Authors, Writers, Publishers, and Book Readers

Chris Stevenson's Blog – March 2016 Archive (7)

Advance Money?

Certainly, your best advance deal would come from one of the imprints owned by the Big Five corps or houses. Although a great deal could come from a well-known independent like Kensington and others. (Disregard Publisher’s Market Place definitions for a moment) I would consider a substantial deal, or something I was very happy with, as an advance of five figures and over. I would not scoff at $2,000 to $5,000, provided they had reputable distribution for bookstore placement and library…

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Added by Chris Stevenson on March 23, 2016 at 6:30pm — No Comments

Samhain Tanking?

The recent news is that Samhain has sent out a letter informing their authors that they will be shutting its doors, but carrying on with the current production of books. The reasons seem to be financial. A decline in sales. This is not too far from the tail of Ellora's Cave, which is another tale of woe.

I've been wrestling with the poor sales topic on my blog for five years now. I do mean, primarily, small press and brand name independents. I've been in total denial and shock…

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Added by Chris Stevenson on March 22, 2016 at 8:24pm — No Comments

Writing a Series?

I swear and, as God is my witness, I had a terrible prejudice against anyone who wrote a series, or planned to write one before their first book was even picked up. I laughed at anyone who wrote a complete series and had no agent to push it. Back in the day, series books weren't as popular as they are now. Today, it's almost a given that large independents and big publishers like/love to sell a series. Two-book, trilogies and large series packages are more…

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Added by Chris Stevenson on March 22, 2016 at 8:22pm — No Comments

Email Marketing

Email marketing is not as complicated as you think. It's simply a means to advertise or inform potential customers over the Internet that you have something of interest to offer them. You can sell products, information or services by directly contacting persons who are looking for what you offer. Email marketing is cheap, fast and surprisingly interactive. An email marketing campaigns starts with some valuable tips.

Your Virtual Base of…

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Added by Chris Stevenson on March 22, 2016 at 8:21pm — No Comments

The New Planet Janitor; Custodian of the Stars

Just thought I would mention that my SF book, Planet Janitor, has been given new content, revised and re-covered. I'm very happy about the new face lift, and my publishers' dedication and love for this title. It's on Pre-order now at Amazon:

PRE-ORDER PLANET JANITOR…

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Added by Chris Stevenson on March 22, 2016 at 8:00pm — No Comments

Writer's Fruit Salad

The following questions popped up in a number of writer’s groups, particularly Absolute Write. They were interesting because they were more personal than the norm. Kind of a spill your guts in nature. I’m a truth-teller. I won’t shy or back off such questions because I’ve been in this too long to hide anything. Yet they are only my experiences. So, have at me, and I hope you learn something or take a trip down a writer’s memory lane.…

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Added by Chris Stevenson on March 22, 2016 at 8:00pm — No Comments

What is a Stealth Agent? What is an A-List Agent?

First, Stealth Agents:

My agent was/is a stealth agent. She was/is an A-lister in hiding. You will run across these in your search. Oh, God, you say. That's a whole new kettle of fish. Real short: in most cases, a stealth agent does not have a website, Twitter feed, FB account--NONE of it. No footprint. They might only be registered in a few online media listings, like Agent Query, and there you will find almost nothing…

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Added by Chris Stevenson on March 22, 2016 at 8:00pm — No Comments