Anna DeStefano's Blog

Dorchester’s abrupt shift from a mass market publishing model to focusing on digital and trade paperback releases has been dissected and discussed and bandied about for kicks and giggles by just about everyone. Mostly by folks not involved in the ongoing change. But was it so abrupt? Was it Dorchester’s choice alone? Was the story really simple enough to be covered in a tweet or a Facebook update?

The emotions running high then and now were real enough. The circumstances weren’t great for anyone involved, either before Dorchester’s move or since. The publishing industry itself, never a source of enduring security for most who challenge it, was has been in a very public tailspin for the last few years.

Exactly how much of Dorchester’s move was about one publishing house’s floundering dynamic? How much of it was industry trends playing out on a small enough stage for us to dissect every bit of it and hopefully learn something new?

From the start, I wanted Publishing Isn’t for Sissies to be about seeing the bigger picture. There’s a larger story here. Every publisher and author is playing it out, in various arenas, trying to find their place in what we’re all about to become. I applaud the brave approach Vice President Tim DeYoung and the rest of Dorchester’s staff are taking to innovate and pioneer an uncharted path they’re determined to make work for their authors.

To see a bit more of that bigger picture for yourself, spend a few minutes looking at our publishing world through Tim’s eyes…

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Some people have asked me why Dorchester turned from mass market centric publishing to a digital and trade model.  The response to this question involves an understanding of the marketplace and the changes within. 

I don’t think anyone will disagree with the statement that the biggest trend in the publishing industry is the extraordinary growth of the e-book.  Articles, blogs, and editorials are everywhere you turn, trumpeting the demise of print.  There is no question that e-books seem to be the future, what with all the new platforms springing up, some that feature interactive participation or even the use of color.  Still, even with the fantastic growth in the last couple of years, e-book sales are far overshadowed by the sales of physical books.

Several years ago, the wholesale marketplace started going through very real upheaval. (more…)

Dorchester Publshing’s gotten a lot of press in the seven months that I’ve waited for Secret Legacy to release. The Dorchester staff has made some tough choices about their business, as have I. PIFS has been about the story behind the drama playing out on social media’s myopic stage. Tough realities and decisions must be faced once emotions cool. I wanted this to be a place where we could share experiences and take those next steps together.

Our industry is a lightening-fast spiral of change at the moment. We’ve talked here about challenging things. We’ve kept things honest but positive and forward-thinking. We’ve already heard from a PR professional and an industry-leading agent. Now let’s dig a little deeper.

My personal impression observing Dorchester Senior Editor Chris Keeslar in my six years as a published author is that he’s widely respected by professionals in every corner of our industry.

Every author I know who’s worked with him loves how much he loves working with story and the minds that craft it. With Dorchester’s shift in publishing model, I suspect Chris is more involved than ever with the management of getting books to market. But reading his thoughts below, it’s clear that story and nurturing an author’s voice and career are still Chris’ ultimate focus.

He’s put a public face on each issue Dorchester has encountered. He’s handled these complex situations as best he could as quickly as he could, providing whatever information and action and answers were needed. I can’t imagine the journey’s been any easier for him than the authors he continues to champion. But he’s never publicly reacted in anger or frustration. I find it inspirational, his brand of integrity and optimism in the face of these challenges.

I’m thrilled that Chris is sharing his thoughts with us today on how a traditional publisher can help a digitally published author…

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“I’ve been thinking about the changing landscape of publishing recently. Here’s what I’ve decided: (more…)

So many exciting things are coming in May for my sci-fi/fantasy Secret Legacy release,most of which I’m partnering with the amazing associates at Dorchester to make happen:

• Look for exciting FREE DOWNLOAD offers for Dark Legacy on sites like Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Borders and Deisel books from May 2nd – May 9th. From May 9th – May 23rd, Dark Legacy will be a .99 cent download, then 2.99 through June 6th. All to, as you might suspect,build momentum and interest in Book 2 in my psychic fantasy series,  Secret Legacy.
• Guest blogs and giveaways at cool siteslike Night Owl Scifi, Dreams and Speculation, ScifiGuy, etc.
• Features in ITW’s Big Thrill newsletter and other places like a May spotlight and Free Friday Download  on Barnes and Noble’s Unbound blog.
• Cool Author Interview and Cover Story book book trailers coming from Circle of Seven, complete with great bonus discount offers from Dorchester.
• And more…

All of which is the kind of promo being done all over the place by authors hoping to plug into the viral marketing that makes Internet buzz happen. But having my Dorchester team behind me and Secret Legacy in a powerful way has opened so many more doors than I could have myself.

It occurred to me as I started the PIFS blog series that not all the majority of the talk about Dorchester switch (and, through them, mine) from a traditional mass market publishing model was coming from people who weren’t immediately involved in the situation. Not that bystanders’ viewpoints aren’t valid. But it struck me at the time, as it does now, that there’s a lot of talk about what hadhappened and how the facts as those outside the immediate crisis saw it, meant doom for Dorchester authors and others who were about to be trampled under the digital publishing wave. There’s very little insight coming from within the trenches, from the perspective of authors that all this is happening to–those of us making difficult choices and deciding to trust the Dorchsterteam still working hard behind the scenes to make the best possible solution emerge from some unfortunate circumstances for everyone.

I’ve talked at lenth in past PIFS  posts about my viewpoint then and now (as I watch Secret Legacy’s release fast approaching). I won’t repeat myself, except to say that last fall, when Dorchester’s announcement surprised everyone, I was in the middle of a two-book contract for an ongoing series, and my decision wasn’t as straight forward as others. I could have gotten the rights back to my unpublished novel (Secret Legacy), but Dark Legacy had been released the previous year and sold well. Dorchester had done their job with it, as they continued to assure me they would with Secret Legacy, and therefore would retain rights to that story. Which meant I couldn’t take the entire series elsewhere looking for a home, or even build momentum as a self-published author as some have, by offering both books to readers on my own. Also, I know a great number of self or indie published authors who regularly share the wealth of their hard-earned experience, and I knew the daunting task of self publishing and promoting a novel across various platforms and to hard-to-target audiences isn’t the slam-dunk many would like you to believe it is when you strike out completely on your own.

And then there were the professionals at Dorchester, communicating regularly with my agent and myself about their ongoing plans for their business and my books. Brainstorming with me. Partnering with me on ideas for how best to target traditional, digital and indie markets with my series.Agreeing to move my release date out until we had a firm release and promotion plan in hand. Making themselves available whenever I had questions, even to this day. And, yes, paying me for the work I’ve done, as they’re contractually required to do. Just in case there’s any confusion, I’ve been paid what I’m owed for both my novels. Those who demand that you believe no one who’s worked with Dorchester has received any money for years, for whatever reason those persons feel it necessary to want you to believe that sort of thing, aren’t talking from my experience or that of other Dorchester authors I know personally. We’re not stupid, those of us who have trusted our publishing team to the best job they can for our books. We’re just finding a way to continue to do our jobs and build our careers amidst trying circumstances for both us and our publisher.

It’s in Dorchester’s best interest, as it is mine, for Secret Legacy to do as well as possible. We all want it to hit the sci-fi/fantasy market hard and sell, sell sell. We’re all working our butts off to make that happen. Together. I am  constantly amazed by the creativity and ingenuity of everyone I’m on this ride with. And as one of the writers in the trenches, involved in implementing this new “hybrid” publishing model with a novel I’m more personally attached to than anything else I’ve written, I excited to share that journey through Publishing Isn’t for Sissies. So are the Dorchester associates and staff that I’ve been working so closely with.

Hannah Wolfson has already shared some of the details behind Dorchester’s NetGalley partnership and what Secret Legacy’s feature there might mean for promoting the release.

I have five more great Dorchester guest posts scheduled for May and early June. (more…)

Modern authors must promote. Even the top dogs. But what if you’re a writer who cringes at the thought of sell, sell, selling yourself to your audience? Suck it up, TPTBs say.  And, well, they’re mostly right. Mostly. Because not everyone will promote effectively the same way. And too much of the advice we hear these days is that THIS or THAT are the only ways to really entice more potential readers to give your stories a try.

Bull.

Don’t drink the Kool-Aide.

Yes, a writer’s business must include a healthy dose of consistent promotion planning an execution. And unless you’re one of the lucky few “branded” authors out there, what you affectionately refer to as your PR Department will be comprised primarily of you and you alone.

But, where I see most hard-working, business savvy writers flounder (myself included) is when they attempt to force themselves into a promotion mold that doesn’t fit their personality, strengths, writing genre and time/lifestyle demands. We’re not all natural sales or marketing persons.We don’t all have time to travel or the gifts of public speaking. Some of us cringe when confronted with crowds, can’t introduce ourselves to strangers without breaking out in hives, and don’t have a knack for the quick and prolific writing schedule demanded of a daily blogger.

So what do we do, when we’re told that one or more of of these missing traits are THE ONLY WAY WE’LL BE SUCCESSFUL as a modern writer?

First of all, we remind ourselves that it’s the quality of the story and our passion for what we’re writing that’s most important. Ignore the PR/Marketing guru that tells you to promote first, write second. If you don’t believe your story is the best it can be, if you don’t absolutely love what you’ve done and if you’re not prouder of it than anything else you’ve ever written, how the hell are you going to honestly, authentically promote it to readers? Do the work first. Do it well. Protect the writing.

Second, we take inventory of what we do well, or more importantly what we DON’T do well. Me? I don’t hand sell. (more…)