L. L. Reaper - In Touch With Reality

Enter to win a paperback copy of "Black Widow and the Sandman".

***
In Touch With Reality
by L. L. Reaper

“I won’t be here much longer. After I sign my million dollar book deal, I’m quitting. Not that I’ll have time to do much outside of my writing career. You know, with the national book tour my publisher will be setting up…” –Aspiring Author

I love the enthusiasm and naiveté of aspiring authors. I’m put in mind of teens on the basketball court who know they will be in the NBA someday. Unfortunately, only a handful of those teens will sign NBA contracts. The publishing industry mirrors professional sports in a few key aspects. Many excellent athletes never make it into the pros. Of those who make it into the pros, a small minority of them are considered “franchise” players.

Unlike the NBA where the minimum salary for a newbie is around $490,000, the majority of traditionally published debut authors make under $4000 for their first print novel. That $4000 is called an advance, or as I like to call it, a pay day loan minus the high interest rate. For every book sold, you earn a royalty—a percentage of the profit of the book. Without going into long mathematic equations and a diatribe about production cost that would bore us all to tears, I’ll let you know that if you receive a $0.80 royalty per book sold, you are doing great.

Next comes the part that confuses many authors. It’s been years and they haven’t received any royalties. “Publishers are as bad as the music industry in the 60s and rip off the artist!” Take a step back. Inhale, exhale, release. This is where the advance comes into play. Your advance is truly an advance on monies you will earn in the future. Sorry, but I have to throw a little math at you.

If you received an advance of $4000 and make a royalty of $0.80 per novel sold, you would have to sell 5000 copies before you saw a penny in royalties. And remember, $0.80 per book sold is a lot by industry standards. Here comes another dose of reality you probably won’t like: The majority of debut authors do not pay out, which means they never sell enough copies of their debut novel to see royalties for it.

Am I saying you shouldn’t go the traditional route? Heck no. I want you to. It’s the best way to build your loyal reader base. But go into this business with realistic goals and expectations. I encourage all authors to have an investment fund stashed away somewhere. Every week put money away to invest in your writing career. Why, you ask? Won’t the publishing house provide an army of editors and piles of money for marketing for your book?

Your book has to be accepted by a publisher. I suggest you seek professional editing before you take the plunge. Will this guarantee you’ll be picked up by a traditional publishing house or an agent? Nope. Just as there are excellent ball players who never make it into the NBA, the same holds true of writers. If you’re manuscript’s been developmentally edited and you don’t sign with an agent or editor, you can have that manuscript copy edited and proofed, then publish it yourself.

Unless you are a “franchise” player, don’t expect the publisher to do a lot of promotion for your specific titles. More marketing dollars are put toward the big names because they are the “draw.” They usually already have a large, loyal reader base, so the publishing company wants to spread the word that, “Hey, I have So And So’s latest title! Don’t miss out.” This is as close to guaranteed profit they can come by.

As you continue to release quality novels and your writing career evolves, you’re reading base will grow and reach back for your previous titles (back list). Often times, this is when you’re earlier titles begin to pay out (pay off their advance) and you’ll receive royalties. Word of warning. You should receive royalty statements from your publisher whether you sell zero or millions of copies.

I don’t wish to overwhelm you, so I’ll end this here. If you have questions, I’m always available. You can contact me through the Contact page on my website. Good luck in your writing journey. Be sure to stop by my website and sign up for your chance to win and Kindle and learn about my upcoming dangerously sexy suspense, Black Widow and the Sandman.

L.L. Reaper is two multi-published, award-winning authors who decided to write under a pen name for their dangerously sexy suspense series, Black Widow and the Sandman. You can visit their website at www.llreaper.com or connect with them at Twitter at www.twitter.com/llreaper and Facebook at www.facebook.com/AuthorLLReaper.

--------To Enter the Contest--------

Just comment on the post below and leave the first bit of your email address. You do need to be a NOR Newsletter / Fan Club subscriber to enter. USA Postage Only. Ends - Ends 7/15/2011

Wayne Zurl - A New Prospect

Enter to win a signed print copy of A New Prospect!

***
A Look Inside Your Character’s Lives by Wayne Zurl

A Middle-aged Cop Can Go Home Again

A NEW PROSPECT (a police mystery)

Too much back-story in a new novel can consign you a spot in a publisher’s slush pile. So, how do you introduce a new series of novels and tell readers something about the protagonist’s past?

Find a place like Night Owl Reviews with an invitation to give their readers A Look Inside Your Character’s Life.

A NEW PROSPECT kicks off the Sam Jenkins mystery series. I jumped through hoops to filter in bits of back-story into the middle and latter chapters so I could get right down to business with the retired New York detective lieutenant taking the police chief’s job in rural Prospect, Tennessee as a partial remedy for his mid-life crisis. The other factors in his personal dilemma include, could he still function as a cop, is he still attractive to women, does he have a meaningful purpose in life, and several others.

Along with his new employer, the mayor of Prospect, we quickly learn about Sam’s former police career with a large Long Island department, but little else before Jenkins is tossed headlong into a dodgy homicide investigation. A bevy of suspects and a stumbling block of political corruption keeps us interested and puts the pressure on Sam. The stress manifests itself as he takes a few extra drinks after a hard day on the road and recounts for us the disturbing dreams that haunt his nights.

Readers should pay attention to the dreams. Additional back-story is implied in each. His time as a soldier in Vietnam figures prominently, as does the post traumatic stress he feels from a lifetime of witnessing violence and death.

On a lighter side, we learn that Sam has an easy time making friends with his new female acquaintances. He always remains faithful to his wife, Kate, but often can’t help himself and begins meaningful relationships with the other good-looking girls who wander through his professional life. No one has ever had to teach Sam Jenkins how to act like a world-class detective, but after years of idle retirement he sadly lacks an understanding of the latest technology in place at Prospect PD. But in addition to being a good cop, he’s a great supervisor who knows he doesn’t need all the answers, but must know where to find them and is eager to let his new friends and co-workers help out.

His admin officer, PO Bettye Lambert assists him with the department’s computer system and even shows him how to operate his first cell phone. FBI Special Agent Ralph Oliveri, another former New Yorker, becomes a source of federal favors. Local TV anchorwoman Rachel Williamson, not only takes a personal interest in Sam, but is willing to help with his professional needs. And PO Stanley Rose, a former LAPD officer who followed his wife back to her home in Tennessee, provides the partner Jenkins occasionally needs to watch his back. These people help put Sam right back in the saddle and make him more than competent enough to solve a convoluted murder mystery full of quirky characters and a plot with as many twists as a backcountry road through the Great Smoky Mountains.

A NEW PROSPECT, the first full-length Sam Jenkins adventure features the protagonist as first-person narrator, a character never at a loss for a cynical remark and quick with bits black humor at all the appropriate moments. It was named best mystery at the 2011 Next Generation Independent Publisher’s Book Awards.

-------------About The Author-------------


Wayne Zurl grew up on Long Island and retired after twenty years with the Suffolk County Police Department, one of the largest municipal law enforcement agencies in New York and the nation. For thirteen of those years he served as a section commander supervising investigators. He is a graduate of SUNY, Empire State College.

Prior to his police career, Zurl served on active duty in the US Army during the Vietnam War and later in the reserves.

In 2006 he began writing crime fiction. Eight of his Sam Jenkins mysteries have been produced as audio books and simultaneously published as eBooks. A ninth novelette is scheduled for publication in 2011 by Echelon Press. A NEW PROSPECT, traditionally published by Black Rose Writing, debuted in January 2011.

Zurl left New York to live in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee with his wife, Barbara.

For more information about Wayne Zurl or his writing, visit www.waynezurlbooks.net. Follow his book signing tour at www.booktour.com/authors/show/31206

Connect with Wayne at Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/waynezurl or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001483038544.

--------To Enter the Contest--------


Just comment on the post below and leave the first bit of your email address. You do need to be a NOR Newsletter / Fan Club subscriber to enter. USA Postage Only. Ends - 6/24