An Author/Publisher in the Read-a-thon

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…