Monday, October 31, 2011

Death by Chocolate -- Happy Halloween!


Raye Morand’s Death by Chocolate

1 package fudge brownie mix (19.8 oz)
3 boxes chocolate mousse (3.5)
8 Heath Candy or Butterfinger bars (1.2 –1.4oz sized bars)
½ cup Kahlua
1 package Cool Whip (16oz)


Bake brownies per box instructions. Pierce brownies with a fork all over then pour Kahlua over it. Let cool. Make mousse according to box instructions. Break up candy bars with hammer while still in package or crunch up in zip lock bag . Crumble brownies into a serving bowl. Cover brownies with half of mousse. Sprinkle with half the candy. Cover with half the cool whip.
Repeat process of layering ending with Cool Whip and sprinkling of candy. Refrigerate for two to three hours then serve.

Contributed by Ray Morand

Friday, October 28, 2011

Catching UP!

YAY! The port is open at Nook, and I am uploading new books there as quickly as I can. Will spend most of the weekend on this. Everything should be there by Tuesday, at the latest. So if your book is still "missing in action" on the Barnes & Noble site next WEDNESDAY, please let me know at once.

This is a good time for everyone to check their listings in the Nook Store. They said they had uploaded my whole list, yet I've had still more complaints of missing titles that were on the site and are Now Missing Again, so.....


Print Books that went to press, or back to press this week:

ROUGH WATERS, by Gianni Hayes

TOBY MARTIN: PARK PATROL


Galleys that went out, or went out again this week:

GHOST AT STALLION'S GATE, by Elizabeth Eagan-Cox

ON WINGS OF TRUST, by Anna Dynowski

A HOUSE TO KILL FOR, by Judith C. Reveal

TOO DANGEROUS, by Geoff Geauterre


Repairs were made or work continued or began on the following:

A FRIGHT OF GHOSTS by Helen Chappell

ONE STOP FREEDOM, by Ann Nolder Heinz

PLAYING WITH FIRE, by Tonya Ramagos


Galleys out with the authors:

A GRANDFATHER'S GIFT, by Hugh Carter Vinson

THE COLLECTED STORIES OF VICTOR URIBE, by Victor Uribe



NEW TITLES ON THE SITE For November 1, 2011

E-BOOKS

CLASS REUNIONS

HIDDEN GOLD OF MU

SNIPER

ROUGH WATERS

TOBY MARTIN: PARK PATROL



PRINT:

ROUGH WATERS
TOBY MARTIN: PARK PATROL
ROUGH WATERS
DREW GETS IT RIGHT

Thursday, October 27, 2011

They changed everything -- writing tip

Question from the e-mail: I sold a short story to a magazine and it finally came out this month. I am very disappointed. I wrote it about my daughter's experience and they changed her name, her school, the name of our town, all sorts of things. WHY would they do that? They didn't even ask me!

Answer: Did you sign a contract with them? An "all rights" contract? I suspect you did. If so they can change anything they want and don't have to ask you. You have sold the story's content to them and they can do ANYthing they want to it. It belongs to them now.

I know that "overjoyed" feeling you get when you get that first acceptance in the mail. I know what contracts look like, too. Confusing as hell, all those legal terms.

With the excitement of that first acceptance, most of us would sign just about anything, and I know I certainly did. But from then on, anything that comes from it belongs to them, not to you.

So be glad that people will be reading about your characters, regardless of the names, and be certain to read the contract and think hard about it, before you sign the next one.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Pesto Sauce - Recipe

Best Pesto Sauce

* Pesto is best when fresh, once made it does not keep well, unless frozen right away. A minor drawback for such a great item.

½ cup fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup parsley leaves
1/4 cup olive oil
5 Tablespoons walnuts
Grated rind of ½ lemon
1/4 cup grated Locatelli cheese (optional. Locatelli cheese is a hard, strong tasting, grated cheese.)

(Try adding Thyme for a taste change)

In blender, puree oil, garlic and nuts. Add basil and parsley a little at a time. Add cheese and lemon. Puree until smooth. Serve over pasta, vegetables, or fish. Goes well with just about anything.

Yields: Approximately 1 ½ cups, takes about 15 minutes to make, coats one pound of pasta. Or serves as a dip, or a side dish, or, well...whatever.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Problem statement--writing tip

Question (from my e-mail): I got a note back from a prospective agent saying, "I can't find a problem statement." Any idea what THAT means?


Answer: Well the protagonist of any story has to have a problem. If there's no problem, there's no story--no evil to be overcome. Nice things happening to nice people are the stuff of daydreams. Conflict and people in danger of losing what they want are what's needed for a real story. The problem statement is where the writer lets the reader know what the problem is, and should appear as close to the beginning of the story as is physically possible.

The sooner the reader feels involved in what is happening in the story, the better. Reader involvement happens in all kinds of successful books and the problem statement definitely should appear within the first 3 pages or so, otherwise the reader has nothing to care about.

If at all possible, the problem statement should be included in the first line's opening hook. See if you can guess the central problem of the story from these examples of first lines taken at random from my bookshelf:

"My worst dreams have always contained images of brown water and fields of elephant grass and the downdraft of helicopter blades. The dreams are in color but they contain no sound, not of drowned voices in the river or the explosions under the hooches in the village we burned, or the Jolly Green and the gunships coming low and flat across the canopy, like insects pasted against a molten sun." --James Lee Burke, TIN ROOF BLOWDOWN.


"I inherited my brother's life. Inherited his desk, his business, his gadgets, his enemies, his horses and his mistress. I inherited my brother's life and it nearly killed me." -- Dick Francis, STRAIGHT.

"He had followed her three times in a week. Today made four. Gabriella Starr decided four was enough." -- Carla Neggers, A RARE CHANCE.

"Lady Callista Taillefaire was a gifted wallflower." --LESSONS IN FRENCH by Laura Kinsale.

"'He slaughtered a mother and two children.' Hennepin County prosecutor Chris Logan was a man of strong opinions and stronger emotions. Both traits had served him well in the courtroom with juries, not always so well in judges' chambers." --PRIOR BAD ACTS, by Tami Hoag.

"When Wesley Smith's colleagues asked him -- some with an eyebrow hoicked satirically -- what he was doing with that gadget (they all called it a gadget), he told them he was experimenting with new technology, but that was not true.
"He bought the gadget, which was called a Kindle, out of spite." -- UR by Steven King.

"Her name was Gladys Melbourne and she was crying." THE VAMPIRE WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, by J. R. Rain.


All the above examples are are also best-sellers listed at amazon.com.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Maine Potato Candy -- recipe



Nina Osier’s “Writer Who Has a Day Job” Variation on Classic Maine Potato Candy for Busy People

Mix thoroughly:
2/3 cup mashed potatoes (without butter, salt, or anything else added)
2 pounds powdered sugar
1 large package shredded coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla

Butter a 9 x 9 inch baking pan, and spread mixture in it evenly. Then melt in a quart-sized microwave-proof bowl (or on the stove in a double boiler) 1 large package of semisweet chocolate chips, with 1 stick of butter or margarine. Spread evenly over the potato mixture, and then chill for about 15 minutes. “Mark” the chocolate (which hardens quickly) with a knife so you can cut it more easily later. Chill until firm, several hours at least, before cutting into small pieces (these are very rich!). Keep refrigerated until ready to use, and refrigerate the uneaten pieces if you have any…but you won’t.

Contributed by Nina M. Osier, author of the High Places Series

Friday, October 21, 2011

Catching UP!

Print books that went to press or back to press this week:

OCCUPATIONAL HAZZARDS, by Michael E. Field

DREW GETS IT RIGHT, by Ludima Burton


e-books that completed this week:

ROUGH WATERS, by Gianni Devincenti Hayes

TOBY MARTIN: PARK PATROL, by Barbara Grengs



Galleys that went out, or went out again, this week:

A HOUSE TO KILL FOR, by Judith C. Reveal

TOO DANGEROUS, by Geoff Geauterre

GHOST AT STALLIONS GATE, by Elizabeth Eagan-Cox



Galleys still out to the authors:

COLLECTED WORKS OF VICTOR URIBE, by Victor Uribe

A GRANDFATHRE'S GIFT by Hugh Carter Vinson

FORCED PARADISE, by J. C. Compston




BEST SELLERS AT FICTIONWISE:

Based on data gathered within the last 20 days. Icon explanations
1. Mid-Length [45109 words]A Medic in Iraq: A Novel of the Iraq War by Cole Bolchoz [Mainstream]
2. Long [74463 words]Snow Escape by Roberta Goodman [Mystery/Crime/Suspense/Thriller]
3. Long [79145 words]NIght Undone: Agent Night Cover Me Series by K.S. Brooks [Mystery/Crime/Suspense/Thriller]
4. Long [55838 words]Cheating Death by Judy Reveal [Mystery/Crime]
5. Long [51134 words]A Ghost of a Chance [Shannon Delaney Series Book 1] by Elizabeth Eagan-Cox [Mystery/Crime/Romance]
6. Long [56350 words]Music Room by Judy Reveal [Mystery/Crime/Mainstream]
7. Very Long [459405 words]Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas ( Pere ) [Classic Literature/Historical Fiction]
8. Long [143563 words]Serious Nuts: The Inevitable Rise of Miss Grainger by Geoff Geauterre [Suspense/Thriller/Mystery/Crime]
9. Long [51024 words]A House to Kill For [Lindsey Gale Series Vol. 3] by Judy Reveal [Suspense/Thriller/Mystery/Crime]
10. Long [97465 words]Reap the Whirlwind by Josh Aterovis [Mystery/Crime]


Based on highest average ratings by at least 5 readers. Icon explanations
1. Long [66889 words]A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett [Classic Literature/Children's Fiction]
2. Long [121796 words]Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen [Classic Literature]
3. Long [61049 words]Minder's Oath [High Places Series: Book 2] by Nina M. Osier [Science Fiction/Mainstream]
4. Long [98906 words]Ghost Dancer by Arline Chase [Historical Fiction]
5. Long [113180 words]Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini [Suspense/Thriller/Classic Literature]
6. Long [57142 words]The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie [Mystery/Crime/Classic Literature]
7. Long [75310 words]The Secret Adversary [Tommy and Tuppence Book 1] by Agatha Christie [Classic Literature]
8. Long [68911 words]Dark Elf: [Book 2 of the Red Knight Chronicles] by Ray Morand [Science Fiction/Mainstream]
9. Long [70408 words]Slow Dancing with the Angel of Death [Hollis Ball and Sam Westcott Series Book 1] by Helen Chappell [Mystery/Crime/Humor]
10. Long [76981 words]Tortured Souls [Arbiter Series Book 2] by Matthew L. Schoonover [Horror]

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Quotes II -- Writing tip

Question: Okay, I did use her grammar, so you're saying I should have cleaned it up a little? Also I should believe sources when I know they're lying?

Answer: Yes on the grammar. Cleaning it up is just a nice thing to do and will make anyone happier to talk with you a second time. That's important when you have a regular beat where you deal with the same sources over and over. When I worked on a daily newspaper, I had cops and courts. Cops are almost always glad to talk about their work, but few of them know grammar.

Second, and most important: IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO BELIEVE WHAT THEY TELL YOU TO WRITE DOWN THAT THEY HAVE SAID IT.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Mulled cider -- recipe

Jessie Brady’s Mulled Apple Cider
* as served in the five star romance As Big as the Sky

¼ cup brown sugar
3 whole allspice
3 whole cloves
1 stick cinnamon
1 quart apple cider
Juice from ½ an orange or lemon

Combine the juice and spices with the cider. Boil for about 5 minutes. Add the sugar and return it to boil and boil for 5 more minutes. Ladle into cups. Makes about 6 servings.

Contributor’s Note: Want to feel warm all over? Have some of Jessie Brady’s Apple Cider. This spicy drink will take the chill out of your bones. In the old days, people sat around the fire and sipped the cider as they chatted away with their friends, using the popular drink as an excuse not to go outdoors into the cold.

Jessie Brady’s recipe will take the chill out of you. You can spike the cider with rum for some added holiday flavor. Instead of brewing the cider you can also heat it by taking a red-hot fireplace poker directly from the fire and hold it in the cup. The poker as well as the rum are optional.

Contributed by Jan Springer.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Quotes -- writing tip

Question from the e-mail: I quoted someone in an article and was careful to make certain it was an exact quote of exactly what she said. NOW she comes back complaining that I "made her sound stupid." How do I deal with that??

Answer: Well quotes can be funny things. Accuracy IS the most important thing, so be careful not to say someone is for an issue, if they SAID they were against it, whatever you may believe the truth to be.

However not everyone is articulate. I have, many times, when an interview subject has spent half an hour trying to explain something, had to put words in their mouths by saying, "So what you really mean is...." and stating the obvious simply and succinctly. They repeat it back to me, and THEN it becomes a quote.

Remember, quotes enliven the prose and produce a closer reader involvement. When quotes are used, the reader feels as if the subject of the article who is speaking directly to them. The only tricky thing about quotes is they have to be absolutely accurate. You shouldn't have any problem with that, though I've had past students (and fellow reporters) who did.

Two things about using quotes. As I said it's important to be accurate in quoting your subject. A tape recorder can be helpful, but you should probably take written notes as well when you do your interviews. It can be difficult to find the right part of the tape, especially if they talk a long time, and you could have to listen to a couple of hours of material to find the right few words.

If you take written notes during the interview, you can star or underline important paryts, and you will have them at the end and can double-check the quotes for "accuracy," to make sure the person you interviewed understands and is willing to be quoted. This works only if you are interviewing willing subjects.

Also, if the person you interview speaks poor or accented English, or in dialect, or uses profanity or slang, it's permissible to "clean up" their prose, so they sound intelligent and articulate in the article, as long as you don't change their meaning or the basic content of what they have said!

That doesn't mean you should make everybody sound like a lawyer, but if you're quoting the chief of police and he says, "Me and the boys was going over to Kelly's drinking beer after work, when we gets this call about a 10:51 PI." You can say, "I was at Kelly's with the boys after work, when we heard the call about a personal injury accident."

Your reader will understand, including the ones who frequent Kelly's Bar, and most of your interviewees will thank you for it -- if they notice the difference at all.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Adirondack Apples -- recipe


Adirondack Apples:

3 Empire Apples
1/2 cup of New York State Maple syrup
3 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp.of genuine vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400-F or 204-C degrees. In a bowl, mix well the syrup and the vanilla extract. While oven is preheating, wash, core, but do not peel the apples. Place apples in a baking brick or other high-walled oven dish. Insert a cinnamon stick into each apple, and fill in the remain core space with the syrup/vanilla extract mix, drizzling remaining mix over the apples. Cook for fifty minutes.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Catching UP!

The checks finally went out YESTERDAY!! Yay.



Books that went to press, or back to press this week:

ROUGH WATERS, by Gianni Devincenti Hayes

DREW GETS IT RIGHT, by Ludima Burton



Work continued or began on the following:


HOUSE TO KILL FOR, by Judith Reveal

ON WINGS OF TRUST, by Anna Dynowski

HOUSE AT STALLION'S GATE, by Elizabeth Eagan-Cox



Ebook work began or continued on:

DREW GETS IT RIGHT, by Ludima Burton

TOBY MARTIN: PARK PATROL, by Barbara Grengs



Galleys still out with authors:

A GRANDFATHER'S GIFT, by Hugh Carter Vinson

COLLECTED STORIES OF VICTOR URIBE, by Victor Uribe

OCCUPATIONAL HAZZARDS, by Michael E. Field

FORCED PARADISE, by J. C. Compston

Thursday, October 13, 2011

hyphenation question - writin tip

Question from my e-mail: Arline, I'm reading a hard back book from a well known publishing house and I see make-up spelled both with a hyphen and then again as all one word. These people are definitely the "big leagues," so don't they know which is correct? I know, I know, I have way too much time on my hands, but I'm curious.

Answer: Actually, both may be correct. A make-up test gets a hyphen, but makeup that you put on your face gets none, according to the Mirriam-Webster dictionary. Spell check will almost always let you down with compound words like facial makeup, as it concentrates on the individual words, encouraging lots of folks to hyphenate if they know the words "belong together" and spell check doesn't recognize them. The dictionary is always the best reference for this kind of thing.

As a general rule, Hyphenate phrases that combine modifiers. Descriptive phrases like “good-looking” take a hyphen, for instance. The best rule of thumb is that if both words won’t act as modifiers alone, they should be hyphenated. For instance you could have a good man, but you couldn’t have a “looking man” because that wouldn’t make sense. You need a hyphen to hook the words good and looking together so they will both apply to “woman.”

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Scalloped Vegetables -- recipe


Ray Morand’s Scalloped Potatoes and Carrots

4 cups thinly sliced peeled potatoes
3 cups thinly sliced peeled carrots (or parboil baby carrots and use instead)
½ cup chopped onions
1/3 cup chopped parsley
¼ cup butter
¼ cup flour
¼ teaspoon dill
2 teaspoon seasoned salt
3 cups milk

Combine potatoes and carrots in casserole. Preheat oven to 350-F or 177-C degrees.

Saute onion and parsley in butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour, dill, and seasoned salt and stir in milk gradually. Cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Pour over vegetables in casserole, mix well.

Bake covered for thirty minutes. Remove cover and continue uncovered for one hour or until vegetables are tender.

Contributed by Ray Morand, author of the Red Knight Chronicles.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Apostrophes - writing tip

Question: Big fight about apostrophes at my writing group Saturday. Does a word ending in S, get an apostrophe S for possessive? Half say "absolutely" the other half scoff at the idea. Which is right? Marcy.

Answer: Actually both are right, depending on where they live. In US English, words ending in S get an apostrophe S, UNLESS they are plural possessives, according to the Chicago Manual of Style and some other US style books. In UK English, they get no s following the apostrophe, according to Strunk and White and other UK style manuals. Weird, huh?

For the record, in the US: Apostrophes are used in contractions, that is a shortened version of two words, but never in abbreviations. Can’t instead of can not, it’s for "it is" (the possessive form of “it” never takes an apostrophe), and didn’t instead of did not. But CDs, las an abbreviation, wouldn’t take an apostrophe. Apostrophes (usually apostrophe followed by an s) are used, for possessive clauses. Mandy’s house. Tammy’s CDs. Do you see what I mean? Possessive forms of proper names take an apostrophe s even if they already end in s, such as Silas’s car. But plural nouns and pronouns get the apostrophe without the s in the plural form. I visited Mandy’s parents’ house. Plural form of proper names get an “es” rather than a plain s, and no apostrophe. Both the following are correct. “The Williams’ car,” for possessive if the car belongs to the whole family, and “The Williamses came to dinner,” for plural.

Friday, October 7, 2011

Catching UP!

Am working hard on Pay Roll. Thank goodness Barnes & Noble came through with the sales statistics, so now I know whom to pay.

Books that went to press, or went to press again, this week:

None.



Galleys that went out, or went out again, this week:

DREW GETS IT RIGHT, by Ludima Gus Burton

GHOST AT STALLION'S GATE, by Elizabeth Eagan-Cox

ROUGH WATERS, by Gianni Hayes



Work began or continued on the following:

OCCUPATIONAL HAZZARDS, by Michael E. Field

TOO DANGEROUS, by Geoff Geauterre

A HOUSE TO KILL FOR, by Judith Reveal

ON WINGS OF TRUST, by Anna Dynowski



Galleys still out with authors:

A GRANDFATHER'S GIFT, by Hugh Carter Vinson

COLLECTED STORIES OF VICTOR URIBE, by Victor Uribe


Sales statistics have been compiled and checks should go out sometime next week.



FICTIONWISE BEST SELLERS THIS WEEK


1. Mid-Length [45109 words]A Medic in Iraq: A Novel of the Iraq War by Cole Bolchoz [Mainstream]
2. Long [51024 words]A House to Kill For [Lindsey Gale Series Vol. 3] by Judy Reveal [Suspense/Thriller/Mystery/Crime]
3. Very Long [185919 words]Last Stop Freedom by Ann Nolder Heinz [Historical Fiction/Mainstream]
4. Long [84748 words]Terror Reigns by Eleanor Cross [Suspense/Thriller/Mainstream]
5. Long [143563 words]Serious Nuts: The Inevitable Rise of Miss Grainger by Geoff Geauterre [Suspense/Thriller/Mystery/Crime]
6. Long [84607 words]Bleeding Hearts by Josh Aterovis [Mystery/Crime]
7. Long [86551 words]Journey of the Eagle by Priscilla Maine [Historical Fiction]
8. Mid-Length [49154 words]Tyger, Tyger by Ann Bannon [Romance]
9. Long [67396 words]Shape of Fear [Arbiter Series Book 3] by Matthew L. Schoonover [Horror]
10. Long [82022 words]Angels Unaware by Priscilla Maine [Historical Fiction]


FICTIONWISE HIGHEST READER RATINGS THIS WEEK

1. Long [66889 words]A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett [Classic Literature/Children's Fiction]
2. Long [121796 words]Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen [Classic Literature]
3. Long [61049 words]Minder's Oath [High Places Series: Book 2] by Nina M. Osier [Science Fiction/Mainstream]
4. Long [98906 words]Ghost Dancer by Arline Chase [Historical Fiction]
5. Long [113180 words]Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini [Suspense/Thriller/Classic Literature]
6. Long [57142 words]The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie [Mystery/Crime/Classic Literature]
7. Long [75310 words]The Secret Adversary [Tommy and Tuppence Book 1] by Agatha Christie [Classic Literature]
8. Long [68911 words]Dark Elf: [Book 2 of the Red Knight Chronicles] by Ray Morand [Science Fiction/Mainstream]
9. Long [70408 words]Slow Dancing with the Angel of Death [Hollis Ball and Sam Westcott Series Book 1] by Helen Chappel [Mystery/Crime/Humor]
10. Long [76981 words]Tortured Souls [Arbiter Series Book 2] by Matthew L. Schoonover [Horror]

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Write a page-turner? -- writing tip

Question: Someone who read my manuscript told me they "didn't care" about my characters. What is this? A popularity contest? I don't want them to fall in love with my characters, only to keep on turning pages.

Answer: I'd pay close attention to motivation here.

Once an editor told me my manuscript "lacked tension" and I had no idea what she meant by that. Now I know it's because the reader didn't care enough about what happened to the characters. A reader should be invested in your story, should care about your characters and whether they get what they want, and eagerly turn the pages to find out what happens next.

One way to write page-turner fiction is to build tension and suspense into every scene..
Without those two elements, there is no real story. Someone has to want
something – usually, it’s the main character – and wondering whether
they will get it or not is the definition of reader suspense. For tension to be
present, the reader has to care about that character, to be rooting for him to succeed.
One way to make the reader care is to use motivation
(why the character wants the something) to increase the tension. If they want it for greed, that's not a good reason. But if they want it to save someone's life, that's a life-and-death reason to care.

All characters act for reasons of their own. Good characters have a good
reason for acting as they do. Bad characters have a bad reason, but ALL
characters MUST have a reason. That reason is called motivation.

So look at your characters' motivation and see if their reasons for acting as they do are important enough to generate the risks they take. Ask yourself if the reader can identify with them. If they would take the same risk, if the result can be truly devastating should the character fail.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Wahoo!

Got them at last~!!!

Barnes & Noble came through!!!

Sales are down everywhere this quarter, but that's to be expected in the summer when folks are gardening, vacationing, and doing things outside. We always sell more books in cooler weather.

Potato Puff Recipe


Nancy Madison's Potato Puff

8 ounce package of cream cheese
4 cups of mashed potatoes (about 3 large bake potatoes)
1 beaten egg
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1/3 cup drained, chopped pimiento
1 teaspoon salt and dash of pepper

Soften the cream cheese, blend with mashed potatoes. Add the beaten egg, finely chopped onion, drained, chopped pimiento, salt and dash of pepper..Bake in buttered 1 quart casserole 350-F or 177-C for 45 minutes. Serve at once.Serves 4.

Contributed by Nancy Madison, author of Whispers and Clues to Love ...Investigating a murder, DCI Nick Connor concludes Kate was the intended victim....While Nick struggles to find the elusive killer, he falls in love with Kate, in spite of his vow to never love again. Can Nick catch the killer before the killer catches Kate?

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Barnes & Noble Sales Statistics MIA -- Heads UP

As most of you know, I am collecting sales statistics from the various sites, getting ready to make your quarterly payment for October 2011.

At present we are having technical problems with Barnes & Noble's NOOK site and I'd like to say they have been working very hard to fix things for us. We discovered in August that 78 titles of our 577 title inventory, were missing from the B&N site, including parts of several series. Thanks to everyone who let me know about the missing titles.

Originally, when B&N bought Fictionwise.com, their plan was to pick up content from FW automatically listing everything there available for NOOK. This was not happening for us, as most of the newer titles had not been "picked up" automatically, or otherwise. They were showing on FW, but not on Nook. Somehow they had gotten lost in cyberspace.

I spent a couple of days compiling the "missing" list for B&N and we made a different arrangement for uploading our files directly to Nook, bypassing their original "getting picked up from FW" arrangement. Now we will upload the Nook titles ourselves and have complete conytrol of what goes up there. We will still upload to FW as a sales market, just not depend on them to redistribute to B&N.

The changed account required a change in payment arrangements and basically a whole new registration and payment set up. That went very well so far. Checks from B&N have been arriving regularly and ON TIME every month without missing a beat. All the missing titles are NOW listed for sale on NOOK -- the exception being those published within the last two months as we cannot post to update the new list until AFTER all our present inventory appears.

Now comes the COMPLICATED part. No sales statistics information shows in the old account, because it is now cancelled and all the data in the process of being moved over to the new sales platform. No sales statistics yet show in the new account, as it is not yet "officially open" and is not yet listing our titles, even though they are all for sale now. The move is still In Process. Yes, this is October. Yes, I did say August... But at least the formerly missing titles are now for sale for Nook. And we are being paid PROMPTLY for sales, whatever they are.

The good news is they are selling books for us and making payment for them. The bad news is the sales statistics to show which of your titles have sold and which of you we need to pay are TEMPORARILY unavailable to us. WE WILL, EVENTUALLY, receive ALL the sales data, once the new account is complete.

Now there's no question they have the data, as they would not be paying if they didn't know we had sold books. So the information is there. SOMEWHERE.

We asked for help last week on this issue, and were told that we would receive the data on Monday.That didn't happen, and we have, as yet, no further information. If we do not receive the data by Friday, we will go ahead and pay everyone, without the B&N sales included and will pay your 3rd Quarter B&N sales in January, along with the 4th quarter royalties due then.

That's the best we can do, as it would be unfair to everyone wait for all their money.

Any questions?