Workshop Notice: Christian Writers of the West

This writer's workshop has a terrific speaker with a solid and practical point of view toward publishing. I highly recommend that you attend. I'll be out of town that weekend, otherwise I would be there myself. For more information go to the Christian Writer's website at http://christianwritersofthewest.weebly.com/

My amazing publisher: Sourcebooks

It's always a good thing when an author loves their publishing house, and I've been very fortunate to love mine. The owner of Sourcebooks, Dominique Raccah, is a fascinating woman, who approaches authors and the industry in an entirely different way, and perhaps this is the reason for Sourcebooks fantastic success...especially during a time when most publishing houses are cutting back and/or closing lines.

So it's with a great deal of pride that I'm passing along an article about Sourcebooks that appeared in Shelf Awareness (one of several articles that can be found here: http://news.shelf-awareness.com/mv/a1/804583.html):

Sourcebooks: '21st Century Book Publisher'

"We're a company that's transforming in an industry that's transforming," said Dominique Raccah, founder, CEO and publisher of Sourcebooks, Naperville, Ill. Her goal, she said, is to make Sourcebooks into "what a 21st Century book publisher would look like."Here's how it looks so far:

Sourcebooks has been in the forefront of offering e-books, enhanced books, iPhone apps and just last month launched a poetry website that, Raccah said, is creating a community for people who love poetry--and may be a model for creating revenue. (Among other things, it sells poems for download, iTunes style.)

After deciding a year ago that it wasn't going "to participate" in the recession and that it would have no layoffs, the company involved all 75 employees in extraordinary efforts to build the company's business in a range of measurable ways, including improving cash flow and inventory, expanding markets, working better with customers and more. By doing so, Sourcebooks has tried to take advantage of being "in that funky space between big and small publishers," Raccah said--big enough to have a presence but small enough to be limber and both act and react quickly.

Sourcebooks continues to publish some 300 new titles a year in a range of subjects--test and study guides, poetry, historical and women's fiction, children's and YA books, reference, romance and more--using many e-tools to nurture both readers and writers. The house, Raccah emphasized repeatedly, is publishing "authors, not books," and many of them have become bestsellers. Sourcebooks was founded 22 years ago as a reference publisher.

It's Your Dream-Never Settle!

We all have dreams, and for some of us, they are to write a novel. If this is your dream, I wish you the sincere best. As you embark on your journey as a novelist, I’d like to state, it’s YOUR dream, never settle, and second, the only path to your dream is the one YOU envision, not anyone else.

Define YOUR dream. Is it to self-publish, e-publish, publish with a large New York house, another writing venue? Regardless of what venue your choose, this is YOUR dream, not your friends, another writers, or anyone else.

One of my biggest frustrations on my writing journey is when writers submit to houses that don’t fulfill their dream, then are dissatisfied. I assure you, I understand the frustration faced in selling a novel. I received over 100 rejections before I quit counting. The bottom line is, it’s a writer’s responsibility to choose where to send their work. If the publishing house doesn’t fulfill your idea of a dream, don’t send it there – it’s that simple.

Now, if the publishing house doesn’t fulfill your idea of a dream, but you perceive it as a step toward your ultimate goal and are HAPPY with your decision, then submit your work to the target house. Looking back, if you’re not happy with your experience in working with that house, use this information as a building tool as you focus on your future. Remember, writing is a huge learning curve.

Along the way, you’ll find people with good intent who tell/advise you what you should do. Do you listen to their advice? It’s always good to weigh your options, but the bottom line is, choose what you believe is the correct path for YOU. Hey, it’s your manuscript, don’t submit it until you’ve done your homework and are thrilled about the house you’re targeting.
I wish you the sincere best as you pursue a career in writing. It’s a unique and tough challenge, but one of the most rewarding. The people you meet, writers and readers alike, touch your life, and often, become your friends. Adversity tests if we truly want our goals. Nothing worth anything is ever easy. Never give up – perseverance is the key. My sincere best to each of you as you follow your heart. Thank you for stopping by!

Diana Cosby
www.dianacosby.com

TRUSTING HER WAS UNTHINKABLE

Lady Isabel Adair is the last woman Sir Duncan MacGruder wants to see again, much less be obliged to save. Three years ago, Isabel broke

their engagement to become the Earl of Frasyer’s mistress, shattering Duncan’s heart and hopes in one painful blow. But Duncan’s promise to Isabel’s dying brother compels him to rescue her from those determined to bring down Scottish rebel Sir William Wallace.

RESISTING HER WAS IMPOSSIBLE

Betraying the man she loved was the only way for Isabel to save her father, but every moment she spends with Duncan reminds her just how much she sacrificed. No one could blame him for despising her, yet Duncan’s misgivings cannot withstand a desire that has grown wilder with time. Now, on a perilous journey through Scotland, two wary lovers must confront both the enemies who will stop at nothing to hunt them down, and the secret legacy that threatens their passion and their lives…

STRANGERS

With a wastrel brother and a treacherous former fiancé, Lady Nichola Westcott hardly expects the dangerously seductive Scot who kidnaps her to be a man of his word. Though Sir Alexander MacGruder promises not to hurt her, Nichola’s only value is as a pawn to be ransomed.

ENEMIES

Alexander’s goal is to avenge his father’s murder, not to become entangled with the enemy. But his desire to keep Nichola with him, in his home—in his bed—unwittingly make her a target for those who have no qualms about shedding English blood.

LOVERS

Now Nichola is trapped—by her powerful attraction to a man whose touch shakes her to the core. Unwilling and unable to resist each other, can Nichola and Alexander save a love that has enslaved them both?

Buy at Amazon or Barnes & Noble