The Book Bin

How to Get Published by 'Inherit the Throne' Steve DeWinter

How to Get Published is a continuing feature at The Book Bin where we ask authors to tell us their publishing stories.  Was it a rocky road or did it come easy for them?  Did they start with an agent and get a NY publisher interested in their book or did they self-publish?  What words of wisdom do they have for all of us who would like to be published one day? 

Today’s guest is Steve DeWinter, author of the suspense thriller, Inherit the Throne (CreateSpace).

How did I get to become a published author? In the words of the ever immortal crooner, "I did it myyyyyyy waaaaaaayyyyyy."

Well, not exactly my way. I followed a path that had been carved out for me by others braver and wiser than I. But follow it I did and I was able to self-publish my debut novel, Inherit The Throne, directly to the Kindle, Nook and other eReaders (at the awesome price of $2.99) as well as make it available in print (still just as awesome at $9.99).

Two months before taking the ultimate leap, and ending my active search for an agent, I sat down with another writer friend of mine over lunch and told him, "I'm going to self-publish my book."

We both had completed manuscripts and were in the midst of the agent query/rejection phase of our writing careers and neither of us saw anything wrong with that. It was just part of the game that all published authors must endure. He looked at me mid-chew, thought for a moment, and replied, "Good for you. I'm going to keep looking for an agent and get my book picked up by a publisher."

We then discussed the many pros and cons of going it alone in a world that seemed to be dominated by the New York publishing houses. If this were 2001, I would have agreed with anyone that the minuses of self-publishing far outweighed the pluses.
But this was 2011, and the world of publishing had shifted; practically overnight.

I was no longer worried that the old ways of becoming a published author were a thing of the past. My worry was that I was too late getting into the new way of publishing. Early adopters in any industry usually are the first to show any real success. Think of Amway. You would have wanted to get in on that the first year it started, not the tenth year. The wildly successful millionaires in Amway were made up mostly by the early adopters who started at the top of the pyramid as it grew under them.

So I decided to become as early an adopter as possible into the self-publishing world of eBooks. Maybe not early enough to become the next Amanda Hocking or John Locke, but now that I have crossed over, I am never looking back.

I am currently hard at work on book three of my six book novelette series, Hired Guns, as well as a non-fiction book on the craft of story structure. I am self-publishing those as well. So, am I a hard and fast self-pubber? Nah. I haven’t given up on the search for an agent or a publisher (often regarded as the Holy Grail for authors), but they get far less of my attention than they did before I was actively publishing books.

I was born and grew up loving to read. But enough about me; you’re here for my books. If you like super-charged thrillers that merge high-tech gadgetry with ancient mythology and pit the outcast against powerful clandestine organizations, you are among friends.

My goal as a writer is to transport you to fresh and exciting worlds that not only take you on a white-knuckle ride but leave you hungry for more when you finally turn that last page and reluctantly slam shut the back cover of the book.

This is my promise to you the reader.

I will continue to satisfy your never-ending desire for more. So keep reading!

When one story ends, another begins.

To find out more about Steve visit www.stevedw.com

How to Get Published by 'Bloodmaiden' Christine Schulze

How to Get Published is a continuing feature at The Book Bin where we ask authors to tell us their publishing stories.  Was it a rocky road or did it come easy for them?  Did they start with an agent and get a NY publisher interested in their book or did they self-publish?  What words of wisdom do they have for all of us who would like to be published one day? 

Today’s guest is Christine Schulze, author of the YA Christian Fantasy/Horror novel, Bloodmaiden (Old Line Publishing).

My publishing experience started when I was a freshman in college. I was working at the Success Center at Southwestern Illinois College as an English tutor. My mom came in one evening with this excellent letter of acceptance for my YA novel, The Prism of Ashlei, from Tate Publishing. I was so elated! Until I learned they wanted me to pay a fee to do so; though they promised to return the cash once I sold 5,000 copies of my book, the fee was a lot of money to me as a new college student.

Now, I am a stubborn person and very much wanted to be published, so needless to say, I really wanted to give in.  It wasn't others' advice, warning, and common sense which changed my mind though.  It was the fact that, if I gave in and paid such an exorbitant amount - which I didn't really have, by the way, unless I gave up college - I was basically saying to myself and all the world that I wasn't good enough to make it to a real publishing house.  A serious author should never have to pay money to get published.  I don't fault those who do, but it wasn't for me (I'm also quite glad I didn't pay because I'm learning how hard it is selling your first copy; let alone 5,000!)

Now, the same could be argued for self-publishing, which I've also done with some of my books. Isn't doing so also saying I couldn't make it in the real publishing world?

Well, first off, not long after I turned down the publisher which wanted me to pay their large fee, leaving me really bummed out, I received an offer for a contract with Writers-Exchange e-publishing for another YA novel of mine, Golden Healer, Dark Enchantress. Though I really wanted to see my work in print, I was up for getting my name out there with a few ebooks. The ebook released earlier this year, and the print version just came out as well. I am really glad I decided to work with this e-publisher. Through working with Laura Shinn, Sandy Cummins, and Jenna, all brilliant editors, I learned much about how to polish my own work.                        

Well, at some point, I discovered Createspace, a self-publishing company affiliated with Amazon. They are great because you don’t have to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars. You actually don’t pay a thing, except to order a proof copy of each book before it officially goes to print. I was intrigued by the idea of getting to make my own cover art, design the interior of my books, etc. Laura Shinn helped me learn about creating PDF files and made a template for me, as well as assisting me in the art of making cover art files. Without her help, I could not have self-published, so God bless you, Laura, for that.                        

I think I originally intended just to self-publish a few books, sort of as an experiment to see if I could help spread my name that way, and partially just as something I did for myself because I wanted to. Maybe I got a little carried away, self-publishing three of my favorite and best series. However, someday, when I get renowned through a traditional publisher, those books will be out there, waiting for my fans to delve into. I definitely don’t regret the experience or all that I learned, though I hope those books too are someday picked up by a traditional published. The best part was designing everything and making both the paperback and ebooks available at really reasonable prices to my readers. For my favorite series, The Gailean Quartet, I actually came up with two separate book covers for each book, front and back. The back cover is like a surprise, containing some of my original, hand-drawn illustrations of the characters; which characters are on the back cover depends on which version of the book you buy. I realize I’ve done things a little backwards—creating collectors’ items and then trying to be famous. But, like I said, it was a fun experience, and the stuff is out there when readers want it.                        

That said, I’ve since worked with smaller presses like Old Line Publishing, who published Bloodmaiden, as well as Victory Tales Press. I was actually invited to join Victory Tale Press’ inner circle of writers via Laura Shinn, who is also a writer and the cover artist for them. As for Old Line, that was pure providence. I remember searching for writing contests or publishers or something of that nature online. I was on a particular site that didn’t let you view a lot of the publishers’ information without paying. Old Line was one of few who displayed their information to the public, and from there, I was able to find their website, contact them, and soon Bloodmaiden was under contract.                        

I’m involved in several of Victory Tale Press’ anthologies, and my Bloodmaiden: a fantasy anthology, was actually one of Victory Tale’s first releases; it contained an excerpt from Bloodmaiden as a teaser before its release. I also learned much from Victory Tale’s editor, Rebecca Vickery. She’s been a real help and blessing in my writing career.

Currently, I’m waiting on The Chronicles of the Mira, my new release with Writers-Exchange which should be out this year, as well as Lily in the Snow and Other Elemental Tales, which will be released with Old Line Publishing this October. In the meantime, I’m participating in this and other wonderful blog tours while working on a couple of fantasy books for Books By You, a publisher specializing in personalized books.

In the end, I will also be applying all I've learned over these past couple of years to perfect one of my manuscripts, a millde grade fantasy called The Last Star.  I feel a lot more confident now in polishing it to send to agents and editors.  My sweetheart has also taught me much on query letters and helped me perfect my own for the book (he was also my photographer for Bloodmaiden's cover which is one of my best: thanks, sweetie!).  When I'm ready to start submitting the manuscript in the next year or so, well, pray and cross your fingers!  That will be the start of a whole new adventure.

To all other writers and others with a dream, don’t be scared to start your own adventure! It takes a lot of work, but if you are always learning and striving to achieve, you too can reach your goals and see your dreams fulfilled. Remember that God has given you a gift, so use it the best you can.

Christine E. Schulze has been creating books since she was too young to even write them in words. Her collection of YA fantasy books, The Amielian Legacy, is comprised of series and stand-alone books which can all be read separately but which weave together to create an amazing fantasy. She hopes to inspire readers throughout the world with these books by publishing in both traditional and electronic formats to make them available to all readers.
Christine has published several stories with Calliope and Kalkion magazines and is an active member of the WE book online writing community. She has also published several Christian/fantasy books which are available at various online retailers, as well as publishing several eBooks via Writers-Exchange.

Her latest and most exciting venture includes her publications with Old Line Publishing: Bloodmaiden and Tears of a Vampire Prince: the First Krystine. She also anticipates her upcoming publication with Old Line, Lily in the Snow, as well as releasing The Chronicles of the Mira with Writers-Exchange in both paperback and electronic forms.

Christine currently lives in Belleville, Illinois in her first and most thrilling apartment.

You can visit Schulze at Goodreads at http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3242087.Christine_E_Schulze or her blog at www.goldenhealeratwork.blogspot.com.  Connect with her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/Chasmira or Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/Chasmira.  Like her Fan Page at http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Christine-E-Schulze/158265555890.

                       

How to Get Published by 'Black Widow and the Sandman' LL Reaper

How to Get Published is a continuing feature at The Book Bin where we ask authors to tell us their publishing stories.  Was it a rocky road or did it come easy for them?  Did they start with an agent and get a NY publisher interested in their book or did they self-publish?  What words of wisdom do they have for all of us who would like to be published one day? 

Today’s guest is LL Reaper, author of the suspense thriller, Black Widow and the Sandman (Hourglass Unlimited).

Greetings world! I’m two multi-publisher authors who combined writing styles to pen the Black Widow and the Sandman suspense series using the pseudonym, L.L. Reaper.

My advice to up and coming authors is to practice discipline, study the craft of writing and truly dedicate your lifestyle to accommodate the rigors of writing. I found that after completing my first novel, the real work began. Writing the story is the easy part. Dealing with re-writes, editing, marketing concepts and the business side of the industry kept my head spinning.

Rejection is part of the writing process and publishing industry, and you’ll hear you must grow a thick skin a million times, but it won’t hit home until you receive your first rejection letter or bad review. My personal road to being published had many potholes, but in order to succeed you must learn to navigate them. I received more rejection letters than I like to remember. In the end it’s not the “No’s” that count; it’s the “Yes’s.” Once you accept that a person’s rejection of your work is not a rejection of you, your literary journey will be much more enjoyable.

I’ve been on both ends of the literary spectrum. I’ve self-published and had novels published by major publishers. The publishing industry is ever evolving, and the boundaries between the self and traditionally published spectrum have become blurred. I believe authors should do both. Grow your reader base with traditional publishing, learn the business and branch into publishing your own work.

If you decide to go the self-publishing route, be true to yourself. Are you ready to pay for production cost: editing, cover design, copy right, ISBN, typesetter, printer, distribution…? Are you ready to be your own salesman? Granted, with traditional publishing you still must be your main spokesperson, but with self-publishing, you pay all marketing costs. Let’s not forget the accounting side. I don’t want to discourage anyone from self-publishing. It’s very doable and you keep 100% of the profit. Just go in with realistic expectations.

Speaking of realistic expectations, many dream of signing that seven figure book deal with a major traditional publisher. Reality check: the majority of debut authors make less than $4000 from their first novel. When you sign with a publisher, the publisher picks up the production costs and does general marketing. The production costs are what hold most back from self-publishing. With a publisher you have a “brand name” behind you.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention agents. Finding an agent was one of the most agonizing parts of my journey. I literally signed with a publishing house before agents took any notice of my writing! So be prepared to work overtime in your agent search. Again, I landed my first book deals without an agent, but as my writing career grew, I found I needed an agent. They have access to publishers that you don’t—and won’t—without their help. So, be sure to factor in this information as you decide which path best suits you in your pursuit of being published.

Good luck!

L.L. Reaper is two multi-published, award-winning authors who decided to write under a pen name for their dangerously sexy suspense series, Black Widow and the Sandman. You can visit their website at www.llreaper.com or connect with them at Twitter at www.twitter.com/llreaper and Facebook at www.facebook.com/AuthorLLReaper.

 

 

How to Get Published by 'When the Wife Cheats' Frank Zaccari

How to Get Published is a continuing feature at The Book Bin where we ask authors to tell us their publishing stories.  Was it a rocky road or did it come easy for them?  Did they start with an agent and get a NY publisher interested in their book or did they self-publish?  What words of wisdom do they have for all of us who would like to be published one day? 

Today’s guest is Frank Zaccari, author of the relationship/marriage book, When the Wife Cheats, published by Create Space.

When the Wife Cheats is my first book.  I guess the old saying ignorance is bliss is true.  Since I didn't know what I didn't know, I just plowed forward, wrote and self published book.  Getting the book published has been an adventure to say the least.

If I knew then, what I know now, I would have spent more time researching the most efficient methods of promoting a self published book.

Since I self published When the Wife Cheats the entire writing world is new experience. I do not have an agent at the moment but would love to have a serious conversation with one who can guide me through this exciting yet confusing process.

Not knowing what I was doing, I took three steps to help promote When the Wife Cheats.

The first was website, however I had no idea how to accomplish this task. I used Intuit and created the website myself which is called  www.frankzaccari.com.

Second, believing I needed a professional review of the book I contracted with Pacific Book Review. The review can be found at http://pacificbookreview.com/When-The-Wife-Cheats.php.

Third I also contracted with Pacific Book Review to create a book trailer which can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqPOm5WHr-E

Finally, I was introduced to Charles Barrett from the Barrett Company who has been very helpful scheduling radio show interviews and various blog reviews. It is a great deal of work, but I am enjoying the adventure.

The one piece of advice I would share with aspiring authors everywhere is:

Don’t take NO for an answer! You are going to hear NO far more than Yes.

When the Wife Cheats is about a family, father and two young daughters, discovering then coping with and ultimately surviving the lies, deceit, betrayal and abandonment of infidelity. It is based on a true story.

As the word about my wife’s affair and leaving the family made its way around our community, a strange thing happened; male friends and acquaintances told me how sorry they were and shared a similar experience. I was shocked. I had no idea so many men had been victimized by infidelity. I thought I was the only man who was so terrible that my wife not only left me, she left our entire family. I knew something was terribly wrong with our marriage, but I had no idea what it was and my wife was not forthcoming with the reason.

As I heard more stories, I started to see a pattern, some common threads in all the stories. I decided to write this book about infidelity from the man’s and children’s perspective. It is based on actual situations told to me by many men who went through the devastation of their wives’ infidelity. Their story and mine were woven into one story.

Currently When the Wife Cheats can be ordered at amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/When-Wife-Cheats-Frank-Zaccari/dp/1452820023/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1281026867&sr=1-1

A native of upstate New York, Frank Zaccari earned a degree in finance from California State University at Sacramento after serving as a military medic in the U.S. Air Force. He spent over 25 years in the high-tech industry holding positions from account representative to CEO, and for nearly 20 years specialized in turn-around management of companies under 100 million dollars. After becoming a single, custodial parent after nearly 25 years of marriage, he left an industry that he loved to buy a small business in order to be home to raise his children. He is currently the owner of an insurance agency and resides in Sacramento, California. Frank Zaccari’s previous book is From The Ashes: The Rise of the University of Washington Volleyball Program.

His latest book is When the Wife Cheats.

You can visit his website at www.frankzaccari.com.

Visit him on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001207722973.

 

How to Get Published by 'The Luckless Prince' Rie Sheridan

How to Get Published is a continuing feature at The Book Bin where we ask authors to tell us their publishing stories.  Was it a rocky road or did it come easy for them?  Did they start with an agent and get a NY publisher interested in their book or did they self-publish?  What words of wisdom do they have for all of us who would like to be published one day? 

 Today’s guest is Rie Sheridan Rose, author of the epic quest fantasy, The Luckless Prince, published by Zumaya Otherworlds.

My publication history has seen me outlive at least five of my small press publishers. The small press cauldron is a constantly roiling landscape where presses come and go, rising to the top for a time and then falling away. This makes for an exciting era in publishing. Sometimes it sets you back a bit, but it is a constantly dynamic business, and that makes it all worthwhile.

Has it been an easy road? To some extent. I'm not a New York published author, but my work has been accepted by over a dozen small presses who felt it was worthy of publication. Do I have an agent? Not at the moment. I had one once, but it didn't work out. Everything I've sold has been through my own negotiations. In the small press arena, that often is enough. If and when I decide to tackle New York again, I will definitely look for a new agent, because I believe that you need their expertise for the intricacies of the large press contract.

For any aspiring authors out there, my first piece of advice is the same as you will hear time and again from published writers: Write. You can't be a published author if you have nothing to publish. Anyone can cal themselves a writer, and be working on the next Great American Novel, but to be an author, you need to actually finish your manuscript and start shopping it around – to agents, to small presses, to big houses, whichever you prefer. You will never be published unless you have a product.

My latest publication, The Luckless Prince from Zumaya Otherworlds, has a long and colorful past. The roots of the idea are buried so far back in antiquity I am not sure exactly what spurred it initially. All I know is that I still have a few handwritten pages from when I was twelve.

It was originally the story of a young prince and his servant who turns out to be his brother. They are captured by elves and have many adventures. I started the story of Prince Roland and his page Stefan before I read The Lord of the Rings. After I read LOTR, my elves went from the shoemaker variety to tall and willowy (without pointed ears!) Other aspects of the story morphed into their current forms along the way. The boys are no longer brothers, for one thing.

When I finally had a finished manuscript – The Blood that Binds – some twenty-five years later, I didn't really know what to do with it. I submitted to most of the big publishers in the fantasy genre and got rejected. Then I submitted a partial to a mid-range house that asked for a full, and I was over the moon. It got rejected, but I got a great piece of advice from the editor that I should look for someone to help with the pacing.

I hired a professional editor to go through it with me, and we tightened it up a lot. Then, I sat on it. I wasn't sure what to do with it next. Here is where one of the writer's most important tools came into play – networking. Chatting with a friend at Writer's Village University (http://writersvillage.com/wvu3/) one day, I was told I should submit it to her publisher. I took her advice, and NovelBooks, Inc (now defunct) contracted the book. It was one of the most exciting days of my life!

We went through another extensive edit, and the book was published in 2001. One of the things I learned is that publication is only the beginning, then you have to market, publicize and sell the darn thing! When the house folded several years later, I decided not to try and find it a new home, because I still was not totally satisfied with the final manuscript.

When I found a writing partner with incredible insight into figuring out where a story is off-track, I worked with him to revise it yet again. Amazing what I had taken for granted that was obviously faulty logic. One of the things I realized working with him was that all the people who had offered feedback to this point had been women. I don't know if that is why no one ever pointed out the complete nonsense that was my war strategy or not, but I do know that we added structure to the battle plans and soldiers to back up the heroes, and it made for a stronger plot.

Retitled The Luckless Prince, polished to a bright, shiny finish, I submitted it to Zumaya Publications, and now -- after yet another extensive edit, it will be finding a new life this summer under the Otherworlds imprint, with new plot twists, new characters, and all the insight that ten years as a writer could add to it.   

Rie Sheridan Rose has been writing professionally for the last ten years or so — though she has just added the “Rose” on the end. After putting up with her for the last eight years, she figured her husband deserved the recognition. Prior to last year, her work appeared under “Rie Sheridan.”

In that decade, she has published 4 novels, 1 short story collection, 2 chapbooks of collected stories, and five poetry collections as well as contributing to several anthologies.

Her stories have also been published in The Eternal Night, ShadowKeep and Verge ezines, as well as the EOTU and Planet Relish websites.

Her poetry appeared in the print magazines Mythic Circle, Dreams of Decadence, and Abandoned Towers as well as the Electric Wine and Tapestry ezines.

The Half-Price Books 1999 “Say Good-Night to Illiteracy” Anthology contained her children’s story “Bedtime for Benny”.

Both her short story anthology RieVisions and poetry collection Dancing on the Edge were finalists in the 2003 EPPIE awards. Poetry collection Straying from the Path and Young Adult novel The Right Hand of Velachaz were finalists in the 2004 EPPIE awards.

Her most popular stories to date are the Adventures of Bruce and Roxanne, humorous horror shorts several of which have been collected into two print chapbooks by Yard Dog Press.

She has also written the lyrics to several songs for Marc Gunn. Their “Don’t Go Drinking With Hobbits” CD is due out in August.

Her latest book is The Luckless Prince, published by Zumaya Otherworlds.

Rie lives in Texas with her husband Newell and several cats, all spoiled rotten.

You can visit her website at www.riewriter.com.

Connect with Rie at Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/riesheridanrose.

 

How to Get Published by 'When Stars Align' Carole Eglash-Kosoff

How to Get Published is a continuing feature at The Book Bin where we ask authors to tell us their publishing stories.  Was it a rocky road or did it come easy for them?  Did they start with an agent and get a NY publisher interested in their book or did they self-publish?  What words of wisdom do they have for all of us who would like to be published one day? 

Today’s guest is Carole Eglash-Kosoff, author of the historical fiction, When Stars Align, published by Stones Point Press.

I had written a non-fiction book, The Human Spirit – Apartheid’s Unheralded Heroes, the previous year.  It dealt with amazing people I met while working in the black townships of South Africa.  It was now time to fulfill a desire I’d always had to chronicle the rise and fall of Negro progress following the Civil War.  I traveled to Louisiana, setting for the novel, and undertook extensive research.   I realized a bi-racial love story would be a perfect backdrop for the events that took place.  When Stars Align is that historic fiction novel. It is the story of an unacceptable love story between Thaddeus, born a slave, and Amy, a young white girl who comes to live at the plantation, Moss Grove. 

I was successful in signing an Agreement with a New York agent who had been recommended by an Editor I’d hired to go over the manuscript. More than a year later and several submissions, he still wasn’t successful in getting it placed.  At that point, I chose to self-publish the book.  That turned out to be its own learning process.

I have received universal raves from those who have read When Stars Align.  My goal now is make as many people as possible familiar with that mostly forgotten period of history.  This is the 150^th anniversary year of the beginning of the Civil War and there seems to be renewed interest in the period generated by a recent movie by Robert Redford and a forthcoming one by Steven Spielberg.

This new era of blogs and social media offer new challenges to self-marketing but a good story will always be read.

An avid student of history, Carole Eglash-Kosoff is a native of Wisconsin. After graduating from UCLA, she spent her career in the apparel industry and teaching fashion retail, marketing, and sales at the college level. Her first book is The Human Spirit. She has also established the …a better way!Scholarship program, which provides money and mentoring for worthy high school students for both their first and second year of college. Carole Eglash-Kosoff lives and writes in Valley Village, California.

Her latest book is When Stars Align.

You can visit her website at www.whenstarsalign-thebook.com or connect with her at Facebook at www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=553077163.

 

How to Get Published by 'Stories From a Lifetime' Hugh Aaron

How to Get Published is a continuing feature at The Book Bin where we ask authors to tell us their publishing stories.  Was it a rocky road or did it come easy for them?  Did they start with an agent and get a NY publisher interested in their book or did they self-publish?  What words of wisdom do they have for all of us who would like to be published one day? 

Today’s guest is Hugh Aaron, author of the short story collection, Stories From a Lifetime, published by Stones Point Press.

Over the years I’ve had agents who have tried to get my books published without success. They believed in my works, and even admired them, feeling that they could sell them. Most publishers weren’t interested or they insisted that I make changes which I felt would alter negatively what I wrote and how I wished to cast it. For example one publisher required that I eliminate the first person in presenting a novel. As a result, with one exception in which a publisher took my novella collection precisely as I offered it for publication, I self-published my books, most of them without even first using agents or contacting publishers. Even the publisher who did publish a collection of my novellas made no attempt to promote the book.

I found having a book published is the easiest part of bringing a book to print. Promotion is the most difficult, mostly because of the enormous amount of time required to make connections and convince others that you are offering something that would have appeal. I don’t anticipate having enormous sales regardless of how favorable my books are reviewed because  I have no name recognition.  By the way, so far, all my books have received rave reviews. So I remain satisfied with far fewer sales than that achieved for publisher promoted authors by garnering a smaller number of readers who respond voluntarily to tell me that they found reading my book an enjoyable, instructive, and rewarding experience. What more could I wish for?

Hugh Aaron, a native of Worcester, Massachusetts, received a Liberal Arts degree in the Humanities at The University of Chicago. For three years as a Seabee he served in the South Pacific during WWII. He was CEO of his own plastics manufacturing business for 20 years before selling it to write full time. Several of his short stories have been published in national magazines and 18 of his essays on business management have appeared in The Wall Street Journal. He is the author of Business Not as Usual: How to Win Managing a Company through Hard and Easy Times. Currently he’s writing and producing plays.

His latest book is a short story collection, Stories From a Lifetime.

You can visit his website at www.stonespointbooks.com or his blog at www.businesswisdom.blogspot.com.

 

 

Guest Blogger: Bruce Golden 'Saved From the Slush Pile'

Zumaya Publications, a small press publisher based in Austin, Texas, and headed by the magnificent and articulate Elizabeth Burton, is celebrating its fifth year birthday this month (Happy Birthday Zumaya!) at Pump Up Your Book and as part of the birthday celebration, the authors of Zumaya would like to tell you how they were published to help you understand how important their small press publisher is to them.  Today we have as our guest, Bruce Golden, author of Dancing with the Velvet Lizard.

Saved From the Slush Pile

By Bruce Golden

It's old story, unknown writer with no particular connections to the New York publishing world tries to sell his novel--gets ignored, disrespected, disregarded, discarded, overlooked, rejected, unread--contemplates suicide (okay, that last one is a bit of hyperbole). 

I wasn't exactly untested when I approached the publishing establishment.  I worked as a professional  editor/writer/producer/reporter in magazines, radio, and TV for more than 25 years, and sold more than 200 freelance articles, before I finished my first book and tried to sell it.

After the years I spent (wasted?) trying to sell my first two books, sending out query letters, synopses, sample chapters, blood & DNA samples, to publishers, agents, warlocks and witches, I was about to give up trying to sell my second novel Better Than Chocolate, and just publish it myself as I had with my first effort, Mortals All.  BTC was a fusion of scifi, satire, and mystery, so I knew going in it was going to be hard fit into a some publisher's neat little niche.  But hey, those were the words that came out of my fingers, so what was I to do?  I don't write what other people want (unless they offer a lot of cash upfront)--writing is too hard, too much work, for me to be willing to do it just so I can write something formulaic that will be a "certain sale" (if there is such a thing).  I write about what I'm intrigued with--about the stories I want to tell.

Needless to say (but I'll say it anyway), I was shocked when Zumaya's editor, Liz Burton, wrote back one day that she loved BTC and wanted to publish it.  I had to read the email several times to be certain I wasn't hallucinating.

I don't know where my books would be today if it wasn't for Zumaya.  I can't say for certain I would have had the motivation to continue to writing them, without Zumaya putting them out there for people to read.

So I wish a very happy birthday to Zumaya Publications--may you have many, many more.

Novelist, journalist, satirist, Bruce Golden's short stories have been published more than 90 times across eight countries.  Asimov's Science Fiction described his second book, "If Mickey Spillane had collaborated with both Frederik Pohl and Philip K. Dick, he might have produced Bruce Golden's Better Than Chocolate."  The same reviewer said of his novel Evergreen, "If you can imagine Ursula Le Guin channeling H. Rider Haggard, you'll have the barest conception of this stirring book, which centers around a mysterious artifact and the people in its thrall. Reminiscent of the work of Robert Silverberg, this planetary romance will introduce lucky readers to a world both magical and spooky, yet ultimately as tangible as your own backyard.”  His newest book, Dancing with the Velvet Lizard, is one of the largest collections of science fiction and fantasy every published, with 33 mind-warping, sense-shifting tales.
http://goldentales.tripod.com
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Guest Blogger: Why I Love (and Write) Teen Fiction by Aaron Patterson

Why I Love (and Write) Teen Fiction

By Aaron Patterson

I love teen fiction because of the way it breaks some of the boundaries. I mean where else can you get a cool vampire or a game where starvation and crazy tests are all the norm? I think it is so much more interesting and above all, I love writing YA because of these same reasons.

I have three adult novels (The WJA Series) and after I discovered teen liked what I wrote I decided to write some YA for myself. Airel was born and I must say this was the most fun I ever had writing a book. Not only is it super fun to write from a teen point of view, but as a guy to write from a female teen POV is so much more fun.

I grew up and all my best friends were girls. I just thought they were so much more interesting. All my guy friends were boring and all they talked about were sports or ego laced dumb guy stuff. Girls on the other hand were a mystery and I liked to hang if you will.

This did not serve me well in the girlfriend department as I was eternally in “The Friend Zone.” But I learned a ton about how they acted and thought. So, writing from this POV was not too hard and I had a great editor that kept me in the mindset. If I started getting to Guy-ish I would do something unexpected and a little over the top, problem solved.

As to the romance part, well… I am a big sap when it comes to that. Yeah, I admit it. I love a good gripping story and I tried to add in this element to the story. Love is a messy and heartbreaking game and I wanted to capture this emotion in Airel. She falls for Michael, and falls hard and fast. To some this may seem fake but I am here to tell you it can and does happen. If you don’t believe me go into any High School and watch.

The hardest part of writing this novel was the High School part of Airel’s life. I was home schooled and have never even been in a High School so trying to get the feel and how a normal day might have been I had to do research. I interviewed some teens and went into a few schools to see how it was. For most, the memory of High School is not hard to call up but I didn’t have any of this so I had to learn it all for the first time.

I really hope you all enjoy this series and feel free to shoot me an email if you like Airel. Here is to the first love and a wild exciting life!

Aaron Patterson is the author of the bestselling WJA series as well as a  two Digital Shorts 19 and The Craigslist Killer. He was homeschooled and grew up in the west. Aaron loved to read from a small child and would often be found behind a book and would read 1-3 a day on average. This love drove him to want to write but never thought he had the talent. He wrote Sweet Dreams the first book in the WJA series in 2008. Airel is his first teen series and plans for more to come are already in the works. He lives in Boise Idaho with his family, Soleil, Kale and Klayton. His daughter had an imaginary friend named She.

His latest book is Airel.  You can visit his website at StoneHouse Ink or connect with him on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1462837115.

In the Spotlight: Making It in Hollywood: What To Do & How To Do It

Have you ever wondered what it takes to make it in Hollywood?

Bryan Hdialgo and Gail O'Donnell have teamed together to bring you Making It in Hollywood: What to Do & How to Do It.  More than 100 of today's top actors, screenwriters, directors and producers have granted the writing team interviews to help others know their way around the biz - or the show biz that is. 

Learn the secrets of how to become a succesful actor, screenwriter, director or producer from the people who've made it - and are continuing to make it.  Hidalgo and O'Donnell interviewed the pros including Oscar and Emmy winners who reveal how they started, how they got where they are today, and how you can get there, too.  Disover where to start, what training to pursue, when to get an agent, how to be your  best at auditions, and more!

Richard Marks, Vice President of Business Affairs at NBC Universal Television calls Making It In Hollywood "a truly inspirational compilation of interviews, with answers, encouragement and guidance straight from the horse's mouth.  If you are at all interested in entering this business, you owe it to yourself to read this book..."

You can pick up your copy at Amazon here.

MAKING IT IN HOLLYWOOD: WHAT TO DO & HOW TO DO IT, by Bryan Hidalgo & Gail O'Donnell, CreateSpace, 624 pp., $26.95.