Poor Richard doesn't get enough play. :(

Forever Richard is the second in my Thirsting for Blood Series and continues to garnish the same quality reviews that Never Ceese enjoys. Here's one that rivals any I could've hoped to have gotten from any first-line reviewers, (Publishers Weekly and the like) and my publisher didn't even have to submit an ARC. They pretty much called to make sure they were on the list. How cool is that! Yes the review is on my side panel but I thought today I'd make it front and center again. ;)

Maryann Boo of The British Fantasy Society reviews Forever Richard:

BFS Forever Richard review

And thanks Craig and Maryann for encouraging me to keep writing even when I can hardly see a reason to.

Lena Nelson Dooley's review of Never Ceese.

To preface this review, I'm no longer a member of the ACFW because they only help authors find CBA or ECPA affiliated publishers and those publishers have already all turned me down. I decided instead to join the Horror Writers Association and shortly afterwards was short-listed for a Bram Stoker Award. I'd say that was a pretty good gamble.

Mrs. Lena Nelson Dooley provided this review in her newsletter and has done two interviews with me since. She is one of few CBA affiliated Christian authors who has earned my deepest respect. She gets it and she isn't ashamed or "too affiliated" to say so. She reviews many Christian authors at her blogspot and she writes a lot of grand romance novels. If romance is your thing, you should check her out. ;)

Never Ceese

By Sue Dent ISBN 9780976994701 S D Enterprises Horror/Fantasy A vampire. . .A werewolf. . .Can two who were wronged make it right? One selfless act - by their faith. A determined young werewolf, acting on her long-held wish to free herself from her curse, teams up with a skeptical vampire who can no longer admit that having his curse removed is something he wants. Will graduate student Cassie Felts be able to help them, as her grandmother implored her to do, or will they suffer at the hands of a radical and evil stem cell researcher who wants the immortality and power he thinks their blood will bring him? I have to admit that when I first heard about this Christian vampire/werewolf book, I was very concerned. All I knew about both of these things was about dark and evil. I didn't want to read about that, and I didn't want to see it in the hands of impressionable young people. Although I knew many of them were delving into the dark arts through other books. I resisted reading it, even though it was chosen as the featured book on the American Christian Fiction Writers Book Club earlier this year. I didn't read many of the discussion emails either. But the few I perused mentioned the spiritually uplifting segments of this book. One night, God spoke to me about it. He said that it did agree with scripture. There is a lot of evil in the world, and we can't ignore it. One thing this book does is show the great redemptive power of our wonderful God. Nothing is too hard for Him, and He seeks those who have been enslaved by the Enemy of their souls. This book truly is a picture of the redemptive power of our mighty God. The characters are drawn by the natural cravings of their cursed states, but they both seek a way to break that curse. God, in His mercy, provides redemption. Along the way, Sue Dent tells a compelling and interesting story, woven into the fabric of twenty-first century society. One I would like to get into every middle and high schools across the country. Practitioners of the dark arts are often allowed free access to poison the minds of young people. But this is not just a young adult book. It's a book for adults, too. I recommend it for those who want a different perspective on temptation and how to fight it. I realize that it might not be for everyone, but you could be surprised at how it will impact you. A very good read.

Windy Ridge Books reviews Never Ceese!

Thanks to my Orthodox Priest friend Fr. Obregon, acquaintance of Orthodox deacon Fr. Michael Hyatt (No correlation to this story really, I just like typing the title Orthodox deacon Fr. Michael Hyatt. ;) a blogger friend of Fr. Obregon listed Never Ceese in their top three Friday finds on their blog. Afterwards, they ordered the e-book and now we have this:

Windy Ridge Books e-book review of Never Ceese.

I absolutely love the way they were able to pin the market even though the original category of YA horror got misconstrued along the way making one wonder why is a publisher asked to place a genre or category when anyone can change it at will. But do go take a peek when you get a chance. And no, Never Ceese is still not published by a CBA or ECPA affiliated publisher because they won't write stories about vampires or werewolves of lore no matter how much they appeal to their core market readers. And yes I have to say this otherwise I lose readers before they even pick up the book. Most everyone understands the work affiliated publishers put out rarely if ever hit the mark of appealing to the general market reader. ;)

Hey! I can always work a rant in. No rant here though, just an honest review from a new fan. Thank you so much Windy Ridge Books.

Ah but I do link to grand reviews!!!

Ahhhh, but I do link to grand reviews and this one can get no grander. Ashley finished both books in one day and makes this author feel good on a day when she needed something to pull her along.

Amazon got screwy though and posted her review so the "stinkin" hard back cover shows up. Just know Ashely read the paperback version of Never Ceese. So here's the link:

New Never Ceese review!

Thank-you so much Ashley!

Indie Presses (small presses) in the US vs UK

Indie Presses (small presses also self-pubbed authors IMO) in the US vs UK. Maybe not really versus as this implies I know how things work in the UK. LOL I do not. I did read a forum on UK Amazon yesterday started by a self-pubbed author wondering when other self-pubbed authors would be putting out their next book. All of the responses seemed to be very positive with most responding authors posting fair sales and no troubles getting bookstores to carry their work. One even said they were in Waterstones, one of UK's Largest booksellers. Overall, I got the impression the UK Indie press market is much more forgiving than the US.

I made a post earlier suggesting that due to funding, (my own since Never Ceese is now self-pubbed and I bear the weight of publicity etc . . . ) I might not be able to survive much longer. The suggestion was made, by a concerned friend (you know who you are ;),) that I work with some Indie presses to get out there so perhaps a larger house might notice.

Forever Richard is through an Indie Press and has been for a year. Indie Presses here in the US can not compete with the larger presses for visibility. It is ones best chance but only increases the chances of being seen by a larger publisher by about an inch in a very, very, very, very long mile.

My debut novel has surprised even me with the progress its made with very little investment. Forever Richard is coming along nicely as well, as good as can be expected. Yet with no dent (no pun intended) made in my initial investments to make that investment a profit, that's hardly encouraging. I suppose that's what I was trying to say. I suppose I could wait it out, sit by patiently until some larger publisher who has the funds to help me get out there, knocks on my door but I prefer not to be old and gray when that happens.

I surmise this will be the circumstances because only one thing gets the attention of larger publishers and that's sales. Indie presses can't get the kind of sales that bring attention and awards and good reviews don't matter.

I suppose that's what I meant by deciding when to get out. From the initial responses to my debut novel, there was no reason not to pursue writing another book. How was I to know that it's implausible for an Indie press author to make a living writing? I was determined to break the odds. Looks like the odds will break me . . . and very soon if something doesn't happen.

Yeah, that's what I was trying to say. ;)

Maybe I'll try the Peter Pan theory. Clap three times and chant. I believe in you Sue Dent. I believe. Then send me a LOT of money. LOL Oh I kill myself. HA!

Having mostly great reviews certainly helps! ;)

Having mostly great reviews certainly helps as I just received my first one-star review on Amazon. Aw, it was bound to happen sooner or later. All in all, it wasn't that bad of a review. Apparently Never Ceese just wasn't for them. It's true. An author can't write to please everyone. Although I did have to wonder, after reading the entire short review, if this reader actually read the same story the other twenty-six reviewers did. No character development? O_0 Predictable? *gasp* Okay, so I guess the other twenty-six reviewers are reeeeally poor readers. Well at least Never Ceese appealed to someone. LOL

As you know, I usually post a link to any new reviews. Heads up! I don't post a link to anything under two-stars. That's a rule I just made up. ;) So anyway to all "yous" who lavished me with the wonderful reviews that you have, thank-you so much . . . but if I find out you lied . . . well, I'll still love ya!

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!

Little known facts about the Christian publishing industry.

These are things I've learned along my journey. Since my blog seems to be visited mainly by aspiring authors and Christian ones at that, I thought I'd share in hopes of being helpful. In other words, if you want to hear about my books, don't bore yourself reading this. ;)

1. The larger Christian bookstores used to be the Baptist Bookstores and only carry fiction produced by fee paying CBA and ECPA affiliated publishers. They will occasionally allow non-affiliated published authors in when that author has made a monetary impact in the general Christian market. Very few books have achieved this status. C. S. Lewis is one and William P. Young is another. CBA was created in 1950 to serve a very conservative evangelical market excluding all other religious preferences and has only lately started looking at opening their doors to let affiliated authors write about other religions, usually in light of being a conservative evangelical though, for example Amish fiction written from a conservative evangelical world view or vampire fiction which isn't that at all since neither CBA or ECPA (a group of CBA affiliated publishers formed in the 70's) believe their core market readers want to read about vampires of lore or anything "demonic."

2. These larger Christian bookstores do not distinguish their market from the the general Christian market which is confusing or rather misleading IMO.

Click here to see who they view their market as:
http://www.usask.ca/relst/jrpc/art6-xianfiction.html There's a more understandable definition at cba.org.

3. Ingram purchased CBA's distributor Spring Arbor from them yet having your work accepted by Spring Arbor doesn't get you into larger Christian bookstores. However it did make it possible for CBA and ECPA affiliated publishers to flood general market bookstores with their highly targeted fiction. The merge upset many CBA and ECPA publishers because, according to blogs, they didn't feel Ingram understood their very targeted market. Many affiliated publishers threatened and did drop Spring Arbor as their distributor but seeing how things didn't really change all that much, they eventually came back, realizing that even if Spring Arbor was approving non-affiliated Christian work it didn't affect them. Larger Christian bookstore, both on-line and otherwise, still exclude and only place affiliated work.

4. Any blog tour, blogs, award etc . . . representing "the best in Christian Fiction" is generally only indicative of the best in CBA/ECPA Christian fiction.

6. General market publishing houses are just fine publishing stories written by authors who are Christians and do it all day long. However there seem to be many authors who write too "churchy" for a general market publisher and too "edgy" for CBA/ECPA publishers to touch.

7. Many affiliated published authors don't seem to think their publishers' affiliation has any bearing on them as an author. Sue Dent contends guilty by affiliation. Deal with it.

8. There are quite a few affiliated houses that do not advertise they are that. Here are a few major CBA or ECPA affiliated houses some operating as imprints of larger general market houses: Thomas Nelson, Waterbrook/Multnomah, Harvest House, Bethany House, Steeple Hill, Zondervan. For a more comprehensive list you can go to cba.org

I may add more as I experience them. ;)

Never Ceese makes the top three!

I was directed toward this blog this morning (Fr. Obregon dropped a link in my inbox) and couldn't have been happier! Oh . . . the link. ;)

Here ya go!

If you're a fan of mine, do go help promote! If you're not a fan yet, go check out the link. If you're Father Obregon, thanks again! You so rock!

NEVER CEESE ebook download Dent $4.06

Check out that HOT price! NEVER CEESE ebook download Dent $4.06

Breaking news!

Here's my latest press release for those interested. Never Ceese the paperback is now available on Kindle and through all of Lightning Sources E-book distributors for $5.00 and $4.99 respectively. You may click here to read more!

All's fair in love and war I guess.

***Reworded a bit for clarity and purpose? O_o *egads* LOL

It has come to my attention, (which means no I wasn't asked nor did I know) that a best-selling CBA affiliated author has my name in their book as someone who has supported them and their efforts. While I do deem this an honor of sorts, it doesn't do much to help me get my work recognized by my intended audience.

So just in case, when you see my name in the acknowledgements, do know that I haven't sold out to CBA or ECPA because first off I can't afford to (they charge publishers a good bit to be affiliated) and second off, I write for a much broader audience as well as writing very differently. I'd be hard-pressed to give any author who writes for an exclusive market my support in that market though I'd probably support them in their overall effort to write. ;)

There. Maybe that makes more sense then what I had before. LOL

As far as that goes, Never Ceese is aslo mentioned in a book called Allure of the Vampire which features "The Vampire Don" Henrie on the front cover. From what I've read of the book it goes into the many different ideas put out there concerning vampire legend.

A review of sorts. ;)

I've found that most won't post reviews as they they think they don't know how to write one or they don't think what they have to say constitutes a review but when an author isn't privy to the mass marketing funds bigger publishers can provide, every little bit of attention helps. Well, at least every bit of the positive attention. It still won't do anything to impact the market as a whole but it sure makes me feel darn good and feeling good keeps me writing. ;)

From a reviewer of Never Ceese and a soon to be interviewer of Sue Dent.

I continue to get great feedback from your books. Lent them to my mom, sister, and nieces and you've got a nice following in my family. :) Although, like many of your readers, my mom is rather annoyed that she has to wait for Cyn No More. I confess, I'm putting off reading Forever Richard as long as I can stand too because I hate to wait for the next book!

Inspiring words indeed but let's calculate something very important here. I sent this reviewer both books in exchange for a review and possible interview (I got both. :)) She lent the books out to her family to read an enjoy. Not a big deal really, however, if you add that all up the total profit from sales, which is what keeps a writer writing, negative something. I've stopped counting. It's too depressing. I hope I can get Cyn No More finished up soon but honestly, I'm in no rush to lose more money than I have. I am working on it though. Steadily working on it.

Augustinian Original Sin and Never Ceese

Go have yourself a healthy dose of Augustinian Original Sin and Never Ceese at Fr. Obregon's post this morning. ;) It'll do a body good or at the very least give you a few things to think about. ;)

Click here to go to the blog.

Big publishers and bookstores. A monopoly?

Nothing is more of a monopoly in my opinion and yet things are allowed to continue as they do (probably because it is just my opinion though, otherwise things might change.) So many smaller publishers struggle to get their books in bookstores online and otherwise assuming, and rightly so, that the only way to sell items are to have them in places where people shop. Well, in case you haven't noticed, when you go into a brick and mortar large chain bookstore, the only books you'll see displayed front and center, and in mass, are books from larger publishing houses . . . PERIOD! The rare exception doesn't count to prove this theory/fact wrong.

The reason is not because these books are so very good or in such demand (even though some of them are very good and in demand.) The reason is because at some point in history larger publishers, or rather those publishers who could afford to do so, offered to make their books returnable for a full refund if the bookstores couldn't sell them. This suggests that at one time books weren't returnable and were only placed in bookstores if they had a good sales history. Perish the thought!

The monopoly begins to take root.

Why wouldn't bookstores order, in mass, books from any publisher when they could simply return them if they didn't sell? And guess what, best-seller lists are determined by the number of books sold to bookstores not to customers (this is actually never really clarified when exploring how best-seller lists are determined. Yet I have read in several instances that this is the case.) But wow! Isn't that fantastic if it's true in even one instance (I'm banking on it being true just as I'm banking on you to add the appropriate sarcastic tone. )

Of course you say, small publishers could do the same thing thus making my point mute.

Hardly.

Here's the defining difference. The profit made from a book sold is far, far, far, far, less than the amount of money a publisher loses when books are returned. The larger publishers took such a ginormous step forward with this move that smaller publishers NEVER recovered. It's doubtful that they ever will. So have fun visiting your local large booksellers and enjoying whatever author the larger publishers decide to "pimp" that year because their books are the only ones you'll ever see in bookstores on-line and otherwise.

Just a reminder, it will now be even more difficult for you to get Never Ceese the paperback ISBN#9780976994701 because I just made it non-returnable. I'm actually going in the hole making it so larger bookstores can order it should they decide to. Go figure.

My traditional publisher is going in the hole as well I'm sure as they have to make their books returnable to compete with the larger publishers. No small publisher can survive. It's like winning the lottery.

So for the one or two of you who read my blog, it's a good thing I enjoy writing for you because it's dead certain no one else will see my work anytime soon especially not with the way things are now. ;)

Catholic worldview? Ann Rice territory?

Catholic worldview? According to my latest review from Father Obregon, Never Ceese, THE PAPERBACK version, and soon to be released e-book, sits nicely with Catholic Christians very much the way Ms. Rice's recent works do and G.K. Chesterton's work as well. Wow! . What a nice thing to learn!

". . . But, more than that, without being preachy or even overt, it is clear that this is a book written by a Christian who has put a lot of thought into what a vampire/werewolf tale would look like if it were written totally within the worldview of a Catholic Christian. Like G.K. Chesterton, she writes a fantasy tale that never preaches while clearly calling you to think about how life really works. Actions have consequences, one can struggle for holiness, self-sacrifice is the way the world really works, and change sometimes begins with suffering. . ."

You can check out the entire review here.

Thank you so much Fr. Obregon! ;)

Attention all bookstores on-line or otherwise.

Attention all bookstores on-line or otherwise. At some point in the next few days my republished, self-published(in every way) award winning, genre defying version of Never Ceese will NOT be returnable. Lightning Source has to honor my decision to make it returnable for 180 days after I decide to make it non-returnable but after that you will NOT be able to take advantage of me.

Isn't it wonderful that bookstores can order any book at will when it's returnable because they know they can return it with no skin off their back. Outstanding indeed! While the author has to pay dearly for every book returned. An example you say? Sure. I sold 25 books of Never Ceese. Some slacker bookstore returned five and wiped out any profit made. In fact, I now owe money. How cool is that!

The only publishers who can survive the way things are set up with bookstores are the ones responsible for this pitiful mode of operation; the larger publishers. And even they gripe about it but it's the reason they are as big as they are. They made the deal with the bookstores, swamped the shelves with their books but the profits outweighed the losses so it was no huge deal.

Never Ceese will be available any day now in E-book format through Ingram so there will be that option. It's available on Kindle for those of you who have one of those. It's available in EVERY bookstore but you'll have to order it because I can't afford to make it easy for them to drag me down which they seem quite content to do. Gotta love that. ;)

BTW this is one area where CBA and ECPA affiliated bookstores shine. I've no returns from them but that's because they won't place my books anyway. I don't pay to be affiliated. HA! Score one for the affiliated Christian bookstores.

Kindle? Yes.

So it seems Amazon now believes me. Good thing because I wasn't going to tell them a third time that I was in fact the publisher (S D Enterprises) of a book they already had listed on their site with S D Enterprises as the publisher! Gee willy winkers! We can't all self-publish through Create Space. Some self-publishers actually . . . well, self-publish.

And seeing that they were kind enough to do so, I will now tell you that Never Ceese ISBN# 9780976994701 is now available for your KINDLE for a mere $5.00 for now. Of course Amazon doesn't have it linked with the paperback so the reviews don't show up. I sent them an e-mail about this. Sort of lame if you ask me that I have to ask for this to happen. Duh! Also as a little treat, some revisions have been made to the text. Thanks Caprice. Things that the average reader won't notice but will just add to the reading experience.

I was going to add a product link but for some reason Amazon doesn't find the Kindle of Never Ceese when I go to create the link. Maybe it's too new. Who knows? Just click on the link below it will take you to the page . . . maybe.

Just deal with it. It's Amazon.

Also, as par for the course, one of the subjects I chose, as I got to choose three, was Christian Suspense. I had to choose Suspense because there is no Christian Horror choice (don't make me go there.) Therefore despite the cover saying this work isn't CBA or ECPA affiliated, CBA and ECPA show up as subjects to search because of course, they claim they are the Christian market and Spring Arbor does little to keep them from claiming this even though it isn't true. I don't support either CBA or ECPA as they don't support all Christian authors and never have but there's little I can do to keep their products from showing up on my page.

But if you own a Kindle and would love to support me, you can now do so by clicking here. ;) <---This is the link.

Kindle? Maybe not!

I actually thought that my next message about Never Ceese available on Kindle would be, "Go buy it." But it seems Amazon still gives self-publishers the short end of the stick if any at all! At least self-publishers who don't self-publish through their own POD. After submitting I was sent what I thought was a reasonably legitimate e-mail asking for me to verify I was the publisher of Never Ceese ISBN 9780976994701 and so I did . . . I thought. *gasp*

Two days passed and I receive another e-mail almost identical to the first but this time mentioning specifics. Because they noticed there was a hardback version of Never Ceese they again wanted me to verify I was the publisher of a completely separate venture. Hmmm . . . now let's think about that. Do they think I'm going to provide them with more information than I already provided them with? I've already told them everything!

Okay, so it remains to be seen whether Never Ceese will be available on Kindle. BUT it will be available from Lighting Source in the form of an Ebook and in Microsoft Ereader format which as you can guess, won't show up for sale on Amazon due to a conflict of interest. I've even assigned a new ISBN to it to make it easy to find. 9780976994718. These will be available worldwide shortly and of course I'll let you know when. ;)

What being flagged for the Christian market means.

******Repost for my non-affiliated Christian author friends. Boring to anyone else***

I try to provide information to new authors as I go through things myself. One thing I'm able to share now is just what being flagged for the Christian market means.

Some facts:

* Ingram/Spring Arbor is the main line of distribution for the Christian market.

* An author does not have to be published by a CBA or ECPA affiliated publisher to have their work considered and deemed Christian.

But does being flagged for the Christian market by Ingram/Spring Arbor mean immediate distribution into any of the bigger Christian Booksellers stores? Of course not. Neither does having distribution through Ingram mean you get into any of the bigger general market bookstores.

However, without having Ingram/Spring Arbor distribution or rather being flagged for the Christian market, no Christian Book Store on-line or otherwise can even order your book.

Before you rush right out to submit your book to Ingram/Spring Arbor you might consider this. While Ingram/Spring Arbor will bring books into distribution that aren't affiliated with the two gatekeeper associations created by Christian Book Stores in the 1960's to make sure the work put out didn't offend their market, they can't guarantee you anything.

If you check with the larger Christian Book Sellers such as Lifeway and Mardels you'll find that while they do get distribution through Ingram/Spring Arbor they'll recheck any title that comes into their store for acceptance by their conservative evangelical market. Lifeway even goes as far as to question books provided by CBA and ECPA affiliated publishers, the very associations they helped spawn in the 1960s.

Bottom line, pay attention. If some of your readers come from that targeted market CBA and ECPA serve and you want to get to those readers where they shop, submit your book to Ingram/Spring Arbor. Though most bigger Christian booksellers won't put it on their shelf, at least they can order it if a customer ask for it.

It's also helpful to remember that all bigger Christian Book Sellers do target a particular Christian market and not the broader Christian market. That's why they subject all books coming in to another round of scrutiny before they even think about putting anything on their shelf. Books published by the bigger CBA and ECPA affiliated publishers like Thomas Nelson, Zondervan, Bethany House, Nav Press, David C. Cook do automatically go on the shelves though Christian Books Sellers won't hesitate to pull them if a customer says something. And yes, one customer can actually make a difference.

Some comments made somewhere else where I posted this and my responses:

C. says - Great information Sue! Thanks!
God bless!
C.

Sue says - Thank you C. I find it extremely interesting how little authors actually know about Ingram/Spring Arbor. I know I was clueless. I actually thought once I was in, I could finally do signings at my local Lifeway. Nope. Lifeway is exclusive to their own specific niche market. But at least a customer can get your book if they want to order it if you have distribution through Spring Arbor.

Now I learn all of the bigger Christian Book Sellers are like this, exclusive to a specific Christian market. CBA and ECPA affiliated publishers have to be getting worried as now it seems the larger Christian Book Sellers are even turning on them! YIKES! What is the world coming to. :)

D. says - Info from someone who has been down the road - totally the most valuable info I have seen in a long time.

Sue says - Thank you D. :) I wish I could say I knew it all. I also wish I could say that what I've learned doesn't make me wonder why CBA and ECPA affiliated publishers believe they are the Christian market. They're a large part of it yes, if money has anything to say about it but that's it.

And now these affiliated publishers who wanted to fill affiliated Christian book stores with their targeted fiction (so their readers could find them of course,) are leaving Christian bookstores in droves. And they don't want their work in the Christian section the general market bookstores now provide, they want their targeted fiction mixed in with the general market fiction. Can you say running around in a big OL' Circle?

CBA and ECPA affiliated publishers are breaking their necks to say they don't write targeted fiction. Michael Hyatt can't seem to say it enough lately. Yet they do. It's the audience they were created to serve. Sure. They've loosened up a little, gotten a little "edgier" if you will. (I personally hate that word) but they still write for a targeted audience and should be in the Christian section and nowhere near the bookshelves where general market fiction sits.

What are markets for if not to help readers find things?