It comes down to the all mighty dollar

I am about to go on and do some writing work today. I made a personal goal of 1500 words a day. Not too shabby. I just want to get my current book done–at least the first draft of it done. Believe me, I would rather go back to bed. I was actually doing a search for a coffee shop here in town to go to and write. I do not know what it is about writing somewhere other than my home that is so inspiring. Maybe it is the distraction of the tv, dogs, etc. Kids are at school, so I can’t blame them. LOL

I was over on Goodreads this morning searching around. I finally added Men After Midnight to my listing. Then I was cruising some of the reader reviews for a few of my books. I really shouldn’t do that. Nothing is more depressing for a writer than less than glowing reviews. Some were good, don’t get me wrong, but we always focus on the negative. But I have a question: If you pick up an erotic romance novel, what do you expect? Sex, right? Lots of sex. So why do some people criticize that the book has a lot of sex when it is an erotic romance, especially one from Ellora’s Cave? I mean, I have turned in books at EC and get the usual “You need to add more sex” email reply. I do so the book will be contracted and released.

So, folks, if you pick up something that is marked as erotic fiction, expect the sex. But you know, sometimes we authors must make changes to fit a publisher’s guidelines, like adding more sex to an already sexy read. Yeah, we do have the right to say no, but in the end, we are looking at the contract and payment for our writing.

I love writing, but in reality, I need to get paid for it. My time is valuable, and when I put hours into a book, I want to be paid for it, and I am willing to make a few changes to get that royalty check.

In other words, when you go to work everyday, don’t you expect payment for your time and work? Same for authors. I don’t write as a hobby, it is my career.