Dear Author: Romance Book Reviews, Author Interviews, and Commentary

Everyday I log into my gmail account, I see a text link for NobleRomance. I’ve seen it so often that I’ve started wondering about it when I wasn’t even online. Last week, I finally gave in and clicked on it. It’s a nice site offering standard romance epublishing fare (read: erotic romance). I haven’t bought anything, but the name has been flashed in front of me so many times that it’s embedded behind my eyelids and now, I’m blogging about it. So obviously it’s Google AdWords is paying off, a little bit, at least.

Carolyn Jean commented at Meljean Brook’s blog that “The rule of thumb in the world of advertising is that it is cumulative. So you’re right in your instinct that you are being ‘worn down’ toward a purchase.”

We held a viral blog campaign early on in the inception of Dear Author for Nalini Singh because I really loved her debut mass market, Slave to Sensation, and wanted to spread the news about her awesomeness.  The response was varied. Some people were critical of the blog posting because it wasn’t new content but it did raise Nalini Singh’s …

From the email:  Fictionwise has always been proud to be the only eBook retailer to actively promote and support independent eBook Publishers. This week, we are featuring all Independent Publishers by offering big savings on nearly 20,000 MultiFormat eBooks! For a limited time, all MultiFormat eBooks are 25% off through October 5th.  see below: http://www.fictionwise.com/Z133282T951/ebooks/multiformat.htmThe multi-format books do not have DRM and include books from Belgrave House, Samhain Publishing, and Amber Quill Press.  Go forth and buy.  Support your indie publisher.

An account of the infamous Levy bus tour by author Sherry Thomas who penned the fabulous historicals, Private Arrangements and Delicious.  We, here, at Dear Author find Sherry’s books to be delicious themselves.  You can check out excerpts at the links previously provided or read our reviews here.
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Six months ago I received an e-mail from my editor telling me that Bantam Books, my publisher, would like to send me on the Levy bus tour and was I interested?  (Note, the entire tour list can be seen here with a list of their recent releases. Excluded from the list are Victoria Rowell and Brenda Novak).

Was I interested? Heck, ever since I read Jacquie D’Alessandro’s account of her tour experience, I’d had it on my list of good things that I want to happen to me. I said yes right away.

A Little Background

For readers who are unfamiliar with the distribution end of the publishing business, Levy Home Entertainment is one of the largest book distributors in the U.S. and specializes in supplying books and book-related services to nontraditional outlets such as Target, Kmart, Meijer, …

In August, I believe, the long awaited story of ACHERON will be released. In celebration of this, St. Martin’s Press is offering one of the very first Dark-Hunter novels, Seize the Night, in a free e-Book download. You have to give up personal information (not height and weight thank goodness) and in exchange you will receive an email with a download link.

A little pimpage for my friends this morning.

Keishon, at avidbookreader.com, is having a giveaway of the hardcover release by Julia Spencer Fleming, I Shall Not Want. This is the 6th book in the series and has a very strong romantic undercurrent so if you like romance and mystery, this is a good fit.

Dionne Galace, author and blogger, has resurrected the serial for romance readers. She first introduced us to Bettie Sharpe and is now running a serial of her own. I haven’t had an opportunity to read it yet, but look forward to doing so this evening.

more cat pictures

What do Diana Peterfreund, Lauren Willig, Julia Quinn, and Eloisa James have in common? They are all Ivy League educated authors. Peterfreund is a graduate of Yale University. Willig, Quinn and James are Harvard educated. They are all, to varying degrees, commercially successful writers.

At the both ends of the reading industry spectrum, from the publishers to the readers, the Ivy League pedigree can matter. It is believed, I am certain, that Ivy Leaguers know how to write it better. Slap Harvard, Yale, Princeton on the biography of the author and the books are instantly viewed to be of a certain quality. I think its like a dog whistle. We readers see that and have a certain instinctual response.

Maybe it’s because for most of us, an Ivy League education was simply not in the cards whether it was because of lack of funds, not high enough test scores, or not being able to write a good enough entrance essay. Because the Ivy League education seems unattainable, the ones who attend and graduate are afforded some instant literary god like status. And that works, initially, …