Small Independent Publishers

copyright by Deborah J Ledford

First of all, let me say what an honor this is to appear on the Murder by 4 blog. I have been a follower of this unique and insightful writers site since its inception and I truly appreciate this opportunity.

When it came to publishing my debut thriller I made the decision to go with the small independent press Second Wind Publishing. Don’t get me wrong, I tried going the big publisher route, even had an agent pitching “A” tier editors at houses for the second book in my thriller series, however I grew quite tired of waiting for others to decide when it was time to be published.

The downside is that small indie’s rely on the authors to promote their own books. Authors of Second Wind are fortunate to have an excellent promotion and PR guru, the talented novelist Pat Bertram who also hosts an excellent writers blog Bertram’s Blog, who spends endless hours touting Second Wind books. Many small houses don’t have in-house PR ability.

As for what I do to create awareness, months before the release of my debut thriller I began establishing a presence on the social sites Facebook, Goodreads and Gather. The plan is to send out personal invitations to each of my “friends” on these sites, but this will take time…a lot of time—unfortunately, time away from writing—but what better way is there than to spread the word virally?

Big publishers push their authors’ new releases quickly and with a loud bang because they only have two weeks to establish a presence for these new titles. During this short timeframe their push is to get these books on bestseller lists and pay for premium space at big box stores and on front tables in Barnes & Noble and Borders. Beyond that amount of time, sales either take off or the books are shelved with the other thousands of books, discounted, or sent back to the publisher as returns. However, small independent titles have a never-ending shelf life. These titles can be touted, for years if necessary, until the writer releases a new book.

If you’re like me, I find typos in nearly every big publisher’s books I read. Another element small independent publishers and their authors have going for them is the ability to make immediate changes in the books. Files are generated in Word for the Print Proofs, therefore irritating typos can be rectified for the next print run.

Independent Presses also tend to be more open to the latest technology. My publisher offers not only printed versions of their books, but also a PDF download, all are available for the Kindle, and many of the titles are available for virtually every Portable Entertainment Device through services such as Smashwords and Mobipocket.

The biggest advantage I found in going with a small indie is the control I have over the end product. My publisher allowed me to keep the title, cover concept, and every creative element I found imperative in order to showcase my original vision. I’ve heard horror stories from writers with big publishers who have been allowed no such control—a few even had to change their name to suit their editors. As a first-time writer, when you sign a big publisher’s contract you are essentially signing over work to a board to individuals who often have a hidden agenda. In many cases you will need to undergo a rewrite that no longer resembles your true vision. Their main goal is to sell as many copies of “your” book as possible, but it is really worth the cost to the writer’s soul?

ABOUT DEB

Additional to her recently published debut novel STACCATO, Deborah J Ledford is a three-time nominee for the Pushcart Prize. Her award-winning short stories appear in the print publications Arizona Literary Magazine, Forge Journal literary magazine, Twisted Dreams Magazine, AnthologyBuilder and the collections “Sweet Tea and Afternoon Tales,” two Red Coyote Press mystery anthologies, and the mystery anthology “How Not to Survive the Holidays” published by the Sisters in Crime chapter Desert Sleuths.
You can visit her on the web here: Deb's Site

Review for PERVALISM by M.E Ellis

I've written many dozens of reviews in my life. Some of the books just stick with you, and that's a great indicator, isn't it? PERVALISM was one of those that I still think about. Thought I'd share - and be sure to check out the trailer, it's so damned good, it's a lesson in how to make effective trailers!

- Aaron Paul Lazar

Title: Pervalism

Author: M.E Ellis

Publisher: Wild Child Publishing

Publisher's Address: P.O. Box 4897, Culver City, CA, 90231-4897

ISBN number: 1-934069-21-3.

Price: $15.99

Publisher phone number and/or website address: www.wildchildpublishing.com

Pervalism is a gripping journey into the tortured mind of serial killer John Brookes. Abused by an odious mother and adored by a doting father, Brookes’ psyche is scarred from childhood. His sins begin with animal torture, which gives him a weighty sense of power and a bizarre sensual release. Although the torture scenes were tough to read, the story beguiled this reader with ghoulish fascination and it was impossible not to read Pervalism in one sitting. 

Pervalism is not for the faint of heart. Brookes’ vile behaviors escalate as he reaches his teen years. When his promiscuous mother bears a child, resultant from an affair, his jealousy erupts into obsessive rage. She appears to love the new baby. Yet Brookes is riddled with questions, ripped apart by the disparity. How could she have hated him so much, yet love the squalling baby who now rides in his old pram? His hostility and excessive envy push him to stalk her, and when opportunities ripen, he drives her to a ghastly deed.

Oddly enough, Brookes matures into a seemingly normal man who marries, has a child, and holds down a job as a hospital janitor. Yet, perhaps it isn’t really so strange, when one considers the current day killers who are unmasked and found to be living sedately in suburbia, reportedly considered “nice, quiet neighbors.” Brookes holds out for several years without giving into his baser needs. The devil quiets when he learns to love his wife and son with ferocity.

When Brookes’ family is treated poorly, a rumbling sense of outrage collides with old feelings of violence and revenge, and the grisly deeds of his earlier life are perpetuated.

As the body count rises, Ellis exhibits a unique talent in her ability to provoke understanding and empathy for her homicidal protagonist. Brookes’ pain is palpable. His fears understandable. His rage predictable. Each time he kills anew, however, the horror escalates to unpredictable levels.

M.E’s skill is consummate. Her voice, consistent and eerie, will ensnare the most reticent reader. An English setting, the backdrop for Brookes’ heinous acts, provides a rich tapestry of British culture that weaves depth and a strong sense of place into the work. John Brookes becomes lifelike in this potent and unforgettable thriller.

Watch the book trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-eAbASGTVk and purchase either the ebook or print book here.

Suspense: When More is More

copyright 2009, Pat Bertram

Suspense is a hard thing for many authors to write. We don’t want to give away the story too soon, yet if we don’t tell enough, we will bore our readers. Readers need to know where we are going, they need enough clues to be able to participate in the journey, and they need a stake in the outcome. If a character agonizes for pages about a decision she has to make without readers knowing what the problem is, they won’t care. They will skip ahead or, even worse from our point of view as an author, they will toss the book aside.

For example, while getting dressed for an appointment that she’s dreading, a character may be dropping things out of nervousness and arguing with herself or another character about keeping the appointment. Readers might have empathy with her indecision, might even wonder what’s going on, but there is no real suspense because they have no stake in the matter.

If readers find out the character is getting ready to go to the doctor to learn the results of a test, the suspense is a little greater, and they have a little more empathy, but the scenario is still not detailed enough to build tension.

If readers find out the character has uterine cancer and needs to meet with the physician to decide on a course of treatment, that raises the stakes for both the character and the reader. And the tension level rises.

But if readers learn that the character’s mother died an agonizing death even after undergoing years of treatment for uterine cancer, and the character is trying to decide whether she is willing to undergo the same treatment or whether she would rather live out the remainder of her days the best way she can, then we have created real tension, and readers care. They wonder what the character will do, what they would do in her place, how they would feel if they had to make the same decision. It gives them a personal stake in the outcome, and they keep reading to find out what she is going to do.

As an added bonus, readers get to know her better and can empathize with her even if they don’t agree with her final decision.

So, by not withholding story points, we can create tension, develop a character, and please our readers. Not a bad day’s work.

***

Pat Bertram is a native of Colorado and a lifelong resident. When the traditional publishers stopped publishing her favorite type of book — character and story driven novels that can’t easily be slotted into a genre — she decided to write her own. Daughter Am I is Bertram’s third novel to be published by Second Wind Publishing, LLC. Also available are More Deaths Than One and A Spark of Heavenly Fire

A CONTEST FOR YOU!

I recently had the privilege of working with the fine folks over at Coffeetime Romance and more. If you have never gone over and visited that site, you should check it out. It isn't just for ROMANCE anymore! CTR

And in the month of November, it is my great pleasure to tell you that I have a month-long contest going on whereby you can pick up A Will to Love for FREE!

Just go to : CONTEST PAGE and follow the directions to get the goods.

Hope you will win, and hope you love this little quick read from me.

If you do not like contests, you can still get A Will to Love at any time on the Red Rose Publishing site, Fictionwise, Bn.com, and now on KINDLE!

Book Promotion: Think Beyond the Review

© Marta Stephens 2009 all rights reserved

Growing up, I made a promise to myself to never work in retail or anything else that resembled a sales job. Not that there's anything wrong with sales. My husband's years in sales provided a good living for us. A sales job simply wasn't for me--never thought I could sell a thing. Instead, I worked in secretarial positions for years before moving into my current job as programs coordinator in human resources.

Then I decided to write, got my manuscript published, and guess what? I found myself taking more and more time to promote, market and yes, sell my book.

Over the past few years, I've gotten over the dread of selling my books, still, on a scale from one to ten, ten being the most dreaded, book and self promotion can at times rate a ten. It’s time consuming work and what makes it so “frightening” is that in order for the promotion to be effective, the author has to be consistently fresh in his or her approach. On good days, we work our book promotions through a well-thought out article, in less creative moments, we just want to yell, “Here, buy the damn thing. You’ll love—go on. Take it!”

Ahem …

Recently I was looking through a friend’s blog http://www.maryglenn.com/index.html and found a series of interesting articles on book promotion. One of the pieces that caught my attention was one Maryglenn titled, “Think Outside The Book.” I’ve been blogging for several years, written numerous articles, but I don’t think I’d every approached my book promotion from “outside the book.” In essence, it means to take something from your book; a lesson, a process, or tip and expand on it. Write an article based on a specific aspect of your book. Is there something in your novel you can tie to a current event or interest? Have you written a book based on an area of your expertise? If so, then write about it.

When I was writing THE DEVIL CAN WAIT another friend of mine suggested that Homicide Detective Sam Harper needed a dog. “That way,” she explained, “you can promote the book to organizations that support dog enthusiasts.”

I was skeptical. I never envisioned Sam having time to care for a dog. I mean, once you put an animal into a series as one of the characters, you have to give that "character" a role. I hadn't thought it through and wasn't so sure I could or wanted to develop a dog into the series, but after thinking about it, Fogerdy made it into THE DEVIL CAN WAIT. His name is the first word you’ll read in chapter 1, and his bark is one of the last things “heard” in the final chapter. He doesn’t have a huge part. In fact, I imagine most readers will forget about him by the time he shows up again in chapter 51, but his actions turned out to be key to helping Harper finding the killer.

THE DEVIL CAN WAIT came out a year ago (11/2/08), and I still haven’t yet found an angle on how to promote my book based on Fogerdy’s character, but Maryglenn’s article made me realize that my friend had been on to something and maybe, just maybe I should think about this some more.

Blurb:

The city of Chandler, Massachusetts is plunged into terror when the bodies of three local teenagers wash ashore. While homicide detective Sam Harper hunts down the guilty, a sinister plot emerges overseas. From the Vatican to the jungles of South America, a cursed black pearl ring, the demonic prophecy it represents, and the men who pursue its powers find their unfortunate way onto Harper's turf.

Enthralled by the ring's story and a front-page spread, newspaper reporter Jennifer Blake agrees to pick up the ring at a local pawnshop for her former college professor. When she does, unforeseen events shoot Blake to the top of Harper's prime suspect list. Soon, the seemingly unrelated cases converge and the heat is on for Harper to expose the truth behind a Vatican secret and stop the self-righteous man who does the unthinkable in the name of God.

About the author:

Marta Stephens writes crime mystery/suspense. Her books are available online at familiar shops such as all the Amazons, Barnes & Noble, Borders, Books-a-Million, and Powells. Other locations include, but are not limited to those listed on her website.

THE DEVIL CAN WAIT (2008)
Bronze Medal Finalist, 2009 IPPY Awards, Top Ten, 2008 Preditors and Editors Reader Poll (mystery)
SILENCED CRY (2007) Honorable Mention, 2008 New York Book Festival, Top Ten, 2007 Preditors and Editors Reader Poll (mystery)

Visit Sam Harper at http://www.samharpercrimescene.blogspot.com

Because I Need a Laugh Today

There was once a young man who, in his youth, professed his desire to become a great writer.

When asked to define great, he said, "I want to write stuff that the whole world will read, stuff that people will react to on a truly emotional level, stuff that will make them scream, cry, howl in pain and anger!"

He now works for Microsoft writing error messages.

* * * * *

A writer died and was given the option of going to heaven or hell.

She decided to check out each place first. As the writer descended into the fiery pits, she saw row upon row of writers chained to their desks in a steaming sweatshop. As they worked, they were repeatedly whipped with thorny lashes.

"Oh my," said the writer. "Let me see heaven now."

A few moments later, as she ascended into heaven, she saw rows of writers, chained to their desks in a steaming sweatshop. As they worked, they, too, were whipped with thorny lashes.

"Wait a minute," said the writer. "This is just as bad as hell!"

"Oh no, it's not," replied an unseen voice. "Here, your work gets published."

* * * * *

A screenwriter comes home to a burned down house. His sobbing and slightly-singed wife is standing outside. "What happened, honey?" the man asks.

"Oh, John, it was terrible," she weeps. "I was cooking, the phone rang. It was your agent. Because I was on the phone, I didn’t notice the stove was on fire. It went up in second. Everything is gone. I nearly didn’t make it out of the house. Poor Fluffy is--"

"Wait, wait. Back up a minute," the man says. "My agent called?"

* * * * *

Three guys are sitting at a bar...

#1: "...Yeah, I make $75,000 a year after taxes."
#2: "What do you do for a living?"
#1: "I'm a stockbroker. How much do you make?
#2: "I should clear $60,000 this year."
#1: "What do you do?"
#2: "I'm an architect."

The third guy has been sitting there quietly, staring into his beer, when the others turn to him.

#2: "Hey, how much do you make per year?"
#3: "Gee... hmmm... I guess about $13,000."
#1: "Oh yeah? What kind of stories do you write?"

* * * * *

RULES FOR WRITERS

1. Verbs HAS to agree with their subjects.

2. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.

3. And don't start a sentence with a conjunction.

4. It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.

5. Avoid clichés like the plague. (They're old hat.)

6. Be more or less specific.

8. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are (usually) unnecessary.

9. Also too, never, ever use repetitive redundancies.

10. No sentence fragments.

11. Don't use no double negatives.

12. Proofread carefully to see if you any words out or mispeld something.

13. Eschew obfuscation.

Stuff To Spy For

© Don Bruns 2009 all rights reserved

Grown Up Hardy Boys. That's the rap my characters are getting in the Stuff series. STUFF TO SPY FOR comes out this week, and it's getting great reviews, but the majority of coverage brings up the Hardy Boys...all grown up. And that's pretty tough to live up to. My two protagonists, Skip and James, have been lifelong friends and have recently graduated from college. They partied a little too hard, got bad grades and are locked into some dead-end jobs. So they decide to buy a used box truck and go into business for themselves, making millions of dollars in the process. I will give away the ending. They aren't nearly as successful as they'd like to be. But, they do have an adventure that puts them in a number of dangerous situations.

Almost everyone I know started out reading the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew. Edward Stratemeyer, an early 1900 publishing phenomenon, invented the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Tom Swift and other juvenile fiction heroes. He didn't want to write about what young people should be...he wanted to write stories about how kids wanted to be. And his action adventures live on today. Largely because kids want adventure in their lives. They want a best friend in their life. And they want to be heroes. I grew up on the Hardy Boys, and I'm sure, without consciously thinking about it, I transferred my love of the thrill seeking brothers Frank and Joe to Skip and James. But I write an older version of the teenage sleuths. With possibly an irreverent side to them. Skip and James are constantly jabbing one another with verbal asides, subtle put-downs and Skips' often wry take on life has been compared to Mark Twain's narrative. (Maybe that reviewer hadn't read Twain in a while)

So I'll accept grown up Hardy Boys, because I like to write stories that reflect what I would like to be. Not what I should be. I like the idea of a life-long friend. Someone you can poke fun at, but someone you'd give your life for and they'd give their life for you. I like the idea of getting in over my head (with a friend who is my back-up), and coming out as a hero. I like the idea of trying new things ( in STUFF TO SPY FOR the boys have become private investigators) and hoping one of them makes a million dollars. I like the idea of dating a rich attractive young lady ( as Skip does) And finally, I like the idea that while I'm writing about 24 year old guys, I don't have to grow up.

You often read that you should write what you know. My suggestion is, write what you want to be. There are millions of people out there who have the same fantasies that you do. Hopefully they'll read the book, lean back with eyes closed and say "Man, that's what I'd like to have happen to me."

About the author:

Don Bruns is an award-winning novelist, songwriter, musician, and advertising executive. He and his wife, Linda, divide their time between Lima, Ohio, and Sarasota, Florida.