Newly Posted LDS Fiction

This week's new titles over on the LDS Fiction blog:

Easterfield by Anna Jones Buttimore

The Hero of Ages (Mistborn #3) by Brandon Sanderson

Royal Target by Traci Hunter Abramson


Did we miss any? If we did, let me know.


We've also posted the next contest and the winner of last week's contest.


P.S. Authors & Publishers—If you'd like to be a sponsor for this contest, contact me.

Do I Have to Write Before I Speak?

I'm a fairly successful blogger. (Around 1200 hits a day, during the week--less on weekends. Apparently I attract people who should be working.) Anyway, what my true dream is, is to be on the LDS speaker's circuit. I realize I can't get a job visiting Stake Conferences (and truly, who would want to?). I'm not a religion professor, so the whole know your religion stuff is out of reach for me. But, women's conferences, youth conferences, that Deseret Book sponsored "Time out for Women" thing. I want to do that.

I'm actually a good speaker. And once upon a time, I was a professional trainer, so I know I'm good in front of a crowd. Give me a clip on microphone and I'm ready to go. But, I think I need to publish a book to get noticed. (Somehow I doubt even an Ensign article will do what it takes.) Do you think this is true? Deseret Book isn't going to have me on their speaker tour unless I publish with them, so in order to fill my dream, do I have to 1. write a book and 2. get Deseret Book to publish it? Is there another way? If there isn't another way, is it best to write a doctrinal book, humorous "women's issue" book, sappy "women's issue" book, or fiction?

I realize this is probably a funny question to ask a publisher, but I figured you'd have greater insight than I do on this issue. I suppose you love for your authors to do this type of thing because it sells books. Thanks!

This is funny. Well, not funny ha-ha, but unusual. It's the exact opposite of most people I talk to on a regular basis, who write a book and then want into the speaking circuit as a way to promote their book.

I'm not sure I can fully answer this question, so readers, please chime in. This is what I know. It is difficult to get into the LDS speaking circuit, particularly the BYU women's conferences. There is an application process. You have to send a video. And it can take years. It's easier to get in to the BYU-Idaho conference, and once there, you have a stepping stone to BYU in Provo.

Time Out for Women is one giant commercial for Deseret Book and their products. That's not to demean it or say it isn't useful or helpful to those that attend. From all I've heard, it's a wonderful event and enjoyed by all. But you do have to have a DB book or product.

You don't need a book to speak at youth conferences or enrichment nights. What you need are a few people to give you a start, do a fabulous job and then word will spread. It's easiest to do this if you have a timely topic to discuss that would be of interest to these groups—literacy, last days, finances, etc.

The reason authors have an easier time breaking in to the speaking circuit is because their book sets them up as an "authority" in their subject area. It's a credential. You can get your credentials in other ways—like through a successful blog. But you need to find someone who will get you started, and I'm not sure how to do that.

If you do decide to write, what you write depends on what you want to speak about. If you want to speak on doctrinal issues, write a doctrinal book. If you want to speak on women's issues, write a book about that.

Readers? Are any of you popular LDS speakers? What advice do you have?

E-Books, Again

Lots of good input on my question from yesterday. I really appreciate it.

Let's use coloring books as an example, because they're close to what we're looking at, although some will be more workbook style, or crosswords, or word searches or whatever. Ideally, we'd produce locked pdf files, where people can't change anything in the file. We'd want our customer to be able to download it and print it from their computer. Also, we have no problem with a customer printing multiple copies for their own children, or for their Primary class. What we don't want is for the Stake Primary president to buy it, then print copies for every teacher in every ward in the stake. We also don't want individuals to buy one copy, then e-mail it to all their siblings, aunts, cousins, neighbors, etc.

Now. My personal belief is that if people want to cheat and want to "steal" copies, they're going to find some way to do it. Even if they buy a printed book, they can always take it down to Kinko's and print a million copies on the self-serve machines and no one is the wiser. Also, I believe that most people are honest and when you explain about copyright and what is and isn't allowed, they will follow that. Especially if they're LDS.

But, one of our authors is refusing to let us do it unless we can somehow make sure that their book can't be easily stolen. They feel that because it's so much easier to e-mail a file than it is to physically photocopy it, that they'll lose control over their product which they've worked very hard to create.

Comments? Ideas? Suggestions? Thoughts? Feelings?

Looking for a New Best Friend

I've been answering questions on this blog for 2 1/2 years now. Can you believe that? I ought to throw a party or something. Instead, I'm throwing a question out to you and hoping upon hope that one or more of you will have an answer for me.

I've been a little swamped lately. Have you ever noticed that just when your job becomes do-able, and you're feeling like you've hit your stride, the boss comes by and throws something at you that is so above and beyond your current skill set that suddenly you're drowning?

That wasn't the question. Keep reading.

We have some game/workbook type products that we're considering but we want to make them available via electronic download, as well as the traditional printed format. So my task is to find a way to create and deliver the e-files that will allow them to be printable and retain their formatting, like a pdf file, but that can't be e-mailed or transferred between computers. Oh, and it needs to be something that I can learn to do in-house.

Any ideas?

Newly Posted LDS Fiction

This week's new titles over on the LDS Fiction blog:

Leven Thumps and the Wrath of Ezra by Obert Skye

Night's Master by Amanda Ashley

Isabelle Webb: Legend of the Jewel by N.C. Allen


Did we miss any? If we did, let me know.


We've also posted the next contest and the winner of last week's contest.


P.S. Authors & Publishers—If you'd like to be a sponsor for this contest, contact me.

The Value of a Sequel

I’ve been told that having a sequel to a book will help boost the sales of the first book. Is this true? And if so, how much of an increase should I expect?

This is one of those areas that we can't exactly quantify. Sometimes a sequel boosts sales of the first book, sometimes book two doesn't even sell as much as book one. Depends.

Let's say 100 people buy your first book. (I know, you'd rather I say 1,000,000 bought your first book, but I really don't want to type all those zeroes.) They read it and like it and tell their friends. The friends plan to buy book one but never get around to it. After a while they forget about it and they never buy the book. End of story. End of sales.

Until the sequel comes along. Those same 100 people who bought book one, and liked it, all go buy book two. (This isn't reality, but pretend it is.) They read it and like it and tell their friends. Some of these friends are ones they hadn't told about book one. Some of them are the same ones they told before. Some of their new friends go buy the books, and the old friends go, "Oh, yeh. I was gonna' get book one and I forgot." So about half of the old friends go out and buy both book one AND book two. The other half plan to, but never do. And some of the new friends go buy both books too.

Then volume three comes out and the original 100 people who bought the books, plus fifty of their old friends, plus a handful of their new friends all go out and buy book three. They read it and like it and this time, they make fun of their friends who haven't read it yet—old and new. Peer pressure builds and now an additional 300 people go out and buy all three books.

So. If the first book is good, then yes, sequels help add more to their sales. If the books aren't so good, you'll see everything in the reverse, with fewer people purchasing each new book in the series, until eventually the publisher decides it's not worth his/her time and money.

But that would never happen to YOU because YOUR book is going to be wonderful, right?

Light-handed Editing in LDS Novels

Thanks so much for all the great work you do on the LDS Publisher blog. I really enjoy reading it. [You're welcome.]

I'm an aspiring LDS fiction author. I've been studying a lot about writing and have attended several writing conferences. It's kind of ruined reading for me. When I read, I see so many mistakes, it's distracting.

My question is this: Why are established LDS authors not held to the same standards as those of us who are trying to break into this business? I've been reading [Amy Author's] newest book. I see so many mistakes she makes. On one page I counted 14 unnecessary "that's" she could have left out. There are POV problems all over the place, and lots of other things which I've learned and been taught are incorrect.

I look forward to your insight.

Yes, well. You're never going to find a perfect book. Not even ones that I've edited and/or published are error free. (Gasp! I know. I've burst your bubble and shattered your high opinion of me. Sorry.) However, light-handed editing has been one of my issues with LDS publishing, even before I became a publisher. Twenty years ago, I did book reviews for a local paper and I hated reviewing LDS novels for that very reason. The basic plot might have been good, but the writing was so poor you couldn't get through the story. That is part of the reason LDS fiction has gotten a bad rap.

Things have improved since then. I read a new LDS fiction release last week (not published by my company) that had almost no errors in it. It was great. The quality of editing varies between publishers. IMHO, some companies are nearly always weak in that area, while others are usually strong. However, even the strongest sometimes put out weakly edited books.

Why? Because once an author is established, it's harder to force editing upon them. They argue with you over every little thing. Plus, you know their book will sell based on the strength of their name, and the publisher wants to get it out fast, so they sometimes cut corners in this area. (This happens in the national market too. I can think of several authors whose writing have declined as they've gotten more popular.)

So, to answer your question, why were there so many mistakes in the book you mentioned? Because someone got lazy—either the author (who can't really edit out the "that's"--that is what editors are for), or the editor.

Other posts that touch on the topic of editing can be found here, and here, and here. And here's one from an author's perspective.

Submission Opportunity

Dear LDS Publisher:

I was referred to you by Laura Craner and wonder if you might help me promote something that I think is a worthwhile enterprise, especially in light of your site's interest in Mormon culture. My proposal is as follows (an invitation originally posted on A Motley Vision just yesterday):

Call for Submissions

Sensing a lack of critical (as in the literary sense) approaches to Stephenie Meyer, her work, and their cultural connections in the general Twilight discourse, I've put together (with Laura Craner's editing help and William Morris' technical assistance) an online, open access literary journal in an effort to bridge that gap. It's called Reading Until Dawn: Critical Essays on Stephenie Meyer.

Knowing that there are people out there who can bring critical insight and textually supported readings to this conversation, we're extending an invitation for critical essays to be published in the first issue, "The Persistence of Stephenie Meyer". Whether you consider yourself academic or amateur, you can submit as many essays as you want.

What We're Looking For

We're looking for well-written essays that thoughtfully explore the Twilight novels and their reception and that contribute critical dimensions to our understanding of Meyer's work and her place in contemporary American, world, and even, since Meyer has been so open about her Mormon-ness, Latter-day Saint culture and literature. Contributors need not be LDS or be major fans (or detractors) of Meyer's work. We're simply looking for submissions that say something interesting about the novels.

Submissions, Issue Close Date, and Contact Info

If you're interested in contributing (or know someone who might be), please refer to this Introduction to catch scent of our rationale and submit your essays (of between 2,500 and 5,000 words, in Microsoft Word, RTF, or WordPerfect format, and according to MLA bibliographic guidelines) according the procedures laid out here. Please include a brief bio statement to be published with your essay.

The essays for the first issue will be published as they're accepted and the first issue will be closed on January 15, 2009.

Any questions can be directed to me (Tyler) here.



Thanks for your consideration.

Tyler

Newly Posted LDS Fiction

This week's new titles over on the LDS Fiction blog:

The Highway Man of Tanglewood by Marcia Lynn McClure

Bethlehem's Star by Bevan Olsen

The Ruby by Jennie Hansen

The Elf and the Magic Windows by Ted Hindmarsh



Did we miss any? If we did, let me know.


We've also posted the next contest and the winner of last week's contest.


P.S. Authors & Publishers—If you'd like to be a sponsor for this contest, contact me.

SASEs

1) If you receive a submission without an SASE, will you find a way to contact an author if you are not interested in the manuscript?

2) Should authors always include an SASE?

3) Does including an SASE make you think the author doesn't think very highly of his work?

1) Not usually. If the author gives me their e-mail address, I will reject them via e-mail. I do not make rejection phone calls. I do not send rejection letters on my own dime, unless I want to encourage the author.

2) If the publisher's submission guidelines say to include an SASE, then include it.

3) Heck, no! It makes me think they're willing to follow directions.

Overall, on the SASE issue, I'm all for everyone—publishers, agents, authors—to get with the 21st century and do submissions and rejections via e-mail. It saves everyone time, money and trees.

October 2008 Sponsors

Please take a moment to learn more about our wonderfully generous sponsors.


The Journey by Jewel Adams


The war between good and evil is as old as time itself– so is the absolute truth that each choice is accompanied by a consequence. Ciran is about to be faced with both. Two roads lie ahead. Only one leads home. Which will she choose?

Ciran is a young woman from the land of Krisandor. She must leave this land, as must everyone born there, to go on a journey to discover who they are and if they can earn their way back to Krisandor. To guide her, she has words of wisdom written on a scroll and is told to read it everyday. During her jouney, Crian discovers that her choices have consequences and some of these consequences could prevent her from returning to her beloved Krisandor.


J. (Jewel) Adams was born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina. Her hard childhood spurred her imagination and later on those imaginings fueled her love for writing. She moved to Utah in 1989 and started writing seriously a few years later.

Jewel is a wife and the mother of eight children. When she is not home schooling her children or writing, she loves to curl up with a box of chocolates and read, her favorite books being romance and fantasy novels. She frequently speak to youth and adult audiences. She has a great love for the youth and because of her own painful childhood, she is always anxiously engaged in helping them to understand how marvelous and special they are. She also loves doing signings and meeting new people. Jewel and her family live in West Point, Utah. She loves hearing from her fans. You can write to J. Adams at: jewela at netzero dot net. Visit Jewels Blog at jewelsbestgems.blogspot.com




All's Fair by Julie Coulter Bellon


Political campaign expert Kristen Shepherd excels at staying cool under pressure, but this time she’s in over her head. After leaving her high-profile fiancé at the altar, she uncovers the shocking truth about the man she nearly married—truth that could ruin her life. With the press on her tail, the only person she can trust is Ryan Jameson, her political opponent and former boyfriend.

Army doctor and LDS convert Brandon Shepherd shares his sister Kristen’s talent for keeping a level head, and his newfound faith gives him steady strength during times of turmoil. But when he and fellow doctor Rachel Fields are seized as Iraqi prisoners of war, he faces a crisis of personal integrity that may cost him his life.

In this gripping tale of unlikely heroes and unexpected romance, two siblings must risk everything for freedom. And in the heat and sand of enemy territory, they discover that all’s fair in love, even if not in war.



Julie Bellon and her husband Brian are the parents of seven children. Julie's greatest joy is being a mother and spending time with her family. She graduated from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor's degree in Secondary Education—English teaching, and she currently teaches a journalism course for BYU Continuing Education. When she's not busy being a mom, teaching, serving in the community or writing, you will find her browsing through bookstores to add to her book collection, at the library borrowing books, or reading the treasures she's found.



The Ruby by Jennie Hansen


Charlie Mae is sick of fetching things for her brothers and father, and for getting yelled at over things that aren’t her fault, while her brothers get to do whatever they want. She doesn’t blame Ma for leaving.

Determined to escape her house for at least one night of adventure, Charlie Mae sneaks into Nauvoo behind her brothers. But she discovers a lot more than she bargained for, including the dark cruelty inside her father’s heart and a mysterious red stone. Oddly, she feels a kind of peace when she holds the stone. It almost seems to be an assurance that she isn’t alone—that somewhere, someone is watching over her.

When Charlie Mae meets Spencer—a boy her age—and his grandmother, she is astonished at their kindness. She should have guessed they were Mormons. Pa had been lying all that time when he had said that Mormons were wicked. Pa was the wicked one—he and her brothers burned houses and shot people. She didn’t want to live with thieves and liars and cook their meals anymore. She would leave this place someday and find a better life—no matter what the cost.


Jennie Hansen graduated from Ricks College in Idaho, then Westminster College in Utah. She has been a freelance magazine writer, newspaper reporter, editor, and librarian. Her published novels fall in several genre categories including romantic suspense, historical, and westerns.

She was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho, and has lived in Idaho, Montana, and Utah. She has received numerous first and second place writing awards from the Utah and National Federation of Press Women and was the 1997 third place winner of the URWA Heart of the West Writers Contest.

Jennie has been active in community affairs. In addition to ward and stake responsibilities in the LDS church, she served a term on the Kearns Town Council, two terms on the Salt Palace Advisory Board, and was a delegate to the White House Conference on Libraries and Information Services. Jennie and her husband, Boyd, live in Salt Lake County. Their five children are all married and have provided them with ten grandchildren. When she’s not reading or writing, she enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, gardening, and camping.


Click here for details on sponsoring this LDSP blog.

September 2008 Comment Contest Winners

Here are the winners of the September Comment Contest, randomly selected from comments made during the month of September.

Thanks again to our sponsors. Please take a moment to read their bio info here.




Room for Two

by Abel Keogh



Winner: Becky
Commenting on "Deciphering Deseret Book's Bestseller List"







Her Good Name

by Josi S. Kilpack



Winner: Janet Burningham
Commenting on "LDS or National Market"







Time and Eternity

by E.M. Tippetts



Winner: Annette Lyon
Commenting on "LDS or National Market"





To claim your prize, you must e-mail your mailing address to me by Tuesday, October 7, 2008.

(Unclaimed prizes will be up for grabs on Wednesday, October 8th.)


Click here to learn how you can win a copy of one of our sponsoring books.

Copycat Submissions

How many "copycat" submissions do you see? Have you ever seen a compelling "copycat" submission?

Do you mean plagiarized? Or simply an idea that's hot?

I've never gotten a plagiarized manuscript.

I've gotten Harry Potter-esque submissions and Twilight-ish submissions. Sometimes they've been good, but not right for my company.

Generally, if a book has hit it big, the trend is over by the time the copycats start showing up.

LDS or National Market?

I love reading your LDS Publisher blog, and have a question I hope you'll consider for the blog.

I'm LDS, and I've written a fluffy romantic comedy. My book has characters who are LDS, who behave in ways that are consistent with LDS values, but the book itself isn't an LDS book. It doesn't use language or terminology that would be confusing for non-LDS readers. I wanted it to appeal to both LDS and non-LDS markets.

My personal blog gets over 100,000 visitors per month, and I also run/own the [another blog] site, which currently gets about 30,000 visitors per month. In other words, I think I've got a good start on creating a platform. I'm getting ready to begin querying agents and publishers and I'm trying to decide whether or not to pursue LDS publishers.

What I want to know is - what do YOU think are the advantages to querying LDS publishers? From what I've read so far, it seems like the market is incredibly small, the royalties are pretty slim, and most LDS authors really struggle financially. Looking at it from a strictly financial perspective, I'm having a hard time figuring out why anyone would write for a strictly LDS market. Can you educate me on the benefits?

Thanks very much for your time, and for all of the insights you provide on the blog.

Oooh, I love questions like this—she butters me up both at the beginning and at the end of her question. I feel so important. :)

Now for the question itself. You've pretty much summed up the downside of the LDS publishing market. The benefits are that you're reaching an audience that "gets" and appreciates the little idiosyncracies of the LDS lifestyle. Also, you won't have a publisher pressuring you to add in language or behavior that is not in line with LDS standards. And some LDS authors just like publishing for the LDS market. They like being a big fish in a small pond. They feel they are contributing to the cause of building up a collection of good works that we, as Latter-day Saints, can be proud of. Those are reasons why you'd want to choose the LDS market.

However, there's also something to be said for creating good, clean fiction that portrays members of the LDS church in a positive manner within the national market. There is a market for that, albeit small. One roadblock you'll hit is that in the minds of many non-LDS readers, Latter-day Saints are still viewed as a cult or non-Christian sect—at their worst, people to fear, at best, a bunch of kooks. Therefore, it's more difficult to sell LDS characters to a national publisher.

More difficult, but not impossible.

If I were you, since your novel does not use LDS terminology or try to convert anyone, I'd submit to the national market first. See what the response is. If you don't get any bites, then start querying the LDS market.

Oh, and way to go, building a following that huge. You know at least some of them will buy you book, no matter where it's published.

Newly Posted LDS Fiction

This week's new titles over on the LDS Fiction blog:


The Hometown Weekly by Bruce Lindsay

Recovering Charles by Jason F. Wright

Epicenter by Sonia O'Brien


Did we miss any? If we did, let me know.


We've also posted the next contest and the winner of last week's contest.


P.S. Authors & Publishers—If you'd like to be a sponsor for this contest, contact me.

Prologues and Epilogues

What do you think of prologues? Epilogues?

Done well, love them. Done poorly, not so much.

Here's my opinion in more detail.

Shelf Life

What is the shelf life of a novel compared to a non-fiction title?

For fiction, you're going to get most of your sales in the first year after release. It will stay on the shelf as long as it continues to sell. Average, however, is 1 to 2 years.

Non-fiction average is about 3 to 5 years.

When Do I Tell Them the Butler Did It?

I've read a lot of blogs and forums where writers say we should tell the agent/editor how the story ends in the query letter. Others say, no, the query is just a teaser. The ending should only be hinted at in the query letter, but the ending needs to be revealed in a synopsis.

Can you shed some light on this subject?

Yes. The query is a short teaser. If it's a murder mystery, you don't need to say that the butler did it in the query letter. You do, however, need to put it in the synopsis.

Some publishers/agents want the query and synopsis submitted at the same time. Others want only the query letter.

Newly Posted LDS Fiction

This week's new titles over on the LDS Fiction blog:

Day of Remembrance by David G. Woolley

The Eyes of a Stranger by Rachel Ann Nunes

The Wyrmling Horde by David Farland

FarWorld: Water Keep by J. Scott Savage


Did we miss any? If we did, let me know.


We've also posted the next contest and the winner of last week's contest. Now that the Summer Book Trek is over, the free book contest is open to everyone again.


P.S. Authors & Publishers—If you'd like to be a sponsor for this contest, contact me.

It's the Economy

I have noticed lately that Deseret Book, or a certain publisher if you prefer, has being raising the list price on their books dramatically, almost to the point of being overpriced. Overall, have prices of LDS books in all genres increased more this year than in the past?

Book prices are increasing because the costs of printing and delivery have increased. But it's not just Deseret Book, or LDS books. It's all over. Have you checked out Barnes and Noble or Borders lately? Their prices are going up too. As is the price of gas, and groceries, and . . .

Should I Keep Querying

I've been pondering the above question for some time now. Actually, I totally intend to keep querying. What I'm really asking is, should I keep querying using the same query letter or revise it - again?

Here's the background. So far, I've sent out 26 queries to agents, via email, using roughly the same query letter, tweaking it slightly at times. So far, I've gotten back 14 rejections, most form letters, but a few seemed like nice personal notes. All were polite, friendly, and encouraging. A couple even asked me to let them see my next project. I'm assuming by that, that they think I can at least write.

So, that leaves 12 unanswered email queries. Some of them are getting close to 3 months old. Most of the responses I have received came within a week.

So, to my question. Should I keep querying, using the same query letter, or consider revising it - again. This last go-round I followed Kristen Nelson's method for "Building the Pitch Paragraph," and think I have a pretty good query letter - not perfect, but I think it's the best I've come up with so far.

What do you suggest?

It's either your query letter or your book topic. Without having read your query, I can't tell you for sure. Read your responses carefully for an indication of why you were rejected. If they're asking you to submit other work, I'm guessing it's the book topic and not the query, however, it doesn't hurt to keep tweaking the query.

Deciphering Deseret Book's Bestseller List

DB picked up my book about a month ago. The first time I found it on the DB bestseller list 2 weeks ago, it was #137. Last weekend it was at #89 and today it was at #39. Maybe it's just a coincidence. I'm not sure how else to track sales. Which brings me to a question: On the DB Bestseller list, do you know how many books have to sell for a book to move up 1 place, 10 places, 100 places?

Deseret Book recently made some changes to their website, making it a little more difficult to determine what place your book is in on the list. You have to hand count it. But the ranking of your book on the list still works in the same way.

The DB list tracks sales in relationship to the other books. If Book A sells two copies, and Book B only sells one copy, then Book A is first on the list and Book B is second on the list.

Go to the site and select the category your book is listed in. (Some books are listed in multiple categories.) There's a light blue bar across the top of the list of books and on the right hand side you can tell it how to sort the books. Default is by Popularity. That's what you want. Then count down to your book to determine what spot on the list it's in.

There's no way to find out exactly how many copies of your book have sold, only how it sold in relation to other books in the same category. There's also no way to find out how many more copies those books above you on the list are selling. The difference between first place and second place could be one copy or 100 copies.

Googling Yourself

I was going to start into an explanation of the LDS book market, what's wrong with it, how to fix it, etc. But that's a big deal—and it's taking some time to pull my thoughts together and get them organized. But I promise, it's coming. Maybe even next week.

So today, I'm going to teach you how to Google yourself. Why is this important? Because it lets you know who's talking about you. You need to know this if you're trying to create buzz about your new book.

Every author needs to set up some Google Alerts. Once your Google Alert is set up, you will get an e-mail every time someone talks about you on the Internet. It's easy to set up and it's FREE. (Love that word.)

Go to the Google Alert page.

You want to set up an alert on your name and the title of your book. Let's say you write under the name Jane Smith Doe. You'd want an alert for Jane Smith Doe, one for Jane S. Doe, and one for Jane Doe. The more common your name, the more alerts you'll get for people that are not you, but deal with it. (And complain to your parents.)

I'd suggest you select Comprehensive as the type of alert. That way it will track websites, blogs, news, etc. I'd also suggest you select Once a Day as your frequency.

Once your alerts are created, you'll start getting emails that list the places on the Internet where people are talking about you. Go read them. This will give you a feel for how you and your book are being perceived in the general public.

Also, if it's a blogger who's talking about you, leave a comment. Thank them for talking about you. Always be pleasant and polite, even if they've said bad things about you. This lets their readers know that you are interested and approachable and a nice person.

Newly Posted LDS Fiction

This week's new titles over on the LDS Fiction blog:

Dark Curse by Christine Feehan

Stones Quest: Redemption of the Curse (vol 3) by LaRene R. Ellis

Meeting Amazing Grace by Gary & Joy Lundberg


Did we miss any? If we did, let me know.


We've also posted the next contest and the winner of last week's contest. Now that the Summer Book Trek is over, the free book contest is open to everyone again.


P.S. Authors & Publishers—If you'd like to be a sponsor for this contest, contact me.

And You Thought I Was Just Being a Slacker!

We had a very mild storm the other night. Just some rain and a little wind. Nothing to even blink an eye at. But something happened during the night and our Internet radio receiver went out. Our Internet fix-it guy still doesn't know exactly what happened but we've been without Internet access for days now. Yesterday, he got it to the point where I could go to one webpage and download maybe two e-mails, and then it would freeze up again. When I left the office yesterday, he was still scratching his head and muttering under his breath.

But he worked some magic last night and today, we're up and running. Yea!

I'm going to sit here and write all of next weeks posts right now and get them up and scheduled with Blogger so that come rain or shine or earthquake or whatever, you'll still get your daily fix of LDSP—unless, of course, Blogger gets swallowed into the depths of the earth or washed out to sea.

My take on Angel Falling Softly

I don't want to stir up the hornet's nest again (start here), but I did promise to give my opinion on Angel Falling Softly by Eugene Woodbury.

First for the issues regarding this book as LDS fiction. As I said before, Mr. Woodbury has the right to write as he wishes. Zarahemla can publish whatever they wish to publish. I'm not going to censor them. If what they write and/or publish is outside LDS interests, then the books won't sell.

We, as readers, play a huge part in molding the future of LDS fiction. Publishing is a business, and as such, it must be profitable. When a book sells well, readers can expect similar books to be published. When a certain type of book does not sell well, you can be sure fewer and fewer of those types of books will be showing up. We cast our vote as to what is good and/or praiseworthy with our checkbooks, every time we purchase or don't purchase a book.

I don't think that Woodbury or Zarahemla intentionally misled readers, trying to sneak a "racy" book over on the LDS audience. They make it clear on the back cover what to expect when they say, "As the two women push against every moral boundary in order to protect their families, the price of redemption will prove higher than either of them could have possibly imagined." The phrase "every moral boundary" seems pretty inclusive.

I do think, however, that some readers will see the Zarahemla name and assume that it won't be "that" bad. The lesson from this is, don't assume anything. Before buying a book, read a few reviews or talk to people who have read it. With the number of LDS bloggers who talk about books, it would be rare to find a newly published LDS fiction title that doesn't have someone blurbing about it.

And here's a good place to plug my other blog. I post the new books there. After you read them, go post a comment. Help your brothers and sisters out, so they'll know what to expect.

Now, about the book itself. I wasn't as upset about it as some readers were. Maybe that's because I was forewarned. The idea of vampires in an LDS neighborhood didn't upset me too much, but I didn't think there was enough backstory and explanation to get comfortable with it, nor was there enough development of the mother's character for us to understand how a previously faithful LDS woman could so quickly jump to vampirism as the cure for her daughter's situation.

I thought the sex scenes, although extremely tame by national standards, were too descriptive. I didn't like the portrayal of Job—I didn't feel it was accurate. However, that is one character's opinion of Job. It would have been nice to see opposing thoughts and views.

I didn't feel that the daughter was doomed. The way Woodbury sets up how vampires are made was very interesting—it's based on a genetic adaptation to a particular virus. For me, that takes it out of the realm of damnation and into the medical. But for this to have been really effective, I think Woodbury should have given us more.

In fact, my biggest complaint about the book is that it needed more: more backstory; more of the relationship between the sisters (there was great potential for exploring the question of how we make choices with the limitations that life gives us; this was mostly ignored); more details on the virus; more explanation of the business takeover; more depth to the mother, more struggle for her; more explanation of why it was necessary to bite the mother before biting the girl; more details on Milada's background. If some of this had been filled in, and some of the intimate descriptions left out, I think fewer people would have had a problem with this book.

Newly Posted LDS Fiction

This week's new titles over on the LDS Fiction blog:

The Apple Trees of Tschlin by G.M. Kearney; illus. Rebecca Miller

The Legend of the Kukui Nut by Robert Brandon Henderson; illus. Mark McKenna

Santa's Secret by Christy Hardman and Phil Porter

The Santa Letters by Stacy Gooch-Anderson

Her Good Name by Josi S. Kilpack

The Sound of Rain by Anita Stansfield

Don't Cry Wolf by Clair M. Poulson


Did we miss any? If we did, let me know.


We've also posted the next contest and the winner of last week's contest. Now that the Summer Book Trek is over, the free book contest is open to everyone again.


P.S. Authors & Publishers—If you'd like to be a sponsor for this contest, contact me.

The Empress' New Groove

I've been a horrible blogger this week. I'd say I was sorry, but I'm too overwhelmed to feel anything but overwhelmedness. There have been some changes with my day-job responsibilities and as with any change, you suddenly realize that you have to adapt far more than you had expected you would. Something had to give, several somethings actually, and posting here was just one of those things that have been temporarily neglected.

I'm hoping next week will be better. I do have questions in the hopper waiting for my answers. I also haven't forgotten that I promised commentary on the LDSBA and industry, as well as my take on Angel Falling Softly (which I have now read).

But, just in case I am still hit and miss while I get into a new work groove, I'm willing to accept guest bloggers. Send posts that have something to do with the writing and/or publishing process.

September 2008 Sponsors

Please take a moment to learn more about our wonderfully generous sponsors.


Room for Two by Abel Keogh

"Sweetie, I'm home." I tried to put as much kindness into my voice as possible. I didn't want to have another argument - at least not right away.

Silence.

"Sweetheart?"

A gunshot echoed from our bedroom, followed by the sound of a bullet casing skipping along a wall.

Everything slowed down.

***

When a life is destroyed, when guilt says you played a role in its destruction, how do you face the days ahead?

Twenty-six-year-old Abel Keogh chooses to ignore the promptings he receives concerning his wife's mental illness, and now he feels he is to blame for her choices. If only he had listened . . .

At some point in our lives, each of us face devastating afflictions and must eventually cope with loss. Regardless of how it happens, the outcome is still the same—we are left isolated, alone, wondering what we could have done differently, and where we can turn for peace.

This is Abel's story in his own words. His search for peace and the miracle that follows is proof that love and hope can endure, despite the struggles and tragedies that shape each of our lives.



Abel Keogh is the author of the memoir Room for Two. During the day he works as a writer, editor, and political columnist. His previous fiction and poetry has been published in Rough Draft and Metaphor and Strong Verse. He is currently working on his second book—a work of fiction.

Besides writing, Abel enjoys running and lifting weights. Abel and his wife Julianna are the parents of two boys and a girl. He has a bachelor’s degree from Weber State University.






Her Good Name by Josi S. Kilpack


Chrissy is having an identity crisis. As a single woman and convert to the Church, she has always managed to find her place in life—at least until someone else begins using her credit cards, her bank account, and, most important, her name. Now the real Chrissy must prove her innocence against a growing pile of collection notices and unpaid bills. But with no job, no money, a warrant for her arrest, and a closet full of high-heeled shoes, a girl can only get so far.

When Chrissy meets Micah Heet, the other half of a blind date gone bad, the two discover they are facing the same battle and join forces to find the perpetrators. Little do they know that the small semblance of life they have left will be put on the line in the process.



Josi S. Kilpack bwas born and raised in Salt Lake City, the third of nine children, and accounts much of her success to her mother always making oatmeal for breakfast. In 1993 Josi married her high-school sweetheart, Lee Kilpack, and went on to raise her own children in Salt Lake and then Willard Utah where she currently lives. She loves to read and write, is the author of eight novels, the baker of many a delicious confection, and the hobby farmer of a varying number of unfortunate chickens. In her spare time she likes to overwhelm herself a multitude of projects and then complain that she never has any spare time; in this way she is rather masochistic. She also enjoys traveling, cheering on her children, and sleeping in when the occasion presents itself.

Josi is the author of nine novels, including Sheep's_Clothing, winner of the 2007 Whitney Award for Best Mystery/Suspense. She loves to hear from her readers and can be reached at Kilpack@gmail.com



Time and Eternity by E.M. Tippetts


When Alice O’Donnell joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she thought her life could only get better. She hoped to marry her boyfriend, Darren, who had baptized her, and live happily ever after. After all, her prayers had confirmed that a proposal was coming.
But Alice’s faith is tested when her plans are turned upside-down. Her father files for divorce, her company decides to relocate her to another state, and to top it off, Darren starts acting strangely and accuses her of being a “Molly Mormon” — whatever that is.

When Spencer Sharp enters the scene, he seems like a good prospect. He’s attractive, gainfully employed, a returned missionary, and seeking an eternal companion. But something is just . . . missing.

Follow the chaotic but exciting life of Alice as she deals with being a new convert, learns to have faith in the Lord’s plan for her, and comes to know whom she wants to be with for time and eternity.



E. M. Tippetts lives in New Mexico, which is where she grew up. A former attorney, she did her undergraduate degree in philosophy, politics, and economics at Oxford University and her law degree at UCLA. She practiced real estate law and estate planning, with a specialty in literary estate planning, but she has always wanted to be a writer and used to get up at 5 A.M. to write before going to work. She joined the Church as an adult shortly before meeting her husband, Trevor.

August 2008 Comment Contest Winners

Here are the winners of the June Comment Contest, randomly selected from comments made during the month of June.

Thanks again to our sponsors. Please take a moment to read their bio info here.




Flashback

by J. Michael Hunter



Winner: Sandra
Commenting on "Break for LDS Booksellers"







Twilight's Last Gleaming

by L.C. Lewis



Winner: Melanie J.
Commenting on "Break for LDS Booksellers"






FarWorld: Water Keep

by J. Scott Savage



Winner: Rebecca Talley
Commenting on "Break for LDS Booksellers"





To claim your prize, you must e-mail your mailing address to me by Friday, September 5, 2008.

(Unclaimed prizes will be up for grabs on Monday, September 8th.)


Click here to learn how you can win a copy of one of our sponsoring books.