Lauren Blakely's Blog

I made a change! One Alluring Chance is now MY ONE WEEK HUSBAND and it is a standalone!! If you read ONE EXQUISITE TOUCH, you met Daniel…and this is his story as he falls in love with Scarlett…but since MY ONE WEEK HUSBAND is a sexy, sinful MF romance (no threesomes in this one!) and since it takes place entirely in France, it no longer fits in The Extravagant series. It can absolutely be read as a standalone and also, MY ONE WEEK HUSBAND is a kick ass title, right?

In the last few months I’ve been reviewing how I pay and hire contractors in all areas of my business including narrators for audiobooks, as well as book editors, marketers and designers.

Specifically as it relates to audiobooks, I recently decided to take a harder look at how I pay actors. Are the pay scales commensurate with experience and talent? Are they fair? Are they biased toward assumptions about value and sales? Are they biased toward gender? Also, do women underprice themselves? And can I do anything about this as a content creator? In addition, why do some of these biases exist? In order to answer these questions for audiobooks, I evaluated what my overall approach has been to giving raises for my contractors.

Asking For a Raise…

In my opinion, women are often conditioned not to ask for more money and not to ask for their true value. This is a societal problem. It can’t be fixed overnight, but I believe I can play a part in fixing it. I am a woman and I run a woman-owned business. I’ve been fortunate to work with and be mentored by smart, determined and outspoken women over the years who have helped me find a voice that allows me to advocate for myself as a business woman.

In the seven years I’ve been running my publishing company, I’ve employed many women, including female editors. I’ve given raises to nearly all of these women. In most cases, I raise them without them asking for it. I want them to know I value them and their work. I want them to be paid well. And I want to speak up for them whether or not they are accustomed to speaking up for themselves about their pay. I employ marketers and designers too. I also have given them raises before they asked for them.

Must a person ask for a raise to get it? Is a contractor worth more or more deserving because he or she asked for a raise? No. As a business owner advocating for diversity, equality and above average pay, I would rather speak up for my contractors and give them raises than wait for them to ask. I want to empower them with my admiration and respect for their work. 

In audio, I want the men and women to know that when they are both experienced I will be paying them both the same. I hope this approach can empower more women to ask for more money. If it empowers men too — great! But as a woman, my interest lies more in using the platform I have built to empower women to speak up, earn more and know they are treated equally by the woman hiring them – me.

Male and Female Voices…

As it relates to audiobooks, I’ve been inspired by the lead CD Reiss has taken in implementing equal pay. In part because of her, and in part because of other factors in the narration world, I made some changes in the last few months and have now implemented those pay changes across the board, primarily impacting what I pay the female narrators.

I have decided to pay experienced male and female narrators the same rates on my titles. 

Different books have different budgets, so rates vary across projects, but they won’t vary between experienced narrators on a lead role within a project. By experienced, I mean a narrator has achieved a certain amount of recognition and is clearly talented. In many cases, I’ve already paid the women the same rates as the men in the same book. In some cases, I have not. But where the women I hire for a book are underpriced, I am making the decision to move them up to the pay tier I have chosen for the men I hire for that book. I have applied this pay structure to the last six titles of mine and have now implemented it for all books in production and pre-production. (Side note: Male narrators on my occasional MM titles are also paid the same rates as their co-narrator.)

Why am I doing this? Because I can. 

I can use my voice and my business to speak up for others and pay them what they deserve, whether they ask for it or not. Asking for a raise is NOT a prerequisite to getting one. In fact, only four narrators have ever asked me for more money. Two had agents, and the other two were not romance narrators. No one else has asked me for more, and that’s because I have given raises to my regular narrators — men and women — without them asking for it. That is how I like to do business. And that is also how I intend to do business specifically for the experienced women I employ to voice my heroines — to raise their rates to the rates I have given the men before they ask, if they were not already the same.

The best part? Everyone wins! I am not paying anyone less to make this happen. I am happily incurring these increased costs from my pocket because I feel it’s the right thing to do.

What Constitutes Experience…

How do I determine experience? Is experience a fair way to value talent and work? I have decided for my books that all of the leading narrators I have worked with over the past few years are in the category I call “experienced.” And yes, since I’ve hired them I think they are talented! If I decide to hire someone who is much newer with a lot fewer titles, whether male or female, I will evaluate the pay individually for the project. 

But for now, I consider the primary narrators I work with to all be both experienced and talented — thus, they are all in the same boat and are now being paid the same rates on a title regardless of gender, and regardless of whether they have lower rates on their own. 

But wait! Don’t narrators set their own rates? Doesn’t one narrator have his or her own rate and another have his or her own rate? Am I taking some narrator’s hard earned rate and using it to match someone else who isn’t at that rate? Don’t narrators quote rates when asked to do books? Yes, they do. But I don’t pay the rates narrators quote as their standard rates. I pay them more and always have. Thus, my rates are my rates so when I match an experienced woman to an experienced man, I am matching narrators to my already above average rates rather than a narrator’s own rates used for others.

How to Determine Value

Pay for talent is a complex issue. There will always be gray areas. Art isn’t quantifiable in the same way that paying by word count for translation is, by the number of graphics for design, or by hours listened for audiobook proofing. Determining a one size fits all “equal pay for equal work” is not easy. Books have different budgets, artists have different levels of experience/training/special skills/cache within the industry. But despite all of those difficulties and complexities, I want to find a way to correct some glaring imbalances and to correct them in a way that takes NOTHING away from the men but ALSO elevates the women to the pay they deserve. 

An important caveat – if I were to hire a celebrity narrator, male or female from TV, film or Broadway, this does not apply. Celebrities, quite simply, are paid at different rates.

But don’t the men sell the books?

There’s a belief that the male narrators drive the sales. There is no actual way to prove this. We can’t run AB tests to remove the heroine from a book and see how it does without her performance. The data I will freely share is this — my bestselling books are the ones where both the hero and heroine are well-drawn, and my poorest sellers are ones where either one character or the other was not as well-written as in other titles. Thus, both leading roles matter to the success of a story!

At the end of the day, I believe everyone wins when female narrators make the same. No one is being asked to take less money. And I am happily and gratefully writing those checks for the women and men I contract with in all aspects of my business.

This shift isn’t going to happen across the board overnight, but I hope the industry can aim for it over time. I know that not all authors or producers can or want to pay this way – but this is the choice that works for me.

 

 

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EXCITING NEWS! As some of you noticed, I have a new cover for ONE TIME ONLY! Here are the deets! And this is some good stuff… so gather round!

Stone and Jackson’s story, ONE TIME ONLY, is coming November 18th, but you don’t have to wait that long to get a taste of their story! Because I CAN’T STAY AWAY FROM THEM! I started writing a prequel novella for them this weekend!

You can find out more about these two sexy men and what happened between them before the story of ONE TIME ONLY begins, and you’ll find it in the prequel novella, MAYBE THIS TIME. This never-before-seen story – BRAND FREAKING NEW — will not be in ONE TIME ONLY (i.e., it’s not the first few chapters of OTO, it’s all new yumminess!).

AND you can grab it for FREE starting next week on all ebook retailers! While you don’t have to read it to enjoy ONE TIME ONLY, I have no doubt you’ll want to see what these guys get into together! So that’s why Stone and Jackson have gotten a makeover! As I was finishing ONE TIME ONLY and starting MAYBE THIS TIME, I realized the cover needed to fit exactly what I had in mind for these characters as they kept talking to me. The moment I saw this new cover, I knew I had the perfect fit! Feast your eyes on all the deliciousness and get ready to grab your FREE prequel next week! (Will share the prequel cover in a day or two!)

Yes, MAYBE THIS TIME will release in paperback, and yes, audio lovers, Jacob and Teddy will record this one too – the audio won’t come out till next year but stay tuned for details and please know you can still enjoy ONE TIME ONLY without this extra yumminess!

Click here for all the deets!.

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Hey! I wanted to share some good news that you made possible! When I first announced I was writing an MM romance, I had no idea how readers and listeners would receive it. If you’d want it. If you’d like it. If you’d read or listen. But HOLY MOLY – the response has been amazing! Your emails, notes, and posts about the book and the characters have filled my heart with joy! So I’ve decided to give all the proceeds for preorders and through the end of this month (across all formats) to charities including those that support LGBTQ+, Animal Rescue, Pediatric Cancer Research, Theater Actors out of work due to COVID-19, and Artists of Color. THANK YOU! You can read more about each of the chosen charities here:

–The Trevor Project: The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning youth.

–Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation: Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) is changing the lives of children with cancer by funding impactful research, raising awareness, supporting families, and empowering everyone to help cure childhood cancer.

–Hopalong ANIMAL rescue: Hopalong Animal Rescue’s mission is to eliminate the euthanasia of cats and dogs through spay/neuter and rescue programs, including helping animals affected by the California fires, animal advocacy and humane education, and community outreach.

–Actors’ Equity Association Curtain Up Fund: The Actors’ Equity Emergency Curtain Up Fund has been launched by the Actors’ Equity Association to help provide support for members at risk due to work cancellations in order to help them get back on their feet financially because of the COVID-19 shutdown of theaters across the country.

– Arts Leaders of Color Emergency Fund: With over 12,000 arts leaders expressing financial need through the emergency fund application, the Arts Leaders of Color Emergency Fund supports BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) artists & arts administrators impacted by COVID-19 through $200 microgrants.

The post A Guy Walks Into My Bar News! appeared first on Lauren Blakely.

In the mood for a Teaser Tuesday? I know I am! I have the first of 5

behind-the-scenes clips from the recording of A GUY WALKS INTO MY BAR!

Duet narration from Joe Arden & Shane East, with a full supporting

cast! August 17 will be here soon!

Audible ➜ http://blkly.pub/AudibleGuyWalksInto

Get ready to fall in love with a sexy, witty British bartender and the

cocky, charming American hockey star who walks into his bar!

The post It’s Teaser Tuesday! appeared first on Lauren Blakely.

https://laurenblakely.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/TWIG-Joe-Andi-How-Much-I-Missed-You.m4v

Indulge in a sexy stand-alone romance performed with duet narration from Andi Arndt and Joe Arden and with special appearances from Emma Wilder and Tony Award winner Santino Fontana!

It should be an easy rule to follow – don’t bang your boss…. But I didn’t know who he was when I met him. And the first time I saw him, our connection sounded like the stuff of romantic legends – that whole “their eyes locked across a crowded room” moment that turned into more.

I didn’t believe it…until it happened to me. Fine, the charming, clever, sexy-as-sin guy in the tailored suit was only trying to buy the same Snoopy lunchbox (as a gift!), but still, our eyes totally locked, and my lady parts definitely tingled as we vied for the prize. Naturally, I did what any badass business woman would do. Negotiated for the lunchbox, then found my what-if guy online and made plans to see him the next night. One night only – that was the deal we made.

But one fantastic night had us both changing our minds in the morning. And making plans for another. Until I walked into the office to learn he just bought my company.

And here’s the biggest rule of romantic legends – no matter what, don’t bang your boss. Especially if you’re already falling for him.

The post A Sneak Peek of The What If Guy appeared first on Lauren Blakely.

PREORDER SPECIAL!

This weekend only preorder A GUY WALKS INTO MY BAR for $2.99 (US) in ebook! If you already preordered, you’ll automatically be charged this price! (And yes, I was always intending to launch this at a preorder discount but, um, my quarantine brain kicked in and I forgot so I just lowered the price so you can snag it at this discount this weekend only!)

✦ Kindle

✦ Apple

✦ Nook

✦ Kobo

✦ Google

The post This weekend only preorder A GUY WALKS INTO MY BAR for $2.99 (US) in ebook! appeared first on Lauren Blakely.

I am changing the way I had planned on releasing my next book, P.S. IT’S ALWAYS BEEN YOU. In light of the current situation in the world, I have been able to work with my retail partner to release this book at a reduced price and in a less complicated way. I encourage you to check out my video below for the details. I hope this book is able to provide an escape for all of you right now!

PREORDER ON ALL VENDORS TODAY!

✦Apple

✦Nook

✦Kobo

✦Google

✦Kindle ➜ LIVE KU RELEASE

Will be releasing on Amazon exclusively on April 17th!

The post Hi guys! BIG NEWS!! appeared first on Lauren Blakely.

 

Lovelies! I have exciting news about audio AND ebooks! Some of you are familiar with my angsty, sexy, emotional, new adult series NO REGRETS, and some of you will get to experience it for the first time soon…because…as the audio rights for these titles expired I embarked on brand new recordings for these books and I’m about to approve the audio for the first one today! THE START OF US is coming soon!

And the narration is astounding!! Vanessa Edwin and Joe Arden killed it on these titles! Gah! All the feels! All the emotions! It’s so good! They sound incredible together! I also brought Erin Mallon on board for a cameo role, and Teddy Hamilton narrates a few chapters written in the POV of Cam, who was a popular character in the previous iteration but never had his own POV. Now he does, and I think you will LOVE hearing from him!

Also, for the sake of total transparency – the amazingly talented Erin Mallon was the narrator on the original recordings for these titles. She did both the male and female parts. I adore Erin and I have a great relationship with her and she will be on many more titles of mine. The reason she is NOT narrating the heroine on this re-record is that when I bought back the rights, I was not able to buy back the original recordings from the rights partner, sooooo since I needed to re-record anyway, it only made sense to offer entirely new narration and a fresh experience for listeners. Vanessa is incredible and wonderfully captures Harley, and Joe is so good at everything and does a terrific job as Trey. Plus, Erin has returned in a special cameo role as a nod to the amazing work she did in the first recording!

All three titles will release in late April in Audible Escape so you can borrow them!

They will ALSO re-release in ebook very soon, so stay tuned!

Finally, I restructured the storylines slightly so that the story of Harley and Trey is now told across 3 full-length novels instead of 2 long novels and a novella.

The post AUDIO and ebook NEWS!!! appeared first on Lauren Blakely.

I am so honored and humbled to share what YOU did! As you may recall, I pledged to donate all preorder proceeds for THE PRETENDING PLOT and THE SECOND CHANCE PLAN to Australia fire relief. I am thrilled to share that YOU raised $5837 (US) to help Australia! The donations have all been made to the charities in the chart. Thank you to my readers who made this possible!

You can check out the entire Caught Up In Love Series by clicking here!

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