I find it highly intriguing that I've had more than a few hits from Johnson City, Tennessee, home of one of CBA's bigger distributors STL, on my post concerning the rights to Never Ceese the hardback being returned to me. Interesting because STL was who Journey Stone went with initially for distribution, paying STL big bucks until STL couldn't place ANY of JSC's books in "Christian" bookstores because they failed to mention that "Christian" bookstores would only ever consider a book that was published by member publishers or publishers who paid a fee and belonged to the Christian Booksellers Association an exclusive group under which denominationally targeted publishers operate.
You best be looking if you are the distributor working with Journey Stone now as the books are now mine and JSC can no longer legally sell them. Hallelujah and praise God! I tried to call you guys to find out but I'm not one to sit on hold for over ten minutes!!!!!
In all fairness, I wanted to post a blog response to this post here for fear that the comment might go unseen as well as my response. This is the first of two comments sent to two separate blogs I posted from Eric who claims to be from Eric Grimm of CBA. Not real sure why he seems to be speaking for STL or Ingram/Spring Arbor but whatever:
Hi Sue, I appreciate your frustration, but for the record Christian bookstores are independently owned and operated
I'm going to assume Mr. Grimm means all CBA member Christian bookstores as he couldn't possibly know about OTHER bookstores who aren't CBA member but do provide fiction non-offensive fiction to a WIDE-VARIETY of Christian readers.
and often purchase books that appeal to their core customers that aren't necessarily published by CBA-member publishers.
And as I've said in the past, yes, CBA member bookstores will let an occasional non-member book in but only after it undergoes heavy scrutiny to make sure it meets their denominationally restrictive standards.
Fees paid to wholesalers and distributors are part of private agreements between authors, publishers, and the distributor, and they have nothing to do with membership in a trade association.
Publishers, authors whoever pay a fee for CBA affiliation. I'm not sure what this comment even means. They pay the fee to belong to CBA. For publishers this means, depending on the level of membership, that they can show up in member bookstores. And believe it or not, even that isn't a guarantee.
Our member publishers are diverse and are not part of a single denominational entity or belief other than that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Fee paying member publishers serve a very distinct, targeted and out-lined denominational audience. One only need to visit www.cbaonline.org to read all about it. Initially it was simply the Baptist. Last time I checked CBA's audience now includes some Catholics. I know,right? Bee-zare.
However, several denominations do have publishing houses as part of their individual ministry outreaches and are denominationally driven.
Yep and those other denominationally driven publishing houses state their audience and market as just that so the readers aren't confused and don't accidentally pick up targeted work they'd rather not read.
Gee, I'm sure glad CBA has no vested interest whatsoever in privately owned Ingram/Spring Arbor. Fact is, if you want to find fiction that doesn't offend you as a Christian you find it the old fashioned way. You learn about the author. You read reviews. If you want to read fiction targeted for evangelicals and some Cahtolics, you can go to a CBA member "Christian" bookstore. Not really rocket science.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Hardback of Never Ceese rights returned!
It is with great pleasure I post this letter today, having received it in 2009. Great pleasure indeed. So pay attention AMAZON because if you are selling the hardback of Never Ceese yourself it is because you are getting it from Journey Stone or whatever distributor they've managed to hold onto. If you sell the hardback of Never Ceese after today, you are selling stolen goods and I, the owner of Never Ceese the hardback will come after you. Hey, if I can't get what's owed to me one way, I'll get it the other. The rights are mine as of today. That goes for anyone else selling Never Ceese the hardback having acquired it through Journey Stone. Of course anyone selling it after getting it some other way is safe and please do enjoy whatever money you make of off the sell. ;D
But Amazon, LOOK OUT! Muhahahahahaha! Oh yeah, the letter:
Ask me if I'm going to have GREAT fun telling Amazon, Barnes & Noble and all the other chain bookstores that if they order Never Ceese the hardback from whatever distributor Journey Stone is using, (I suspect the hard to pin down Baker & Taylor) that they will be BREAKING THE LAW and IF they don't stop, I shall take legal action. And then I'll go after the distributor. HEY! If I can't make money, you can't make money. If you don't help me, I don't help you. GIVE ME A BREAK!!!! Fun indeed!!!!
But Amazon, LOOK OUT! Muhahahahahaha! Oh yeah, the letter:
Ask me if I'm going to have GREAT fun telling Amazon, Barnes & Noble and all the other chain bookstores that if they order Never Ceese the hardback from whatever distributor Journey Stone is using, (I suspect the hard to pin down Baker & Taylor) that they will be BREAKING THE LAW and IF they don't stop, I shall take legal action. And then I'll go after the distributor. HEY! If I can't make money, you can't make money. If you don't help me, I don't help you. GIVE ME A BREAK!!!! Fun indeed!!!!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Mystery reader revealed!!!
Okay, I'll now reveal the mystery reader who texted me on my cell first on 12-20 saying that they just started Never Ceese and that they were halfway through already and it was great and then again today today 12-30 to say they'd finished and it was good was none other than Edward X Young's (Mr. Hush) finance Suzie Palermo who I met at HorrorFind 10 and who I never suspected because the day after she told me she was going to start Never Ceese she suffered a stroke and was taken to the hospital to undergo brain surgery!!!!
Yes, she was the last person I expected to be reading my book. For Heaven's sake woman! When I asked her to please identify herself since I didn't have the number labeled she types back, "Ed's woman." LOLROFL
Gurl, get some rest and get better soon. Y'all please keep Suzie in your prayers! And congratulations SUZIE on your recent engagement!!!!!!
LOVE YOU!
And as far as that goes, if Never Ceese or Forever Richard is ever made into a movie I think Ed would make a great Dr. Henderson. ;D
Yes, she was the last person I expected to be reading my book. For Heaven's sake woman! When I asked her to please identify herself since I didn't have the number labeled she types back, "Ed's woman." LOLROFL
Gurl, get some rest and get better soon. Y'all please keep Suzie in your prayers! And congratulations SUZIE on your recent engagement!!!!!!
LOVE YOU!
And as far as that goes, if Never Ceese or Forever Richard is ever made into a movie I think Ed would make a great Dr. Henderson. ;D
Setting up Book Signings.
All personal matters aside, this blog is also designed to help aspiring authors get their books out there. Aspiring authors for some reason think they need to set up book signings to sell books, sort of like using the "if you build it they will come mentality."
Of course that makes sense unless one understands that chain bookstores and sadly a LOT of Independent bookstores only survive because of the money brought in by authors published by large houses (you see at one time there was no such thing as self-pubbed or small press or *gasp* POD.)
The first store I'd like to let you know about in detail is Books-A-Million, the third largest book retailer in the nation or so that's the claim I saw. Don't know how or when this was decided but assuming it's the truth, that's what they are.
I have one in my immediate area and a few not that far away. The workers there are quite nice but that's about as far as that goes. Like Barnes & Noble and other chain stores there is a CRM to set up signings for an author. It is quite the joke though and here's why. Most Small Press publishers have finally figured out that not only is it prudent to print their books using Print-on-Demand but it is also prudent to make their books non-returnable so that chain bookstores won't order their books on a whim or at the coercion of some overzealous bookseller at BookMasters(a POD distributor) who wants to earn a commission and doesn't seem to care that the publisher is going to eat all those books when they're returned because said book didn't sell during the time they were in the box in the bookstore's back room. And by eat I mean the publisher NEVER EVER sees the returned book again because no POD ever accepts returned books back. It cost them too much. Lightning Source does offer to print publishers a NEW book for $2.00 which helps recoup SOME of the printing fee but small press still EATS returned books ALWAYS.
Now back to BAM. Google it if you want but BAM uses two distributors. Both distributors ONLY sell returned-from-the-bookstore books and/or books acquired through liquidation. When a small press/POD publisher calls to see about setting up a signing they are told they are not in BAM's system. It doesn't matter whether your book shows up for sale on-line, you have to be in BAM's "system." They'll tell you that you have to send a form or contact their "home" office. Well, I've tried this quite a few times and even once accidentally overheard two individuals talking/laughing, whilst they were transferring me. "It's that crazy lady again. Do you want to talk to her?"
My guess is that there is no form and there is no way for any author to do a signing at BAM. But then, who would want to when all they sell are books that neither the author or the publisher ever made/make money off of. Yes, the large publisher's made their money. They sold a gazillion books to the chain bookstores initially, as is standard mode of operation, (this is how they achieve best-selling status without ever selling a book to anyone,) those books that don't sell are then sent back to the distributor who then sells the leftovers to folks like the distributors BAM gets their books from.
BAM now has quite a few of my hard copies of Never Ceese for sell because my first publisher liquidated over 4000 when they went under. They also have copies of Forever Richard because BookMasters, for lack of a better term, STOLE, returned copies and sold them to earn more money that my publisher nor I never saw. The real rub was when I went into my local BAM and was told I WAS in their system with Forever Richard and was allowed to do a signing. A month later when I wanted to help get rid of the other fourteen books that were on the shelf, I was told I was no longer in the system.
Fact is, I was never in the system. Local store folks thought I was because Forever Richard was in stock. They got in trouble which is fine because I was sure hotter than hell knowing that I sat there and made an attempt to sell stolen books that I of course would never see one dime from and neither would my second publisher who worked so hard to help me get out there.
But yes, that's how BAM operates. They simply order books from two distributors who dabble in returned-from-the-bookstore books or liquidated books. I'd like to say I made that up but you can google it yourself. I apologize if you don't have a BAM in your area and don't know what I'm talking about. I'll cover Barnes & Nobles next. ;D
large published authors can bring them because for the longest time large publishers was all that existed.
To help out I do post every now and then the chain stores I've gone to
Of course that makes sense unless one understands that chain bookstores and sadly a LOT of Independent bookstores only survive because of the money brought in by authors published by large houses (you see at one time there was no such thing as self-pubbed or small press or *gasp* POD.)
The first store I'd like to let you know about in detail is Books-A-Million, the third largest book retailer in the nation or so that's the claim I saw. Don't know how or when this was decided but assuming it's the truth, that's what they are.
I have one in my immediate area and a few not that far away. The workers there are quite nice but that's about as far as that goes. Like Barnes & Noble and other chain stores there is a CRM to set up signings for an author. It is quite the joke though and here's why. Most Small Press publishers have finally figured out that not only is it prudent to print their books using Print-on-Demand but it is also prudent to make their books non-returnable so that chain bookstores won't order their books on a whim or at the coercion of some overzealous bookseller at BookMasters(a POD distributor) who wants to earn a commission and doesn't seem to care that the publisher is going to eat all those books when they're returned because said book didn't sell during the time they were in the box in the bookstore's back room. And by eat I mean the publisher NEVER EVER sees the returned book again because no POD ever accepts returned books back. It cost them too much. Lightning Source does offer to print publishers a NEW book for $2.00 which helps recoup SOME of the printing fee but small press still EATS returned books ALWAYS.
Now back to BAM. Google it if you want but BAM uses two distributors. Both distributors ONLY sell returned-from-the-bookstore books and/or books acquired through liquidation. When a small press/POD publisher calls to see about setting up a signing they are told they are not in BAM's system. It doesn't matter whether your book shows up for sale on-line, you have to be in BAM's "system." They'll tell you that you have to send a form or contact their "home" office. Well, I've tried this quite a few times and even once accidentally overheard two individuals talking/laughing, whilst they were transferring me. "It's that crazy lady again. Do you want to talk to her?"
My guess is that there is no form and there is no way for any author to do a signing at BAM. But then, who would want to when all they sell are books that neither the author or the publisher ever made/make money off of. Yes, the large publisher's made their money. They sold a gazillion books to the chain bookstores initially, as is standard mode of operation, (this is how they achieve best-selling status without ever selling a book to anyone,) those books that don't sell are then sent back to the distributor who then sells the leftovers to folks like the distributors BAM gets their books from.
BAM now has quite a few of my hard copies of Never Ceese for sell because my first publisher liquidated over 4000 when they went under. They also have copies of Forever Richard because BookMasters, for lack of a better term, STOLE, returned copies and sold them to earn more money that my publisher nor I never saw. The real rub was when I went into my local BAM and was told I WAS in their system with Forever Richard and was allowed to do a signing. A month later when I wanted to help get rid of the other fourteen books that were on the shelf, I was told I was no longer in the system.
Fact is, I was never in the system. Local store folks thought I was because Forever Richard was in stock. They got in trouble which is fine because I was sure hotter than hell knowing that I sat there and made an attempt to sell stolen books that I of course would never see one dime from and neither would my second publisher who worked so hard to help me get out there.
But yes, that's how BAM operates. They simply order books from two distributors who dabble in returned-from-the-bookstore books or liquidated books. I'd like to say I made that up but you can google it yourself. I apologize if you don't have a BAM in your area and don't know what I'm talking about. I'll cover Barnes & Nobles next. ;D
large published authors can bring them because for the longest time large publishers was all that existed.
To help out I do post every now and then the chain stores I've gone to
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Book-A-Million true to form!
***update***
I did go check and they do have the Black Bed Sheet Edition of Never Ceese listed for sale at a decent price HOWEVER I'll wait until tomorrow to let you know if they'll actually allow that copy into the store should I want to do a signing. In the past their answer has always been no because it isn't in their system even though it shows up on-line. I'm pretty sure that's what the response will be this time as well. We'll see. I'm not holding my breath.
Not that I'd ever volunteer to do a signing at a store that only carries books of mine that I make no money off of . . . like I did once already. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice . . . no problem it ain't happening.
****
Yep, Books-A-Million deals in used books only. They won't order from my publisher or from anyone's publisher for that matter. But they'll sell books liquidated by my old publisher that their distributors bought for dirt cheap that I never made any money off of and never will. I guess on a positive note I might actually see my book in a CHAIN bookstore one day if you can call Books-A-Million a Chain bookstore. If they sell if for anything more than a dollar though I'd sure go buy the hard back anywhere else because that's what you can get it for.
Thanks Books-A-Million. You so rock. Oh and any copies they have of Forever Richard are also used and I've never made any money off of them. They were returns that my second publisher was supposed to get back but Bookmasters somehow worked it so they got resold to distributors. I have the rights to Forever Richard back now. Look for it to be republished by Black Bed Sheet Books very soon. ;D
Oh and BAM is selling the hardback for close to eleven dollars. Please make them eat it and buy it anywhere else. You shouldn't pay more than five for that hardback. They were liquidated for close to a dollar each. Take that BAM!
I did go check and they do have the Black Bed Sheet Edition of Never Ceese listed for sale at a decent price HOWEVER I'll wait until tomorrow to let you know if they'll actually allow that copy into the store should I want to do a signing. In the past their answer has always been no because it isn't in their system even though it shows up on-line. I'm pretty sure that's what the response will be this time as well. We'll see. I'm not holding my breath.
Not that I'd ever volunteer to do a signing at a store that only carries books of mine that I make no money off of . . . like I did once already. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice . . . no problem it ain't happening.
****
Yep, Books-A-Million deals in used books only. They won't order from my publisher or from anyone's publisher for that matter. But they'll sell books liquidated by my old publisher that their distributors bought for dirt cheap that I never made any money off of and never will. I guess on a positive note I might actually see my book in a CHAIN bookstore one day if you can call Books-A-Million a Chain bookstore. If they sell if for anything more than a dollar though I'd sure go buy the hard back anywhere else because that's what you can get it for.
Thanks Books-A-Million. You so rock. Oh and any copies they have of Forever Richard are also used and I've never made any money off of them. They were returns that my second publisher was supposed to get back but Bookmasters somehow worked it so they got resold to distributors. I have the rights to Forever Richard back now. Look for it to be republished by Black Bed Sheet Books very soon. ;D
Oh and BAM is selling the hardback for close to eleven dollars. Please make them eat it and buy it anywhere else. You shouldn't pay more than five for that hardback. They were liquidated for close to a dollar each. Take that BAM!
Yes! I can finally block IP addresses. ;)
Ah, it's really not that big of a deal. I don't really have anyone I want to block. But there are a few who I prefer not to visit my blog. Okay, just one individual at the moment. After all they keep looking but never actually follow. Soon they'll know who they are. All they have to do is visit one more time and that will be the end of that and I will be a happy camper. ;D
It is nice to know I can block IP addresses now. That's nice to know. And it's free to do so.
It is nice to know I can block IP addresses now. That's nice to know. And it's free to do so.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Attention non-chain Bookstores!
Chain would be Barnes & Nobles, Borders, etc . . . everyone else is non-chain. I'm about to place an order for on hand stock of my Black Bed Sheet Books paperback edition of Never Ceese. That means if you'd like to humor me and have me for a signing, which I will of course promote myself since that isn't your job, then give me a shout.
You'll be out nothing. I bring the books, you make your commission and I make mine. You can of course buy some to keep on your shelves if you'd like, I really don't care. Sixty-forty works for me. Send me an e-mail. ;D
Sorry, but "Christian" chain bookstores are out too. Nobody can get into those store without paying the Christian Booksellers Association a grand fee. I'd say that you Independent Christian Bookstores could humor me but books have to be approved by CBA's Spring Arbor (see Spring Arbor really isn't Ingram at all. It's still run by CBA and always has been)for YOU to even order them and well, while mine once were, I've pulled them from Spring Arbor. I'm no hypocrite. ;D And if you see any "Christian" chain bookstores with Never Ceese on the shelf, PLEEEEEASE contact me straight away so I can do whatever it takes to have them removed.
C. S. Lewis was dead so he couldn't stop his work from going into stores that discriminate based on specific and targeted belief systems. I'm not!!!! I'll not sit idly by if my books start showing up in bookstores who shut their doors in my face.
So yeah, call me. :D
And for the record, any chain bookstore CAN order my books and put them on the shelf but they ONLY automatically order books from the larger publishers whether they suck or not because they're never out any money when these books don't sell. They NEVER order books from small pubbed or POD publishers because most have to make their books non-returnable to survive. Chain bookstores were only ever set up for the larger publishers. I don't belong there. I don't want to be there. So don't look for me there.
You'll be out nothing. I bring the books, you make your commission and I make mine. You can of course buy some to keep on your shelves if you'd like, I really don't care. Sixty-forty works for me. Send me an e-mail. ;D
Sorry, but "Christian" chain bookstores are out too. Nobody can get into those store without paying the Christian Booksellers Association a grand fee. I'd say that you Independent Christian Bookstores could humor me but books have to be approved by CBA's Spring Arbor (see Spring Arbor really isn't Ingram at all. It's still run by CBA and always has been)for YOU to even order them and well, while mine once were, I've pulled them from Spring Arbor. I'm no hypocrite. ;D And if you see any "Christian" chain bookstores with Never Ceese on the shelf, PLEEEEEASE contact me straight away so I can do whatever it takes to have them removed.
C. S. Lewis was dead so he couldn't stop his work from going into stores that discriminate based on specific and targeted belief systems. I'm not!!!! I'll not sit idly by if my books start showing up in bookstores who shut their doors in my face.
So yeah, call me. :D
And for the record, any chain bookstore CAN order my books and put them on the shelf but they ONLY automatically order books from the larger publishers whether they suck or not because they're never out any money when these books don't sell. They NEVER order books from small pubbed or POD publishers because most have to make their books non-returnable to survive. Chain bookstores were only ever set up for the larger publishers. I don't belong there. I don't want to be there. So don't look for me there.
Never Ceese: Best book of the decade!
And best Sci-Fi book at that! ;D Hey, I didn't make it up. How often is a story so good that it makes a list outside it's genre for best book of a decade. Richard and Ceese and Rodney and Cassie say thank-you!
Click Here to see the top 25 books of the decade at Yellow30SciFi30
Click Here to see the top 25 books of the decade at Yellow30SciFi30
Monday, December 20, 2010
OBS Chapter by Chapter review of Never Ceese
Okay folks, for those of you who missed out I'm posting links to the Chapter by Chapter discussion of Never Ceese that the Open Book Society did on their site in October of 2009. GINORMOUS SPOILER ALERT!!!!! But if you've already read the book you can fuel the discussion or just glean something new from it.
Just go to my website at www.neverceese.com and click on the box in the upper right hand corner which will take you to a list of chapters.
Enjoy but I'd advise you not to go there if you haven't read Never Ceese yet. You know, so as not to spoil the fun even though the discussion stops short of telling you everything. ;D
Click above to go straight there.
Just go to my website at www.neverceese.com and click on the box in the upper right hand corner which will take you to a list of chapters.
Enjoy but I'd advise you not to go there if you haven't read Never Ceese yet. You know, so as not to spoil the fun even though the discussion stops short of telling you everything. ;D
Click above to go straight there.
Friday, December 17, 2010
What's this? A BRAND NEW awe-inspiring review of Never Ceese?!
WELL, Merry Christmas to me. And THIS review goes to show you that Pastor's can and do read books and truly understand them!!!! Reverend Steve Wilson, you have made my day. You truly have! So now all of y'all or you's guys whichever you prefer can go to THIS HERE LINK to see what the good Reverend had to say.
Here's another link that has that fantabulous new cover from Black Bed Sheet Books!
God bless you Steve, ;)
Me thinks Forever Richard might be in your future. Sort of a Merry Christmas to you!
This is what it's about folks. This right here.
Sue Dent
Here's another link that has that fantabulous new cover from Black Bed Sheet Books!
God bless you Steve, ;)
Me thinks Forever Richard might be in your future. Sort of a Merry Christmas to you!
This is what it's about folks. This right here.
Sue Dent
Richard has changed his look!
I wonder if he's done so for his upcoming appearance on the cover of Black Bed Sheets release of Forever Richard. Either way there's a definite and drastic change. Hmmm . . . what do you think?
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns & Fairies
The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns & Fairies by Robert Kirk will play an important part in the third installment of my Thirsting for Blood Series Cyn No More to be released at some point by Black Bed Sheet books as I've already mentioned the Reverend Robert Kirk in my story already. Here's a little more about the so called "fairy minister" from the introduction of the book. Very interesting material to be sure.
Will there be Elves, Fauns or Fairies in Cyn No More along with vampires and werewolves hmmmm . . .
"The Reverend Robert Kirk was an Episcopalian minister in the Scottish Highlands, following in his father's footsteps. . .Questions of the occult and the supernatural were no less close to home, and no less contentious. King James I, formerly King James VI was a committed believer in magic powers."
Will there be Elves, Fauns or Fairies in Cyn No More along with vampires and werewolves hmmmm . . .
My first encounter with Nicholas Grabowsky!
I first ran into Nicholas Grabowsky of Halloween IV fame and Everborn fame and over-all fantastically intriguing horror-author fame on Myspace when Myspace was THE place to be socially. I have to tell you, being a new author, horror or not, I was "askeered" when he sent me a friend request. LOL I went to his page and thought I'd discovered the leader of some fantastic satanic cult or equally disturbing individual. Then I read on to see where he "used" to be a Pentecostal preacher. Actually that scared me the most! *gasp* (That's a joke folks! Sort of. HA!)
Anyway, I decided I'd rattle his cage. After all, he wanted to be MY friend AND he did book reviews at the time. Who wouldn't want a book review from Mr. Halloween? The point of this blog though is so that I could post my first correspondence with Nick on MySpace. And to think that I almost didn't respond to his friend request because I was scared.
From my Inbox on MySpace:
August 29th, 2006,
I followed my gut instinct though and am so very glad I did! I am now published by Mr. Halloween himself of Black Bed Sheet Books.
You can read his wonderfully, fantastic review of Never Ceese by clicking on this ginormous link!
Thank you NICK for believing in me!!!!
Anyway, I decided I'd rattle his cage. After all, he wanted to be MY friend AND he did book reviews at the time. Who wouldn't want a book review from Mr. Halloween? The point of this blog though is so that I could post my first correspondence with Nick on MySpace. And to think that I almost didn't respond to his friend request because I was scared.
From my Inbox on MySpace:
August 29th, 2006,
Very impressive, Sue!
Of course I would love to read and review Never Ceese. If it's even remotely Christian, that intrigues me. I went to your site, and indeed it must be. My first novel was intended to be a Christian allegory until all hell broke loose in my life, the church in general turned against me, and now I'm a renegade in a twisted world where I write twisted things.
Oh.......do send me your book:
Nicholas Grabowsky
c/o Diverse Media
Antelope, CA 95843
It'll take another month or so for me to review it.....I have so many books sent to me....but I'll gladly make it a priority. I used to do heavy research on vampire and werewolf myths in relation to the Bible, by the way.....
----best,
Nick
I followed my gut instinct though and am so very glad I did! I am now published by Mr. Halloween himself of Black Bed Sheet Books.
You can read his wonderfully, fantastic review of Never Ceese by clicking on this ginormous link!
Thank you NICK for believing in me!!!!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
My favorite video!
Every now and then I get the itch to put something together. I love this song and I love how the little slide show came out. If you haven't seen it before, enjoy! If you have seen it before, enjoy it again. ;D
Click here to see the video!
Click here to see the video!
Special Pricing for Bookshelf Book Signing.
Here's a break down on pricing for Never Ceese and Forever Richard for the booksigning at The Bookshelf in Ridgleand, Mississippi on Saturday December 18th, from 12:00 until 4:00.
Never Ceese the paperback published by S D Enterprises retails for 12.95. It is already on sale for 10.00 so that will remain as it is.
Never Ceese the hardback, out-of-print, retails for $14.95 and is already on sale for 9.95 so that will remain as it is.
Forever Richard retails for 14.95 and is also now out of print but will be republished by Black Bed Sheet Books very soon. It will sell it for 12.95.
So the break down is:
Never Ceese (paperback from S D Enterprises): 10.00
Never Ceese (hardback): 9.50
Forever Richard: 12.95
If you have a copy you want signed, by all means bring it. ;D
Hope to see y'all there.
Never Ceese the paperback published by S D Enterprises retails for 12.95. It is already on sale for 10.00 so that will remain as it is.
Never Ceese the hardback, out-of-print, retails for $14.95 and is already on sale for 9.95 so that will remain as it is.
Forever Richard retails for 14.95 and is also now out of print but will be republished by Black Bed Sheet Books very soon. It will sell it for 12.95.
So the break down is:
Never Ceese (paperback from S D Enterprises): 10.00
Never Ceese (hardback): 9.50
Forever Richard: 12.95
If you have a copy you want signed, by all means bring it. ;D
Hope to see y'all there.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Book Signing anyone?
THE BOOKSHELF
637 HWY 51
Ridgeland, MS 39157
601-853-9225
Saturday December 18th, 2010
12:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M.
The Bookshelf bookstore in Ridgeland just had a facelift and looks better than ever. I called to ask them if they'd humor me and let me come try to sell some of my on-hand stock and of course they said, "gladly." And unlike the local Barnes & Noble just around the corner, I'll actually walk out with money from whatever you guys buy AND actually take home more than The Bookshelf will make!
How cool is that!
I'll have hardback copies of Never Ceese, paperback copies and also paperback copies of Forever Richard.
You will also be able to order the new and wonderful Black Bed Sheet Books version of Never Ceese should you want to! It's short notice but it's Christmas and I need Christmas money for Christmas gifts. Sadly, my kids aren't happy with copies of my books. LOL
Rumor has it that Susan Kirkland who also got taken by my local Barnes & Noble will be there as well with her grand novel Higher Honor. I told her that at least she can be assured that she won't LOSE money on this trip if she sells books.
And folks it only took one phone call and two minutes to set up this signing. See, that's what Indie stores do. Come support this Indie store and this local author. Gift wrapping will be available and I might even throw in a (drink like) bag of blood if you buy more than one copy or both Never Ceese and Forever Richard.
I'm also considering setting up outside if it's nice enough and serving egg nog or hot chocolate. Spread the word guys. I need to get rid of these books. ;D
I'll need your help because there's no time to get it in the local papers, not that it ever goes in there in time anytime I do choose to go this route, and I'll not PAY for any advertising as it's about making money not wasting it.
Also if any other local author wants to come set up with me call The Bookshelf and tell them you'd like to and Sue said it was okay. LOL But seriously, I told them I didn't care if every local author showed up with a table. The more the merrier. Let's blow Barnes & Noble out of the water. Or at least let them know we don't need them and never did. See, I always have an agenda. HA!
Love y'all!
Come see me!
637 HWY 51
Ridgeland, MS 39157
601-853-9225
Saturday December 18th, 2010
12:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M.
The Bookshelf bookstore in Ridgeland just had a facelift and looks better than ever. I called to ask them if they'd humor me and let me come try to sell some of my on-hand stock and of course they said, "gladly." And unlike the local Barnes & Noble just around the corner, I'll actually walk out with money from whatever you guys buy AND actually take home more than The Bookshelf will make!
How cool is that!
I'll have hardback copies of Never Ceese, paperback copies and also paperback copies of Forever Richard.
You will also be able to order the new and wonderful Black Bed Sheet Books version of Never Ceese should you want to! It's short notice but it's Christmas and I need Christmas money for Christmas gifts. Sadly, my kids aren't happy with copies of my books. LOL
Rumor has it that Susan Kirkland who also got taken by my local Barnes & Noble will be there as well with her grand novel Higher Honor. I told her that at least she can be assured that she won't LOSE money on this trip if she sells books.
And folks it only took one phone call and two minutes to set up this signing. See, that's what Indie stores do. Come support this Indie store and this local author. Gift wrapping will be available and I might even throw in a (drink like) bag of blood if you buy more than one copy or both Never Ceese and Forever Richard.
I'm also considering setting up outside if it's nice enough and serving egg nog or hot chocolate. Spread the word guys. I need to get rid of these books. ;D
I'll need your help because there's no time to get it in the local papers, not that it ever goes in there in time anytime I do choose to go this route, and I'll not PAY for any advertising as it's about making money not wasting it.
Also if any other local author wants to come set up with me call The Bookshelf and tell them you'd like to and Sue said it was okay. LOL But seriously, I told them I didn't care if every local author showed up with a table. The more the merrier. Let's blow Barnes & Noble out of the water. Or at least let them know we don't need them and never did. See, I always have an agenda. HA!
Love y'all!
Come see me!
What y'all think about this?
Of course I'll tell you what I think . ;)
I'm always looking for sites to list my books on. You know, to get folks buying. I stumbled upon the Top Suspense Group and thought I'd inquire to see if they might list my books. Here's the response I received in a very timely manner:
So don't expect to see my books listed here. Clearly, I'll never meet the requirements. Funny thing is, when I do eventually earn name recognition, I most likely won't have to ask sites like this to be listed. Funny how that works, isn't it?
I'm always looking for sites to list my books on. You know, to get folks buying. I stumbled upon the Top Suspense Group and thought I'd inquire to see if they might list my books. Here's the response I received in a very timely manner:
Thanks for inquiring about the Top Suspense Group. Right now we're generally looking for writers with sizable backlists and name recognition in one of the genres.
Please understand that this is no reflection on you or your work. I want to stress that. We're brand new and just starting to get our sea leg. Please try us again in the future when we've figured out exactly how we need to proceed.
Well I hope they find their sea leg. LOL But if that's what they're looking for most every author I know will be SOL unless . . . *drum roll please* they're published by one of the larger houses and don't need sites like these to help advertise. No one has a back list these days unless they're with a big house and no one can fight the big publicity guns the larger houses have in their arsenal to rise above and get name recognition in any genre.
So don't expect to see my books listed here. Clearly, I'll never meet the requirements. Funny thing is, when I do eventually earn name recognition, I most likely won't have to ask sites like this to be listed. Funny how that works, isn't it?
Thursday, December 09, 2010
Chain Bookstores going under?
One can only hope.
I made a comment recently along that line and of course many replied that I must be insane to wish that such a thing would happen. I did express concern about employees who would lose jobs but they should easily be able to find work at Independent bookstores that would flourish in the aftermath.
To understand my thinking one must understand the facts surrounding the publishing industry. Once upon a time all there was in the world were large publishing houses. Bookstores were a way for these houses to get their very large number of books to the public. Large publishers also used these chain bookstores to help warehouse all the books they had to print. You see, back in the day it was expensive to print books and publishers had to print A LOT of books at a time to justify the cost.
Come around to today and what we have are tons of Small QUALITY Publishing houses. There are Independent bookstores who showcase these talents but as you well know they are few and far between. Clearly, these small publishing houses would do much better IF they could get into these chain bookstores but that just isn't happening. Chain bookstores are more or less owned by large publishing houses and why would large publishing houses do anything to benefit their competition (or threat thereof.)
And that is why I could care less whether chain bookstores survive. They don't support small press authors and their attempts are feeble at best. Sort of like letting a cat participate in a dog show. They won't ever come around because they are pretty much in existence for the large publishing houses anyway (remember that used to be all there was.)
So let them go under. Independent bookstores are quite capable of filling the gaps left. You also have to keep in mind that a lot of best-selling authors have left the gravy train line (because the gravy was too thin) to self-publish. These authors can't even get into the chain stores so you readers are actually missing out on more quality fiction than you'd think you'd lose if chain bookstores fell under the weight of not supporting ALL quality fiction.
Of course you don't have to agree with me. I don't expect you to. Just like folks to understand why I don't care if chain bookstores meet their demise. It won't hurt my book sales at all or any other small press publisher.
Large publishers aren't the only ones in the game anymore. Not by a long shot.
Christian Chain Bookstores going under?
Well, since we're on a roll, the same logic applies here. Christian Chain Bookstores are even worse. Not only were they created to support ONLY publishers who pay a fee to belong to CBA or the Christian Booksellers Association, an Association formed to make sure all books put out by member publishers met strict and specific evangelical guidelines decided by them, they also say nay, nay to ANY other publisher large or small who isn't a paying member.
And yet their books find their way into chain bookstores due to the fact that larger publishers added CBA houses as imprints. So they get a double whammy from me. Can't wait to see these guys go because I've given up on them ever coming around. It would be an easy fix for them too. All chain Christian bookstores would have to do would be to state what kind of bookstore they are or allow all publishers who provide work that doesn't offend Christian readers of all faiths or at least most to come in. They've made no move to do either. So bye-bye to them. And yep, there are Independent Christian bookstores that treat all books by all publishers equally, affiliated or not. ;)
I made a comment recently along that line and of course many replied that I must be insane to wish that such a thing would happen. I did express concern about employees who would lose jobs but they should easily be able to find work at Independent bookstores that would flourish in the aftermath.
To understand my thinking one must understand the facts surrounding the publishing industry. Once upon a time all there was in the world were large publishing houses. Bookstores were a way for these houses to get their very large number of books to the public. Large publishers also used these chain bookstores to help warehouse all the books they had to print. You see, back in the day it was expensive to print books and publishers had to print A LOT of books at a time to justify the cost.
Come around to today and what we have are tons of Small QUALITY Publishing houses. There are Independent bookstores who showcase these talents but as you well know they are few and far between. Clearly, these small publishing houses would do much better IF they could get into these chain bookstores but that just isn't happening. Chain bookstores are more or less owned by large publishing houses and why would large publishing houses do anything to benefit their competition (or threat thereof.)
And that is why I could care less whether chain bookstores survive. They don't support small press authors and their attempts are feeble at best. Sort of like letting a cat participate in a dog show. They won't ever come around because they are pretty much in existence for the large publishing houses anyway (remember that used to be all there was.)
So let them go under. Independent bookstores are quite capable of filling the gaps left. You also have to keep in mind that a lot of best-selling authors have left the gravy train line (because the gravy was too thin) to self-publish. These authors can't even get into the chain stores so you readers are actually missing out on more quality fiction than you'd think you'd lose if chain bookstores fell under the weight of not supporting ALL quality fiction.
Of course you don't have to agree with me. I don't expect you to. Just like folks to understand why I don't care if chain bookstores meet their demise. It won't hurt my book sales at all or any other small press publisher.
Large publishers aren't the only ones in the game anymore. Not by a long shot.
Christian Chain Bookstores going under?
Well, since we're on a roll, the same logic applies here. Christian Chain Bookstores are even worse. Not only were they created to support ONLY publishers who pay a fee to belong to CBA or the Christian Booksellers Association, an Association formed to make sure all books put out by member publishers met strict and specific evangelical guidelines decided by them, they also say nay, nay to ANY other publisher large or small who isn't a paying member.
And yet their books find their way into chain bookstores due to the fact that larger publishers added CBA houses as imprints. So they get a double whammy from me. Can't wait to see these guys go because I've given up on them ever coming around. It would be an easy fix for them too. All chain Christian bookstores would have to do would be to state what kind of bookstore they are or allow all publishers who provide work that doesn't offend Christian readers of all faiths or at least most to come in. They've made no move to do either. So bye-bye to them. And yep, there are Independent Christian bookstores that treat all books by all publishers equally, affiliated or not. ;)
Wednesday, December 08, 2010
Forever Richard selling. Ho-hum.
I suppose I should be more excited about Forever Richard selling, (at least so I've noticed it moving up in ranking on Amazon.) So sad I make nothing off the sell of the book. What a wonderful job I have. I pour my heart and soul into something, also as much money as I can stand to lose and I make nothing back and neither does the original publisher of Forever Richard thanks to BookMasters or rather "the publishing industry." Wonderful. Good thing writing isn't what I depend on to make a living and even sadder that no one can make a living writing. Something's wrong with an industry when all you have are the writers who seem to spring out of nowhere to lavish their "gift" upon the world as though they were just waiting to be discovered. Meanwhile there are all those writers who have to have five REAL jobs just to do what should be considered a REAL job. So sad. :(
Looking forward to Black Bed Sheet Books republishing Forever Richard. I'd do it myself but just plain tired of pouring money into a bottomless hole. So yeah, buy Forever Richard and hope enough folks buy Never Ceese through Black Bed Sheet Books to bring me enough funds to pursue finishing Cyn No More.
Looking forward to Black Bed Sheet Books republishing Forever Richard. I'd do it myself but just plain tired of pouring money into a bottomless hole. So yeah, buy Forever Richard and hope enough folks buy Never Ceese through Black Bed Sheet Books to bring me enough funds to pursue finishing Cyn No More.
Monday, December 06, 2010
Book Signing.
Okay, I'd love to accommodate any fans who'd like a signing in their area. It's not financially doable for me to just set one up and hope someone comes. I don't have the funds or time to get the word out there to encourage anyone who isn't aware of my work to drop by soooooooo . . . if you'd like me to come to your area to do a signing then let me know and I'll investigate to see how feasible it is.
Bookstores for the most part offer (very) limited support because well, they've never had to do anything as far as drawing customers in to a book signing. Larger publishers do their own publicity because clearly they have the funds to do so.
I LOVE to meet fans though and will often come do a signing if it looks like I'll at least break even. So yeah, let me know. ;D
Bookstores for the most part offer (very) limited support because well, they've never had to do anything as far as drawing customers in to a book signing. Larger publishers do their own publicity because clearly they have the funds to do so.
I LOVE to meet fans though and will often come do a signing if it looks like I'll at least break even. So yeah, let me know. ;D
Saturday, December 04, 2010
The Neshoba Democrat - I couldn't NOT share!
One of my first interviews for a local paper. Boy have I learned. I called my book Christian Fiction like I had a CLUE what that meant. LOL Still a good article though despite the fact that "Christian Fiction" represents a closed exclusive denominational market I don't write for but rather the general market of course. Good interview though. ;) Thought I'd repost.
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Dent unveils Christian fiction novel at Washington book expo
By ASHLEY CIRILLI
Sue Dent, a Ridgeland resident who recently published her first novel, believes that getting a book into print was just the logical outcome of her natural inclination.
“It’s hard for me not to write. I just enjoy writing,” said Dent, whose book is titled “Never Ceese” and was unveiled to a national audience during the annual Book Expo America in Washington, D.C., from May 19 to May 21.
“I found an editor, found a printer [and] did my own book cover,” said Dent, who claimed the most challenging part of the writing the novel was “convincing yourself you need an editor, a real editor, not a friend.”
In the book, Dent attempts to prove that vampire/werewolf fantasy doesn’t always have to be dark and can have a spiritual message. “Never Ceese”, a 300-page novel, which falls into the genre of Christian fiction, is a literary fantasy whose protagonists are developed in such a way that it is hard for every reader not to relate.
A young werewolf, determined to free herself of her curse, teams up with a skeptical vampire who can no longer admit that having his curse removed is something he wants. A college student plays the hero and a maniacal scientist plays the villain in the struggle for the future of the werewolf and vampire.
“I loved the intrigue and mystery surrounding the characters in her story,” said Pat Stirnkorb, president of Journey Stone Creations, which published Dent’s book. “[We] thought we would give [Dent’s] book, a spiritual fantasy, a chance.”
“I think the way the characters developed throughout the book, their personalities, bring them to life and the dilemma that they both face,” said Stirnkorb. “It was one of those cases that ran through my mind as ‘What would you do if this were you?’ in the case of fantasy, as in werewolves and vampires.”
“You can take a genre that has been twisted in one direction, fantasy specifically. A lot of the vampire/werewolf fantasy is twisted to portray the darker side of it and introduces you to a lot of elements that some people just don’t care to read about,” said Dent.
“I want to provide those people a book they can read. A lot of it gets way too dark for me. If [readers] take anything away from my novel, I hope it’s that you can take a genre that has a tendency to get really dark and turn it around.”
Dent, who was raised in Jackson and designs web sites when she is not writing, named Mississippi native John Grisham as one of her inspirations.
“I like his style and the way it flows. He seems to have a big audience,” she said.
Dent mentions popular authors such as J.K. Rowling (author of the Harry Potter series) and Anne Rice as having the same target audience as “Never Ceese”, although she was initially intimidated by entering the same field as such big-name writers.
“I was scared that it was really basic,” said Dent. “I wanted to stay basic. My editor said, you know the J.K. Rowling market is so big right now. I wasn’t thinking market, I was just thinking of writing a book. [My editor] threw it out there and I said okay.”
Dent has already planned a sequel to “Never Ceese”, titled “Forever Richard”.
Friday, December 03, 2010
OMG! Amazon did something right--for now!!!
Yes, that's right and it's sooooo difficult for me to believe that after months of my attempting to tell Amazon that I DID NOT want to support authors who write for publishers who discriminate denominationally and outright claim their books are the only books that are "Christian" by having their books bundled with mine. . . Amazon finally fixed things. A Thomas Nelson book is no longer bundled with mine!!!! Hallalujah and thank you Jesus! Merry Christmas to me! One small step but a HUGE one for me. I don't write for the closed and IMO closed-minded CBA/ECPA market and I don't believe in claiming that one denomination is the "official" Christian market.
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!
Success for now!
You'll find my work in the general market with all the other true writers who are Christian of one variety or another. ;D
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!
Success for now!
You'll find my work in the general market with all the other true writers who are Christian of one variety or another. ;D
Thursday, December 02, 2010
BAM! Books-A-Million does it again!!!
Oh don't I love BAM! They only sell returned-from-the-bookstore books or in this case liquidated books. As par for the course, they won't place ONE book of mine that I can actually make money off of. Noooooo. They buy dirt cheap copies from a liquidator and sell those. I never see a dime. How grand!!! Thanks BAM! Merry Christmas to you. So for all you readers who actually want to keep authors writing, don't shop at BAM. Buy from publishers.
Buy the way, those would be the hardbacks of Never Ceese and don't you dare pay retail or close to it for that book when you can get it on the internet all day long usually for under $5.00.
Actually, to give BAM some credit, those are resellers selling on BAM's on-line stores. But BAM brick and mortar won't carry my books unless it comes in as returned-from-the-bookstore because that's all their distributors supply them with. AND my books have all been made non-returnable so my publishers don't go under!!! ;)
Buy the way, those would be the hardbacks of Never Ceese and don't you dare pay retail or close to it for that book when you can get it on the internet all day long usually for under $5.00.
Actually, to give BAM some credit, those are resellers selling on BAM's on-line stores. But BAM brick and mortar won't carry my books unless it comes in as returned-from-the-bookstore because that's all their distributors supply them with. AND my books have all been made non-returnable so my publishers don't go under!!! ;)
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