As a special thank you (and an apology of sorts, but that's a long story), please enjoy this post from Adria J. Cimino about what it means to be an Author/Publisher in the Readathon! Without publishers, the Readathon would be VERY different and not nearly as much fun!
Hello readers!
Some of you might know me… but I’m not exactly J.K. Rowling
(unfortunately) so for those of you who don’t, here’s a brief introduction. My
name is Adria J. Cimino, and I’m a writer of contemporary fiction—and a
publisher! Recently, fellow author Vicki Lesage and I started an indie
publishing house called Velvet Morning Press.
Although Vicki and I aren’t reading in the Read-a-thon, we
are giving all of you a big cheer because the Read-a-thon is pretty important
from our perspective too. As writers and publishers of books, it’s rewarding to
see so many people who appreciate them enough to stay up around the clock! This
renews our ambition to continue writing and continue publishing even along an
often difficult road.
So what’s it like to be an author/publisher involved in the
Read-a-thon? It’s awesome because we have the opportunity to connect with
you—and maybe even present you with your next great read! (We’re offering a
paperback copy and several ecopies of each of our books as giveaway prizes.
Please check them out!) This is especially important since we are a small
publishing operation and one of our only ways of presenting our work to you is
through events like the Read-a-thon. So thank you, readers, and thank you,
Andi, for this opportunity. We hope that after you read our books, you will be
just as delighted as we are.
Besides giving away a few books, how else can I entertain?
How about an up-close look (if your eyes aren’t too tired!) at Velvet Morning
Press?
The idea for the business bloomed last year as Vicki and I
realized that a lot of new, talented writers were being overlooked by bigger
publishing houses, reticent about taking the risk on an untried name. We
thought it was a shame for these struggling authors—but also sad for readers
who probably would enjoy their work. Through experience with our own books,
Vicki and I had learned about publishing and marketing in this age of social
media. We decided to take the plunge!
Who are our authors? For our multi-author anthologies, we’ve
enjoyed pairing well-established best-selling authors with newer talent for you
to discover. “Legacy,” a short story collection exploring the idea of all that
we leave behind, features Kristopher Jansma, Regina Calcaterra and Paula Young
Lee. “That’s Paris,” a short story collection about the City of Light, includes
a foreword by Stephen Clarke of “A Year in the Merde” fame.
Our authors of novels and memoirs are new discoveries. This
spring, be on the lookout for “Survival of the Ginnest,” by Aimee Horton, a
humorous, modern-day diary of a new mom. And set for release this summer, “Entanglement,”
by Katie Rose Guest Pryal, is the story of a complicated—and
dangerous—friendship between two young women.
And then of course, there are Vicki’s books and my books. We
wouldn’t even consider giving up our own writing, no matter how busy we are!
We are offering our own books, as well as copies of “Legacy”
and “That’s Paris” in the giveaway. If you really want to make us jump for joy,
please sign up for our newsletter at http://eepurl.com/7ht1z.
We promise you quality books, author interviews and updates on special
promotions!
Happy reading…
Thanks so much for welcoming us to the blog today, Andi! I've really enjoyed following the readathon on Twitter and checking out readers' books and comments. We, as authors and publishers, love such dedicated readers!! Hope everyone is having a great time. And thanks to you for all of your hard work and this amazing event!
ReplyDeleteThank you for donating books and taking the time to write for us. Indie presses are really important to represent voices that could otherwise have trouble finding a place in bigger publishing houses. Wish you the best of luck! :)
ReplyDeleteI loved this post! I think it's the first time I read a post by a publisher (and author, I know), and I'm glad they participate in the readathon too by giving away books.
ReplyDeleteI usually read several books by self-publishe authors every year, and I also think that some of their books deserve to be with a publishing house due to the quality of their stories. I'm so glad that there are publishers that are taking this into account.
So glad to know Velvet Morning Press a little bit more!
Thank for the lovely post
ReplyDelete