Yep. it’s true. Thanks to the wonderfully talented author and web master Anne Douglas, my blog and website are now one. So if you want to keep up on my latests happenings hop on over to www.michellecary.com and check it out.
Sorry that I haven’t been around much, but it’s been a very busy week. I’ve been out on the loops promoting my latest release ‘Some Kind of Hero’. Available now at Samhain Publishing. And as you guys know, I got a new cover for my latest contracted story ‘Best of Intentions’. Plus I had galley proofs for my soon to be released full length romantic suspense novel. ‘Ransomed Heart.’ And I just received first round edits for ‘Best of Intentions.’ AND I just got my author copies of the print book ‘Sand, Sun and Sex’. Which is an anthology thats part of Samhain Publishing’s Midsummer Night’s Steam series. They’ll be available to purchase May 29th.
It’s funny, April was such a quite month that I was beginning to worry and fret over my future as a writer. Then the 29th hit and it was like somebody opened the flood gates. Now I’m so busy I can barely think and I’m loving every minute of it. Stay tuned folks. When it gets a little closer to the print release for Sand Sun and Sex I’ll be setting up a contest to win a signed author’s copy.
Not too long ago I announced that I’d been given a contract for my paranormal romantic suspsense entitled ‘Best of Intentions’. Well, the staff at The Wild Rose Press move fast, not only am I expecting 1st round edits any day now, but I’ve received my cover. Isn’t it pretty? The artist is Rae Monet and she does amazing work.
Though I obviously don’t have a release date yet, I’m guessing it will be sometime fall/winter 2008 for e-book then next year for print.
That’s right. The day has finally arrived and I’m happy to announce the release of my erotic romance novel ‘Some Kind of Hero’.
Courage comes in many forms…
After serving his tour of duty in Iraq, Sergeant Derek Rison returns home to find his apartment—and his life—in ruins. Sitting in the back booth of a local diner, contemplating his options, Derek meets waitress Jordan Minx, a petite brunette with a sad smile and a big heart.
Well-intentioned Jordan offers him a place to sleep, but an accidental encounter in the bathroom lands them both in her bed. Derek discovers a woman with an insatiable appetite for sex and a secret to hide—her “boyfriend” blackmails her to be a toy for his group of kinky friends.
Bolstered by Derek’s love, Jordan finds the courage to do the right thing. But the cost of freedom could be her life.
Read an excerpt here (just remember its rated adult): http://samhainpublishing.com/excerpt/some-kind-of-hero
Oh and the winner of my leave a comment on my blog contest is mamasand2. Thanks for playing!
Michelle
Today I find myself in the mood to talk about critique groups. For a writer, especially a newbie, a critique group can be the lifeline they need in order to hone their skills without plunking down money for expensive writing classes. Yes, it does take longer and you will go through the school of hard knocks, but it’s well worth it.
For the past few years I’ve been a member of an on-line community called The Critique Circle (http://www.critiquecircle.com). I’ve met fellow authors who have become friends and who have gone on to become multi-published and I unfortunately I’ve met a few wannabe know it alls who can’t take even the slightest bit of criticism about their work without becoming offended. Hey, publishing is a hard business. If you don’t grow a think skin, you’ll never survive.
What I’ve learned most from being in this community is that even though you might not like what your peers are saying about your story, they’re probably right. I’ve had stories rejected by publishers for the exact reasons that my fellow critters pointed out but I chose to ignore. I’ve also had stories accepted by publishers because I listened to my peer group and made the necessary changes. It’s a rough process and you have to give as much as you receive, which for a busy author and mom with a real life job, it can be somewhat time consuming. However, the feedback more than makes up for the time put out. If you’re an author trying to break into the business, run your story through a critique group first and see what you get out of it. You might not like what they have to say, but if you listen, you might just become a better writer for it!
Sounds like it should be the set up for a bad joke, right? Well, it’s not. I was actually talking with my Grandmother for over an hour. We live in different states, so its not like i get to talk to her every day. Anyway, the subject of my writing came up and as I was explaining the process to her, I realized the general public knows very little about the ins and outs of the publishing business. So let me see if I can offer up a little bit of info here.
1. Author’s do NOT make a ton of money on a book despite what you may think. If you’re e-published you might get anywhere from 35 to 45% of the retail sale, but since e-books sell for less money than print, that means the amount you make is less, well sort of. Actually authors only make I believe it’s 2-10% on a print book depending on the publisher and contract they signed. Which means if an e-book sells for 2.50 the author makes approximately 1.00. However, if that same book sells in print for 10.00 then the author will get .20 to 1.00 per purchase. So theoretically, you can actually make less with a book in print. Of course print books have a larger market than e-books right now, so you could sell more copies and still end up making more money. Are you rich? No, but you might be famous if you’re lucky!
2. Authors do not design their own covers. Nope, while at least with e-publishers some of us might have a say in what we like or don’t like about a cover, we are not allowed to design it and in the end, must ‘accept’ whatever version the publisher approves.
3. We do not own the rights to our own work while it’s in print. Nope, we signed those away to the publisher with the agreement that they will put our book in print. For some authors the rights reverse upon termination of the contract which could be in as little as a year or for some publishers life plus 50 years which is the standard term of copyrights.
4. If a publisher goes under and declares bankruptsy while you’re under contract, you should probably kiss your work goodbye, because the chances of getting the rights back to your book or any royalties owed are slim at best. Nope, your story is now considered an ‘asset’ of the company and as such can be sold to the highest bidder.
5. Authors do not make any type of royalties on books that are resold or books pirated on the internet. So don’t buy from an unreputable site or store. It’s bad enough that we slave away for months at a time trying to write a great story to entertain you, the least you can do is reward us by purchasing our book through legitimate sources and give us our paltry royalty.
6. Romance is a real genre that should not be scoffed at. Regardless of what some might want you to believe, there is a huge demand for romance titles and this isn’t just the graphic sex books either.
So there you go. I might not be a Thursday Thirteen, but it’s still information that I felt the need to share. The image you have of an author is probably something similar to a Nora Roberts or Stephen King, when in reality, most authors are moms, wives and even your next door neighbor who on a daily basis live just like you do. The only difference between you and them is what goes on behind their closed doors.
And still going!
…that gives epublishing a bad name.
If there’s one thing that the author’s loops I’m involved with are good for, it’s weeding out the good and bad that goes on in the industry. Recently one of my fellow authors came across a post on Ebook Enthusiast.com. And while many of the items listed are correct, the first three not only make ebookenthusiast.com look like idiots, because they’re wrong, but give’s the epublishing industry a perpetual black eye. This is what they wrote.
More and more authors are turning to ePublishing as an alternative to traditional publishing. Here are some reasons why:
No Rejection: eBook publishers are much less choosy about which manuscripts they accept, and many accept all that are submitted.
Wrong, wrong, wrong and um…WRONG!!! Any respectable e-book publisher is not going to accept every submission they receive. In fact, the acceptance rates for e-publishers are only 1 to 2 percent higher than those of the traditional NY publishing houses.
Time: It can take years of searching for a publisher who wants to take on your book, if you can find one at all. With self-publishing, you could wait months or even years before you have the printed copies of your book. With ePublishing, that time can be cut down to weeks or days.
Again, WRONG! While the time from acceptance to actual e-print is less, many e-publishers also put their longer or more popular titles in traditional print and this process can take just as long as any of the NY publishers. Not to mention, with the backlog many of the quality e-publishers now have, if you were accepted tomorrow, you still may not see e-print until a year from now or even longer.
Price: Self-publishing can cost thousands of dollars, and authors must pay for each copy of their book that is printed. With eBooks, you usually pay one fee for the ePublishing service. eBooks never have to be printed.
WHAT!?! This one had me nearly spitting my iced tea on the screen as I read it. No legit e-publisher is going to make you PAY to have your work put in print. Not once have I had to pay for anything, neither has any of the authors I know. If ANY company calling themselves a real publisher asks you to pay RUN AWAY fast.
Personal Interaction: Even if only through email, authors can communicate directly with the person that will be handling their manuscript. You can ask questions about any part of the process and get feedback on your book.
Technology: Lots of authors are excited about being part of the new technology of eBooks. Anybody who has an eBook now is getting in on the ground floor of an emerging technology, and will be part of all the upcoming advancements.
Future Options: Depending on the ePublisher, authors will still have the option to publish their work in paper, sell their eBooks at multiple eBook stores, and even continue to submit their manuscript to traditional publishers while it’s selling as an eBook. (This can also help authors establish a sales record to show to publishers.)
Finally, some statements I can agree with. Yes, I love the personal interaction I have with my editors. It’s been invaluable to making me a better writer and building a relationship with my publishers. And yes, I am excited to be in on the ground floor of the e-book future. It’s going to be a bright one and I’m thrilled to be a part of it. And, while not all NY house will take a submission if it’s already published (e-version or otherwise) it does help to establish a sales record that can help an author break through that giant barrier NY publishers have erected.
Do it yourself!: You can even do the work of “ebooking” your manuscript yourself. This might or might not save you money, depending on whether you need to buy any software for your purposes. ePublishers have more expertise in the process of creating eBooks, but you can take it on as a creative project and be proud of what you’ve accomplished in the end.
Okay, so much for being in agreement. Even in the e-publishing world, if you’re not published through an established and reputable e-publisher, then you’re looked down upon. Self-publishing is NOT the same as e-publishing. I REPEAT, SELF PUBLISHING IS NOT THE SAME AS E-PUBLISHING. Unless you’re doing it as a project for some college course or you simply want to see your book in print with no real desire to make money at it, then you would not want to do it yourself.
People I beg of you, if you’re going to write things about the e-publishing industry, I ask that you make sure your facts are correct, because if they’re not, you’ll not only discredit an industry on the cutting edge, but make yourselves look like idiots in the process.
http://ebooksenthusiast.com/ebook-publishing/index.htm
And it’s about time.
After years of being talked down to, sneered at and told e-books aren’t real books, the industry is starting to change. HarperCollins a relative giant in the publishing world is about to go under a major overhaul that I think has everything to do with e-books infiltrating the mainstream market. Check out this link…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/03/new-harpercollins-book-un_n_94991.html
I applaud Mr. Millers ambition and foresight to attempt such a large overhaul and I’ll be watching closely to see how well it pulls it off. I imagine that if he can make his vision work, it will represent a paradigm shift in the industry and many other well known and firmly established houses will follow. The future is starting to look brighter and brighter for e-publishing as a whole and the authors it supports.
