Jane Litte's Blog, page 1063

Interview with Shauna Summers, Executive Editor for Ballantine Bantom Dell

Shauna Summers is the executive editor for the Ballantine, Bantom, Dell imprint. She edits authors such as Suzanne Brockmann, Shana Abe, and Lara Adrian.

Two debuts that she is excited about include Cecilia Grant's "A Lady Awakened" (hhttp://www.ceciliagrant.com/) that will release in January 2012 and Molly O'Keefe's contemporary series that will be released in the summer of 2012. I've had the opportunity to read "A Lady Awakened" and I felt like I hadn't read these characters in a romance b...

DA Intro Interview: RITA Best First Book Nominees, Part 2

Welcome to part two of  Dear Author's interview series with the debut authors who are up for Best First Book in the RITAs, the annual awards presented by the Romance Writers of America.  Three historicals received nominations: Kaki Warner's Western Pieces of Sky, Kieran Kramer's Regency When Harry Met Molly, and Karen Witemeyer's inspirational A Tailor-Made Bride.  We're giving these as a bundle to one reader today.

Another reader can win the action/suspense bundle:  Wanna Get Lucky? by...

Interview with Bella Andre, Self Publishing Success

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In January 15, 2011, Bella Andre (http://www.bellaandre.com/) launched a new title under the name Lucy Kevin. Lucy Kevin had no cross pollination with Bella Andre name and was unknown before the release. "Falling Fast" shot up to #4 on the BN Bestseller list and Andre sold 25,000 copies of the title in one month. Her print runs for her books had never been that large. Her latest self published release "The Look of Love" went to #19 on the bn.com list within three days of the release...

REVIEW: Saddled and Spurred by Lorelei James

Dear Ms. James,

A quick look at your other book titles and I see the pattern of "wink, wink, nudge, nudge" references to sex, especially of the raunchy variety. "Saddled and Spurred" will certainly not break this mold. So, what made me want to read it? I'd heard your name but never read any of your books, I'm trying to read books from a wider variety of publishers and the opening scenes of Harper Masterson trying to be strong and do right by her family in the face of a town with no pity...

DA Intro Interview & Giveaway: RITA Best First Book Nominees, Part 1

This week Romance Writers of America hands out the RITAs, its highest awards in eleven romance sub-genres, plus a special category for debut authors.  As an occasional contributor to Dear Author, I'm delighted to host again the nominees for Best First Book as part of the Intro Interview series.

And we're giving away books!  For part one today, you can put your hand up for Marcella Burnard's sci-fi Enemy Within or for a bundle of the three YA novels honored in this category:  The Iron King by...

REVIEW: A Lady's Lesson in Scandal by Meredith Duran

Dear Ms. Duran,

To my way of thinking, a new book by you is always a cause for celebration, given that your previous books have all earned A minuses or B pluses from me. So I sat down to read A Lady's Lesson in Scandal with high hopes – hopes that were luckily not disappointed.

The opening scenes of the book introduce us to two characters from very different stations in life, two characters who are about to meet and whose meeting will have an enormous impact on their future paths. Nell Whitby i...

Harlequin's Response to Royalty Concerns & Contract Issues

I asked Harlequin about a couple of things regarding the new royalty rate as well as whether Bob Mayer's claims that Harlequin was inserting a non compete clause in its new contracts to prevent authors from self publishing. Here is their response:

Concern: These new rates aren't actually better than what we were already earning — maybe worse.

Response:

Series: on a $5 book, a series author receiving 6% of cover would earn royalty of 30 cents per copy; at 15% of net receipts, she'll earn 37.5 ...

Meeting with Megan Records Kensington

Megan Records is an Associate Editor at Kensington. She is the editor for the RITA nominated Rebel by Zoe Archer. She also edits Mary Jo Putney and Cynthia Eden among others.

Zoe Archer's new series is called the Hellraisers. The main characters have literally sold their soul to the devil in exchange for various powers. Redemption stories. The first book comes out in December 2011. The second one will be May 2012.

Cynthia Eden's new series begins with Angel of Darkness to be published in ...

Beauty and the Heroine

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Kitty Galore

I tend to read for three things: a visceral response, a delightful and interesting use of language, and character. While genre fiction often relies on plot rather than prose to compel the reader forward, I firmly believe that the best plots are rooted in character. Even if the plot of the novel is a quest or a spy thriller what will give the plot depth and purpose is the development of the characters through the plot and the plot through the characters. That is, the plot should...

Publishing News from RWA: Berkley & NAL to Acquire for Digital Publishing

Berkley and NAL are currently looking to acquire works that are 55,000 words of original fiction to be published digitally. These works will be published in print on a case by case basis either in a collection or individually later at some undetermined time.

Shorter works are considered to be part of their existing "especial" books which, like Orbit, is primarily for their existing authors. While many of the "especials" were repurposed, there will be original digital fiction in the...