It's Friday!!!
Whoot! Whoot!
Let's get this summer weekend started with A Thin
Slice of Heaven, a juicy paranormal-romance from author p.m. terrell.
You know it's not very often I have such established authors visit my blog, but when I'm lucky enough to have them, I love to find out their thoughts about the publishing industry.
Sooo, I call p.m. terrell to center stage.
Take it away.
* * * *
What
would I tell a new author?
My
first book was published in 1984, eight years before smart phones, sixteen
years before the iPad and fourteen years before Google launched. Most people
didn’t have email addresses, queries were done the old-fashioned way with
self-addressed-stamped-envelopes for the return of printed manuscripts, and
editing was done with red pens. I’ve seen more changes in the publishing
industry than I ever could have imagined, and one of the most profound changes
has come through the rise of Indie authors and pop-up publishers.
So
what would I tell a new author who is just getting started in this industry?
1) Don’t quit your day job. It was
true then and it’s still true today. You might believe your manuscript is the
best thing to hit the world since fires and wheels, but trust me: it isn’t.
Unless your publisher specifically tells you that they’re investing tens of
thousands of dollars in your promotion and marketing campaign, you are not
going to have people lined up around the block just for a glimpse of you. You
won’t reach the New York Times
bestseller list without somebody’s deep pockets, and your income probably won’t
fund that yacht you’ve had your eyes on.
2) Get
your ego off your shoulder. There really is no room for big egos in
the publishing industry. Publishers and literary agents will recognize an
inflated ego from miles away and the doors will slam in your face. You are not
special just because you wrote a book; you’re only special if you wrote a great one. And you won’t be the judge of
that; the public will.
3) Never
write to stroke your image. If the reason you are writing that
manuscript is for people to praise you, then stop writing now. If you ask
someone for an opinion, be prepared for an honest one—and whatever you do,
don’t shoot the messenger.
4) Write
because it makes you feel good. Every successful author knows what
its like to be “in the zone” –as if the words, scenes and characters were being
handed to you by some unseen muse. If your book is never published and another
soul never reads it, it’s still a worthwhile venture if you enjoyed writing it
or the act of writing transformed you.
5) Never
preach.
Your book should never seek to impart your personal viewpoints unless you
already have a claim to fame as a political pundit, religious zealot or noted
expert, and the book is an extension of that. Otherwise, keep your opinions to
yourself.
6) Have a
point.
Don’t meander all over the place. Point A is where you started and Point Z is
where you’ll end. It’s the telling of how you reached that final destination
that is the story, and it must be concise and entertaining. Keep your plot in
mind every step of the way.
7) Keep it
moving.
Life is filled with minutiae. Books are not. Every page must propel the story
forward; if it doesn’t, it’s just bogging things down.
8) Learn the industry. Whether
you are traditionally published or self-published, it benefits everybody if you
can learn as much as possible about this industry: the editing process, the
production process, distribution, retailers, publishers, marketing and
promotional campaigns, royalty statements, assessing what works and what
doesn’t. Because when that book is out of your hands, its success remains in
your hands.
9) Have a plan. Develop a
strategy for getting your name and your book in front of the public, whether
it’s through media coverage, physical book signings, Internet appearances, or a
combination. Then be ready at a moment’s notice to change it, tweak it, fix it
or start over. This industry is moving fast and, as Stewart Brand stated, “…if
you’re not part of the steamroller, you’re part of the road.” He might have
said it about technology but it’s true in the publishing industry as well.
10) Remember
it is a journey. Writing the book is the easy part; marketing it will
be the most difficult task you’ll ever undertake unless you’re already a successful
marketing guru. At one time, publishers gave books three months to sink or swim
but that isn’t true anymore. You can’t give up three months or six months or
nine months down the road. And if you can’t learn to enjoy the ride, it isn’t
worth doing.
* * * *
Thank you so much for sharing.
Now on to the good stuff, so grab a comfy chair and a cool drink because this little gem will have you hooked and wanting more in no time.
Enjoy!!!
****GIVEAWAY ALERT****
p.m.terrell
will be awarding a Celtic Butterfly Suncatcher similar to the one mentioned in
the book, symbolizing both the never-ending cycle of life and the metamorphosis
of a butterfly to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
*******
A Thin Slice
of Heaven
by p.m. terrell
She had
arranged to meet her husband in Northern Ireland for a second honeymoon, but
when Charleigh arrives at the remote castle, she receives a message that he
won’t be coming—and that he’s leaving her for another woman.
Stranded for
the weekend by a snowstorm that has blocked all access to the castle, she finds
herself three thousand miles from home in a country she knows nothing about.
She is soon
joined by Sean Bracken, the great-grandson of Laird Bracken, the original owner
of the castle, and she finds herself falling quickly and madly in love with
him. There’s just one problem: he’s dead.
As the
castle begins to come alive with secrets from centuries past, she finds herself
trapped between parallel worlds. Caught up in a mass haunting, she can no
longer recognize the line between the living and the dead. Now she’s
discovering that her appearance there wasn’t by accident—and her life is about
to change forever.
Excerpt
“What’s happening?” Charleigh
whispered. Her throat had grown dry and her voice was hoarse with tension.
Though she attempted to keep her tone low so they would remain unobserved, it
sounded loud and harsh in the strident atmosphere that seemed suddenly to have
gripped the village. She felt anxiety growing deep within her and the urge to
get back to the castle burgeoned with ferocity and urgency; but she realized
with a sickening sensation in the pit of her soul that the growing inharmonious
throngs were between them and the sanctuary of her room.
“Do not be afraid, m’ Leah,” Sean
answered. He did not whisper but his voice was deep and taut. After a moment,
he said, “They are reenacting an event that occurred… some time ago.”
“Oh,” she breathed. She should have
felt relief but her insides continued to roil as if his explanation did not
match the scene unfolding before her. Nervously, she said, “Reenactors. We have
them in America.”
“You have witnessed them, then?”
“Yes. I find them very interesting…”
She forced the words past her dry lips. “They reenact battles from the Civil
War and the Revolutionary War, mainly.”
As the churning skies turned to the
color of tar, Charleigh could discern the sources of the strange glow: they
were torches held aloft by dozens of people. More were joining them, stragglers
rushing from the village to catch up, while they began to spread apart in a
more orderly column as they converged on the flat land they’d crossed on their
way into the village. One man in the forefront stopped and began pointing and
directing those that followed.
“These reenactments,” Sean
continued, “were the people alive?”
Author Bio
p.m.terrell
is the pen name for Patricia McClelland Terrell, a multi-award-winning, internationally
acclaimed author of more than twenty books in five genres: contemporary
suspense, historical suspense, romance, computer how-to and non-fiction.
Prior
to writing full-time, she founded two computer companies in the Washington, DC
Metropolitan Area. Among her clients were the Central Intelligence Agency,
United States Secret Service, U.S. Information Agency, and Department of
Defense. Her specialties were in white collar computer crimes and computer
intelligence, themes that have carried forward to her suspense.
She
is also the co-founder of The Book ‘Em Foundation, an organization committed to
raising public awareness of the correlation between high crime rates and high
illiteracy rates. She is the organizer and chairperson of Book ‘Em North Carolina,
an annual event held in the real town of Lumberton, North Carolina, to raise
funds to increase literacy and reduce crime. For more information on this event
and the literacy campaigns funded by it, visit www.bookemnc.org.
Where can you find p.m. terrell???
Follow the
Tour!!!
The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:
ENTER HERE!!!
Thanks for stopping by today p.m. terrell and the best of luck with A Thin
Slice of Heaven.
Cheers,
Cheers,
Nancy
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteDo you recall how your interest in writing originated?
ReplyDeleteMai, thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment. Yes, I do remember - it was the combination of a school principal and an English teacher who both encouraged me to write. I owe a lifelong love of words to both of them!
DeleteCongratulations to Jeanne R for winning the beautiful Celtic butterfly suncatcher!
ReplyDelete