Never too early to start pimping!

Keep in mind that this is not the "official" cover AND I'll not divulge the official title to keep some other author from hmm . . . taking advantage of all the hard work I do getting my work out there. Last title was taken. Yeah. Like every author doesn't "google" a title before they decide on one. Good one, author! I wish you well. If you want this title, you'll have to wait until AFTER the fact.

Electric Angel at Amazon . . . um almost?

No need to sign up to know when this becomes available as asked for here:



Electric Angel arrives at Amazon



As it is already available here:'



Electric Angel at Barnes & Noble (of course you can only order it as it's been made non-returnable according to "Industry Standard" to protect my publisher from losing money. Therefore B&N won't allow it in their stores. I know. How nice?)



And has been available here:



Black Bed Sheet Books for some time and Black Bed Sheet Books is the official and only distributors of all the e-books!

Want IPAD E-book versions of my books?

Done! And here's a snippet to help you understand a bit about that:

List of iPad Book Format

ePub - ePub is the main file format for iPad books downloaded from Apple's iBooks Store. It's the most popular ebook format along with PDF, though books purchased from the iBooks Store include DRM to prevent unauthorized copying and sharing. The books themselves are in the ePub format - with the extra layer of copy protection. You can also convert ebooks into the open ePub format and then sync them via iTunes to your iPad.

PDF - PDF is the reigning downloading document format on the website, so you're likely to find ebooks in this format. The iPad lets you convert PDF to iPad compatible format and read them on iPad via third-party apps.

iBooks - The books purchased through the iBooks Store are actually in ePub format, but include DRM to prevent unauthorized sharing or copying. In iBookstore, you can download the latest best-selling books or your favorite classics - day or night. Browse your library on a beautiful bookshelf, tap a book to open it, flip through pages with a swipe or a tap, and bookmark or add notes to your favorite passages.

Kindle - Amazon's Kindle isn't just an ereader that competes with the iPad, it's also an ebook format. Though you can't read Kindle books through the iBooks apps, you can read them on the iPad using Amazon's Kindle app.

Now you have a clear mind of iPad eBook formats. Just feel free to download and enjoy books on iPad wherever you go!

So there you have it. At Black Bed Sheet Books you can purchase ANY of my books in ANY of the formats listed above WITHOUT DRM protection. Bottom line is that DRM protection doesn't matter anyway. An idiot could take the file if they wanted to even with the DRM protection. Having it DRM protected doesn't make it less illegal. DUH!



Any ebook of mine will be exclusively sold through Black Bed Sheet Books and maybe through Lightning Source since that's who my publisher uses to distribute (my non-returnable according to "industry standard" print books.) Where you WON'T see my ebooks for sale. Amazon, Barnes & Noble, the Apple Store or Smashwords. At least not unless the folks want to work a separate deal with my publisher that excludes my work from their "lending/stealing from the author" library or their e-book return policy?

FamilyFiction.com? Why are ANY of my books listed here.

*Also and this is a big also, FamilyFiction.com is associated with if not run by the same folks who treat authors like me like the scum of the earth and were the ones responsible for this blog post I made Sue Dent Unprofessional. You wouldn't list me then. You better dang well not list me now. Or if you do, then list the right books. Forever Richard isn't even in print anymore. AND I'm the publisher of the copy of Never Ceese they're posting and they didn't even bother to contact me. Sorry. No can do. Take it down.*

First of all here's the link so you can see for yourself. FamilyFiction.Com Now here's the scoop!

What? What? What?

I don't support sites that discriminate based on denomination. And this site won't even list books unless they're written specifically for an "evangelical" audience. I was told when I first inquired about sites "like" this that I'd, at the very least, have to have my books approved by Ingram's "evangelical" arm Spring Arbor. I was then told, after both of my books were approved that my I'd have to have a targeted publisher. EGADS!!!

After I heard this I pulled both Never Ceese and Forever Richard out Spring Arbor Distribution as it was a worthless venture on all counts even if it was free. So now this sites and sites like it are listing my books. AND THEY CAN'T EVEN ORDER THEM because neither is available through Spring Arbor anymore. Not only that, Forever Richard is out of print AND they have the wrong cover posted.

Say it once, say it twice, say it three times, I don't support sites that openly discriminate. If you want to list my books then that's fine. But get the information correct and list the books that are currently selling. Again I DO NOT write for this market. Sites like this list my books without even asking AND they don't even list the right ones. For the love of God, if you're not going to help somebody out at least don't drag them down with you. Either list the correct books or don't list them at all. This is your first warning.

A fan helps out with Nook! Aww, thanks!

See, I still won't buy a Nook myself due to the association with B&N (sorry they don't recognize small publishers for what they are so I'll not be responsible for funding their bullying ways) but I'll gladly post things like this. Fran Veal, a new fan, downloaded Never Ceese and posted instructions on how to do so for your Nook! How dang cool is that!!! (Fran also said she read Never Ceese in one sitting and that she loved it. Just thought I'd throw that out there too. ;D)

So if you have Nook, here's how to get the book!

Me again. I'm going to give an FYI instructional for your fans who want to read your books on the Nook (and I assume Kindle is similar).

1. Find the book and purchase it in the adobe format. (If you don't already have Adobe Digital Editions, there are steps to follow, but those instructions are clear on the purchase site.) Leave Adobe Digital Editions open.

2. Attach your Nook (or other ereader) to your computer.

3. Find the book file on your computer and send it to your ereader.

4. Go to Adobe Digital Editions. There will be a box that says "Authorize device". Click on it.

5. Go to your ereader.

6. Enjoy!

Best-Sellers List

Found this at the bottom of a best-sellers list compiled for the week ending January 9, 2011 to "explain" a little about how the list was compiled? I'll not list the books as I don't feel the list is NOT representative of what's actually selling. No surprise there.

"Rankings reflect sales, for the week ending January 9, 2011, at many thousands of venues where a wide range of general interest books are sold nationwide. These include hundreds of independent book retailers (statistically weighed to represent all such outlets); national, regional and local chains; online and multimedia entertainment retailers; university, gift, supermarket, discount department stores and newsstands."

I only post this to help substantiate the fact that the "sales" this list is talking about are the sales a publisher makes to a book store Independent or otherwise. The only publisher that large bookstores (the ones that make the difference in this matter) buy from are large publishers and they do so in mass quantities regardless of whether the author is a bestseller or not. This is actually how authors become best-sellers.

In the early years of publishing it was expensive to print books so publishers (only large publishers existed at the time. There were no little guys.) called upon the bookstores to help them store the large number of books they had to print as they had large print runs in order to save money. The bookstores and large publishers worked hand in hand. No surprise that things still work like this today but it is important to know otherwise you might think a best-seller is determined by how many individuals are buying it. Not so at all. There is absolutely no way to track how many books sell to individuals via bookstores or all the venues that sell books.

Ironically, all the books that bookstores buy from large publishers to secure that publishers hope of another author making it to the best-sellers list never sale at all!!! The bookstore usually returns them at some point because they can. No skin off their back. By the way, that's why you'll never see anything but larger publishers books on these list. Bookstores don't buy books from small publishers and they certainly don't when, in order to survive the insane return policy, the small publishers makes their books NON-RETURNABLE and prints through a POD.

Ahhhh, the publishing industry. Gotta love it.

I apologize if you thought I was going to post that I made the best-sellers list. I'll not make one any time soon with the requirements listed above and t hat's EVEN if I sell more books than some of those authors on the best-sellers list. Because if I sell more books it will be my small pub selling them directly to customers or me selling them myself and those sales are counted. So the real best-sellers will never be known because there's no way to accurately determine the number.

Oprah Winfrey Oprah read this Oprah Oprah Oprah

Books ordered!

So I ordered a box of books of Never Ceese from Black Bed Sheet Books and am ready to sell! The books should be here in about a week or two so get your order in now. I would be more than happy to come to your area to sign books but can only do so if I don't lose money (because how fair is that?) That means you can have an Independent bookstore get in touch with me or give me information about an Independent bookstore in your area so I can see how they work with small pubbed authors. Libraries are nice too. Some of those allow signings and who doesn't like to support libraries.




Do keep in mind that all chain-bookstores such as Barnes & Noble and Borders or whoever can order Never Ceese, the newest Black Bed Sheet Edition but they won't order POD published books or rather small press books unless someone is buying them. And as an added rub, they won't let small publishers sell on commission either. It's always lovely when a bookstore operates under the guise that they're out to support all publishers yet they keep over 75% of the publishers off their shelves because they were never set up to make money off of them. And chain bookstores wonder why they're all going under. Their wonderful distributors Ingam *cough, cough* and Baker & Taylor *cough, cough* aren't any more accommodating either asking small publishers to play the large publishers game as if they can. Ah, but that's okay they're just doing their job, right?

Sooooo, don't look for my books in chain bookstores and don't look for them on best-sellers list because as you should know all the official best-sellers list are determined by how many books chain bookstores (and actually Indy bookstores too) buy from the large publishers. It isn't based on how many sell to customers. That's why you rarely see small press authors on these lists. Chain bookstores don't order these books in mass. They ignore small pub authors.

But yes, let's get us a tour going, shall we. Let me know and we'll see what happens.

Love y'all!

Oops! Almost forget. "Christian" bookstores are out of the question too because though both of my books have been approved by Spring Arbor for distribution to the Christian market, 99.9% of all Christian bookstores are actually "Christian" or rather CBA member bookstores and they don't allow any book in unless it's published by a fee-paying member publisher. That's so they can be assured the content is censored so that it only appeals to their core market readers. There are few Christian bookstores that aren't member bookstores. But that's because all general market bookstores carry and have carried Christian books forever and there was no need. It's actually still that way. So no, I can't get into a Mardel's or a Lifeway or any other member bookstore despite many of my readers looking for my books there and in spite of going through the trouble of having them approved. Sorry. I tried. It ain't happening. Ironically, I had the edition of Never Ceese that I published through S D Enterprises "unapproved" after I learned it actually served no real purpose to be "approved" and it's still showing up for sell on some sites that can't sell books unless they are approved which basically means Ingram/Spring Arbor doesn't operate the way they state they do which is no real surprise. Never Ceese should not show up as available to any Christian bookstore. I had it pulled months ago.

No, thank YOU!!! ;D

Bits and pieces of an email I received last night:

HI Sue,

Thank you very much for participating in Vampire Fest. I thoroughly enjoyed the panel discussion and was honored to be witness to a panel of such amazing writers. It was great to finally meet you!

Our mission with Vampire Fest is to grow the festival (film/literature and art) and travel to other cities/countries . . . As you now are a welcome member of our coven we invite you to partake in future events or just attend as our guest.

Please keep in touch . . .

Warm regards,
Asif Ahmed
Festival Director

Thank you sooooo much for considering me for your panel! I'm so glad I could make it this year. Just wish I'd been able to stay longer. :( From the pics I've seen, I missed out on some GRAND stuff!!!

Question from a reader!

"Hey Sue, I never found 'Forever Richard' and definitely want to read it before this one. Any ideas where I can find it?"

Well of course you can find Forever Richard anywhere BUT not on any bookstore shelf as bookstores only automatically shelf books from the "big dog" publishers and NEVER from small press publishers. Books-A-Million doesn't even shelf new books. Their distributors only sell returned-from-the-bookstore books which won't be mine because I've made them non-returnable to safeguard myself against theft. Unfortunately Books-A-Million got some copies of Forever Richard while it was returnable or rather available through Book Masters but once they're gone, they're gone. YAY!

Forever Richard isn't difficult to get at all though. You'll just have to order it. Not even local bookstores put it on the shelf. That's not to say they're picking on me. They won't shelf any small press (and heaven forbid self-published author) unless the publisher is well . . . you know. ;)

When my books start selling in numbers that matter, which may happen before I die, if I don't win the lottery and am able to compete monetarily with the "big dog" publishers, then you'll see me on the shelves of larger bookstores provided they don't ALL go under before then.

Oh and I'd prefer you buy Forever Richard from me at the moment as my second publisher has returned the rights and the only copies of Forever Richard for sell at the moment are copies BookMasters stole from that publisher--more or less. I make nothing off of them and never will because neither does my publisher. Thanks BookMasters you so RAWK!

For the record, humoring small press or self-pubbed authors by placing SOME of their books in an INDISCREET section and doing nothing to help potential book buyers understand that these authors are not privy to the big money that big publishers use to PIMP their authors is the same as not putting said book on the shelf in the first place.

Ragging on Harlequin's AuthorSolutions

Wow! I ran across this blog today and I have to say my jaw dropped (again.) But it's been doing that a LOT lately or at least ever since I tried to figure out the "publishing industry." HA!

So Harlequin (I misspell this word a lot so just deal with it :)) decided to jump on the POD publisher band wagon with it's AuthorSolutions and found themselves under the gun on the blog linked to above. Their POD publishing model falls directly into line with all the other ones out there but for some reason on this particular blog they were made a target. 

Really? Really? Wow! Really?

Are all of you literary agents and posters to said blog clueless?

The original poster pointed out that AuthorSolutions claims to offer the same benefits that their "real" authors writing for Harlequin get. Suggests that they infer the same kind of distribution. Methinks someone should reconsider the adage "if it's too good to be true it probably is!" Also duh! it's their POD publishing model. Anyone who understands why POD publishers came into being KNOWS that you don't get distribution or at least they should. Yes, you get some distribution but nothing you couldn't get on your own. EGADS!!!

Every large publisher out there is adding a POD entity. DEAL WITH IT! The industry's is broken. Larger publishers are only adding POD's to get the rest of the money from the authors they won't ever look at because they don't have to and "you's guys" or "y'all" for my southern friends, keep playing along.

POD publishing is POD publishing and "real" publishing is "real" publishing. You want to take the giant down I suggest you stop stabbing at its toes!!! 

Christian Horror Genre.

An intriguing question was asked of me last night during my interview with the wonderful Leo Steel (too bad if you missed it) and company concerning the genre of my book. I was asked about the genre Christian Horror! *gasp*

Sadly, I was asked this when there was very little time left to explain as this takes quite a bit of explaining ever since the Christian Booksellers Association (fee-based affiliation formed in 1950 by a group of Baptist bookstores) and the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (CBA publishers affiliation formed in the seventies) came along.

Before CBA and ECPA, publishers whose writers wrote with any sort of religious slant to their work were simply put on stores shelves and categorized by the usual genres. Yes. There was Christian Horror then, if you will, there just wasn't any REAL reason to separate it out and create a "genre" for it.

Neither CBA nor ECPA affiliated publishers recognize the horror genre though they do call some of the work produced by some of their authors Christian horror (as they tag the label "Christian" onto everything they put out even though their work is very targeted and their affiliation is fee-based and denominationally restrictive.) But technically the work isn't horror at all. I know this because the affiliated publishers I contacted, Thomas Nelson, Waterbrook/Multnomah and quite a few others, explained that they would never stray into producing work that would fit into the classic "horror" genre as their core market readers wouldn't stand for it.

Yet both CBA and ECPA affiliated publishers apply the label Christian Horror to their work thus confusing and creating great chaos and forcing writers like me to explain just what Christian Horror is and more importantly, what it isn't.

On another note, publishers are allowed to put their book in whatever genre they feel it fits into without regard as to whether it fits or not which is really fine since bookstores can change this at will. To prove this point I will tell you that my first title was initially marked by my publisher as young adult (that's actually a genre believe it or not.) And even though this publisher did not pay to belong to CBA or ECPA but called themselves a Christian publisher my title (about a vampire and a werewolf, first showed up, when it did show up, next to Chicken Soup for the Soul in a non-fiction section at B&N.

Why? Because that's where B&N decided it needed to go. And I was through a small publisher so they didn't really care.

Do keep in mind that there is a ginormous difference between books approved for distribution to the Christian market by Spring Arbor and books put out by the fee-based CBA with the biggest one being that no publisher not affiliated with CBA or ECPA will ever show up in larger Christian bookstores on-line or otherwise because these stores are all supplied with books by CBA. They can order books approved by Spring Arbor but they won't carry them as a rule. There's an affiliated Lifeway Bookstore a stones throw from my house. When my books were approved for distribution to the Christian market I went back to tell the manager. He happily called Michael Robbins, (book buyer for all Lifeway stores at the time and I believe he still is) and was told by Mr. Robbins that Lifeway had not plans of carrying my work.

Wow! Just wow!

Calling my work Christian Horror for the most part is harmless so long as you keep in mind what I just wrote above. ;)

Lightning Source question.

I republished Never Ceese through Lightning Source, Ingram's POD publisher. I've been working with them for about a year now. As most new authors consider POD publishing everyday, I like to at least help out by posting my experiences.

Recently I made my books non-returnable through Lightning Source as bookstores return policy with their distributors has them returning books left and right. Normally this wouldn't be a problem and most books do come back in good shape (I just found this out recently when Bookmasters sent used books to me as new) and quite resellable but Lightning Source's policy is to destroy all returned books regardless of shape. For the inconvenience, they offer to reprint a new book for $2.00 with no printing charge. For me this means I'm only out $2.33 instead of $4.33 and I have a new book to resell.

I called Lightning Source and asked about the possibility of having the returned books sent to me instead. Seeing now what good shape they come back in, I'd rather take my chances there even if it means paying a shipping charge to have my returned books sent to me. I was told that I could see the returned books though no real direction was given on just how to do this. I just sent them an e-mail to ask for more details. I'll let you know what they say when I get a response.

I'd like to add that I wasn't told in the beginning that returned books were automatically destroyed and most definitely would have reconsidered going with Lightning Source if I'd known this. When I shared this with my rep I was told that this was just how the publishing industry worked. If that's true, and every POD publisher works the same way, destroying or making the publisher pay for books that are returned and then destroyed . . . why does anyone use POD publishers? *gasp* :O

Addendum: They use them because bookstores can still order the book even if it's non-returnable. The bookstores just won't put them on the shelf. Of course even if they did shelf a few, they'd rarely be seen as two books tucked away in a genre section can hardly compete for attention against 50 of a larger publishers books thrown in your face when you walk in the door. ;)

Jackson MS Books-A-Million signing.

Never mind. LOL

I don't have the funds to promote a booksigning and sure don't see the point when the bookstore no longer has me in their system so they can order more if they do sell out. Just do me a favor and go buy the nine that are at the Jackson Books-A-Million before they can be sent back to my publisher who will then lose money hand over fist because they have to pay for books that are returned.

Do know that as far as Books-A-Million goes, for whatever reason, Forever Richard no longer shows up in their system at all on-line or otherwise. Sad. Very sad.

Also if you do buy one of the nine copies and don't have Never Ceese or haven't read it, please contact me at sdent1@bellsouth.net and I'll be glad to get you a copy. The Bookshelf in Ridgeland has copies and can call me to bring them up there if they run out.

Good folks there! ;)

What a productive weekend!

I must say I had quite an enjoyable weekend hauling part of Ridgeland High School's forensics team down to Hattiesburg and judging as well. What a nice treat to be able to catch up with long time friend and High School acquaintance Jamie L. O'quinn. How ironic that we'd meet again due to our daughter's being involved in the same high school activity but from two separate schools. At least that was odd to me. ;)

As a result of our meeting, Mrs. O'quinn has asked if she could add the link to this here blog to her Cool Links bar. And of course, since we both are so very cool, I said yes and I shall post a blog to point to hers and add hers to my sidebar. So here's a link to her fantastical blog that you need to click on. Rumor has it that Sue Dent (hey, that's me. ;)) may actually score an interview or something. But that is just a rumor. (I know I'm clever. Hopefully my tactic won't backfire on me. LOL) It is such a very "cool" site though. Go pay it a visit.

Richard, a Bishie! Hmmm. . .

Richard, a Bishie! Okay. I confess. I had to look it up when I saw the comment but I'm not gonna tell you what a Bishie is if you don't know. You can go to this thread a fan started for my Thirsting for Blood Series at CAA(Christian Anime Alliance) and figure it out for yourself. 

HA! I learned something new today.

A most humbling review and recent!

A most humbling review and recent. If only those who should see it would see it but the chances of that are slim to nil. So for those of you who do read it be sure and pass it on. And for those who don't know Mr. Jon Guenther, hop over to his website at www.guenfire.com and check him out. He's written many novels and sold worldwide in large numbers. I can only hope to one day write as well as he does and to have my work sell as well as his does. Here's an excerpt from his Amazon review of Never Ceese click on it to read the review in it's entirety.

". . .In a manner eerily reminiscent of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, but laced with a style that need make no apologies for its freshness, Sue Dent takes us on a grand tale of Richard the vampire and Ceese the werewolf . . ."

If you not read Jon Guenther's Soul Runner, your missing something fantastic!