Author Archives: Traci Hall

About Traci Hall

From cozy mysteries to seaside romance, USA Today bestselling author Traci Hall writes stories that captivate her readers. As a hybrid author with over sixty published works, Ms. Hall has a favorite tale for everyone. Mystery lovers, check out her Scottish Shire series, set in the seaside town of Nairn, or the Salem B&B Mystery series, co-written as Traci Wilton. Her latest project is an Irish Castle cozy as Ellie Brannigan. Whether it's her ever-popular By the Sea romances, an Appletree Cove sweet romance, or a fun who-done-it, Traci finds her inspiration in sunny South Florida, living right near the ocean. Traci wants to hear from you! Traci@TraciHall.com

5 Tips for a Book Release

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ABB blog Traci Hall March 6th

Book Release

The older I get, the more I want to work smarter, not harder, on a book release. I thought I’d share these five must-haves that are tried and true.

BTW–I am not learning Tik Tok or Book Tok. I am not doing live videos. I am not spending thousands of dollars.

Book Release Tips:

1. Newsletter!

2. Facebook party

3. BookBub release announcement (free!)

4. Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook posts –I use Book Brush and Canva

5. Do giveaways—readers love prizes 😊

And, of course, write the next book.

As always, I highly recommend a writing community such as the ladies here at Authors’ Billboard!

Unforgettable Christmas Miracles

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BL998MT6

Thank you so much for reading,

Traci

Chat with agent Evan Marshall

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ABB blog Traci Hall Feb 6th

Publishing Industry News from agent Evan Marshall

I belong to a local writer’s group called South Florida Fiction Writers—we used to be a romance-only organization, but broke away from Romance Writers of America in 2022, to be more inclusive of our writing community. We meet in person monthly, or on Zoom. https://sffictionwriters.org/

In January, we were pleased to have Evan Marshall as our guest speaker to discuss industry news. I’ve shared my notes, in case you’re interested. He is no longer accepting clients—and that is the state of the industry.

How to get an agent?

Evan suggested looking for a younger agent actively searching for clients. Do your research on Publisher’s Marketplace. They have a free version, or one for 200.00 per year. Look for who acquired, what genre, and what publisher.

It is harder than ever to sell, so do your research by tracking deals.

Digital Publishers are still acquiring stories and they are used to working with authors who are not yet agented.

Check out the Editor’s Wishlist on Twitter

HQN will sometimes send out a wish list, so check their website of social media pages.

Someone had asked how polished a manuscript should be, and if it is worth the money to hire an editor before sending the book in.

Evan replied that the manuscript should be very polished. He suggested looking for NY editors who are now freelance if you decide to spend money on an editor.

Evan’s predictions for 2023:

Rise of medium-sized digital publishers

Big publishers are afraid to take risks on books

Trends are diversity!

Big demand for sexy romantic comedy—readers 20 and up!

Domestic thrillers—but the market is saturated with talented authors so hard to break into

WWII is still very hot for historical fiction

Amish romance is out.

Historical romance, dead at big publishers but doing okay at medium-sized digital.

Mainstream fiction would need to be a super big idea.

Important to fit a genre—no more mash ups.

Question was asked about older heroines?

Yes—an older heroine with a younger hero is considered diverse

Publishers are looking for series rather than standalone—they want to know that you can do more than one book if they invest in you.

Romantic suspense, mysteries, and cozy mysteries are all still doing well.

Mental health, if handled right, is an okay topic. People read to escape.

Social media is very, very important. If you are not on social media, it could be a reason for a publisher to say no. If you are not published yet, start a blog or following on the subject you’re writing about.

Someone asked the shelf life of a book?

HQN—one month.

Someone asked about a nonfiction book being easier to sell than a fiction, the subject being mental health.

Evan said that yes, it would be, so long as the writer had the correct credentials, a following already, and was a certified professional in that particular field.

Memoirs are still of interest.

I hope this gives insight if you are looking to expand your horizons from indie publishing—good luck in your journey! Being part of a community is the golden ticket, in my opinion, and the ladies here at ABB are amazing.

Check out the large selection of boxed sets, from romance to cozy mystery.

😊

Traci

Vision Board

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Authors’ Billboard Blog Traci Hall Jan 6th 2023

Holy smokes—2023!!

Boy, 2022 was a lot of ups and downs—we got married, we got Covid, I turned in 6 books, and stayed in California for almost a month to babysit my granddaughter since my daughter is in the Navy. There were fourteen-hour days, and then some time to chill out and recover.

Instead of goals, I dusted off my vision board skills for 2023. I used to do them all the time—I am a fulltime author ready to go to the next level…what does that mean? I don’t know exactly but a streaming series would sure be nice, lol. I am open to what comes next.

Last year I tried to write a gratitude journal—I can’t read my sloppy handwriting, so I decided to type instead and now I spend five minutes with my coffee in the morning, saying thank you and sending out loving vibes to my family and friends. It’s amazing how this small exercise warms me up for the day.

Want to do a vision board? It’s fun and easy!

Things you need:

Poster board

Old magazines

Pictures that mean something to you

Scissors

Tape

Glue

I added feathers to mine this year because I read that they are a sign from the angels giving you a wink that you’re on the right path.

Here is a page on Pinterest that has quotes and other things if you want to print out your own and skip the magazine! Or blend it with your magazine—it’s totally up to you how want to create it.

I cranked music I love and set my supplies out, really feeling the joy of creating and visualizing what I’d love most. Why not a house on the beach? As you cut out each thing, feel the happiness it gives you.

Now, you can’t just put some pictures on a page and wait for your ship to come in, lol. You still have to do the baby steps toward those dreams.

Example? I want a streaming contract, so what does that mean?

I’m watching videos on how to write a screenplay. I’m a busy woman, so I found a guy who teaches a 55-page pitch. I can write that, and it is nowhere as intimidating as the 120 pager.

Next, I’ll send it to my agent. Hoping for the best, the whole way.

If he says no? Well, there are places you can pitch that don’t require an agent. Also, I plan on attending conferences this year where they will teach screenplay writing and have contacts in the industry. I am a big believer in networking.

This is how I followed my dream to be a published author, so why not see if it works toward a streaming series?

Whatever your dreams are, I wish you the luck and fortitude to go after them, no matter what!

The ladies here at Authors’ Billboard write stories to take your breath away—I am so pleased to be part of the latest Christmas boxed set, Unforgettable Christmas Miracles.

Be sure to get your copy now!

Happy New Year,

Xoxo

Traci

Writing Journey

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Authors’ Billboard Blog December 6th

A long and winding road…

My journey as a writer/author/story creator hasn’t been put tab A into slot B and success will rain down in the form of money and accolades. I wish 😉

Instead, it was more of a squiggly line and now here I am with 62 published novels. The last fourteen have been in the cozy mystery/mystery genre. I am grateful for the romance community, one of generosity from my first ever Florida Romance Conference when I was, gulp, 34. What does one know at 34?? Well, I always knew I wanted to be a writer, so that part never changed. The genres of my stories were more flexible. As it turned out, that meant that I was writing all over the board rather than choosing a lane, which isn’t the recommended route for “success”. Oops.

After my divorce in 2013, I found, thanks to my dear friend Patrice Wilton, contemporary romance, and Authors’ Billboard. I’d previously been published by small presses in medieval romance and young adult novels. It seemed the YA market didn’t flourish in the ebook market in 2008/2009 and at the time the one thing that was going strong with ebooks was romance. Especially contemporary romance! Readers devoured those stories. The small press that my medieval romances were with went bankrupt in 2014 (I think) so I focused on writing contemporary romances about women who healed their broken hearts by the sea, that I could indie publish with Authors’ Billboard. We hit the USA Today several times!! I was part of my local RWA chapter and Patrice and I co-wrote our first book, a romance titled: Soccer Studs, Brody. Well, we found out that we were compatible writing partners (I plot, she is a pantser who wrote a steady number of pages per day, which is reliable and wonderful) On one FRW cruise, we met our agent and pitched Brody. He didn’t sell the romance but asked us (separately) if we’d be interested in cozies. Patrice answered the call before I did (she’s always been a few steps ahead lol) but she included me when she accepted, and this new direction of our careers was born. That was five years ago, and we have six books together in the Salem B and B series, and two indie Sandpiper Bay mysteries, with a third to come.

I have branched out from my Lauderdale by the Sea contemporaries to the West Coast, which are grittier romances. I do one per year as I focus on the cozies. My Scottish Shire series has been put in large print for libraries and was picked up by a German publisher. I have a new Irish Castle series that will debut as Ellie Brannigan in February. I never could have imagined being here. When I was first published in 2008, I thought that within ten years I’d be making six figures and living a life of champagne and lobster. The publishing industry was knocked on its butt, but we never gave up. We adapted. The truth is that people love stories, whether it’s reading or watching or gaming, the heart is a story of some kind. My journey has had ups and downs, but here I am, twenty years later. I have books in the one remaining bookstore LOL—or so it seems, but Barnes and Noble has been kind. My champagne is bought at Total Wine. I have the privilege of writing stories for my modest but independent living. There are times when the road is rocky, and times when it seems to fly. It’s crazy to be on this particular hilltop and look back to where I’ve come from, appreciate it, and then continue on the journey!

Thanks so much to my writing community! Thanks to the gang at Authors’ Billboard. As I close this, thanks to my nineteen-year-long critique partner, Patrice 😊

Wishing everyone an amazing holiday season, with love,

Traci