Congratulations to Jennifer Ashley, who is now a New York Times bestselling author! PRIDE MATES is also on this week’s USA Today list. Hooray for sexy shifters!
February 4, 2010
PRIDE MATES on the bestseller lists!
Posted by Leah under News | Tags: Jennifer Ashley, paranormal |[4] Comments
February 3, 2010
Since we’re still not too far out of the season for resolutions, why not try a few of these on for size. You’ll be every editor’s fantasy come true.
- Turn in your best work possible. Some authors under contract submit a draft at deadline–they figure there are going to be revisions anyway, so they’ll just do all the revising at the same time. Not really cool. The more finalized your work, the more I can hone in on what needs to be changed, and–better yet–what doesn’t. If you have questions or hit a stumbling block as you go, I always find it’s easier to call and we can brainstorm through any plot points together.
- Speaking of deadlines…meet them. Obviously, life happens sometimes and deadlines need to be changed; that’s ok. Just keep us in the loop and everyone can adjust accordingly. It’s when projects are consistently late that things get to be a problem. If you show yourself to be a reliable author, you’re more likely to be considered for special projects like anthologies and continuity series.
- Ask questions. I often don’t know what you don’t know. Please don’t be afraid to drop me an email if there’s something on your mind.
- Be realistic in your expectations. If you don’t know what this means, Ms. I Want To Be On Oprah, see above.
- Strive to get better with every book.
February 2, 2010
Read Romance, Win Jeopardy
Posted by Leah under General interest | Tags: Christine Feehan, Jeopardy |[2] Comments
I’m a little behind in watching my DVR’ed episodes of Jeopardy!, so I think the final round I watched last night actually aired sometime last week.
The category: Nineteenth-century Literature (ooh, baby– I’m betting it all, Alex!)
The clue: Blah, blah, blah…quote from book…Carpathians…blah, blah, blah
The contestants answer, What is: The Time Machine, Gulliver’s Travels, and Wuthering Heights.
All wrong!
Clearly, if they read romance, particularly #1 NYT bestselling author Christine Feehan’s Dark series, they would have immediately associated Carpathians with vampires and come up with the correct response of Dracula.
February 1, 2010
iPad and Amazon and ebooks, oh my!
Posted by Leah under Ebooks, News | Tags: Amazon, Apple, iPad |1 Comment
There’s been lots of big news in the publishing industry in the last week or so, much of it relating to new technology and how publishers are adjusting (or not) their models of doing business. Much about Apple’s new iPad device and Amazon vs. Macmillan has been discussed in other forums and covered in the news, but a few thoughts from this end of things…
iPad
I was thrilled to see Apple was committing its new iBooks store to the epub format, which publishers are truly pushing to become the standard. But my elation was short-lived when Jane at DearAuthor reported that it seems as though the epub file will still have to be tied to an Apple device. More and more, it seems ebook retailers are segmenting the market instead of uniting it. They’re making ebooks more difficult instead of easier for readers to try out. As a reader myself, I want to know that the book I’m buying today, I’ll still be able to enjoy in 10 years, no matter what new devices are out.
Beyond the iBooks format issue, I, like many, was a bit underwhelmed at the “revolutionary” new device. I had been expecting something that acted like a netbook but in tablet form. Instead, we got an overgrown iPod Touch. Now, don’t get me wrong. I love my Touch, and I believe I won’t be replacing it with an iPad anytime soon.
Amazon and ebooks
Publishers and ebook retailers still have a long way to go in figuring out pricing for ebooks, as evidenced by this weekend’s showdown between Amazon and Macmillan. But I have to admit that I have a hard time feeling too much sympathy for the publishers who don’t think they can make money for a product that sells for less than $9.99. Obviously, the mass-market business model thrives on it. Then again, we also plan for it.
If $9.99 ebooks released simultaneously with $25.99 hardcovers become the norm, publishers are going to have to adjust for it in their breakevens. And ultimately that’s going to affect what the authors are being paid in advance and royalty.
January 17, 2010
It’s been a busy New Year for folks at Dorchester.
We were sad to bid farewell to Alicia Condon, our Editorial Director, who worked at Dorchester for 24 years, but recently accepted a new position. She is an amazing editor and just a gracious, wonderful person all around. We all wish her the very best.
Meantime, I was honored to be asked to become the new Editorial Director.
It’s a really exciting time for us. We’ve recently extended our partnership with HarperCollins, who is assuming the responsibility for select backlist titles as well as new books from Nina Bangs, Marjorie Liu, and C.L. Wilson. This gives us a little more flexibility in our scheduling, but otherwise doesn’t affect any of the other authors on our list or our plans to continue to bring forth a mix of great new talent and exciting bestsellers in the future.
I’m also pleased to announce Allison Carroll will be taking over the management of the Dorchester website. Allison was an intern with us and proved to be such a great and natural addition to the team that I think we would have made up a position just to hire her even if one hadn’t become available.
We’re currently working on building the 2011 schedule and in a bit of an acquisition frenzy. So if you’ve got material you’ve been wanting to submit, this is a fantastic time to give it a shot and send it in to submissions[at]dorchesterpub.com.
January 4, 2010
Naughton at Dear Author
Posted by Leah under News | Tags: Dear Author, Elisabeth Naughton |Leave a Comment
Elisabeth Naughton is featured over at Dear Author today to talk about her first sale, STOLEN FURY.
Her third release, STOLEN SEDUCTION, is on shelves now. What a difference a year makes. Here’s to a happy and successful 2010 for all.
January 2, 2010
Use some of those bookstore gift cards in your stocking to check out these newest releases:
December 18, 2009
No time for shipping, no time to get to the store? What do you do for that booklover on your list? Order a book club membership. Your recipient can get six months of books, 2 books every month, for $63.00. Plus, there’s 30% off all web orders all the time. You have the choice of a historical romance book club or paranormal (Love Spell). Even horror, if you’re into that kind of thing. But the only way to get it is by calling the Dorchester telecenter at 1-800-481-9191.
Happy holidays, everyone!
December 18, 2009
I’ve been meaning to do a post on grammar for a while. But, man, grammar is just so boring. Copyblogger found a way to jazz it up a little with the Inigo Montoya Guide to 27 Commonly Misused Words. I highly recommend checking it out. And a few of my own to add:
*lightening vs. lightning - Lightening makes something lighter. Lightning is the flash in the sky; there is no e. Ever.
*vise vs. vice – A vise squeezes something (i.e. a viselike grip). A vice is an unhealthy habit. I saw a heroine “in the vice of fear” in a book I was reading on the subway this morning and it completely pulled me out of the story.
*Then is not a conjunction like and and but. If you have two complete sentences on each side, you need to make them two separate sentences or put in a semicolon.
*Wrong: I will go to the store, then I will make dinner.
*Right: I will go to the store. Then I will make dinner.
or: I will go to the store, then make dinner
In small doses, grammar isn’t so bad, right?
December 17, 2009
As we’ve had a number of emails recently regarding the issue…
We at Dorchester respect authors’ right to post comments and responses to criticism. That said, it should be made clear that in no way do they reflect the thoughts or opinions of our company.
For those who have asked about Candance Sams in particular, we were glad to publish her book and wish her well in her future career.
