Lorina Stephens's Blog, page 66
August 31, 2011
Fall Line-up for Five Rivers
We've released three terrific titles this summer: The Organic Home Garden, by Patrick Lima and John Scanlan; Crystal Death, by Nate Hendley; and Stonehouse Cooks, by Lorina Stephens.
This fall we'll follow those successes with two more great releases: Dutch Schultz: the brazen beer baron of New York, by Nate Hendley; and North by 2000+, by H.A. Hargreaves.
Dutch Schultz is a revised and fast-paced version of Nate's original book about this colourful and psychotic Depression Era gangster. We think this will be a treat for fans of true-crime and bizarre mob stories. Nate Hendley brings to the lexicon of gangster profiles a meticulously researched, very human examination of this legendary figure.
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North by 2000+ features not only all the quintessentially Canadian stories of the first edition North by 2000, but five additional previously published short works, along with a foreword from the author, and an introduction by our own Robert Runte.
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Both titles will be available in digital and print formats through online booksellers globally, as well as directly from Five Rivers.
This fall we'll follow those successes with two more great releases: Dutch Schultz: the brazen beer baron of New York, by Nate Hendley; and North by 2000+, by H.A. Hargreaves.
Dutch Schultz is a revised and fast-paced version of Nate's original book about this colourful and psychotic Depression Era gangster. We think this will be a treat for fans of true-crime and bizarre mob stories. Nate Hendley brings to the lexicon of gangster profiles a meticulously researched, very human examination of this legendary figure.
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North by 2000+ features not only all the quintessentially Canadian stories of the first edition North by 2000, but five additional previously published short works, along with a foreword from the author, and an introduction by our own Robert Runte.
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Both titles will be available in digital and print formats through online booksellers globally, as well as directly from Five Rivers.
August 25, 2011
Great Review for The Organic Home Garden
A great review for Patrick Lima's The Organic Home Garden appears in the Fall 2011 edition of Garden Making magazine, written by Betty Fox, editor.
Sage advice for the veg bed
Once upon a time, before supermarkets and fast food, we grew most of what we ate, learning how to garden almost by osmosis -- everyone in the family pitched in. But for the legions of us who didn't grow up with a spade in hand, how do we learn what works and what doesn't?
Reading Patrick Lima's eloquent, practical The Organic Home Garden is like having a mentor stand beside us as we sow and reap. Lima, well known for his perennial and herb books, has a confidence-boosting approach: "Give the garden your best thought, effort and attitude, and you'll be surprised and gratified by the generous response."
The Organic Home Garden is available in both print ($29.95) and digital ($9.99) formats through online booksellers around the world. Ask your indie bookseller to order or stock it. Bookseller inquiries are welcome.
Sage advice for the veg bed
Once upon a time, before supermarkets and fast food, we grew most of what we ate, learning how to garden almost by osmosis -- everyone in the family pitched in. But for the legions of us who didn't grow up with a spade in hand, how do we learn what works and what doesn't?
Reading Patrick Lima's eloquent, practical The Organic Home Garden is like having a mentor stand beside us as we sow and reap. Lima, well known for his perennial and herb books, has a confidence-boosting approach: "Give the garden your best thought, effort and attitude, and you'll be surprised and gratified by the generous response."
The Organic Home Garden is available in both print ($29.95) and digital ($9.99) formats through online booksellers around the world. Ask your indie bookseller to order or stock it. Bookseller inquiries are welcome.
August 23, 2011
Unpublished Hargreaves Collection to be Released by Five Rivers
Growing up Bronx: A Memoir of my Shapers and Shakers, by H.A. Hargreaves, is a tender, insightful memoir in ten short stories. Two stories of the collection, Requiem for a Bookman, and The Seer of Nanny Goat Hill, both aired on Alberta Anthology, CBCFM in the early 1980s.
Today, Five Rivers is thrilled to announce we'll be releasing Growing up Bronx early in 2013.
As Hargreaves indicates in the sub-title, the collection is a tribute to the people who had a profound affect upon the author's life.
"Some were unaware of, or perhaps even indifferent to, their influence upon me," Hargreaves writes in his introduction. "Only I know, and that with the swift, searing shock of comprehension granted, as usual far too late, the minute, profound changes they effected."
The setting for these stories is Hargreaves' native Bronx, during the years of WWII. The people who populate the narrative leap off the page with honesty and clarity, and their message as relevant today as it was 66 years ago.
Five Rivers will also release a complete collection of H.A. Hargreaves short, speculative fiction, North by 2000+ later in 2011 or early 2012.
Today, Five Rivers is thrilled to announce we'll be releasing Growing up Bronx early in 2013.
As Hargreaves indicates in the sub-title, the collection is a tribute to the people who had a profound affect upon the author's life.
"Some were unaware of, or perhaps even indifferent to, their influence upon me," Hargreaves writes in his introduction. "Only I know, and that with the swift, searing shock of comprehension granted, as usual far too late, the minute, profound changes they effected."
The setting for these stories is Hargreaves' native Bronx, during the years of WWII. The people who populate the narrative leap off the page with honesty and clarity, and their message as relevant today as it was 66 years ago.
Five Rivers will also release a complete collection of H.A. Hargreaves short, speculative fiction, North by 2000+ later in 2011 or early 2012.
August 15, 2011
Runté at When Words Collide Fesitval, Calgary
The When Worlds Collide Festival in Calgary this past weekend was a unqualified success. The consensus of those attending was that it was the best SF convention since Context'91. I highly recommend the convention to any writer, editor, or publisher who can make it next year. (The pilot convention this year focused on SF and some Romance writing, but will be expanded to include all genre's next year.) It is starting to shape up as the best Canadian venue to network with fellow genre authors, editors and small press publishers.
As a senior editor at Five River Books, I was asked to participated on two panels, a blue pencil cafe, and hold a public pitch session. [I also did three author readings -- two related to the Tesseracts 15 book launch, and one (with Alberta poet Bob Stallworthy) an excerpt from my upcoming novel.]
As a working convention, it paid off in spades: I spent an evening working with Michell Plested on his book, the equivalent of a month's worth of back and forth emails compressed into a single working dinner; I worked out tentative deals with two other authors, and made the initial approach to several others as possibilities; listened to novel pitches from a half dozen authors at the public pitch session and encouraged one of them to email a full submission. (A couple of the others were promising, but not subgenres in which Five River's would be interested; hopefully I was able to provide useful feedback on how to refine their pitches when approaching other publishers). I attended a half dozen readings, most notably those by Susan Forest, Susan MacGregor, and Bob Stallworthy, any of which were worth the price of admission alone; there were a half dozen book launches; dozens of interesting panels (see program) and workshops; and an unparalleled networking opportunity.
If this year's event was any indication, I highly recommend next year's WWC Festival to any writers (or serious minded readers) as a great venue to meet/do deals with editors and publishers, to find out what is happening in the field, and to take in some great workshops/panels etc.
August 5, 2011
When Words Collide (Calgary)
Five Rivers editor, Robert Runteacute;, will be attending and presenting at Calgary's When Words Collide convention next weekend (August 12-14). The convention is a new one, but being mounted by a reputable team, and the concept -- a convention for genre writers and editors -- is very appealing. Might be worth checking out if you live near Calgary.
August 3, 2011
Busy Summer for Five Rivers
It's been a very busy summer here at Five Rivers, and nearly a month since last I updated our blog. Apologies for the silence. There's just been a lot to do.
So what's the scoop? Why so busy? Well, we've released three new books, back to back, in both print and digital formats, and it's been that latter part, the digital part, that has taken so much time, as always.
Now, however, we're pleased to say all three books are available from all major online print and digital retailers globally.
What books? The books listed below.
Popular retailers where you can purchase any of these terrific titles include: Amazon (and Kindle), Chapters (and Kobo), Barnes and Noble (and Nook), Smashwords, Sony, Apple, Books on Board, Diesel, eReadable, Espresso, Goodreads, OmniLit, W.H. Smith, and more. You can even go into your local indie bookseller and ask them to order for you, and they should be able to do that through Coutts Library Services or any of a number of retail distributors, or failing that directly from Five Rivers. We're very amenable to doing business with indie booksellers.
What's next? Well, 5000 Mile Journey, a debut novel by Kelly Stephens, is presently in editing and then revision, slated for release late 2012 or early 2013.
Robert Runte is presently writing the introduction for the omnibus of science fiction short stories by H.A. Hargreaves, North by 2000+. This fabulous collection will release early in 2012.
Mik Murdoch, Boy Superhero, a debut young readers' novel by Michell Plested, is in editing and then revision, slated for release in 2012.
The Insistence of Memory, a young adult novel by Simon Rose, is in the final stages of editing, and due for release in 2012.
Nate Hendley is currently revising his book Dutch Schultz: Brazen Beer Baron of New York. We're hoping to have that released later this year.
Shermin Nahid Kruse is revising her debut novel, Butterfly Stitching, a profound and disturbing tale of a woman's escape from the Tehran Revolution of 1979. Release is slated for 2012.
And lastly a completely unpublished, never seen collection of short stories by H.A. Hargreaves, Growing Up Bronx, is presently in editing and and scheduled for release in 2012.
So, lots of work ahead. Lots of exciting books coming up. We're growing slowly but steadily, putting out what we think are quality books by known and unknown authors, giving voice to Canadian writers who might otherwise have remained silent.
So what's the scoop? Why so busy? Well, we've released three new books, back to back, in both print and digital formats, and it's been that latter part, the digital part, that has taken so much time, as always.
Now, however, we're pleased to say all three books are available from all major online print and digital retailers globally.
What books? The books listed below.
Popular retailers where you can purchase any of these terrific titles include: Amazon (and Kindle), Chapters (and Kobo), Barnes and Noble (and Nook), Smashwords, Sony, Apple, Books on Board, Diesel, eReadable, Espresso, Goodreads, OmniLit, W.H. Smith, and more. You can even go into your local indie bookseller and ask them to order for you, and they should be able to do that through Coutts Library Services or any of a number of retail distributors, or failing that directly from Five Rivers. We're very amenable to doing business with indie booksellers.
What's next? Well, 5000 Mile Journey, a debut novel by Kelly Stephens, is presently in editing and then revision, slated for release late 2012 or early 2013.
Robert Runte is presently writing the introduction for the omnibus of science fiction short stories by H.A. Hargreaves, North by 2000+. This fabulous collection will release early in 2012.
Mik Murdoch, Boy Superhero, a debut young readers' novel by Michell Plested, is in editing and then revision, slated for release in 2012.
The Insistence of Memory, a young adult novel by Simon Rose, is in the final stages of editing, and due for release in 2012.
Nate Hendley is currently revising his book Dutch Schultz: Brazen Beer Baron of New York. We're hoping to have that released later this year.
Shermin Nahid Kruse is revising her debut novel, Butterfly Stitching, a profound and disturbing tale of a woman's escape from the Tehran Revolution of 1979. Release is slated for 2012.
And lastly a completely unpublished, never seen collection of short stories by H.A. Hargreaves, Growing Up Bronx, is presently in editing and and scheduled for release in 2012.
So, lots of work ahead. Lots of exciting books coming up. We're growing slowly but steadily, putting out what we think are quality books by known and unknown authors, giving voice to Canadian writers who might otherwise have remained silent.
July 8, 2011
In the Face of Diminished Retail Shelf Space
According to an article published yesterday in Canada's Quill & Quire, Indigo's new business strategy may have far-reaching consequences. Not only has Indigo decreased the floor space it allots to books to 50% (which begs the question: how can you call yourself Indigo BOOKS and Music, when half your inventory is giftware destined for garage sales and landfill?), but it now will return books to publishers within 45 days, depending on sales performance. Just how that sales performance is defined is not exactly clear, but this indie publisher doesn't require clairvoyance to understand that Indigo will be shelving best-sellers and blockbusters only, thereby cutting out the mid-list, growth-potential titles and authors.
This development becomes compounded when you consider the following:
1. Indigo & Amazon decimated indie booksellers across Canada (and the US) and so availability of the vast majority of what's being published will only be accessible online or publisher direct.
2. If major and mid-sized publishers are unable to bring their books to market conventionally, this will force three issues:
a. Publishers more and more will refuse new authors or work that doesn't scream best-seller.
b. Publishers more and more will turn to POD and online distribution methods, cutting out retail distributors, and thereby rely upon online sales for the majority of their titles, reducing the potential of returns and warehousing an inventory.
c. Publishers will move more and more toward digital sales as a response to the problem of inefficient offset runs.
As a result, I can see retail book wholesalers refusing to take on new, small presses, thereby cutting off an enormous selection of very good books about which the general public will never know. That will only exacerbate the situation among mid to indie presses, driving them more and toward unconventional marketing methods.
And because of publisher response, indie booksellers will have the following choices to make:
1. Continue to parrot what the major chains are doing and watch the demise of your bookstore.
2. Or, seize this opportunity to support those brave mid, small and indie presses and stock your shelves with books unavailable elsewhere, backing that up with innovative author tours (Skype virtual tours), promoting unique titles, environmental responsibility and business savvy. If you build it, they will come.
This entire climate, I predict, will continue to further fuel authors to venture into self-publishing, thereby driving the POD and digital book movement.
Overall, Five Rivers isn't looking at Indigo's decision as another chunk of the sky slamming into our parade. Sure, we've experienced unprecedented returns from Indigo. But we've adjusted quickly, adapting our marketing policy, so that we've focused on online print and digital sales, driving traffic to those venues rather than focusing on bricks and mortar stores, which, I'm sorry to say, seem to be going the way of the music and movie stores. If you're an indie bookstore and interested in working toward something dynamic and creative, contact us. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how easy doing business can be.
Unlike Cormorant and Arsenal, we're not overly concerned. We never bought into the long tail of publishing, always thought it was a ridiculous way to do business and to bring books to market. And if reviewers and awards committees continue to cling to this outdated mode of publishing and book marketing, well, we'll just bypass them and continue to develop that grass-roots movement that's very alive, very well, and doing just fine, thank you.
It takes time to build a thing of endurance and worth. Here at Five Rivers we understand that. And we intend to be around for a very long time, working innovatively with authors and booksellers alike. So, go ahead Indigo: reduce book space to half; don't stock anything of real interest and quality. The rest of us are here surging into the vacuum.
This development becomes compounded when you consider the following:
1. Indigo & Amazon decimated indie booksellers across Canada (and the US) and so availability of the vast majority of what's being published will only be accessible online or publisher direct.
2. If major and mid-sized publishers are unable to bring their books to market conventionally, this will force three issues:
a. Publishers more and more will refuse new authors or work that doesn't scream best-seller.
b. Publishers more and more will turn to POD and online distribution methods, cutting out retail distributors, and thereby rely upon online sales for the majority of their titles, reducing the potential of returns and warehousing an inventory.
c. Publishers will move more and more toward digital sales as a response to the problem of inefficient offset runs.
As a result, I can see retail book wholesalers refusing to take on new, small presses, thereby cutting off an enormous selection of very good books about which the general public will never know. That will only exacerbate the situation among mid to indie presses, driving them more and toward unconventional marketing methods.
And because of publisher response, indie booksellers will have the following choices to make:
1. Continue to parrot what the major chains are doing and watch the demise of your bookstore.
2. Or, seize this opportunity to support those brave mid, small and indie presses and stock your shelves with books unavailable elsewhere, backing that up with innovative author tours (Skype virtual tours), promoting unique titles, environmental responsibility and business savvy. If you build it, they will come.
This entire climate, I predict, will continue to further fuel authors to venture into self-publishing, thereby driving the POD and digital book movement.
Overall, Five Rivers isn't looking at Indigo's decision as another chunk of the sky slamming into our parade. Sure, we've experienced unprecedented returns from Indigo. But we've adjusted quickly, adapting our marketing policy, so that we've focused on online print and digital sales, driving traffic to those venues rather than focusing on bricks and mortar stores, which, I'm sorry to say, seem to be going the way of the music and movie stores. If you're an indie bookstore and interested in working toward something dynamic and creative, contact us. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how easy doing business can be.
Unlike Cormorant and Arsenal, we're not overly concerned. We never bought into the long tail of publishing, always thought it was a ridiculous way to do business and to bring books to market. And if reviewers and awards committees continue to cling to this outdated mode of publishing and book marketing, well, we'll just bypass them and continue to develop that grass-roots movement that's very alive, very well, and doing just fine, thank you.
It takes time to build a thing of endurance and worth. Here at Five Rivers we understand that. And we intend to be around for a very long time, working innovatively with authors and booksellers alike. So, go ahead Indigo: reduce book space to half; don't stock anything of real interest and quality. The rest of us are here surging into the vacuum.
July 4, 2011
Smashwords Summer/Winter Sale
We're participating this year in Smashwords' annual Summer/Winter Sale by offering 50-75% discount on all our eBooks. All you need to do is click here, and that will take you through to Five Rivers' catalogue on Smashwords. Discounts and promotional coupons appear under each individual book's page.
There's some great year round reading here and some incredible prices, in all digital formats.
There's some great year round reading here and some incredible prices, in all digital formats.
June 21, 2011
Stonehouse Cooks, Another Great Release for Five Rivers
After much editing, testing, fussing, and organization we're pleased to announce the release of Stonehouse Cooks, by Lorina Stephens.The recipe book, compiled from years of cooking and experimentation, offers recipes, meal plans and strategies to bring nutrition, delicious food and fun into the kitchen and on to the table. Lorina Stephens examines the real food revolution from both a modern and historical perspective.
Approximately 200 recipes make up the collection, from the most simple of concoctions to more elaborate, and sometimes even historically inspired, fare. Lorina Stephens discusses the real food revolution from an honest and accessible perspective, allowing for frenetic schedules and budget considerations. There are even sections devoted to barbecuing tips, and campfire cookery advice and materials.
In keeping with the rustic nature of the book, images are in crisp black and white, many of which are the work of Vandy Simpson.
Stonehouse Cooks is now available in both print and digital formats from online booksellers worldwide, as well as directly from Five Rivers.
Trade Paperback 6" x 9", 232 pages
ISBN 9780986642333
$15.95 print
$4.95 digital (with special pricing at Amazon)
June 8, 2011
Organic Home Garden Now Available in Canada
We're ridiculously excited to announce the Canadian availability of Patrick Lima and John Scanlan's updated, revised, simply fabulous The Organic Home Garden. This is simply the ultimate gardening book. In the Organic Home Garden, Patrick and John, take readers step-by-step through the engaging process of growing the best possible food - from spring's first spinach, asparagus and salad greens, through the summer abundance of tomatoes, cucumbers, melons and all, right into fall's harvest of squash, leeks, carrots and potatoes.
Often, a small timely tip makes all the difference, and this dynamic team leaves nothing out. Whether you tend a small city yard, a full-size country garden or something in between, their instructive, easy to follow and often humorous advice will ensure you make the very best use of the space you have -- and you can't get any more local, seasonal and organic than food from your own yard.
Combine this with John's unique and vibrant artistic paintings, and you have a book that stands out from the wall of glossy, manufactured gardening publications, making The Organic Home Garden a stand-alone, stand-out book sure to intrigue and capture gardeners, artists and customers who conduct their lives to a different rhythm.The Organic Home Garden is now available through Chapters' online store at 34% discount, as well as directly from Five Rivers. Availability in the US and international stores will occur later in June. A digital version is forthcoming and slated for release in July 2012.Price: $29.95
Format: Trade Paperback
Dimensions: 336 Pages, 10 x 7 in
Published: June 7, 2011
ISBN - 9780986542756
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