Wednesday, January 4, 2023

Book Publishing Secrets with Richard I. Levine #books #bookpublishing

Richard I Levine is a native New Yorker raised in the shadows of Yankee Stadium. After dabbling in several occupations and a one-year coast to coast wanderlust trip, this one-time volunteer fireman, bartender, and store manager returned to school to become a chiropractor. A twenty-three-year cancer survivor, he’s a strong advocate for the natural healing arts. Levine has four Indy-published novels and his fifth work, To Catch The Setting Sun, is published by The Wild Rose Press and was released in August 2022. In 2006 he wrote, produced and was on-air personality of the Dr. Rich Levine show on Seattle’s KKNW 1150AM and after a twenty-five year practice in Bellevue, Washington, he closed up shop in 2017 and moved to Oahu to pursue a dream of acting and being on Hawaii 5-O. While briefly working as a ghostwriter/community liaison for a local Honolulu City Councilmember, he appeared as a background actor in over twenty-five 5-Os and Magnum P.Is. Richard can be seen in his first co-star role in the Magnum P.I. third season episode “Easy Money”. He presently resides in Hawaii.

Visit Richard’s Amazon Page or connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Goodreads.



There’s a killer loose on the island of Oahu. His targets? Young, native-Hawaiian women. But it also appears that he’s targeting and taunting Honolulu police detective Henry Benjamin who knew each victim and whose wife, Maya, had been the first name on that list. In addition to battling his personal demons, this New York transplant’s aggressive style didn’t sit well with his laid-back colleagues who viewed Henry’s uncharacteristic lack of progress in the investigation as evidence that fueled ongoing rumors that he could be the killer. Was he, or could it have been someone within the municipal hierarchy with a vendetta? As it was, after thirteen years on the job Henry had been disillusioned with paradise. His career choice long killed any fantasy of living in a grass hut on a wind-swept beach, being serenaded by the lazy sounds of the ocean and a slack key guitar. Instead, it had opened his eyes to a Hawaii that tourists will never see.

Release Date: August 22, 2022

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Soft Cover: ISBN:‎ 978-1509243297; 320 pages; $17.99; eBook $5.99

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Rl42Aw 

Barnes and Noble: https://bit.ly/3BRB0mv

Apple iBooks: https://apple.co/3dVBaBj

 

📙 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?

Richard: I do not remember ever making a conscious decision to become an author, but I can say with certainty that I have always found it easier to express my thoughts and feelings through writing. For me, To Catch The Setting Sun, as with my other books, is one vehicle I use to express myself; it is my voice. It is my method of communicating a message in an entertaining way without being interrupted or shouted down—something that has become all-too-common in our society today.

📙 Is this your first book?

Richard: This novel is my fifth. My first four are a series which follows an ordinary guy, Ray Silver, who is drawn into extraordinary situations which finds him risking life and limb to protect his family and his way of life. He is the antithesis of the typically Hollywood action hero who ends up doing heroic things when necessary. Those four novels are Indy-published and can be found on Amazon in paperback and ebook.


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

Richard: To Catch The Setting Sun is published by The Wild Rose Press. I suppose they are considered small press. You would have to ask them. As with my first four novels, I was going to Indy-publish this book, but after incurring some financial setbacks during the COVID lockdowns, which included $30,000 dollars in unexpected medical expenses, I found the associated costs to go Indy were a little out of reach for me. I began to query literary agents with no success and that’s when an author friend, who I consider my literary mentor, recommended I query a publisher she used for a few of her many romance novels. I did, and the rest is history.

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

Richard: You’ll have to forgive me for not really answering this one at this time. I’m still trying to assess it all and I’m waiting to see how this particular journey plays out before I can comment with honesty and clarity. I’m not suggesting anything bad with the choice of going small press, I’m simply waiting until I have a 360 degree view..

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

Richard: As with the previous question, I feel the lessons are still occurring. I wouldn’t want to come to any premature conclusions until I’m in a position to take a step back and do a full analysis.

📙Would you recommend this method of publishing to other authors?

Richard: As with anything in life, a person has to explore, research, and analyze every option that is available to her or him and then make an informed decision based upon individual wants, needs, and desires. What may be the right path for one person may be the wrong path for someone else.


📙What’s next for you?

Richard: In addition to writing, I have been working on my acting skills. In 2020 I co-starred in a third season episode of Magnum PI and I definitely want to explore that world in greater depth. So, while I work on novel number six, I am simultaneously enrolled in an actor’s workshop where I am training with a group of dedicated actors on a regular basis.


 

 


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