Where Have I Been?

Hello everyone!

Yep, I haven't posted in a while.  What have I been doing that is more important that writing a blog post??  Sigh, everything it seems.

I went to a conference in April in Madison, WI.  I went for two reasons - I lived in Madison for 10 years and it was great to go back and visit.  I saw a few friends, saw some sights and ate at a few of my favorite places.  The other reason - all my family lives 20 minutes from Madison so I was able to to work in a visit.  :)

I also attended Malice Domestic.  Holy cows.  What a fantastic weekend.  We had a ton of Midnight Ink authors there and we had a blast.  What amazed me was the excitement and electricity around the MI authors.  Pretty much if you saw one Inker, you would see two or three more.  If an Inker was on a panel, other Inkers were there in support.  I could not have been more proud of our group.  It felt like we were a big family - a family that actually liked and supported each other. 



The Inkers (missing a couple) - Joanna Campbell Slan, Lois Winston, Cricket McRae
Kathleen Ernst, Jessie Lourey, Linda Hull, Jessie Chandler,
Darrell James, Maddy Hunter, Deborah Sharp,
Alan Orloff, Beth Groundwater, Vicki Doudera, me

This weekend I head to Denver to teach a writing workshop.  Me?  OMG.  That might kill me.

In between travelling, I have by boys.  This last weekend was the fishing opener in MN.  So, I took the boys fishing with the help of an expert, lol.  They caught a lot of panfish and had a great time.  Since it was our first time fishing, there was a lot of learing and lines to detangle but thankfully no one got hooked!!  This is the first catch of the day:

Besides fishing, my oldest son is in baseball and my younger two are in soccer.  T-ball for them starts soon as well.  Noah playing catcher for an inning.

What else is on my plate?  Oh yeah.  Contracts.  They never go away.  Awful, nasty yucky stuff for me, but good news for you.  Why is that?  Because more contracts mean more books.  I aim for 10-12 books per season for 30-36 titles per year.  As of right now, Winter 2013 has 11 titles, Spring/Summer has 10, and Fall has 10.  Great news, right?

Yes and no.  I love doing more books.  I love having a broad catalog.  If I have 12 titles, 9 of them fall into the softer categories of traditional, cozy or soft-boiled.  The other three fall into medium, thrillers or suspense.  A nice balance for us.  I love to find new books and read more in the series that we already have going.

But there is a negative side.  Besides contracts, which I worked on for 5 solid days in a row, I have to read all the manuscripts that have come in and send the authors any revision requests that I might have.  I have at least 6 on my desk right now.  These are manuscripts for Winter and Spring/Summer 2013.  I also have to find the time to read submissions.  Don't get me wrong.  I am not whining.  This is my job and I totally dig it.  And let's face it, I've got a pretty damn good gig here.  But sadly, under the weight of doing so many books per catalog, some things get pushed to the back burners.  :(  Like doing my laundry, reading for pleasure posting here.  I shall try to do better!

Typos, printing errors and other annoying things in publishing

Yesterday I received one of those dreaded emails.  Someone reported a printing error in one of our books.  The last 8 pages or so were missing.  MISSING!!  At the end of a mystery, that is horrendous.

So how does that happen?

Well, something like this, pages printed upside down, or out of order is generally an error made at the printers.  A signature (a large chunk of pages) is inserted upside down or out of order.  In the picture, that signature was cut improperly and then bound into the book.

When books come into the warehouse, we check them for accuracy.  But we do not check EVERY box that comes in.  If we get 100 cases of a new book, we will spot check, unfortunately, we may miss a few boxes of misprinted books.  When we are made aware of an error, we check our stock and then proceed appropriately.  Generally we have to scrap the inventory and the printer reprints.

But in the case yesterday, the problem fell on us.  Somehow the formatting on a book we were sending to reprint got all messed up.  There were page breaks where we didn't put them and that threw off the flow, therefore cutting off the last eight pages.  We pulled our stock and corrected the file.  New copies will be in the warehouse in less than a month.

Well, what about typos?  yep, mistakes happen.  Doesn't mean we have to accept that and publish an inferior product.  But at the end of the day, remember that humans work on these treasures we call books.  And humans are prone to errors once in a while!  Honest! 

Back in my bookseller days, I would occasionally hear a customer complain about a typo.  Either the author or the publisher was blamed.  The customer would proclaim they wouldn't read books by that author again.  Really?  While a misused word or a typo might bother me, unless the book is riddled with errors, I can forgive that.  Afterall, I have probably made several typos in this blog post!

If the book has a printing error, all publishers will replace that book for you free of charge.  Take it back to store where you purchased it, and the store will replace it or refund your money.  The store then sends the book back to the publisher for full credit.  If it's a Midnight Ink book, you can call our customer service line, 1-800-THE-MOON.  We'll take care of you!

But if it's an editing error, a typo, etc, what do you do?  Do you have an extreme reaction?  Does it completely throw you from the book?  Or like me, are you a forgiving reader?  (well, within reason...)

And the Award goes to... Darrell James!

Darrell James, author of Nazareth Child, won the Left Coast Crime Eureka Award for Best First Novel.  Congrats Darrell!!  :)



Darrell with his award

The award winning book





Book two in the series - due out September 2012



Win a Character in Sheila Webster Boneham's Pets in Focus mystery series

Purchase a raffle ticket from one (or more!) of three organizations that support canine health and be entered in one (or more!) of three drawings for a canine guest appearance in The Money Bird*, the second Animals in Focus Mystery and sequel to Drop Dead on Recall.
*(Working title)

All proceeds go directly to support which ever causes (or causes!) you choose.

For more information about the raffles, the organization, the books, and the author, please visit one of more of the event pages.


Australian Shepherd Health and Genetics Institute
Dedicated to the increase and diffusion of knowledge of genetics in the Australian Shepherd, and the inherited diseases from which it sometimes suffers. We envision serving all Aussies, no matter what their purpose, the goals of their owners, or where they live. ASHGI will work both independently and in cooperation with researchers, breed clubs, canine health organizations and foundations that provide grant funds for canine genetics research.
http://www.ashgi.org/bookpromo.htm


Canine Health Events
a diverse gathering of dog lovers from across the country who are dedicated to improving the lives and health of dogs. Using normal dog events, we seek to raise money for canine health research both through entry fees and additional fund-raisers, such as raffles, auctions and sponsorships.
http://www.caninehealthevents.org/CHEBookCameo.htm


LABMED
An Internet-based non-profit organization created to distribute financial aid to injured or ill rescues around the country, giving them a second chance at adoption and love from a permanent family.
http://www.labmed.org/book.html


THE BOOKS

Drop Dead on Recall by Sheila Webster Boneham
Animals in Focus Mystery #1, Coming October 2012!

When a top-ranked competitor keels over at a dog obedience trial, photographer Janet MacPhail is swept up in a maelstrom of suspicion, jealousy, cut-throat competition, death threats, pet-napping, and murder. She becomes a “person of interest” to the police, and apparently to major hunk Tom Saunders as well. As if murder and the threat of impending romance aren’t enough to drive her bonkers, Janet has to move her mother into a nursing home, and the old lady isn’t going quietly. Janet finds solace in her Australian Shepherd, Jay, her tabby cat, Leo, and her eccentric neighbor, Goldie Sunshine. Then two other “persons of interest” die, Jay’s life is threatened, Leo disappears, and Janet’s search for the truth threatens to leave her own life underdeveloped – for good.


The Money Bird (working title) Coming Fall 2013!

A wet satchel with a torn hundred-dollar bill and a long red feather in the bottom--animal photographer Janet MacPhail knows they mean trouble when Labrador Retriever, Drake retrieves them during a field training photo shoot. When an illegal shipment of endangered tropical birds is intercepted by police, Janet is sure there's a connection and decides to look into it between dog-training classes, photo assignments, and visits to her mom at Shadetree Retirement. Despite everyone's cautions, Janet sets out with her Australian Shepherd, Jay, to find out what's going on and how it's all linked to a mysterious retreat center near the island. She discovers that crows aren't the only birds linked to murder.


Learn more at any of the three organizations' site, or at www.facebook.com/sheilawrites or www.sheilaboneham.com

On Sale Dates, Laydown Dates and ARCs

Today I was asked about on sales dates, and that sort of surprised me.  It's something I've dealt with for so long that I assume everyone knows what they are.

An on sale date is the date in which every retailer should have the books in their store.  So, we'll use a March Midnight Ink release as an example.  November Hunt by Jess Lourey has a March 8th on sale date.  Last weekend a customer purchased November Hunt at a Barnes and Noble here in the Twin Cities.  I understand some indie stores had them sooner.  Today they began shipping from Amazon.  Why did it take Amazon longer?  Probably because of the freight time from Minnesota to the Amazon warehouse along with their internal process for receiving and stocking books.

Now, let's say Jess is a big time author like J.K. Rowling or Janet Evanovich.  Then as a publisher, we would impose a lay down date.  A lay down date is a set in stone date for which a store can start selling a book.  It's why there are midnight release parties.  This levels the playing field for all retailers.  Often Publishers require stores to sign an agreement not to violate a lay down date and if the store violates that policy, they could face serious penalties.

Uncorrected galley proof/Advanced reading copy (ARC) - are bound copies of a manuscript that are sent out to reviewers and booksellers about six months before the book is actually published.  These are unedited copies that are supposed to used for garnering reviews and pre-publication buzz.  There are some folks who sell ARCs.  They can be highly collectible.  The problem with ARCs in the hands of general readers is that they don't understand that the version they are reading has not been edited and may contain many errors.

Are there other publishing terms you would like explained?  Or maybe I wasn't clear on the ones above?  Ask away, I am here to help!


Our March 2012 releases  :)


         

Free ebook download - Ghost a la Mode - Sue Ann Jaffarian

Granny was famous for her award-winning apple pies-and notorious for murdering her husband Jacob at their homestead in Julian, California. The only trouble is, Granny was framed, then murdered. For more than one hundred years, Granny's spirit has been searching for someone to help her see that justice is served—and she hits pay dirt when she pops in to a séance attended by her great-great-great-granddaughter, modern-day divorced mom Emma Whitecastle. Together, Emma and Granny Apples solve mysteries of the past—starting with Granny's own unjust murder rap in the final days of the California Gold Rush.

Along with a sprinkling of history, this spirited new mystery series features the amateur sleuth team of Emma Whitecastle and the spirit of her pie-baking great-great-great-grandmother, Granny Apples.

"A charming tale, as appealing as apple pie. I predict a long life (and afterlife) for Sue Ann's latest series."—Harley Jane Kozak,
Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity award-winning author of Dating Dead Men

"Take colorful characters in a charming setting, mix in a dash of romance, add a pinch of the paranormal, and serve it up like one of Granny's famous pies.
I guarantee you'll be back for seconds."
—Deborah Sharp, author of Mama Rides Shotgun

Download your free ebook now. 

Offer lasts thru Feb. 29th, 2012

Sony Reader

http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/sue-ann-jaffarian/ghost-a-la-mode/_/R-400000000000000337209

KINDLE

http://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Granny-Apples-Mystery-ebook/dp/B004HO621Q/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2

Nook

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ghost-a-la-mode-sue-ann-jaffarian/1102087927?ean=9780738731186&itm=2&usri=ghost+a+la 

Sorry I have been away a for a little bit folks.  Been busy.  Today for example, we had our Fall 2012 sales conference.  A lot of work for me, but it is also incredibly exciting and fun to announce the new titles.  Wanna see the covers??



Total awesomeness, don't you agree?  This is where I give a big standing ovation to the art department.  Lynne, Lisa, Ellen, Kevin and Adrienne are the best designers and Jeanette keeps it all together.  Thank to these folks, we put out some very fun and interesting covers.