About Books

  • The death of publishing …

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    There’s been a lot of talk lately about the death of publishing, especially with romance publisher Dorchester possibly dropping its production of mass market books and going to an e-book/print-on-demand model.

    You can readĀ about it at Publishers Weekly, and there’s alsoĀ a good post at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books. Tons of other blogs like Dear Author have also weighed in on this. Do a Google search, and you’ll find plenty to read. However, also according to Publishers Weekly, there is some confusion about exactly what’s going to happen, so take this post with a grain of salt because by the time you finish reading this, something else may have happened or changed.

    First of all, let me say that I really feel for all the Dorchester authors out there. To be told that your book will be printed one way and then have this major change thrust upon you, well, it sucks. It just sucks. I would be screaming and pulling my hair out if something like this happened to me.

    So how will this affect publishing overall? I don’ t know, butĀ I think it’s the beginning of the end for Dorchester. Ink and paper are big, bigĀ expenses, and if Dorchester does in fact drop production of their mass market books, then it will save them some money in those areas.

    But by dropping the mass market books, they’re also cutting off an importantĀ source of revenue. E-books are growing in sales, but I don’t think those salesĀ will beĀ enough to make up for the lack of mass market sales.Ā What about impulse buys by folks browsing in bookstores? Or at Wal-Mart or even the grocery store? No mass market books means no sales that way. Plus, I just don’tĀ see readers paying $12-$15 for trade books, which is what the Dorchester POD books might be priced at, according to one of the PW articles.

    Personally,Ā I don’t mind spending $8 for a mass market paperback. But when the price goes above $12, even if it’s a trade paperback or hardcover, then I think twice about buying it. If it’s something I really, really want, then I shop around.Ā Usually, I end upĀ buyingĀ the bookĀ at Amazon, just because it seems like they have the best prices on trade paperbacks and hardcovers. For example, I ordered a hardcover of Catching Fire the other day at Amazon because it was less than $10 — and so was Mockingjay.

    So I don’t know what the Dorchester news will mean in the long run, but I do know this — it’s an interesting (and scary) time to be in publishing right now because no one knows what the future will bring. I’ve got my fingers crossed that everything works out okay for the Dorchester authors affected by this. I’m sending well wishes your way, folks.

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    Second printings …

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    I have some more cool news to announce — both Spider’s Bite and Web of Lies have gone into small second printings. Huzzah!

    So what does this mean? Well, basically that sales of both titles have been steady enough for my publisher to print more copies of the book beyond the initial print runs. In other words, there have been enough sales/interest that my publisher printed additional books in hopes of selling even more of them.

    Admittedly, my initial print runs weren’t very large — certainly nowhere near the hundreds of thousands or even millions of books that are printed for the big-name authors like Nora Roberts or J.K. Rowling. Still, this is the first time that any of my books have gone into second printings, which is really cool.

    I just want to say thanks to all the readers out there for making this possible. I write the books, but you guys buy them, and I appreciate everyone’s interest in the Elemental Assassin series and all the positive e-mails and comments that I’ve gotten from readers. I hope you guys enjoy Venom when it comes out on Sept. 28 even more than the first two books.

    For those of who you didn’t like the books, I appreciate you giving them a chance in the first place. I know my books aren’t for everyone, and that’s cool too. Different strokes for different folks, and all that.

    Anyway, I’m doing the happy dance. šŸ˜‰

  • That sound you hear …

    6 Comments

    I have some cool news to announce — the first three Elemental Assassin books are going to be turned into digital audio books. Huzzah!

    The digital audio books are being done through Audible, which is part of Amazon. The way that I understand it, the audio books will be available for things like iPods and MP3 players. This is the first time that any of my books have been turned into audio books, and I think it will be really cool to hear Gin tell her story.

    And before you ask, no, I’m not narrating the books myself. Believe me when I tell you that I don’t have the voice for that — people would cringe if they had to listen to my Southern hillbilly drawl for hours on end. LOL.

    However, the folks at Audible and the book’s narrator have e-mailed me a few times about how I think the characters sound and for tips on pronunciation. I think it’s really cool that they’re asking for my input on things like that, and I appreciate being involved in the process.

    I’m not sure when the audio books will be available. The narrator started recording a few weeks ago, but this is a new area for me, and I have no idea how long it takes to go from the recording studio to a finished audio book.

    Anyway, I’ll let you know when I get more information. Right now, I’m doing the happy dance. šŸ˜‰

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    Venom short stories and more online …

    8 Comments

    For those of you who don’t know, I’ve been doing a series of free short stories to go along with my Elemental Assassin urban fantasy books. I love playing in my own little sandbox, so to speak, and I thought the stories were something fun that I could do for readers — for free. šŸ˜‰

    Anyway, here is the info on the two stories that I’ve posted to go along with Venom:

    PoiĀ­son: This short story takes place when Gin is a teenager and is told from the point of view of Finnegan Lane, Ginā€™s fosĀ­ter brother. After a party one night, Finn finds himself in a sticky situation.Ā Click here to read it.

    Wasted: This short story takes place in between the events of Web of Lies and Venom. One day, a beauĀ­tiĀ­ful woman walks into the bank where Finn works, and trouĀ­ble soon folĀ­lows. Click here to read it.

    You guys wanted more Finn, and you’re getting him with these stories.

    Also, please note that Wasted takes place before Venom. Since I didn’t want to give away or spoil a particular plot point in Venom, I don’t exactly explain what someone needs Finn’s help with in the short story. But once you read Venom, you’ll understand what I was trying to get at. At least, I hope you do.

    Also, I’ve gone ahead and posted the first chapter for Tangled Threads. Yeah, I know it’s kind of early to post it, since Venom hasn’t even come out yet, but I hadĀ some free time, soĀ I went ahead andĀ posted itĀ And for those of you who get Venom, the first chapter of Tangled Threads will be in the back of the book anyway.

    There are a few mild spoilers in theĀ chapter for stuff that takes place in Venom, but really, I don’t think it’s anything that you guys couldn’t see coming. So read now if you want, or wait until after you’re read Venom.Ā Click here to read it.

    Anyway, I hope you guys have as much fun reading these as I did writing them. Happy reading! šŸ˜‰

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    Oh, what a tangled web Gin weaves …

    12 Comments

    Look what my editor sent me — the preliminary cover art for Tangled Threads, the fourth Elemental Assassin book. So pretty! So shiny! šŸ˜‰

    Seriously, I think this is another kick-ass cover. There are so many little details that I love about it — the use of the spider rune in the title, the rune showing on Gin’s hand again, how tough and cool bad-ass she looks. And the background is just perfect, since a lot of the action in the book takes place at a train yard.

    For those of you who missed it, here’s the back cover copy for Tangled Threads:

    Iā€™d rather face a dozen lethal assasĀ­sins any night than deal with someĀ­thing as tricky, conĀ­voĀ­luted, and fragĀ­ile as my feelings. But here I am. Gin Blanco, the semi-retired assasĀ­sin known as the SpiĀ­der. HovĀ­erĀ­ing outĀ­side sexy busiĀ­nessĀ­man Owen Graysonā€™s front door like a nerĀ­vous teenage girl. One thing I like about Owen: he doesnā€™t shy away from my pastā€”or my present. And right now I have a bullā€™s-eye on my foreĀ­head. Cold-blooded Fire eleĀ­menĀ­tal Mab MonĀ­roe has hired one of the smartest assasĀ­sins in the busiĀ­ness to trap me. ElekĀ­tra LaFleur is skilled and effiĀ­cient, with deadly elecĀ­triĀ­cal eleĀ­menĀ­tal magic as potent as my own Ice and Stone powĀ­ers. Which means thereā€™s a fifty-fifty chance one of us wonā€™t surĀ­vive this batĀ­tle. I intend to kill LaFleurā€”or die tryingā€”because Mab wants the assasĀ­sin to take out my baby sisĀ­ter, DetecĀ­tive Bria Coolidge, too. The only probĀ­lem is, Bria has no idea Iā€™m her long-lost sibĀ­ling ā€¦ or that Iā€™m the murĀ­derer sheā€™s been chasĀ­ing through AshĀ­land for weeks. And what Bria doesnā€™t know just might get us bothĀ dead ā€¦

    In other news, Scott on my Facebook fan page alerted me to the fact that Tangled Threads is now up for pre-order at Amazon. So go forth and buy, if you wish. It looks like the book will be out in May 2011 (April 26 to be exact), unless something drastic changes. I’m pretty sure that book #5 will be out on October 2011, but I’m still waiting on confirmation on that one too.

    Anyway, I’m doing the happy dance about how cool the cover is. I hope you guys like it too! šŸ˜‰