kate rothwell

Someone contacted me privately to ask if I was the one who had such a hard time with Ellora's Cave. She'd heard from someone else that I had a major beef with them and she wanted the deets. Huh? No, not me. Maybe she thought I was unhappy because I asked for the rights back on a book ( Thank You, Mrs. M ). I wanted the book back because it wasn't selling there. (and okay, I don't think Blush does that well--that is a rumor. A RUMOR. Which is the sort of thing I'm trying to quash here.) And yo, hey, damn--who knows if that story will ever sell anywhere? The book has no sex and an odd structure. It's not YA and it's not plain old adult. It's probably doomed everywhere. Back to that email. After I read it, I figured I should make a public announcement, and what better place than my blog? I have no problem with EC . I've liked my editors. I like the fast communication. Every email I've gotten from Raelene is clear and professional. They pay e...

When you get to know your editor you don't have to be as careful when you submit something to her. Daer Editor This is our book. A paritial of it, anyway! Ha! We love our book and because we have pets we think you should pubish it and also we knit. And we belong ot some many groups that you have herd of that will demonstrate we are cerious about our career. If you do not publihs it we will go all over the internet and weep about how you crushed our dreams, you horrid beyotch. Summmer Devon * * * UPDATE : The editor said yes, she'd buy the book. Yay!

This is worth reading: Mandy Roth's process Cover art in the smaller presses. The bigger publishers--it's a whole different story. But since I deal with the little guys, lately....I have a strong new opinion and my attitude has changed. A lot. As in I now believe my opinion shouldn't matter at all. Seriously, dudes, what I like isn't relevant and, these days, when I see that form asking me for my preferences, I wonder why do they ask me ? My name might be on the cover, but this is a project involving specialists in all sorts of fields. Do they think I know what sells or doesn't sell? I know the sort of covers I prefer, but I'm too close to the story plus--and this is more important-- my tastes might not match other readers, the people who'll actually buy my book. At that point, once the publisher has acquired my story and used my input to turn the book into something polished [sidenote: BUT HOLY MOTHER OF GOD, NOT JUST MY INPUT PLEASE. Thank you.]Anyway . ...

Do you know what's simpler than letting gravity pull you off that log? Publishing a book on Amazon Kindle. Seriously, this is going to change EVERYTHING. It's too damned easy. You can go buy my book there on Kindle, I think. Eventually, soon. Did I mention that damn, that's EASY. If you want The Rat Catcher for your Kindle, you have to pay for it. Three dollars. I'll post a link if and when it goes live.

I finished my 8 RITA books at long last. All 8 were put out by big name publishers. I'm not going to talk about the books because that wouldn't be kosher. But let me just say that to rinse out the flavor between some of those stale, predictable stories and their stale, flat characters, I picked up my computer to read me some Carrie Lofty, Sam Winston, Bonnie Dee and Bettie Sharpe. If I had more print books to go through, I'd probably line up AM Riley, Shiloh Walker....just in case. Okay maybe I should actually draw up a list of my faves some day but that's not the point. Back on track: Get it yet? To make myself read what promised to be a bland print book, I'd promise myself an ebook at the other side. The point at last: I am turning into an ebook snob. Never mind the fact that only a few of those print books were dreary and the others were just fine. The truth is only one was great as the ebooks I read over the same period and none took risks or stuck in my brain...

The more I use it, the more I like query tracker . Their information is more up-to-date than most of the other trackers I've looked at (more up-to-date than the dang agent websites, that's for sure) and the system is easy to figure out. I wish I could do things a little differently--not have it be organized by manuscript, for instance--but that's ok. Every system I don't design I'm certain I can improve. Of course, I don't design a system and that's the main flaw with that particular whine. The non-system I had been using was several pieces of paper with writing on them--and those papers are on the computer, too. Use Excell, another writer told me. Ooo, that gave me sweaty flashbacks to the time I attempted tax-stuff with Excell. I'd rather suck all the snot out of a dog's head** than try to figure out those damned cell-thingies formulas again. I paid the $25 and it's probably the best money I've invested in my so-called career this year. W...

ring ring caller id: The Overlords of Publishing me: I've been waiting for you to call back. Good job on Lofty and Sharpe, but you haven't done anything about the other requests I made. OOP: We have misplaced the list. Me: Yeah? Like those two publishers that have lost my manuscripts? Three manuscripts gone. Do you know in four years, two have gone astray at the large place that shall not be named but has had two names in during the years they've-- OOP: Look we don't have a lot of time and we are so very tired of whiney writers, so unless you have-- Me: Okay, here's my list. You'll get these people fresh contracts asap. Got a pencil ready? Okay. Nancy Butler, Megan Frampton, Myretta Robens, Nonnie St. George-- OOP: Wait. They write quiet books with practically no violence or sex and absolutely not a vampire in sight. Me: You're right. No vampires. Plenty of tension, though. Tension should be enough for some books. Not every book has to move at the sa...

Summer has to think this Kindle thing is good. Look, a couple more of her books are up at Amazon again . Good! Yay! Bring them all on! Kate isn't selling at the moment, and she is aiming at NYC. That market is getting scarier by the minute, so she's terrified by the Kindle thing. Eeeiiii, says Kate. Yet another reason for them to say no to me. There're always more reasons to say no! So many changes and a general shaking up and publishers scurrying around in fear. They'd want to avoid printing more books by mid-listers. This is when I'm glad I'm two different people in the writing world. I only wish I was real enough to be marching-- not scurrying--with the giant rat. I hope Eddie, a stagehand striker in NYC, doesn't mind if I use his rat photo. But listen, this important: Did you know there is some guy who rents rats? Yes, a man makes his living renting out inflatable rats to striking workers. The rat represents management, see. (Mike was appalled. I g...

what she said.

Hey WRITERS, ch eck out this site for promo. I think it's mostly for independent writers (i.e. self-published) but I like it so I immediately signed on and put up everything that's still sort of in print. (I left out the long-gone literary journal stuff) I liked it so much, I even started a group there for writers who have to be authors but might not be so good at that part of the job. Today's blog stuff is at Passionate Prose. Does anyone read those group author blogs? Not a lot comments happen at the ones where I post.

It's on a smaller scale but the anger of its authors is just as strong. The buzz on lots of loops is that another epublishing company is sliding down the tubes. Apparently Mardi Gras Publishing is going down, but slowly it seems, because the company site is still up, Looks like they're even soliciting manuscripts. Still, the word is on the loops. Here's another --toward the end. And heres's another, just a single post If this is the end, it's not a nice wrap-up. Authors are complaining it hasn't been nice for a while. When a company slides into bankruptcy, versus just folding tents and going away quietly, who'll help the authors get their rights back? I hear EPIC might help I didn't even know the publisher existed, but turns out I know several people who'd sent manuscripts and were waiting for them to show up. Ugh.

It worked for kids's books, right? Why not romances. Today: the historical paranormal (choose one of the red things) Anna/Belle/Cassandra is a lady fallen on hard times hired to be a governess/librarian/nurse for a mysterious duke/count/marquess/baron . On a stormy, moonless night (no options there, sorry. You can pick snow, hail or rain though.) the carriage she is in breaks down/is held up/falls down a cliff. She pulls herself from the wreckage/intact carriage uninjured and decides to walk to the manor house/wait for help/ mount the only uninjured horse and rides for help, leaving the groom with the broken leg behind As she walks/waits/rides she feels a mysterious malevolent/protective presence. It's as if an unseen hand touches her hair/unseen breath touches her neck/unseen body just at her back makes her skin ripple You get the idea. Eventually the hero turns out to be a vampire/werewolf/ghost-demoted god/some new creation that's a mishmash of the above. If he's...

**PAN (published authors) will be open to any writer who's made 1K on a book. Publisher doesn't matter. Us already joined types don't have to prove our income. **All of PAN writers' print books will be eligible for the RITA **The new standards for publishers will toss out EC and Samhain and anyone else who doesn't pay advances: 500 for a novella and 1000 for a novella. "Tossed out" means that they won't get appointments or spotlights at the conference for free. It's fair, seems to be as inclusive as possible, and I think the board deserves a bottle of wine, dammit. I bet they're deep in some of those blue cowboy drinks I've been hearing about. I also bet this means the number of entries to the RITA (it's limited to the first thou? 500?) will be reached within the first day the contest opens. Did I get any of this wrong? Tell me! Or don't bother, after tomorrow morning [cue jaws or maybe psycho music] I'll be on the road. Whingin...

My informative, non-whiny post is over at the passionate prose blog. other news: 1. I take back the other prize and award Theresa Meyers with the 2007 Professional Writers Response to Adversity. Maybe she can put that one on her resume? 2. I started a fire (in the fireplace) because I will not turn on the heat, dammit. 3. No, no! Stop sending me emails. You can't make me interview my characters in public.

Samhain has RWA recognition. Go Samhain! Yay Crissy! Whoopie! The important question, of course, is what does this mean to me, me, me? Answer: Nothing much. Nothing I write is RITA stuff. I suppose the editors will be swamped under more submissions now. (Although I think they're temporarily closed to new stuff. I think. OOooOOO the blog as rumor mill.) It's very cool, though. The epublishers are making their way into the ranks.