Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Victoria Jayne. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Victoria, thanks for joining us today. Often the greatest growth and the biggest wins come right after a defeat. Other times the failure serves as a lesson that’s helpful later in your journey. We’d appreciate if you could open up about a time you’ve failed.
My debut novel was picked up by a small press. I wrote it for NaNoWriMo 2017. The publisher put it out in December 2018. I had a beautiful cover. The editing was quality. Unfortunately, six weeks after release, the publisher dropped me.
The publisher worked primarily with adult contemporary romance. My book was the only adult paranormal romance she had on her roster. My failures in marketing meant the book sold very little. Thankfully, she gave me all the files back and signed the rights back over to me.
I self-published it in January of 2019. I went on to write the next two books in the series to complete the trilogy. All the while I did what I could to learn as much about marketing as I could.
Not to be discouraged, I continued to write. I did switch genres, slightly. My next series is adult contemporary romance – specifically Motorcycle Club Romance.
Odin’s Fury Motorcycle club was picked up by a different small publisher. They turned one manuscript into two books. They accepted the second manuscript and turned that into two books. Four titles were published by the same publisher. I had succeeded where I had failed in the past.
However, I am choosing to publish the rest of the series independently for my own reasons and I am continuing to study marketing.
Victoria, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Hi, I’m Victoria Jayne. I’m a Jersey girl through and through. I grew up on the shore and worked on the boardwalk in my youth. As a kid, I devoured R.L. Stine’s Fear Street series. The older I got, the more mature my books became. Lurlene McDaniel, Anne Rice, Suzanne Wright, Dianne Duvall, Elisabeth Naughton, Cherise Sinclair, Madeline Sheehan, Kim Jones, Joanna Wylde, J.L. Drake, etc.
I couldn’t get enough of these worlds. I wanted more of the alphaholes, the flawed heroes, the broody dudes. I’d penned a few short stories and things as a high schooler, but I decided to try my hand at writing a book. I researched the publishing industry for a few years. I submitted manuscripts to agents that had no business seeing the light of day.
Then NaNoWriMo 2017 happened. I promised myself that this time, I’d do everything it took to get it published. The rest is history.
Odin’s Fury Motorcycle Club is close to my heart. Certain characters are closely related to people I know in my personal life. I added little tidbits to honor people in my life. In Jacob and Sparrow, Sparrow’s father speaks Portuguese because my roommate in college was from Portugal. Dash is based heavily on someone I consider a dear friend. Blue has the confidence I wish I had. In later books, someone drives a purple Challenger, because my father did in his youth. Despite never having been on a motorcycle myself, these stories mean the world to me.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
I wish I had started TikTok sooner. It’s been the greatest experience both professionally and personally. I got the courage to attend book signings. I got to meet the people in person who I follow on TikTok. I got to network with some amazing authors I never would have met any other way.
How did you build your audience on social media?
Being genuine is what I advise everyone to do when they are discussing social media engagement. While I may lipsync in my TikTok videos, it’s still me. The few times I dance, the duets and stitches, are all authentically me. I show my face and my book covers.
The thing about social media is that you cannot treat it like an ad. The goal may be to find new readers and to get them to buy books, the key to social media is to be social and make connections. Networking and joining a community has done more for my book sales than making ads ever has.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.authorvictoriajayne.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorvictoriaj/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/victoria.jayne.7982
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorVictoriaJ
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@authorvictoriajayne
Image Credits
The Prophecy Trilogy & Mooky Odin’s Fury Motorcycle Club cover art by Book Cover Couture Jacob, Sparrow, Dash, & Gingersnap of Odin’s Fury Motor Cycle Club cover art by Deranged Doctor Designs