Daisy Gumm
Majesty Books Recreated for E-Book Distribution
(and a new cover
for SPIRITS REVIVED, the seventh Daisy book, which will be published in March
2014)
Publishing
is a strange and daunting business if you’re a novelist. It probably is if you
write nonfiction, too, although I’ve always heard that it’s easier to get
nonfiction published than it is to get an editor to pay attention to fiction. This
probably has something to do with the millions, if not trillions, of aspiring
novelists out there banging on publishing-house doors.
However,
the times, they have a-changed, and nowadays there are many more opportunities
to get your novels published. Heck, you can publish them yourself as e-books or
print-on-demand books if you’ve a mind to. This new industry (self-publishing)
has spawned many ghastly books, but it’s also given those of us whose careers
have been middling at best another chance at success. By success here, I’m
talking money. I’ve had fifty-some-odd books published by big New York
publishers, which may count as success in some people’s minds, but nobody knows
who I am and I’m dirt poor. This means I’ve either fooled a whole bunch of
editors into thinking I write well, or I really do write well but I haven’t found my niche. Or maybe editors like
my stuff but regular readers don’t. Or maybe . . . oh, who knows? It’s long
been my opinion that luck and timing have more to do with anyone’s success in
anything to do with the arts than does talent alone. Sour grapes? Maybe, although
I’ve thought so for much longer than I’ve been published, so maybe not.
At
any rate, I recently decided to take a huge chance and invest a sizeable amount
of money (of which, I have little. See above) in presenting Daisy Gumm Majesty,
spiritualist extraordinaire (however phony) to the world in new packaging. e-Publishing
Works has provided Daisy’s first six books with new covers, and they’re
actually going to promote them!
Promotion! What a novel concept (sorry. I can’t help myself sometimes). Anyhow,
here they are in their new duds and there’s a link to my author page underneath
the covers:
Aren’t
they lovely? What’s more, you can tell which book comes where in the series!
Another novel concept! Now, if only folks would be kind enough to buy one or
two of them and post reviews on Amazon, my own personal life would be even
better. I understand that if a book gets ten or more (preferably fifteen)
reviews on Amazon, it can then be discounted. So if you feel kindhearted and
generous, maybe you could buy the first book and post a review of it
approximately ten to fifteen days after your purchase. I know, I know. It’s too
complicated for me, too. Sigh. Can you tell self-promotion isn’t my long suit?
But
enough of that. Here’s the gorgeous cover for SPIRITS REVIVED, which will be
published by Five Star in March 2014. In this book, Daisy not only encounters a
real, honest-to-goodness spirit, but she gets to hold up a guy with a pair of
chopsticks. Gotta love Daisy!
For
my September contest, I’m going to be giving away five (FIVE) copies of the new
e-edition of STRONG SPIRITS! If you’d like to enter, just send me your name and
home address in an e-mail to alice@aliceduncan.net . And if you’d
like to read an excerpt from STRONG SPIRITS, you can find the first chapter on
my web site: www.aliceduncan.net
Thanks!
