Monday, January 24, 2011

Bust at the Big Box

Around the House
I am having a night of issues at the moment.  I currently have four projects spinning in my head, and I am fighting with each of them. Currently my next novel which starts off as part of an upcoming series (as is my current book Witches, Demons, & Deals) is with my editor Tim.  He is currently reading through it and listening to my spazing over the next project in the line.  Then I have revisions I am avoiding for my first book in the series which starts as my current book ends.  Yes, that means more of Raisa and her antics.  Finally, I have two new projects that I am working on; one is part of the world but I am not sure how it will connect yet and the other is turning into 1.5 for the series I am revising.  No it can't just be book two.  It is a bit frustrating and fun.  I can't wait to see how it all turns out.  I am hoping to have book one and the project I am currently fighting with hit publication with in months of each other, so that means I need to hurry and write.

My Thoughts
I am an avid follower of Publisher's Weekly, so I get to enjoy all the news update fresh in my email.  The potential fall of Borders has really grabbed my attention.  While I have always had a preference for Barnes and Noble, I worry what it will mean if this company does go under.  Barnes and Noble has taken over as the a leader in the industry, but I worry what it will mean for new authors, publishers, and agents if this is the store that has all the buying power in the market.  Lets face it.  Amazon is great, but there is nothing like wandering the aisles of a book store and discovering that next great read.  What will that mean for authors who don't have the backing of an audience?  Will they ever get the space and credit they need if only one major book retailer is left?

Also, hearing about BN's change in direction worries me.  For those of you who don't know they just laid off a large number of employees so that they can direct those resources to the online/nook community.  As a Nook owner that makes me happy, but as a shopper I worry that with less buyers we may really be missing out on some great pieces of fiction.  I hope this doesn't mean that new authors will have to struggle even harder to get into the book store than they already do, but I fear that is where we are headed.

Finally, seeing that both Amazon and BN have made self publishing easier for new writers on their ebook readers is exciting.  With the success of independents like Amanda Hocking it looks like these retailers are really trying to support new authors.  If Borders does close it may mean a new surge in the growing world of self publishing, but is that a good thing?  I don't know.  And another thought is will the sales of these self published book affect how these companies view these authors if and when they are welcomed into a large scale publishing house?  I hope not.  Promotions on the store and web level really do help the author in sales, so I just hope that these retailers will give all authors a fair shake as they change how their books are published.  What do you think?

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Press Release: Witches, Demons, & Deals

On January 17, 2011, D.J. Cappella's collection of short stories "Witches, Demons, & Deals" premiered for sale as an ebook (electronic book) on Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and Amazon UK.  Excitement is growing for this debut authors fun and festive tales of witches living in the suburbs dealing with life, love, and a lot of magical mayhem.  Coming in February 2011 the paperback edition with also be available on Amazon.com as well as selected other retailers.  Mr. Cappella looks forward to seeing the publics' reception of his novel.  To schedule an event or connect with Mr. Cappella he can be reached via email at djcappella@gmail.com.
Purchase at Barnes and Noble
Purchase at Amazon

A Fresh Start

Around the House
Mrs. Vladimir is sorry about the delay in posts.  We have been spending so much time preparing for the release of my book that she hasn't had the time to update her blog, so she has asked me to take it over.  I have been working really hard recently with the premiere of my first book of short stories (3 of which follow Raisa Vladimir) that doing anything around the house hasn't happened.  I am very excited to announce though that ebooks are currently available on Amazon, Amazon UK, and Barnes and Noble.  See the links below.  Additionally, Amazon has agreed to pick up my paperback edition of the my book, Witches, Demons, & Deals, which will be available the first week of February.



My Thoughts
Everyone from time to time wants a fresh start.  We all want the ability to leave the bad parts of our lives behind and start a new with only the good.  The funny thing is that to move towards a fresh start you have to embrace the bad and the good.  They teach us all things about ourselves.  For me the bad gives me inspiration in my writing.  I believe that it is true that to be a good writer you must experience pain and be able to translate that pain into all your writings.

Currently, I am using all these experiences in my four pressing projects.  Two of which are edits and rewrites on full novels that I am hoping to get picked up by an agent and publishing house this year.  The next two are new projects that I am starting.  All of these projects do have roots in my world around Chicago, so I am hoping that they really grab my audiences attention.  I wont say to much at this time, but each of these projects do tie in very closely to the characters in my Book.  I can't wait to hear all your thoughts and comments.