series, we'll see. I think I will depend on how many stories I write instead and new releases to help out instead of free. We'll see.
That also depends on my hands. I do special hand exercises to try and keep them from getting into the same position as before, as well as varying how I 'type'. Because of that experience, I am afraid to put any predictions for book releases unless it's really close.
Let's start with serializing. For some reason, romance and erotica serials do okay. Add in something else to the mix and forget it. Even when it's a complete novel. I did what I could, I even tried free, but I guess the world isn't ready for it yet.
I am doing something that I swore I wouldn't do, but I am doing it because I am also GIVING AWAY THE NEW PARTS on my site. Each individual piece in the collection (Saving Mrs. Claus, etc.) is now each a stand alone story with a new part.
I originally wanted to end the whole serialized novel with this approach, but now that I've tried it, it feels so much better this way instead. The apocalyptic fairytale is being retold as bedtime stories to children. Not just any children. Dominic and Vanessa's children, and every once in awhile, not to children or their children. However, it's recited as if it already happened.
I have fallen in love with the concept. Dominic is no longer in peril all the time. It's happened, and he's found a way to share his adventures with his children. It has made each story slightly longer, and of course some minor editing. This has actually given me the freedom to explore the entire framework now. People can read Saving Mrs. Claus (changing names) and not feel stumped when a mysterious figure comes in. Because the mysterious figure is the one telling the story.
Just as the singles were originally read as standalones, this change should only affect new readers. However, to be fair I am leaving the new parts here. (Say Melanie, isn't your stuff in select and only available on Amazon?) Some is, and some isn't. When a book is out of select, that new part will be here.
This isn't an overnight change. Truly, it takes some time. This isn't adding a mere 500 words or something.
Titles will be different for each one as well as my name Melanie Ray on the books. (Since Serena Walken's Amazon central author page cannot remove books, she gets to stay an author too. Yes, I know, I co-authored myself. Yes, it's been done before by others including best selling authors who want to reclaim their work. It's wonky and funny if you think about it.:) I won't make up my author bio though, I will be adding the 'I am Melanie Ray' soon to it.
All of the books will be disappearing soon since I do not want any confusion from Amazon dealing with series stuff. Lord knows they've butchered enough people on that already. (See? Amazon friendly now too.)
There is now no order in which to read An Apocalyptic Fairytale. Anything that needs explained is always covered in every book. This isn't a serialized novel, this is considered a true authentic serial. Beginning, middle and end each time. Read Dominic's adventures, read Kris and Carrie, and I am even going to be adding Apocalypse Girl's adventures! (Something I really wanted to do in the first place.)
So where are the serialized novel then? Where they belong. I will make one mondo gigantic thing like I had originally planned. I want everything in it. Everything. It will be divided into every 200,000 words or so maybe, with the actual full blown who knows how gigantic novel available. It will be awhile though.
*I will have parts split up thought because it will be GIGANTIC, and because those that have collected the serialized novels will still be able to get the rest without paying an extremely large price.
I am just tired of the hate against it. I love it, and even bloggers that I send it to seem to be okay with it, but they do not rate it high because it's unfinished. Parts, serial, episode, none of it seems to matter yet. Hopefully one day when I am ready to release it in the world it will be taken seriously. Until then, I am really happy that I can still share everything in individual books.:) Including Dominic's adventures which was the whole reason for having to make the book a serialized novel in the first place.
Okay, now pen names! No more. I don't become anyone's auto buy, it doesn't affect me in any positive or negative way. I am rewriting/refixing stuff so that it is more romantic or tasteful (and not bizarre out of the atmosphere anymore). Different names, different titles. I want everything to be underneath Melanie Ray now. Everything except the Thanksgiving children's book. That would be a conflict of interest.
*I will add notes to name changes for most of my books (especially An Apocalyptic Fairytale.) I just do not want someone to buy the wrong kind of paperback, so changing names should make it easier to prevent that. Even though I only have a few out there, they are still out there and buying a used copy of something but getting something different wouldn't make anyone happy.
My stuff may never take off, but I'm tired of being split up everywhere too.
What is in the future?
Oh, such things. First I need to concentrate on fixing the old, and then you are going to see some interesting things. I have a series called the sealing series. Each piece is a full tale dealing with a couple. Each piece is very dramatic (different from what I've ever wrote before.) It's family saga-ish in that the couples are always centered in one family.
Oh, and then I have this really wonderful piece which will also be a serial. (I know, what's wrong with me?) You can call them short stories if you want. They deal with early years and then later years. They are split between those two so that the plots don't get mixed up.
And what else? Well, just see what I have beneath me first.:)
Free is probably out though.
Unless I try permafree, which I highly doubt. Permafree is giving books away, and now you have to PAY to give them away (advertise or the numbers equal nothing.) It doesn't matter whether you are in select or not! So, yeah, I will probably not try free much anymore. Maybe first in series, we'll see. I think I will depend on how many stories I write instead and new releases to help out instead of free. We'll see.
That also depends on my hands. I do special hand exercises to try and keep them from getting into the same position as before, as well as varying how I 'type'. Because of that experience, I am afraid to put any predictions for book releases unless it's really close.
Starting over . . .sort of.
It took a little while to find my place for my tales. It took a little while to find my place for anything. As you can see, the title and we...
