More Publishing Info
As I mentioned in the last blog post, I’ve chosen to work with Amazon Publishing to put my book together and organize the sales distribution across other distributors. It’s been a longer process than expected and an education for me.
Here are a few examples:
Formatting the text (for example: how do you format text messaging or emails?).
Artwork for the cover and the “blurb” for the back of the book (intended to compel the consumer to purchase the book).
Aligning pricing for the various formats. Of course, Amazon has extensive input on pricing, so they led it. I was surprised that the novel will be only in eBook and Paperback - not hardback. Apparently, it’s a trend but a learning experience for me.
Registering a copyright for the novel.
WHAT IS THE GENRE FOR - SHADOW OVER THE HEARTLAND?
A while ago, I was asked what my novel’s genre is. That caught me “flat-footed.” I took a quick look on Google and found forty-two genres! Yikes!
Fortunately, when the question was asked, I worked with a very experienced writer— Ph.D. in English with an emphasis in Contemporary American Literature and Creative Writing from Purdue University, published many books, etc. She immediately said, your book is a “literary thriller” (a thriller sub-category).
What does that mean? I’ve culled a couple of definitions, which I think would be helpful for you and others who read the novel:
Thriller: is a type of mystery with a few key differences. As its name suggests, thrillers tend to be action-packed, page-turners with moments full of tension, anxiety, and fear. Without fail, they are plot-driven stories with plenty of plot twists.
Literary thriller: the definition I’ve seen says that a literary thriller is one where the words and characters “matter.” The book is about thrilling the reader and provides deeper character insight, descriptions, etc.
A famous classic literary thriller is Robert Louis Stevenson’s: The Strange Care of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This story follows a mentally ill doctor who suffers from a “split personality.”
I hope that provides some better context!
Cheers!
Tom