S. Johnathan Davis's Blog, page 2

Now Available – 900 Miles: A Zombie Novel

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ANNOUNCEMENT:  New zombie book, 900 Miles, is now available in eBook, Paperback & Audiobook formats on Amazon.com.  This fast-paced novel features zombie horror mixed with gladiator style arena battles.  To learn more, read the synopsis below. If you’re interested in a sample of the book, the first chapter is right here on this site.  Click here to read now!

Author, S. Johnathan Davis is an active member of the Horror Writers Association, and is currently working on a sequel to this best-selling novel.  He’s a self-proclaimed zombie geek, and actively guest blogs, speaks on podcasts and participates at various events.  Learn a little more about Davis here.

The sequel to 900 Miles is currently in the works, and will be available in 2014. Learn more by visiting this announcement.  Be sure to follow Davis via Twitter, Google + or Facebook - where he’s often known to make real-time announcements.

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Syn opsis:

In a harrowing 900 mile race against time to get to his wife just as the dead begin to rise, John, a business man trapped in New York, soon learns that the zombies are the least of his worries, as he sees first-hand the horror of what man is capable of with no rules, no consequences and death at every turn.

Teaming up with an ex-army pilot named Kyle, they escape New York only to stumble across a man who says that he has the key to a rumored underground stronghold called Avalon – Will they find safety? Will they make it to Johns wife before it’s too late?

Get ready to follow John and Kyle in this fast-paced thriller that mixes zombie horror with gladiator style arena action!

Pick up your copy @ Amazon.com on the Kindle,[image error]in Paperback,and as an Audiobook.

Now Available: 900 Miles – A new zombie book!

ANNOUNCEMENT:  New zombie book, 900 Miles, is now available in eBook format on Amazon.  Print edition will be available next week. Pick up your copy today!

Click here to Buy Now on Amazon.com. 

Syn opsis:

In a harrowing 900 mile race against time to get to his wife just as the dead begin to rise, John, a business man trapped in New York, soon learns that the zombies are the least of his worries, as he sees first-hand the horror of what man is capable of with no rules, no consequences and death at every turn.

Teaming up with an ex-army pilot named Kyle, they escape New York only to stumble across a man who says that he has the key to a rumored underground stronghold called Avalon – Will they find safety? Will they make it to Johns wife before it’s too late?

Get ready to follow John and Kyle in this fast-paced thriller that mixes zombie horror with gladiator style arena action!

Buy Now

Early Sketch of 900 Miles Cover Art

This is an early sketch of the 900 Miles Cover art I received from Severed Press.  It is to illustrate the concept at this point, and is designed to show composition and contrast.  We are making some small tweaks to it, and it will be filled in with color and more detail.  However, I wanted to share this early draft!  Let me know what you think

900 Miles to Be Published By Severed Press

I am thrilled to announce that I’ve just signed the contract to publish 900 Miles with a small press publisher called Severed Press.

They focus on publishing apocalyptic horror, often in the form of zombies. 900 miles will be distributed in print and online digital formats including amazon kindle and others. The novel will have worldwide distribution (in English).

The book should be available in less than three month (as I have to go through another round of edits, formatting and cover design with the publisher). All super exciting stuff!

I want to take a moment to thank everybody who helped with the book. Whether you read it, commented on it or we’re simply a sounding board for me during its creation, I want you to know that I really appreciate every second that you spent with me on this journey to publish what is the first of hopefully many great books.

THANK YOU!!!

900 Miles is Complete – Now it needs a home!

900 Miles is complete.  I’ve edited, had an editor edit it, and then I re-edited…..then I edited some more. The finished product is one awesome action packed zombie manuscript that I’m ready to start sharing with the world.

This new zombie book is looking for a home.  I have begun sending query letters out to some key agents and publishers who specialize in horror and zombie-type books.

This is such an exciting process.  I know it will be filled with rejection (which everybody is quick to tell me).  However, as a long time fan-boy of the zombie genre, I know this book turned out to be the story that my inner geek loves – and I can’t wait to share the love with the rest of you.

Wish me luck in finding a home for 900 Miles, and look forward to it being available soon!

First Edit Due Back Friday

So the editor will have 900 Miles back on this friday.  I’ve already gotten the first sixteen chapter back, and I have to say that the editing process is very helpful!  This is going to be one heck of a Zombie Book when everything is said and done.  The editor is pushing me to go into realms that I didn’t know I could reach, and some of the chapter are getting much stronger as a result.

I can’t wait to see the rest!

 

Writing a Query Letter for A Horror Book

Thinking towards publishers and agents at this point, I’ve begun looking into how to get my book, 900 Miles, noticed.  Most people out on the web agree that it’s going to be VERY hard.  Evidently, the Query Letter is a key part of getting noticed.

What is a Query Letter:

This is a 1 page letter, broken down into three main paragraphs (according to the articles I’ve read).  This letter is supposed to be sent to Publishers and Agents to try to “hook” them on the concept of your book – prompting them to request either the manuscript or the first few pages.

As you would guess, this is CRITICAL that I get this one right.  I would equate it to the “elevator pitch” in business – meaning that you have thirty seconds to get someone’s attention before the simply don’t care.

In terms of a Horror story about zombies…..I have to wonder how often publishers and agents have seen basically the same retread of an “apocalyptic story of survival” come across their desk.  I mean seriously….there are hundreds of zombie books out there, and probably thousands of manuscripts floating around.

SO THE HOOK is going to be important – differentiating 900 Miles from the rest.  The good news is that 900 Miles does have some awesome stuff going on that I think I’ll be able to present in the query letter….now I have to let the creative juices flow – to get it just right!

Getting social media started is hard…..

I kickstarted the social media push to begin promoting 900 Miles.

If you build it, they most certainly will come…..WITH ALOT OF EFFORT!

With a new theme on this blog, a ramped up Twitter channel and a fresh Facebook page all up and running, I launched them this week by promoting to friends, family and by following a whole bunch of people on Twitter.  What have my efforts produced in 3 days?

Blog – the edits I made to the blog knocked me off the first page of Google for the search term Zombie Book.  Woops….  I have to figure out what I’ve screwed up.  I was getting fairly regular traffic for this term….and now this blog has completely dropped off of Google search results.

Facebook – I have a total of 9 followers as of today.  So not terribly impressive, but I think this one will be a slow burner.

Twitter – I have 25 followers, and I feel like this is where I have the most traction.  In terms of promotion so far, Twitter allows the best opportunity for bi-directional feedback and conversation.

To net it out after 3-4 days into promotion…..I have a ways to go before I can call any of this a success.  You can follow me along – I’ll be posting it all here.

Best Zombie Books

While doing research on the web, I’m come across a ton of Zombie Books!  Some look really good, some look really bad.  I find myself wondering which ones are the Best Zombie Books.

What I’ve come to realize is that regardless of the plethora of books out there, the zombie books out there have to be the best books on the web.  Self published or published by a publishing house….it doesn’t matter.  There are so many takes on an awesome genre.

Below is a list of the best zombie book lists that I’ve come across in my research:

Wikipedia: Best Zombie Book List - List of established books.  My new goal is for 900 Miles to wind up here.
Good Reads: Zombie Book List - If you’re an avid reader, this list has it all. Reviews, it’s comprehensive and it’s a trusted source.
Squidoo Zombie Book Listhttp://www.squidoo.com/best-zombie-books - Comprehensive list, with thoughts from the blog writer on most of the books.
Zombieplace.com Zombie Book List:  This has to be one of the most comprehensive lists.  Each book listed is reviewed, has cover art. The discussion is thoughtful.

Have others? Feel free to drop into the comments section below!

Researching Literary Agents and Publishers for Zombie Books

Now that the first draft is sitting with my editor, and I’m in the “waiting period” to get it back, I’ve turned my attention to really digging into doing research on Agents and Publishers who focus on zombie books.   Let me tell you….it’s going to be a journey.

After a few days of sifting through blogs, publisher listings and Twitter to identify those who are interested in Horror specifically, there seem to be a whole bunch out there.   From what I can tell so far, I’ve been able to identify twenty or so publishers that appear to be focused on publishing books in the form of the Zombies, the Apocalypse or general Horror.

One thing that I have realized is that many of these publishers are “closed for submissions.”  There are a few out there however, who appear to be currently accepting submissions without an agent, or who say they will be opening up in the Fall.

This is somewhat re-assuring to me, however I must say that the search for an Agent is going to be far more convoluted.  Literary Agents seem to be almost hidden on the web.  They have profiles on agency websites, Twitter accounts and such – however all too often they do not specifically say that they are looking for what can only be categorized as “dark horror.”  Usually it’s more generic like “sci-fi, fantasy, etc.”

Zombies Books are hot.  This is for sure, but for the most part, this seems limited to the niche publishing houses.  This is not a bad thing by any means.

Have you been there and done that?  Have you been successful in finding a good horror focused publisher or agent?  I’d love some tips of the trade!