Beth Groundwater's Blog, page 62
October 6, 2010
Author Fest of the Rockies Video
During the Author Fest of the Rockies, Michelle Vanderpas, a social media enthusiast and producer of five Internet TV shows conducted very short interviews with the authors who were present. To see my interview, go here.
I don't think movie directors will be calling me anytime soon!
To see Michelle's interviews with other authors, look at the "Other Videos by this User" under my interview or check out her Talking Books website.
I don't think movie directors will be calling me anytime soon!
To see Michelle's interviews with other authors, look at the "Other Videos by this User" under my interview or check out her Talking Books website.
October 5, 2010
Author Fest of the Rockies
Last week was the Author Fest of the Rockies in Manitou Springs, Colorado. Thursday evening, my husband and I attended the VIP Reception for speakers and staff at the lovely and historic Avenue Hotel B&B located right next to the Manitou Springs Library, which put on the festival. Local restaurants, bakeries, and coffeehouses provided food, wine, and coffees and teas for the reception. The first photo shows me standing in front of the B&B and the second shows the mass of people in the dining room where the food was served.
The third photo shows folks on the front porch, including Natalie Johnson, standing, owner of Black Cat Books in Manitou Springs. Natalie worked tirelessly on the program committee and handling book sales at the event. She is an enthusiastic supporter of the Manitou Springs library and local authors, and I love browsing the eclectic collection at her store. I highly recommend it!
The fourth photo shows me talking to garden writer Sandra Knauf and mystery author Ann Parker. The fifth photo shows the wine bar just inside the front door and the last photo shows me talking to women's fiction author Barbara O'Neal. I highly recommend both Ann's and Barbara's books! Seated next to Barbara is Carleen Brice, one of the keynote speakers, whose first novel, Orange Mint and Honey, was made into a Lifetime Movie Network film.
I didn't attend the Friday sessions because I hadn't made my weekly page count goal on my work-in-progress and had to write. I got enough done that I could attend all day, Saturday, though. I went to middle-grade author Lindsey Eland's session first thing in the morning and introduced myself to her because she lives in Breckenridge, Colorado, which I hope will become my full-time home soon. It's nice to know at least one published author in the community now!
I also attended Mike Befeler's session on "Mixing Humor, Mystery, and Other Characters." Mike always generates belly laughs in his talks and his books! The New Face of Jazz author Cicily Janus delivered an inspiring keynote address at lunch. The photo below is of me with some of my table mates, Shelley--who bought books written by the other three of us, Margaret Brettschneider, and Ann Parker.
After lunch I split my time between Ann's session on "The Six Elements of Fiction" and romance author Janet Lane's session on "Forget Your Screensaver--You Need a Scene Saver!" Then I co-presented my session on "Getting Serious About Series Writing" with fellow mystery author Laura DiSilverio. The next two photos show us at work. And no, we didn't coordinate our animal print outfits beforehand--it just worked out that way. Call us a couple of wild women!
After the Saturday sessions ended, the final event of Author Fest began, the Author Showcase where the over thirty authors who presented at the conference signed books and talked to readers and aspiring authors. What a great day!
The third photo shows folks on the front porch, including Natalie Johnson, standing, owner of Black Cat Books in Manitou Springs. Natalie worked tirelessly on the program committee and handling book sales at the event. She is an enthusiastic supporter of the Manitou Springs library and local authors, and I love browsing the eclectic collection at her store. I highly recommend it!
The fourth photo shows me talking to garden writer Sandra Knauf and mystery author Ann Parker. The fifth photo shows the wine bar just inside the front door and the last photo shows me talking to women's fiction author Barbara O'Neal. I highly recommend both Ann's and Barbara's books! Seated next to Barbara is Carleen Brice, one of the keynote speakers, whose first novel, Orange Mint and Honey, was made into a Lifetime Movie Network film.
I didn't attend the Friday sessions because I hadn't made my weekly page count goal on my work-in-progress and had to write. I got enough done that I could attend all day, Saturday, though. I went to middle-grade author Lindsey Eland's session first thing in the morning and introduced myself to her because she lives in Breckenridge, Colorado, which I hope will become my full-time home soon. It's nice to know at least one published author in the community now!
I also attended Mike Befeler's session on "Mixing Humor, Mystery, and Other Characters." Mike always generates belly laughs in his talks and his books! The New Face of Jazz author Cicily Janus delivered an inspiring keynote address at lunch. The photo below is of me with some of my table mates, Shelley--who bought books written by the other three of us, Margaret Brettschneider, and Ann Parker.
After lunch I split my time between Ann's session on "The Six Elements of Fiction" and romance author Janet Lane's session on "Forget Your Screensaver--You Need a Scene Saver!" Then I co-presented my session on "Getting Serious About Series Writing" with fellow mystery author Laura DiSilverio. The next two photos show us at work. And no, we didn't coordinate our animal print outfits beforehand--it just worked out that way. Call us a couple of wild women!
After the Saturday sessions ended, the final event of Author Fest began, the Author Showcase where the over thirty authors who presented at the conference signed books and talked to readers and aspiring authors. What a great day!
October 4, 2010
Two Milestones on the Same Day
Last Friday, I encountered two milestones in the book publishing process. I celebrated one on Friday and the other one today. First, a copy of the uncorrected proof (or galley or advanced review copy (ARC)) of my upcoming March, 2011 release, Deadly Currents, arrived in the mail. Deadly Currents will be the first book in my new RM Outdoor Adventures mystery series featuring whitewater river ranger Mandy Tanner. This is the first time I've seen the manuscript printed up in book form, and dang if it doesn't look good! :)
The ARC came right on schedule, 5 months to the day before the March 1 release date. Magazine/journal reviewers need that 5 month lead-time to read the book, write the review, and schedule it for publication. Please cross your fingers for me. I'm hoping for at least one good review that I can quote on my website.
My husband and I went out to dinner at the local Outback Steakhouse with friends Linda and Don Friday night, and I brought the ARC along to show them--sealed in a plastic bag so no food or beverage would be spilled on it. When the waiter asked what we were so excited about, Linda went into her BS mode and introduced me as a famous author whose next bestseller had just been sent off to reviewers. She encouraged the waiter to have the manager come over and meet the author, and she said the least the manager could do was buy me a celebratory drink. By then, I was all shades of red.
The manager did come over, shake hands with all of us, listen to Linda's gushing story about me, look at my ARC, and accept a bookmark from me. Then, he comped me a drink! A blueberry martini, no less. Yummy. Needless to say, I recommend that everyone go have dinner at your nearest Outback Steakhouse. What a great place! After I got over my embarrassment, I thanked Linda for the little party in a glass, and the waiter got a big tip, too.
The second milestone was reaching the halfway point in the rough draft of my current manuscript, the third book in the Claire Hanover gift basket designer mystery series. My outline includes 20 chapters, and I finished the rough draft of chapter 10 Friday afternoon. To celebrate that milestone, and to get rid of the stiffness from spending hours and hours typing on a computer keyboard, I scheduled a massage for myself. So, if you're reading this Monday morning, think of me laying there in bliss while my massage therapist Barbara's magic fingers work all the tension out of my muscles. If you live in Colorado Springs and would like a referral to Barbara's Trager-technique massage practice, contact me at my website, and I'll put you in touch with her.
I think it's very important to celebrate the small milestones in the publishing process, given how long it takes to write and edit a book then for a publisher to publish it. If you're a writer, what small milestone have you celebrated lately?
October 1, 2010
What's the best format?
In this time of tremendous change in the publishing industry, many authors, including myself, have been left asking what formats we should be trying to get our books published in: hardcover, trade paperback, mass market paperback, e-book, audiobook, downloadable audiobook, large-print, and so on.
According to a recent Shelf Awareness, e-book sales have exploded 163% and now comprise almost 5% of the total trade market, while sales of mass market paperbacks have plunged almost 15%, though their sales are still twice that of e-books. Also, downloaded audio sales and hardcovers are up, though both are still a small fraction of the market. Sales of trade paperbacks dropped just a fraction, much less than mass market.
And to add to the discussion, here's a quote from The Wall Street Journal:
"In recent weeks, a number of leading publishers have indicated that e-books today account for about 8% of total revenue, up from 3% to 5% in the same period a year ago. Some expect that e-books will account for as much as 20-25% by the end of 2012."
I made the move last year from Five Star, which published my books in hardcover and large-print, to Midnight Ink, which publishes trade paperback and e-book formats, partly based on format. Of course, the ideal situation is to be published in ALL formats at the same time, so readers can choose to read your book in whatever format suits them best. But, no publisher currently does this, and each one produces only a subset of formats for each of their books.
If I could choose, what three formats would I select for my books? I think I would pick trade paperback, e-book, and downloadable audio. These are the formats my readers most often request from me. What about you? As a reader, which formats do you prefer and why? If you're a writer, what would your ideal publishing mix look like?
According to a recent Shelf Awareness, e-book sales have exploded 163% and now comprise almost 5% of the total trade market, while sales of mass market paperbacks have plunged almost 15%, though their sales are still twice that of e-books. Also, downloaded audio sales and hardcovers are up, though both are still a small fraction of the market. Sales of trade paperbacks dropped just a fraction, much less than mass market.
And to add to the discussion, here's a quote from The Wall Street Journal:
"In recent weeks, a number of leading publishers have indicated that e-books today account for about 8% of total revenue, up from 3% to 5% in the same period a year ago. Some expect that e-books will account for as much as 20-25% by the end of 2012."
I made the move last year from Five Star, which published my books in hardcover and large-print, to Midnight Ink, which publishes trade paperback and e-book formats, partly based on format. Of course, the ideal situation is to be published in ALL formats at the same time, so readers can choose to read your book in whatever format suits them best. But, no publisher currently does this, and each one produces only a subset of formats for each of their books.
If I could choose, what three formats would I select for my books? I think I would pick trade paperback, e-book, and downloadable audio. These are the formats my readers most often request from me. What about you? As a reader, which formats do you prefer and why? If you're a writer, what would your ideal publishing mix look like?
September 30, 2010
The Malice Domestic Conference
I just sent in my registration for next year's Malice Domestic conference, that celebrates the traditional mystery genre, and I hope that I will see many of my blog readers there. I'll be talking about the newly-released debut mystery in my RM Outdoor Adventures series, DEADLY CURRENTS, making new friends and getting reacquainted with old ones. Next year's Malice should be a great one, with Toastmaster Donna Andrews (always a hoot and a half), Guest of Honor Carole Nelson Douglas, and Lifetime Achievement Honoree, Sue Grafton. And it's in Bethesda, MD next year, not Arlington, VA, so I'll be staying at the conference hotel instead of my friends' house in Arlington. It's a trade-off in that I'll be spending more money, but I won't have to worry about how much I have to drink in the evenings! ;-)
I'm also planning to extend the trip with other events back east, such as the Festival of Mystery put on by the Mystery Lovers Bookshop in Oakmont, PA, a dialogue workshop for the Hampton Roads Writers, hopefully some sort of fundraiser event for American Rivers, and signings in Annapolis, MD, Charlottesville, VA, Newport News, VA, and at my alma mater, the College of William and Mary bookstore. And, I'll get to visit my parents and sister in Virginia! That's another reason I love going to Malice.
What about you? Are you planning to attend the conference? Let me know in the comments!
I'm also planning to extend the trip with other events back east, such as the Festival of Mystery put on by the Mystery Lovers Bookshop in Oakmont, PA, a dialogue workshop for the Hampton Roads Writers, hopefully some sort of fundraiser event for American Rivers, and signings in Annapolis, MD, Charlottesville, VA, Newport News, VA, and at my alma mater, the College of William and Mary bookstore. And, I'll get to visit my parents and sister in Virginia! That's another reason I love going to Malice.
What about you? Are you planning to attend the conference? Let me know in the comments!
September 29, 2010
Celebrating Banned Books Week
September 25 - October 2 is Banned Books Week, an annual celebration of the First Amendment and the freedom to read whatever we want in the United States of America. For more information on the event, go to this American Library Association (ALA) webpage. And for a beautiful essay from 2009's most frequently challenged author, read this!
Libraries and bookstores throughout the country are organizing events to celebrate the intellectual freedoms we enjoy in the USA and to raise awareness and fight efforts to ban books. So, what can we do as individuals? Read a book that someone has tried to ban in the past or is currently trying to ban. You can select one from Wikipedia's list of most commonly banned books or from ALA's list of banned and challenged classics.
When I examined these lists, I found so many wonderful books that I've enjoyed in the past, from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to The Color Purple, from Nineteen Eighty-four to The Catcher in the Rye, from Animal Farm to Gone with the Wind, and many more. So, pick a book from one of these lists or from 2009's most frequently challenged author and savor it! As for me, I'm going to re-read one of my favorite childhood books, James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl.
Please tell me in a comment what book you choose to read.
Libraries and bookstores throughout the country are organizing events to celebrate the intellectual freedoms we enjoy in the USA and to raise awareness and fight efforts to ban books. So, what can we do as individuals? Read a book that someone has tried to ban in the past or is currently trying to ban. You can select one from Wikipedia's list of most commonly banned books or from ALA's list of banned and challenged classics.
When I examined these lists, I found so many wonderful books that I've enjoyed in the past, from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to The Color Purple, from Nineteen Eighty-four to The Catcher in the Rye, from Animal Farm to Gone with the Wind, and many more. So, pick a book from one of these lists or from 2009's most frequently challenged author and savor it! As for me, I'm going to re-read one of my favorite childhood books, James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl.
Please tell me in a comment what book you choose to read.
September 28, 2010
Large-print Edition of To Hell in a Handbasket
The official release date of the large-print edition of the second book in my Claire Hanover gift basket designer mystery series, To Hell in a Handbasket, is Monday, October 6th. Amazon is taking preorders now. However, Barnes & Noble is already selling it outright, and at a significant discount! And, they have discounted the large-print edition of the first book, A Real Basket Case, too. So, if you are a large-print reader, or have one on your gift list, now is the time to order copies. If you would like signed bookplates to go with those purchases, please contact me at my website.
September 27, 2010
Criminal Justice Degree blog
On September 15th, I alerted my readers to the Criminal Justice University blog, and last Friday, I told you about the Law Enforcement Schools blog. Today, I'll finish up the trifecta with information about the Criminal Justice Degree blog, which had recent posts about "10 Upcoming Devices that will Protect Future Soldiers", "10 Free Online Tools to Track Criminals in Your Neighborhood", and "Top 50 Criminal Defense Blogs". Mystery writers in particular will want to bookmark this last article...
September 24, 2010
Law Enforcement Schools Blog
Last Wednesday, I blogged about the Criminal Justice University blog, that may have posts of interest to mystery readers and writers. I just learned about another great resource blog, Law Enforcement Schools. Recent posts include "10 Good Murder Mysteries to get your Hands on", "5 Common Crimes Committed During Hurricane Season", and "10 Best Buddy Cop Pairings". Please check it out and let me know what you think of it!
September 23, 2010
Naming Characters
Today at Inkspot, the blog for Midnight Ink authors, I talk about "Naming Characters" and how I pick names for my characters. I hope you'll read the post and if you're a reader, tell me your favorite fictional character names and why you like them. And if you're a writer, I'd love to know how you go about picking your character names!
