Interview With A Publisher

Today I am going to be asking questions of the head editor at 23 House Publishing.  So please welcome Mitchel Whitington to the hotseat as I ramble on...

Q: Do you have a niche market for publishing or are you open to anything goes?
A: 23 House is open to consider most anything. We’ve done several mainstream fiction titles this passed year in 2011, but we’re talking to an author for a potential 2012 title that is more niche than we’ve ever niched before. In general, we’re looking for a book which has a specific marketing plan behind it. Simply writing the best novel in the world won’t do it in the marketplace today.

Q: What makes your books different from others on the market?
A: That’s easy – our authors! Our average author is a seasoned writer who has only published a book or two at most, so they’re eager to please their readers and help create the best book experience possible for their readers.

Q: Why did you decide to become a publisher?
A: It just kind of happened. As a writer, I was attending a conference in Oklahoma City over a decade ago, and saw a book stored on a small floppy disk and they called it an “ebook.” I bought it, read it on my computer, and realized that this was the wave of the future. No publishing houses were doing ebooks at the time – they were mostly self-published – so 23 House was born. Ebooks waned without a standardized reader, and so the house evolved into standard book publishing. Which now, interestingly enough, includes ebooks.

Q: Are you open to submissions and how would a person contact you?
A: We are open to submissions for 2012, but the proposal has to be unique, exciting, and it must have a marketing plan. If you tell us that you’ve written the best western of the year, that’s not enough if you don’t have a plan for selling it. Our writer’s guidelines are on the website – www.23house.com – along with contact information.

Q: What is your favorite and least favorite book genre to publish?  Why?
A: I don’t know that there’s a favorite vs. non-favorite. Fiction is infinitely harder to sell than non-fiction, but by the same token, good fiction can be rewarding.

Q: Do you write?  If so, how long have you been writing?
A: I do – in fact, I had a “road to Damascus” conversion into being a writer back in 1979. I was reading Stephen King’s The Shining one evening, and our basset hound Fred had to go outside. We lived on a wooded lot, so as I walked Fred I became frightened in the dark among all those trees. Suddenly, I realized it was King’s words affecting my emotions, nothing else. It was at that point I realized the power of words – to entertain, to educate, and to bring forth emotions in the reader. I knew at that point I had to become a writer, and I’ve been writing ever since.

Q: What do you have planned – book related – for the future?

A: Our publishing calendar for 2012 is already filling up, and we have some solid titles already in place… quite diverse, in fact. We have a supernatural WWII novel that will be a movie in 2013, regional ghost books from different parts of the country, a Christian end-times sci-fi trilogy, and another book that hasn’t been signed yet which is a complete and total departure for 23 House. It’s going to be an exciting year!

Q: Tell us an interesting tidbit about you on a personal note.

A: I love the Friday the 13^th series of movies. In fact, I took a girl on a date to see the original one when it came out in the theaters years ago, and later married her. I guess if she hung in through that, I figured she was a keeper. Anyway, as a fan of the series (I own all the DVDs) I noticed there was a continuity issue between  the end of Friday the 13^th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan and Friday the 13^th Part IX: Jason Goes to Hell – there is no clear explanation as to how Jason gets from New York back to Camp Crystal Lake between the two movies. A few years ago I started writing a fan-fiction novel to resolve the issue. Since I was writing using other people’s trademarked characters and such, there’s no way that I could ever publish it or sell it. I make my living as a writer and publisher, so it made no sense to continue. Still, I allow myself to drag it out every now and then to spend a few hours on it. Maybe I’ll finish it one of these days, but what I’ll do with it, I don’t know. As I write this, I’m starting to realize how bizarre it all sounds… okay, forget everything I wrote; what I meant to say is, “Interesting tidbit? I make my own soap.”

Q: Where can we find out more about you and your publishing company?

A: We have a lot of information on the company website: www.23house.com . There are also entries in Writer’s Market and other trade listings, but the most current info is on the website.

Q: Any tips to share with writers?

A: In the world today – and I hate to say this – marketing is as important, if not more so, than writing. You could write the best romance ever written, have it published, and placed on the bookstore shelves. If no one knows your name, and there is no buzz about your book, then it will sit there and eventually be returned to the distributor. I know that I’m sounding like a broken record about marketing, but you have no idea how important it’s become.

For years I would ground myself by walking into a bookstore and simply looking around. There are thousands of books on the shelves, all written by authors across the country who have been vetted by agents and publishers before their work was in print and in the distribution channel. Some years ago the average published author in America made about $3,000 a year from their writing. For every John Grisham, there are thousands of starving artists (in this case, writers). It helped me to keep in mind how much competition there was, and how hard I had to work.

In 2012, the publishing industry is not only different than it was ten years ago, it is different than it was one short year ago. Any writer – literally anyone – can get a book printed and sold on Amazon. Competition for readers’ dollars has increased EXPONENTIALLY. The challenge is not only to write a compelling book, but to be able to effectively present it to the audience of buyers.

Q: Anything else you'd like to share?

A: We live in a MAGICAL time – things are changing every day. There are people who cling to the old ways of the publishing world by their fingernails, denying the change taking place, and hoping their words can speak things back into an existence of years past. But that is not the case. New writers, who will be the Kings and Grishams and Ludlums of the next incarnation of publishing, are the ones who seek out and embrace the evolution of the written word. They will immerse themselves in social media, take advantage of every aspect of modern technology, and keep their finger on the pulse of the public.

Instead of ruling the publishing empire, publishers will soon become facilitators and coordinators, providing editing, layout, design, and distribution – the path to power is shifting to the authors themselves. It is important – no, crucial – to stay on top of the cutting edge of the publishing world. In doing so, you can ride the crest of the wave to success!

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I'd like to thank Mitchel for taking the time to allow me the interview and I hope you will check out his company site: www.23house.com, if not to get published, at least for some really great reads to purchase.

Until next I blog...

Author Interview - Elyse Salpeter

Today I'd like to introduce an author; her name is Elyse Salpeter and she has a new novel which has just been released through Cool Well Press.  She was kind enough to take a few minutes out of her hectic life and give some insights about her and the book.

Q: Can you tell me the title, genre and a little bit about your book?
A: FLYING TO THE LIGHT is a young adult spiritual thriller. The novel is about seventeen year old Michael Anderson and his deaf kid brother, Danny, who find themselves in terrible danger after their parents are kidnapped. Michael discovers Danny has a special gift -- he knows what happens after a person dies -- and now others want to know too. The brothers must outwit and outrun Samuel Herrington, a lethal biophysicist, the FBI, and even fellow Americans in a harrowing cross-country chase because whoever can get to Danny first will have the power to rule the world.

Q: So what makes your book different from others on the market? 
A: With one of the main characters being a deaf six year old boy, I believe it makes for an unlikely hero. The deaf community is seldom represented in mainstream fiction and I believe it is something people would be interested in reading about. The fact the older brother must protect his brother and the challenges he faces is compelling. The book really delves into the relationship between the two brothers and how close they are.

Q: Why did you pick that particular title - FLYING TO THE LIGHT?
A: The novel is about the afterlife and birds; I thought it was apropos.

Q: How long did it take to create this manuscript? Did it go through variations? How many?
A: I initially wrote this novel 11 years ago with lots of revisions. Then, after it was picked up by a publisher, it went through two more revisions, concentrating on "the bad guys" in the book. We finally settled on Samuel Herrington, a ruthless biophysicist.

Q: Who is your favorite and least favorite character?  Why?
A: My favorite character is Michael Anderson, one of the leads. This seventeen year old boy who pretty much led a sheltered, blessed life, is suddenly faced with his worst nightmare: his parents are kidnapped, discovers secrets have been kept from him and he and his brother are in danger.  Michael must find reserves in his character he never knew he possessed, be able to open his mind to things he never knew could exist and really had to mature in order to do the things that had to be done.  By the end, he's a different person than he was only a week before.

My least favorite character is, of course, Samuel Herrington. I find his character terribly intersting with his brilliance, his OCD issues and his proclivities on the afterlife; but he's evil incarnate.  He has no morals, no human compassion and is only after what "is good for him."  It makes for an incredibly complex and ruthless bad-guy.

Q: So why do you write and how long have you been writing?
A: I "officially" started writing my first novel in college.  I write because I have these stories in my head I just must put on paper.  Ideas sit with me and I feel like there's a story I must tell.  There is a great sense of satisfaction when I finish a book.  I know it's not completed and perfect but when I write "the end" on a first draft, it's like a sigh of relief, as if I were holding my breath for a really long time until I could get the words out.

Q: What do you have planned - book related - for the future?
A: I have a lot of ideas in my head for my next book and ways to modify the novels I've already written to make them more marketable.

Q: Tell us an interesting tidbit about you on a personal note.
A: If I could, I'd be a chef. I make wicked soups and stews. I can also wiggle my ears.

Q: Interesting... a chef who can wiggle her ears... sort of a 'Bewitched' + 'Rachael Ray' theme.  So where can we find out more about you and your book?
A: You can go to my website at www.elysesalpeter.com for more information and also to my publisher's site at www.coolwellpress.com.

Q: Do you have any tips or advice to share with other writers?
A: My biggest advice is to write the story you want to write, not write because of what you think will get published.  Get the book on paper and then, when the idea sells, that's when the edits and variations will begin.  Writing is a process but the very first, most important thing in my mind, is to write the story which is in your head. This is the one that is compelling you to sit down at the computer and begging for you to help it come out.

Q: Can you give us a snippet from your book to tease us?
A: Sure, here's a little insight into Samuel Herrington.

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EXCERPT from FLYING TO THE LIGHT...

Samuel Herrington sat stiffly on the sumptuous leather chair, his bejeweled fingers tented, staring through the massive plate glass windows of his corner office and seeing nothing. The rage blinded him to everything, clouding his vision, making him shake. It was so consuming, it was all he could do not to throw something through those windows.

He quieted his mind, letting it wander back to the woman laying on her deathbed in the room down the hall. Attended by no less than a staff of six nurses who changed shifts every four hours, she had the best of everything, yet she asked for nothing.

The air conditioner hissed, so softly it sounded like a young girl sighing and the man closed his eyes. Anyone else would have been awed at the sheer beauty of the scene outside the windows before him, but to him, it was meaningless. On one side, the blue waters of the Pacific Ocean stretched out for miles in every direction. On the other stretched the village with its white walled houses and red stucco roofs adorned with flowering vines.

He stood up from his granite covered desk, counting the fifteen steps it would take to move through the ornate office, ignoring the sculptures that cost more money than ten lifetime’s of his cleaning woman’s salary. Down the hall of twenty-five steps, adorned with artwork from master painters, past the guards who strolled continuously throughout the property, there solely to protect him. He moved through two fifteen foot chambers, secretaries and messengers shuttling to and from on various errands, each nodding at him respectfully and hurrying on. He opened the door to the suite, and moved quickly the remaining eighteen feet to the bedroom. The nurse glanced at him, and then scurried out.

Samuel stood over the dying woman lying in the stark hospital bed, the white Egyptian silk sheets nearly the color of her skin. Gone was the decadent king-sized headboard with the gold detailing and thick mattress they both had shared. Monitors hummed and beeped, the breathing machine inhaling and exhaling each breath for her. He traced the woman’s fingers with his pointer, her skin so fragile he bruised it with his simple touch. Her hand was black and blue from the IV line. Slowly he pulled his hand away and moved to her face.

Her eyes were half open in a drug-induced stupor, yellowed from her poisoned liver seeping its disease into her being. Her scalp showed through her sparse hair, now just wisps of blonde. More strands lay on her pillow. He remembered once when her hair was so thick he couldn’t run his fingers through it.

He squinted his eyes and the rage started to build again. He had money. He had power. He had means, yet he had no way to save this woman. At least not on this earth. But maybe he could save her soul.

He turned and fled back to his office, forgetting to count, and picked up the phone, dialing the all too familiar number. He waited mere seconds, then spoke, his voice hard.

“Don’t make me ask again. Find me the boy, now.”

He hung up the phone and stared at the window again, this time glancing to the island off shore where soon his men were bringing the couple. The couple he had nurtured in his beliefs, set up with everything they ever wanted, allowed to have the best of everything as long as they followed his agenda. But they had lied to him.

His rage clouded his vision as he remembered the call.

"Samuel, the Anderson's have been keeping secrets from you. They discovered what happens to you when you die. Their boy knows. It all has to do with the birds that encircle their house. We've got hundreds of photographs proving the connection. They've deceived you."

“Get them here now,” he demanded. “And get the kids. Bring them all here.”

No one lied to Samuel Herrington.

No one who lived, that was.

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The novel is available at Amazon.com in both ebook and paperback.

I'd like to thank Elyse for taking the time to allow me the interview and I hope you will support her by purchasing a copy of her book ... which by the way, is very good.

Until next I blog...

What's Your Opinion? Suggestions?

Very short blog this week.  As I said, I hope to do this on a weekly type basis and been trying to figure out which day.  I decided on Tuesday since it is right after Monday and everyone is harried on a Monday because it is the first day back to work, etc.  And well, Wednesday most people are already starting to consider the half way mark and on Thursday they've decided the weekend is coming and they need to plan what to do next.  And forget Friday ... I mean, who does any real work on a Friday?  Plus Saturday and Sunday are a loss for people to spend time on the Internet.  So, Tuesday it is.

Now what I need your opinion on.  I have decided, amongst my ramblings I will interview various authors and publishers to get their viewpoints for the readership to glean any possible knowledge from.  In other words, maybe get a chance to learn about a trick or two to make your writing angst a little easier.  Do you think that is a good idea?  Let me know, yea or nay.

So, what do I want?  I need some suggestions for possible authors and publishers.  If you will give me names and contacts (their email addy) and your real name so I can reference back to you, I'm going to be gutsy enough to contact them.  What's the worst they can do?  Say no?  If I don't interview them, the result is the same. LOL.  But don't go putting a lot of email addresses on this blog ... let's be a little discreet about this ... send to me using my email addy of   bob AT bobnailor DOT com.  I'm quite sure you know to replace the AT with a @ and to replace the DOT with a period but I decided I better state that for the newbies on the Internet.  Be sure to put "Interview Applicant" in the subject so I don't just delete your email as spam.

As to what I've been up to the last few days ... I was asked to submit a short story to an anthology with no guarantee of acceptance; but, hey, that is pretty cool.  AND I worked on getting a book format for my latest release "Three Steps: The Journeys of Ayrold" out via CreateSpace.  I'm just waiting for a response back from Amazon saying the format was acceptable.  A lot of work getting that all done.  I thought it would be easier but they expect you to write the story THEN become a savvy publisher and graphic artist.  I'm glad I knew a little bit of what they were talking about.  More later as it comes up.

Enough rambling.  Give me your opinions and your suggestions.  I look forward to them.