Oh No She Did-ent!

Oh yes I did! I pay a monthly fee for Adobe's Indesign and I'm learning it inside and out while creating my own E-pubs complete with illustrations and Drop Caps and autographs. And now I've found a way to digitally deliver these E-pubs myself!!! I know, right? I can now supply my readers with an ebook and I DON'T EVER, EVER, EVER have to deal with Amazon KDP. How utterly cool is that??? VERY COOL! 

I actually didn't think it was possible for a publisher to operate this way since no publisher has, at least none that I knew of. Turns out that it's quite possible. And these E-pubs are readable on ALL e-pub readers. Nooks, Ibooks, Calibre etc . . Also I can create books specifically in the archaic Mobi format that Amazon KDP uses even though I have NO desire to do this. 

Bottom line, I did it and can deliver my e-books at the best price around. Actually, the only price around because why would I PAY a distributor or allow Amazon KDP to take over publishing rights when I can do it all myself?

So visit my store at www.authorsuedent.com and check out the free downloadable samples and then purchase a copy if you like what you read. 

Sue Dent, Facebook and Target Audience Magazine.

Woke up to a nice surprise. My article is on page four! 


Happy 2013 and enjoy.

Wow! That's impressive!

A couple of days ago I saw a multitude of copies of Forever Richard through my now defunct second publisher, (books that I no longer make any money off of and neither does the publisher) for sale on Ebay by numerous book sellers. And quite a few books at that. 

Nothing like seeing hordes of books out there that you make no proceeds from when you're attempting to market the "new" edition. All of these books were coming from the UK too which was odd to me. Upon investigating I learned that Gazelle Books, Bookmaster's UK distributor had a number of copies left from the big sell-off that Bookmasters initiated when my publisher was utilizing their services and had held on to the books past the ten month grace period when they could "return them for free" (but of course my publisher would be hit with new charges.)

Upon learning this Gazelle Books actually contacted me and said that they were sorry and they would deal with these books the same way the dealt with the inventory of the same book in February. I assume this meant they'd destroy them since they couldn't send them back to Atlas without losing money. Needless to say, they are folks of their word. The sellers for this particular edition of Forever Richard, from my defunct second publisher, has been pared down to two from about ten. Wow!

Do know that if you plan on purchasing Forever Richard, the new edition has some changes that the old one doesn't have. So not only do I not make anything from your purchasing it, you most likely just spent more money than you would for the new edition which has new material. 

My current publisher Black Bed Sheet Books has some fantastic prices and the BEST prices on all my stories. 

Just in time for Christmas!!!!

Make sure you understand what you're NOT getting.

The key to book sales in the publishing industry has always been distribution. Large publishers and bookstores created a system back in the day that worked well for them and actually still works well for them. Bookstores purchase a LARGE number of books, put some on the store shelves and warehouse the rest. That way publishers don't/didn't have to pay so much in overhead and bookstores got to "throw away" the overage in the trash because publishers didn't care to ever see the books again. 

Eventually, bookstores were called on their trashing of perfectly good books with the cover torn off because at one time they actually had to return the cover to show that they actually bought the book from the publisher (speculation here. Don't actually know for sure why they tore the cover off) and soon a law of sorts was put in place to keep this from happening.

The solution for bookstores was an ingenious one. Stores like Books-A-Million sprang up or rather stores that sell "new" returned-from-the-bookstore books (sorry BAM but if they're returned, they ain't new.) At any rate, distribution through large publishers is the only distribution that works. Unfortunately, Independent presses never qualify for distribution through the big distributors such as Ingram and Baker & Taylor because to be considered a publisher has to have SOLD an enormous amount of books. Gotta love that catch-22.

So Independent presses use POD publishers (and by the way so do the large established publishers as well but it doesn't hurt them because they still have the distribution that matters.) But why can't small independent presses make POD publishing work for them. Well it's quite simple. POD publishers such as Lightning Source and Create Space never, ever, ever, return the returned-from-the-bookstore book to the publisher. If a bookstore actually purchases a POD book and it doesn't sell, it is forever gone. The publisher has to return the profit to the bookstore and never sees their product again. 

Oddly enough, Lightning Source gives you an option when you sign on with them to have the book returned to you. This never happens though. I called them on this and their reply was, "we really need to change that wording." There was absolutely no fear of being sued for stating one thing and doing another. 

This is from Ingram's Lighting Source's Chain of Custody:

At Lightning Source, we have always maintained that the print on demand (POD) model offers significant environmental advantages over traditional offset manufacturing. With offset manufacturing books often go unsold and are destroyed, usually after being shipped and handled multiple times. Wasted paper, wasted energy, greenhouse emissions, pulping, and landfill overflows can result. 

LSI seems to like the word "usually." Actually the books they're referring to are "usually" resold to returned-from-the-bookstore dealers for a double profit for the bookstores not destroyed. After all, with so many returned-from-the-bookstore resellers, these books are a hot commodity making money for everyone except the publisher and author.


The environmental advantages of utilizing POD technology allow books to be printed to fill an existing demand. POD lessens the possibility of returns, reduces supply chain waste, greenhouse emissions, and conserves valuable natural resources.

There is no waste to lessen, returned-from-the-bookstore books are no longer destroyed by bookstores. I do believe LSI destroys the book though and that's fine since they say this is what happens to the returned books. Yet I'm looking for a POD who will actually do what they say and that is to give me the option to have the book returned to the publisher to lessen the loss of product once they're returned. LSI's interpretation of the misguided wording in the their Mode of Operations manual: you don't get the actual returned book back. They print you a new one for free--and charge a fee for shipping. In case anyone is wondering. The fee for shipping equals the print cost of the book. Interesting to say the least.

Bottom line is, if a publisher uses a POD, they essentially don't have access to the kind of distribution that will make any kind of a difference in sales. In fact, if a bookstore actually decides to purchase books from a publisher who uses a POD, the publisher will end up losing money hand over fist and eventually going under. I've been with two publishers who went under for this very reason. 

One other interesting option POD distributors give publishers: make your books returnable so bookstores will order. My interpretation of this based on my experience to date with how this works: here's a knife go kill yourself. If your book happens to catch the eye of bookstores so that they're inclined to order it, it will most likely be "returned" or if you're with a POD distributor, "destroyed." And these books are "usually" in perfect condition for resale because "usually" the books are never taken out of the box.

By the way, this is true of all POD distributors and not just LSI which is why I say to make sure you understand what you're NOT getting. The absolute BEST way to purchase my books is to go to my publisher's website. Thanks again to those who already have. ;)

http://www.downwarden.com/blackbedsheetstore

Nothing to see here.

Just received this e-mail from Amazon:

Today we have added a new feature, AMAZON AUTHOR RANK, the definitive list of best-selling authors on Amazon.com.

This list makes it easy for readers to discover the best-selling authors on Amazon.com overall and within a selection of major genres. Amazon Author Rank is your rank based on the sales of all of your books on Amazon.com. Just like Amazon Best Sellers, it is updated hourly.

The top 100 authors overall and the top 100 in selected genres will be displayed on Amazon.com. You can see your Amazon Author Rank trended over time in Author Central.

You can find your Amazon Author Rank in Author Central under the Rank tab. Historical rank data is available from September 28, 2012. We’re always interested in feedback, so please let us know what you think.

THE AUTHOR CENTRAL TEAM

Just so y'all know, being a best-seller on Amazon isn't reflective of the quality of the book or what readers are purchasing. So far there's no way to determine what readers are buying. There never has been. Best-selling status by the New York Times is determined by how many books sell to bookstores. 

Of course, the only publishers large bookstores buy from in bulk are the larger established publishers who now only make up a small percentage of legitimate publishers. The title best-selling author has run its course. 

Give it a rest already. 

I don't aspire to be a best-selling author at Amazon or at any other  on-line reseller site. I do encourage folks to buy straight from the publisher. Since distribution for small publishers is vastly different than distribution for larger publishers, buying straight from the publisher is the ONLY way for readers to get the best deal and for authors and publishers to get the best deal as well. 

My publisher's site: http://www.downwarden.com/blackbedsheetstore Also I don't sell kindles on Amazon and never will. But you can get all e-book versions through my publisher . . . including kindle. 

Also, I in no way claim to accurately know anything about the "real" publishing industry just in case anyone wants to say that I don't know what I'm talking about. In regards to the "real" publishing industry, I'm sure I don't know what I'm talking about. So don't put any stock in my words. What I do know and what I do share are the facts from my own personal experiences.  

Blog up at Speculative Faith.

I was asked to be a guest blogger at Speculative Faith, a blog associated with a book tour that wouldn't tour Forever Richard after Never Ceese toured with overwhelming success. The reason; my publisher wasn't sanctioned by the gatekeepers. I don't see this as an acceptance into what is now known as the Christian Fiction arena. That's reserved for evangelical publishers and authors. It was a nice opportunity for me to post my experiences with this closed and targeted market though. Check it out if you're so inclined. ;)

Target Audience Magazine reviews Electric Angel!

Aw, I love it when they love it. Especially when I didn't even ask for the review in the first place. That's always nice! ;D

High Voltage Horror and Suspense Coursing Throughout ‘Electric Angel’ by Sue Dent

Distribution is key--if you can get it.

It's not a matter of proving this so much as it is educating those not involved in publishing (as in publishing novels.) Actually, those involved in publishing need educating too in many instances.

Here's an example. I pinged an international publisher recently (trust me, saying one is international isn't the same as saying "I run with the big boys" or even come close. Far from it. At any rate, they attempt to act like the "big boy" publishers.

They were open for submissions and I'm always open for anyone who has achieved some level of distribution through the corporate bookstores that doesn't come back to bite the publisher and author in the butt.

I explained that I technically have distribution through a "non-distributor" distributor, specifically Ingram's Lightning Source (it isn't distribution if you never see your returned-from-the-bookstore book again,) but I was always searching for that less-than-large publisher who has managed to work a viable contract or deal of distribution with the larger bookstores that hasn't been achieved yet.

Here was their response:

(name of company) print books are all fully returnable, because if we don't allow them to be so, booksellers generally won't stock them.

I'm not quite sure what you're looking for, but it might be that, because of this policy, (name of company) doesn't suit your needs at this time.

If you would like us to consider a manuscript, though, you're very welcome to submit one.

So sad. 

I explained in return what I was looking for and asked to know who they used for distribution so I could decide whether it was worth my time to send them an MS. But the the first line of their response pegs how they distribute. 

The large corporate bookstores made a deal with large publishers back in the day, when large publishers were the only publishers. It stated, in effect, that they did NOT have to pay to return the massive inventory of books they'd order from publishers to help quell some of the cost of on-hand inventory for publishers. That has morphed into large corporate bookstores sending books back hand over fist which is an okay policy if you can snap a "large" distributor which isn't easy to do because it all comes down to sales which a small publisher can't possibly generate given the current state of affairs. 

Ingram's Lightning Source and Amazon's Create Space, two of the larger distributors for "small press" (technically non-distributors) never get the returned-from-the-bookstore books back if you play along and make it returnable. LSI will "print you a new copy" for a sizable fee which they say is to cover shipping of a book that is never shipped. The publisher is then out the cost of the book, the cost to print the book and the money they made . . . before the bookstore decided to send it back because they can.

Such is the state of publishing. 

*le sigh*

Amazon Author Page

As many know, Amazon allows those who have books listed on Amazon (which is everybody and anybody without discretion) to have an Author Page. They also allow for blog posts from outside blogs to show up on that page. I often take advantage of this to let potential buyers know that they'll get the better price and correct information about any of my books via my publisher and not Amazon.

Amazon isn't a distributor, they don't get information from the publisher and they don't worry about whether the book they're listing is something they can legally list or not. But then, they don't have to because technically they're not a distributor.

What Amazon does (in relation to selling published books) is to merely list the data dump of books with official ISBN's that they receive on a regular basis. It's a quite an ineffective method to say the least. Currently Amazon has for sale by Amazon two of my books that they can't even legally list yet they won't remove them. Other sellers can of course sell them but not Amazon. They pretty much operate above the law most of the time. 

For every publisher who is forced to use "distributors" such as Ingram's Lightning Source or Amazon's Create Space, because they don't and never will qualify to use Ingram and Baker & Taylor or Heaven forbid Bookmasters, selling directly to the buying public is their best bet. The publisher can even offer deeper discounts than ALL the on-line retailers. And of course they can offer better prices than Brick & Mortar stores because . . . well . . . unless you're using the big distributors one doesn't get into Brick & Mortar stores, at least not if you choose not to use an "industry" standard return policy set up to only work for publishers who have distribution through the larger distributors. 

So yes, visit my publishers site and visit SueDent.net to learn more. Hopefully soon it will all come out in the wash!!! Won't that be grand!

It's official!

After talking with my publisher it has been decided that Cyn No More, the third installment of my Thirsting For Blood Series, will be short-run only. 

What does that mean?  

Well, I can only tell you what that means through Lightning Source as it has different meanings in different publishing circles. Through Lightning Source short-run simply means that one's book doesn't go into distribution. And this means that thousands of sites set up for distribution such as Amazon and mainly Amazon will not have access to the titles.

In order to get Cyn No More, one will HAVE to go to the publishers site. Since distribution has come so far, with entities like Lightning Source having locations throughout the world, it is completely possible for a publisher to handle their own distribution. This is fantastic news as battling with on-line distributors such as Amazon is exasperating. And their  priority of concerns places those who choose to distribute through them, at the bottom--the very bottom of a very long list. Not a good scenario at all especially when the publisher can get the job done themselves.


Therefore I say so-long to Amazon and all the other on-line distributors. Hello new world of publishing. My publisher's website and store is of course: 

www.downwarden.com/blackbedsheet

Having a choice is wonderful and I must say that knowing this will put an end to my complaining about Amazon and sites like Amazon. *Many cheer loudly.* But I'd no idea I could "choose" not to be listed. This is wonderful news indeed.


Also my publisher's site has a place for reviews. If it's on your heart, after reading any of my books, to share how much you enjoyed them, please go there and share. No need to leave a review on Amazon or any other site that lists my books presently as I will soon take all of my books out of distribution which will bring my books off those sites ergo all reviews will go with it. Thank y'all sooooooo much for all your support thus far. 

Love y'all,

Fan Expo Canada - Don't miss this one!

I registered in April and was accepted as a guest author and will be in with the other Horror Authors. I am looking forward to meeting fans in one of the few venues available to small published authors. I will have give-aways and much more. Watch this site for details.
 

Just like Video killed the Radio Star . . .

Just like "Video killed the Radio Star" and "Internet Killed the Video Star," or so the songs go, one could easily say that technology killed the publishing world. In the publishing world however, it would be more accurate to replace "killed" with "changed." And for writer's around the world, it's a very welcome change at that. 

For decades the publishing industry has struggled with the cost of printing books. It was so costly back in the day that the few publishers around would have to print thousands of each title at a time due to the expense of simply printing one. And then there was the dilemma of stocking the "all those books" until they sold or were returned to be trashed. 

The few publishers around back in that time, utilized bookstores to help with this inventory dilemma and this worked well until the depression hit. Bookstores could no longer "afford" to stock large volumes of a publisher's books and then "pay" to have what didn't sell returned. Simon & Schuster rose to the occasion by allowing bookstores no charge for returning just the book covers from books purchased and no deadline on when those covers had to be returned (for credit.) The other few publishers of the day were forced to comply or "sink."
   
So you can see it hasn't been an easy road. 

But publishers no longer have to worry about the cost of printing books, they can print-on-demand which means more economically priced books for readers. It's a wonderful day for publishers as far as the cost of operating goes. 

Do keep in mind that most physical bookstores both Independent and large chain bookstores, don't order in volume (or at all in most cases) any book from any author or publisher that doesn't agree to abide by what has become an "industry" standard return policy that has not changed with the times. Therefore while it is every authors dream to show up in mass in one of these stores, it isn't a reality. That's okay. The dream will change as the reality changes but presently it means the best fiction out there can only be found . . . elsewhere.


My books are available for purchase at all venues where books are sold with of course the exception being availability at physical or brick and mortar bookstores. I've opted to "save" my publisher by asking that my books be made non-returnable. My titles will remain non-returnable, a classification that means I won't participate in any "industry" standard return policy (that no longer works for the industry,) until an updated return policy is implemented.  

I would strongly recommend and ask that you purchase any of my titles through:

 Black Bed Sheet Books. 

 Since my books are POD through Ingram's Lightning Source, no other distributor such as Amazon or any other on-line retailer can get them for less. This goes for Kindle format and any other e-book format.


Here are the exact links for each of my titles, all formats, via my publisher. International shoppers should use Amazon and other on-line sites who can have the books printed in their respective countries thus saving on shipping. This is the ONLY time when buying from anyone but the publisher will actually save you money.:

Electric Angel

Forever Richard

Never Ceese

And to my current readers and fans, thank you for your support and love. I couldn't do it without you and I wouldn't even try.

Black Bed Sheet Books site going strong!

Publisher Nicholas Grabowsky has worked over-time to get the Black Bed Sheet Books site up and running. Do go over there and check out the goods! There is even a place to leave reviews as well as forums one can add or join. The link:


www.downwarden.com/blackbedsheet


Great job Nicholas, if I do say so myself. You've outdone yourself and as a Black Bed Sheet author, I applaud you.

Amazon Author Central: The continuing saga.

Short but sweet: An author can have an Author's Page on Amazon Author Central. They can post a bibliography, and list their books. On my author page I noticed that two of my published works weren't showing but rather two editions that were out of print. I pointed this out to Amazon. They told me I was correct and they fixed it.


I then noticed that when you sort on popularity, those same two books showed up and not the currently published titles. Granted the out of print titles may be the most popular because they're cheaper, the two published ones should at least show up!!!!!


I also noticed that when sorting on Highest to Lowest price and Lowest to Highest, the same thing was true. The published titles of my work on those two books NEVER displayed.


I asked Amazon and here is there response:

 The order of the titles that appear on your bibliography is determined automatically and based on many factors, such as past sales history, current availability, and length of time the items have been listed on our site. It is not something we are able to manually alter. Author Page bibliographies have also been designed to be convenient and easier for our customers and readers to view while they're browsing for books on our website. In order to provide the best browsing experience, we display only one edition of each work.


For example, the paperback edition may primarily be displayed on the Author Page, although the hardcover and Kindle editions of the same work also exist.

I sincerely regret that we haven't been able to address your concerns to your satisfaction regarding this issue.

My response was to point them to several Author Central pages where several editions of the same books were in fact showing up. Actually I told Amazon Author Central that if they wanted me to, I'd sit down for as long as it took to point them to all links where this happened. LOL Really. They made it that easy.


So just know that when you go to any Author Page on Author Central, other than that of a large published author like John Grisham or Anne Rice, when you sort on price, you won't be given all the actual pricing. In fact, in most cases, as is the case with my books, you'll only see pricing, low to high or high to low for out of print books that neither I nor my publisher make any money off of. Guess who does make money? If you guessed Amazon, you're right. ;D


And to make it even more deceitful--Amazon lists two of my out of print titles for sale as NEW through AMAZON even though I've asked them time and time again to stop selling my out of print books as NEW. I even sent the reversion of rights letter to prove I have the authority to tell them to stop. Gotta love Amazon. If you don't like how they play, you can't run away.

Amazon's Author Central is just that.

Please visit my publisher's site at http://www.downwarden.com/BlackBedSheet for complete and accurate information concerning all my titles including reviews.


****Update 7-6-2012 As I previously stated, it was clear Author Central "read" my concerns and responded because I noticed that, all of a sudden, the most recently published books showed up when one sorted on publications as opposed to those books not showing up at all with only out of print editions being viewable. I couldn't wait to read the delightful response Amazon must have for me. Well here it is:

Hello Sue,

I've looked at the Sue Dent Author Page and you are indeed right in saying that the Author Page isn't showing the correct Black Bed Sheet Books edition for both the books. I'm sorry about this.

I've corrected the problem, and the Black Bed Sheet Books edition shall show up on the Author Page in 2-3 business days. We appreciate your patience in this matter. I'll monitor these changes to ensure they appear on time and will contact you if there's any delay.

If you'd like to update the cover images for the older editions with the Black Bed Sheet Books cover image, please let us know here https://authorcentral.amazon.com/gp/help/contact-us

Aw, they called me Sue and said I was right! Imagine that! I know more about my books than they do. Go figure! So they fixed ONE of the issues and have yet to address the other issues. They've made it possible for a customer to sort on popular. This is a bit of a ridiculous premise to begin with as everything under the sun is sorted EXCEPT popular books for that author. Also you may sort from high to low pricing of an "authors" book or low to high which again seems mindless as "again" everything in the world shows up. On my Author Central page the only books I have that are published and in print didn't show up at all until I pinged Amazon to ask if that's what they meant to happen when they added that sort to the Author Central page. 

Bottom line, Amazon's Author Central isn't anything but a retailers ploy to get authors to send their readers to their site to possibly purchase books. I must say though, Amazon seems to be working harder to "fix" things that are screwed up when those things are brought to their attention. However they do little to ensure accurate information is available. In fact, they don't care at all about accurate information. They're primary goal is to sell books period. BUT that's pretty much true of all retailers.


****Update 7-6-2012 Mid-morning: I asked Amazon's Author Central why the most recent publication didn't even show up but rather the out of print book. They've not responded to my email . . . yet. But did seem to miraculously "fix" that on my Author Central Page. What remains to be fixed is having out of print books (that only Amazon makes money on and not necessarily the author or publisher, in fact rarely the author or publisher) showing up when they aren't in fact the most popular and I can prove this in one instance. Also sorting by highest and lowest price never, ever, ever, ever shows the most recently published books. What is that about?




While Amazon's Author Central proposes to be a tool for "helping" authors it falls miserably flat in this department because an author/publisher actually has very limited control over the content. In this particular instance I'm referring to books that show up on the Author's Page that one can sort by. You can choose "popular," Highest Price first, Lowest Price first etc . . . In the instance of my books the CURRENTLY published titles, the only ones my publisher and I make money off of NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER show up no matter WHAT option you choose. Not even most recently published. Way to go Amazon!


Basically an author may mark the EXACT books listed on Amazon that belong to them but that doesn't mean those are the books that will display on one's Author Central page. For those of us who have had several publishers go under and have several editions of one book out there, control of what shows up on our page is IMPORTANT!!!


When I went to my page today, two of my newest releases weren't even showing up but rather two titles that are no longer in print or rather two books I'd NOT selected as belonging to me and books I make no money off of. I queried Amazon to see what could be done about this. Here's the response I received:


"Due to recent design changes in our search features, titles on Author Pages are now sorted by popularity."


Since my first publisher liquidated over 4000 copies of my debut novel before they went under, there are tons of this title available for as little as .01 cent. I'm fairly certain a book that sells for .01 cent is going to be more popular than one that sells a little below retail meaning the books showing when someone searches on "Sue Dent" are titles that are out of print and no longer available for sale as new. 


Just keep in mind, as most readers do, a Publisher/Author has very limited control over the content on Amazon's Author Central. Amazon controls it for the most part with little to no regard to the author/publisher. The reason these books are allowed to show up is because Amazon is a retail site! DUH! It isn't hurting them if the out of print books show up on an author's page. They still make money . . . at an author/publisher's expense.


Given that Amazon can make it affordable for readers to purchase an author's/publisher's books in all countries, all authors/publishers have to tolerate them. UGH!

Dear fellow Independent and Self-pubbed author . . .

Dear fellow Independent and Self-pubbed author, don't ever belief you don't have the right to defend yourself. And do understand that if you try, there will be those who will label you the aggressor and an embarrassment to the publishing community in spite of everything about you that proves otherwise. Perhaps that's enough to keep you from standing up for yourself but I hope not. Believe in yourself. Believe in who you are and keep it real.

Honored and can't wait!

So nice to be mentioned in the same breath as Mark Twain (sort of):


http://www.wnd.com/2011/12/374493/

I recently discovered, by reading a blog, about Sue Dent, a southern novelist who has a fascinating story. I will write about her soon in this space, and I dare say many writers can learn from her. That wouldn’t happen if Sue had not taken on the added task of utilizing social media.

Looking forward for the interview to go live. 

Thanks Jim!

My publisher reviews Never Ceese--only at the time, he wasn't my publisher.

Never was I more honored than when Nicholas Grabowsky offered to give me a review of my debut novel Never Ceese. I rethought my logic several times after I turned the story over to him wondering if I'd completely lost my mind. This writer had been heralded by Stephen King and Clive Barker as one of the best horror writers out there and scribed Halloween IV. Who did I think I was soliciting him for his opinion on my "first" attempt at writing? 


Several times I sent him a message on Myspace (where he found me) to say, "really, don't worry about it if you don't have time. I understand" and other such messages designed to put me out of my misery and then . . . the review was posted. I read the first part peeking through fingers I'd covered my eyes with. Squinted as he seem to not really say one way or the other whether he liked the book and then gasping for breath at the finale. 

  I simply can't give Sue Dent enough praise for this work.  I truly adored it.  It read like the work of a master storyteller, its narrative virtually flawless. . . I highly recommend it and I can't recommend it enough.

No way did he write that, I recalled thinking.


No way!!


Framed and on my wall never to be replaced with another, the review hangs.

We kept tabs on each other after that and now I'm proud to say, still waiting for someone to pinch me and wake me up--that Mr. Grabowsky of Black Bed Sheet Books is currently my publisher.

Who'd a thunk it.

You may click here to read the review that did it for me. ;D

And you may go to http://www.goshopper.net to purchase all of my books and so many other wonderful stories. 

Yes!!!!

As a few of you know, I've been working on the third book in my "Thirsting for Blood" series. And as ALL of you should know, most serious writers use editors. Since I had no publisher with my first novel, I had to find one on my own. I scoured the internet found a handful, took advantage of their sample edits and secured one who was head over heels the best editor I could ever hope for. She was also a part of a network and guaranteed a 2% error rate (or your money back,) which of course is nice. 

Because of the phenomenal job she did, I could concentrate on the story. For anyone interested her name is Arlene W. Robinson. Also, for anyone interested, I used her with Electric Angel as well. 

"But Sue, you're a published author? Doesn't your publisher provide an edit for you? I can't believe you're still putting out money for edits."



My current publisher does indeed edit most of the stories he publishes but he is one person doing EVERYTHING! Most Independent Publishers can't afford to hire the kind of editors most writers need to make their work shine. Therefore I go out on my own. No. I don't have the money to do this. I consider it an investment. 

My second publisher did do the edit for Forever Richard so YAY I didn't have to pay for that one. But they were small at the time and did have a group of editors to work on each book they put out. As you're well aware, Forever Richard racked up several accolades before that publisher fell to the "non-industry standard/Industry Standard" return policy. 

Well here I am now, pushing to finish up my third book in the series and I'm once again looking. I LOVE Arlene but she's a very, very, very busy lady these days. My second editor stopped publishing so I doubt she edits anymore . . . . but wait a minute!!!! I contacted her on a whim and it turns out she'd be more than happy to help me and is available. 

What? What? What?

Happy dance all around!!!!   


Yeah, it'd be great not to have to pay for my edits and get the quality job I need. But since mainstream publishers are the only ones who can afford this, I doubt that's gonna happen anytime soon. 


But yay me and yay to you, my fans!!!!

Let's keep this front and center as well!

Ms. Char Hardin's review of Electric Angel posted at:


Horrophilia


And at:


Char Hardin's awesome blogspot  where you will find mind-blowing movie reviews and other book reviews as well. Do yourself a favor and check her other reviews while you're there.