Sunday, December 28, 2014

Book Publishing Secrets with Greg Byrne

Greg Byrne is an English teacher, grammar consultant, and lecturer. He enjoys exploring places, ideas, history, languages and science, dinners with friends, watching his family grow, and living life’s great adventure. His next projects are a young adult thriller with a twist, developing a grammar teaching system for schools, and writing a grammar text for ESL students. He lives in Perth, Western Australia, with his beloved wife and family and an overweight British Blue.
Thank you for your time in answering our questions about getting published.  Let’s begin by having you explain to us why you decided to become an author and pen this book?
Greg: I really had no choice about being an author since both my parents were either writers or lovers of books. As a result, words, stories, languages and books were hardwired into my DNA from conception. I really had no other choice. I also had no choice with Nine Planets. It ambushed me quite amazingly (I was deep in another set of novels at the time, one I abandoned immediately and have never gone back to!) and so I felt unshakeably compelled to write the story of Nine Planets. There was never any question about choice. I had to.
Is this your first book?
Greg: No, my fourth. The first three were high fantasy epics, the ones I abandoned, although I may go back to them later.
With this particular book, how did you publish – traditional, small press, Indie, etc. – and why did you choose this method?
Greg: With small press, and I must say that it is quite delightful to be on first name terms with the publisher himself and to have quite some say in proceedings, in design, editing and other matters. There are certainly trade-offs; larger presses can generate larger publicity and volumes but there are also the less pleasant stories of authors and large presses parting ways. I’m happy where I am. Getting out and talking to bookstore owners has been a valuable part of the publicity process, one I have really enjoyed, and one I may not have experienced so much with a larger house with more publicity power.
Can you tell us a little about your publishing journey?  The pros and cons?
Greg: I was so convinced by the merits of Nine Planets that I took it along the agent route first, convinced that someone was bound to see what a fantastic book it was. When none did, I gave up for a year or so until a friend and fellow author got published by Dragonwell and recommended I approach them. I sent off the ms and waited, and was amazed and shocked some months later when they sent an email saying they wanted to publish.
Agents are wonderful people who can do a lot but getting one is HARD and often luck plays a huge part. I had an agent briefly who was starting his list at the same time as I was querying, but he fell ill and the relationship ended. After that, I tried for years to get another one without success. I briefly toyed with the idea of self-publishing and I know some folks who have gone down that road with success, but those in the publishing game I have spoken to, more often than not, treat self-published books with less enthusiasm.
What lessons do you feel you learned about your particular publishing journey and about the publishing industry as a whole?
Greg: Be prepared to work hard. Don’t assume the publisher will do it all. Get involved with every aspect. Find out how the publishing process works: the editing, contractual arrangements, publicity, pricing, printing, binding, formats, ISBNs, paper stock, fonts . . . the list goes on but the author needs to know every part of it.
The other critical factor of the publishing process is the title, cover design, spine and the production quality of a book. When I go into a bookstore to look for something to read, these aspects of a book strike me first. If these aren’t attractive, the chances are that I won’t even open the book to look at the first five pages.
Would you recommend this method of publishing to other authors?
Greg: Absolutely! Getting involved with the publishing process is really important as I’ve outlined above.  
What’s the best advice you can give to aspiring authors?
Greg: I’ve often heard it said that you only have to keep trying to get successful, particularly with the publishing game. People who say this often quote the JK Rowling story and her long journey where she was rejected many times before Bloomsbury took it on. If she could do it after so much rejection, so can you, aspiring authors are often told.
Could I add to that equation the other quite important parts of (i) a fine story that demands to be told and (ii) the ability to write it. Without these two, all the persistence in the world won’t be of any use, regardless of who you are. So my advice is this, in point form.
  • Get into a writing community. My best ever step in my writing journey was joining the Online Writing Workshop for Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror. Google it. If you write in a different genre, there’s bound to be an online or face to face writing community that you can join.
  • Share your story with other writers.
  • Ask for honest feedback.
  • Read voraciously, all the while comparing your own story to the best there is in the current market.
  • Review the work of others and ask for reviews of your own.
  • Accept justifiable criticism.
  • Be honest with yourself. Writing for some is an unpaid hobby, for some a passion, and for others a passion with an income attached. Which one are you?


Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Book Publishing Secrets with Jonathan L. Ferrara, Author of 'The Blackwell Family Secret: The Guardians of Sin'

Jonathan L. Ferrara was born in San Pedro, California to an Italian fisherman and a mother from New York. Growing up with one older brother, Jonathan had several hobbies: finding the best hiding spots to jump out and scare his mother, discovering new fantasy book series, and imagining outrageous, whimsical worlds full of magic. He is now happily married, residing in California in the City of Angels. He has two wonderful children-his dog Koda and cat Merlin. Visit his WEBSITE

Thank you for your time in answering our questions about getting published.  Let’s begin by having you explain to us why you decided to become an author and pen this book?
Jonathan L. Ferrara: I don’t really think I chose to be an author. I feel like it chose me. I didn’t wake up one day and say, “That would be a cool job. I’ll do that.” I had a story in my head that was filled with characters. It was like a movie playing in my head. I dreamed about them, asleep and awake. Those characters were the ones who wanted to breathe and they chose me to do that. I couldn’t ignore it and I never wanted to.
Is this your first book?
Jonathan L. Ferrara: It is!
With this particular book, how did you publish – traditional, small press, Indie, etc. – and why did you choose this method?
Jonathan L. Ferrara: I went with Dragonwell Publishing, an independent publisher. I came across their website entirely by mistake. I was actually looking for a literary agent and instead came across Dragonwell. Their website was filled with fantasy novels that I would have surely picked up in a bookstore without hesitation. I could easily see The Blackwell Family Secret fit right in with their roster.
Can you tell us a little about your publishing journey?  The pros and cons?
Jonathan L. Ferrara: The best way to describe finding the right publisher for you book, especially as a first time author, is learning the industry. You need to learn the ins and outs of publishing and really understand that it’s a business. When I started looking at it this way was when I got interest. My journey was studying the publishing world.  
What lessons do you feel you learned about your particular publishing journey and about the publishing industry as a whole?
Jonathan L. Ferrara: Like I mentioned, it’s a business. Nobody is going to invest in you unless you can sell it to them. I had to think not as a writer who wrote a story, but as a salesmen who was going to market this book.
Would you recommend this method of publishing to other authors?
Jonathan L. Ferrara: Of course. For first time authors I would urge to search for an independent publisher.
What’s the best advice you can give to aspiring authors?
Jonathan L. Ferrara: You wrote a book and that truly is an amazing accomplishment. Now it’s time to learn the industry. Find strategies to market your book, and find a publisher who shares your same vision or cater to theirs. Understand completely how your book can be profitable.   
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blackwell
The Blackwell Family Secret:
THE GUARDIANS OF SINS
by Jonathan L. Ferrara
URBAN FANTASY, Young Adult
224 pages
Publication date: December 5, 2014
Publisher: Dragonwell Publishing
www.dragonwellpublishing.com / AMAZON
Nicholas Blackwell has no idea he is supposed to fulfill a destiny. All he knows is that he draws trouble like a magnet. Orphaned at eleven when two demonic men killed his parents, he copes with the strict rules of his new home, St. Christopher’s academy, unaware that he has been the real target for the killers and that his guardian angel has saved him in the nick of time. And now, his problems are only beginning when a mysterious serpent lures him into the woods and tricks him into a demonic ritual that will unleash the Seven Deadly Sins to destroy the humankind. Nicholas has no choice but to correct his mistake–or die trying. Aided by Amy, a shy but determined girl who seems to know more about his task than she should, Nicholas’s quest is to travel into the City of Demonio and defeat the Seven Guardians of Sin. To succeed, he must confront demons, monsters, and lost souls, learn the mysteries of the Chapel of Dreams, discover the true meaning of friendship and love, and face the darkest secret of all: the Blackwell Family Secret.
“The Blackwell Family Secret: the Guardians of Sin” is a debut young adult urban fantasy adventure with a Christian theme.