Any publishers out there?

The publisher of my humorous thriller, Escaping Reality, and Mediterranean thriller, Hot Air, has given up publishing. Not because sales are low, which they are but ironically picking up just recently. Brambling Books was a one man and his wife business, like many small presses. He’s had misfortunes in 2011 with family and friends dying in South Africa, NZ and Australia. Not only did he have businesses with them out there that need sorting out, but their deaths have hit him, emotionally, much harder than he expected.
We parted on good terms but it leaves me with the problem of finding a publisher. The difficulty is that both books have now been published by two small presses, and in the case of Escaping Reality, have almost certainly peaked its sales some 5 years or so ago. Again, ironically, my local independent bookshop, Bluecoat Books – in Chester, have just ordered 6 more from me on sale on return. If it wasn’t for those trickle sales I’d be tempted to go to an ebook-only publisher.  I am keen to get Hot Air into paper print because apart from 15 poorly printed copies from the original Dutch publisher, its never been available in print worldwide and I’ve been asked for it many times.
I could do self-publishing. However, I’ve never done that and I’m too busy reading, writing, reviewing, editing and cycling, etc to learn how. I need a publisher to take them on – not to spend a lot of money on them – I’ll do the promo, etc.
Later this year, a science fiction small press is publishing my ARIA vol one (Left Luggage) SF novel, and I’ve already got offers of signings at some Waterstones, so it would be good to have the other books available too.

I still like the ebook cover art for Hot Air and the paperback cover, but this is an opportunity to redo the Escaping Reality cover. I’ve always thought it was too much like a hard-nosed crime than a humorous thriller.
Any ideas gratefully received.

Late good news. Bluecoat Books, 1 City Wall, Chester has copies of Escaping Reality and Exit, Pursued by a Bee. Their website.

Advance notice about Hot Air

The contract with Wuacademia to publish my Mediterranean thriller, Hot Air, came to an end recently. I was unhappy that it was only for sale on the publisher’s website, and was too expensive. So I am chuffed that Gary Baker, the publisher of my humorous thriller, Escaping Reality, has agreed to re-publish Hot Air through Brambling Books. The text has been revised once again and is now down to 73,000 exhilirating words. In a few weeks time Hot Air will be available as a Kindle and paperback, cheaper, leaner and a thrill. In the meantime visit Brambling Books website here.

Note my Escaping Reality is still there. If you’ve yet to experience that humorous adventure you are in for a treat. See this page on how our hero escapes from Hexham prison, survives crossing the Northumberland moors in winter, and seeks whoever framed him as well as he keeps out of the clutches of the police. Steamy sex, pushbike and motorbike rides to Amsterdam – it’s all there. see here.

Escape Velocity: the Anthology

It’s coming soon. I’ve been kept busy reading hundreds of excellent science fiction short stories for months and at the eleventh hour this weekend came more. Writers have spurned family outings to hone their tales of wonder and hidden dimensions to slip them under my nose. Just in the last few days I’ve had my imagination spun by Jon Pinnock, Catherine Edmunds, Mark Iles and Roy Gray. All the stories and one cartoon and a poem are now in. There are 40 pieces from over 30 contributors – it is a hell of a starry brilliant read. Watch this space.

Illustration is from the first issue of Escape Velocity – probably we’ll use the same image for the anthology. Olympus Mons on Mars.

Also hoping to make a million – all right, a few bob – from the ebook of my Escaping Reality humorous thriller. Less than 2 dollars at Smashwords here.  I’ve seen blogs and articles about how Amanda Hocking has sold hundreds of thousands of her bloody fantasy books. “They are no where near as fun to read as Nelder’s Escaping Reality.” Quote from a drunken friend – yes, I bought her the drinks.

Back to my little world of writing – must get the third book of my Left Luggage trilogy done. I can’t wait to see how it ends.

Smashing

And there’s me thinking that after all the hype relating to Smashwords that the ebook of my humorous thriller, Escaping Reality, is doing well, my publisher says the ebook there has sold ONE copy today! Laugh or cry? Haha. Over the years around 2,000 copies of the paper version has sold, so we were trying the ebook as an experiment at less than a couple of pounds (or 1.99 USD). If you have a Kindle or Sony e-reader than why not try it? ER on Smashwords
Information on the story is here.

I’ve just read the comments so thanks, Paul (Hodgy) for the sale! It tickles me in the nicest way to think of my words being read way up in the tea plantations in Thailand – excellent!
My publisher has discovered more Escaping Reality sales via Smashwords. Apparently he only receives email notifications after Smashwords get their money and some sellers are tardy in that respect. So as of this morning that’s 8 sales!

Have my cake and read it

What a shock I had when today I visited my writer friend, Gladys Hobson, in Ulverston. Gladys and husband, Ralph, were hosting a luncheon meeting for writer, Les Floyd, his friend, Louis Willis, and me. It is always a pleasure to natter over publishing and writing with Gladys and Les but it is the first time those two had met each other. You could feel the warmth and mutual admiration in the atmophere. The big surprise for me was when Louise brought in a box. It was my birthday on bonfire night and knowing I’d had a humorous thriller, Escaping Reality, published. Louise had made me a cake in the form of a book!. Look >>>  it tastes as yummy chocolately as it looks. Thanks Louise!

For those who have yet to read Escaping Reality then peep at this link. Of course part of our discussion was on the bubble-wrap sex in the book, also on how the setting for the action is authentic to the geography of the Scottish Borders.

 This must be the first time I’ve taken a bite out of one of my books.

 

Gladys Hobson’s website showcasing her romance books and Northern Lights anthology in which Les Floyd has his famous humorous tale, Barnsely Bear, and I have a short story sequel to Escaping Reality.

Buy Escaping Reality at Amazon.co.uk

Smashing words

With my agreement, encouragement and applause, the publisher of my humorous thriller, Escaping Reality, has released it as an ebook on Smashwords. See http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/brambling

Cheaper than a cup of tea, you can download in almost any format and be reading it in seconds. For information on the book itself have a glance at

http://geoffnelder.com/ERinfo.htm

How The Ardly Effect is working

A few years I read and reviewed a delightfully humorous science fiction novel, The Ardly Effect, by Mitis Green. I had written: “After my poor disappointed eyes had been dragged across the pages of so many best-sellers, this unknown gem is a delightful must read. Any lover of lateral thinking, British sense of humour and sheer page-turning adventure will love this book.
Warning: don’t read it on the bus or tube unless you like being the centre of attraction as you gasp and laugh out loud.
Any SF reader will have to add this book to their collection.”

I repeat those words because it remains, for me, a worthy successor to Douglas Adams and his Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series. Today, I found out that the revised ebook of The Ardly Effect had been put on memory sticks issued to US Army personel. Consequently, and rightly, Mitis Green’s publisher, Gary Baker, has been inundated with requests for the third book in the series, even though TAE is so far the only volume!

If you would like the ebook or paperback then click here. Go on, you must know someone who likes humour combined with science fiction, who’d hug you for a copy.

By coincidence, my first novel, the humorous thriller, Escaping Reality, is also published by Brambling Books here

Mondo Cult

I was sent a cool link today. It is a review of Escaping Reality and sublinks to it and Exit, Pursued by a Bee and Escape Velocity in neat widgets. Push the link and see for yourself at

http://www.mondocult.com/articles/escape.html

Jessie Lilley is the creative genius behind the ezine and paper magazine, Mondo Cult, based in California.

Signing today

I have my book signing of scifi Exit, Pursued by a Bee, and humorous thriller Escaping Reality, in Waterstones, Trafford Centre today, Sat Aug 15th 1-4pm. Good to see you there if poss. Free sweets

Over the weekend, Dave Haslett from Ideas4Writers and I met up in Exmouth to record a conversation about How to Win Short Story Competitions. We prepared well in all aspects except our voices. Sore throats after 3 hours- hah.

While down there I visited the lovely city of Exeter. There are two Waterstones in Exeter, both on High Street, about 500 yards apart. The scifi buyer in one said he’d stock Exit. The other branch scifi buyer was away but staff took details. I asked but the two branches don’t coordinate their buying. In fact the staff of one told me she’d not met any of the staff of the other!  I’d been in Exeter half an hour and was on first name terms with two Waterstones staff who worked within shouting distance but didn’t know each other. I should  start a Waterstones get-to-know-ourselves service!

Apparently, something called The Hub is being introduced for book distribution / ordering for Waterstones – not sure if its good news or not for small press. I’ll see what I can find out in the Trafford Centre Waterstones today.

Wigan Literary Festival

 

Saturday 25th  April I enjoyed meeting up with BeWrite Books, Cait and Alex, along with Mike Hunt and poet extraordinaire, Sam Smith. The event was to network, something all writers and small press need to do more these days. I manned a table as the British branch of Adventure Books of Seattle. Knowing how difficult it is to sell books and magazines at these events I put my hand in my pocket and visited each table. At the Bewrite table I was spoilt for choice and selected Insatiate Archer by Hunter Taylor because the medieval fantasy theme appeals to me and reflects my own Xaghra’s Revenge novel in writing. At the small press Green Arrow table I bought their anthology and a novella. I  shared a joke at the Lulu press table (the one when their executive, Henry  Hutton, forgot to bring a sample book to his first demo in the UK and so I sold him a copy of Dimensions - ie a Lulu book back to him – hah.) I  found a UK Authors writer to chat to. He didn’t seem to know about the UKAway weeks so I excited him about our weeks in Cyprus.  A wandering photographer agreed to snap me. So thanks to Colin Jones of Parallax Consultancy for the photo on this page. I actually appear a little slimmer when cowering behind my books. Note copies of Exit, Pursued by a Bee, the stunning risque cover art for issue 4 of Escape Velocity magazine and, hello Gary Baker, even your Ardly Effect was on show. One buyer. I’ll keep the money in lieu of royalties for Escaping Reality hah.

As I packed up,  I rushed around to collect my purchased books from Green Arrow and BeWrite, only to forget that I hadn’t paid the gorgeous Cait for Insatiate Archer. I could be done for shoplifting! I emailed her at BeWrite and she said I didn’t have to pay,  just enjoy the book. Wow. It is on my list of books to read and review. My friend Peter Tomlinson, of the Petronicus Legacy fabulous books, recommends Insatiate Archer so I am salivating already.