Maggie's comments (member since May 14, 2009)

Maggie's comments from the Published Authors group.

I hired an free-lance publicist to help promote my new bookRashi's Daughters, Book III Rachel A Novel of Love and the Talmud in Medieval France; he works closely with my in-house publicist at Plume. His specialty is media in cities where I'll be touring, and so far he's arranged all sorts of radio and TV interviews, as well as some print media. I never could have done this myself; I just don't have those kind of contacts.

Maggie Anton
www.rashisdaughters.com

Eva - I'm tempted to do a book giveaway as well for Rashi's Daughters, Book III Rachel A Novel of Love and the Talmud in Medieval France, which just came out 2 weeks ago. Did Plume supply copies for the contest? Please let me know how it works for you.

Maggie Anton
www.rashisdaughters.com

Dave,
This was in 2005, when Bibliodistribution was the small press arm of NBN. I found them very good to work with - easy to correspond with, checks and reports like clockwork every month. They were also very nice when Plume took over my RASHI'S DAUGHTERS series and we had to stop selling my small press version; they sent me back all stock right away and paid me what they owed me in six months, rather than waiting 18 months for all returns to come back.

The first volume of my RASHI'S DAUGHTERS trilogy, Rashi's Daughters, Book 1 Joheved was self-published, and it got into major chains. However I created my own small press, so it was not obviously a self-published effort [like Authorhouse, Createspace, etc:]; plus I had a distributor [NBN:] who was really the key to getting into bookstores. Good luck with independent bookstores.

Maggie Anton
www.rashisdaughters.com

Jody,
I'd be happy to be interviewed about my promotion "secrets" for your blog/website. I sent you an email and I hope to hear from you soon. I wrote an article for the IBPA "Independent" magazine about how I promoted myself into a self-publishing success. You can read it on my website [http://www.rashisdaughters.com/articles.html] - look for "Building Sales from the Ground Up."

Maggie Anton
www.rashisdaughters.com

Rashi's Daughters, Book 1 Joheved is the version of my historical novel I self-published in 2005, which was so successful [over 25,000 copies sold:] that I sold the trilogy to Plume, a division of Penguin Books, in 2006, just in time for them to publish Rashi's Daughters, Book II Miriam in 2007.

I did not use a "vanity publisher" [whatever name these companies have:]. I set up my own company, Banot Press, and then hired the appropriate designers, editors, printers, etc. to create a product of such high quality that a distributor picked up my novel to sell in bookstores. This was not inexpensive, but I made my investment back after the first printing of 3000 copies sold. After that it was quite profitable, and the distributor did much of the work, except when I ordered a new printing.

As a Plume author, I got a nice advance, and I'll get royalties too when that's paid, but I made more $$ as my own publisher. I do just as much promoting for Plume as I did for my own press, which is the key to success as an author. Now the final book in the trilogy, Rashi's Daughters, Book III Rachel A Novel of Love and the Talmud in Medieval France, has just been published and I'm busier than ever.

Maggie Anton
www.rashisdaughters.com

I'm not sure what Goodread ads cost but I'd guess it might be useful if you could accurately target folks who would read your book [i.e. they already discussed your previous books:]. Do let us know if you try it. I haven't done any online advertising yet, but I'm considering for my new release, Rashi's Daughters, Book III Rachel.

Maggie Anton
www.rashisdaughters.com

Rashi's Daughters, Book III Rachel A Novel of Love and the Talmud in Medieval France

I looked at several Renaissance paintings that my publisher suggested for the cover of RACHEL before choosing this Titian portrait of Salome. Since the artist is dead, we were able to change her hair and eye color, and her dress.

Maggie Anton
www.rashisdaughters.com

RASHI’S DAUGHTERS, the epic historical series of 3 sisters in 11th-century France concludes with the dramatic tale of RACHEL, the youngest child of the great Talmud scholar, and his favorite. A brilliant entrepreneur admired for her discernment as well as her beauty, she is working to build a successful textile business that will keep her husband Eliezer at home rather than traveling on lengthy trading mission. Before Rachel can achieve her dream, disaster strikes. The marauders of the First Crusade massacre nearly the entire Jewish population of Germany, and her beloved father suffers a stroke.

Eliezer wants them to move to the safety of Spain, but Rachel is determined to stay and help her family save the Troyes yeshiva, the only remnant of the great centers of Jewish learning in Europe. As she did so effectively in JOHEVED and MIRIAM, Maggie Anton vividly brings to life the world of medieval France and a remarkable Jewish woman of dignity, passion, and strength
Rashi's Daughters, Book III Rachel A Novel of Love and the Talmud in Medieval France

I'm not sure this will work but I can use

Maggie Anton
www.rashisdaughters.com

Great discussion you started, Eve. Of course Biblical fiction is legitimate - look at all the authors who write it and all the millions of folks who read it. Anyone who thinks there isn't sex in the Bible clearly hasn't read it. Then, of course, I appalled quite a few readers who had no idea there was any sex in the Talmud when I wrote Rashi's Daughters Joheved.
Maggie Anton
www.rashisdaughters.com

Rashi's Daughters, Book III Rachel A Novel of Love and the Talmud in Medieval France.

Let me introduce myself. I am Maggie Anton, author of the trilogy of historical novels, "Rashi's Daughters: Love and the Talmud in Medieval France" which take place in the household of the great 11th-century Talmud scholar. Rashi had no sons, and legend has it that his three daughters were learned in a time when women were forbidden to study these sacred texts. I have studied Talmud and medieval Jewish history for over 15 years, and I aimed to make my novels as accurate as possible.

"Book I - JOHEVED" was published in 2005, "Book II - MIRIAM" in 2007, and the final volume, "Book III - RACHEL" will be out in August. All 3 are published by Plume, a Penguin imprint. I invite you to visit my website for more info on Rashi, his family, and Jewish life in medieval France.

Maggie Anton
"Rashi's Daughters: Book III - RACHEL" coming on August 4
www.rashisdaughters.com
Maggie Anton

Jim wrote: ""

"Galileo's Daughter" was great, and watching it become a bestseller gave me hope that there was an audience for my, as yet unpublished, historical novel, "Rashi's Daughters." Now I'm up to 4 books in the series, with the final volume coming out in August.

Maggie Anton
www.rashisdaughters.com

The Fruit of Her Hands The Story of Shira of Ashkenaz. I'm reading an ARC right now and I hope I like it well enough to blurb.

Maggie Anton
www.rashisdaughters.com