In another sign of the changing tide toward epublishing, the “industry professionals” are gathering in New York City to try and figure out where they fit in the scheme of things. The eBook Summit will take place Dec. 15 and 16. The keynote speakers, to me, speak volumes: reps from Harper Collins Open Road Integrated Media, Sony’s Digital Reading Business Division, Google Books and BBC World News America. Okay, the last is probably a token rep, but the others, it would seem, are desperate to figure out how to make a buck from the shift to digital. The opening line of their ad says it all: New technologies have disrupted the business of publishing. Hm. Ya think? Nowhere in this “summit” does it address the plight of the author. The real “content creators” who, for the most part, currently slave away at full-time second jobs of writing (inclusive of marketing efforts, which equal the time spent actually writing) for wages people in third world countries would scoff at. The playing field must level soon, or authors will begin to drop out of the game. Not me, I’m in it because I love it. At some point, though, it needs to be financially rewarding as well. Or the people at the top will likely have to downscale their lifestyles too.
Time's running out! On Tuesday, June 9, some lucky person will win a Sony eReader. But first, s/he must buy an ebook from The Wild Rose Press by one of the participating authors (hopefully me!) Details are here. Choose from either Seventh Heaven or The Duende and the Muse - each only $2.00. Such a small cost for a great reward. Both stories have received excellent reviews: Seventh Heaven WDRF's "Memorable Good" review concluded: This is a read that will leave you on the edge of your seat. The deep and powerful setting of this story had me wiping away tears while cheering James on. Cate has a great story on her hands with this. LASR's 4-book review concluded: Cate Masters is a gifted writer who wrote this book with talent and marvelous imagery. I could almost see, taste, hear and touch what was occurring in "Seventh Heaven." If you are looking for a book with a wonderful plot that is very well written as well as being entertaining, "Seventh Heaven" is the book for you. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Masters' work. The Duende and the Muse Author Hywela Lyn's 5-star review: This little gem is an absolute delight. It's quite unusual in that it's a first person, present tense narrative, and this gives it an wonderful immediacy. I felt I was right there with Melinda, sharing her frustration that her student doesn't seem to hear her, her anxiety that if she doesn't succeed with him she might lose her muse status – and the heat she feels when a certain duende is near her. Cate Masters puts words together in a way that is almost poetic, and brings the magic of her world to life. It's a delightful, quick and fun read and I can thoroughly recommend it.
To celebrate the release of The Duende and the Muse, my short Faery (fantasy) story from The Wild Rose Press, I’m giving away a PDF copy to a random commenter. I'll announce the winner tomorrow night at 9 p.m. (Eastern). Just share something about your muse – or duende, as the case may be. Does inspiration light upon you like a butterfly? Or strike like a bolt of lightning, sizzling along your nerve endings, burning your fingertips until they’re forced to pound it out on paper or a keyboard? Sometimes the best stories come out like that, jumping from our head to the page almost fully formed. The Duende and The Muse was a little of both. It started as a lightning strike, and I tweaked it a bit later, after it had cooled off a bit. And if you don’t win today, if you purchase it (or Seventh Heaven, my Vintage Rosette), you can enter The Wild Rose Press’ contest to win a Sony eReader. Details are here. Here’s the excerpt: Melinda is startled when she notices a dark figure leaning against a booth across the aisle. He stands out like a charcoal etching against the background of clouds—harsh outlines, jagged features. Menacing yet compelling. He smiles, and lightning flashes from his dazzling white teeth, zinging through her. She’s never seen a muse like him, but he must be one—otherwise, he wouldn’t be here. He wouldn’t be stepping toward her with the intensity of a jaguar, a laserlight in his eye, teeth bared in a hungry smile. This guy looks like a Vanity Fair ad—layered hair mussed just so, sandals with a jacket and jeans that fit really well. She runs her hand across her belly to quell the tiny pinpricks. She’s been so busy with work lately, she hasn’t met anyone new. “Who’s that?” Her wings can’t beat fast enough to cool the heat rising from deep inside her. Calliope turns to Euterpe. “Oh my. How did he get in here?” Euterpe squints in his direction, then furrows her brow. “A duende. They’ll let anyone in these days.” That explains it. She’s heard of them—said to be a combination of charm, magic, inspiration, fire, magnetism—and demon. Muses were warned at an early age not to take up with duendes. Tales of muse-duende liaisons were fraught with disaster and downfall—for the muse. Duendes managed to carry on unscathed, though their methods of inspiration could be deadly for their students. The thought vanishes quicker than a flicker of sunlight on water as he moves toward her and says hello in a voice whose timbre resounds within her. “Hi.” She stares, entranced by his dark beauty. His smile envelops her. “I’m Devon.” She extends her hand. “I’m Melinda. So nice to meet you.” Fire sparks in her fingers as he takes her hand in his, then leans to kiss it. A tingling crawls up her arms and neck and into her head, where it scrambles her thoughts. His gaze lingers on her lips, and they quiver open like a rosebud blooming in sunlight. His voice is like a hot wind in the desert. “The pleasure’s all mine.” Oh, she doubts it.
Beginning today, The Wild Rose Press is holding a Sony eReader contest, and I’m one of the participating authors. This means that if you purchase Seventh Heaven from The Wild Rose Press, you can be in the running to win. To enter, email your order number to sonyreader@thewildrosepress.com.
SONY recently announced that they will include $25 worth of free downloads from their site with every reader The Wild Rose Press gives away. That’s a great prize package for only $2 (if you purchase my story).
The Wild Rose Press will verify your order and enter you into the drawing. If you purchase more than one title, you can enter more than one time. Be sure to check the list of participating authors. More details are online.
For questions on this contest, please contact Rhonda Penders at rpenders@thewildrosepress.com. Please put the words SONY eReader contest in the subject line. Click on each author's name to link to their books in our bookstore. If there is no link next to the author; the book may not be released yet, and you can check back at a later time to find her link.
In 2006, Forbes magazine predicted the death of books, to paraphrase Mark Twain, was greatly exaggerated. According to its research, people were reading more, not less. This bears out in 2008 as well. But in what format will they survive? In June, Publishers Weekly reported that electronic stories have boosted readership and sales. It specifically mentioned Wild Rose Press, where I have several stories due out soon, as having more success rather than less. Apparently New York Magazine thinks the bell is already tolling for traditional publishing, as it describes in its article, The End. But is e-publishing a good deal for authors? An article in Conde Nast’s Portfolio called Engineering the Risk out of Book Publishing explains the idea behind HarperCollins’ new unit, HarperStudio. Not having had a book published (yet!), I have no frame of reference so can’t render any personal pearls of wisdom, but merely pass on what others have said. For instance, author L.J. Sellers sees it as a positive move. Her blog even caught the attention of a HarperCollins exec, who rebutted another’s comment that the move would cheat authors, saying HarperStudios still allows up to $100,000 in advances and pays fifty percent of the net profits. Delivery systems such as Sony’s E-Reader and Amazon’s Kindle have made e-books portable, further boosting their appeal. And not just for erotica, as Publishers Weekly seems to think. It certainly seems as if e-books will be a serious competitor, if not overtake, traditional publishing. The Telegraph UK’s 2007 article, Electronic books the future of publishing, states that the Booker Prize Foundation intended to release ebook versions of the shortlisted book titles, though it laments that (as of Oct. 2007) ebook readers had not yet become available in the UK. In Galleycat’s blog, author Bill Tancer has some intriguing ideas about what data culled from the Internet might reveal to publishers (watch the video). I’m no expert, but I think nothing can be ruled out, at this point. If readers want more interactive content, as Tancer says, then there are many more avenues for publishers – and authors – to pursue. Some of which are already done today, such as books being remade into video games. So who knows where it will all end up? Stay tuned.
The eBook Summit will take place Dec. 15 and 16. The keynote speakers, to me, speak volumes: reps from Harper Collins Open Road Integrated Media, Sony’s Digital Reading Business Division, Google Books and BBC World News America. Okay, the last is probably a token rep, but the others, it would seem, are desperate to figure out how to make a buck from the shift to digital. The opening line of their ad says it all: New technologies have disrupted the business of publishing. 
