BOOK PUBLISHING SECRETS: HOW TO PUBLISH YOUR BOOK!: cats

Name: Debra H. Goldstein

Book Title: One Taste Too Many

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Publisher: Kensington

Website: https://DebraHGoldstein.com

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?

Author: Before I could read or write, I fell in love with stories listening to those my mother read to me and by attending a children’s storytelling hour at our local library. I began telling my own tales and that evolved into writing short stories and neighborhood skits. By the time I attended college, I was sure I was going to get a degree in journalism and become a globe-trotting journalist. Instead, I graduated with a degree in English and History; went to New York giving myself eight months to obtain two goals – find a job in publishing and become a Jeopardy contestant; goals accomplished, I went to law school and became a litigator and then a federal Administrative Law Judge. During this time, I wrote boring legal briefs, law journal articles, and decisions, but I yearned to write something more fun. For ten years, I played on and off with an idea I had for a mystery set on the University of Michigan’s campus until a friend challenged me to write it or shut up. She softened her words by graciously offering me a beach condo for a week-end of writing. I came home from that weekend knowing I could do it. One Taste Too Many is the fruition of another idea I had for a series featuring a cook of convenience – someone like me – for whom the kitchen is a fate worse than death.

Is this your first book?

Author: No. My prior books are 2012 IPPY Award winning Maze in Blue, a mystery set on the University of Michigan’s campus in the 1970’s and Should Have Played Poker: a Carrie Martin and the Mah Jongg Player’s Mystery (2016). I also write short stories which have appeared in periodicals and anthologies including Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Mystery Weekly, the Birmingham Arts Journal, Mardi Gras Murder, and The Killer Wore Cranberry. “The Night They Burned Ms. Dixie’s Place,”(AHMM 2017) was an Agatha and Anthony finalist this year.

With this particular book, how did you publish – traditional, small press, Indie, etc. – and why did you choose this method?

Author: One Taste Too Many is the first of the Sarah Blair cozy mystery series being traditionally published by Kensington. Kensington’s books are distributed by Penguin-Random House. Much as I respect people who handle all the details involved with self-publishing, because of my time commitments and limited artistic talents, traditional publishing is a better alternative for me. I’m thrilled to be writing this series for Kensington.

Can you tell us a little about your publishing journey? The pros and cons?

Author: My first book, Maze in Blue, was published by a small publisher who requested it after a friend told the owner “There’s a judge with a mystery that I think you should read.” Not knowing anything about publishers, agents, and queries, this was the only place I submitted it and I was thrilled when Maze was accepted. Six months after publication, when I had just won an IPPY Award and had speaking engagements booked for most of the next year, the publisher ceased operations. It graciously returned my rights and encouraged me to reissue it through Amazon’s Create Space to keep it alive. In the meantime, I sold mass market rights to Harlequin.

After being orphaned, agents and editors I spoke with encouraged me to “write something new.” I wrote Should Have Played Poker: a Carrie Martin and the Mah Jongg Player’s Mystery. This time, I sent out queries and pitched the book at conferences. At Killer Nashville, a Five Star editor asked to see the book and a week later offered me a contract. The book came out in hardcover, I sold mass market rights to Harlequin, and the publisher announced it was discontinuing its mystery line.

Orphaned twice, I knew to write something new. Drawing on my loathing for the kitchen, I created a character whose fine china is paper plates and whose greatest fear is being asked to cook. When One Taste Too Many was ready, I queried and obtained an agent. She sold One Taste Too Many to Kensington as part of a three book deal for the Sarah Blair cozy mystery series.

What lessons do you feel you learned about your particular publishing journey and about the publishing industry as a whole?

Author: Being orphaned twice taught me that the publishing industry is everchanging and evolving and that survival necessitates flexibility and a willingness to move forward after a limited amount of tears. I also learned how wonderful the people in the mystery community are. Their help and support got me through the rough times.

Would you recommend this method of publishing to other authors?

Author: Because of my limited time and distribution mechanisms, traditional publishing was the best fit for me. I would definitely recommend it to other authors.

What’s the best advice you can give to aspiring authors?

Author: Don’t stop believing in yourself and your work in progress, but take classes, network, and do everything you can to improve your writing. Finally, pay it forward.

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About the book:

For culinary challenged Sarah Blair, there’s only one thing scarier than cooking from scratch—murder!

Married at eighteen, divorced at twenty‑eight, Sarah Blair reluctantly swaps her luxury lifestyle for a cramped studio apartment and a law firm receptionist job in the tired town she never left. With nothing much to show for the last decade but her feisty Siamese cat, RahRah, and some clumsy domestic skills, she’s the polar opposite of her bubbly twin, Emily—an ambitious chef determined to take her culinary ambitions to the top at a local gourmet restaurant.

Sarah knew starting over would be messy. But things fall apart completely when her ex drops dead, seemingly poisoned by Emily’s award-winning rhubarb crisp. Now, with RahRah wanted by the woman who broke up her marriage and Emily wanted by the police for murder, Sarah needs to figure out the right recipe to crack the case before time runs out. Unfortunately, for a gal whose idea of good china is floral paper plates, catching the real killer and living to tell about it could mean facing a fate worse than death—being in the kitchen!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Taste-Many-Sarah-Blair-Mystery/dp/1496719476

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/one-taste-too-many-debra-h-goldstein/1128297322

Books-a-Million: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/One-Taste-Too-Many/Debra-H-Goldstein/9781496719478

IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781496719478

Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/ip/One-Taste-Too-Many/309566204

Hudson Booksellers: https://www.hudsonbooksellers.com/book/9781496719478

Name: Anne K. Edwards

Book Title: Changing Places

Genre: Children's

Website: www.AnneKEdwards.com

Find out more on Amazon

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?

Anne: I didn’t really decide to be an author. I write because I must. There is no peace until I settle at the keyboard and begin. It is that part of the mind that never ceases to produce new ideas, stories that I simply must tell. Changing Places is one such tale. I had several other books published in different genres before the idea for this story took hold of my imagination. It proved irresistible and I felt I had to tell the tale of a cat and a snake that met one summer day. My cat loved to roll around on the cement floor of our front porch and he rolled off the edge to land on a sunning blacksnake. I knew I shouldn’t laugh as each raced away in a different direction, but it was a bit of funny business that kept me giggling for days as the idea for a story formed.

Is this your first book?

Anne: No, but it is only my second venture into writing for children. My first was about a little boy who outsmarted a hungry dragon.

With this particular book, how did you publish – traditional, small press, Indie, etc. – and why did you choose this method?

Anne: I’ve had the good luck to be published by a very successful small press called Twilight Times Books in the traditional format. However, they don’t publish the type of children’s books I write. Instead of spending time looking for a publisher that does put out this genre, I chose to try self-publishing. There were other reasons for this decision as well, such as the shortness of the books. If you look into submission guidelines of children’s publishers, you will find a certain length is desired and to reach that number of words, I’d have to pad the story with unnecessary sentences and I do think it would not improve the story. Often, there is a demand for breaking a book into chapters and the length of time used in telling the story makes that an unrealistic requirement. The action only lasts a little while and the padding to make it longer would ruin the pacing. I enjoyed writing the story in its short form and believe children would also prefer it this way.

Can you tell us a little about your publishing journey? The pros and cons?

Anne: Having published other books after searching for an agent and/or the print houses as a new writer and learning the sad truth that most new writers do not find success in that way, I decided not to waste the time in repeating that process. I admit, I did look into a few Internet small presses that accept children’s book submissions, but their requirements were not compatible with what I write. I do not mean their requirements are a bad thing, not at all. But my writing style of a short story showed me that I did not write to meet their specifications and I had no desire or intention to try rewriting to meet them. As someone I admire once said about a book, it is what it is, and that was what helped me decide to try the self-publishing route. I was extremely fortunate to have a dear friend who got me moving in the right direction and making the final decision on how to publish when I procrastinated. She guided me all the way on my first and second children’s books, told me what steps to follow in getting the book ready to post. Because I am a big chicken when it comes to new technology, she had a lot of hard work to do. I hope she reads this and knows how much she is appreciated.

What lessons do you feel you learned about your particular publishing journey and about the publishing industry as a whole?

Anne: Since being a writer is a continuous learning journey, I can truthfully say that I learned how much more I have to learn. My ignorance of the changing publishing scene and technology is abysmal. I’m like a first grader trying to learn to read and understand Shakespeare’s plays. Coming from the days when writing was done on a manual typewriter into the days of computers, I have some real problems with understanding the lack of instructions in most phases of usage on the social media sites. I’ve learned that joining some promotion groups and advertising on many websites that claim to promote one’s book is also a waste of promo funds. The writer seeking publication must be aware of how much they will be able to spend on promotion. There are too many places willing to take your precious cash and give nothing in return. In the end, I find the old ways are most productive while searching out new sites that are recommended by other writers I know. It is a process that also takes a lot of time.

Would you recommend this method of publishing to other authors?

Anne: Absolutely. It is another chance to learn about one’s writing and one’s willingness to tackle the experience of new technology, even if you fail the first hundred times. You will learn to separate the good from the bad and how things work. But bear in mind this is a constantly changing workplace so we must be willing to change with it. The more we learn, the better a writer we will become.

What’s the best advice you can give to aspiring authors?

Anne: Don’t give up. The temptation to quit is always present when we run into a problem that seems insurmountable, but it isn’t. Consider it like a plot that needs reworking and try to look at your work with a different viewpoint. Don’t spend years and years rewriting the same book. Finish that first book if you haven’t. Don’t keep rewriting those first chapters to make them prefect. There is no such thing as a perfect book. Join a writers group. Find like minds on the social media if your ego needs bolstering. Don’t continue to bask in the limelight of family’s and friends’ compliments, ask people in that writers group to read your work and keep moving forward on the story.

About the book:

Changing Places is a humorous story about a cat and a snake whose meeting was accidental and leads each into an adventure that does not turn out the way they though it would. The idea came from the day my cat rolled off the porch onto a basking blacksnake. They both fled the scene in different directions, and gave me the idea of what if they stopped to talk about their meeting. The book is available in ebook form at Amazon Kindle.

Find out more on Amazon