BookChristian.com-Same old same old.

As an author, I try to make my book available to those who seem to want to read my work. When I started getting a lot of overwhelming responses from Christian readers, I began to seek out being listed on websites that favored posting books for authors who were admittedly Christian.

Right away I learned that CBA Christian publishers had this market wrapped up as well. Every on-line Christian bookstore typically only list books published by CBA affiliated Christian authors. No Christian writing for the general market has any hope of showing up without a LOT of work that they shouldn't have to go through.

I contacted BookChristian.com to find out how they selected the books listed on their site. I spoke with a Customer Service representative who told me this is what she was but that she could explain what I needed to know. She said they get their books from Ingram.

Well, that's nice. "Of course," I said, "you mean Spring Arbor, Ingram's Christian arm."

"Yes," she replied.

Why then, I wondered, are my publishers other books which have been out for some time not listed? They're with Spring Arbor.

I got no explanation. I was told I could e-mail customer service and direct the e-mail to Kevin, no last name.

Oh, well. Simply another Christian book site where you won't automatically be seeing my work. Sorry folks but it seems that's the way the ball bounces. You'll only see my books here on BookChristian.com when it sells so much elsewhere that it can't be ignored.

Okay so it's tomorrow and--

I have a release date. That's right BUT you have to go somewhere else to see it.

Official Release Date of Forever Richard

Gotta Love it: another FP review

Good evening.

I don't know if you will remember me, but we met briefly at MoCon not too long ago. I received a copy of your book Flashpoint.

I have recently finished your book, and wanted to give you a quick rave.
I greatly enjoyed the whole story. I found the characters to be very engaging and likeable. I thoroughly enjoyed the story being written from CK's vantage point, as if we were reading a diary. I felt it brought a lot more perspective to the circumstances. Nicely done.

But I also enjoyed the spiritual aspects of it. Although it was set in the future, I caught many instances where our present-day spiritual faith and relations with Christ were reflected in Ck's actions and "responses" from the Spirit. Namely, the way he would fail at something when he relied on his own self instead of walking in the Spirit. It made me think of the times in my life when I think I can do something and stop trusting in the Lord to get me through things.

I am anxiously awaiting getting book two.

Your brother in Christ,Drew Rub (aka AncientAlex)

And the finalists are . . .

The three finalists . . .

FLASHPOINT by Frank Creed
THE LION VRIE by Christopher Hopper
VIRTUAL EVIL by Jana G. Oliver

The Winner will be annnounced September 1, 2008

Congratulations Frank

Some Nice Words for Flashpoint

Thought I'd share this with you: I received this note in email this morning.

It is such a pleasure to hear from readers and special notes like this make everything worth the effort and lets me know I am glorifying Him through my writing.

Chicago Tribune's Printers Row Book Fair 2008

This past weekend, the Lost Genre Guild and Catholic Writers Guild shared a booth at the Chicago Tribune's Printers Row Book Fair. We had a great time networking with each other and many writers who stopped by our tables. Some folks even bought books!

Check out the Underground Message board to view more photos of the event: look for the board titled "News in the Christian Publishing Industry" and the "General Board."

Challenge: 70 Questions about You

I'd like to challenge the other TWCP Authors to complete this Questionnaire!

Eye-Popping Qs [not really]

Do you have any pets? yes
What color shirt are you wearing? green t shirt
Name three things that are physically close to you: The computer, cup of coffee and cat bed
What is the last book you read? Jill Elizabeth Nelson's Reluctant Smuggler
Were you a good student? Yes, 'cept in Math.
What's your favorite sport? NFL football: Go PACK Go
Do you enjoy sleeping late? Yes
What's the weather like right now? Dark and 80 degrees.
Who tells the best jokes? Jerry Seinfeld
What was the last thing you dreamed about? One of my wheelchair nightmares
Do you drive? If so, have you ever crashed? Yeah. A head-on highspeed collision in 1999 (hence the wheelchair nightmares).
Do you believe in karma? Not in the eastern religion sense of the word. I believe in the Golden Rule.
Do you believe in luck? No, I believe in providence.
Do you like your eggs scrambled or sunny side up? both
Do you collect anything? Besides kitties? author-signed books
Are you proud of yourself? no, bad time to ask that
Are you reliable? In intent, yes. My conditions preclude this lately.
Have you ever given money to a bum? yes
What's your favorite food? Chicago-style stuffed pizza
Have you ever had a secret admirer? Not a real one
Do you like the smell of gasoline? Yes, but I really love diesel fumes!
Do like to draw? yes
What's your favorite invention? the laptop
Is your room messy? no
What do you like better: oranges or apples? oranges
Do you give in easily? well, okay
Are you a good guesser? hmmm
Can you read other people's expressions? I don't know
Are you a bully? No
Do you have a job? Yes
What time did you wake up this morning? 8:50
What did you eat for breakfast this morning? coffee
When was the last time you showered? yesterday
What do you plan on doing tomorrow? Work then showering.
What's your favorite day of the week and why? Any day I don't hurt.
Do you have any nicknames? Scooter, Blackbeard, Twisted Sister, Scottie
Have you ever been scuba diving? no
What's your least favorite color? I get in the mood for any color
Is there someone you have been constantly thinking about? Yes, my sweetie.
Would you ever go skydiving? Not by choice
What toothpaste do you use? CloseUp (cinnamon)
Do you enjoy challenges? Too vague; it can mean too many different things
What's the worst injury you have had? High-speed headon collision
What's the last movie you saw? Hannibal Rising
Who was the last person you spoke over the phone to? Cathi
What's your favorite school subject? Literature
What's your least favorite school subject? math
Would you rather have money or love? love
What is your dream vacation? Middle East
What is your favorite animal? cat
Do you miss anyone right now? My dad
What's the last sporting event you watched? Superbowl
Do you need to do laundry? Nope . . . well, I do have clothes that need to be put away :)
Do you listen to the radio? No
Where were you when 9/11 happened? sleeping
What do you do when vending machines steal your money? Rock the machine
Have you ever caught a butterfly? Yes
What color are your bed sheets? White
Who was the last person to make you laugh? Cynthia
Do you have any obsessions right now? life
Do you like things that glow in the dark? yes
What's your favorite fruity scent? orange
Do you watch cartoons? Not any more
Have you ever sat on a roof? yes
Have you ever been to a different country? yes
Name three things in the world you dislike: sweet potatoes, hitting my head really hard and cold showers
Has a rumor even been spread about you? yes
Do you like sushi? yes
Do you believe in magic? no
Do you hold grudges? no

This is My Life!

I saw this meme on Delia Latham’s blog, and thought it looked like fun. Hope you enjoy this picture of my life!

Here's what you do:
1. Go to photobucket .com.
2. Type your answer to the question in the search box.
3. Use only the first page
4. Insert the picture into your Blog.



What is your relationship status?




What is your current mood?




Who is your favorite band/artist?




What is your favorite movie?




What kind of pet do you have?




Where do you live?




Where do you work?




What do you look like?




What do you drive?




What did you do last night?




What is your favourite tv show?




Describe yourself.




What are you doing today?




What is your name?




What is your favourite candy?

Picture Your Life!

I saw this meme on Delia Latham’s blog, and thought it looked like fun. Hope you enjoy this picture of my life! Here's what you do:

1. Go to photobucket.com
2. Type your answer to the question in the search box
3. Use only the first page
4. Insert the picture into your Blog.

1. What is your relationship status?




2. What is your current mood?




3. Who is your favorite band/artist?




4. What is your favorite movie?




5. What kind of pet do you have?




6. Where do you live?




7. Where do you work?




8. What do you look like?




9. What do you drive?




10. What did you do last night?




11. What is your favourite tv show?




12. Describe yourself.




13. What are you doing today?




14. What is your name?




15. What is your favourite candy?



Cynthia

Amazon's Publishing Ploy

The latest buzz in the publishing world is Amazon.com's new ploy to insist that all publishers who use Print-On-Demand (POD) technology use their BookSurge POD printer if they want to sell their books on amazon.com. Already several titles, while still showing on their website, have lost the "buy now" button.

POD does not mean vanity publishing or self-publishing, although this is the printing choice most vanity and self-publishers take. However, a lot of small press, traditional publishers use this technology in order to spare themselves warehouse expenses. Also, I believe some of the bigger publishing houses use it for their less popular but still selling titles. This move by Amazon has big consequences.

For Amazon, it makes financial sense--if everyone goes along with it. They now get paid for printing the books as well as selling them. However, as you'll see below, a lot of small press publishers are not going to give in to Amazon's "blackmail."

For small publishers, it's a problem. It's not just the principal of the thing, as I understand it; "retooling" their old titles to match BookSurge's needs and meeting BookSurge's prices is cost-prohibitive for a lot of publishers. They may end up going on their own or going out of business.

For authors like me, it could affect sales. Two of the three fiction publishers I contract with use POD; if Amazon goes through with its plans, my books will not be available for sales on Amazon, which of course is the most common sales venue outside of brick-and-mortar stores. Amazon already demands a big discount in order to have your book on their website, and that eats into royalties; now, they want an even bigger cut.

For readers, it means that if you like unusual books--the kind that don't grace the shelves of B&N--you're going to have a harder time finding them, at least until some other company rises to take Amazon's place. Ditto if you like shopping on-line.

As you can read below, small press publishers are taking action. What can you do? Write to amazon.com and express your displeasure at their new policy.

In the meantime, here's what publishers are doing:

(This from the Authors Guild, forwarded to me from another writing group.)

Last week Amazon announced that it would be requiring that all books
that it sells that are produced through on-demand means be printed by
BookSurge, their in-house on-demand printer/publisher. Amazon pitched
this as a customer service matter, a means for more speedily
delivering print-on-demand books and allowing for the bundling of
shipments with other items purchased at the same time from Amazon. It
also put a bit of an environmental spin on the move -- claiming less
transportation fuel is used (this is unlikely, but that's another
story) when all items are shipped directly from Amazon.

We, and many others, think something else is afoot. Ingram Industries'
Lightning Source is currently the dominant printer for on-demand
titles, and they appear to be quite efficient at their task. They ship
on-demand titles shortly after they are ordered through Amazon
directly to the customer. It's a nice business for Ingram, since they
get a percentage of the sales and a printing fee for every on-demand
book they ship. Amazon would be foolish not to covet that business.

What's the rub? Once Amazon owns the supply chain, it has effective
control of much of the "long tail" of publishing -- the enormous
number of titles that sell in low volumes but which, in aggregate,
make a lot of money for the aggregator. Since Amazon has a firm grip
on the retailing of these books (it's uneconomic for physical book
stores to stock many of these titles), owning the supply chain would
allow it to easily increase its profit margins on these books: it need
only insist on buying at a deeper discount -- or it can choose to
charge more for its printing of the books -- to increase its profits.
Most publishers could do little but grumble and comply.

We suspect this maneuver by Amazon is far more about profit margin
than it is about customer service or fossil fuels. The potential big
losers (other than Ingram) if Amazon does impose greater discounts on
the industry, are authors -- since many are paid for on-demand sales
based on the publisher's gross revenues -- and publishers.

We're reviewing the antitrust and other legal implications of Amazon's
bold move. If you have any information on this matter that you think
could be helpful to us, please call us at (212) 563-5904 and ask for
the legal services department, or send an e-mail to
staff@authorsguild.org.

Feel free to post or forward this message in its entirety.

-----------------------

Copyright 2008, The Authors Guild. The Authors Guild
(www.authorsguild.org) is the nation's largest society of published
book authors.

It's a Birthday for Sue Dent!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUE!

The Void

The Void
Mark Mynheir
ISBN-13: 978-1590524008
Multnomah Books (August 21, 2007)
352 pgs। $12.99

Watch for interview to come soon!

Bio:
Mark Mynheir was born and raised on the east coast of Central Forida। Like most boys growing up, Mark enjoyed sports, mainly football and martial arts. In 1983, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and went through basic training at Parris Island, South Carolina. After serving four years in the Marines, Mark changed gears and pursued a career in law enforcement. During his career as a police officer, Mark has worked as a narcotics agent, a S.W.A.T. team member, and a homicide detective.

Over thirteen years ago, during a health crisis involving his oldest son, Mark gave his life to Jesus Christ। Shortly after his conversion, he felt God leading him in a new direction: writing. Now he balances dual careers as a police officer and novelist.

Mark is married to the love of his life and has three fantastic children, and they all currently reside in Central Florida.

Sue Dent here to say, do check out this book. The word on the street is that it's definitely worth the read even for those who don't typically go to CBA affiliated publishers for their Christian fiction. ;)

Frank's new desk & steampunk mouse!

Have you read Flashpoint: Book One of the Underground? It is very strange to see gadgets that I imagined for the near future actually come into being!

Check out the brain-wave tech headset. I'm a visionary!

Emotiv brain-scanning headset
The headset is able to translate a variety of human responses into data a computer can use, from facial expressions to thought, and sends the information wirelessly to a USB dongle.


My new desk

Han Solo desk makes a statement about your skills as a boss.
If you want that message to say "I'm a gigantic nerd!" then you really can't do much better than a desk made to look like Han Solo frozen in carbonite.



My new steampunk mouse

Steampunk mouse adds a twist to traditional steampunk
What makes this steampunk mouse different is that it was designed with more in mind than just copper and pipes. This mouse's steampunk theme is around a furnace.

from the website: DVice

CBA Banned Words: a funny

Found this posted at a blog called Seven angels, three kids, one family.

{CENSORED} on the {CENSORED} {CENSORED}

I’ve managed to acquire some secret documentation!

Minutes For the Second Meeting Of the Forbidden Words List of the Christian Booksellers Association (the CBA)

OVERVIEW:

Project Name: Forbidden Words List
Meeting Date: January 19th, 2008
Subject: validation of intent plus call for additions to prior list

FIRST POINT: Reviewing our mission statement. Statement amended to:

We God’s chosen publishers, in order to portray a more accurate vision of the world to the people who pay us fifteen bucks apiece for books, have gathered together in a spirit of shepherding our weaker brothers. Our customers consider our authors trusted friends whom they have invited into their homes. In order to prevent boycotts or the return of unsold product due to questionable language, it is necessary to codify a list of words which are so shameful that there is no way they can ever be acceptable in any CBA title.

SECOND POINT: Determining additional words for our forbidden list.

Publishing CEO: We need to avoid that word.
CEO’s Attorney: Which word?
CEO: You know…
Attorney: No, I don’t.
An Actual Editor: What does it mean?
CEO: {turns bright pink up to his ears}
Editorial Assistant: Oh! That word.
CEO’s Attorney: That word should definitely go on the list.
CEO: I can’t even stand to type it.
Actual Editor: I still don’t know what word we’re talking about.
CEO: It begins with an E.
Editorial Assistant: The one I was thinking of begins with an I.
Attorney: I’ve taken the liberty of jotting down the two most egregious words.
Actual Editor: Do you really think you should have written them on a pad
that has ‘Things To Do Today’ imprinted across the top?
Attorney: {gasp!} Dear me!
CEO: Hey, watch your mouth!
Legal Secretary: Before we get too far afield, let me read back the list we’ve compiled so far.
General Outcry: NO!!!!!!

[There was a fifteen minute break while the CEO was revived with smelling salts and two editorial assistants treated for trauma-induced deafness.]

THIRD POINT: The current list of forbidden words:
{censored}
{censored}
{censored}
{censored}
{censored}
{censored} even if used in prayer
{censored}
{censored}
{censored}
{censored} because it rhymes with {censored}
{censored}
{censored}
{censored}
{censored}
{censored}
{censored}
{censored}

ACTION ITEMS:
• Read widely to find as many objectionable things as possible (by next meeting)
• Ban said things (by next meeting)
• Provide example of sterilized fiction that thrills and excites non-Christians (pending)

Todd Michael Greene and I

Todd Michael Greene and I first met mid-summer of '06 because of Daniel I. Weaver's anthology project. I joined Weaver's Christian and Biblical spec-fic critique group bearing the improbable name of: Christian_Fic_WRE_Crit_Group. I believe the unwieldy title makes this genre specific critique group the Web's best kept secret for Christian & Biblical spec-fic authors.

Eleven months later Weaver's anthology project became Light at the Edge of Darkness, edited by Cynthia Mackinnon, (June, 2007: The Writer's Café Press). That brings back great memories, literally sweating the late summer's heat, while mentally sweating through the other contributors' critique rounds. Whose fiction would make the grade?
Sidebar: Light at the Edge of Darkness made the Top Ten for Antholgies in this year's Preditors and Editors Readers Poll.

Todd's submission was a short story--I can't recall if the Work-in-Progress was yet titled "The Novelist's Child." In the second of three critique rounds, Greene announced he was pulling his submission from consideration because the story he had to tell had grown to novel-length proportions. I've respected Greene's writing instincts ever since.

Out of the blue, Todd contacted me this week, informing me he'd feature Flashpoint and yours truly *wave* on his blog: A Place Called Fiction. Please do me a favor and smack Mr. Greene's hit counter for me--he's a great guy. Leave a comment and you may win an autographed first edition of Flashpoint.

8D