Thursday, February 27, 2020

Book Publishing Secrets with Paul Midden, Author of 'Riley'



Name: Paul Midden
Book Title: Riley
Genre: Adult, contemporary fiction
Publisher: Wittmann Blair
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?
Is this your first book?
Paul:  No, it is my sixth novel.
With this particular book, how did you publish – traditional, small press, Indie, etc. – and why did you choose this method?
Paul: Some years ago, I set up my own publishing company. So it is an indie publication.
Can you tell us a little about your publishing journey?  The pros and cons?
Paul: I started with a small press for my first two novels. Then I switched to various kinds of self-publishing. Finally, I set up my own company, which enabled me to plan more successfully, control costs, make editorial decisions independently, and oversee the quality of the final product.
What lessons do you feel you learned about your particular publishing journey and about the publishing industry as a whole?
Paul: The publishing industry is pretty much the Wild West: lots of people clamoring for your attention; On the one hand, there are the major publishers, whose bottom line requires them to be very selective, and some would say limiting, in what they accept for publication. Then there are the (largely self-appointed) experts who make lots of promises, warranted or not. Setting up Wittmann Blair enabled me to turn the volume down on a lot of that, select quality professionals, and pursue publishing the kinds of books I want to publish.
Would you recommend this method of publishing to other authors?
Paul: It is not for everyone. I think people need to experiment and find the methods best suited to them.
What’s the best advice you can give to aspiring authors?
Paul: Write a lot; stick your toe in different literary ponds; take risks; enjoy the process; have a support network.

//////////////
About the book:
Riley is about the eponymous protagonist who is about thirty, a writer by trade, who lives in Washington, D.C. At the beginning of the book, she has left her husband and has undertaken a novel about separation and divorce. She lives in a small apartment in a D.C. high-rise.
The characters in Riley’s novel are also in a marriage that is teetering on the edge. It opens with Adam, her protagonist, trying to decide if he should talk to Suzanne, his wife about their relationship. He works from home, and he has decided this was the day they would talk. In the end, he loses his nerve and doesn’t say anything. But to his surprise Suzanne is the one who takes the initiative.
Riley’s life and the novel she is writing share many similarities, but there are also major differences. Suzanne turns out to be having an affair with her female boss. Riley’s best friend is a slightly older lesbian who is attracted to Riley but who values the platonic friendship they have.
As the story unfolds, unexpected things happen that challenge all of the characters. Without giving away the plot, the lines between reality and fantasy begin to blur, and each of the characters has to deal with the emotional impact of events as they unfold.

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Book Publishing Secrets with John DeSimone Author of THE ROAD TO DELANO

John DeSimone is a published writer, novelist, and teacher. He’s been an adjunct professor and holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Spalding University. His recent co-authored books include Broken Circle: A Memoir of Escaping Afghanistan (Little A Publishers), and Courage to Say No by Dr. Raana Mahmood, about her struggles against sexual exploitation as a female physician in Karachi. His published novel Leonardo’s Chair published in 2005.

In 2012, he won a prestigious Norman Mailer Fellowship to complete his most recent historical novel, Road to Delano. His novels Leonardo’s Chair and No Ordinary Man have received critical recognition.

He works with select clients to write stories of inspiration and determination and with those who have a vital message to bring to the marketplace of ideas in well-written books.

Website  → https://www.johndesimone.com/

Twitter  → https://twitter.com/JRDeSimone

Facebook  → https://www.facebook.com/bookwriter718/

Book Info:

Jack Duncan is a high school senior whose dream is to play baseball in college and beyond―as far away from Delano as possible. He longs to escape the political turmoil surrounding the labor
struggles of the striking fieldworkers that infests his small ag town. Ever since his father, a grape grower, died under suspicious circumstances ten years earlier, he’s had to be the sole emotional support of his mother, who has kept secrets from him about his father’s involvement in the ongoing labor strife.

With their property on the verge of a tax sale, Jack drives an old combine into town to sell it so he and his mother don’t become homeless. On the road, an old friend of his father’s shows up and hands him the police report indicating Jack’s father was murdered. Jack is compelled to dig deep to discover the entire truth, which throws him into the heart of the corruption endemic in the Central Valley. Everything he has dreamed of is at stake if he can’t control his impulse for revenge.

While Jack’s girlfriend, the intelligent and articulate Ella, warns him not to so anything to jeopardize their plans of moving to L.A., after graduation, Jack turns to his best friend, Adrian, a star player on the team, to help to save his mother’s land. When Jack’s efforts to rescue a stolen piece of farm equipment leaves Adrian―the son of a boycotting fieldworker who works closely with Cesar Chavez―in a catastrophic situation, Jack must bail his friend out of his dilemma before it ruins his future prospects. Jack uses his wits, his acumen at card playing, and his boldness to raise the money to spring his friend, who has been transformed by his jail experience.

The Road to Delano is the path Jack, Ella, and Adrian must take to find their strength, their duty, their destiny.

Barnes & Noblehttps://bit.ly/381fQT9
Book Depositoryhttps://bit.ly/2Ld0z82


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?
Like most writers, I always wanted to be a writer. I had many detours, but never gave up the desire to write. This book happened as the result of looking for new subjects.
Is this your first book?
My second novel, but my first historical novel. I’ve written books for others, mainly memoirs. But my passion is writing fiction.
With this particular book, how did you publish – traditional, small press, Indie, etc. – and why did you choose this method?
Small Press. Rare Bird is a traditional publisher in Los Angeles.
Can you tell us a little about your publishing journey?  The pros and cons?
I think you mean the pros and cons of traditional vs. small press. I had over 40 rejections in New York for this book, and my agent gave up. Rare Bird loved the book because it was a California story and a great prospect for the school and library market.
What lessons do you feel you learned about your particular publishing journey and about the publishing industry as a whole?
So many. Work with good editors who can help refine your writing. Be persistant. And take control of your own destiny. If you have a good story, and no one notices. Then forge your own path. There’s never been a greater time to be a writer.
Would you recommend this method of publishing to other authors?
I would recommend shooting for writing such a high quality book, a big publisher will purchase it. New York is not the answer for everyone. Write a good book, and then figure out how to sell it.
What’s the best advice you can give to aspiring authors?
Get started, get connected to other writers, find mentors, become a student of the craft. Be persistant.