Guest Blog: Em Petrova: More Book for Your Buck

Recently I’ve noticed a new trend. It’s a little disturbing to me and some of my author friends because most of us cannot hit reader expectations and we aren’t even going to try.

There have been a lot of readers leaving poor reviews that have nothing to do with content or an author’s writing. These low-star reviews weren’t given for bad grammar or typos.

They were given because the books are TOO SHORT.

Books that are novel-length according to publishers, 80-120,000 words, are now being classified as a novella to readers. Why?

Here are a couple of my ideas:
1. The Boxed Set is at fault—when you box up 12 authors who each have 20,000-word stories, you end up with—I’m no damn good at math—I’m a writer—240,000 words for a whopping 99c.

Yes, the boxed set has its place. It gets your work in front of a wider audience and teases the reader to buy more from you. But are readers now becoming so used to a whopping book upward of 500 pages, do they feel gypped with a 250 page novel?

2. Huge books are popular. Look at Outlander and the other books in Diana Gabaldon’s series. Outlander is 850 pages in mass paperback. In Kindle it probably looks a hella-lot longer.

If readers are used to massive books, I’m sure they are feeling cheated by a 180-page novel I write. Samhain Publishing considers anything over 55,000 words a novel. My books hit that as do millions of other titles getting bad ratings because they’re too “short.” You can check out some awesome long books here (http://listverse.com/2009/06/06/top-10-longest-novels-in-the-english-language/).

Back in the day we went to the bookstore. We purchased paperbacks for $6.99-9.99 and sometimes higher. I don’t know about you, but I generally read a romance novel in a day. Didn’t you? I paid $6.99 for a day’s entertainment.

Now consider ebooks. The same book might be $3.99-$6.99. The pages are the same. You’re paying less plus you’re not storing thousands of books on your shelves at home. You can make room for things like canned goods and batteries for the coming Zombie Apocalypse.

Are readers happy with these prices for a day’s entertainment? I’ll ask you to weigh in with comments but first let’s talk novellas—much shorter in length.

I consider a novella 20,000 words to 55,000 words. Publishers have different viewpoints on this as do Indy authors. It takes me half the time to write a novella compared to a novel. It might take readers half the time to finish the book. If my novella is $2.99 and it takes you three hours to read it, it’s still less than going to the movies. Less than bowling, roller-skating, jumping in a bouncy house or buying a #7 extra value meal at McDonald’s.

Is that value to you? Are novels too short in your opinion? Do you prefer long or short books? Do you feel cheated when the story isn’t long enough for you?

Please weigh in!

BLURB:
Here’s a little peek at my smoking-hot cowboy menage REINING MEN (considered a novel LOL)
Reining Men out now!

The Boot Knockers Ranch, Book 3
 There’s no escaping ranch policy—anything to please a lady…

The Boot Knockers Ranch caters to women in all ways. And now rookie Paul is officially part of the team. He’s had six months to hone his skills with the ladies and prides himself on being a prime catch.

Jack would agree. He can’t get the rugged cowboy out of his system. He wants Paul in his bed more than anything, but his best friend has always been resistant to relations with other men. Jack’s instinct says different, but he values Paul’s friendship too highly to push it.

Then Jack takes on beautiful new client Lissy Lofton and finds himself falling hard for the confident show jumper. He’s not the only one. Lissy has caught Paul’s attention, and the attraction is mutual.

But now Jack has a problem. Lissy’s sexual appetite is so ravenous, he doubts he can last the week without backup. Which presents an irresistible opportunity to invite Paul into their bed—where the incandescent heat brings all their walls tumbling down.

Warning: Contains two smoking-hot cowboys whose drive to please the same woman spurs a desire to please each other.
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BIO:
Em Petrova lives in Backwoods, Pennsylvania, where she raises four kids and a Labradoodle named Daisy Hasselhoff. Her dream is to buy an old pickup and travel small-town USA meeting people and hearing their stories. Her heroes are hardworking—in bed and out and she is known for panty-scorching erotic romance.

Website: http://empetrova.com/
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Thanks for reading,
Em Petrova
~hardworking heroes—in bed and out~

Guest Blog: Em Petrova: Damaged Goods

You’ve probably heard the old writing advice of “torture your characters.” As authors we’re supposed to happily tie them up in knots—real or emotional—and make their bad day into stuff of legend.

We’re also supposed to give our characters flaws. I’m not talking about a freckle that’s three inches too far to the left. I mean real down and dirty problems that make their lives hell. Why?

Imagine you’re reading a book about a heroine—5’6” tall, slender, long legs, great breasts. She rolls out of bed with perfect hair for her dream job. She has the best boss in the world, supportive parents and great friends. She meets a gorgeous rich man and bleh bleh bleh. Yes, that’s me retching. Because where is the fun if the world is pink cotton candy and rainbows for this woman?

Now let’s imagine she looks the same but she walks with a limp. Immediately she’s more intriguing. What happened? She bears the stigma of walking differently. She’s flawed—damaged goods. And we like her a lot better because she’s imperfect and so are we.

In my latest biker romance HEART TIES (book 2 of Club Ties http://www.amazon.com/Heart-Ties-Club-Book-ebook/dp/B00OI9GZOE), the main characters are far from perfect. They’ve been hurt by others or have self-destructed to the point of doing real damage both physically and emotionally.

Delta has been beaten down by the people who are supposed to love her. No one calls her by her name. In her motorcycle club, she’s known as Girl. And she knows how to take a blow across the face by a man wearing knuckle rings.

Ex-Marine Drake has seen and done horrific things. As a result, he’s drowned his memories in a bottle of Scotch. He has no one to blame for his tragedies but himself.

Drake and Delta are two half-completed puzzles. Together they fit. The image on the jigsaw isn’t perfect either, but it’s okay because they’re happy without the rainbow and cotton candy.

My advice as a reader AND a writer is yes, go ahead and heap troubles and flaws on your characters. A well-thought out character will have problems that mesh with the plot and at the end of the day, the character has growth and your readers have a new best friend or book boyfriend.

Thanks for reading! Please enjoy a description of HEART TIES and enter my Rafflecopter giveaway to win a photo of Jax from Sons of Anarchy autographed by Charlie Hunnam!

BLURB:
The only thing keeping Ex-Marine Drake from drinking himself into an early grave is his love of leather, horsepower, and his motorcycle club. Battling to adapt to a world where he isn’t blowing everything up, he roams the highways to keep his mind off his past. But after a mission to kidnap the curvy, tattooed goddess, Delta, he finds avoiding the bottle a little easier. Especially since he can only dream of finding solace against her silky body.

Delta would do anything to escape a life where pain and fear control her. She’s lived as a slave and outsider since she could walk. When a scary biker clan storms into her life and introduces her to her long-lost sister, she’s shocked to find warmth and comfort. While Delta knows better than to hope for a life she can’t have, Drake refuses to let her slip back into the hell she knows.

Plunged into a world of gambling, guns, and drugs isn’t her idea of paradise, but hunky Drake makes her pulse pound. Is it too much to believe that Drake can save her from her torment? And what can she do about extinguishing that burning, haunted look in his eyes?

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ARe

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Em Petrova Links:
Website: http://empetrova.com
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Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Em-Petrova/e/B005D0EXCI
Blog: http://hardworkingheroes.wordpress.com/
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Guest Blog: Em Petrova: Inside The Boot Knockers Ranch

I’m a reality show junkie. If it’s on, chances are I’ll tune in at least once. Ink Master, Project Runway, American Idol. And The Voice.

The Voice is one of my favorite shows and it isn’t because of the talent. Nope, I watch for the judges. Adam, Blake and Usher Mmm Mmm Mmm. Anyone agree with me?

Watching them push their buttons to fight over a singer, arguing to get that artist on their team…it ignited an idea for me. The Boot Knockers Ranch series was born.

These cowboys are authentic. They know how to handle animals and work hard to keep the ranch beautiful and running smoothly. The upside of so much hard work is chiseled, tanned bodies. The Boot Knockers need these bodies to woo the ladies, because they’re also sex therapists.

Women come from all over the country and pay a fee to stay a week on the ranch. They can enjoy massage, hot tubs, and two swimming pools. But they’d probably rather partake of the semi-naked corn-hole tournament, the weekly BDSM munch or rip through mud holes on the back of an ATV while clinging to a mostly naked cowboy. And don’t forget the final rodeo every week.

There’s an epidemic going on at the BKR though Cowboys are falling victim to lady guests and even each other. Excerpt of BODY LANGUAGE, now available from Samhain: http://store.samhainpublishing.com/body-language-p-73611.html

BLURB:
The Boot Knockers Ranch, Book 2
If there’s one thing that Damian Vince can do well, it’s read women. With his trademark wink and sexy drawl, he’s the most wanted cowboy on the Boot Knockers Ranch, a spa where sexually challenged women come to get charmed out of their uptight panties.

He’s also the ranch’s bad boy—he hates to admit he’s had his mug-shot taken more than once. But now he’s on the right path, ranching and fulfilling women’s desires.

Prim grade-school teacher Ruthie Johansson prays Damian will be able to fix her strict upbringing that’s left her leery of men and intercourse, though her body aches for both. Once she sets eyes on the muscular, auburn-haired Damian, she throbs only for him.

As they get skin to skin, her instinct touches something Damian’s been struggling to hide from his fellow Boot Knockers. A secret he’s spent a lifetime keeping buried beneath bar brawls and a bad attitude. But with Ruthie’s gentle coaxing, he just might give overcoming it another try—as long as they do their homework in bed.

Warning: Contains a bad boy with a vulnerable underside, a squeaky clean woman who wants to get dirty, and a secret shame only love and compassion can heal. Prepare to drool while he parses her sentences…one sexy verb at a time.

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Em Petrova
~hardworking heroes—in bed and out~
Website: http://empetrova.com
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4342760.Em_Petrova
Amazon Author Page
Blog: http://hardworkingheroes.wordpress.com/
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Twitter: http://twitter.com/empetrova