Please join me in welcoming the very prolific, multi-award-winning author, Marilyn Meredith to Murderby4 today. I've read Raging Waters, of Marilyn's Tempe Crabtree mystery series, and just loved it, having become particularly enamored with the great characterization and fascinating setting.
As you'll see below, the person who comments the most on Marilyn's virtual book tour will be eligible to win a very cool prize - having a character named after them! Isn't that neat? I hope you comment like crazy and win. Be sure to let us all know if you do, so we can watch for you in Marilyn's next book.
Aaron Paul Lazar
www.lazarbooks.com
copyright 2013, Marilyn Meredith
Aaron asked me to address this topic, and I’m a good one
to do so since I started on this journey long, long ago.
When I began, the only hope one had of getting published was
by one of the big New York publishers. Back in the day, it was possible to get
an unsolicited or unagented. manuscript (we called it over the transom then)
manuscript looked at and even accepted.
My first manuscript (and several others) were produced on a
typewriter and the only copy was made with carbon paper. Each page had to be
perfect, assembled into a box with return address and postage on it, then put
into another box with the publisher’s address. If the manuscript was returned,
it might be usable at the most four more times. Often the pages were returned
smelling of cigarette smoke and with coffee or wine stains. Then the manuscript
had to be retyped.
After nearly thirty rejections, many rewrites and retyping,
my first book was finally accepted by a major publisher. The next one was not.
By this time, many co-op and publishers for pay cropped up
and unfortunately, many of them were crooks. My second book was published by
one of these. (Yes, he really was a crook and ended up in jail.)
Personal computers came on the scene. In my opinion, this
was the best thing that ever happened for an author. I bought one of the first
ones—much more complicated than what I use today. I had lots of help from the
man I bought it from. I was still submitting on paper—but it was much easier to
make corrections and copies.
Then the second best thing for authors came along, the
Internet. Using the Writer’s Digest Marketplace book, I found a publisher who
wanted police procedurals. I submitted the book via email and it was accepted.
When I read the contract I found out it would be published electronically. At
that time there was no such thing as an e-reader and though the book looked
great, it was far too hard to purchase and no one wanted to read on a computer.
Along came the Rocket eReader and e-books began to gain some
popularity and I had several e-books published by various e-publishers. The
Rocket was bought by Sony who did nothing for too long a time.
Print on demand publishing came along and the e-publishers
began producing paper books too. Some folks looked down their noses at POD
publishing—but that has certainly changed as even the big name publishers use
the same process for their trade paperbacks. Small independent publisher popped
up all over the place.
Amazon started selling books and may or may not have put
many independent books stores out of business. (Some say it was really the
economy that did it.)
Other e-readers came on the market, with Kindle being the
most popular. Then guess what, Amazon started publishing books, both trade
paperbacks and e-books for the Kindle.
Those are just the highlights of what has been going on in the
publishing world. There are so many ways for an author to get published
today—and I have no doubt that we’ll keep seeing changes.
As for me, I’ve tried just about everything. At the moment,
I’m quite happy with my two small publishers, Mundania, who does my Deputy
Tempe Crabtree series, and Oak Tree Press, publisher of my Rocky Bluff P.D.
series. I barely have time to write and promote two books a year, I don’t want
to try to fit in all the chores of self-publishing too.
Blurb for Spirit Shapes: Ghost
hunters stumble upon a murdered teen in a haunted house. Deputy Tempe
Crabtree's investigation pulls her into a whirlwind of restless spirits, good
and evil, intertwined with the past and the present, and demons and angels at
war.
Bio: Marilyn Meredith is
the author of over thirty published novels, including the award winning Deputy
Tempe Crabtree mystery series. She borrows a lot from where she lives in the
Southern Sierra for the town of Bear Creek and the surrounding area, including
the nearby Tule River Indian Reservation. She does like to remind everyone that
she is writing fiction. Marilyn is a member of EPIC, three chapters of Sisters
in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and on the board of the Public Safety
Writers of America. Visit her at http://fictionforyou.com and follow her blog
at http://marilymeredith.blogspot.com/
Contest:
The person who comments on the
most blogs on this blog tour will have the opportunity to have a character
named after him or her in the next Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery.
11 comments:
It is interesting to hear how publishing has changed from one who has been there through it. I think in many ways it is good how it has given so many good authors a chance to publish. On any given day I can discover a dozen new, good writers. On the downside, there are so many, fewer can make a living at it. Good for the reader bad for the writer.
First, thank you, for hosting me on my blog tour, Murder by 4. And second, Kate Eileen, you are so right. I'm lucky to get enough off of royalties for a nice dinner out.
Great post, Marilyn! I always enjoy your perspective on things!
Billie
Marilyn, thanks for being here on MB4 today! We always enjoy your articles. Have a great Columbus Day weekend!
Aaron
Thanks for commenting, Billie. I think I've probably experienced more publishing changes than most. And I remember how people would naysay when I told about epublishing.
Hi, Marilyn, and what a terrific summary of the changes in publishing. Looking forward to reading your new book. Yikes. Two different books per year. How do you do it?
My best,
Paul
Nice post, Marilyn. It was good to review all the changes, although sometimes I feel that more changes seem to occur daily.
Marilyn,
Like you, I've gone through the different stages of publishing. The computer has made things so much easier--from making changes in text to sending mss to editors. It's also made it easy for anyone to write and put out a book.
Publishing is a long hard road, but you seem to have found a bright path that casts sunshine along the way for others! Thank you, Marilyn!
Mary Montague Sikes
Marilyn,
This is an excellent post. Your experiences mirror my own. I agree--learning to word process on a computer was the best thing that ever happened to me as a writer.
I've been off talking to a reading group, was tickled to come home and read so many comments. Thanks for stopping by Jacqueline, Monti, Marilyn L., Kathleen and Paul. When I look back over my publishing history, I wonder what made me keep going.
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