Keep Pushing...

I worked up a preliminary idea of what A Place of Safety-Derry would be like should I publish it. In hardcover, 6x9, it would be 334 pages, total, and the least I could sell it for is $29.95 to make any money off it. That seems excessive, especially since I don't have the reach or range to publicize it enough to garner interest. My main audience, right now, is not the type who'd be interested in a fictional book about a small part of the world that few people know of.

I'm going to keep pushing to find an agent and, hopefully, get the book into a larger publishing house instead of setting it up to rely on online sales. That's Brendan's best chance to be heard. Seriously heard.

In doing this formatting, I found a couple more things that needed correcting. Of course. And if it goes into a publishing house, they will have someone proof it, in even more detail. Maybe even another edit. but it will also be done with off-line printing in bulk and be offered to bookstores all over the country, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble and the like. Publicity. Maybe a book tour or into conventions. They will also handle the cover art.

That last bit I'm not so crazy about. When The Lyons' Den was published through Star Books Press, they came up with this cover and I never really liked it. The cabin was okay but I had to ask them to add the gun and the cash to make it seem like more than just a sex romp...which it wasn't. That said, they had a good client base and I did get royalties off them. They were the ones who decided it had run its course and wanted to withdraw it from sale. That's when I got my rights back and set it up with Ingram.

I guess my next step, once I've gone through all the NYC agents is to hit those outside the city. And maybe ask the publishing houses, myself. Those that will accept unsolicited manuscripts. Sometimes that works, and a selling point will be that it's in three volumes, each published separately.

I'm going off with Brendan, tomorrow, to think about it. Clear my head. Maybe work up a letter to Martin Melaugh to still ask about the photo I want to license. I might head up to Fort Niagara. Haven't been there, yet. Stop by Niagara Falls on the way back. Pop over to Canada for a bite to eat.

We'll see how it goes.