Perfect Boyfriends: My Imaginary Ex, No Strings Attached, That Kind of Guy

I clicked "publish" this weekend on something. Don't panic -- I don't suddenly have a new book you've never heard of! But I did compile three of my earlier books, those that might be a bit difficult to find outside of the Philippines, and now they're available in print and ebook editions worldwide, from online stores you like.

I've opted this into CreateSpace Expanded Distribution which means bookstores and libraries that order from CreateSpace can sell and stock this book. (If you represent a library or bookstore, check this out if you want more Filipino authors/Asian setting romance on your shelves! Thanks!)

I will not be making a print on demand edition of this for the Philippines, nor will this be in Philippine bookstores. But it'll be available for purchase from sites that ship to the Philippines.

Three books by bestselling romance author Mina V. Esguerra, together in one edition for the first time. Fall in love three different ways... 

Jasmine once pretended to be Zack's ex girlfriend, to help him score with another girl. They've been good friends since then, so good that his two real exes rope Jasmine into their plan to stop him from marrying someone they think is totally wrong for him. (MY IMAGINARY EX)

Carla's 29 and won't settle down and marry just any guy, no matter what her friends say. She thinks Dante is a safe bet for a non-relationship, because he's 24 and couldn't possibly want something long-term. (NO STRINGS ATTACHED)

Anton has dated a lot of women and is everyone's "delicious distraction." But he seems to have fallen hard for good girl Julie -- if only she believed him. (THAT KIND OF GUY, winner of the 2013 Filipino Readers' Choice Award for Chick Lit.)

Buy links: Amazon  Smashwords  CreateSpace paperback (use code VB9SRYWV to get 20% off) 

Fantasy Casting: Dante of No Strings Attached

No, there is no movie version being planned for No Strings Attached (that I know of) but I recently hosted a giveaway for the book and asked people who they imagined Dante to be.

Dante, in case you haven't read the book, is twenty-four, a wushu instructor, and teaches Philippine history in a university.

These are the answers I got!

Joie Marie Crucena This is the first book I ever read that was yours  plus I imagined Dante looked like JC De vera :)))

May 28 at 9:43pm

Anna Lumanta Ave yes difinitely JC de vera...kahit wala pa akong nabasa sa mga libro mo, pero excited akong magkaroon niyan,maka visit nga sa bookstore.

May 29 at 12:19am 

JC De Vera. Had to skip a lot of shirtless pics to find this one.

Ailla Shareena Magcamit Slater Young seems fit for the role of Dante haha 

May 28 at 11:21pm

Kristel Ann Cruz Woo Yung of Survivor Season 28! 

June 2 at 1:36pm

Beya Maris Zanjoe Marudo 

June 2 at 1:51pm

Kat Sales Harry Shum Jr., or Rafael Rosell (even though they're older than Dante is. They're both fit, and look really hot in long sleeved polo, chinos, tie and glasses). 

May 29 at 8:15am 

Harry Shum Jr.

Rafael Rosell. Thanks, Ron.

Ronald Jeffrey S. Lim First person I thought of when I read the book was Luke Landrigan.

Annie Bag-ao I was thinking Dante na sporty, younger and hottie professor and with a guy-next-door vibe, so I'll be rooting for Alden Richards hehehehe.

May 30 at 10:47am

But then we have this guy.

Biena Magbitang Haven't read this one but I think, since Daniel Matsunaga's only 25 (Watching PBB tells you a lot). Then, I think he can be Dante. Or is he a too buff to become a wushu instructor? Whatever. I like him. Haha. Or, since the question is hypothetical, how about Rico Yan (Haaay. My forever crush).

May 29 at 12:40am 

Rose Perez I agree on the Daniel Matsunaga suggestion!  Teka, isip muna ako ng iba pa.

May 29 at 10:20am 

Meliza Verano Caguimbal I read somebody says Daniel Matsunaga and I agree. 

June 2 at 1:48pm

Trisha Palasigue Daniel Matsunaga.

June 2 at 6:19pm

Because how can we not. 

Dante

Maybe you have the answers: Book marketing and promotion in the Philippines

A few months ago I met Miriam College Communication Arts students Julhean Divinagracia, Moira Estrada, and Meredith Marcelo (and their friend Bea). We talked for a bit about books and publishing and writing, and yesterday they sent me a copy of the school project that came about from it. It's called "Books in Action: A Production Thesis on the Effectiveness of Book Trailers in Promoting Local Works of Mina Esguerra and Karen Francisco."

Some interesting bits from their paper:

"...it can be inferred that their reading preference is the books that are known and famous. For a book to be known and famous, aside from its good plot, it has to be marketed and promoted well to the public..."

"The main purpose of the study with the use of book trailers is to motivate and encourage the Filipino youth to read and acknowledge the country’s own literature through the experience of reading Filipino literary works that were written by young contemporary Filipino fiction writers just as much as they read other foreign literature."

"Romance emerged as the most preferred genre of the second year students from both sections 6 and 7. Other genres like Inspirational, Comdey, Adventure, and Mystery also got huge numbers in the result, the researchers can say that the respondents also likes variety in their reading choices."

"...the top five things the respondents do before buying a book are first, looking if the book interest them and second, reading the summary presented on the back part of the book cover. There is also a big number of respondents who see if it’s affordable or ask for their friends’ opinions before buying a book or any reading material."

"...it shows that the second year college students of Miriam College think that it is very important to get information about a book and the plot is the most important information they must know when they buy a book. So far, the students are not particular with the author and are more interested in the story."

"Based on the results presented in the table, the students who do not buy books online outnumber those who buy books online."

"...students who read E-books outnumber those who don't read E-books. The result can not classify which of these students are the ones who buy in bookstores and those who buy online but it can mean that some students, whether they buy their books online or not also reads E-books that are downloaded from the internet."

"In the result, beside the other chic lits made by Filipino authors, books by Bob Ong are the only local books the students have read."

I love that they did this, and will continue to read their paper with nerdy fascination. I think it's wonderful that they chose to do this, and I am convinced that young Filipinos will read more once we write what they want to read (if we aren't doing that already) and let them know that these books are available.

Oh, and the book trailer they produced for No Strings Attached? Martin Escudero (of Zombadings) was Dante. My heart fainted. My heart needs smelling salts. Or white flower. Wake up my heart.

Any other Comm majors want to take on this book marketing challenge? I'll help in any way I can.

No Strings Attached, now on Amazon!

Guess which one of my books now has a shiny new Kindle edition?

OK, you don't actually have to guess. No Strings Attached, about Carla and Dante and their lack of strings, is now available on Amazon for $3.99 US, $5.99 Asia-Pacific. 

Off to update the Where to Find My Books page...

Reviews: No Strings Attached

A collection of reviews for No Strings Attached from all over. (If I missed yours, let me know!)

PS - Some may have spoilers.

FemaleNetwork
Goodreads
One More Page
From Page One
Ficsation
Chachic's Book Nook
The Blair Book Project
Resplendent Rainbows
Book Harbinger
Girl Next Cubicle
Not Just Silly Thoughts
Perfect Nostalgia

Where to find the books

I've encountered this question enough times that I think it deserves its own post: Where can I find [your book]? This might sound strange, but by now I have four novellas out, and you likely won't be able to see all four side by side in the same bookstore. I appreciate so much the messages from people who've maybe read one and want to know where the others can be found, so here's a cheat sheet.

The "traditionally published":

My Imaginary Ex is published under Summit Books. It's in paperback for P150, and in theory can be found in bookstores like National, Powerbooks, Booksale, etc. But this first came out in 2009 and by now is a bit hard to find. But at least it's listed now on National Bookstore's site, so in case you can't find it on your regular mall trip there's another option for you. Buy the ebook for the PC, iPad, and Mac via Zinio.

No Strings Attached was also published by Summit Books, and is also in paperback for P150. This is fairly new, published late 2010, and usually the bookstores have it on stock. Check out National, Powerbooks, Booksale, Fully Booked and your nearest mall magazine stand. You can also order it online via the National Bookstore site, and possibly have it shipped outside the Philippines. Buy the ebook for the PC, iPad, and Mac via Zinio. And now there's a Kindle edition!

The "indies":

Fairy Tale Fail is self-published, and you will not be seeing this in local bookstores but if you've got a credit card (and you don't mind reading ebooks) then this will be easier to find. It's on Amazon ($0.99 US, $2.99 Asia-Pacific), and can be read not just on Kindles but on PCs, Macs, iPhones, iPods, iPads, Blackberry phones and Android phones. So go ahead and read it with your gadget of choice! If you have Paypal then it's easier (and cheaper) to get it from Smashwords. If you have a Nook, you can also get it from Barnes & Noble and Goodreads. If you prefer the Apple iBookstore, it's there too. Get it on Flipreads if you're in the Philippines and prefer paying through non-credit card means.

If you MUST have the paperback, yes it's available on Amazon ($7.99). But if you're in Metro Manila or the Philippines, you can also order one from me (if there's stock) for P350, just visit my Multiply store.

Love Your Frenemies is also self-published, and you can get the paperback from Amazon ($7.99). Or me, for P350 plus shipping. Get the ebook from Amazon ($0.99 US, $2.99 Asia-Pacific), Smashwords ($0.99), Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, the Apple iBookstore and Flipreads. In the Philippines? Get the paperback from my Multiply store.

Interim Goddess of Love is available on Amazon ($0.99 US, $2.99 Asia-Pacific). Buy the tiny paperback from Multiply (P300).

The languages we speak

From Elaine Yeung's review of No Strings Attached: "In addition, it is quite hard to picture a Filipino setting where all the characters speak in perfectly straight English."

Elaine brings up an excellent point, which I wanted to blog about, in case an international reader wanders over.

I made a deliberate decision when I prepared my very first manuscript for publication that I would write it mostly in English. In reality, middle-class twenty-something women living and working in Metro Manila would be at least bilingual, speaking Filipino and English (or "Taglish") with ease at home, at work, with friends. But this doesn't yet capture exactly how we speak -- I know people who speak Bisaya, Ilonggo, and other regional languages at home. The slang I speak with close friends can be hard to understand, and I know because I have to translate sometimes for my husband later, even though we heard the exact same thing at dinner.

It's difficult to get that absolutely note-perfect, for me. International readers would notice that I do have the stray Tagalog word here and there, though, because I chose to retain some "untranslatables." Maybe it provides a hint of local color to some, but it doesn't do justice to the way we actually do use our native languages. I really just use them to avoid a more awkward English translation, so I say "kuya" rather than "older guy who isn't related to me but could be older brother also" or "bulalo" instead of "beef bone marrow soup."

The decision to go mostly-English has to do with a lot of things, but first of these is that if I did it any other way, I wouldn't be able to finish anything. I've tried, and the pressure to "get it right" just kills every draft, every time. So, kudos to writers who can craft characters and give them the right slang and language and make it sound real.

The upside of my earlier decision? The stories produced in this way found an international audience. I wonder if it's possible to have both (the correctly-represented languages AND the international audience) but since I haven't successfully finished an attempt, I don't personally know.

First round of thanks for No Strings Attached readers

No Strings Attached has been out for a week, and here's my first round of shoutouts to the people who've been so generous with their time (and money).

Thank you, Chachic, Tina, Lee, Layla, Hazel N, Tin, M and popandcrackle!

And to address a few things that I read/heard in the first week:

From Chachic's review: "The focus isn’t the build up of the love story but rather the complications involved in their relationship."

Very true, although not what I intended. Let me just share -- when I got back into a romance groove, I decided to write three love stories based on the three different love interests I felt I could write about. (My Imaginary Ex, Fairy Tale Fail, and Love Your Frenemies represent all that.) No Strings Attached was a fun thing I tried based on a friend's suggested concept, but it happened to get noticed first.

From Tina's review: "I liked how Carla seemed like a very real person, and her friends offer enough contrast to her for the readers to see the different sides of the story without telling it to them in a long monologue of sorts from the heroine."

Thank you. I did base her on a real person, who would likely never do what Carla did. Oh well, fiction. :)

No Strings Attached

From the back cover:

Carla is a whiz at her job: she’s efficient, reliable, and a total genius when it comes to putting something together at the last minute. The snag is she’s single and turning the big three-oh in a few months. Her girl best friend (yes, she’s married just like the other girls in Carla’s barkada) keeps trying to set her up with stable banker-types, while her guy best friend (single – the other single one) encourages her to play the field – no strings attached.

Then, through no set up or extraordinary circumstance, Carla meets Dante. Hot, smug, sexy Dante. Definitely not a banker-type and seemingly too good to be true. So there’s got to be a catch. There is. He’s five years younger. Is the universe telling Carla to finally let loose and enjoy a fling with a younger man? Or is there a lot more to this awkward situation that she bargained for?

My second novel with Summit Books is out now. Hope you're all in a book-buying mood. :)

This was the work that I had originally talked about in this blog, but under a different working title. I'm happy with the title change, though, and appreciate that there's a lot of feedback and care behind getting these books out.

Some shoutouts:

Editor Ines and Publisher Aueeie: It's hard work, what you do. But I'm so glad you make the effort. I hope it's fun rather than frustrating on most days. :)
Abi Goy at Studio Dialogo: Excellent cover!
Husband Michael A.R. Co for the help with the not-girly stuff.
Certain friends (they should know who they are) for suggesting the concept.
Chris for answering my odd questions.

Thank you for the support and encouragement. :)

I will never get tired of these posts I guess

November has beaten October as Fairy Tale Fail's best month ever. Amazon also launched (finally) a way to give Kindle books as gifts, even to people who have never opened a Kindle account, so this might even get better. (I hope!) If anything it's taught me that momentum is a big part of the ebook success thing -- a big promo push in the beginning helps, but also constant buildup.

That said, Amazon is a mostly American audience, and I'm never really sure how they'll react to a very obviously Pinoy story (though it's in English). This review by Holly of Book Harbinger came out recently and gave me an idea.

I also found out that FTF's older sibling My Imaginary Ex is still selling, more than a year after its release. Recent reviews by online communities and book bloggers have been significantly helpful.

Speaking of helpful online communities, a Goodreads page has been created for No Strings Attached. (Thanks, Chachic!)

Paper again, and word counts

FTF paperback update: Batch 1 is all out, but I'm expecting batch 2 to arrive in a few weeks. Sorry about the delay -- apparently I'm bad at figuring out supply and demand. (Good thing I'm not an economist!) Please be OK with being batch 2. :)

The books got some exposure on the interwebs this week by being featured on Chachic's Book Nook. It's always exciting, especially now that I've come out and started interacting with people who post stuff about the book. The reviews also give me something to think about, so here are a few thoughts to toss back out:

From Chachic's review of Fairy Tale Fail: "If only the paperback was as cheap as the e-book edition, I’d buy lots of copies and give them as Christmas gifts to my girlfriends. Unfortunately, the paperback is more expensive at P350."

I appreciate the thought, and I do wish the printing was cheaper. :( I got a great deal from CreateSpace, but it still can't beat the cost of distributing an ebook.

From her review of My Imaginary Ex: "I just have to say that I’m enjoying reading local chick lit. I just have a minor complaint – they’re all so thin! Small paperbacks less than 150 pages long. I’d be glad to read something meatier if the authors come up with something like that."

I had to learn to write with a word limit that would still make good business sense to my publisher. But to their credit, my next title's manuscript was 8,000 words over -- but they're still taking a chance on it. (Love them!)

BTW I just found out that that book now shares a title with an upcoming Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman movie. (Story's different, as far as I can tell. Unless they too meet on a beach in Batangas.)