Thursday, January 12, 2012

eBooks are the ticket!



My Journey To Ebooks

A number of years back I was a traditionally published author working with major publishers and enjoying some success.  My first book was the launch title for a new line at Signet.  That first contract for three books was secured with a synopsis and three chapters that got cut from the final draft of the book.   I went on to write ten novels before opting for an early retirement.
                Two years ago I got a Kindle and started filling it with books.  My son, fantasy author Dan McGirt, was revising his books for new print editions and discovered a growing number of writers were excited about producing ebooks .  I had just retired for the second time from a job in education and was planning on a lot of puttering and play when he called one day and said, “We ought to release your backlist as ebooks.”
I was skeptical, but went on to secure the rights reversions where possible. Currently, three of my books— Dark Splendor, Whispers At Midnight, and Delilah’sFlame—are available as ebooks. 
One day I came across those original three chapters that had secured my first contract.  
“This is a great story in itself,” Dan said.  “We could publish it as a novella.”
“I’m on it,” I told him.  We released the three chapters as Dark Prelude at Amazon in November. The next day three of my books were on genre bestseller lists.  Two have remained on the lists since.  The three chapters that first launched my writing career have had a magical effect on this new phase as an ebook author. 
Overall, I’m finding e-publishing exhilarating. Not being constrained by the guidelines of a publishing house or line have spurred my work on new book projects.  It is a liberating to have control of content and pricing, cover and promotion. It is also the greatest responsibility to have control of these things, but I am loving the learning of these powerful tasks and skills.
Having my books available for new readers and knowing I am limited only by my own choices is a true joy.




5 comments:

  1. It's wonderful that your great writing talent can be translated to a whole new arena! Here's to many more e-books!

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  2. It's great that ebooks have opened up this opportunity to backlisted books. Best of luck to you.

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  3. Thank you Angela and Anon. Mass market paperbacks have a relatively short shelf life. It is great to know my books can now be available indefinitely.

    I hope everyone will download Dark Prelude, which is free at Amazon and other ebook stores. The link is in the post above.

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  4. (Argh! Why does blogger make it so hard to comment.) Andrea, you have always inspired me with your ability to just get things done. I am so happy for you and honored to know you. The publishing world is changing and has changed to fast it is mind blowing. But glad to have people like you to lead us through the maze.

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  5. Greatly appreciated, Nikki. I've come all the way from old school to new wave. Thankfully, the technology that sets the pace of change makes it easier for us to adapt and share and inspire each other. Keeping up with change is a big challenge for me but the reward of seeing almost instant results fuels me to keep trying new venues.

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