Friday, July 30, 2010
Charlie Rose Interview with Amazon's Jeff Bezos
As I have noted in previous blogs, I enjoy listening to Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com, and I also admire his visionary sense. I saw him on Charlie Rose’s PBS Show the other night. Here is part of that interview...
and for more of the interview go to Charlie Rose Show and click on the picture of Jeff Bezos. Rose does good interviews.
~Linda
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Screenwriter Shane Salerno and J. D. Salinger Documentary and Biography
The mysterious best-selling novelist, J. D. Salinger died recently, and the announcement of his death brought to our attention again the reclusive nature of the author. The novel, The Catcher in the Rye, was published in 1951, not only to rave reviews, but to criticism and censorship in high schools and libraries. Challenges mainly ranged from the use of profanity, and those famous (and overused) words, Family Values, but the strength of the writing and the brilliance of the story overcame the adversity and it is considered a classic and one of the top novels of the 20th century. As far as it is known at this time, Salinger apparently never wrote another book, and only had a few published short stories. (That is, unless an unpublished manuscript or manuscripts show up in what the author left behind).
Apparently screenwriter, Shane Salerno is one who was enthralled by the book and its author, as he spent nearly six years and his own financing, researching, interviewing, and working on his two hour documentary, Salinger. When news of this documentary came out shortly after Salinger’s death January 27, 2010, it was rumored that the documentary could have a short interview with Salinger himself.
In this new Newsweek article today, Shane Salerno is quoted about the 800-page biography, The Private War of J. D. Salinger, co-written with David Shields: “will substantially rewrite the record of J. D. Salinger’s life, and correct many inaccurate stories that have been told for decades.”
Salerno apparently has amassed 15,000 pages of interview transcripts with Salinger intimates, former colleagues, and more than 100 personal photographs, (one in the Newsweek article) and is quoted by Newsweek to say, “We’ve been sifting through all this new material to contextualize this giant of American literature. You’re going to see a very different Salinger than you’ve read about for five decades.”
It may be interesting to discover that Salinger was not really a recluse at all, but for the most part just disappeared from the world of literature and lived a quite and lonely life for the last sixty years. He was 91 when he died.
What do you think?
Maybe we’ll have our answers soon when determined biographer, researcher, screenwriter, and producer, Shane Salerno releases his two-hour documentary, Salinger, and the biography, The Private War of J. D. Salinger hits the bookshelves.
Hopefully we’ll learn something about the mysterious author who penned this controversial coming of age novel. I look forward to it.
~ Linda
Apparently screenwriter, Shane Salerno is one who was enthralled by the book and its author, as he spent nearly six years and his own financing, researching, interviewing, and working on his two hour documentary, Salinger. When news of this documentary came out shortly after Salinger’s death January 27, 2010, it was rumored that the documentary could have a short interview with Salinger himself.
In this new Newsweek article today, Shane Salerno is quoted about the 800-page biography, The Private War of J. D. Salinger, co-written with David Shields: “will substantially rewrite the record of J. D. Salinger’s life, and correct many inaccurate stories that have been told for decades.”
Salerno apparently has amassed 15,000 pages of interview transcripts with Salinger intimates, former colleagues, and more than 100 personal photographs, (one in the Newsweek article) and is quoted by Newsweek to say, “We’ve been sifting through all this new material to contextualize this giant of American literature. You’re going to see a very different Salinger than you’ve read about for five decades.”
It may be interesting to discover that Salinger was not really a recluse at all, but for the most part just disappeared from the world of literature and lived a quite and lonely life for the last sixty years. He was 91 when he died.
What do you think?
Maybe we’ll have our answers soon when determined biographer, researcher, screenwriter, and producer, Shane Salerno releases his two-hour documentary, Salinger, and the biography, The Private War of J. D. Salinger hits the bookshelves.
Hopefully we’ll learn something about the mysterious author who penned this controversial coming of age novel. I look forward to it.
~ Linda
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Amazon.com Now Selling More Kindle Books Than Hardcover Books
" ... even while our hardcover sales continue to grow, the Kindle format has now overtaken the hardcover format.” -Jeff Bezos, Founder and CEO of Amazon.com.
Author Andrew E. Kaufman, who I recently interviewed, brought this Amazon information to my attention via his blog post. For those of us who are Kindle authors, it is encouraging to see the promising growth rate of the Kindle users, and the overall popularity of ebooks.
I do now have the Kindle for PC and this has given me the opportunity to download sample chapters of ebooks I may be interested in. I’m in front of my computer monitor so many hours of the day that I do not find it difficult to read a book on my 19” flat screen. Heck, I do that all the time when writing a book or when I recently formatted 12 of my late husband Don Pendleton’s books for re-print and Kindle. And as I have been saying, maybe one day I will buy the Kindle Reader as the price is now more attractive.
Thinking a very few months ahead, I wonder how many Kindles will sell for the Christmas Holiday? Do you plan on having one at some point?
Author Andrew E. Kaufman, who I recently interviewed, brought this Amazon information to my attention via his blog post. For those of us who are Kindle authors, it is encouraging to see the promising growth rate of the Kindle users, and the overall popularity of ebooks.
I do now have the Kindle for PC and this has given me the opportunity to download sample chapters of ebooks I may be interested in. I’m in front of my computer monitor so many hours of the day that I do not find it difficult to read a book on my 19” flat screen. Heck, I do that all the time when writing a book or when I recently formatted 12 of my late husband Don Pendleton’s books for re-print and Kindle. And as I have been saying, maybe one day I will buy the Kindle Reader as the price is now more attractive.
Thinking a very few months ahead, I wonder how many Kindles will sell for the Christmas Holiday? Do you plan on having one at some point?
SEATTLE, Jul 19, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- (NASDAQ: AMZN) -- Millions of people are already reading on Kindles and Kindle is the #1 bestselling item on Amazon.com for two years running. It's also the most-wished-for, most-gifted, and has the most 5-star reviews of any product on Amazon.com. Today, Amazon.com announced that Kindle device unit sales accelerated each month in the second quarter--both on a sequential month-over-month basis and on a year-over-year basis.
"We've reached a tipping point with the new price of Kindle--the growth rate of Kindle device unit sales has tripled since we lowered the price from $259 to $189," said Jeff Bezos, Founder and CEO of Amazon.com. "In addition, even while our hardcover sales continue to grow, the Kindle format has now overtaken the hardcover format. Amazon.com customers now purchase more Kindle books than hardcover books--astonishing when you consider that we've been selling hardcover books for 15 years, and Kindle books for 33 months."
Kindle offers the largest selection of the most popular books people want to read. The U.S. Kindle Store now has more than 630,000 books, including New Releases and 106 of 110 New York Times Best Sellers. Over 510,000 of these books are $9.99 or less, including 75 New York Times Best Sellers. Over 1.8 million free, out-of-copyright, pre-1923 books are also available to read on Kindle.
Recent milestones for Kindle books include:
Over the past three months, for every 100 hardcover books Amazon.com has sold, it has sold 143 Kindle books. Over the past month, for every 100 hardcover books Amazon.com has sold, it has sold 180 Kindle books. This is across Amazon.com's entire U.S. book business and includes sales of hardcover books where there is no Kindle edition. Free Kindle books are excluded and if included would make the number even higher.
Amazon sold more than 3x as many Kindle books in the first half of 2010 as in the first half of 2009.
The Association of American Publishers' latest data reports that e-book sales grew 163 percent in the month of May and 207 percent year-to-date through May. Kindle book sales in May and year-to-date through May exceeded those growth rates.
On July 6, Hachette announced that James Patterson had sold 1.14 million e-books to date. Of those, 867,881 were Kindle books.
Five authors--Charlaine Harris, Stieg Larsson, Stephenie Meyer, James Patterson, and Nora Roberts--have each sold more than 500,000 Kindle books.
Readers are responding to Kindle's uncompromising approach to the reading experience. Weighing 10.2 ounces, Kindle can be held comfortably in one hand for hours, has an e-ink display that is easy on the eyes even in bright daylight, has two weeks of battery life, lets you buy your books once and read them everywhere--on your Kindle, Kindle DX, iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, Mac, PC, BlackBerry, and Android-based devices--and has free 3G wireless with no monthly fees or annual contracts--all at a $189 price.
SOURCE: Amazon.com
~Linda
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Paperback Covers
Robert McGinnis is one of America's foremost illustrators. Since 1950s, he has painted over 1,000 paperback covers in all genres, including mystery, romance, and western. He also painted movie posters, many from well-known movies such as James Bond, You Only Live Twice, Thunderball, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and The Odd Couple. He is a member of the American Illustration Hall of Fame.
He painted alluring women who ended on many hard-boiled detective books throughout the years and his covers are easily spotted by those who know his work. He did the Shell Scott Mystery series written by Richard S. Prather, and has recently done covers for several of the recent Hard Case Crime novels, including Richard Prather’s The Peddler.
Here is an interview about paperback covers, featuring author Stephen King, Hard Case Crime publisher and writer, Charles Ardai, and artist Robert McGinnis.
He painted alluring women who ended on many hard-boiled detective books throughout the years and his covers are easily spotted by those who know his work. He did the Shell Scott Mystery series written by Richard S. Prather, and has recently done covers for several of the recent Hard Case Crime novels, including Richard Prather’s The Peddler.
Here is an interview about paperback covers, featuring author Stephen King, Hard Case Crime publisher and writer, Charles Ardai, and artist Robert McGinnis.
~Linda
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Don Pendleton's "Joe Copp Mystery Thrillers"
Finally! I now have all six of Don Pendleton's Joe Copp Private Eye mystery thrillers on sale as Kindle and paper with new covers. It has taken me much longer than anticipated to get those six books ready for publication again in print. I am happy with the new covers and I think they look great in print, and others have told me the same thing. I know Don would love them if he was still here--and as some of you know, he died in 1995. I work hard to keep his works available not only for his old fans, but for new readers.
~Linda
Monday, July 5, 2010
Interview with Andrew E. Kaufman, Author of "While the Savage Sleeps"
My Interview with author, Andrew E. Kaufman
Linda: Andrew, congratulations on publishing your novel, While the Savage Sleeps, a forensic paranormal mystery thriller. It sounds like a fascinating novel. In reading your biography I see you received university degrees in journalism and political science and then went on to become an Emmy-nominated writer/producer in TV news media. So my first questions are: When did you become interested in writing? Did you write as a kid?
Andrew: For as long as I can remember I've always had a fascination with and a love for the written word. My mother (to whom I dedicated the book) was an avid reader, and I think that had a significant influence on me. Plus, I've always been a communicator and yet somewhat introverted. For me, writing seemed to work in both respects.
Linda: Who or what has influenced your writing and in what way?
Andrew: That's a tough one. I think for me, as far as writing goes, the influence was a cumulative process: One part actual life experiences, one part the many things I've read throughout the years. I don't think any one has had more of an influence than the other. More, my writing is reflection of all of those.
Linda: Who have been your favorite writers over the years? What books do you believe have influenced your writing? What books have most influenced your life and/or your world view?
Andrew: Every single one of them! It doesn't matter whether or not I enjoyed them; in certain ways they've all helped shape me and my writing. I've greatly admired many writers, and that, I think, drove me to be better myself. In others, I may not have admired them so much and as a result decided to avoid writing in the same manner. But yes, there are some writers I've enjoyed more than others. Dennis Lehane comes to mind, and Jonathan Kellerman, too. Both have a very unique voice, which to me is of the utmost importance. You could throw a page in front of me from either of them and I'd be able identify it in a heartbeat.
Linda: I love to ask writers how they receive their inspiration. Many feel their inspiration comes from beyond them at times as they are working with their characters. Have you experienced that in your writing? Do you visualize your scenes? Do you “walk” in your character’s shoes?
Andrew: I've been told by people who have read While the Savage Sleeps that my writing is very visual, that the scenes seemed to play out in their heads like a movie. I think that's because I'm very big on capturing the mood and visuals when I write. In my mind's eye, I'm constantly zooming in, panning, pulling away, and examining things—not in a lingering sense or to the point of distraction, but just enough to give people a sense of where they are while they're on that page. As for my characters, I think they are all extensions of my own personality. In order to portray them effectively and give them dimension, I think you have to really get inside their heads (or maybe it's the reverse, or both). If you don't do that, you end up with very flat characters. My protagonist, Cameron Dawson, has had a particularly difficult life. In order to effectively get that across to the reader, I needed to feel his pain as if it were my own. I was able to do that, but it was a very difficult and emotional process. There were times I literally had to take a break from him and move on to something else because I felt emotionally drained. I suppose for an author, portraying a character can at times be like getting into an acting role.
Linda: Tell us about While the Savage Sleeps, and how the idea for the story began.
Andrew: Believe it or not, it came to me in a dream; no joke. I'd been struggling for quite some time, trying to figure out my plot but not having much luck at all. I remember waking up one morning—or rather, sitting straight up in bed—and saying to myself: “That's it! I've got it!” I suppose my subconscious, or maybe something else, had been trying to tell me something. Perhaps the only way to get me to listen was while I was asleep and my defenses were down. Either way, it worked. The idea resonated strongly, and a novel was born.
In a nutshell, While the Savage Sleeps is the story of two strangers: distance separates them, a dark secret connects them, but a voice from the grave will draw them together. It begins in the fictional town of Faith, New Mexico where strange things are happening. People are disappearing and for others it's far worse. The answer lies not in their backyard but miles away where Kyle Bancroft's life is turning upside-down. She's seeing, hearing, and dreaming things she can't explain: flashbacks to World War II and an eerie hospital ward with locked doors, empty gurneys, and gutteral screams. To make matters worse, a ghostly green-eyed girl is complicating Kyle's vision with an urgent message: time is running out. Kyle’s otherworldly encounters are driving her straight toward Faith, where she and Cameron will need to find out whether the child speaking from the grave is dangerously evil or trying to help them uncover a secret the town has been hiding for more than fifty years.
Linda: You have taken what is becoming the new direction in publishing...self publishing, e-publishing, as many of us are doing. Why your decision to do so? Your book is available at Amazon Kindle. What other plans do you have for it? Will it also be in print soon?
Andrew: I feel very strongly about this. I spent more than a year querying agents, trying to find representation, and I had quite a few requests for the manuscript, as well as a lot of positive feedback. The comments were indeed very encouraging, things like: “It's very well written.” and “Compelling story.” and “Has tons of potential.” But in the end, many of them felt it was a genre that fell a bit too far outside their areas of expertise. Agenting these days has become extremely specialized. Most are very specific about what they feel they can sell. Because While the Savage Sleeps mixes two sort of unlikely bedfellows, forensics and the paranormal, I think that made it difficult to pin down, where genres are concerned and thus, a not-so-good candidate for agent representation. But I believe e-books and self publishing are about to change everything. This isn't your father's “vanity press” anymore. Amazon and many others are now paving the way for indie authors and allowing them to find their audiences, or perhaps visa versa. Regardless of what the naysayers think, this is a great time to be an author because it's a whole new game. Just look at Joe Konrath. He's selling his e-books hand over fist. As for print, yes, I'm currently in the process of working out the details on that and hope to have a hard copy available by the end of summer.
Linda: With your years of experience in writing, research, and skill as a journalist, how would you compare that to your experience of writing a novel?
Andrew: Two completely different worlds. When I wrote for television news, the stories were often 15 to 20 second blurbs—not exactly the most nurturing environment for creativity. Even when I produced special series, they were often only about a minute-thirty, and that was with soundbites. But on the other hand, it did teach me some valuable skills. For one, I learned to be economical with words. I admit I did go the other direction for a bit, a little crazy with words, but that I think was to be expected (I was verbally frustrated), however, I did come back around and tone it down. TV news also taught me to research my stories well. For While the Savage Sleeps, I actually attended an autopsy. I wanted my scene to not only be factually correct, I also wanted the readers to get a sense of the mood and nuances in that setting. I have to admit it was a truly nauseating experience, one I'd rather not have to experience again, but I don't think the book would have been the same without it.
Linda: One more question—what is your favorite quote?
Andrew: “And the time came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” –Anais Nin
Linda: That’s a great quote. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to interview you for my blog, Andrew. Again, congratulations on getting your book out there, and the best of luck with it.
Andrew: The pleasure was mine. Thank you for having me!
Andrew: For as long as I can remember I've always had a fascination with and a love for the written word. My mother (to whom I dedicated the book) was an avid reader, and I think that had a significant influence on me. Plus, I've always been a communicator and yet somewhat introverted. For me, writing seemed to work in both respects.
Linda: Who or what has influenced your writing and in what way?
Andrew: That's a tough one. I think for me, as far as writing goes, the influence was a cumulative process: One part actual life experiences, one part the many things I've read throughout the years. I don't think any one has had more of an influence than the other. More, my writing is reflection of all of those.
Linda: Who have been your favorite writers over the years? What books do you believe have influenced your writing? What books have most influenced your life and/or your world view?
Andrew: Every single one of them! It doesn't matter whether or not I enjoyed them; in certain ways they've all helped shape me and my writing. I've greatly admired many writers, and that, I think, drove me to be better myself. In others, I may not have admired them so much and as a result decided to avoid writing in the same manner. But yes, there are some writers I've enjoyed more than others. Dennis Lehane comes to mind, and Jonathan Kellerman, too. Both have a very unique voice, which to me is of the utmost importance. You could throw a page in front of me from either of them and I'd be able identify it in a heartbeat.
Linda: I love to ask writers how they receive their inspiration. Many feel their inspiration comes from beyond them at times as they are working with their characters. Have you experienced that in your writing? Do you visualize your scenes? Do you “walk” in your character’s shoes?
Andrew: I've been told by people who have read While the Savage Sleeps that my writing is very visual, that the scenes seemed to play out in their heads like a movie. I think that's because I'm very big on capturing the mood and visuals when I write. In my mind's eye, I'm constantly zooming in, panning, pulling away, and examining things—not in a lingering sense or to the point of distraction, but just enough to give people a sense of where they are while they're on that page. As for my characters, I think they are all extensions of my own personality. In order to portray them effectively and give them dimension, I think you have to really get inside their heads (or maybe it's the reverse, or both). If you don't do that, you end up with very flat characters. My protagonist, Cameron Dawson, has had a particularly difficult life. In order to effectively get that across to the reader, I needed to feel his pain as if it were my own. I was able to do that, but it was a very difficult and emotional process. There were times I literally had to take a break from him and move on to something else because I felt emotionally drained. I suppose for an author, portraying a character can at times be like getting into an acting role.
Linda: Tell us about While the Savage Sleeps, and how the idea for the story began.
Andrew: Believe it or not, it came to me in a dream; no joke. I'd been struggling for quite some time, trying to figure out my plot but not having much luck at all. I remember waking up one morning—or rather, sitting straight up in bed—and saying to myself: “That's it! I've got it!” I suppose my subconscious, or maybe something else, had been trying to tell me something. Perhaps the only way to get me to listen was while I was asleep and my defenses were down. Either way, it worked. The idea resonated strongly, and a novel was born.
In a nutshell, While the Savage Sleeps is the story of two strangers: distance separates them, a dark secret connects them, but a voice from the grave will draw them together. It begins in the fictional town of Faith, New Mexico where strange things are happening. People are disappearing and for others it's far worse. The answer lies not in their backyard but miles away where Kyle Bancroft's life is turning upside-down. She's seeing, hearing, and dreaming things she can't explain: flashbacks to World War II and an eerie hospital ward with locked doors, empty gurneys, and gutteral screams. To make matters worse, a ghostly green-eyed girl is complicating Kyle's vision with an urgent message: time is running out. Kyle’s otherworldly encounters are driving her straight toward Faith, where she and Cameron will need to find out whether the child speaking from the grave is dangerously evil or trying to help them uncover a secret the town has been hiding for more than fifty years.
Linda: You have taken what is becoming the new direction in publishing...self publishing, e-publishing, as many of us are doing. Why your decision to do so? Your book is available at Amazon Kindle. What other plans do you have for it? Will it also be in print soon?
Andrew: I feel very strongly about this. I spent more than a year querying agents, trying to find representation, and I had quite a few requests for the manuscript, as well as a lot of positive feedback. The comments were indeed very encouraging, things like: “It's very well written.” and “Compelling story.” and “Has tons of potential.” But in the end, many of them felt it was a genre that fell a bit too far outside their areas of expertise. Agenting these days has become extremely specialized. Most are very specific about what they feel they can sell. Because While the Savage Sleeps mixes two sort of unlikely bedfellows, forensics and the paranormal, I think that made it difficult to pin down, where genres are concerned and thus, a not-so-good candidate for agent representation. But I believe e-books and self publishing are about to change everything. This isn't your father's “vanity press” anymore. Amazon and many others are now paving the way for indie authors and allowing them to find their audiences, or perhaps visa versa. Regardless of what the naysayers think, this is a great time to be an author because it's a whole new game. Just look at Joe Konrath. He's selling his e-books hand over fist. As for print, yes, I'm currently in the process of working out the details on that and hope to have a hard copy available by the end of summer.
Linda: With your years of experience in writing, research, and skill as a journalist, how would you compare that to your experience of writing a novel?
Andrew: Two completely different worlds. When I wrote for television news, the stories were often 15 to 20 second blurbs—not exactly the most nurturing environment for creativity. Even when I produced special series, they were often only about a minute-thirty, and that was with soundbites. But on the other hand, it did teach me some valuable skills. For one, I learned to be economical with words. I admit I did go the other direction for a bit, a little crazy with words, but that I think was to be expected (I was verbally frustrated), however, I did come back around and tone it down. TV news also taught me to research my stories well. For While the Savage Sleeps, I actually attended an autopsy. I wanted my scene to not only be factually correct, I also wanted the readers to get a sense of the mood and nuances in that setting. I have to admit it was a truly nauseating experience, one I'd rather not have to experience again, but I don't think the book would have been the same without it.
Linda: One more question—what is your favorite quote?
Andrew: “And the time came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” –Anais Nin
Linda: That’s a great quote. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to interview you for my blog, Andrew. Again, congratulations on getting your book out there, and the best of luck with it.
Andrew: The pleasure was mine. Thank you for having me!
Visit Andrew E. Kaufman's website and his blog.
~Linda
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Free PC Kindle Reader and New Kindle Price
Amazon has recently dropped the price of their ebook reader, the Kindle.
It now sells for $189...an attractive price...
and you can now download FREE an app, A Kindle reader, for your computer, BlackBerry, iPhone, iPad...
With Amazon's increased royalty rate for authors that just went into effect, it would be my guess that more and more books in the $2.99 to $9.99 price range are going to be available as authors choose to take advantage of the greater royalty.
With Amazon's increased royalty rate for authors that just went into effect, it would be my guess that more and more books in the $2.99 to $9.99 price range are going to be available as authors choose to take advantage of the greater royalty.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Lower Kindle Price, Don Pendleton's Joe Copp Thrillers
I have been working on the print format for six Joe Copp Private Eye novels by Don Pendleton. I had recently put them up at Kindle but in doing new covers and new trade paper I have to go through them again for the proper format for print. So it takes time.
I have lowered the price on the Kindle editions of the Joe Copp Thrillers. They are now going for $6.99 each. So if you want a good hard-boiled detective read, those just might be the books for you.
I'm so pleased with the Kindle sales of my books that I may just have to splurge before long for my own Kindle. I've heard from two frineds that they just love their Kindle.
The Joe Copp Mystery Series was Don Pendleton's first hardcover books, after many books published in paperback. The Copp books were published by the late Donald I. Fine, a longtime N.Y. editor and publisher. They were soon after realeased in paperback. I put them back in print through the Authors Guild Back in Print program about ten years ago. And now in the coming weeks they will again be released in print with new covers...the same covers my web desinger, Judy Bullard and I designed for Kindle editions.
If you need any Kindle, POD, ebook covers, check Judy's work out. She does excellent covers. She recently designed several for author Mark Terry.
Here are a few reviews of Don Pendleton's Joe Copp Private Eye Series:
“This Joe Copp adventure reads like an express train. A throwback to the vintage Spillane era, Pendleton knows how to keep us turning the pages.” ~Publishers Weekly
“Pendleton has a great new character in Copp. His style is fresh, the pace is brisk, and there are enough twists to please any mystery fan.” ~St. Petersburg Times
“Pendleton, author of the long-running paperback Executioner series, shows in his first hardcover that hardboiled writing can be insightful as well as action-packed.” ~Library Journal
“Pendleton has a great new character in Copp. His style is fresh, the pace is brisk, and there are enough twists to please any mystery fan.” ~St. Petersburg Times
“Pendleton, author of the long-running paperback Executioner series, shows in his first hardcover that hardboiled writing can be insightful as well as action-packed.” ~Library Journal
“A fast-moving, even blurring, story of murder behind the floodlights.” ~Book World
"Pendleton mines another bestselling vein with the cases of ex-cop/private eye Joe Copp, the toughest operator this side of Mike Hammer."
~ALA Booklist
~ALA Booklist
Read more about Don Pendleton's Joe Copp Kindle books Here
~Linda
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
"Master of Fantasy: Frank Frazetta's Legacy"
American Artist Frank Frazetta passed away on May 10, 2010, at the age of eighty-two.
His art career covered many years, and he was noted for work in comic books, paperback book covers, paintings, posters, record-album covers and other media.
The book cover above, of my late husband Don Pendleton’s paperback novel The Godmakers (written under Dan Britain) is a Frank Frazetta cover. The book was published in 1970.
His art career covered many years, and he was noted for work in comic books, paperback book covers, paintings, posters, record-album covers and other media.
The book cover above, of my late husband Don Pendleton’s paperback novel The Godmakers (written under Dan Britain) is a Frank Frazetta cover. The book was published in 1970.
I found it interesting to see the evolution of Frazetta’s art through the years, not only of his own style, but of the apparent social/cultural changes that have taken place. It is a brief look at art history over fifty years or so.
From Time Magazine:
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Self-Publishing Debate
I’m beginning to find rather amusing these ongoing and, at times, heated discussions of self publishing vs. standard publishing. Oh, some refer to it as vanity publishing...a term I now consider to be misplaced in some instances. If you receive royalties, I believe that to not be vanity publishing.
More than ten years ago, the Authors Guild, Inc.(I’ve been a member since 1990) began to offer their members the opportunity to put there out of print books back in print. Many authors have done so. I did so with my late husband, Don Pendleton’s two mystery series, 12 books in all: the Joe Copp Private Eye Thrillers and the Ashton Ford Psychic Detective series. The Back in Print program was in conjunction with iUniverse.com (a company somehow connected at the time with Barnes and Noble) and apparently now under the umbrella of Author Solutions/Author House.
At the time I published Don’s 12 books with the Back in Print program, the set up cost per book was $99 and the royalty rate was 25%. I also published several other books with iUniverse over the next two years or so, at the $99 setup, and did my own covers, and had a royalty rate on those new books at 20%.
They’ve made profit...and I have heard from others, “but you didn’t get anything up front like you would with a publisher.” No, you do not get an advance when publishing this way, an advance against royalties. And in some cases, depending on the size of the advance you receive, it could be all you ever get, or if you earn out more royalty above the initial advance (usually part on signing, part on delivery of the mss), the publisher may distribute it to you over a long period of time while keeping some of your earned royalty money as a protection for them against returns by booksellers.
In the last few years since I published with iUniverse, their rates have increased significantly...about 500%. And things are not as good with this new company—they were slower to post royalties, and are not posting Kindle royalties (I paid $99 bucks recently to have two book put at Kindle by iUniverse). That was a mistake on my part as I could have done it for FREE myself, as I’ve discovered how easy it is to do. I’ve now put 31 books at Kindle myself, and I love that as I can watch my daily sales through my account at Amazon Kindle.
I have also ended my agreement with iUniverse on the Joe Copp and Ashton Ford mystery series, and will be putting them in print with createspace.com shortly. I did new covers for all 12 and put them at Kindle where they are selling nicely. Those same covers will be done soon for the new PODs.
I also published two books with createspace.com, my PI novel, Shattered Lens: Catherine Winter, Private Investigator, and The Cosmic Breath: Metaphysical Essays of Don Pendleton. That was quick and easy at $39.
So what I am so amused at is the apparent belief by many (agents, publishers, and authors) that books published in this way have no value. You can read what many are saying in their blogs, and in comments about POD and ebook publishing....if an author decided to bypass the agent—the mainstream publisher, then the manuscript must be “junk” and not worthy of publication. Why does a writer’s group disallow an author membership if he or she has published in this way? Why are some well-known writers against this kind of publication? Why do they care? They have made their money via their choice. (or have they actually gotten ripped off by mainstream publishers and don’t care to admit that—and believe me, it can happen).
Personally I prefer having control over my books, and if it means not having to go through the marketing process of a well-written manuscript, whether at the agent level or the publisher level, which can take many, many months or longer, it is well worth it to me. I get irritated when an agent takes months to reply, or will only reply to a query if interested, often leaving the author hanging will waiting a reasonable time, Yes, my books may suffer lack of distribution, but I have decided that I will do all I can to let people know of my writing and those who are meant to read it, will. The others who want to complain and prejudge the quality of work with a self-published tag on it, well, that is their problem.
Authors write for a variety of reason and expectations from publishing their work can be varied. And the rewards of writing have nothing much to do with bucks but with heart-felt feedback. Those are the things that stay with an author, the joy of sharing—the meeting of the minds, the author’s with the reader’s. The moment you learn you inspired someone with your words, that’s all that really matters. I’ve enjoyed that many times over in the last twenty years. And my husband, Don Pendleton was able to enjoy that for his long career, and even today, I still receive emails from his fans on how his books inspired them.
For some quality self-published works, take a look at Jon Guenther, H. Charles Dilmore, Summer Bacon, Stephen Tremp, Don Pendleton, Linda Pendleton, Greg Pendleton, and in the coming weeks, a memoir by Athena Demetrios. I’m sure some of you know of others who could be added to the list. I know the list of quality, interesting, and inspirational, self published books must be very long. It has to be as there is a lot of talent in this world.
Some mainstream publishers and booksellers who are getting in the game of offering publishing programs for a fee, now includes Harlequin, Thomas Nelson, Barnes and Noble (just announced), Hay House, of course, Amazon, and I would bet the list is growing day by day.
So why the negative reaction by some agents to authors who self publish? Seems obvious....they may be out a job one day.
What is not obvious is why another published author cares if one of his peers decides to self-publish....
Oh, maybe that’s it. They don’t consider self-published authors “peers” in their “elite” world? Could that be it?
More than ten years ago, the Authors Guild, Inc.(I’ve been a member since 1990) began to offer their members the opportunity to put there out of print books back in print. Many authors have done so. I did so with my late husband, Don Pendleton’s two mystery series, 12 books in all: the Joe Copp Private Eye Thrillers and the Ashton Ford Psychic Detective series. The Back in Print program was in conjunction with iUniverse.com (a company somehow connected at the time with Barnes and Noble) and apparently now under the umbrella of Author Solutions/Author House.
At the time I published Don’s 12 books with the Back in Print program, the set up cost per book was $99 and the royalty rate was 25%. I also published several other books with iUniverse over the next two years or so, at the $99 setup, and did my own covers, and had a royalty rate on those new books at 20%.
They’ve made profit...and I have heard from others, “but you didn’t get anything up front like you would with a publisher.” No, you do not get an advance when publishing this way, an advance against royalties. And in some cases, depending on the size of the advance you receive, it could be all you ever get, or if you earn out more royalty above the initial advance (usually part on signing, part on delivery of the mss), the publisher may distribute it to you over a long period of time while keeping some of your earned royalty money as a protection for them against returns by booksellers.
In the last few years since I published with iUniverse, their rates have increased significantly...about 500%. And things are not as good with this new company—they were slower to post royalties, and are not posting Kindle royalties (I paid $99 bucks recently to have two book put at Kindle by iUniverse). That was a mistake on my part as I could have done it for FREE myself, as I’ve discovered how easy it is to do. I’ve now put 31 books at Kindle myself, and I love that as I can watch my daily sales through my account at Amazon Kindle.
I have also ended my agreement with iUniverse on the Joe Copp and Ashton Ford mystery series, and will be putting them in print with createspace.com shortly. I did new covers for all 12 and put them at Kindle where they are selling nicely. Those same covers will be done soon for the new PODs.
I also published two books with createspace.com, my PI novel, Shattered Lens: Catherine Winter, Private Investigator, and The Cosmic Breath: Metaphysical Essays of Don Pendleton. That was quick and easy at $39.
So what I am so amused at is the apparent belief by many (agents, publishers, and authors) that books published in this way have no value. You can read what many are saying in their blogs, and in comments about POD and ebook publishing....if an author decided to bypass the agent—the mainstream publisher, then the manuscript must be “junk” and not worthy of publication. Why does a writer’s group disallow an author membership if he or she has published in this way? Why are some well-known writers against this kind of publication? Why do they care? They have made their money via their choice. (or have they actually gotten ripped off by mainstream publishers and don’t care to admit that—and believe me, it can happen).
Personally I prefer having control over my books, and if it means not having to go through the marketing process of a well-written manuscript, whether at the agent level or the publisher level, which can take many, many months or longer, it is well worth it to me. I get irritated when an agent takes months to reply, or will only reply to a query if interested, often leaving the author hanging will waiting a reasonable time, Yes, my books may suffer lack of distribution, but I have decided that I will do all I can to let people know of my writing and those who are meant to read it, will. The others who want to complain and prejudge the quality of work with a self-published tag on it, well, that is their problem.
Authors write for a variety of reason and expectations from publishing their work can be varied. And the rewards of writing have nothing much to do with bucks but with heart-felt feedback. Those are the things that stay with an author, the joy of sharing—the meeting of the minds, the author’s with the reader’s. The moment you learn you inspired someone with your words, that’s all that really matters. I’ve enjoyed that many times over in the last twenty years. And my husband, Don Pendleton was able to enjoy that for his long career, and even today, I still receive emails from his fans on how his books inspired them.
For some quality self-published works, take a look at Jon Guenther, H. Charles Dilmore, Summer Bacon, Stephen Tremp, Don Pendleton, Linda Pendleton, Greg Pendleton, and in the coming weeks, a memoir by Athena Demetrios. I’m sure some of you know of others who could be added to the list. I know the list of quality, interesting, and inspirational, self published books must be very long. It has to be as there is a lot of talent in this world.
Some mainstream publishers and booksellers who are getting in the game of offering publishing programs for a fee, now includes Harlequin, Thomas Nelson, Barnes and Noble (just announced), Hay House, of course, Amazon, and I would bet the list is growing day by day.
So why the negative reaction by some agents to authors who self publish? Seems obvious....they may be out a job one day.
What is not obvious is why another published author cares if one of his peers decides to self-publish....
Oh, maybe that’s it. They don’t consider self-published authors “peers” in their “elite” world? Could that be it?
All that said, do I believe in spending a lot of money putting your book out there? No, not really. Any aspiring author about to publish should carefully research, consider all alternatives, and not be “taken in” at a vulnerable time—vulnerable—yes, as it feels great to hold your book in your hand, or to see it listed for Kindle download or other downloads as ebooks.
It’s a sense of pride of doing what we love to do, and doing it well. As Joseph Campbell once said, “Follow your bliss.” And if that bliss is writing, do it!
~Linda
It’s a sense of pride of doing what we love to do, and doing it well. As Joseph Campbell once said, “Follow your bliss.” And if that bliss is writing, do it!
~Linda
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Is Lee the Next American Idol?
Fox American Idol PhotoSo I am voting...still have more than an hour left. I have believed for several weeks that the final two would be Lee and Crystal.
Time will tell...Casey is popular, too...
Who do you think will win?
~Linda
Monday, May 17, 2010
Mary Higgins Clark, Author of Suspense
“An education is the best gift a parent can give a child.” ~Mary Higgins Clark, Author
Best-selling suspense author, Mary Higgins Clark has released her new book, The Shadow of Your Smile. In this first short video she speaks of the inspiration for her story, and in the second, she offers advice to aspiring writers. In the third video she talks about her book, I Heard That Song Before, a psychological thriller. She reveals in these videos how she comes up with her ideas for her stories. Very interesting.
This weekend, the 82 year-old author spoke at the commencement exercise at Mount Saint Mary College, a private, liberal arts 4-year college located in Newburgh, in the Hudson Valley area of New York. She received an honorary degree, adding another to the many she has been given. She had graduated from Fordham University at about the age of 50 after attending night classes for six years and five of her own children graduated from college and two with law degrees.
She told the nearly 700 graduating students: “Make your story something more than a best-seller. Write it so it becomes a classic.”
How well she knows. She has sold over 100 million books and has won many awards. I read about her life at Wikipedia and her earlier life had been difficult in some ways and I would imagine her memoir, Kitchen Privileges, would be a good read. She will be appearing later this month at the Book Expo in New York.
~Linda
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Novelist Barry Eisler and INSIDE OUT
Novelist Barry Eisler has a new thriller, INSIDE OUT, coming out next month, and with his personal background and political interests this should be a great read. It’s all about torture, government cover-ups, a mixture of fiction and reality, written by someone in the know, who for three years was in a covert position with the CIA’s Directorate of Operations, and is a lawyer. He also blogs often about civil liberties and torture.
In the first video he reads one of his sex scenes...(language warning for tender ears)
In the first video he reads one of his sex scenes...(language warning for tender ears)
and in the second video he tells us why he wrote the story.
Guess we need to buy his book! I may buy the audio recording...
Guess we need to buy his book! I may buy the audio recording...
The book, audio, and Kindle editions are available at Amazon for preorder. It will be out in late June. It’s getting great professional reviews, take a look.
My previous post about Barry
~Linda
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Novel Writing Guide by Jon Guenther
"HEY, DID YOU HEAR THE NEWS?"Author Jon Guenther has a new blog for writers...aspiring writers...or those interesting in the art of writing...
Novel Writing Guide
Your ultimate guide to creating, writing and publishing a novel by Jon Guenther.
Your ultimate guide to creating, writing and publishing a novel by Jon Guenther.
Take a look as he has some excellent comments and ideas--and this will be an ongoing series of instruction and information.
~Linda
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Don Pendleton's Last Novel, Roulette
I see Amazon has dropped the price of my Kindle edition of our crime novel, Roulette by Don and Linda Pendleton. This turned out to be Don Pendleton's last novel. Also our first fiction collaboration. It's also available in paper at amazon and other online bookstores.
Review of Roulette: “Great story. I could hardly put it down. So real, so credible, a delightful page turner.” ~Ken M., California
Roulette by Don and Linda Pendleton
Husband and wife police detectives, both married more to the badge than each other, have inevitable conflict within their marriage and their careers are put to the test when a psychopathic killer invades their community.
In the early morning hour of a spring day, Helen Carter, twenty four-year-old housewife and mother of two small children, is awakened by a ski-masked intruder at her bedside. Paralyzed by fear, she works desperately to steel herself against the inevitable rape and harrowing attack that is already in progress. Helen Carter is to become only the first victim of the Sunrise Rapist. She is a very lucky young woman. Following the brutal attack of the second victim of the Sunrise Rapist, the perpetrator is immediately tagged the Sunrise Killer, and the quiet and peaceful community of San Remo, California, becomes a hotbed of fear and outrage.
The San Remo Police Department, already caught up in a difficult political climate, now has its hands full with a killer in their midst. Detective Rebecca Storm, the only woman in the detective bureau, and the sole member of the Sex Crimes Unit, finds that the Sunrise Killer will not only challenge her career, her marriage, but her very life.
Her husband, and fellow officer, veteran Detective Sergeant Peter Storm, already caught up in the infighting of the police department and city management, is drawn deeper into his career battles and challenges as the Sunrise Killer makes his appearance in San Remo.
What is ahead for the San Remo Police Department, and especially for two of its detectives, is many sleepless nights as the Sunrise Killer increases his maniacal assault on the innocent women and children of San Remo. But the killer’s reach goes far beyond his actual victims and their families. The lives of those dedicated to preserving peace within the city and pursuing the serial killer are challenged to the limits, both in their personal lives and in their professional careers.
The story is fast-moving, often riveting, often disturbing, as the cops are repeatedly challenged by a psychotic serial killer who has them all in his grip.
Copyright © 2010 by Linda Pendleton.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
New Book by Susan Boyle Coming Soon
Coming this fall, the autobiography, The Woman I was Born to Be by Susan Boyle.
Boyle said: "When I strutted onto the stage for that audition, I was a scared wee lassie, still grieving for my mother, not caring how I looked. I think I’ve grown up a lot in the last year, become more of a lady, and I’m not so frightened anymore.
"I’m writing this book to try to show that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, and I hope it will benefit other people. My story demonstrates that you shouldn’t just look at the label, you should look at the whole person, emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually, and I hope that telling it will show that dreams are not impossible, if you’ve got courage and a willingness to go on no matter what the circumstances."
Boyle said: "When I strutted onto the stage for that audition, I was a scared wee lassie, still grieving for my mother, not caring how I looked. I think I’ve grown up a lot in the last year, become more of a lady, and I’m not so frightened anymore.
"I’m writing this book to try to show that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, and I hope it will benefit other people. My story demonstrates that you shouldn’t just look at the label, you should look at the whole person, emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually, and I hope that telling it will show that dreams are not impossible, if you’ve got courage and a willingness to go on no matter what the circumstances."
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Gay rights and Patient Rights
SUBJECT: Respecting the Rights of Hospital Patients to Receive Visitors and to Designate Surrogate Decision Makers for Medical Emergencies
Today President Obama issued an important memorandum concerning hospital visitation rights and medical directives. In some ways, it could be considered historic, giving not only patients the respect and honor to their decisions, but to give gays and lesbian couples and unmarried heterosexual couples visitation rights that have either been denied, or could be denied. It's all about equality....
Today President Obama issued an important memorandum concerning hospital visitation rights and medical directives. In some ways, it could be considered historic, giving not only patients the respect and honor to their decisions, but to give gays and lesbian couples and unmarried heterosexual couples visitation rights that have either been denied, or could be denied. It's all about equality....
“Every day, all across America, patients are denied the kindness and caring of a loved one at their sides,” Mr. Obama said in the memorandum to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, adding that the rules could also help widows and widowers who rely on friends and members of religious orders who care for one another. But he says gay men and lesbians are “uniquely affected” because they are often barred from visiting partners with whom they have spent decades.
Hopefully our President’s memorandum will make the necessary changes to the law concerning hospital care and it appears it will have to be honored by any hospitals participating in Medicare and Medicaid. And it should be that that participating hospitals may not deny visitation privileges on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.
This could affect thousands of people so hopefully it will move forward quickly.
Have any of you ever had a problem with visitation of love one or fear of being denied visitation or the acceptance of a directive?
Read the President’s memorandum here.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Mystery writer, Sue Grafton Interview
Mystery writer, Sue Grafton, has had a very successful run with her Kinsey Millhone series of novels. Known as the alphabet mysteries,"A" is for Alibi, “B” is for Burglar,” and so on up until "U is for Undertow" her December 2009 book, Grafton has continued to put out a good book with each story. I personally have not read them all, but did read a few of the early alphabet.
I did hear her speak at a mystery writers luncheon some years back and very much enjoyed her talk. Thinking back it may have been in the very late 1980s. At that time her series was fairly new as the first book was published in 1983—but even so, she was already an international best-selling author.
In this recent interview here from Borders, she addresses the reason she is not interested in her books becoming films, and many writers often hold her view on that. And Grafton is even more in the “know” as she worked in Hollywood on films for fifteen years.
Enjoy...
~Linda
I did hear her speak at a mystery writers luncheon some years back and very much enjoyed her talk. Thinking back it may have been in the very late 1980s. At that time her series was fairly new as the first book was published in 1983—but even so, she was already an international best-selling author.
In this recent interview here from Borders, she addresses the reason she is not interested in her books becoming films, and many writers often hold her view on that. And Grafton is even more in the “know” as she worked in Hollywood on films for fifteen years.
Enjoy...
~Linda
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